Romance in the Kingdom Hearts series

[Allwil13 754]

Hey, everyone.

So Kingdom Hearts 3 has been out for almost three months now and we've all had time to process. Many people loved it, and many people didn't, with many pros and cons laid out. However, of all the pros and cons I've seen, there's one con that seems to stick out the most (maybe because I see it so often). What is it, you're probably wondering? Simple: Why did Sora and Kairi not kiss or admit they were in love with each other? 

Now, I totally understand why people felt that there should have been some kind of acknowledgement on this, and I'm not here to argue or criticize. However, it has raised a question in my mind: does romance really belong in the Kingdom Hearts series? Right from the get go in Kingdom Hearts, it has seemed to me that one of the series' major themes is friendship and the strength of its bonds between people. Sora spent the entire first game searching for Kairi, and so did Riku for that matter. But was it because they were in love with her, or just because they were three friends who would do anything for each other? To me, it felt more like Sora and Riku were trying to save their best friend who just happened to be a girl. Of course, there is also the matter of the Paopu Fruit and the fact that it supposedly ties together the lives/destinies of the two people who share it. But is this strictly in a romantic sense? Or can it just be for two friends who want to remain a part of each other's lives no matter what? Personally, I think it's the latter. There has never been a statement in the series solidly confirming that Sora and Kairi are in love with each other. It is easy to infer, certainly, and I'm pretty sure they did this on purpose. But I don't think it's official.

Another pair of characters that I see often paired together is Roxas and Xion. Again, I get the appeal of this pairing in a romantic sense, but I personally think that their feelings for each other are purely platonic. I think that they're just two people who bonded over their similarities and formed a strong bond of friendship. And I know that they don't need to openly state romantic feelings and that actions can prove how two characters feel about each other, but Roxas and Xion have never given me that feeling of "they love each other romantically". Sora and Kairi are closer to this, but even those two have not been able to sell me on a romantic relationship. 

There is also Lea, Isa and the mysterious girl they befriended in the basement of the Radiant Garden castle. Unfortunately I don't have much to say on this one right now since we don't even know who she is, but once again I never got the sense that Isa or Lea was in love with her. It seemed more like he'd grown to care about her and see her as a close friend so he wanted to help her. Again, though, it's hard to really be able to discuss this one since we never saw any of their interactions.

Again, these are just my thoughts, but I've always gotten the sense that romance was never planned to be a focal point in the series, and honestly I kind of want it to stay that way. I like that we have a series that has friendship as its main theme rather than romance. I just feel like things like kissing and stuff like that wouldn't feel right; I think it would feel really shoehorned in and not natural. But I've gone on for a while (sorry about that) and I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say. Do you think romance has a place in the Kingdom Hearts series?

[ocean's rage 772]

fans do get a bit obsessive with ships, i suppose its not necessary for the story but it would be interesting to see how the relationships would evolve 

though to be fair romance is in the series, just mostly with the non original characters 

[Allwil13 754]

11 minutes ago, ocean's rage said:

fans do get a bit obsessive with ships, i suppose its not necessary for the story but it would be interesting to see how the relationships would evolve 

though to be fair romance is in the series, just mostly with the non original characters 

I was actually going to mention that in the initial post but I don't really count the Disney characters because their worlds generally tend to follow the plot of the films. So it makes sense that there would be romance there.

[SweetYetSalty 330]

Shipping is cute for fanart and stuff, but to be honest I don't want any of them to be canon in the game. I want to focus on friendship over romance in Kingdom Hearts. This allows the boys and girls to interact with one another without the restrictions of a relationship holding them back. Sora and Kairi are the closest thing to a "relationship" and even now it's still vague so Sora can hang out with Rapunzel or other girls. I hope they keep the focus on friendship in the series and leave the romance to the imagination of fans. I've always preferred friendship stories over romance ones in fiction anyway.

[LunaCatte 169]

I definitely agree with them focusing on the friendship aspect. Like I think the idea of Sora and Kairi as a couple is cute, and have a couple of other characters I would ship, but that stays entirely in a headcanon and fiction and not something I would get outraged about personally.

I do feel in KH3 they kinda pushed the idea of Sora being in love with Kairi a little bit more than just saying they were friends though. When most of the Disney worlds were basically of the theme that you have to understand what TRUE LOVE is in a romantic setting in this game it kinda gave off the vibe. Sure in San Fransokyo it was about friendship, and same with the Toy Box and Monstropolis, but when it came to Olympus, Kingdom of Corrona, Arendelle, even The Caribbean, romantic love was kinda a big thing. Herc loving Meg enough to dive into the well of souls and recover from his slump, Rapunzel loving Eugene and understanding that's what love was instead of what her mother was showing, Arendelle was Anna falling in love with Christoph and using her love for her sister to save her life no matter what their past was and The Caribbean concluded with the whole "If you love someone you have to be willing to make sacrifices" with good ol' Will Turner becoming the Captain of the Flying Dutchman and even Jack helping to bring Will back to life with knowing the Elizabeth loved Will.

