History Narm / SwordArtOnline

* Kirito and Asuna's use of Photon Swords in GGO is very hard to take seriously given the sound effect of the {{Laser Blade}}s resembles a farting sound. This may be a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot, as the stock [[Franchise/StarWars lightsaber]] sound effect is likely off-limits to them now since Disney bought the franchise in 2014, but they could have still found a less funny replacement (such as the one used in the anime adaptation of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'' which used a different electrical sound effect that still managed to sound cool).

* The scene where Kirito frees Asuna from her chains, after killing Sugou in-game. It's meant to be a heartwarming reunion, but many fans can't get over the fact that Kirito hugs Asuna and cries on her shoulder ''while she's topless''. Unlike similar scenes from other series, Kirito doesn't gives Asuna his jacket or any similar gesture, and the two of them don't seem to care about her state of undress. From the position Kirito is in, he's basically pressing his face against her bare boob.

** Plus the infamous "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWLu1777sJE What da hell?]] Dis game is [[JapaneseRanguage reary]] suck, I'm soon be log out!" All in response to how effortless the unwitting mass murder of the "[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman NPCs]]" is before Asuna dramatically one-shots him.

* The press conference with the robotic [[spoiler:Alice]], where the latter defends fluctlight lifeforms as equivalent to humans. While the scene itself has actually interesting overtones, the particular questions launched by the journalist are so ignorant, rude and fallacious[[note]]The journalist asks Alice to open her head and show her brain to prove that she has a soul - an action that in reality would prove absolutely nothing of metaphysical value and would only be related to the design of Alice's robotic body.[[/note]] that it can be hard not to giggle at the [[PompousPoliticalPundit obvious strawman]], set by the writer solely to allow [[spoiler:Alice]] to give out an incredibly easy and virtuous reply.
* By this point, Fluctlights reached the peak as a topic that became almost hilariously out of place. A Japanese government research group managed to calculate, quantify, manipulate and ''duplicate the human Soul'' as a tangible concept, entirely for a sentient A.I. program they host in MMO code. This would be weird enough for a series that dabbled with imaginative, relatively-grounded technology that suddenly breaches the fluctlight line with ''Alicization'', but as Kayaba previously showed, and as he, Yuuki, and Eugeo all go on to demonstrate again, numerous deceased characters in the series [[OurGhostsAreDifferent can still interact with the living and even give them digital power-ups]], and not even the novels really explain how. This results in inexplicably magical TechnoBabble that no one understands and yet they try to justify as logical in-universe, and dramatic speeches about how [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman artificial fluctlights are no different from real human souls]] as a primary point of conflict. One that feels downright {{Anvilicious}}.

* The fact that Fukaziroh not only named her in-game avatar [[AlwaysWithYou after her late dog]], but her name translates to "not allowed second son". Thankfully, it's generally abbreviated as "Fuka," which sounds like a Japanese girl's name.
* Considering that [[spoiler: for most players]], Gun Gale Online is just for entertainment and devoid of any real life stakes or death games, it can be kind of hilarious seeing how [[SeriousBusiness personally]] people take the deaths of comrades or fear for their "lives" when being attacked.
* Similar to Kirito and his Photon Sword in the main series, LLENN player avatar's stature giving her a distinct advantage over other players caught a lot of flack with fans from a competitive standpoint. In both cases, it's handwaved that like Kirito, LLENN's playstyle is considered [[AwesomeYetImpractical too impractical]] in-universe, only for LLENN to become a InstantExpert wtih it. Though those with any experience in competitive scenes in games know that once a weapon or character build starts to produce results in community, there would undoubtably be a litany of copycats.

** It also becomes somewhat awkward when Gabriel's entire SerialKiller thing was seeing the "beauty" of his victim's souls as they die, which the anime goes out of its way as some vague genuine sighting of people's souls -- and then [[spoiler:[[DraggedOffToHell has his own soul pulled off to Hell for eternal oblivion.]]]] This isn't a metaphor, this is entirely literal and isn't even an Underworld thing. {{Hell}} exists with no further context entirely for this dramatic moment, meaning fantastical logic with souls is a genuine factor in a Sci-Fi franchise.

