Sora "together" with Kairi...sucks

[thatkingdomheartsguy 153]

Wanted to bring this up because so many people are in love with the idea of Sora and Kairi being a couple, but I honestly don't see it. At all.

 

And it's not because "KH isn't a romantic game (which it really isn't, but that's besides the point)", but because I cannot, for the life of me, see the two together. I think this is partially due to Kairi's lack of screen time and character development; as such, we really don't see much interaction between Sora and Kairi.

 

People kinda assume that the two would be a couple because "wow, main male character and main female character = madly in love couple", but that's not enough for me. The game never shows me explicitly why they should be good together. Sure, in KH1, Kairi saves Sora from submitting to the darkness. Unfortunately, much of that seen is bogged down by the fact that we don't know much about Kairi at all even up to that point in the game, so it's just kind of like...a random girl saves the main character. Now I'm not saying that's a bad scene or anything, but just think about how much more emotional it would've been IF the game had established a powerful relationship between the two at the beginning! If the game had shown me that they were excellent friends (and not just tell me; there's a difference) perhaps through increased interaction or character development as the story goes on, I would've cared more. 

 

So that's the inherent problem I have with this "couple." They don't actually SHOW that they're good friends, so I can't see the two ever getting together. Kairi has basically no personality, even after all these games. She's barely gotten any screen time in comparison to the other main characters, and the most we've seen her interact with Sora is at the very beginning of KH1...which is not enough.

 

Although that being said, I can already see the arguments coming: "They show a lot of character! For example, ________"

 

The problem with that is that all of these scenes that you list is the game TELLING me, "Hey. These two are good friends.", and not SHOWING me that they're friends. Drawing on cave rocks? Telling me, not showing me. Sora's desperation to find her? That's sweet and all, but he gets sidetracked so often and forgets about his ultimate "goal" that it doesn't even seem that realistic. Kairi sending that letter in a bottle? That's the game pretty much telling me, "HEY IDIOT. THIS GIRL CARES ABOUT SORA. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT."

 

How do you establish a strong friendship? You imply it through the way the characters interact, develop along with each other, and most of all, have a lot of screen time together. Especially with Kairi's little screen time and basically zero character development, I don't see them becoming a couple at all.

 

If KH3 wants to make them a couple, they better do some serious renovations on Kairi's character, or else it will turn out fake and unrealistic.

Discussion welcome  

 

PS. No, I do not ship Sora and Riku, but honestly the two are more realistic as a couple than Sora and Kairi at this point.
 

[KairiKeybasH 851]

BS. The most stupid reason people ship because of the reunion scene nope. Everyone are friends nothing else. And it would be the worst mistake that Riku and Sora are together and i have reasons.

[Moochieh32 676]

But I personally enjoy what they're doing with their relationship. Just wait for Kingdom Hearts 3. All these games we have now tease us with Sora x Kairi.

 

A thing to note: in KH1, Kairi hugs Sora to save him. In KH2, Kairi hugs Sora because she flat out misses him and cares for him... Who knows what they'll do next in KH3? Giggity...

Edited October 14, 2016 by Moochieh32

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

I believe they're shipped together because of the hints we've been given that Sora likes Kairi, like during the after credits scene in KH1, however, we haven't been given anything concrete. Regardless, it's basically one of the only few ships within this series that makes sense.

[Isamu Kuno 2,512]

KH
Selphie "If you don't share a poupu with Kairi soon Riku might beat you to it"
Kairi " Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"

CoM 
Sora:"And you where never anything more either"
Namine "Memories of me, more false memories of me, will only make his feelings for Kairi that much stronger"

KH2 
Goofy: "Hey Sora, how come your face is all red?" Sora "What? It is not red!" Donald "Aww, I know who you're thinking about."
Then there's that scene in Halloween Town where Sora imagines dancing with Kairi and the background and atmosphere are straight out of a romance manga.

