In the Japanese version of the game, the Journal makes note that it was by the power of the light of the PoH that Kairi is able to hold Sora's body together. In the Japanese version it also becomes more clear that Riku's words are what keep Sora's heart from letting go and passing on past the Final World.
It's really sweet to me that it was Kairi and Riku's belief in Sora that held him together and had the localizers paid more attention, they could have really made that shine in the translation. The English version kinda muddles the message of Riku's role in the discussion between Sora and Nameless Star/Strelitzia(?) and outright cuts the info about it being Kairi's PoH light powers being part of what saves Sora, sadly.
Well that's interesting to know, seems the localisation team dropped the ball there in that case. It is kind of important infor considering how much in KH already goes unexplained.
I don't think she'd lose her power from being killed. I think that would be the one thing that would transcend her death, in fact.
Well I honestly used to think that was the only way for the powers to pass on, for the previous ones to have died and the worlds needing a new one, kind of like with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I honestly don't even really think I understand the PoH anymore. I used to think they were just 7 people born with hearts of pure light that couldn't contain darkness in them and therefore can't turn into heartless or be hurt by the realm/corridor of darkness.
However KH3 implies this is a power that can move from one heart into another. Does that mean the heart that used to be pure suddenly grow some darkness and the ones that used to have darkness become completely pure?
Oh I knew that it was her PoH power but she again only used it passive. Just how she hugged Sora in his heartless form to protect him from other heartless and somehow this activated her power. And how somehow her letter ended up in the RoD which was surely not something she actively chose to do. So having at least a scene where we see her in darkness and then calling onto her powers to actively do it instead of praying that he was somehow save, then this would already make a difference.
Exactly how it would already feel different for me if she tried to block Terranorts attack with a keyblade instead of just watching him like a deer caugth in the light. Or when she was captured let her try to summon some magic (Sora could use magic in KH1 without his keyblade) but Xemnas takes her out right away.
Just more active stuff even if it fails. No passive deus ex machina power (Soras power kinda fell into that too but at least he had to fly after the hearts and defeat the Lich) that somehow works how the plot wants it to work and otherwise her just standing around and calling Soras name.
Well at the moment we honestly don't even know, if the power has an active application. Like the most active use we saw was of the other six holding the darkness at bay, which really only had them standing around passively. And this apparently was enough to consider their job done and the power to pass on.
The PoH powers are really poorly defined. At the moment we only actually know a few implications, they can be used to keep people from fading as seen in KH1 and KH3, kind of restore a body (KH1 with Sora's heart projection) and it's main function of pushing/holding back darkness. I assume there's more, but so far most people with the power were mostly unaware of it, so they aren't skilled in using it.
Yeah, having Kairi even try and summon her Keyblade or cast a spell would have gone a long way to making her seem less incompetent and the lessen the blow of most of those scenes that did her dirty. I'm still amazed that this is the first game where both Kairi and Riku can be your party members and yet we don't have them team up with Sora together at any point in the game.