History Characters / SwordArtOnlineAincrad

* TheHeart: She was originally designed to maintain the mental health of the players by giving them emotional support. Unfortunately, when the death game began, she was suspended by the Cardinal system and was forced to watch the players commit suicide and kill each other out of fear, anger, and despair. Then she came across Kirito and Asuna.
* KillerRabbit: In SAO. Looks like an ordinary, cute child. One-shotted a super boss.

* FairyCompanion: In ALO she becomes a "Navigation Pixie."

* SecretKeeper: In SAO, she was the only person whom Kirito had trusted enough to reveal his DualWielding Unique Skill to.

* BigBreastPride: In the Extra Edition episodes. Much to Suguha's chagrin, she could give [[Characters/SenranKagura Katsuragi]] a run for her money in boob-grabbing during the OVA.

* BigBreastPride: In the Extra Edition episodes.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Pina has useful abilities like detecting monsters or restoring HP but her greatest value to Silica is as a friend.

* MeaningfulName: Her avatar name comes from the fourteenth element Silicon. The bauble-like hair bands represent Oxygen (as in silicon dioxide a.k.a. silica). Why? Her birth date is October 4th (10/4; since 104 was Rutherfordium, her father added 10 and 4 to get 14: Silicon) and her real name comes from ''keiso'', the Japanese for Silicon. Kirito figured all that out from the simple hint that "My name comes after Alumi, and before Rin." Silica was shocked.

* PluckyGirl: After Pina's temporary death, Silica was distraught, but never gave up hope that she could save her dragon.

* RescueRomance: Kirito saves her after Pina performs a HeroicSacrifice, helps her get the resurrection item, and protects her from Titan's Head. This prompts her attraction to him.

* LittleSisterHeroine: Kirito and Silica are not blood related but Kirito sees Silica like this because she reminds him of Suguha.

* GrowBeyondTheirProgramming: Familiar algorithums do not provide the option for familiars to physically defend their masters. Pina took a hit for Silica because she ''wanted'' to.

A preteen knife wielder who befriends Kirito. She was able to befriend an NPC dragon which became her familiar, earning her the title of "Beast Tamer." She later joins ALO as a Cait Sith beast tamer.

An ax wielding merchant who runs a shop in SAO while his real-world wife runs Dicey Café, his real-life one. In ALO he reprises his SAO job as a Gnome.

* SamusIsAGirl: In ''Aria in the Starless Night,'' Kirito originally mistook her for a guy until she speaks. Before that, she awed him in regards to the speed of her ''Linear'' skill. It's also entirely possible that most of the people at the first boss battle didn't realize her gender until her cloak was discarded. Which is ''exactly'' what happens in the manga version.]]

* SamusIsAGirl: In ''Aria in the Starless Night'' Kirito originally mistook her for a guy until she speaks. Before that, she awed him in regards to the speed of her ''Linear'' skill. It's also entirely possible that [[spoiler:most of the people at the first boss battle didn't realize her gender her cloak was discarded. Which is ''exactly'' what happens in the manga version.]]

* RedBaron: In SAO, she is know as the "Flash." In ALO, she's know as the "[[CombatMedic Berserk Healer]]."

* LightningBruiser: She's not nicknamed ''The Flash'' for nothing, you know? Not only is she absurdly fast, her strikes are ''insanely'' powerful.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Near the end of the Aincrad arc, she dies in Kirito's arms after taking a fatal blow for him in the final battle. She gets better once Heathcliff is defeated, but remains trapped in virtual reality due to Sugou's manipulations, triggering the ''Fairy Dance'' arc.
* DifficultButAwesome:
** Her speed, both attack and movement. In [=VRMMORPGs=], you can concentrate to speed up attacks significantly. However, if you do it even slightly incorrectly (which gets more and more likely the more you are trying to speed up the strike), you cancel the attack and get frozen for a split second. By the time Asuna first meets Kirito, she (as a rookie) has faster attacks that even he does. Similar rules (though usually without a possible freeze penalty) apply to movement, and Asuna has one of the highest movement speeds of any SAO player.

The main female protagonist. In SAO, she is the sub-leader of the frontline guild "Knights of Blood". Her speed and proficiency with a rapier is so advanced that she has earned the moniker of "The Lightning Flash".

%%* BrainyBrunette: In the real world and in SAO. Also as Titania in ALO during "Fairy Dance".

* CombatMedic: Her ALO build; as an Undine healer, she hasn't forgotten how to use her rapier. More than once she's switched from healing to taking down the level boss, earning her the rather embarrassing nickname of "Berserk Healer".
* CoolBigSis: She acts this way to most of the other female characters. Acts a bit like one to Liz and Silica in real life. Suguha and Sinon aren't excluded. She definitely acts as this towards Yuuki, who calls her "sis".

* DeclarationOfProtection: She promises Kirito to protect him after Kuradeel's murder attempt.
* DefiantCaptive: When she was Sugou's captive in ALO he asked for her love. She said he'd have to make due with her "disgust and hatred".
* DemotedToExtra: Despite being a OfficialCouple with Kirito, she's a DamselInDistress in ALO, and then takes a complete side seat in GGO. From that point the trope is inverted. She goes back to main character in the Calibur arc and takes the role of TheProtagonist from Kirito for Mother's Rosario.
* DetachedSleeves: Her [[NonUniformUniform uniform]] as a member of the "Knights of Blood."

* KnifeNut: Her other character in ALO, "Erika".

** In GGO, her touch also reminds Kirito that he has a handgun, not just a lightsaber. Despite the fact that he's in a game, and she's in the real world. Of course, between what we've learned about Fluctlight, and the fact that Amuspheres (like Kirito was using) are less-powerful and don't block 100% of nerve signals, this probably isn't "Magic". (Unless Fluctlight counts as "Magic".) Still, you never know...

