#but riku doing the total opposite of last time. trying to save sora trying to stop the darkness from consuming everything

[daylighteclipsed]

Y’all ever think about if Sora falls to darkness that inside his heart will look like the Destiny Islands falling again

[nadziejastar]

First, a vessel for each heart must be readied. Then, a spark of some sort is required to induce its waking. 

…all their hearts require to be awakened is that “spark"—people they cared for and who cared for them, who can show them the way home.

I also did not like the scene in Re:Mind with the Recusant’s Sigil. I’m pretty sure that when Roxas said that he needed a “connection,” he meant it in this sense. Not the letter “X”, lol.

I also don’t like the idea of them “reclaiming” the Sigil. In KH3D, Axel did not want to reclaim that. That’s why, after he was recompleted, he started going by his real name again: LEA! No “X” in it. I hate how, because KH3 had to put him back with the Sea-Salt Trio, he has to go by Axel again.

I agree that Isa’s redemption was shoehorned in. Of course, that’s not because I didn’t want Isa to be a good guy in the end. Of course he should be a good guy. It’s because Isa didn’t need a redemption. He needed to be saved.

I’ve heard a lot of Sea-Salt Trio fans say they want a scene where Isa begs Roxas and Xion for forgiveness. As if that would make things all better with Isa. Oh wouldn’t that be so nice and cute? No. Not to me. I would honestly throw up if that happened.

But I guess I just saw the Sea-Salt Trio very differently than most people. And this ties into my larger criticism of it. I really, REALLY didn’t want the type of reunion we saw in KH3. I just don’t think the Sea-Salt Trio (RAX) works outside of Days. I don’t like the idea of the “Sea-Salt Family” where RAX are these cuddly pals and Isa is just portrayed as this extra bonus. No, no, no. A million times no.

Roxas: I hope we always have each other.

Xion: Yeah…

Axel: What’s gotten into you?

Roxas: I just…want these days to last forever. Hanging out, the ice cream, the sunsets…

When Roxas said this, he had only been in the organization a few months. Hell, he had only been born for a few months. He knew no other life than the one he had in the organization. Roxas was 100% content with the life he had at this point because he didn’t know anything else. He was very much an innocent little kid, in the beginning. 

Axel: Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we’ll still have each other…even if things change and we can’t do this anymore.

Roxas: Yeah?

Axel: As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?

Roxas: Ha ha, wow, Axel. That sounded ridiculous.

Axel: What? I thought it was pretty deep.

Axel was not as optimistic about things staying the same between them, because he’s already been burned by that type of thinking before. He’s not as idealistic as Roxas and Xion. He’s independent and aloof. However, over the course of the story, Axel grows increasingly dependent on Roxas and Xion. 

And this is important—it’s because he was trying to cope with his own misery over his loss of innocence and happiness. He does care about Roxas and Xion. But they are a crutch for him. 

Would Axel have still acted so clingy with Roxas and Xion if Isa wasn’t Norted? Would he still have wanted to be part of the so-called “Sea-Salt Family” if Isa had been his normal self? In my opinion, no. He would have enjoyed a much more casual friendly relationship with them.

He wouldn’t have been “playing house” as Saix said in the manga. Would Lea wanna “play house” once Isa was back in his life? Again, no. I don’t think so. I think he’d be happy for Roxas and Xion to spread their wings and go off on their own without him.

On the sofa opposite him, Naminé spoke up instead. “Sora and Riku are best friends.” 

Axel’s eyes crinkled as he remembered his own best friend—the only friend he’d ever had, in fact. 

“If your best friend goes away, you’re sad, and if you get to be with them, you’re happy,” Naminé added. “Isn’t that how it is, Axel?” 

“…That’s about the size of it.” Axel nodded and sat down on the remaining empty sofa, staring at the sea-salt ice cream he held. 

“So you are capable of sincerity,” said Riku. Axel only shrugged at the jab and finished his ice cream pop.

By the time KH2 starts, Axel is extremely needy and obsessive over his “best friend” Roxas. Roxas, however…didn’t feel the same way as Axel. In Roxas’s mind, Hayner was his best friend. Axel’s relationship with Roxas in KH2 is NOT healthy. It is NOT cute.

The thing with Roxas is that he was growing up over the year 358/2 Days took place. He doesn’t stay that same naive little kid he was on Day 96. He meets Hayner, Pence, and Olette and wants to get out more with kids his own age. He wants to be a normal kid. He wants to be told the truth about Sora.

I adore Axel. Of course I wanted him to be happy. But Roxas would NOT have been happy to be in the organization with just Axel as his only best friend. A lot of people disliked Xion’s addition to the story because originally Roxas and Axel were a duo. However, Roxas and Axel were not portrayed as super close, even in vanilla KH2. I actually think Xion being there made things more realistic, from Roxas’s end. If she had not been in the organization, Roxas would have left looooooong before Day 355. Xion was the reason he stayed for so long. Not Axel.

He’d been overthinking the do’s and don’ts so much that he lost sight of what he wanted. And he couldn’t gather the courage to follow Roxas. Was he afraid of rebelling against the Organization? No —it was just that he wanted things to stay the way they were, even more than Xion or Roxas did.

Axel didn’t care anymore about what the Organzation needed, what Xion or Roxas wanted, or even what was supposed to be good for the worlds. He had been using the Organization for his own ends from the start. The only thing that had changed in the meantime was who it was all for. Maybe Saïx would call that a betrayal. But his world had changed. 

Axel, due to the trauma over losing Isa, didn’t want Roxas to grow up. That’s the long and short of it. He wanted him to stay a perpetual naive child with no independent life, to soothe his wounds. He was afraid he’d leave him if he told him the truth. The end of the story is a total reversal from before.

Before, Axel told them that things don’t last forever, and you cant expect them to. Roxas and Xion got sad, but gradually accepted this. Xion wanted to learn more about herself and ultimately made the decision to go back to where she belonged, since that was best for everyone. Then Roxas chose to leave, too, to figure himself out. Axel was the one that didn’t want this. He, more than anyone, wanted things to stay the same as it was on Day 96.

“Hayner…”

I don’t know that name he muttered. It’s probably–those kids–Roxas’s friend’s name.

“Pence… Olette…”

This Roxas’s most important friends’ names.

This Roxas wouldn’t call my name like that.

“Hayner! Pence! Olette!” Roxas cried, Axel sprang–into a dark space.

I don’t think Xion leaving the organization and choosing to go back to Sora was a bad thing. I don’t think Roxas growing up and leaving the organization was a bad thing, either. I think it was a good thing. And I think it was supposed to be seen as a good thing in the story as well.

I don’t think the Sea-Salt Trio needed to be reunited and go back to being exactly the same as when Xion and Roxas were “kids” with no independent life outside the organization. Even Axel admitted that the “real” Roxas was the kid playing with Hayner and friends. Not the one in the black robe. It’s okay for Axel and Roxas’s relationship to drastically change. Axel needed to learn that he has to let go of Roxas in order to respect his independence. He can’t stay a little kid forever.

