Spoilers ► Eraqus should have...

[Rytackle22]

called Terra "Master Terra" at the end of the game. Given everything that Terra has been through I think this would have been a really great bookend to his redemption arc. It honestly feels like a really big miss for Nomura and the story. The whole reason Terra wasn't named a "Master" was because he couldn't conquer the darkness inside him, but at the end of KHIII he DOES JUST THAT!

So yeah, headcanon is that he's "Master Terra" now.

 

[Willow A113]

I completely agree. One word, Nomura, one word! XD

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

I don't agree. That would have been cheap and thematically dissonant.

So I'm surprised Nomura didn't do it.

 

[Light’s Master]

imo i don't think he should. when he fell into darkness he lost his keyblade and it took more than 10 years to find where he was. basically as soon as he was found, it was Sora who ended up releasing his heart from the guardian, as opposed to Terra freeing himself from that darkness. if he did free himself and conquering his own darkness in that way, the master title can be used but i wouldnt call him a master. he's probably jealous that Riku beat him to the punch by claiming the title and conquering his own darkness

 

[Zettaflare]

imo i don't think he should. when he fell into darkness he lost his keyblade and it took more than 10 years to find where he was. basically as soon as he was found, it was Sora who ended up releasing his heart from the guardian, as opposed to Terra freeing himself from that darkness. if he did free himself and conquering his own darkness in that way, the master title can be used but i wouldnt call him a master. he's probably jealous that Riku beat him to the punch by claiming the title and conquering his own darkness

I don't think he'd be jealous of Riku's accomplishment. If anything it would probably inspire him and show him that it isn't too late for him to earn the Master title

 

[Vulpes XIII]

I think that although it would be a nice moment if at the end of KH3 Eraqus did acknowledge him as a master and I wouldn’t mind if they give him the title of a master in a future game. However although I think it sounds like a nice moment I wouldn’t want to see it actually happen In KH3 as I don’t believe he’s actually earned it yet.

 

[okhi12]

I don't think he'd be jealous of Riku's accomplishment. If anything it would probably inspire him and show him that it isn't too late for him to earn the Master title

It's not too late, he didn't even age or anything. His body which existed as apprentice Xehanort and later Xemnas rejuvenated to his BBS age, so... Terra is still in his prime, and hopefully he has learned not to trust obviously evil people.

Because c'mon, Terra, how did you trust someone who looks demon-ish and introduces herself as Maleficent... and a totally not creepy old man.

 

[Rytackle22]

I get the point, but he fought the darkness for a decade and eventually broke free to protect his friends. Feels pretty "master worthy" to me.

 

[Sign]

It would have been nice, but at the end of the day, what Terra wanted most was validation and trust from Eraqus, his father figure. That matters more than the title or promotion. It's just a formality anyways; he doesn't need it, and I question if he even cares about getting it after everything he's been through.

Because c'mon, Terra, how did you trust someone who looks demon-ish and introduces herself as Maleficent... and a totally not creepy old man.

TBF she was the first person she met in that world. For all he knew, everyone in that world was just like her. Once he saw Aurora, it was clear that was not the case.

Also it feels weird to single this out when she did this same thing to Riku in KH1? She was the first person he met in the outside world, lent a helping hand, told him exactly what he wanted to hear, etc etc etc. Once she proved herself to be untrustworthy, it's not like either of them stuck around.

Eraqus was vouching for Xehanort so all three of his apprentices trusted him, not just Terra. He probably should have spent more time teaching them about stranger danger but let's not hold appearances against people xD

 

[Light’s Master]

I get the point, but he fought the darkness for a decade and eventually broke free to protect his friends. Feels pretty "master worthy" to me.

if thats the case then give Sora the title of master because he saved everyone to protect them but doesnt have the title because he failed the MoM exam

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

Senile parochial bitter bastards like Yen Sid and Eraqus have inflicted so much trauma and pain upon the children they deigned to look after. All for nonsense titles, ceremony and pomp.

Imagine KH3 unironically leaned into that same ceremonial twaddle after all that happened in the previous 10 games.

 

[Chie]

The whole reason Terra wasn't named a "Master" was because he couldn't conquer the darkness inside him, but at the end of KHIII he DOES JUST THAT!

The whole reason Terra wasn't named a master was because a person used shadow magic to interfere with his test which was itself held by a man who was irrationally scared of shadow magic. Terra is just a pawn in this situation; whether he gets called "master" or not by a small group of old men is not something he has to overcome or be blamed for. This is the domain of Eraqus' arc, not Terra's.

As usual I find it concerning how many KH fans have bought into the "master" title as something that holds any kind of objective meaning, as something characters can "earn" or "not earn" through their actual accomplishments, especially with BBS in mind. Aqua would have failed the test if Xehanort wanted a lady body instead.

