Analysis: Kingdom Hearts III 'Final Battle' trailer

[gepugg 81]

Here it is, the final Kingdom Hearts III trailer analysis (at least that we know of). This is an absolutely huge trailer, showcasing tons of new details and information that we’ve never seen before so let’s not waste any time and start. 

Before we get into the main trailer though, let’s take a look at the new 30-second commercial that recently debuted in Japanese cinemas! You can watch it below. 

This commercial opens up with several scenes from the intro of everyone falling to darkness, with Sora saying, “I was able to fight only because everyone was by my side! I can’t do this alone…”. Sora is also crying as he says this. Thanks to context provided from the final battle trailer, we can assume this is after everyone is taken out, which is implied by that trailer. Either way, what a dark introduction! 

Several scenes are then shown from the Disney world, such as Sora, Donald and Goofy setting out for Olympus Coliseum, and Hercules riding Pegasus in Olympus. Sora is then shown with Remy, who is animated beautifully. Sora is also shown commanding the Black Pearl with Jack Sparrow. Some more gameplay from the Dark Baymax fight is then shown, alongside some scenes from older trailers. 

A new scene in the Toy Story world is then shown with Woody asking Sora to stay behind and help for a bit longer. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are then seen riding the doors from Monsters. Inc, with Donald and Goofy both being terrified. The “Let It Go” scene from Frozen is then shown to be recreated in Kingdom Hearts III, and it looks incredible. This commercial finishes off with Riku saying, “No-one can stop what your heart commands”. He’s probably talking to Sora there. 

That’s all for the short commercial, which managed to show off a few cool details without giving too much away. Let’s move to the meat of this analysis with the Final Battle trailer. You can watch it below. 

The trailer opens up with this quote from Sora:

“They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it’s fate, then every step forward will always be a step closer to home.” 

These words sound very much like an opening quote of sorts, similar to how Sora opened the previous games. The scenes interspersed between these words show Kingdom Hearts being summoned and being surrounded by darkness, as well as Aqua falling into water and being consumed by darkness. This scene presumably comes after her fight with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in the Realm of Darkness, and is probably what leads to her being possessed. 

 

We then get to see the thirteen Seekers of Darkness at the Keyblade Graveyard, standing on raised cliffs that are very reminiscent of their throne room in The World That Never Was. A fun little detail is that Demyx is also playing his Sitar during this meeting, which confirms he’ll be very laid back in serious situations, similar to how he was in Kingdom Hearts II. 

The next scene then shows a previously-seen clip of Olympus being destroyed by Flame Cores, complete with an extended shot of Hercules’ statue falling down. We also get to see another look at Monstropolis, where we get to see a lot of explosions and fire. A lot of that world so far indicates that Monsters Incorporated will be in a lot of danger. 

Woody opens up the next scene in the trailer, with the gang in some sort of dark void. We then see Buzz floating in midair before being swallowed the darkness entirely. Creepy! Unfortunately, it’s not clear what’s happening to him here. We then see Rapunzel and Mother Gothel in a scene straight from the film, followed by Sora, Donald, and Goofy riding to save Rapunzel with Flynn and Maximus. 

Breaking up the sadness, Tigger is then seen leaping onto Sora in the Hundred-Acre-Wood. Bizarrely, we still haven’t seen Eeyore in any footage to date. Scrooge McDuck is then confirmed to appear in Kingdom Hearts III in the trailer’s next scene, where he’s seen talking to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Remy. It seems he’s relocated to Twilight Town, as we know that’s where Remy’s restaurant is located. 

A few scenes from the 30 second commercial play here, such as the Sora and Remy scene, as  well as the amazing “Let It Go” scene from the Frozen world. We also see Anna suffering from the ice blast, which indicates that the Frozen story will end in a similar way to how it did in the movie. We also get to see another look at Davy Jones and Captain Jack fighting, followed by Sora and Baymax chasing after Dark Baymax and landing a hit on him. 

This is where the gameplay really kicks in, starting off by showing the recently revealed Stitch Link Summon called ‘Plasma Encounter’ which has Stitch and Sora creating areas of plasma that are then lit up and cause damage when the Link ends. 

One of the biggest reveals in the trailer is tucked into about five seconds of footage as the second playable character in the game is finally revealed to be Riku. Although this was fairly obvious, it’s pretty cool to see him in action. We get to see him fighting the Demon Tide in the Realm of Darkness, where he is shown using Dark Firaga as one of his Situation Commands. We can also see that Riku is wielding Braveheart in this scene, indicating this takes place after his Way to the Dawn breaks. 