Of course, I still think Roxas needed reconcile things with Axel. I still think they needed to be close friends at the end of the story. But the Sea-Salt Trio? The close cuddly group who hangs out every day? Naw, man. That’s over. That was a stepping stone in these characters’ lives. It was not an end-game trio. Forcing it to be end-game just ruins it.

I like the idea of Lea rescuing Isa, healing his childhood wounds, and having someone (who is his peer) to be with forever. That’s what Axel always wanted. I like the idea of Lea reestablishing a new dynamic with Xion (Kairi) and Roxas (Ventus) that is more realistic and age-appropriate. One where they don’t have to be together every day, like in Days.

I like the idea of Lea being very close to Ventus and Kairi and relating to them more as independent young adults, instead of naive little children. One where they have other friendships that are important to them and their whole life doesn’t revolve around ice cream. They have their own trios, the Destiny Island Trio, and the Wayfinder Trio. 

Lea has his own duo with Isa. Maybe they would still choose to settle down in Twilight Town to live together. I do think they have a history there. But live together with Roxas and Xion? No. That’s weird. KH3′s version of the “Sea-Salt Family?” I’m sorry, but, yuck.

[whereissora]

Reasons I Do Not Ship SoRiku

Before we get started, I need to stress a few things:

I am not a homophobe

This is not a personal attack against SoRiku shippers 

I love Master Riku very much, even if his first impression made me want to throw things at him 

Kairi plays a part in their relationship so I will be mentioning her from time to time

Lastly, you are free to say whatever you like in response to this post so long as you are polite. I don’t want to close the comments for this post, but I will if I have to.

With all that out of the way, I’d like to talk about Sora and Riku, and why I do not ship them.

1) Riku made an impression in Kingdom Hearts 1

This was my understanding of the Destiny Trio (I was maybe 10-12)

Sora had feelings for Kairi

Kairi had feelings for Sora

Riku had feelings for Kairi too, or he felt left out by how his two best friends were falling in love with each other.

Pretty much every destiny trio interaction on the Destiny Islands drove this home to me. I don’t want to do a full-on analysis, but Sora’s quiet jealousy when Riku thanked Kairi at the end of the first day, the way Riku said (with confidence, then with a teasing smirk) that he wanted to share a paopu with Kairi, and the way Sora and Kairi watched the sunset together at the end of the second day all kinda contributed to me thinking there was some kinda love-triangle between the three, or Riku was feeling left out. One of the two.

 Riku betrayed Sora because he believed the only way to save Kairi was by using Kingdom Hearts, and that Sora, being who he is, wouldn’t allow that. Sora even told Riku straight out that he was on the wrong side. 

Sora also wanted to save Kairi--but he had no idea where she was, and for a time, didn’t even know that she lost her heart in the first place.

Also, Riku tried to kill Sora how many times?

He didn’t bother to help Sora in Agrabah, and just kidnapped a princess instead

He lured Sora deeper into Monstro (a living whale? With moving innards for walls? and Sora had to fight a boss in a puddle of stomach acid--don’t even try to tell me this wasn’t mortally dangerous)

He stole Sora’s keyblade, and left him behind in Hollow Bastion, a place that is crawling with the most dangerous heartless

He tried to incinerate Sora with dark fire

Right--at least four.

 So when I compared Sora and Riku’s first interactions to Sora and Kairi’s first interactions, I couldn’t help but feel they were total opposites. One bespoke love, safety, and affection. The other one just reminded me of Naruto and Sasuke’s interactions for 90% of that series--and I never shipped them either.

2) Sora and Riku are my BroTP

Sora and Riku are an unstoppable team. Their history, friendship, and experience make are what make them unstoppable.

 But that doesn’t make me want to ship them.

 Sora and Riku have been through a lot together. 

Riku betrayed Sora to a degree that he carried that guilt with him through most of the series and has only recently begun to forgive himself for it. 

Sora searched everywhere for Riku after leaving him behind in the Dark Realm, only to find him in the last place he ever thought to look, and shook him to the point that he literally fell to his knees crying.

The reason Sora even ventured into Castle Oblivion in the first place was that he wanted to find Riku.

 Riku wore the black cloak and took on the extremely dangerous task of investigating Organization XIII mainly because of what they had done to Sora in Castle Oblivion.

Riku killed two people in order to wake Sora up, no matter how badly it hurt his heart to do it.

He also cooperated with Diz, someone he never fully trusted, because Diz knew how to wake Sora up faster.

When Riku was ready to give up after the fight with Xemnas, Sora helped him walk forward

Riku protected Sora throughout the final battle in kh2

They underwent their Mark of Mastery exam together

When Sora was taken by YMX in 3D, he called out to Riku, and Riku came to get him, saving Sora from becoming a vessel. 

Riku dove into the deepest darkness and woke Sora up, saving him from ending up like Ventus at the end of BBS

But none of these things really feel romantic to me.

If anything, it feels a lot like the relationship between the Winchester brothers in Supernatural. They constantly lose each other and find each other and save each other, again and again. Because they are literal brothers, and Dean was so desperate to bring Sam back to life he literally sold his soul. 

 Riku sacrificed everything he had to save Sora because he was the reason Sora ended up in such a dangerous situation. 

Sora adores Riku, but was a little jealous of him in kh1. 

Riku loves to mess with Sora. Just how real brothers mess with each other. He’s constantly poking fun at Sora, but not in a mean way, just in a friendly, teasing sort of way.

Sora and Riku are close to the point that they are literal brothers. You don’t need to be someone’s blood relative to be their family. 

That’s exactly how they feel to me. If not for the fact they look nothing alike, and it’s already been clarified that they have different parents, I might have thought they were biological brothers.

3) “Sora loves Kairi”

The above statement isn’t in parenthesis because it’s false--it’s a quote, but you’ll have to take my word for it because it comes from my sister.

 My sister is a SoRiku shipper--she’s not as into this series as I am though, and isn’t too serious about them. When I asked her why she shipped them she said:

 “I mean, I ship them, but I know Sora loves Kairi.”

I mentioned before that Kairi and Sora’s relationship feels like love to me, and I’ve already explained that Riku and Sora feel like brothers to me. 

 But a quick word about SoKai:

 I have shipped them since I first touched Kingdom Hearts

Aside from Sora himself, they are the main reason I still play

I won’t explain why I ship them--there’s an entire video dedicated to that, and you can watch it here. But just know that to me, this is what love looks like. Sora and Kairi are devoted to each other, and I really hope we get to play as her someday (soon).

4) I don’t really ship Riku with anyone

^^^^Don’t you worry, you beautiful piece of eye candy, you. You can have whomever, whenever. I. Am. Sure.

Just not Sora and/or Kairi, because they are in love with each other.

Also, Riku is amazing and doesn’t need to be in a romantic relationship with anyone in order to be relevant. Not that Sora and Kairi would be irrelevant without each other. I would’ve adored Destiny Trio with or without Sokai.

 Really, outside of Sokai and Gula x Ava, I don’t really ship anyone in Kingdom Hearts. If I were to ship other pairings in the series, these would be them:

Rokushi

Rikunami

Terraqua

isa x subject x (ava? skuld?)

ephemer x skuld

maybe isa x lea (they only recently stopped trying to kill each other, so they still kinda feel like kh1 riku and sora to me)

 I’ve been feeling Strelitzia x Player recently, but that is my impossible ship. Impossible because they both died, they never even met, and player is an O.C.

