Kazuto Kirigaya

* IRL
* SAO
* ALO

“
What, can I not be happy unless the *whole world* rests on my emaciated shoulders? You think you're a big shot?! You think you don't have asthma?! Well, I've got a reality check for you, nerdo! You're just a kid who's good at video games, and that was useful exactly *ONCE*!
”

—Kirito, Episode 17

**Kazuto Kirigaya** (桐ヶ谷 和人, *Kirigaya Kazuto*), also known as **Kirito**
(キリト, *Kirito*), is a player of Sword Art Online and ALfheim Online. He is the brother of Suguha Kirigaya, a beta tester for Sword Art Online, a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath and the sole surviving member of the Moonlit Black Cats.

## Appearance

Kazuto is a young man, with a young delicate face showed no trace of masculinity, and long but neat black hair and black eyes. He has a habit of wearing all black clothes, a habit he carries into his gaming. And while his appearance in Sword Art Online initially looked more older and more masculine than he does in real life, Kirito's avatar soon took the form of his real-life appearance after Kayaba started the death game.

While he initially wore blue clothes in the early Floors, Kirito's clothes later in the game consisted of black pants with a black belt that had a large silver buckle, a black V-necked shirt that was worn underneath a black trench-coat with gray lining going down the sleeves, and black boots with silver plates to protect his shins. He had a silver plate worn on the left side of his coat, and a pair of black fingerless gloves. He wore a strap that went over his right shoulder and under it to wrap around his left side. In the last months of the game, he used Elucidator and Sunlight Heart as his main weapons. After being defeated by Heathcliff in a public duel and being forced to join his guild, Kirito donned the red and white uniform of the Knights of the Blood.

In ALfheim Online, Kirito appearance was that of a default Spriggan, which he chose to make the game's log in section end faster. Instead of the normal black forelocks hanging from his head, his black hair stood in natural spikes. His large eyes appeared mischievous, his ears were pointy, and he had dark greyish blue wings. He was equipped with black coat similar to his one in SAO, and he has a large greatsword know as Black Plate, intended for larger players, such as Imps.

## Personality

Kazuto has been shown to be highly intelligent on several occasions, but he is also extremely arrogant, as he hates to be surrounded by people he thinks are idiots. He is cynical, sarcastic, self-centered, anti-social, lacks empathy and seems to take great pleasure in insulting, belittling, pranking, scamming, trolling, and humiliating people for his own amusement. He even stated that he hates humanity, viewing people as "a complete write-off as a species" and believed them to be irredeemable.

However, this is all a front. As pointed out by players such as Klein, Asuna and Rosalia, his "tough guy" persona is to compensate for the fact that he's weak in real life, and he uses it to vent his frustrations on people he believed were beneath him. In actuality, Kazuto desperately wants people to like him, but he lacks the social skills to do that, and so kept using his asshole persona in hopes that someone would like it. He's also extremely self-conscious and hated when people commented on his prepubescent voice or called him an asshole, although he would later get over the latter.

In real life, he is much less confident and outspoken, and his hatred towards humanity is implied to be a result of psychological and physical abuse suffered at the hands of his younger sister, Suguha. Kirito is also shown to be quite knowledgeable about movies, as not only he was the only player in SAO able to understand most of Kayaba's movie references, but he was even able to figure out Heathcliff was Kayaba in disguise by calling back to a Tron reference he made in the beginning of the series.

Though Kirito complains constantly about the weaker players, he is often manipulated into joining miscellaneous quests, mostly by Asuna. During his coerced membership of the Moonlit Black Cats, he meets and befriends Sachi who convinces him to try and be less of an asshole by taking the feeling of others into consideration. However, after her death, he reverts to his old ways to prevent any further emotional trauma. Kirito's narcissistic tendencies grew exponentially after Sachi's death, as well as resulting in several PTSD-induced psychotic breaks.

Overtime however, Kirito allows himself to get close to others again and sacrifices his own dream world for the others trapped in the game. Thanks to his character development, Kirito now only belittles those who he thinks deserve it, as seen when he leaves Recon alone, despite him being a great target for any other bully.

