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andrewwtca · 1 year

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a Soriku Endgame, Actually essay on Light and Darkness

Also available to read on Archive of our Own.

Kingdom Hearts, with Sora and Riku in particular, has been on my mind as of late. It’s always been on my mind, to be honest, ever since I first got into the series. It’s grabbed my hand and hasn’t let go, especially with all the new lore. And yet, I’ve been struggling to make peace with myself.

On one hand, I don't want to get my hopes up, thinking that Sora and Riku would ever become something 'more' or that what I’m seeing is anything other than in-depth speculation. I've had my heart broken before and this series means too much to me for me to foolishly dive in like this.

On the other hand, I can't ignore what the story is telling me, as a literary analysis enthusiast and as a diehard fan. There have been parallels established, setups finally going through, and Nomura has said before that “this series is not intended to be child-focused, and so the complexity of the story is purposely made prominent.” I can’t keep turning a blind eye, knowing everything I know, thinking everything I think. If I did, I feel like I would be doing a disservice to both my experiences with the series and my experiences as a person.

So yeah—Soriku Endgame, Actually. Today, I’m arguing its canonicality because of the balance of Light and Darkness (or lack thereof) throughout the series. Please enjoy my messy and impassioned essay!

a sky of falling stars

The Children of Destiny is a new concept introduced to us in the finale of Dark Road. To summarize, they are people with the ability to feel what others feel, connect, and become one with them—empaths with Light.

It appears that the Children of Destiny are all descendants of Ephemer, characterized by silvery hair. There's Ephemer, there's Baldr, there's Xehanort—and, oh yeah, there's Riku.

Upon the release of the finale, a lot of people—myself included—quickly jumped to the conclusion that Sora is a Child of Destiny, which isn't all that wrong. If we're going by what the games have given us, Sora is very special. What other character has housed five different hearts inside his own? What other character had an entire arc in Birth by Sleep talking about how he felt the pain in someone else’s heart?

But Nomura has insisted since the beginning that Sora is an ordinary boy, that he wasn't born with anything special, explaining that he “had the premise that a heart like Sora’s exists within all the players. Sora is ‘ordinary’, therefore everyone is ‘ordinary.” (Before anyone argues Nomura is just going through a retcon, I doubt he would go through with one to this extent, given how he has had the ending to the Dark Seeker Saga in mind for years.)

Riku, on the other hand, has not been given this kind of treatment at all. He's always been painted as a golden child, better than Sora at everything, being the original bearer of the Keyblade. For crying out loud, he had a light in Birth By Sleep that was seen from space, not Sora. If you factor in bloodlines, it wouldn't be too far off to theorize that Riku is a descendent of Ephemer's line. Riku isn't who most look at first, but all signs lead to him being a Child of Destiny.

But that doesn't explain Sora at all. He may not have been born special like Riku, but he's special somehow. After all, Nomura did finish his ‘Sora isn't special’ line with, “I figure even if you’re ‘ordinary’, for something important, everyone can exhibit a special power just like Sora.” Aqua even calls out that Sora is the one who can set things right, the boy who can touch others’ hearts.

And that is where the necklace theory comes in.

Sora has always been associated with royalty, sitting on a throne in box art or having crowns plastered around him—or on him. From his debut, Sora has had a crown necklace that has never been explained. Despite wearing it in every outfit, it's never been addressed how it came to be.

It’s after Aqua and Terra came, judging by the BBS cutscenes of him and Riku. But it’s before KH1, as that's when his journey began. That’s a huge timeframe, from being a kid to deciding to leave the islands, but it's easy to pinpoint a time when considering something the games still never fully fleshed out: the meteor shower.

In Chain of Memories, Sora and Riku fight over this memory they supposedly both had of Namine one night during a meteor shower. One of them promised they would keep her safe, and it's all cute until we remember that Namine wasn't actually in these memories. And Namine can't make any new memories—she can only rearrange old ones.

Sora and Riku both share this memory. And the way they fought over this memory gave it the utmost importance. It becomes obvious at this point that the both of them witnessed a meteor shower, and given what we know about their dynamic (and that's a lot), it would make sense to assume it was Riku promising Sora to keep him safe—almost like a charm.

The necklace theory has been around for years, but it’s only after the Dark Road finale that it was expanded upon (or perhaps it’s just me and maybe three others who think this, but I don’t mind one bit.) It isn't just Riku promising to keep Sora safe. In giving Sora a necklace, a crown, Riku has metaphorically crowned Sora. He has brought Sora up to his status as a Child of Destiny, putting all his love into a charm that he hopes can keep Sora safe.

There’s a flaw in my logic though, trust me, I know. I just said that this meteor shower didn’t happen until after BBS, and yet it’s during the game that Sora feels the pain of others, it’s during the game that Aqua says that Sora is going to be the one to set things right. But I still stand firm in my belief. Riku has always been painted as the golden child, the Child of Destiny, but his love for Sora runs deeper than his love for anything else.

Riku’s light is the one that brought Terra and Aqua to Destiny Island but Riku’s light shines for Sora; sort of like step one to Sora’s crowning. Riku’s light rubbed off on Sora, ever since they were kids—after all, a Child of Destiny’s power is to connect hearts. Why not connect his own with another? Why not share his light?

Further, in BBS, Sora can feel Ven’s pain and take care of his heart, but he isn’t fully aware of this nor is he able to really do anything about this. It isn’t until KH1 that Sora ever exhibits a power of truly connecting to another’s heart when Sora entered the darkness swallowing Riku and touched Riku’s heart’s light to obtain his Keyblade, explained by Nomura himself. And it isn’t until KH3 that Sora finds the power to wake up Ven’s heart.

Regardless of whether or not I’m right about this, it means Nomura isn't technically wrong about Sora being normal. Sora, no matter what, doesn’t have some divine birthright, but he still has the makings of someone who can bring peace to the world—all thanks to Riku.

This helps set the tone of their relationship, of the depth of Sora and Riku’s bond. It also moves the storyline forward to how they will be the ones to instigate change—but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s first talk about who once were and who they could’ve been.

in another life

Kingdom Hearts is pretty on the nose on parallels between Xehanort/Eraqus and Riku/Sora. Besides personality, Xehanort and Riku are both Childs of Destiny who give in to the darkness and Eraqus and Sora are endless sources of light. But the parallels don't exist to make us empathize with Xehanort/Eraqus: they're to tell us a cautionary tale of what our protagonists could've been.

So it begs the question, what actually separated Sora and Riku from becoming like Eraqus and Xehanort? Let’s start with Riku.

To recap, Xehanort was a student in Scala ad Caelum alongside Eraqus, who watched all his classmates die. He learned from Baldr about their roles as Children of Destiny and in his grief, became obsessed with wiping the world clean. He wanted a Keyblade War to create a fresh start, void of Light and Darkness, so that the world could try again.

Riku seemed to have been walking the same road as Xehanort. He stopped fearing Darkness and started dancing on the line between it and Light. Riku was angry at the world and angry at his friends, and perhaps in another life, he may too have wanted to wipe the world clean.

But every time I compare him and Xehanort, I can't help but think that a cautionary tale isn't what Xehanort/Eraqus is. Because I can't help but think that it just could never have happened to Riku, and it's for two main reasons:

1) Hope.

Riku has hope in the world. When we look at all the other Children of Light, they all had a Darkness that took them down (although in Ephemer's case, it was a literal Darkness that killed him). Baldr lost himself in grief. Xehanort lost himself in rage. But not Riku.

When Xehanort saw that the world couldn't be fixed (to how he believed it should be), Riku did not even see a world that needed fixing. Riku saw the world in all of its complicated glory. For instance, Riku is one of the first characters to acknowledge the feelings of Nobodies; their pain, and their love. He doesn't see them as an extension of Darkness or Light. They simply are.

Riku believes in redemption. It's been his entire character arc, after all, to redeem himself and walk the Road to Dawn, a term coined way back in CoM. Ever since then, Riku has been closely associated with the sunrise—night turning into day. Darkness becomes Light. Redemption. This symbolism is shown in box art, said in interviews, even his Keyblade is called the Way to Dawn.

The fact that Riku was even able to think of the Road to Dawn proves that he's nothing like Xehanort. Xehanort believes that there is no redemption because the world needs to be wiped clean. But Riku believes that there is a road he can walk, a road he can take to salvation because the world is not good or bad, but made for people to live and learn. But how? How was he able to walk that road? He has hope, but how was he able to use it? And that's the second reason.

2) Sora. Riku has Sora.

It may feel a bit obvious to say, but it's true: the fact that Riku is Riku; Sora is Sora; and their relationship is the way it is, is the key to why they would never have fallen to the same fate. We don't know the full extent of Xehanort and Eraqus's relationship, but it's safe to assume it wasn't as kind or loving as Riku and Sora's ever were. The two would play as kids, promise to keep each other safe, tell secrets—the two became princes of destiny together, destined to fight their way home.

I can't see Xehanort and Eraqus as anything more than students in a fucked up situation. Because when things got bad for Xehanort, he didn't think of Eraqus as his guiding light. He only thought of what he lost. There’s even a line in Dark Road of Xehanort hearing Eraqus crying in the other room, yet he never comforts him, never approaches him. They suffered alone, too afraid or perhaps too blind to reach for one another.

When things got bad for Riku, he saw Sora. He saw how Sora loved Kairi and sacrificed himself for her, and he saw that Sora was forgiving towards him. The reason why Riku and Sora didn't end up like Xehanort and Eraqus is that they simply aren't them. Their bond is deeper and their love is stronger, and Riku’s hope is simply stronger than Xehanort’s ever was.

It’s important to emphasize that this truly is a feat that only Riku (and Sora, one day) could’ve accomplished. It's natural to us that Riku, one of the series' protagonists, was able to do this. It's easy to shrug off the balance he managed to strike between his Light and Darkness, but for so many actually in the series, it's an incomprehensible thought. Mickey even stated in CoM, that Riku introduced Light and Darkness in a way nobody has ever seen before. To understand how this affects Sora and Riku’s relationship, it’s important to understand the way things currently are.

the light we pass down

Light and Darkness are the very core of this series. Light represents the connections you make with others, while Darkness represents the lack thereof—those with Darkness in their hearts are those who walk alone, while those with Light are those with many friends around them. Darkness is selfishness, and Light is selflessness.

Darkness is usually framed as an inherently evil source in many stories, but it's something that cannot be extinguished. Light needs to be there to balance it.

But Kingdom Hearts seems to be going down the path less taken—yes, Darkness isn't 'good', and it isn't desirable to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. But the series is asking the question many like to ignore: when does Light become Darkness?

In nearly every game, you can trace one character fed into the illusion that Light is good, everything else is bad, and the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. MoM to his pupils in Union X; Odin to Baldr in Dark Road; Eraqus to his children in BBS; Yen Sid to Mickey in forbidding him to speak of Aqua; Donald and Goofy to Sora in telling him that their ship runs on happy smiles. It is generational trauma.

A cycle of hypocrisy has been forced on not only the 'defenders of Light' but 'agents of Darkness.' Xehanort doesn't care who he hurts as long as he can get his own idea of balance in the world, believing his judgment to be supreme to others—despite his initial thoughts in Dark Road, that unless someone's heart is pure Light, how can one know for sure what is right and wrong? To which Eraqus responded that they as Keyblade Wielders held the supreme judgment towards morality.

Again and again, this cycle of defending what they believe is good and Light repeats, hurting themselves and hurting others, and even Sora is not free of this hypocrisy. While he doesn't go out of his way to hurt others the way Xehanort has, he is capable of hurting others: Riku was hurt by Sora in KH1 when he was silent when Kairi suggested leaving him behind or when he shrugged off Riku going missing in Traverse Town. In CoM, when the idea of him ‘abandoning’ people was presented, he acted out harshly and completely rejected the idea (this is all another parallel to Eraqus!)

He even denies the idea that Riku has hurt others. Despite Riku acting out of his own free will, the reason he feels the need to atone and walk the path to redemption, Sora believes that the Darkness was forced on Riku by others.

