Leafa is a fictional character in the light novel series by Reki Kawahara, Sword Art Online (SAO). Her other name is Suguha Kirigaya. Leafa appeared in the fictional virtual reality MMORPG called “ALFheim Online.”
In the outside world, she’s the adopted sister and cousin of Kazuto Kirigaya. Kazuto or Kirito is the series’ main protagonist. She started to play a similar VR game called “ALFheim Online” after Kazuto’s entrapment in SAO.
She became Leafa inside the VR game and searched for the truth about his brother’s imprisonment. She found out that Kazuto is not her biological brother.
This revelation by her mother opened her feelings towards Kazuto. However, she felt sad after finding out about Kazuto’s relationship with Asuna Yuuki.
Leafa is dubbed by Ayana Taketatsu in Japanese and by Cassandra Lee Morris in English in its anime adaptation. Leafa’s character received positive acclaim from fans. Her portrayal and character development earned praise.
Table of Contents
Sword Art Online (SAO)
Suguha Kirigaya or Sugu is the adopted sister and cousin of Kazuto Kirigaya or Kirito. They grew up together under the care of Kazuto’s mother. But, neither of the two knew about their real relationship at the start.
For 8 years, Sugu practiced kendo to isolate herself and get rid of loneliness. She’s also known for her diligence at work.
Sugu started playing ALFheim Online after Kazuto’s imprisonment inside Sword Art Online. She took the character as a Sylph named Leafa and searched for the truth about Kazuto’s disappearance. While playing, she found out the truth about their relationship.
In reality, Kazuto is her cousin. Kazuto’s mom disclosed everything to her. She said she took her and raised her as her own. This revelation opened her feelings for Kazuto which she cannot explain.
Given the circumstances of where Kazuto is, Sugu suppressed her feelings. However, after his two-year ordeal, Sugu opened up her feelings once and for all. But she found out that Kazuto is already in love with someone else, Asuna.
Sugu met Kazuto’s ALFheim Online avatar, Kirito. Kirito saved her from the attack of player killers. In return, she helped him search for someone that led them to the world tree.
At first, Sugu is unaware of Kirito’s true identity. But after a while, she found out he’s Kazuto and realized the feelings he had for Asuna. She decided to give up her feelings for Kazuto and gets attached to Kirito as Leafa.
But, she can’t hold her feelings for long. She told Kazuto what she feels about him. Shocked by her revelation, Kazuto told her to wait for him inside the game.
They engaged in battle expecting to be killed by the other. But, they ended up apologizing and hugging one another. She decided to free herself from the feelings she had for Kirito. The two teamed up and rescued Asuna.
Skills
Leafa is a skilled Sylph specializing in stealth and wind-attribute magic. She also uses healing magic.
Concealment
Leafa hides inside a membrane after casting a spell.
Shield
Leafa creates a shield for protection in exchange for her mana points.
Healing
Leafa can use different healing spells.
Wind Needle Magic
Leafa can launch 20 wind needles to impale her enemy.
Vacuum Blade Magic
Leafa casts a spell that allows her to fire 5 boomerang-shaped blades.
Strength Buff Magic
Leafa casts a spell that strengthens her allies.
Commentary
Leafa’s character received many positive reviews. Karen Mead of Japanator.com made a strong commentary about Sugu’s character. She said that she’s a depiction of someone falling for a blood-related relative because of unlucky circumstances.
Theron Martin of Anime News Network also said that Sugu’s character is a clear example of Big Brother Complex. Using her character as Leafa turned the tides and displayed a good prominence in the storyline.
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network also said that Leafa is an interesting character. At some point, she stole Kirito’s spotlight, bearing with her a promising character. Her emotional strength to accept and live with an unrequited love made her strong.
Her independence displayed the strength she carries within. On one account, she made a better appearance as a heroine than Asuna. Her relationship with Kirito made a more natural development than between him and Asuna.
The manga spin-off Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops is a product of SAO’s success. Featuring Lisbeth, Silica, and Leafa made it more famous.
Popularity
Suguha’s character reached the top 6 on the Japanese Charapedia poll as a little sister. Her portrayal as Leafa is the reason why fans love her. Leafa also ranked 3rd place on female respondents as the most charming busty character.
The same survey earned her top 2 on male respondents. Leafa’s also a part of the “Manga Anime Guardians” with Kirito and Asuna. It’s a project against anime and manga piracy supported by manga publishers and 15 other anime production studios.
Leafa is part of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, a Sword Art Online-related video game. Leafa figure is used as a winning prize for Bandai Namco’s promotion of Sword Art Online: Code Register lottery.
Sword Art Online glasses use Leafa as a model for beauty and strength. Leafa 3D light-up LED figures are also available.
Trivia
- Leafa loves to refer to herself as “atashi,” a Japanese feminine personal pronoun.
- Suguha came from a straight temper line of a katana blade. Using wordplay, kanji leaf came out instead of kanji blade. Translating the kanji into English inspired the name Leafa.
- Leafa won multiple Sylph fighting tournaments and is one of the five fastest Sylphs.
- Leafa’s real-life character did not come out in Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment.
- Kazuto ofter reads a Greek mythology story for Leafa.
- Cassandra Lee Morris, Suguha’s English voice actress, has the same birthday as her.
Conclusion
Leafa’s character in SAO earned her respect. Fans give positive reviews on her character. She became much stronger despite the things she went through. As such, Leafa received critical acclaim. Nevertheless, she’s an icon of beauty and strength.
