(SPOILERS) KINGDOM HEARTS Union X Final: Part 1

[Sign]

So if Brain, Lauriam, Ventus and Elrena used the Pods, does this mean Subject X is Streritzia?

Strelitzia doesn't fit the profile, and I don't think there's any reason to believe Brain won't get at least Ephemer and Skuld out given Luxu's account of the events to follow. We know he's going to meet the Union leaders, bequeath his Keyblade to one, and then watch as the five of them depart to a new worldline.

 

[Squood!]

I hated that of Vamp. >:/

Don't forget Liquid Ocelot.

They had a perfect explanation for that relating to MGS3 but NOPE, NANOMACHINES SON.

 

[RonaldPoe]

I haven't actually played Union X myself and am mostly going off of spoilers online. That being said the past 2 updates have been very interesting. I wasn't expecting a few of the crazy twists. That being said, who are the 2 confirmed members of the 6 Darkness'?

Also Metal Gear might be one of the few game franchises as confusing as Kingdom Hearts is ...

 

[Sign]

I haven't actually played Union X myself and am mostly going off of spoilers online. That being said the past 2 updates have been very interesting. I wasn't expecting a few of the crazy twists. That being said, who are the 2 confirmed members of the 6 Darkness'?

The one that hitched a ride with Maleficent to the real world and is currently duking it out with Luxu, and the one that was assimilated into Ven.

 

[Squood!]

I haven't actually played Union X myself and am mostly going off of spoilers online. That being said the past 2 updates have been very interesting. I wasn't expecting a few of the crazy twists. That being said, who are the 2 confirmed members of the 6 Darkness'?

Also Metal Gear might be one of the few game franchises as confusing as Kingdom Hearts is ...

The one fighting Luxu and the one that's in Ven.

Also Nier/Drakengard and Call of Duty Zombies are in there too, the latter of which needed a friggin big poster to document its multiple timelines.

 

[Chie]

There are many complicated stories told using video games. I would say that Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear are relatively low on this scale, outside of the X/UX stuff which is actually ascended on another level for being almost nothing but ambiguities and very alarming casual implications. I've honestly been worried that the story will eventually try to "simply explain" all that stuff and all the mysterious presentation will have been posturing - I'd rather have no answers than boring answers.

 

[LoneFox]

It isn't very peculiar when you take into consideration that six has been a pre utilized number before: six apprentices of Ansem and those same six founded Organization XIII. But I get your point. Also, Darkness did say that, after the Keyblade War, six remained. Maybe there were seven and only six survived? And the MoM can't be a Darkness: the MoM was too young during the Keyblade War. And if he were a Darkness, Darkness would have achnknowledged it by now

Weren't there 8 apprentices? I think you are forgetting Lea and Isa...

People seem to be misunderstanding what I tried to say. I'm not claiming that MoM is one of Darknesses. Instead, the idea is, seven people fought in the first Keyblade War. Six of them fell into darkness and became these shadows, while the seventh discovered the protective properties of a black coat and became MoM.

The number has to be meaningful, because otherwise why would they waste time pointing it out? They left out things like Ven beating the shit out of the Darkness, and a flashback of Ava giving the keyblade to Brain. One possible meaning is that since four Darknesses remain in the data world, there will be four bossfights coming for the Player and friends in the last update. But is that enough to justify it?

I can think of only one place where the number six is meaningful: the disciples of MoM. This meaning comes mostly from the fact that one of the seven sins is missing. Now, I admit that this is very speculative, but on that DR scene with the Queen of Hearts, Xehanort associates the Darkness with a particular sin, Wrath instead of Greed. This has looked suspicious to me from the start, in the sense that there has to be some deeper meaning. It would make sense that each Darkness is associated with one of the sins, and the scene is a clue for that.

 

[AdrianXXII]

Weren't there 8 apprentices? I think you are forgetting Lea and Isa...

Kinda Lea and Isa weren't considered Ansem's apprentices like the other 6 were, seeing he never even mentions them in his secret reports. My guess is after Ansem the Wise was banded into the Realm of Darkness the other apprentices took in Lea and Isa. That's the only way I can really make sense of the retcon.

 

[Violet Pluto]

Don't forget Liquid Ocelot.

They had a perfect explanation for that relating to MGS3 but NOPE, NANOMACHINES SON.

It's actually worse than that, in MGS2 it really was Liquid Ocelot, but before 4 he replaced the Liquid Arm with a nanomachine arm and acted as Liquid. I love Hideo Kojima's weird mind.

Unrelated to that post:
Also people's MoM is evil theories have rubbed me the wrong way because most of them that I've seen seem to think that because MoM has been fighting against the Darkness that he's actually the wrong party in this and Darkness isn't really a problem at all. This Update has addressed that Darkness is actively opposed to the Light instead of being a neutral party or a good guy, but an antagonistic force. I don't think MoM is particularly good either but I don't think it's as simple as him being just the big bad.

