What is "Kingdom Hearts" really? A way to understand it.

[qbaysan]

Basically, the entity known as Kingdom Hearts in this series is analogous to "God". Not the traditional Abrahamic sense of God, who acts and talks like humans, but the Eastern belief of God, the "Over-Soul", as one Western philosopher puts it.
Here are some basic definitions of the Over-Soul from various dictionaries:

Spoiler Show

In the transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a spiritual essence or vital force in the universe in which all souls participate and that therefore transcends individual consciousness.

The divine spiritual unity of things; God as the spiritual unity of all being and the source of spiritual illumination: used by Emerson, without precise definition, as a philosophical conception.

The all-containing soul.

A supreme reality or mind; the spiritual unity of all being.

If you've watch Fullmetal Alchemist, it functions like the "Truth", minus the talking personality. For Star Wars fans, the idea behind it is the "Force". Although, I think the closest to "Kingdom Hearts" in functionality would be the "Lifestream" in Final Fantasy VII.

If you've come from an Abrahamic background, and have no idea how some Eastern Beliefs work----The keyword is "One". Basically, Everything is One. Fullmetal Alchemist phrase it as "All is One, One is All". Ya know, Monotheism. The very, very, very basic skeletal definition of Monotheism is: "Belief in the existence of only one god that created the world, is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, and intervenes in the world"-from wiki. But from there, you have to let go of the concept that god "talks" and "acts" the same way as humans do.

If you want to understand more of it though, I recommend reading about Transcendence philosophy, Pantheism and Panentheism. Just keep an open-mind when reading it. Same for people who have no background in spirituality at all. I know it's a touchy topic for some, but hey, KH is a work of fiction. This is also a good way to understand other people who grew up in a different environment.

Anyway to further understand what Kingdom Hearts is, the Heart, in the world of KH, is a metaphorical concept of the essence of a living, emotional being, containing all of the being's memories, and through it, connect with other beings' hearts as well, right?

If we actually put a proper analogy to it, in the English context, the Heart is actually, the Soul. Or Spirit. Whatever suits you. We'll go with Soul in this case due to the word Over-"Soul".

So if we actually replace "Kingdom Hearts" with the word "God", and "Hearts" with the word "Souls", things actually starts to makes sense. Such as the nature of the world of KH, the villain's motives, the events that are occurring, and so on.

The spoiler down below contains dialogues from KH1, KH2, Days, and Back Cover, where I've replaced words with the appropriate terms as discussed.
Script taken from Gamefaqs btw.
So as a guide:

• Kingdom Hearts = God
• Heart/s = Soul/s
• Heartless = Soulless*

The last term is just an effect of the browser script I used, since I didn't do a Whole Words replacement. Anyway, check it out:

Spoiler Show

With this kind of reasoning, if we understand even a tiny bit the qualities of "God", we can even understand why time-travel is added to the world of KH. The reason is that God transcends time. The connections of Souls transcends time.

As to why couldn't they just use the appropriate terms, obviously, it's a property of Disney, and subject to censorship. Kingdom Hearts is basically a censored discussion of how God and the Soul works, and the spirituality stuff that comes with it.

 

[qbaysan]

If I could compared it to anything, it would be "truth" from Full metal Alchemist because it deals with idea of everything being connected to each other. But I think there is a difference between the two...

Well technically I did mention it kinda functions "like" Truth. And the functions that are similar are:

• A multitude of human sacrifice, or souls to summon it on the physical plane
• Source of all knowledge. Commonly associated with "enlightenment" once completely merged with it
• Once merged with the entity, one can bypass most of the laws of the universe

Aside from those 3 qualities, there was a need of the merging of the "Masculine" and "Feminine" principles, or we commonly see it in East Asian works as "Yang" and "Yin" principles of the Taiji, to summon it. (It's all fictional alchemy based on common ancient mythos btw. No offense to the genders.)

In FMA's case, it was represented by the Sun(Yang) and Moon(Yin) through an eclipse. In Kingdom Hearts, the clash of Light(Yang) and Darkness(Yin).

So they're quite similar in a way.

Regarding artificiality of the other KHs that were summoned, it doesn't really matter as much, other than the raw power it possesses. After all, artificial and fakes have always been a topic of the series. Do they matter less or are we even supposed to disregard them since they're fakes and artificial? I think not, especially if they're capable of doing the same thing. Personally, I think of the artificial KHs as an aspect of KH. Ya know how the Christian Holy Trinity generally works, right? "They're different, yet they're One and the same" kind of line of thought.

KH itself isnt really the series is about it anyways. A lot of themes and philosophy are mostly outside of it, only really being referenced as something where it all originated from and a thing the heroes have to either protect it or stop it from existing entirely (most of the time, the latter)

This is where I disagree, at least in my opinion this time . It's all correlated, it's all connected. Certainly not the main focus, but a lot of the concepts rely back on it, especially if we've seen through the allegory behind it.

