Silica

Overview

Silica, whose real name is Keiko Ayano, is a main supporting character in the Sword Art Online series. Trapped in the virtual death game of SAO at the age of twelve, she became known as a rare Beast Tamer who fought alongside a small feathered dragon named Pina. After being saved by Kirito, she developed a deep trust and admiration for him, becoming the lovable little-sister figure and mascot of his friend group.

Appearance

Silica is a young girl with brown hair worn in short twintails, hair between her eyes, ribbons, and red eyes. In SAO, she wears an outfit of red and white armor equipped with a dagger such as the Ebon Dagger. After converting her avatar to ALfheim Online, she adopts the Cait Sith race, acquiring cat ears and a tail while wearing blue-tinted outfits and wielding daggers like the Diffaser or Isredda. In Gun Gale Online, she wears a green-toned bodysuit with a skirt and poncho.

Personality

Despite her idol-like popularity and sweet demeanor, Silica harbors a realistic and slightly cynical inner mindset forged by her personal experiences. She is polite, kind, and deeply attached to Kirito, viewing him with both romantic fondness and reliance as an elder brother figure. Beneath her cheerful exterior lies a resilient spirit, earning the respect of those around her.

Abilities

Silica uses dagger skills to deliver swift combat moves. As a Beast Tamer, she commands her familiar dragon Pina for battle support and healing, and later tames a formidable bear monster named Misha in Unital Ring. In ALO, she utilizes support magic, bows, and knuckles. Across various VRMMO games, she also fulfills healing roles, provides long-range suppression, or utilizes specialized perception and weather manipulation capabilities.

Background

Keiko logged into SAO at age twelve. After her familiar dragon Pina sacrificed itself to protect her, she was rescued from the orange guild Titan's Hand by Kirito, who helped her undergo a quest to revive Pina. Following the resolution of the SAO incident, she transferred her avatar to ALfheim Online and continued joining Kirito's party across various virtual worlds and the Underworld, while attending the school for SAO survivors in the real world.

Relationships

Silica holds Kirito in high regard, treating him like an older brother while harboring romantic feelings for him. Her dragon familiar, Pina, is her most treasured companion and is named after her real-life cat. She shares a close friendship with Lisbeth and Leafa (Suguha Kirigaya). During her time in SAO, she was targeted by Rosalia and the red guild Titan's Hand before being saved.

Trivia

Her avatar name Silica is derived from a wordplay on her real name Keiko, linking 'Keiko' to silicon (silica). Although Kirito remarks that she reminds him of his real sister, character design adjustments during the novel's publication led to visual differences between them.