After watching the most recent episode of Sword Art Online II, I found myself intrigued by Kirito’s new avatar form in GGO (Gun Gale Online). I can’t say I was surprised by it, having seen the opening and official art, but was still looking forward to seeing how his new feminine avatar would play out in the series. Is there a particular reason for it? Is it going to prove significant in the series? I have not read the SAO light novel so I only have the anime to go off of. In my opinion, I think it is interesting because it brings light to the fact that female gamers are judged on a different level than male gamers merely because of gender. The moment Kirito enters the game in his feminine form he is harassed by other male players, simply for having attractive feminine features (despite him being male). When he attempts to dodge bullets in a game to win money, he is also not taken seriously at first, which is clearly expressed through the male gamers watching. Turns out Kirito is a bad ass, regardless of his feminine looks. Perhaps his feminine avatar serves as a reminder that gender shouldn’t matter in gaming because, as Kirito proves, looks can be deceiving.
