I have just finished reading the side story "Caliber." It seems to fit chronologically after volume 6 and before volume 7, so I figured I'd read it before I read 7 to try to keep things in order. At the end of the chapter, Kirito thinks to himself something that I believe may embody the primary message of this entire series.
Quote:
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If I learnt anything about the human's capability through the experience from the three worlds: SAO, ALO, GGO, it would be just one, «Nothing can be shouldered alone».
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It is only because they accepted that truth and worked together that any of the people in SAO ever survived to escape the game. It is because she was taught that lesson that Asuna was able to move past her suicidal plunges into the first-level dungeon and moved on to become the amazing warrior we know her as. It was because of the help of others that Kirito was able to move past his self-destructive desires after letting his guild be wiped out. It was through relying on Kirito that Lizbeth and Silica survived through what happened to them. Only Kirito and Sinon's efforts together were able to save her life, and put an end to the serial killings of GGO players.
No matter how powerful or how badass the character, none of them could overcome their trials alone. Asuna's captivity in ALO wasn't badass decay, but rather a reaffirmation of this message. It was only through the combination of her efforts with Kirito's, Yui's, Lyfa's, Recon's, those of the entire armies of the Sylphs and Cait Sith, and the intervention of Heathcliff's uploaded consciousness that Asuna was freed. All those trials couldn't have been, and
shouldn't have been shouldered alone. That was what these stories meant for us to see: that whatever they faced could only be overcome by working together.
I can't say this well, but I think it is important that everyone understands that this is what the author has been trying to tell us. It is why Asuna was put in a situation that she couldn't escape from, it is why Kirito met up with his sister in ALO, it is why everything in these stories has happened. And it is why we shouldn't say that any of these stories ruins someone as a character. None of the characters were ever meant to stand alone, and all of the stories reflect that.
...Sorry. I was thinking about that while the arguments were ongoing, but didn't want to stir things up any more, but once I read that line in Caliber I felt I had to say something.