Death Is Meaningless In Kingdom Hearts

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

This is a very interesting and well thought out topic!  True, death is kind of meaningless in this series, but in my honest opinion, I still find the "death" scenes present in the games to be very emotionally powerful!  They give me goosebumps every time, ya know?  And the fact that all these people might be saved doesn't ruin the experience for me, ya know?  It just makes me all the more excited because characters I know and love will come back, and they'll be able to be their own people and bring down Xehanort and his Seekers for good, ya know?  And besides, I've always wanted to see Vanitas come back, and I'm sure he will in Kingdom Hearts III!

 

But yeah, I'm pretty sure that things shall fit to a point where we'll all be satisfied when Kingdom Hearts III's credits roll!

[Hallowseve 143]

Sure! Let's kill the best characters off!

[Dracozombie 4,554]

How can one say that death in KH is meaningless if pretty much no one has technically 'died' to begin with? If anything, folks are just temporarily displaced, whether by merging with someone or having their heart in hibernation or what have you. I understand if someone feels the emotional impacts are cheapened because consequences don't seem permanent, but that just makes me direct my emotional investment to other areas. Even if we as the audience know someone will be fine, a character will not, and their reactions can be where we get our investment from.

 

Like many others, I do want Roxas and co. to come back, because I feel like their stories aren't done yet. It didn't feel like proper closure to me. No, deaths don't have to be satisfying and Simple and Clean, but killing someone off when it feels like there's so much more to be done with them can make fans want for more... except Roxas and the others weren't even technically killed off. Even at the end of KH2 they're shown to have some kind of remaining presence inside Sora and Kairi. And even after spoiling myself silly about the story (I didn't get into the series until a little before BBS came out) and therefore knowing what happens ahead of time, I still didn't think Roxas's story was done. Or, I could've grudgingly accepted it, but KH feels like a game that wants to give proper closure to things. There's nothing wrong with such a direction in an overall lighthearted series, and I mean, it is 50 percent Disney.

[bjshepp 6]

I mean, I can understand how villians like Jafar and Maleficent can be resurrected because they're magical creatures, and there's usually an explanation for it. 

 

What I don't understand is how killing off a Nobody, somehow makes them return back to their normal human selves. Not only does it undermine the events in COM and KH2, but it's completely nonsensical. It's probably dumbest plot relevation in the franchise next to time travel. DDS's plot in general was stupid.

[Firaga 5,947]

What I don't understand is how killing off a Nobody, somehow makes them return back to their normal human selves. Not only does it undermine the events in COM and KH2, but it's completely nonsensical.

 

What part of "Realm of Darkness is essentially Limbo" do you not understand?

[Mysterious Figure 353]

Having things happen simply for fanservice is terrible writing. There needs to be a PURPOSE to things happening. There needs to be a purpose for characters dying. If they all just come back, then there was no purpose for their deaths.

 

Personally, I'm hoping this can be overcome by giving their revival a bigger purpose, I'd be kinda dissappointed if they brought a character back then they didn't do anything. Someone mentioned that all Xion did was add a new layer to Roxas, this is pretty much true, but bringing her back gives her the chance to have a bigger purpose and a bigger impact on the overall plot.

 

Same with everyone else. Like Roxas didn't really impact the story much outside of Axel's character arc in KH2.

Naminé messed with Sora's memory but undid by the time KH2 started - again not much impact on the overall plot. (I say this one with caution since I could be forgetting some thing here; it's been a while since I played)

 

By bringing them back, Naminé is suddenly seems like a key player in bringing everyone else back (going by that Lingering Will scene) with knowledge no one else seems to have. I dunno what Roxas is gonna do but I hope it's awesome and meaningful. Hopefully the same with Xion.

 

Basically I don't think of it as their purpose being ruined but more like, now they have a second chance to have an even bigger purpose

[Kittenz 4,281]

It makes perfect sense to bring xion, roxas and namine back though. They never actually died and saving those who are lost is a big plot point. Not to mention they want their own existence and they can be made unique. 

