On November 6, 2022, two thousand players were trapped in the virtual reality game known as Sword Art Online. The game master, Akahiko Kayaba, told the players that the only way to escape the game was to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad Castle, and if they died in the game, they would also die in the real world.

Kazuto Kirigaya, better known by his username, Kirito, began playing MMO games when he found out that the family he once thought were his mother and sister were actually his aunt and cousin. Having felt a bit of identity loss, Kirito began playing MMO’s as a way to escape from reality and to try and find his identity in the virtual world. Being highly introverted, Kirito doesn’t make friends easily, but during his time in SAO, he has been able to form bonds with other people.

When the game first started, Kirito met a guy named Klein and took him out to the training grounds to show him the basics of SAO. Together they were teleported to the courtyard of the town of beginnings where Akahiko Kayaba announced the new rules that would make SAO a death game. Kirito pulled Klein aside and offered to take him to the next town before all of the resources got claimed. Klein thanked Kirito for the offer, but said he would rather stick with his buddies – the ones he waited in line to get the game with. Reluctantly, Kirito and Klein parted ways.

One month after the game’s launch, Kirito attended a meeting with a group of other players where they were discussing a plan to defeat the first floor boss. As the players were forming into smaller groups, Kirito noticed a lonely girl sitting by herself and asked if she wanted to form a party with him. The girl agreed, and then Kirito was able to see that her name was Asuna. Kirito and Asuna tag-teamed against the first-floor boss. Kirito dealt the final blow and acquired a rare item known as the Cloak of Midnight. After Kirito defeats the boss, he gets accused of withholding information about the boss’s attack patterns that he acquired from the beta test. Realizing that he will never be able to find favor with these people, Kirito dawns his newly acquired Cloak of Midnight and disbands his party with Asuna.

A few months later, Kirito joined a guild known as the Moonlit Black Cats. Kirito developed a close connection with a girl named Sachi who was terribly afraid of losing her life to the game. Kirito helped reassure Sachi that she would be safe as long as she has her guild members to protect her. Tragically, Sachi and the rest of the members of the Moonlit Black Cats lost their lives in an ambush on a dungeon floor. Only Kirito survived.

Roughly a year later, Kirito formed a partnership with a girl named Silica who had recently lost her pet dragon, Pina, in an ambush. Kirito promised to help Silica acquire a rare flower that can revive Pina, but what Silica didn’t know is that Kirito was also using her to lure a guild of player killers and convict them for their crimes. Silica understood and was just happy to be able to revive Pina.

Shortly after, Kirito reunited with Asuna, and after solving a murder mystery, they reunited as friends. It seems that despite his anti-social personality, Kirito has a habit of helping people (particularly girls) in need. Who will Kirito find in need of help this time?

Lisbeth the Blacksmith

Asuna has come to the shop of a blacksmith named Lisbeth, or Liz for short. She has come to get her sword sharpened. Liz notices that Asuna is wearing earrings, so Asuna explains that she is meeting someone special. Liz teases her about who it might be. Feeling embarrassed, Asuna hurries out of the store. Liz wonders when she will find her special someone.

Kirito soon enters Liz’s shop looking for a new sword to buy – the best sword possible. Liz looks at him and doesn’t think he has much money. She mentions that metals for sword making have become expensive at the moment, but Kirito isn’t worried about the cost. Kirito presents his main sword, the Elucidator, and asks for a sword of the same quality. Liz, in response, presents the finest sword she has ever crafted as a way of showcasing her peak talent. Kirito tests the durability of Liz’s sword against his own, but when the two swords make contact, Liz’s sword shatters in two.

“What were you thinking?” screams Liz.

“I never thought that yours would be the one to break,” explains Kirito.

“Is that your way of saying my sword was lamer that you expected? Just so we’re clear, if I had the materials, I could make tons of swords that would snap yours like a twig.”

Kirito begins to get snarky and says, “I’d really love to order one. Something that could snap this one like a twig!”