While the main theme of the series, has always been the "connection of Hearts", again like I've mentioned in the first post, the Heart in KH is the Soul in the English Context. The entity, Kingdom Hearts, serves as the representation of God, in other words, the Divine. The entity has always been used by villains to serve their interests, being misguided on the belief that this being by itself holds great power, one to turn someone else a Divine entity as well. Thus the purpose of this Divine entity has always meant to serve as a contrast with our heroes, in that what actually holds true and great strength, True Divinity, is our connections with each other.

If we were to extract the overall message the series wish to represent, it's that:
"Our Divinity lies in our connections with each other."

Well, I guess you can disagree with it, but seeing how this is written by people who see through things with an Eastern beliefs lens, wherein a lot actually believe that humans can become Divine beings themselves and experience "Oneness", akin to becoming a Jesus in Western beliefs or something similar, I don't think this is a far off conclusion.

This is more of an appreciation of the story's themes and messages, if you're concerned with it. I know a lot of people aren't, that's why a lot call BS when shocking plot events occur that don't makes sense "logically", at least, based on the previous plot progression. But it makes sense on the other hand, based on themes and messages the story intends to bring.

TL;RD (my posts are very long, I cant help myself lol) yeah Kingdom Hearts is a cool concept, it could be anything but at this point, who knows what's in Noruma head.

Abstractly speaking, that's the point of the concept of "God", particularly in Eastern beliefs.

So introducing this concept by the end of the saga when the universe of KH at point with all the time hopping and heart spilting has been pretty indifferent or supportive to it is strange.

It's not the end of the series. It's only the end of the arc. The end of an arc, means a start of new one. So it's not really a surprise Nomura introduced a bunch of new concepts during the end of Xehanort Saga in preparation for the new one.

 

[Idreamaboutcats]

This is what I get for not posting for over 3 years on an inactive profile since 2012...*sighs*

On another note, I had to swallow a large jug of powerade just to poison both the cringe "pearl-clutching" and doubly cringe "liberal snowflake" sides of my personality to sleep and not ruin this. Not pleasant.

Okay, let's get this show started. Lots of characters in the canon have differing opinions as to what exactly Kingdom Hearts is. Some believes it's light, Others believe it to be darkness, while MX writes that it's unlimited power and knowledge, and later on, speaks of it as THE first light, possibly the compendium of all light, where people come from. There's also some sources inside that describe it as the aggregate of all hearts, the origin and endpoint of which all hearts leave from and eventually converge, and somehow, it is a fearsome and awesome thing that has the power to remake the universe to whoever has access to it. A complete existence is composed of three things, and Kingdom Hearts is where one of those things originate from, the Heart. In Japanese, they use the term "kokoro" rather than "shinzo/Shinjyu" (did I get that right? I think that last one meant "pearl" rather than "heart", but I'm clueless when it comes to Japanese, so meh...), and so it's understood that it speaks about the spirit, so to speak, rather than a bloody lump of muscles that helps with the distribution of oxygen.

Whenever I keep thinking on it, what comes to mind is "Akasha", or the empty heaven which encompasses the world and the representation of all existence, a record maybe, and I found someone who shares the same opinion when I was trying to dig myself out of the rabbit hole that is TVTropes, to quote:

"It's Akasha, the Root, Heaven, the Divine Realm, the Mystery Box, whatever you want to call it. Kingdom Hearts, for all intents and purposes, is a kids' version of the universe's simultaneous origin/endpoint. It's the place that basically every religion on earth has had, and has made people think "what's inside?". The desire to search for something otherworldly is a facet of human nature, and like human nature shows, people interpret its purpose differently. Sora believes it's light itself, Ansem So D thought it was infinite darkness, Master Xehanort and Xemas think it's power, and some see it as just a big collection of hearts. Since this is a Japanese game, it more than likely is a reference to Akasha, and the desire to enter that realm has inspired hero and villain alike in Japanese storytelling. A bit of it may be lost on Western players, but think of it like a person who wants to enter Heaven when he's still alive."

I don't know who wrote that, but thank you!

It's an abnormally inaccessible thing even at the Age of Fairy Tales, to the point that even the foretellers consider the very idea to be taboo while they're out and about forcing child soldiers to gather particles of light (and I still don't know what the heck Lux is supposed to be, or why it was so important to gather when gathering it to excess was what resulted in the final battle of the first KW anyway). Whatever it is, it needed the χ-blade to come out of wherever it came from and appear, but that doesn't seem necessary in that final battle; what brought it about was an innumerable amount of casualties that forced it to appear, kinda like Etro's Gate, I guess?

BTW, OP, I like your dA page.

 

[qbaysan]

Lots of characters in the canon have differing opinions as to what exactly Kingdom Hearts is.

Kinda like what we have right now with all different opinions regarding different beliefs, different religions, different sects, and so on. But I think there's always a fine lining to it that unites all these faiths--That, there's always something "greater".

It's Akasha, the Root, Heaven, the Divine Realm, the Mystery Box, whatever you want to call it. Kingdom Hearts, for all intents and purposes, is a kids' version of the universe's simultaneous origin/endpoint.

