The Importance of Being Kairi

[Dave 5,715]

It kind of bugs me when people say Kairi's useless. Mainly because it seems that people are determining her use almost entirely on her lack of martial and physical skills. Like somehow, unless you can pick up a keyblade and go to town with it, your use is minimal.

 

But here's the thing: no one accuses Hayner, Pence, or Ollette of being useless, even though they never fight (with any great effectiveness), because what matters is the friendship and companionship that the bring. Sora himself says that its not a matter of what you can physically do to help your friends, but just being there is a use all in its own. Kairi doesn't have to be a ninja like the rest of the cast, because her strengths and powers lie in something else.

 

She gets kidnapped a lot, you say? Well, not really her fault. The first time, she was in a comatose state, and the second time, what the heck is anyone going to do to stop Axel? She gets into a bad way, sure. But what makes her strong is how she handles herself in those situations. In Hollow Bastion, she's loathe to even consider leaving, knowing that Sora is in trouble. In KHII, it's clear that she's managed to move on with her life, meaning she's not clingy or dependent on Riku and Sora, but still thinks about them and stays true to their friendship. When she gets hauled away, she still keeps up a strong face in the presence of Saix and Axel. Really, what more could you want in that situation?

 

The problem is that most people confuse strength of character with physical strength. That's not the case. Kairi's strength comes from strength of will, character, and thought, and in that realm, she's probably one of the strongest characters in the series.

 

 

[SSGoten 59]

She's probably going to be very important in KH3 because didn't Yen Sid call her in at the end of 3D? If I'm correct about that, she's probably going to actually being a keyblade user (I mean she'll probably defeat heartless) in KH3 or something. 

[The_eternal_nothing 586]

hayner coulld fight remember the struggle tournament 

[Hei 3,233]

She is also one of the motivations that drives Sora to get stronger and keep moving forward, I don't find her useless at all. You make really good points as well

[HarLea Quinn 26,501]

Well that and people forget that if it wasn't for Kairi restoring Sora when he was a heartless , what would've happened then ? How would that have changed the plot/outcome ? You don't neccessarily have to be a physical fighter to be integral to the cause.

[flameking11 12]

I think she is stong, when she gets her keybalde she defeates shadows in one hit, something that Sora could not do when he first gained his keyblade.

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

She is not useless. She has had problems with the princess syndrome, but that's more the situation the character was written in rather than the character herself. With Riku sent to train her to use the Keyblade, I'm hoping she'll really be given opportunity and room to shine.

[Saber Lily 1,543]

You are my hero

[King.Mickey 359]

I'm hoping we can play as her some day. I bet he's going to let us, it only makes sense to have her as a playable character now. It would be stupid as hell not to take advantage of that.

[griann 59]

Thank you!

[Dracozombie 4,554]

Believe me, Kairi's lack of worth as a character has nothing to do with her lack of fighting ability.  If you have time, you can read an analysis I've come across that really breaks down her true weakness in terms of character and plot:

 

http://divineduckling.livejournal.com/4100.html

[Weiss 8,279]

Kairi gets a lot of random hate

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

Believe me, Kairi's lack of worth as a character has nothing to do with her lack of fighting ability.  If you have time, you can read an analysis I've come across that really breaks down her true weakness in terms of character and plot:

 

http://divineduckling.livejournal.com/4100.html

Infesting articul, though lacking in info beyond kh1 and CoM that I could see. Till kh2, I might have agreed, but since it is around, Kairi has grown.

A lot of the issues of her popping up on the islands and befriending sora are easier to believe when you take into account Aqua's charm that was placed on Kairi in BBS.

Was she a bit discounted in Kh1? Yeah, a bit. But kh2 helped bring her along nicely to a character I'm interested in seeing. She displayed strength in her standing against Saix when she escaped imprisonment with Namine's help. Also, she joined the fray against the heartless instead of huddling back behind Riku, to find Sora.

[Forever Love 82]

Believe me, Kairi's lack of worth as a character has nothing to do with her lack of fighting ability.  If you have time, you can read an analysis I've come across that really breaks down her true weakness in terms of character and plot:

 

http://divineduckling.livejournal.com/4100.html

All that article did was piss me off. To like, NO END. I support both SoNami and SoKai, but the hate towards Kairi in that was just ridiculous.

 

There was another thread about this, regarding Kairi's character. As I stated there, it's not her fault. Nomura did this to her. He should get the backlash. End of story. I agree with you on her strength not being physical but internal. She has a pure heart, and pure hearts have the ability to hold a lot of power. We just haven't gotten the chance to see it yet. I have faith that KHIII will give us a lead.

