Kayaba Akihiko/Synopsis

## Biography

### Background

Not much is known of Kayaba's history, but we do know that he grew up loving Western media, particularly movies from the early 60's and late 90's. This apparently made him an outcast, as very few people knew what he was talking about.

### Aincrad Arc

#### Pre-Episode 1

He eventually got a job as a software designer and game developer, eventually getting employed by the company Argus. During this time, he created a gaming console called the NerveGear, a virtual reality headset that allowed people to play games with their mind. During its beta test, Kayaba became aware that the beta testers would apparently wander their homes and beat up people who they mistook as enemies, with at least one beta tester beating his roommate to death. Kayaba tried to make light of the situation, by editing the footage to have a Final Fantasy victory screen as a joke, but this did not stop the numerous lawsuits that attacked his company as a result of this.

Despite this, popular gaming company Bethesda Softworks was intrigued by the prospect of the NerveGear and asked Argus to make a VRMMO for them. After giving the NerveGear the ability to disable players' motor functions, thus preventing any more problems, Kayaba came up with a game which was later named Sword Art Online, set in a multifloored castle in the sky called Aincrad.

The game suffered from a problematic development cycle. Due to the complexity of the game, it had two delays, and even then, the game was not ready. Kayaba eventually ran out of funding and reached out to numerous advertisers and filled the game's beautiful scenery with their ads in order to keep working on the game. He also implemented necessary DLC extensions, such as AdBlockers, to make sure the game made a big enough profit. He also programmed his twitter account to repeat advertising messages for SAO at some point.

Eventually, three weeks before the game's release, Kayaba tried to get one more extension from Bethesda. However, they wouldn't let him to have one, since the game had already been delayed twice. Plus, they thought the game was so big that people wouldn't notice "a few glitches". This caused Kayaba to panic, and he was forced to work on the game by himself, without sleep, in order to reach his deadline. Unfortunately, as a result, he became so sleep deprived that he started hallucinating, mistaking the company's night janitor for God at one point, which inadvertently gave the janitor an ego boost. This sleep deprivation caused Kayaba to lose focus on his programming and was unable to see that he accidentally created a few glitches, one of which resulted in the NerveGear killing the players when their avatars died in game.

#### Episode 1

By the time Kayaba noticed these glitches it was already November 6, 2022, the game's release day. This resulted in multiple players dying on the game's launch, partially due to the tutorial NPC vanishing early on. Kayaba would later admit that he should have turned the server off before there were any more casualties, but at the time he was still so unstable and paranoid from sleep deprivation that he believed the government was controlled by "Floobar: King of the Mole Men". Due to this delirious state, fearing a bad rating from Metacritic, Kayaba's immediate response was to "double, triple, and quadruple down" and pretend this was all intentional, thinking that a game that killed a few people by accident would get more negative reviews than a game that killed thousands on purpose.

To make his ruse more believable, Kayaba removed the log out button from the menu, trapping the players in the game, and replaced it with a string of maniacal laughter. He also locked the game's Psychiatrist AI away, preventing it from interacting with the players. He then teleported every player to the town square of the Floor 1 Town of Beginnings. With all the players gathered, Kayaba appears before them a figure in a hooded red cloak, after forming out of a fountain of blood from the sky. Kayaba then introduces himself to the players and welcomes them to SAO. The players then start talking amongst themselves while Kayaba struggles to get their attention. He then tries to mute their chat function, but accidentally mutes himself instead. After he realizes what happened and finally unmutes himself, Kayaba asks how many players have seen Tron, though none of the players respond, which forces Kayaba to improvise another explanation for their situation.

Kayaba announces that, much like World of Warcraft, none of the players have any choice but to play the game anymore, except Kayaba is the one who is holding them captive, not their need to "escape [their] empty f\*\*king lives". He tells the players that there is no longer any way to log out of the game, and if someone tries to log them out by removing their NerveGears in real life, something similar to the movie Scanners will happen, which, again, no one has seen. Kayaba then shows the players a clip from Scanners, in which someone's head explodes, which makes them understand.

