Spoiler Alert: This article or section contains details about plotlines not covered in the anime. Do not proceed unless you wish to be spoiled.
Ruru (ルル,Ruru?) is a supporting character in The Progressers side story during the Aincrad Arc. She is a Level 1 Non-Player Character (NPC) in the village of Pani on the 56th Floor of Aincrad, where she offers the Clearers a hint to defeating the GeoCrawlerboss when a player stays alone outdoors in the village for a certain amount of time at night.[1]
On March 6, 2024, Ruru urged Kirito and Klein to retreat behind the safety of Pani's gate as they were chased by the GeoCrawler after the failure of their latest strategy to defeat the Field Boss. That night, following Asuna's loss in a duel against Kirito, the NPC's special conversation pattern was triggered due to the girl staying outside of a house inside the village for a certain amount of time. Upon approaching the player and assuming that she had trouble sleeping, the child began singing a lullaby, which described a musician playing a lute to cause all the other characters in the song to fall asleep, including an iron-armored serpent. After her lullaby was successfully used to vanquish the GeoCrawler the next day on March 7, Ruru was lifted into the air by Kirito during the subsequent victory celebration, which prompted an NPC harassment warning for the latter.
The travelling musician from the south
With a lute in his hand
With a brush of a silver thread
Strum-droppy, he calls to sleep
Even the long-bearded village chief
And the greedy uncle from the weapon shop,
And the children running around the plaza
The black cat atop the roof,
And the robin chirping atop a twig,
And even the iron-armoured serpent
Drowsy-sleepy
They all fall asleep
Minami kara kita tabigeinin
Ryūto katate no tabigeinin
Gin no ito o hitonade sureba
Poron-pororin nemuri ni izanau
Nagai o-hige no sonchō-san mo
Gametsui bukiya no oji-san mo
Hiroba de kakeru kodomora mo
Yane ni nobotta kuroneko mo
Koeda de utau komatori mo
Tetsu no yoroi no orochi mo
Toron-tororin minna nemuru
