[It] almost seems like a deliberate message is being sent to the audience, and the way she finally finds her resolve and fights back when her life is in serious jeopardy is heartening." He also praised Michelle Ruff's voice acting in the English dub. Anime News Network's Rebecca Silverman also praised Sinon's portrayal, noting her to be "a much more interesting character" than both Kirito or Asuna, as "what makes Sinon a more successful character than any to previously appear in the main series is that she has more depth. Rather than being just a scared or traumatized character, she's someone who is actively working to change herself [...] it feels like this is a turning point for Kawahara's writing skill. Sinon isn't perfectly depicted, but she's got more going on than previous characters." Sam of The Otaku's Study similarly noted how Sinon already established herself as "one of the most developed Sword Art Online characters" despite appearing in only 7 episodes thus far, praising her backstory and contrast between her in-game and out-of-game personas. Popularity Sinon is regarded as one of the most popular characters in Sword Art Online. A Charapedia poll which asked fans to list their favorite "cool" women in anime, had Sinon placed 13th with 203 votes. She also placed 8th on another Charapedia poll of the "top 20 female anime/manga characters not to provoke." Sinon was awarded third in a Dengeki Bunko character poll for their light novels. A third Charapedia poll asking respondents to rank their favourite "Short-Haired Anime Girls" ranked Sinon 16th, with 136 points. In a poll by the app Otamart asking users to rank the anime characters they would want to give and receive chocolates from for Valentine's Day, Sinon was ranked 14th and 16th, respectively among male voters. Dorkly listed Kirito and Sinon beating the Death Gun tournament as one of the greatest moments in Sword Art Online. In a poll to determine the characters who would appear on the cover of abec's Sword Art Online art book, Sinon finished with the third-most votes. Anime website GoBoiano listed "Sharp Shooter Sinon" as one of the positive aspects of Sword Art Online II, noting her intelligence and strength, as well as Kirito not knowing her outside of gaming allowing the two to bond in a way different to the other girls in the franchise. She also made a list of their