Why do you think they chose to make Donald Duck a Sorceror?

[blksabbath74]

I mean, Donald's general persona and demeanor is that of a brawler and to some extent a berkerker as he is always loosing his temper. He is usually the one looking for a shortcut, and it just doesn't seem within his character to have the patience one would seem to need to learn magic.

Was it simply because they knew they were going to use the two most iconic (other than Mickey) Disney characters of Donald and Goofy, and they would need a spellcaster/healbot, and that Goofy was even more unlikely to be a practicing magician?

 

[Solo]

Truthfully, I'm glad they made Donald like that. Mages are usually depicted as wise, scholarly, or the likes, and Donald broke the mould by being a grumpy mage. Besides, one's vocation doesn't necessarily have to match his or her personality; in Bravely Default, Holly is a white mage who is sadistic to the core and loves torturing her enemies to the brink of death only to heal their wounds so that she could torture them even more.

As for the "why", I've never heard anything said about it, so I'll just assume that they decided to go with it just because, with no particular reason. Or perhaps it's to conform with the widely known formula of attacker / healer / defender (or physical / magical / defence) in a party, with Sora being the attacker and Goofy the defender.

 

[blksabbath74]

Yeah, he is a very atypical mage, which makes him failry interesting, and they DID mix in some berserker type skills.

 

[MATGSY]

Probably just 'cuz Disney wouldn't let them use Mickey in the 1st game. Obviously if anyone was gonna be the mage it would've been him.

 

[Launchpad]

That's a good thought.. Donald should be able to go berserk in KH3. I wouldn't mind seeing him punch Xehanort right in the mouth, while screaming incoherently.

 

[Ruran]

I just figured that they purposely gave Donald and Goofy "jobs" opposite to their usual personas. Like Solosis mentioned, mages/magicians are usually depicted as wise, scholarly, patient, etc, every Donald is not. As well, knights are depicted as hardworking, headstrong, punctual, etc, everything Goofy is not. I guess the joke is...it's ironic?

Well, the whole idea behind Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey is that they're "not your typical heroes". In KH, they're all either given positions that don't really seem to reflect how they are in their original works, or, ones you just wouldn't expect someone to have, via, Sora, who wasn't really "supposed" to be the hero.

 

[Launchpad]

I just figured that they purposely gave Donald and Goofy "jobs" opposite to their usual personas. Like Solosis mentioned, mages/magicians are usually depicted as wise, scholarly, patient, etc, every Donald is not. As well, knights are depicted as hardworking, headstrong, punctual, etc, everything Goofy is not. I guess the joke is...it's ironic?

Well, the whole idea behind Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey is that they're "not your typical heroes". In KH, they're all either given positions that don't really seem to reflect how they are in their original works, or, ones you just wouldn't expect someone to have, via, Sora, who wasn't really "supposed" to be the hero.

Sora's not typically a graceful fighter either.. He was given magical super powers that give him infinite jump height and the ability to destroy buildings effortlessly in KHII inexplicably, but in all other appearances, he's more of a scrapper. As a sidenote, I kind of miss the way he used to hold the keyblade behind his head while running.

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

Sora's not typically a graceful fighter either.. He was given magical super powers that give him infinite jump height and the ability to destroy buildings effortlessly in KHII inexplicably, but in all other appearances, he's more of a scrapper. As a sidenote, I kind of miss the way he used to hold the keyblade behind his head while running.

Isn't that just an example of game and story segregation, though? (Especially since they very clearly tried to make KHII more flashy and blockbuster like, unlike the other titles.) There's also the case of Sora's "bag of spilling" to take into consideration.

And wow. I just mentioned two TV Tropes in one thing. I've really gotta stop reading those things so much...

And I think I really like this "ironic" idea about the characters' roles. I never thought of it that way before, but it makes sense. Plus, it's just downright hilarious. Does that mean Kairi's going to be a track star in KHIII? -points to her ridiculous run in KH1, but to her credit, she did get better at it in II-

On a side note, I miss things like this in the series. KH1 didn't take itself as seriously, and I liked that. It had some really silly moments, as well as a lot of heart, charm, and just an overall nice atmosphere. (I also liked the legitimate mysterious that was in KH1, whereas the mysteries in the other games seem a little bit forced, imo.)

 

[kuraudoVII]

I just figured that they purposely gave Donald and Goofy "jobs" opposite to their usual personas. Like Solosis mentioned, mages/magicians are usually depicted as wise, scholarly, patient, etc, every Donald is not. As well, knights are depicted as hardworking, headstrong, punctual, etc, everything Goofy is not. I guess the joke is...it's ironic?

Well, the whole idea behind Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey is that they're "not your typical heroes". In KH, they're all either given positions that don't really seem to reflect how they are in their original works, or, ones you just wouldn't expect someone to have, via, Sora, who wasn't really "supposed" to be the hero.