* ThePowerofLove: When asked by Kirito about her faster-than-posssible dash in SAO, she declares it was "an act of love".

* RedBaron: In SAO, she is know as the "Flash." In ALO, she's know as the "[[CombatMedic Berserk Healer]]".

A preteen knife wielder who befriends Kirito. She was able to befriend an NPC dragon which became her familiar, earning her the title of "Beast Tamer". She later joins ALO as a Cait Sith beast tamer.

* DudeMagnet: She gets a lot of party member invites from guys in Aincrad. The narration explictly calls them "suitors".

* MeaningfulName: Her avatar name comes from the fourteenth element Silicon. The bauble-like hair bands represent Oxygen (as in silicon dioxide a.k.a. silica). Why? Her birth date is October 4th (10/4; since 104 was Rutherfordium, her father added 10 and 4 to get 14: Silicon) and her real name comes from ''keiso'', the Japanese for Silicon. Kirito figured all that out from the simple hint that "My name comes after Alumi, and before Rin". Silica was shocked.

* RedBaron: In SAO, she is known as "Dragon Master".

* TheBlacksmith: She personally made Asuna's rapier "Lambent Light" and Kirito's secondary straight sword "Dark Repulser". This continues in ALO, this time with Kirito's sword there.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only female member of the "Black Cats Of The Full Moon".

* CurbStompBattle: When the 21-30th floors of Aincrad were opened in ALO, Asuna, her friends and alongside 50 other players rushed right to the floor boss, where they watched in awe as Asuna single-handedly take out the boss, kicked it to the side, and rush onward to the 22nd floor. The reason was to purchase the small wooden house in the middle of the forest, the same house herself and Kirito briefly lived in, back in SAO.

* ClothingDamage: When Sugou starts to strip her with the intention of raping her in front of Kirito.

* AdaptationalWimp: In the light novel, she is among the highest level players outside of the Aincrad frontline and capable of going solo in a dungeon. The only reason she needed Kirito's help was because she got lost in the Forest of Wandering for hours ''after'' the completion of a raid, so she was tired and out of crystals. In contrast, her major appearance in the anime's first season makes it look like her only ability is Pina and that she is helpless without the dragon.

* FamedInStory: She's a celebrity in SAO for three reasons: 1) She's a real girl. 2) She's an upper middle level player. 3) She owns a Feather Dragon, an exceedingly rare creature.
* GirlishPigtails: Signifying her youth and immaturity.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Pina had useful abilities like detecting monsters or restoring HP but his greatest value to her is as a friend.
* LuminescentBlush: Fairly often around Kirito.
* MeaningfulName: Apparently her avatar name comes from the fourteenth element Silicon. The bauble-like hair bands represent Oxygen (as in silicon dioxide a.k.a. silica). Why? Her birth date is October 4th (10/4; since 104 was Rutherfordium, her father added 10 and 4 to get 14: Silicon) and her real name comes from ''keiso'', the Japanese for Silicon. Kirito figured all that out from the simple hint that "My name comes after Alumi, and before Rin". Silica was shocked.

* RescueRomance: This sort of happens, which prompts her attraction to Kirito; he saves her after Pina performs a HeroicSacrifice, helps her get the resurrection item, and protects her from Titan's Head.

* AttemptedRape: During the climax of ALO, a certain character attempts to molest Asuna in front of a paralysed Kirito, the keyword here being "attempts."

* BadassInDistress: During the early part of the ALO arc, she was trapped in the ALO virtual reality by her then-fiance Sugou, who kept her locked in a cage in the World Tree. [[DamselOutOfDistress She came very close to freeing herself, and managed to leave clues for Kirito and Yui to get to her.]]
* BareYourMidriff: As Titania.
* BattleCouple: With Kirito.

* BrainyBrunette: In the real world and in SAO. Also as Titania in ALO during "Fairy Dance".
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Volume 1 her ActionGirl traits were toned down, making her {{Tsundere}} traits stand out more. However, as the series marches on, her ActionGirl persona takes the forefront ([[BadassInDistress with the exception of during the [=ALFheim=] arc)]].

* ClothingDamage: When [[spoiler:Sugou starts to strip her with the intention of raping her]].

* CombatMedic: Her ALO build; as an Undine healer, she hasn't forgotten how to use her rapier. More than once she's switched from healing to taking down the level boss.
* CoolBigSis: She acts this way to most of the other female characters. Acts a bit like one to Liz and Silica in real life. Suguha and Sinon aren't excluded. She definitely acts as this towards Yuuki, who calls her "sis". [[spoiler: It serves to remind her of her dead twin.]]

* DeclarationOfProtection: She promises Kirito to protect him.

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Near the end of the Aincrad arc, [[spoiler:she dies in Kirito's arms after taking a fatal blow for him in the final battle]]. She gets better [[spoiler:once Heathcliff is defeated, but remains trapped in virtual reality due to Sugou's manipulations, triggering the ''Fairy Dance'' arc.]]

* FanDisservice: When [[spoiler:Sugou strips and molests her right in front of Kirito]].

* GodivaHair: When [[spoiler: Sugou rips her top off]].

* GoOutWithASmile: In the final battle of the Aincrad arc, [[spoiler:she dies smiling to Kirito after TakingTheBullet for him. Fortunately for her, Heathcliff's defeat and subsequent deletion of the Aincrad server brought her back from imminent death.]]

* [[MasterSwordsman Master Swordswoman]]: In SAO she mastered the One Handed Rapier skill, a skill line considered very difficult to use.

* SorryThatImDying: [[spoiler:She apologizes to Kirito as she lies dying in his arms after TakingTheBullet for him in the final battle of the Aincrad arc.]] She gets better.