 

The next scene shows a brand new Keyblade, which is based on Ratatouille and presumably a reward for finishing the minigame. The Keyblade is transforming into one of its Keyblade Transformations, but if you pause at the right time you can see that it is shaped like the Eiffel tower at the base with the blade looking like a chef’s hat with the Ratatouille restaurant sign as the teeth. Really nice detailing on this Keyblade, even when shown for only a second.  

This Keyblade transform into a frying fan and uses Speed Form as its transformation type, as shown by the green outfit Sora wears. The frying pan transformation seems to be a shield, as some frames of the scene make it look similar to the Olympus-based Keyblade’s shield transformation. Unlike this Keyblade, however, the Olympus Keyblade’s transformation utilizes Guardian Form. Thanks to a clever cut, we only ever get to see what looks like the finisher for the move, with Sora slamming the pan onto the ground. The combination of Speed Form and Guard Form is reminiscent of how the Hundred-Acre-Wood Keyblade’s transformation takes the Double Arrowguns and Magic Launcher from the Magic Form, but is actually a Guard Form. This combination of two forms could be a unique property of Keyblades which are obtained through minigames. 

A few minigames are then shown, many of which feature the Pudding Heartless. The first has the pudding Heartless balancing on top of Sora while he uses the Mad Tea Cups Attraction Flow. The objective for this game seems like you have to try and stack as many Pudding Heartless as possible. A cannon minigame is then shown in the Pirates world, where you have to shoot the Pudding Heartless. It also looks like the area shown here is the Ramparts area from Port Royal in Kingdom Hearts II! 

Another minigame has Sora bouncing on the Pudding Heartless in San Fransokyo, although the objective isn’t very clear. The minigame we’ve all been wanting to see is next with the Kingdom of Corona dancing game. Sora is shown here dancing with other people to a beat, marked by coloured circles on the floor. Each colour corresponds to one of the three commands in the menu, Spin, Step and Clap. Flynn is also seen joining in which is a lovely touch. Sora is then seen doing a spinning breakdance on top of a barrel, which is likely a finisher of sorts. 

We then get to see a mini-boss from Kingdom of Corona, with a Heartless horse leading two carriages. The health isn’t particularly high, indicating that this might take place in the early portions of the game, but the fact that it’s the only enemy in the area indicates it is indeed a boss of some sort. Sora is also wielding the Keyblade obtained from Arendelle, which means that the Kingdom of Corona world probably takes place afterwards. 

An interesting discovery in this scene is the presence of ‘Rage Form’ as a situation command. This indicates another Drive Form that we haven’t seen yet, especially since it doesn’t seem to be tied to the Arendelle Keyblade. It might be a universal form that isn’t related to any kind of Keyblade. 

Sora is then shown diving underwater in The Caribbean. A curious thing happens, where all of Sora’s focus is removed and Jack leaves the party as soon as Sora starts swimming underwater. This indicates that you can’t use Shotlocks underwater, and that only Sora, Donald, and Goofy are able to swim underwater. Sora is then shown fighting a boss Heartless (look at that health bar!), and this clip shows that when Sora is underwater, his magic changes. We can see commands such as “Sea-Fire” and “Sea-Blizzard”, the latter of which he uses against the boss. An obstacle course using the Gigas from Toy Box is then shown. 

A new boss fight with Davy Jones is shown. The huge amount of health Davy has indicates this is likely one of the latest worlds in the game. Sora is also seen using the High Wind Keyblade Transformation here. The rest of the trailer then proceeds to show off some Heartless bosses, which might actually be the ‘end-of-world’ bosses. We see a creepy ghost like Heartless/Unversed in the Monsters world that covers the area in darkness and spits out smaller Heartless at Sora. Another Heartless boss is shown in the Kingdom of Corona, which drops rocks and causes thorns to come up from the ground of Rapunzel’s tower. The final gameplay shot of the trailer is of Sora fighting big groups of Heartless using Mirage Staff in the Keyblade Graveyard’s massive Heartless battle. We can also see a new Situation Command here, ‘Trinity Guard’, which could be the Trinity we saw back in the E3 2015 trailer, where Sora and Donald hide behind Goofy as he charges ahead. 