We may not see much interaction, but it is clear that they have feelings for each other that go beyond a strong friendship

Edited October 14, 2016 by Isamu Kuno

[Kaweebo 3,617]

They don't have to get together, that was never the point of their relationship. They're kids who have crushes on each other and care about each other immensely...but they're still kids. They haven't sorted their feelings out yet, they don't really have any idea how to move forward in a romantic relationship yet. Give them a couple of years. 

[RikuFangirl2008 1,368]

All I can see is they have feelings for each other, still young, and they went through a lot (Xehanort related... :dry:  That man is something else... I digress...). Despite the game and manga kinda pointing out their potential crushes, their destines may be set in stone. But right now, they are close friends with feelings they haven't sorted out yet. 

Edited October 14, 2016 by RikuFangirl2008

[Firaga 5,947]

So that's the inherent problem I have with this "couple." They don't actually SHOW that they're good friends, so I can't see the two ever getting together.

The problem with that is that all of these scenes that you list is the game TELLING me, "Hey. These two are good friends.", and not SHOWING me that they're friends. Drawing on cave rocks? Telling me, not showing me. Sora's desperation to find her? That's sweet and all, but he gets sidetracked so often and forgets about his ultimate "goal" that it doesn't even seem that realistic. Kairi sending that letter in a bottle? That's the game pretty much telling me, "HEY IDIOT. THIS GIRL CARES ABOUT SORA. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT."

 

You do realize that the difference between showing and telling is inherently based on visuals versus dialogue, right? If all of these examples were actually told strictly through dialogue, or even worse, in-game text from a journal entry or something, but in cutscenes Sora and Kairi just act sort of "meh" to one another, that'd be a problem. But that's not how it is. They're tease each other, they have personal conversations, Sora acts with desperation and sadness when he's struggling to save Kairi in KH1, Kairi acts with doubt and fearfulness whenever she's trying to find Sora in KH2, when they're reunited both times, they express happiness and trust in one another, it's all shown with detail and visual imagery. That is showing and not telling. Even if Kairi isn't on screen that much, and not really on screen that much together with Sora, when they are together, or when they are shown pining for each other, it's still legitimate.

[Isamu Kuno 2,512]

They don't have to get together, that was never the point of their relationship. They're kids who have crushes on each other and care about each other immensely...but they're still kids. They haven't sorted their feelings out yet, they don't really have any idea how to move forward in a romantic relationship yet. Give them a couple of years. 

They're 15. Plenty of kids are dating at that age.

[Felicia Novita 419]

Hmm... Actually I see that SoKai have feeling each other, just matter of time that they will move on to the next step (dating maybe (?)). I have read and seen that lot of people can't agree with their relationship since like lot of above posters said, not much interaction, etc. If in KH 3 later, they will end up just close friends, it's really okay. If not, moreover dating or maybe the worst case, married later on lol, it's also okay. It's up to the creator

 

Actually I'm fan of sokai, so I think if they will be dating in the future, it'll good. But if not, it's also okay. And yeah, I would rather see sora and riku as close friends, not more than that

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Wanted to bring this up because so many people are in love with the idea of Sora and Kairi being a couple, but I honestly don't see it. At all.

 

And it's not because "KH isn't a romantic game (which it really isn't, but that's besides the point)", but because I cannot, for the life of me, see the two together. I think this is partially due to Kairi's lack of screen time and character development; as such, we really don't see much interaction between Sora and Kairi.

 

People kinda assume that the two would be a couple because "wow, main male character and main female character = madly in love couple", but that's not enough for me. The game never shows me explicitly why they should be good together. Sure, in KH1, Kairi saves Sora from submitting to the darkness. Unfortunately, much of that seen is bogged down by the fact that we don't know much about Kairi at all even up to that point in the game, so it's just kind of like...a random girl saves the main character. Now I'm not saying that's a bad scene or anything, but just think about how much more emotional it would've been IF the game had established a powerful relationship between the two at the beginning! If the game had shown me that they were excellent friends (and not just tell me; there's a difference) perhaps through increased interaction or character development as the story goes on, I would've cared more. 

