Thursday, September 28, 2017

Everything wrong with Sword Art Online

Here's my little collection of everything that's wrong with Sword Art Online. This is an ongoing project so this list of things will constantly be updated when things are discovered and as long as the series goes. I have a hate-love relationship with this series because it's interesting how bad it is and how so many people like it. There's a part of me that really wants to like this series and there's another part that just wants that part completely thrown away. Read my book Trapped Body and Soul in a Video Game to see what I want to see the series look like (it's currently my best-selling book! A sequel will also be in the works modeled after the Phantom Bullet arc).
Each of the problems of the series will be organized by arc or if it's a continuing problem, it'll have its own section.
*This will be continued and updated on its on separate page that you can find on the right.

Continuing Problems:
  • Kirito, the main character, is always a shonen, stereotypical, ladies man-character who seems incapable of losing.
  • Klein and Agil are two male characters that don't have any real significance in the story even though they seem like they should.
  • Every other female character who isn't Asuna has the personality of a shallow pond and they all fond over Kirito. Asuna's character is also held back because of Kirito.
  • The show tries not to be a harem even though it is.
  • Even though the novels do add small details that make the series better, they're negligible and don't matter to the overall problem.
  • Video games are taken way too seriously than in real life.
  • Kirito is not the Black Swordsman, Guts from the Berserk series is the real Black Swordsman.

1st Arc - Aincrad
  • Kayaba Akihiko forgets why he started the death game and just talks about wanting to make a fantasy land with a floating castle that he could control...for no reason.
  • The in video game story isn't really fleshed out.
  • Kirito wills himself back to life during the fight with Kayaba.
  • Asuna dies, but not really.
  • One of the reasons Kirito is the best player in the game because he's a solo player, but he's not as shown by the story.
  • Yui is a one off plot device that's obviously not needed since she wasn't included until the second volume of the book series.
  • The inclusion of Silica and Lisbeth is unnecessary as they're just additions later added in the second volume of the book series.
  • Sachi and her guild's death could've been taken out without hurting the story.
  • Klein and Agil are unnecessary though they should've played a larger role. Klein would be Kirito's best friend who also finds love and Agil would be Kirito's merchant, insider to current events, and supporting friend.
  • Laughing Coffin is supposed to be this big villain guild, but rarely shows up.
  • The only way Kayaba wins in his first fight against Kirito is by cheating.
  • The trapped players stayed in the game for years and after they come out, there's no real reason as to how they survived that long and not really handicapped by the long years in the game. A simple reason such as future medical technology would've sufficed for this, but none is given.
  • The parody version has more character than this. It's also better.

2nd Arc - Fairy Dance
  • Leafa, Kirito's sister, is only given a minor role in this arc which could be easily taken out. The incestial relationship is also unnecessary.
  • Sugou Nobuyuki is a bland one dimensional villain like Kayaba.
  • None of the in game story is explored. Not even between fairy races.
  • The race Kirito picks a race of fairy that's at a disadvantage to the others, but he makes it works.
  • Kirito carries everything over from Aincrad so he doesn't have to work for anything. Because of this, he could've gotten to the end with a little help in the first volume.
  • Yui is somehow carried over.
  • Asuna is nothing but a damsel in distress who sometimes gets sexually molested.
  • Kayaba comes back from the dead to help Kirito easily win the fight. He also give him the World Seed so he can make more VR games.
  • Kirito tries to make Kayaba look better in comparison to Sugou, which doesn't work.
  • Kirito gains two more harem members that don't really participate in the rest of the series.

3rd Arc - Phantom Bullet
  • Kirito is better than Sinon even though she's played GGO more than him.
  • Sinon had the potential to be a good character or even better girlfriend for Kirito, but that never happens.
  • The cyberpunk world looks interesting, but it doesn't have any lore in it.
  • There's a manga alt version of this for seemingly no reason (update later when it comes out in English).
  • Death Gun isn't exactly an intimidating name. Bullet Reaper sounds like a better name and I came up with it in seconds.

4th Arc - Mother's Rosario
  • Yuuki is created just to die. Her character is on par with Asuna, but that's just to make you feel something for her.
  • The rest of the Sleeping Knight characters don't really matter and could've been taken out without repercussion.

5th Arc - Calibur (Filler Arc)
  • Literally a filler arc with no real plot or character advancements. Even the novel version (Early and Late), doesn't add anything.
  • Establishes Sinon as a member of the harem.

6th Arc - Alicization
  • Aincrad Kirito comes back.
  • Kirito almost dies in real life from a Laughing Coffin member, but doesn't.
  • One of the big bosses is a completely naked lady.

Girls Ops
  • All about Kirito's backup girlfriends. This would be good, but their characters aren't exactly improved or separated from one another as they only have one personality trait that separates them.

Progressive
  • Retcons Kirito's solo player status in the series so far is about Asuna and Kirito's adventures.

Ordinal Scale


Video Games


  • Allows Kirito to sleep with all the girls with no repercussions.
  • Kirito is one of the best players to play as from the start.
  • The games are very mediocre/decent which is against what is said where the games presented are said to be enjoyable.
  • Changing Kirito's character gender to female does nothing to the story in Hollow Realization.
  • Kayaba comes back from the dead presumably years later to give Kirito the World Seed like he did in Fairy Dance.
  • The story of the in game lore isn't expanded upon.
  • It's a different story from the main series, but doesn't separate itself by too much. This in turn makes the need for a different story questionable instead of just playing the story or side events we never see.

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