One player is especially horrified by this and asks Kayaba why he would do this. Kayaba recognizes the player as his acquaintance Stephen and, ignoring his question, asks him how he's enjoying the advance copy of the game Kayaba gave him. Stephen tells Kayaba that he's playing the game with his family, meaning they're all trapped in the game together. This reminds Kayaba that the launch day was the birthday of Stephen's son, Timmy, and wishes the crying child a happy birthday. Ignoring the child's tears, Kayaba comments on how fast children grow up and tells Stephen to "cherish these moments".

Getting back to the point, Kayaba tells the players that the only way for them to leave the game, and keep the NerveGear from "going all Gallagher on [their] grey matter", is to clear every Floor of Castle Aincrad and beat SAO. One player finds this to be an unfair request, asking Kayaba, "When was the last time you heard of someone *beating* Everquest?". Kayaba counters this by saying, "When was the last time you heard of someone *PLAYING* Everquest?", which the player says is a fair retort.

Kayaba then comments on the amount of men playing as girls and tells the players that he has a surprise for them. All the players find a Hand Mirror in their inventory, which triggers a blinding light that converts all the players' avatars into their true appearances, which is mostly fairly attractive people and a fat boy, who is shocked that the cute girl he was flirting with was actually a guy.

Kayaba looks at the crowd and is impressed that they aren't a bunch of stereotypes, except for the fat boy, who he chastises. Kayaba then informs them that if they die in the game they will die for real, but the crowd doesn't understand this. Kayaba attempts to explain it two more times but to no avail. Annoyed, Kayaba shows the head explosion clip from Scanners again, which causes the players to finally understand. Kayaba then proceeds to leave the players to themselves, but not before revealing that he also disabled the profanity filter. Kayaba tells the players to have fun as his body turns into smoke and disappears.

#### Post-Episode 1

Presumably after he left the players to themselves, Kayaba was finally able to rest and relax, but by the time he realized what he had actually done, he had already become a wanted man. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that 2,000 players died after the first month, either by bad luck or sheer stupidity, and hadn't even cleared the first Floor yet.

Seeing the catastrophic progress, Kayaba decided to log into SAO under the name "Heathcliff", giving himself a sword and shield that granted him a Unique Skill called Divine Blade, in order to help the players clear the game. However, he didn't just do this out of guilt or out of the goodness of his heart, he also did it in hopes of keeping the players from getting hurt so he could use them as hostages to stop the FBI from arresting him until he found a solution to his problems.

As Heathcliff, he formed a Guild called the Knights of the Blood Oath on March 31, 2023, which escalated into the strongest Guild in the game, with him as its Commander. He recruited most of the Floor clearers into the Guild, including Asuna, who rose through the ranks to become its Vice-Commander, Kuradeel, a skilled bodyguard, Godfree, a roleplayer who annoyed everyone, and Fluffles, the former Mafia leader and cat, who became a Captain and part of Heathcliff's council. Under his leadership, Heathcliff managed to keep most of the KOB alive long enough for them to establish a headquarters in the Floor 55 city of Grandzam.

However, despite helping the players clear Floor after Floor, it wasn't enough to keep the more incompetent players from dying, as they ignored Heathcliff's strategies, refused to work together, and blamed Kayaba himself for all their problems, including the ones he was not responsible for. This, coupled with the fact that he still hadn't come up with a solution to his predicament, resulted in Kayaba being slowly driven insane by the sheer stupidity of the players.

When he wasn't in his Heathcliff mode and/or wasn't out on raids, Kayaba would frequently check in on the status of other players. The one he checked in on the most was a player named Kirito, who impressed Kayaba by so much that he wondered why Kirito wasn't leading the players in his stead.

#### Episode 7

One instance where Kayaba was watching Kirito's progress was on June 24, 2024, when Kirito was on a quest with a player named Lizbeth. At one point, Kirito was stuck in a pit and tried to run up the wall but ends up slipping on the ice and falling back down, prompting Kayaba to play the sound effects of a Goofy cartoon. As Kirito climbs out of the hole made by him hitting the ground, he asks if Kayaba if the sound effects were necessary, to which Kayaba plays the sad trombone sound effect, much to Kirito's annoyance.

#### Episode 8

Another instance of Kayaba watching Kirito was on October 18, 2024, when Kirito got into an argument with Kuradeel on how he was treating Asuna. This resulted in Kuradeel challenging Kirito to a duel, prompting Kayaba to start playing some circus music in the background to show how much of a clown show the duel really is.

