Tsuboi Ryoutarou

Tsuboi Ryoutarou (壷井遼太郎, Tsuboi Ryōtarō), known as Klein (クライン, Kurain?) in «Sword Art Online» (SAO), «ALfheim Online» (ALO) and «Project Alicization», is a supporting character in the Aincrad Arc and a reoccurring character through the Sword Art Online series. He was one of the 10,000 players who were trapped in Sword Art Online, where he was the guild leader of «Fuurinkazan», one of the clearer guilds.[5] After Sword Art Online was cleared, he began playing ALfheim Online as a Salamander.

Real Life / Sword Art Online Avatar

 * Klein's original avatar in SAO.

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In both Sword Art Online and the real world, Klein wore a red bandana that held up his hair and was tied around his forehead. In Sword Art Online, he had spiky reddish hair[6], but he has brownish[citation needed] hair in the real world. He also had a hooked nose, a slight beard on his cheeks and chin, and, according to Kirito, he looked like a wandering samurai or a bandit.[6] During the two years in Aincrad he used red robes and black armor resembling those of a samurai including a katana, along with his guild members.

ALfheim Online Avatar
In ALfheim Online, Klein's appearance is mostly the same as his appearance in Sword Art Online, except that his hair is dyed red in ALfheim Online.

Background
Originally, Klein was a new player who identified Kirito as a beta tester, and requested help from him. After learning the basics of the game from Kirito and learning that Sword Art Online had become a death game, Klein rejoined his friends in order to assist them, and later formed a guild with them. He was a stern supporter of Kirito, despite the general opinions of beta testers.[5]

Personality
Klein is one of the friendliest people in the series and sets the mood when he is around. He never holds grudges against others and is always ready to lend a helping hand. He cares deeply for his friends and always wants to be by their side fighting alongside them when they are in danger even to the point of getting angry when Kirito was fighting Death Gun, saying he should have converted to Gun Gale Online as well. He gets angry when people get into situations that can get them killed since he wants to protect as many people as he can.[citation needed]

Klein is a very loyal person, which is apparent in his friendship with Kirito, despite the latter usually treating him with coldness.[citation needed] Klein is also a "bachelor" and is shown trying to get together with various women in the series, such as Asuna, Freyja, and even Kazuto's sister, whom he had yet to meet.

November 6, 2022
On November 6, 2022, Ryoutarou and his friends acquired a copy of Sword Art Online and were featured on the news as one of only 10,000 people who managed to purchase the game. Soon after logging into the game following its official launch, Klein noticed and identified Kirito as a beta tester, and asked to be taught the basics of fighting. Soon after understanding the basics, he attempted to log out so that he could eat his pizza, but noticed that there was no log out option.

Afterwards, Klein and Kirito were recalled to the Town of Beginnings, where Kayaba Akihiko announced that Sword Art Online had become a death game and a reality. Shortly afterwards, the avatars of players, including Klein's, were transformed to look like the real bodies of the players.

After the tutorial, Kirito took him to the streets of the city, telling him that they needed to get to the next village together. But Klein refused the offer by saying that his friends must be in the plaza and that he needed to be with them. He suggested that they could all go together, but noticed that Kirito felt worried about the idea, so he dismissed it. Soon they parted ways, with Kirito heading to the next village and Klein returning to the plaza.

Red-nosed Reindeer
A few days before Christmas, Klein and Kirito met at the Ant Hill on the 46th Floor, which was the most efficient leveling area at the time. Then again during Christmas, when he tried to convince Kirito not to battle Nicholas The Renegade alone, but Klein eventually let Kirito go while he and his guild kept the Divine Dragon Alliance from taking on the boss. When Kirito came back, he gave the revival item to Klein, telling him that to use it on the first person he saw dying.

The Progressors
At the beginning of March, Klein and the other Clearers spent a week in an effort to circumvent the GeoCrawler, the Field Boss of the 56th Floor that was blocking the path to the local Labyrinth, as frontal attacks against it were ineffective, while its position prevented flanking the monster. On March 6, 2024, Klein and Kirito attempted to bait the GeoCrawler with an A-class meat; however, they were forced to quickly retreat to the local village, barely managing to close the gate behind them before the boss could enter.

When Asuna entered into a dispute with Kirito later that day regarding whether or not Non-Player Characters (NPCs) should be used to distract the GeoCrawler, Klein interrupted to inquire on the vice commander's level. Upon Asuna disclosing her current level, the man declared that while his own level was significantly lower than hers, Kirito had reached one level higher than her. To Klein's surprise, this provocation resulted in the boy being challenged to a first-strike duel, prompting Klein to apologize to Kirito for inadvertently forcing him into the predicament.

The day after Kirito's victory in the duel, on March 7, the Clearers learnt that a lullaby could lull the GeoCrawler to sleep. Upon successfully utilizing this piece of intelligence to incapacitate the monster, Klein and the rest of the vanguard party climbed over its back and attacked its weak point from behind until the monster was defeated.

August, 2024
Klein was one of the members of the crusade against Laughing Coffin.

October, 2024
On October 18, 2024, Klein and his guild encountered Asuna and Kirito in a safe zone in the Labyrinth of the 74th Floor. Their meeting was interrupted by an Aincrad Liberation Force (The Army) platoon, whose leader demanded a map of the Labyrinth. After the platoon departed, Klein, Kirito, Asuna and members of the Fuurinkazan decided to follow the platoon in case encountered trouble. After seeing that the platoon had engaged with «The Gleam Eyes» and that crystals could not be used within the boss room, Klein and his guild helped get The Army members to safety.

November, 2024
On November 7, 2024, Klein participated in the 75th Floor boss battle against «The Skull Reaper». As Heathcliff's identity was uncovered in the aftermath of the battle, Klein and the other Clearers, excluding Kirito, were paralyzed by the mastermind of the death game in order for him to have a duel with Kirito. Before the duel, when the black swordsman apologised to Klein for leaving him on the first day, Klein shouted that he would only forgive the boy if he bought him a meal in the real world as compensation.

Fairy Dance Arc
Ryoutarou was present at Andrew Gilbert Mills's Dicey Cafe to celebrate the «Aincrad Capture Commemorative Party», and was later also present during the unveiling of a content update in ALfheim Online, the «Floating Castle Aincrad», which introduced «New Aincrad» to the ALO universe.