Leafa

Leafa
Sword Art Online character
Leafa, as she appears in Sword Art Online
Created by	Reki Kawahara
Voiced by	Ayana Taketatsu (Japanese) Cassandra Morris (English)

Suguha Kirigaya (桐ヶ谷 直葉, Kirigaya Suguha^?) is a fictional character who appears in the Sword Art Online series of light novels by Reki Kawahara. She is more commonly known as Leafa (リーファ, Rīfa^?), her player name in the fictional ALfheim Online virtual reality MMORPG in which the novels are partially set. Leafa is the cousin and adoptive sister of series protagonist Kirito; after Kirito becomes trapped in the eponymous Sword Art Online video game in the series' first story arc, Leafa starts playing ALfheim Online due to its similar nature to better understand the world in which her brother is imprisoned.

After her mother reveals to her that Kirito is not her biological brother, Leafa started to develop romantic feelings towards him, though was later saddened after realizing his attachment to Asuna. The character has received mostly positive critical reception, with praise centred on her character development, attractiveness, and portrayal.

Suguha, also known as Sugu, is Kirito's "sister" in the real world; she is in actuality his cousin, as her mother had been raising her sister's child from a young age, though neither Suguha nor Kirito knew about this until later. She is a diligent worker and has been practicing kendo for 8 years, partially to escape the loneliness and isolation in her life. After Kazuto gets trapped in Sword Art Online, she begins playing Alfheim Online as a Sylph in an attempt to try and understand him better, and it is at this time that she finds out they are cousins rather than siblings; with her mother revealing to her that he is not her biological brother, but is actually her cousin and was adopted into their family when he was young. This causes Sugu to develop feelings for him that she doesn't really understand; however, because he is trapped inside SAO, she never acts on them. That being said, when Kazuto awakens after his two-year ordeal, those feelings come back, but she realizes that he is already in love with someone else, namely Asuna.