Hello,
So this is an idea I've had for a while in regards to the series, but only now decided to do it if only for the fact that we know KH 4 IS confirmed. Most of you know that I'm a biologist in real life (general biology at least) and with that comes the typical analytical view that comes with the scientific territories. What I'm planning on doing is analyzing something in the KH series either from a scientific angle (I plan on doing one on the nobodies, and will try to make it seem as though it's a research journal) or just a broad observation of it. Due to the myriad of games a lot of this might seem like a pointless and/or herculean task but I think it's worth a shot.
So with that out of the way, let's talk about magic:
In most media, there is usually a set precedent in a given property as to how magic works, and it is narrowed down to 3 options:
Option 1: characters can always have access to magic, but are primarily given specific attributes/forms due to their genetics (such as Avatar and their bending forms, or Re:Zero and the various elements that people can cast). There is little to no risk of using said magic, but it does drain the stamina over time if used excessively
Option 2: Magic is something that's present in most people, but often comes at a cost, such as the vitality of the user, or is something that can be used by everyone, but is limited in supply and can only be used a set amount of times. A good example is in the Fire Emblem series, some games require you to sacrifice a bit of HP to cast spells, while others give you tomes to cast spells with limited uses. Not everyone can cast magic, but the ones who can often learn a variety of spells to cast.
Option 3: Magic needs a conduit to be cast, and in the absence of one it becomes a danger to the caster. This often seems to be the most used option in fantasy settings, as numerous series rely on this rule for world building. A good example is in the Gargoyles TV series, where it is expressly stated that mortal beings can't cast magic without something to give them the magic, be it a spell book or a place where mana is in abundance.
For the most part, KH is a series that uses option 3 the most, with numerous examples to back up my reasoning. In the first game, Sora is able to cast magic once he learns it from very specific events, such as defeating a boss or is given it as a reward from a chest or battle. Like most RPG weapons, certain keychains enhance or decrease the amount of magic Sora has and how much damage it deals, and the same can be said for Donald and Goofy with their staff and shield respectively. It is also apparent that magic is something that stays with the user if the main conduit is lost or taken from them as seen in Hollow Bastion when Riku takes the keyblade from him. You CAN cast magic with the wooden sword, even spells that if real world physics are applied would destroy the toy blade in seconds. However, their power is significantly weaker because of the basic item as opposed to the inherent strength of the key-shaped sword the player was using for most of the game.
The conduit option also applies to NPC's as well, Disney mages such as Merlin, the Fairy Godmother, Jafar, Ursula and Maleficent make use of their weapons of choice to cast magic, though due to them having more experience than the key bearer their spells are of a much greater caliber. The musical heartless (Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Black Ballade and Green Requiem) cast spells through their rod shaped hats and the wizard and defender heartless cast it through their staff and shield. Even creatures with no hands to hold a conduit aren't exempt from mystical arts such as Cerberus, who while not possessing a specific conduit from which to cast spells, is inherently able to do so due to his mythological status, and behemoths who cast spells through their horns. The only true anomaly is Leon, who is able to cast a fireball out of his left hand and not from his gun blade. This can be chalked up to him being a final fantasy character and thus operates on different rules than that of heartless and Disney characters, but it is worth pointing out that in his game of origin, he is able to summon Espers that CAN cast magic.
Party members (Both Disney and otherwise) use magic too, but their reasonings are often unique to the character. The first world specific party member in the series (Tarzan) can cast cure and aero on party members, despite not using anything resembling magic in his movie of origin. This is explained through his abilities as him using herbs to heal his allies (makes sense given he's likely very knowledgeable about the jungle's flora) and wind armor that provides defense with a cloak of air.... hm, Option 2 it is. Jack Skellington is a bit of an odd case though, but his movie provides some hint towards why he functions similar to a mage from Final Fantasty. In the movie during his introduction as the pumpkin king he sets his suit ablaze with fire with seemingly little worry. While you can make the argument that Dr. Finklestein made him a flameproof suit and the fact he's already a skeleton makes fire effectively an afterthought, I'd like to bring up that we don't really know if that's something the doctor designed for jack or not. In a world where witches can be your next door neighbor, why not a skeleton that can breathe fire?
In KH COM we're introduced to the organization, whose members are often specialized in a specific element, even if said element isn't available to Sora (Xaldin in KH 2 for example). Their mastery over their specific attribute is channeled through their weapons of choice, so they would seemingly fit natrually into option 3. However, their inclusion in Days as playable characters could deem them as following option 2 since they can cast elements besides the one they primarily use (Vexen can cast fire magic, so can Lexaeus despite his element of earth not seeing much usage as a spell until BBS's quake). However Days is a special case where it uses a panel system, and magic is equipped similar to that of a potion or ether, and as a result can be used even by those not known to cast spells in the main series (such as Goofy, though why would you when his magic stat sucks).
There are other beings in the franchise that don't inherently fall into any of the categories, those being creatures like Genie, Tinkerbell and Mushu, to name a few. Genie clearly isn't limited to one specific element of magic, as seen in KH 1 and COM where he casts off various spells Sora can learn, and Mushu doesn't use a conduit to cast fire (though in a sense, he IS a conduit himself when with Mulan in KH 2, allowing her to do fire damage to enemies), meaning he falls under option 1. Tinker Bell (and by extension Peter Pan) can fly even when outside of Neverland (as seen with both of their summons) and the former is able to cast cure spells without a conduit. However, I think all 3 of the mentioned characters are exempt from the grouping due to their fantastical nature as creatures that originated in myths and folklore and are innately magical by default.
So how did I do? would you want to see more analysis threads like this? let me know.