#### Episode 9

On October 19, 2024, a video spread throughout Aincrad of Kirito rescuing a Guild called the Aincrad Liberation Front from the Floor 74 Boss, the Gleam Eyes, with the Dual-Wield Skill, which was captured due to the ALF livestreaming the event. With Kirito gaining fame from this video, as he practically defeated the Boss singlehandedly, Heathcliff sees this as an opportunity and asks Asuna to summon him to their headquarters. Once Asuna brings Kirito, Heathcliff welcomes him, but before Heathcliff can explain the reason for the meeting, Kirito notices that Fluffles is also part of the Guild. Kirito then proceeds to seemingly have a conversation with the former Mob Boss, with Kirito asking how Fluffles survived his fall after their fight and Fluffles apparently explaining that he survived using a method that even Kirito didn't consider. This prompts Heathcliff to ask Asuna if Kirito can understand Fluffles or if he's messing with them, to which Asuna responds it might be both. With things apparently getting heated between Kirito and Fluffles, Heathcliff tries to stop the aggressions by saying, "You can't fight in here this is the war room", only to be disappointed when no one acknowledges/gets his reference to the movie Dr. Strangelove.

Getting back to the point, Heathcliff tells Kirito that everyone in Aincrad has seen the video of him Dual-Wielding, much to Kirito's annoyance. Heathcliff comments how amazing it is that Kirito practically defeated a Floor Boss singlehandedly, pointing out how inspiring a feat like that is, and states that it could motivate the other players to take action. With all this in mind, Heathcliff asks Kirito to join the KOB. However, Kirito declines, which catches Heathcliff off guard. Kirito tells Heathcliff that he's not interested in joining, as Guilds and him don't work well together. Fluffles seems to agree with this, causing Heathcliff to wonder why he let a cat join his council. Not wanting to take "no" for an answer, Heathcliff asks Kirito what it will take for him to join, offering to give him money, items and even Asuna, which she finds offensive. Eventually, Kirito agrees to join the Guild, but only if Heathcliff beats him in a duel, which Heathcliff of course accepts.

The next day, on October 20, 2024, in the Floor 75 city of Collinia, players from miles around flock to the colosseum to see the battle between Kirito and Heathcliff, with many fans cheering for the Dual-Wielding master. The event is even commentated by two players named Sam and Bob, with Bob hyping up the crowd with questionable comments that confuse Sam. In the arena, Kirito voices his shock at the size of the crowd, which Heathcliff says is proof that Kirito has become a beacon of hope for the players. Heathcliff then states the crowd might also be there because someone was foolish enough to challenge SAO's best player, to which Kirito reminds him that he was the one that challenged him. While shocked by Kirito's ego, Heathcliff admits he shouldn't underestimate him, before inviting him to "go ahead, make my day". However, when the duel started, Kirito zoned out and Heathcliff knocks him down in four seconds. Naturally, the crowd are furious with how quick the fight was, particularly because Kirito didn't even fight. Even though the KOB offer the players a refund, the players start rioting over the disappointing match. Heathcliff then ordered Godfree to train him, probably to humiliate Kirito further.

#### Episode 10

On October 24, 2024, Heathcliff summons the two to their base in Grandzam. After congratulating the two on their marriage, causing them to ramble about how happy they are, Heathcliff informs Kirito and Asuna that the situation in Collinia has gotten worse. He explains that, after running out of things to burn, the rioters have reverted to a primitive tribalistic society, with one player known as "the King of Ashes" rising up as their leader. He also explains that Fluffles has betrayed the KOB and joined forces with the Bandit King, which Heathcliff himself admits he probably should've seen coming.

Heathcliff says that, since the King and his forces are blocking further progress in the game, he's going to try and negotiate a truce at an upcoming peace talk. Kirito assumes that Heathcliff wants him to come to the negotiations, to help break the ice, but Heathcliff instead explains that he wants to hide Kirito under the biggest rock he can find, afraid that Kirito might "piss people off and kill thousands". Asuna agrees with this, much to Kirito's shock, and tries to convince Kirito that it's for the good of the players. However, she doesn't keep this sentiment when Heathcliff assigns Asuna to guard Kirito, to make sure he doesn't try to attend the summit. Trying to calm the two down, Heathcliff explains that he's prepared a cabin for them on Floor 22, which is surrounded by the Floor's beautiful forest and has a view of the Floor's lake, presenting it as their honeymoon. Hearing this, the two frantically accept the offer, causing Heathcliff comment that he envies the two's young love.