But yes, if I were to ship Riku with anyone, it would be Namine. Nomura said in one of his... Ultimania interviews, I believe? That Riku had inherited his replica’s will. I don’t know if that means Riku will/has developed feelings for Namine, or if he is simply following Replica Riku’s wish for her safety and well-being. I guess we’ll find out.

These are all the reasons I can remember as to why I do not ship SoRiku. But I love both of them, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again in whatever we get next.

[davidmann95]

Some Kingdom Hearts future thoughts

Have to get ‘em out! Went into some thoughts with my psuedo-review of III, but I’ve got others and stuff worth expanding on. I’ll put them under the cut since it clearly goes into spoilers, except for my boldest, most controversial guess: along with being announced either this year or next (since Kingdom Hearts has never reached the end of a calendar year after a release with nothing on the horizon) I think Kingdom Hearts IV is going to be a 2022 release. I recognize that sounds like an intensely generous timeframe, but I have several reasons:

1. Above all else by far: once again, Square Enix and Disney are going to be on Nomura’s ass, nose to the grindstone, to get him to start delivering these on a consistent basis again. Do you think they’re looking at Kingdom Hearts III topping sales charts and thinking “well, it sure was worth the wait”, or do you think they’re going “gosh, these are some nice sales, sure would be nice if it came out years ago and we had a bunch more similarly-selling titles by now, let’s try and aim for something closer to that in the future”. Especially-especially since Nomura and the actors aren’t getting any younger and the series is at a point where the core fanbase for the franchise as-is is going to be the primary target rather than new audiences, which means it has to wrap up in a timeframe where that’s still a viable market. So rapid, priority development and few if any more spinoffs. I mean, not as if there’s really a handheld platform for them to be on anymore.

2. My understanding (and this is going somewhat into the technical side of things, so I’m going thirdhand here based on what I’ve heard from others) is that the lifecycle of the current console generation isn’t going to run out for quite a bit yet, so they can reuse a lot of the assets and whatnot from III.

3. A big deal was made about Dream Drop Distance coming out on the 10th anniversary of the franchise, and given 20 is a much wilder number for this series than most equivalents when it’s about a single cast of characters going through a single story, I can’t imagine they won’t want to push that as at least a similarly big deal.

4. Finally, when things don’t go as catastrophically off the rails as III did, these games seem to have a fairly consistent 3-4 year development span (even III, once they announced the beginning of development in 2013, would have come out 2017-early 2018 if not for switching from Luminous to Unreal Engine), and for the reasons I listed above I think this is going to be on the speedier end of that.

* Firstly: the main discussion I’m seeing at this point regarding IV is “it’s gonna be a Kingdom Hearts/The World Ends With You/pseudo-Final Fantasy Versus XIII crossover!”, and I really expect and hope that isn’t the case. Not that I’ll be pissed if it is, I’m sure it would still be rad, but it strikes me as both unlikely and the lesser outcome. I don’t know that I see the powers that be diverting resources in one of their biggest cash cows towards a sequel to one of their minor games - one that’s already been in Kingdom Hearts, meaning its inclusion here wouldn’t reasonably be a huge enough deal to base a lot of the full story on - and a way to reimagine another project. And for that matter it strikes me as conceptually small-scale given the setup. Nomura went with a name in Yozora that doesn’t just have the bent meaning of Sora’s name but actually literally sounds like him, went with a setting that aside from the one cameo sign mainly screams to viewers “Sora’s suddenly in the real world, holy cow”, and unless I entirely misread it Verum Rex was presented as a total self-roast in Toy Box. It doesn’t strike me as spot-the-reference (even though that’s 100% in there) nearly so much as establishing a tonal contrast to Kingdom Hearts.

I joked initially about this being a Flash of Two Worlds! (linking to a description for non-comics readers who are here because I tagged Kingdom Hearts)/’Kingdom Hearts goes to war with its own gritty fanfic’ setup, but...I actually suspect that’s pretty close to what’s going on here? This seems like a send up of Final Fantasy’s relative self-seriousness and over the top Super Cool characters, as a contrast to Sora’s goofy open-hearted sincerity and optimism. It’s the Secret Movie aesthetic that some want not just more prominent but as the actual main tone of the series morphed into an entire universe all its own, and Sora, out of place, has to find his way through and back home even as the real threat mounts, and probably has to save this world and get through to its heroes who aren’t likely prone to grinning through off-the-cuff monologues about the heart. That is not only entirely my kind of ridiculous meta jam, it feels like a logical next step for the series: if the first trilogy was in part about growing up, the next (and I suspect last, as the Master of Masters and his Foretellers have been set up as the primordial antagonists of the entire mythology and this is where they’re coming to the fore; my old theory of Eraqus being the big bad of an intermediary trilogy looks solidly shot to hell) could very well be about reaching adulthood, in which case it makes sense Sora would have to pass through a near literal fire of Adolescent/Adult Cynicism.

* Speaking of where Sora ends up: I kinda doubt he’s literally dead, or that if he is it’ll last past the opening of the game. They’ve already made a big theatrical production of Sora dying twice now, the second time in the most literal way possible and just a few hours prior to this, so while third time’s the charm I think there’ll be more to it than that. The again common thing I’ve been seeing is that he’ll have to play the Reaper game to win his life back (not something I’m much familiar with but I think I’ve got the basics), but again, while it’ll certainly be part of the game I don’t think TWEWY is going to be the big thing here (like they’d really make that a bigger deal than the Final Fantasy elements have been), and he just dealt with the afterlife and had to essentially play a game to win his soul back, and this wouldn’t even be a game he’s unfamiliar with. My impression is he’s incorporated back and whole - if likely powered down from the ordeal to justify him being back at level one - and the mystery is less whether or not he’s truly alive so much as how he ended up here and how to get back.

* On the other end of things - and I realize it’s a risky prospect to suggest after her getting a shockingly small role compared to everyone else in III was the damning weak aspect of its otherwise basically perfect finale - I think this is where Kairi is actually going to start to come to the forefront. She and Riku would be at the head of a search that everyone would be a part of (they were there when it happened, they know death is negotiable in their world, and they’re good people who all owe him), her especially since he’s her boyfriend - they may not declare it outright but there’s clearly no ambiguity between the two of them as to their situation anymore - and the one he sacrificed himself for, and she’s out there fighting now even if she’s inexperienced. And Riku seems like he’s going to end up lost himself on the search, leaving her behind as the sole Destiny Trio representative. So even if she isn’t a playable co-lead I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one going on a more traditional Kingdom Hearts adventure searching with the rest while Sora and later Riku deal with the genre mindfuck. On the bright side if nothing else, she’s died twice now too and they’ve both been presented as dead in a “maybe this time for real” way for a finale, so while again third time’s the charm, I figure she and Sora are relatively bulletproof from here on out.