[noiX 25]

 

PLEASE READ THE WHOLE POST BEFORE COMMENTING

 

Kingdom Hearts is my favorite series and I love many things about it. But, the only thing that actually aggravates me about this series is that death is meaningless. Whenever we kill a villain, they always come back by some bullshit method and whenever a good character dies, we get told that there's a way to bring them back. They act like a character dying is sad and they act like a character dying should make us sad or impact us in some way, but then just bring back the character/say the character can be brought back. This makes death absolutely meaningless and makes it so we feel no emotion when a character dies. Yes, we might feel a little emotion since we're seeing a character watch them die get sad and that rubs off on us, but we know that that character can easily come back so it's no where near as sad as it would be.

 

Maleficent dies but comes back because the three fairies remembered her. Oogie Boogie dies but comes back because apparently Maleficent has the ability to bring people back from the dead. Ursula dies but comes back in some weird phantom form because apparently Xehanort has the ability to make that happen. Xion, Roxas, and Namine "die" but we get told that there's a way to bring them back. Eraqus dies but apparently his heart was able to take refuge within Terra. Xehanort, Lea, Isa, Braig, Dilan, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Even are all back because apparently your original self returns if your Heartless and Nobody are destroyed. Turns out Ansem the Wise didn't actually die, he just got sent to the Realm of Darkness for some reason somehow. Xemnas and Ansem Seeker of Darkness died but they're back because time travel.

 

These are the most bullshit methods I've ever heard. Well, I guess the whole original person returning because Heartless/Nobody getting destroyed isn't that bad, but everything else I mentioned is complete bullshit.

 

I remember playing Kingdom Hearts II when I was like 6 and getting very emotional when Roxas and Namine formed back with Sora and Kairi and I remember playing 358/2 Days when I was like 9 and getting very emotional when Xion died. But, it turns out none of that mattered. It turns out they can just come back. What was the point? What was the point of having those emotional scenes if they can just come back? These characters coming back completely destroys and gets rid of my sad emotions for these characters. It completely undermines the emotional experiences I had playing through those games for the first time. Dream Drop Distance completely destroyed the Kingdom Hearts plot in my opinion. Having Disney villains come back by bullshit means isn't that aggravating since they're considered pretty unimportant when compared to the main characters, but when Dream Drop Distance came along and told us that all these characters came back and told us that all these other characters *can* come back, I was speechless. How could they do this? How could they just completely make all these characters I loved's deaths just mean absolutely nothing when they meant so much to me and impacted me so much?

 

Whenever I'd go replay the games and watch Roxas and Namine fuse back with Sora and Kairi or watch Xion die, I'd get emotional. But now, whenever I see those scenes, I feel nothing, because I know that any character can just come back.

 

I've seen people asking "what would ruin KH3 for you?" People reply with things such as "if the gameplay plays like Birth by Sleep or Dream Drop Distance", "if the graphics are bad", "if the final boss is anticlimactic", and "if it turns out Xehanort isn't the true villain", but the only thing that could ruin Kingdom Hearts III for me is if Xion, Roxas, and Namine return. The only thing that could ruin Kingdom Hearts III for me is if they rip those emotional moments from my past right out of my memories. And the sad thing is is I know they are going to do that. Now don't get me wrong, Kingdom Hearts III looks fantastic. Gameplay looks like it might be the most fun I'll ever have playing a game, graphics look great, cutscenes look interesting and exciting, but man, having Xion, Roxas, and Namine return would really be a downer. It wouldn't completely ruin the game for me, but it would definitely leave a substantial bitter taste in my mouth.

 

Am I the only one who feels this way? I can't be, right? I can think of a few other shows/games where a dead character returns and people are furious, so who else here feels the same way about KH? And I have a question for people who don't feel this way: "Why don't you feel this way?" Did you just not get emotional over their deaths to begin with so you won't care if they return?

 

Sorry for the long post. It's just, I haven't seen anyone else feel this way (I've actually only seen people feel the opposite way), so I had to vent and get this out of my system. Please, Square Enix, let Roxas, Namine, and Xion rest in peace.

 

"Please, Sqaure Enix, let Roxas, Namine, and Xion rest in peace.

