Yanai

Yanai is depicted as a thin, somewhat shabby-looking man with unremarkable features.

Despite his outwardly quiet presence, he is deeply involved in criminal research, political maneuvering, and treachery tied to the Underworld and real-world VR technology.

Yanai originally worked as a researcher for RECT, the corporation behind various full-dive VR projects.

He was involved in the inhumane human experimentation conducted in Alfheim Online under Oberon the Fairy King (Sugou), using virtual environments to perform illegal tests on people.

When Sugou was arrested and his crimes were exposed, Yanai avoided punishment by framing a co-worker as a scapegoat.

He then used the connections that Sugou left behind to protect himself and to seek new opportunities.

Using these inherited connections, he infiltrated Japan’s secretive Project Alicization at RATH.

There, he pretended to be a loyal researcher while actually planning to sell the project’s成果 and the related technology to the United States.

Within Project Alicization, Yanai took part in raising the earliest residents of the Underworld, the artificial world populated by artificial Fluctlights (artificial human souls).

Through his own selfish attitude and behavior, he unintentionally implanted strong seeds of egoism and self-interest into these early artificial Fluctlights.

These selfish traits were then passed down through generations.

As a result, the descendants of these early residents evolved into arrogant and lazy high-ranking nobles, leading to a social structure dominated by corrupt upper-class aristocrats.

Yanai also sabotaged the long-term success of the project at a technical level.

He secretly installed an illicit program, “Code 871,” designed to hinder the evolution of artificial Fluctlights and slow or prevent the emergence of a complete A.L.I.C.E. (a fully realized artificial human consciousness).

By doing this, he made it much harder for Japan to complete and secure a fully developed A.L.I.C.E. for itself.

He intended to weaken Japan’s advantage, making it easier for other countries—especially the United States—to acquire or surpass the technology.

At some point, Quinella, the absolute ruler of the Underworld and self-styled Administrator, made contact with Yanai.

Through this contact, she completely captivated and manipulated him, turning him into a devoted supporter of her rule.

Yanai then adjusted the project’s conditions and responses so that the Underworld would develop in a way that suited Quinella’s desires.

He subtly shaped policies, parameters, and constraints so her control could remain absolute.

He also made a private deal with Quinella about the end of the experiment.

If the Underworld were ever scheduled for deletion after the project’s conclusion, he promised to help her escape into the real world and survive as data transferred to physical hardware.

Yanai developed an intense hatred for Kazuto Kirigaya.

From his perspective, Kazuto ruined the Alfheim Online human experiments by exposing and defeating Oberon the Fairy King, and later destroyed Quinella, the very ruler Yanai had aligned himself with inside the Underworld.

Because of this, Yanai viewed Kazuto as the one who had repeatedly crushed his plans, research, and political bets.

His personal grudge became a driving force behind his later betrayal at RATH.

During the American mercenary assault on the Ocean Turtle facility led by Gabriel Miller and supported by Critter, RATH staff desperately tried to protect both Kazuto and the Underworld.

Higa Takeru devised a plan to restore Kazuto’s consciousness and wake him up to defend the system.

Yanai pretended to support Higa’s plan and volunteered to accompany him, acting as if he were a cooperative colleague.

His real intention, however, was to sabotage the attempt and ensure that Kazuto would not awaken.

While accompanying Higa, Yanai revealed his true nature.

He produced a concealed handgun and shot Higa, seriously wounding him and nearly stopping the rescue operation.

However, Rinko Koujiro, who had begun to suspect Yanai’s loyalties, was prepared for possible treachery.

She managed to catch him off guard and launched a surprise counterattack.

Yanai was struck and lost his balance, falling from a height within the facility.

The fall killed him, ending his plotting and preventing him from completing his sabotage.

After his death, Yanai’s body was eventually discovered by Critter, one of the American operatives participating in the attack on the Ocean Turtle.

By this point, Yanai had already failed in both his sabotage and his broader plan to leverage the project for his personal gain.

According to Kikuoka Seijirou’s assessment, Yanai’s long-term plan was doomed from the start.

Even if Yanai had successfully escaped to the United States with insider knowledge of STL technology and Project Alicization, he would have been thoroughly interrogated for every detail and then killed to erase any loose ends.

In other words, his attempt to betray his own side in favor of foreign powers would never have brought him safety or lasting benefit.

Yanai thus stands out as a tragic and morally bankrupt figure whose schemes were built on deception, cruelty, and ultimately self-destruction.