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nadziejastar · 5 years

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I hate Xemnas/Isa. It feels fucking gross and fetishy. I hate how there’s still parts of the fandom that still potrays Isa as his sociopathic counterpart, Saix. Even though, he did fucked up shit, he was a victim because of Xehanort. Plenty of people complained about the fandom treating Lea as if he still acted like murder assassin Axel, but the same doesn’t extend to Isa 🙄.

Why Axel Had a Good Redemption and Saïx Did NOT Have a Good Redemption

Xemnas/Isa? Eww. Yeah, it is really sad. I talked to someone a while ago who said that they always thought the Saïx/Axel friendship was totally pointless and just an excuse to give Axel more “drama” in Days. They also said Isa was a jerk in BBS and didn’t even know why Lea was friends with him. Their understanding was that Saïx was a jerk because he was a grown-up version of Isa, not a Xehanort-possessed version. They had no idea why he was even in the epilogue. They thought Lea had a good redemption, but they thought Isa had no right to eat ice cream with his “abuse victims”.

And sadly, I could understand why they came to that conclusion since the writing was just so bad. But while they hated Isa, I obviously feel the exact opposite. I think for a lot of people, the entire concept of Saïx simply went right over their head. And KH3 certainly did nothing to help, so that misunderstanding still persists. But it’s really not that hard to see where they were going with Isa originally. His character got treated SO unfairly.

Also, it’s funny you mention this. Just the other day someone got really mad at me on Reddit for “bashing” Isa’s character. I made a post not long after KH3 released criticizing the way Saïx’s arc was handled, just to see the general fandom opinion on it. Occasionally I will still get responses on that topic. This particular person said they had NO problems with Isa’s arc, and the only reason people criticize Lea and Isa being apprentices is because our “headcanon fanfiction” didn’t come true. They also said I was “sickening” because I said that I got the impression that Axel’s feelings for Isa were romantic. I just had “shipping goggles” on and was trying to “fetishize” a platonic friendship. And that’s obviously why I had issues with the way KH3 was written. People are stupid.

I actually saw that response about “fanfiction” a lot. Honestly, I think it’s a form of denial from some fans who know that there are valid criticisms to be had over the writing, but simply don’t want to admit it to themselves. They are emotionally invested in the idea that the story is perfect, and do not take kindly to criticism. When I brought up obvious plot holes, like why Xemnas never bothered to punish Axel or Saïx, even though he knew they were plotting against him, they would just dismiss it. “You can’t read too much into Organization politics”. I mean, come on. Really? 🤨

One person insisted that Nomura had NO CLUE where he was going with Lea and Isa’s story when BBS showed them trying to sneak into the castle. He insisted that Nomura made everything up as he went along, and therefore I had no right to be upset that this mystery girl was never mentioned or hinted at previously.

This particular commenter about Isa was extremely vitriolic and insulting in their reply, which I also saw a lot. It’s amusing, really. If what I was saying was SO outlandish, I doubt it would have caused so many people to get that angry or defensive. This person thought I was being unfair to Isa by saying he didn’t have a good redemption. They were furious that I said Axel had the same basic personality as Lea. “Axel was just as sociopathic as Saïx was.” How could I think Axel had a good redemption, but not Saïx!?

“So, Axel, what were you like when you were human?”

Xion glanced up at Axel, too, eager to see his reaction.

“Me…?” At a loss, he shrugged. “I dunno. Same guy, more or less.”

This is the quote I was referring to when I said Lea and Axel have the same basic personality. After this exchange, Roxas wondered what he was like before he became a Nobody, and I noticed how it showed the sky in the background—the sky for Sora, that is. I really appreciated how Days was full of small details like this. They’re subtle but they tell you a lot.

Obviously I know that Axel is a lot different from Lea. One is an innocent and cheerful teenage boy who spent his time eating ice cream and playing with frisbees. And the other is a jaded and nihilistic assassin who spent his time collecting hearts and plotting to overthrow Xemnas.

Day 118: You Changed, Not Me

Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It’s a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don’t feel like it anymore. It’s strange, but I’m content with just missing what’s gone. I’m not the one who changed. You did.

But deep down, Axel still thought of himself as more or less the same guy. He didn’t feel the same way about Saïx, though.

Day 356: Unforeseen Events

What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

And Saïx actually agrees with Axel, at least on that matter. Unlike Axel, he doesn’t think he’s more or less the same guy he used to be.

“That’s enough.” Saïx turned his head, giving Axel a sidelong look over his shoulder. “Traitor.”

Axel scowled darkly.

“I’m going. You know, don’t you, that you won’t stop me except by force? And even if you tried, you would fail.” Saïx went on his way. Memories informed him that he hated this kind of thing.

After all, it doesn’t say that Saïx remembers hating conflict, the way it does when Axel remembers the past. It says that his memories “informed him” that he hated conflict. As if he’s learning this fact about himself for the first time through his memories.