They're not resting in peace though, that's the whole point of saving them...

Having things happen simply for fanservice is terrible writing. There needs to be a PURPOSE to things happening. There needs to be a purpose for characters dying. If they all just come back, then there was no purpose for their deaths.

 

It not being fair and them not having happy endings is what made it so great. The point of dying in stories is to get an emotional response out of your audience. Emotional responses = being more attached to the story and loving it more because it's impacted you. The point of death is that it's sad! Death is tragic. Death isn't a happy ending. That's what makes it good.

 

Yes, there are other ways to spawn conflict or drama. Since this is the case, then why do they even have characters die in this series? There is no point to it. They act like we should be sad about it. They act like they're emotional moments, but they aren't since we know they can just come back. It's terrible writing.

 

You're acting like the whole plot point of "Those Who Must Be Saved" has been around the entire time. It hasn't. Dream Drop Distance implemented it. We thought Roxas, Xion, Namine, Axel, etc. were all dead for good before DDD came along!

 

They didn't want hearts until DDD said that they did. They had a happy ending in KH2. The whole point of that scene when Roxas and Namine formed back together with Sora and Kairi was to show that they got a happy ending. They get to be together whenever Sora and Kairi are together. They were happy. They had a happy ending, until DDD said that they didn't. 

Wrong, DDD did not implement it. BBS did. Blank Points is basically Ansem telling us that the characters aren't lost for good and can be saved.

[palizinhas 102]

The idea that these people are hurting and need to be saved is one of the most consistent, recurring plot points the series has. It has been in every game for years now, and it's absolutely understandable why they would be in pain. To say that they are resting in peace and should stay as such ignores the fact it's been said multiple times that this isn't true. They aren't in peace, and the only way for them to be is Sora saving them.

 

And it's not like their particular cases - a heart inside someone - is some kind of new concept, as it's been around since Kairi in KH1. And Sora was able to have a physical form without a body just fine before Roxas returned to him, so it's not like being just a heart means it's impossible to exist.

 

The one thing stopping them from having their own existences before is what they took from Sora (well, and who knows with Naminé, she doesn't make sense generally), which he has back. And they don't need it again, because Sora may have been the original base to Xion and Roxas' existences, but they formed their own memories and don't need him anymore just as he doesn't need them.

 

All in all, I'd be more bothered if KH3 ignored the plotline of saving them than them coming back. The plotline exists for years so it's consistent, acting like RXN are gone completely goes against everything the past games have said and it's a plot hole.

[Firaga 5,947]

Wrong, DDD did not implement it. BBS did. Blank Points is basically Ansem telling us that the characters aren't lost for good and can be saved.

 

Actually, it goes as far back as the original Coded game, which was originally released in '08. Granted, the game was released in episodes that eventually concluded on January 28th, 2010, more than three weeks after Birth By Sleep had released, but technically still, the idea was first implemented in that game solely before BBS used it.

[Way2Dawn 80]

I dont think that death is meaningless because I dont believe it was ever established that death is a thing in this series.  It seems like "Death" has been replaced by "Sleep" and we imply that when one goes to sleep, one wakes up, which not only is realistic, but also is a very Disney concept, considering the fact that Aurora and Snow White were never meant to wake up, essentially making them dead, but they woke up.

 

And the Villains would have gotten away with it too if it werent for those meddling Princes (And Aqua too I suppose)

 

I like that "Sleep" isnt a permanent thing in this series, because it opens the story up for more possibilities.  Roxas, Xion and Namine were never supposed to exist in the first place, but the story tells us that they have as much of a right to exist as anyone coming from the interaction between Roxas and Sora in DDD, which I think is the most powerful scene in the whole game.  Its a really great story arc and Im glad they decided to go in this direction 

[noiX 25]

Actually, it goes as far back as the original Coded game, which was originally released in '08. Granted, the game was released in episodes that eventually concluded on January 28th, 2010, more than three weeks after Birth By Sleep had released, but technically still, the idea was first implemented in that game solely before BBS used it.