Yup. That's basically it. I just use the term "God", to keep it short and impactful, and it's also the most recognizable word the world has at the moment to refer to the Ultimate of the Ultimate Reality of the Ultimate----whatever it is called. And I did come from a Catholic background, so I just use the closest word that's easy for me to grasp.

BTW, OP, I like your dA page.

Thank you so much! (*^▽^*)

EDIT:
Forgot to address:

In Japanese, they use the term "kokoro" rather than "shinzo/Shinjyu" (did I get that right? I think that last one meant "pearl" rather than "heart", but I'm clueless when it comes to Japanese, so meh...)

Yup, shinzo refers the physical heart. Kokoro refers to the spiritual heart. In other words, it can also be soul or spirit. There's also the word tamashii, that's also soul or spirit. But from one material I've read, the difference between the two is that Kokoro implies a more human-like spirit, while tamashii is like raw will, almost animalistic to a point. If I recall correctly anyway.

 

[Clue.Less]

If there ever is a need to create a new authentic KH in the very end, or regenerate the actual one, I'm expecting Sora (one sky, one destiny) to be the source of it (actually the Destiny trio: union of sky, ocean and earth). Sora's ability to connect with everyone he meets and hold hearts in his own, feels like a miniature personification of KH. It wouldn't turn the simple relatable boy into an omnipotent god, but on the contrary it would explore children's ability to be "one" (and hold eternity in a grain of sand, as Blake wrote...), something we lose when we grow up and hit puberty according to some Western beliefs (but I feel hopeful that Sora never will lose it).

I may be straying off topic with these small thoughts, but I agree that the metaphysical aspect of KH is part of its appeal and beauty. I like how Nomura explained having to change the timing of the connection between Ven and Sora's heart because of "some Western beliefs" that the "heart" starts at birth and not before.

I also like how you, OP, point out that the KH-kind of time travel is part of it and not an out-of-the-blue addition to the franchise.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

If there ever is a need to create a new authentic KH in the very end, or regenerate the actual one, I'm expecting Sora (one sky, one destiny) to be the source of it (actually the Destiny trio: union of sky, ocean and earth). Sora's ability to connect with everyone he meets and hold hearts in his own, feels like a miniature personification of KH. It wouldn't turn the simple relatable boy into an omnipotent god, but on the contrary it would explore children's ability to be "one" (and hold eternity in a grain of sand, as Blake wrote...), something we lose when we grow up and hit puberty according to some Western beliefs (but I feel hopeful that Sora never will lose it).

This puts thoughts I have had vaguely really brilliantly. It especially reminds me of (Data) Ansem the Wise's speech in DDD where he also talks about the idea of their being hearts in everything, and the need for people's hearts to connect with others in order to truly exist. I think it's a really good and underappreciated speech so I will quote most of it.

"Each exposure to light, to the natural world, to other people, shapes this most malleable part inside of us. Nobodies are not different from us in that manner. Sora was the only one able to return to his human form without destroying his Nobody. That is a statement to the love in his heart for other people, and the bonds that tie them together. Perhaps...he has the power to bring back the hearts and existences of those connected to him—to recreate people we thought were lost to us forever. Our most precious treasures—even an empty puppet—the trees of the forest, and the petals on the wind—there are hearts around us everywhere we look. And it does not take superhuman powers to see them. Surely we remember as children the way our hearts made everything seem so shiny, and perfect. Sora has a heart like that—uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad. When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it. He has touched countless hearts, he has accepted them, and he has saved them. And some of those hearts have never left him—whether they fell into darkness or were trapped there—whether they sleep in the darkness of Sora's heart, or were welcomed into its warmth—they can be saved. All Sora needs to do is be himself and follow wherever it is that his heart takes him. It is the best and the only way."

 

[Idreamaboutcats]

Kinda like what we have right now with all different opinions regarding different beliefs, different religions, different sects, and so on. But I think there's always a fine lining to it that unites all these faiths--That, there's always something "greater".

Human nature, like TVTropes says. Sorta makes one wonder about all sorts of things, but the spiel would be too long and detract from what I actually wanted to say, so I'll stop there.

Yup. That's basically it. I just use the term "God", to keep it short and impactful, and it's also the most recognizable word the world has at the moment to refer to the Ultimate of the Ultimate Reality of the Ultimate----whatever it is called. And I did come from a Catholic background, so I just use the closest word that's easy for me to grasp.

Same here actually, so it was easy to recognize the letter χ, and the "Keys of Heaven" which the χ-blade takes its pattern from.

Thank you so much! (*^▽^*)

Still waiting for the continuation for that Subject X comic, but at least we got it right in guessing it was Skuld.

Dang it... btw, are we actually allowed to cuss in the forums? Eh, who cares. I forgot what I originally wanted to say, but it's still something related to Kingdom Hearts.

