Although it may have somewhat of an infamous reputation within the anime community, it’s still true that Sword Art Online hosts quite a few popular characters who fans can’t seem to get enough of. Kirito and Asuna are the two big names that come to mind, especially given how sweet the relationship between the two of them is. Aside from the very shaky Fairy Dance arc, both of them are incredibly powerful characters who only become more powerful when they’re with one another.
One of the biggest signs of the long-lasting strength of their relationship is actually their treatment of Yui, the AI originally meant to keep player’s mental health in check. The two immediately adopted her, thinking that she was a lost child player, but their opinion of her didn’t change even after finding out the truth. Their warm and fuzzy family dynamic was an incredibly welcome sight in the midst of a death game, and there’s actually much more to her than meets the eye.
10 Her Original Malfunction Was Due To The Fact That She Was Forbidden From Assisting Players
Yui’s original purpose was to monitor and help players with their mental health, but this role takes a bit of a turn after SAO’s true nature was revealed. She was still forced to watch and monitor player health, but she was forbidden from directly interacting with players.
After monitoring nothing but suffering and sadness, she noticed Kirito and Asuna expressing happiness and joy, and Yui became overwhelmed with curiosity and sought them out. As she did so and went against the Cardinal System’s rules, her memory became corrupted and her mental state regressed to that of a child.
9 She Was Incredibly Melancholy & Depressed Before Meeting Kirito & Asuna
Most of what fans see of Yui is her being incredibly cheerful, curious, and childlike. However, before she met up with Kirito and Asuna, her general disposition was very much the opposite.
She was fine before SAO turned into a death game, as players’ spirits were high and she had no restrictions on her duties. However, after being forced to watch helplessly as players suffered, she became downtrodden and depressed.
8 She’s One Of Only Two Known Navigation Pixies To Exist In ALfheim Online
Yui was originally classified as a mental health support A.I. during her time in Sword Art Online. Whenever she was transferred to ALfheim alongside Kirito’s player data, the system recognized her as what’s known as a “navigation pixie,” which are typically used by players to fetch information or scan areas. She’s one of only two confirmed navigation pixies in the entire game, with the other being YUNA, a character who later becomes important in the Ordinal Scale arc.
7 With Her Ability To Sense Player Emotions, She Can Tell Whether Players Are Truthful Or Lying
One day, Kirito, Asuna, and Yui were approached by the vice-leader of the Aincrad Liberation Force, and they were asked to rescue the guild’s leader. Understandably in a game where everyone’s actual lives are at risk, the couple was hesitant to believe and help her without getting verification of her story first.
Yui immediately interjected and stated that the woman was being completely honest, although she wasn’t sure why she was able to tell. Her ability to do so lies in the fact that she can sense players’ emotions through their Nerve Gear, and it seems incredibly useful but isn’t really used again outside of this instance.
6 Despite All That She’s Seen, She’s Incredibly Grateful & Isn’t Afraid Of Death
Although Yui had seen many tragedies and been exposed to the suffering of many players, even after regaining her true memories, her gentle and empathetic nature remained intact. Right before she thought she was about to be deleted by the system, which would be akin to player death, she simply smiled and thanked Asuna and Kirito for taking such good care of her.
In the end, Yui wasn’t deleted by the system and was instead rescued by Kirito. She couldn’t have known this beforehand, though, and it shows a lot of inner strength to simply smile and be thankful for the pleasant times one had in the face of their own death.
5 The System Stopped Her From Recovering Her Memories
Back when Kirito and Asuna still believed that Yui was a lost child, they took her to a church where other lost children were staying. She fell asleep on the way, and when she woke up, she extended her hand up towards the sky. She was able to remember that she used to always be alone in a deep dark place before suffering from a strange seizure that knocked her unconscious. This was the system’s way of ensuring she couldn’t regain her memories on her own.
4 She Always Believed That Kirito & Asuna Could Clear The Game Despite Their Dismal Odds
As the A.I. tasked with monitoring players’ mental health after the start of SAO, Yui bore witness to a great deal of suffering. It was so common for players to have incredibly negative mental health that Kirito and Asuna’s love and positivity were refreshing for Yui to see.
With Kirito and Asuna in mind, she always remained positive and cheerful, cheering the duo on whenever possible and never giving up hope that they could clear the game. She continued this support in future games, as well, acting as the group’s moral support as well as sharing useful knowledge about the game’s systems.
3 She Has A Side Story Centered Around Learning All About Love & Loss
Even though Yui is an A.I. meant to monitor and help with player emotions, she doesn’t have a grasp on the human concept of love. This all changes in a side story, Ceramic Heart, in which a boy confesses to her in-game. She believes he’s trying to “own” her and therefore rejects him, but after a conversation with Asuna, the two decide she should speak with him once more.
His account has already been deleted, so she hacks the game’s server in order to figure out where he lives. They learned that he was an elderly man who had passed away almost immediately after talking with Yui in-game and that he took to playing MMOs in his later years. Yui believes then that the feeling of loss is what it truly means to love.
2 She Helps Asuna Regain Hope When She Believes She’ll Never Be Able To Locate Kirito
In the tenth light novel of the series, titled Alicization Running, Kirito is critically injured and subsequently kidnapped by a former Laughing Coffin member. It doesn’t take long for the pessimistic side Asuna possesses at the start of the death game to come back, believing that there is no way she’ll be able to find him.
She nearly gives up before Yui reminds her of how hard Kirito struggled to locate her when she was the one who was kidnapped and needed saving. It was enough to restore her resolve, and the two did eventually manage to find him. Without Yui’s support, it’s likely that he wouldn’t have been found at all.
1 In One Of The Video Games, She’s Able To Sew
There have been quite a few side video games made around the Sword Art Online Universe. In one of them, titled Hollow Realization, Yui is actually shown to have a rather surprising talent in sewing. She was able to sew swimsuits for not only her but also Kirito and Asuna as well. The only sad thing is that all of the video game stories are technically non-canon, so this isn’t something that would come up within the main series.
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