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Why didn't Aqua use magic in the Dark World?



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Nukara

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As we know, KH characters can use magic without the help of keyblade.
This is clearly seen by Axel, Roxas, Xion and some other characters. But why could not Aqua. I have a theory about this. In Harry Potter, the conductor of magic was a magic wand, and without it, not everyone could conjure well. If you compare the keyblade with a magic wand, there may be similarities. For this weapon is also a natural vehicle of magic. Therefore, accustomed to always use keyblade, Aqua simply did not have experience in using magic without keyblade.
 

Zettaflare

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My question is if she couldn't use magic how did she defend herself from heartless between the end of KH1 and meeting Ansem on the beach?

Did she just kick them away?
 

Face My Fears

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My question is if she couldn't use magic how did she defend herself from heartless between the end of KH1 and meeting Ansem on the beach?

Did she just kick them away?
Maybe she just ran away? I kind of wished they showed this because I can accept her being in the Realm of Darkness with a keyblade for years, but without one? Especially with Riku and Mickey struggling on the Dark Shore; Mickey even going out of his way to say that the deeper they get in the darkness the stronger the heartless are.

There is one line that Aqua says in KH3 that might explain it. When Ansem SOD confronts her and questions where her keyblade is, she replies "Don't need one." Maybe she became a powerful hand-to-hand fighter? If The Beast, Mike Wazowski, Ariel, Woody, and Rapunzel can fight the heartless without a weapon, I can buy Aqua doing it better than them.
 

Antifa Lockhart

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Since there’s no time in the realm of Darkness, it wouldn’t have gone that slowly for her. She was down there without a Keyblade for a little over a year in the realm of light, which wouldn’t have felt like much time down there. We get a sense of this as when Mickey and Riku go to the dark realm to find Aqua, she’s already in the great abyss.
 

Absent

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Yet she performed a charm on Kairi without the use of her keyblade. Gameplay wise, Disney characters can use magic and some use it in cutscenes. I just find it odd how Aqua can't cast magic without a keyblade, its her forte.
 

okhi12

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She can cast magic without a keyblade, the most obvioud example being the aforementioned spell to protect Kairi.
In KH3 she casts a barrier to isolate herself and Vanitas during their fight before awakening Ven. Technically she has Eraqus keyblade in her right arm but instead of using it to channel the spell she casts the barrier by moving her left arm to the front and then to the side while saying 'now its my turn to shine'. The keyblade wasn't involved.
Whatever the reason, she didn't use magic to defend herself and Ansem the Wise from Terra-Xehanort's heartless and the Guardian. Maybe she used curaga before and she was still in MP charge? I'm joking, but it would have been cool if an ingame mechanic was the explanation because if Aqua actually thought she would have a chance without a keyblade or magic she was being such a fool. She didn't even try to use that awesome magic-based block of hers to avoid the dark attack that turned her into anti Aqua. Plot can be the strongest armor... or the weakest one for Aqua.
 

SweetYetSalty

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I'm with okhi12, and her MP bar was refilling. She was hoping attacking Ansem and the Guardian would speed it up.

Cutscenes and gameplay are always selective. Example Sora can take a gunshot in gameplay but in cutscene mode, he ain't dodging no bullet. In the case of Aqua she was more physical based in KH3 cutscenes then she was magical. That's why she lost all her fights. Stepping out of her specialty. Stubborn MP bar. Someone should edit her cutscenes and add a slowly filling MP bar to justify her performances.
 

okhi12

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I'm with okhi12, and her MP bar was refilling. She was hoping attacking Ansem and the Guardian would speed it up.