* TakeUpMySword: She inherits [[spoiler:Yuki's [[LimitBreak Original Skill]] before she passes away]].
* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Takes a fatal blow for Kirito in the final battle of the Aincrad arc.]] She gets better.

* AttemptedRape: During the climax of ALO, [[spoiler:Sugou attempts to molest Asuna in front of a paralysed Kirito, though the latter frees himself with the help of Kayaba's ghost and soundly defeats him.]]

The main female protagonist. In SAO, she is the sub-leader of the frontline guild "Knights of Blood". Her speed and proficiency with a rapier is so advanced that she has earned the moniker of "The Flash".

* AxCrazy: Laughs madly while slowing killing and torturing [[spoiler:Godfrey]].
* BodyguardCrush: On Asuna. He uses the position as an excuse to exclude her from romantic rivals, like Kirito.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:By Kirito, with his '''PowerFist''' no less!]]
* {{Jerkass}}: He treats Asuna like a trophy despite being her subordinate and treats Kirito like trash despite being ten levels lower than him. [[spoiler:Even in his dying words, he accuses Kirito of "murdering" him, even though he tried to kill Kirito and Asuna (and ''did'' kill Godfrey), forcing them to fight back in self-defense.]]

* TattooedCrook: [[spoiler: He bears the Laughing Coffin insignia on his forearm.]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MasahiEbara (Japanese) and Creator/KyleHebert (English)

* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:He is killed by Kuradeel to establish the danger that Kirito is in.]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Gets killed in the same episode he is introduced in to establish Kuradeel's intentions.]]

* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Dogs?]]: As in, panickly runs away screaming

[[/folder]]

* AdaptationalWimp: In the light novel she is among the highest level players outside of the front line and capable of going solo in a dungeon. The only reason she needed Kirito's help was because she got lost in the Forest of Wandering for hours ''after'' the completion of a raid, and so she was tired and out of crystals. In contrast, the anime makes it look like her only ability is Pina and that she is helpless without the dragon.

* FamedInStory: She's a celebrity in SAO for three reasons: 1.) She's a real girl, 2.) she's an uppper middle level player, 3.) she tames a Feather Dragon, an exceddingly rare creature.

* [[ABoyAndHisX A Girl and Her]] {{Familiar}}: Befriends a Feathery Dragon she names Pina.

* LittleSisterHeroine: Well, Kirito and Silica are not blood related. However, Kirito sees Silica like this because she reminds him of Suguha.

* ShoulderSizedDragon: Pina.

This page details the main protagonist, Kirito, and the various characters that debuted in the first story arc of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''. Click [[Characters/SwordArtOnline here]] to return to the main index.

[[folder:Kazuto Kirigaya / Kirito]]

!!Kazuto Kirigaya / Kirito (SAO, ALO, GGO)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kirito-sword-art-online-31698905-1280-720_6833.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YoshitsuguMatsuoka (Japanese) and Creator/BrycePapenbrook (English)

->''"I got this... I can do this! This world can't beat me! [[SurvivalMantra I will survive!"]]''

The main male protagonist of the series. Known as "[[RedBaron The Black Swordsman]]", Kirito is [[TheAce one of the strongest players in SAO]] and possesses the Unique Skill "DualWielding", which allows him to equip a second sword in his off-hand.

