Part 2
Hello to part two. This actually has the lengthy discussion of characters and character development. This will not cover every character shown. Bear with me, please.
Part One
Characters
The Heroes:
Sora
Our cutie hero whose poor voice actors have been only allowed to speak in older, more mature manner for one game out of six (barring secret endings) for these past ten years. He’s been screwed and comatosed, split into way too many people and gave up a piece of his heart to a random stranger out of the goodness of his heart. Truthfully, the worlds - and the plot - wouldn’t be as screwed without him and Master Xehanort.
The prophesized Keyblade Master with way too many people in his heart, Sora, up until now, has had a steady if slow character development. Cheerful, idealistic and headstrong, he’s a bit on the daft heroic side of the spectrum, he’s a source of hope and light for many people. Unfortunately, he’s also the most likely to break. (The greater the light, the bigger the shadow it casts.)
While Sora himself seems to be full of faith and belief in his friends, he can be rather destructive in his passion. My thoughts are a little scattered, but I think it’s due to his youth when he started out on his journey and the fact that he’s been trained by two incredibly loyal people - Donald and Goofy. But that loyalty itself is to a figure - the King - that Sora only knows in a sense that is almost hearsay and from afar. As seen in many points in KH2, Sora was found doubting Mickey’s wisdom, almost growing bitter about it, but still performed admirably as expected of him: like a soldier told to fight.
And now he’s sent to the world of dreams to awaken sleeping hearts - and part and parcel of it, as I think Master Yen Sid has expected - is that most of the hearts that need awakening are actually inside him. [1] Sora himself was probably not told. Considering the last time someone told him that someone’s heart was inside his, Sora turned into a Shadow and brought about Roxas so I suppose it’s a good thing. Or not. Man, the lack of trust burns.
Also, because it looks like a lot of characters will betray him. (Pinocchio and Neku, specifically.)
I’m looking forward to see Sora as he is in Dream Drop Distance: he is finally allowed time to think, as there is a lack of urgency found in the other games, the lack of Donald and Goofy’s presences and overall, just the time to be able to think for himself.
Admittedly, my grasp of Sora as a character is extremely lacking, which sadly comes from another point.[2] Who knows, though I’m really looking forward to him beating sense into the minds of many a angsty character.[4]
Riku
Barring character bias[2], Riku so far has the most interesting character development I’ve seen. A hopeful, eerily perceptive child filled with light, he was the shoe-in for Keybearer until he was wooed away by Terranort’s heartless[3], went and kidnapped princesses, destroyed worlds and had to play atoner for another year while being Evil Guy to Roxas, something he feels pretty guilty about. Also, body snatching.
Overall, Riku himself plays little part in Yen Sid’s schemes aside from being the closest thing to being Mickey’s keyblade apprentice and as possible bait for Sora himself, who only took the Mark of Mastery for Riku.
From what I’ve seen in the trailer, the Mastery Exam will probably be the hardest thing for Riku. He would have to socialize with people and perform admirably in ways that he is surely capable of, but does not believe himself capable of being such as: Playing Knight to various princess-types such as Shiki and Queen Minnie, being on the same wavelength as characters like Joshua[4], and being the voice of reason and hope for Quasimodo.
This will probably give him the self-confidence that he used to have in KH1/BbS, though he now has the maturity and wisdom that he didn’t have then.
Characters of Interest
Maleficent
Don’t judge me, okay. She’s fabulous. And a main part as to why Mickey and co. are in the Three Musketeers. Maleficent has been in almost all the Kingdom Hearts games to date. She was no cohort to Master Xehanort though they have briefly spoken in BbS. She was in the same league as his Heartless in KH1. She was mentor to Riku even then. She was also saved by the Datadenizens and Mickey and Co. in Coded. Then there’s the fact that Xehanort’s heartless one-upped her in KH1.
In the trailer, it’s seen that Maleficent gives Mickey and co. the information and ability needed to kick Xehanort’s ass. Fabulous, fabulous woman after her own interests and is willing to do her own dirty work, in a sense. You’re also not sure if she’s leading you on, but only that she’s leading you somewhere and you know you should be prepared for it. She’s probably not that important but still a character of interest, quite the contrast to…
Yen Sid
Fabulous bastard and senior Keyblade Master, he is overshadowed by Mickey in the Bastion of Light category simply because of his nature. He’s a character of interest because he raises all the red flags in my head, almost similarly to that of Master Eraqus.
He is a source of information for Sora in his travels and is the retired Keyblade Master who took on the Apprentice Mickey, now Keyblade Master of his own right. However, Yen Sid is of seniority to Eraqus and Xehanort, making me wonder if he himself was the Master to the two themselves. It would explain Eraqus’ own methods of conducting the Mark of Mastery (Fantasia’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice, anyone?) and why he seems to look onto Xehanort fondly, even in the trailer narrative.