THAT ALL BEING SAID, there are multiple ways to display love and while I personally feel they didn't need to have Sora and Kairi kiss, there is love there whether it be as friends or more and I quite enjoy it no matter what way it is shown to be.

[Allwil13 754]

22 minutes ago, SweetYetSalty said:

Shipping is cute for fanart and stuff, but to be honest I don't want any of them to be canon in the game. I want to focus on friendship over romance in Kingdom Hearts. This allows the boys and girls to interact with one another without the restrictions of a relationship holding them back. Sora and Kairi are the closest thing to a "relationship" and even now it's still vague so Sora can hang out with Rapunzel or other girls. I hope they keep the focus on friendship in the series and leave the romance to the imagination of fans. I've always preferred friendship stories over romance ones in fiction anyway.

I've kind of developed a dislike of romance in certain fictional properties. Reason being that I've seen franchises where the romance wasn't supposed to be the main focus and there were other more important things going on but then all the fans cared about was the characters' relationship with their love interest. And I was like "uh, guys? There are other more important things going on right now." The Hunger Games was the worst for that, I found. Then again, sometimes it fits really well and has a great balance with everything else. I think it depends on the characters and the writing. That's another reason why the idea of incorporating official romance into Kingdom Hearts' original characters makes me nervous. I just think the dynamic between the characters works better as a platonic connection rather than a romantic one.

 

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

But havent they ackowledged it? I mean there was the scene were kairi and sora were sharing a papou fruit and said they want to give the other their live true they havent kissed and the words i love you were also not said but than again in the Pirates wotld sora also said he dosent know much about love jet so my guess is whatever they have planed it will be explored in the future given that this entry overall feels less like a finally of any kind but more like a continuation

Edited April 14, 2019 by Dustin Lübbers

[ocean's rage 772]

1 hour ago, Allwil13 said:

I've kind of developed a dislike of romance in certain fictional properties. Reason being that I've seen franchises where the romance wasn't supposed to be the main focus and there were other more important things going on but then all the fans cared about was the characters' relationship with their love interest. And I was like "uh, guys? There are other more important things going on right now." The Hunger Games was the worst for that, I found. Then again, sometimes it fits really well and has a great balance with everything else. I think it depends on the characters and the writing. That's another reason why the idea of incorporating official romance into Kingdom Hearts' original characters makes me nervous. I just think the dynamic between the characters works better as a platonic connection rather than a romantic one.

 

i imagine finding the balance would be tough for any writer or story teller of any kind

[Movies798 1,358]

Should romance belong in Kingdom Hearts 3? Well I don't mind as long as it's done right. Plus, some Disney Worlds (and Disney films) in the Kingdom Hearts series have a bunch of romance between Disney characters, and Kingdom Hearts is a Disney game so I don't see it as a bad thing as long as it's done right. Out of all the Kingdom Hearts games Kingdom Hearts 3 is the closest one that could have romance in the game. Sora and Kairi's relationship in Kingdom Hearts 3 was more develop than in the previous games. In my opinion, Sora and Kairi's relationship in Kingdom Hearts 3 is a little more than friendship. While it's not official confirmed if Sora and Kairi are a couple but those two clearly care about each other and I can see their relationship could go beyond friendship. Plus, never in my life I ever hold hands with my female friends as long as Sora and Kairi did in Kingdom Hearts 3, Lol!. They way Sora and Kairi hold hands, they way look at each other, and the way they express their feelings. Yeah their relationship could beyond friendship. Also sharing a Paopu Fruit could mean a lot of things. According to Riku in Kingdom Hearts 1 if two people share a Paopu Fruit their destinies will become intertwine and they will remain each other lives no matter what. While whether or not it means romance but all we know is that Sora and Kairi share a Paopu Fruit in Kingdom Hearts 3 and, if you believe in the legend, they will forever remain part each other's live. If Nomura does decided to make Sora and Kairi as a couple well I like they way he handle their relationship in Kingdom Hearts 3. I don't need them to say "I love you" or see them kiss because I want their relationship to be nice and slow instead of force. I want their potential romance to feel natural if Nomura decides to pair them up. So for the time being their relationship is up to the players imagination. Also romance in Kingdom Hearts doesn't mean Friendship is no longer a main theme. Friendship is still one of the main themes in the Kingdom Hearts Franchise and it will still be important in the Kingdom Hearts series. 

[Heather Chandler 67]

 If you look at close friendships, hardly any seem romantic in nature: Sora and Kairi are close, but Sora is as close with Riku as he is with Kairi. I suppose you could call it romantic love, but beyond a hug and some obvious affectionate looks, they don't come off as "in love", just as devoted friends. 

Roxas and Xion are closer, but, in that vein, Roxas views Axel like he views Xion, as a close friend. Nothing romantic. 

My point is, everyone who's in a sure fire couple set always has a third wheel, like the series is strongly putting friendship over romance, even when there's two character set up as a couple. The only characters openly showing love (Hands holding, kissing, e.t.c) are the PoH in their after game cut scenes, and Mickey and Minnie. 

Honestly, I prefer it this way, because everyone suddenly coupling up would ruin the series, in my opinion. 

