#KH3 Rewrite

[currantlee]

KH3 could have been a perfect ending to a beloved series...

It’s hard to tell when a series jumps the shark, but I feel like Kingdom Hearts — or at least Sora’s story — has missed a big opportunity to go out with a bang. The ending of KH3 is a diamond in the rough, and by that I mean, there are only a few things that I would change about it (but I would keep the basic structure). But even if you didn't change anything, it would still be a really great ending to me.

Imagine that. The entire game, Sora has been giving people second chances. Perhaps it was Naminé, Roxas and Xion who inspired him to do so. Perhaps he's just that good of a person. KH3 really shows off Sora's personality to a degree we've never seen before, and it really lets you, the player, bond with him as a character. This could have been even better IMO if we got to take other characters such as Riku to the Disney worlds as party members. It would have fleshed out his relationships with the others even more.

One of these characters is Kairi. Whether you agree with the assessment that she is Sora's love interest or not, the game doesn't necessarily do the greatest job at conveying why you should care about her (and many people don't as a result). This is probably the biggest change I'd make tbh. Like, you don't know what to do with Kairi? Fine, maybe she doesn't know what to do with herself either, that could be her defining character trait. But make me care about her. Show me why Sora cares about her. And... Make her arc a tragic one, one where she dies before she gets the chance to do whatever she figures out she wants to do. Maybe she tells Sora what she wants to do. He smiles at her, tells her he thinks it's a great idea and gives her a thumbsup. Do they still share the Paopu Fruit in this version? Well, does it matter? Let's keep it in because I feel like in this scenario, it really doesn't take anything away, although it may not add much either.

Everybody still goes into limbo, but Sora brings them back, just like Roxas, Xion and Naminé did for him back in KH2. I feel like their stories would be more impactful if they didn't return in KH3 tbh, also because that would make Sora understanding the consequences of his actions even more real. So yes, I would probably not bring the three of them back.

Kairi still dies. Specifically, she dies before she can accomplish what she figured out she wanted to do. Hopefully you care about her in this alternate version, because it might make her death more impactful, and hopefully you understand why Sora cares about her so much because if would make his reaction more relatable.

But just like you may think it's unfair, why her — Sora may think so too. He's pretty much done anything he ever wanted at this point, except for returning home. Maybe his life is already running out. He did save all the others after all. And then you have Kairi, who... Didn't get to have a fulfilled life. Sora cares about her, clearly. So he makes one final choice. He chooses to give her a second chance too, just like he gave pretty much the entire cast, except Roxas, Xion and Naminé, and that's because he was literally unable to. But he would have if he could.

The time that remains for him, he decides to make the best of it, as he always does. So he decides to spend it in the best way possible: by going home alongside his friends, and having a blast with them for one last time. Yes, I would make it less shippy. The whole date thing and why only Kairi is with him when he fades away never made sense for his character IMO. In the words of someone else, Sora is not that horny. So let him fade away in the middle of his friends instead of alone with Kairi sitting in a tree. The sun sets just as he's gone, but a new day is sure to come again... Soon. After a long, dark night. But eventually, the sun will rise again, and until then, you know they're going to make it.

...

Hold on, I'm not done yet. There's still a secret ending, which I would make even harder to see (remember the days when games had secrets? Like, actually? Yeah, that level of hard to see. Maybe you'd even need multiple playthroughs 😛). You see two feet in motion, walking an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar place. Maybe heaven, maybe the (far) future, or maybe Quadratum somewhere entirely else. We're not told. The camera pans back, and we see what we might have already been able to deduce: it's Sora, carrying a bag of groceries. He's smiling, and the message is clear: whereever he is, he is well.

The End.

... buuut of course, that didn't happen. Because of course, someone couldn't let it end there and had to extend Sora's story, potentially past it's prime 😒

(I say that with love. I love Sora as a character. But sometimes, to love means to let go. I'm open to get my mind changed by KH4, but I'm not excited for it, lol)

[holleighgram]

So, go easy on me. This is my first time singing/recording/editing/mixing anything-- let alone posting it, but I really wanted to participate in March Caprice this year. I wouldn't have been able to even do this much without the incredible @projectdestati lending me their sensational talent for the accompaniment.

I hope one day to re:record this piece sometime down the road when I've got a few more collaborators (and can afford a decent microphone), Hopfully by then, I'll learn how to mix, or can afford to pay someone to mix it into an actual track. For now, there are 2 versions-- one with lots of nerdy call backs and the other that's a little more simple and .... tidy.

All that to say,

I rewrote the lyrics to Hikari to reflect the themes of Kingdom Hearts a bit better. Hikari has always hit a bit different than Simple and Clean, for me and I just wanted to sing along, so I made these lyrics. Hope you enjoy :)

Lyrics:

Been having dreams, At least it seems That way… How much is real Of what I feel And say?

Was I reckless diving in so deep and believing you would follow me, And dive in after? Was I wrong all along ? You and me weren't meant to be :( How can I face what lies ahead? How is this the path that my heart led?

And now dawn is breaking and soon you’ll be waking This that path I am taking Will lead me back to you. Hearing the dark call, I’ll fight it with my all Keep shining bright, Cause you’re my guiding light.