We’re now at the story-based scenes for this trailer, and oh boy, are there a lot of them to cover. The first is a scene between Lea and Kairi during their training from Merlin. Kairi is talking about going into the ring with Lea to spar. The presence of sea-salt ice cream bars, and Kairi saying “Don’t hold back, Lea. Promise?” is very reminiscent of Xion, and is actually a direct reference to something she said in 358/2 Days. This similarity makes Lea see Xion, which could be what causes him to cry, as seen in the TGS trailer. Kairi is also still in her Kingdom Hearts II attire here, implying this is pretty early on in the game. 

The next scene shows Sora going to attack Young Xehanort in Toy Box, only for him to phase through Young Xehanort. Young Xehanort then quickly whispers, “Find the hearts connected to yours”. Although it’s probably for a nefarious reason, many people have pointed out that he sounds fairly genuine here and might actually be trying to help Sora. Sora’s reaction is rather appropriate, given this possibility. Saix is then seen on top of the large rock spires in the Keyblade Graveyard, talking to another hooded figure about how they’ve let them back into their ranks. This figure is likely someone like Vexen, when taking their overall build into account. Saix also mentions how they’ve been invited back into the ranks, which implies they’ve been in the Organization before. The trailer definitely drums up this moment to make it look like it could be Roxas, but it almost definitely isn’t. 

We then get to see the continuation of the confrontation between Sora and Vanitas in Monstropolis, but it seems like Vanitas has the drop on Sora somehow, batting away his Keyblade and being able to picture Ventus’ heart inside Sora’s. Sora’s confusion here makes it clear he still hasn’t encountered Ventus yet. Vanitas is also clearly still intent on joining with Ventus, carrying on his mission from Birth By Sleep. 

Pete and Maleficent are then seen in the streets of Twilight Town, talking about ‘looking’ for something, which has been identified as the Black Box owned by the Master of Masters. Maleficent says they are on the brink of a Keyblade War, which might mean this scene takes place pretty early on. 

A continuation of the scene between Chirithy and Sora is then shown, in the same place as it was before. Chirithy reminds Sora that he’s already learned how to restore someone’s heart after it’s been lost, which seems to be a reference to Kairi. Sora returned Kairi’s heart to her after it was lost in Kingdom Hearts, by sacrificing himself to the darkness briefly, which in turn created Roxas. The mention of returning someone’s heart and the presence of Chirithy make it seem more likely that this location has to do with the goal of returning Ventus’ heart to him. Chirithy also has a significant link to Ventus, since they are both heavily involved in the time period surrounding the first Keyblade War, so this seems even more likely. 

Despite being enemies, we get to see a conversation between Saix and Lea on the top of the Clock Tower in Twilight Town. Saix talks about awakening to a new purpose, which is probably a reference to the True Organization XIII. Lea is also holding two sea-salt ice creams, which could be an attempt to remember Xion, or perhaps an offer made to, and refused by, Saix. Mickey is then seen telling Sora that Kairi is right, and that they’re all in this together, which means that Sora probably told everyone that he would handle it himself. 

Ansem the Wise then makes an appearance outside the Twilight Town mansion where he pleads with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness that he’s already made enough victims. The Seeker of Darkness actually chastises him, and reminds him of all of the children that have suffered as a result of his research, which is a pretty sobering thought. A quick cut then shows Riku fighting against the norted Riku in the Keyblade Graveyard, while Ansem, Seeker of Darkness looks on. Although this norted Riku is wearing the bodysuit from when Riku was possessed by Ansem (most commonly seen with Riku-Replica), this is presumably still Data-Riku as that version of Riku still wore the bodysuit underneath the cloak. This is also the first time we see Riku using Braveheart in a cutscene, and the first time we hear Riku speak in an English trailer, confirming that David Gallagher is returning as his voice actor. Interestingly, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is shown in his normal clothing here, rather than in the black coat that he wears in other scenes.

Sora and Young Xehanort are seen having another conversation in what looks like San Fransokyo, where Xehanort says that wielding “such power” without care will have a high cost, which Sora seemingly ignores. It’s not 100% clear where this takes place, as although it does look like San Fransokyo’s streets, Sora doesn’t have his visor on. Young Xehanort then says “there’s no saving you’”, which is either a threat or another hint toward Young Xehanort actually trying to help Sora.