 

[Rytackle22]

The whole reason Terra wasn't named a master was because a person used shadow magic to interfere with his test which was itself held by a man who was irrationally scared of shadow magic. Terra is just a pawn in this situation; whether he gets called "master" or not by a small group of old men is not something he has to overcome or be blamed for. This is the domain of Eraqus' arc, not Terra's.

As usual I find it concerning how many KH fans have bought into the "master" title as something that holds any kind of objective meaning, as something characters can "earn" or "not earn" through their actual accomplishments, especially with BBS in mind. Aqua would have failed the test if Xehanort wanted a lady body instead.

The "Master" title has less importance to me as an accomplishment, but more as a final validation of Eraqus to Terra. A hug and a "Protect Them" just didn't seem like enough for me, but I understand your point. I like the different takes on this thought for sure.

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

The "Master" title has less importance to me as an accomplishment, but more as a final validation of Eraqus to Terra. A hug and a "Protect Them" just didn't seem like enough for me, but I understand your point. I like the different takes on this thought for sure.

The "protect them" is a plea for Terra to succeed where Eraqus failed miserably. His small-minded zealotry needs to die, not be passed down to the very student he destroyed the life of.

Not calling him a master is both a mea culpa- for he is very culpable- and the recognition that Terra must transcend Eraqus and his ways altogether. The title of Master is a malignant tumour. It's a stain on Eraqus's legacy, not an heirloom to pass down.

The point, bluntly, is fuck Eraqus and his "validation".

Good thread though. More analysis and discussion is needed on themes to complement the pervasive debate and theorising on plot.

 

[Face My Fears]

I don't think that would have worked. Terra failed pretty much everything. What did he do to qualify becoming a master? Also, Terra shouldn't even be seeking Eraqus' validation at this point, since Eraqus' ways is what led Terra to the darkness in the first place!

 

[Sign]

I don't think that would have worked. Terra failed pretty much everything. What did he do to qualify becoming a master? Also, Terra shouldn't even be seeking Eraqus' validation at this point, since Eraqus' ways is what led Terra to the darkness in the first place!

Read Xehanort's letter. Eraqus was fully prepared to name both Terra and Aqua as Masters, but Xehanort planted seeds of doubt and led him to believe Terra was susceptible to the d-word and therefore undeserving of the promotion. He urged Eraqus to hold a formal exam to be safe, which of course was just to give him opportunity to sabotage Terra, isolate him from the others, you know the rest.

Eraqus and Terra share a father-child bond. Regardless of the mistakes they made, that hasn't changed.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Aqua may be the success to Eraqus legacy as Keyblade Master but it's Terra who's the true successor to Eraqus role as the father figure for the Wayfinder trio.

 

[Willow A113]

Because c'mon, Terra, how did you trust someone who looks demon-ish and introduces herself as Maleficent... and a totally not creepy old man.

Riku did it, too.

Aqua may be the success to Eraqus legacy as Keyblade Master but it's Terra who's the true successor to Eraqus role as the father figure for the Wayfinder trio.

If he's the father figure, is Aqua the mother figure? She's always seemed more like the leader of the three, not Terra.
And the other trios don't have a father figure, so why should they have one?

 

[Face My Fears]

Read Xehanort's letter. Eraqus was fully prepared to name both Terra and Aqua as Masters, but Xehanort planted seeds of doubt and led him to believe Terra was susceptible to the d-word and therefore undeserving of the promotion. He urged Eraqus to hold a formal exam to be safe, which of course was just to give him opportunity to sabotage Terra, isolate him from the others, you know the rest.

Eraqus and Terra share a father-child bond. Regardless of the mistakes they made, that hasn't changed.

But wasn't Terra actually susceptible to the darkness? If he really was ready to be a keyblade master, then it wouldn't have mattered if he lost to Aqua or the orbs of light attacked them. If you compare Aqua's situation in the Realm of Darkness and Terra's isolation in BbS, it's clear who should definitely be a keyblade master. Aqua only fell to darkness after 10 years of isolation and being attacked by a dark orb. Terra gave in to the darkness in like 5 minutes after losing.

Just because Terra was like Eraqus' son doesn't mean Eraqus should declare him a keyblade master in his dying breath.

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

If he's the father figure, is Aqua the mother figure? She's always seemed more like the leader of the three, not Terra.
And the other trios don't have a father figure, so why should they have one?

Also interesting how Aqua accepts the torch from the elders, so to speak. She upholds these traditions, at times very uncritically. It's interesting subtext into transgenerational transfers of institutional and systemic power. I wonder if future games will explore this further.