Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo
Apologies if someone has covered this, but did anyone else find it out of character that Kirito has just killed a man for the first time, and instead of shock and remorse he has an "I'm going to Disney World!!" moment and kisses his girlfriend? It's not that Kuradeel wasn't a terrible person (and a terrible Scooby Doo caliber villain, too) but the point is, Kirito isn't a terrible person - shouldn't he feel great distresss about what just happened?
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Yeah, I found it a bit odd too. But I wonder if this is intentionally designed to highlight a difference between Asuna and Kirito - She's more conventional hero and he's more anti-hero. If you couple this with last episode (Asuna being the one to rush into battle to save others first, Kirito only snapping out of it once Asuna is involved), I think that the anime is presenting Asuna as the conventional real hero, and Kirito as a more badass anti-hero.
Also, I think that a mitigating factor here is how Kuradeel's pleas for mercy were clearly just a front to do a sneak attack at Asuna. That made Kuradeel seem a bit more beyond redemption, and also a bit more of a serious threat. If Kuradeel's pleas for mercy were sincere then I think Asuna and Kirito would have spared him and just sent him to SAO's version of jail.
All of the above being said, I think that most people would be shaken up after killing a man, even if it was in completely legitimate self-defense. That's a big part of the reason why I would have preferred it if the romance bit was saved for its own episode, because it's kind of jarring to go from Kirito killing in self-defense
right into happy romance, sex, and even matrimony.