The majority of the remaining scenes focus on the big battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, with Sora, Riku and Kairi all fighting off the Demon Tide together, until Data-Riku transforms into a massive dark figure. Lea then asks the identity of a hooded figure, who aims a Keyblade at him. Considering Xion previously wielded the Kingdom Key, and this figure looks like she did during her introduction into the Organization, this is pretty clearly Xion which is pretty heartbreaking. Saix is then shown going berserk whilst Xemnas uses his laser dome attack from the end of Kingdom Hearts II. This seemingly puts Lea out of commision as he is shown knocked out for the rest of the scenes in this area. Interestingly, the background of this scene is very similar to the scene of Roxas’ introduction, which could mean that Roxas ends up saving Lea from this attack being fatal. The rest of the scenes show how Sora is left on his own. 

Sora and Ventus are then shown being strung up with blue chains, which is reminiscent of two characters. The chains are clearly linked to Terra, who inherited that move from Eraqus, but the colour of them is strikingly blue and very similar to the colour of the Flood Unversed. This could mean that it is Vanitas using these chains, which would make sense considering Ventus is involved. The trailer is clearly still trying to hide whether Ventus is awake, but at the very end of the scene you can see him react to the chains and try and move, which means he likely is.

Mickey is then seemingly taken out by Luxord’s card games, being sucked into the card and screaming. This is similar to how his battle went against Sora, but the fact that Mickey is here fighting him means that he might not actually be someone the player gets to fight. Mickey is still shown in the other scenes of this trailer, so he probably escapes this attack. 

A huge red laser, likely from Xemnas, is then shown raining down on the group, although it is blocked by Donald’s staff. This puts Donald out of commision and knocks him out, whilst the rest of the group is surrounded by Heartless and taken away from Sora towards a huge spire of Heartless. Kairi tries to protect Lea (who she calls Axel) and is dragged into the Heartless before reaching out for Sora. 

The trailer then culminates with Riku protecting Sora from a huge wave of Heartless whilst Sora kneels dejectedly. Riku is holding them back single-handedly, and saying to Sora, “I know you don’t believe that”, which is likely a reference to what Sora says in the new Japanese commercial about how he can’t fight on his own. The way this scene is shot makes it seem like Riku is sacrificing himself, but they wouldn’t really show that in a trailer, would they? Seems like a red herring, if anything. 

The trailer ends on a heartbreaking note by showing Sora screaming up to the sky. This scream is truly chilling, and both Miyu Irino and Haley Joel Osment should be commended for this scene alone. What has happened that has Sora so upset? Guess we’ll just have to wait to find out! 

It isn’t over yet though, as another big reveal is waiting after the logo pops up, showing Xehanort in the town of “Scala Ad Caelum” which roughly translates to “Ladder to Heaven” or “Stairway to Heaven”. This world was previously shown as ‘Cable Town’ in 2014 during the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix launch event, but it’s been renamed here. It looks absolutely beautiful, and hopefully we get a chance to actually explore it before a fight! 

Xehanort is surrounded by the other Seekers of Darkness, who are all in brand new outfits. He says that this world used to be a seat of power for all Keyblade wielders, and that he and his other selves can “all be one” here. It’s not really clear how Xehanort actually got to this place, but he could have used the power of Kingdom Hearts to restore it, or used time travel to get back to it. The colours of the new outfits also line up with those of the black box that Luxu carried around, as well as the box having the same emblem on it as the town itself which means that the outfits are likely what was in the box. People have speculated that the town itself could even be in the box through some sort of wormhole, but that’s just speculation. 

The trailer ends by showing Sora, who looks confused and ready to fight, but also still all on his own. Hopefully he doesn’t have to face this danger alone!

And that's everything! This trailer really does raise a lot of questions, especially regarding Scala Ad Caelum and the Keyblade Graveyard. Where are the other Guardians of Light? Why is Sora screaming? It’s only 40 days until we know the answers for sure! 

Did you happen to see something  we didn’t? Let us know in the comments below! 

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[Movies798 1,358]

Pretty good analysis. Although despite the Final Trailer showing a lot of stuff we still don't know the full context of the game. Nomura said in his interviews that he doesn't think the trailers are spoiling anything. Plus, he later added that Kingdom Hearts 3 will have a lot of twist and turns and a bunch of surprises. So I'm giving him benefit of the doubt that trailers are just misleading to make us think what's going to happen in certain scenes and events. Also, I highly doubt that Young Xehanort was trying to "help" Sora. I'm sure Young Xehanort was just manipulating Sora to get the hearts connected to Sora and use it to their advantage. I hope Sora is smart enough not to be manipulated again and don't trust Young Xehanort. I want Sora to save the hearts connected to him because he wants to and it was his choice.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Movies798

[Garrick Autry Lenoir 3]

You didn't mention how close Sora and Kairi were during the Donald scene for the shippers

 

Great analysis though

[DG20 67]

I am 100% sure that Isa and Young Xehanort are not trying to help Sora. More like, they want Sora to fall to darkness. They are pushing him in that direction. In my opinion.

