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Why Didn't Kairi take the Exam?



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Zettaflare

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So I was thinking about it recently and I realized that there was no reason why Kairi couldn't have taken the exam along with Sora and Riku. It's not like she would have been outclassed since the boys had to start from scratch. She would have been on their same level. Was Yen Sid not aware of her status as a keyblade wielder until literally the end of DDD?

Any thoughts on this?
 

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Because DDD was just "Kairi? Who is Kairi?" until the secret ending.

Anyways, I'm also curious about an in-universe explanation. I don't see a reason why she shouldn't take it together with Sora and Riku since, like you said, they both had to start over which means that they were all equals.

I guess Nomura still doesn't really know what he wants to do with Kairi. He wasn't sure about Xion OR Aqua and basically used them to test the waters, but I feel like it wasn't enough for him? I dunno. He doesn't seem like he ever knows what he wants Kairi to be. One time she's actually fighting, and the other game she just… disappears? She has such a minor role in Days, Re:Coded, BBS, and DDD.

I guess another reason could be they just didn't know what plots she'd have in the Disney worlds? And what she'd actually BE? Riku is Sora's Dream Eater and stuff, and I don't know what they'd do with Kairi, honestly. There also aren't any C plots that I can imagine for the Disney worlds (they could've done original stuff with Kairi but… LOL).

I wish Kairi was playable though.
 
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Because DDD was just "Kairi? Who is Kairi?" until the secret ending.

Anyways, I'm also curious about an in-universe explanation. I don't see a reason why she shouldn't take it together with Sora and Riku since, like you said, they both had to start over which means that they were all equals.

I guess Nomura still doesn't really know what he wants to do with Kairi. He wasn't sure about Xion OR Aqua and basically used them to test the waters, but I feel like it wasn't enough for him? I dunno. He doesn't seem like he ever knows what he wants Kairi to be. One time she's actually fighting, and the other game she just… disappears? She has such a minor role in Days, Re:Coded, BBS, and DDD.

I guess another reason could be they just didn't know what plots she'd have in the Disney worlds? And what she'd actually BE? Riku is Sora's Dream Eater and stuff, and I don't know what they'd do with Kairi, honestly. There also aren't any C plots that I can imagine for the Disney worlds (they could've done original stuff with Kairi but… LOL).

I wish Kairi was playable though.

I wish Kairi was playable as well... I keep praying that she's the other playble charecter in KHIII

OT: I feel the same way as you... It is odd that Kairi just disappeared and yes they should've used her in DDD, it would be lit and amazing to have another game like BBS where we see three different stories and yeah I guess he just doesn't know what to do with her lol
 

VoidGear.

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Start from scratch?

Sora and Riku still had their experience. Just because they "lost" their physical strength doesn't mean they're back down to 0. They still knew what fighting was like and had a heavy advantage in that way. It's an entirely different thing than having fought three shadows like Kairi.

Besides. What would she even need to do the exam for?
 

MarluxiaNo11

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I would love to see this explored at the beginning of KH3. I am very curious as to what training she will receive from Yen Sid and Merlin and how that will incorperate into our experience playing the game. I am hoping she is playable throughout the game, perhaps with said training leading to a Dive Into The Heart as our first playable experience?
 
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Zettaflare

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Start from scratch?

Sora and Riku still had their experience. Just because they "lost" their physical strength doesn't mean they're back down to 0. They still knew what fighting was like and had a heavy advantage in that way. It's an entirely different thing than having fought three shadows like Kairi.

Besides. What would she even need to do the exam for?

Wouldn't being able to fight off some heartless(albiet minor ones) without any prior experience show early signs of a competent warrior?

She did better than Hayner, Pence, and Olette who couldn't even beat a few Dusks.
 

VoidGear.

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Wouldn't being able to fight off some heartless(albiet minor ones) without any prior experience show early signs of a competent warrior?

She did better than Hayner, Pence, and Olette who couldn't even beat a few Dusks.

No?
Being better than absolute utter trash means nothing. Besides, nobodies are stronger and smarter than heartless, and don't just act on basic instinct. Also, it seems to be impossible to "beat" both heartless and nobodies without the right weapon, as neither wooden-kb-Sora could kill heartless nor could Struggle-Roxas kill nobodies.

Also I'm not saying she can't fight. But there's no reason for everyone to take a mark of mastery exam imo. Just regular training wouldve been good enough, and one also shouldn't forget that she's a PoH, one of those that Sora and co. are supposed to protect from the darkness.
 

Hakan Xatos

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I don't know. Why didn't Ventus take the MoM in BBS? He had a Keyblade and trained with it longer than Kairi had. Probably for similar reasons.
 