Heathcliff then went to the peace talk in the ruins of Collinia, now known as "the Ashlands". Unfortunately, at some point, the negotiations broke down, leaving Heathcliff trapped behind enemy lines and held prisoner by the King.

#### Post-Episode 10

Heathcliff was then subjected to rounds of torture, gladiator combat, and Pictionary, oddly enough, all while he tried to negotiate a truce that would allow the assault team to challenge the Boss of Floor 75.

#### Episode 11

On November 7, 2024, Heathcliff was finally able to form a truce with the King that would allow the assault team safe passage through their territory. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of letting the King's forces take pictures of Asuna that would involve "minor sideboob at the most", which they claimed were going to be used in a charity calendar they were going to make once they get out of the game, in order to raise money for cancer. Upon getting freed, Heathcliff sent a message to Asuna, telling her that it's time to raid the next Boss and letting her know about the arrangement.

Heathcliff then went to the Boss Room's door, where he waited for the rest of the assault team. Once they arrived, Heathcliff attempts to deliver an encouraging speech to motivate the raiders, but his metaphors are sadly misunderstood by the less than smart players. Heathcliff then compares the situation to herding cats, prompting a player to ask if Fluffles was at the raid, which Heathcliff denies. He then explains what he went through to negotiate the truce with the King. However, as he's saying this, the King himself is suddenly heard leading his army down the corridor, ordering them to kill the "intruders" for crossing him. Heathcliff is confused by this at first, but quickly realizes that Kirito did something that broke the truce. Kirito denies this, despite the fact the King sent him a message stating he would "FLAY YOUR FUCKING SOUL!!!" and the fact that the King is heard demanding Kirito's head. With the King's troops coming to kill them, Heathcliff decides that they're going to enter the Boss Room now.

With the door finally opened, Heathcliff leads the player into the Boss Room, but they become confused when the Boss is nowhere to be seen. After a few seconds of players believing the Boss was a metaphor, Klein notices a giant centipede made of bones hanging from the ceiling. Having finally been noticed, the Boss, known as the Skull Reaper, descends from the ceiling and kills two of the players in one hit. The players are shocked by this, and a player named Tiffany asks himself why he put all his points into bartering. Heathcliff then tries to rally the players to fight, despite the fact that the players who died were the raiders' tanks, but is caught off guard when the Boss suddenly dies. Despite Heathcliff's confusion, the other players see this as a victory. However, they soon realize that the door to the next Floor is still closed, meaning they're trapped in the Boss Room. Kirito comments that this is typical of the game.

The players then fall into despair, with Tiffany pointing out that they can't even starve to death, which another player named Klein agrees would've been a mercy, as now they'll just have to wait until they die in the real world. Heathcliff then tries to lighten the mood, stating that, even though they're going to die, at least they're going to die playing an awesome game. This comment causes the players to rant about the many faults of the game, with a player named Schmitt pointing out that their Teleport Crystals, one of their only lifelines, don't work half the time. Klein adds to this by pointing out that one of KOB tried using a Teleport Crystal to escape the room but ended up getting twisted into a Cronenbergian nightmare. Heathcliff gradually gets more and more annoyed by this, claiming that, while it has some "minor bugs", the game itself is groundbreaking technology, asking where the players' sense of wonder is. Kirito agrees with Heathcliff, saying that he loves the game despite its flaws. However, he also admits that the game is a mess, filled with terrible designs, stating that the only reason they all bought it was because it was the only launch title that made Tron a reality. This comment enrages Heathcliff the most, and he voices his frustration over how Kirito has suddenly seen Tron.