Sora has been carved into the same mindset as so many others, the idea heavily tackled in Dark Road, that Darkness is only brought upon by others, and that it needs to be expunged. Sora is a firm believer that the Darkness is something to be eradicated, such as with his encounter with Vanitas in KH3. When Vanitas states that he is simply Darkness, Ven is quick to understand and even accept. Sora, on the other hand, rejects this and insists that it isn’t okay.

Even our series’ protagonist is unable to shake himself from this self-righteous, black-or-white thinking. Riku is the only character in the series who has formed an actual balance in himself, with all other characters having to pick one side. Lea, Xion, and Roxas leave the Darkness of Organization XIII and become Keyblade Wielders. Terra embraces his Light, Aqua leaves the Realm of Darkness, and Ven is literally separated into a being of Light and Darkness (although not out of his own volition).

The series is not framing any of these things as negative—there’s nothing wrong with embracing Light. However, these characters are falling into the same cycle that the generations before have; they will once again be faced with a Darkness too deep to defeat and ignore. It must be talked to, reckoned with, and faced with open arms. Riku has been the only one able to return the hug and walk away.

We’ve explored what makes Riku’s character arc so significant and what Sora’s flaws are, and it’s time to dive into the murky waters of the future.

when does the sun become the night?

Sora. Oh, Sora. I love you, Sora. Now let me tear you and your smile apart.

The parallels between Xehanort and Riku are very on the nose and easy to distinguish; meanwhile, Eraqus and Sora are a bit more challenging.

In BBS, Eraqus is the Master of Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. He forms a bond between them, as one would expect, mentoring and looking out for their well-being. The Light in his heart is strong due to his connections with them, alongside being a Keyblade wielder. Although not perfect (feeding into Terra's insecurities about his Darkness, cough), he does care for them. But when the world falls to Darkness, Eraqus doesn't hesitate to be selfless, to give up his connections, the Light in his heart, to kill them to save a greater good. As long as someone somewhere can benefit from his actions, he isn't harming.

But is that selfless? Is sacrificing for a 'greater good' truly selfless? Is there a line between the needs of the many and the needs of the few? Or is there a certain ‘darkness’ that comes with these acts? Disregarding yourself, disregarding others, selfless yet selfish; it's not the right thing to do, and the series doesn't hesitate to frame it as that. What Eraqus did was wrong. He hurt others, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

And yet, no one seems to make any noise toward Sora.

Sora is a Guardian of Light. He is the cheerful protagonist who makes everyone smile and feel better. Ever since the first game, when Donald and Goofy (although not with ill intent) told him that the Gummi Ship runs on happy faces, he's been under the precedent that his emotions do not matter in the greater scheme of things. In the long run, what matters is that others are safe, the people he cares about.

Once again, like how Xehanort and Riku deviated in terms of having hope, this is where Eraqus and Sora begin to deviate from their parallels. While both are selfless to the point of ‘darkness,’ they show it in dramatically different ways. Eraqus is willing to hurt the people he cares about (and by extension, himself) to serve this 'greater good', but Sora is only willing to actively hurt himself.

I feel the need to remind everyone that this is a teenager we're talking about. If we weren't in a franchise partially owned by Disney, I feel like more people would be willing to call this what it is: suicidal. This is not Light.

We've already seen ways that this harms Sora outside the narrative and the whole getting sent to Quadratum thing in his Rage form. Sora transforms into a drive form that’s oddly reminiscent of his time as a Heartless and can unleash powerful attacks that lower his HP (hmm). Furthermore, this form only appears when his HP is low (double hmm) and stated by Nomura, “based on him going into a rampage state, controlled by feelings of anger (triple hmm).”

Back inside the narrative, the climax of KH3 was Sora believing that he's worthless without his friends, genuinely worthless, and unable to fight at all. This is the very definition of a Light gone too far when remembering that Light is the connections you form with others. With too much Light, Sora lost himself. He couldn't find himself past who he was for others.

In the section prior that broke down generational trauma as it appears in Kingdom Hearts, I mentioned that Sora does not only end up hurting himself but passively hurting others around him, most notably Riku. Sora is unable to understand that Darkness is not the absence of all good but rather the shadow that simply follows you around. Sora cannot understand that Darkness is not something to be shunned, to never talk about. (This could also be tied back to his Rage form—while he does not actively channel his anger to hurt, that is what happens; only to never be acknowledged by him.)

(Off-topic, but I find it funny that Sora, who is so keen on the idea that Darkness is Not Good, was only ever to have a proper conversation with Riku in the Realm of Darkness. It’s very telling to their characters.)

Kingdom Hearts is setting up a narrative that Light and Darkness cannot exist in excess. That Light doesn't exist to balance out the Darkness, to stop it from becoming too strong—you need Darkness to exist as well.

Sora has gotten this far along the story and still hasn't managed to learn this, because it’s just not something you can learn (or unlearn, rather) on your own. Because this kind of thinking isn’t undone with hours of contemplation; in a fitting Kingdom Hearts fashion, it’s connections that lead to the revelation.

the roads we walk

Xehanort and Eraqus fall out with each other. They stop talking and sever the connection with each other. That was a core reason things got as out of hand as they did for each other; they weren't keeping each other in check. Xehanort's Darkness left him blind and unable to see that there was Light after all, and Eraqus's Light blinded him and left him stumbling with a Keyblade for a 'greater purpose.' Their hearts fell too far to one end of the balance, leaving the scales unbalanced.

Riku and Sora do not have that. They have a connection like nothing seen in this series before—Riku had literally raised Sora to become a Child of Destiny alongside him. The Light of their hearts is just so awe-strikingly bright.

Sora, however, has lost himself in all his light. He is stuck in the same bright room that Eraqus was, stumbling around with his Keyblade. But where Eraqus was forever lost, Sora can be found: because where Riku had Sora to guide him to the Light, Sora will have Riku to guide him through the Darkness.

Riku spends the majority of his character simply proving that he is capable of redemption. It takes him the ending of a game to realize the errors in his ways and another game to figure out the solution he must fight for, and these weren't revelations he finds on his own—he found the first with Sora and the second (in CoM) with Mickey and Namine.

For Sora to even have the revelation that he cannot keep shutting out the Darkness in him unless he wants more pain for himself and others, he needs someone to help show him that is an option. And who else but Riku, who is living proof that existence isn’t just black-or-white, Light or Darkness?

Riku is Sora's foil. A foil is a character who either has pronounced differences between themselves and the protagonist or is so alike that a contrast appears. Riku is the ladder, similar enough to Sora that one can begin to make assumptions about where the story is heading. Their similarities aren't hard to find: they both hail from Destiny Islands, they both have a love for adventure, they both were assumed to walk a path of Light for the rest of their lives, and they both care deeply for each other. The contrast begins in KH1 when Riku begins his fall to Darkness while Sora remains firm in his standing.

Riku’s arc ended with acceptance; he needed to accept the Darkness and the Light inside him to find peace. It’s only natural that his foil, struggling with the same imbalance, would go through a similar arc but still different enough to be his own.

It isn't just the story telling us this. Riku has always been associated with imagery of dawn, the breaking of Darkness into Light, and Kairi is always associated with imagery of dusk, the breaking of Light into Darkness (which is a conversation all on its own). Sora, on the other hand, is associated with a large blue sky (his name, after all, does mean sky.) It's not hinting towards a journey of any kind—not a redemption like for Riku.

He is the daylight. He is the Light in everyone's lives. But ‘Sora’ doesn't mean the day sky. It simply means sky. Sky, at day or night—and I don't mind if you call me reaching at this point, but it feels like it's calling out to the fact that Sora needs to accept that he is both Light and Darkness, the way the sky is both day and night.

Nomura has even stated in an interview before when asked about the two different versions of the Dream Drop Distance illustrations that he “wanted its composition and look to remind [the player] of the title’s catch copy, ‘Darkness becomes light, light falls into darkness.’” The parallel structure of the tagline serves to mirror the parallel structure of Sora and Riku’s paths, Sora’s road to night and Riku’s road to dawn.

But I digress. Exhaustively, it’s very apparent that Sora is heading toward a climax, a Darkness he cannot ignore. His breakdown in KH3 was left unspoken, unresolved, and his disappearance only contributes to the fact that he’s heading toward another breaking point, where the cheerful protagonist can no longer remain cheerful. But like in KH3, something is going to be the same: Riku.

At his lowest point, it was Riku who was next to him, telling Sora that he believed in him. It was Riku who carried on when Sora couldn’t. Riku is going to be key in Sora's journey to night. Riku was able to find his Road to Dawn by remembering Sora. He was able to walk by remembering his love, his passion, his everything, and it was because of Sora that Riku found balance. He found the Light within himself, and he learned to accept that the Darkness would always be a part of him, the way it is for others.

Sora's arc will be spun into motion because of Riku. The next installments of Kingdom Hearts are setting up that Riku's dreams are the key to finding Sora, implying perhaps that it may be Sora and Riku all alone in a world. Whatever the case, Riku is going to be by Sora's side, as that is where they are at their best, to face Sora’s worst.

And it's fitting. Riku had to go from Darkness, defined as a lack of connections, to a balance with Light, having connections. He went from his isolation, wearing a blindfold and not being able to face anyone, to being the charming Riku we all love, fighting alongside the Keyblade wielders. His journey would have him open up, so he would be joined by memories, ghosts, not by people until he began to embrace others.

Sora will be going from Light to a balance with Darkness. He'd be going from connections to a lack (though not in the same extremes that Riku did), in a sense. Understandably, he can’t do it alone, make such a drastic change; he'd need someone.

This change, this balance, this emphasis on connections, it’s guiding us to what the narrative has been trying to tell us all along.

we can be the darkness, and the light, and the sunsets and sunrises too

When asked about the theme of KH3 and the entire series, Nomura answered, “It’s in the title: hearts. The consistent theme across the whole series is ‘What is a heart?’”

Kingdom Hearts is going to be doing something unprecedented in not only a lot of media but in its world itself. While the idea of Light and Darkness existing within characters is not new, the characters aren't exactly behind that idea. Most of the Keyblade Wielders and Guardians of Light cherish the Light above all else—while all the primary villains worship the Darkness. They fight for a balance but don't fully grasp that within (nearly) all of them lies both entities.

Riku seems to be more accepted in the world, as he did join the Light in the end. But what Sora would do is... just absolutely bonkers. He will be embracing a Darkness in him, the same kind that Terra and so many others were taught to push out. Sora will be... well, a teenager. Happy and angsty and all the things teens are.

This is where Kingdom Hearts has the chance to seal the deal, to fully welcome this balance of Light and Darkness: a relationship between Riku and Sora.

For all Guardians of Light, there is a generational trauma hanging over their heads and haunting them, and Sora will need to accept his Darkness to combat it, but the story can't end there. The games have been building up the idea that Sora will be the one to bring change to the world, that Sora will be the one to end this cycle. He won’t just accept his Darkness but lead a new age. He will be the one to show that there's a different way (or really, only one other way) to move forward:

Love.

Unconditional love. Not love depending on whether they fit the wielders' definitions of Light and Darkness, not love depending on the amount of Light in someone's heart, not love clouded by hypocrisy. Just pure love, forever forgiving and growing.

So who better for Sora’s love than Riku?

Let’s get all the arguments for Kairi out of the way first. Some may say that Kairi could still fulfill this role of spreading love in the next games, but that’s only if her role in the story is completely revamped. She represents friends growing apart as they grow older yet remaining close. While Sora and Riku represent a balance between Light and Darkness, Kairi represents holding a Light close to your heart, even when it's so far away; fitting for her story of being ripped apart from her home.

The games keep pushing the friends' growing apart narrative rather than pulling from it, having Kairi remain with Aqua to train while Riku goes after Sora. There is little space for Kairi to suddenly walk a road to dusk that leads to romance. Especially because it’s Sora and Riku who are the Children of Destiny, they are the ones who will connect to other hearts and bring change, not Kairi. Her lesson would be for herself, not for the world to see.

