Over the past couple of years, isekai has become such a popular genre the market is practically oversaturated. Earlier releases like The Familiar of Zero or Demon King From Today! have been set aside in favor of more and more new additions. Popular examples include That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Overlord, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and many others.
If there’s one isekai anime that has defined the genre, it’s Sword Art Online. SAO’s popularity is what gave isekai such a boost in the first place. Despite SAO's massive number of fans, there are countless anime viewers that dislike the series, finding it full of unpleasant clichés.
10 Kirito Is So Overpowered He Defeats Death By Sheer Will
If one were to describe Sword Art Online in a single sentence, it would probably be ‘Kirito saves the day.’ The protagonist of SAO, Kazuto Kirigaya has become so associated with the idea of an overpowered male lead that it makes him almost unlikable. Fans have taken to calling him Jesus-kun, a reference to his ability to defeat death by sheer will.
SAO does provide an explanation for Kirito’s seemingly impossible feats. The concept of Incarnation involves temporarily overloading the system through the strength of will and is something that becomes used more often starting the Alicization Arc. Asuna also uses it to overcome Kayaba’s paralysis and save Kirito during the confrontation on the seventy-fifth floor of Aincrad. It’s still primarily one of Kirito’s most notable abilities, and it’s often abused.
9 Kirito’s Skills Aren't Only In The Field Of Sword Fighting
Kirito’s overpowered nature includes more than sword-fighting. He turns out to be a programming genius, something he first displays during SAO by saving the AI Yui’s life. His intellect sometimes allows him to leap to conclusions that apparently come out of nowhere.
The most eloquent example is his realization of Death Gun’s true identity in the Gun Gale Online Arc. The anime makes no mention of Red-Eye XaXa during previous episodes, which makes Kirito’s sudden epiphany very irritating. To be fair, he is physically more vulnerable in the real world, but if he hadn't been, he may have truly reached god-like levels.
8 Asuna Is Turned Into A Damsel In Distress In The Fairy Dance Arc
The main female character in SAO, Asuna Yuuki is an amazing partner for Kirito in the Aincrad Arc. Known as Lightning Flash Asuna, she is one of SAO’s top players and is instrumental in the defeat of the first boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord. She also saves Kirito when he is attacked by Laughing Coffin’s member, Kuradeel.
But the Fairy Dance Arc takes her character and shatters it, turning her into the worst possible damsel in distress. When the SAO players are freed from the game, she and a few others remain in coma, their minds trapped by Nobuyuki Sugou. Within the game Alfheim Online, Sugou turns her into his queen Titania, keeping her captive in a giant birdcage. She is even sexually assaulted by both Sugou and his underlings. Asuna deserves better.
7 Sugu’s Near-Incestuous Affection For Kirito Does Nothing For Her Character
With Asuna out of the picture, the Fairy Dance Arc introduces another female lead. Kirito’s real-world adoptive sister, Suguha, plays Alfheim Online as the Sylph Leafa. Her almost incestuous obsession with Kirito somehow turns into her having feelings for his in-game avatar without her even realizing it. This does nothing for her character. Suguha could have had a far more interesting arc, considering her skills and history.
6 Alice Is Reduced To Just Another Love Interest For Kirito
The protagonist of the Alicization Arc, Alice Zuberg is originally Kirito and Eugeo’s friend in the Underworld. Arrested for breaking the taboo of not going to the Dark Territory, she is turned into Alice Synthesis Thirty by the Administrator. The trio reunite years later, but Alice’s memories are gone.
Her original interest in Eugeo is almost non-existent, and as she fights side-by-side with Kirito, she gains romantic feelings for him. Her affection for Kirito eventually becomes more important than her skill as an Integrity Knight, which was so lauded before Alice and Kirito bonded.
5 The Harem Element Eventually Becomes Very Irritating
Asuna, Sugu, and Alice aren’t the only female characters who show an interest in Kirito. Almost every girl Kirito meets seems to fall madly in love with him. The Aincrad Arc also includes Sachi, who tragically dies alongside the rest of her guild, traumatizing Kirito. The blacksmith Lisbeth also has feelings for Kirito, as does the young beast tamer Silica.
The Fairy Dance Arc displays Sylph leader Sakuya and Cait Syth Lord Alicia Rue draping themselves over him. The Phantom Bullet Arc adds Sinon, and in Alicization, he has Ronye Arabel as a valet. Asuna and Alice also end up fighting each other, but officially, it's not over Kirito's affections.
4 Kayaba's Unsatisfying Motivations And Deus Ex Machina Appearances Don't Make The Best Combination
The villain of the Aincrad Arc, Akihiko Kayaba shocks all the players in Sword Art Online when he reveals the truth. He has transformed the beautiful virtual world of Aincrad into a death game, one they can only escape by defeating the final boss. Kayaba later joins the game himself using the avatar Heathcliff to create the powerful guild Knights of the Blood. Kirito determines the truth about him, and the two kill each other in battle.
Following Kirito’s death, he confronts Kayaba in an undefined space above Aincrad, asking him about his motivations. Kayaba claims he doesn’t even remember his reasons anymore, which is unimpressive at best. To make matters worse, Kayaba returns on several occasions, this time as a force for good. His Deux Ex Machina presence often allows Kirito and his friends to escape seemingly impossible situations. Examples include Kirito’s fight with Sugou in Alfheim Online or the invasion of the Ocean Turtle in the Alicization Arc.
3 Most Other Villains Lack Development Or Are Grotesque Caricatures
Kayaba may have his questionable moments, but he’s perhaps the only SAO villain who is actually complex. Most of them lack development or are grotesque caricatures with no real motivations beyond desiring power or being evil. Sugou is the extreme example, but Gabriel Miller – also known as Subtilizer or Emperor Vecta – isn’t much better.
His desire to witness the nature of the soul turns him into a complete psychopath with no redeeming elements. PoH and the other members of Laughing Coffin are just as bad if not worse. Alicization’s Quinella has a more complex backstory, which elevates her over the rest, but it’s not by much and she loses a lot of points in other fields.
2 Eugeo’s Potential Is Squandered When He Is Killed By Quinella
A resident of the Underworld, Eugeo is one of the best characters in the Alicization Arc. His friendship with Kirito is actually a pleasant surprise, providing a change for Kirito, whose previous male friendships hadn’t been very well-developed. Their shared quest to save Alice makes their bond even tighter, and his skills are no joke.
Unfortunately, Eugeo dies in the final confrontation with Quinella. His sacrifice is a beautiful, if heartbreaking moment, but his potential is still squandered. It leaves Kirito once again as the most powerful male figure of the anime, cementing SAO's strongest cliche.
1 Not Even The Villains Are Immune From Excess Fan Service
Considering the harem angle, it stands to reason that Sword Art Online displays a lot of fan service. Normally, it would be disingenuous to complain about it, as most anime contains it in some shape or form. But SAO has instances of fan service that are completely unreasonable. Asuna is assaulted by tentacles in the Fairy Dance Arc. The theme is repeated in Alicization, this time with Leafa as the victim. Leafa’s case is perhaps even worse than Asuna’s as she has the power to free herself the whole time, but doesn’t do it out of a moral dilemma.
Not even villains are immune from fan service. Quinella chooses to walk around completely naked, even when fighting Kirito. Her long hair is the only thing providing some modesty. Overall, it’s not a good addition to the anime. There’s nothing wrong with fan service, as long as it is done right and without making the characters look stupid or useless.