[King's light 0]

Hi! It's possible Sora will be back in time, for the fight into Scala Ad Caelum, and we lost him and Ventur from the others after the defeat of Xehanort at the end of KH3...and the 4 previews show us Sora try to go back to his friends with Ventus help and all Xchi members?

[Hero of Light XIV 2,381]

I'm telling you, it's NOT Data-Riku, it's RIKU-REPLICA! It makes no sense to make Data-Riku a villain out of nowhere, Xehanort never showed any signs of having any interest in the Journal, especially not when there are plenty of other viable candidates out in the real world. Riku-Replica makes more sense, he has a more compelling motivation to join Xehanort, to become more than the real Riku. To become someone better. Becoming a Seeker of Darkness seems to fall in line with that pretty well if you ask me.

Also, even if you were to argue that this is the same Riku-lookalike that was shown in the previous San Fransokyo trailer and that they're both Data-Riku, you're still wrong about his suit, HE NEVER WORE THE DARK SUIT UNDER THE COAT, HE'S ONLY WEARING IT HERE AND IN ONE OF THE EARLIER TRAILERS, UN-NORTED. You're just jumping to conclusions so easily and just passing them along as clear fact without even considering that there's still not enough context to support what you're saying.

"But what about the Bug Blox?" First of all, we don't have any confirmation that that's what those are. Second, just because someone is using them doesn't mean they have to be a Data-person necessarily. The Bug Blox are just Dark Data made real. Data is data, anyone can use it. We saw that Ansem The Wise/DiZ could use it pretty easily in KH2, who's to say that they haven't just created counterfit Bug Blox outside of the Journal that anyone of them can use? Again, data can be manipulated by anyone, the fact that there's a Riku-lookalike in the same trailer as when we see what APPEARS to be Bug Blox just feels very circumstantial to me, and everyone just writing this Riku off as Data-Riku without even bother to think or ask about the implications is just really annoying me.

WHY? Why Data-Riku? What would ever make that make sense? Unless you're just straight-up possessing him, it still feels random because he's never been an antagonistic character. Yes, Sora wasn't an antagonist either, but there was still much more weight with him potentially getting Norted. With Data-Riku, I feel like the only thing they could have done to make it happen would be to break into Disney Castle, steal Jiminy's Journal, kidnap Data-Riku, corrupt him with Darkness/Bugs AGAIN for the bajillionth time because that sight never gets old apparently, and just completely rewrite his personality to be mean evil Riku again. All of that feels so contrived and unnecessary when Riku-REPLICA is already that way, only you don't have to go to nearly as many lengths to make it happen, just simple time-travel and that's it.

It's a fundamentally better idea than using Data-Riku out of nowhere like that, the only positive purpose it would serve would be to more directly connect and justify Re:Coded to the overall narrative, but I can still think of a million better ways of doing that than just simply making a non-evil person evil just because. That's why I am hoping and CERTAIN that it's Riku-Replica because it would make for a much better thematic choice. If Xion can be brought back then what's the problem with bringing back another successful replica like Repliku? If you can't have two Riku-lookalikes, then just pick the one that makes more narrative sense, ie Repliku.

And hey, if you're going off the idea that the member that Saix is talking to is Vexen, the creator of both replicas, then wouldn't it stand to reason that it's Vexen who not only brings back Xion but also Riku-Replica? His prized research? Hey, happy compromise, maybe he even hacks into the castle and appropriates parts of Data-Riku into Repliku so he can have access to the bugs while having a personality that the actual Data-Riku would never have in the first place. All of THAT sounds more plausible to me than just simply saying "No, it's Data-Riku cause those kinda looked like Bug Blox back there."

TLDR: It's not confirmed to be Data-Riku yet, it's still very vague and ambiguous, so please refrain from just addressing him as Data-Riku as if it was obvious, because it's not. At best, it's implied.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Hero of Light XIV

[2 quid is good 2,209]

16 hours ago, gepugg said:

Sora is then seen doing a spinning breakdance on top of a barrel,

EVERYBODY STOP EVERYTHING.

