News ► KH 20th anniversary event Q&A masterpost

[Nukara]

Lea is hanging onto relevancy by a thread, frankly, all because the devs continue to allow him to have his cake and eat it.

Anyway, aibo's recounting also suggests that Roxas and Xion's return was not set in stone until very late, so the idea that it was foreshadowed since BBS is false.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513148693360246789

I don't really understand you.
Lea is a popular character, why can't he get his fame? Or if he is revealed more as a character. RAX trio is the type of characters whose stories are almost more interesting than the story of the main characters. In any case, it was conceived a long time ago. If not at the time of BBS, then at the time of Re:Coded. More than 10 years have passed.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Lea is hanging onto relevancy by a thread, frankly, all because the devs continue to allow him to have his cake and eat it.

Anyway, aibo's recounting also suggests that Roxas and Xion's return was not set in stone until very late, so the idea that it was foreshadowed since BBS is false.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513148693360246789

Quite frankly, since DDD I've gotten the vibe that Lea/Axel actually overtook Roxas and Xion in terms of relevancy, something that got further ironed out in KH III with the whole "Subject X"-thing and the vastly increased focus on Isa/Saix and his role as well.

---
Yea, the "foreshadowing" parts in Blank Points (from BBS), Re: Coded and DDD were deliberately kept ambiguous as while both Roxas and Xion were featured heavily it was indeed nowhere spelled out how their suffering would be ended/solved. A full out complete revival was possible to be taken from it, but not set in stone so it is feasible that they were on the fence about the final decision how to solve it for quite a time.

It is also somewhat telling that, for the whole seven main players on the "good" side, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Aqua, Terra and Ventus would have been enough, no one from the former Organisation including Lea, Roxas or Xion needed.
---

I am honestly happy about their continuous presence though, even if just for the hope of some twin shenanigans happening with Ven and Roxas confusing friend and foe alike.

 

[NoWay]

Quite frankly, since DDD I've gotten the vibe that Lea/Axel actually overtook Roxas and Xion in terms of relevancy, something that got further ironed out in KH III with the whole "Subject X"-thing and the vastly increased focus on Isa/Saix and his role as well.

I totally forgot about the whole Subject X plot. I wonder how that’s going to fit in the overall narrative

 

[Face My Fears]

[parsehtml]<p><strong>Q. Where did Riku get the Keyblade he gave to Kairi in KH2?</strong><br />A. We'll follow up on that somewhere in the future.</p>
<p><strong>Q. When and how did Isa receive the scar on his forehead?</strong><br />A. Good question. Lea and Isa have many stories. We'll show them in the future.</p>
<p><strong>Q. Will we even learn why Maleficent thought the Book of Prophecies was in the black box?</strong><br />A. Perhaps she'll explain in the future.</p>
<p><strong>Q. In KH3, Xemnas breaks Lea's Keyblade and says "Your Keyblade is no more."</strong><br />A. The nuance is that even if Lea summons his Keyblade again, it will remain broken. It's impossible to take away the ability (as a wielder) itself.</p>
s=21">https://twitter.com/loxas_xi/status/1513110354293047296?s=21</a>)</p>
<p>They were originally not going to revive Roxas and Xion, but fans' voices were so strong that they felt they had no choice but to bring them back.</p>
<p>(via&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/aibo_ac7/status/1513111958668472320?s=21">https://twitter.com/aibo_ac7/status/1513111958668472320?s=21</a>)</p>
<p>Nomura debated whether to make KH4 or Verum Rex, but chose the former because people were curious about what had happened to Sora.</p>
[/parsehtml]

[parsehtml]
OK, so I feel dumb for calling the fans at the Q&A stupid because I didn't think they would ask where Riku got Kairi's keyblade, but thank you to whoever asked that and thank you Nomura for deflecting again lol.

The way that he responded to the Isa question, which I was always curious about, makes it seem like Isa/Lea are going to be used more in the future. I always assumed it was from Xemnas torturing Isa to confirm his loyalty when he was found looking for Girl X.

I hope they explain Maleficent and her search for the black box soon. I don't like hearing this "perhaps" stuff with Nomura. It makes it seem like Maleficent is a side thought going forward which is worrying.

I like the idea of Lea's keyblade being broken, so that he won't continue to use it and go back to his chakram. However, this is a great moment to either: 1) never let him use a keyblade again (what I'm hoping for) or 2) redesign his keyblade to something better (never liked his design) AND explain where everyone goes to just get new keyblades.