Cutscenes and gameplay are always selective. Example Sora can take a gunshot in gameplay but in cutscene mode, he ain't dodging no bullet. In the case of Aqua she was more physical based in KH3 cutscenes then she was magical. That's why she lost all her fights. Stepping out of her specialty. Stubborn MP bar. Someone should edit her cutscenes and add a slowly filling MP bar to justify her performances.
And show an icon indicating she suffers the slow status ailment as well, because she reacts really slow after Vanitas appears and teleports to the throne, and twice at Keyblade Graveyard when Terranort appears and then when he is about to hit Ventus. Poor Aqua, it really was saddening how the plot mistreated her in most KH3 cutscenes she appeared in. Staying in the darkness for that long could have weakened her, I know, but the unreactiveness was too much. It didn't make her look shocked, she looked kinda dumb and it was unfittingly hilarious. She deserved better.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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The objective answer is because it was poorly written.

Their intention was to make Aqua lose as badly as possible, no matter how contrived it was, so she can end up in the abyss and they can start their equally contrived plotline with Anti-Aqua (which, based on it's structure, they probably manufactured to padd out the game's story). There are a LOT of inconsistencies and silly writing choices when it comes to anything connected to that subplot. Another large one being why Aqua lost her Keyblade in the first place. WHEN did that happen? Or how Ansem SoD instantly pinpointed their location in the RoD without any kind of build up or warning. How is that even possible when both Mickey and Riku (who at least had an established method of tracking Aqua from 0.2) state in this very game that the RoD is constantly shifting and changing? How did he even know they were there in the first place? When did he get the power to forcefully make someone submit to the darkness, and WHY didn't he use that ability before? Do you see what I mean? There are a lot of problems and questions with that scene, and I ultimately came to the conclusion a long time ago that it was all for the same reason: because the writers didn't care enough about the scene or the plotline to make sure it made any sense. And wouldn't you know, it didn't.

Why didn't she use her magic when confronting SoD?

"Does it matter? Would it have changed anything?"

It doesn't matter if it would've changed the outcome of not, because no matter how you look at it, it would've been more effective than attacking the hulking sentinel (which she's fought before) with simple kicks and ineffective acrobatics (seeing as how she was caught as easily as Hayner, who did the exact same thing, anyway). And we know she wasn't tired either because A) she showed no signs of fatigue, and B) she was sitting down with AtW for what seemed like a decent amount of time (meaning she likely got a reprieve from fighting). And I doubt she ran into another heartless after getting there if this game really wants me to believe can't use her magic without her Keyblade (otherwise how did she survive?).

"Well, maybe she fought the heartless barehanded."

Lol, ok. Remember how Sora's wooden sword was completely ineffective against the heartless in KH1? I'm not sure why Aqua's hands and feet would be any different.

Honestly.. I can't think of a single rational explanation other than poor writing. I'm welcome to a rebuttal if anyone wants to give one, though it's not like the writers cared enough to explain it themselves so... Whatever I guess.
 
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Soldier

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The objective answer is because it was poorly written.

Their intention was to make Aqua lose as badly as possible, no matter how contrived it was, so she can end up in the abyss and they can start their equally contrived plotline with Anti-Aqua (which, based on it's structure, they probably manufactured to padd out the game's story). There are a LOT of inconsistencies and silly writing choices when it comes to anything connected to that subplot. Another large one being why Aqua lost her Keyblade in the first place. WHEN did that happen? Or how Ansem SoD instantly pinpointed their location in the RoD without any kind of build up or warning. How is that even possible when both Mickey and Riku (who at least had an established method of tracking Aqua from 0.2) state in this very game that the RoD is constantly shifting and changing? How did he even know they were there in the first place? When did he get the power to forcefully make someone submit to the darkness, and WHY didn't he use that ability before? Do you see what I mean? There are a lot of problems and questions with that scene, and I ultimately came to the conclusion a long time ago that it was all for the same reason: because the writers didn't care enough about the scene or the plotline to make sure it made any sense. And wouldn't you know, it didn't.

Why didn't she use her magic when confronting SoD?

"Does it matter? Would it have changed anything?"

