- Aug 4, 2017
- 1,044
- 1,387
I wanna applaud you, this is one of the most nuanced and fair analysis of the reasons why people would dislike Kirito without going into pointless Kirito hate that I have seen, and the fact that I'm seeing it on the thread for a SAO NTR game is truly something else XD Also liked how it acknowledges that a lot of the issues for SAO come from the anime adaptation skipping or shifting things from the novels, but I would also like to point out a lot of it is also due to misunderstandings, like, for all that people says Kirito has "a lot of plot armor", this actually only really can be applied as people sees it to one instance, when he fought against the system deleting his character out of willpower for a few seconds enough to finish off Heathcliff with Asuna's sword. Every single other instance of Kirito's "Plot Armor" afterwards was, ironically, people helping him during crucial fights, which actually puts a fun spin on people calling him "Too OP" when saying bad things about him or SAO, because it just highlights that Kirito literally hasn't won a single major fight in the whole series without somebody else needing to help him XP Without Leafa and the Fairy Lords he never would have gotten past the world tree's guardians, without Heathcliff he wouldn't have been able to do shit to Oberon because he was a Game Master, without Sinon his ass would have been owned by Death Gun because the other guy's killing instinct was much sharper, without Eugeo he literally would have lost every single major fight in Alicization, hell, Eugeo's ghost literally has to save his ass during the big finale of the arc (Which originally was the series' final battle too), and that was when he literally had the power to bend Virtual Reality to his will, because his enemy was just THAT much more bullshit than him anywayHere are some points why people do not like Kirito. Asuna started off as a strong character but slowly became an accessory to Kirito. Kirito in turn has lots of plot armor, neglects his other relationships, solely focus on gaming at many times
- Co-Dependency and Overreliance:
- Issue: Throughout their journey in the virtual world, Kirito and Asuna become deeply co-dependent on each other.
You must be registered to see the links.- Discussion: While this level of devotion can be seen as romantic, some fans find it excessive and potentially unhealthy. The intensity of their emotional reliance might make them appear less independent as characters.
- Lack of Conflict in the Anime Adaptation:
- Issue: The anime adaptation of Sword Art Online doesn’t fully explore certain nuances of Kirito and Asuna’s relationship that are present in the light novels.
- Discussion: In the light novels, Kirito and Asuna argue more frequently, especially during their early interactions. These disagreements add depth to their dynamic and show that their relationship isn’t always smooth sailing. The anime’s omission of these moments might lead some fans to perceive their bond as overly idealized.
- Origins of Kirito’s “Beater” Nickname:
- Issue: When Kirito declared himself a “Beater” (a beta tester and cheater) early in the game, it caused others to dislike him. Asuna was the only one who understood his true motivation behind this declaration.
- Discussion: Some fans might feel that Kirito’s initial arrogance and secrecy about his beta testing status made him less likable. Asuna’s understanding softened this perception, but not everyone appreciates the backstory. in other words, its cringe.
- Asuna’s Cooking and Kirito’s Influence:
- Issue: Asuna’s love for cooking in the game stems from a moment when Kirito shared cream with her during their early days trapped in Sword Art Online.
- Discussion: While this is a sweet origin story, some fans argue that it reinforces traditional gender roles. Asuna’s culinary skills become a significant part of her character, and it’s tied to her interactions with Kirito.a huge contrast to her initial start as a solo player and climbing the ranks of the best guild.
In all i think most people think Asuna can do better, self inserting themselves into the role. Ugly bastard may be ugly but he is more of an excessive caricature of self inserting enjoyers of NTR. Another point is that the ugly bastard trope really adds contrast to Kirito, see also the old man trope Nishida.
Also, the thing about "gender roles" may be because SAO was originally written in 2002 (The original Web Novel before it was adapted as a LN), which is also something many don't know, the series is legit a whole decade older than when its anime first aired so a lot of sensitivities and worldviews had changed a lot by then.
I fully agree with you about Kirito neglecting his other relationships, btw, it's a direct result of how the series was originally written but also something I always disliked, which is why I preferred the recently-finished Gameverse AU way more as it fixed that by ironically embracing some aspects of the series that most Haters always blamed Canon wrongly of having XD