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Sora and Riku had no experience before the start of KH1 either, except with the swords. They never show Kairi using one, but I'd bet she has some combat experience (maybe with Selphie) and she does fight a bit in KH2.

If her lack of experience was the issue, Yen Sid and the Good Fairies could have done what they did with Lea (the time chamber technique) to help her train with the Keyblade instead of sending her off for what might be most of KH3.

edit: I wrote Yuffie, but I meant Selphie.
 
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VoidGear.

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I don't know. Why didn't Ventus take the MoM in BBS? He had a Keyblade and trained with it longer than Kairi had. Probably for similar reasons.

That's important, too. Ventus was no doubt weaker than Terra and Aqua in the beginning of BBS (most likely in the end, too), and even he was not considered "strong enough" to take the exam. (Then again, he wasn't even considered strong enough to go anywhere and they were babying him a bit too much for my liking - but hey, gotta get the plot going, right?)

Still, I think the factor of mental health and stability is quite important here. Kairi had seen shit, too, but not nearly as much as Sora and Riku. Sending the three of them together, where the boys would no doubt be unable to treat her equally to themselves...I doubt she'd be able to show her potential.
 

Hakan Xatos

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Also if Kairi had a third playable role the story would probably change from Sora being captured to Kairi. It would seem like the same ole 'damsel in distress' trope. I mean yeah they could've kept the story the same and had Riku and Kairi save Sora, buuutttttt... Kairi is a PoH and perhaps one of the seven Keyblade wielders as well and probably has less darkness resistance than Sora. So why would Xehanort not target perhaps one of the most pivotal and vulnerable players in about every aspect of the good side? Not to mention it would make Nomura seem unfair again.. I'm just saying
 

VoidGear.

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Sora and Riku had no experience before the start of KH1 either, except with the swords. They never show Kairi using one, but I'd bet she has some combat experience (maybe with Yuffie) and she does fight a bit in KH2.

Yeah, and I'm sure no one would've sent Sora and Riku to a MoM exam at the start of KH1 for precisely that reason. I'm not sure where she was supposed to do training with Yuffie, though?

If her lack of experience was the issue, Yen Sid and the Good Fairies could have done what they did with Lea (the time chamber technique) to help her train with the Keyblade instead of sending her off for what might be most of KH3.

Uh, but that's exactly what she's gonna do now? Train with Lea? I mean she could have done that during 3D, but for what? Up until the end of that, no one knew that they would "need" (or be forced to have) seven guardians of light to face Xehanort.

Also if Kairi had a third playable role the story would probably change from Sora being captured to Kairi. It would seem like the same ole 'damsel in distress' trope. I mean yeah they could've kept the story the same and had Riku and Kairi save Sora, buuutttttt... Kairi is a PoH and perhaps one of the seven Keyblade wielders as well and probably has less darkness resistance than Sora. So why would Xehanort not target perhaps one of the most pivotal and vulnerable players in about every aspect of the good side? Not to mention it would make Nomura seem unfair again.. I'm just saying

I mean plot reasons! is never a good reason. If the plot makes it impossible to implement a main character - change the plot! That's always been an issue for Kairi and after every game up to that point had neglected her, SE should've just tried harder to make her fit into the plot somehow.
As for the darkness thing - Kairi has none. Is it even possible for Xehanort to possess and control her? Apparently it wasn't possible for Riku because he had control over his darkness, so I guess it shouldn't be possible either if you don't have any?
 

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Short answer: for the same reason Lea had to go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to wield a Keyblade instead of performing the ceremony CREATED for that sole purpose of letting one wield a Keyblade.

Because DDD was just "Kairi? Who is Kairi?" until the secret ending.

This too.

Also, Sora and Riku played/trained with swords for a good ten years, I'd say that helps at the very least in training reflexes and building a fit body (also, have you been whacked by a hardened wooden sword? I have. It hurts.)
And even then we do see Sora getting accustomed to the Keyblade, many of his basic movements in KH1 were those of someone wielding a weapon they don't know how to use. Every swing was a basic two-handed "let's hit the enemy as hard as I can".
It's only by KH II that he became confident with it.

Another reason why I always wanted Kairi to keep her Princess powers and being an Orihime kind of fighter instead of getting a Keyblade is that nothing about her ever suggested me she was proficient in weapon fighting. Selphie showed more prowess than her.
 

Hakan Xatos

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Another reason why I always wanted Kairi to keep her Princess powers and being an Orihime kind of fighter instead of getting a Keyblade is that nothing about her ever suggested me she was proficient in weapon fighting. Selphie showed more prowess than her.

Yeah I can agree with this. I mean it seems Kairi has a bit of identity crisis being given all these roles. Just choose one and develop it. Since she was a PoH first then stick with that. Also it bugs me if Kairi can wield and be a princess then why don't they make the other PoHs wield Keyblades? Their hearts are strong enough and it's not like the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony is that hard to do. Not like Lea had to do it anyway.
 

