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What's the point of Donald and Goofy in the series?



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NovaDragon

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They don't add much to the plot, and they don't do much during combat. Also they are very one-dimensional characters who barely have anything to do with the plot.

I wish that for Kingdom Hearts III that Square Enix would've replaced Donald and Goofy with Riku and Kairi as your main allies.
 

Alpha Baymax

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Donald and Goofy are the companions associated with Sora's travels to the Disney worlds, and contrary to popular belief, they have been involved with lore elements too.

The thing is with Donald and Goofy is that Sora is the arguably the original character thry consider as a friend. Riku and Kairi are acquaintances, and Ventus and Aqua were visitors at Yen Sid's tower.
 

Chaser

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i can tell you one thing, Donald Duck is a Dick. goofy is your best pal.
You’re not wrong, it’s actually canon that Sora likes Goofy more than Donald
Captain of the Disney Castle Royal Knights.

He set out with Donald after the king's disappearance.
He is cheerful and calm, and no one is more loyal to the king.
Goofy and Sora are especially good friends.

Donald and Goofy are there to be first hand Disney representatives for the brand, but also characters for Sora to bounce off of. They were the wise guides in KH1, destinied to lead and explain things to the naive islander and the audience but they have taken a backseat since they haven’t been needed to provide that role in a long time.

These days, they’re still included because the story is about friendship and these three have formed an unbreakable bond through all they have experienced.

Plus they have some fun banter, like pint-and-a-half.
 

Sephiroth0812

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Trio-wise Donald and Goofy with Sora actually have the best and most entertaining dynamics, something all of the other supposed main trios lack, both those comprised of entirely original characters and the pure Disney one which has Donald and Goofy with Mickey.

Granted, part of this fact may be that these other trios simply didn't get much care so far and that the SDG trio was featured the longest and most heaviest as a true trio throughout the series while the others are often split up for both narrative and drama reasons.

Donald and Goofy are also a necessary part of the narrative to keep Sora grounded and sometimes push him back on track.
For example in DDD, Sora probably wouldn't have run headlong into Xehanort's trap if Donald and Goofy had been there to point out things he overlooked.
 

Launchpad

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Oh, you silly boy. You sweet summer child. Remove Donald and Goofy from the equation and the entire tower falls. On a fundamental level, this series can only function with Donald and Goofy guiding Sora from world to world. It might not seem so obvious, but when you pay close attention, you'll realize that it takes all three members of the trio to successfully enter each Disney world seamlessly, and this is because Sora, Donald and Goofy are all DIFFERENT from one another, and Sora is TOO DIFFERENT from each Disney world to just walk around and seem normal.

If Sora, Riku, and Kairi were to visit a new world as a trio, they'd likely all approach it in a unified way. Riku wouldn't ask too many more questions than Sora, and Kairi wouldn't be any less trusting of friends or foes than Sora or Riku. They all have similar backgrounds, designs, and attitudes toward new locations.

Meanwhile, Donald is almost jaded, is very eager to get down to business, and has a bit of a mean streak. He doesn't mind blowing some citizen off if it means he can get closer to what he wants or needs. Goofy is a bit more aloof, but also gentle, and less goal oriented and more empathetic than Sora and Donald. It's only with Donald and Goofy's support that Sora can realistically go about confidently in each world.

DDD showed us what it looks like when Sora strikes out on his own, and we ended up losing a lot of good pacing ingredients. Sora immediately befriends every ally in every world without a second thought, when this process usually involved a very light amount of discourse in previous installments. Sora had to be led by denizens of each world instead of by his own decisions, as Donald and Goofy usually would throw in their opinion and the three of them would agree on how to proceed in a situation. Worst of all, we had so many scenes of Sora talking to himself to expose information and his own opinion about events-- SO MANY SCENES OF THIS. Sora scratching his chin and talking about how each experience made him feel, or talking about what he has to do next. It's awful and not fun at all to watch.

