A group of 300 former SAO players that have been trapped at the top of the World Tree before the transition. Having been freed from their prison they find themselves in Albion after using the Chalice of Rebirth. Under the leadership of Asuna the Flash, the group gets involved in the civil war, eventually linking with the Royalists and taking refuge in Newcastle. One of the major objectives of Operation Dunkirk is evacuating the survivors to the mainland. After the operation's success, Asuna formally disbands the Knights of Blood.
All of the members of the Knights of Blood are of the developer test race, Nymphs. The only exceptions are Asuna (Maeve) and Kimura (Slug-type Mob)
Nymphs
As a whole, not a lot is known about the developer test race.- Jack of All Stats: As the Developer Test race, the nymphs have no special talents or weaknesses being pretty much average across the board. Any specializations are unique to the individuals due to their SAO stats.
Asuna (Yuuki/Kirigaya Asuna)
Asuna the Flash, Commander of the Knights of Blood Dame Asuna Yuuki Kirigaya, Sub Commander of the Order of Yggdrasil Knights, Queen Titania
Kirito's wife and former Vice Commander of the Knights of Blood; now Commander of the reformed Knights and a Faerie of the unique 'Maeve' race. In combat Asuna prefers an extremely high speed rapier style and is known to be an unsurpassed swordswoman. She leads the Treetoppers across Albion, finally finding a refuge in Newcastle, before being evacuated to Tristain.- Chef of Iron: If she doesn't have a rapier than a kitchen knife will do.
- Particularly effective with mobs (or equivalent animals) she has experience cooking, as it allows her to know their anatomy, and thus their weak spots.
- Covert Pervert: Fantasizes about Kirito's 'Midori' disguise, much to his shock.
- Cursed with Awesome: For a while, Asuna absolutely detested her wings, to the point of contemplating amputation. She eventually got past such a reaction once she managed to start making her wings work properly (up until then, they were constantly exposed, but not functioning). After doing so, she decides to 'make them her own', rather than let Sugou's memory taint their usefulness.
- Word of God says that due to her unique avatar status as Titania, different mobs react to her very differently. And her relationship with specific bosses is... complicated to say the least.
- Don't Call Me "Sir": She insists she doesn't need to be bowed to or addressed as "Lady Asuna".
- Doting Parent: In her opinion, all the trouble she went through in Albion and even the Transition itself was worth it as soon as she could hug Yui's physical body.
- GMPC: Due to her Avatar's status as Titania, Queen of the Faeries, though she does not even know how to use most of her abilities, and considering her trauma as Sugou's captive, she is reluctant to learn.
- Happily Married: She states, in no uncertain terms, that Kirito is her husband. After all, they were married in Aincrad and in this verse she moves directly from Alfheim to Halkegenia. The epilogue to V.1 shows her easing into domestic tranquility with him and their daughter.
- Heroic BSoD: She got hit out of nowhere when a Djinn called her Titania.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Asuna has no problem with Kirito's "Midori" form, reaching Single-Target Sexuality levels. In a bit of
Fandom Nod, she even wonders about taking a male form to sleep with Midori. - I Want My Beloved to Be Fashionable: She tries to make Kirito wear something other than black. It doesn't work.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Initially, she was leading and fighting in the princess garb Suguou put her in. Later, she foils an assassination attempt while wearing a gala dress.
- The Leader: Charismatic and Level-Headed type. Immediately after the Transition, the other SAO refugees were like "You're Asuna the Flash! What are your orders?" It helps that some of them really are her subordinates from the KoB. By the time of the gala in in V.2, even griffin knights are listening to her (albeit at Wales' suggestion, but still remarkable).
- Lightning Bruiser: Kills three dragons in a manner of seconds.
- Not Quite Flight: Although she has wings, it took some time for her to manage to use them properly. So up until that point, she relied on short bursts of lift from them to jump good.
- Ojou: Henrietta pegs her as a noblewoman soon after meeting her because her beauty and bearing are the very model of it.
- Precision F-Strike: Gives a big one after she head butted Octavia in her Beast Form.
- King Incognito: Quickly arranges for her status as Queen of the Fae to be declared a state secret.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: She goes immediately from a battle in Aincard, to a cage in Alfheim to a civil war in Albion; that is a lot of combat and stress. For weeks after arriving in Arrun, she was in a state of battle readiness and twitches at small noises. Though Kirito notes that happens less as time goes on.