A relationship between Kairi and Sora would just be backtracking on this message. Sora needs to accept his Darkness, but joining forces with a Princess of Light does not challenge any norms, it does not provide a new answer. It makes sense because the core of Kingdom Hearts isn’t a Prince and Princess of Light—it’s two boys who saw the night sky fall one day, two boys who grew up together, two boys destined for something greater who write their own paths anyway. It’s Sora and Riku. Nomura himself has stated that “Sora and Riku represent the theme of the Kingdom Hearts series, which is the ‘light and dark sides of the heart,’” the essence of this essay.

Carrying on, some may stop me here and say that their love doesn't need to be romantic for a point to be made. But I argue that there is no other way.

Romantic love in stories often serves as the culmination of the story’s themes. In Leigh Bardugo's books, her romances serve to show the importance of love and healing. In the Shadow & Bone trilogy, Alina has the options between the Darkling, representing power, Nikolai, representing nationalism, and Mal, representing love. Just love. Not one befitting of a Saint, someone to change the world, but that’s not who Alina wanted to be; she just wanted a happy ending. Shockingly, she picks Mal. In Six of Crows, Kaz and Inej's romance, both traumatized teenagers, serves to show that you can heal and you can love. They're both scared of people, scared of intimacy and yet they still love with all their scars on display.

In Revolutionary Girl Utena, the romance between Utena and Anthy reaches its climax at the end of the show, displaying the vulnerability of both girls and the rawness of their feelings. But most importantly, it drives home the message: that the power to bring revolution is not the power of a prince or a witch. The power to change the world is love. The only way to change the world to be suitable to live in is through love. The power, a revolution, brought by love.

Romance is a revolution. It’s often saved for the last act of stories because of how it acts as a thread between all of the themes. In Kingdom Hearts, the theme needing weaving is balance: balance between yourself and others, balance between selflessness and selfishness, balance between Light and Darkness. Sora and Riku getting together would be Yin and Yang—a boy who had to accept his Darkness and a boy who had to fight for his Light. They complement each other and fill where the other lacks.

Likewise, a relationship between them stresses the importance of connections. Tai Yasue, co-director of the series, has stated that “the theme of the KH series is ‘connections of the heart,’” and the narrative will take advantage of any opportunity to let that theme shine. Previously, many defenders of Light would sacrifice their connections with others for a greater good. But Sora and Riku choosing to love each other, choosing to love the Light and Darkness in each other instead of trying to chase away their Darkness, is showing that love is their other option.

Sora getting with Kairi challenges nothing. It tells the others that Light must be with Light, that good must be with good. Even their grand attack in Re:Mind is two giant angel wings where they proclaim, “Light!” Sora and Riku, however, show that Light does not mean good. It shows that people can do bad things, and it doesn't make them bad, because people are not black and white. Like two kingdoms forever at war with each other, finally coming together and realizing that the other side is human and that you can't simply demonize them.

Sora and Kairi say there is nothing wrong with the world. To carry on. Sora and Riku say that there isn’t anything wrong with the world; it’s the people looking the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with what’s around us. Nothing wrong, nothing right. “Nothing is whole, and nothing is broken.” It’s simply being: being Darkness, being Light, being both, being neither.

It has to be Sora and Riku. It's always had to be them. Riku brought Sora up to the status of a Child of Destiny, and their journeys were led by each other, their character development taught by one another, and their acceptance will come from (an eventual) conversation between the two about their pain and hurt and Darkness, it’s all always been leading here. To this moment in time where they show the world all the hurt they hold and how they carry on with.

All of that, and loving each other?

They are crossing the line, as Hikaru Utada sings in Don't Think Twice. They are going to be crossing every line established in Kingdom Hearts, and this is their power. Their revolution. Their predetermined yet self-made destiny. The payoff for years and years of searching and yearning and pining and chasing is a love that brings revolution, and oh...isn't that just romantic?

That is the answer to “What is a heart?” The heart is the love you have, despite it all. The heart is the connections you make, despite it all. The heart is your Darkness and your Light and your experiences and your fights, despite it all. The heart is Sora and Riku, despite it all.

grant us the power to bring the world revolution

A lot of this analysis really depends on whether or not you believe Sora and Riku are in love with one another, I realize. You may agree with me that it seems fitting that their coming together as a pair would catalyze all the themes in Kingdom Hearts, but you disagree that it means they'd ever be a pairing. Which, I'd like to thank you for at least hearing me out.

The queerness of their relationship means there will always be naysayers to them getting together, there will always be people claiming that I'm reaching. I do not care if you see them as brothers or ‘just’ really good friends. I see a love story. I see a love story and a love story saying to love, above all else. Do not judge others for you don't know what is wrong or right, for you are biased, for you are flawed, for you are human. Love others for that is the heart's will. Love.

I see that their getting together would be a testament to that love. To that forgiveness, to those flaws we have. It would be an acceptance of Riku's pain and Darkness that he mysteriously doesn't want to acknowledge, it would be an acceptance of Sora's pain that he's been bottling up ever since the beginning of his journey, and it would be an acceptance to the Light they both share. It would be the balance that so many generations have looked for and couldn't find because they did not practice acceptance, only judgment.

Sora and Riku getting together is acceptance and it's proof that love is the answer to a generational trauma that has been around ever since the beginning of time. So yeah: Soriku Endgame, Actually.

Thank you so much for reading! I’m a really big fan of stories about light and darkness and the balance between them, stories about love, and just Kingdom Hearts in general. I didn’t want to keep these thoughts in the back of my head and I’m glad I wrote them all out, even if it’s messy (and a shocking 6k words long...) Kingdom Hearts is a bit messy, after all.

If you're interested in more about Sora and Riku's relationship or just literary analysis of KH in general, please check out Constructing Kingdoms on YouTube, as it helped give me the words to write a lot of this essay. Further, if you're in total denial that there is any queer text in Kingdom Hearts, please check out this amazing video essay on Riku being gay.

That's all I have. Please feel free to share if you have any disagreements or if any parts really spoke to you, or if you have anything to add, or anything really. These two live rent-free in my mind, and I don't mind talking about them or about how they're just so perfect to change the world.

Thank you. Spread love (and the Soriku agenda.)

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #sora and riku #soriku #soriku endgame actually #media analysis #literary analysis is my special interest #andrew's essays #meta essay #kh meta

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jabberwockprince · 6 months

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since we're all having fun talking about theories and headcanons before the game drops. one thing that i do want for missing link, that is mostly wishful thinking on my part, is a reveal for kairi being a descendant of the player

this is based on their parallels of being shooting stars later found washed up on a beach from the new missing link trailer, plus that one moment from KH1 where kairi's grandma tells her about the age of the fairytales and nothing else lmfao

and i want that so badly because. it would be so fucking ironic and poetic to have kairi be a direct descendant of the one person that raised and cared so much for xehanort. the player, whose memories of ephemer and skuld and chirithy and everyone else influenced xehanort into starting his whole ass spiral and descent into darkness

only for her (and sora) to be the ones to get xehanort to stop in the end. ending a cycle of sorts. for her to be haunted by the memory of xehanort, the same way xehanort was "haunted" by the memory of the player's past life

PLUS. i want it to SPECIFICALLY recontextualize kairi's inheritance of the keyblade from BBS. because kairi's reason to wield a keyblade being nothing more than an "accident" feels like such a disservice to her AND aqua??

if they could recontextualize xehanort into whole new depths in dark road, i dont see why they couldn't reframe that moment as kairi reclaiming a dormant power, her own heritage that her bloodline forgot for centuries, since knowledge about keyblades and wielders began to fade out over time to the point where people who KNEW about them thought they were evil. makes sense that as the age of fairytales is left FORGOTTEN, no one can remember how to summon a keyblade, let alone the knowledge to create one from someone's heart. but having a strong heart (one of the requisites for bequeathing ceremonies) and being in direct contact with a keyblade, could just. help jog the memory a bit

and show that yeah. kairi deserves to wield a keyblade because she has a strong heart, and because this was her heritage that was taken away from her when the worlds began to drift away from each other and so on. not because of an accident

everytime chance, fate and destiny are brought up in the saga to explain why something. happened the way it did. it carries so much weight and so many events that led to That Point. but kairi's inheritance as of right now was just. yeah, an accident. no ceremony at all AND I JUST THINK SHE DESERVES RLLY COOL THINGS OKAY

#khml #DONT GET ME WRONG. THE THEORY AND HC ABOUT #RIKI BEING THE ONE COMING FROM A PRESTIGIOUS BLOODLINE OF POWERFUL WIELDERS #IS ALSO SUPER GOOD #BUT I THINK KAIRI DESERVES SMTH TOO OTHER THAN THE WRITING USING HER JUST TO ELEVATE SORA #their dynamics mean so much to me #some fucking guy named sora and his very cool anime protagonist best friends who actually think HES the coolest protagonist in the world #kairi being stubborn refusing to let go of sora. the same way the player is stubborn in refusing to let their friends die #to the point where they both can just cheat at death many times thanks to their connections with other people #since MOST ppl who came back to life in the saga. they do it by cheating time. or sheer force of will. but rarely thru. friendship and love #looks at luxu. some even refuse to die. kinda wild #YES im delusional #look at me in the fucking eyes right now #sora as a character who keeps being shattered. due to the pressure of his role. things he never asked for and keep happening to him #riki as a character who bends and breaks over and over. as punishment and rebellion. because he doesnt know where he fits in all of this #kairi as a character who keeps vanishing. who continues to have the places and people she loves taken away. and she keeps being left behind

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cloudofash · 1 year

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Kingdom Hearts 4 - Thoughts, Predictions and Ramblings

I've had a mountain of thoughts collecting in my brain since Melody of Memory but I never could find a way to express them properly. Before I knew it UX had ended, Dark Road came and ended and now Missing Link is on it's way and the only thing I can think is how this all ties together and will lead into Kingdom Hearts 4 and the series going forward. I decided not to wait any longer, sorry if I can't present a coherent post here but I'd rather get all these thoughts out than let them fester any longer! 😆

Melody of Memory

Thanks to MoM's ending we know Riku ventures to Quadratum alone to find Sora, Kairi stays behind to train with Aqua and Donald and Goofy head to the Underworld to most likely ask Hades about Sora's whereabouts.

With Riku, I predict we'll get a Dream Drop style in KH4 where we switch back and forth between him and Sora, though I doubt they'll drop this time and will be very much awake. (Soriku stans we in there ayeee!! DDD 2!!).

If Yozora stands in Sora's way (whether initually or eventually) and traps him in crystal as the bad ending of Limit Cut suggested, that means Riku will most likely be the one to free him. And booooy the implications that has, especially when you consider Disney films like Atlantis the Lost Empire and Frozen where the main character had to fight for their loved one to free them from their frozen state. It would be a glorious parallel and would make for a tender moment between the two, something I believe is much needed after Riku was left out of sharing the Paopu Fruit and his rescue was forgotten by Sora. Not to mention Riku himself believed nothing he did was enough for Sora, not becoming a Keyblade Master, nor becoming a leader amongst his peers or even connecting himself to Sora and dreaming of his exact location for a year after being lost. Riku needs affirmation that he's needed by Sora, and Sora needs a reminder of who his Light is.

I love the idea of Kairi making potential friends outside the trio, thus I love the idea of her spending time with and possibly bonding with Aqua. Hopefully after their training sessions, Kairi will finally become a Team Player no longer dumped to the side. I think this will give her character the desperate boost it needs.

And finally, thanks to context from Dark Road we now know the dead can be contacted from the Underworld. However, I feel only those whose hearts are in The Final World can be contacted, not those whose hearts transferred to the other side of reality. I'd be surprised if Hades could reach hearts even on the opposite side of reality, but I won't completely rule it out. The Underworld could become useful for contacting Nameless Star in the future so they don't have to keep traveling to The Final World, and her human form may be revealed here (as we saw in Dark Road, the dead reappear in their original human forms rather than in the Final World's transparent stars). I expect that her human form won't look the same as her Quadratum form since it appears the "Somebody" who unalived her took "everything about her" which may include her original body, similarly to how Yozora's body was also taken and his heart was replaced.