Wow! I can't believe that I never noticed this in the 10+ years that I played this game! The whole irony aspect makes the story make so much more sense now, at least in regards to characterization and development.

Sora's not typically a graceful fighter either.. He was given magical super powers that give him infinite jump height and the ability to destroy buildings effortlessly in KHII inexplicably, but in all other appearances, he's more of a scrapper. As a sidenote, I kind of miss the way he used to hold the keyblade behind his head while running.

True. He has a very unrefined form of fighting, especially compared to the likes of Aqua. But there again, this helps reinforce the whole "wasn't meant to be a keyblade wielder" trait mentioned earlier.

And yes, I miss the keyblade-behind-the-back running animation, too.

Isn't that just an example of game and story segregation, though? (Especially since they very clearly tried to make KHII more flashy and blockbuster like, unlike the other titles.) There's also the case of Sora's "bag of spilling" to take into consideration.

And wow. I just mentioned two TV Tropes in one thing. I've really gotta stop reading those things so much...

And I think I really like this "ironic" idea about the characters' roles. I never thought of it that way before, but it makes sense. Plus, it's just downright hilarious. Does that mean Kairi's going to be a track star in KHIII? -points to her ridiculous run in KH1, but to her credit, she did get better at it in II-

On a side note, I miss things like this in the series. KH1 didn't take itself as seriously, and I liked that. It had some really silly moments, as well as a lot of heart, charm, and just an overall nice atmosphere. (I also liked the legitimate mysterious that was in KH1, whereas the mysteries in the other games seem a little bit forced, imo.)

Completely agree with this. Part of the problem with the series overall is the fact that the simplicity gone and that the games became too convoluted. Ironically, this is partially what kept me into the series to begin with...perhaps this paradox is why I love Birth by Sleep the most out of all the games story-wise: simple in many aspects, but also mature, yet somewhat convoluted when in relation to the rest of the series.

And come now, mademoiselle. We all know that once you go TV Tropes, you never go back. XD

 

[blksabbath74]

That's a good thought.. Donald should be able to go berserk in KH3. I wouldn't mind seeing him punch Xehanort right in the mouth, while screaming incoherently.

If you recall, I tried to go all quack attack on Riku/Ansem in Hollow Bastion...

 

[Veritas7340]

Donald was made a sorceror because of the irony factor. Unlike the typical sorceror who is self-disciplined, Donald is a goofy hothead.

Naturally, the same applies to Goofy. Unlike the typical coordinated knight, Goofy is clumsy.

 

[Heartless Sora]

I just figured that they purposely gave Donald and Goofy "jobs" opposite to their usual personas. Like Solosis mentioned, mages/magicians are usually depicted as wise, scholarly, patient, etc, every Donald is not. As well, knights are depicted as hardworking, headstrong, punctual, etc, everything Goofy is not. I guess the joke is...it's ironic?

Well, the whole idea behind Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey is that they're "not your typical heroes". In KH, they're all either given positions that don't really seem to reflect how they are in their original works, or, ones you just wouldn't expect someone to have, via, Sora, who wasn't really "supposed" to be the hero.

Yeah, the jobs that Donald and Goofy were some big ironic joke, though I do believe I know why it could have become a part of the game. I'd like to break down to some basic and well-known party member types and then talk about a bit of the game development, which should probably lead to the answer.

This could have been part of the thought process of deciding what to do with Donald and Goofy in the game as well as the fact that in and RPG you normally have a spell-caster/healer, a defender, and an attacker. Though, during the development of the game it was decided that Donald and Goofy were ONLY allowed to use a stick and shield(as a joke I guess), thus leading to items that are not normally used as weapons (at least not very effective weapons) and Sora is fighting with a giant KEY of all things(seriously, it's like he's beating his enemies to death with that keyblade, it is pretty blunt). That all has to loop into that joke of having the ironic placement of Donald and Goofy's jobs.

So, to put it bluntly, it probably was to add more jokes to the three than just those jokes of weapons they have.

 

[Elysium]

To be honest, it's a lot harder for me to picture Goofy as a sorcerer than Donald. Plus, I think magic suits Donald's tempestuous personality, considering there are so many different kinds of spells that reflect his full range of emotions.

 

[Taochan]

Donald Duck

If Mickey is the king, then following medieval fantasy tradition, his two retainers must be a knight and a magician. Then, I simply thought it would be very cute to hear Donald's voice casting spells, so I made him the magician. Disney had the opinion that as Donald was the one with the temper he would better suit the knight role, but the image of Donald casting spells was already complete in my head, and nothing could change it. Please take note of the zipper on his hat. It actually goes in a spiral shape, so if you were to undo it his hat would become one long piece of cloth.
--Nomura

http://forums.khinsider.com/kingdom-hearts-ii/195560-characters-report-vol-1-2-translations.html