So this is an idea I've had for a while in regards to the series, but only now decided to do it if only for the fact that we know KH 4 IS confirmed. Most of you know that I'm a biologist in real life (general biology at least) and with that comes the typical analytical view that comes with the scientific territories. What I'm planning on doing is analyzing something in the KH series either from a scientific angle (I plan on doing one on the nobodies, and will try to make it seem as though it's a research journal) or just a broad observation of it. Due to the myriad of games a lot of this might seem like a pointless and/or herculean task but I think it's worth a shot.
So with that out of the way, let's talk about magic:
In most media, there is usually a set precedent in a given property as to how magic works, and it is narrowed down to 3 options:
Option 1: characters can always have access to magic, but are primarily given specific attributes/forms due to their genetics (such as Avatar and their bending forms, or Re:Zero and the various elements that people can cast). There is little to no risk of using said magic, but it does drain the stamina over time if used excessively
Option 2: Magic is something that's present in most people, but often comes at a cost, such as the vitality of the user, or is something that can be used by everyone, but is limited in supply and can only be used a set amount of times. A good example is in the Fire Emblem series, some games require you to sacrifice a bit of HP to cast spells, while others give you tomes to cast spells with limited uses. Not everyone can cast magic, but the ones who can often learn a variety of spells to cast.
Option 3: Magic needs a conduit to be cast, and in the absence of one it becomes a danger to the caster. This often seems to be the most used option in fantasy settings, as numerous series rely on this rule for world building. A good example is in the Gargoyles TV series, where it is expressly stated that mortal beings can't cast magic without something to give them the magic, be it a spell book or a place where mana is in abundance.
For the most part, KH is a series that uses option 3 the most, with numerous examples to back up my reasoning. In the first game, Sora is able to cast magic once he learns it from very specific events, such as defeating a boss or is given it as a reward from a chest or battle. Like most RPG weapons, certain keychains enhance or decrease the amount of magic Sora has and how much damage it deals, and the same can be said for Donald and Goofy with their staff and shield respectively. It is also apparent that magic is something that stays with the user if the main conduit is lost or taken from them as seen in Hollow Bastion when Riku takes the keyblade from him. You CAN cast magic with the wooden sword, even spells that if real world physics are applied would destroy the toy blade in seconds. However, their power is significantly weaker because of the basic item as opposed to the inherent strength of the key-shaped sword the player was using for most of the game.
The conduit option also applies to NPC's as well, Disney mages such as Merlin, the Fairy Godmother, Jafar, Ursula and Maleficent make use of their weapons of choice to cast magic, though due to them having more experience than the key bearer their spells are of a much greater caliber. The musical heartless (Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Black Ballade and Green Requiem) cast spells through their rod shaped hats and the wizard and defender heartless cast it through their staff and shield. Even creatures with no hands to hold a conduit aren't exempt from mystical arts such as Cerberus, who while not possessing a specific conduit from which to cast spells, is inherently able to do so due to his mythological status, and behemoths who cast spells through their horns. The only true anomaly is Leon, who is able to cast a fireball out of his left hand and not from his gun blade. This can be chalked up to him being a final fantasy character and thus operates on different rules than that of heartless and Disney characters, but it is worth pointing out that in his game of origin, he is able to summon Espers that CAN cast magic.
Party members (Both Disney and otherwise) use magic too, but their reasonings are often unique to the character. The first world specific party member in the series (Tarzan) can cast cure and aero on party members, despite not using anything resembling magic in his movie of origin. This is explained through his abilities as him using herbs to heal his allies (makes sense given he's likely very knowledgeable about the jungle's flora) and wind armor that provides defense with a cloak of air.... hm, Option 2 it is. Jack Skellington is a bit of an odd case though, but his movie provides some hint towards why he functions similar to a mage from Final Fantasty. In the movie during his introduction as the pumpkin king he sets his suit ablaze with fire with seemingly little worry. While you can make the argument that Dr. Finklestein made him a flameproof suit and the fact he's already a skeleton makes fire effectively an afterthought, I'd like to bring up that we don't really know if that's something the doctor designed for jack or not. In a world where witches can be your next door neighbor, why not a skeleton that can breathe fire?
In KH COM we're introduced to the organization, whose members are often specialized in a specific element, even if said element isn't available to Sora (Xaldin in KH 2 for example). Their mastery over their specific attribute is channeled through their weapons of choice, so they would seemingly fit natrually into option 3. However, their inclusion in Days as playable characters could deem them as following option 2 since they can cast elements besides the one they primarily use (Vexen can cast fire magic, so can Lexaeus despite his element of earth not seeing much usage as a spell until BBS's quake). However Days is a special case where it uses a panel system, and magic is equipped similar to that of a potion or ether, and as a result can be used even by those not known to cast spells in the main series (such as Goofy, though why would you when his magic stat sucks).
There are other beings in the franchise that don't inherently fall into any of the categories, those being creatures like Genie, Tinkerbell and Mushu, to name a few. Genie clearly isn't limited to one specific element of magic, as seen in KH 1 and COM where he casts off various spells Sora can learn, and Mushu doesn't use a conduit to cast fire (though in a sense, he IS a conduit himself when with Mulan in KH 2, allowing her to do fire damage to enemies), meaning he falls under option 1. Tinker Bell (and by extension Peter Pan) can fly even when outside of Neverland (as seen with both of their summons) and the former is able to cast cure spells without a conduit. However, I think all 3 of the mentioned characters are exempt from the grouping due to their fantastical nature as creatures that originated in myths and folklore and are innately magical by default.
So how did I do? would you want to see more analysis threads like this? let me know.
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