 

BREAK TIME IN KH3 CONFIRMED

 

7 hours ago, Hero of Light XIV said:

I'm telling you, it's NOT Data-Riku, it's RIKU-REPLICA! It makes no sense to make Data-Riku a villain out of nowhere, Xehanort never showed any signs of having any interest in the Journal, especially not when there are plenty of other viable candidates out in the real world. Riku-Replica makes more sense, he has a more compelling motivation to join Xehanort, to become more than the real Riku. To become someone better. Becoming a Seeker of Darkness seems to fall in line with that pretty well if you ask me.

Also, even if you were to argue that this is the same Riku-lookalike that was shown in the previous San Fransokyo trailer and that they're both Data-Riku, you're still wrong about his suit, HE NEVER WORE THE DARK SUIT UNDER THE COAT, HE'S ONLY WEARING IT HERE AND IN ONE OF THE EARLIER TRAILERS, UN-NORTED. You're just jumping to conclusions so easily and just passing them along as clear fact without even considering that there's still not enough context to support what you're saying. The "Bug Blox?" First of all, we don't have any confirmation that that's what those are. Second, just because someone is using them doesn't mean they have to be a Data-person necessarily. The Bug Blox are just Dark Data made real. Data is data, anyone can use it. We saw that Ansem The Wise/DiZ could use it pretty easily in KH2, who's to say that they haven't just created counterfit Bug Blox outside of the Journal that anyone of them can use? Again, data can be manipulated by anyone, the fact that there's a Riku-lookalike in the same trailer as when we see what APPEARS to be Bug Blox just feels very circumstantial to me, and everyone just writing this Riku off as Data-Riku without even bother to think or ask about the implications is just really annoying me.

WHY? Why Data-Riku? What would ever make that make sense? Unless you're just straight-up possessing him, it still feels random because he's never been an antagonistic character. Yes, Sora wasn't an antagonist either, but there was still much more weight with him potentially getting Norted. With Data-Riku, I feel like the only thing they could have done to make it happen would be to break into Disney Castle, steal Jiminy's Journal, kidnap Data-Riku, corrupt him with Darkness/Bugs AGAIN for the bajillionth time because that sight never gets old apparently, and just completely rewrite his personality to be mean evil Riku again. All of that feels so contrived and unnecessary when Riku-REPLICA is already that way, only you don't have to go to nearly as many lengths to make it happen, just simple time-travel and that's it.

It's a fundamentally better idea than using Data-Riku out of nowhere like that, the only positive purpose it would serve would be to more directly connect and justify Re:Coded to the overall narrative, but I can still think of a million better ways of doing that than just simply making a non-evil person evil just because. That's why I am hoping and CERTAIN that it's Riku-Replica because it would make for a much better thematic choice. If Xion can be brought back then what's the problem with bringing back another successful replica like Repliku? If you can't have two Riku-lookalikes, then just pick the one that makes more narrative sense, ie Repliku.

And hey, if you're going off the idea that the member that Saix is talking to is Vexen, the creator of both replicas, then wouldn't it stand to reason that it's Vexen who not only brings back Xion but also Riku-Replica? His prized research? Hey, happy compromise, maybe he even hacks into the castle and appropriates parts of Data-Riku into Repliku so he can have access to the bugs while having a personality that the actual Data-Riku would never have in the first place. All of THAT sounds more plausible to me than just simply saying "No, it's Data-Riku cause those kinda looked like Bug Blox back there."

TLDR: It's not confirmed to be Data-Riku yet, it's still very vague and ambiguous, so please refrain from just addressing him as Data-Riku as if it was obvious, because it's not. At best, it's implied.

I do enjoy reading your walls of text, but this is the most fired up I've ever seen you!

I agree with your point, Data Riku showed no signs of malice whatsoever during his game, he was more of a guide for Sora than anything else. Data Roxas being a North would make more sense, but still seems like lazy writing to me.

Has anyone considered that maybe the bug blox are being used because San Fransokyo is the most technologically advanced world? If they were going to include them in the game, then that world would be the most logical conclusion.

 

[Guest]

Hi everybody, it's been a year since I posted here because I said I was going to leave. This is a one-off post I am making here because there are two glaring mistakes that this analysis has made. It is a fantastic analysis regardless of the two mistakes identified.

