Reader Player One: 10 Biggest Changes From The Book
4. Daito Lives
On top of accusations of sexism with regards to Art3mis/Samantha, Ernest Cline's novel has also been met with some charges of racism over the last two members of the High Five, Daito and Shoto (the latter renamed Sho for the movie, for reasons which I'll admit escape me).
Not only did the characters stick somewhat rigidly to western stereotypes about Asian characters (faultlessly polite, fixated on matters of honour), Cline also committed what some have deemed a cardinal sin by making his ethnic minorities expendable, as Daito is the only member of the Top Five to be killed off for real.
Anyone who objects to Daito and Shoto's representation in the novel might have similar complaints regarding Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao) in the movie, as they remain by far the most under-developed members of the High Five.
However, it's a definite plus point that Daito is allowed to live. For one, within the context of the movie we don't really need him to die in order to understand that IOI are serious; for another, the loss of a key character just would have put a downer on what proves to be an upbeat, feel-good finale.
Daito's survival means he also gets a significant role to play in the grand finale, which - again - we'll come back to.