Forgetting the artificial Kingdom Hearts (what is the plural of that anyway? Kingdoms?) aside, if we gather what we actually know on it, it's a little bit contradictory in itself:

• Whenever it appears in the fractured World from wherever it came from, it takes on the form of a heart-shaped moon, either artificial or the real thing. What is actually inside the real thing is currently unknown.
• I'll iterate it again, the fairy tales say that in the old age it bathed people in its warmth, but the actuality is that even in that age, it is something that is already beyond reach, and that to actually summon it is a taboo, at least according to the rules MoM put on the foretellers.
• It can be brought as well through the presence of the χ-blade, a counterpart that has existed along with it since, forever, I guess, but this isn't necessarily true, and just a great amount of casualties can bring it out.
• Others say that light and darkness have always existed together, but MX speaks of it as though Darkness came first in the World and only then did it, as the first light, came to be and where people and their hearts came from (I'm going by the English dub, anybody know what the actual Japanese scene says?). However, this may not be necessarily contradictory, as another interpretation of it is that it was always there, just inactive until living things came to be.

This last one is speculation:

• Quite possibly not sentient and not at all that benevolent if a megalomaniacal old bald man can summon it, and it can supposedly be controlled to give power and purge the world and remake it, and even the GoL are afraid of what it can do.

 

[orazu]

Oh wow!! I literally made a similar post about this on reddit like over a year ago. I'm going to just copy & paste, because, you know, laziness.

Spoiler Show

So I've been a fan of the series pretty much since the beginning. I played all the games games (except coded) even when they originally launched on the varying platforms (geez it's expensive being part of this fandom). However, with the advent of KH3 and the closing of the seeker of darkness saga, I'm really calling into question what exactly is kingdom hearts. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm going purely off of memory and the timespan for releases of these titles is long drawn as you're all aware.
In the original game, we spend most of the time thinking it's the ultimate source of darkness. Up until Sora has his iconic monologue at the ending: "You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts... is light!" and we watch Ansem get blasted by what was thought to be the light of kingdom hearts (before it was retconned).
In KH2 we actually learn that it's the heart shaped moon from the box art of the first game. It's explained to be a collection of hearts and the only way to grant a nobody their own heart (rather than trying to seek out their heartless? Admittedly I thought this was backwards back then too. Why collect so many when all you needed was 1?) But whatevs. This is the explanation we were given. And we watched as Xemnas used the damaged kingdom hearts as a powerboost in an attempt to drive the worlds to nothingness. Cool.
Then I think it was mentioned in an interview after the final mix secret ending that we learn that the KH in KH2 was made from the hearts of people, and that the true KH (the one we see in the secret ending) is made up of that from worlds. That's all fine and dandy. If hearts of people can gather, why not hearts of worlds? We went around closing keyholes to the hearts of world in the first game. In the second, the worlds were the one that opened a path for us to Xemnas. So makes sense, right?
BBS. We get the story of the keyblade war. And we're given more context of the fairytale that Kairi's Grandma spoke of back in KH1. So in ancient times, all worlds were connected under one light, kingdom hearts. However fighting over light caused it to be swallowed in darkness. And it was the light of children that reconstructed the worlds as they are now. Here is where we start to have multiple issues.
So in KH2, kingdom hearts was created from the hearts released by Sora that didn't have a body to return to. So they basically convened at one location. I would ASSUME it would be the same process with the hearts of worlds. We know that 'the end of the world' in KH1 was basically the heartless form a world. We know that worlds can fall to darkness just like people can. It's basically the thought that everything macroscopic is just a bigger version of the microscopic. But this KH isn't just an amalgamation of released hearts from worlds. It's now THE source of light. All light. Of existence essentially. Which begs the question how can Kingdom Hearts exists simultaneously with the worlds when in KH2, it only could be created when you gathered the released hearts captured from the heartless? It's weird cause it's like, KH shouldn't exist naturally.
If you want another story to relate to, think of full metal alchemist. The philosopher stone (kingdom hearts) is something that can only be created when gather the souls of many people. You get living philosopher stones Hohenheim/Father (true kingdom hearts) when you gather an unfathomable number of souls (hearts of worlds). But the philosopher stone isn't something that exists naturally. You can't have a stone created from the souls ripped from people coexist with the very people it was made from. If anything, kingdom hearts' existence should only symbolize a great calamity. But nope. In this fairytale description, kingdom hearts isn't really a gathering of hearts but basically takes on the role of the sun. Okay?
But we also have this dilemma of kingdom hearts being swallowed in darkness. I understand this isn't a game based on science, but shouldn't anyplace where kindgom hearts resides be the realm of light? Being that it's the SOURCE of light? I would think that if kingdom hearts moved to the realm of darkness then that would cause it to become the realm of light and the current(or past) realm of light would now be considered the realm of darkness. At the very least, have it become like this monstrosity of a heartless. That would at least explain the sudden termination of light. But nope. Kingdom Hearts is just as it's always been. Completely unaffected. Just chill'n in the realm of darkness. No heartless swarming it. Nothing.
And for this super important thing to be "lost to the darkness" Master Xehanort sure has no issues just summoning it up. Like seriously, no need for the X-blade or anything. Just shoot orb of darkness in the sky and voila, the true kingdom hearts is back.
DDD. Ish hits the fan. Not just because of time travel shenanigans but because of how the formation of the X-blade is explained. The X-blade is the counter part of the original, true kingdom hearts. And it shattered into 13 pieces of shadow and 7 of light. Cool story bro. But this contradicts the tale of how the current worlds were reformed. The 7 princesses of heart are said to be the light from children's hearts that reconstructed the worlds (I remember reading this, just don't remember where). But now it's those princesses are just fragments of the X-blade?? Which is it? And if they aren't the fragments of the X-blade and are in fact the light of children (LoC), why can a X-blade forged from a different light interact with the original KH? Why can a X-blade be forged period? It's supposed to be the original!
In KH3, Xehanort tells us that KH just materialized out of darkness, created people with hearts, that in turned created darkness that destroyed it (except it wasn't destroyed and has literally just been chill'n doing absolutely nothing). He wanted to use KH to purge the world in darkness and start over for one of pure light. WHA????