If Sora is meant to represent the player in some way, and the Disney worlds are the destination we want to get to and experience, Donald and Goofy are the transportation TO those worlds. Sora can be silly with Donald and Goofy around, he can have fun, because they ARE silly characters, and in Disney worlds that are as full of levity and laughter as they are Heartless and villains, flexible characters who can both have fun and grit their teeth in serious situations are a NECESSITY.

I like Riku and Aqua as orbiting parallel characters to Sora, but watching Riku and Aqua travel to Disney worlds is a horrid experience. They are too mature and in their own heads to meld into Disney worlds and fit in. They exist as outsiders from the moment they land in a new world, to the moment they beat the final boss and have to say goodbye. It feels like you go through an entire setting without really having made any friends, and in a CHILDREN'S VIDEO GAME about FRIENDSHIP and LOVE and HEARTS you NEED a character who can CONNECT to other characters.

This is a difficult task even for Sora, the best original character we have for the job, and Donald and Goofy make the critical difference in achieving that bizarre-but-it-actually-totally-works balance that KH1 and KH2 (and soon KH3) hit in each world. So even though Donald and Goofy don't play giant roles in the fate of the KH universe, they make the VIDEO GAME work as a piece of entertainment, which is more important than a thousand keyblade wars.
 

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They don't add much to the plot, and they don't do much during combat

On easier difficulties, sure. But on a critical play-through? No way would I trade out Donald half the time because his limit is boss. I also notice that most of the time people who say those two aren't useful haven't actually bothered to either 1) gear them properly so they can actually survive or 2) set them to the right battle style. Having them constantly on 自由 is a really bad idea.

Yes, in fights with Terra for example those two are gonna just be toast but trinity limit smashing Hydra to death is a godsend, let me tell you.

*ahem*

I also find their dynamic to be very charming, as Sephiroth pointed out. Both of them have shown how much they care about Sora in different ways. Yes, even Donald. He and Sora argue a bit, but you can tell they still care.
Take the return visit to Twilight Town for example: Sora just hears from Saix something mysterious about Riku, and is obviously upset about it. Seifer then butts in to (presumably) give him a bad time and Donald immediately backs Sora up and tells Seifer to shut the hell up because he can see his friend totes does not wanna deal with that atm.
Goofy is a bit more likeable overall though, I suppose.

it’s actually canon that Sora likes Goofy more than Donald

Curious about this one. Wanna explain why that's canon?

Now, that being said: I really really want a party of Sora, Riku and Kairi in the future. Yes, please to that.
 

Chaser

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Curious about this one. Wanna explain why that's canon.
I included the description from Jiminy’s Journal (Re:CoM) where it says that Sora and Goofy are exceptionally good friends. No where does it have anything like that about Sora and Donald’s relationship. Plus those two get into arguments so easily and so often that it makes sense that Sora would prefer Goofy over Donald. The little Duck is stubborn and that doesn’t gel well with Sora a lot of the time, enough so that Jiminy writes nothing on how close they are but instead writes about how close Sora and Goofy are.
 

AmaryllisMoth

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I included the description from Jiminy’s Journal (Re:CoM) where it says that Sora and Goofy are exceptionally good friends. No where does it have anything like that about Sora and Donald’s relationship. Plus those two get into arguments so easily and so often that it makes sense that Sora would prefer Goofy over Donald. The little Duck is stubborn and that doesn’t gel well with Sora a lot of the time, enough so that Jiminy writes nothing on how close they are but instead writes about how close Sora and Goofy are.

Oh, I see it now. Sorry for making you repeat yourself. That's very interesting (and funny)! ...lowkey, Goofy also my fav between the two, buuuuut...

While Sora and Donald do butt heads I think it helps me appreciate the times when they obviously show care for each other all the more. It does make me wish Jiminy had more a talking role now and again, though...
 