So I'm guessing that the part in Coded was right near the end, sometime around that January 28th area, right? If that is the case I guess you can say Coded implemented it but BBS really hammered it in. If it wasn't near the end, that's weird then because Days was released in 09, along with Xion, and she is part of the characters who are hurt. (Obviously )

[Elfdemon_ 695]

I dont think that death is meaningless because I dont believe it was ever established that death is a thing in this series.  It seems like "Death" has been replaced by "Sleep" and we imply that when one goes to sleep, one wakes up, which not only is realistic, but also is a very Disney concept, considering the fact that Aurora and Snow White were never meant to wake up, essentially making them dead, but they woke up.

 

And the Villains would have gotten away with it too if it werent for those meddling Princes (And Aqua too I suppose)

 

I like that "Sleep" isnt a permanent thing in this series, because it opens the story up for more possibilities.  Roxas, Xion and Namine were never supposed to exist in the first place, but the story tells us that they have as much of a right to exist as anyone coming from the interaction between Roxas and Sora in DDD, which I think is the most powerful scene in the whole game.  Its a really great story arc and Im glad they decided to go in this direction 

 

Death is a thing in this series. In the Secret Ansem's Reports, it is said that when a person's soul leaves their body, then they die. Clayton is dead, Oogie Boogie is dead, Jafar is dead, etc.

[Way2Dawn 80]

Death is a thing in this series. In the Secret Ansem's Reports, it is said that when a person's soul leaves their body, then they die. Clayton is dead, Oogie Boogie is dead, Jafar is dead, etc.

 

I mean, I get that, but those "Deaths" dont really follow along with the Kingdom Hearts story.  Its assumed theyre dead but its never really stated.  The OP, I believe, was stating more toward the fact that death is meaningless when it comes to the storys main characters, in which case none of them actually "Die", they're either put to sleep or their heart is transported or taking sanctuary in anothers heart.

 

My point is that it seems much more complicated than "they die, then are brought back to life, so its meaningless", although the confusion is understandable.  We assume Eraqus is dead when we see the fight between him and Terra, until Blank Points when its said his heart is actually in Terra, so was he ever really dead? I think no.  Same with Ven or Roxas or Xion etc.  Given the information that we know now, were any of them legitimately dead?  It doesnt seem so 

 

Thus, this whole thing isnt meaningless.  It isnt bringing people back from the dead, its a rescue mission

 

Edit: I just reread the OP and it does mention the Disney villains being resurrected, my bad I forgot, but I dont see that as much of a problem with the story

Edited August 25, 2016 by Way2Dawn

[palizinhas 102]

So I'm guessing that the part in Coded was right near the end, sometime around that January 28th area, right? If that is the case I guess you can say Coded implemented it but BBS really hammered it in. If it wasn't near the end, that's weird then because Days was released in 09, along with Xion, and she is part of the characters who are hurt. (Obviously )

Going by re:coded (as I never played coded) I'd say it's a bit of both. The reason the story of coded happens is Naminé's message in the journal, that there are people who are hurting and Sora needs to end their torment, but exactly what her message is doesn't get explained until the very end. So the idea was implemented before - it's the premise of the game - but the specifics of it, who needs to be saved, is something that wasn't revealed until much later, probably in the last update. So yeah, it's a coded thing, but Blank Points was the biggest moment for the saving plotline at the time.

 

At the very least, that means the saving plotline was decided all the way back then, if not earlier than that (though, to be fair, it might have been just TAV at first, and RXN got added due to popularity of the characters or how much Nomura ended up liking them, there is truly no way to tell, but either way 2010 is the year we got that, and all six + Axel were included, though Axel not saying Sora's name in Blank Points already made clear his pain was different from the others).

[Roxasrox 131]

Thing is, the characters haven't actually died. Death as it is established in the series has only actually been shown to happen to a select number of Disney villains. Becomeing a heartless is not death. The destruction of a nobody is not death. Rejoining with your orginal self as a nobody is not death. Even Ansem merely disappeared after the machine blew up. Literally anything could have happened to him but everybody just assumed he was dead since he never reappeared within the same game. Nobody ever came out and said "This person is dead" at any point, so if you feel cheated that these characters are returning, you only have yourself to blame.