1. You've always had the ability to summon the true kingdom hearts. Literally since his debut. Why do you have to steep the worlds in darkness? If KH is the source of light, just bring it back to this realm! You already have the means!!
2. If you're aim was to learn of what happens after the keyblade war and resulting darkness calamity, wouldn't it make more sense to go after and destroy the princesses of heart? They are the light source of the worlds now since the true KH is out of the picture
3. How can you taint KH with darkness, when KH is light? It's been in the realm of darkness-the source of darkness, for eons, completely unaffected. How can you suddenly add darkness to it? Now if KH is a collection of hearts, then I get it. But if it's just light, then how?? It doesn't make sense.
4. By this point, KH is explained to be this ultimate source of knowledge and power. Using the true KH, Xehanort should have been a literal God at this point and you're telling me he gets bested by 3 half pints?

I'm beginning to think the giant heart in the sky is just a distraction. In Dream Drop Distance, Master Xehanort described KH as "light from an unseen land." Which is further explored as during the final clash between Sora & Xehanort after entering KH, we were in another place. Also, the other wielders followed us through KH and Riku commented on the condition of the world from the "other side."
In Backcover X, the MoM states that the purpose of of the keyblade was never for protecting KH. In general, we know our keyblades are forged from our hearts. The X-blade is said to be the counterpart of the true KH, so in a way it's was forged from it as our blades were from us.
We also once again come across the notion of having a shared fate. "One sky, one destiny" first said by Kairi, but stated again by Master Xehanort in this recent installment.
I haven't read the secret reports yet, but I do know they speak something about world lines. What if "the world" as in all worlds as the were once connected under KH constitutes as a world line. The KH that we know of isn't a collection of hearts, or the source of light, but instead a portal to a separate world line? A different sky. An alternate destiny. And what if the actual "kingdom hearts" is what Sora has been doing? I mean the guy basically collects hearts within himself. Ven, Roxas, Xion, Kairi. Not to mention his iconic statement, "my friends friends are my power." What if Sora is so powerful not because he believes in "the power of friendship" but because he's connecting so many hearts, not only through his experiences, but from those he safe guards, and is essentially joining them together to create his personal kingdom hearts? Like how everyone in Full Metal Alchemist has their own personal Door of Truth.
Idk, what do you guys think? (Sorry for the length )
TLDR: The Kingdom Hearts we know isn't what we think and the true Kingdom Hearts is Sora.

To add onto what others were saying, I like the idea of Kingdom Hearts (the moon) being Akasha or Heaven vs. God or "The Collective Consciousness" like in Code Geass. In Birth By Sleep 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage, we see Luxu standing on the battlegrounds witnessing the aftermath of the war as Kingdom Hearts collects those that have fallen. If the Keyblade war quote on quote, brought about the end of the world, then how is he able to still be there? Better yet, how can Kingdom Hearts fall to darkness when, like @Idreamaboutcats mentioned, it didn't even appear until after the war had ended. We learned from the Master of Master's talk with Luxu in Union X that there was another Keyblade War before the one with the Foretellers in Chi. Or more accurately, it's the original and only keyblade war, with which the battle is still ongoing. But I guess my point is, if Kingdom Hearts is "the source", be it of all life, or energy, or knowledge, or whatever, why isn't it utilized more? The Master of Master's is keenly aware of it's existence, yet doesn't that concerned about it as far as we know. The heartless don't seem to be after it (it's in the realm of darkness after all). Dark Chirithy and "Darkness" so far make no mention of it either. The Foretellers don't do anything with it aside from just wanting to summon it, in hopes that breaking that taboo would force the Master to end his lurking. Actually the only person that's shown interest is Xehanort and his various incarnations. If it were this great source of power, how come in this eternal struggle of light and dark, really only one person has attempted to use it?

It seems like everyone else, be it the Master of Masters, The Foretellers, Luxu, the Union Leaders, even the Guardians of Light, all seem more concerned with actual keyblade wielders and their connections to one another more than anything else. It's like again, what Sora excels at. The better you are at making connections, the more prominent, or of interest, you are. I mean even Master Xehanort was steadily weaving connections (albeit by cheating and forcefully dispersing his heart into others) If the "power of friendship" is the true, hidden 'Kingdom Hearts' and Nomura is pulling Shaman King ending, then I guess the heart shaped moon is really just a decoy. Symbolic, but not actually there? (or it could be a portal to another realm/heaven/akasha or whatever.) Idk, I'm just rambling now.