On the Roxas/Xion thing... UGH. Nomura don't listen to the fans on things like this! As much as I love Roxas and Xion, I didn't want them to come back. Their stories ended and their sacrifices were made. Handing out "happy endings" to everyone sort of diluted what their sacrifice meant. Not only that, but making that choice to bring them back opened up a whole can of worms. Such as, whose keyblades are they using?

Why didn't Nomura just do both (KH4 and Verum Rex)? You know, maybe it's better he didn't load up on games. I'm really hoping that he can focus solely on KH4 and deliver a solid story this time around. He's starting fresh.

Thanks for putting this together![/parsehtml]

 

[Ballad of Caius]

lol I had completely forgotten about the Black Box LOL

 

[Chie]

I've just been assuming "location of UX computer" was correct for a while now. But...

 

[Face My Fears]

I don't really understand you.
Lea is a popular character, why can't he get his fame? Or if he is revealed more as a character. RAX trio is the type of characters whose stories are almost more interesting than the story of the main characters. In any case, it was conceived a long time ago. If not at the time of BBS, then at the time of Re:Coded. More than 10 years have passed.

Honestly, AXEL was really popular. Lea - on his own - has been kind of flat. What we got in 3D and KH3 didn't really build on who Axel was and actually made Lea kind of boring. His best moment was reuniting with Roxas and Xion, and that was mostly because those two got reunited. They made Lea into this 4th wall breaking Deadpool type which sort of fell flat.

 

[MATGSY]

Q. Where did Riku get the Keyblade he gave to Kairi in KH2?
A. We'll follow up on that somewhere in the future.

Well that got a legit LOL of me.

I take it that "Da fuk be up with Switch?" was a rejected question.

 

[Nukara]

[parsehtml]
OK, so I feel dumb for calling the fans at the Q&A stupid because I didn't think they would ask where Riku got Kairi's keyblade, but thank you to whoever asked that and thank you Nomura for deflecting again lol.

The way that he responded to the Isa question, which I was always curious about, makes it seem like Isa/Lea are going to be used more in the future. I always assumed it was from Xemnas torturing Isa to confirm his loyalty when he was found looking for Girl X.

I hope they explain Maleficent and her search for the black box soon. I don't like hearing this "perhaps" stuff with Nomura. It makes it seem like Maleficent is a side thought going forward which is worrying.

I like the idea of Lea's keyblade being broken, so that he won't continue to use it and go back to his chakram. However, this is a great moment to either: 1) never let him use a keyblade again (what I'm hoping for) or 2) redesign his keyblade to something better (never liked his design) AND explain where everyone goes to just get new keyblades.

On the Roxas/Xion thing... UGH. Nomura don't listen to the fans on things like this! As much as I love Roxas and Xion, I didn't want them to come back. Their stories ended and their sacrifices were made. Handing out "happy endings" to everyone sort of diluted what their sacrifice meant. Not only that, but making that choice to bring them back opened up a whole can of worms. Such as, whose keyblades are they using?

Why didn't Nomura just do both (KH4 and Verum Rex)? You know, maybe it's better he didn't load up on games. I'm really hoping that he can focus solely on KH4 and deliver a solid story this time around. He's starting fresh.

Thanks for putting this together![/parsehtml]

Lea and Axel are the same person. In case you forgot, he soon used his keyblade when he opened the way to Scala. So, he hasn't disappeared anywhere. And it was stupid to give him a qiblade, solely for the sake of breaking him. Again, what's wrong if they show up in the future and help Lea and Isa search for subject X for example? If not you, that is, humans which follow the story solely for the sake of RAX trio. In any case, their return was planned for quite a long time. Axel was also brought back because it was popular.

 

[MoonRabbit]

Wow, this is a little surreal. So, I was actually the one who asked Nomura if Roxas and Xion were always meant to come back. I also asked about Isa's scar (though it's possible I wasn't the only one). On the topic of Roxas and Xion, personally, I never got the sense that either were meant to come back physically, and to me, their return in KH3 felt like cheesy fanservice. That is why I asked the question in the first place (which I can't believe he actually answered honestly, holy shit!).

Q3: Is it possible that Roxas has a heart?

A: It is thought that it could be Ventus’ heart.

In KHII FM there were clues to him having a heart, and in Days we saw Roxas crying--proof that he could have a heart. As was said in Q1, he has taken a lot of himself from Ventus. But perhaps when Sora and Roxas were separated, Ventus’ heart stayed in Roxas?

