What was so critical about Xion's existence? I'm curious how KHDays and KH3 wouldn't have played out the way they did if Xion didn't exist.
Oh boy... I opened the can didn't I?
She's half the reason Roxas left and she's entirely the reason he ended up how he did in KH2, during a crucial scene we never go more in-depth with in KH2. And, call me crazy, I would like to have more of a reason as to why Roxas was in TWTNW after he supposedly left or why Roxas and Riku were even fighting in the first place.
"He wanted to meet Sora"
First off, taking 358/2 Days out of it, how would Roxas even know where Sora was at that point? He would have no available resources or any point of origin to look other then Destiny Islands, a bunch of Disney worlds, and Radiant Garden. Twilight Town at that point was completely erased from Sora's memory, so Roxas' would have no access to that memory and Sora was nowhere near TWTNW; Namine and DiZ kept him hidden for an entire year from The Organization who have unlimited tech and resources. So if THEY couldn't find him, how would Roxas with much, MUCH less? So Roxas was purposely looking in the wrong world, a world he can't go back too, for Sora because .... ?
"He was looking for Riku so he could find where Sora was"
What was he gonna do, beat it out of Riku? Riku would have told him nothing regardless and Roxas would've been smart enough to realize that if that was his actual goal and thinking that beating it out of him would influence him further would just be stupid on his part. And this is the moment where I part ways with people on this because the information we have on Roxas' past in KH2 and the way he acts in flashbacks, I'm sorry, isn't enough for me to think he'd do something as stupid and extremely impulsive as this without something else influencing his irrational decision to go to a world that he has no reason to go back and where he would likely be killed. Yeah, he was pissed off they lied but not enough to make a stupid decision to go back to the one place and people he escaped from, is actively being hunted by, and would be killed by if he came back.
Hell, he was going to slash Riku's face anyway when he was ass first on the floor, totally defeated. That would've been the perfect opportunity to ask some questions but nah, it's just "Shut up" and that would've been the end of the fight if Riku hadn't parryed him at the last minute. In fact, Roxas in that whole scene never seemed intent on finding Sora at all or even stopping for a moment and talking to Riku if you just judge him on his actions in that whole scene. He never mentions Sora at all or any reason as to why he's fighting Riku at all other then maybe a re-match(which itself isnt even entirely clear). In fact, He was way more focused on just killing Riku lol "how many times do I have to beat you" Hell, Riku was the one asking the questions; questions he should've already known, even if 358/2 didn't exist. It makes way more sense and its way more emotionally satisfying if Roxas had a more emotional and irrational reason for doing what he does at that moment in KH2 because for all intents and purposes, what Roxas was doing was completely irrational and didn't make any sense, even if he was just searching for Sora. It's a pretty stupid way of going about ot and not in a way that would be true to his character unless there was more behind it. A bunch of vague memories of a person you barely know doesn't justify going to a place (a place that person based on those memories would not logically be and I feel like Roxas would figure that out) where you will be killed by people clearly stronger then you, including its leader and boy who is clearly holding back his dark power; which is how Roxas lost the fight.
The fight with Riku doesn't make sense without 358/2 Days. He left The Organization and while it makes sense that he go find Sora, given all the information we have at that point, why would Roxas go to the one world where Sora definately isnt (and he would at least know that) and if it's to find Riku, why would he be fighting him instead of talking to him since he doesn't know and wouldn't know Riku's true intentions unless he can read his mind. And furthermore, he has no idea who Riku even is, so why would be looking for him at all and why we assume he'd be at the one place where Sora more then likely isn't. But now we understand why because without 358/2 Days, the lead up to that scene after Roxas leaves Axel makes no sense from Roxas' perspective and it makes him look like an absolute idiot for going back to the one world where Axel specifically says, "you can't turn your back on the Organization. You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you" so why in God's name is he going back if he has no logical reason too? It makes Roxas look like a moron, which he isn't because if he was, he wouldn't have caught on to the Organization and Axel lying to him. Yeah he's a bit impulsive but he's not an idiot seeking a death wish. And that reason was thinking he could defeat Xenmas, open Kingdom Hearts (which he has no reason to think he can), bring Xion back, and thinking everything would be okay at that point, which it wouldn't be. But you understand why he's thinking this way because Xion's death was the logical breaking point for him. He was not thinking clearly at all and that makes more emotional sense then him just going guns blazing for a reason that even he wouldn't be able to rationalize in his own head if there wasn't some sort of push to the edge to make him desperately believe it; to the point where he'd put his own life in danger. What, is he going to kill himself finding Sora? Roxas from the beginning has always fought for his own independence, identity, and his own life. That's the entire point of his character. He even fought Sora to do so in a winner take all situation, a last ditch effort. What, he just fought Sora to test his strength? No, he wanted see who was top dog and when Sora won, he accepted it because he has no other option at that point. So I doubt finding Sora was enough of a reason for him to get himself stupidly killed by either Riku or Xemnas without some sort of plan; because he wasn't behaving like an angry, blood thirsty, emotionally erratic, irrational moron at that point when he left Axel for the final time. In fact, he was fairly calm and content with leaving The Organization and seeking out a different path. Again, Roxas is not an idiot but he is easily inflienced by the people he cares about; especially if one of them is killed unjusticely and if another one of them kept lying to him to point where he logically couldn't trust him anymore.