## Equipment

* Sword Art Online
* ALfheim Online

### Sword Art Online

#### Weapons

* **Small Sword:** Starting weapon.
* **Anneal Blade:** (アニールブレード, *Anīru Burēdo*) A one-handed sword he fought Illfang with.
* **Blade of Frost Steel:** (ブレード・オブ・フロストスティール, *Burēdo Obu Furosutosutīru*) A one handed sword that Kirito used to fight Nicholas the Renegade.
* **Queen's Knightsword:** (クイーンズ・ナイトソード, *Kuīnzu naitosōdo*) Lost when he threw it at Griselda's ghost.
* **Elucidator:** (エリュシデータ, *Eryushidēta*) Primary weapon.
* **Sunlight Heart:** (サンライトハート, *Sanraitohāto*) Secondary Weapon, forged by Lizbeth.

#### Clothing

* **Coat of Midnight:** (コート・オブ・ミッドナイト, *Kōto Obu Middonaito*) Reward for defeating Illfang.
* **Unnamed Coat:** Dark blue coat he wore when he joined the Moonlit Black Cats.
* **Pale Riders Jacket:** (ペイルライダーズ・ジャケット, *Peiruraidāzu Jaketto*) Dark blue and navy blue coat he wore post Moonlit Black Cats.
* **Blackwyrm Coat:** (ブラックウィルム・コート, *Burakku Uirumu Kōto*) Leather coat he wore post Griselda's ghost.

### ALfheim Online

#### Weapons

* **Black Plate:** (ブラック・プレート, *Burakku Purēto*) Large great sword wielded by Kirito in ALfheim Online.

#### Clothing

* **Unnamed Coat:** Leather coat worn in ALfheim Online.

## Skills & Abilities

* IRL
* Sword Art Online
* ALfheim Online

### IRL

#### Skills

* **Hacking:** (ハッキング, *Hakkingu*) Kazuto showed that he was capable of hacking into complex security systems, requiring he had an access point like an admin console, like when he saved Yui.
* **Kendo:** (剣道, *Kendō*) Kazuto had a basic grasp on how to fight in Kendo, although not as much as his sister.

### Sword Art Online

#### Skills

* **One-Handed Sword:** (片手用直剣 (ワンハンドソード) , *Wan Hando Sōdo*) Kirito was a master sword fighter with One-Handed swords.
* **Blade Throwing:** (投剣, *Touken*) Kirito was skilled at using throwing weapons, killing rare monster with ease.
* **Parry:** (武器防御, *Buki Bougyo*) Kirito was able to parry attacks.
* **Battle Healing:** (戦闘時回復 (バトルヒーリング) , *Batoru Hīringu*) Kirito could automatically heal his wounds and, provided he was attacked by some one lower leveled than him, he could undo any damage done to him.
* **Searching:** (索敵 (サーチング) , *Sāchingu*) Kirito could see signs of nearby people, or was able to tell if someone was Hiding nearby.
* **Tracking:** (追跡 (トラッキング) , *Torakkingu*) Kirito could use a sub skill of Searching which allowed him to track a monster or a player listed as a friend.
* **Night Vision:** (暗視 (ナイトビション) , *Naito Bishon*) Kirito could use a sub skill of Searching which allowed him to see in the dark.
* **Hiding** (隠蔽 (ハイディング) , *Haidingu*) Kirito was able to conceal himself from players and monsters.
* **Extended Weight Limit:** (限界重量拡張, *Genkai Jūryou Kakuchou*) Kirito was capable of holding more that the usual amount of items.
* **Sprint:** (疾走, *Shissou*) Kirito could move so fast he could run over to someone at least five feet away from him attack them within a second. He could even disarm them without them realizing, like he did with Kuradeel.
* **Dual-Wield:** (二刀流, *Nitōryū*) Kirito was rewarded by the game with the ability to use unique Sword Skills that are executed with two blades simultaneously.