~Break~

Now back to back, We walk our paths, my friend But when we meet My hearts will beat again

Never thought that it would end like this-- With you and me facing the great abyss Though doors are closing Pick a side, you and I, we’ll get by Cause you’re next to me, we are the key we always were. Take my hand, And we’ll go together

~Break~

And now dawn is breaking and soon you’ll be waking This promise we are making Is like the one we made while Watching the stars fall-- I promised you my all. I’ll stand and fight For you, my guiding light

Slowly, The pieces come falling into place, and we’ve landed standing hand in hand. Regardless of heartless, I know that we’re prepared for this fight. You’re my guiding light.

Slowly, The pieces come falling into place, and we’ve landed standing hand in hand. Regardless of Darkness, I know one day we'll set this all right. You’re my guiding light.

[robotsafari]

my rewrite design for repliku for when they figure out what they want to make of their new identity :3 their new name is Bara, which is japanese for rose, to fit the naming convention of the destiny trio a little bit. Bara also uses any pronouns :D

[beepborpdoodledorp]

I'm smart enough to acknowledge my double standards just not enough to try and improve on them

[stardustandash]

being seized by the random urge to replay FFXV at 8pm was not something i saw coming but boy am i gonna do it

[storm-driver]

bear with me, kh3 rewrite where sora is guided by eraqus' keyblade to castle oblivion early on in the game, and he stumbles his way into the chamber of waking to find ven, brings him back to everyone else to let him rest and recover for a couple disney worlds, and after a few worlds, he's ready to go save aqua, and a whole "world of darkness" world appears on the map, and ventus is your party member the whole way through the world. him and sora can have a proper conversation about their weird af situation, ventus can bear witness to The Horrors that is the worlds plunging into darkness for almost a dozen years. anti-aqua can be the final boss and ventus gets unique dialogue while fighting her.

just think about it.

[galactic-feelins]

Wait………isn’t sora or in kh sora turn into a pure blood heartless, if so he wouldn’t be having that kind of emblem because that shown in artificial heart less that ansem created

Unless I miss and forgotten something 

Right you are, but personally I find the distinction between pureblood heartless and artificial heartless to be kinda shaky!

Emblem heartless are the only ones capable of releasing hearts, seemingly implying they're the ones made from hearts while pureblood Heartless are born from darkness itself. Heartless were given that name for a reason after all! Shadows and Darksides are seemingly born from the realm of darkness itself, but they're also said to be born from the darkness within people's hearts. Even the first game states that emblem heartless are artificial, and yet one of the first scenes you get that establishes Heartless as a threat shows a man's heart floating away before a Soldier forms around it! The wiki pages writes this off as the heartless stealing his heart, and maybe that's what it was meant to be, but it really looks like the heart turned into an emblem heartless to me. Heck, in kh3 Mother Gothel gets turned into an emblem heartless when she dies, and so does Hanz!

For simplicity's sake in this au, I'm just saying that the emblem is something that represents ALL Heartless, but some just don't have emblems for one reason or another. Invisibles, for example, have the same heart shaped hole that Darksides have, thus even if they are formed from a heart instead of pure darkness then they don't need an emblem. With this in mind, since Sora is formed from his own unshackled Heart, he's got an emblem like Ansem SOD, but when he goes into antiform or tiny shadow mode his darkness is taking hold temporarily and overshadows that semblance of humanity. This is also how I explain away the friendly Heartless like White Mushrooms and Flaan, by the way; Emblem Heartless are acting out of emotion and instinct instead of logic and some of them are just sweet little guys at heart!

This headcanon/au change also ties into why Roxas has an emblem despite being one of the more human looking Nobodies. Also, in this au Nobodies aren't THAT rare, but what is rare is a nobody retaining their human appearance out of sheer strength or willpower, but otherwise if someone creates a Heartless they also make a Nobody too. There's a lot of headcanons and reinterpretations going on in this au tbh! Sometimes you just have to rewrite things a little <3

[kamibitt]

For Future Reference!

Trying to be more active in promoting myself (scary) so here's a quick way to get between all of my stuff under the cut!

Full Image of my profile picture for Flavor. Also so I can shout out my good friend and partner in crime @coyoteworks for making this incredible commission of post-timeskip Sora for me and also for being cool. You should go follow them. Anyways on to the shameless self-plugging

My best of Ao3!

My latest work and current WIP is To These Hands Entrust The Crown, a post s5 Lego Monkie Kid continuation with plenty of sunburst duo and lots and lots of MK getting into trouble. Still fairly new, I have lots planned for this one, and I'll be doing my best to keep up with weekly updates, usually around Friday!

My previous WIP is To Be Or Not To Be (Human with You), a Genshin Impact fic following Aether and the Wanderer immediately after the Wanderer reclaims his memories as Scaramouche. Currently on hiatus, but not abandoned!

There is also a LOT of my old writing for the KH fandom archived on here, most of which is from right around the original release of KH3 in 2019, and a bit rough around the edges considering how old it is. If you read any of these, I recommend Wholehearted- it's a complete rewrite of the Darkqua fight, and one of my favorites of all those old works. I completely edited it from the ground up last year, so it's a bit easier to read than the OLD old stuff.