- Super-Toughness: After being hit over the head with a blacksmith's hammer, she walks away with only slight bruising (and a minute or two of unconsciousness).
- Supreme Chef: She quickly adapts to local ingredients, and lacking modern kitchen appliances does not hinder her. Kirito, Yui, and Leafa all agree that any meal cooked by her is delicious.
- These Hands Have Killed: Asuna can't forget the bandit she stabbed in self defense.
- Tough Leader Façade: She knows how important it is for a leader to radiate calm and confidence to reassure everyone down the line and ensure their obedience. Thus, she suppresses her own anxiety in front of them.
Kino (Yukimura Hayato)
A young member of the reformed Knights of Blood, fights using throwing knives. Highly protective of Asuna, who he views as a role model, and Caramella, who he thinks of as a big sister.- Blank Stare: In response to Caramella's Out-of-Character Moment, his mind shuts down at the outrageousness and this is reflected in his eyes.
- Fanboy:
- Of Silica, of all people. It turns out that he was one of her groupies from SAO. He gets adorably flustered when he sees her at the Dicey Café.
- Asuna too. He's bought a rapier identical to hers after seeing her photo in Weekly Argo.
- Hidden Depths: For such a nice kid, he does an unsettlingly good impression of a Torture Technician when put on the spot by Caramela.
- Like Brother and Sister: He's like Caramella's little brother, whom she looks after.
- Master of None: Goes through a transformation from this trope to Jack of All Stats due to the Transition and his inability to pick one skill set and stick with it. While in SAO this had him be regulated to the role of Gopher in his guild, during his time in Albion it made him quite valuable indeed.
- Scarf of Asskicking: The narration states his scarf makes him look more intimidating.
- Stuff Blowing Up: He blows up a shipment of gunpowder as a distraction.
- Survivor Guilt: During a conversation with Prince Wales, Kino reveals that he's rather distraught over his brother having died saving him from a trap in Aincrad.
Maki
A former SAO player and now a supporting member of the reformed Knights of Blood. A young seamstress, Maki uses her skills however she can to help the other KoB members, mending clothes and producing cloaks and blankets from whatever materials are available. When it becomes clear that the transition is permanent, Maki accepts the reality of the situation and dedicates herself to living on, her dream is to help others do the same and to one day create wedding gowns.Caramella (Naomi Anisette Foster)
Dame Caramella Naomi Anisette Foster of the Order of Yggdrasil
A former member of the Aincrad Liberation Army and a female member of the reformed Knights of Blood. She is a mixed blood Japanese American, and inherited her aggressive attitudes from her father. She fights with a shield and sword style, and later switches to the two handed sword of a fallen comrade. During her SAO days she had been a guard in the Iron Fortress for a short time. She currently shares an apartment with Kino.- But Not Too Foreign: She's Japanese-Caucasian American.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Caramella does not find the nickname "Caramel" amusing. However, nearly everyone gets it wrong at least once, intentionally or otherwise.
- Lady Swears-a-Lot: Wales says she is the equivalent of two sailors, even if he doesn't understand her more exotic Fae (I.e. modern Earth's Japan) curse words.
- Lethal Chef: It's not that she isn't trying. Her cooking just... doesn't work.
- Like Brother and Sister: She's like Kino's older sister, which is what makes their apartment sharing so innocent that and her thing with Agnes.
- Out-of-Character Moment: In v2.0 Epilogue. She wakes up early, does laundry, cleans up the apartment, and apparently learns to cook. It's so at odds with her usual lazy slob personality, it gives Kino a minor BSOD.
- Parental Abandonment: Her father and mother divorced due to
Values Dissonance and she left home due to issues between her and her mother for being a self-outted lesbian. - My Sensors Indicate You Want to Tap That: She's an inversion because Yui herself states that she has absolutely no interest in Kirito. Her thing with Agnes suggests a likely reason why.
- Why Won't You Die?: She has a frustrated reaction to Aki and Arguile appearing in Newcastle because they survive numerous fatal melee wounds, standing in a large explosion's blast radius, and then survive having a fort dropped on them
- Yuri Fan: If her reaction to seeing Asuna and Midori kiss is anything to go by, she an in-universe fan of Les Yay.