Which is why there is a flag raised, which is then followed by the following: He is old, and seems like a bigot too, in terms of the darkness, but… what truly raises the red flag is that regardless of what happened, he never took up the Keyblade to help at all. If nothing else, he keeps giving difficult tasks instead.
Is he a resigned and sad old man, losing hope but clinging to wisdom after seeing his students - many keybearers - die/etc? His passivity is alarming, and would explain why the hothead Apprentice!Mickey run off to clear off the Unversed while the Master!Mickey seems to have grown slightly more passive in terms of information dissemination, whiiich brought about the events of Kingdom Hearts 1.[5]
The World Ends With You
Interesting, that the whole main cast of TWEWY can be found in Traverse Town. Traverse Town is the town of beginnings, in a way, and I think that they serve more as something like the dream networks’ Restoration Committee. The timeline, I think, is skewed, since Neku’s already partner-happy, Shiki’s about, Joshua’s THERE and spouting THAT line, Beat isn’t antagonistic and Rhyme isn’t a squirrel.
Neku
Protagonist of TWEWY, he’s the amnesiac kid who’s pretty partner-happy. Biases aside[6], it’s interesting to see him as he is already. He’s on the partner-happy level as Week 3, but… “This isn’t what we agreed on!” reeks of Week 1, so… possibly endgame, with backsliding in terms of character development?
Shiki
Neku’s first partner, she’s a willful young girl who bullies Riku into becoming her knight and protector. “I’ll be in trouble if I were made to return” is interesting, since it might actually mean that she was taken after she became an entry fee. This is also supported by…
Joshua
… who seems to be restricted in terms of what he can do and say, but he seems to be the Exposition Guy. He’s a lot less hee hee than before, but then again, considering who he is, being separated from his world is actually Very Bad. He serves to give warnings to Riku, who’s on the same wavelength as him. He seems to be served a dose of Sora’s optimism, as he seems to be down about trying to convey what he wants to someone else. Neku, as his proxy, maybe? Since he used the same line as before, and seemingly like a reminder. I suspect that he’s from endgame.
Beat
What, that’s ALL?!
Rhyme
RHYME. OPTIMISTIC RHYME. With Moogle. OH EM GEE.
Speculah Characters
Data Riku, Riku Replica, ??
I call Riku Replica. Where do replicas go after they die…? Also, because Data Riku was never erased, since he’s on a different partition. *dry* I’d imagine he’s helping Queen Minnie organize files on the network.
Terranort, Xehanort, whatevernort
There’s too many, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be shown each one. To the epic confusion of Sora. That one of them seems to be working with Vanitas… TERRA WHERE ARE YOU. Ven, too.
The Organization, Only Not
Summary: I’m excited to see the wholeness of the Organization and their Somebodies, and very glad to see that we’ll finally be told of what happened during the fall of Radiant Garden/that thing with Ansem. It’s fascinating to see how canon is going to take it. Meru, though, mentioned that the scenes might be from the past. Doubtful, since they look like adults. Kairi and Ienzo were pretty close in age, and Kairi was found in Destiny Islands so soon after… I truly believe these are the reformed heartless+Nobodies of the Organization.
Roxas, Xion, Namine
We were promised a Happy End, so I’ll hold off on the speculah because they’re not on the same level as The Organization, Only Not.
Theme
It looks like the overall theme is still around: That no matter how separate you are, you and your loved ones are still connected, but with a touch of “togetherness despite the end” and emphasis on communication, which is a TWEWY theme. The former might be a good thing to end off, since it really seems like we’re nearing the end of KH.
Conclusion:
Time to save up for the inevitable limited edition 3DS that comes out with KH3D. * A * /
Notes:
[1] Trailer. “Suddenly… I feel sleepy…” and “Those hearts sleeping inside you.” Paraphrased.
[2] Perhaps one of the things I lament as a Riku roleplayer is that I am fundamentally unable to grasp Sora as a character, since they foil characters. On the other hand, I’m told by Sora roleplayers that they are fundamentally unable to grasp Riku as a character, so I feel marginally better.
[3] This can actually make me write another essay. But man, Terra’s pain. He gets to train the apprentice he’s looked forward into training, but it’s not him, not exactly. And he’s not teaching what he wants to teach.
[4] I called it. Kind of. Sora and Joshua, though… man, Joshua needs a Sora-sized kick on the head.
[5] Which means I have to amend my earlier statement: If it weren’t for Master Xehanort, Master Yen Sid and Master Eraqus, we wouldn’t be here today. Eraqus is still there, by sheer virtue of being in relatively the same generation and proximity.
