#kh essay

[theblueprincess590]

Xigbar the Comeback King-An Analysis of KH3

The scene between Xigbar and Hercules is an amazing scenes and that is for a variety of reasons but instead of focusing on all of them let us just discuss the main 2 reasons.

Firstly this scene is amazing because it focuses on an ideological debate between Hercules and Xigbar. For the first time since Beast's Castle in Kh2 we are seeing character interactions between the KH original villains and the Disney characters. This is a brilliant choice since it not only does a better job at integrating the disney worlds into the overarching plot by having them interact with the antagonists but Hercules and Xigbar are such a perfect choice of characters for a scene like this since their ideologies perfectly contrast one another. Hercules is the ideal hero, one whose life is defined by helping others and self sacrifice. Whereas Xigbar is a scoundrel, whose life is defined by only looking out for himself, only helping others as a means to get what he wants. Hercules is Selfless and Xigbar is Selfish

So of course the two have a debate on the nature of self sacrifice. Hercules proposes that it is the ultimate act of heroism and courage whereas Xigbar counters that self sacrifice is just another path to self destruction. That regardless of how noble the intentions are in the end all self sacrifice leads to is losing. Even arguing that Hercules was only able to save Meg through his self sacrifice because Herc had the Greek God’s favor. And while their is some truth in Xigbar’s argument it ultimately falls apart because it is made in bad faith. Xigbar is a fundamentally selfish person and thus fails to see the value in self sacrifice because he can’t see how he can personally benefit from it.

Self sacrifice is not something one does for their own benefit but rather for the sake of others. Herc didn’t risk his ife for Meg because he knew it would awaken his godhood. He did it to save Meg, because he was willing to give up his own life for the sake of someone else. A True mark of a hero

The second reason for why this scene is incredible is what it means for the larger story of Kingdom Hearts. If you pay close attention you realize this scene isn't just Xigbar showing up to be a cryptic jerk, rather it’s Xigbar’s counter argument to Sora’s “My friends are my power” speech in DDD.

In Dream Drop Distance, Xigbar acting as Xehanort’s mouth tried to tempt Sora over to their side, claiming that becoming a seeker of Darkness will give Sora a higher purpose. And Sora rejects his offer, instead showing pride in his connections. At first this shook Xigbar to his very core, pushing him away from actually confronting Sora. However, by the start of KH3 things have changed. Xigbar returns to face Sora one more time with his own counter argument. Xigbar admits that yes hearts are more powerful when they are connected to others but he also points out how this can put a stain on those people. That if one puts all their faith and power into their connections then they will eventually put a burden on those they care about and risk breaking their friends.

And unfortunately Xigbar’s words carry truth Sora has given up on himself and put too much of his faith in his bonds. When Xigbar Said Sora was nothing special in DDD he didn't even try to argue against that claim instead double down on it placing all of his worth once again in his connections, in others. And that is what ultimately brought about his downfall, as Sora fell to darkness because of the pain and suffering of those he carried inside his heart.

The scene between Xigbar and Hercules is amazing because it expertly explores the characters of Hercules and Xigbar, the nature of self sacrifice, and the Flaws of the series’s hero

[oliverbluebug]

you want to watch me and @hydrategea 's video essay on comphet in kingdom hearts SO BADLY

[starrieisdelusional]

i love how kh fandom in collectively agrees that the six hour riku is gay video is the best….riku is gay video

[mahikoto]

six rikus...

six hours...

six hearts..

[themistressdove]

Today is the day! To celebrate my birthday and the anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, I present a video on Kairi. I want to thank @/pontiikii on Twitter for this brilliant thumbnail. The video : https://youtu.be/BWcLVPyTDTs?si=Pz45o8bdN9MlT5Ue

[andrewwtca]

Maybe I'm just looking way too deep into this, but I think the reason that BBS uses a command system instead of letting you freely use skills and magic because Masterhood requires you to discipline yourself and do things 'by the book'

And that's why in both BBS and DDD a command system is used, because the primary goals is to become a Master. You want to do things 'correctly' so that you can prove that you really understand how a Keyblade works.

(and also, funnily enough, the ones who seem to have the most freedom in this rigid system is Ven and Sora, who only want to be Masters by association of their friends)

And then in KH3, even though Sora was technically trying to be a Keyblade Master alongside Riku, he goes back to the normal action commands menu, because Sora never truly cared for being a master. But.... even then...