First off, Arendelle is not before Kingdom of Corona. If anything, it seems as though Toy Box/Monstropolis and Kingdom of Corona/Arendelle are the interchangeable Disney worlds, in which you can choose which one of the two that you select first. Makes thematic sense considering that Toy Box and Monstropolis are our Pixar worlds, and Kingdom of Corona and Arendelle are our Disney Princess worlds.

Now to go onto the more glaring assumption made.

3 hours ago, Hero of Light XIV said:

I'm telling you, it's NOT Data-Riku, it's RIKU-REPLICA! It makes no sense to make Data-Riku a villain out of nowhere, Xehanort never showed any signs of having any interest in the Journal, especially not when there are plenty of other viable candidates out in the real world. Riku-Replica makes more sense, he has a more compelling motivation to join Xehanort, to become more than the real Riku. To become someone better. Becoming a Seeker of Darkness seems to fall in line with that pretty well if you ask me.

 

Hero of Light XIV is right, but I want to approach it from a more factual perspective.

Riku Replica says that he is made out of data.

Not only does this justify Riku Replica being the Seeker of Darkness in San Fransokyo, but it justifies the origins of the Bug Blox coming from him and not Data Riku. Replica Riku and Tadashi's Baymax share the pain of being the carbon copy of the real Riku and Hiro's Baymax respectively. Both Replica Riku and Dark Baymax are empty shells, so they are vulnerable to exposure to anything that can give them comfort and purpose.

So yeah, it logically cannot be Data Riku because Data Riku was never directly associated with the Bug Blox to begin with. Replica Riku, on the other hand, could have been revived and modified to have control of the Bug Blox Heartless.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Guest
Specifics.

[Iamkingdomhearts1000 1,170]

On 12/18/2018 at 3:35 PM, Garrick Autry Lenoir said:

You didn't mention how close Sora and Kairi were during the Donald scene for the shippers

 

Great analysis though

Their Shipping is one of the very things I am hoping for in Kingdom Hearts III :]

 

 

...He WON'T be alone...

 

If Sora starts to fall...then we, the players, will be there...

 

To help him back on his feet and finish this war once and for all time!

 

"May your Heart be your Guiding Key"

 

 

[ITzDarthLordRevan 291]

It's a possibility the blue chains could be Terra-Xehanort's too. Despite how much of a mystery he is, we did see him in what looked like the Keyblade Graveyard fighting Terra's Lingering Will in the Winnie the Pooh trailer. Something tells me Lingering Will is going to try to get his body back, or at least, help his friends during the final battle. People find it a bit odd they haven't been showing Aqua a lot, but I think it's to hide whether or not she will still have the yellow eyes and silver hair when the final battle takes place. Some people are also wondering whether or not she bites the dust in the that one shot were Vanitas is standing over her with his Keyblade poised to stab her. I'd like to think she's still alive, but who knows? I could be wrong.

Also, I heard someone on Twitter said the scene with Sora screaming and hitting the ground look graphically different from the shot where Riku is protecting Sora from the giant heartless swarm. I can see that the lighting in the shot with Riku is has a more "dreamy" look to it, but I just think that's the effects from the purple light that's coming off of Riku's Keyblade at the impact of him pushing back the swarm paired with all the wind and dust that's flying back at both them. I really don't see anything graphically different about it.

Edited December 20, 2018 by ITzDarthLordRevan

[KeybladeMasterDeadpoolio 55]

On the subject of who this Riku-nort is, I believe that I have an answer: he's the real Riku. But how? The real Riku is standing right there and he's clearly not Norted. But Riku was a Nort for a time, all throughout Chain Of Memories and KH2, Riku had a fragment of Ansem in his heart and during Chain Of Memories, he would frequently black out and Ansem would take over. It's entirely possible that during one of these black outs, Young Xehanort showed up and brought Riku-Ansem to the future to be a Seeker and after getting his butt kicked, is sent back none the wiser. Of course, this contradicts what Master Xehanort said about Riku becoming non-viable as a vessel but it makes a bit more sense than Data Riku or Repliku somehow being alive again despite having been definitively killed.