[Ursalink 113]

Oh, for Pete's Sake! A friendship can evolve perfectly into a romance if the circunstances are appropiated, especially if we talk about Disney's stories. Think about several examples: Kim and Ron (from "Kim Possible"), Simba and Nala (from "The Lion King"), Kenai and Nita (from "Brother Bear")... etc.   
  
Besides, Sora has grown up by the example of "Disney Heroes", and all heroes need "a light" in the hearts. I'm not talking about the classic "damsel in distress" cases, but simply something that motivates them to keep moving forward; no matter how desperate situations can be. He have tons of them: Beast and Belle, Aladdin and Jasmine, Hercules and Megara, Tarzan and Jane... etc. And in Sora's case, his "light" is clearly Kairi. And although it may came from a mental manipulation, it's obvious that Riku Replica's light is Namine. 

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

I do not feel that romance has a very large place in the Kingdom Hearts series.  If anything, it's refreshing to see a teenage boy and girl be close friends and care for each other without having to add the romantic aspect to it.  I like the fact that Kingdom Hearts is strongly about friendship, and it teaches that you can have close bonds without having to be romantically involved.  Don't get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of romance and I enjoy a great romance story along with romance when it is found in some series, but do I see it being necessary in KH?  Not particularly.  I'm also not sold on the canon aspect of Sora and Kairi's relationship.  @Allwil13 made an excellent point that the Paopu fruit may keep two people in each other's lives in a platonic way, not necessarily romantic.  I sort of got this vibe from KH3 myself, though there was certainly plenty of room to infer a romantic relationship if one wanted to.

[Allwil13 754]

10 hours ago, Ursalink said:

Oh, for Pete's Sake! A friendship can evolve perfectly into a romance if the circunstances are appropiated, especially if we talk about Disney's stories. Think about several examples: Kim and Ron (from "Kim Possible"), Simba and Nala (from "The Lion King"), Kenai and Nita (from "Brother Bear")... etc.   
  
Besides, Sora has grown up by the example of "Disney Heroes", and all heroes need "a light" in the hearts. I'm not talking about the classic "damsel in distress" cases, but simply something that motivates them to keep moving forward; no matter how desperate situations can be. He have tons of them: Beast and Belle, Aladdin and Jasmine, Hercules and Megara, Tarzan and Jane... etc. And in Sora's case, his "light" is clearly Kairi. And although it may came from a mental manipulation, it's obvious that Riku Replica's light is Namine. 

I agree. To be clear, I'm not necessarily saying that Sora and Kairi's friendship has not/will not evolve into stronger feelings of love. It''s clearly intened to be inferred. But it hasn't been confirmed (at least not enough for me) for it to be a definite development. The reason why I got thinking about this subject is just because a lot of the criticisms relating to this were from people who felt that it was a definite thing, and I just don't think it is yet. But you're right; every hero needs a "light", something for them to fight for, and Sora's is most definitely Kairi's. Not arguing here. But there's nothing wrong with a "light"  being purely platonic and nothing more. It's just that more often than not, it evolves into something more at some point. I just think it would be nice if we could have a light relationship like this that stays platonic.

[ocean's rage 772]

you know thinking about isnt it possible that theyve deliberately left characters relationship ambiguous so players can interpret them how they want  

[Allwil13 754]

1 hour ago, ocean's rage said:

you know thinking about isnt it possible that theyve deliberately left characters relationship ambiguous so players can interpret them how they want  

Oh, I think that's exactly what they did. And I think it's smart. It allows us to have this kind of conversation, to discuss what we feel their relationship is/isn't and what it should/shouldn't be.

[Nahara Vol.5 19]

I've come to appreciate series that don't shove romance into their plots.

Fanfictions and fanarts are great tho ;D

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Well, I just read through this whole thread, and it's been an interesting one! You always make good topics, AllWil!

Now then, to weigh in my two cents. Do I think that romance is something that should take center stage in the series? Yes, but not in a sole focus to make it the only thing the series should tackle. Because Kingdom Hearts is about friendship, the battle between light and darkness, self redemption, the light and dark sides of the heart, and about perseverance and literal heart in the face of the most direst of circumstances. Adding romance into this pool of themes seems like it would be great! As long as it's done right, like Movies798 mentioned. 

And well, even though it's not directly stated that Sora and Kairi are a couple, they do seem like they are the most likely people in the series to have romantic ties. The best example of this is in the story in Chain Of Memories. In that game, one of the key aspects is Sora's bond with Kairi, and how Namine refers to Kairi as the person that is the most special in Sora's heart. The way he relentlessly searches for Namine and becomes blind to all else is akin to that of how a loved one would go to the ends of the earth for their own. Yes, this can extend to family and friends, of course, but I do believe that in Sora's case, his feelings for Kairi are stronger. The fact that Kairi was pushing him through this whole time is a chief thing in all this. While they could end up being nothing more than just very close friends, I do believe that they will end up together at some point in the future. As long as it's done naturally, I'm all for it! 

Also, them holding hands and sharing the Paopou was probably the closest we'll get to seeing them in a romantic light for now. And I enjoyed every moment of it!