#### Sword Skills

* **Horizontal:** (ホリゾンタル, *Horizontaru*) A basic, 1-hit, One-handed Sword category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Vertical:** (バーチカル, Bāchikaru) A basic, 1-hit, One-Handed Sword category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Slant:** (スラント, *Suranto*) A simple 1-hit, One-Handed Sword category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Rage Spike:** (レイジスパイク, Reiji Supaiku) A basic, 1-hit, One-Handed Sword category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Vertical Arc:** (バーチカル・アーク, *Bāchikaru Āku*) A 2-hit, One-Handed Sword category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Spinning Shield:** (スピニングシールド, Supiningu Shīrudo) A Defensive category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Single Shot:** (シングルシュート, Shinguru Shūto) A basic 1-hit Blade Throwing category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **Starburst Stream:** (スターバースト・ストリーム, *Sutābāsuto Sutorīmu*) A powerful 21-hit Dual-Wield category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.
* **The Eclipse:** (ジ・エクリップス, *Ji Ekurippusu*) A powerful 27-hit Dual-Wield category Sword Skill in Sword Art Online.

### ALfheim Online

#### Skills

* **Flight:** (飛行, *Hikō*) As a Spriggan, Kirito has the ability to fly, like the other fairy races.
* **Illusion Magic:** (錯覚の魔法, *Sakkaku no Mahō*) As Spriggan, Kirito is capable of being a master of Illusion based spells.
* **Treasure Hunting Magic:** (宝探しの魔法, *Takarasagashi no Mahō*) As a Spriggan, Kirito is able to use magic to detect hidden treasure.
* **Wall Run:** (ウォールラン, *Uōruran*) As a Spriggan, Kirito is capable of temporarily running on walls.
* **Multi-Weapon Wielding:** (複数の武器を振るう, *Fukusū no Buki o Furū*) As a Spriggan, Kirito is capable of wielding any type of weapon.
* **One-Handed Sword:** (片手用直剣 (ワンハンドソード) , *Wan Hando Sōdo*) Kirito is a master sword fighter with One-Handed swords.
* **Blade Throwing:** (投剣, *Touken*) Kirito is skilled at using throwing weapons, killing rare monster with ease.
* **Parry:** (武器防御, *Buki Bougyo*) Kirito is able to parry attacks.
* **Battle Healing:** (戦闘時回復 (バトルヒーリング) , *Batoru Hīringu*) Kirito can automatically heal his wounds and, provided he was attacked by some one lower leveled than him, he could undo any damage done to him.
* **Searching:** (索敵 (サーチング) , *Sāchingu*) Kirito can see signs of nearby people, or was able to tell if someone was Hiding nearby.
* **Tracking:** (追跡 (トラッキング) , *Torakkingu*) Kirito can use a sub skill of Searching which allowed him to track a monster or a player listed as a friend.
* **Hiding** (隠蔽 (ハイディング) , *Haidingu*) Kirito is able to conceal himself from players and monsters.
* **Extended Weight Limit:** (限界重量拡張, *Genkai Jūryou Kakuchou*) Kirito was capable of holding more that the usual amount of items.
* **Sprint:** (疾走, *Shissou*) Kirito could move so fast he could run over to someone at least five feet away from him attack them within a second.

### Magic

* **Night Vision:** (暗視 (ナイトビション) , *Naito Bishon*) A spell that allows Kirito and others to be able to see in near total darkness.
* **Smokescreen:** (煙幕, *Enmaku*) A spell that creates a large cloud of smoke that can engulf a battlefield.

## Differences from the Original

Similar to the original series, he is an extremely skilled combatant and one of the best players in the game. However, in the abridged version, Kirito is an arrogant and snarky egomaniac who often ridicules other players mercilessly, giving him the title "Crowned Prince of Douchebags" by Asuna; original Kirito was also a bit cocky, but much less so than Abridged Kirito. At the same time, the abridged Kirito seems to be more emotionally fragile than the original. After he first lost the people he cared about, Kirito started to show sociopathic traits and shut out all emotions to prevent himself from being harmed again.

## Quotes

* Aincrad Arc
* Fairy Dance Arc

"*My god. I've stumbled across the most powerful weapon in the game! [...] The Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting! [...] For you see, long ago, this pebble was forged in the fiery pits of Tartarus, by the grand blacksmith of Lucifer himself. In a time before the world began... [...] ...And thus, Mardoza, Guardian of the Pebble, fell to his knees, and passed from this world, leaving behind the mighty weapon. For he knew that one day, its power would be required once more. [...] Yes. But the legacy of the pebble lives on.*"
—Kirito explaining the pebble to BallsDeep69.