Liz’s face turns red as she replies, “If you’re gonna be like that, then you’ll have to help me every step of the way, starting with obtaining the metal.”

“I’ll be just fine on my own. I’d rather not have you slowing me down.”

“Don’t you insult me. Believe it or not, I’m an expert mace user.”

“Then where do we find the metal?”

“On Floor 55, there’s supposedly a dragon that eats crystals on the Western Mountain. According to the rumor, it stores rare metal inside its body. Furthermore, to get the metal, you need a master smith with you. Still want to go alone?”

“Just keep quiet and stay out of the way. My name’s Kirito. Until we make that sword, I guess we’ll be partying up.”

A Quest for Crystals

Kirito and Liz arrive at Floor 55 and begin ascending the Western Mountain, however, Liz was not aware that it would be cold and snowy. She is struggling to stay warm in her skirt and bare legs, so Kirito lends her a coat. Only then does Liz start to think it’s weird that she’s alone with a strange guy at the top of a snowy mountain.

The journey becomes worth it when they reach the top and find a field of shimmering crystals. Kirito tells Liz that when the dragon appears, she should hide behind the crystals. Liz objects, but Kirito demands it. (He probably still has PTSD from what happened to Sachi.)

As soon as the dragon appears, Liz hides behind the crystals and Kirito begins slashing it with his sword. Liz foolishly comes out of her hiding place. The dragon directs his attack at Liz, blowing her into an open pit. Kirito jumps in after her.

Kirito manages to break her fall, but they both become severely injured. Kirito hands Liz a potion and drinks one himself, then he begins to look for a way to escape from the pit. Kirito tries everything including running up the walls, but nothing is working. Unable to find a way out, the two heroes camp for a night in the pit.

Before falling asleep, Liz asks Kirito why he saved her.

“Because I’d much rather die with someone than let that person die before my eyes,” explains Kirito (he definitely can’t get over what happened to Sachi), “Even more if she’s a girl like you, Liz.”

Liz asks if she can hold Kirito’s hand.

“It’s warm,” observes Liz, “Even though you and I are both data in a virtual world.”

Liz wakes up the next morning and sees Kirito digging through the snow. He pulls out a crystal and shows it to Liz. She checks the name, and it reads “Crystallite Ingot”.

“Could it be?” asks Liz.

“Yeah, it must be the metal we came to get,” says Kirito, “The dragon nibbles on the crystals, producing this in its stomach. No wonder no one can ever find any!”

“But what’s it doing here?” Liz continues to ask.

“This hole isn’t a trap,” explains Kirito, “It’s the dragon’s nest. In other words, that ingot is the dragon’s excrement. It’s poop. Anyway, this means that we’ve achieved our goal.”

“If I recall, dragons are nocturnal,” remembers Liz, “Which means it won’t be long before…”

As if on cue, the dragon comes swooping down into the pit. Kirito grabs Liz and throws her over his shoulder, then he pulls out his sword. He runs up the side of the wall while still carrying Liz, then he stabs his sword into the dragon’s back. The dragon roars in pain and flies back out of its nest. Once the dragon is high in the air, Kirito pulls out his sword. He and Liz begin falling through the air.

Liz takes Kirito’s outstretched hand and says, “Kirito, you know what?”

“What?” responds Kirito.

“I…I like you, Kirito.”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

(I’m guessing they used teleport crystals to stop themselves from falling to their death.)

Liz Forges the Sword

Liz and Kirito return to Liz’s shop. As she forges the sword, Liz decides that when she is finished, she will confess her feelings for Kirito. After a few poundings of her hammer, the sword is complete. Its name is Dark Repulsor, Kirito tries it and likes it — it’s heavy!

Kirito asks how much, but Liz offers to be Kirito’s exclusive smith instead. Not quite catching on, Kirito asks what she means.

“When you return from the field, stop by and let me do maintenance on your gear. Every day, from now on!” explains Liz.

Kirito blushes. He’s starting to understand what Liz means. Liz is about to explain further, but Asuna comes bursting through the door.