[6] I also roleplay Neku. Go figure.
Part One
Characters
The Heroes:
Sora
Our cutie hero whose poor voice actors have been only allowed to speak in older, more mature manner for one game out of six (barring secret endings) for these past ten years. He’s been screwed and comatosed, split into way too many people and gave up a piece of his heart to a random stranger out of the goodness of his heart. Truthfully, the worlds - and the plot - wouldn’t be as screwed without him and Master Xehanort.
The prophesized Keyblade Master with way too many people in his heart, Sora, up until now, has had a steady if slow character development. Cheerful, idealistic and headstrong, he’s a bit on the daft heroic side of the spectrum, he’s a source of hope and light for many people. Unfortunately, he’s also the most likely to break. (The greater the light, the bigger the shadow it casts.)
While Sora himself seems to be full of faith and belief in his friends, he can be rather destructive in his passion. My thoughts are a little scattered, but I think it’s due to his youth when he started out on his journey and the fact that he’s been trained by two incredibly loyal people - Donald and Goofy. But that loyalty itself is to a figure - the King - that Sora only knows in a sense that is almost hearsay and from afar. As seen in many points in KH2, Sora was found doubting Mickey’s wisdom, almost growing bitter about it, but still performed admirably as expected of him: like a soldier told to fight.
And now he’s sent to the world of dreams to awaken sleeping hearts - and part and parcel of it, as I think Master Yen Sid has expected - is that most of the hearts that need awakening are actually inside him. [1] Sora himself was probably not told. Considering the last time someone told him that someone’s heart was inside his, Sora turned into a Shadow and brought about Roxas so I suppose it’s a good thing. Or not. Man, the lack of trust burns.
Also, because it looks like a lot of characters will betray him. (Pinocchio and Neku, specifically.)
I’m looking forward to see Sora as he is in Dream Drop Distance: he is finally allowed time to think, as there is a lack of urgency found in the other games, the lack of Donald and Goofy’s presences and overall, just the time to be able to think for himself.
Admittedly, my grasp of Sora as a character is extremely lacking, which sadly comes from another point.[2] Who knows, though I’m really looking forward to him beating sense into the minds of many a angsty character.[4]
Riku
Barring character bias[2], Riku so far has the most interesting character development I’ve seen. A hopeful, eerily perceptive child filled with light, he was the shoe-in for Keybearer until he was wooed away by Terranort’s heartless[3], went and kidnapped princesses, destroyed worlds and had to play atoner for another year while being Evil Guy to Roxas, something he feels pretty guilty about. Also, body snatching.
Overall, Riku himself plays little part in Yen Sid’s schemes aside from being the closest thing to being Mickey’s keyblade apprentice and as possible bait for Sora himself, who only took the Mark of Mastery for Riku.
From what I’ve seen in the trailer, the Mastery Exam will probably be the hardest thing for Riku. He would have to socialize with people and perform admirably in ways that he is surely capable of, but does not believe himself capable of being such as: Playing Knight to various princess-types such as Shiki and Queen Minnie, being on the same wavelength as characters like Joshua[4], and being the voice of reason and hope for Quasimodo.
This will probably give him the self-confidence that he used to have in KH1/BbS, though he now has the maturity and wisdom that he didn’t have then.
Characters of Interest
Maleficent
Don’t judge me, okay. She’s fabulous. And a main part as to why Mickey and co. are in the Three Musketeers. Maleficent has been in almost all the Kingdom Hearts games to date. She was no cohort to Master Xehanort though they have briefly spoken in BbS. She was in the same league as his Heartless in KH1. She was mentor to Riku even then. She was also saved by the Datadenizens and Mickey and Co. in Coded. Then there’s the fact that Xehanort’s heartless one-upped her in KH1.
In the trailer, it’s seen that Maleficent gives Mickey and co. the information and ability needed to kick Xehanort’s ass. Fabulous, fabulous woman after her own interests and is willing to do her own dirty work, in a sense. You’re also not sure if she’s leading you on, but only that she’s leading you somewhere and you know you should be prepared for it. She’s probably not that important but still a character of interest, quite the contrast to…
Yen Sid
Fabulous bastard and senior Keyblade Master, he is overshadowed by Mickey in the Bastion of Light category simply because of his nature. He’s a character of interest because he raises all the red flags in my head, almost similarly to that of Master Eraqus.
He is a source of information for Sora in his travels and is the retired Keyblade Master who took on the Apprentice Mickey, now Keyblade Master of his own right. However, Yen Sid is of seniority to Eraqus and Xehanort, making me wonder if he himself was the Master to the two themselves. It would explain Eraqus’ own methods of conducting the Mark of Mastery (Fantasia’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice, anyone?) and why he seems to look onto Xehanort fondly, even in the trailer narrative.