* Speaking of Riku, while this seems more like an old-school proof of concept trailer from I and II rather than the more recent actual scenes, meaning his appearance might well change just as Kairi was different in I’s Secret Movie than she really was in II, it’s very notable that he hasn’t aged at all. So likely instead of another tragic I to II scale timeskip of Sora being lost from his friends, it looks like IV will be picking up immediately and the search for him won’t take long to succeed. Also speaking of Riku, I seem to see people thinking he’s with Namine now? Not that that seems impossible, but while the scene as a whole is romanticized in that it’s basically a princess being carried away by chariot to her happily-ever-after, it reads to me less as an actual romance than Riku fulfilling his ‘brother’s promise. Though if Square/Nomura does want to really get into romance with the next trilogy, since Sora/Kairi is locked down maybe they’ll just say fuck it and do a whole Riku/Namine/Xion/Roxas Love Square situation.

* Actual prediction rather than analysis of evidence: I suspect this is the last major time the Destiny Trio is going to be split up, at least in the searching-for-each-other, not-knowing-if-everyone’s-alive sense. I was the search for Kairi, II for Riku, and now IV for Sora - that cycle looks to be completing. Wouldn’t be surprised if V and/or the finale was finally the three of them as the adventuring party as fans have wanted for so long, with III as the grand finale to Sora/Donald/Goofy.

* It seems early to predict the main villain, but at the same time everyone was accurate in assuming a Keyblade-wielding Xehanort would be the final boss of the trilogy circa 2006, so I’m gonna go ahead and say Xigbar/Luxu is gonna be the end-all with IV. The Master of Masters is still the end of the road, and perfect for it because he’s a real-world normal savvy guy who can manipulate this world of straightforward classical adventurers with ease, while Sora at the opposite end of the scale is silly and sweet even by that world’s standard. But Luxu addresses the same ideas in a way that’d be perfect for this game in particular as it seems to be set up, he’d be the villainous connective tissue as this game moves from one trilogy to another, and he has the dangling personal thread of the ‘reward’ he suggested was coming for Sora. Or hell, since now it looks like she’s at least somewhat privy to what’s going on, maybe Maleficent will finally step back up.

EDIT: Ooh, just remembered, speaking of what Xigbar says to Sora, his Olympus conversation also predicts Sora’s fate? The whole “if you leap in to save somebody, you might just end up in the clutch needing to be saved yourself” lecture, i.e. the premise for IV. Maybe his teach isn’t the only one privy to future events?

* Not both, they’ll wanna space it out, but I’m like 70% sure this is where Marvel or Star Wars are gonna happen.

* Finally, while I’ve heard speculation that the Mystery Star is one of the Foretellers or the person who died in that Union X game, I don’t think she’s one of them given it’s a new voice actor and she cites a name Sora knows. More likely she’s ‘Subject X’ (I went ahead and looked up the Secret Reports, haven’t gone back and done all the bonus challenges myself yet and won’t I imagine for some time), who does seem to be from that time but is I think someone new.

[ravenaveira]

Who’s most likely on the chopping block SPOILERS AHEAD

Ok in the latest trailer we see literally everybody's getting bodied and it looks like pretty much everyone's gonna die or at least a majority of them will but realistically speaking I dont think KH3 is gonna be THAT dark

HOWEVER I do believe there will be SOME deaths as KH3 is supposed to be the darkest kh game I dont see Nomura letting this be a and they all lived happily ever after ending, but I believe its going to be a more bittersweet ending where the good side wins but at a great cost

So the next question is, whos actually gonna die? well I have some theories on whos the most likely to die and whos most likely gonna survive

For starters Mickey Donald and Goofy are pretty much set in stone they’ll be fine, its not TOTALLY impossible but I highly doubt Nomura or Disney would kill off those iconic characters so lets just mark them off right now to the SAFE list

Aqua, Terra, Ventus and Lea are more unknown, they could die or they could not but I’ll explain why its so up in the air

Aqua can and will be saved so it doesnt make much sense for her to die after we go through all this to save her, that being said she could die trying to protect everyone just like she did in the past but I still think to bring her back only to kill her off is highly unlikely so IMO Aqua is safe

Terra is a gamble, hes been on thin ice since BBS and I always assumed he would eventually die anyway I just didnt know when but I always figured he would eventually muster up the strength to free himself and die to protect his friends, I felt like Terra would possibly end himself to prevent Xehanort from using him to hurt any more people, in this case, I see Terra possibly doing that in this situation and I feel like Terra’s ‘death’ is long overdue since at least to me its been hinted thats where his arc was heading since the end of BBS, so IMO Terra is marked for death

Ventus is also a high possibility, if it wasnt Xehanort it was Vanitas trying to kill Ven although in Vanitas case his reasoning is alot more complicated but the fact remains they have both tried to ‘kill’ him in some way shape or form and have been searching for him for years and now that they’ve finally FOUND him the chances are pretty high that Ven is gonna die, he is in a VERY vulnerable position and unable to fight or defend himself and thanks to Aqua nobody knows where he is or how to save him so Ven is definitely in the danger zone and thats why IMO Ventus is hanging by a thread

Lea is a gamble too, he’s already ‘died’ once, became Axel, died again and became Lea again, to have him die a 3rd time seems excessive but it would be heart-wrenching if he is killed by one of his former friends Saix, Xion or Roxas which although having Lea die AGAIN as I said would be excessive this would DEFINITELY be a dark and tragic ending for Lea and the impact would be much bigger than it was the previous times and it’ll hold that much more weight to it seeing him suffer from the loss of Isa and then keep remembering Xion and Roxas as well only to have one of them be the one to take him down for good is just beyond sad, so even though it may be excessive the impact would be massive which is why IMO Lea is marked for death 

Now to move on to the main two, Riku and Kairi

For starters even with my personal bias against Kairi Im not stupid enough to think shes gonna die infact I think its the opposite, Kairi is HIGHLY unlikely to die and here’s why

She’s part of the main trio that we’ve followed from the start, she’s Sora’s love interest, she’s technically the main female, she’s a princess of heart, she’s a keyblade wielder, in other words she’s too tightly woven into the story that for Nomura to take her out would not only be bold af but also extremely unexpected, its not often that you see a member of the main cast killed off but if they are its almost never the love interest which is why I believe Kairi is safe

Their also hyping up the romance way too much for them to just kill her off, unless this whole ‘oath’ and ‘dont think twice’ is just one big red herring and they pull a 180 not only would that be risky af but also pretty danm genius cuz nobody would see that coming but I will not be mad at it and infact would appreciate Nomura even more for takin such a huge risk that not many others would take, although I already know majority of the fandom wouldnt agree with me on that and I think Nomura is aware of the shitstorm he would get if he did that aswell so yea Kairi is definitely safe

Riku not so much, unlike Kairi, Riku is not a love interest or atleast not the one Nomura intended, true Riku is also a part of the main trio but the rival/best friend always has the higher chance of dying to protect the MC than the main female/love interest does

You also have to look at Riku’s character arc, his growth from giving into the darkness and doing horrible things to his journey of redemption, I believe his final atonement would be giving his life to protect Sora who in the past he had hurt so much, this and it leaves Sora still alive to save the world and defeat Xehanort since in the scene we see Sora doesnt have his keyblade and hes on his knees about to be attacked by a swarm of heartless and Riku being the last man standing protects him and if not for Riku, Sora would have died there, but Riku despite all odds against him, gives his all in protecting Sora

Someone made an interesting comparison of when Axel was fading away after ‘putting his whole being into an attack’ from the looks of the trailer Riku is DEFINITELY giving his all in this attack, Riku is ready and willing to die for Sora which is why Riku IMO is marked for death

But I also dont think Riku is gone for good, I think he might become a nobody and he IS the only one in the main trio who hasnt had a nobody, granted because he’s never been in a situation TO have one but now is the perfect time with the perfect setup for this to happen and come into play

How exactly this will play out in the future? I have no idea and until we play the game I cant think of any theories BUT I dont think Riku’s gonna be gone for good, I think he’ll have a Lea situation where he becomes a nobody, ‘dies’ then returns to being his somebody again, or in other words is revived/reborn

Anyway thats all for my theories on who’s most likely to die on the heroes side but what about the villains?