(BBS Ultimania, March 2010)

Before KH3, my interpretation of the story was that Roxas was born with Ventus's heart. Due to that, I assumed that when Ventus was finally revived, he'd have all of Roxas's development and memories. Roxas's character arc would thus be resolved through Ventus's revival. That was what I always assumed was meant by healing Roxas's torment in Re:Coded. To me, Roxas and Ventus were the same person. That is always how I saw the story going, and based off of Nomura's response to my tweet, I am now utterly convinced of it.

–Does Xion have anything to do with Birth by Sleep?

Nomura: I think although many people want Xion to come back once more, I’m afraid to say that it’s difficult.

(Famitsu, July 2009.)

As for Xion, Nomura always said that Xion was not intended to return. She was created from Sora's memories of Kairi, so it wouldn't really make any sense, hence Nomura saying it'd be "difficult". I assumed that Xion's existence would be remembered, and that would end her torment. Her lived experience would kind of be "passed on" to Kairi. And that was why the Lea/Kairi relationship was such a strong focus in KH3.

 

[Xagzan]

I would not have brought anyone back in the first place, personally, after KH2...buuuut now that they are back, they better damn sure have more presence in the future. Because the briefest of reunion scenes with minimal dialogue did not come close to satisfactory payoff for the years of emotional ups and downs trios like RAX and TAV put us through. I need deep, rich, interpersonal communication with them, Persona style. Which we probably won't get, but even so.

What I don't want is for KH to fall into the usual shonen trap of sweeping aside established characters while introducing and focusing on a vast horde of new ones. Like, I don't care about these people. Not while there's still great depth of material to mine from your existing cast.

 

[Unusual1290]

Of course the question about what happened to the Chamber of Repose didn't get answered.

 

[HakaishinChampa]

I would not have brought anyone back in the first place, personally, after KH2...buuuut now that they are back, they better damn sure have more presence in the future. Because the briefest of reunion scenes with minimal dialogue did not come close to satisfactory payoff for the years of emotional ups and downs trios like RAX and TAV put us through. I need deep, rich, interpersonal communication with them, Persona style. Which we probably won't get, but even so.

What I don't want is for KH to fall into the usual shonen trap of sweeping aside established characters while introducing and focusing on a vast horde of new ones. Like, I don't care about these people. Not while there's still great depth of material to mine from your existing cast.

One thing I could see happen is Roxas getting confused as Ventus by one of the Fortellers that isn't Luxu

 

[Face My Fears]

Lea and Axel are the same person. In case you forgot, he soon used his keyblade when he opened the way to Scala. So, he hasn't disappeared anywhere. And it was stupid to give him a qiblade, solely for the sake of breaking him. Again, what's wrong if they show up in the future and help Lea and Isa search for subject X for example? If not you, that is, humans which follow the story solely for the sake of RAX trio. In any case, their return was planned for quite a long time. Axel was also brought back because it was popular.

I love Roxas and Xion. They are my favourite characters. I just thought that they served their purpose - no matter how tragic it was - and they could have ended there. Bringing them back just for the sake of a happy ending is great and all, but now it opens up the door of people (including me) wanting them to be used more frequently and better, when in reality, it seems like the series might be cutting back on original characters.

How much depth and attention will Roxas and Xion get if they're on the backseat to Lea and Isa's search for Subject X?

 

[MoonRabbit]

Though I'm glad a question was asked about Lea's Keyblade. A better one would have been why he needed one in the first place...

Here is my perspective. I think that Xion and Roxas's unplanned return overshadowed what was supposed to be Lea's true goal in KH3: saving Isa from being possessed.

— Did [Lea] have any prior knowledge [of wielding a Keyblade]?

Nomura: In order to wield a Keyblade, the most important requirement is to be “the owner of a strong heart.” Regardless if it’s a good heart or a bad heart, a strong heart is necessary. Right now there are a lot of things that Lea wants to regain. That desire is connected to the strength of his heart.

(Famitsu, May 2012)

Lea had many things he wanted to regain at the time he summoned his Keyblade. He wanted to see Roxas again. Subconsciously, he wanted Xion back. And the third was Isa.

—Why did Lea visit Disney Castle when he should have been looking for his friend?

Nomura: To search for his friend he needed the power to move between worlds, and there is no way to do that other than become a Keyblade Wielder. At the time, wanting to be made a Keyblade Wielder, Lea saw a message recorded by Ansem the Wise in the past and, knowing it was dangerous, used the Corridors of Darkness once more to go talk with King Mickey and the others. That’s why after Maleficent left he was asking at the Mysterious Tower.