This commenter also said that I couldn’t take the novels into account because they “aren’t canon”. Even though they introduced canon concepts before the games did. The KH2 novel references Nobodies having hearts, for instance. The novels were carefully written to be completely consistent with canon. Besides, the author was one of the main scenario writers for Days. I’m pretty sure she had a perfect grasp of what Saïx’s character was all about.

A smile played at the corners of Axel’s mouth. “The three of us, we’re inseparable. You’re my best friends.”

Roxas felt a grin come to his face. “Yeah… I guess we are.”

“Hee-hee.” It was Xion, awake—still lying down but laughing. “Thanks, Axel. You’re so sweet.”

Axel sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Axel has experienced severe trauma, and certainly has changed a great deal. But the difference is how they act when they are exposed to characters who have hearts: Roxas and Xion. Unlike Saïx, Axel is completely open to befriending them. He enjoys how pure and innocent they are. The more Axel hangs out with them, the more he starts acting the same way he did as a human. He starts reconnecting with his old self again—his true self. Xion calls him “sweet”.

Xion had expected as much. Saïx never answered her questions.

Then Xigbar poked his face between them. “There you go again, Saïx. Why’re you so mean to our Poppet?”

Saïx pointedly ignored him.

Xigbar always talks to me, at least, thought Xion.

He’s so much nicer than Saïx. I like him.

This made me laugh. Xion actually complained about how much nicer Xigbar is compared to Saïx, who is completely cold to her at all times. He never tries to connect with her, and always dehumanizes her. In fact, it’s constantly implied that he doesn’t even have the capacity to see the humanity in her.

Axel: “Friends need to lean on each other every now and then. Ain’t that right, Roxas?”

Xion: “We’re friends… Axel…does that mean you and I are friends, too?”

Axel: “Well, if you’re friends with Roxas, then yeah, of course you’re my friend.”

Xion: “Thank you… Roxas, Axel!”

Axel: “Just eat your ice cream.”

Axel was the one Roxas and Xion always leaned on for emotional support. And they always came to him when they had a problem, or were looking for answers about the human heart.

Saïx: “Look at you, Roxas. Up in arms over a nobody.”

Roxas: “We’re all Nobodies!”

Saïx: “Settle down. Xion’s failings won’t affect your standing with us. You’ve nothing to worry about.”

Roxas: “Won’t affect my– What is WRONG with you? Look, I’ll do my mission–later.”

But the story clearly wanted to demonstrate that there was something seriously wrong with Saïx. He is inhumanly cold, more than any other Nobody.

Day 119: Hearts and Emotion

Watching that foolish beast flail about only deepens my disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. We became Nobodies precisely to avoid the shackles of emotion. It was only later that we realized the scale of that loss: that some things simply cannot be done without a heart. Nonetheless, I see nary a pleasant thing about it.

Xaldin gave up his heart willingly, due to his disdain for emotions. He later realized that he needed a heart do do certain things, which are never specified. But he’s very unhappy about it. He doesn’t want to deal with love and emotions. His general attitude towards love is the same as when he was a human.

Roxas: “Nah, it’s just… This is gonna sound stupid. Do you know what love is?”

Axel: “‘Scuse me?”

Roxas: “I found out about love on today’s mission–that it’s something powerful.”

Axel: “That’s true. It is. But I’ll never get to experience it.”

Unlike Xaldin, Axel always had a desire for love, even as a Nobody. That’s why he wanted to complete Kingdom Hearts so badly. He wanted his heart back. He hated his condition and called himself “broken”. He wanted to experience love. Before they were Nobodies, Dilan was a cold and uncaring person, while Lea was a warm and caring person. Even without hearts, they are very different people.

All of it disgusted him. Saïx looked up at the skyscrapers, tracking Axel’s presence. He wanted a heart more than anything. But what could he do to get one? Here he was, yearning for a heart so badly, while Axel had managed to gain one without doing anything at all.

Saïx wants the exact same thing as Axel, though. Unlike Xaldin, he desperately yearns for a heart, more than anything. He hates his condition just as much as Axel does.

Day 276: Behind the Truth

Saïx would laugh at people with no hearts calling one another friends, but that doesn’t make it not so.

Yet Saïx in particular is singled out as being quick to scoff at the idea of friendship and love. They never talk this way about any of the other Organization members. Not even Xemnas. Both Lea and Isa were comparable characters in BBS. They were nothing like Dilan.

Day 352: What I Must Do

I love Roxas and Axel. I’m sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real.

They were both innocent, kind-hearted boys. When exposed to characters who had hearts, you would expect them to have a similar degree of openness, allowing them to nurture new hearts. But they don’t. At all.

Roxas: “You had me worried.”