 

[Clue.Less]

Oh wow!! I literally made a similar post about this on reddit like over a year ago. I'm going to just copy & paste, because, you know, laziness.

Spoiler Show

So I've been a fan of the series pretty much since the beginning. I played all the games games (except coded) even when they originally launched on the varying platforms (geez it's expensive being part of this fandom). However, with the advent of KH3 and the closing of the seeker of darkness saga, I'm really calling into question what exactly is kingdom hearts. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm going purely off of memory and the timespan for releases of these titles is long drawn as you're all aware.
In the original game, we spend most of the time thinking it's the ultimate source of darkness. Up until Sora has his iconic monologue at the ending: "You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts... is light!" and we watch Ansem get blasted by what was thought to be the light of kingdom hearts (before it was retconned).
In KH2 we actually learn that it's the heart shaped moon from the box art of the first game. It's explained to be a collection of hearts and the only way to grant a nobody their own heart (rather than trying to seek out their heartless? Admittedly I thought this was backwards back then too. Why collect so many when all you needed was 1?) But whatevs. This is the explanation we were given. And we watched as Xemnas used the damaged kingdom hearts as a powerboost in an attempt to drive the worlds to nothingness. Cool.
Then I think it was mentioned in an interview after the final mix secret ending that we learn that the KH in KH2 was made from the hearts of people, and that the true KH (the one we see in the secret ending) is made up of that from worlds. That's all fine and dandy. If hearts of people can gather, why not hearts of worlds? We went around closing keyholes to the hearts of world in the first game. In the second, the worlds were the one that opened a path for us to Xemnas. So makes sense, right?
BBS. We get the story of the keyblade war. And we're given more context of the fairytale that Kairi's Grandma spoke of back in KH1. So in ancient times, all worlds were connected under one light, kingdom hearts. However fighting over light caused it to be swallowed in darkness. And it was the light of children that reconstructed the worlds as they are now. Here is where we start to have multiple issues.
So in KH2, kingdom hearts was created from the hearts released by Sora that didn't have a body to return to. So they basically convened at one location. I would ASSUME it would be the same process with the hearts of worlds. We know that 'the end of the world' in KH1 was basically the heartless form a world. We know that worlds can fall to darkness just like people can. It's basically the thought that everything macroscopic is just a bigger version of the microscopic. But this KH isn't just an amalgamation of released hearts from worlds. It's now THE source of light. All light. Of existence essentially. Which begs the question how can Kingdom Hearts exists simultaneously with the worlds when in KH2, it only could be created when you gathered the released hearts captured from the heartless? It's weird cause it's like, KH shouldn't exist naturally.
If you want another story to relate to, think of full metal alchemist. The philosopher stone (kingdom hearts) is something that can only be created when gather the souls of many people. You get living philosopher stones Hohenheim/Father (true kingdom hearts) when you gather an unfathomable number of souls (hearts of worlds). But the philosopher stone isn't something that exists naturally. You can't have a stone created from the souls ripped from people coexist with the very people it was made from. If anything, kingdom hearts' existence should only symbolize a great calamity. But nope. In this fairytale description, kingdom hearts isn't really a gathering of hearts but basically takes on the role of the sun. Okay?
But we also have this dilemma of kingdom hearts being swallowed in darkness. I understand this isn't a game based on science, but shouldn't anyplace where kindgom hearts resides be the realm of light? Being that it's the SOURCE of light? I would think that if kingdom hearts moved to the realm of darkness then that would cause it to become the realm of light and the current(or past) realm of light would now be considered the realm of darkness. At the very least, have it become like this monstrosity of a heartless. That would at least explain the sudden termination of light. But nope. Kingdom Hearts is just as it's always been. Completely unaffected. Just chill'n in the realm of darkness. No heartless swarming it. Nothing.
And for this super important thing to be "lost to the darkness" Master Xehanort sure has no issues just summoning it up. Like seriously, no need for the X-blade or anything. Just shoot orb of darkness in the sky and voila, the true kingdom hearts is back.
DDD. Ish hits the fan. Not just because of time travel shenanigans but because of how the formation of the X-blade is explained. The X-blade is the counter part of the original, true kingdom hearts. And it shattered into 13 pieces of shadow and 7 of light. Cool story bro. But this contradicts the tale of how the current worlds were reformed. The 7 princesses of heart are said to be the light from children's hearts that reconstructed the worlds (I remember reading this, just don't remember where). But now it's those princesses are just fragments of the X-blade?? Which is it? And if they aren't the fragments of the X-blade and are in fact the light of children (LoC), why can a X-blade forged from a different light interact with the original KH? Why can a X-blade be forged period? It's supposed to be the original!
In KH3, Xehanort tells us that KH just materialized out of darkness, created people with hearts, that in turned created darkness that destroyed it (except it wasn't destroyed and has literally just been chill'n doing absolutely nothing). He wanted to use KH to purge the world in darkness and start over for one of pure light. WHA????