 

So that's the inherent problem I have with this "couple." They don't actually SHOW that they're good friends, so I can't see the two ever getting together. Kairi has basically no personality, even after all these games. She's barely gotten any screen time in comparison to the other main characters, and the most we've seen her interact with Sora is at the very beginning of KH1...which is not enough.

 

Although that being said, I can already see the arguments coming: "They show a lot of character! For example, ________"

 

The problem with that is that all of these scenes that you list is the game TELLING me, "Hey. These two are good friends.", and not SHOWING me that they're friends. Drawing on cave rocks? Telling me, not showing me. Sora's desperation to find her? That's sweet and all, but he gets sidetracked so often and forgets about his ultimate "goal" that it doesn't even seem that realistic. Kairi sending that letter in a bottle? That's the game pretty much telling me, "HEY IDIOT. THIS GIRL CARES ABOUT SORA. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT."

 

How do you establish a strong friendship? You imply it through the way the characters interact, develop along with each other, and most of all, have a lot of screen time together. Especially with Kairi's little screen time and basically zero character development, I don't see them becoming a couple at all.

 

If KH3 wants to make them a couple, they better do some serious renovations on Kairi's character, or else it will turn out fake and unrealistic.

Discussion welcome

 

PS. No, I do not ship Sora and Riku, but honestly the two are more realistic as a couple than Sora and Kairi at this point.

 

That's a big problem with modern Square Enix nowadays.

 

They tell more than they show and they expect us to believe those guys are in love or are long time friends

 

I have the same problem but with the Birth by Sleep trio.That game expects me to believe that those three are such long life friends and they're sooooooo important to the plot of the series rather than being shoehorned in

 

All we see of the past of Terra,Aqua and Ven are them sparring.......and sparring.......and more sparring.Nothing about their past lives except of a brief glimpse of Ven's time with Xehanort but other than that the game expects me to feel sad and distraught when their "friendship" breaks apart in Radiant Garden when throughout the game I felt like they're more like accidental associates who randomly happened to train under the same Master and the game calls them friends

But I personally enjoy what they're doing with their relationship.

which was........nothing?They didn't really show anything substantial cuz like the OP post said Kairi barely has screentime in any of those games besides one intimate moment in KH1 in Traverse Town and the rest are just teases that we're supposed to believe makes them a couple

 

People say oh just wait for KH3 but what if KH3 didn't?How do you know it's gonna flesh their relationship out and not have another Xehanort fetish

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

They hugged like once and haven't even kissed yet. Roxas and Namine is the only believable pairing in this franchise. I'm down for SoKai, but SoKai doesn't even exist yet...

[Komali 594]

I don't think that they will kiss or get together... Love in KH will never be shown in such a simple way, it's more deeper and platonic. Words and symbols are the only things how they will express their love for each other. But the love between Sora and Kairi, it's definitely there. So far there hasn't been enough screentime for those two. So give it time.

[Dio Brando 5,810]

They hugged like once and haven't even kissed yet. Roxas and Namine is the only believable pairing in this franchise. I'm down for SoKai, but SoKai doesn't even exist yet...

Not even.Roxas was more in love with Xion whom he spent a whole year with in the Organization

 

Roxas only knew namine for like what..................30 minutes tops when he was an amnesiac inside the Fake Twilight town

[Nero Kunivas 3,046]

Not even. Roxas was more in love with Xion whom he spent a whole year with in the Organization

 

Roxas only knew namine for like what..................30 minutes tops when he was an amnesiac inside the Fake Twilight town

Literally the most believable relationship in the series. In fact, if I was new and no one told me they were merely friends, I would have thought they were a couple. Hell, show me the Xion Death Scene, I would have thought the same even with the still debated Ice Cream Line.