* AbsurdlyYouthfulFather[=/=]ActionDad: To the AI Yui.
* AccidentalPervert:
** In SAO, he accidentally [[ThanksForTheMammary gropes]] Asuna after she falls over him when she used a Teleport Crystal while running away from Kuradeel. She responds with a MegatonPunch.
** Later in GGO, he sees Sinon in her underwear, thanks to [[DudeLooksLikeALady a gender mix-up]].
* AlliterativeName: Both his given and family names begin with a "K", as is his online name.
* AloofBigBrother: He distanced himself from his adoptive sister/cousin Suguha after he found out they aren't real siblings. After SAO he works to repair the distance.
* AmazonChaser: He is often stunned speechless by the sight of Asuna in action. He's described her as "an angel" and her combos as "pure beauty".
* AntiHero: The KnightInSourArmor variant at the beginning -- at his worst he's willing to do what it takes to survive. He largely grows out of it as his experiences expand beyond SAO.
* AttackItsWeakPoint[=/=]BreakableWeapons: Specializes in this. Asuna notes that in SAO/ALO, Kirito's fighting style focuses on going after his enemy's weak points and weapons, and is called "Arms Blast", an Outside System Skill. In ALO, this leads to the creation of another Outside System Skill, "Spell Blast", where he accurately targets the tiny core in the middle of spells and destroys them.
* AwesomeButImpractical: In SAO, he's still using and upgrading Dark Repulser months after Lisbeth crafted it for him. As she noted, it's rapidly being outclassed, and any moderately upgraded rare weapon from the 70th floor could match it even if fully upgraded, with much less material expense. The reason is because of its name, Kirito believes that he is destined to use it on the 100th floor final boss. [[spoiler:He's right.]]
* {{Badass}}: You have to be one to survive as a front-line [[OneManArmy solo player]] in [[CrapsaccharineWorld SAO]]. His badassery doesn't decrease in ALO, GGO or even UW.
* BadassAdorable: Awww, he's so cute -- wait, he's what?! The strongest player in SAO?!
* BadassBiker: Downplayed in the real world, as he owns a motorcycle and often rides it. The skill becomes useful during [=BoB=] when he and Sinon are being chased by Death Gun.
* BadassLongcoat: He often wears black longcoats; even in real life he prefers at least dark clothing. [[EarnYourTitle There's a reason he's called]] '''[[RedBaron The Black Swordsman]]'''.
* BadassNormal: Even in the real world, his credentials remain the same.
* BadassBoast: While disarming his opponent and sizing up the kabar combat knife...
--->"Such a weak weapon. Too light, no reach. And it's all I'm gonna need to kill you once and for all."
* BareFistedMonk: Knows unarmed combat to supplement his swordsmanship.
* BattleCouple: With Asuna.
* BerserkButton: [[SchmuckBait Go ahead]], threaten his friends and family. Especially [[LoveInterest Asuna]] and [[PapaWolf Yui]].
* TheBerserker: His use of Dual Blades skill makes him seem like one. Actually, whenever [[TheGlovesComeOff he gets really serious in a fight]]. Lampshaded by himself in Season 1 Episode 19. [[spoiler:The biggest example was during ALO, when he transforms into a demon, using his claws to fight and kill, not to mention eating some of his opponents.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes:
** Just watch Season 1 Episode 4. He will not let murdering psychopaths go unpunished. [[SerialKillerKiller Even if he has to turn his status into a ''Player Killer'']].
** In the battle against the murderous guild Laughing Coffin, Kirito actually kills two of its members who would not surrender. This comes back to haunt him in GGO: [[spoiler:he discovers that Death Gun is a survivor of said purge.]]
** Near the end of Season 1, [[spoiler:you should see how many pieces of the person who tried to rape his beloved remain after [[UnstoppableRage Kirito's done with him]].]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: Mostly towards his cousin and little sister-figure Suguha. He also tends to extend this to Silica, who reminds him of the former, so much so he helped her revive Pina.
* BirdsOfAFeather: The roots of his close friendship with Sinon who, like him, has also killed someone in the past.
* {{Bishonen}}: Applies to his actual self as well, but it should be noted that it's due to being essentially stuck in a coma for two years and still recovering. Sinon realizes this, so she never makes fun of him for looking so effeminate.
* {{BFS}}: In ALO the second sword he owns is almost as big as his character, though it's more of a longsword.
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: In SAO, his primary weapon "Elucidator"; In ALO, a {{BFS}} that replaced his starter weapon; In GGO, a "Kagemitsu G4" lightsaber with a black hilt.
* BloodKnight: Never quite admitted or gets out of hand with it, [[TheBerserker but it exists]]. Acknowledged as such by Asuna as well:
-->'''Yulier:''' ''[as Kirito is slicing up dozens of frog enemies]'' I feel like I should apologize; he's doing all the fighting.\\
'''Asuna:''' ''[with a smile, holding Yui]'' Oh no, he's happy out there. Really, he loves getting his battle on.
* BrokenAce: Out of all 10,000 players in SAO, Kirito is the most skilled of them all, able to do feats that nobody else can, and is nearly unbeatable in battle. But at the same time he hides a lot of personal demons. Prior to SAO, he has little to NoSocialSkills due to his insecurity regarding his place in his aunt's family. In his earlier SAO days, he suffers a massive SurvivorsGuilt due to what happened to Black Moon Cat, causing him to develop a severe tendency for [[ItsAllMyFault self-imposed guilt trips]]. He largely grows out of it come ALO but he slips back into it during GGO due to Death Gun [[spoiler: being a former member of Laughing Coffin.]]
* BrokenBird: The entire Black Moon Cats ordeal will certainly haunt him for many years.
* BroughtDownToBadass: He's in reality. He's just a scrawny teenage boy who's been in a coma for the last year, and you've just stabbed his arm in a sneak attack. He has no gear, no Sword Arts, no insanely high level. Think you can take him in a fight? So did Sugou.
* CaptainErsatz: His GGO avatar looks similar to [[TalesOfVesperia Yuri Lowell]].
* CharacterDevelopment: In ALO, he's more confident and lighthearted despite having lost [[spoiler:Asuna]]. Of course, this may have to do with the fact that he can actually play ALO like a game, instead of having to watch people actually die all the time.
* ChekhovsSkill: His Unarmed parameter is 100, but we never really see him use it in-game... [[spoiler:but in the real world, Kirito manages to disarm Sugou using his bare hands.]]
* ChickMagnet: Oh, yes. Plenty of girls flock to him, though it's a bit better-handled than other harem series, especially given that he has eyes only for Asuna.
