Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-118.211.8.204-20150302141811/@comment-6697950-20150323060821

@Ashlee

It's not the anime that decides the plot, but the author of the original story.

Additionally, he didn't "come back to life". That was just the anime being overly silly with its metaphors. In reality, Kirito just extended the time before he was removed from the game.

@Island Their stats were on around the same level (and actually, they are listed on the respective articles) and nearly no effect on the battle, since it all came down to who could deal a fatal blow or mess up first.