 

Regarding Sora/Kairi and KH Relationships/Ships in general: There is too much telling and not nearly enough showing with Sora and Kairi, the latter having next to no fleshed out character (I'm liking the Manga version more at this point and I don't read it.) and Sora seeming like he's friendzoning her with every second they are in the same room. (Awkward and hesitant hug from KH2, anyone?) There are many other ships in the fandom that are far more believable than Sora/Kairi too, funnily enough. As much as people are heavily disagreed with or hated on for the Homosexual Pairings such as Sora/Riku and Axel/Roxas, they have much more character, believably and possibility than Sora and Kairi do at this present time.

 

They could potentially remedy this in KH3 and beyond by developing it more, but forgive me for being of little faith with what we have right now.

[Sorarocks93 678]

KH

Selphie "If you don't share a poupu with Kairi soon Riku might beat you to it"

Kairi " Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"

 

CoM 

Sora:"And you where never anything more either"

Namine "Memories of me, more false memories of me, will only make his feelings for Kairi that much stronger"

 

KH2 

Goofy: "Hey Sora, how come your face is all red?" Sora "What? It is not red!" Donald "Aww, I know who you're thinking about."

Then there's that scene in Halloween Town where Sora imagines dancing with Kairi and the background and atmosphere are straight out of a romance manga.

 

We may not see much interaction, but it is clear that they have feelings for each other that go beyond a strong friendship

Not to mention...

 

Saix: "Is she that important to you?"

Sora: "More than anything."

 

Even though Riku was missing for an entire year at this point.

 

They don't have to get together, that was never the point of their relationship. They're kids who have crushes on each other and care about each other immensely...but they're still kids. They haven't sorted their feelings out yet, they don't really have any idea how to move forward in a romantic relationship yet. Give them a couple of years. 

 

 

All I can see is they have feelings for each other, still young, and they went through a lot (Xehanort related... :dry:  That man is something else... I digress...). Despite the game and manga kinda pointing out their potential crushes, their destines may be set in stone. But right now, they are close friends with feelings they haven't sorted out yet. 

They are 15-16 (by KH3 most likely) Squall and Rinoa were 17 in FFVIII. Tidus and Yuna also 17 in FFX

 

They're 15. Plenty of kids are dating at that age.

Exactly.

[RikuFangirl2008 1,368]

Not to mention...

 

Saix: "Is she that important to you?"

Sora: "More than anything."

 

Even though Riku was missing for an entire year at this point.

 

 

 

They are 15-16 (by KH3 most likely) Squall and Rinoa were 17 in FFVIII. Tidus and Yuna also 17 in FFX

 

Exactly.

 

In the past when I was younger, I was like I rather wait till I'm older to date and stuff. Better safe than sorry. But if people do that around ages 15-17, that's fine by me. I just don't do that. I was like 18 19 if not 20 when I had a boyfriend. 

Edited October 14, 2016 by RikuFangirl2008

[Master Eraqus 1,340]

KH

Selphie "If you don't share a poupu with Kairi soon Riku might beat you to it"

Kairi " Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"

 

CoM 

Sora:"And you where never anything more either"

Namine "Memories of me, more false memories of me, will only make his feelings for Kairi that much stronger"

 

KH2 

Goofy: "Hey Sora, how come your face is all red?" Sora "What? It is not red!" Donald "Aww, I know who you're thinking about."

Then there's that scene in Halloween Town where Sora imagines dancing with Kairi and the background and atmosphere are straight out of a romance manga.

 

We may not see much interaction, but it is clear that they have feelings for each other that go beyond a strong friendship

 

 

You do realize that the difference between showing and telling is inherently based on visuals versus dialogue, right? If all of these examples were actually told strictly through dialogue, or even worse, in-game text from a journal entry or something, but in cutscenes Sora and Kairi just act sort of "meh" to one another, that'd be a problem. But that's not how it is. They're tease each other, they have personal conversations, Sora acts with desperation and sadness when he's struggling to save Kairi in KH1, Kairi acts with doubt and fearfulness whenever she's trying to find Sora in KH2, when they're reunited both times, they express happiness and trust in one another, it's all shown with detail and visual imagery. That is showing and not telling. Even if Kairi isn't on screen that much, and not really on screen that much together with Sora, when they are together, or when they are shown pining for each other, it's still legitimate.

