Although romance and friendship are more likely to be central concepts in a good deal of anime, family relations, too, deserve a considerable amount of attention. Depicting family relationships can remind us how cozy and warm life can actually be, or perhaps, it can work as a form of catharsis for fans who have unresolved issues. Sometimes parents can be as sweet as Dragon Ball's Goku or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's Maes Hughes, however, they can also push the viewers to their limits, just as Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
In Sword Art Online, not much is known about the main cast members' pasts and families. Parents or other family members are not very involved in the story. However, there are moments in the series where the family relations challenge, upset, and even sometimes agitate the viewers. Among these, the series' best girl Asuna's relationship with both of her parents is worth looking into. She has gone through a rough patch while trying to find a balance between her priorities and her familial obligations. Still, in the end, she managed to establish an understanding with her parents.
After the first season, Asuna's relationship with her father is not touched on. Fans remember Shouzou Yuuki as an elderly man in a suit and a worried father who also happens to be the CEO of RECT Inc. At the end of the Aincrad Arc, while most players were released, Asuna, along with three hundred players, was captured and diverted by Nobuyuki Sugo -- or Oberon -- to another game called ALfheim.
Full of guilt, her father visited Asuna regularly when she was hospitalized. When Asuna returned from ALfheim Online, Shouzou resigned as CEO of the company and retired from work. He never forgave himself for not realizing Sugo's true nature and the inhumane experiments his company did on the SAO survivors. Although Asuna managed to make peace with his father, fans of SAO are not so fond of the old CEO.
Asuna's relationship with her mother, however, is more complicated than with her father. Kyouko Yuuki makes her first appearance in the Mother's Rosario Arc. She is portrayed as a strict and cold mother who wants to control her daughter's life and decisions. It is clear that she wants the best for Asuna, but only according to her ideals.
She often criticizes her for using the AmuSphere, believing it distracts her and makes her detached from reality. Kyouko is not satisfied with her daughter's academic performance at all. She also disapproves of Asuna's choice of school and her relationship with Kirito. She wants her daughter to make decisions that will help her find her potential. At some point, Asuna questions her mother whether the desire to control her life comes from the fact she is ashamed of her own background, being born in a family of farmers.
One day, Asuna invites her mother to the virtual world for she feels much more confident in expressing her feelings there. Although reluctantly, Kyouko accepts this offer and uses her son's AmuSphere to meet Asuna in the virtual world. There, Asuna shows her a cabin that resembles the house Kyouko grew up in. While she makes her own peace with her past and family, the experience helps her understand her daughter and her aspirations. Kyouko realizes that happiness has multiple definitions and shows her emotions for the first time in a while. As Asuna makes peace with her mother, Kyouko allows her to stay in her current school but tells her to work hard to become strong and independent.