The game lets you play as Riku and Aqua, who have become Keyblade Masters, and the combat system doesn't change (and don't you dare stop me here and say, 'Andrew that's because it would be silly to change a combat system for two briefly playable characters' BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE POINT). They've grown from the games where they achieved Masterhood and they realized the limitations of their teachers and of Mastery itself.

Aqua realized how fragile the balance truly is and Riku, time and time again, learned that doing things 'by the book' entails completely denying the darkness. Both of their struggles stem from darkness - Aqua rejecting it and Riku being unable to reject it. And they learn that the books were wrong: darkness can't be eliminated. They realize how their teachers have failed them, to an extent, and don't hold themselves to their exact teachings.

But, this is only a small example of breaking the toxic cycle their Masters taught them and RIKU IS STILL THE PRIMARY ONE TO LEAD THE CHANGE TO TRULY ACCEPTING BOTH LIGHT AND DARK (ROAD TO DAWN), AND OF COURSE, RIKU ONLY FINDS THE LIGHT BECAUSE OF SORA AND SORA ALSO HAS DARKNESS HE NEEDS TO ACCEPT, SO THEY'RE BOTH THE ONES TO LEAD THE CHANGE, SO THE COMMAND SYSTEM ACTUALLY PROVES SORIKU ENDGAME ANDliterary analysis is my special interest

[khaotunq]

A Scene for a Scene: Kieta Hatsukoi Episode 1 (2021, Japan) ♥ My Love Mix-Up! Episode 1 (2024, Thailand)

[skysmadness]

congratulations riku kingdom hearts

[saaltskies]

every once in a while i remember that i wrote a joshneku essay that was a few pages longer than the max length for the final in my senior year english class in high school and honestly i was so right for that

[steampunker134]

Replaying BBS and I am. Insane.

Every time someone (the game) says that Terra is obsessed with power, I want to gouge my eyes out. Haven’t you been listening to him? Seeing the things he’s doing?? The only thing he’s obsessed with is making his dad proud and Eraqus has filled Terra with the concept that, unless he is Light Alone, then he’s worthless and evil. I need everybody to shut up and love Terra Kingdom Hearts RIGHT NOW his only sin was LOVING HIS FRIENDS and BEING A HIMBO

HE IS NOT THE BAD GUY HERE

[gracer222]

when you finally finish reading all of "That Person" essay by the SoRiku Ultimania and you have to just

[theblueprincess590]

The Winds of Youth-A Character Analysis of Ventus

Ventus began his story much like Sora, as a starry eyed youth who dreamed of broadening their horizons and seeing what lay beyond their small homes. Yet unlike Sora, Ventus had something to prove. Ventus wants to be an adult, wants to be his friend's equal and yet he is denied this time and time again. Everyone treats him like a child, they dote on him like an infant that needs constant supervision, They coddle him in his training never letting him from reaching his true potential, and worst of all they keep him cooped up in his room like a cage bird all while using their infantilizing of him to justify it. With his found family refusing to ever let him leave, to let him fight, and never teaching him anything more than the basics, The Land of Departure eventually becomes a prison surrounded by wind for the pure hearted boy. Making it no wonder that when the call to adventure finally arrived he grasped it without hesitation even if the hands that offered it were stained in filth and hate.

It is Vanitas who initially gives Ventus the push to leave his home and travel to other worlds. Doing so by nagging on Ventus’s insecurities and fears by implying his best friend Terra will no longer be the same person, that the earth will grow into a mountain higher than the winds can reach. However it must not be mistaken that Vanitas is just doing this out of cruelty. No Vanitas is using Terra to help Ventus justify his decision to leave. Vanitas is Ven’s darkness, his other half, and thus knows all that Ventus feels all he truly desires. He knows how desperately Ventus wishes to leave, to prove himself more than a child. So he gives Ventus what he has always wanted, a “justified” reason to run away, a chance for him to indulge in his selfish desires without any guilt. And this is ultimately Ven’s greatest failure.

Ventus left the Land of Departure not to save Terra but to indulge in his own desires of freedom. Terra was merely the just cause. After all if Ventus was really just acting out of concern for Terra then he would of voiced said concerns to Aqua or Eraqus, returned home after encountering Terra again in Radiant Garden, brought up the existence of a mysterious intruder in his room (which he only does when seeking praise from Terra and Aqua for “defeating” him), or most importantly of all he would of told Terra of the warning he received before Terra left when he had the chance but he didn’t because if he did he did then he would of lost his chance to prove himself. That is why Ventus continues his adventures after succeeding in his goal to find Terra because it was never about Terra in the first palace.

