Akihiko was probably the most interesting character in the series.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oroboro
It's that the goal, creating a [real] world can only be accomplished by including the consequence of death. Therefore, if you value to the accomplishment of your goal over anything else, making it a death game is the only path open to you.
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I was thinking much the same thing. The series made some interesting observations (suggestions, really) about virtual reality that continued with ALfheim Online, but having virtual death equate to true death was a rather interesting one. Sure, it's virtual reality, it's a game, but at that point did it really make a difference? It ceased being a game at that point, and even though the events weren't taking place in physical space, being trapped in the environment long-term and being able to experience true death through it essentially made it reality. Given that virtual reality will become real at some point, this is something that is rather interesting to consider.
The motivations and thought process behind Kayaba aren't totally clear. What is interesting is the viewer response to him. Sure, what he did is inexcusable and arguably cruel, and yet I (and seemingly many other viewers) didn't feel animosity toward him when Kirito faced off against him around episode 14. There wasn't any release when he was defeated, either; no sense of victory. Personally, I was more curious. I wanted him to explain more, to expand on his motivations, his thoughts, and what he was planning next.
My guess is that part of this reception has to do with what the viewer is shown. We know that he created the Full Dive system, as well as the environment of Sword Art Online. That's awe-inspiring. That players died is bad, but in some ways it's downplayed. Some characters ponder over whether in-game death results in
true death, and we aren't given any proof that it's happening one way or another. As a result, when Kayaba is unmasked and faced off against, we're left with more of a sense of wonderment than hatred. He's a genius enigma with a vision, and we want to understand the vision. If the player deaths were expanded upon - perhaps if the series showed scenes of the player dying in reality shortly after their in-game death - then perhaps there would be greater animosity.