I've seen a lot of people confused about how the rules of time travel as explained in KH3D seem to contradict certain plot points in the game. Here I will try as best I can to explain what I took from Young Xehanorts explanation and why I see no continuity errors.

The rules are as follows.

1. First you must leave your body behind to do it.

2. Second there must be a version of yourself waiting at the desired point.

3. Once you reach your destination you can only move forward as per the laws of time dictate.

4. You cannot change the events that are destined to happen

 

1. I've heard people ask "If you have to leave your body behind, then how can YX have a physical form?" YX never said he traveled to the future by his own power. It's possible that Xehanort's Heartless (here on XH) opened a portal and sent him through.

2. There were many versions of YX waiting at the gathering point.

3. I've also heard people ask how XH could have gone to the past in the first place if you can only travel forward. As stated the rule only applies after you have reached your initial destination. Basically XH went to the DI of the past, Told YX what he had to do, sent him to the future, then waited 60 years or so for the Island to be destroyed, as he know Riku, in his impatience  would eventually open the door to the heart of the world.

4. I've heard it said that by setting is younger self on the path, MX broke this rule. This is known as a Temporal Causality Loop. MX set YX on his path because when YX grew up he did the same and so on ad infinitum. To put it simply, destiny demanded that MX interfere with his own past, therefore the rule was not broken. 

 

Please not that this is merely the result of my own personal thought process and in no why is to be taken as cold hard fact. The real truth of the matter, if and when it comes forth, could end up being very different.

 

Now, If you don't mind, Ima stop talkin' like a college Professor and maybe go play some vid. games or watch some anime or other TV.  L8RZ! Bah-ee.

I think it actually presents a plot hole with the KH2 Timeless River level. How the heck did that work? O_o

(Not calling you out, just stating what I think is a problem )

There's a simple explanation for that. Merlin and Pete haz hax.

Kidding aside I think, I'm not sure but I think Nomura said it has something with Disney Castle being a "special world" or something like that.

Nomuralogic 101: If something presents a continuity error, just call it a "special case" and all will be forgiven.

Edited January 31, 201312 yr by Sora_Kuno

Seems pretty accurate to me.

Now to wait for Dev and Lea

Because, as Merlin said, it may have been the nature of Timeless River? I'm not entirely sure either, though you could argue that basically it was another "Disney Castle" or another world of a different time period. Like the dual Traverse Towns (even though they were in the Realm of Sleep)

This actually makes perfectbsense, and it clears up a lot. Likey like like.

I've seen a lot of people confused about how the rules of time travel as explained in KH3D seem to contradict certain plot points in the game. Here I will try as best I can to explain what I took from Young Xehanorts explanation and why I see no continuity errors.

The rules are as follows.

1. First you must leave your body behind to do it.

2. Second there must be a version of yourself waiting at the desired point.

3. Once you reach your destination you can only move forward as per the laws of time dictate.

4. You cannot change the events that are destined to happen

 

1. I've heard people ask "If you have to leave your body behind, then how can YX have a physical form?" YX never said he traveled to the future by his own power. It's possible that Xehanort's Heartless (here on XH) opened a portal and sent him through.

2. There were many versions of YX waiting at the gathering point.

3. I've also heard people ask how XH could have gone to the past in the first place if you can only travel forward. As stated the rule only applies after you have reached your initial destination. Basically XH went to the DI of the past, Told YX what he had to do, sent him to the future, then waited 60 years or so for the Island to be destroyed, as he know Riku, in his impatience would eventually open the door to the heart of the world.

This has all been confirmed in game and interviews

 

4. I've heard it said that by setting is younger self on the path, MX broke this rule. This is known as a Temporal Causality Loop. MX set YX on his path because when YX grew up he did the same and so on ad infinitum. To put it simply, destiny demanded that MX interfere with his own past, therefore the rule was not broken.

 

Please not that this is merely the result of my own personal thought process and in no why is to be taken as cold hard fact. The real truth of the matter, if and when it comes forth, could end up being very different.

Master Xehanort orchestrated every event that has occured that is not destiny. Setting his past self on the same course he took in the first place is not destiny. He deliberately preserved his own path by breaking the laws of natural order. This is why it was considered a fail-safe plan. As much as Master Xehanort would like to think all time is set in stone it's really isn't. Master Xehanort was sure that the events of Bbs would go according to plan as fate had decided... but it didn't. Both Xemnas and Ansem were sure that their destiny would enable them to achieve their goals but destiny ended up thwarting them. Even Young Xehanort was sure by the end of DDD that he was following his "destined path" but was proven wrong. If all the events that have occured are all according to some ultimate destiny that MX has forseen, how come so many unexpected variables have diverted his plans forcing him to use back up after back up.

