Kirito from Sword Art Online and Shiroe from Log Horizon have quite a lot in common as far as protagonists go. They are both the main characters of an isekai anime, and both of them end up in a virtual reality death game version of an MMORPG that they played in their real lives.
They’re both loners who spend more time online than out among other people, and they both excel in the games that they find themselves in. Despite these similarities, there are ways in which each of them makes a better protagonist than the other, with skills and character traits that set them apart from other isekai protagonists.
10 KIRITO: He Is Overconfident
This is probably a negative trait, as far as personality traits go since no one wants to spend time with people who are cocky or think they know all the answers. But for a protagonist, this is actually a pretty interesting trait to have. Kirito is one of the strongest players in the game, so his confidence is maybe earned. But it also leads to him making mistakes that he has to deal with. Learning his own limitations puts him in a great position for personal growth.
9 SHIROE: He Stays Humble Despite His Skill
One of the most frustrating traits of a main character that viewers are supposed to like is a self-aggrandizing view of the world, in which they assume their contributions and viewpoints are the most important. Shiroe doesn’t feel this way. He’s fairly humble despite his skills, and he doesn’t like to force his own opinions or viewpoints on those around him. He’s willing to listen to others and take other opinions into account, showing that he can work well with others.
8 KIRITO: He Goes Out Of His Way To Help Others
An important trait in a protagonist is likability. While Kirito is sometimes gruff, especially at the beginning of the series, and doesn’t always interact with people in a way that makes him particularly likable, he does make up for this by always being willing to help people who need it.
He is even willing to put his own personal well-being in danger if it means rescuing someone else. This applies to social situations, in which he will take the blame for something to protect others, to combat scenarios.
7 SHIROE: He Doesn’t Dislike People
It’s something of a tired trope in death game isekai anime that the protagonist is a loner who spends all of his time online because he hates people or likes interacting online better than in-person for various reasons. And while some of these qualities do apply to Shiroe, who is wary of new people who haven’t earned his trust, he also doesn’t overtly dislike people. It makes him an easier character to root for as he learns the new rules of his circumstances and forms alliances with others.
6 KIRITO: He’s Proactive & Willing To Make The First Move
Many people in Kirito’s position might sit around waiting for things to happen, too worried or nervous about possibly dying to really attempt to make any moves. But Kirito, who is very familiar with the game, takes the opposite approach.
He does everything he can, as early as he can, to get what he needs in order to survive the game and to power himself up enough that he has more of a shot of actually winning.
5 SHIROE: He’s Highly Motivated By Larger Goals
Shiroe, like Kirito, is fairly forward-thinking when it comes to figuring out what he needs to do next in order to accomplish his goals. While Kirito is focused mostly on survival, both for himself and the friends he’s made, Shiroe has larger goals in mind. He is very driven when it comes to making sure that, if he has an idea he thinks will solve a problem or make the lives of others easier, it gets done in a way that is helpful, even if he faces setbacks or opposition.
4 KIRITO: He’s Very Powerful & Acts As "The Chosen One"
Kirito is so powerful that it’s sometimes a point of contention amongst fans of Sword Art Online. If someone is so completely overpowered, it’s hard to imagine that they’ll lose to anyone, removing some of the stakes from the battles he faces. But on the other hand, having a sort of “chosen one” main character, who is more powerful than those around him, gives viewers a reason to want to follow his adventures over those of other characters.
3 SHIROE: He Is An Enchanter Who Provides Support For His Allies
Where Kirito is a great protagonist because he’s the most powerful character, Shiroe actually works so well as a main character because he subverts that trope. Though he’s still a great player and very successful in battle due to his strategic thinking, Shiroe primarily plays as an Enchanter which, in Log Horizon, is a support class. This means he is often not the person rushing first into battle, allowing other characters to have the spotlight from time to time.
2 KIRITO: He Can Be Emotional & Truly Cares About Those Around Him
Kirito initially comes off as somewhat solemn and difficult to read, not showing very much emotion and not really having overt reactions to things. But as he begins to build relationships with other people in the game, he becomes attached to them, leading to him feeling really emotional over the possibility of their death or even just them being injured during the course of the game. It’s a refreshing thing to see from a male protagonist.
1 SHIROE: He Has Friends Who Are Fans Of The Same Role-Playing Game
A frustrating trope of these kinds of isekai series, including Sword Art Online, is that of the protagonist who spends all of his time online and doesn’t have any friends. It’s a somewhat outdated concept in the age of the internet, where it is possible to foster real relationships with people who one might not see in-person. So the fact that Shiroe has friends is somewhat refreshing. They’re even his fellow gamers, people he knows primarily from being a fan of the same role-playing game that he is.
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