“Liz! I was really worried!” cries Asuna, “My message bounced back and I couldn’t track you on the map. Where were you last night?”

“Sorry, I kind of got stuck in a dungeon…with him,” says Liz as she points to Kirito. Asuna is surprised to see him.

“Do you know each other, by any chance?” asks Liz.

“Yeah, we’re both on the Assault Team,” explains Kirito. And then Liz realizes that Kirito and Asuna are together. Asuna explains that she was the one who referred Kirito to her shop.

Liz whispers in Asuna’s ear, “Hey, he’s weird, but he’s not a bad guy. I’ll be cheering you on. So do your best, Asuna.”

Asuna blushes and says it’s not like that! Liz rushes out the door, but Kirito can detect that something is up. He finds her outside hiding next to a bridge.

“You shouldn’t have come here now,” says Liz, “Just a little longer and I would’ve gone back to my usual cheerful self. How’d you know I was here?”

“I scanned the whole town for you from up there,” says Kirito, pointing to the top of a bell tower.

“You always do the craziest things!” laughs Liz, “I’m not used to adventures so I think it just shook me up inside. So, forget everything I said.”

“I want to thank you,” says Kirito, “I’ve always thought it would be better to die than to survive alone. I’ve honestly always believed that, but when we fell in that hole, I was glad that we both made it. I realized that everyone is striving to stay alive. Myself included. So thank you, Liz.”

“Same here,” adds Liz, “I was always looking for something too! Something real in this world. For me, the warmth of your hand, that was real. So please, end this world, Kirito. Until then, I’m sure I can hang on!”

“I promise,” ensures Kirito, “I’ll clear this game, no matter what.”

Thoughts: Is SAO a harem anime?

One criticism I have seen of Sword Art Online is that it’s a harem anime, but what does that mean?

A quick Google search for the word ‘harem’ reveals that the term refers to a “part of the house in traditional Muslim society reserved for women – either wives, servants, or concubines.” (Vocabulary.com). Informally, it can refer to “a group of women associated with one man” (Merriam-Webster.com).

Following the definition above, ‘harem’ is also a genre of anime and manga where a male character is surrounded and loved by many female characters (Simple Wikipedia). They can range from cute and innocent to sexually explicit. Harem anime often come under criticism for objectifying and sexualizing female characters.

So, is Sword Art Online a harem anime? Well, so far in the series (that is, in the first seven episodes), Kirito has developed a relationship with 4 girls: Asuna, Sachi, Silica, and Liz…and there will be many more to come in the series. While there are a lot of female characters that try to compete for Kirito’s attention, Asuna definitely seems to be his main girl. This is one element that makes it different from the other harem anime I have seen (Mushoku Tensei, Chainsaw Man, Oshi no Ko) where the main love interest seems to be a bit ambiguous. Rudy initially wants to pursue Roxy, but also seems to be satisfied with Eris. Denji’s ultimate goal is clearly to bang Makima, but he seems to be developing more of a relationship with Power and Himeno. Aqua’s true love is obviously Hoshino Ai, but since he was robbed of her, he has developed a relationship with several other girls (Ruby, Kana, Akane, Mem-Cho) in order to find his father. Kirito, on the other hand, seems to clearly view Asuna as his girlfriend and the other girls as just friends. The other girls may try to compete for Kirito, but we all know they won’t win.

With this in mind, I would confidently conclude that Sword Art Online is at least a pseudo-harem anime, meaning that it has a lot of elements of a harem anime, but does not focus on that aspect entirely. I would say that the primary genre of SAO is a sci-fi/fantasy, but classifying it as a harem anime as well is not wrong either.

Harem or not, Sword Art Online features one of the most iconic romantic relationships in all of anime (although it can be kind of cheesy at times). From here on out, the story will mainly focus on the relationship between Kirito and Asuna, and we’ll be sure to analyze how this ties in to the main themes of SAO. So, be sure to keep following us on Mental Labyrinth for more reviews of Sword Art Online!

Do you think Sword Art Online is a harem anime? Share your thoughts in the comments below!