With most shonen anime having the lead male protagonist accompanied by a badass female partner, it made sense for Sinon to take this role beside Kirito of Sword Art Online 2. While fans of the main Sword Art Online franchise know Kirito’s heart belongs to Asuna, the protagonist has had his fair share of prospective love interests and even partners-in-crime as he solves the many mysteries plaguing the VR games he ends up playing.
In the case of Sword Art Online 2 and its adaptation of the light novel’s “Phantom Bullet” arc, Kirito ends up investigating the mysterious murders connected with Death Gun, a character seemingly with the ability to kill both characters and players he shoots. Assisting Kirito in the journey is Sinon, one of the most talented markswomen in the VRMMO. However, just what are some of Sinon’s best quotes in the anime?
10 "She Looks Surprisingly Good With That"
When Kirito first enters the world of Gun Gale Online, he’s surprised to discover that not only does he appear female, but he’s also not as good with the game’s firearms as he expected. Thankfully, players do have the option to equip melee items as a last resort, with the beam saber or a photon sword being Kirito’s weapon of choice that he’s managed to use competently against an NPC during training.
Among the bystanders who witnessed this was Sinon, who quickly pointed out that “She looks surprisingly good with that.” Misconceptions about Kirito’s appearance aside, this quick analysis on Sinon’s part immediately hints that she knows more about GGO than she lets on due to her appearance as a meek girl. Whereas other characters can also say this line, the fact that Sinon mentions this with a straight face and that of analysis compared to stereotypical surprise also hints about her expertise.
9 "What Kind Of Reflexes Do You Have?"
It was also during Sinon’s first encounter with Kirito in Gun Gale Online that the protagonist’s skill with the blade stunned not just her but the crowd of other players with them. After all, not only is Kirito able to dish out mean attacks against an NPC, he’s done so in a game where everyone predominantly uses guns. When Kirito finishes the session, Sinon immediately asks him: “What kind of reflexes do you have?”
This is an interesting extension of her analytical prowess as a player. Compared to other characters who would simply praise Kirito’s prowess as a character, Sinon was quick to try to decipher the kind of fighting style Kirito possesses and his current experience. This may explain why, much later, Sinon complains about Kirito’s rise in the ranks despite only having an account that is a few days old. When Sinon eventually demonstrates her skills, it’s evident that Sinon is a more serious player compared to other characters in the series - almost a requirement in the heavy PVP focus of the Sword Art Online VRMMO.
8 "It’s The Name Of The One Who Will Someday Beat You"
Unlike other VRMMOs in the anime, Gun Gale Online has an intense PVP scene, in part due to the basis of highly-competitive FPS titles. Both the anime and the light novel show the “Bullet of Bullets” event, a prestigious PVP tournament in GGO that determines the best of the best among the game’s top players. Sinon, ever the competent sniper, remains one of the most respected and feared players in the game. And after a chance encounters with Kirito, it’s revealed that she has quite a competitive side.
Before the Bullet of Bullets proper, she formally introduces herself to Kirito after a weird fanservice incident. She shows her ID and says, “It’s the name of the one who will someday beat you.” This is a comparably powerful line in the context of introductions, especially when Sinon has perhaps been one of the few competitive leading females in Kirito’s group of ladies, second only to hot-headed Asuna from way back in the first Sword Art Online season.
7 "Get To The Finals, I’ll Kick Your Butt There"
After Sinon introduces herself before the start of the “Bullet of Bullets,” she tells Kirito to “Get to the finals, I’ll kick your butt there.” Aside from the reference that the final stage of the tournament involves a gruesome battle royale in a vast environment, this is the first time that Sinon becomes rather emotional outside of her timid but focused self among the cast of Sword Art Online.
Fans know Sinon’s proclamation is mainly due to her frustration that she let her guard down around Kirito after thinking he is a girl at first glance. However, this is also a glance at another competitive leading lady similar to Asuna. This can be a sigh of relief on Kirito’s part - after all, while his mission around the pursuit of Death Gun cannot involve his lover, someone like Sinon can at least give him the emotional anchor he needs at the moment due to her strength of character.
6 "If You Let Someone Else Shoot You, I Won’t Forgive You"
After Kirito and Sinon’s confrontation in the “Bullet of Bullets” finals, another encounter afterward would have Sinon thank Kirito for being upfront with her back then and vowed to “return the favor.” More particularly, “If you let someone else shoot you, I won’t forgive you.” This more or less is a declaration of rivalry, where Sinon wouldn’t accept anyone other than her taking the shot that defeats Kirito, which means Kirito better train as well.