Edited January 31, 201312 yr by devereauxr

Thanks a lot for the explanation.  It feels like a long time since playing DDD and this was a good refresher of the more complicated part of the story.

I think it actually presents a plot hole with the KH2 Timeless River level. How the heck did that work? O_o

(Not calling you out, just stating what I think is a problem )

From what i understand, the Timeless River door was an exception.

Imagine it as you trying to get to a city 60 miles away. The speed limit, or rules of travel, dictate that you may not exceed 60 miles/ hr. Logic dictates you can get there in, at least, one hour.

But you have a portal gun, and you fire it into the other city, and step through. You have reached the other city in seconds, without breaking the rules.

 

In a more sci0fi sense, it's a worm-hole, or hyper-space, or sub-space, or a paralell dimension, I could go on. All these allow you to reach a destination faster than light, without breaking light-speed.

I think it actually presents a plot hole with the KH2 Timeless River level. How the heck did that work? O_o

(Not calling you out, just stating what I think is a problem )

Well to be fair I'm sure there is more then one way to travel through time these rules set a guideline for Master Xehanort's version of time travel.

Edited January 31, 201312 yr by devereauxr

If this is right, Ansem SoD has the patience of a saint.

But wait up... how do the rules allow for YX to get back to his own time?

But wait up... how do the rules allow for YX to get back to his own time?

Oh sorry. I assume that whatever power brought them together could only do so briefly.  Also there's no rule against returning to your original time. In fact rule 3 makes it seem like you have to return to your starting point to travel to a different time. Since you can only move forward at the pace of the world, in order to jump to a different time in the same world I think you must first return to your original place and time.

Oh sorry. I assume that whatever power brought them together could only do so briefly. Also there's no rule against returning to your original time. In fact rule 3 makes it seem like you have to return to your starting point to travel to a different time. Since you can only move forward at the pace of the world, in order to jump to a different time in the same world I think you must first return to your original place and time.

...makes sense to me

Oh sorry. I assume that whatever power brought them together could only do so briefly.  Also there's no rule against returning to your original time. In fact rule 3 makes it seem like you have to return to your starting point to travel to a different time. Since you can only move forward at the pace of the world, in order to jump to a different time in the same world I think you must first return to your original place and time.

I remember YX saying something to the effect of he and the other 'norts could only stay in that time up to a certain point. Then they would be forced to return to their own time while forgetting all the things that had happened while they were time traveling.

I remember YX saying something to the effect of he and the other 'norts could only stay in that time up to a certain point. Then they would be forced to return to their own time while forgetting all the things that had happened while they were time traveling.

Yes they are allowed to stay tethered to the present (by my understanding) once Master Xehanort returned the flow of time would return to normal and they would all have to return to their own time.

Edited February 3, 201312 yr by devereauxr

This has all been confirmed in game and interviews :)Master Xehanort orchestrated every event that has occured that is not destiny. Setting his past self on the same course he took in the first place is not destiny. He deliberately preserved his own path by breaking the laws of natural order. This is why it was considered a fail-safe plan. As much as Master Xehanort would like to think all time is set in stone it's really isn't. Master Xehanort was sure that the events of Bbs would go according to plan as fate had decided... but it didn't. Both Xemnas and Ansem were sure that their destiny would enable them to achieve their goals but destiny ended up thwarting them. Even Young Xehanort was sure by the end of DDD that he was following his "destined path" but was proven wrong. If all the events that have occured are all according to some ultimate destiny that MX has forseen, how come so many unexpected variables have diverted his plans forcing him to use back up after back up.

He did not broke the rules, if YX return to his own time he will forget anything that happened while he was time traveling, so he will not became MX because he was told to but he will because it is his destiny.

He did not broke the rules, if YX return to his own time he will forget anything that happened while he was time traveling, so he will not became MX because he was told to but he will because it is his destiny.

His involvement in the present is what set him to follow the path MX had laid out for him. His exact words were "Still my appointed path is now etched into my heart." He forced Young Xehanort to follow MX's path so he could create a time loop.