News ► KINGDOM HEARTS Dark Road introduces new characters!

[KeybladeLordSora]

↑ Whatever they choose to do to handle the characters, please let it not be memory wipe, I despise that so much.

Considering who Dark Road focuses on, it's likely that Xehanort did something that made everyone aside from Eraqus give up on him.

 

[Foxycian]

TFW you're actively trying to be excited for the series, and it's not working.

EDIT: You know what, I can at least appreciate a well-drawn generic anime character doodle. werk

Tbh I’m the same, just a little excited but not that much.

 

[Face My Fears]

99% sure that Bragi will be Braig.

I'm really hoping that they make a cinematic film for the story of this game because I'm not going to be able to play, but I want to get to know the cast.

 

[kvyra]

Calling it right now. Xehanort real name isn't xehanort. Will be some norse mythology name!

 

[AR829038]

I'm interested in what their relationship with Xehanort is. They all must be dead or gone from the mind as neither Xehanort or Eraqus mentions them. Yen Sid doesn't either, and none of their names come up as options for one of Xehanort's 13 vessels, despite the power of time travel. If any of them were dipped in darkness I would think Xehanort would want them as a vessel.

Sometimes I feel like old man Xehanort and Young Xehanort are truly two different people.

Watch them start mentioning these new characters left and right in future games, even though neither Xehanort nor Eraqus never once mentioned them before. Mentioning these guys is going to be the new "may your heart be your guiding key".

 

[*TwilightNight*]

Having multiple characters share the plot and spotlight isn't a bad thing per se and can be very fulfilling and entertaining just as having a general big cast can be.
With KH the problem is however that Nomura has proven to suck at handling this situation more than once.

- rarely about themselves as characters or their bonds with others.
Re:Mind then comes in and apparently needs a whole new Timeline to try and at least partly rectify this.

I'm literally the first in line to speak about how bad Nomura is, but KHUx showed that it's very possible to create a cast that all have interpersonal relationships with each other and are capable of talking things through with one another. And it's because they are not bogged down by trios.

I keep bringing this up, but with KHUx existing, it simply adds to my argument that trios are a plague to the series, to put it bluntly, and robs a lot away from potential dynamics. Trios exclude other characters as outcasts if they are not in it, their drama makes it so no other character is involved, any connections they make outside their trio gets discarded or they get a quick one off to show they remember that connection but won't actually deliver (KHIII), and they barely interact with other characters beyond said trio. This results in some saccharine, fan service ending on a beach with a bunch of characters that rarely spoke, with no visible resolution of the issues they had with who they did know, and is therefore void of any substance and depth other than "happy nakama ending" without feeling like they are nakama.

If Dark Road follows KHUx, then this group of friends can definitely be more developed and believable than the characters of the Xehanort saga can ever hope to be (unless they finally ditch trios in the main timeline). But apparently people want more of the same tired trios in future side games. For what? To continue this trend of restrictions and emptiness?

The only problem with KHUx and Dark Road is that they are mobile gacha games. But from the stuff that I see on Twitter, the cast is better off with the freedom of not having to be contained to a three body clique in my opinion.

#fuckdemtrios

Considering Eraqus and Xehanort never mention these people, either they had a falling out and never spoke again, or Nomura is about to pull a Rogue One/Red Wedding/Order 66 and off them all.

↑ Whatever they choose to do to handle the characters, please let it not be memory wipe, I despise that so much.

Nomura doesn't even care about doing that anymore when it comes to random, never-mentioned-because-they-never-existed characters. Look at Subject X. Fans are simply gonna have to nod their heads and accept things as they are and not question it to get through things in the series. This has happened more than enough times when things come out of nowhere with zero build up to it. 358/2 Days was one thing, but KHIII abused this privilege.

Subject X was "friends" with Isa and Lea suddenly when they never alluded to her?

Subject X is suddenly a thing that Ansem and Ansem SoD know about when they had zilch to say about her non-existence until she suddenly exists?

Roxas cares about reclaiming a Sigil he never cared about in previous entries at all until suddenly he did?

Naminè suddenly remembers that Riku Replica was a thing and they have this "strong connection" no one ever actually saw/witnessed?

Kairi can suddenly dematerialize Xemnas' blades when veteran wielders like Roxas and Xion couldn't because Nomura had to force his hand in making her look cheaply badass due to outrage?

 

[Face My Fears]

I'm hoping there's a reasonable explanation as to why these characters aren't around or mentioned in future KH games. I would actually be all for them dying natural deaths from old age, rather than a memory wipe/trapped in the Shadow Realm/whatever overly dramatic explanation Nomura would normally do. I think if MoM actually tells Xehanort that they will die natural deaths, but before him, that might be MoM's way to prompt Xehanort to find a younger host body AND not fight with his "friends" since all he has to do is be patient to get rid of them.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Watch them start mentioning these new characters left and right in future games, even though neither Xehanort nor Eraqus never once mentioned them before. Mentioning these guys is going to be the new "may your heart be your guiding key".