 

 

Not to mention...

 

Saix: "Is she that important to you?"

Sora: "More than anything."

 

Even though Riku was missing for an entire year at this point.

 

 

 

They are 15-16 (by KH3 most likely) Squall and Rinoa were 17 in FFVIII. Tidus and Yuna also 17 in FFX

 

Exactly.

And, let's not forget the classic:

 

[Moochieh32 676]

which was........nothing?They didn't really show anything substantial cuz like the OP post said Kairi barely has screentime in any of those games besides one intimate moment in KH1 in Traverse Town and the rest are just teases that we're supposed to believe makes them a couple

 

People say oh just wait for KH3 but what if KH3 didn't?How do you know it's gonna flesh their relationship out and not have another Xehanort fetish

Don't you remember the ending credits of both Kh1 and Kh2 as well? If you add all the pieces up, you'll see that there's something coming about from them.

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

Wanted to bring this up because so many people are in love with the idea of Sora and Kairi being a couple, but I honestly don't see it. At all.

 

And it's not because "KH isn't a romantic game (which it really isn't, but that's besides the point)", but because I cannot, for the life of me, see the two together. I think this is partially due to Kairi's lack of screen time and character development; as such, we really don't see much interaction between Sora and Kairi.

 

People kinda assume that the two would be a couple because "wow, main male character and main female character = madly in love couple", but that's not enough for me. The game never shows me explicitly why they should be good together. Sure, in KH1, Kairi saves Sora from submitting to the darkness. Unfortunately, much of that seen is bogged down by the fact that we don't know much about Kairi at all even up to that point in the game, so it's just kind of like...a random girl saves the main character. Now I'm not saying that's a bad scene or anything, but just think about how much more emotional it would've been IF the game had established a powerful relationship between the two at the beginning! If the game had shown me that they were excellent friends (and not just tell me; there's a difference) perhaps through increased interaction or character development as the story goes on, I would've cared more. 

 

So that's the inherent problem I have with this "couple." They don't actually SHOW that they're good friends, so I can't see the two ever getting together. Kairi has basically no personality, even after all these games. She's barely gotten any screen time in comparison to the other main characters, and the most we've seen her interact with Sora is at the very beginning of KH1...which is not enough.

 

Although that being said, I can already see the arguments coming: "They show a lot of character! For example, ________"

 

The problem with that is that all of these scenes that you list is the game TELLING me, "Hey. These two are good friends.", and not SHOWING me that they're friends. Drawing on cave rocks? Telling me, not showing me. Sora's desperation to find her? That's sweet and all, but he gets sidetracked so often and forgets about his ultimate "goal" that it doesn't even seem that realistic. Kairi sending that letter in a bottle? That's the game pretty much telling me, "HEY IDIOT. THIS GIRL CARES ABOUT SORA. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT."

 

How do you establish a strong friendship? You imply it through the way the characters interact, develop along with each other, and most of all, have a lot of screen time together. Especially with Kairi's little screen time and basically zero character development, I don't see them becoming a couple at all.

 

If KH3 wants to make them a couple, they better do some serious renovations on Kairi's character, or else it will turn out fake and unrealistic.

Discussion welcome  

 

PS. No, I do not ship Sora and Riku, but honestly the two are more realistic as a couple than Sora and Kairi at this point.

 

Do they have to be a couple? I mean it doesn't seem necessary, but just bonus material. I agree with you when you say it probably won't happen because of how the story will go, but even further than that, it doesn't seem to be necessary at all.

[Moochieh32 676]

And, let's not forget the classic:

 

Quota

[Felixx 6,646]

Like some said before, Sora and Kairi are definitely more than just friends.

 

You don't dream of dancing with "just a friend", your face doesn't get red by thinking of "just a friend" and the whole papou fruit part doesn't make sense when she's "just a friend".

 

That being said I don't think we will see real romance between them in KH3, simply because it's Kingdom Hearts. But Sora's feelings towards Kairi, and hers towards him, are more than just friendship, imo.