Saix is definitely marked for death, same for most of the seekers of darkness, Vanitas and Ventus MIGHT actually make peace and accept one another and reunite so in a way you could say Vanitas ‘dies’ or he could go tragically and be killed being separated from Ven forever once again

And of course Xehanort is definitely gonna die, he’s the only one I am atleast 98% sure is going to die because at this point he has to unless they go the Iron Blooded Orphans route where literally almost all of the good guys DIE and the bad guys actually WIN with our heroes just having to live in hiding defeated Xehanort is almost gauranteed to die so IMO Xehanort is dead

Now to explain my ranking before I end this post so some of you who may be confused understand what I mean

Marked for death - means they have a target on their back and are within the enemies crosshairs and are highly likely to die unless they are saved by some deus ex machina and a miracle happens

Hanging by a thread - means that they are close to death but not quite sure if they’ll actually die hence why their hanging by a thread, maybe it’ll snap maybe it wont just gotta wait and see how things play out

Safe is self explanatory and the same applies for Dead

Thats everything, let me know if you agree or disagree or you think someone else will die that I didnt mention and why

[lynxgriffin]

In Our Little Hideaway Beneath The Waves

Okay! Gonna make some more progress in KH 2.8 here…let’s continue on with Pinocchio-related areas!

Woooow I do not think I could fail harder at that dive with Riku if I tried

Trampoline Show! …Which Riku does not get to see cause he got Monstrostuck

YESSS I can finally make the Kooma Panda!

His name is…SPOTOPPLE

Ohh man I can make a Meowjesty too…but do I want to use my one Malleable Fantasy that I have so far…

Also an Elephant…man I’m not sure which Fantasies I should be saving, especially since what I really want is the dinos and the dragon

Anyway Geppetto what’s up

By the way did that Moogle get swallowed by Monstro too? Is it just trying to sell to Geppetto? Why is it here

Aaand total 180 for Riku from the last time he was in Monstro!

And everywhere you go there’s black coats around yeeup

At least this time Monstro has a friggin linear digestive system instead of whatever the heck was going on in KH1

That’s the most self-aware Pinocchio I’ve seen in awhile

Riku: Who are you?!

Repliku: I’m you but more annoying

Jiminy: GO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS I’M NOT YOUR THERAPIST

Riku do you REALLY need to go investigate the bowels of the whale I mean your mission’s basically accomplished here

Okay how come the Dream Eaters get to run around in the stomach acid and not get burnt but Riku can’t

I mean logically speaking SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER so he should be able to, too!

Okay boss lobster is next and Riku’s about to drop, so we’ll switch back over to Sora for now

Oh I can make a fishy now!

Her name is…FINNABAR

Okay enough treasure hunting, we’re progressing the plot, since Sora has a bunch of that here

I DO NOT LIKE THIS CIRCUS SIR

As the German saying goes, not my circus, not my…pandas?

Hells yeah high jump!

Nort and Nort appear to be like “I see you’ve learned how to jump higher”

Oh Xemnas your voice continues to be great

Mmmm I think I am gonna go ahead and make a Meowjesty, I seem to recall it having better abilities than the elephant

Blue Fairy back for the backstory exposition

Meowjesty is here! His name is…REGALLANT

Oh HECK YEAH it gives the ability Second Chance, definitely glad I used the stuff for that

OH it’s Sir Frog King again! TIME TO BEAT HIM UP SOME MORE

Bah, ruined my drop rate, but I got him down to about four health bars left.

I LOVE HOW SORA CAN JUST BREATHE UNDERWATER HERE WITH ZERO EXPLANATION

But considering Pinocchio can do it too maybe it’s just this world or something

Bah didn’t get quite as far with Sora as I would’ve hoped, but that was because of Sir Frog

IT WAS A DREEEEEEAM LOBSTER

WTF HAD LIKE ONE HIT LEFT AND IT KILLED ME YOU STUPID

THERE we go, little Rising Wing did the trick

Man Riku got through this world fast with still lots of time left

…I guess I’ll send him on ahead to the next one anyway until Sora’s done

OH RIGHT we go back to Traverse Town before we’re on to Three Musketeers and Fantasia, siiigh

Oh wait Riku can’t progress until Sora is done ugh good grief okay

Okay Riku played with all the Dream Eaters so his turn wasn’t completely useless

I’d like to be…under the sea…in a dream lobster’s garden…with you!

HAHA AND NOW T H I S BATTLE

My favorite battle ever just for the ridiculous ending

…And then a rainbow lobster came and froze the whale. Why? Because shut up!

This battle is the literal best because you win by EXPLODING A RAINBOW DREAM LOBSTER WITH A GIANT WHALE IN A BUBBLE

And then Monstro just sneezes you back on shore, ungrateful jerk

Mickey what were you pointing at when Mal’s raven came in from the opposite direction?

OH YEAH that whole bit about Minnie being mousenapped

Speaking of I really want Maleficent’s little real estate plans to feature back into the main plot again

Closest we got was that connection with Back Cover which I still need to watch

OKAY methinks we’ll drop Sora off at Traverse Town and then call it a night there

Oh yeah Sora gets to meet Joshua this time

I’m still not sure how well the Reapers Game is integrated into this game but oh well.

OH YEAH THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE FRIGGIN SPELLICAN

Oh Sora honey I just wanna squish your face

Okay, this seems like a good place to stop, so here we shall stop

Next time…BOSS RUSH AND DINOSAURS

[nadziejastar]

Theory on Subject X and Saïx’s Berserk State

“Rejoice, Naminé. Soon you’ll meet the hero you’ve been longing for.”

Naminé’s shoulders tensed when he said her name. She didn’t look up when she spoke, her voice tiny and faint. “I’m…glad.”

I think the real meaning of “358/2 Days” was supposed to refer to the fact that Axel was reliving his past for the entire year. I’ve written before about how I think Isa originally awakened his berserk state not because he was filled with darkness, but because he wanted to protect Lea. And I want to go into more detail about that. I found it interesting that in the manga, right after Axel disappeared, Saïx felt like tormenting Kairi in her cell. He used a line similar to Marluxia about Naminé waiting for her hero. 