Only time will tell and I can't wait for KH4 to come! When the next trailer drops I'll probably melt into a bowl of ice cream.🫠

Dark Road / Missing Link

Dark Road had a LOT of content in it but what I want to take away most from it for future titles is reincarnation (player character) and family lineages (Xehanort being Ephemer's great-great grandson or so) which we know will be touched upon in Missing Link (per an interview with Nomura). This can lead to an interesting dynamic between all the characters as we discover who comes from what lineage and which characters may even be distant relatives.

Aside from Xehanort, everyone else's lineage is up in the air aside from one other character, Riku. If the Crown Necklace Theory proves true then that means Riku, who had the Crown Necklace since he was a baby, is of royal blood through one of his parents or at least a descendant of a prestigious family. Given his silver hair and blue eyes, the only line I can imagine he comes from is Ephemer's. And this is also shown through Xehanort who descends from Ephemer and is also constantly represented with a crown.

If Ephemer's line are represented by crowns it's fair to assume he and his descendants are considered "royalty". And what could this mean for Riku in KH4 and the future? As Kingdom Hearts characters are constantly represented by Chess Pieces, the Ephemer descendants are the King pieces of the story so to speak. It all adds up when you consider Riku was not only initially the Keyblade's Chosen and the initial bearer of the Crown Necklace but now Yozora has seemingly come into the series as the opposite King on the chest board from the dimension of fantasy. And who does Yozora resemble most? Riku. Learning Riku's lineage is important as it could very well further point to Riku being the "True King" of the Kingdom Hearts dimension. It'd all tie together. But I have a theory on the Verum Rex, Falsus Rex discussion that I will save for a future time.

Aside from Riku, there aren't any other characters with even a hint about who they might be.

The only other candidate for Royalty is Kairi, not only being a Princess of Heart but she was raised in a castle by her Grandmother who may have been Queen of Radiant Garden, or they were at least of a high social class. If Kairi also comes from Royalty, is it the same Royal line as Ephemer's descendants? Her relationship with Xehanort seems to have started when she was only 4, he chose her as the vessel who would find and connect with the Keyblade Wielder for a reason. It would be interesting if he chose Kairi due to her being from his family line. The only evidence I have that points Kairi to being a Descendant lf Ephemer aside from possibly being royalty is that her Grandmother is the one who retells the story of how the Dandelions scattered across the worlds in search of light. Her Grandmother may have learned that from her ancestors, one being Ephemer, but it's also possible it was just a common children's story told to everyone regardless of lineage. But all of this assumes she descends from Ephemer and not a potential secondary Royal line. Her family is only from Radiant Garden as far as we know not Scala ad Caelum/Daybreak Town so it's very possible she has nothing to do any of the Dandelions and simply descends from the (speculated) Radiant Garden Royal family. Only time will tell and I'm very excited to learn more about her and her family.

As for Sora, there are no hints about his family lineage at all, aside from one line from his mother far back in KH1 we don't know anything about his father or any other family members (if we don't focus on the manga which mentions his uncle). He doesn't have a crown necklace of his own like Riku, he doesn't come from a castle like Kairi so we can assume he doesn't come from any Royalty. For Sora, I can only make an educated guess and I think he may come from Brain's line. If Xehanort and Riku come from Ephemer's line and Eraqus is rumored to have come from Brain's line, then I would expect Sora to also come from Brain's line since Eraqus is to Xehanort what Sora is to Riku, in a sense.

Also in learning which characters descend from which line, we can discover who is related to who. If Riku does in fact also directly descend from Ephemer then that would mean he and Xehanort are relatives - distant cousins. And the same would be true for Eraqus and Sora if they both descend from Brain. And if Kairi descends from either of these lines, that would make her a distant relative of either Sora or Riku. Her being distant cousins with Riku would be very interesting to their relationship, but her being distant cousins with Sora...well, talk about awkward.

But I'm jumping way ahead here. We'll have to wait for Missing Link to come out to see who comes from what family and I absolutely can't wait to see how it all plays out and how it ties to the plot of Kingdom Hearts 4 and the series' future!

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #kairi #missing link #kh missing link #kingdom hearts heritage #kingdom hearts family lines

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nyctoheart · 2 years

Note

Do you think there was a significance to Brain saying “They (the BOP and the master’s defender) were meant for you” to Ephemer? It implies that Ava was the one who gave the keyblade to him as well, I really hope this means Ava will have a major active role in the future. It makes the master’s defender parallel no name even more. Now that we know no name was passed down so that MoM could timetravel and write the BOP, I wonder if the Master’s Defender will serve a purpose akin to that for Ava’s plan.

Oh yeah very interesting thought! If Ava indeed gave it to Brain (which, I agree with you that really seems to be the case), it's very interesting that Ava was able to obtain this Keyblade at all to begin with-- especially if it's a Keyblade older than the foretellers' Keyblades. Part of me wonders if the MoM gave Ava this keyblade to her when assigning her role, but was never shown on screen because it would practically confirm that Ava and Brain had a secret second meeting, something hinted at (like you said) but not confirmed.

The reason I wonder if it was when the MoM gave Ava her role is because the MoM implies her role with the Dandelions is involved with the final passage of the Book of Prophecies (IOW the Tear in Time, since it happens immediately after, leading to the Light of the Past scene). And there's a series of points that I have a "conspiracy red string" connecting them all:

Ava's role possibly being responsible for KH3's Light of the Past scene.

Brain ending up in gothic Scala ad Caelum.

Eraqus (who's tied to Brain) knowing about both the Tear in Time and Light of the Past.

the Master Defender being a focus in Ephemer's statue in gothic Scala ad Caelum.

Ephemer appearing during the Light of the Past

DR's tease about Missing Link (spoilers)

So if the Master Defender is tied to all these, we have some mysteries:

Did Ava recieve it from the MoM to pass down to Ephemer?

Why did she keep it until her second meeting with Brain?

If it's older than the foretellers' Keyblades, why did the MoM have it, and what are its origins?

There is a theory its a Keyblade of Darkness, since chip and dale say a Keyblade of Darkness can open the way to the Realm of Darkness, and Sora used the Master Defender to open a door to the RoD. KH3's glossary (The Three Realms) states Sora used the Power of Waking-- which explains why Aqua didn't just let herself out since she had the Master Defender while in the RoD, but the Power of Waking is usually involved with the Station of Awakening (1, 2, 3), so... idk I just am suspicious/open minded for that being the sole reason Sora was able to enter the RoD. But even if it is Keyblade of Darkness, I don't exactly know how that would tie into its role with Ephemer and the Light of the Past.

Either way I just hope to god that Ava comes back in ML. Like, there are SOOO MANNYYYY theories surrounding her, Brain, Ephemer, the Tear in Time/Light of the Past that... if we don't get answers in ML... I really don't know how else Nomura plans to connect all them together...

#ask #asks #sorry for the late reply; I'm on vacation #master defender #master keeper #thoughts

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dahniwitchoflight · 3 years

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KH: The Foreteller’s Animal Masks

This is half fun facts / half theory but basically it’s a list of which Sins/Foretellers are associated with which animals AND where the inspirations for the animal associations came from, since there’s actually a few different sources!

The first would be the Ancrene Wisse, which was a sort of field guidebook for Anchoresses (Female Abbesses/Monks/Nuns basically) containing rules of conduct and behavior

https://www.hermitary.com/articles/ancrene.html

This goes into many things that honestly have cool thematic ties with symbolism for stuff in Kingdom Hearts, which I could honestly make a whole post in it’s own for tbh, but for here were focusing on one passage:

“The wilderness is the solitary life of the anchoress's dwelling, for just as in the wilderness there are all the wild beasts, and they will not endure men coming near but flee when they hear them, so should anchorites, above all other women, be wild in this way, and then they will be desirable, above other women, to Our Lord.

In this wilderness are many evil beasts: the lion of pride, the snake of poisonous envy, the unicorn of anger, the bear of dead sloth, the fox of covetousness, the sow of gluttony, the scorpion with the tail of stinging lechery, that is, lust.”

So, we start out with a nice base for some of the Sin/Foretellers:

Ira - Wrath - Unicorn - Unicornis

Avaritia - Greed - Fox - Vulpes

Acedia - Sloth - Bear - Ursus

Invidia - Envy - Snake - Anguis

but then wait, here Gula/Gluttony is a Sow, a Pig, but in KH it’s a Leopard

As well as recently in KH, they’ve made it clear that Luxu/Luxuria is a Goat, not a Scorpion (As cool as a Scorpion would have been for Luxu’s emblem, but a bit too on the nose I suppose haha)

Well, interestingly enough, did you know that back when the 7 deadly sins was actually more like the 8 Evil Things once? And that they were also grouped into a Trio of their own?

(Despair as Tristitia being the 8th one, because it’s essentially the sin of falling to sorrow/sadness or giving up, of blinding yourself to other’s troubles and causing sorrow in return or being too sorrowful to act, later it was folded into Sloth as a lack of diligence)

But the 3 Major sin groupings was essentially the three Reasons that people would sin the deadly sins

Incontinence: Doing wrong because they couldn't help it. Or sinning from a lack of moderation or self-control.

Violence: Doing wrong because of anger, revenge or retaliation. Or sinning from by trying to force your will externally

Fraud/Corruption: Doing wrong on purpose in order to hurt other's. Or sinning from betrayal, lies and manipulation.

These three things form a sort of Unholy Trinity in opposition with the Divine trinity of Father-Son-Holy Spirit

And, very famously, Dante’s Inferno links these three groupings to three creatures from a famous bible verse��describing the destruction of humanity via it's own nature:

Jeremiah 5:6 - “Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, and a wolf from the desert shall destroy them. A leopard is watching against their cities, every one who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.”

A Lion, A Leopard and A Wolf.

Now based on Dante’s actual writing which grouping with which animal and which sins is often debated, but usually it’s roughly as follows:

Leopard of Incontinence: Gluttony, Greed, Luxuria (from Immoderation, Extravagance, Wastefulness)

Lion of Violence: Wrath, Pride (from Murder, Suicide, Squandering, Blasphemy)

Wolf of Fraud/Corruption: Envy, Sloth, Sorrow/Despair (Tristitia) (from Corruption, Thievery, Falsifier, Betrayal) (yeah... old timey people did indeed view what was essentially depression as a “willful” sin aka something people did on purpose to hurt themselves, like they drown in their sorrows willingly because of a refusal to heal themselves or as a willing corruption of their soul, nowadays if it existed would definitely be thought of a Leopard sin I’d think)

So here it’s very easy to see where Leopardos and Gula get tied together, because in KH the sin of Gluttony is lifted above the other’s in the group, which makes sense because being gluttonous for money is greed, being gluttonous for luxuries was Luxuria (or sex for lust)

And here also, the Sin of Pride/Superbia is again associated with the Lion as it is in the Ancrene Wisse (though it’s also associated with Wrath strongly as well, so no wonder MoM chose Ira to be the next leader after he was gone)

So in all likelihood, this means that the symbol of the Master of Masters is most likely a Lion of Pride, Superbia (and if he had his own union, it might be something like Leo or Panthera)

But honestly the biggest thing that definitely makes MoM the Lion of Pride is the passage in the Ancrene Wisse that elaborates upon the Lion of Pride, describing it as having “many cubs”:

“But the author continues the animal analogies, enumerating a classification of the sins. "The lion of pride has very many cubs," he states, and enumerates them: vainglory, indignation, hypocrisy, presumption, disobedience, loquacity, blasphemy, impatience, contumacy, contention, "airs and graces." “

Reminds me of both MoM’s many apprentices or Master Xehanort’s collection in the organization

Though the REAL reason is also because did you know when KH was still being thought of and designed, Nomura actually wanted to make Sora a Half-Lion Chainsaw Wielder and we all know Sora is secretly the MoM right lol

But anyway, that explains Gula being a Leopard

So then where did all this talk of Luxu being a Goat come from?

