- Joined
- Feb 14, 2019
- Messages
- 29
- Age
- 33
Frankly I'm pissed at how Nomura shat on her character. Given a keyblade, check. Training for the final battle, check. Sharing a paopu with Sora, check. Taking part in the culminating struggle the series has been building towards from day one, check.
There is no justifiable reason for this kind of treatment and it hits especially hard for SoKai shippers who wanted a little more to their relationship, considering the bigass carrot that dangled during their little scene on the islands. Well the game is over and done with and like it or not it's time to move forward and speculate how the next Kingdom Hearts can make up for some of its shortcomings, of which there are more than the state of Kairi's character.
For this thread I will solely focus on Kairi and what I would like to see in the series as it continues.
Sora is gone/dead and Kairi really feels it. The more I think about the ending to the third game, the more I see potential for Kairi to shine as her own character. More so than anything she could have done in the prelude to the Keyblade War. And regrettably, I would be hard pressed to find an opportunity to enrich her character beyond the 'damsel in distress' in the games prior.
In the first entry to the series she was catatonic. In Chain of Memories she was a plot device who couldn't be present in any way that would have made sense. In KH2 she was stuck on her little island most of the time and when she did come into the main plot she didn't have the tools or means to get out of any sticky situations. I could go on and on but suffice it to say, at the end of the day the events of Kingdom Hearts primarily revolved around Sora and his journey to save the worlds from Xehanort's schemes.
At this point Sora's ultimate goal has been completed, opening a new chapter in the series and thus more room to focus on other characters beside him, and of these characters, Kairi is definitely the one I would consider a prime candidate and the most logical choice. Roxas, Lea and Xion... Terra, Ven and Aqua... their respective journeys have also come to a close as their main drive was to be reunited once more. Out of all the main characters and major supporting cast, Kairi is the only one left with a major unresolved plot point... to finally be reunited with Sora.
Granted, Riku could definitely fit this mold too, but he has also enjoyed a significant character arc that has mostly come to a satisfying conclusion and as such, I'm not sure he is suited to spearhead an entire game. I personally think he's a great character, but does his best work in a supporting role.
Kairi though... she is a blank slate, more or less. I mean, sixteen years in and we know almost nothing about the girl. She is perfect.
Consider the ending of KH2. The trio is reunited at Destiny Islands for some much deserved downtime, until the day when a letter in a bottle arrives, requesting the islanders' presence in Yen Sid's tower. It is at this point that Kairi is shoved, rather ungracefully, into the main plot, having her train under Lea to become an efficient Keybearer. Normally I would question the wisdom in this as Lea is used to fighting with chakrams, not keyblades, which are very different weapons and has had his key for a whole five minutes before being told he not only has to master a wholly unfamiliar weapon, but also train this girl with no combat experience into becoming a badass capable of holding her own against some of the most powerful beings in the universe... but this thread is long enough as is.
So Kairi is now an active member of the main plot but we are at the endgame now. Everything the series has been building towards is about to reach its zenith and no matter how much some of us may have wanted it, I don't think there was anything Nomura could have possibly done to give Kairi the treatment she deserves. At least not without shoving her story into an already overstuffed main plot and derailing the whole thing, which would have soured fans' experience even more than the official ending.
In the past games, our protagonists had some force or goal driving them. Saving a lost friend, stopping the apocalypse, the reunion of a loved one... all our protagonists had a singular goal driving them. Not only that, but they also had the tools and means necessary to go out and achieve their missions.
Now, several games later, the foundation has been set for Kairi to take her first steps into a journey all her own. In reflection to Sora's worlds-spanning journey in the first game, Kairi can embark on a mission in search of a cherished friend. Not only that, but she now has the means and resolve to do so.
This, I believe, would make an excellent prologue in the next main installment, and could easily take up the entire first act of the game, provided we are following the three act structure. Let us not forget that Kairi and Sora shared a paopu fruit, which is essentially a pledge that the two of them will be together forever. I'm of the mind that sharing the fruit is as good as a declaration of a romantic partnership, given how Sora kind of freaked out in the first game when Riku jokingly proposed he share it with Kairi and just seeing the sickeningly sweet way in which they not only shared the paopu, but actually fed each other their first bite in the way only a boyfriend and girlfriend can do pretty much cements it in my head their pairing is canon.