 

There was definitely tragedy associated with these scenes. Even now, not just at the time, there still is. Loss is still being suffered. Pain is still being endured. There's still a cost to be paid. Don't devalue that in the face of the desire for death in a story you're invested in. A story doesn't need death for the sake of death, just as it doesn't not need revival for the sake of not having revival.

 

The story is heading in a much more uplifting and heartwarming direction full of many more new possibilities thanks to the return of characters who were denied the right to exist by forces beyond their control despite their clear emotional wishes to live as themselves, to be their own people, to not have to make those sacrifices. They've given us powerful moments of sacrfice nonetheless due to not having any other choice at the time, but this isn't the series hitting an "undo" button later in the same game. We're almost a year onwards in-universe and 6-8 years or so out of universe.

We've moved on.

We're moving forward.

We're paying back these people for those sacrifices they made and giving them the lives they always wanted, provided they stop Xehanort in the process. The stakes are higher and the reward is bigger. We're not just fighting to stop evil, we're fighting to give these lost hearts a second chance.

 

If you don't think that's beautiful because you think Kingdom Hearts isn't depressing enough for your tastes, I don't know what to tell you.

[NemesisSP 160]

Roxas and Namine never died, though. Even Xion's death was merely ceasing to exist as a separate person outside of Sora. The concept of death as we know it doesn't exist in Kingdom Hearts and Nomura confirmed this a long time ago.

 

That doesn't mean there hasn't been permanent deaths in the series. As non-canon has it is, I'm pretty sure Clayton wouldn't come back even if they were allowed to still use Deep Jungle. He wasn't turned into a Heartless, after all. Mufasa also is still dead from before the first game even began, as are a few others.

 

It is understandable that having a permanent death of one of the main characters might up the stakes somewhat, but think about this. When DC and Marvel decided they were going to in a completely new direction for several of their stories, they came up with several stories that had a huge amount of shock deaths intended to give the stories more lasting consequences. Forgetting that dropping the bridge on a character doesn't make a story better.

 

The same thing can be said here. Killing off characters for the sake of killing them off doesn't raise the stakes. It just shows you like shock value over engaging character and story development.

[The Deathdealer 96]

I'm so sick of Ansem Seeker of Darkness at this point but I have one or two more reasons.

 

At first I liked him back in KH 1 and CoM because that was before we got a bajillion amount of Xehanorts so at the time I let his return slide

 

Seeing him in DDD was too much cuz I'm so sick of the guy already on top of the fact he's the cheapest story boss in the game.

 

The problem is,Death do exist in KH........just not to the main characters of the series

 

Barbosa and Shan Yu clearly died and so is Scar and we see those die on screen(Sora:HEY HAPPY MURDERS DISNEEEEY) but nope any character that originates from KH has to never die

 

they basically have plot armor.A.K.A you'll never die as long as plot and fanservice demand your existence

Eraqus, Xehanort, there is no reason for any of the mains to die as of yet

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Eraqus, Xehanort, there is no reason for any of the mains to die as of yet

For Xehanort you're right cuz in KH3 that's where he'll die for good.

 

Eraqus though?What's the point of keeping him alive?I feel like they're keeping him just for a cheaply made reunion so the BBS trio could get their happy ending

[The Deathdealer 96]

For Xehanort you're right cuz in KH3 that's where he'll die for good.

 

Eraqus though?What's the point of keeping him alive?I feel like they're keeping him just for a cheaply made reunion so the BBS trio could get their happy ending

I said mains Eraqus is probably going to stay gone even though it would be much more interesting if he came back to life, as he can probably share what happened to him, it can show the effects of the characters as well which is a lot more interesting than a death because you get over it, at some point. As it could show some interesting development into how much of a father figure Terra sees him as, and the emotional stress that could come about if he came back to life, which would be natural for any human being, especially considering his bout with the darkness, and Xehanort, if a loved one of a person came back to life, they would be feeling all sorts of emotions, not just happy. 