* TheChosenOne: An unusual and indirect example, but [[spoiler:his Dual Blade skill was programmed by Kayaba to go to he/she who has the fastest natural reaction time, with the intent of making him/her be the one to face him as the final boss... and it just so happened to be Kirito. Which makes this a rare example of the TheChosenOne being chosen by the villain.]]
* ColorMotif: He's always related to the color black. Even Asuna says as a joke at one point that she should party with him "because her horoscope said black was her lucky color that week". Blue usually acts as his secondary color.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Kirito primarily uses heavy swords in both SAO and ALO out of personal preference. This bites him badly when he plays GGO, as the closest sword available is a Lightsaber, which is very light. [[spoiler: This nearly causes him to lose to Death Gun, as Death Gun, aka [=XaXa=], uses an Estoc, a weapon he's familar with, to combat him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: In real life and his game avatars, both his hair and eyes are black.
* CuteAndPsycho: What GGO players think of him after he sweeps the [=BoB=] preliminaries, because they see him as a beautiful yet crazy girl running around with a lightsaber in a gunfight... and winning.
* CuteBruiser: His appearance is so feminine it causes him to swear off metal armor, and more than one foe comments "he doesn't look very strong"... yet he becomes the strongest player in SAO and ALO, forces a tie with Sinon, GGO's ace, ''and'' apparently does quite a bit in UW, not to mention the skills he learns while playing [=MMOs=] actually transfer to real life. [[spoiler:Just ask Sugou.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: Kirito becomes a loner after he loses all the members of the Black Cats of the Full Moon and fails to revive Sachi. He blames himself for their deaths and avoids people because he's afraid of losing those close to him again.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: InUniverse, his experience with a sword in SAO and ALO has given him extra experience with swords in later games he plays. However, in GGO, where there are no "swords" but retractable lightsabers, he constantly forgets that there is no sheath for it and he's supposed hang it from his waist with a clip.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: All acquired during his two years in SAO.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Wears black as his main colors, both in real life and in the [=VRMMOs=] that he participates in. And somehow he is among the few paragons of righteousness in many of the games he plays.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: His birth parents died when he was younger.
* DeclarationOfProtection: He has sworn to protect Asuna.
* DespairEventHorizon:
** Almost crosses it when he manages to obtain a resurrection item to revive Sachi with (on Christmas Eve, no less) and goes near-suicidal after finding out that it doesn't work the way he thought it would.
* {{Determinator}}: Shows this trait from time to time. Best example is the climax of the SAO arc where, [[spoiler:despite being technically killed by Kayaba, he holds on long enough to return the favor.]]
* DifficultButAwesome: So many that only the outstanding examples will be listed here. DualWielding without system assist. Cutting bullets out of the air. Chaining together one-handed Sword Skills (he has to start one sword skill within a 0.1-second window in order to stop himself from freezing, basically a combo of combos). Spell Blast (using a system-controlled Sword Skill precisely enough to strike down fast-moving spells, which have a minuscule hitbox).
* DirtyBusiness: He killed members of the red guild "Laughing Coffin" while on a mission to capture and imprison them. [[KickTheSonOfABitch Not that they didn't deserve it]], but [[ThouShaltNotKill he'd rather not have]] and brought them to justice instead. But given [[AlwaysChaoticEvil the nature of those psychotic sons-of-bitches]], it's not like he has any choice in that matter.
* DualWielding: The only SAO player who has the Dual Blades Sword Skills.
** In later game worlds, he rarely does this anymore... but whenever he breaks out two swords, much awesomeness will occur. The best part? He's physically controlling two different swords without any System Assist.
** It's seen quite well in Caliber. There are no Dual Blade sword skills... but he has a sword in each hand, so he chains separate one-handed sword skills, controlling each hand separately.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: His GGO avatar is a rare M9000-Type which cranks his already feminine looks UpToEleven. When he sees his own reflection in-game, he thinks he got gender-flipped. He looked so much like a girl that his IRL friends recognize him not because of his face nor his name but his sword style.
* {{Escapism}}: Done subtly, but like Yuuki, Kirito embraces VR and is deeply immersed in it, to the point where he's preferring VR over reality. Yuuki realizes this and warns Asuna to watch out for Kirito, though Asuna doesn't understand what she is talking about.
* EvilCostumeSwitch[=/=]PaintItBlack: Kirito invokes this when he declares himself a Beater in front of a horde of players by putting on his recently obtained black coat after accepting his newly obtained name.
* EveryManHasHisPrice: Why negotiate or threaten when you can just bribe someone with ludicrous amounts of money?
* FacePlant: Happens to him several times when trying to get the hang of ALO's flight engine in the beginning of the ALO arc. One pretty spectacular one has him slamming into the ground head-first from ''dozens of meters in the air'' and seemingly being stuck for almost a minute after impact.
* FailureToSaveMurder: Blames himself for the deaths of his first guild, the Black Cats of the Full Moon.
* FingerlessGloves: He wears them in SAO.
* FlechetteStorm: Has the Blade Throwing Skill, and regularly carries throwing spikes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse -- [[spoiler:even when Kayaba kills him, Kirito forcibly defies the game system long enough to avenge himself and Asuna. They get better. Kayaba doesn't.]]
%%* GameBreakingInjury: During the Alicization arc, the attack on the Ocean Turtle in real life damages Kirito's nervous system even more and leaves him both paralyzed and mute in Underworld.
* GenreSavvy: Mainly when it comes to [=MMORPGs=].
* {{GIRL}}: In GGO, he initially takes advantage of his feminine player avatar to get help from Sinon, and later [[ExploitedTrope exploits]] it again to garner support from male players.
* GlassCannon: When he whips out Dual Wielding, he gains a completely massive attack output that outstrips everyone in the game. However, he basically becomes TheBerserker and gives up virtually all forms of defense.
* CoolGuns / {{Handguns}}: In GGO, an FN Five seveN is his secondary weapon.
* HappilyAdopted: By his aunt Midori and uncle Minetaka. Although he became distant when he found out they aren't really his parents, he gets over it after the SAO incident.