[Dave 5,715]

Believe me, Kairi's lack of worth as a character has nothing to do with her lack of fighting ability.  If you have time, you can read an analysis I've come across that really breaks down her true weakness in terms of character and plot:

 

http://divineduckling.livejournal.com/4100.html

 

A very interesting article. It's definitely got some good points. I can sympathize with the dislike of the passive protaganist, since its a charge I level very heavily at BBS, but I think Kairi has one or two things in her favor on that front. Mainly because she's in a coma for the better part of the game. Granted, that's one of the things the author says makes her almost replaceable, but I'm more inclined to give her leeway simply because her character was placed in a position within the plot to not really have a chance to be more active in it. Compare it to Eraquas, who has the means, motivations, and ability to take more command in the plot of BBS, but chooses not to. In his case, there really is no reason for a lack of active quest. With Kairi, her being on the sidelines stems from plot points that actually make a level of sense: she's in a coma for most of the game, and then when she wakes up, she doesn't really have the skill, training, or experience to go to the End of the World. Like Sora says, she would kind of be in the way, and in fact, I would be more annoyed if she did suddenly develop powers or abilities that let her be on the same level of Sora. She's more passive, to be sure, but it's a realistic passiveness, given where the plot was going and where she found herself in it.

 

Also, it's worth recognizing that this isn't, and never was, Kairi's story. She's an important character in it, but the story is Sora and Riku's. She's not in the driver's seat, but that's because the narrative we are being told isn't focusing on hers. If we were to write the story based on what Kairi was doing in the year between KH1 and 2, and she was still sort of just sitting around, that would be a different story. Although, given how we see that she seems quite mentally capable and active at the beggining of KH2, and looks to be having a grip on things, I think it's safe to say that her narrative would still have her being active.

 

I really don't agree with the RPG princess evidence. The characters the writer cites seem arbitrarily chosen based on who they deemed strong (I'm certain one could find examples of "weaker" RPG princesses), and again, none of them find themselves in the same position as Kairi does in the plot (being practically dead). It's worth pointing out, also, that Aerith never had to actively work to be one of the Ancients, nor did Garnet have to work to be the one who could summon Eidelons: the plot hands that to the both of them in an order to center the events that pan out around them. The same charge of Kairi being hedged into an important plot role really could be leveled at most RPG Princesses. Not to mention that this is once again gauging Kairi's worth based on a battle oriented mentality, rather than who she is.

[Dracozombie 4,554]

All that article did was piss me off. To like, NO END. I support both SoNami and SoKai, but the hate towards Kairi in that was just ridiculous.

 

There was another thread about this, regarding Kairi's character. As I stated there, it's not her fault. Nomura did this to her. He should get the backlash. End of story. I agree with you on her strength not being physical but internal. She has a pure heart, and pure hearts have the ability to hold a lot of power. We just haven't gotten the chance to see it yet. I have faith that KHIII will give us a lead.

 

Truthfully, the attitude in that article rubbed me the wrong way as well, but in terms of the general analysis, I think it's difficult to argue against a lot of her points.  It was when she got to the shipping part and how SoRiku and Sora/Namine are superior that I stopped reading, it having lost all objectivity and started spouting off "evidence" that's easily debatable, unlike the previous sections.  I forgot to warn people to disregard the shipping section when I linked to that article, because there's not much to take from it.  You're right, it's not Kairi's fault.  That's why I don't hate her and am hoping she'll get her chance to shine in future installments, but the article analyzes quite a bit.

[Javelin434 3,164]

You sir, are my HERO for posting such a thread! I'm getting real sick and tired of all the hate with Kairi. The way how I saw it, she gives Sora a damn good reason to embark on the journey in KH1, and I'm sitting there thinking "He's kicking butt to save his friends (especially her). The fact that he is also saving the worlds is a fortunate byproduct of his actions." You can be the most powerful person in the game for all you know and care, but if they have no motivation whatsoever, choosing a stick may be a better option. 

She was his motivation, his goal and ultimate objective: To ensure her protection and to make sure she is safe (oh, and Riku too!)

COOKIES FOR YOU!!!!

Edited February 25, 2013 by javelin434

[Oblivion21 29]

Kairi can be replaced, but that doesn't make her a bad character. It matters if she gets removed from the story, and no significant changes happen. Which in this case is not true.