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Literally the most believable relationship in the series. In fact, if I was new and no one told me they were merely friends, I would have thought they were a couple. Hell, show me the Xion Death Scene, I would have thought the same even with the still debated Ice Cream Line.

 

Regarding Sora/Kairi and KH Relationships/Ships in general: There is too much telling and not nearly enough showing with Sora and Kairi, the latter having next to no fleshed out character (I'm liking the Manga version more at this point and I don't read it.) and Sora seeming like he's friendzoning her with every second they are in the same room. (Awkward and hesitant hug from KH2, anyone?) There are many other ships in the fandom that are far more believable than Sora/Kairi too, funnily enough. As much as people are heavily disagreed with or hated on for the Homosexual Pairings such as Sora/Riku and Axel/Roxas, they have much more character, believably and possibility than Sora and Kairi do at this present time.

 

They could potentially remedy this in KH3 and beyond by developing it more, but forgive me for being of little faith with what we have right now.

I'm pretty much on the same boat really

 

And at this point I won't be surprised if Sora x Riku became a thing at the last minute.Heck just look at what the Legend of Korra did at the very very end of the last season.

 

That,and how Sora gushes over Riku endlessly and even fell on his knees and cried after reuniting with Riku when he didn't do so with Kairi

Don't you remember the ending credits of both Kh1 and Kh2 as well? If you add all the pieces up, you'll see that there's something coming about from them.

for KH2 it's just "hey you're back home........handshakes".

 

It's all told and not shown

 

There is a critical rule in story telling called :Show don't tell

[Master Eraqus 1,340]

That,and how Sora gushes over Riku endlessly and even fell on his knees and cried after reuniting with Riku when he didn't do so with Kairi

Let's see here:

 

Kairi:

 

• Sora knew she was okay.
• He knew she was originally safe on the islands, so he wasn't searching for her initially.
• He knew that she was captured by the Organisation, so he knew where she was.

Riku:

 

• Sora had no clue what happened to him.
• Mickey kept keeping things secret from him, making it worse for Sora.
• He had been searching for him for the entire game.
• Not only is he surprised to finally find him, but he finds him looking exactly like the villain from the first game.

I don't know about you, but I would've had a pretty similar, if not exact, reaction to Sora's if I was in his situation.

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Let's see here:

 

Kairi:

 

• Sora knew she was okay.
• He knew she was originally safe on the islands, so he wasn't searching for her initially.
• He knew that she was captured by the Organisation, so he knew where she was.

Riku:

 

• Sora had no clue what happened to him.
• Mickey kept keeping things secret from him, making it worse for Sora.
• He had been searching for him for the entire game.
• Not only is he surprised to finally find him, but he finds him looking exactly like the villain from the first game.

I don't know about you, but I would've had a pretty similar, if not exact, reaction to Sora's if I was in his situation.

You just said it,he hasn't seen her in a year and she got captured by Organization XIII which greatly endangers her life

 

That aside,even if we didn't that into account,their relationship is really shallow and it's all implied stuff that most of it was told and not shown

 

It's the same issue as the Birth by Sleep trio where I'm supposed to believe those guys are real friends when all I saw of them is sparring and sparring and more sparring.I know nothing about those guys to make me feel sad when their friendship was broken apart heck I legitmately believe that they were shoehorned into the series to make them seem reaaaal important when they're honest to God not

 

Just.......let's go back to 2005 way before we saw the Birth by Sleep tease in in KH2 Final mix

 

None of us thought the series hinged on Terra,Aqua and Ven's existence cuz we heard absolutely no hint of their existence(and no Xigbar's really out of context "not like the hero the others were" line doesn't mean anything unless you watch said teaser)until the secret teaser in KH2 Final Mix

 

I honestly believe that the series could've continued for the better without those three and without using old fart Xehanort and have him creepily possess the bodies of teenagers to make him seem like this uber God-tier villain.Xehanort the apprentice was more than enough