Regardless of whether you agree or not, we can at least acknowledge that the sharing of the paopu indicated Kairi and Sora mean the world to each other.
And let us not forget that one of the main reasons Kairi took up the keyblade in the first place was to be able to stand beside her dear friends as well as her frustration at always being left behind. Surely she would have felt strong, strong enough to feel she could be the one to protect Sora for once, only to watch as reality crashed down upon her and not only come to the realization she was not only not strong enough to stand beside her friends, much less protect Sora, but her weakness led to her being captured... and Sora losing himself in the process of rescuing her yet again.
Xehanort is defeated. Kairi watches as touching reunions take place, long lost friends finding each other at last, while the boy whom she thought would be with her until the end of time perished because of her. Kairi is without a doubt at her lowest point in the series.
Fortunately for her, and for the legions of hopeful fans around the world, this is as perfect an opportunity as any for Kairi to rise and finally be able to stand proud among her friends. There is literally nowhere for her to go but up at this point. She now has a directive: to rescue Sora and at long last be reunited with him for good. She has had some training with the keyblade... enough to defend herself if need be against middling foes, but with much room to grow. The motivation is there, the means are now available for her to undertake this journey.
The ending of the Xehanort saga has come to an end and with it, the stage is set for Kairi to take up the mantle, and because this would be a new chapter and Kairi herself would be a blank slate, all the weighty lore and story and events that bogged down the Xehanort saga would be largely absent from this new entry in the Kingdom Hearts timeline. This could serve as sort of a soft reboot of the series, a way to introduce new fans to a new, more streamlined, more easily accessible chapter in KH, provided Nomura has learned how to tell a properly cohesive story by now, which of course would be supplemented by us seeing this new adventure through Kairi's fresh eyes, opening wholly new venues for the wonder and whimsy of the Disney/Pixar worlds.
These are of course just my personal thoughts and wishes for the future of the franchise, because while I do love Kingdom Hearts there is no denying the series and its creator are far from perfect, and while in an ideal world I would see my predictions come true, I've learned by now to accept the series as it is, despite its flaws. Regardless of it, I very much look forward to see what comes next.
Thank you for reading through my rants and if you're feeling up to it, I'd love to hear where you guys think or would like to see the series go next.
There is no justifiable reason for this kind of treatment and it hits especially hard for SoKai shippers who wanted a little more to their relationship, considering the bigass carrot that dangled during their little scene on the islands. Well the game is over and done with and like it or not it's time to move forward and speculate how the next Kingdom Hearts can make up for some of its shortcomings, of which there are more than the state of Kairi's character.
For this thread I will solely focus on Kairi and what I would like to see in the series as it continues.
Sora is gone/dead and Kairi really feels it. The more I think about the ending to the third game, the more I see potential for Kairi to shine as her own character. More so than anything she could have done in the prelude to the Keyblade War. And regrettably, I would be hard pressed to find an opportunity to enrich her character beyond the 'damsel in distress' in the games prior.
In the first entry to the series she was catatonic. In Chain of Memories she was a plot device who couldn't be present in any way that would have made sense. In KH2 she was stuck on her little island most of the time and when she did come into the main plot she didn't have the tools or means to get out of any sticky situations. I could go on and on but suffice it to say, at the end of the day the events of Kingdom Hearts primarily revolved around Sora and his journey to save the worlds from Xehanort's schemes.
At this point Sora's ultimate goal has been completed, opening a new chapter in the series and thus more room to focus on other characters beside him, and of these characters, Kairi is definitely the one I would consider a prime candidate and the most logical choice. Roxas, Lea and Xion... Terra, Ven and Aqua... their respective journeys have also come to a close as their main drive was to be reunited once more. Out of all the main characters and major supporting cast, Kairi is the only one left with a major unresolved plot point... to finally be reunited with Sora.
Granted, Riku could definitely fit this mold too, but he has also enjoyed a significant character arc that has mostly come to a satisfying conclusion and as such, I'm not sure he is suited to spearhead an entire game. I personally think he's a great character, but does his best work in a supporting role.
Kairi though... she is a blank slate, more or less. I mean, sixteen years in and we know almost nothing about the girl. She is perfect.