"*I've been playing MMO's a long time, Diabel, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that lions do not concern himself with the opinions of sheep. Just take that little voice in your head that tells you to be tactful and understanding... and shoot it. Shoot it in the goddamn face.*"
—Kirito explaining how he can stand the other players' stupidity.

"*I always knew this day would come. Ahem. Fellow gamers! We have travelled far and up many stairs to get to this point. Fighting side by side, noobs and leets, alike. I'd like to take a moment to say that I couldn't have done it without the help of each and every one of you. [...] Of course, I'm not a liar, so I'm not gonna say any of that. [...] I mean, really. I could've done this whole Boss Fight myself. But to be fair, I guess you did absorb a bit of damage for me, which was nice. You were an adequate meat shield, and no one can ever take that away from you. [...] So for those who came in late, and that one guy playing Bejeweled back there... shoot for the stars... it'll make it more fun when I kick you back into the dirt.*"
—Kirito to the other players after defeating the First Boss.

"*You know what? Fine! I'll give you the damn coat! Just send me a trade request. [...] Oh, it's quite simple really... Just open your menu.*"
—Kirito messing with Asuna.

"*It's a hat. It's a god... damn... hat. [...] Wear it. Poop in it. I really don't care anymore. But, I do suppose I should thank you. You made me realize that by being nice and letting people in... they'll just die. But even still, thank you for showing me that there's still a part of me that can feel like this. Because now that I know where to find it, I've killed it forever. So, thank you. Thank you for freeing me... Balls.*"
—Kirito to Klein after having his hopes crushed.

"*Weeelllllll, I can see you got your own thing going on here. Don't wanna intrude. I'll just find myself a spot that isn't full of crying children. Oh, look! There's one now!*"
—Kirito trying to ignore Silica.

"*Kid, no language on Earth has a word for how little I care. A quantum super-computer calculating for a thousand years could not even approach the number of fucks I do not give. The friggin' heat-death of the universe could not-*"
—Kirito explaining how much he doesn't care.

"*Wait. Hold on, Silica. Do mine eyes deceive me?! Tis the fabled Word Tree of Gamagorath! Font of human knowledge, and devourer of souls! Quickly, child! We must spirit away before- Oh my god! Will you just come out already?!*"
—Kirito after spotting Rosalia behind a tree.

"*How? Well, it's quite simple, really. You see,* GIRLY*, you may think you got me all figured out. But there's one thing you didn't account for. My numbers... are bigger than yours. [...] Funny thing really, get to a high enough Level, and you're basically untouchable. My wounds heal faster than you can make them. We could do this all day, and you would not be any closer to beating me. Not that it wouldn't be fun. But I've got good news. You see, there's no need to wonder where your god is! 'Cause he's right here... **\*Whispered\***  and he's fresh outta mercy.*"
—Kirito pushed to his limit.

"*Ohhh, looks like we are out of time! We'll have to continue this next week, but in the mean time, please enjoy these lovely consolation prizes from the "Kirito is Always Right Foundation"!*"
—Kirito declaring victory in his argument with Asuna.

"*Of course not. Obviously, it was a hit by the Mermaid Mafia paid in Leprechaun Gold! But who was the puppetmaster? The Unicorns? No, they've had a feud going with the Mermaids for years...*"
—Kirito mocking Yolko's ghost theory.

"***\*Sighs\***  You know something? I really... hate... people. They're selfish, ignorant, loud, obnoxious,* pricks *with basically no redeeming qualities whatsoever! I mean really! Look at all they've achieved! Genocide, global warming, reality TV! It's just a never ending parade of failures and fuck-ups! They are, without question, a complete write-off of a species, AND HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CARE ABOUT THEM!!!!!*"
—Kirito's rant to the Gleam Eyes.

"*Suck it, Rosalia!*"
—Kirito finally getting deeper in a woman.

