Kayaba

Kayaba is a Japanese surname. In popular culture, the name is most notably associated with Akihiko Kayaba, a fictional character in the light novel and anime series Sword Art Online (SAO), created by Reki Kawahara. Akihiko Kayaba is portrayed as a brilliant programmer and game designer who creates the NerveGear, a neural-interface device, and the virtual world Aincrad as the game Sword Art Online. He acts as the game's administrator and mastermind behind its release, trapping players inside and forcing them to clear the floors to escape.

In the SAO narrative, Kayaba serves as the primary antagonist of the first arc. He maintains control over the game's system and manipulates events from behind the scenes, presenting himself as both creator and judge. His actions raise questions about ethics, autonomy, and the consequences of removing players from the real world for the sake of a virtual experience. Kayaba’s stated motive is to observe human behavior under extreme constraints and to test the resilience of the players and their sense of reality.

The character is typically depicted as enigmatic and morally ambiguous, with the revelation of his identity and goals driving the climactic confrontations of the arc. Kayaba’s actions have left a lasting impact on the series’ mythos and have contributed to broader discussions of virtual reality and its implications in fiction.

Outside of Sword Art Online, Kayaba is recognized as a real-world Japanese surname. The surname is commonly written in kanji as 茅場.