And this is what gets me, in many ways we can consider Riku has having been given a birth by sleep just like these characters (he literally starts CoM in sleep, and the title of his scenario is "Rebirth/Reverse"), and we have like, first hand example of how interesting and compelling it can be. Riku's growth of a character after his sacrifice at the end of KH1 up until now has been astronomical. He's pretty much one of the few characters who has such development and it was incredibly compelling and interesting. Like, can you imagine what it would be like if Riku's story ended with KH1? We would have missed out on so much. So much great character work and meaningful developments and growth. And that could be true for all of these characters. Who knows where the story could take them, but the potential is there and it's real and it could be the best thing for this series. Who do Roxas, Xion, Nami, DiZ, Aqua, Ventus, Terra become after being given a second chance? What will they seek, what will they want? How will they grow? The interactions of these characters are some of the most interesting in the series. The Roxas/Sora cutscene in KH3D was one of the best they've had. These are questions that should promote excitement! The Realm of Possibility is full to bursting with them being given second chances -- something that cannot really be said otherwise.
Overall, the most consistent tone of Kingdom Hearts is that it is hopeful. Every single game, no matter how downer the ending, has hope in it. Hope for the future, for these characters. Like, it's a part of this series core fabric. The series' biggest metaphor -- the light in the darkness -- is one of hope. The fact that the literal light of Kingdom Hearts is trapped in the Realm of Darkness is meant to signal this. There was always hope for these characters that they would be given another chance. Even upon Axel's death he expresses hope for himself, Roxas and Naminé -- "Roxas... you have a heart don't you? And, I wonder... do people like Namin� and me... really not have hearts?" -- and Roxas returns hopeful in kind as well, confident that Sora will find the answer for them. Like, no matter the game or character, no matter how bittersweet something is, the series has always maintained that the
point wasn't the suffering, the point was that there was hope for something more. KH1 has everyone separated again, but it ends with SDG finding Pluto, with evidence of Mickey's survival. CoM has Sora agree to forget about CO and have his memories fixed, but maintaining the belief that with their promise, Nami and Sora would meet again. CoM has Riku know that the darkness still has a hold on him, but that he is walking the road to dawn. Days has Xion sacrificing herself, but telling Roxas that it's okay, because she'll be part of Sora and that the memories of their time will live on in Sora. BBS literally ends with Blank Points, where, for the first time Aqua cries, but she does it out of hope and the belief that there "will always be a way". Like, shit, people. We get so focused on the tragedy that we don't focus on the final point. There is hope for everyone, and it may not be easy (look how much Riku had to go through to get to the point where he could finally, proudly say, "I'm Riku" at the end of KH3D) but it's possible.
That is Kingdom Heart's larger message -- that there will always be a light in the darkness -- and the idea that a happy ending, after all of that, is too much, too simple, too easy, too predictable or whatever, is just ridiculous to me, and it spits in the face of what this series is about.
And with that, I'm done.
BIRTH BY SLEEP
AQUA: There is always a way.
KINGDOM HEARTS
MICKEY: Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light.
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