Wanting a Kairi Story

[TrinityXaos# 25]

Welp, this feeling came up while I was finishing up the PlayStation version of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory: I want to see Kairi have something worthwhile, like her own game or novel.

As an individual, Kairi has had the least amount of screen time to show us who she is. All we got was her past as a little girl in Radiant Garden and with Sora. It’s like she is the third wheel when it comes to Sora and Riku’s bond and their adventures, which stinks for her.

With Kingdom Hearts IV as the start of a new story arc, I would like Kairi to have her adventures that EXCLUDES Sora, by a lot. Let Kairi be a person without a man! Also, let Kairi be a person without falling into Disney tropes and clichés like the Disney princesses. Kairi deserves better!

Am I done with the demands? Yes.

I can say I want a Kairi story as much as I want. But I’m not sure how possible it will be with Square Enix’s current productions. It may take a long time for Kairi to have her own standalone if Square sees potential in telling a story with her front and center.

Instead, I might end up sticking to fanfiction. It’s been a long time since I read any fanfiction, so I don’t know any recent takes on Kairi aside from my own piece, “Of Light and Darkness – Chaos.” I only have one problem with that, though: it’s more of a Jack Garland introduction to me than a Kairi piece.

The only other idea I have for a Kairi fanfiction comes from the latter half of 2022. The few key points about it were that Kairi would get separated from Aqua on an investigation mission, there would be a lot of original characters, and it would have a different direction from Kingdom Heart IV’s Quadratum and the concept of reality.

Kairi’s adventures could function parallel to what was described for Sora’s in Kingdom Hearts IV (and how Roxas explored worlds in 358/2 Days). Kairi would visit a world for a while and return to the hub world and go about her daily life before going back to the field.

If it were possible, I would also include costumes for Kairi to wear. Some of them are outfits from the previous titles (Kingdom Hearts I and II) for nostalgia. Other outfits are new costumes to reflect Kairi’s life and events.

And finally, there could be outfits that are like Sora’s formchanges, each outfit reflecting a bond from the Guardians of Light (sans Sora and his counterparts).

Throughout the story, there could be flashbacks that show Kairi’s life in both Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands. Who are Kairi’s parents and what were they like? How was Kairi as an Islander and as a student? How did she, Sora, and Riku develop their friendships?

Currently, in my idea space, I don’t have many original characters for a possible fanfiction. Honestly, I don’t have a full scenario for how Kairi’s story could play out. What I do have is two major original characters: a queen/empress who stands out differently from Kairi, and a former Dark Keyblade Master who protects her for the genuinely good.

One of the key ideas is that the worlds surrounding the hub world are aware of each other and go against the known world order. So, there is an issue for Aqua and a moral conflict for Kairi.

The core idea, though, is how Kairi handles being on her own without anyone she knows to guide her. Who is she without the Guardians of Light, the Keyblade, or Sora?

That’s the story premise I would want to be explored in a Kingdom Hearts title about Kairi.

What do you guys think about this? Let me know in the comment section. Until then, thank you for reading this post.

Edited May 2, 2023 by TrinityXaos#

[Kiari/Niamen/ No.XV 3]

I personally agree although Kairi and Sora would be such a cute couple I really want Kingdom Hearts 4 to have her in it and we should be able to play as her yes Ik that's most likely not gonna happen but still the least kh4 can do is give us flashbacks about Kairi's life.

[Javelin434 3,164]

I would absolutely make terrible financial decisions to buy a KH game that's centered on telling Kairi's story. I would love to see her have more screentime and see who she really is beyond her interactions with the mainline story characters!