Chaser

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It’s good that Sora and Donald clash because, like you said, it helps land the moments where they try to emphasise how much they do care for each other. Like Donald returning to Sora in KH1 and him working with Goofy to try and rescue Sora in DDD. Without that conflict, those moments wouldn’t land so it is effective, just not enough so in-game for characters like Jiminy to write anything positive about their friendship lol
 

DarkosOverlord

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Nobody better talk smack about Donald.
The way his character develops and how he warms up to Sora in KH1 is still better than many of your dear animu characters' arcs from later titles.
 
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Zettaflare

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I think by the time of KH2 Sora would care about both Donald and Goofy equally. The quote Chaser posted came from CoM and I can't recall an instance were Sora preferred Goofy over Donald despite their occasional fights.
 

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Sora is closer to Donald and Goofy than he is to Riku and Kairi, imo. I love their connection.
 

MelodicEnigma

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They don't add much to the plot, and they don't do much during combat. Also they are very one-dimensional characters who barely have anything to do with the plot.

I wish that for Kingdom Hearts III that Square Enix would've replaced Donald and Goofy with Riku and Kairi as your main allies.

Their trio, arguably more than the others, has been presented in a balanced fashion throughout these games. They're very much so Sora's most consistent, dependable companions on this whole journey—even proving to flourish from their job of "protecting the Key" to "protecting our friend". For argument sake, I'd feel that Donald and Goofy are the main characters of the series second to Sora. It's honestly pretty straightforward what their role is in this story.

So, I believe a little bit more introspective on what exactly makes you believe what you do is needed!

I included the description from Jiminy’s Journal (Re:CoM) where it says that Sora and Goofy are exceptionally good friends. No where does it have anything like that about Sora and Donald’s relationship. Plus those two get into arguments so easily and so often that it makes sense that Sora would prefer Goofy over Donald. The little Duck is stubborn and that doesn’t gel well with Sora a lot of the time, enough so that Jiminy writes nothing on how close they are but instead writes about how close Sora and Goofy are.

Lol That is such a funny description, Jiminy pls. XD Though, it's much better served as a representation of their dynamic/personality rather than Sora simply liking Goofy more overall. If not, Jiminy would've/should've went out of his way to point out how Sora and Donald butted heads often to really indicate the contrast. Instead, most of Donald's character descriptions, while mentioning his hot-headed nature, reflect pretty well on his friendship with Sora and how its developed!
 

jahob000

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They don't add much to the plot, and they don't do much during combat. Also they are very one-dimensional characters who barely have anything to do with the plot.

I wish that for Kingdom Hearts III that Square Enix would've replaced Donald and Goofy with Riku and Kairi as your main allies.

Donald and Goofy are still a staple of Kingdom Hearts even if everything Disney in the game is now in the backseat. Square's characters have kind of taken control of the series. Even though Disney has downgraded in terms of plot (other than Mickey), what made kingdom Hearts great in the first place was the unique union of them and Square.

While I don't think Donald and Goofy should be replaced, I can see how some people feel that Kingdom Hearts has gotten serious and a bit melodramatic to the point where it seems silly to have Disney characters in it at all. Kind of like if the Dark Knight series had Teen Titans Go characters in it.

Disney characters are always going to be one dimensional because Disney is mostly for children or for people with nostalgia of their childhood. They're not supposed to be complex, so I somewhat disagree with you. Also, while they do not affect the plot as a whole. I will say that in games like CoM/Re:CoM, you can see their bonds with Sora a lot better.

As far as battle, I still love Donald and Goofy (even though Donald gets KO'd like every step you take). While they don't do anywhere near the damage Sora does, if you were to play the game without them (with a code) you'd notice a difference.
 