Which is why there is a flag raised, which is then followed by the following: He is old, and seems like a bigot too, in terms of the darkness, but… what truly raises the red flag is that regardless of what happened, he never took up the Keyblade to help at all. If nothing else, he keeps giving difficult tasks instead.
Is he a resigned and sad old man, losing hope but clinging to wisdom after seeing his students - many keybearers - die/etc? His passivity is alarming, and would explain why the hothead Apprentice!Mickey run off to clear off the Unversed while the Master!Mickey seems to have grown slightly more passive in terms of information dissemination, whiiich brought about the events of Kingdom Hearts 1.[5]
The World Ends With You
Interesting, that the whole main cast of TWEWY can be found in Traverse Town. Traverse Town is the town of beginnings, in a way, and I think that they serve more as something like the dream networks’ Restoration Committee. The timeline, I think, is skewed, since Neku’s already partner-happy, Shiki’s about, Joshua’s THERE and spouting THAT line, Beat isn’t antagonistic and Rhyme isn’t a squirrel.
Neku
Protagonist of TWEWY, he’s the amnesiac kid who’s pretty partner-happy. Biases aside[6], it’s interesting to see him as he is already. He’s on the partner-happy level as Week 3, but… “This isn’t what we agreed on!” reeks of Week 1, so… possibly endgame, with backsliding in terms of character development?
Shiki
Neku’s first partner, she’s a willful young girl who bullies Riku into becoming her knight and protector. “I’ll be in trouble if I were made to return” is interesting, since it might actually mean that she was taken after she became an entry fee. This is also supported by…
Joshua
… who seems to be restricted in terms of what he can do and say, but he seems to be the Exposition Guy. He’s a lot less hee hee than before, but then again, considering who he is, being separated from his world is actually Very Bad. He serves to give warnings to Riku, who’s on the same wavelength as him. He seems to be served a dose of Sora’s optimism, as he seems to be down about trying to convey what he wants to someone else. Neku, as his proxy, maybe? Since he used the same line as before, and seemingly like a reminder. I suspect that he’s from endgame.
Beat
What, that’s ALL?!
Rhyme
RHYME. OPTIMISTIC RHYME. With Moogle. OH EM GEE.
Speculah Characters
Data Riku, Riku Replica, ??
I call Riku Replica. Where do replicas go after they die…? Also, because Data Riku was never erased, since he’s on a different partition. *dry* I’d imagine he’s helping Queen Minnie organize files on the network.
Terranort, Xehanort, whatevernort
There’s too many, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be shown each one. To the epic confusion of Sora. That one of them seems to be working with Vanitas… TERRA WHERE ARE YOU. Ven, too.
The Organization, Only Not
Summary: I’m excited to see the wholeness of the Organization and their Somebodies, and very glad to see that we’ll finally be told of what happened during the fall of Radiant Garden/that thing with Ansem. It’s fascinating to see how canon is going to take it. Meru, though, mentioned that the scenes might be from the past. Doubtful, since they look like adults. Kairi and Ienzo were pretty close in age, and Kairi was found in Destiny Islands so soon after… I truly believe these are the reformed heartless+Nobodies of the Organization.
Roxas, Xion, Namine
We were promised a Happy End, so I’ll hold off on the speculah because they’re not on the same level as The Organization, Only Not.
Theme
It looks like the overall theme is still around: That no matter how separate you are, you and your loved ones are still connected, but with a touch of “togetherness despite the end” and emphasis on communication, which is a TWEWY theme. The former might be a good thing to end off, since it really seems like we’re nearing the end of KH.
Conclusion:
Time to save up for the inevitable limited edition 3DS that comes out with KH3D. * A * /
Notes:
[1] Trailer. “Suddenly… I feel sleepy…” and “Those hearts sleeping inside you.” Paraphrased.
[2] Perhaps one of the things I lament as a Riku roleplayer is that I am fundamentally unable to grasp Sora as a character, since they foil characters. On the other hand, I’m told by Sora roleplayers that they are fundamentally unable to grasp Riku as a character, so I feel marginally better.
[3] This can actually make me write another essay. But man, Terra’s pain. He gets to train the apprentice he’s looked forward into training, but it’s not him, not exactly. And he’s not teaching what he wants to teach.
[4] I called it. Kind of. Sora and Joshua, though… man, Joshua needs a Sora-sized kick on the head.
[5] Which means I have to amend my earlier statement: If it weren’t for Master Xehanort, Master Yen Sid and Master Eraqus, we wouldn’t be here today. Eraqus is still there, by sheer virtue of being in relatively the same generation and proximity.
[6] I also roleplay Neku. Go figure.