(KH3D Ultimania, May 2012)

Back in KH2, Axel gave up on the goal of physically bringing Roxas back, because that would mean turning Sora into a Heartless. And Lea did not even remember Xion. The reason he wanted to be a wielder in the first place was specifically to find Isa, who was missing. To look for him, he needed the power to travel between worlds, and he didn't want to rely on the Corridors of Darkness.

— Lea (Axel) ended up playing an unexpected role. I was wondering what was running through your mind when you thought to make him a Keyblade wielder.

Nomura: I figured since he had returned to being human, he wouldn’t have much luck bringing back the people he wanted without some sort of power. Throwing his chakrams doesn’t really count. (Laughs.)

(Famitsu, May 2012)

Obviously Lea's Keyblade wasn't necessary for Roxas or Xion's return, which was more related to their connection to Sora. There was only one character that Lea (and only Lea) had the power to bring back. I think Isa's redemption was supposed to be a lot more in-depth than his sudden 180 in KH3. Personally, I think Lea was supposed to dive into his heart and free him from the darkness. Saix/Isa wasn't as popular as Roxas and Xion, so instead, they just decided that as long as Saix helped bring them back, no one would care that he didn't get an actual redemption/rescue.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

I love Roxas and Xion. They are my favourite characters. I just thought that they served their purpose - no matter how tragic it was - and they could have ended there. Bringing them back just for the sake of a happy ending is great and all, but now it opens up the door of people (including me) wanting them to be used more frequently and better, when in reality, it seems like the series might be cutting back on original characters.

How much depth and attention will Roxas and Xion get if they're on the backseat to Lea and Isa's search for Subject X?

I largely agree. Roxas is my favorite character of the series, with Xion being in my top five. As much as I love them, I would have been okay if they were not revived. Because like you, now I want to see their lives continue and for them to be playable, and from the looks of things that isn't happening any time soon. When they were absorbed by Sora they served a purpose. But bringing them back and just leaving them on the sidelines sucks.

Another thing is the Axel/Lea factor. I loved Axel for his complex nature, but cannot stand Lea. If not for the RAX reunion I would barely tolerate him. My biggest fear is Roxas and Xion just end up like Lea. Lea is a prime example of what happens when you are too popular.

I've always been conflicted on them returning and that extends to Axel/Lea as well. But I'll say this, Roxas and Xion playing backseat to Isa leaves a sour taste in my mouth, so if they are involved in phase 2 I hope they are used more then things like that.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Here is my perspective. I think that Xion and Roxas's unplanned return overshadowed what was supposed to be Lea's true goal in KH3: saving Isa from being possessed.



Lea had many things he wanted to regain at the time he summoned his Keyblade. He wanted to see Roxas again. Subconsciously, he wanted Xion back. And the third was Isa.



Back in KH2, Axel gave up on the goal of physically bringing Roxas back, because that would mean turning Sora into a Heartless. And Lea did not even remember Xion. The reason he wanted to be a wielder in the first place was specifically to find Isa, who was missing. To look for him, he needed the power to travel between worlds, and he didn't want to rely on the Corridors of Darkness.


Obviously Lea's Keyblade wasn't necessary for Roxas or Xion's return, which was more related to their connection to Sora. There was only one character that Lea (and only Lea) had the power to bring back. I think Isa's redemption was supposed to be a lot more in-depth than his sudden 180 in KH3. Personally, I think Lea was supposed to dive into his heart and free him from the darkness. Saix/Isa wasn't as popular as Roxas and Xion, so instead, they just decided that as long as Saix helped bring them back, no one would care that he didn't get an actual redemption/rescue.

Sorry I missed you, I posted something else before catching this, my bad. But on the topic, Isa being Lea's goal in KH3 is debatable. There is no real buildup that he needs to be rescued, unless you count that stare down between him and Lea, but if so then Xigbar needs to be saved too. Even with Roxas and Xion's shaky status of being saved or remaining gone they were at least featured in Blank Points, Re:Coded, and DDD teasing the idea. Isa is not, and how heavily he's "possessed" is also debatable given he seems to have his memories and free will making him closer to Xigbar and less of a Terranort/Riku situation.

Granted I'm bias and didn't have much sympathy for Isa/Saix going into KH3, and just preferred him as a villain. But if he was suppose to be Lea's goal then they did a lousy job showcasing that going into KH3. I was interested in what Lea and Isa's backstory was going to be for sure, but that didn't translate to me wanting to save Isa, especially over Roxas and Xion.

