Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Clad in desert pink and the size of a mere child, the infamous "Pink Devil" mercilessly hunts down other players in the firearm-centered world of the virtual reality game Gun Gale Online. But in real life, this feared player killer is not quite who anyone would expect.

A shy university student in Tokyo, Karen Kohiruimaki stands in stark contrast to her in-game avatar—in fact, she happens to stand above everyone else too, much to her dismay. Towering above all the people around her, Karen's insecurities over her height reach the point where she turns to the virtual world for an escape. Starting game after game in hopes of manifesting as a cute, short character, she finally obtains her ideal self in the world of Gun Gale Online. Overjoyed by her new persona, she pours her time into the game as LLENN, garnering her reputation as the legendary player killer.

However, when one of LLENN's targets gets the best of her, she ends up meeting Pitohui, a skilled yet eccentric woman. Quickly becoming friends with Karen, Pitohui insists that LLENN participates in Squad Jam, a battle royale that pits teams against one another, fighting until only one remains. Thrust into the heated competition, LLENN must fight with all her wit and will if she hopes to shoot her way to the top.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kohiruimaki, Karen Main

Kusunoki, Tomori Japanese

Pitohui Main

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Shinohara, Miyu Main

Akasaki, Chinatsu Japanese

Asougi, Goushi Main

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Clarence Supporting

Komatsu, Mikako Japanese

Kirishima, Mai Supporting

Kouno, Marika Japanese

Kusunoki, Risa Supporting

Shiraishi, Haruka Japanese

Nitobe, Saki Supporting

Asai, Ayaka Japanese

Kyoukan Supporting

Kaida, Yuuko Japanese

Summon Supporting

Yamamoto, Itaru Japanese

Suzuki, Kenta Producer

Futami, Yousuke Producer

Yoshioka, Yuusuke Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Producer

Reviews

Aug 22, 2025

Elyshion

Recommended

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, a successful and engaging spin-off of Sword Art Online. Overall, this anime is very well done and has nothing to envy from the original series since they chose the game Gun Gale Online to make this spin-off. And "GGO" is one of my favorite universes in the Sword Art Online series.

Regarding the characters, Karen, named LLENN in the game, is endearing in her little loli avatar in a pink outfit with her FN P90 weapon of the same color, which she affectionately nicknames "P-chan." What's interesting is seeing who's behind the username and avatar in question. This gives ... a more realistic look, which isn't always seen in the first two seasons of "SAO." This is the case for Pitohui and M. The animation and character design are fluid and remain beautiful to look at. In terms of the soundtrack, the opening, the ending and the OST correspond well to the atmosphere of the anime. In short, it is a spin-off that has managed to detach itself from the original series.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Apr 26, 2025

direct0rr

Mixed Feelings

i watched it because LLENN is cute, the darker themes werent a detriment to that but they also werent all that interestingly done in my opinion
they sparked little interest in me but i wouldnt say they were bad, will probably watch season 2, it was definitely better than SAO, that i can say for sure
art style was maybe generic but not in a bad way
the characters didnt feel shallow but i wouldnt say they felt deep either, this is your run of the mill decent shonen with enough things for some people to enjoy
if you think you might like a video game rpg shooter vr ... anime with a cute girl and some darker themes, you may want to try episode 1 to see what you feel about it

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 5, 2025

brunoyilli

Not Recommended

This anime is the worst Sword Art Online I've ever seen. It's amazing how annoying the main character is. She has a height complex that makes no sense. Most women would love to be her height so they could be models, but she is antisocial because she is tall and has an unbearable personality while playing. I am writing this now that I am finishing the second season, which I think is worse than the first. I am even lowering my rating as I write this review...

The characters that accompany the protagonist are interesting up to Pitohui, M, her friend, but LLENN is unbearable. There's ... a scene where she's squeamish about using a knife, or she's just plain boring. I'd say that at the end of this season she gets better, but in season 2 I still find her unbearable, although my opinion has changed about the end of season 1.

Pitohui is interesting. I think she would be a more interesting protagonist than LLENN herself.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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