Did Xehanort get off too lightly?

[kirabook]

For my own personal reasons, I would've liked if everyone he hurt got a final send off. Whether it was words of spite or they somehow found a way to forgive him I dunno.

We get Eraqus looking at them like "They are the future" but Xehanort is still in fight mode and doesn't even seem to acknowledge them now that Eraqus is there. Eraqus gives him a flashback no jutsu and he finally backs down. Not because he's cornered and all the people he's heaped trauma onto is standing around him, but because his bestie past and present asked him to.

I dunno if I was looking for punishment because we did whoop his butt multiple times on repeat for years at this point. But it just feels like the people other than Sora didn't get to say "Good riddance" or got any kind of apology or anything. And everyone appears to be a-ok with that.

I mean, I guess that's just how it is in fiction sometimes, isn't it? Not every creator likes to spend time delving into how a character can come to forgive or forget the wrongs done to them by someone else (For example, as much as I like the idea of Kairi and Axel becoming friends, all her misgivings were quickly swept under a rug a bit unfairly imo)

Despite all the trauma and hardships these characters have gone through, I feel like at the end of the day, the message is, "Don't hold onto hatred whether it's justified or not. Give everyone a second chance even if you have to beat them up a few times first."

That is just the philosophy of the series I think.

 

[Launchpad]

For my own personal reasons, I would've liked if everyone he hurt got a final send off. Whether it was words of spite or they somehow found a way to forgive him I dunno.

We get Eraqus looking at them like "They are the future" but Xehanort is still in fight mode and doesn't even seem to acknowledge them now that Eraqus is there. Eraqus gives him a flashback no jutsu and he finally backs down. Not because he's cornered and all the people he's heaped trauma onto is standing around him, but because his bestie past and present asked him to.

I dunno if I was looking for punishment because we did whoop his butt multiple times on repeat for years at this point. But it just feels like the people other than Sora didn't get to say "Good riddance" or got any kind of apology or anything. And everyone appears to be a-ok with that.

I mean, I guess that's just how it is in fiction sometimes, isn't it? Not every creator likes to spend time delving into how a character can come to forgive or forget the wrongs done to them by someone else (For example, as much as I like the idea of Kairi and Axel becoming friends, all her misgivings were quickly swept under a rug a bit unfairly imo)

Despite all the trauma and hardships these characters have gone through, I feel like at the end of the day, the message is, "Don't hold onto hatred whether it's justified or not. Give everyone a second chance even if you have to beat them up a few times first."

That is just the philosophy of the series I think.

For the most part, even if in smaller moments, practically every character that had beef with Xehanort got some form of finality. Aqua and Ven were the trigger that expunged him from Terra's body, Riku was satisfied with Ansem's final words, and Kairi at least got to square up against him... twice. Terra perhaps deserved another go at Xehanort, but fighting, revenge, and a lust for 'victory' is one of the things that lead Terra to ruin, so capping off his journey with a revenge beatdown was something they were wise enough to avoid.

 

[Chie]

And Axel had his moment of standing up to Xemnas.

I definitely like portraying Xehanort as willingly giving up after having lost. One of the most interesting things about Xehanort to me is that the lives he's ruined includes his own. He trapped himself into having to be part of this giant shitty time travel plan from a young age, a causal loop that ensures that he will never exist outside of it. The end of KH3 is the end of that loop. He knows that, and he's already used the many second chances he set up within that loop. And having watched Dark Road now, we can also see how this reflects the belief put onto him from birth that he's a destined hero who will save the world and nobody else possibly can. And Sora beats him up and tells him off for it, and there's nothing else he can really do after that.

 

[kirabook]

Another beat down is not what I was looking for. As I said, we beat him up enough already and it's clear he couldn't fight anymore.

I wanted words and glances to be exchanged. Even if it all resulted in the same way and Xehanort willingly gave up his x-blade and flew away with Eraqus, I feel like I'm missing some final words exchanged. Or any acknowledgement of the people around him. We got some closure with Eraqus looking at the next generation, hugging TAV, and personally apologizing to each other them even though he didn't screw up nearly as bad as Xehanort did.

All we get from Xehanort is him smiling at Eraqus, telling Sora he did a good job, looking sulky in a corner, and then floating away.

Maybe it would've been too cheesy if some of the others, notably Riku, Aqua, Ven, and Terra all got their last word in about his actions. Or a direct apology to all of them is too fast of a turn around maybe. ".... I was wrong. I ... apologize."

Too cheesy? Maybe.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

I just wanted a “death” like the one Ansem got in 1, Marluxia got in CoM and Xemnas in 2.

Which boils it down to moaning/groaning in pain while flailing arms as cool effects flutter around, dissipating into nothing.

Extra bonus points if they had him reaching towards Kingdom Hearts, or have it reflected in his eyes as it all fades away.
Just another tool of destiny.

That's the death I wanted Saix/Isa to get going into KH3. Just let him die the jealous, irredeemable, manchild of a villain the games had portrayed him until this point. I miss hating him. Not only did I not get it but he got off way easier then Xehanort did. And frankly so did many of the other Org members with this whole recompletion thing. It seems Nomura doesn't want to commit to making villains just be villains. I think this is why a character like Vanitas sticks out more and more in replaying the series but even then I don't know how long it'll last. For as much of a joke as she is Maleficent feels like the only truly evil character left in the series. And that's because she's owned by Disney. If she was a KH original she'd have done her face turn already.

Did Xehanort get off easy? I guess to some degree. But when I see moments like TAV hugging Eraqus with Xehanort watching in the corner like a loser I feel that is a bigger blow than anything he received in a Keyblade fight. His life and legacy will not be looked at fondly and nobody will honor his memory like they did Eraqus. All his victims are back and get to live their life while he died old and hated. It's not like TAV smiled endearingly at the man who ruined their lives and pretend it didn't happen or has memory issues to excuse how evil he previously was...not yet anyway.

 

[Phoenix]

For what it's worth, the way Xehanort died definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't particularly want him to die in pain or anything, but he gets a more peaceful send-off than Ansem SoD in 1, Marluxia in CoM, Xemnas in 2, Vanitas in BBS, etc. People that he's manipulated get sadder ends than he does.

 

[Ðari]

Part of me wants to believe the writing for MX's departure was a product of the time. His send off was softer than...well, quite literally every variation of him in previous titles. Kairi's death, was more traumatizing and dramatic (probably one of the best moments in the final chapter imo) that genuinely threw the audience (kairi fans i mean) into a frenzy.

MX: Disappeared into the light with Eraqus, hate doing y'all like this.

 

[Raz]

I think he should have exploded in an array of sparkling lights while screaming in agony, like any other decent villain in the series.

 

[Antifa Lockhart]

There's no finality in the sparkly light show death. Everyone who's done that has come back to life.

(Granted, we've seen Xehanort again and likely will again, but not as a reformed and living character)

 

[KeybladeLordSora]

I'm personally fine with how he got sent off.

He didn't need a bombastic death scene, he didn't need basically everybody calling him out or kicking him while he's down.

He was beaten, Sora called him out, and Eraqus told him that it was over.

And anyone who thinks he was redeemed or forgiven just because he wasn't torn to pieces by OOC characters should really re-watch the scene.

 

[Absent]

I think Eraqus should’ve given him the chair.