[2 quid is good 2,209]

2 hours ago, KeybladeMasterDeadpoolio said:

On the subject of who this Riku-nort is, I believe that I have an answer: he's the real Riku. But how? The real Riku is standing right there and he's clearly not Norted. But Riku was a Nort for a time, all throughout Chain Of Memories and KH2, Riku had a fragment of Ansem in his heart and during Chain Of Memories, he would frequently black out and Ansem would take over. It's entirely possible that during one of these black outs, Young Xehanort showed up and brought Riku-Ansem to the future to be a Seeker and after getting his butt kicked, is sent back none the wiser. Of course, this contradicts what Master Xehanort said about Riku becoming non-viable as a vessel but it makes a bit more sense than Data Riku or Repliku somehow being alive again despite having been definitively killed.

...........What you say has some real truth. Using the laws of the time travel that have been concocted up, its entirely plausible. Whether it'll happen or not though, is a bit of a sticky one still. it'll cause a real continuity snarl and I really don't think people would appreciate that.

 

Although having said all that, that'll be exactly why it does happen XD

 

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

On 12/19/2018 at 8:45 AM, 2 quid is good said:

EVERYBODY STOP EVERYTHING.

 

BREAK TIME IN KH3 CONFIRMED

 

I do enjoy reading your walls of text, but this is the most fired up I've ever seen you!

I agree with your point, Data Riku showed no signs of malice whatsoever during his game, he was more of a guide for Sora than anything else. Data Roxas being a North would make more sense, but still seems like lazy writing to me.

Has anyone considered that maybe the bug blox are being used because San Fransokyo is the most technologically advanced world? If they were going to include them in the game, then that world would be the most logical conclusion.

 

stop keayblade time is the new hammer time lol

I also though that replica rikus sudden change in Chain of memories in rikus story came out of nowhere. There was a short scene were axel appeared before him in the credits but are 5 minutes of conversation really enough to remove all his found confidence that he showed during the final battle against marluxia?

[CelestOrion 0]

On 12/19/2018 at 1:42 AM, Hero of Light XIV said:

I'm telling you, it's NOT Data-Riku, it's RIKU-REPLICA! It makes no sense to make Data-Riku a villain out of nowhere, Xehanort never showed any signs of having any interest in the Journal, especially not when there are plenty of other viable candidates out in the real world.

You forgot where Maleficient and Pete were trying to retrieve the Journal from Re:Coded during 3D, and she wouldn't state why they were seeking it.

[Hero of Light XIV 2,381]

On 12/18/2018 at 11:45 PM, 2 quid is good said:

EVERYBODY STOP EVERYTHING.

 

BREAK TIME IN KH3 CONFIRMED

 

I do enjoy reading your walls of text, but this is the most fired up I've ever seen you!

I agree with your point, Data Riku showed no signs of malice whatsoever during his game, he was more of a guide for Sora than anything else. Data Roxas being a North would make more sense, but still seems like lazy writing to me.

Has anyone considered that maybe the bug blox are being used because San Fransokyo is the most technologically advanced world? If they were going to include them in the game, then that world would be the most logical conclusion.

 

Lol, sorry it became such a rant, I just don't like how even though we don't really know everything everyone is already jumping to conclusions that can barely be supported. The reason I'm so dead certain about it being Riku Replica, apart from my reason for it not being Data-Riku because personality difference, is that it would have made no sense to make it a past version of Riku while he was possessed by Darkness or Ansem either. In Dream Drop Distance, Young Xehanort and Ansem were clearly trying to convince Riku, the present Riku, to join their side, accept the Darkness, yada yada. They only failed because Riku grew so much after everything he's been through that he developed a resistance/immunity to Darkness. But consider this, they already have everybody but the 13th vessel at this point, they're just trying to fill one spot, whether that be Sora, their main target, or Riku, their ideal first choice. So hypothetically, if they already had a past version of Riku among their number, then why would they even bother trying to turn present Riku at all in the first place? If they already have what they want, then trying to convince present Riku to embrace the Darkness is pointless and redundant, you already have the exact same guy already. The only way a younger looking Riku could be among their ranks would be if they weren't the same entity, that they were a Riku "clone", and we only know of two such clones, Riku-Replica and Data-Riku. And like I said before, Data-Riku has no stake in any of this, nothing for Xehanort to exploit, so Riku-Replica makes more sense. And my other main reason is that as soon as Riku mentions Riku Replica after seeing that Riku look-alike in Pranksters' Paradise, the Memento entry for Chain of Memories is unlocked, in a similar fashion to how Sora meeting Vanitas unlocked the Birth by Sleep entry. Not really solid science exactly, but it's a fair logic, I feel.