Other Social Media

I no longer use twitter, but I've decided to leave my account up so I have a way to find the art that people have made for me, mostly for my genshin fic. You can find me here:

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And I am active on discord as well, but unless and until I suddenly explode in popularity and have reason to make a server, I don't think I'll be handing that out. But you can always feel free to DM me if you want to talk more about lmk, ffxiv, genshin, or my writing process! I'm always happy to make new friends.

[razorblade180]

Not so much a hot take but

Do you think everyone knew they were treating Sora like crap in KH3

Goofy Donald and the Wizard

Because it felt like everyone just forgot everything he's done so far and keep putting him down

The villains make sense but some of the closest people he knew treated him like a newbie or weak ignoring he regained his power on each adventure and came out even stronger still

Like I knew it a lore and gaming mechanics but come on the guy gives 1000% on everything give him some respect

I don’t know if you ever read this but once upon a time I made an incredibly long Kingdom Hearts 3 rewrite post

Admittedly, I was ABSOLUTELY LIVID when I wrote it, but I still pretty much feel a lot of the same things I wrote in it. I encourage anyone who’s willing to give it a read. Especially if you weren’t big on KH3 and even DDD to a degree.

It has a more extensive answer to your question but tldr; I do not mind that the characters take jabs at Sora’s recent failures. What I do mind is the game doesn’t adequately follow through or express Sora’s growing insecurity about it to pay off the moment he breaks down crying, because most of the scenes about him falling are treated like a joke and the game itself doesn’t portray Sora as weaker or struggling too much.

Ya can’t say “He’s gotten weaker” then let this boy summon a train and then beat four Titans. Ya can’t say “It’s too dangerous to save Aqua. You don’t even have the power of waking.” Then have him save/solo Aqua without it, two minutes after showing up to save Riku and Micheal Mouse; the two people who actually have the Title of master.

Imagine if the DBZ characters kept getting annoyed Gohan got weaker from not training, but the show had him beat Golden Frieza when he showed up for the first time. Like yeah he could be stronger but clearly it’s not a problem. Why are they complaining💀

[soratsuart]

grisps yyou

CHrome lore

Twst and kingdim

LooLookLooks

It did sent :)

Warning for long ass rant, there is So Much I got to say about Chrome <3

Also here are some YEARS OLD REFERENCES JEEZ I NEED TO DRAW THEM AGAIN, these are from before I even used my current art program 😭

Anyway, long rant under cut, you've been warned! (Also, Salt, I know you don't know much about KH, so feel free to ask me any clarifications you might need)

Chrome comes specifically from Union X because it's my favourite game story wise (gameplay it's KH3 if anyone cares) and they were originally supposed to take the role of the Player with only a few adaptations for their story. Many things have changed since then, although whether they become a character outside the player or if they still take up their role but with many changes and rewriting to fit their story it's something I still have to sort out.

Anyway, on to their story. Chrome comes from Not The Best background, which is reflected in their personality. They are initially a very gloomy and depressed kid, very insecure and shy. They were rather lonely and an easy target for darkness, which is something they struggled with for the better part of their first arc. Things start to change for them when they become Gula's apprentice (super self indulgent, I know, don't @ me)

There is A LOT that happens from here as it follows the events of the game, but it would be too long to explain. I guess most important stuff to mention is Chrome befriends or at least meets all the relevant characters for after the war BEFORE the war happens, so they're friends with them all, but specially Ephemer (influence from them originally following the main story as the player character), in fact, he's the one who gifts them their scarf! They also have many insecurities and expectations on them which they carry through the entire story and play a big role by the end of it all.

Long story short, they end up like the Player character only in their case they did actually get possessed by the Darkness. However, due to reasons, they manage to end up in the present time. How??? Well... Remember that one time we thought we get reincarnated as Xehanort??? Yeahhh, that's too good of a concept to not use, so I kinda took it and adapted it. Basically, their heart time travels to the future when Xehanort is born and they pull a Ventus, hiding inside his heart for a long time while their body falls into the darkness as a Nobody and they remain in the Realm of Darkness wandering alone without being attacked since they don't have a heart until KH 1, when they manage to cross back to the Realm of Light and end in Traverse Town, although without any memories except their name (they also had an encounter with Aqua at some point, but not very important rn)

From here they're helped a bit and through interactions with others they start to form a new heart. Their biggest connection initially is with Riku since they feel a strange familiarity with him (gee, I wonder why), which is great for Maleficent since she wins another pawn (they don't trust her). Of course, they come around and along with Riku they help Sora close the Door to Darkness, and later on end up in Riku and Mickey's team for CoM and KH2.

There are a lot of events happening here but they're too long to explain. The main take away is that, as Chrome's new heart forms and they regain their emotions and personality, they become motivated by the wish of recovering their memories and finding out who they are and where they came from. Throughout the saga they discover more and more about themself, their relation to Xehanort, their missing original heart and the people from the very few memories they manage to recover (specially after Castle Oblivion). By the end of KH3 and Xehanort's defeat they recover their original heart and theoretically their memories too, although that last part is happening at a very slow pace that is making them impatient and anxious, but they're doing better at least.