This is quite an exciting characterization for Sinon, as while she’s similar to Asuna in terms of combat competence, it’s Sinon among the leading gals that looked at Kirito more as a rival than just another strong companion. While the fact that this isn’t heavily explored in favor of Death Gun’s pursuit makes for a rather lackluster development, the fact that there was an attempt to expand Sinon’s character in this manner makes GGO quite the exciting segment in the Sword Art Online series.
5 "If We Get A Chance To Start Over, Will You Fight Me For Real?"
By the time Sword Art Online protagonist Kirito and Sinon face one another in the “Bullet of Bullets” in the Sword Art Online story, the tournament ends with a tie - having both of them victors. In their final confrontation, Kirito explains that he hesitated to fight Sinon not because he looked down on her, but because he refused to slash a girl. Not only that, Kirito hinted about the existence of Death Gun - where, if a trigger in a virtual world could kill someone in real life, would someone like Sinon still pull it carelessly?
When Kirito briefs Sinon about Death Gun, she accompanies him to a scouting mission. When a sniper seems to be targeting them, Kirito and Sinon retreat to cover while conversing about their previous confrontation. Sinon asks Kirito, “if we get a chance to start over, will you fight me for real?” as though referencing their first meeting where Kirito pretended to be a girl, hence developing a friendship with Sinon that may have had him hesitate to fight seriously. This line shows Sinon in a more competitive light, something quite unlike other female leads in the series.
4 "Why Do I Want To Beat Him So Bad?"
During the final round of “Bullet of Bullets,” Sinon and Kirito of Sword Art Online are the only ones standing. And while Sinon has a clear shot of her rival from afar with her sniper rifle, she wonders about just what this Kirito figure has that makes her so motivated to compete with him. “Why do I want to beat him so bad?” she thought at that moment. At some point, she got convinced that Kirito may be underestimating her, mainly because this is simply a virtual game to him, leading her to be frustrated much further.
Interestingly enough, this annoyance may also stem from Sinon’s investment in the game in the first place. Having discovered Gun Gale Online as a means of helping her with her trauma with guns, Sinon has worked tirelessly to achieve her current status. Seeing the likes of Kirito seemingly look down on her despite these efforts can reasonably make Sinon upset, revealing there’s a lot more nuance to her character.
3 "I Can’t Shoot"
When Death Gun starts pursuing Kirito and Sinon during their recon mission, Kirito grabs Sinon and urges her to hop on a motorcycle. This prompts an awesome Sword Art Online scene where Kirito rides a motorcycle with Sinon prepared to snipe from behind, all the while Death Gun on a horse is pursuing them, a la in the Wild West. Thing is, when Death Gun starts shooting Sinon, shock takes her and fear settles in her mind.
“I can’t shoot,” she tells Kirito, almost to the point of crying. It was only around the time that Kirito was also holding the trigger with her, with no regard that they were about to ride off a cliff, that Sinon was able to muster enough courage to attempt a counter-attack. This was another interesting way of showing some characterization on Sinon’s end, hinting towards some sort of unresolved trauma that stunned her enough that she can’t even showcase her prowess with the rifle.
2 "Living In Fear Hurts Just As Much"
During a heart-to-heart conversation while Death Gun was pursuing Kirito and Sinon, the sniper finally explains her situation to the Sword Art Online protagonist. Apparently, an incident in a bank as a child had her protect her mother from a bank robber that unfortunately resulted in her accidentally shooting someone.
While she’s taken to Gun Gale Online as a means of trying to overcome her situation, seeing Death Gun driving her to the same incident years before forced Sinon to spiral into a breakdown. While she understands that the idea of dying is scary, “Living in fear hurts just as much,” she says, as though responding that having to live despite carrying trauma can be just as difficult for anyone. However, as Sinon eventually shows in the series, her trials only help her become stronger.
1 "This Is My Battle, And No One Else’s"
Despite pleas for the seemingly-almighty Kirito to help her, Sinon knows she’s only projecting her trauma toward her companion. “This is my battle, and no one else’s,” she says in the Sword Art Online anime, before explaining the bank incident. While this event made her traumatized by guns, she used Gun Gale Online as a means of trying to overcome her situation.
It was during an incidental solo encounter with a boss that she managed to acquire her rare sniper, and with it began her training to dominate the ranks of GGO. It’s not all the time that a character has taken positive steps to overcome a traumatizing event - especially since a lot of anime character arcs often end only when characters begin to take steps to recover, unlike Sinon who was already in the process of her own healing.