1. You've always had the ability to summon the true kingdom hearts. Literally since his debut. Why do you have to steep the worlds in darkness? If KH is the source of light, just bring it back to this realm! You already have the means!!
2. If you're aim was to learn of what happens after the keyblade war and resulting darkness calamity, wouldn't it make more sense to go after and destroy the princesses of heart? They are the light source of the worlds now since the true KH is out of the picture
3. How can you taint KH with darkness, when KH is light? It's been in the realm of darkness-the source of darkness, for eons, completely unaffected. How can you suddenly add darkness to it? Now if KH is a collection of hearts, then I get it. But if it's just light, then how?? It doesn't make sense.
4. By this point, KH is explained to be this ultimate source of knowledge and power. Using the true KH, Xehanort should have been a literal God at this point and you're telling me he gets bested by 3 half pints?

I'm beginning to think the giant heart in the sky is just a distraction. In Dream Drop Distance, Master Xehanort described KH as "light from an unseen land." Which is further explored as during the final clash between Sora & Xehanort after entering KH, we were in another place. Also, the other wielders followed us through KH and Riku commented on the condition of the world from the "other side."
In Backcover X, the MoM states that the purpose of of the keyblade was never for protecting KH. In general, we know our keyblades are forged from our hearts. The X-blade is said to be the counterpart of the true KH, so in a way it's was forged from it as our blades were from us.
We also once again come across the notion of having a shared fate. "One sky, one destiny" first said by Kairi, but stated again by Master Xehanort in this recent installment.
I haven't read the secret reports yet, but I do know they speak something about world lines. What if "the world" as in all worlds as the were once connected under KH constitutes as a world line. The KH that we know of isn't a collection of hearts, or the source of light, but instead a portal to a separate world line? A different sky. An alternate destiny. And what if the actual "kingdom hearts" is what Sora has been doing? I mean the guy basically collects hearts within himself. Ven, Roxas, Xion, Kairi. Not to mention his iconic statement, "my friends friends are my power." What if Sora is so powerful not because he believes in "the power of friendship" but because he's connecting so many hearts, not only through his experiences, but from those he safe guards, and is essentially joining them together to create his personal kingdom hearts? Like how everyone in Full Metal Alchemist has their own personal Door of Truth.
Idk, what do you guys think? (Sorry for the length )
TLDR: The Kingdom Hearts we know isn't what we think and the true Kingdom Hearts is Sora.

To add onto what others were saying, I like the idea of Kingdom Hearts (the moon) being Akasha or Heaven vs. God or "The Collective Consciousness" like in Code Geass. In Birth By Sleep 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage, we see Luxu standing on the battlegrounds witnessing the aftermath of the war as Kingdom Hearts collects those that have fallen. If the Keyblade war quote on quote, brought about the end of the world, then how is he able to still be there? Better yet, how can Kingdom Hearts fall to darkness when, like @Idreamaboutcats mentioned, it didn't even appear until after the war had ended. We learned from the Master of Master's talk with Luxu in Union X that there was another Keyblade War before the one with the Foretellers in Chi. Or more accurately, it's the original and only keyblade war, with which the battle is still ongoing. But I guess my point is, if Kingdom Hearts is "the source", be it of all life, or energy, or knowledge, or whatever, why isn't it utilized more? The Master of Master's is keenly aware of it's existence, yet doesn't that concerned about it as far as we know. The heartless don't seem to be after it (it's in the realm of darkness after all). Dark Chirithy and "Darkness" so far make no mention of it either. The Foretellers don't do anything with it aside from just wanting to summon it, in hopes that breaking that taboo would force the Master to end his lurking. Actually the only person that's shown interest is Xehanort and his various incarnations. If it were this great source of power, how come in this eternal struggle of light and dark, really only one person has attempted to use it?

It seems like everyone else, be it the Master of Masters, The Foretellers, Luxu, the Union Leaders, even the Guardians of Light, all seem more concerned with actual keyblade wielders and their connections to one another more than anything else. It's like again, what Sora excels at. The better you are at making connections, the more prominent, or of interest, you are. I mean even Master Xehanort was steadily weaving connections (albeit by cheating and forcefully dispersing his heart into others) If the "power of friendship" is the true, hidden 'Kingdom Hearts' and Nomura is pulling Shaman King ending, then I guess the heart shaped moon is really just a decoy. Symbolic, but not actually there? (or it could be a portal to another realm/heaven/akasha or whatever.) Idk, I'm just rambling now.

The Shaman King ending.... yes!!! (They speak my language!)



Obviously I agree with what you say about how important that power of Sora's is. There's a lot of intriguing ideas in your post. Thanks for re-sharing!


This does look like a decoy.

Also why is it a moon and not the sun? It's not a source of light but something that reflects it?