It doesn't matter if it would've changed the outcome of not, because no matter how you look at it, it would've been more effective than attacking the hulking sentinel (which she's fought before) with simple kicks and ineffective acrobatics (seeing as how she was caught as easily as Hayner, who did the exact same thing, anyway). And we know she wasn't tired either because A) she showed no signs of fatigue, and B) she was sitting down with AtW for what seemed like a decent amount of time (meaning she likely got a reprieve from fighting). And I doubt she ran into another heartless after getting there if this game really wants me to believe can't use her magic without her Keyblade (otherwise how did she survive?).

"Well, maybe she fought the heartless barehanded."

Lol, ok. Remember how Sora's wooden sword was completely ineffective against the heartless in KH1? I'm not sure why Aqua's hands and feet would be any different.

Honestly.. I can't think of a single rational explanation other than poor writing. I'm welcome to a rebuttal if anyone wants to give one, though it's not like the writers cared enough to explain it themselves so... Whatever I guess.
I think this specific circumstance is kind of like the gargoyles answer to magic, that you need a conduit to perform offensive (and possibly) defensive magic. Sora's fight through Hollow Bastion's dungeons is a perfect example of this. He has the wooden sword again, which as a physical weapon does nothing to the local heartless, but it has been shown countless times that magic is an effective weapon against the heartless, giving him something to fight with. Same goes true for this instance, she doesn't have a physical weapon to draw strength from, and thus can't do something like shoot it out of her hands for example. Other party members that specialize in magic like Ariel or Jack skellington have specific magic unique to them (Ariel throws potions that give off the same effects, Jack's been able to use magic in his original appearance, like the fire from the pumpkin king). So it's more like she SHOULDN'T use magic rather than use it.
(Besides, we all know that the guardian is/was invincible, physical or magical damage just bounce off of it, and as you said, she fought this thing before, my guess was she figured if she knocked it around a bit with a kick it would delay Ansem SOD's advance, not finish it off.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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I think this specific circumstance is kind of like the gargoyles answer to magic, that you need a conduit to perform offensive (and possibly) defensive magic. Sora's fight through Hollow Bastion's dungeons is a perfect example of this. He has the wooden sword again, which as a physical weapon does nothing to the local heartless, but it has been shown countless times that magic is an effective weapon against the heartless, giving him something to fight with. Same goes true for this instance, she doesn't have a physical weapon to draw strength from, and thus can't do something like shoot it out of her hands for example. Other party members that specialize in magic like Ariel or Jack skellington have specific magic unique to them (Ariel throws potions that give off the same effects, Jack's been able to use magic in his original appearance, like the fire from the pumpkin king). So it's more like she SHOULDN'T use magic rather than use it.
(Besides, we all know that the guardian is/was invincible, physical or magical damage just bounce off of it, and as you said, she fought this thing before, my guess was she figured if she knocked it around a bit with a kick it would delay Ansem SOD's advance, not finish it off.
I've actually heard this idea before, and while I agree there's some evidence for it, canonically, don't Roxas (during his mission with Larxene) and Xion use magic without their Keyblades in days? It was the only way for Xion to defend herself on missions when she didn't have it afterall. Also, Aqua summoned a field barrier later on in KH3 without needing to use her Keyblade if I'm not mistaken. Leon was also able to use fire magic with his hand back in KH1 too. Are we assuming these are different types of magic as well?

I forgot about the Guardian being impervious to physical attacks, lol. I concede to that point. Still, she attempted to attack SoD directly at one point without using magic then either (and he was even less phased by her attack than the other was).
 
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SweetYetSalty

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The objective answer is because it was poorly written.

Their intention was to make Aqua lose as badly as possible, no matter how contrived it was, so she can end up in the abyss and they can start their equally contrived plotline with Anti-Aqua (which, based on it's structure, they probably manufactured to padd out the game's story). There are a LOT of inconsistencies and silly writing choices when it comes to anything connected to that subplot. Another large one being why Aqua lost her Keyblade in the first place. WHEN did that happen? Or how Ansem SoD instantly pinpointed their location in the RoD without any kind of build up or warning. How is that even possible when both Mickey and Riku (who at least had an established method of tracking Aqua from 0.2) state in this very game that the RoD is constantly shifting and changing? How did he even know they were there in the first place?

