In 2012, Sword Art Online became one of the top animes and has also continued to be a part of my top animes list. Taking place in the future, in Tokyo Japan, a high schooler Kazuto Kirigaya(seen above) purchases the newest VR set that has been talked about around his school. In this new game, an avatar of you is created with the typical MMORPG stats, however, the twist in this game is that you are not able to leave. Getting stuck in the game for years, Kirigaya and many other players try to reach the top of the game, fighting through traps and monsters.
Throughout the anime, groups of people work together to fight through these levels, however, Kirigaya decides to become a solo player, fighting through the bosses by himself. Eventually, he becomes one of the strongest players, creating a name for himself. In this world, his name changes to Kirito which is well-known outside and inside the game.
Kirito becomes an identity of him. Toward the end of the anime, he beats the game alone and everyone is able to leave, but once he leaves he is back at his high school and he realizes that his strengths are back to normal. He was faster and stronger in the game, which ties into the topic of doppelgangers. Owning to different names, he had almost become a different character within the virtual reality.