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They're there so that even when you're in a mysterious canyon getting whaled on by a suit of armor you won't forget that it's still actually a Disney game lol

In all seriousness tho, I don't dislike them, but the SDG banter wasn't always my favorite thing to watch. Sora is such a goodie-two-shoes that when i first started the series i sometimes felt like pairing him up with Donald and Goofy resulted in some exceptionally gaggy cheesiness and lots of Disney-style one-liners (Yeah I'm looking at you, CoM...). But the longer they've gone on together the less I've felt that way. I think square pulled off their interactions quite well in KH2 and I'm not nervous for KH3 at all, they've managed to develop their relationships to a point that it feels natural, and Sora has mastered the art of sarcasm, so he doesn't feel too "Disney" for me anymore, if you catch my drift.

Combat-wise they're pretty useless in the easier modes but not in the harder ones... Although he's unreliable, Donald does actually heal you sometimes. If he feels like it. Or if he's not already dead. Or out of MP.

But hey, look at it this way. It was almost waaaay worse. Donald was originally supposed to be the main character of KH until Nomura stepped in and said "heck no here's my OC instead." So thank you Nomura.
 

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But hey, look at it this way. It was almost waaaay worse. Donald was originally supposed to be the main character of KH until Nomura stepped in and said "heck no here's my OC instead." So thank you Nomura.

It was actually an argument between (back then) Squaresoft and Disney executives.
Square wanted to use Mickey as the central main character but Disney insisted on having Donald in that role.

It was then that Nomura stepped in and proposed a compromise by using an entirely new original character.
This was accepted and further fleshed out by adding Donald as a central sidekick to that OC and pay homage to Mickey by designing the OCs clothes in Mickey style (hence why Sora has giant yellow shoes and a red onesie in his KH 1 outfit).
 
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After the first game KH started to focus more on the original lore and the disney characters/worlds started to feel like an afterthought.

So without doing more with the disney stuff you can't really do with them in return.

They had an arc of their own in the first game so maybe nomura got distracted or just didn't have a larger plan for them.

I'm not that invested in Sora sticking around past kh3 so I don't mind if we get new disney companions. I'd be cool with Max Goof and PJ replacing them.
 

Grono

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Wow, could not disagree with you more here.

First off, one-dimensional is underselling the characters. Goofy is light-hearted and cheery, but he's not an idiot. In fact, Goofy's most interesting character trait, in my opinion, is that HE is often the one telling Sora and Donald that they're being stupid, not the other way around. On top of that, he's loyal, brave, and willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. Donald is a hot head, and in the first game he tries to manipulate Sora into helping them. Again, it's not like that's the shadiest thing ever or anything, but it was still a little cold. However, when he sees him again in Deep Jungle, we find out that Donald does care for him a little bit, and that he was glad that Sora was safe. We also see Donald's love for his friends when Goofy gets bumped on the head in KHII. Donald starts by bargaining and trying to get Goofy up, but then once he thinks he's dead he takes NO hesitation on getting revenge.

To call them uninteresting is missing the point entirely. Unlike Sora, they're already adults and they've been at this for a while. We saw Donald and Goofy somewhat hesitant or incompetent in the past (Country of the Musketeers) because they were just starting out, but when we meet them in Kingdom Hearts Donald is a well-established magician, having decided that he wasn't cut out for sword play in COtM, and Goofy has decided that he is somewhat of a pacifist, determined to stay away from swords. To say that they don't have an arc in most of the games is accurate, but that's because they don't really need one. The most they needed to learn was patience and how to work like a team with Sora, and once they had that I don't see what else you could have asked for.

All in all, saying that we should replace them with Riku and Kairi is missing the point of the series entirely. I don't mean to sound rude or condescending, but did you even LIKE the numbered titles if you are really thinking that? Because I remember EVERYONE cheering when Donald and Goofy were seen for KHIII since it had been so long since they were a part of the party.

Also, to everyone who has said Donald and Goofy are bad party members in the past (including past me): change the party settings ya crazies! Donald really isn't that bad in KH if you set him up to defend Sora, and Goofy is pretty great in both of them. Y'all need to either learn how to configure your party members or stop blaming the game for not beating the enemies for you and actually get good.

*mic drop*
 
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