This comment causes Kirito to realize something, and he attacks Heathcliff, causing a protective wall to appear around him. Confused by this, Asuna asks Heathcliff what the wall is. Heathcliff tries to play it off as a lucky glitch, asking the players to subdue Kirito, but Asuna doesn't believe him, which Heathcliff accepts. Kirito gives Heathcliff the chance to come clean, but Heathcliff tells him to explain it, sarcastically stating that he doesn't want to ruin Kirito's "big moment". Asuna asks Kirito what they're talking about, to which Kirito explains that Heathcliff has been hiding a dark secret. He's Kayaba Akihiko. However, the players don't know who that is, much to Kirito's annoyance. Kayaba then plays the Scanners clip he used on the first day of the death game, making them realize who he is. Relieved that he kept the clip tabbed, Kayaba asks Kirito what made him realize who he was, to which Kirito explains that Heathcliff was the only other person who referenced as many movies as Kirito himself. This makes Kayaba ecstatic, as it's the first time in years, possibly in his entire life, that anyone has understood him. Kayaba then tests Kirito's knowledge by rapid firing a series movie quotes, all of which Kirito gets correct, much to Kayaba's amazement and the shock of the other players.

Kayaba then laughs at this, stating that it figures that Kirito was the only one who understood his references. He then reveals that, even though he doesn't particularly like Kirito, he believes the two of them have a "kinship" and that he respects him as a player. This upsets Asuna, as she realizes that she fell in love with someone who thinks the same way as her captor, and wishes someone would stab her. Kayaba then confesses that he never understood why Kirito didn't form his own Guild, as he believed Kirito had enough skill and intellect to lead armies and become the "Great Savior of Aincrad". But since Kirito wasn't going do it, Kayaba reveals that this inspired him to become Heathcliff and try to some fun by doing it himself, which he states was the second worst mistake he's made in his entire life.

Just then, a member of the KOB tries to attack Kayaba, infuriated that he dedicated his life to the man who imprisoned him, causing Kayaba to paralyze him. Kayaba then mocks the player for trying to attack him, despite the fact that he saw that Kirito was unable to do the exact same thing, and decides to paralyze all of the players except for Kirito, to prevent any similar acts of stupidity. Asuna's shocked that she got paralyzed too and claims she's not going to do anything. However, Kayaba doesn't believe her, stating that even in that state he's not convinced Asuna won't try to set him on fire with her mind, something that she actually tries to do.

Kayaba then takes this opportunity to vent his frustrations with the players, as they've done nothing but ignore his advice, refuse to work together and then blame Kayaba for all their problems. A member of the Mafia then tries to point out that Kayaba is responsible for some of their problems, prompting Kayaba to kill him for talking back to him. Kayaba then states that he's tried his best to help the players, but despite his best efforts they've constantly died in increasingly avoidable ways, which Kayaba considers enough motive to let the human race die out.

However, much to Kayaba's surprise, Kirito starts defending the players, something Kayaba thought was uncharacteristic of him. While Kirito agrees that the players can be idiotic, using Schmitt as an example, much to his dismay, he points out that at least they were willing to put their lives on the line, which is better than what Kirito can say about Kayaba. Intrigued, Kayaba asks what Kirito has to say about him, prompting Kirito to start mocking Kayaba, making fun of his Heathcliff persona by pointing out how childish it was to give himself an invincible sword and shield that's better than anything else in the game. Hearing this, Kayaba is slightly disappointed by how undignified Kirito's criticism was, as he said it in the voice of Eric Cartman.

Kayaba then announces that he's going to leave, promising that he'll fix the door so the players can leave the Boss Room. However, he then claims that he might watch a movie first, so he's not sure when that will actually happen. However, Kirito continues to mock Kayaba, comparing his attempt to leave to a child running away to cry to his mother. Infuriated, Kayaba asks what Kirito wants, prompting Kirito to tell Kayaba that he would like a rematch. Annoyed, Kayaba asks Kirito why he didn't just ask for one, to which Kirito points out that Kayaba should know by now that's "just not my style". Irritated, Kayaba agrees to the fight, as stabbing Kirito in the chest sounds therapeutic, and asks for Kirito's terms. Kirito tells Kayaba that it'll be a fight to the death, one where Kayaba won't use any of his GM abilities, and if Kirito wins, Kayaba will end the death game and let everyone go free. Hearing this, Kayaba is a little shocked that Kirito wants to end things 25 Floors early, but Kirito provokes him by asking, "What's wrong, McFly? Chicken?". Delighted by Kirito quoting Back to the Future II, Kayaba agrees to the fight, believing that he'll defeat Kirito easily. Asuna's confused by the exchange, stating that the movie in question doesn't sound very good. This enrages Kayaba, declaring that he can end Asuna with a thought.

