Kirito

Kirito is the Black Swordsman of Sword Art Online. In Echoes of Aincrad he appears in the promotional trailers alongside Asuna, Lizbeth, and Game Master Akihiko Kayaba, but he is not one of the game's four selectable NPC companions.

In Echoes of Aincrad

The player's own created character is the lead of Echoes of Aincrad, not Kirito. The game's four-member playable companion roster is Iori, Wyzeman, Zash, and Argo. Kirito's primary narrative presence around the Echoes of Aincrad launch is in the tie-in animated film Sword Art Online: Unanswered//butterfly, rather than as a playable character in the game itself.

Proto-Elucidator

The Proto-Elucidator Series pre-order weapons are designed as prototypes of Kirito's signature sword, the Elucidator, so his presence in the game is also tied to the starter-weapon package players receive when they pre-purchase the standard edition.