Xion is pretty crucial to his character for that reason alone; in fact, he has way more of a reason to distrust the Organization given the way they treat her and the fact that throughout, Roxas grew more and more as person with his own emotions and thoughts along with Xion. She was someone Roxas could speak and relate too about his emotions that he couldnt ALWAYS do with Axel for obvious reasons. But regardless, Roxas ends up in the place he is in KH2 pretty much due to his relationship with Xion AND Axel and their own individual arcs that relate back his own personal journey. How is any of that pointless?
They both contribute to his emotional development from two different perspectives; which is what moves the plot.
"But axel could've filled the same role"
No, he couldn't have because Roxas' relationship to Axel compared to Xion is entirely different and that's pretty clear throughout the game. She serves a different motivation and perspective for him that Axel can't fulfill because Axel is in an entirely different position with a completely different mindset. So at that point, especially during Roxas' development, Xion's arc and POV contributes to Roxas' journey just as much as Axel's but for a reason that Axel can't completely understand because Axel really doesnt care as much about his past as Roxas and Xion do and all wants to do is protect them both, even if it's from the truth; you would you have to change his entire character and his motivation for doing what he does. Xion has a completely different mindset and personality then Axel does. That's not even considering the fact that Axel is a certain position of power and authority, which is why Roxas and Xion grew to distrust him and why Axel feels conflicted in the way he is because he uses that power to protect what he has left to care about since Saix, from his perspective, has become a different person in his eyes. And, also, realistically, there's only so much Axel could do. Its a lose-lose situation for everyone and that's the point of the entire story.
And now, the obvious deflect that people give me is that "well, something else could've made Roxas do that" and "thats all we needed as a explanation in KH2"
first off, it isn't and secondly... so what? That's not an argument, that just a hypothetical. The writers could've came up with anything to justify that scene and go more depth with Roxas' decision. They chose to create Xion... so what's the problem here? That she was added after the fact? So what? If you think she's written badly, fair enough but to call her pointless just isn't true by the time we get to the end and we see how it all goes together. You can make that same case for Apprentice Xehanort, which I know a lot of people do but I even argue for him too. Hypothetically, his character didn't need to exist. Ansem could've have been solely one character and that was it but they decided to add more depth to the story and give it more weight to what actually happened and it added a lot more to the emotional crux of the narrative and it's one of the only things KH2's story does right. I'm glad they did it. And it's the same with Xion.
"But there was no reason for Xion to be a 14th member since they already had Roxas"
It was explained in-game that Xion was created as a failsafe incase Roxas fell through or went rogue. What, did you think Xenmas sent Xion after Roxas TWICE just cause? No, Xenmas' mindset was clear from the beginning. In case Roxas falls through for whatever reason, Xion is the obvious backup. The fact that she's still connected to Sora in anyway is just icing on the cake for them. So again, she isn't pointless in that sense either. And hell, given everything we've seen in KH2, with 358/2 in mind, they made the right call to use Xion as a backup because Roxas would've logically left them or ended up in another coma. They gave a pretty logical conclusion in the story that's pretty acceptable, even more considering the fact that Xion was actively draining Roxas' powers, so if Xion didnt do what she did, Roxas would've been a loose end anyway (and no, before someone uses that against me, Roxas eventually leaving anyway without Xion wouldn't have justify his actions after the fact which, again, make no logical sense unless he was pushed to make a stupid decision to risk his own life to go somewhere he doesnt need to go back too) She might've as well have saved his life by giving up her own needs and desires to set things right.
Look, I just don't get this mindset of a character being pointless when they clearly add some dimension to the story just because they were added later on. KH isn't even the only story that has done this. It just feels like scapegoating simply because you don't happen to like a character.
A pointless character means they dont contribute to the plot and/or the emotional weight of the story that moves the plot foward in way that makes sense and that's simply not true for most of these characters. Now, you don't have to like them or think it's written well, thats perfectly fine, but to say they're pointless and don't add anything isn't true... in my opinion, anyway. I'm not saying every character does because there are pointless characters in this story that really don't add anything *cough*Maleficent*cough*
And to play Devil's advocate, it could be the same with Yozora. His character from the beginning has always rubbed me the wrong way but ya know what? If he's written well into the story, or they at least come up with some emotional weight to why he's there that makes logical sense, then all that is forgiven. If he adds to the plot, whether internally and externally, even if I still don't like him, then fine. I rag on him a lot, because his inclusion on the surface feels really lazy to me and he definately feels like a pointless character that has no reason to be there but he could very well become a great character depending on what he contributes and what relationship he has to Sora and co. It's all in the writing and the writing in 358/2 days is pretty damn solid compared to some stories in KH. I have gripes about the story of KH but one I never had is the OC characters never contributing to the plot at all. Even in a small way or a big way, every character has had a role that has moved the plot forward or even recontexulizes scenes and events. So, yes, you can not like Xion's character, I'm not forcing anyone too, but to say she's pointless feels dishonest to me.
KH3 on the other hand... yeah, no, she's entirely pointless and the way she comes back is really, REALLY stupid. But so is everyone else in the game that isn't named Sora. They are so useless, they don't even get to resolve their own arcs lol but that's mostly a problem with KH3 itself and even DDD to some extent.