Another Apprentice with Xehanort and Eraqus?

[Luminary]

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]So this started out as a joke, but then I actually kind of liked it and wanted to share here. This isn’t so much of a theory I see actually happening, but I think it could be interesting. For context, I devised this when thinking of ways to motivate Xehanort beyond just the abstract motives he currently has. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]So most of our major characters in the series belong to trios. What if Eraqus and Xehanort did as well? Maybe there was a girl who was an apprentice alongside them, but somehow, she went missing. Xehanort is then motivated to travel the worlds looking for answers on how he might can find her and bring her back. Through this obsession, he becomes more enthralled with the darkness and learns that through Kingdom Hearts, he could rewrite reality to bring back his loved one and create a perfectly balanced world for them to rule over.[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Now who could this girl be? A totally new character? Probably not with how much Nomura likes to utilize existing characters. Which of our established main female characters still possesses a strong mystery behind their existence?[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Naminé. She is the only one who doesn’t yet belong to a trio. For some reason, she is born in Castle Oblivion. Why is this? Because it was Land of Departure, which her existence would be drawn to if she was connected to a fellow apprentice of Eraqus and Xehanort. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“Now, wait a second, Zip; Naminé still looks like Kairi and was definitely born from her heart releasing from Sora. How could she relate to this mystery woman?” [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Kairi and Namine do have similar faces and bodies. However their hair is totally different as well as other minor differences. Her hair is also an entirely different shade from Ven’s, so his heart might not have caused that effect. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]It could be that she was taking on the appearance of someone important to Kairi. Now, who would look strikingly similar to Kairi that could have been a Keyblade wielder at the same time as Young Eraqus and Xehanort?[/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]KAIRI’S GRANDMA!!! LMAO. You’re welcome. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]While this was originally meant as an extended joke, I would like to know more about Naminé’s existence and why she appears the way she does. It really wouldn’t be that far fetched to believe Kairi’s love for her Grandma caused Naminé to look like her. We also don’t know why Namine has the name she does when most Nobody’s are based on their Somebodies. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]You’d think Kairi would recognize the name of her grandma, but she still doesn’t have her childhood memories of Radiant Garden, I think. It would actually make a nice subplot for her in KH3 if she were to investigate her past and maybe at some point she discovers an old picture or drawing of her grandmother as Naminé. Even if it were just a subtle reference, it would be a cool detail. [/FONT][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]I seriously doubt this will happen, but I’d be here for it. Let me know what you think. Should I start writing a fan fiction? Lol[/FONT][/FONT]
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[Zettaflare]

It's an interesting idea. Though I figured if there was a third apprentice it would have been Yen Sid.

 

[Luminary]

It's an interesting idea. Though I figured if there was a third apprentice it would have been Yen Sid.

I’ve always thought so as well. However, it could be that Yen Sid was more akin to Mickey in his youth and acted as a free agent. The relationship between he and Xehanort could have mirrored that of Mickey and Riku when they were young.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

Yeah I also think Yen Sid is the third apprentice.

Naminé... I'm not that convinced. I think her character underwent the blondification same reason as Roxas, to not make the Nobody thing blatantly obvious (and to differentiate them since they're supposed to be special Nobodies).
Same with her name, which is still tied to Kairi due to "nami" being "wave". I feel like the Nobody name being an anagram with the "x" was purely an Organization XIII thing.

All the evergreen jokes about her aside, we know so little about Kairi's Grandma (and I still point at how unclear and vague her fairy tale is to show she only knows the War by folk lore and not by being in the Keyblade Klub) that I find it hard to believe she's going to be tied to important characters.

 

[Luminary]

Yeah I also think Yen Sid is the third apprentice.

Naminé... I'm not that convinced. I think her character underwent the blondification same reason as Roxas, to not make the Nobody thing blatantly obvious (and to differentiate them since they're supposed to be special Nobodies).
Same with her name, which is still tied to Kairi due to "nami" being "wave". I feel like the Nobody name being an anagram with the "x" was purely an Organization XIII thing.

All the evergreen jokes about her aside, we know so little about Kairi's Grandma (and I still point at how unclear and vague her fairy tale is to show she only knows the War by folk lore and not by being in the Keyblade Klub) that I find it hard to believe she's going to be tied to important characters.

Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m sure Grandma is just there to be a sweet old lady telling us stories. But if they ever wanted to spin something out of Grandma, I think this would be a cool way to do it. It wouldn’t be too unbelievable that Kairi’s parents would give her a name with a similar meaning to her grandmother.

It could be a huge end game plot twist that they could drop some hints of throughout, like the picture thing. Then in the final battle, Namine could confront Xehanort, who recognizes her and we then find out how they’re connected.

I know it’s not that great of a theory, but I’d really like them to give a deeper meaning to Namine’s existence since she seems to be the character most emphasized as having no meaning to her existence apart from maybe Xion. But even the latter discovered what she was and why before she was erased. So I think Namine still deserves a bit more depth that could give her a reason to be her own person, if that makes sense.

 

[raccoonscity]

It really wouldn’t be that far fetched to believe Kairi’s love for her Grandma caused Naminé to look like her. We also don’t know why Namine has the name she does when most Nobody’s are based on their Somebodies.

I really don't think we need an in-universe reason for this. Namine's design was to very pale and simple to make her stand out and reinforce her as an anomaly. She contrasts with the other KH/FF/Disney characters who are usually very colorful. She contrasts the Organization members who wear all black. She contrasts this idea of "white=purity" by her actions and the idea of her as a "witch". Most importantly, she looks like Kairi, except with all the color drained out of her.

Her name is just to connect her to Kairi, and to fit the convention of the girls being named related to water.

 

[Luminary]

What

I really don't think we need an in-universe reason for this. Namine's design was to very pale and simple to make her stand out and reinforce her as an anomaly. She contrasts with the other KH/FF/Disney characters who are usually very colorful. She contrasts the Organization members who wear all black. She contrasts this idea of "white=purity" by her actions and the idea of her as a "witch". Most importantly, she looks like Kairi, except with all the color drained out of her.

Her name is just to connect her to Kairi, and to fit the convention of the girls being named related to water.

I can respect that opinion on it.

But seeing as our Namine would still be herself, I don’t think it would really take away from those elements of her character. Kairi’s grandma in her youth would basically be a depiction of what Namine would be a complete person, therefore she wouldn’t have all the color drained from her, she’d wear different clothes, etc. Her hair color, body structure, and possibly her name would be the main connection. Namine would basically be to Kairi’s grandma what Roxas is to Ven. They look similar, but they’re entirely different people.

Maybe discovering what her grandma looked like in her youth would inspire Kairi to help Namine become her own person with Kairi even beginning to view Namine as like a sister rather than her other? I’m just brainstorming ideas on what they could do with them in KH3 because I’d really like to see their relationship explored, just like I want to see Sora and Roxas’.

 

[raccoonscity]

But seeing as our Namine would still be herself, I don’t think it would really take away from those elements of her character. Kairi’s grandma in her youth would basically be a depiction of what Namine would be a complete person, therefore she wouldn’t have all the color drained from her, she’d wear different clothes, etc. Her hair color, body structure, and possibly her name would be the main connection. Namine would basically be to Kairi’s grandma what Roxas is to Ven. They look similar, but they’re entirely different people.

I think that the series should step away from having everyone be a look-alike of someone else. They can find meaning in their existences without them having to be connected to every odd person or every story, and there's other ways to add depth to a character besides just connecting a red string between two portraits. We can care about characters without them secretly being someone else.

I do feel like having Roxas and Ven look alike changes some things about Roxas. Like, how is he going to react that he not only struggled with identity as the Nobody of Sora, but that even his appearance isn't his own? Also, still kinda raises the question on why Sora and Ventus, who aren't related to each other as far as we know, have the same face. It would be incredibly weird if Roxas never says anything about this or has no reaction to it.

Maybe discovering what her grandma looked like in her youth would inspire Kairi to help Namine become her own person with Kairi even beginning to view Namine as like a sister rather than her other? I’m just brainstorming ideas on what they could do with them in KH3 because I’d really like to see their relationship explored, just like I want to see Sora and Roxas’.

I think she would just do this own her own, with no extra/deeper reason.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

I’ve always thought so as well. However, it could be that Yen Sid was more akin to Mickey in his youth and acted as a free agent. The relationship between he and Xehanort could have mirrored that of Mickey and Riku when they were young.