VoidGear.

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Yeah, instead of just giving her more powers, they should first focus on those she already has. And if they make her both wielder and princess, then it better have some sick advantage that'll make her a valuable ally in KH3.
 
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DDD seems to take place shortly after KH2 (like days/weeks after) and Kairi doesn't have much expierence as fighter. She didn't have the keyblade for very long, she is also the only person on destiny islands you don't fight and being a princess of heart doesn't give her any abilities she can use in such situations.

So Yen Sid didn't think she could handle the trial on her own and decided to wait till she was better trained before doing so.

Out of universe Nomura had other plans or just didn't know what to do with her so he elected to save her for later.

A way around her lack of experience is to simply give her experience. You could have had the exam take place a year or two after KH2 so she would have had a chance to learn how to fight etc.
 

Hakan Xatos

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Yeah, instead of just giving her more powers, they should first focus on those she already has. And if they make her both wielder and princess, then it better have some sick advantage that'll make her a valuable ally in KH3.

In a way she does technically have a unique and possibly powerful skill. You touched on it earlier, but since Kairi is a PoH I suppose that makes her immune to temptations, darkness, possession. Something none of the other Keyblade wielders can claim. Plus as a PoH she's​ probably more valuable alive and the worse Xehanort would do to her is just capture or extract her heart, but not kill her. Also being pure of darkness alludes to probably having strong Holy power. Maybe has a higher ceiling than Sora in that regard.
 

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Yeah, and I'm sure no one would've sent Sora and Riku to a MoM exam at the start of KH1 for precisely that reason. I'm not sure where she was supposed to do training with Yuffie, though?

Uh, but that's exactly what she's gonna do now? Train with Lea? I mean she could have done that during 3D, but for what? Up until the end of that, no one knew that they would "need" (or be forced to have) seven guardians of light to face Xehanort.

I mean plot reasons! is never a good reason. If the plot makes it impossible to implement a main character - change the plot! That's always been an issue for Kairi and after every game up to that point had neglected her, SE should've just tried harder to make her fit into the plot somehow.
As for the darkness thing - Kairi has none. Is it even possible for Xehanort to possess and control her? Apparently it wasn't possible for Riku because he had control over his darkness, so I guess it shouldn't be possible either if you don't have any?

My point about Riku and Sora wasn't that they were ready to take the exam, but that they were powerful enough in KH2, CoM, and KH2 to take out Ansem and Organization XIII. They didn't have any experience that beforehand with the Keyblade -- save for some magic lessons with Merlin for Sora -- but they accomplished a lot. But now suddenly Riku, Sora, and Kairi need formal training (which the MoM really wasn't) instead of building on what they know?

Lea and Kairi's training seems like it will just be "push them off onto Merlin to train" to keep them busy during KH3 when they could easily be helping to rescue the others alongside Sora, Riku, and Mickey. And the point wasn't about her training with them, what I meant was: Why don't they use the time chamber to train her? They could manipulate time to give her 3+ years on training and experience in the span of a few hours and then give her the MoM exam.

But yeah, they simply didn't put Kairi (or any of the girls, really) in DDD because they don't seem to care for her and haven't for a while.
 

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Honestly, Kairi was only summoned after Yen Sid was aware that Xehanort wanted to clash seven lights with thirteen darkness. Had that not been Xehanort's plan, Kairi wouldn't have been required. Lea wasn't even required either, he just waltzed in because he wanted to find Braig and Isa.

Yen Sid wanted Sora and Riku because he was most familar with both of their exploits. Kairi... not so much.
 

FudgemintGuardian

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"I know nothing of any Kairi." -The series (excluding UX because rad medals)

Even if Yen Sid didn't think Kairi was needed at the time, why did he think it was a good idea to leave a PoH unprotected while Sora and Riku trained? The guy knows she can wield a Keyblade, so the least he could have done was given her basic training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to to better defend herself in case something happens while Sora and Riku took their Mark of Mastery. You're already making Soar and Riki train to prepare for what's to come, so why not prepare just a little bit more?

Imagine how cool it would have been if Kairi came to Sora's rescue instead of Lea, using her PoH powers to locate Sora through the Wayfinder she gave him and using it as a summon charm to pop herself there. But that would involve making use of existing concepts and easily integrating Kairi into the plot and we just can't have that, apparently....

This fear of using Kairi in the story also messes up her character. She went from "This time...I'LL fight. You know Sora's completely hopeless without us!" "I'm tired of waiting, so don't tell me to stay behind! From now on, wherever one of us goes, the others follow, got it?" to "I want to fight and be by your side except not really because I'm just a silly, fickle girl who doesn't really care."
 
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