Hell death for drama in of itself is cheap, as it shows a lack of creative talent. You don't need death to have great drama in fact Captain America Civil War is a shining example no one died in that movie, yet it still had the suspense, the consequences, and even the drama to go with it.

also you can't compare DBZ resurrection to Kingdom Hearts because 

1. No one has out right died and come back to life.

2. Their hasn't been a confirmed way of bringing someone back to life. 

3. There is no guarantee of a resurrection which gives it much more stakes 

 

It's fact of the matter is a resurrection doesn't automatically cheapen a death, sometimes the journey for that resurrection is perilous, which can give much more interesting character development to the other characters who were involved in such a situation as opposed to them being dead, them crying about it for one game or so then continuing on as if nothing happened. Which is why I like how Kingdom Hearts spaces it, they don't just do it instantly, and I would imagine the journey to resurrect someone won't be as simple as collecting the dragon balls, and asking for a wish.

 

For the BBS trio a cheaply made reunion would be if Aqua, just could summon KH at will to resurrect the dead, however if they go through a journey of all sorts of trials and tribulation, maybe have it be a one off thing that's a perfect ressurection, as that is pretty much is what KH builds up to a happy ending, but not an easy happy ending

Edited September 6, 2016 by Casper Formadi

[Dio Brando 5,810]

I said mains Eraqus is probably going to stay gone even though it would be much more interesting if he came back to life, as he can probably share what happened to him, it can show the effects of the characters as well which is a lot more interesting than a death because you get over it, at some point. Hell death for drama in of itself is cheap, as it shows a lack of creative talent. You don't need death to have great drama in fact Captain America Civil War is a shining example no one died in that movie, yet it still had the suspense, the consequences, and even the drama to go with it.

also you can't compare DBZ resurrection to Kingdom Hearts because 

1. No one has out right died and come back to life.

2. Their hasn't been a confirmed way of bringing someone back to life. 

3. There is no guarantee of a resurrection which gives it much more stakes 

 

It's fact of the matter is a resurrection doesn't automatically cheapen a death, sometimes the journey for that resurrection is perilous, which can give much more interesting character development to the other characters who were involved in such a situation as opposed to them being dead, them crying about it for one game or so then continuing on as if nothing happened. Which is why I like how Kingdom Hearts spaces it, they don't just do it instantly, and I would imagine the journey to resurrect someone won't be as simple as collecting the dragon balls, and asking for a wish.

A ressurection doesn't cheapen a death as long as it's used sparcely not being spammed

 

in Dragon Ball Z death is meaningless cuz all it takes is using the 7 Dragon balls to summon Shenron and bring the dead back to life

 

I'm not saying death should be spammed either but don't show me a character like Eraqus who clearly died on screen and never had his heart float to another body like Xehanort and tell me he's alive

 

Don't tell me that Xion is erased from existence when she too can be brought back anyway

[The Deathdealer 96]

A ressurection doesn't cheapen a death as long as it's used sparcely not being spammed

 

in Dragon Ball Z death is meaningless cuz all it takes is using the 7 Dragon balls to summon Shenron and bring the dead back to life

 

I'm not saying death should be spammed either but don't show me a character like Eraqus who clearly died on screen and never had his heart float to another body like Xehanort and tell me he's alive

 

Don't tell me that Xion is erased from existence when she too can be brought back anyway

Eraqus and Xion coming back to life wouldn't cheapen anything, especially if the journey to get them back to life is earned(hard), simple as that 2 characters is not spamming, Xion wasn't wiped out of existance she just is in Roxas' subconscious. In fact them coming back to life would actually be the most interesting and dramatic resurrections considering how they died, and what it would possibly take to get them back up again. No matter how sparce a ressurection is, it can still cheapen a death, if the ressurection is easy to obtain, number isn't exactly relevant for example if Sora could just summon himself up to Kingdom Hearts without any type of journey what so ever he just shows up and bam he can ressurect the dead that would be cheap, or an even better example would be the proposed Amazing Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker was going to have magic blood to ressurect the dead, the only dead people that mattered was Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy. You want to know why that would have cheapened the death? It's because their deaths is for Peter to learn a lesson, not to mention death would have no meaning because of how overpowered it is, and their wouldn't be a journey to make the resurrection mean something. I also wouldn't say the main KH characters have plot armor because you could say that about just about any fictional character hero or heroes, hell you could say the same thing about Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 9 characters. It's just that and I would prefer it to remain this way, there are other ways to character stakes that are much more creative than character deaths Civil War vs Age of Ultron proves this, they killed Quicksilver off, yet most people if asked which movie had more important stakes it would be Civil War a movie that shows that you can have tremendous stakes, suspense and drama without a single character dead. Hell it's one of the reasons I don't want any of the mains to die in Kingdom Hearts 3, the game is about ending Xehanort's influence, and Sora saving everyone in the end this isn't a cheap happy ending as it is worked towards, it's not just handed to him like a 5 dollar bill he and his friends have to work towards it, they may have a few close calls, but in the end they have a good happy ending.