I'm on this boat too. Yen Sid feels like the free-agent sort of character because he's a pre-existing Disney character. Plus, there's no reference for a Young Yen Sid anyway (unless Disney is willing to go all out and actually create a young Yen Sid and have him debut in Kingdom Hearts III).

I think Nomura's going to play things a little different for Xehanort and Eraqus trio. As opposed to having an "older" master, the master for Xehanort and Eraqus may end up being the same age as both of them. That way, you accomplish the trio tradition albeit in a different manner. The Foretellers prove that being a Keyblade Master is not restricted to age. So I can see it being Xehanort, Eraqus, their Master.

 

[Luminary]

I'm on this boat too. Yen Sid feels like the free-agent sort of character because he's a pre-existing Disney character. Plus, there's no reference for a Young Yen Sid anyway (unless Disney is willing to go all out and actually create a young Yen Sid and have him debut in Kingdom Hearts III).

I think Nomura's going to play things a little different for Xehanort and Eraqus trio. As opposed to having an "older" master, the master for Xehanort and Eraqus may end up being the same age as both of them. That way, you accomplish the trio tradition albeit in a different manner. The Foretellers prove that being a Keyblade Master is not restricted to age. So I can see it being Xehanort, Eraqus, their Master.

Yeah it has always felt like Yen Sid was a bit detached from Eraqus and Xehanort. Perhaps he was 5-10 years ahead of them and was more of an acquaintance.

I like that idea of them having a young Master! Now who do we know that loves to tell the legend of the Keyblade War?

(I’m just having a lot of fun imagining Kairi’s Grandma toting No Name around. Lmao)

But you know, as an aside, I would like to see Kairi reunited with her grandma. I always assumed she died, but that isn’t necessarily the case. It would be really sweet for them to be reunited and maybe Grandma could have some useful wisdom to impart on her.

 

[Deleted member 246005]

I joked about it being Eraqus's twin sister Xine.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

I think that the series should step away from having everyone be a look-alike of someone else. They can find meaning in their existences without them having to be connected to every odd person or every story, and there's other ways to add depth to a character besides just connecting a red string between two portraits. We can care about characters without them secretly being someone else.

I do feel like having Roxas and Ven look alike changes some things about Roxas. Like, how is he going to react that he not only struggled with identity as the Nobody of Sora, but that even his appearance isn't his own? Also, still kinda raises the question on why Sora and Ventus, who aren't related to each other as far as we know, have the same face. It would be incredibly weird if Roxas never says anything about this or has no reaction to it.

I wholeheartly agree with this assessment. This whole character X is actually character Y or character Z is getting out of hand when used too often and with too many characters.
If done once or twice it can be engaging and interesting when done properly, but stretching it out to include everyone and their mama (actually scratch that, they are their mama to begin with because time travel and prophecy!) just gets boring and tiresome.

The Roxas and Ventus thing however is explicitly not a "character X is actually character Y"-issue despite some parts of the fandom still failing to comprehend that they're two completely distinct individuals.
Strictly spoken Roxas has elements from both Sora and Ven so he's still unique, yet considering the "identity"-stuff I feel if they start to put Roxas into being in angsty/angry identity-crisis mode again they would only be rehashing territory they already traversed in both KH 2 and Days.
It could be an opportunity to show Roxas' character growth though if he handles the whole "twin looks"-thing with Ven differently/better than he did during KH 2/Days.
On the other hand, it would also propose some more insights and chances for Ventus so if they decide to delve into the matter it might turn into a win-win situation for both characters.

Sora and Ventus having the same face may very easily be hand waved/explained by the fact that their heart connection which is described more than once as "deeper than anything short of an actual fusion" was first formed/initiated when Sora was just a newborn heart.
Creating the heart bond this early might have affected Sora's appearance and have him take on some characteristics of Ventus (most notably the same overall face form and the eyes).
After all, Ansem the Wise does explain that hearts are "malleable" and this would hold true even more for a "brand new heart" as Sora describes himself in the BBS Prologue.

I think she would just do this own her own, with no extra/deeper reason.

I also see no reason why she wouldn't just do it of her own volition as is.
Why should Sora be the only one to accept beings born differently as their own people?
Bigoted views like Ansem the Wise once had or Xehanort still has do not need to be treated as the default one.