Though shocked by Kayaba's outburst, Asuna questions why Kirito wants to leave SAO, as he loves being in the game, and asks why he would want to get out faster. Kirito admits that he does love it in the game, as he can be the person he's always wanted to be in it. However, he then confesses that, despite his best efforts, he's decided to not give up on humanity. This shocks Klein, as Kirito actually took his advice, and is overjoyed that he made a difference. Kirito then admits that, while the virtual world means more to him than the real one ever did, he feels like the longer that he stays there the greater the risk that he'll lose the people he loves. This makes Klein freak out even more, prompting Kirito to ask him not to ruin the moment, which Klein agrees to try. Kirito then voices his worry that Asuna will mock him for showing these emotions, but she supports him for making such a huge step. She then tries to get everyone to give Kirito a big round of applause, forgetting that she's paralyzed. Unable to move, Asuna explains that she's not being sarcastic, but Kirito understands, and appreciates the thought. To make up for this, Klein starts clapping with his teeth, which Kirito appreciates as well, despite being weirded out by it.

Asuna then tells Kirito to go fight Kayaba, which he does, although he puts her down in a potion that prevents her from seeing the fight in the process. Kirito then draws his swords but stops to talk to his friends. He asks Tiffany to let Lizbeth know he didn't name something "the Piece of Shit" if he doesn't make it. However, Tiffany doesn't understand this request, due to how vaguely Kirito worded it. Kirito then apologizes to Klein for not joining his Guild, stating that he's always regretted it, and admits it probably would have been fun. This causes Klein to devolve into a gibbering mess. Finally, Kirito turns to Kayaba and adds on more condition to their fight, asking him to make it so Asuna can't kill herself if he dies. Asuna's insulted by the insinuation that she'd kill herself over Kirito and tells him to suck a dick. However, Kirito corrects her, stating that's her job now. Though amused by his joke, Kirito realizes he's going to pay for it later.

Kayaba is a bit shocked at how confident Kirito is, considering how their fight went last time, and gives Kirito a chance to back out, claiming that he won't judge him if he does. However, he admits that he might judge Kirito a little as he draws his sword. Kirito tells himself that this won't be anything like the last fight, as now he has something worth fighting for. Kayaba and Kirito then clash, exchanging a flurry of powerful attacks. They appear to be equally matched at first, but unfortunately the sword that Lizbeth made eventually breaks on Kayaba's shield, leaving Kirito open to Kayaba's attack. Thinking he's won, Kayaba boastfully tells that it's end of the line, or more appropriately, it's game over. However, just as Kayaba delivers the finishing, Asuna jumps in the way, sacrificing herself. After catching her, Kirito watches in horror as Asuna's health drains to zero. Thinking her time is up, Asuna remarks that it's finally her turn to make Kirito cry. She then reassures him that it's alright, telling him to "cry your little bitch tears", before she dies in Kirito's arms.

Depressed by Asuna's death, Kirito loses his resolve to fight. Kayaba, however, remarks that Asuna shouldn't have been able to get up due to his Admin Paralysis, joking that he'll have to add "power of love may cause Paralysis to fail" to his list of glitches. Kayaba then points how lucky this was for Kirito, but he doesn't respond. Annoyed by this, Kayaba sarcastically apologizes for Asuna's death but points out that she jumped in front of his sword, so he's the real victim. This prompts Kirito to grab Asuna's rapier to get back at Kayaba. Initially, Kayaba is excited to finish their fight, only to be disappointed by Kirito's weak and easily avoidable attacks. Kayaba then knocks Kirito's Elucidator out of his hand, dimming what little spark he had left. Kayaba tells Kirito that this was inevitable, stating that, "It's time to face reality, son. I'm the god of this world", before stabbing Kirito in the chest, sealing his fate. However, Kirito refuses to just die, proclaiming that, "I reject your reality and substitute my own!", and manages to stab Kayaba with Asuna's rapier, technically defeating him. Kayaba is thrilled by this, thinking the quote is a reference to the Dungeonmaster, and accepts his loss. However, Kirito states that he was referencing MythBusters and he's never heard of the Dungeonmaster. Kayaba voices his disappoint at this revelation, and the two of them shatter.