Well one reason could be that later on as the deadly sins got solidified as just the seven of them, and as their meanings changed from umbrella terms to more specific sins, their animal interpretations also started to differ:

Avarice/Greed = Toad/Frog

Invidia/Envy = Snake

Ira/Wrath = Lion

Acedia/Sloth = Snail

Gula/Gluttony = Pig

Luxuria/Lust = Goat

Superbia/Pride = Peacock

Also Ira with a Lion mask would be cool but can you imagine a Snail Aced or a Froggy Ava? lol

But it IS Cool to think that these “Modernized” animals could then become the emblems of the Union Leaders that inherited Ava’s legacy, since they are the newer versions of those Unions, obviously there’s no one to Inherit MoM’s legacy

But you could easily think of Ventus as the “Traitor” aka the scapeGoated 6th for the new group, leaving Frogs, Snakes, Lions, Snails and Pigs for the other five

(I wonder who I’d put with who... Ephemer, Skuld, Lauriam, Strelitzia and Brain... the only sin associated with Death would be Wrath (As Suicide) and the “Ira” position appears to be the one who inherits the leader, and it’s theorized Strelitzia was the circled name supposed to get the Book of Prophecies

So Strelitzia = Lion/Wrath

Ephemer and Ava always seemed to be the closest and he was the one who seemed to inherit her Legacy the most so he can get Frogs/Greed

Brain is similar to Gula in how they calmly investigate issues and try to uncover the truth and got extra information than the others, so Pigs/Gluttony for him

Lauriam was the poster boy for temptation into darkness, which is what Darkness was intended when his sister Strelitzia was killed, for him to be the first to fall to rage and grief, nice Aced parallel as the one everyone suspected of falling to darkness first so he gets Snails/Sloth, fitting for the flower elemental lol

and that leave Skuld and Invi which also makes sense as the parallel for the person who tries to intervene in conflicts and mediate for the group, so Skuld gets Snake/Envy

Neat!

But anyway back to Luxu, I think Luxu is represented by the Goat not just because of the above modern listings, but also because of the special place of evil that Christian religions tend to place on Goat itself

If the Lamb is the most common symbol of Jesus Christ, the Goat has always been a symbol of the Evil of Lucifer. Sheep and Goats, despite being so similar, have always been seen as this symbolic duo. Sheep and Lambs being submissive, complacent, docile, while Goats are crazy, willful, destructive and etc likely because since they are so close in nature, they are basically seen as the Good and Evil version of the same animal, a Goat is essentially a heretical false Lamb

They are very commonly associated with the Devil/Lucifer himself and goats have always gotten the short end of stick, all the way back to the old tradition of using goats as well, scape-goats literally. The practice of singling out a particular creature or person and placing all the sin and blame onto it, and then driving it away

Luxu is singled out from the group, likely given the role of “Traitor” amongst the six of them and then is forced into essentially exile to the future by MoM where he can do nothing but watch and wait, never able to interfere or meddle with anything

And this reasoning of the Goat fits Luxu above all others.

So there we have it, finally at the end:

Ira/Wrath - Unicorn/Unicornis

Avaritia/Greed - Fox/Vulpes

Acedia/Sloth - Bear/Ursus

Invidia/Envy - Snake/Anguis

Gula/Gluttony - Leopard/Leopardus

and if Luxu and MoM had union names, (which seem to be just be taken from the genus of the animal directly) they’d likely be:

Luxuria/Lust - Goat/Caprini

Superbia/Pride - Lion/Panthera

But I think the Most Interesting Thing to glean from all of this, is going back to the 3 Groupings for the 8 evil things, can you imagine if KH ever decides to give MoM a little backstory, and a figure based on the Wolf of Fraud/Corruption, emblem of Despair came into the picture somewhere?

Something that might look a little like this?

Hey that’s interesting, isn’t this the special secret boss Dark Hide from Aqua’s Fragmentary Passage? Y’know, that journey all about Aqua falling into the pits of Despair where she then ends up fighting The First Real Pureblood Heartless she ever faces in the Realm of Darkness? Something that Aqua felt was Willfully and Intentionally Stalking her through the depths, instead of mindlessly attacking her?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQGONhqs0mU

Isn’t that interesting how all of things, they give this boss the opportunity for the player to see through it’s eyes, something very unique, and how it initially appears as a formless Darkness

And isn’t Darkness itself, given a will and a personality, now a figure in KHUX Dark Road, that has specific ties to the MoM, as Luxu describes as being a fellow student and/or old friend of MoM?

Could the Will of Despair manifested from darkness come to be a secret 8th apprentice of MoM?

Who knows, but it’s interesting how that symbolism lines up isn’t it?

#KH #Kingdom Hearts #KHUX #KHUXDR #Darkness

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violethowler · 3 years

Note

Hi, i've been following you for a while now and i would like to ask you your thoughts on the recent updates involving khux and what you think on how it will apply to later installments involving our group and their destiny?

I've read a good chunk of your essay analysis on sora and his heroine's journey and i found it very compelling and enlightening to the overall structure of the series and that it provides a bit more stable clarity into the direction.

First of all, I’m so glad you enjoyed my essays on Sora and the Heroine’s Journey. It was extremely satisfying to write about all the different ways that Kingdom Hearts ties back to this narrative template, and it's just as satisfying to know people are getting something out of it.

I’m assuming when you say “our group”, you’re referring to Sora and company in the present day and what they’re all up to, rather than the Dandelions and the Union X leaders. Because as far as the latter go, I’m still trying to make sense of what happened with Brain and Ephemer and all that there, and I don't have anything solid for Ven, Skuld, Lauriam, and Elrena beyond "The VLE trio get their memories back and reunite" and "Skuld is Subject X".

But as far as the main present day cast is concerned, I do have a few ideas as far as how the final UX updates will apply to later games.

First, I think that the introduction of Darkness and how it decided to kill Strelitzia because of Ven’s desire to be stronger has a lot of interesting potential for Kairi’s character development (which I briefly touched on a few months ago in another meta). The introduction of the “New Seven Hearts” in Kingdom Hearts III presents the idea that a Princess of Heart can pass on their powers, meaning that if someone like Kairi were to pass on that power, it would leave her vulnerable to darkness in a way that she never was before. Given the parallels between her and Ventus, Darkness the entity jumping from Ven’s heart to Kairi’s after she passes on her Princess of Heart status and trying to use her desire to get stronger to achieve destructive results would go tremendously with the series’ themes of balance between light and darkness. While Riku has overcome his struggle with the darkness in his own heart and Sora’s is just about to truly begin, Kairi has not had to wrestle with darkness and her negative emotions the way that the other two have/will. So with Sora being set up to undergo that struggle in the next stage of the series, it would make sense for Kairi to be forced to have that same conflict herself before the series is over.

Second, the Master of Master’s conversation with Luxu in the khux finale about how his goal is to destroy Darkness forever and his demonstrated willingness to set his apprentices up as sacrifices to achieve that goal ties into some of my other essays regarding Kingdom Hearts and the Heroine’s Journey. As Nomura said in an interview for DDD about why the game had Sora and Riku as dual characters, balance between light and darkness is a major theme for the series. Ever since Chain of Memories, we’ve been presented with the idea that darkness and light are fundamental forces in the universe that cannot exist without each other. Xehanort has always been focused on how light has been dominant over dark and uses darkness to correct that imbalance. With the Master of Masters, we now have an antagonist who wants to outright destroy darkness altogether. And his willingness to use his own apprentices and set them up as hosts to contain and destroy the Darkness entities solidly buts him as the ultimate example of “Light is Not Good” in this series. Given that the next phase of the Heroine’s Journey is set up to involve Sora confronting and accepting the darkness in his own heart, the latest khux updates are setting up our heroes to have to fight to protect darkness from light instead of the other way around.

That scene between Luxu and the Master also adds a lot of evidence towards a theory I’ve had about Kingdom Hearts 3 since I finished the game that I’d almost forgotten about. With the reveal that Luxu as Xigbar had been steering the course of Xehanort’s plans all along, I speculated that the whole “shatter Kairi to motivate Sora” was Xigbar’s idea, that he knew what Sora would do to save her and the consequences it would have. Based on a few other theories, I speculated that the Master of Masters wanted Riku for some as yet unclear reason and used the link between him and Sora to get to him. With the reveal that the Master intends himself and his Foretellers to serve as vessels for the Dark entities, I think I have a clearer idea.

MoM tells Luxu he needs the Foretellers to have such strong hearts that Darkness cannot control them, specifically talking about Darkness being locked inside the hearts of himself, Luxu, the Foretellers, and the five Dandelion Leaders. In DDD, Young Xehanort specifically says that Riku has found a way to trap darkness inside his heart in a way that YMX cannot understand. In other words, Riku’s mastery over his own darkness makes him exactly the kind of person that MoM is looking for to use as a host for Darkness.

#khux finale spoilers #khux spoilers #khux finale #kingdom hearts meta #kingdom hearts theory #kh speculation

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player-1 · 5 years

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Okay, hear me out...

The data world in KH2 (and ReCoded, obviously) are in the Unchained Realm. You don’t believe me? Too bad, I’m gonna tell you how!

KH2

In the intro of KH2, we play through the Data-Twilight Town, a computer copy of Twilight Town to keep Roxas occupied, sift out all of his memories of the Organization and reintegrate him into Sora. Well, in a sleep-deprived moment of epiphany, I realized how oddly similar it seems to Unchained/UnionX; namely the Unchained Realm. https://youtu.be/xm3wtQHq_3g?t=33

Of course Blaine the “Let me give you an existential crisis“ guy gave as much of an explaination as he could without thoroughly geeking out. But let me give you a simplified version...

Book of Prophecies <----> Unchained Realm <----> New world It’s important to note how Keykids are free to travel to and from the UR, but there’s not real way to travel from a random world to the Book of Prophecies, there has to be some kind of passageway to get inside the book itself... Like, you know...a computer system?

While the simulated Twilight Town isn’t like the BoP, it’s similar in execution. You just stick a person into the machine, translate it to code, and boom!, you got yourself a digital prisoner! And when it comes to data, everything in Twilight Town is copied and pasted to a T, that even the copies of people are alike in every way. In a general sense, DiZ possessed the exact copy of world in the palm in his hand, and he didn’t have the time and effort to make an entire freaking beach...But since he’s doing everything he can to keep Roxas inside the system, he kind of works like the Master of Masters; keeping everyone hunky-dorey until the end of the world comes.

Want to know why I brought up MoM? Well...in the sense of parallels, Namine is the Virus of the system. 1. She purposefully infiltrates DTT to help Roxas avoid his fate. 2. Possesses extraordinary knowledge of the situation (and much more, of course) 3. She’s the chaotic-good that throws her enemies off (DiZ and Riku) and gain the trust of the victim (Roxas).

While it seems like a far shot, Blaine might have known beforehand that the UR is a simulation, and he’s trying to find a way to break the program from the inside-out.

But what about ReCoded? Isn’t it just like the Book of Prophecies? In every way, that is true; but in a whirlwind of an adventure, if translated to a digital environment, glitches or not, it’s poorly coded. Outside influences can easily interfere with the digital world, vice versa, the “exit” is unethical, and even Data-Sora’s Keyblade is a far cry from the original, something the BoP perfects in tapping into the powers of the future. And just like KH2, the virus in the system, surprisingly enough, is Data-Roxas. Much like Data-Namine in 2, he tries to change the victim’s fate, but in a more antagonistic manner. Instead of escaping the simulation, DR wants Sora to drown in it, throw away his idea of being a hero and realize that it hurts, make him realize there’s no escaping a written fate...(I mean, I know it was a test, but he was still pretty pissed about it)

I suppose...since I got you roped into the idea, let me circle back to KH2, namely, the one thing that is somehow “unchained” from reality...The Twilight Thorn in the KH2 intro.

Out of every Nobody in the series (including the Specter), it’s one of the two Lesser Nobodies that isn’t particularly mentioned in the series (or lore for what I know so far). It just seems to be there, serving as a basic antagonist for our Key-toting Hero of Light. For extra credit, here’s the battle for reference, and try to think about some possible differences compared to a regular Nobody battle (or boss battle for that matter).

https://youtu.be/FCXFmipr6t4

Finished? Good, because it’s going to be a bit of a doozy.

First of all, the way it appears. Out of every enemy faced in the Station of Waking, it’s the only enemy that actively moves outside of the Station. And for some mild KH3 spoilers, the SoW is the physical boundary between life and death, so seeing this heaping mass of nothingness drifting to and fro the boundary, the gaping void, and even shifting its gravity is a terrifying threat in of itself.