Oh I'm expecting that. I won't be surprised if Yen Sid goes like "Riku, your skill ReMinds me of the Keyblade Master who fought with Xehanort all those years ago, Master {insert norse name} was much like you."

I'm hoping there's a reasonable explanation as to why these characters aren't around or mentioned in future KH games. I would actually be all for them dying natural deaths from old age, rather than a memory wipe/trapped in the Shadow Realm/whatever overly dramatic explanation Nomura would normally do. I think if MoM actually tells Xehanort that they will die natural deaths, but before him, that might be MoM's way to prompt Xehanort to find a younger host body AND not fight with his "friends" since all he has to do is be patient to get rid of them.

Come now, this is Kingdom Hearts! Natural death is a illusion. There is no way they are introducing these new characters and not have them reappear in some shape or form in a future title. I seriously don't doubt that Xehanort will return himself. I wonder how many of these new guys were good at chess. Could they beat Eraqus and his game changing strategy? These are questions that need answering.

 

[darknessofheart]

I just hope they don't make Xehanort too much of a tragic character. I think it would be cool to play as a character that is finally not so moral and happy, so I'm hoping he's more of an antihero throughout the game.

If Xehanort meeting with the MoM is after the chess scene in KH3, there's a clear difference in his tone; he sounds more angry and hardened. Yes, the world tour caused him to lose faith in the current system of light, but the game is obviously setting up for that to essentially be the final straw.

The only other thing that concerns me is that there are already multiple reasons why Xehanort chooses to become a seeker of darkness. He always valued knowledge and becoming all-knowing, his desires have been etched in his heart by his future self and serve as a subconscious guide, and he lost faith in light and the worlds during his tour in preparation for the Mark of Mastery exam. I just hope this is a story worth telling, otherwise, it could potentially add plotholes.

Overall, what I think would be cool:

1. Fans playing a protagonist that actually devolves; he starts off as a good guy overall, but as the game continues he starts to perform his first actions as a seeker of darkness. To start off playing as a hero and then fully transition into playing as a villain by the end of the game would be a really interesting and even tragic dynamic.
   
   
2. Finally seeing how Xehanort escaped the Destiny Islands; my headcanon is he was able to open up a corridor of darkness and traveled the worlds until winding up on Scala, where a keyblade master was impressed with his natural power to traverse worlds and made him a wielder and apprentice.
   
   
3. Learning who his master was and more info on Scala. It seems big enough to house thousands of keyblade wielders, but Xehanort's reports in BBS makes it seem that he has not met that many, hence why he wanted to reconnect all the worlds to regather them all for another keyblade war.
   
   
4. I hope this game's story has a faster pace than Union. I don't want to wait five years to learn what Xehanort's favorite color is.

 

[redcrown]

Since you brought it up, who would you suggest as companions for Xehanort and Eraqus? Or no one at all?

I meant this is a trend for Nomura in general, especially in KH, which you could reasonably argue tracks back to even the first game in the series with it's secret ending (BHK) and CoM, although at the time this trope wasn't as abused so it was forgivable and actually intriguing. Each person and fan is different, but I imagine the schtick gets old for many people at various points in the series, as characters with potential and unseen stories get replaced by newer ones, who now crowd up screentime or take their place up entirely.

Since you asked, I imagined either nobody, each other, or non humanoid sidekicks.

 

[Violet Pluto]

On Mobile so quickly.

Subject X was "friends" with Isa and Lea suddenly when they never alluded to her?

Subject X is suddenly a thing that Ansem and Ansem SoD know about when they had zilch to say about her non-existence until she suddenly exists?
In BBS they had some reason for going to Ansem's castle that wasn't revealed. I will put that less to suddenly being there and more that it was explained too late.
Roxas cares about reclaiming a Sigil he never cared about in previous entries at all until suddenly he did?
Well he was dead for most of those and while it is out of nowhere it kind of makes sense that he wants to take his suffering and make it work for him.
Naminè suddenly remembers that Riku Replica was a thing and they have this "strong connection" no one ever actually saw/witnessed?
...Chain of Memories. He had promised to protect her, first because of her memory powers but later by his own will. I don't know if you would classify their relationship as "strong" but he decided to keep his promise to her once again.
Kairi can suddenly dematerialize Xemnas' blades when veteran wielders like Roxas and Xion couldn't because Nomura had to force his hand in making her look cheaply badass due to outrage?

Not getting into that last one on mobile.

 

[Eonstar890]

So a few thoughts I’ve had now that this new info has had time to settle in my brain.

1. I don’t think any of these characters could possibly be Luxu in disguise since I’m pretty sure they will all be keyblade wielders and Luxu doesn’t wield one anytime between giving up No Name and the end of KH3.

2. Up till now it seemed pretty deadset that Skuld would end up being Subject X, but now it could potentially be Vor or Urd as well...