* Quinella fighting the heroes [[FullFrontalAssault while naked]] (or almost, given her choker and her ankle wraps, which has its own fair share of narm) was such an edgy stunt for the novels that it already ensured they could never portray it properly in a G-rated medium like the ''Alicization'' anime. As such, the anime opts to hide it through a uniquely exaggerated usage of GodivaHair and faraway shots in a way that is both awkward and distracting.
** Cardinal's boast to Quinella about how they are four while the latter is alone. While it does make some vague sense because Cardinal is technically occupying the body of a child after all, it doesn't justify that it is a ''massively'' childish threat, especially for a master virtual intelligence like her (as well as a rather silly claim, given that, alone or not, by this point Quinella has already proven to be powerful enough to overwhelm all the four characters gathered there, which is exactly what she proceeds to do next).
** Charlotte the spider appearing in Kirito's thoughts about people he wants to protect. While she could be counted as a person (she spoke with a human voice in the same episode), Kirito barely knew of her existence at all, and she is still, well, ''a bug'', appearing in bug form next to Alice and Eugeo.
* The surprising amounts of {{Engrish}} that the GDS mercenaries say is just hilarious. The stand-out example is Subtilizer murmuring "Your soul will be so sweet" during Sinon's flashback: while Creator/AkiraIshida is certainly one of the most accomplished and experienced voice actors in the entire anime industry, his English pronunciation is... lacking.
* Most of the Dark Territory commanders have [[RedBaron fearsome titles]], except for the Orc warlord who leads the raid on Rulid Village: Morikka the [[CollectorOfTheStrange Foot Harvester]]? When did Creator/QuentinTarantino start writing ''SAO''?
* Most of the action in this arc is pretty spectacular, but the major exception comes with wide angle shots depicting large numbers of troops moving or fighting. The annoying [[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects CG]] just cannot be ignored, especially in episode 30 when it seems like every human soldier is [[GoingThroughTheMotions performing the same jumping dodge]], just delayed enough to not be too obvious.
* It's hard for some viewers to sympathize during the scene which the foreign players logged in and engages in a near CurbStompBattle due to how the killed Underworld foot soldiers generally have the same appearance, akin to a video game (while technically is). Asuna's overreaction to the part didn't help either.
* There is more hilarious {{Engrish}} in Episode 35 as American players log in to the Underworld. [[TotallyRadical "Hell to the yes!"]]
* The fact that after all is done, despite [[{{Anvilicious}} thorough explaining]] that the Artificial Fluctlights are "equal to humans", the whole thing after the foreign players logged in is basically a crazily massive PlayerVsPlayer session, with a large heap of SeriousBusiness, nothing more, nothing less. Without the foreign players invading subplot, the plot would've been much more straightforward.
* To a viewer invested in the story, Kirito's [[HesBack return]] and prompt asswhooping he deals to Vassago and Gabriel are fights to behold. The anime adaptation, however, suffers in its AdaptationDistillation format, so Kirito reawakening from his coma has him become a godly magic knight throwing around spells like healing rain, army-wiping ice, and ''full-on free flight'' among other things, [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands without any explanation as to how or why]] besides what Cardinal gave him - and this on top of him effectively being the [[TheMainCharactersDoEverything only one that can save the day]] thanks to these power-ups, as ''everyone'' places their hopes on him. A incoherent powerup is not necessarily narmy by itself, but Kirito has already a memetic reputation, and the result, for those not so invested in the story, comes off as an absurd power boost out of nowhere and beyond the scale of anything prior in the series, with Kirito becoming a Jesus equivalent and killing all the seriousness of the battle up to that point.
** This only becomes more absurd with the final scene, where [[spoiler:Kirito, Asuna and Alice fly ''in space'' and use their godly powers to kill a regenerating moon monster to protect an Underworld that has reached interstellar travel.]] It has to be seen to be believed, and clashes so ridiculously with the prior fantasy world arc that it's like extensive whiplash.

* An otherwise emotional scene ends up being laugh-out-loud funny when Kirito breaks down into tears overseeing his flower garden dug up, [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole without the context]] that he had been [[LivingEmotionalCrutch relating to the flowers]] and seeing them as sharing his journey of thriving in a foreign land. Although Kirito brings that up, he only does so ''after'' the flowers have been destroyed, meaning that the moment suffers from ShowDontTell reasons.
** There's also the particular line from a sentence in the scene that some fans have taken out of context, which only amplifies with Kirito's flashback DissonantSerenity of a happy smile at that moment.

** It is also hard to ignore that, while the episode is focusing on Eugeo's thoughts for minutes, Raios and Humbert are all the time on top of the girls, enjoying maniacally the act yet without actually doing anything beyond toying with their victims' clothes. And even when they finally start to strip them down, several minutes of scenes more happen again, yet they are ''still'' shown doing the same, without having even bared a bit of skin from their victims aside from their shirts! If Sugou's groping of Asuna in season two was portrayed in an absurdly naive and minimalistic way, this one probably tops that. It almost looks like the two villains were just pretending to harass them, as if they were actors in a rape scene from a very amateur film and were waiting all the time to hear "cut!"