 

[Chie]

That's what we already knew about darkness though, as a force of nature. These darknesses are just aware enough to describe that to us in words. But what actually were these things, before they were 'darkness'? Whatever they were, they're from a time that the MoM would prefer people to not even know existed.

I think it would be both difficult and ill-advised to make a character who lies about who he is to everyone, manipulates people who are emotionally dependent on him in order to cause the end of the world, and positions himself as the literal author of all reality, and then have him not be the main villain.

 

[Chaser]

Would a darkness infiltrating Elrena explain a personality change? I also wonder, if two did attach themselves to Riku and Vanitas, what happened to them when their hosts were murdered in cold blood? This series presents so many questions and I love having a series to follow with questions posed - The Leftovers is my favourite TV series of all time and all it is is questions - but with KH I'm desperate for answers.

 

[Clue.Less]

Kinda Lea and Isa weren't considered Ansem's apprentices like the other 6 were, seeing he never even mentions them in his secret reports. My guess is after Ansem the Wise was banded into the Realm of Darkness the other apprentices took in Lea and Isa. That's the only way I can really make sense of the retcon.

The problem is in KH3 (scene at the clock tower when Axel and Said talk) Axel says they became apprentices and then Ansem the Wise disappeared. But I'm inclined to see it like you do.

 

[Squood!]

Would a darkness infiltrating Elrena explain a personality change? I also wonder, if two did attach themselves to Riku and Vanitas, what happened to them when their hosts were murdered in cold blood? This series presents so many questions and I love having a series to follow with questions posed - The Leftovers is my favourite TV series of all time and all it is is questions - but with KH I'm desperate for answers.

Bringing a host's darker emotions to the surface...like the symbiote circa 2000-2008?

 

[Alpha Baymax]

It's ironic that these concepts UX expands on that are actually grounded in reality (light-speed travel, copying/extracting data) are things that people have decided to take issue with. Like somehow they're more unbelievable than all the shit we've seen from the mainline series.

I can guarantee that if the whole X saga was a console entry, people would be much more favourable to all the things that have happened in UX. I think it's telling how the Kingdom Hearts install base has not transitioned to mobile gaming as well as Square Enix anticipated and just the overall bad service the game has been providing especially with Global.

 

[RonaldPoe]

I've actually got some theories that seem very likely. I could start a few threads about them but it'd be better to post them here.

I'd compare The Darkness to Nightshroud (Yugioh GX). Both are imposing but polite villains who embody darkness. They also seem to be able to predict the future accurately. They can't be killed but probably can be defeated (Nightshroud lost to Jaden). Both seem to be more of a force of nature as opposed to a malicious evil.

Second, I believe Vanitas will serve as The Darkness' second in command. He was born from a piece of The Darkness and Ventus' will. I think he'll be as a more openly evil supporter instead of a force of nature. With Ventus' bigger role, it's inevitable that Vanitas will return.

Finally I believe The Darkness has ties to both Riku and Xehanort. Both seem to have mastered The Darkness' power. We don't know if Xehanort worked for the Master of Masters, The Darkness , or possibly (not that likely) both. However Riku seems to use its power without being corrupted and stays heroic (for most of KH).

 

[AdrianXXII]

The problem is in KH3 (scene at the clock tower when Axel and Said talk) Axel says they became apprentices and then Ansem the Wise disappeared. But I'm inclined to see it like you do.

Right forgot about that bit. So they were probably just added recently and were still kind of outsiders while the whole coup was taking place. They weren't part of the plot nor did they have a years long relationship to Ansem, so he didn't think or talk about them in his reports, he might have even forgot about them while in the RoD.

 

[Sign]

Subbed version with translations by goldpanner are now available.

 

[Eonstar890]

I can think of only one place where the number six is meaningful: the disciples of MoM. This meaning comes mostly from the fact that one of the seven sins is missing.

Hmm this sparked an idea in my head. What if the foretellers exist actually to counteract against the six deadly sins that they are named after? With this line of thinking the six masters are supposed to eliminate the six darknesses remaining in the MoM ultimate plan.
Or alternatively his grand plan was to use them to trap the six darknesses into a form in which he could then defeat them. A set of six sacrificial pawns thought necessary to finally defeat the darkness...
Ultimately after last times update it seems clear that the MoM primary goal was arriving in the future after Xehanorts war ended. And the other masters all also arrived (except Ava, who may hav already defeated her assigned darkness) perhaps now he plans to use the remaining five to do just that?

 

[KeyToDestiny]

Feels like people just forget Vanitas' new revelation to Ventus in KH3RM about who he is.

 

[GO_is_GOD.MoM_is_dust]

Maybe the foretellers simply become the Darkness's new bodies??
Actually, 7 black pieces as a symbol for the lost masters appeared in KH3 epilogue chess scene.
These clearly represent new 7 darkness.
It is clear that the foretellers will be the main villain as 7 darkness in the next saga.

However, it is strange that the number is only 6…Hmm.