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As for the actual Thread topic, I dunno if Xehanort and Eraqus really need a third person to form yet another "trio".
Similar to the above character X is actually character Y thing, it can become tiring if the very same concept is used over and over again,

The third person being actually their Master would certainly change the dynamics quite a bit, possibly similar to Mickey, Donald and Goofy as a trio, but personally I'd like to either see them remaining a duo of apprentices or having two or more partner students going above the whole trio thing.
Maybe give them a quintet to parallel the Foretellers and Union Leaders, but that could possibly also be just another rehash of an already used concept.

 

[raccoonscity]

Because I didn't really say anything on the topic of the Grandmother specifically, I just think that if they were to use her character, it would be best used in regards to Kairi, and not Namine or Xehanort and Eraqus. I just think it'd be a waste to bring up the Grandmother and not talk about how Kairi feels being in her old home, and wondering about her family and the life she could have had instead.

I also kind of want to break out of the trio trope, not that there's anything wrong with it, but for some diversity in relationships and themes.

The Roxas and Ventus thing however is explicitly not a "character X is actually character Y"-issue despite some parts of the fandom still failing to comprehend that they're two completely distinct individuals.

Yeah, the confusion of people thinking Ven and Roxas are the same is one reason I don't like going overboard with the clone thing. On one hand, newcomers will be confused because the games never really explain why Roxas and Ven look alike. Nomura does in interviews and the Ultimanias, but some people don't know how/where to look for them when they first join the fandom. And I still see fans that have played through all the games not understand why Sora/Vanitas and Ventus/Roxas look alike. Which I can't blame them for, because they at least made Kairi look drastically different and have her own aesthetic, compared to Xion and Namine, but Roxas and Ven are more subtle about this.

Strictly spoken Roxas has elements from both Sora and Ven so he's still unique, yet considering the "identity"-stuff I feel if they start to put Roxas into being in angsty/angry identity-crisis mode again they would only be rehashing territory they already traversed in both KH 2 and Days.
It could be an opportunity to show Roxas' character growth though if he handles the whole "twin looks"-thing with Ven differently/better than he did during KH 2/Days.
On the other hand, it would also propose some more insights and chances for Ventus so if they decide to delve into the matter it might turn into a win-win situation for both characters.

I do think Roxas would handle it better than he handled Sora, especially looking at Roxas's speech to Sora in DDD. It didn't help that part of the problem towards Sora was the secrecy and manipulation from Axel and Organization XIII in regards to his identity.

But it'd just be odd if he didn't have any reaction or thoughts on Ven at all, and they just don't address the Sora/Vanitas/Ven/Roxas look-alike thing. At the very least, they could point out the ridiculousness of it for comic relief, or expand upon the theme of "What parts of you are you and what parts are just copies?" that Xemnas brought up in DDD.

Sora and Ventus having the same face may very easily be hand waved/explained by the fact that their heart connection which is described more than once as "deeper than anything short of an actual fusion" was first formed/initiated when Sora was just a newborn heart.
Creating the heart bond this early might have affected Sora's appearance and have him take on some characteristics of Ventus (most notably the same overall face form and the eyes).
After all, Ansem the Wise does explain that hearts are "malleable" and this would hold true even more for a "brand new heart" as Sora describes himself in the BBS Prologue.

That wouldn't be a bad explanation, but I don't think they ever actually explained or confirmed that, that's all. That would be a good way to tie the Ven-Sora-Roxas thing together and also give us more insights into heart connections shaping appearance/identity.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Because I didn't really say anything on the topic of the Grandmother specifically, I just think that if they were to use her character, it would be best used in regards to Kairi, and not Namine or Xehanort and Eraqus. I just think it'd be a waste to bring up the Grandmother and not talk about how Kairi feels being in her old home, and wondering about her family and the life she could have had instead.

I also kind of want to break out of the trio trope, not that there's anything wrong with it, but for some diversity in relationships and themes.

Correct, an established character being pushed into a completely new environment and given a role related to other characters without any meaningful use in regards to their already established connections beforehand is a sort of a waste.

Generally spoken there is nothing "wrong" with any of the tropes the KH series uses per se, it's more like they tend to overdo it with a certain group of tropes to a point where it becomes increasingly exhausting and facepalm-worthy to see them again and again.

This goes for both the whole trio-issue and the whole "character X is actually character Y"-shenanigans.

