Main Character in Another World: Kirito (Kazuto Kirigaya)

Put on your hazmat suits, everyone! We’re going back to ground zero!

Sword Art Online debuted at the perfect time. Anime streaming was just starting to hit its stride, introducing a whole new generation to the medium. Lo and behold, SAO stood at the forefront of new shows at that time. It was inevitable that it would succeed.

And in doing so, it became the gold standard for isekai anime. Particularly in its main character: Kirito.

His story is simple. Kazuto Kirigaya was a kendo kid turned super nerd, a beta tester for the upcoming full-dive VR game, Sword Art Online. When the game launches, he finds himself trapped within it. Thankfully, with that knowledge from the beta, he is already armed to survive.

What does he do, then? Does he start a guild and lead the players to victory and freedom? Does he utilize his game knowledge to take a step up in the world?

Nah. He puts on a black outfit and act edgy. Hey, the kid is like, what, fourteen? Fifteen? That checks out.

Kirito is the standard template for isekai protagonists. Long black hair and gray eyes, overpowered god-like abilities, a harem of one-dimensional women thirsting after him like they’ve been stuck in the Sahara desert for a decade, the works. It’s kinda hard to be mad at him for falling into isekai clichés, though. This character was lowkey the one to set those clichés!

Does that make him an interesting character? Not really. He was just the one to prove that you can succeed by sucking.

To be fair, an arc was attempted for him early on in the series. He started as an angsty loner kid, found some friends, lost those friends, became an even angstier loner, then learned to open up again. In another story, that might be really interesting!

Plus, he’s one of the few isekai characters to actually settle with one person instead of indulging in the harem nonsense. His relationship with Asuna was a core piece of the narrative back in season one. Unfortunately, despite this, the harem aspects of the show never go away.

Does he at least have an interesting personality? Nope. When he’s not being generic Jesus-kun, he’s being an edgy loner or a crybaby. In terms of depth or growth, he falls tragically short.

Kirito is the standard. Unfortunately, he doesn’t set a high one. Flat as a board and as colorful as monochrome, there isn’t much to work with here. He isn’t written to be a compelling character, but a power fantasy. Of the three isekai protags we’ve discussed so far, it goes without saying that he’s sat at the bottom.

1. Natsuki Subaru (Re:ZERO)
2. Ainz Ooal Gown (Overlord)
3. Kirito (Sword Art Online)