Now, as for their crossover with Twisted Wonderland? I like to imagine it happens either in the one year Kairi is asleep revisiting her memories or directly after MoM ending and Riku leaving for Quadratum. I imagine Chrome somehow finds this strange world (maybe fictional much like Winnie The Pooh book?) that is Twisted Wonderland, a world where the villains they knew succeeded, and are alarmed by it, so they're sent to investigate by Master Yen Sid and find a big focus of darkness within NRC, which is why they decide to enroll there (originally taking the role of Yuu again, but sometimes I like to mix them with Yor being there too).

Now, Chrome is not the same sad kid they once were. They're now a Keyblade Master, much more confident and cheerful than before. They're kind and soft spoken and the kind of person who screams "should have gone to RSA" with their every action, but alas. They are trying to investigate this new world as they deal with NRC students, the history that is so different from what they know and the darkness lurking in the shadows, and througj it all help thesw characters who are in the middle of everything while trying to get their memories back. I include Heartless and more KH lore for this specific crossover tho, so it's always fun to see some charas like Crowley and Lilia recognize what a Keyblade is from legends (also, I'm so tempted to say Crowley's stuff is a Keyblade since it looks like one anyway, but I have no clue what to do with that idea so it remains an idea)

Anyway, that is a very, VERY, summarised summary of Chrome's story and their appearance in Twisted Wonderland

[thegoldencapman]

Here is a rough design for post-KH3 Naminé for a personal Rewrite? AU? Divergence? Idk what the right term for it is lol…

I honestly just felt happy being able to sit down and make this thing, since sitting down and drawing can be hard for me. Funnily enough, its in the same universe as that Aqua drawing I made.

What a contrast huh?

Though it’s mostly a personal project that I do and keep for myself, i felt happy enough with this drawing to want to share it with yall.

Fashion is very unfamiliar territory for me, so I might tweak this as this lil thing progresses. Will I share the tweaks? Maybe, maybe not… idk…

[robotsafari]

omg i was about to make a post about repliku then remembered what year im in

[maniacalchimera]

Kingdom Hearts Ask Meme: All questions. Roxas for the character asks

Doing the questions I haven't answered yet haha, this is going below a read more

My wife played them for me. I had tried to get into them beforehand when I was like, 14-15 but Cerberus kicked my ass.

hmmmmm I feel like saying KH2 is "mainstream" but I'll say KH2. I think it's got the best pacing, I like the worlds the best, and, uh, Demyx, I guess.

4. I despise Ansem the Wise. I already disliked him as DiZ but then KH3 pulled his reunion with Ienzo and I hated every minute of it. Go sit in the corner, Grandpa. And actually apologize to Namine.

5. Favorite world is Olympus Coliseum. It's almost a meme, honestly. I like 2's version the best because the Underworld is fantastic.

9. I'm assuming we'll be going after the Foretellers next and MoM as our main villain. At least, I really REALLY hope MoM is our main villain and we're not going to redeem him or say that what he's done is all for the greater good or whatever. Capital D Darkness as a concept is fine and all, but I'm really interested in seeing a villain aligned with the light.

10. I don't think I'd make any sweeping changes to canon, but I'd definitely make tweaks. The way authority figures are presented in general I greatly dislike, so you know I'd be coming after Ansem TW and Yen Sid with a newspaper roll. Wipe the Ienzo "apology" scene from the map, rewrite it (he was like NINE MAX when things went to shit he shouldn't need to apologize!!). And also write out all the bullying Sora experiences from his FRIENDS in KH3.

Uh actually amendment to this question: while I'd keep the story beats mostly the same I would ABSOLUTELY rewrite KH3 so that its pacing wasn't so awful. Love the game to death but Sora's interactions with the Organization before the Graveyard leave much to be desired and then the end of the game is jampacked with shit. Give me like three years, I'll fix it.

11. GUESS WHAT. I'M DOWN THE YMX/DEMYX CRACK SHIP HOLE AND Y'ALL ARE COMING WITH ME. The non crack answer would be AelDilEven, because Dads. (Sorry Braig, you're a weird uncle.)

13. I, uh...don't really read fics, actually. I read my wife's stuff and I read our rps. Our rps are really good.

Roxas

I felt really bad for him. I think I had some general idea of what was going on with him so it wasn't like, a mystery to me, but his story is tragic even when you know the details.

I love Roxas's dual-wielding style, and literally all his interactions with Sora are great. I don't know if I have any strong dislikes? I mean, he acts like a bratty teenager sometimes, but that's just teenagers.

Yeah, I think his story is handled really well.

I don't really interact with a lot of fandom, tbh, I've got my little corner. I do think that people tend to paint him as TOO angry sometimes? Idk

His return in KH3 is fantastic. And the MUSIC IS SO GOOD.

Anything with him and Seifer is funny to me. Man, when he got to be a normal kid...

Well, between his normal outfit and the darkness snuggie, I think I'll take the normal outfit.

.....I'm sorry, I don't think about Roxas outside of the games all that much. He's not really made it on the 'daydream about while jamming' list.

Hayner/Roxas makes me smile.

Roxas and Xion are BEST BUDS and I will KILL FOR THEM.

I don't think I have many specific headcanons? He likes weird foods, entirely because of Sora.

Roxas and Ven got that little interaction in Re:Mind so they don't count, but now I need to see him interact with the other Wayfinders.

