Johnny Black

Johnny Black’s real name in the real world is Atsushi Kanamoto.

He is a serial killer-type player who continues his crimes across multiple VRMMOs and even outside virtual reality.

He first appears during the Aincrad arc’s “Murder in the Safe Zone” incident.

Later, his past behavior in Sword Art Online is revealed in the Phantom Bullet arc and Sword Art Online II.

In Gun Gale Online, he acts as one of the perpetrators of the “Death Gun Incident.”

Approximately six months after that, he confronts Kazuto Kirigaya in the real world during the Alicization arc.

Within Laughing Coffin, Johnny Black is one of the top three leaders, serving as a core member alongside Red-Eyed XaXa.

He calls the guild master PoH simply “Head” and acts as PoH’s loyal subordinate.

He hides his face behind a black mask that looks like a torn, hole-ridden monk’s traveling bag.

Despite his childlike speech and appearance, he is responsible for numerous murders together with Red-Eyed XaXa, with more than ten confirmed victims.

He specializes in assassination, using stealth skills and poison-coated knives to take down even heavily armored opponents.

Although he is captured during the Laughing Coffin raid in Aincrad and imprisoned until the game is cleared, his influence continues to ripple through later incidents.

Johnny Black projects a childish, almost playful demeanor.

He often acts like a brat, whining or making exaggerated noises such as his distinctive “Waan, down” sort of verbal tic.

This immature exterior hides an extremely malicious personality.

He shows no remorse for murder, treats killing like a game, and enjoys provoking conflict among other players.

He is cunning and opportunistic, preferring ambush and poison over fair fights.

His role in multiple arcs emphasizes his talent for psychological manipulation as much as for physical assassination.

Laughing Coffin Executive

Within Sword Art Online, Johnny Black is one of the three major executives of Laughing Coffin, the infamous murder guild.

He stands to one side of PoH, with Red-Eyed XaXa on the other, forming the guild’s core leadership.

He and XaXa act as PoH’s primary enforcers and executioners.

Together, they are responsible for killing more than ten players inside Aincrad.

His gear focuses on stealth and assassination.

He uses a poison knife and the skill Sneaking, allowing him to get close to targets undetected, even in supposedly safe contexts.

Murder in the Safe Zone Incident

Johnny Black’s first appearance is in the “Murder in the Safe Zone” case.

There, he demonstrates how lethal his combination of stealth and poison can be.

He sneaks up behind Schmitt, a top-tier tank from the Holy Dragon Alliance, who is considered one of the best defensive players on Aincrad.

Using the Sneaking skill, Johnny Black bypasses everyone’s awareness and gets right behind Schmitt.

He then uses a knife skill called Armor Pierce (Armor Bares), aimed at the gaps in Schmitt’s armor.

The blade is coated with a powerful paralytic poison.

Johnny Black slashes Schmitt’s throat through a small gap in the armor.

While the attack does not kill Schmitt outright due to the target’s status and intervention by others, the poison completely immobilizes him.

Without help, Schmitt would almost certainly have been finished off.

This scene cements Johnny Black’s role as an assassin rather than a front-line fighter.

Laughing Coffin Raid and Imprisonment

During the later Laughing Coffin extermination raid, Johnny Black is captured along with Red-Eyed XaXa.

The raid is led by front-line players who are determined to end Laughing Coffin’s killings once and for all.

Once subdued, Johnny Black is imprisoned in a virtual jail inside Aincrad.

He remains incarcerated until the end of the death game, unable to continue his crimes within Sword Art Online.

Identity as “Joe” and Early Days of the Death Game

In Sword Art Online Progressive, which expands on the early Aincrad floors, Johnny Black appears under the alias “Joe.”

The story shows his actions from the very beginning of the death game.

At this time, he is already under PoH’s command, even before Laughing Coffin fully takes shape.

He infiltrates the Aincrad Liberation Squad (also known as the Aincrad Liberation Force in other translations).

Joe operates as a spy for a proto–Laughing Coffin group, a “provocateur PK faction” whose goal is to destabilize the front-line community.

Whenever disputes arise among the clearing group, he deliberately fans the flames of conflict.

He repeatedly stirs up resentment, paranoia, and distrust between players.

His actions are specifically aimed at breaking cooperation among the front-liners and making them easier prey for PK activities later.

Provoking the “Beater” Backlash

One of his most important contributions to the story is his role in the birth of the term “Beater.”

After Diavel falls in battle against the first floor boss, tensions erupt among the survivors.

In the original story and the theatrical film Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, Joe intentionally agitates the crowd.

As Kibaou or Lind (depending on the medium) loses their composure and begins blaming others, Joe pushes the argument further.

He encourages the angry players to focus their resentment on Kazuto Kirigaya, who had knowledge of boss patterns and acted independently.

This leads Kazuto to publicly label himself a “Beater” (Beta Tester + Cheater) to draw the hostility away from other beta testers.

In this way, Johnny Black, under the name Joe, is directly responsible for turning Kazuto into the symbolic scapegoat known as the Beater.

This single moment shapes the social landscape of early Aincrad and Kazuto’s reputation.

Depiction in the Anime and Movie

In the original first season of the Sword Art Online anime, Joe’s connection to Johnny Black had not yet been established.

As a result, his instigating scenes are not shown or are greatly reduced.

In the film Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, however, Joe appears clearly with the real-world appearance of Atsushi Kanamoto.

He is explicitly credited as “Joe” and voiced by the same voice actor who later portrays Johnny Black, solidifying the link between the two identities.

Although the provided text only briefly mentions it, Johnny Black is identified as one of the real-world perpetrators of the Death Gun Incident in Gun Gale Online.

He works in concert with other former Laughing Coffin members to stage murders that occur in sync with in-game “kills.”

Red-Eyed XaXa serves as the in-game “Death Gun” avatar.

Johnny Black supports the crimes from the real world, using hospital access and real-world means to attack the victims whose avatars are shot in GGO.

This continuation of his crimes after the end of Sword Art Online shows that his murderous impulses are not confined to virtual worlds.

Instead, he embraces VRMMOs as tools to facilitate real-world murder.

Around six months after the Death Gun Incident, Johnny Black resurfaces in the Alicization storyline.

He confronts Kazuto Kirigaya directly in the real world.

Driven by hatred and revenge, he attempts to attack Kazuto using a syringe.

This encounter is the catalyst for Kazuto’s severe physical injury and subsequent deep dive into the Underworld.

Even outside any game, Johnny Black remains dangerous and willing to kill.

His actions here mark one of the darkest turning points in Kazuto’s real-world life.

In reality, Johnny Black is Atsushi Kanamoto.

He is not just a game griefer but a full-fledged criminal whose actions span multiple media and story arcs.

The narrative suggests that his “true” activity and impact are most fully revealed when his real-world crimes and motives come into focus.

His ongoing connection to former Laughing Coffin members and his role in the Death Gun case make him a central figure in the series’ darker criminal plots.