Edit: Also can someone please help me with multi-quoting? I just realized this is separate from my earlier post.

 

[Clue.Less]

These answers make me very excited for the future since I desperately want "many stories" about Isa and Lea, but at the same time I mourn the writing of Lea, and Lea & Kairi's friendship... Had Roxas and Xion not been revived, it could have been so much better. I'm so glad that awful Keyblade is broken for good. I hope Roxas and Xion (and Namine) get a restful vacation for the rest of their lives while we focus on the rest of the cast.

I'm also desperate for more Riku & Kairi content, so I can't wait to know more about that KH2 Keyblade thing.

Thank you for this masterpost!

 

[Face My Fears]

I largely agree. Roxas is my favorite character of the series, with Xion being in my top five. As much as I love them, I would have been okay if they were not revived. Because like you, now I want to see their lives continue and for them to be playable, and from the looks of things that isn't happening any time soon. When they were absorbed by Sora they served a purpose. But bringing them back and just leaving them on the sidelines sucks.

Another thing is the Axel/Lea factor. I loved Axel for his complex nature, but cannot stand Lea. If not for the RAX reunion I would barely tolerate him. My biggest fear is Roxas and Xion just end up like Lea. Lea is a prime example of what happens when you are too popular.

I've always been conflicted on them returning and that extends to Axel/Lea as well. But I'll say this, Roxas and Xion playing backseat to Isa leaves a sour taste in my mouth, so if they are involved in phase 2 I hope they are used more then things like that.

Yeah after KH3D and Lea getting a keyblade, I kind of lost interest in him. The only things in KH3 that I really liked him for were his friendship with Kairi (after what he did in KH2/connection to Xion) and the reunion with Roxas/Xion. All of his boasting how popular he was and whatnot didn't really help his character. When he was this cunning and sneaky agent from CoM-KH2, he really stood out. They're kind of just relying on what was already established for his popularity and not doing anything more with his character.

I will be so disappointed if Roxas and Xion don't get used better and get their own story arcs. Of course, it seems like that is exactly what will happen - at least more so for Xion. I wouldn't mind if they write off Xion and say that she lost the ability to wield a keyblade and now resides with the Twilight Town gang. Roxas might be harder to write off - it might be cool for him to actually say he doesn't want to be involved in all of this anymore and the others accept his choice, leaving him to a normal life.

 

[MoonRabbit]

Granted I'm bias and didn't have much sympathy for Isa/Saix going into KH3, and just preferred him as a villain. But if he was suppose to be Lea's goal then they did a lousy job showcasing that going into KH3. I was interested in what Lea and Isa's backstory was going to be for sure, but that didn't translate to me wanting to save Isa, especially over Roxas and Xion.

It's all good. I'm biased in the other direction because, while I loved the sea-salt trio, I wanted to see the Lea and Isa duo get more development. Those two are my favorite characters and I'm a huge Isa fan. In KH3, the sea-salt trio got all the love, and Isa took a huge backseat, which made me very salty.

There is no real buildup that he needs to be rescued, unless you count that stare down between him and Lea, but if so then Xigbar needs to be saved too. Even with Roxas and Xion's shaky status of being saved or remaining gone they were at least featured in Blank Points, Re:Coded, and DDD teasing the idea. Isa is not, and how heavily he's "possessed" is also debatable given he seems to have his memories and free will making him closer to Xigbar and less of a Terranort/Riku situation.

I can totally see where you're coming from, but I think Saix having free will was a red herring. In 358/2 Days, all we knew was that Saix's personality completely changed from the time they were kids. Axel was very hurt by this, but he really didn't understand why.

Xemnas: Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind and convince it to renounce its sense of self.

This line from Xemnas in KHDDD always what made me think that Isa was one of the test subjects during the experiments. The goal was to control the mind to renounce its sense of self. Xehanort needed to create empty vessels, so he needed the subject to have no sense of self-awareness or identity. And Saix's scar was over his third eye, which is the mind's eye. The third eye relates to awareness and consciousness. This was why Saix could not see Xion. IMO, Isa's true consciousness was obliterated, and his personality was replaced with Xehanort's. Xemnas retained Terra's memories, and I think Saix also retained Isa's memories. But I always saw Isa's situation as being closer to Terra's than Xigbar's. I think if he had received the proper backstory, the fandom's perception of him would have been more sympathetic.