Yet the journey still holds a great meaning to it. Just like Sora’s adventures Ventus manages to make countless friends, each of who manage to help him grow as a person. Through the kindness of Snow White Ventus grows from one who needs protection to a protector  ultimately pushing him to save Princess’s Aruroa’s heart from Maleficent, which in term gives him the convention of a Hero that allows him to train alongside Hercules and Zack. Of course though it is not just strength that the Disney characters impart on Ventus but also wisdom and perspective. Through their adventures together Ventus learns what it means to truly have a dream, no longer accepting the aimless life he lived before and instead striving to become a keyblade master just like Terra and Aqua so he can truly be their equal. He learns what it really means to be a friend through the joy of Lea and Isa. Which in terms helps him come to better appreciate Terra and Aqua when he sees just how much their friendship made Stitch’s life better. And in the end discovers the true value of bonds when treasure hunting with Peter Pan, That a bond is not something physical but rather an invisible link that will always connect your heart to the ones you love. 

However these lessons can not protect Ventus from his cruel fate. He fights alongside Terra and Aqua in the Key graveyard despite his heart being weighed down by the tragic truth of his existence. Yet even with his inner strength Ventus only becomes a burden. Not only does his presence end up distracting Terra and Aqua but he is quickly incapacitated by Xehanort, reduced to a mere object by the old man yet again. And when he does manage to finally put up a fight in order to save Aqua he only ends up giving The Masked Boy what he wants. Vanitas reveals to Ventus that it was he who orchestrated this hero’s journey. Everything from the UnVersed to the disney world to Terra, Aqua, and Eraqus were set up by Master Xehanort and Vanitas to make Ventus stronger, so he could forge the X-Blade. From the very beginning Ventus was playing a rigged game, blindly following a shallow script of lies and deception all because it fed his ego, because it made him feel like a big man, like a hero. When in reality he was just a pawn. 

At least that's what Vanitas wants Ventus to believe. This “Coming of Age” Story may have been written by a Dark Imp but that doesn’t mean Vanitas has the right to decide its value. The path he followed may have been a lie but the friendships Ventus formed and the lessons he learned were anything but false. Ventus got stronger not because of Vanitas but in spite of him. It was Snow White, Cinderella, Jaq, The Three Good Fairies, Lea, Isa, Minnie, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Hercules, Zack, Phil, Stitch, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Mickey, Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua who shaped Ventus into the boy NO the Man he is now. It was them who imparted on him the values that gave his hearts strength, that helped him push forward past the darkness, and that gave him hope, love, and Dreams. Not this Shallow Shadow. Which is why Vanitas can never defeat Ventus. Vanitas made no effort to understand others, no effort to connect with others, and no effort to change himself. He simply remained the same, a spiteful parasite that sought conflict and conflict alone. He visited the same worlds as Ven and yet never once formed a connection of his own, only filling the worlds with more hatred and violence. Even his pursuit of Ventus and the X-Blade was just to instigate further conflict with a second Keyblde war. And Because of his unwillingness to change Vanitas could never understand Ventus, even when his heart was bare to him in their final battle. Vanitas could only see Ven as the lesser half, unable to understand why he put so much value in his friends, why this wayward boy was so ready to die for them. And because he stay the stayed the same, because he indulged himself in violence and ignorance Vanitas lost to the only bond he ever had. As it was the shared D-Link between himself and Ventus that ultimately destroyed Vanitas.

Ventus began his journey with selfish intention masked as richness ultimately resulting in his free spirited time of youth coming to end through harsh truths. And yet he was still able to grow from it. Because just like Sora Ventus is at his core a kind and heroic person with his heart open to all. He sought not only strength but connections allowing the bonds he formed to change him, gifting him with great ideals and power through every new command, keyblade, shotlock, D-Link, and Command Style earned. All of which help him grow from a shelter child to a true Man, one who always puts his friends before himself, reaching for the first time in the series the complete understanding of the power of friendship “My friends are my power ands I’m theirs”   

[soratsuart]

I am normal about Riku Kingdom Hearts

[gulava]

Terra passed Braveheart to Riku, not the Kingdom Key. It makes perfect narrative sense along with an extremely satisfying payoff and the design is a lot more in line with and a natural development from the Wayfinder Trio base Keyblade designs, if you ask me. The Kingdom Key could be tied to the power of the necklace and Riku has the power to draw out power from others to bestow it back to them. We saw it when he gave Destiny’s Embrace to Kairi and I think it’d track if the gift Riku gave Sora also gave him access to the Kingdom Key. Riku gave Sora the Kingdom Key way before KH1 but merely drew that power out of him so he could protect himself.