** If you pay attention as Raios' fluctlight glitches out and causes him to die, ''everyone in the room'' is just staring at him with mild concern, besides Eugeo's annoyed look. Even Humbert seems more like he's somewhat confused rather than paying much attention to his missing arm, and Tiese and Ronye also join in on the awkward staring.
** Raios and Humbert's response to having their arms hacked off is ''way'' too childish to take seriously, and seems like a rejected scene from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' or ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' (and the fact that those two works are being referenced in the same sentence should clue you in to how ludicrous that scene is).
** Afterwards, Eugeo feels torn up about what he did and considers himself to be "just like those goblins." In-context, it's likening himself to lawless and chaotic monsters he and Kirito fought previously, and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone considering himself a murderer, plain and simple.]] Out-of-context, considering a [[{{LightNovel/GoblinSlayer}} certain other series]] airing at the same time that is infamous for the gratuitous Goblin rape at the [[RRatedOpening beginning]] of its own storyline, and the fact that Eugeo is saying this with a [[EyeScream missing eye]] tearfully to a near-rape victim, it's a bit more unintentionally funny than it should be.
* While the majority of the fight between Kirito and Fanatio in Episode 15 was quite awesome, there was one moment where the two of them are trading high-speed blows between each other... but the only parts that are moving are their arms and swords. It looks a bit silly to see just a bunch of white lines sparking against each other as Eugeo mutters, "Incredible..." Thankfully it only lasts a few seconds.

* Also from the scene in which Kirito and Sinon are trying to figure out how Death Gun kills, as Kirito wonders why Death Gun switched from the handgun (the weapon used in the murders) to the rifle when Kirito arrived to save Sinon. Immediately before Kirito realizes that Death Gun couldn't use the handgun to kill him, the scene shows [[MaleGaze a shot of Sinon's backside]], making it seem as though Kirito got a EurekaMoment from staring at Sinon's butt.

* As tragic as it is, the idea of Yuuki and her entire immediate family dying from AIDS in the 2020s sounds just like BlackComedy, especially given that AIDS hasn't been a death sentence for decades and that Japan enjoys a world class healthcare system in real life. Even without resorting to the insanely advanced tech the series' setting has to offer, both Yuuki and her relatives should have easily been able to receive treatment that would have prevented their case of HIV from ever developing into AIDS.

* The fact that Eiji's name sounds like "Edgy" in English, which fits his personality quite well.
* The romantic scene at Asuna's real life bedroom has a couple of lines that some people found cringy ([[BrokenBase although others]] [[NarmCharm found endearing]]). But more than that, there is the part where Kirito hugs Asuna so hard they both fall down on Asuna's bed... and Kirito's face ends up shoved in Asuna's breasts. Many people consider this a tone deaf joke that completely ruins what is otherwise supposed to be an powerfully emotional scene.

* While Kirito is discussing the nature of the Soul Translator project he's working on with Asuna and Shino in the bar, it stretches disbelief a bit that Asuna could ''instantly'' relate the company's name "Rath" to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland,'' a reference that even most Americans would have difficulty getting.
* Johnny Black attacking Kirito with a syringe would have been scary and dramatic if it wasn't for the fact that an absurdly good UsefulNotes/{{Kendo}} practitioner like Kirito, wielding an umbrella (a popular weapon in real-life self-defense systems, albeit admittedly a bit of a narmy one by itself), managed to get beaten by a lunatic with a ''syringe''. That's right; ''syringe beats umbrella!''
** Even funnier is the fact Kirito somehow manages to incapacitate Johnny by jamming said umbrella's dull tip into his leg. [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons "My enchanted shin!]] [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS13E1TreehouseOfHorrorXII How did you know it was the source of my power?"]]

* Asuna's Titania avatar being barefoot (or at least with her barefoot sandal-like ribbons) makes sense from an aesthetic point of view, as fairies are often portrayed in art as [[EarthyBarefootCharacter unshod]] or even [[MsFanservice entirely unclothed]]. It is also clear that the designer of the avatar was trying to make her look sexy and delicate, and not to mention she is technically a [[BarefootCaptives captive]]. However, Sugou's Oberon avatar wearing sandals is another thing, given that he has to fight and look dominant due to his role in the arc, [[FashionVictimVillain and instead he just looks goofy]]. Him soccer-kicking Kirito in the face with that very footwear looks hilariously more like out of a Magaluf tourist brawl than a HighFantasy videogame final fight.
* The fact that two adult and presumably professional neurologists working for Sugou go around ALO in ''purple, tentacled slug avatars'' for some reason, instead of using regular human/fairy forms like Sugou himself, is incredibly cartoonish and kitsch for what is meant to be a serious part of the plot. The light novel (where the slugs at least are grey in color, not gawdy purple as in the anime) even does a LampshadeHanging by having Asuna wondering why would they have that appearance of all things.
** The additional fact that they immediately [[NaughtyTentacles use their tentacles to grope]] a random female they find in their chambers is both trite and hysterical, in particular due to the undoubtedly lecherous yet weirdly restrained way they do it (they don't even grope Asuna despite how eager they appear, but rather get content with just strangling her and stretching her limbs). The whole scene could have passed as a lighthearted parody of tentacle anime from TheEighties had the series not clearly tried to play it ''dead serious'' instead.