* HappilyMarried: To Asuna in SAO. Only in-game, though, because they're too young to marry in real life. Even there, they're happily ''dating''.
* HeroesPreferSwords: All of his avatar characters use some sort of CoolSword.
* HeroicBSOD:
** He suffers a huge one when [[spoiler:Asuna performs a HeroicSacrifice.]] It debilitates him so badly that he can't bring himself to do more than slowly and feebly swing his swords at [[spoiler:Heathcliff]] for a few seconds.
** Suffers a major one when he encounters [[spoiler:Death Gun and realizes that not only is he a survivor of SAO, but also a member of Laughing Coffin. All of Kirito's repressed memories of the purge against that guild return and leave him in such a wrecked state that Sinon is worried by his nonresponsiveness.]]
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: During SAO, first due to his status as a "Beater", although he gets better when he joins the Black Cats of the Full Moon. Turned UpToEleven after [[MyGreatestFailure the whole guild is wiped out]], to the point he becomes quite self-loathing.
* HurtingHero: Believes letting the Black Cats of the Full Moon die is unforgivable. He's also haunted by the fact that he killed three Laughing Coffin members. He'd also rather storm the gates of Hell than let anything happen to his friends.
* HopeSpot: The aforementioned resurrection item, the Stone of Returning Soul. It only works within ten seconds of a player's death, making it utterly useless for reviving Sachi, who died months ago.
* IKnowMortalKombat: At the beginning of Fairy Dance, Kirito proves that he has real-world reaction and dodging speed on par with his cousin, the {{kendo}} expert. At the end of the arc, [[spoiler:he finally realizes that he can beat an incompetent, wounded, poor fighter, despite the fighter having a knife]].
** IDontKnowMortalKombat: In the same battle, at the beginning of Fairy Dance, Kirito proves very clearly that Sword Skills ''do not work'' in the real world. Seems he ''really'' needs to work on his real-life sword attacks.
*** He also gets taken down fairly quickly by [[spoiler: Kyouji]] at the climax of Phantom Bullet, despite the latter being raving mad and having done nothing but try (and succeed) to choke him.
* IKnowYourTrueName: In the climax of GGO, Kirito is faced with a situation where he can't remember [[spoiler:the name of the Laughing Coffin member who is impersonating Death Gun]], despite having found a few clues during the [=BoB=] tournament. Throughout the final duel, he frantically scrapes through his memories, and remembers [[spoiler:the briefing before the raid on Laughing Coffin's HQ, which brought out the names of several key members]]. It is then, through the conjecture of [[spoiler:Death Gun's physical appearance, specifically the skull mask and red lenses]], that Kirito realizes he is fighting [[spoiler:Red-Eyed [=XaXa=], prompting the latter to be distracted and eventually get defeated. The implication runs even deeper since Kirito now has the means to arrest the Death Gun perpetrators.]]
* ILetGwenStacyDie: During his time with the Black Cats, protecting and comforting Sachi from her fear of dying helped to assuage some of his guilt over being a beater and solo player, but his halfheartedness came back to bite him hard in the end when his [[{{Irony}} inability to admit his background and knowledge]] indirectly caused her to die from a trap.
* ImAHumanitarian: When he uses an illusion spell to apparently turn into a monster, he ''eats'' some of the enemy players, and then chomps on Leafa's fingers when he turns back to normal. He was just joking, though.
-->"Just trying to lighten the mood."
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
** In Season 1 Episode 22, where he tries to reach the apex of the tower by himself, only to be overwhelmed by the infinitely respawning guardians.
** Again in Season 1 Episode 24, [[spoiler:when Sugou impaled him with his own sword, just after altering the pain absorber to make it even worse for him.]]
* ImplausibleFencingPowers: After two years trapped in SAO, Kirito is possibly the best virtual swordsman in existence. He goes into Gun Gale Online... and buys a lightsaber which he uses to deflect bullets. He later uses this experience to control otherwise uncontrollable Sword Skills well enough to ''cut spells out of the air''. You can practically ''taste'' the expressions of the first set of enemies he demonstrates that to.
* IneffectualLoner: Due to his DarkAndTroubledPast, he mostly acts as a lone wolf but still his friends, people in need and girls will flock to him whether he wants it or not. Of course, [[NiceGuy he does care back]].
* TheInformant: Becomes one to Seijurou to investigate the Death Gun rumors.
* JerkassFacade: After clearing SAO L1, he decides to out himself as the first Beater in attempts to keep beta tester discrimination under control.
* KidHero: Only 14 at the beginning, 16 by the end of the SAO arc.
* LaserBlade: His primary weapon in GGO.
* LightningBruiser: Let's just say that most of his enemies can't see him dashing across the battlefield towards the them before it's too late.
* LikesOlderWomen: As illustrated by his relationships with Sachi and Asuna, who is a full year older.
* LonersAreFreaks: Actively cultivated this, first due to the stigma against beta testers, and later after his guild was annihilated. He gets better, as part of his character development.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: His Avatar in GGO.
* ManlyTears: Several times, but two moments stand out: while listening to the audio recording Sachi left him, and [[spoiler:while apologizing to a comatose Asuna for being unable to fulfill his promise to her to help her return to the real world]].
* MasterOfIllusion: Comes with being a Spriggan in ALO. Used to [[IAmAHumanitarian terrifying effect]] against a twelve-person attack squad.
* MasterSwordsman: In SAO he mastered the One Handed Straight Sword skills and Dual Blades unique skills.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: At the end of SAO, Kirito [[spoiler:[[HeroicWillpower keeps himself from dying]] [[{{Determinator}} long enough]] [[TakingYouWithMe to kill]] Kayaba.]] Also, Kirito [[spoiler:or possibly Kayaba's ghost, in which case this wouldn't count,]] unstuck a sword that was position-fixed at the end of ALO. These were apparently impossible based on the laws of SAO. PowerOfLove? Yes. RealityWarper? Maybe. Or [[spoiler:[[LightNovel/AccelWorld incarnate system,]]]] which would count as a mundane explanation.
* MyGreatestFailure: The aforementioned fall of the "Black Cats of the Full Moon" and failure to revive Sachi.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After the whole SAO (and, by extension ALO) experience, he vows to become a more honest and better brother figure for Suguha.
* NamedWeapons: Has owned a few.