“A heart? I have a heart? No one wants your nonsense!” Saïx raised his sword over Naminé—but Riku was there with Soul Eater to intercept the blow.

“Hmph. I don’t have time for these games.” Darkness welled from a rift behind Saïx. “Run along and help your dear hero.”

During the battle for Destiny Islands, Saïx said that Riku couldn’t protect anything using darkness. Then he said to go help your “dear hero”, referring to Axel.

“Why would caring about something be a weakness?” Xion asked, baffled.

Roxas lowered his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t get it, either.”

I’m not the only one surrounded by things I can’t understand, Xion thought. Axel would explain it, though…

“I hope Axel comes back soon,” said Roxas.

She nodded. They would have so many things to ask him.

I think Isa was used as bait before. And that’s why it was mentioned that Axel would know what it meant to have something you care about be a weakness.

Roxas dallied anyway, peering through the doors again. The rose, the thing he treasures, is his weakness?

Nope, I don’t get it.

I wonder if Axel will know what it all means…?

It’s mentioned more than once, too. On Day 119, and Day 150.

“What are you going to do with us?” she demanded.

Saïx narrowed his eyes. “You are the fire that feeds Sora’s anger.”

That was all he said. And then he vanished again.

“I have to do something…,” Kairi murmured. “Sora’s in danger because of me…”

Saïx seemed to have very personal contempt for Kairi. And here’s a good example of why I just cannot accept that Saïx gets to play on the beach and eat ice cream with everyone in the epilogue, instead of Isa. He tortured Kairi, lol. They really weren’t trying to pull any punches with his characterization. Sora was not even there to witness it, so there really was no reason for him to do this other than to vent his feelings and take his anger out on her.

The Beast had a ferociously strong heart—its strength of will alone had taken him to Hollow Bastion to save one of the princesses, Belle.

“Looks strong,” Axel remarked from behind them.

“Yeah. He is,” Riku said, sinking into thought.

His heart is even stronger than his body. It’s exactly the kind of heart the organization wants…

“But someone that strong won’t just do whatever the organization says,” Naminé murmured.

“Well, this is their chance to show how persuasive they can be,” Axel said with a bitter smirk.

Even in KH2, they implied that Axel knew how “persuasive” the organization could be at getting people to do things they didn’t want to do.

Day 171: The No. i Project

Author: Saïx

Xion failed to complete its mission. If this continues, destroying it and using the next Replica as the Duplicate would undoubtedly yield a higher-grade copy. No. i was among the initial lot, which naturally raises questions about its capabilities. At present, it is nothing short of broken. I cannot fathom why Xemnas would want to keep it.

I think there was a similar situation where Isa was trying to protect Lea who wanted to rescue him. Lea was in danger because of Isa, so Isa was full of conviction, like Kairi. He went berserk, and used up every bit of his strength. I think that the Beast was meant to parallel Isa’s backstory as well as Lea’s. You can see even more clearly in the manga that the Beast went berserk trying to protect Belle. But he felt like he failed.

Saïx sounded vaguely disgusted. “What do you care for a broken, defective failure?”

Isa probably collapsed like Xion and the Beast did. I definitely think that the ordeal caused Isa to be in a state where he lost his sense of self, and he became zombie-like, similar to Roxas during his first week. And that’s when he was Norted. Saïx would have no memory of this happening. Xemnas and Xigbar do, which is why they are amused by his obliviousness.

Day 174: Just a Replica

Author: Saïx

Xion continues to sleep. All analysis on its function suggests no marked change. The copying appears to be working, but a Replica is a Replica. My latest report to Xemnas on this net me no clear answers. He simply stood, smiling. At times I find his thinking impenetrable.

A few days later, Xion was asleep but still functioning and copying. Saïx still thought she was broken and didn’t know why Xemnas wanted to keep her. And Xemnas gave Saïx a creepy smile. Day 174 is called “Action, Reaction”. That is another name for Newton’s third law. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts a force back on the first object. The force exerted by the second object is equal in strength and in the opposite direction to the first force.

Roxas: Look, I'm just saying. All I saw in the hole they dug was a wooden chest full of junk.

Axel: And the Heartless were in the chest?

Roxas: I dunno. I think maybe something else is causing them to show up.

Axel: Like?

Roxas: Didn't something seem kind of off to you about the guy in red?

Axel: Off? Off how?

The mission on Day 174 was in Neverland. Roxas learned how to fly because he believed, and Hook was drawing the Heartless to himself due to his greed. The same concept is brought up when Axel came here with Roxas later, too. 

Saïx: So, you really do care for her. In that case...the answer is no.

Sora: You rotten...!

Saïx: Are you angry? Do you hate me? Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless.

It’s similar to the relationship between Roxas and Xion. And actually the experiments that Young Xehanort was conducting on Andy’s toys, too. He was “testing the strength of their bond”. I bet there was a similar situation between Lea and Isa’s hearts. In the manga, Axel knew that Hook was drawing the Heartless to him and convinced him to throw away the treasure (to save Peter Pan, surprisingly). And a comparison was made to Axel having something he was afraid to lose. I think the apprentices were using Isa to draw the darkness out of Lea or something. Instead of greed like Hook, it would be rage and hatred.

“Sora or Xion—it matters not. But we need one of them under our control. Bear that in mind.”

Saïx nodded, and a serene smile came to Xemnas’s face.

If that smile meant anything, it was beyond him.

Xemnas gave Saïx a creepy when he was asked about the memory devices. Saïx was wondering what Xemnas’s true agenda was for placing them.

“Sora has a pretty powerful effect on her,” said Xigbar, pensively stroking his chin.

“Both of them have connections to Sora, but we only need one of them under our thumb,” Xemnas replied. “Whether Xion takes from Roxas the rest of what he has to give…or whether he destroys her first and takes back what is his, there is no change to our plans. No matter how, Sora’s power will belong to us.”

“Understood.” Xemnas disappeared nearly before he heard his order acknowledged.

“Don’t let us down now, kiddo. Shouldn’t be too much trouble without a heart,” Xigbar told Saïx.

Same thing here. Xemnas asked if the devices were ready, he reminded Saïx that they only needed one of them, and Xigbar made a weird comment about Saïx being a kid without a heart. Xemnas and Xigbar seemed to take pleasure in reminding Saïx that they only needed one. Lea and Isa apparently had some kind of reciprocal effect on each other, like Roxas and Xion did.

A memory. My first memory. Saïx took me by the hand and brought me out of Castle Oblivion. “This is the last you’ll see of these walls… Xion.” Yes, I remember what he said to me. And I remember where I was. Castle Oblivion.

Day 224 is called “Anomaly”. Both Xion and Naminé are called anomalies. 

Subject's memories have not returned, and our conversations remain less than lucid.

Subject X was also a unique subject who didn’t collapse like all the others. On this day, Xion remembered that she was taken from Castle Oblivion by Saïx. 

Hayner: We can't be together forever... so we'd better make the time we do have something to remember.

Axel suggested going to the beach, which was a sign that he knew something bad was coming.

Secret Report 1: Recollections

Secret Report 1 is obtained after clearing Battlegate 1 at Olympus: Realm of the Gods / Courtyard.