Nishida
A former fisherman in the game of SAO. Nishida along with Baku lead the 'civilian' and support players of the reformed Knights of Blood. He displays a grandfatherly concern towards Asuna and many of the younger players.Arguile (Hiraga Saito)
Former leader of the KoB 'tank' squad and a member of the reformed Knights of Blood. Fights with a two handed sword style. Highly protective of Asuna. Meets his end in battle against Sir Dunwell. Gets subsequently zombified by Cromwell and assigned under Sir Dunwell, acting as his bodyguard until he is finally destroyed during the battle of Newcastle.- The Big Guy: Due to his large stature and previous combat experience, he's seen as the powerhouse of the SAO refugees.
- Death by Adaptation: He's actually Saito. This is not actually revealed to the audience until after his death.
- Killed Off for Real: Killed by Dunwall, revived as a zombie by Cromwell; killed again by Asuna and repaired again. It's not until Enya burns him to ashes that he stays dead.
- Number Two: Due to his former membership in the KoB, he immediately falls in line behind Asuna and is treated as her lieutenant.
- Shout-Out: His name is lifted from the ghoul manservant of Herbert "Daring" Dashwood.
Baku
A former Aincrad Liberation Army player and Lieutenant of Thinker. Along with Nishida, he leads the 'civilian' and support members of the reformed KoB.Clyde
A tank and member of the reformed KoB.Ivan
A former SAO player and heavy assault lance user. Now a member of the reformed KoB.Kimura
A former researcher trapped in the body of a slug type mob and he's disturbingly unbothered by his transformation. As a slug, Kimura possesses great physical resilience, strength, and regenerative ability, as well as extremely dexterous and strong tentacles. His intelligence and general knowledge makes him a useful analyst and source of information. Kimura distinguishes himself from normal slug mobs by means of a large hat, which he also uses in lieu of pockets to store items.- Butt-Monkey: He gets no respect, gets used as an impromptu-landing pad, and more likely to be called "Escargot-San" than his real name.
- Combat Tentacles: Kimura can apply enough force with his tentacles to tear people limb from limb.
- Forced Transformation: He was turned into a slug, but he doesn't seem too concerned about it.
- Jerkass All the slugs look the same, but he confirms that he's the one who "restrained" Asuna in canon.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: His numerous tentacles are dexterous enough to operate cannons, which makes him a one-man artillery brigade.
- Punch-Clock Hero: During the Albion Arc he saved many Fae, worked as a cannoneer in Newcastle, and helped drive off the infiltrators. However, he cares not for the morality of his actions, whatever they are.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Prior to Transition, was this, apparently, since he worked for Sugou. Much like the above trope, Kimura cares not for the morality of his actions, whatever they are.
- Token Evil Teammate: Formerly one of Sugou's minions and only assisted the 300 SAO refugees because they threatened him. Understandably, they all think he's evil.
- Wall Crawl: As a slug-type mob, Kimura is capable of sticking to vertical surfaces.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: After Dunkirk, Kimura goes unmentioned. Come v3.0, it is revealed that he's working with TRIST.
Aki (Ozu Akari)
A former member of the Violet Hearts guild in SAO and an acquaintance of Caramella . She is killed at the battle of Skiesedge and reanimated by Cromwell.- Brainwashed and Crazy: Not so much brainwashed as zombified, but after Cromwell orders her to smile, Aki is never the same again.
- Came Back Wrong: Even among the zombified Fae, Aki is an unholy terror. Furthermore, there are signs of Aki's body changing in ways that the other zombie Fae are not - her eyes and hair are starting to take on strange, bluish tones.
- Cheerful Child: Due to Cromwell commanding her to smile and act happy, she is perpetually smiling and speaking a sing-song tone. Everyone else finds this creepy.
- The Fundamentalist: She will help you be reborn in the light of the Founder, whether you agree or not.
- Healing Factor: She has come back from being blown to bits by a powder mill explosion, being shot pointblank by a cannon, and having an entire fortress fall on her head.
- Monster Knight: As a zombie, she is a freakish abomination wearing a cavalry uniform that happens to be a former player character.
- The Lost Lenore: She was Caramela's best friend prior to her death, and fighting her animated corpse hurt Caramela more than any of her actual attacks.
- Third-Person Person: Aki always speaks of herself in the third person, because this is supposed to be cute.