Axel: “Worried? Well, that’s a neat trick, considering you haven’t got a heart to feel with.”

Roxas: “W-wait here. I’ll go buy us some ice cream!”

For the entirety of Days, Roxas and Xion’s friendship with Axel runs parallel to his and Saïx’s, showing how they are polar opposites. Roxas was worried about Axel. Afterwards, they talk and eat ice cream as they watch the sunset. Axel tells Roxas he hasn’t reported in yet because he’s still sorting out his feelings.

Saïx: “Why didn’t you report in?”

Axel: “Oh, good to see you, too. You’re welcome, thanks for the kind words.”

The next day is ~Day 72 Change~. Axel could tell that Saïx wasn’t worried about him like Roxas was. He viewed him as a tool, instead of as a friend.

He took a deep breath and said, “Because we’re friends.”

Why was it so blisteringly awkward to say that out loud? Still, words only meant something if you gave them voice.

And he couldn’t come up with a better answer anyway.

“Friends…?”

“Yeah. Friends. People who eat ice cream together or laugh at stupid stuff that doesn’t make sense… Like those kids we just saw.”

When Axel hangs out with Roxas, he shows him what friends do together.

“It’s cold…..” Isa mumbled, nibbling at the ice cream.“Whaddya mean, it’s ice cream so of course it is, got it memorized?”“…..moreover, it’s salty.”“But sweet!”As Lea went on, Isa smiled just a bit. It’s rare to see Isa smile. But, well, friendship means eating ice cream together, talking about stupid things, and laughing like this.

And it’s so important because he used to do the exact same things with Isa. At one point, his relationship with Isa was just like his relationship with Roxas and Xion.

“Most kids spend the time just messing around with their friends. They put off the homework until the end and then help one another finish it.”

He was apparently speaking from personal experience. Was Axel referring to his own memories of summer vacation as a human?

Axel was speaking from experience about summer vacation. It’s fair to assume he also spent his summer vacations with Isa. I can definitely see Lea acting like Hayner and putting off his homework until the last minute. And Isa would have been more like Olette, helping him finish it.

Day 224: Xion

Even if neither of us should exist, that doesn’t invalidate the bonds we form. Next break we get, I told her we’d all go to the beach. I hope we get the chance. Our little summer vacation. I know if we can get together and laugh about stupid stuff, this nagging doubt will go away.

This is why the beach ending of KH3 was so important. Everyone wanted to go. Even Hayner, Pence, and Olette never got to go to the beach during that same summer vacation. I am sure that beach ending was planned all the way back with 358/2 Days. Isa being there was significant. If Axel was speaking from personal experience, I’m sure Lea and Isa also went to the beach together as kids.

Saïx: “Hmph. What took you?”

Axel: “It’s my vacation. I can take all the time I want. Since when do I have to check in with you?”

Saïx: “You’re letting yourself get too attached to them.”

Axel: “Yes, sir, whatever you say.”

Saïx: “You’ve changed.”

But summer vacation means nothing to Saïx. When Axel finally tells Roxas and Xion they are his best friends and inseparable, it is immediately after he tells Saïx to shut his mouth. Their relationships run parallel even in KH2. Roxas had no memories of Axel. But after they fought, Roxas felt a connection with him again. Because of their connection, Axel kidnaps Kairi just to see him again. Saïx, on the other hand, has all of Isa’s memories of Lea, but he spends the whole game trying to hunt Axel down to kill him. Their relationships are always polar opposites.

Axel: “Well, I think you can be inseparable even if you’re apart.”

Roxas: “Really?”

Axel: “Sure, if you feel really close to each other. If you’re best friends.”

Roxas: “What’s it like having a best friend, Axel?”

Axel: “Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t have one.”

The main recurring theme of Axel and Saïx’s relationship in Days was that Axel really missed the past. The old Isa was a person very similar to Roxas and Xion.

Axel: “But you know, we’ll still have each other…even if things change and we can’t do this anymore.”

That’s exactly what spurred this whole conversation on to begin with. Things have changed between him and his former best friend. Lea and Isa used to be inseparable. But Saïx doesn’t care about Axel at all.

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

Axel thought that as long as he still had memories of the old Isa, they’d never have to be apart. Or at least, that’s the only comfort he can really give himself at this point. He didn’t know how else to cope with his loss.

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.

Despite how awful Saïx is, Axel considered his memories of the past too precious to lose. He didn’t want to forget the pain of losing something.

“ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

—Alfred Lord Tennyson

Being a rather philosophical person, I think this is how he viewed his relationship with Isa. And this is why I think Axel had a satisfying redemption. He remembered what having a heart was like.

Lea: “I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.”

All he wanted was the ability to experience love again. And through his own pure intentions and openness to love, he grew a new heart. He sacrificed himself trying to do good, and was rewarded with a glorious rebirth. He was the exact same person he always was, deep down. He just needed some help remembering his true nature.

