Kayaba Akihiko/Bio & Battles

"I ask of you all to understand that Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality."

- Kayaba Akihiko to the players of Sword Art Online

Kayaba Akihiko is the development director and Game Master of Sword Art Online. He is also the designer of the virtual reality game console NerveGear and the game engine VR Seed, as well as the main antagonist of the Aincrad Arc of Sword Art Online.

When he began developing Sword Art Online, Kayaba toiled for years to develop the game software. His main goal and dream was to create his dream fantasy world, the floating castle of Aincrad, but after he did so, he wasn't entirely sure what his dreams, aspirations, or purpose was.

In 2022, Akihiko releases a limited production of 10,000 copies of his game and console in Japan. Unknown to anyone else, Akihiko added a deadly extra feature, a high-powered microwave generator would kill the user in real life if they died in-game, or if someone tried to remove or tamper with the Nerve Gear headset.

Akihiko succeeded in trapping ten thousand people in Sword Art Online, including Kirito. Over 200 were killed on the first day due to attempted removals before Akihiko sent out a warning to media outlets and governments not to do so. At the same time, he informed players in game of the "rules" by forcibly teleporting all of them to the "Starting City" and addressing them through a large floating avatar that looked like a cloak with no one inside. Within two months, there had been over 2000 casualties, but the first floor had still not been cleared.