Yeah, the confusion of people thinking Ven and Roxas are the same is one reason I don't like going overboard with the clone thing. On one hand, newcomers will be confused because the games never really explain why Roxas and Ven look alike. Nomura does in interviews and the Ultimanias, but some people don't know how/where to look for them when they first join the fandom. And I still see fans that have played through all the games not understand why Sora/Vanitas and Ventus/Roxas look alike. Which I can't blame them for, because they at least made Kairi look drastically different and have her own aesthetic, compared to Xion and Namine, but Roxas and Ven are more subtle about this.

While on one hand I can see where they come from, I can't help but see a sort of hypocrisy in it because the Roxas/Ventus case seems to be the only one where the most vocal complaints come from despite several cases of actual clones being present across the series.
People are quick to assert that a clone can't be equaled to the original person they come from, yet refuse to do the same when it comes to Roxas and Ven who, while it is indeed not outright explained in-game, are shown to be distinct individuals in both mannerisms and viewpoints in their appearances, not even counting the different inflections and overall manner of their voices?

That comes from the fact that both Xion and Naminé have influences other than Kairi in their designs, with Naminé being partly created from Sora and Xion being influenced by some unhinged memories of Kairi from Sora.
Roxas comes directly from Sora and some slight Ventus-influence in terms of appearance alone and with Sora's and Ven's connection already being so deep these two too look alike it's logical that Roxas does too.

So yeah, it's more subtle with Roxas and Ven but it is not the writer's or the narrative's fault that many people nowadays are incapable of recognizing and delving into subtlety.

Still, looking at it from an conciliatory angle I'd say they could have spared the audience much trouble and still getting the same message/concept of close heart bonds across if they had just given Ventus green eyes instead of the same blue as Roxas/Sora.
Not only would it fit Ven's "wind element" it would also have served as a distinct visual differentiation between them.

I do think Roxas would handle it better than he handled Sora, especially looking at Roxas's speech to Sora in DDD. It didn't help that part of the problem towards Sora was the secrecy and manipulation from Axel and Organization XIII in regards to his identity.

But it'd just be odd if he didn't have any reaction or thoughts on Ven at all, and they just don't address the Sora/Vanitas/Ven/Roxas look-alike thing. At the very least, they could point out the ridiculousness of it for comic relief, or expand upon the theme of "What parts of you are you and what parts are just copies?" that Xemnas brought up in DDD.

Agreed, not to mention the whole memory-mess and "thou shall not exist"-crap was also on the table with DiZ which I cannot see being there in a similar fashion when it comes to Ventus, especially not from Ventus himself nor from Aqua.
With Terra it could get somewhat interesting if he did somehow experience some of the things Xemnas did and thus has an indirect connection with Roxas already.
Roxas already has all those experiences and aesops he learned during KH 2 and Days + the reassurance of what Sora thinks of the issue, so I'd say he should be allowed to draw upon and use those experiences when it comes to Ventus to truly show his character growth instead of regressing to identity-crisis mode just for some cheap angst-and-drama-points.

It'll be certainly odd and, like said a wasted opportunity for more characterisation and interaction between multiple characters. From Roxas' as well as Ven's side, maybe have Sora and to a certain extent even Vanitas involved.
Imagine for example Ventus immediately "clicking" with Roxas and unconditionally accepting him while still completely and firmly rejecting Vanitas, even if Roxas is at first somewhat reserved or passive aggressive towards him (but never outright violent or stalkerish/abusive like Van), possibly prompting Vanitas to accuse Ven of being a hypocrite with the actual reasons flying way over his head and it eventually falling to Roxas to point out the differences between them and possibly even be the one to eventually start Vanitas on a path of self-reflection and -realization.

One of my most wished for concepts and "open issues" to be addressed properly in KH III is the connection and relationship between Sora and Ventus which is indirectly hyped up to be so damn special in BBS and partly in Re: Coded and DDD, yet never actually explored or displayed at all so far.
Including Roxas and Vanitas in the mix would not only be an opportunity in itself, but also allow for these characters to be explored more alongside Sora and Ven.
Things such as these I find to be much more interesting and enjoyable to see than the whole stupid "prophecy of the end of the world" and villain sue Xehanort pulls out backup plan 200+X-drama.

Of course one could also go the comedy-route instead of the serious one, like i.e. Ven and Roxas starting to play pranks on the others by switching roles (and clothes) to confuse them, although I do feel that a mixture of both may be applicable with the comedic elements coming up later after most things are already sorted out.