* In Episode 22, during [[spoiler:Kirito's first try to beat the World Tree battle. He starts having flashes of his memories with Asuna as he fights. Eventually, he starts [[SayMyName calling Asuna's name]] [[MadnessMantra in his mind again and again]], [[SanitySlippage sounding more and more desperate every time he says it]].]] Creator/YoshitsuguMatsuoka manages to turn this into a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} in the Japanese version with his performance. Creator/BrycePapenbrook in the English version, on the other hand, makes it unintentionally funny (which is a shame considering that apart from this moment, Papenbrook ''nailed'' the rest of the scene).
* Sugou sexually assaulting Asuna has been criticized as an ugly and exploitative moment, but this makes a stark contrast with what we actually see in the anime, which is a strange mix of offscreen censorship and deliberate inaction: after baring Asuna's chest, Sugou places his hands on her shoulders and then... he simply places them lower, out of the shot, without moving much or evoking a reaction from any of them. Similarly to the tentacle scene mentioned above, this instance really makes it look like the series is attempting to be both edgy and tame at the same time, and as a result, it comes not only as an amusingly awkward ratings stunt, but also as an offensively naive portrayal of sexual violence.
* The scene where Kirito frees Asuna from her chains, after killing Sugou in-game. It's meant to be a heartwarming reunion, but many fans can't get over the fact that Kirito hugs Asuna and cries on her shoulder ''while she's topless''. Unlike similar scenes from other series, Kirito doesn't gives Asuna his jacket or any similar gesture, and the two of them don't seem to care about her state of undress. From the position Kirito is in, he's basically pressing his face against her bare boob.

* "The name I share with this weapon... Death Gun!" Yes, he named himself after his weapon, and it isn't a name you could say with a straight face. To be fair, this one applies mostly to native English speakers. For people of other languages, this doesn't have the same impact. Considering the original novel was first written in Japanese (but the name was written in English), with no plans for an English translation at the time it was created, it can be argued that this was a case where some {{Woolseyism}} was needed, but the localizers just chose not to.

* While the character designs are generally well made in their cutesy parameters, the fact that their faces have a shining "C:" smile as their default expression (particularly in official materials and artwork) can be a bit offputting.
* Every single fight scene that has Kirito making some [[OffModel distorted]] facial expressions.
* A lot of people consider that the anime takes itself too seriously even after the Aincrad arc ends and the MMORPG ceases to be a life-or-death issue. This gets especially bad in the "Calibur" mini-arc, where the characters are just playing the game normally, [[AngstDissonance and yet they treat the whole thing as]] SeriousBusiness.[[note]]There's a plotline about how the landscape of the game could be ruined permanently due to Cardinal's quest creation system, which is worse than a simple a game-over, but still not life-or-death.[[/note]]
** [[spoiler: Taken even further in Unital Ring where the group won't even sleep thanks to the game (as of the time, it's the ''only'' VRMMO) only park the avatar in one place while the player logging off and Kirito even refuses to took advantage of Alice and Yui.]]
* Related to the previous point is that some people consider a few death scenes too melodramatic to be taken seriously, and that's during the Aincrad arc, which should be the most emotionally effective one as the game is an actual life-or-death issue. This gets UpToEleven during the ALO arc, since it maintains the tone, except that this time [[spoiler: people don't die in real life]], so such melodrama feels odd, to say the least.
* Some critics have pointed out that, despite how ''SAO'' treats itself entirely as somewhat-realistic science fiction, things like the [=NerveGear=] virtual reality systems, the [[spoiler: ''sentient AI'']], fluctlights and [[spoiler: virtual ghosts like Kayaba and Yuuki]] all come off as pulling off magic with technology (which is especially blatant given that the setting is apparently just TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture and not even full-fledged futurism that might justify it through ClarkesThirdLaw). One may even have to invoke the MST3KMantra after that point.

* Using "Beta Tester" as some sort of derogatory term. Even worse is when it gets mixed with cheater to make "beater", which... sounds like [[ADateWithRosiePalms something else.]] Also, their reasons for hating "Beta Testers" make them come off as overly-vocal [[{{Scrub}} scrubs]] more than anything given the MMORPG setting.
* The leader of Laughing Coffin, the guild of Player Killers, is known as "[=PoH=]". While it stands for the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast appropriately intimidating]] "Prince of Hell," it's said to be pronounced, "[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Pooh]]".

* The opening for the ''Fairy Dance'' arc has Suguha pushing Kazuto ''into the middle of a road'', which many people have joked or memed that she was trying to get him hit by a car.