3. It’s be awesome if we got to have these characters as party members in DR. I could see each of them fitting a different “class” of fighter (Vor more magic based while Bragi more speed based etc)

 

[Deleted member 252753]

I know nothing but thinking about Re Mind, if there is someone manipulating events in this game, I would guess it's the MoM himself. I can imagine him appearing occasionally to Xehanort as a 'Mysterious Figure' to whisper into his ear. He has to have met Xehanort at least once before the Re Mind scene to give him his coat, after all. Maybe he could meddle with these new characters too in some way.

 

[GreyouTT]

↑ Whatever they choose to do to handle the characters, please let it not be memory wipe, I despise that so much.

*Looks at Subject X*

Subject X was "friends" with Isa and Lea suddenly when they never alluded to her?

They have alluded to something between the two of them several times. Their back and forth in Days, and in BbS when they talk about a mission they're on and look at the castle.

Naminè suddenly remembers that Riku Replica was a thing and they have this "strong connection" no one ever actually saw/witnessed?

Kairi can suddenly dematerialize Xemnas' blades when veteran wielders like Roxas and Xion couldn't because Nomura had to force his hand in making her look cheaply badass due to outrage?

I don't even remember either of these. Where were they?
Though I guess there is Chain of Memories for the first one?

 

[Chaser]

I don't even remember either of these. Where were they?
Though I guess there is Chain of Memories for the first one?

9:20-9:30 is Xion and Roxas taking on one of Xemnas's blades each and not breaking them. 9:30-9:40 is Kairi taking on both blades at once and breaking them with 'relative ease.'

 

[LoneFox]

in BbS when they talk about a mission they're on and look at the castle.

...which had nothing to do with Subject X, who only appeared after BBS, during the time when Xehanort was an apprentice in the castle.

I believe Isa was originally meant to be dead for good after KH2, so there was really no need to explain his motives. But people wanted Axel back, and Isa had to come with him. Now, in Days Saïx was one of the more evil members of the organization, second only to Xemnas and perhaps Larxene. If they want to make him a good guy again, his behavior there needs to be explained. He had to be obsessed with something, because that is why people fall into darkness, but what could it be when it hasn't been mentioned in any of the earlier games? It was going to be clunky in any case. I think him having fallen in love is actually the least bad explanation there is, because people tend to be shy to talk about that.

 

[GreyouTT]

9:20-9:30 is Xion and Roxas taking on one of Xemnas's blades each and not breaking them. 9:30-9:40 is Kairi taking on both blades at once and breaking them with 'relative ease.'

Huh, alright then. The ones after seem to take her hits just fine though, so that's odd.

...which had nothing to do with Subject X, who only appeared after BBS, during the time when Xehanort was an apprentice in the castle.

I believe Isa was originally meant to be dead for good after KH2, so there was really no need to explain his motives. But people wanted Axel back, and Isa had to come with him. Now, in Days Saïx was one of the more evil members of the organization, second only to Xemnas and perhaps Larxene. If they want to make him a good guy again, his behavior there needs to be explained. He had to be obsessed with something, because that is why people fall into darkness, but what could it be when it hasn't been mentioned in any of the earlier games? It was going to be clunky in any case. I think him having fallen in love is actually the least bad explanation there is, because people tend to be shy to talk about that.

I forgot about the timeline on that, so yeah fair point.

Though the stuff in Days still alludes to a secondary objective the two share, so there's that?

 

[Deleted member 252753]

I think the Naminé/Repliku special connection came from Nomura's Ultimania interview, where he clarified Naminé's Final World scene:

—In the Final World, Sora tells Namine, "Someone else special I know won't let you down." (*T/N: Literally, "the person you miss/want to see the most will come get you.") Did he mean Riku?

Nomura: He meant that the person Namine wants to see the most would come get her, as a way of cheering her up. It is actually Riku, in the form of the one who has been entrusted with the Riku Replica's feelings, who does go and get her. Namine does feel a special connection to Riku (the Riku Replica.)

In my view, their special connection is shown in CoM. IIRC Naminé removes the false memories she had implanted in the replica, shattering his heart. However, he wakes up, driven by his desire to protect her, even though the feeling initially came from the false memories. It's a bit messed up but clearly there's is a powerful connection there (though Naminé reciprocating is new, I could understand her having affection for him after that).

 

[SuperSaiyanSora]

Yep. Pessimism before we even get the train rolling. Kingdom Hearts is back, everybody. Guess I'll continue having the hot take and remain excited and optimistic for what we're about to get. But man, do I wish this ended up getting the console treatment.

Today we're supposed to be getting even more new information, so I wonder if we'll get a picture of their Master.

 

[Foxycian]

9:20-9:30 is Xion and Roxas taking on one of Xemnas's blades each and not breaking them. 9:30-9:40 is Kairi taking on both blades at once and breaking them with 'relative ease.'

I was honestly both proud and bothered by that, they didn’t need to force that scene, she shouldn’t be able to overwhelm someone like xemnas at her current level, even Riku and Aqua who are masters will likely struggle against him in a one on one.

tho kairi has already redeemed herself with that final armor master Xehanort fight so I would say they did her justice in the end.