I still don't read fic :(

[derekscorner]

Replaying KH3 and once again I’m at the Ventus scene. I think one thing we can all agree on is that the lack of interaction among the main cast was a let down.

It is comical that Axel is the only one to say anything but a let down all the same.

One that could’ve been mitigated if Aqua was rescued sooner. Instead of bouncing around I sincerely wish you saved someone as you went along.

And yes, I did steal that from a few rewrites I’ve seen over the years.

[themattress]

When did _____ jump the shark?

Because I'm a masochist, I looked through release-order cutscene compilations on Youtube to remind myself of the exact point in which Kingdom Hearts characters jumped the shark.

Sora: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

The idea of Ventus' heart becoming a part of Sora's was not a bad one, but not only is it botched by having it set up at the start by Sora's newborn heart communicating with Ventus' heart and healing it by connecting with it, this event sets the stage for "Blank Points" and its depiction of Sora as this Messianic hero who is so pure hearted that he can heal everyone's hurt, nay, is obligated to heal their hurt. Yes, it was 3D that first botched his personality, but even before that it was hard to enjoy him on the same level as before because of this.

Riku: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

Once again, a chance meeting between Terra and Riku was a good idea, but the execution proved devastating for Riku's character, as the scene completely reframes his character as this wise-beyond-his-years kid with the noble dream of venturing to other worlds to find "the strength to protect the things that matter" (protect them from what!?) This will continue to inform Riku's character going forward, and it does not work because it is at complete odds with his character beforehand, the one we saw back in the first KH who was immature and his yearning for other words - sparked only by Kairi's arrival on Destiny Islands, btw - was fundamentally rooted in selfishness. It's an overidealization that just makes Riku a bore.

Kairi: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

While Kairi's encounter with Aqua was also botched, it actually wasn't bad enough to damage her like Sora and Riku's similar encounters with members of the Wayfinder Trio were. Oh, but don't worry - "Blank Points" more than made up for that with the damage it did to her. She's only on screen for less than a minute, but what happens in that time is devastating: she smiles vacantly as Sora repeats the bullshit from the King's letter as a reason he has to leave, and in response she gives him her lucky charm again and simply says "See you soon". Um, NO. That's not Kairi; not how she was depicted and set up in KH2 anyway! Kairi had a Keyblade, she merged with Namine, she insisted on not waiting behind anymore....she even said "from now on wherever one of us goes, the other follows!" But now Nomura just pretends it never happened and rewrites her whole character into a bland love interest who won't be proactive or developed any further. No more Destiny Trio, it's just the Sora/Riku duo now.

Donald Duck: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

Goofy: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

Coded's 6th chapter was the point that game took a hard downturn in quality, which was already mixed to start with, and one of its biggest casualties was Donald and Goofy. It's difficult to explain, but something about their role in the Datascape's Hollow Bastion alongside Data Sora while actively calling back to the original KH's Hollow Bastion level really pisses me off. The game acts like it's being profound, but all its really doing is disrespecting the memory of that level's unparalleled awesomeness and cheapening Donald and Goofy's friendship with Sora by having it be so easily transferrable to a data copy who the game nonetheless insists is his own individual. While I loved seeing Sora, Donald and Goofy reunite in KH3, them and their dynamic wasn't quite the same; nowhere near as strong.

Mickey Mouse: KH-COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

King Mickey always had a serious edge to him which made him a cool character, but he was also still Mickey. That balance of whimsy and seriousness is what made him so great. But starting in 3D, the Mickey-ness gets sucked out of him and he's now a bland, serious, short-statured hero who is more or less just Yen Sid's flunky. I think the moment best cementing it is his confrontation with Master Xehanort, a guy he never interacted or even heard about in BBS but now 3D is acting like they're old rivals and Mickey is kicking himself for not realizing that of course Master Xehanort was behind everything as part of some omnipotent master plan, because it was so obvious in retrospect! And he only just got worse from there (Re:Mind excluded), with Bret Iwan painfully struggling more and more with the material he's given.

Terra: KH2-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3

In 3D, there are two scenes not too far apart from each other. One is Riku facing Ansem and out of nowhere bringing up Terra and how he still remembers him as the reason he can wield the Keyblade, the reason he wanted to go to other worlds so badly (fuck Kairi, then) and the driving inspiration behind "obtaining strength to protect what matters". And the other is the big confrontation in Organization XIII's throne room, where Master Xehanort confirms that Terra is still under his control. Together, these two scenes paint a clear picture: Terra isn't really a character anymore. He's an accessory. He's something that matters to actual characters such as his friends and Riku and Xehanort, but otherwise he's got nothing going on for himself.

Ventus: Days-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3

Ventus was a pretty iffy character to begin with, but nothing was flat-out ruining him until Union Xross came along and said "Surprise! He's actually a Keyblade wielder from the ancient past!" And as far as the mainline games go, KH3 is the one that brought that garbage into things, so it gets the nod. Ven, go play with your Chirithy and never bother us again, OK?

