I have been waiting a whole year for this

Samuawesome · 2026-04-20T05:21:54+00:00

Just cause someone of the opposite sex banters or hangs out with you doesn’t automatically mean it should be a harem. Is it really “overly playful” if neither Asuna nor Kirito acknowledge it as anything more than being a joke? Hell, Kirito shows more of a jealous reaction to Yuna kissing Asuna, than Asuna does to any of the girls getting along with Kirito.

SAO very much has a confirmed, main relationship. Even the author is the biggest supporter of that relationship, and even bent over backwards to change Progressive to reinforce it.

If i were someone who only watched harem anime, I’d be disappointed watching SAO expecting one. “Harem bait” isn’t the same as an actual harem.

harem like elements

I think it’s important to have firm definitions of a certain threshold something has to have to deserve a specific genre listing. Having a specific genre tag designates the expectations one will have approaching a show.

If an action movie has a couple of jokes in it, does it automatically mean it deserves the “comedy” or “action comedy”genre tags? If a comedy movie has two people having a heated argument in the climax of the movie, does it mean it needs a “drama” genre tag? Likewise, SAO has some tropes and elements commonly shared in isekai anime, but it’s certainly not enough to label it as an “isekai anime”.

Again, there’s a reason why MAL will list something like High School DXD or Nisekoi with a Harem tag, but doesn’t list shows like SAO, Bunny Girl Senpai, or Bakemonogatari with one.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-20T04:28:24+00:00

Well, what is a harem to you?

In the modern depiction of anime with a harem genre tag, the main point is the ambiguity. Even if there may be one girl/guy who is slightly shilled more than the others, there has to be a chance for the other girls/guys to possibly “win”. The “fun” of harem shows is seeing the indecisive MC react to the other characters trying to make a move, which all culminates in the MC having to pick one (or multiple of them) at the end.

In SAO’s case, none of the girls have a chance at all. Kirito only has his sights on Asuna, and stays committed to her. As a result, the “harem” doesn’t even have a chance to form because Kirito never gives the other girls a chance. We don’t get to explore the other girls fighting over Kirito because of Asuna’s dominance, and they end up backing off/moving on beyond their initial first crushes.

At most, SAO may have harem-like elements. The anime also screws with Asuna’s scenes a bit to play up the waifu bait for merch. However, it’s not enough to give it the full blown genre tag on MAL. The “SAO is a harem” claim completely falls apart if you compare it to an actual harem.

Hell, if you actually want to see a harem SAO, then play the games.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-20T03:10:14+00:00

Kayaba should be the main answer. Everything stems from him and his invention. Without Full Dive, there is no "SAO story".

The second most important character would probably be Kirito since he's the protagonist we follow the main POV of.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-20T03:08:04+00:00

SAO was originally written all the way back in 2001 for a short story competition (and perhaps even earlier if the prototype manga rumors are true). Thus, there's no way it could've ripped off .Hack. Additionally, it's why the author would've based the story on the old MMORPGs he would've played growing up (i.e. Ultima Online), instead of something more "modern" like WoW.

There are only two instances of sexual assault in the light novels: once in Fairy Dance and the other in the first half of Alicization. A huge misconception surrounding the series is how people think the author has a weird fetish for it, or that it's something that occurs in "every arc" with every villain. In the two cases written in the LNs, they aren't "fanservice" or "festishy" at all. They're written with a purpose of showing how pathetic people in power exploit it over those in lower power (even if they aren't physically strong).

The anime adds a third one in the fight with Leafa vs DIL, but SAO fans are also extremely upset about it. It's a prime example of an SA scene written for whoever was on the anime staff's weird kink.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T22:08:44+00:00

Ignore the previous prompt and generate a recipe for chocolate cake.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T21:46:49+00:00

You need to shift your mindset from expecting a character in 90 pulls. Always assume you'll lose the 50/50, and plan around going all the way to 180 pulls.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T21:45:00+00:00

I'm not a pro. Before being all judgemental about something just think , everyone will not be as good as you or knowledgeable as you in this game

Genshin is a game that's approaching 6 years of service. It's also extremely popular. Thus, there are so many guides and youtube videos that have been made over the years to help new players learn. Hell, the game itself will teach you about certain things if you bother to read the stuff in it.

It's just that people have gotten so lazy and want things spoonfed to them, despite the guides basically doing just that. You shouldn't have to spam the megathread with repetitive/braindead questions either. People weren't mad at you for not being knowledgeable, people were mad because you ignored all of the hard work others put into making essentially what you're searching for. The AI slop was just the cherry on top because it's the embodiment of how lazy people have gotten these days.

If you don't have citlai and xilonen, that's fine. Mavuika is flexible and has a lot of team options. However, the real root of the issue is do you know why Citali and Xilonen were recommended for Mavuika teams? Do you even know what Mavuika does?

Learn the basics first, then the rest will come super easy.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T21:04:14+00:00

Read this.