Second, its battle strategy. Despite its size, it’s a lot more fluid than other Nobodies. Based on its motion, it’s not initially hostile, shooting thorns and summoning Creepers to try and do some quick work to Roxas. But only when it’s actively harmed, it changes to offensive, pining Roxas’ limbs, tossing him around like a ragdoll, then literally turning the tables with the SoW and a giant ball of fire.

Third, its weak point, the head. While every Nobody is an empty shell of their original form, it’s strange to know that the Twilight Thorn is immune to all attacks except the head (as opposed to the Darkside, the Heartless paralleled from KH1). Isn’t it also strange to see how, after destroying the giant ball it flings at Roxas, it falls to the ground with the sound of its broken neck? Nobodies shouldn’t have bones, given their inhuman elasticity, so it’s a pretty disturbing detail to realize.

Well, since I’m beating this dead horse, why does the Twilight Thorn look oddly similar to Ephemer?

The scarf? The white hair? Practically identical, right? So why in the world is his Nobody in the Station of Waking and in the digital world? Simple, his Nobody is battling between life and death, between the Unchained Realm and the real world. Maybe that’s why it was spurred into action when Roxas unknowingly invaded its territory, hoping to gain control of the Station and get a second chance at life, to somehow return to his Somebody. While it’s not explicitly stated the circumstances on how a Somebody returns, but it is stated (in the KH3 Ultimania) that when a Nobody dies, the Somebody recieves the mortal wounds and/or injuries that resulted in the Nobody’s death.

Long story short: Roxas inadvertedly gave Ephemer the ‘just kill me already’ equivalence of a major concussion.

Oohhh...Well, good luck getting that idea out of your head.

#kh #kh2 #kh recoded #kh union x #kh3 spoilers #kh3 ultimania #roxas #naminé #data-namine #data-roxas #twilight thorn #ephemer

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sakuralychee · 5 years

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Guardians of Light and Foretellers: Personalities and Battle Style

It’s something that’s probably has been not only my mind, but a lot of people’s mind. While it’s not confirmed, I believe that there’s a member in the Guardians of Light that have some if not a lot of traits similar to one of the Foretellers. Because it’s bothered me, I tried my hand at an analysis to compare one of the members to the Guardians of Light to the Foretellers. I’m actually not the best observer and I probably made some mistakes so I apologize in advance and you can correct me. This is actually my first time actually ever doing this so if possible, I would love to write more on not just their personalities but maybe their weapons and color palettes(Though someone might have already done it). It is a very long analysis but I hope you are ready to read through it all.

Riku and Ira: I believe you can call both Riku and Ira naturally born leaders. They have both the skills, knowledge, and leadership to be able to be the top of their game. Especially when you see in the beginning of KH, Riku is basically holding the group together from slacking off and actually making the raft and the Master of Masters directly told Ira to take over leadership because he believes he has the most qualities of it. They are both very observant and is very quick to pick up small details that pertain to the bigger story. I believe it’s most obvious seen when Riku quickly picks up the situation and the theory on the parallel differences in Traverse Town and for Ira, as stated by the Master of Masters, he analyzes the Book of Prophecies thoroughly, indicating that he does not want to miss a single detail. Though, one of their biggest flaws is that they are quick to assume before actually confirming. For Ira, when the Chirithy Nightmare incident occurred, he quickly thought that it was one of the foretellers was the traitor and that traitor held the lost page without second thought, and immediately guessed Aced to be the traitor due to his actions. For Riku, he was influenced by Maleficient and even though he knew Sora longer and was his best friend, due to his insecurities I guess, he thought Sora abandoned him, didn't care about Sora, and only cared about his 'new friends'.

They only made assumptions based on what they're told rather than seeing the answers for themselves. They grow suspicious first before trusting. Though you see Ira somewhat getting out of the assumption as he wants to prevent the war, he does forgive Aced in some ways, and accepts as a comrade again, though it lead to his demise as Aced once again raised his blade against others due to his ideals and betrays Ira once more.

Riku also did suffer by the long run but after he sees his mistake, you do see him walk through the path to the light through his redemption arc. Basically Riku got the long end of the stick for this. They are both balanced magic and melee users, but I believe they focus a bit more on the melee rather than magic. They both utilize light attacks, though due to Riku having experience with darkness, he uses dark type spells as well.

Aqua and Invi: Invi and Aqua are the ones who are the most composed and the one who keeps the group together. Both of their masters ordered them to observe and only take action when necessary, usually being on a neutral stance, though only following orders would lead to their downfall. They both are mainly magic users as well, and are known to be the most proficient out of the group with magic. Also the fact that they both fought the other counterpart, Terra/Aced because of their clashing ideals, and it can be noted in that battle that Aqua/Invi supports the Master while Terra/Aced to some extent questions and goes against their Master’s intentions. I feel that they have not shown Invi enough though since it seems she gets the least amount of appearances in both the movie and KHX itself for me to analyze her completely so I apologize it’s so short.

Terra and Aced: Aced and Terra are close minded people due to their background of only having influence of their master. Though I'm not entirely sure about Aced, Terra has only been taught by the Master's teaching and you can kind of see how secluded he was, especially since Eraqus was such an idealist that Light is the only path. They both go against their master's teachings and follow to what they believe was right (though Terra did it more to protect his friend Ventus while Aced actually went against Gula from this) I can see that both ultimately fell to their demise due to such ideals, falling to darkness as their search for power. Even though they are both honest, the difference between the two is Terra is much kinder and sees the better of people (having a really trusting to the point of gullible nature, trusting even Xehanort while Aced sees the worst of people and assumes the worst, attacking his own allies from an action that does not follow his own ideals.) Their fighting styles are also really similar since they both rely on brute force and heavy physical damage dealers. They both use the ground to their advantage, as Terra is most proficient in ground element and Aced is able to use spatial and create rifts, especially towards the ground.

Gula and Ventus are a bit harder to discern but I think I am able to see some similarities. They have some level of playful personality, though more noticeable in Ven when he teases Zack, Gula does tease Aced regarding his appearance. This might be a bit far fetched however the master told Gula not to trust anyone in order to find the traitor which is a bit similar to Ven's situation where he was envying Skuld and Ephemer about their friendship which makes me think that he was most likely lonely and didn't really have trust to make friends. Also there's an opposite effect that Gula has not trusted Aced and deems his as a traitor due to his actions and influence of Invi who convinces him to while Ventus trusts Terra to make the right choice despite him falling to darkness and stays on his side, defending him and even going against Aqua throughout the whole game. Though this can be defended for their different actions because how Aced and Terra have opposite personalities when faced with their own obstacles. So while they are not as similar as the others, their opposite actually make them quite similar to each other. Also they are both reliant on speed and their elements are related to such fast motion as well, lightning and wind, also something to note that there is a Japanese myth of the Kami duo that are always paired together, the God of Lightning and Wind. (I might discuss it more if I ever try my hand on other analysis like their weapons itself.)

I think Kairi and Ava have a lot of similarities and it's pretty obvious, I feel like it all started with these 2 for similarities. First off, they are both very kind individuals, outgoing, and not afraid to speak their minds. You can honestly see why they are on the side of light, protecting those that matter and will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves in order to protect it (Kairi hugging Heartless Sora from other heartlesses and Ava protecting Gula from Ira) (hey there's the slight Sora/Gula comparison~) They both see people for who they are rather than what they're labelled (Kairi is able to see through Sora and Riku when they were a heartless/Ansem and Ava recruits anyone who has their heart in the right mind no matter what union they are in).

They rather trust than doubt, as you can see that Kairi is able to forgive Lea rather than condemn him for kidnapping her (she has every right to hate him but still chooses to trust him and befriend him despite everything) and Ava is the last to believe (or she doesn't at all) that Aced is the traitor people speak of (even though the other Foretellers believe him to be such) and even though Luxu says and evidence points as such, she had a hard time believing the Master to support the Keyblade War. I think they have a flaw, though not really noticeable, and that's being afraid of change. For Kairi, it shows in the beginning before they set off, telling Sora to never change, to be the same Sora that she recognizes. In Ava's case, she tries to follow the Master's teachings as much as possible and anything other than that, she believes will just worsen the situation.

Though at the end, they both believe that doing such will not solve anything so they instead vow to take action instead. (Kairi, instead of being instructed to wait by Sora, goes off and jumps into a dark portal without hesitation if it will lead to Sora and Riku. Ava, being curious on the events of Keyblade War, tracks down Luxu to find the truth and gets out of her comfort zone by attacking him when she does find out.) They are not planning to bat an eye to conflict and would rather face it head on rather than running away, Kairi willingly becomes a Keyblade wielder once she finds out she's able to use a keyblade, (and fights Heartless to protect Sora!) even though she's one of the only Princesses of Heart and while Ava did create the Dandelions so they could avoid the Keyblade War, she herself throws herself into the War since she has the sense of duty to participate in it, especially since it cannot be avoided.

They also have a bit of a childish side to them, the ability to tease their comrades, Kairi teasing Sora in her first lines of KH for slacking off and Riku for acting like Sora in II.8, Ava teasing Aced with Gula for having such a frightening personality and utilize his bear to growl.

For fighting wise, they have the ability to use healing spells and is able to use light spells but I'm not entirely sure if Ava is able to that's up in the air. while Kairi is not able to use illusion like spells like Ava, I believe Namine has that ability (seen in CoM where she disguises as Kairi to save Riku). But if we were to compare Namine to Ava, that's going to be a whole section (and there's theories up in the air about it so I'm a bit too tired to discuss... Sorry..I might add the discussion with the ones that exists if I am able to find out more information.)

Thank you for reading this long analysis and if there’s any mistakes, don’t be afraid to fix it! I may not be the best person but I hope that people enjoyed reading this!

#foretellers #kingdom hearts #guardians of light #Riku #Ira #Aqua #Invi #Terra #Gula #Ventus #Kairi #Ava #KHX

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phoenix-downer · 5 years

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As far as written kh works go, how do you feel about the twinning up of kh characters? Ventus and Roxas being twins, Vanitas and Sora, etc. Do you prefer making them separate people, or is there a charm to having a sibling dynamic that the game occasionally touches on but doesn’t seem to fully explore? And what about making them related to other FF characters? (Riku to Sephiroth being a BIG one once upon a time) do you think it adds to or erases their characters?

I actually like the twinning! I think it leads to some interesting contrasts and this sibling yin-yang dynamic a lot of the time. Ventus and Vanitas being a good example of this - Ventus being the light, the yang, to Vanitas’s darkness, the yin.

One of the pieces of art for KH2 is even called Duality:

And we see that same twinning going on: Roxas (the yang) with Sora (the yin), and Kairi (the yang) with Naminé (the yin). Naminé even calls herself Kairi’s shadow, and Ansem the Wise told Roxas he needed Sora because he needed someone who could move freely throughout the realm of light.

There are other pairs as well: Sora and Vanitas, Roxas and Ventus, Kairi and Xion, plus Riku and the Riku Replica (probably more I can’t think of off the top of my head).

A part of growing up is figuring out who you are in the world, what makes you you, what makes you unique. As most of the main cast of KH are teenagers, the twinning really highlights this existential angst that teens go through as they get older. What makes me me is really accentuated when there’s another guy or girl running around with your face or a face similar to yours. How am I special if I look the same as that guy/girl? If his/her memories keep going through my head? And the answer is the heart.

A big theme in the series is that if you have your own heart, you’re your own person. So even though these “twins” of the other characters exist, it’s made clear as the series progresses that though they may share similar appearances, their hearts are unique. Their experiences are unique. As they continue to live and grow, they become more and more distinct from their “twin(s).”

I didn’t even think about Riku and Sephiroth, but that’s a good point! I think Nomura designed them similarly because he really seems to like giving antagonists white or silver hair and green eyes, and Riku had the role of antagonist in KH1. He wanted people to look at Riku and draw that parallel.

Only for Riku to get a great redemption arc and rejoin the side of good. So in a way he’s turning Riku’s appearance on its head, and I really like that. “Oh you thought this guy would be the villain? Guess what, he’s going to redeem himself and become one of the heroes.”