That was all he wanted to say to me?

But just as Saïx started walking away, he caught a barely audible murmur—

“You’ve changed.”

He listened to Saïx’s receding footsteps, and his gaze dropped to his own feet.

“You sure I’m the one who changed?” he said under his breath.

The entire point of Axel and Saïx’s relationship is that Isa has changed. When Saïx interrogates Axel about the Chamber of Waking, it even zooms in on the moon, just like it did when Xemnas was giving his speech about conquering the heart. It’s similar to how the backdrop of the sky is shown when Roxas wonders who he used to be. This happens on ~Day 117 Secrets~. There’s a subtle message being sent: Saïx is exactly like Xemnas. But the reason is still a secret—and that secret is connected to Xemans’ speech and the Chamber of Waking.

If Saïx was saying that, he probably meant it. Axel stared at the stubborn set of his shoulders.

Both of them had changed.

“Wonder which one of us is more different now,” Axel said under his breath.

Just for an instant, he saw a twitch in Saïx’s shoulders. But he wasn’t about to hold his breath for more. Axel showed himself out.

Axel has changed, too. And now he’s changing yet again, to be more like how he was as a human. His progression is natural and gradual, though.

Oh, I am. And I’m sick of it. I’m even desperate enough to ask you if there’s another way.

The words nearly escaped him, but Saïx was already walking toward the Grey Area. The set of his shoulders told him plainly what the answer would be.

Axel realized how great the rift was between how he remembered their past and what he saw now.

It’s really not comparable to how much Saïx has changed. He is simply not the same person that Isa was. There is no continuity of personality there. They are NOTHING alike.

Saïx: “True, we don’t have hearts. But we remember what it was like. That’s what makes us special.”

Goofy: “Whaddaya mean?”

Saïx: “We know very well how to injure a heart.”

Like Axel, Saïx also remembers what having a heart was like, at least intellectually. Because of this, he knows how to injure a heart.

Saïx: “We have to set things right. There is simply too much on the line…Lea.”

And he is very good at it. Like when he used Axel’s true name. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how important the past was to Axel, and he tried to exploit it for everything it was worth.

Saïx: “Is she that important to you?”

Sora: “Yeah. More than anything.”

Saïx: “Show me how important.”

After Axel began to grow a heart, Saïx would have had the perfect opportunity to grow one again, too. They were best friends and Axel clearly wanted nothing more than to emotionally connect with him again. But Saïx never reciprocates. All he does is use Axel’s newfound feelings against him.

This is a big reason why Saïx’s sudden epiphany in KH3 made no sense. There was something very unique about his condition that was never disclosed. It’s never explained why he was so cold to everyone, especially Axel. He was like that for a long time, too. Long before Roxas and Xion ever joined the Organization. So jealousy does not explain his drastic personality change in the slightest.

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.”

Xemnas even commended Saïx on his ability to plant seeds of doubt in a receptive heart. Wasn’t there someone else who had that ability?

Ventus has loved Terra like a real brother ever since he let him keep his old wooden Keyblade. It seems we have found a loose thread at which we can tug to unravel Ventus’s heart. The first step is to get Terra alone; then we need to plant the seeds of doubt in Ventus. Let him carry his faint light as he chases his brother into the darkness.

Oh, yeah! Master Xehanort was also really good at that…When he learned how much Ventus loved Terra, he exploited that fact to plant seeds of doubt in his heart.

Bottom line: Isa changed into Xehanort. This is why I do NOT think Saïx/Isa had a satisfying redemption. The story never acknowledged that he was Xehanort the entire time, nor did they take any measures to restore Isa. Axel was definitely not as sociopathic as Saïx was. Not even close. But Isa deserved to be associated with his Nobody’s actions far less than Axel. Isa’s situation was more like Terra’s situation. The difference is the story went to great lengths to differentiate Terra from Xehanort/Xemnas. Terra's old personality made a triumphant return and he had a heartfelt reunion with his friends.

Isa was not afforded the same consideration. I responded to the angry commenter that the STORY was unfair to Isa, not me. I’m not bashing him. I simply thought he deserved much better. I said it was unfair that he had to atone for what Saïx did to Roxas and Xion in the first place. In KH3D, Master Xehanort returns and he is able to transfer his consciousness into any of his vessels on a whim. It should have been impossible for Saïx to have a change of heart regarding way he treated Axel, Roxas, and Xion. The Seekers of Darkness are fully Xehanort at this point. I asked why Saïx even had enough agency to atone, since the whole point of a vessel is that they aren’t supposed to have free will. That’s the entire meaning behind the Recusant’s Sigil. And…they never replied.

#kh #kh meta #kh theories #anti-kh3 #kh saix #kh axel #kh xemnas #kh xehanort #kh lea #kh isa #kingdom hearts meta

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