Aqua: BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3

Aqua was a cool character in BBS, but she didn't really have much depth or even an arc. 0.2 gave her those things, so now she's all set for greatness in KH3, right? Hahahaha, wrong! Aqua's whole shtick in KH3 is making badass declarations and then immediately getting bodied in the most humiliating ways possible. Even that depth and character arc she got in 0.2 is rendered meaningless. It's so bad that Willa Holland's already subpar vocal delivery plummets to new levels of lifelessness. So much respect for a female Keyblade Master!

Jiminy Cricket: KH-COM-KH2-Coded-3D-KH3

Jiminy discovers technology in Coded. As later seen in KH3, it was a huge mistake.

Pluto: KH-COM-KH2-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

He's just there, doing nothing. Get used to it, 'cause that's his new normal!

Yen Sid: KH2-BBS-Coded-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

In KH2, Yen Sid was just a guy giving exposition and useful items to Sora, Donald and Goofy at the beginning of their quest in Mickey's place as a favor to him since Mickey was his pupil. In BBS, we get to see Mickey being his pupil and it's said Yen Sid was once a Keyblade Master, which is a cool detail and fits in perfectly with why Sora got a second Keyblade at his tower in KH2. But starting with the secret ending of Coded, Yen Sid suddenly becomes the Big Good, the leader of the guardians of light whom Mickey actively reports to and obeys even when he isn't studying under him anymore. Worse still, he is awful at his job; foolish, arrogant and hypocritical in the most frustrating ways. He gets one cool moment in KH3, but it's not enough to redeem him, especially when MOM puts him right back in his old ways.

Maleficent: KH-COM-KH2-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

Pete: KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

The other duo that Coded's 6th chapter ruined! In just the previous chapter things had been looking fine! Pete was great, and Maleficent had an awesome entrance at the very end where she destroys Data Sora's Keyblade! But then Maleficent, following a painful joke about her not understanding the word Datascape, reveals this is part of a plan to take over Disney Castle because...she didn't get Organization XIII's castle as was implied she would in KH2, which makes her arc in that game feel pointless just like Kairi's. And then we see Pete infiltrated the actual Disney Castle, which should be impossible due to the Cornerstone of Light, which has apparently just been forgotten about. Then she and Pete initiate that awful recreation of Hollow Bastion's events, insultingly merging Riku and Kairi's roles in the process. Three strikes, they're out. And ever since their last scene added in the cutscene movie version, they've been on the same fruitless quest for the Book of Prophecies, which is doomed to failure since the new OC Big Bad is even more omnipotent than Master Xehanort!

Namine: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

OK, so on it's own, Namine's showing in Days might not have ruined her. It would just be a frustrating bit of character regression in a messily written game. But this always soft-spoken, sad and guilty-feeling, head-down and hands-clasped depiction of Namine ended up directly allowing the Data Namine we see in Coded to happen, which in turn opened up the bullshit "Thank Namine" retcon that has hounded her ever since. The poor girl deserved better.

DiZ: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-3D-KH3-MOM

"Blank Points" shows that he didn't die in the explosion that clearly killed him in KH2. It just somehow warped him to the Realm of Darkness...which is treated as the Realm of Nothingness he was banished to before even when those are different things...and he now has a black coat for some reason....and he reveals to Aqua that he put data inside of Sora that can help him heal everyone even though that makes no sense for him to have done so....and he speaks of Sora at length as if they were personally acquainted even when they never spoke to each other once....and gaaaaah, it's so stupid! If he had just remained dead, he'd have stayed a strong character and Christopher Lee's passing wouldn't have affected anything (nor would Genzo Wakayama's should the series continue with the character).

Ansem: KH-COM-KH2-Days-Coded-3D-KH3-MOM

So, let me get this straight...Ansem regained all his Master Xehanort memories (which should include that Kingdom Hearts is light, so what the fuck?) and discarded his body to travel back in time despite writing that he was doing it for the sake of knowledge. He travels back to Young Xehanort on Destiny Islands and gives him the power to travel into the future, then just stays hidden on Destiny Islands for years until it's destroyed in KH, where he also afflicts a time-traveling future Sora with some kind of curse because it was "etched" that he do so. Then later after possessing Riku and going through the Final Keyhole, Young Xehanort shows up, extracts his heart and takes it into the future where it's put into a replica body, and from this body Ansem time travels into the future so that he can attend the gathering of the "true" Organization XIII. Then after returning to the replica body, KH3 happens and he's defeated and thus returns with no memories of the future to beyond the Final Keyhole to be defeated again, still somehow not knowing that Kingdom Hearts is light....and GAAAAAAH, it's so FUCKING stupid!!! Ansem was such a great villain the way he was, why ruin that!?

Xemnas: KH-COM-KH2-Days-3D-KH3-MOM

3D strikes again in ruining an awesome villain in service of a lamer one, this time saying that Xemnas wasn't trying to claim a heart for himself and power over all hearts by becoming the supreme existence; he and the other Nobodies had hearts all along and he just lied to the others that they didn't so that they would feel empty enough to be filled with copypastas of Master Xehanort's heart when they completed Kingdom Hearts. No more tragedy and depth; Xemnas is just a bad guy working on behalf of a worse guy just like Ansem. KH3 did an admirable salvage job by suggesting that Xemnas hated being a disposable pawn to someone else and had deep self-worth issues because of it and as a result was honestly trying to become the supreme existence through harnessing the Keyblade's power (unlike Ansem, whose betrayal plan was just about surviving Master Xehanort's reset of the universe alongside a girl he supposedly cared for in his own way), but it's still not as compelling as when him being a Nobody truly meant something and when he wasn't anyone's minion.