As many people have pointed out, though, Riku’s looking more like Noctis nowadays…

Now that we’ve closed up KH3, I hope we continue to see these characters grow and figure out what makes them distinct from each other. I think the whole twinning concept was good for the Dark Seeker Saga, but I hope that if Nomura introduces more new characters, that they are more visually distinct from each other.

Then again, this guy exists…

…and so does his love interest, who looks like a mix of Stella and Kairi…

…so maybe not.

The whole twinning thing definitely seems to be a visual motif Nomura enjoys using, so my guess is we’ll keep seeing it for years to come.

At least Skuld and Ephemer have unique designs…

Oh wait, nope, spoke too soon. Axel and Reno look similar too and are both voiced by Quinton Flynn.

Yeah, I think this is something we’ll keep seeing in Nomura’s works. This may be related or not, but I think it’s telling we haven’t seen the Foreteller’s faces yet. Are we going to get more of those visual parallels? Who knows!

Anyway, thanks for the ask!

#kingdom hearts #kh analysis #kh meta #answer #seniichi #long post

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bluerosesburnblue · 5 years

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A Kingdom Hearts Theory: Subject X

So, thanks to Kingdom Hearts III there’s been a lot of talk about this mysterious girl mentioned in the Secret Reports and by Ansem Seeker of Darkness, Ansem the Wise, Saix/Isa, and Axel/Lea throughout the game. Given what we know, most people are torn between this mysterious girl being either Ava or Skuld, both characters from the browser/mobile games, Kingdom Hearts χ [chi]/Unchained χ [chi]/Union χ [cross]

This theory is as much a Kingdom Hearts III/IV theory as it is a KHUχ theory, so a little bit of KHUχ knowledge is required

I really think that the ambiguity as to who Subject X is is intentional. And I think that Subject X is both Ava and Skuld

It’s been a theory of mine in KHUχ for a while now that Skuld is harboring Ava’s heart, not unlike Sora harboring Ven’s heart or Terra harboring Eraqus’s heart. Now, admittedly, I don’t have too much evidence for this, but I’d like to propose something. It seems to be a reoccurring thing now that characters compare Skuld to Ava. The first instance was Gula stating as much before Ava would have potentially died in the war. But it happens again, afterward

(Also, I recall it happening one more time after this, but I could be wrong.)

It seems to be deliberately done now. No one else gets compared to their supposed Foreteller “counterparts,” but Skuld has been compared to Ava multiple times. There’s a clear parallel set up between them

Now, Ava doesn’t appear with the other Foretellers in the post-credits scene of KH3. When asked why she isn’t there, Xigbar/Luxu gives this response:

(Credit to CGInfernoBlast on Youtube for the screenshot.)

Ava isn’t there because she carried out her mission. From what we know, Ava’s mission was to create the Dandelions and send them away before the war began, as well as appoint five people specified by the Master as their leaders. What about that could possibly lead to her disappearance?

It’s no secret in the KHUχ fandom that Ava’s been widely believed to be the “traitor,” unwittingly. As specified at the end of KHχ’s run on browsers, Ava’s actions fit those of the person on the Lost Page of the Book of Prophecies, who the Master claims is the “traitor.” She sneaks around and confronts Luxu, who tells her... something, that she refuses to believe (likely the truth of their roles as implied in the KH3 ending), and then she attacks him, setting off the bell that begins the war.

The only thing she’s missing is the sigil. The traitor bears the Recusant’s Sigil, which many believe could be Subject X’s name. By later being named “X,” Ava would bear the sigil. And here’s where I think the intentional ambiguity sets in.

One of the Secret Reports is written by Subject X. There are two lines that are just enough to determine that the speaker is a KHUχ character, and yet not enough to determine who

“Four friends, and a key…that is the sum total of my memory.”

Both Ava and Skuld have four friends. Ava has the other Foretellers. Her surrogate siblings. Skuld has the other four Union Leaders. And even if one of them is a traitor, you can just as easily claim that Player is the fourth friend in that scenario. The “key” is far too ambiguous. If Xehanort is correct and the Keyblade War was fought over the χ-blade, then it could be Ava. If it’s Skuld, then they could be referring to the Master’s No Name, which Luxu states he’ll pass to one of them in the KH3 Secret Reports

I’d also like to refute something I’ve seen floating around. Some people have claimed that it must be Ava, since she has the power to wipe memories and could have wiped her own to fulfill her role. However, Ava doesn’t have the ability to wipe memories

Chirithy does. And Ava and Skuld both have access to Chirithies, not to mention that there’s dozens of ways to lose one’s memory in KH

The second line that gives us a clue as to Subject X’s identity is this:

“May my heart be my guiding key.”

I’ve seen a lot of people erroneously say that it must be Ava due to this line, because that line was something exclusive to the Master of Masters and his students

Except the Union Leaders, specifically Ephemer and Skuld, know it, too

So that leaves us right back where we started. We can’t possibly know which of the two it is, yet. But the evidence pointing to both of them in equal measures and the constant in-universe comparisons between the two leads me to believe that this is all deliberately setting up some big twist. I think that we may be seeing both of them. Skuld’s body, both of their hearts. And where would Skuld get Ava’s heart?

The last place Ava was seen alive, where we know Skuld was at roughly the same time

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 #khux #kingdom hearts unchained x #kingdom hearts union x #kingdom hearts 3 spoilers #kh3 spoilers #kingdom hearts iii spoilers #khiii spoilers #liz's secret reports

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namishis · 5 years

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Possible KH3 DLC Idea: Twilight Town Expansion with Explorable Old Mansion

I was a little disappointed with KH3’s cut down Twilight Town, especially that the Old Mansion wasn’t explorable this time around. I’m not sure if KH3’s DLC plans include any expansions to current worlds, but an expansion to TT could add a little more depth to the mysterious building. With KHUX and the KH3 secret ending, there are a lot of new things to consider and potential ties to the Mansion as it relates to the Foretellers, the Keykids, and restoring replicas.

Obvious KHUX and KH3 spoilers below the cut:

Beginning with perhaps the most obvious: the memory pods. These have long been theorized about. There are seven pods in the basement corridor, including the ones used by Donald & Goofy. Below are the dialogue options that appear when you interact with the remaining five pods:

(Dialogue: “This looks like it could still be used.” “Who built this? And for what purpose?” “There’s evidence this was used before.” “It seems only the power is on.” “This hasn’t been used in a while” All screenshots from KH2 Final Mix)

So we know for sure that the pods had been used before being used for Sora, Donald & Goofy, and they could be used again. We don’t know who built them, meaning they were perhaps there before DiZ headquartered there, or maybe it was the reason he chose the mansion in the first place. It’s theorized by fans that these pods could have been used to tamper with the memories of the Dandelions in KHUX following the Keyblade War. The five pods could have been used by the five Dandelions: Ventus, Skuld, Ephemer, Brain and Lauriam (though, if Skuld is revealed to be Project X, it would be unclear if she is still involved with the Mansion). It has also been noted by fans that the pods open in the same way as dandelion seeds bloom. The pods could also be used again, especially now with Naminé restored, who could reconstruct the memories of the Keyblade War for Ven, Marluxia/Lauriam, Larxene/Elrena, and potentially Luxord and Demyx if they are revealed as Keykids as well.

(Dialogue from Naminé’s computer next to Sora’s pod: “This display allows you to check on conditions inside the pods”)

Another connection between the Mansion and KHUX’s story are the Data Worlds. DiZ had a complete data Twilight Town simulation that he stored Roxas in. Recent developments in KHUX have shown that the worlds in the game are also simulated data, including Daybreak Town.

DiZ’s computer setup, parallel to KHUX:

There is a history of manipulating data worlds in the Mansion.

Another potential tie, perhaps the silliest, is all of the unicorn motifs present in the Mansion. The audience has never been given an explanation for them (DiZ/Ansem the Wise seems to have no connection with them). Ira, now restored in KH3’s secret ending by Luxu, could potentially have something to do with them because he is the Unicorn foreteller. However, the unicorns in the Old Mansion also have wings, so it could be a bastardization of the Unicornis Union by one of the Dandelions post-Keyblade War. It could just as easily be a coincidence!

It’s been said that the DLC story will touch on Xion’s return. While we know Xion was originally created in the Castle Oblivion, her KH3 form was restored by Vexen off screen. Vexen, of course, having the infamous COM boss fight as well as his KH2 Absent Silhouette at the Old Mansion. It is possible that the replica program is more involved in the Mansion than previously thought. It is using DiZ’s computer that Pence and Ienzo are able to get the data to recreate Roxas, a similar process may have been used by Vexen for Xion.

Of course this is all speculation on my part. I’ve always been fond of the Old Mansion and I would love to see it recreated in its entirety—especially to see Naminé in the White Room again!

If you see anything you’d like to add to or correct, please feel free.

#My Post #Theorizing....#KH3 #KH3 Spoilers #Kingdom Hearts 3 #Kingdom Hearts III #KH3 DLC #DLC #KHUX #Kingdom Hearts Union X #KH2 #Kingdom Hearts 2 #Kingdom Hearts II #Chain of Memories #COM #ReCOM #Vexen #DiZ #Long Post

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klonoadreams · 3 years

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Here's my theory. Sora is the reincarnation of Ephmere. That's Sora saw him in the final battle. That's why the keyblades help. Also a parallel of Ephmere and Player fight.

Ehh, I can see why it's a possible theory. Personally, it's not a theory I vibe with.

Mostly because Sora was the one who was brought in because of chance. He became something special, solely on the way he interacted with others and reached out to them the way he did.

I feel it's mostly because of the Dream Eaters that Sora was able to see Ephemer and and all the keyblades.

Of course, I could be wrong. We'll have to see what Nomura has in store for us, considering we're back to playing the waiting game. :P

Still, it's fun to theorize now. Like, get on it while you can. :D

#ask #fanfiction-and-everything #khux #khux spoilers #sora

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coruscantide · 3 years

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One World, Three Eras

So. Scala ad Caelum, Daybreak Town and Radiant Garden. Many elements are tied between these three places, continuous connections stacking up, and while much of this was written beforehand, in light of the KHUX ending I’ve decided to expand on this more.

It’s long since confirmed that Daybreak Town and Scala ad Caelum are one and the same, but I have evidence to believe all three places are in fact the same location. That conclusion would certainly be something interesting since certain characters kept winding up back here again and again. As this is a very long post with several images attached and some spoilers in regards to KHUX, I’ll be placing the rest of this under a read more.

From here on out I’ll be referring to Daybreak Town as DT, Scala ad Caelum as Scala, and Radiant Garden as RG.

DT was at the center of the old world, one where ‘worlds’ didn’t exist yet and it was connected to all the other places by land. It was a bastion of light itself where unions gathered and collected Lux to defeat the Darkness. Post Keyblade War, the town converted into Scala, becoming known as a place centralized as a seat of power for Keyblade Wielders. Later on RG is referred to as the “ City of Light ” by Xehanort in BBS, much like how DT was considered.

We’re going to begin by drawing up parallels.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

This is more than a passing resemblance. These are towns / cities built directly on a large body of water ( in addition to it’s structure it’s confirmed beaches / coasts don’t exist in DT and to get to one in game you need to sail with your friends to nearby island ) with different city districts based around similar architecture, a large clock planted directly in the middle in some form or another, and a complex irrigation system consisting of canals and waterfalls to drain the water and make sure the town doesn't get flooded.

We’ll touch on the similar architecture first. Aside from all three’s love of fountains and huge clock mechanisms, the buildings in particular look to have extremely similar styles. I’m not an expert but they seem to be nearly one to one. The major difference is the roof colors, DT with purple and RG with red and purple ( except during KH2 where it’s predominately only red ). I also wanted to point out sections of RG’s and Scala’s roads seem close in design.

Scala appeared more... i don’t know modern (?) in a sense compared to the other two, but progress on a design front was reset back to the DT-style when RG was created.

I wouldn’t be surprised by that as during a phase in Xehanort’s fight, you can see other parts of DT hidden in the foundation of Scala's buildings, the purple coloration painted over entirely. It may be a green and white color scheme now but the previous work is still there. It wouldn’t be to hard to believe it could be recreated.