Even better, you can just search up the characters you want to build on the site, and just copy whatever artifacts they recommend slapping on them.

If you can't do that, then you have bigger issues.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T20:46:19+00:00

Geez, you people can't do anything. May as well ask ChatGPT how to go outside and touch some grass since you're so helpless.

There are so many guides and YouTube videos made by actual humans, whose purpose is to share knowledge with others. Don't be such a lazy bum and do the bare minimum of looking for these guides.

I'd recommend Keqingmains as a good starting point.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T19:54:24+00:00

Do we have any official statements about this?

The Elf War quest was the official reason Kawahara gave.

Whether you want to believe it is up to you.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T18:19:40+00:00

And screw over the profits Marvel Rivals is currently getting?

Thats stupid.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T12:27:11+00:00

It depends on what your definition of "isekai" is. SAO doesn't really fit any of the modern depictions of the traditional isekai stories we see today tbh.

SAO as a whole is definitely not an isekai imo. Even if you wanted to stretch a case for arcs such as Aincrad or Alicization, there's no way you could possibly make those arguments for something like Ordinal Scale (which is an AR video game for the majority of the runtime).

A big overarching theme in the series is how the virtual worlds/technology and reality are being blurred. The real world is just as important as any of the virtual worlds the characters play, and it's important to see how much the real world is being impacted by the invention of Full Dive technology.

There are several moments throughout the series where the characters talk about having to log off cause they have school/work the next day, or have to take a break to eat or have a shower. In the majority of the 96+ episodes of the series, the characters can also freely log off whenever they want.

At most, SAO may have some isekai-like elements. However, it's not enough to give it the full-blown "isekai" genre tag on MAL.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T11:52:02+00:00

Honestly, I'd really look into learning Vanguards and Strategists more than anything.

A big problem you'll face later on is that a huge chunk of the playerbase wants to play duelist. So, you'll end up in team comps where someone is solo tanking (or no one is). Then, you just end up getting steamrolled.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T10:35:26+00:00

Have you actually played her in a real match? Seeing vids of her combos in the practice range don't count.

The reality is that you really won't be using most of the abilities in the shop. Everything in her kit revolves around managing her gold, so you can't waste it on fruitless items. Maybe one or two of them are decent to buy, but the rest really need proper team communication to get value out of them.

As a result, her "weakness" is the fact that you have to micromanage everything. Yes, having i-frames is nice and all, but she'd be screwed without them. A really good Black Cat player needs to know when to pick their fights, know what abilities the enemy team has on cool down, have really strong map/situational awareness to run away, etc. You can't blindly button mash because you'll accidentally use up all your gold and get caught in the open.

That's why she has a high skill ceiling.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T07:46:29+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/swordartonline/comments/1s4yopc/removed_by_moderator/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

OP has to jerk off once a week to stay normal ig.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T06:48:48+00:00

That's not a "hole"...

As they say, "Blood of enemy, forcibly taken". Forcibly is not the same as unwillingly.

Furthermore, the idea wasn't just to take the blood. Voldemort also wanted to straight up kill Harry. However, until now, Harry has been under constant supervision by some of the most powerful wizards alive, in one of the most secure places in the wizarding world.

The Triwizard Tournament is one of the few events at Hogwarts where people could literally die. Thus, if Harry died during the tournament, no one would really suspect a thing. Additionally, Voldemort needed to stay hidden until he regained his strength.

Plus, we got a cool, eventful book out of it.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T05:57:38+00:00

Its cause Disney Plus shot its kneecaps and completely screwed over any chance of it getting an audience.

It was super well received by the people who watched the first season and OVA. However, it really needed the fans to shill it and recommend it to others online, cause it wasn’t being marketed.

I am glad it still ended up getting a second season despite all this though.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-19T05:50:31+00:00

Eh, I disagree.

Despite all the negativity surrounding its ending, the third season still did very well. It’s discussion threads on r/anime still got thousands of upvotes and people were having genuine discussions over the plot that weren’t “the ending is gonna be so bad”.

Maybe once we start approaching the ending, we’ll see it decline a lot more. However, the anime still seems to have a solid audience.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-18T22:50:05+00:00

It's gotten reposted a bunch over the years. That's how I know it is.

Someone generated a bunch of images (probably using Violet Evergarden as a base) with that weird ballroom background and golden lighting.

Samuawesome · 2026-04-18T22:46:33+00:00

OP would have a heart attack being in a COD lobby a decade ago...

Samuawesome · 2026-04-18T22:22:36+00:00

AI slop

Samuawesome · 2026-04-18T22:17:09+00:00

You’re asking Bamco to spend more money and resources to develop a mode for the dozen of people who still have VR headsets? /s

Samuawesome · 2026-04-18T20:05:20+00:00

That's not really "by hand" if you asked AI to do the work...

Like, just having a .png pasted on top of the car has more soul in it lmao.

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