[autumn-may]

love thinking of sad traumatized edgy characters in normal situations but not in a ‘how do you think X event affected the way they handle everyday life’ kinda way but in a ‘what do you think 358/2 days rikus hair care routine is like’ kinda way

[dreamsy990]

so it all comes to this.

to say i was excited to play 3 would be wrong. actually i was sort of dreading the game. i went in with expectations for the worst and was pleasantly surprised. which is not to say that its good. but its certainly a game! that i played! and now you get my thoughts. unfortunately a lot of my thoughts about the end of the game are kind of hard to separate so. if youre wondering where my thoughts on endgame stuff is. its at the end.

(also i havent played remind so theres no remind thoughts here. its all just base game kh3)

combat (with some other gameplay notes)

so. im not a big fan of the combat. to preface, i played the rest of the series on standard, but with kh3 i was told it was easy so i did proud! and yet it was still the easiest kh game.

kh3 is the first game in the series where i feel as though 'mash x to win' is a valid criticism <- thats not entirely true at the start, but later in the game it does feel a lot like that. almost every fight is mindless because of how easy it is. you can see it in the enemy health bars, theyre absurdly large because of how easy it is to take them down. they need to have that high of health so the fight isnt over in under a minute.

i dont think the base combat is bad. unsatisfying, maybe. But not bad. except for attraction commands.

attraction commands feel like part of a pattern in kh3, where they try to recreate what made the other games so good without understanding WHY it was good. what theyre recreating ofc being reaction commands. technically its the same as some reaction commands, sure, being a giant dramatic attack, but it doesnt work because theres no situational awareness in them.

attraction commands dont feel cool because theres nothing in them that requires use of your surroundings or that is tailored to the enemies youre fighting, since theres only a couple that can be used at any time. there's nothing strategic about using them either- reaction commands normally would give you a specific advantage, or could be used to avoid attacks, only sometimes dealing damage on their own. in kh3, all attractions do is deal damage. they are impersonal and often obtrusive- if youre like me and hate attractions, youll still often accidentally use one, since theres no way to disable them.

this is more abstract than anything, but something about attacking feels unsatisfying. the combat feels like it lacks any real sense of impact or weight to me. but thats all personal and not exactly good criticism so. i digress

also the bosses in 3 suck. you know its bad when the most memorable boss fight in your game is the tutorial. most of the boss fights in this game are so unmemorable that ive literally forgotten them. except of course demon tide. i despise demon tide. it was fine in 0.2 but not here. every time you fight it feels like a missed opportunity for something cooler.

i think flowmotion is worse now. i get that it was a bit too overpowered, but with how much it was limited i ended up hardly using it. i didnt like flowmotion because of the attacks, i liked it because of the movement. so to me, it ended up being a reminder of how kh3 failed instead of a fun feature.

also i know a lot of people like being able to switch keyblades in fights, but honestly i feel like it removes an element of strategy the other games had

the ui (and other visual things)

this isnt something i talked about in my other reviews. but in kh3 i must bring it up. if you follow me you may know my hatred for kh3s ui. so im going to talk about it again! this is the abridged version though. heres my whole rant if you want my full thoughts on it. but the short version is that i dont like it. i am someone with terrible vision and i can play every single kh game without glasses because the ui is just big enough that i can read it. most of the time i can read subtitles too. but in 3? i struggle even WITH glasses to read anything. the ui is too small to make out anything almost all the time. its really only by muscle memory that im able to play. my glasses broke while i was playing, and i literally couldnt play until i got new ones because i couldnt make out a single word on screen. its bad design.

im also upset that there ui art has been replaced with renders. its just a shame honestly. i loved the art in the older games. the renders feel bland in comparison.

and thats generally my take on the look of modern kh. sure its pretty, but its bland. kh has always had a certain cartoonish vibe to it thats starting to die out, and i think the shift to unreal engine was the first marker of that change. i like the look of old kh. its not too technically impressive but its incredibly charming. kh3 is anything but. the characters feel far less expressive, the worlds are realistically rendered, it feels unfitting for a series like kh. its hard for me to find kh3 as charming as the other games. the only word i can think of to really describe it is corporate.

i dont know if this is a rare take, but i think technically impressive visuals are far worse than distinct ones. kh used to have a unique look! now it just looks like every other semi-realistically rendered rpg.

story (featuring: more gameplay notes)

my problem with kh3's story was unavoidable really. dream drop distance set this game up for failure and so im not going to complain about dream drop distance. ANOTHER TIME ill talk about dream drop distance. i dont have time to make a post that long. i do have a lot of problems with the story that werent a result of ddd being terrible so i guess ill just bring up those.