Of course Ansem could find Aqua easily. He's not called the Seeker of Darkness for nothing. He sought her out in the dark XD
 

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I've actually heard this idea before, and while I agree there's some evidence for it, canonically, don't Roxas (during his mission with Larxene) and Xion use magic without their Keyblades in days? It was the only way for Xion to defend herself on missions when she didn't have it afterall. Also, Aqua summoned a field barrier later on in KH3 without needing to use her Keyblade if I'm not mistaken. Leon was also able to use fire magic with his hand back in KH1 too. Are we assuming these are different types of magic as well?

I forgot about the Guardian being impervious to physical attacks, lol. I concede to that point. Still, she attempted to attack SoD directly at one point without using magic then either (and he was even less phased by her attack than the other was).
I think with Roxas and Xion's case the magic they use is similar to Ariel's potions. It's something tangible and can be purchased from the shop (presumably how Ariel got them). In the case of Leon's fireball, I want to chalk that up to him being from a final fantasy game, where magic is arguably more common (or you don't really need a conduit per se) than the kingdom hearts rules of requiring either something for it to flow through or purchase it physically. Aerith uses curaga during the battle of 1000 heartless, and she doesn't even wield a weapon in the KH series. And even though they've yet to make an appearance in KH, the cast of FF XIII are able to use magic because of their L'Cie powers due to their world's inhabitants not having access to magic naturally.
As for the forcefield.... She's a Keyblade master I guess? KH 2 created loads of these barriers for nearly every fight. Whose to say it isn't an ability most people (be they good or bad) can do naturally without the usage of an MP bar.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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I think with Roxas and Xion's case the magic they use is similar to Ariel's potions. It's something tangible and can be purchased from the shop (presumably how Ariel got them). In the case of Leon's fireball, I want to chalk that up to him being from a final fantasy game, where magic is arguably more common (or you don't really need a conduit per se) than the kingdom hearts rules of requiring either something for it to flow through or purchase it physically. Aerith uses curaga during the battle of 1000 heartless, and she doesn't even wield a weapon in the KH series. And even though they've yet to make an appearance in KH, the cast of FF XIII are able to use magic because of their L'Cie powers due to their world's inhabitants not having access to magic naturally.
As for the forcefield.... She's a Keyblade master I guess? KH 2 created loads of these barriers for nearly every fight. Whose to say it isn't an ability most people (be they good or bad) can do naturally without the usage of an MP bar.
See, that's an interesting explanation! I hadn't even considered the idea that spells in days worked closer to items than traditional magic (though, I'm pretty sure can purchase spells in BBS too, and those work more like you'd expect).

Yeah, I was suspicious of whether or not FF characters, despite being human, really followed the same rules as the KH originals had to. That said, you brought up ff13, and how they only were able to use magic with their l'cie brands. This is true, for a time. I believe, according to some of the data logs and external material, both Sarah and Lightning eventually learn to cast magic entirely on their own by ff13-2 (though Lightning became a literal goddess TWICE, so who knows). Noel also could as well.

Hm... Well, Aqua's barrier seemed to be more in-line with Reflect magic, which is known to consume MP. That said, her most basic barrier is her block (which it almost looks like she summons with her empty hand), and that never consumes any MP. So maybe it gets drawn from a different source? But then what would that even be? Idk, that's honestly something I never thought too hard about. In any case, you'd wonder why she didn't summon that huge barrier to stop SoD when he appeared. It was strong enough to hold SDG even while she was knocked unconscious (which makes me wonder how Vanitas was ever able to break it to begin with, but that's another conversation). Even if it only delayed things a bit, it was better than letting herself get blasted into oblivion.
 

Zettaflare

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I'm not really surprised Nomura forgot you can use magic without a Keyblade since he apparently forgot about her Keyblade armor and old one.

Seriously that's a bigger crime than trying to kick the Guardian to death.
 