Am I alive? I awoke in a cell, alone until the researchers came with their tests and their prodding to uncover my identity. I had no answer to offer them. Four friends, and a key…that is the sum total of my memory. I could not even recall my name. I was simply called “X” there. My only solace was the time I spent talking with the two boys who would visit from time to time. One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch.

Subject X was taken somewhere by Braig/Xigbar, like Xion was by Saïx. This report is located at Olympus. Perhaps the Realm of the Gods was drawing an allusion to the Final World, which is where people exist between life and death. Isa was sent there after going berserk. 

Ansem's Report 2

The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle. Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?

Ordinarily the subject’s heart would collapse and they’d become a Heartless. But Lea believed in Isa so he was the only subject whose heart didn’t. It’s “action, reaction” at work. Lea’s heart had an effect on Isa’s heart, and vice versa. Isa was an anomaly and then became a highly valued specimen by Xehanort.

Demyx: Hey, even us Nobodies need our rest, right? Exhaustion kills!

Saïx: I’m sending you with Demyx today. Try to inspire in him a little of your work ethic.  

Demyx: Heartless duty again today? I keep telling them I’m not cut out for this stuff…

The recurring theme at Olympus Coliseum was that Demyx wasn’t cut out for fighting, and that nobody expected much from him. Day 224 was no different. The mission took place at Olympus Coliseum and Saïx wanted Demyx to go with Roxas to make increase his work ethic. Phil said this was the “big day” where Roxas could finally compete in the Games and Demyx slacked off.

Demyx: Right!? And what a shocker to find out Xigbar was the other finalist! What’s up with that… I can’t imagine he was here on a mission. You never can tell what that guy is thinking…

Roxas: Maybe he just wanted an excuse to fight me… To test me.

Demyx: No way, man! I wouldn’t read into it too deep. Besides, the mission’s over, right? All’s well that ends well, man!

Roxas: I…guess so, but…

The most noteworthy part of the mission was that Xigbar was the finalist; he wanted to test Roxas. I think Xigbar was also tasked with testing Isa after he recovered from the initial incident. 

Roxas: So people work you harder when they have expectations? The Organization expects me to do hard missions all the time. Aren't expectations the same thing as orders?

After he went berserk, they probably thought he had much more fighting potential than they originally thought, and pushed him harder. Isa was left in a bad state afterwards. Not long after, Ansem the Wise discovered what was going on. He took Isa, hid him away, and released the remaining subjects.

Secret Report 3: Experiments of the Heart – Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 1

Subject was found in the central square shortly after dawn. Female, approximately fifteen years old. After seven days’ observation, she spoke her first words, but could not provide a name. Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia, and displays concern for which world this is. Her words suggest that she departed her home world with others, though she cannot recall the names of her erstwhile companions. All efforts to explore those memories have met with a rejection response.

After his initial experiments on me, Ansem the Wise ceased his research into the heart, his hand stayed by some fear I cannot fathom. Yet this new subject is like me: devoid of memories. She is the perfect sample upon which to continue my master's work. She, too, could benefit from it; by traversing the heart, we have a direct path into memory. I myself have begun to reclaim my lost past thanks to these very experiments.Who is she? Whence has she come? These are questions no scientist could ignore.

In the manga, Saïx was in a bad mood after learning that Xion and Demyx had been using his computer. He went into his berserk state and tested Demyx when he was slacking. Roxas was upset that he’d use force on a comrade, but Saïx said anyone who obstructed their goal was expendable, even organization members. Roxas didn’t quite understand what he meant, but it seemed like he was speaking from personal experience. This is the only time Saïx’s berserk state gets featured like this in the Days manga, so I tend to think that it was related to his backstory.

“Get up.”

“Just five more minutes…,” Axel mumbled.

“No. Get up—now.” The voice was distinctly annoyed.

Axel relented and opened his eyes. “What are you even doing in here?”

Saïx was standing next to his bed, as irritated as one might have guessed from his voice. Axel hadn’t been so rudely awakened since before turning into a Nobody.

“Xion ran away.”

In the manga, this whole scene with Saïx at Olympus Coliseum was on Day 255 while Axel was looking for Xion. It was immediately prior to Axel arriving on the clock tower and telling Roxas why the sunset was red. Then lying to him about Xion’s disappearance. The novel seemed to be drawing a connection to Axel’s past on Day 255. He mentioned that he hasn’t been rudely awakened like that since becoming a Nobody. And it just so happens that Subject X was discovered shortly after dawn. 

Every time he tried to wake up, all Axel could think was how badly he wanted to go back to sleep—although he was getting enough rest.

He just wished he could have a day to himself and do nothing but sleep. It was probably some remnant of his human memories.

I’m sure that Lea had sleeping issues ever since he was kidnapped and experimented on, but they probably got even worse when Isa went missing. Axel was thinking this after he took Roxas to Castle Oblivion.

Day 276: Behind the Truth

Author: Axel

Xion is gone. Roxas still doesn’t know anything, but Xion found out. That’s why I need to find her. We don’t have hearts, so we accept the facts we’re given as the truth. But something far more important lies behind that truth. Saïx would laugh at people with no hearts calling one another friends, but that doesn’t make it not so. As the Nobody of the hero of the Keyblade and the Replica of that Nobody, these two are special. Unique in every sense of the word. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re friends. Nothing will. Got it memorized, Xion?

Day 276 was a pretty important day. This is when Axel reluctantly suggests that they go looking for Xion.

Secret Report 4: Experiments of the Heart – Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 2

My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them. Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse. I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she. Upon discovering the tests I’ve been conducting, my master demanded that I cease my work immediately and destroy what research I have compiled. Worse still, he ordered the release of my remaining subjects. She is gone. Where is Subject X now? Has “wise” Master Ansem hidden her away?

There really are uncanny similarities between Subject X’s story and the story of 358/2 Days. Xion was gone, Subject X was gone. Roxas and Xion are unique, and Subject X was unique. I think Axel also went to look for Subject X. Because Subject X was Isa.

[nadziejastar]

“Axel this, Axel that… Sounds like you’re thick as thieves.” Xigbar restlessly jiggled his crossed legs. “Makes me wonder what you two are up to.”

“I might wonder the same about you,” Saïx retorted, and the tension was so thick it was hard to breathe.

“We have but one objective,” said Xemnas. “Be sure to keep that in mind.”

Yeah, what was all that about how Saïx is one of the “chosen” so his hands are tied? What do you mean his hands are tied!? He just showed up on the clock tower like, yo what up, can I get some of that ice cream? And you know what makes it even more ridiculous? Xemnas KNEW that Saïx was conspiring with Axel. He just never cared.

Xigbar turned to the other remaining member. “What’s happening with Axel?”

“I can’t find him,” Saïx replied, his scarred brow darkening with a frown.

“Were you looking?”