** '''SAO''': Anneal Blade (1H Straight Sword, quest reward), Elucidator (1H Straight Sword, drop) and Dark Repulser (1H Straight Sword, crafted by Lisbeth)
** '''ALO''': [[{{Excalibur}} Excaliber]] (2H Greatsword, quest reward with a handy assist from Sinon)
** '''GGO''': [[LaserBlade Kagemitsu G4]] (Photon sword, purchased)
* {{Narrator}}: Throughout most of the light novels, he is the one narrating the story.
* {{Nephewism}}: His biological parents died in an accident when he was very young and he was adopted by his aunt and uncle.
* NiceGuy: Isn't reluctant to help those in need, even strangers on the road.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Of the PoorCommunicationKills variety. Before committing suicide, Keita pointed out that had Kirito been more honest about his status, their guild would have still been alive]].
* NoSell: During his match against the (player-attacking) orange guild Titan's Hand, half a dozen players hack away at Kirito as hard as they can. He has so much HP it'd take them about 5 minutes to kill him... except he regenerates faster than they can hurt him... and he gets tired of being used for target practice and tells them off.
* NotSoDifferent:
** Notes that he and Sugou are similar, as they were both defeated and then forced to assist Kayaba -- the difference being that Kirito never sought to become like [[AGodAmI Kayaba]] or Sugou.
** Kayaba himself. [[spoiler:Both are the best players in Aincrad]], immerse themselves in the game to the point where it's more real to them, and they both love video games. The difference however is fairly obvious, as Kirito never tried to become a god.
* ObliviousToLove: Subverted refreshingly. Unlike the stereotypical harem protagonist, Kirito is well aware of the girls' affections around him. It's just that he has already given his heart to Asuna and deliberately plays SelectiveObliviousness so as not to hurt their feelings.
* OfficialCouple: With Asuna.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name is barely mentioned at all. This is less prevalent in the English dub, though, since Suguha calls him by his name instead of "brother", probably highlighting their alienation from each other.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Yeah, Kirito is a rather skilled VR-MMORPG player-slash-addict and a SAO beta tester, but other than his mild family issues, there's not much unusual about his backstory. Or his present... until Kayaba traps everyone in SAO.
* OurHeroIsDead: Partway through Volume 9, [[spoiler:Atsuhi attacks Kirito to avenge the downfall of Death Gun, and stabs him with a fatal dose of succinylcholine. Although he manages to take him down before succumbing to the poison, the volume ends with him flatlining.]] By the beginning of the next volume, it is revealed that [[spoiler:his body recovered from the dose but his brain was damaged, so Seijuro has to use his political clout to get him to Ocean Turtle and hook him up to [=UnderWorld=] so it can be repaired]].
* OverprotectiveDad: Mostly in the chibi special Sword Art Offline. He makes multiple threats to Klein about teaching Yui bad things and states he would kill Klein if the guy ever flirted with Yui.
* PapaWolf: To Yui
* TheParagon: Kirito's experiences have made him an altruistic and courageous character who helps and inspires many other players, like Sinon.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Just watch him [[spoiler:torture Sugou after turning the tables on the man who nearly raped the love of his life]].
* PocketProtector: A mild variant in GGO; he forgot to detach one of the electrodes used to monitor his health, but it ultimately saved him from [[spoiler:Kyouji's attempt at injecting him with succinylcholine while he went to Shino's house to save her from the Death Gun perpetrators]].
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: "Computer, set Pain Absorber to 0." After gaining control of ALO's GM powers and disabling Sugou's, Kirito decides it's time for some payback for Sugou torturing him and molesting Asuna. Sugou also mentioned that a setting of 3 or lower will result in real-world injuries from in-game damage.
* PsychoticSmirk: Not shown very often, but he can flash some serious crazy under the right circumstance. Prime example would be during his one man attack against the World Tree guardians.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His LaserBlade during the GGO arc.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: More so with his GGO avatar, [[DudeLooksLikeALady complete with crimson red lips, shining eyes, and long eyelashes]].
* RedBaron: In SAO, he is known as "The Black Swordsman" due to his clothes, hair, eyes, and primary weapon being black.
** He is later known as "The Twin Blade Swordsman" after he reveals that he can dual wield.
* ReverseGrip: It's very difficult to spot, but on rare occasions, Kirito will wield his sword(s) like this if he needs to. The most visible example is from Episode 9 of the anime, during the battle with Gleam Eyes; he tanked a strike and briefly switched his grip to counterattack.
* SecondLove: Asuna is his. This helps him get over Sachi's death and the fall of his first SAO guild.
* SecretIdentity: Kinda. When he returns to the real world, he tries to keep his Kirito identity on the down low.
* ShellShockedVeteran: [[DeathGame SAO]] will do that to you. It's hard to tell what messes him up more: the fact that he let the Black Cats of the Full Moon die or the fact that he killed three Laughing Coffin members.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Said this almost word for word when Klein speculated he was partying with Asuna because he fell for her. [[EveryoneCanSeeIt The smiles of Asuna and the Furinkazan members show they don't buy it]].
** He also said it about Sachi, though [[AllThereInTheManual the character interviews]] reveal that to be a lie.
* ShutUpKiss: Kirito does this to Asuna in episode 10.
* SignatureMove: In SAO, it's his Dual Blades skill, though it's kept hidden for the most part.
* SilentScapegoat: In Season 1 Episode 2, he takes on the title of "Beater" in order to separate all other Beta players who help others with Betas who take advantage of their knowledge at the expense of others (Beta+Cheater).
* SixthRanger: Was the extra member of the Black Cats of the Full Moon; the rest were friends from a real-world computer club. He's also the only survivor.
* SkywardScream: Kirito fulfills this trope at the end of Season 1 Episode 1, after he resolves to survive SAO.
* SoleSurvivor: Of Black Cats of the Full Moon.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: In SAO, he once used a sword skill to block a breath attack of a dragon.
* SpiderSense: The Outside System Skill, "Hypersense". Despite being a hypothetical hidden skill, Kirito notes that several times in SAO, he'd felt the presence of someone watching him and credits the skill for saving his life.