Xigbar / Braig: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

"I'm already half-Xehanort! Except as if, I'm actually Luxu! I'm also Brain and Bragi in a certain way, both names which coincidentally sound like Braig! What's in the box, you ask? Wouldn't you like to know!" Sigh....a once interesting character, now just an irritating one.

Xaldin / Dilan: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

Lexaeus / Elaeus: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

In the newly added ending to Coded's cutscene movie version, we see Dilan and Eleaus sprawled out on the floor. They might has well have stayed that way, for what little they say and do afterward. In hindsight, it's honestly sort of a miracle Eleaus had some lines in 3D!

Vexen / Even: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3-MOM

Zexion / Ienzo: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3-MOM

I'm impressed that these two hung on for as long as they did! I guess only being major villains in COM, a game early into the series' run, before their major supporting hero role in KH3 helped with that, since their brief appearances in between never did enough to tarnish them. But unfortunately, their roles in KH3 were also very conclusive ones, so seeing them again, alongside their should-be-dead master, in MOM immediately afterwards sours me on them.

Saix / Isa: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

Axel / Lea: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

The decision to put young Isa and Lea in Radiant Garden in BBS in place of young Squall and Cloud was a horrible one which somewhat negatively impacted Saix and Axel in Days and absolutely negatively impacted them in all other games. For reference, in Days it is subtly implied Saix and Axel are in the Organization for the sake of a girl they knew in Radiant Garden (a vague idea that would later be fleshed out into something worse, like with Xion), which lessens both of them. Worse still is the bullshit redemptions they go through once restored from their KH2 deaths, which is especially bad for Axel. As Lea, everything that made Axel a great character is thrown into the garbage, turning him into an unfunny comic relief who is only part of the main cast and a Keyblade wielder because of his past popularity (something he obnoxiously lampshades in KH3), with his vices either swept under the rug or dishonestly reframed as virtues. It's sad. These two excellent villains make two lousy heroes.

Demyx: COM-KH2-Days-KH3

Luxord: COM-KH2-Days-3D-KH3

Marluxia: COM-KH2-Days-3D-KH3

Larxene: COM-KH2-Days-3D-KH3

Just like with Ventus, Union Xross bullshit popping up in KH3 ruins these characters. They're still entertaining if you just ignore it, but after all is said and done you just know that the series is going to continue on with it and it's not a pleasant prospect at all, especially for Luxord.

Roxas: COM-KH2-Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

Like with Namine, the disappointing depiction of Roxas in Days would not have single-handedly ruined him. It's how it carried over into subsequent games that did the real damage, as for some reason the game and its depiction of Roxas really caught on in Japan and thus there was high fan demand for Roxas' tragedy to be reversed and for he and his friends to have a happy ending. That's why the next few games all included Roxas in his stupid black coat and referenced the pain of losing his stupid friends whom he stupidly eats ice cream with all the damn time, and culminated in his nonsensical resurrection in KH3 that Nomura has personally confessed was done out of fan pandering. Oh, but he wasn't alone on that....

Xion: Days-BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

And we're three-for-three with a character whom was problematic in Days but wouldn't have jumped the shark if that had been it for them; in this case the biggest character in that game. If the series had just stuck to how Xion's fate was described in Days, which was being as dead and gone as is humanly possible to be, then she'd still be looked upon as an effective tragic character. Instead, we just kept on seeing her in game after game against all logic, almost always with some sad look on her face to the point her tragedy became a comedy, culminating in her nonsensical resurrection for fan pandering alongside Roxas in KH3.

Master Xehanort: BBS-3D-KH3-MOM

No further comment. We all know this one.

Young Xehanort: BBS-Coded-3D-KH3

Yes, this character actually jumped the shark in his debut. Why? Because he fundamentally made no sense. Not only did him coming from Destiny Islands and wanting more than just his small world lazily rehash Riku from the original KH which in turn negatively affects both Terra and Riku's characters, but he also makes both Master Xehanort and Terra-Xehanort feel superfluous. Why not just have this character be the villain who ends up with amnesia and becomes Ansem's apprentice? Why have him at all if you're just going to age him up only to possess a younger character's body? And if you're going to do that, then why still include this character in the plot as a time-traveling minion of his older self!? And if you're going to do that, then why then give us an even younger version who got off Destiny Islands earlier only to pointlessly return and completely retcon all the other Xehanorts' fundamental motivations!?

Terra-Xehanort: KH2-BBS-3D-0.2-KH3-MOM

Same deal as with Terra and Ansem. 3D turned Terra-Xehanort into just an accessory; a minion to Master Xehanort even though that defeats the whole purpose of his existence.

Vanitas: BBS-3D-KH3

Vanitas came SO CLOSE to never jumping the shark. But then Re:Mind just had to throw in a new scene where he references the Union Xross bullshit retcon of him being an "ancient being of darkness" who wasn't born from Ventus' heart at all! Thanks, Nomura, I hate it.