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Eraqus and Xion coming back to life wouldn't cheapen anything, especially if the journey to get them back to life is earned(hard), simple as that 2 characters is not spamming, Xion wasn't wiped out of existance she just is in Roxas' subconscious. In fact them coming back to life would actually be the most interesting and dramatic resurrections considering how they died, and what it would possibly take to get them back up again. No matter how sparce a ressurection is, it can still cheapen a death, if the ressurection is easy to obtain, number isn't exactly relevant for example if Sora could just summon himself up to Kingdom Hearts without any type of journey what so ever he just shows up and bam he can ressurect the dead that would be cheap, or an even better example would be the proposed Amazing Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker was going to have magic blood to ressurect the dead, the only dead people that mattered was Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy. You want to know why that would have cheapened the death? It's because their deaths is for Peter to learn a lesson, not to mention death would have no meaning because of how overpowered it is, and their wouldn't be a journey to make the resurrection mean something. I also wouldn't say the main KH characters have plot armor because you could say that about just about any fictional character hero or heroes, hell you could say the same thing about Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 9 characters. It's just that and I would prefer it to remain this way, there are other ways to character stakes that are much more creative than character deaths Civil War vs Age of Ultron proves this, they killed Quicksilver off, yet most people if asked which movie had more important stakes it would be Civil War a movie that shows that you can have tremendous stakes, suspense and drama without a single character dead. Hell it's one of the reasons I don't want any of the mains to die in Kingdom Hearts 3, the game is about ending Xehanort's influence, and Sora saving everyone in the end this isn't a cheap happy ending as it is worked towards, it's not just handed to him like a 5 dollar bill he and his friends have to work towards it, they may have a few close calls, but in the end they have a good happy ending.

2 characters?

 

Dude thanks to the fact that a human is back once you kill his heartless and nobody not only we got Xehanort but we also got all six Apprentices of Ansem back alongside Lea\Axel and Isa\Saix although in Xigbar's case he's already a Xehanort clone along with Saix 

 

I'm not asking for a battleroyale death galore

[The Deathdealer 96]

2 characters?

 

Dude thanks to the fact that a human is back once you kill his heartless and nobody not only we got Xehanort but we also got all six Apprentices of Ansem back alongside Lea\Axel and Isa\Saix although in Xigbar's case he's already a Xehanort clone along with Saix 

 

I'm not asking for a battleroyale death galore

Again those aren't deaths, as Tetsuya Nomura has stated before death in Kingdom Hearts is when a person's soul is out right removed from their bodies, ie what's going to happen to Xehanort he will be our first legit death. What you are talking about is more akin to displacement than death 

[Dio Brando 5,810]

Again those aren't deaths, as Tetsuya Nomura has stated before death in Kingdom Hearts is when a person's soul is out right removed from their bodies, ie what's going to happen to Xehanort he will be our first legit death. What you are talking about is more akin to displacement than death 

But in order to really kill someone in the KH universe then how can they do it with the keyblade?

 

Cuz when a keyblade stabs a person it releases their heart never killing them so if they defeated Xehanort using the keyblade then he'll become a heartless and his body would become a nobody again and the cycle goes on

 

It might be a powerful weapon capable of unlocking the hearts of men but the keyblade cannot kill and at best if you didn't become a heartless your heart goes to Kingdom Hearts waiting for an eventual resurrection