* StupidSexyFlanders: When he enters GGO, his avatar looks too much like a girl, and he [[MostCommonSuperpower checks]] to make sure he is actually a guy (to his relief, he is). Cue guys ''hitting on him'' and Sinon mistaking him for a girl. Also cue him ''playing up the girly tone'' when he confronts Sinon.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: He's a nice guy but he can be a bit cold and distant, being paralyzed by the fear of reliving the Black Cats experience all over again.
* SuperReflexes: A big reason for his [[TheAce ace]] status in any [=VRMMORPGs=] he plays.
** He had the fastest reaction speed of all players in SAO, which was why the system granted him his trademark dual-wielding ability.
** In ALO, his reaction speed played an even bigger role as it determined one's ingame movement speed and attack damage. He was so fast his speed completely overwhelmed one of the fastest players of the race with an affinity for speed, and was able to pummel players with high-level armor with ''initial equipment''.
** In GGO, his reaction speed is shown to be demonic enough for him to slice showers of bullets midair with his lightsaber as long as he can sense their trajectories. When he returns to ALO, he uses the same technique to easily block magic attacks which have notoriously small hitboxes, noting that magic attacks were far slower than bullets.
* SurvivalMantra: The quote at the top of his trope list, said at end of the first episode of the anime. And followed up by the aforementioned SkywardScream.
* SurvivorGuilt: Feels haunted by the guilt of being the only surviving member of the Black Cats of the Full Moon.
* SwordAndGun: Does this in GGO, due to his preference and the lightsaber being too expensive for him to get anything better than a pistol.
* SwordOverHead: [[spoiler:Sugou is finally held with a knife to his throat by Kirito in real life. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark With no one else around at so late an hour, Kirito could easily kill him and put him out of everyone's misery...]] [[CruelMercy But he doesn't. He simply beats Sugou to a barely-breathing pulp and leaves him for the police.]]]]
* TheseHandsHaveKilled: He's haunted by the fact that he killed three Laughing Coffin members.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: ''Anything'' cooked by [[SupremeChef Asuna]].
* TroubledButCute
* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: [[spoiler:Meets Silver Crow/Haruyuki from ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'' in the side story Versus. Of course, as pure fanservice, he's back to his old Black Swordsman Kirito form as the two fight in an epic battle. It ends in a draw.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Contradicts himself in different accounts of the incident with the Black Cats of the Full Moon. This suggests he may be giving a distorted account of other past events.
* UnskilledButStrong: Because SAO and ALO are built on the same source code, Kirito's compatible stats from SAO are transferred over. For the duration of the ALO arc, he uses the default starting skills and equipment of the Spriggan class. However, since his SAO stats are through the roof (and ALO stats are limited by there being no levels to grind), the effects of his basic spells are amped up beyond belief. A small smokescreen spell turns into a massive explosion of smoke, and a basic illusion casting spell outright transforms him into the boss creature he was trying to create a facsimile of, broken party-killing moveset and all. He later resets his stats so he can make a proper Spriggan build and have fun with it.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: When he and Sinon first met, she mistakes him for a girl. They get along and she helps him get his equipment, but when it's time to put on their battle suits Sinon gets undressed right in front of Kirito and he awkwardly tells her he's a guy. [[ArmorPiercingSlap Sinon doesn't take it well.]]
* UnstoppableRage: Go ahead, just try to harm anyone he cares about. Especially Asuna. Hopefully there's still enough of you to fill a bucket once he's through.
* UnwantedHarem: He gradually builds one up due to helping out various girls in the series.
* WeWantOurJerkBack: As for Leafa/Suguha not taking well of finding out Kirito is really her cousin/adopted brother...
-->'''Suguha''': "If that's how it is, I wished you kept on being a jerk to me."
* WeaponOfChoice: Kirito is always a sword user. Even in GGO, he picks up a lightsaber. It's fitting given his [[KnightInShiningArmor chivalrious impluses]].
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:When given the opportunity to kill Sugou, the man who nearly ruined his life and raped Asuna, Kirito simply gives him a beatdown and leaves him to the cops.]]
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Kirito prefers swords. Even GGO, which focuses heavily on ranged combat.
* WhenHeSmiles: Normally he has a sad look on his face, but when he smiled at Silica, [[LuminescentBlush well...]]
* WillfullyWeak: Lisbeth and the rest of the girls speculate this is the case for Kirito.
-->'''Lisbeth:''' "This is what I think. Probably, in a normal game, Kirito won't fight seriously anymore. On the other hand, Kirito only fights seriously when the game isn't a game anymore, when the virtual world becomes real... That's why it's better if situations which force him to fight seriously don't appear. From the beginning, he was the type to easily get wrapped into troublesome things."
* WouldHitAGirl: He expresses that he does not like to fight females, but he could if he has to.
** He threatened the female leader of the player-killing guild "Titan's Hand" to intimidate the guild.
** He once dueled Asuna due to their disagreement on using an NPC village as bait for a floor boss and won.
** He took out the female GGO player Musketeer X during [=BoB=].
* ZeroApprovalGambit: Outs himself as the first "Beater"[[labelnote:*]]a {{portmanteau}} of "beta tester" and "cheater"[[/labelnote]] to reduce prejudice against beta testers. By doing this, he focuses the stigma exclusively on beta testers who selfishly keep foreknowledge of the game to themselves, protecting other, less unscrupulous beta players (such as his friend Argo).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asuna Yuuki / Asuna]]
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!!Asuna Yuuki / Asuna (SAO, ALO) / Titania, the Queen of Fairies (ALO) / Erika (ALO)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AsunaSAO_5843.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HarukaTomatsu (Japanese) and Creator/CheramiLeigh (English)

->''"I don't want to lock myself in a room at the Town of Beginnings and slowly rot away. I'd rather stay the way I am until the last moment. Even if a monster beats me and I die... I won't lose to this game nor this world, no matter what."''

The main female protagonist. In SAO, she is the sub-leader of the frontline guild "Knights of Blood". Her speed and proficiency with a rapier is so advanced that she has earned the moniker of "The Flash".
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