Riku Replica / Dark Riku: COM-3D-KH3

Riku Replica was good as just a character in COM. The idea 3D foreshadowed of an evil version of him being a part of the "true" Organization XIII made a lot of sense, and I would have been fine with it. But KH3 wrecked it by also including the original version of the Riku Replica, even though he, much like DiZ and Xion, should have been irrevocably dead. And it was for no other purpose but a deus ex machina to grant Namine a body she didn't need! His evil counterpart on Xehanort's side ending up being a bland let-down didn't help matters.

Master Eraqus: BBS-KH3

Young Eraqus has way too big of a disconnect from Master Eraqus. How am I supposed to believe that this upbeat kid who is also a clever chessmaster (supposedly clever; he really just cheats) is the same person as the stern zealot whose idiotic blunders did much of the heavy lifting for Master Xehanort's evil plan in BBS? And how am I supposed to believe he and Xehanort had this super close bond when Xehanort so casually murdered him in BBS?

Hayner, Pence and Olette: COM-KH2-Days-KH3

.......................Never. They never jumped the shark at all. Who would have ever guessed: out of all characters in the series, it's these three mundane civilians who stayed consistent!

[empyreasheart]

I RETURN WITH MORE QUESTIONS. and one topic on my mind. xion xion xion xion xion xion XION shes so interesting and your hcs are always so good do you have any about her or the sea salt trio in general. i miss them so much (also i know you have work to do sorry if this is a distraction from it!! feel free to leave this ask for later)

IM FREEE WHICH MEANSSS I CAN TALK ABOUT MY DEAR DEAR XION!!!! no joke i have been thinking about her all day.

first off i LOVEEE xion so much. whenever i see her get attention and love im so happy. when i see her i have a habit of going "XIONNNN" super loudly.

im putting this under a read more cuz its gotten super long oops

my xion headcanons... well first of all i love every reading of her character as a trans allegory & how people intepret her as either trans or nonbinary! i dont think it was done on purpose but shes been claimed by the commjnity and im so happy about it. transfem xion my beloved. second of all shes autistic TO ME but honestly everyone in soras heart hotel is so thats a given. third of all give me xion with big dark brown eyes or give me death!

what id like to see explored in future games / i fanwork: her identity! we see roxas's frustration and anger about being his own person plenty but we hardly see xion upset at her predicament. i think this is because she wants to do the right thing, not because shes okay with the situation. i really want to see xion's feelings about not having her own identity explored, given that everything about her is based on either sora or his memories of kairi and she was basically created in a lab as a tool for organization 13. she should feel weird about existing in the first place, especially next to roxas and naminé, who dont have the same history behind their creation

in addendum to that, i want to see xions character design change to something more unique. she already has a new outfit, but id love to see her have a new hairstyle (whether she grows it out or just puts it up) so she has something different than a mirror of kh1 kairi's hair. i think ive also mentioned that i think itd be interesting if xion had her own eye color after kh3 (side note its bullshit we never got to see her norted eyes in kh3. she shouldve played a bigger role in the story too but thats another rant) to symbolize that shes her own person now, not a puppet meant to copy sora. lastly she !!! deserves !!! her own keyblade!!! there's so many cool keyblades from days to choose from & theres the weapons from her boss fight - theres no reason for her to still be using the kingdom key and i really hope she gets her own soon.

i keep thinking about what you said about xion not being another "nice" girl character and im like... so true. i dont think xion would be mean i want to go about it in a way that doesnt completely rewrite her character but i think exploring how she copes with her past w/ both organizations & her identity & trauma would be interesting, especially with how it parallels to naminé's own way of coping and dealing with her own trauma. theyre like Shy vs introverted to me lmfao i think xion tries to be friendly but overall she prefers to stay close to the people she feels safe around. i want to see xion be rude but in the autism way where she doesnt mean it shes just not aware. and stuff like that i guess. this paragraph was just word vomit my bad

THE SEA SALT TRIO... theyre seriously the family of all time i love them so much. ill just focus on xion here because this is already super long. BUT AXEL LOVES XION SO MUCH IT MAKES ME SICK THEYRE NOT TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH.. the implication that lea subconsciously keeps his coat on in kh3 so xion (and roxas) can recognize him makes me so emotional. also the fact that lea just clicks with kairi because she also holds a part of xion inside her... AND WHEN HE BUYS HER AN ICE CREAM AND HE DOESNT EVEN REMEMBER WHY HES BUYING THREE. UGH. i love them so much. theyre definitely one of those duos found in the trios that dont get much attention which just draws me towards them more (like riku and kairi). i think lea is absolutely riddled with guilt about the events of days so he never lets xion forget that shes loved. i think xion is touch-averse *except* when it comes to roxas and lea because she feels safest around them.❤️

to end i will discuss roxas and xion . they are like a little orange cat and a little black cat to me. halloween colored. theyre so small i love them so much. i imagine when xion first meets the twilight town gang shes jealous bc roxas has other friends :( but roxas assures her shes super duper special to him and no one else can take her place in his life. they have such a unique bond that i dont know if any of the other characters have with each other. just something so special about those two. when it feels like no one else understands they have each other... and i think that makes for some angst when xion struggles with her own issues that even roxas cant relate to