Divine Past

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I'm with okhi12, and her MP bar was refilling. She was hoping attacking Ansem and the Guardian would speed it up.

Cutscenes and gameplay are always selective. Example Sora can take a gunshot in gameplay but in cutscene mode, he ain't dodging no bullet. In the case of Aqua she was more physical based in KH3 cutscenes then she was magical. That's why she lost all her fights. Stepping out of her specialty. Stubborn MP bar. Someone should edit her cutscenes and add a slowly filling MP bar to justify her performances.

Yup I always found it a weakness in the KH game that we rarely get any interesting cutscene fights. I am not expecting some DBZ style animations but just seeing more 3-5 minute fight sequences can at least show us what character can actually do. Like I know Sora can cast high level magic but if you just watch the KH movie you will have no idea because he never uses it. Even stuff like using glide/high-jump/drive forms would be fun to watch in a scripted cutscene. It will at least clear some misconceptions up.
 

SweetYetSalty

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Yup I always found it a weakness in the KH game that we rarely get any interesting cutscene fights. I am not expecting some DBZ style animations but just seeing more 3-5 minute fight sequences can at least show us what character can actually do. Like I know Sora can cast high level magic but if you just watch the KH movie you will have no idea because he never uses it. Even stuff like using glide/high-jump/drive forms would be fun to watch in a scripted cutscene. It will at least clear some misconceptions up.

Roxas does get to use glide in his cutscene battle with Xion in Days. I think that's one of the few times they show off abilities and moves of gameplay in a actual cutscene.

However it is kinda jarring how these characters become rather useless without their Keyblades. If the next villain is smart they'll find a way to abolish all Keyblades from existence and put the heroes in a spot where they have to defend themselves without them. Sounds like a perfect Maleficent plan to try and make herself relevant again against all these powerful Keyblade users.
 

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See, that's an interesting explanation! I hadn't even considered the idea that spells in days worked closer to items than traditional magic (though, I'm pretty sure can purchase spells in BBS too, and those work more like you'd expect).

Yeah, I was suspicious of whether or not FF characters, despite being human, really followed the same rules as the KH originals had to. That said, you brought up ff13, and how they only were able to use magic with their l'cie brands. This is true, for a time. I believe, according to some of the data logs and external material, both Sarah and Lightning eventually learn to cast magic entirely on their own by ff13-2 (though Lightning became a literal goddess TWICE, so who knows). Noel also could as well.

Hm... Well, Aqua's barrier seemed to be more in-line with Reflect magic, which is known to consume MP. That said, her most basic barrier is her block (which it almost looks like she summons with her empty hand), and that never consumes any MP. So maybe it gets drawn from a different source? But then what would that even be? Idk, that's honestly something I never thought too hard about. In any case, you'd wonder why she didn't summon that huge barrier to stop SoD when he appeared. It was strong enough to hold SDG even while she was knocked unconscious (which makes me wonder how Vanitas was ever able to break it to begin with, but that's another conversation). Even if it only delayed things a bit, it was better than letting herself get blasted into oblivion.
Don't forget, the spells in BBS are commands that have a recharge bar similar to MP, infinite usage with a cooldown time compared to Days single use unless an ether is used.
She probably couldn't cast the large barrier at the Dark Margin either due to it's space and general frailty (as you said, Vanitas was able to break through it, Maybe it's considered a form of light magic and dark beings are able to break it? wouldn't be the first time one magic element is good against another element) whose to say that the almighty Guardian can't just punch his way out of the barrier, or Ansem, SOD teleporting out of the barrier. He's a strong heartless that feasibly can use these abilities because we saw Riku do the same thing while using his powers at the end of Days.
 

doublerainbow

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The real question is:Why didn't Aqua use magic ANYWHERE in KH3?
She thought blocking Ansem SoD's fire ball and Vanitas' Firaga with her face was a good idea,standing still not reacting to Ventus being attacked by Terranort for full 10mins. "We stand together!" only to "lol nope" 5 secs later.
 
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