one of my biggest issues with the game is how unimportant the roxas plot is. youre led to believe the game will revolve around it but then sora does nothing to further it. at all. at the start he CONSIDERS doing something, and then hes told by ienzo "no its fine ive got it. go do something else" and its barely ever mentioned again until the end.

this relates to my overarching problem with the plot: it feels aimless. in every kh game theres a REASON theyre going on a journey. soras looking for his friends, roxas is working a 9 to 5, the wayfinders are all following each other, etc. but in kh3 sora is looking for "the power of waking". what is the power of waking? i literally have no clue. thats how poorly defined it is. its an abstract goal, its not tangible or even really achievable. its just a macguffin. when the plot suddenly decides to happen at the end the whole journey feels pointless. you could skip every disney world past twilight town and you would probably be fine. it's not a journey, you're not exploring for a purpose, you're just killing time until other people handle the plot.

i also really hate the new organization (i refuse to call them the real organization. theyll never be the org). theyre painfully boring and poorly put together. the old org had structure, they had very specific goals, every member had a purpose. you knew how they worked and why they did what they did. the new org is just completely lacking in that. calling it an 'organization' is stupid because there's nothing organized about it. and even disregarding all that, the new organization also lacks any real personality. the members feel so boring, which sucks, because almost all of them are returning characters who used to be really fun. and why are most of them even there? no one except maybe xigbar seems to actually care about their mission. the old organization had a common goal and a reason everyone was there. they were nobodies, they wanted their hearts back. there's no reason for any of the new members to stick with xehanort. and if you say "well they were norted!" i then must ask. what exactly is norting? like really. it hasnt been possession since birth by sleep. norting is whatever nomura needs it to be in the moment. its not clearly defined, its just another macguffin.

also because i dont know where to put it, the battle of 10,000 heartless is just a terrible successor to the original fight. there's no stakes, no buildup, no friends fighting by your side, no reason to care. they just throw thousands of heartless with no ai at you. literally no ai, if you stand still they wont attack you. its a drag if anything, an homage to a better game done absolutely no justice.

back to what i was saying about the roxas plot, roxas' return is just such a nothing scene. theres nothing about it thats cathartic, his lines are impersonal and bland, theres nothing 'roxas' about it. roxas' defining feature has always been how emotional he is, and there's none of that here. its nothing. and then he does nothing afterwords. he has seven whole lines in this entire game, six of them are in this scene, and the last one is an inconsequential jab at sora at the very end. and then he fades into the background.

the writing in this game in general is actually weirdly worse than normal. it feels a lot less, idk, human? the older games were weird and absurdly cheesy but this is just. strange. look at the scenes with riku and mickey in the realm of darkness and youll see what i mean.

WHILE IM ON THAT SUBJECT. RIKUS KEYBLADE BREAKING IS BULLSHIT. remind me to rant about that another time though im not gonna go on a tangent about that here

also i would give my thoughts on the ending but i literally couldnt care less about xehanort. so i dont really have any! the final boss was alright though

i have more specific thoughts, but generally, the game feels aimless and underwhelming.

positives

i love axel and kairi! theyre a fun duo and ill never shut up about their parallels so seeing them together is nice. i wish they did anything but thats BESIDES the point im being POSITIVE here

also. the music is great. i love the music sm. its nowhere near my favorite kh soundtrack, it feels a lot more grand which isnt my thing but its still some of yoko shimomuras best work. also hearts as one. its the PERFECT conclusion to roxas' theme and arc. the progression of it from melancholic (roxas) to desperate (the other promise) to triumphant (hearts as one) is just so good. i wish the rest of this scene was as good as the music so i could compliment it more wholeheartedly yknow?

its actually funny also! kh isnt the funniest series, most of the time when it IS funny its completely on accident. but kh3 is like days in the way that it just. actually has funny writing. the jokes intended DO land and its just a breath of fresh air.

oh also riku being well adjusted is the funniest possible conclusion to his character arc. 10/10 im so happy hes normal. never give that boy an emo arc again nomura

conclusion

over all, kh3 is exactly like how my teachers described me in elementary school: it has a lot of potential, but doesnt apply itself. this couldve been a decent game but it simply doesnt do most things very well. i give it a 5.2 / 10. its not an actively bad game but its a game i have trouble enjoying. sidenote im retconning my opinion on bbs to say its 4.7 / 10 because a: my opinions have changed and b: i think 3 is better but i dont want to give it a very high score.