Heck, the whole "role-swapping"-idea could even be used in a serious context by i.e. Roxas posing as Ven to try and mislead Xehanort or a different villain to either buy time or allow for some plan of the good guys to go off uninterrupted.

That wouldn't be a bad explanation, but I don't think they ever actually explained or confirmed that, that's all. That would be a good way to tie the Ven-Sora-Roxas thing together and also give us more insights into heart connections shaping appearance/identity.

It was indeed never outright stated or otherwise "in your face"-confirmed in any of the games, but it can be deduced by connecting the shown smaller facts in the games themselves like

1. The newborn heart Ventus connects with in the BBS prologue is Sora, this gets confirmed at the very end when 4year-old Sora and Ven "meet" again on Sora's heart station.

2. Aqua explicitly states that 4year-old Sora is like "a spitting image of Ven" in her story when meeting him, nudging into the the direction of their close bond for the audience despite her herself not yet realizing the importance.

3. Vanitas looking like Sora despite originating from Ventus gives another hint of there being something more substantial between Sora and Ventus.

4. Roxas' character entry in the Re: Coded debug reports directly address it:

While he bears an uncanny resemblance to another boy deeply connected to Sora, it is more than coat and hood that prevent Sora from seeing.

5. Again in Coded, Naminé hints at it as well:

Yes, two of them, you have met. As for the third...I never realized it, but...you and he share a very special connection.

The interviews and Ultimanias do confirm such things outright, but one can arrive on these conclusions by the games alone.

I won't deny it is a whole lot of more work to do and something outright confirming it like i.e. the issue that everything can grow a heart being brought completely clear by both Xemnas and Ansem the Wise in DDD despite all the scattered hints beforehand might be more audience-friendly, but that might be not Nomura's and co.'s intention yet.

As already said above though, one of the things I am certainly hoping for is that the whole connection and relationship between Sora and Ventus will get more attention in general and maybe this issue will get addressed in KH III as well while they're at it.

 

[raccoonscity]

While on one hand I can see where they come from, I can't help but see a sort of hypocrisy in it because the Roxas/Ventus case seems to be the only one where the most vocal complaints come from despite several cases of actual clones being present across the series.

So yeah, it's more subtle with Roxas and Ven but it is not the writer's or the narrative's fault that many people nowadays are incapable of recognizing and delving into subtlety.

I was thinking more in terms of people who haven't touched any of the games in years or have only played through the games once. There's a lot of things in the series that's complicated or not explained enough, and I just feel having too much too keep track of when coming back to a series or going into it for the first time is something that's overwhelming.

The thing is, they actually address Xion's appearance and how it relates to Kairi, and we know Namine is Kairi's Nobody, but the Roxas/Ven situation is addressed mostly outside of the games, so that's probably why it gets so much attention. And they have the same hair and a very similar style/color scheme.

One of my most wished for concepts and "open issues" to be addressed properly in KH III is the connection and relationship between Sora and Ventus which is indirectly hyped up to be so damn special in BBS and partly in Re: Coded and DDD, yet never actually explored or displayed at all so far.

Things such as these I find to be much more interesting and enjoyable to see than the whole stupid "prophecy of the end of the world" and villain sue Xehanort pulls out backup plan 200+X-drama.

Yes, I completely agree. I want to see relationships with the characters in general that haven't been explored or haven't met before, but Sora and Ven is one that I feel needs a lot of attention with consideration to their connections to each other and their history against the Xehanorts, and there's been a lot of build-up that I hope the scene when Ven wakes up is powerful and that they explore their relationship beyond just that.

It was indeed never outright stated or otherwise "in your face"-confirmed in any of the games, but it can be deduced by connecting the shown smaller facts in the games themselves like...

I won't deny it is a whole lot of more work to do and something outright confirming it like i.e. the issue that everything can grow a heart being brought completely clear by both Xemnas and Ansem the Wise in DDD despite all the scattered hints beforehand might be more audience-friendly, but that might be not Nomura's and co.'s intention yet.

I mean, sure, but this is mostly just hints towards a connection between them and isn't really clear enough that this is hinting at "Sora took Ven's face" (they don't really address this except for Aqua's comment). Some people have speculated this, but we just don't know if this was Nomura's intention.