True to his word, Kayaba initiates the system wipe and orders the system to log out all the players from the game. Kayaba then logs into an avatar that resembles his true appearance and joins Kirito and Asuna in the clouds above Aincrad, to watch the castle crumble. Kirito voices his disappointment over watching his and Asuna's cabin get destroyed, which Kayaba agrees with, alerting them to his presence. Kirito asks him what's happening, to which Kayaba explains that he's keeping up his end of their bargain, wiping the game from the server and logging everyone out. But when Kirito asks if it's happening in that order, Kayaba just looks at the collapsing castle and states that he'll "get back to him on that one".

Despite the fact that he just murdered her, Asuna asks if Kayaba's okay, as he seems a bit "off", something Kirito agrees with. Kayaba then points out that he's watching his hopes and dreams crumble right in front of him, thinking about how his business is ruined and that he's probably the most wanted man on the planet, so of course he's a bit upset. Kirito tries to cheer him up by saying "everyone wants to feel wanted", causing Kayaba to admit that he's going to miss chatting with Kirito, before stating that he doesn't know what that says about him. Kayaba then reluctantly congratulates Kirito for thwarting his plans, and while he wishes it was a more of an outright victory, he's just happy the whole nightmare is over. This prompts Kirito to ask what his plan was, as it was the only thing he couldn't figure out. Kayaba then chuckles at this question and claims he doesn't remember anymore. However, when Kirito asks if he's serious, Kayaba bursts out laughing over how unsatisfying that would be. Kayaba then composes himself before admitting that he did it for Metacritic, a statement that confuses Kirito and Asuna.

Kayaba then tells them how terrible the game's development was, and the numerous mistakes which lead to the current situation. Hearing this, Asuna asks Kayaba what's wrong with him. Kayaba then tries to defend himself, emphasizing how sleep deprived he really was. After explaining that he became Heathcliff to make amends for his actions, Kayaba tells Kirito and Asuna that, despite his outburst in the Boss Room, he never actually wanted to hurt any of the players. Kirito and Asuna find this hard to believe, however, as he just killed a guy for being sassy with him, and the fact that he just "killed" the two of them. Kayaba tries to dismiss these claims, blaming how tense the situation was and pointing out that he clearly doesn't handle pressure very well. Plus, the guy he killed was a member of the Mafia, so it was "a freebie". Despite his excuses, Kayaba admits his other motives to use the players as hostages to buy time until he found a solution to his problems, which he never did.

Hearing Kayaba's tale, Asuna points out that he should have just blamed the whole incident on a hacker group pretending to be him, which made more sense than the truth, and no one would have suspected Kayaba since he wouldn't have a motive to ruin his own game. Kayaba recognizes as a better idea and wishes that he thought of it two years ago. After realizing this bombshell, Kayaba decides to go vent his frustrations by screaming into the black hole. He then says that, while it wasn't nice meeting the two, Kirito and Asuna are "the dictionary definition of lesser of two evils" before walking off, telling them to have fun while they can. Kirito then notes that, in the end, Kayaba wasn't a scheming mastermind, he was just a fuck-up like everyone else. Asuna then comments that this whole situation proves that naps are a very underrated part of the "not killing people" process. Before he leaves, Kayaba checks to see if Kirito had actually seen the movie he accidentally quoted by mentioning its alternate title. Annoyed, Kirito tells him that he hasn't seen the movie. Disappointed, Kayaba leaves the game, believing that he really is alone in the world. His current status is unknown.

### Fairy Dance Arc

#### Episode 13

While he doesn't appear in person, Kayaba's Heathcliff account is listed as one of the transferred SAO accounts in ALO when Yui scanned the server for Asuna.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Episode 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Episode 9
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Episode 11
4. ↑ Episode 12
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Episode 10
6. ↑ Episode 2
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Episode 8
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Episode 7
9. ↑ Heathcliff's message
10. ↑ Episode 13
11. ↑ Heathcliff's transferal