Consider the ending of KH2. The trio is reunited at Destiny Islands for some much deserved downtime, until the day when a letter in a bottle arrives, requesting the islanders' presence in Yen Sid's tower. It is at this point that Kairi is shoved, rather ungracefully, into the main plot, having her train under Lea to become an efficient Keybearer. Normally I would question the wisdom in this as Lea is used to fighting with chakrams, not keyblades, which are very different weapons and has had his key for a whole five minutes before being told he not only has to master a wholly unfamiliar weapon, but also train this girl with no combat experience into becoming a badass capable of holding her own against some of the most powerful beings in the universe... but this thread is long enough as is.
So Kairi is now an active member of the main plot but we are at the endgame now. Everything the series has been building towards is about to reach its zenith and no matter how much some of us may have wanted it, I don't think there was anything Nomura could have possibly done to give Kairi the treatment she deserves. At least not without shoving her story into an already overstuffed main plot and derailing the whole thing, which would have soured fans' experience even more than the official ending.
In the past games, our protagonists had some force or goal driving them. Saving a lost friend, stopping the apocalypse, the reunion of a loved one... all our protagonists had a singular goal driving them. Not only that, but they also had the tools and means necessary to go out and achieve their missions.
Now, several games later, the foundation has been set for Kairi to take her first steps into a journey all her own. In reflection to Sora's worlds-spanning journey in the first game, Kairi can embark on a mission in search of a cherished friend. Not only that, but she now has the means and resolve to do so.
This, I believe, would make an excellent prologue in the next main installment, and could easily take up the entire first act of the game, provided we are following the three act structure. Let us not forget that Kairi and Sora shared a paopu fruit, which is essentially a pledge that the two of them will be together forever. I'm of the mind that sharing the fruit is as good as a declaration of a romantic partnership, given how Sora kind of freaked out in the first game when Riku jokingly proposed he share it with Kairi and just seeing the sickeningly sweet way in which they not only shared the paopu, but actually fed each other their first bite in the way only a boyfriend and girlfriend can do pretty much cements it in my head their pairing is canon.
Regardless of whether you agree or not, we can at least acknowledge that the sharing of the paopu indicated Kairi and Sora mean the world to each other.
And let us not forget that one of the main reasons Kairi took up the keyblade in the first place was to be able to stand beside her dear friends as well as her frustration at always being left behind. Surely she would have felt strong, strong enough to feel she could be the one to protect Sora for once, only to watch as reality crashed down upon her and not only come to the realization she was not only not strong enough to stand beside her friends, much less protect Sora, but her weakness led to her being captured... and Sora losing himself in the process of rescuing her yet again.
Xehanort is defeated. Kairi watches as touching reunions take place, long lost friends finding each other at last, while the boy whom she thought would be with her until the end of time perished because of her. Kairi is without a doubt at her lowest point in the series.
Fortunately for her, and for the legions of hopeful fans around the world, this is as perfect an opportunity as any for Kairi to rise and finally be able to stand proud among her friends. There is literally nowhere for her to go but up at this point. She now has a directive: to rescue Sora and at long last be reunited with him for good. She has had some training with the keyblade... enough to defend herself if need be against middling foes, but with much room to grow. The motivation is there, the means are now available for her to undertake this journey.
The ending of the Xehanort saga has come to an end and with it, the stage is set for Kairi to take up the mantle, and because this would be a new chapter and Kairi herself would be a blank slate, all the weighty lore and story and events that bogged down the Xehanort saga would be largely absent from this new entry in the Kingdom Hearts timeline. This could serve as sort of a soft reboot of the series, a way to introduce new fans to a new, more streamlined, more easily accessible chapter in KH, provided Nomura has learned how to tell a properly cohesive story by now, which of course would be supplemented by us seeing this new adventure through Kairi's fresh eyes, opening wholly new venues for the wonder and whimsy of the Disney/Pixar worlds.
These are of course just my personal thoughts and wishes for the future of the franchise, because while I do love Kingdom Hearts there is no denying the series and its creator are far from perfect, and while in an ideal world I would see my predictions come true, I've learned by now to accept the series as it is, despite its flaws. Regardless of it, I very much look forward to see what comes next.
Thank you for reading through my rants and if you're feeling up to it, I'd love to hear where you guys think or would like to see the series go next.