 

[Idreamaboutcats]

If it was that kind of ending, I'm gonna cringe so hard. I understand it's a Disney game, but it's nearly over 20 years old! The game can nearly legally drink! It grew up with us and I believe that the developers and Disney should keep in mind that it also has adult fans that would appreciate a little bit of forethought without the kid gloves. What's a little skin, or a harmless swear like "hell" or "damn", but I am getting off-topic. Maybe the ending can finally show us the fairy tale kiss between Sora and Kairi the shippers have been waiting for? A "X years later" ending which shows their kids all playing on the beach just like the ending of III? Maybe the usual jRPG ending where some reincarnation of them wakes up in a classroom in the reunited World after a school day? The way I see it, the ending will conclude like the way Disney princess films did a long time ago. With a camera zooming out of a closing book with the title on it. I imagine the BoP only gilded in gold or something.

Where was I going with this? Meh, whatever...

Whether it's light, darkness, hearts, power, knowledge, or Walt Disney's frozen head from the freezers of Club 33, we can be certain of what it is right now, it's a MacGuffin.

 

[Eonstar890]

KH2 Kingdom Hearts was an artificial creation made with the hearts of men. While still called “Kingdom Hearts” it does not share the same origins, capabilities, or history as the true Kingdom hearts.

BBS KH is the same but with the hearts of worlds. Once again, not the one true Kingdom Hearts.

KH3... well here’s where everything begins to contradict. Several characters refer to this entity as being the true KH. The one of legend, the original, the source of the truest light. But that simply can’t be true if that KH is supposed to trapped in the deepest darkness. And as stated before, if Xehanort was truly harnessing KH then he shouldn’t have been defeated by SDG so easily. It just doesn’t make sense. Also Xehanorts plan made a major shift in this title as well, originally planning to blanket the worlds in darkness to recover the true light and then becoming the opposite of using Kingdom hearts to wipe out the worlds and start over.

So all in all KH3 confuses the fuck out of what “Kingdom Hearts” is supposed to be/do. But if I had to guess based of the Chi era story and what we know of the past, I’d say that the heart shaped moon is definitely an energy source of some sort. Ansem wanted to use it to become all powerful, Xemnas wanted to use it to become... all powerful, and Xehanort wanted to use it to Thanos snap the RoL. In Chi era summoning it became a taboo and I’m guessing there is a lot more story on the past we have not been given as far as events leading up to the creation of the Master of Masters as we see him today.

 

[welken]

I appreciate this discussion, and agree. Kingdom Hearts is a spiritual experience. Kingdom Hearts itself, is everything. It's us. As Mr. Franklin stated in his lovely, now-deleted post, KH doesn't get enough credit for it's storytelling.
KH is at it's best when it's conveying its message through aesthetic: Nomura's iconic sense of visual design, and Shimomura's music covering the full spectrum of emotion. There's a reason the first game had such an impact on people from the moment it began, and even won Best Story at that game award show where Anna Nicole Smith did a series of cosplays.

In KH2, Xemnas speaks of "his" Kingdom Hearts as if it were simply a glut of soul energy that can be replaced with another, given enough sacrifices. Kingdom Hearts when described directly in-game is a synechdoche: it's a representative example of the whole thing. So, yeah, those little wish-granting heartmoons are Kingdom Hearts, but so is Sora, so is the story itself. Kingdom Hearts is a dream, a memory, a friend, an ocean, a lock and key, a heart, a castle, a fairy tale, a wonderland, and a sky. Kingdom Hearts is simultaneously the whole spiel every character is talking about, and a secret that's still lurking in the background.

Given the world-based nature of the games, and that we've only seen the Scala, and not the Caelum, I think it's more than fair to assume that KINGDOM HEARTS is also a world to behold- the grandest of them all naturally. A eerily brilliant and twisted paradise where it all began, and thus will end. The stained-glass voids of the Stations of Awakening and Sleeping Keyholes are but a glimpse of the glory. For symbolic reasons, I hypothesize that Sora, as our journeying Fool & the hero of light, will eventually meet his ultimate counterpart in a female character representing the absolute darkness from whence all light was born. She too, would be Kingdom Hearts.

Though not widely recognized as such, KH is one of the most psychedelic video game series (alongside games like Bayonetta and Earthbound) because of the quintessential design work. In particular, the original worlds and monsters. Through them, you confront the themes of the games in a direct manner. The dialogue, which is often profound (regardless of how well it jives with the characters), depends on this display of strange and magical images and sounds. JRPGs, like most fantasy, are spiritual metaphors in general, but KH aims for a loftier univerality that strips human essence down to its core. It lights up the mind through spectacle, with the Disney nostalgia veiling a more mysterious nostalgia for something you didn't know you had forgotten.
The Mickey Mouse head keychain is also a neat little trinket, in that it is a fractal.

The awkward-yet-perfect Disney element also adds a potent dose of contradiction, and imbues a genuine corporate darkness that transcends the series. For people like us who've stuck with the series, KH has certainly been one of the most contradictory pieces of art ever you could experience, containing almost every pair of extremes that can make it into an E-rated game. It's elegant and garish. It's simple and confounding. It's bleak and hopeful. It really is a light in the dark, and a blot of darkness in the light.