Xigbar had doubts that Saïx was even trying to find Axel in KH2. Everyone knew that he was more loyal to Axel than Xemnas. Why would Xemnas be surprised that he sided with Lea? Especially after Lea came to find Isa in KH3D? I mean, come on. Xehanort is supposed to be smart. Why would Saïx---a known traitor---be chosen unless Xemnas knew that once the final battle began, he'd be fully possessed and a total puppet (which is exactly what he looked like). Xemnas thought he could murder Lea right in front of him and he wouldn’t do anything. Do vessels have free will or not? They shouldn’t because Xehanort is supposed to be able to see their experiences in real time. They share a mind and heart with him, after all. Norts are a hive mind.

Xemnas: However--through weakness of body...weakness of will...or weakness of trust--most of the original members we had chosen for the Organization were inadequate.

Doesn’t it defeat the entire purpose of a vessel, if they could betray him? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of needing to complete the artificial Kingdom Hearts, turning all the members of the original organization into Xehanort? Why would Master Xehanort bother to try and make Sora or Axel into a vessel if they were capable of ANY free will? Xehanort of all people would know that Sora would be the last people who would willingly help him cause the apocalypse. He would be the worst person you could possibly pick to be a Seeker of Darkness, unless they were just empty puppets. 

“But—!” Saïx jumped to his feet again. At that, Xemnas’s smile disappeared.

“Silence,” he growled, returning his attention to Axel. “Where are Naminé and the boy?”

“The haunted mansion in Twilight Town.” Axel stuck the last of the ice cream pop in his mouth.

Xemnas narrowed his eyes. “Oh…?”

“I’ll go.” Saïx started walking as if he couldn’t wait to leave the scene.

And ya know, it’s also funny because although Saïx was definitely not loyal to Xemnas, he was also the member that seemed the most terrified of him. Saïx rose so high in the organization’s ranks because he’s really good at being submissive. Nomura said they had a master-servant relationship. I’m sure this is due to having Isa’s memories. During the scene where Xigbar doubted Saïx was looking for Axel, Xemnas “growled” at him. He couldn’t wait to get away from Xemnas.

Saïx: We don’t accept resignations.

It was common knowledge that Saïx would betray Xemnas if given the opportunity, but I definitely don’t think he’d be so nonchalant about it like he was in KH3.

Axel: You can’t just throw orders to the wind, Xion.

Xion: Or else what? They’ll turn me into a Dusk?

Axel: Not even a Dusk. They’ll skip right past that and destroy you outright.

Axel was terrified of Xemnas, too. Lea casually telling Saïx he should “wise up already and just quit” made me laugh so hard. But it also REALLY pissed me off.

Axel: You can’t turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they’ll destroy you!

Since when was THAT an option? It’s a cult. They couldn’t just leave! That’s why Xehanort brands people with the “Mark of Heresy”. To keep an eye on them and to mark them as his property. You know the story was butchered beyond repair if the characters are acting like you can just casually QUIT the organization, like it’s a job at Starbucks! Are we seriously expected to believe that Axel and Saïx only stayed in Organization XIII and followed Xemnas’s orders to find information about Subject X? Really? It shows how disastrous the game’s development was, if something that bad could even get approved. I could tell nobody really gave a shit about KH3′s story by the end of its development. They were just desperate to get the game released ASAP so they could rake in that $$$. 

What are the “seeds” that Xehanort has planted?

Nomura: In the secret event, Master Xehanort tells Terra that he has already laid many plans, and that the seeds have been sown. Telling Braig and Maleficent about “Kingdom Hearts” was one part of his plans, but what other plans have Braig and Master Xehanort laid? What other measures have been taken?

KH3 blatantly contradicted everything that had been established about Seekers of Darkness and the end result was ridiculous. It didn’t even affect just Isa’s character. It made the whole plot of the Dark Seeker Saga into nonsense. And it ruined Organization XIII. What made Saïx such a compelling character was that he started off as Isa.

Saïx: I passed on the message as you so desired. I told the young Sora to keep defeating the Heartless.

Xemnas: Good. Not only have you the power to inflict pain, you also have the power to plant seeds of doubt in one's receptive heart.

After he got possessed he gradually changed, and DID become more like Xehanort. Which is…actually very disturbing and sad. He started off as such a cute and innocent kid. Then by the time we play Days and KH2, he is supposed to be creepy and Xehanort-like. Lea never wanted to be friends with Xehanort 2.0, he wanted to be friends with Isa. Axel was extremely upset that his friend’s personality changed. That is what made his story so compelling in Days. KH3 RUINED Lea’s beautifully tragic backstory.

Saïx: There’s something I’ve meant to ask.

Xemnas: About Axel? The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.

After saving Sora, Lea didn’t look like he was thinking, “Gee, I guess Isa decided to join Team Xehanort! Derp.” No. It seemed like he finally realized he spent the last decade chasing after an illusion. Suddenly everything made sense. Isa never changed. He was simply a vessel the whole time. Saïx was an imposter. Smoke and mirrors. Of course he would know this because he just found out how vessels are created. That’s the fate he JUST rescued Sora from.

Day 150: Too Precious to Lose

Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can’t bear to lose. Axel thinks that for Nobodies, it’s our pasts, because that’s all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

Why would he then assume Isa joined Xehanort of his own volition? Lea looked like his mind was racing 1000 miles per hour while he was brooding in the corner. He only looked up when Riku asked Yen Sid if there was a way to cure Sora’s affliction. That piqued his interest. He wanted to know if there was a way to cure Isa, too! After Riku brought Sora back, Lea summoned his Keyblade. I guess that renewed his hope and gave him the strength of heart to awaken it.

Master Xehanort: Yes. They were all my doing. I used the evil fairy to find seven pure lights for me, just as I prepared thirteen vessels to fill with pure darkness.

Why does Saïx suddenly want to atone NOW anyways? Isn’t the point of being Norted that you lose your humanity? How are you supposed to be a vessel for Xehanort’s heart if you are not totally consumed in darkness, evil, wickedness, malevolence? What did being Norted actually DO in KH3? I have no idea, honestly. The whole point was that Seekers of Darkness are filled with PURE DARKNESS!!! It’s the clash of extreme opposite polarities that forges the X-Blade. PURE light vs. PURE darkness. How are they going behind Xehanort’s back and doing good deeds while at the same time being a vessel for pure darkness?

Here’s the reason I think Saïx was able to betray Xehanort: Axel and Saïx had an established canon relationship, so Nomura couldn’t just throw that away entirely and leave him as a villain. So, he thought that he’d just write poor Isa out of the story entirely, pretend that he wasn’t Norted, and give Saïx a lazy, half-assed, pathetic excuse for a “redemption”. Then they’d rewrite his personality to be “just” a douchebag instead of a murderous psycho. Because making him an actual nice and kind person would be going a little too far, lol. If Saïx brought back two fan favorite characters, they thought the fandom would consider him “worthy” to be on the good side.

Not because Isa showed that he cared about Lea so much he broke free of Xemnas’s control. Not because the audience got to see HIS tragic backstory of how he was Norted as a teenage lab rat. Not because the story was written to create sympathy for HIM. Not because rescuing HIM and ending HIS pain was considered a priority. Not because Lea actually considered Isa his best friend, couldn’t bear to lose HIM, and whose main goal was to bring HIM home. No, nothing like that. He gets to be an honorary good guy because he gave Lea back his REAL “best friends”.