"*Yeah, I guess it doesn't make much sense, does it? This world is like a dream come true for me. Out there, I get shoved around and treated like garbage. But in here, I'm the version of myself I've always wished I could be; strong enough to tell all those idiots what I really thought of them. And for a while, that was all that mattered. Thing is, a good friend of mine once told me I shouldn't give up on humanity just yet, and despite my best efforts, it's kinda started to sink in. [...] It's true. This world means more to me than the real one ever did. But the longer we stay here, the greater the chance I'll lose the things I love about it most of all.*"
—Kirito about his sudden wish to end SAO faster.

"*Sometimes, late at night, I can still hear it...* tearing*.*"
—Kazuto describing his trauma following his injury.

"*Hey, I'll have you know that I did the sex a bunch of times with my... online... wife... Oh god. Why did I word it that way?*"
—Kazuto poorly worded defense against Suguha.

"*No. I... I will* not *let this stand. If you think I fought tooth and nail for two years just so I could kowtow to some ass-clown like you, then you are in for a rude awakening. Prepare to reap the* fucking *whirlwind that is the unbridled fury of the* Hero of Aincrad*!*"
—Kazuto vowing to fight back against Sugou.

"*What the? These are all my stats from SAO. First the sky and now this? This game is completely busted... IN MY* FAVOR*! Ha ha! Ten outta ten. Game of the year.*"
—Kirito revelling in luck due to ALO's brokeness.

"*Shoot. Shoot? Why the fudge did I say shoot? Fudge? Oh my codfish, what's wrong with me?!*"
—Kirito discovering ALO's profanity filter.

"*Oh, don't worry about me. My wife punches me during sex.*"
—Kirito to Leafa during his first time flying.

"***\*Sighs\*** Come on, dude. She said she's not interested. Have some self-respect, and cool it with the sleazy roleplay fetish schtick. You're a young, eligible, nobleman. I'm sure you've gotta've plenty of cousins who'd love to take her place in the ol' marriage bed.*"
—Kirito to Cazmer during their first meeting.

"*Ever since I got back, it's been one thing after another! I keep trying to do the right thing, but all it's done is cost me everything I love! What was it all for?! And to top it all off, you* morons *even found a way to RUIN MY NAAAAME!!!*"
—Kirito venting his frustrations during his fight with Eugene.

"*There was only one place on Earth where you had the social leverage to make* anyone *like you, and it's* GONE*!* They're*... gone...*"
—Kirito reflecting on his life.

## Voice Actor

* In the Japanese dub, Kazuto is voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka.
* In the English dub, Kazuto is voiced by Bryce Papenbrook.
* In the abridged series, Kazuto is voiced by YamatoSFX.

## Trivia

* Kazuto is a huge fan of pop culture and makes multiple references throughout the series. These include:
	+ Wonder Woman.
	+ John Lennon.
	+ Keanu Reeves.

*Click "expand" for full list*

* + Harry Potter.
	+ Troll Dolls.
	+ Masters of the Universe.
	+ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
	+ The Elephant Man.
	+ Jeff Goldblum.
	+ The Fly.
	+ Flowers for Algernon.
	+ The Lord of the Rings.
	+ Total Recall.
	+ Philip Marlowe.
	+ Tron.
	+ South Park.
	+ X-Men.
	+ Back to the Future II.
	+ Robert Zemeckis.
	+ MythBusters.
	+ William Shakespeare.
	+ Deliverance.
	+ Peter Pan.
	+ Colonel Sanders.
	+ Bambi.
	+ Barbie.
	+ Xena: Warrior Princess.
	+ Stardust.
	+ Poison.
	+ Mario Kart.
	+ Fools Rush In.
	+ Star Wars.

* Kazuto has a habit of cursing in the name of different deities. Ignoring the Christian god, these include:
	+ Buddha
	+ Ganesha
	+ Khonshu
	+ Zeus
* Kazuto is asthmatic.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Episode 13
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 1
3. ↑ Episode 2
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Episode 4
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Episode 7
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Episode 11
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Episode 3
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Episode 5
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 Episode 8
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Episode 14
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Episode 15
12. ↑ Episode 6
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Episode 9
14. ↑ Episode 10
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Episode 17
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Episode 16