In DT and RG the irrigation systems are heavily reliant on machinery / piping to function ( there was a whole plot beat around it with the moogle shop ), but after the DT was destroyed that system obviously can’t keep the town afloat. It likely sunk and capsized, leaving behind this:

As we all should know by now during the fight with Xehanort in 3, Scala was revealed to have this structure underneath it, the ruins of Daybreak Town. More specifically the prominent shot of the clock tower.

The only other place we've ever seen this with is RG after it was reduced to little more than a twisted castle and called Hollow Bastion, depicting a second, darker crystalline-like structure hanging upside down underneath the main one:

With the war shattering the world into many smaller ones, everything being ripped apart and becoming separated from each other, naturally all the surrounding land that once connected them to Scala has vanished. Nothing is left except a world of seemingly endless ocean and sky. This is where Ephemer comes in after surviving the destruction of both DTs.

Clearly there’s no other options for materials left. The wreckage was used to build on top of the ruined world alongside whatever limited resources were present. The artificial islands are designed with the new environment in mind, much smaller in scale compared to DT, spaced out to allow a wind powered structure instead of a machinery based on, and cables / gondolas for easy travel at minimal cost between islands.

One of these islands is likely what becomes Villain’s Vale in KH2.

It’s unknown what the Vale exactly used to be. All we see now is a skeleton of what once was, little more than a husk. But the placement of it and it’s environment is telling.

The distance from the Vale to RG is roughly the length of distance from the main Scala island in 3 to the other unoccupied ones. See the change especially with water in between Scala and RG ? If you look back to the section of Hollow Bastion in Exhibit B ( Rising Falls ), you’ll notice the water actually rising out of a huge crack in the earth into the resevoir surrounding the castle. By KH2 all the surrounding water has been entirely dried up, leaving just this area, the sea bed, left behind.

At some point Scala was destroyed.

It no longer seems to be around in present day KH. It doesn’t feel like another war happened since Xehanort probably would've mentioned something like that since he was around before it was wiped off the map. I’m left to think Darkness got it for a second time. DT and RG got obliterated through darkness so I think the same very well happened again. It could give some reasoning to Eraqus' extreme aversion to the darkness. Of course all this would also mean then that the same world was destroyed at least three times. We’ll have to see when more of Dark Road comes out.

After the destruction, perhaps many of the survivors left, migrating and going on to cultivate worlds like Twilight Town and the Land of Departure, places that carry a few passing resemblances to Scala, but the residents who stayed rebuilt like Ephemer once did for DT, salvaging what remained of Scala and converting it into RG. Thanks to the islands being too badly damaged beyond feasible repair, there were only enough resources to pool together and recreate a singular island. The discarded islands formed the new surrounding land mass, with the exception of places like Villain’s Vale.

During this time, Keyblades and their wielders have all but been phased out. Too much knowledge has been lost, most of it now regarded as myths, legends, stories to be told. Keyblade wielders do endure though, in the Land of Departure, with Yen Sid, maybe more. This could be when we start seeing FF characters pop up and live in RG, the world now mostly free of the Keyblade.

Note, if RG was rebuilt on the main island of what used to be DT, then it would be obvious that this machine in RG / Hollow Bastion and the one in KHUX are the exact same device. Ephemer could’ve rebuilt this for whatever reason during the creation of Scala, and from there we encounter it again in KH1 at the World Terminus after using RG / Hollow Bastion’s terminal to access this laboratory. We know Xehanort ends up using it as part of his plan to toss Kairi ( after kidnapping and experimenting on her ) into the void of space until she reaches Destiny Islands. This would’ve been right around if not during the destruction of RG.

From there, it’s history. Darkness starts destroying countless worlds. RG residents are scattered across the worlds or take refuge in Traverse Town, some forming a resistance. Sora, Riku, and Kairi go on their journey. The resistance reforms into the Restoration Committee post KH1 and RG is eventually restored for the most part by the events of Remind.

So with all this in mind, if they are all the same world ravaged over and over by darkness, this means Xehanort ( not as terranort ) and Kairi both lived in this world. It would make sense why Kairi and Xehanort both recite the ‘ one sky, one destiny ’ phrase. It's a remnant from living in Scala / RG passed down over time ( a common phrase like ‘ may your heart be your guiding key ‘ maybe, it could have been attributed to the endless sky they found themselves under ) and could explain why Kairi can have this apparent association with Scala now due to Remind.

Adding in the player choosing to live as a new heart and becoming Xehanort, also could explain why Terranort ended up in RG of all places after he lost his memory in BBS, because it was really the place that used to be Scala / DT.

So here’s the rough timeline of events as it stands.

Era 1: DT -> destroyed by darkness, restored by Ephemer -> Scala Era 2: Scala -> destroyed ( by darkness? ), restored by someone -> RG Era 3: RG -> destroyed by darkness ( Xehanort ), salvaged -> Hollow Bastion -> restored back into RG by Restoration Committee / inhabitants

I’d keep going, going into how Traverse Town could be an offshoot of Scala / RG created as a safe haven for it’s residents after the world was consumed by darkness again, but I think that’s another post for another time and I’ve already spent this long already on this one. Thank you for reading all of this if you made it this far !

#✰.` meta.┊behind the curtain ◟reveal the inner workings.#( man #i'm done #consider this me clocking in my writing quota for the day )

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violethowler · 4 years

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Ride of the Valkyrie

I delayed the second of my “Kingdom Hearts and the Heroine’s Journey” essays because in light of current events last week didn’t feel like an appropriate time to post it. In that additional time, we’ve gotten new screenshots and character information about Dark Road and the new characters that actually has some connection to what I’m talking about in this piece. So now that I’ve made a few adjustments, I present my analysis of Yozora’s role in the Heroine’s Journey below the cut.

Since the release of Kingdom Hearts III, there has been a lot of speculation about Yozora and what role he plays within the series going forward. Some say that the series is going to use the Versus XIII elements represented by Verum Rex to deconstruct and comment on the nature of the Kingdom Hearts story and universe. Others say that he’s a fusion of Sora and Riku. But all of the speculation I’ve seen surrounding Yozora has been exclusively focused on how he fits into the story in terms of lore and worldbuilding, without actually looking at the structure of the series’ narrative.

Granted not everyone knows about the Heroine’s Journey or recognizes that the plot of Kingdom Hearts is following it with regard to Sora’s growth. However, Sora’s fading at the end of Kingdom Hearts III clearly represents his death in the metaphorical sense, even if we’re not completely sure yet whether he died in the literal sense. The fact that the scenery associated with Yozora is Shibuya only serves to hammer this point home.

Because of the Kingdom Hearts III secret ending’s focus on Sora and Riku, parts of the fandom have affectionately labeled the game being foreshadowed by this scene by the informal name “DDD2”, in reference to the Dream Eater logo on the sidewalk in one of Riku’s shots framing the KH3 secret ending which suggested that the next game would function as a pseudo-sequel to Dream Drop Distance. Instead of Final Fantasy characters, the original Dream Drop Distance introduced the cast of the 2007 Square Enix game The World Ends With You, in which dead teenagers compete for a second chance at life in a plane of reality that runs parallel to Shibuya. At the end of their interactions in Dream Drop Distance, Sora promised to come visit Neku and the gang in Shibuya at a later date.[1]

The secret ending of KH3 depicts Sora, Riku, Yozora, and the Master of Masters in Shibuya, with Sora last seen standing at the Scramble Crossing, where the story of The World Ends With You begins. This same secret ending also depicts a building labeled 104, which Sora and Yozora fight on top of in the DLC Secret Episode. The 104 is TWEWY’s fictional representation of the real-life 109 building, and is a prominent recurring location in that game. The use of TWEWY’s most recognizable locations means that even if this isn’t necessarily the same version of Shibuya that Neku and co. hail from[2], the audience has already been primed to associate this city with death and the afterlife.

Since the DLC Secret Episode seems to indicate that Yozora has something to do with how Sora ended up in Shibuya, it’s clear what role Yozora plays within this upcoming chapter of Kingdom Hearts. Whatever the actual deal with him is regarding the series’ lore, in terms of Sora’s journey, Yozora is a Psychopomp.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a psychopomp is a figure from folklore, legends, and myth whose job is to guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife[3]:

In Egyptian mythology, one of Anubis’ roles is to lead the souls of the dead from the world of the living to the entrance of the afterlife.

In Greek mythology, that role is filled by Hermes and Hecate, while Charon ferries souls from the entrance to the Underworld across the River Styx into the realm of the dead proper.

And in Norse mythology - which Kingdom Hearts is going to be drawing from to a significant degree in future games if the new characters announced for Dark Road after I decided to delay this essay are any indication - has the Valkyries, who carry the souls of warriors who die in battle to the afterlife. One notable Valkyrie was Skuld[4], one of the three Norns who decide people’s fates.

Though not a goddess, the Skuld of Kingdom Hearts is thematically associated with the role of her mythological namesake when she appears at the end of the original X browser game alongside Ephemer to bring the dying player character into the data world with the rest of the Dandelions.

Meanwhile, in the DLC Secret Episode for Kingdom Hearts III, Yozora displays abilities related to data and he seems to be able to manipulate the Final World, a place inhabited by the spirits of the dead who have not moved on from the world of the living.

So even if one is unfamiliar with the full development history behind Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the significance of what Verum Rex represents in that context, the Secret Ending and Secret Episode of Kingdom Hearts III visually and thematically associate Yozora with death, the afterlife, and resurrection.

The original backstory of Final Fantasy Versus XIII implies that this mythological role was even part of the concept for Noctis/Yozora from the beginning of Versus XIII’s conception. According to the early information about Versus XIII and its lore, those who have near death experiences could see the souls of the dead ascending into the afterlife and gained powers derived from The Kingdom of the Dead[5]. This concept was scrapped when Versus XIII was overhauled into Final Fantasy XV, but if Nomura felt so strongly about the original Versus XIII concept that he incorporated overt references to it into Kingdom Hearts, then the pre-overhaul lore should be taken into account when speculating on Yozora’s role in the overarching narrative.

As I mentioned in “The Heroine’s Journey of Sora”, the Secret Ending of Kingdom Hearts III is setting up the “Initiation and Descent” stage of Murdock’s monomyth. In this stage of their journey, the protagonist can sometimes be accompanied by a psychopomp figure who serves as a guide through their Descent. The psychopomp’s words, actions, and presence provide the spark that the main character needs in order to realize the lesson that they must learn in order to complete the final phase of their journey.

While I have only seen a few instance of these psychopomp figures in a Heroine’s Journey story, the ones I have seen taken on one of the following forms:

A dark reflection of the main character.

A parental figure

A distorted version of the protagonist’s Animus.

As I mentioned in “The Heroine’s Journey of Sora”, Riku is the one character in the series who meets the qualifications to serve as an Animus figure. And as Kingdom Hearts III notes, Yozora bears a strong resemblance to Riku, a connection which is emphasized by one of the Kingstagram posts in the game (an emphasis which was unfortunately lacking in the English localization) as well as the novel adaptation.

While we still do not have enough information to divine precisely how Yozora and Verum Rex fit into the cosmology and lore of the Kingdom Hearts universe, there is still enough to determine his function within the framework of the Heroine’s Journey that Sora is on. Based on the connections to The World Ends With You, the origins Versus XIII lore, the structure of the Heroine’s Journey, and parallels with the Kingdom Hearts series’ previous references to mythology, Yozora is a psychopomp figure who will guide Sora one way or another through his Descent into the underworld.

Sources:

[1] Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Square Enix, 2012.

[2] Kingdom Hearts 3 Ultimania - Main Nomura Interview Translated; March 12, 2019. https://www.khinsider.com/news/Kingdom-Hearts-3-Ultimania-Main-Nomura-Interview-Translated-14763

[3] Psychopomp - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomp

[4] Skuld - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skuld

[5] Final Fantasy Versus XIII - Final Fantasy Wiki https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Versus_XIII

#kingdom hearts and the heroine's journey #kingdom hearts meta #kh yozora #kh3 spoilers #kh3 remind spoilers #limit cut spoilers

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