DestinysUnion

Okay! Thank you for clarifying! The signs-ups for joining the event ends tomorrow night, but you'll have through March 2nd to finish and submit your piece.

Okay, thank you! I'll definitely look into signing up then! One more question, do all written pieces have to take place in the KH universe? I noticed one of the rules mentions creating a "Kingdom Hearts-adjacent" work, so I wasn't sure if full-blown AU's were allowed, or if we should only work within the established canon setting. Sorry I'm reading too deep into all the details. lol I don't want to accidentally break any rules.

Ooh, neat! I was just wondering when this would be announced. XD I've never partaken in March Caprice before, but I'm considering joining this year. How does the theme work exactly? It is just the visual theme of the event and is separate from the user-submitted content? Or does all the writings, illustrations, cosplay, music, etc. have to carry the theme of "Data?" EDIT: another question! I know it says only one art piece per person, but would it be alright to submit to multiple categories? For example, one illustration and one writing?

@varxtis I'm pinging you in case you haven't seen this post yet. Someone ripped a ton of BBS voice clips.

The Sounds Resource has a lot of battle quotes and sound effects, although it looks like some games only have the JP voices. Hopefully this helps! https://www.sounds-resource.com/search/?q=kingdom+hearts&c=-1&o[]=ig&o[]=g

I would really like this. Lol Imo, the series needs to retire Xehanort as a character, but I also completely expect him to show up in KH4 anyway, so why not give him a great send-off like this? Plus, that would feel like a good tie-in and conclusion to Dark Road, which is currently pretty stand-alone. Acknowledging his Quadratum (after)life as his 14th life where he finally fights for the good side and truly turns around would be great. And YES! Keep Sora normal! To be honest, I don’t want Sora to be the Child of Destiny (even though I really expect it). If he can rewrite reality by distorting nature and then turns out to be some special prophesied chosen hero, I think he’s officially lost his “normal” status. …And I likely won’t understand why being officially named a Keyblade Master (which really doesn’t mean or do anything and wouldn't change anything for him) would be too special for him at that point. lol I figure the MoM plot is more likely to conclude in KH5, since KH4 will probably be all about Quadratum, etc., so I’m not sure Xehanort could actually make it past KH4 to help defeat the MoM’s overall plan, but having him play a significant role in helping Sora in KH4 (especially against the MoM in some way) and being the Child of Destiny is something I’m hoping for now. Lol

Thank you! I’m glad you liked it and I could help, especially since I think I spent a little too much time on my comment. lol

Is it their personalities you don’t care for, or do you find their roles in the story uninteresting? Or both? I can see where Aqua might come off as less interesting than the other major characters since she’s actually pretty normal in comparison. You have characters like Terra/Riku who struggle with self-doubt and being manipulated by darkness, Ven/Kairi who lack any darkness in their hearts, one by natural and the other by unnatural means, Roxas/Xion/Namine who are all mysterious and unusual Nobodies, and Axel who was introduced as a scheming and quirky assassin. Obviously, Sora’s more “normal” than Aqua, but he’s also the Not Special But Still Special Chosen One series protagonist. Aqua’s essentially “just” a duty-bound Keyblade Master who worries about her friends, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but her role is far-removed from being considered unusual within the lore, and I know some people often prefer mysterious and/or “dark” characters over the morally upright and dutiful ones (on the contrary, I love the morally upright and dutiful ones. lol). But despite lacking any eccentricities or mysterious qualities, I personally think Aqua’s plenty interesting just by her personality, interactions with other characters, and story themes. Considering her story in BBS is about her chasing after her friends, she’s set in more of a supportive role, but it fits with her newly given responsibilities as a Keyblade Master. It’s kinda subtle, but she learns to become a better leader; she realizes she should give Ven more space and becomes less protective, and she learns to be more flexible about situations. She worries a lot about her friends, and I know some people are skeptical of her for doubting Terra so much, but I think she made the Wayfinders in the first place to help appease her own doubts about their uncertain futures together, considering the Mark of Mastery Exam was about to be held, so her worries were exasperated by Terra’s affinity for darkness (and his failing the exam), Eraqus worrying about him, Maleficent lying about him helping her, etc. Suffice to say, I think Aqua worries a lot, but keeps it on the inside. She suffers through a situation where she earnestly believes in her friends and their connection, but she also thinks too much and lets her worries get the better of her. I think at the center of her story is her desire to preserve her bond with her friends, but it’s also about her learning to believe. Even all that aside, I just find Aqua to be really sweet and a good person. She can come off as stoic and all business, but she’s actually a girly-girl who likes flowers and kids and believes in the power of true love and will sass villains. I mean no shots at the other female characters or how they’re handled when I say I think Aqua is the most deep and well-rounded of them. I think all of the main characters are deep, but some of them aren’t given quite enough screen time to take advantage of, or they take a little more work to understand. Even just counting BBS, Aqua gets a lot of time on screen due to having her own story, along with the (greatly overlooked, imo) detail that each BBS protag has their own arc in each Disney world that usually relates in some way to their current plot and their overall character development, even if it’s small or takes reading into to see. I usually learn to like a character better by reviewing.their scenes and trying to understand their motivations, why they acted a certain way or what a line meant, etc. Noticing Aqua’s solemn expression in the background after she white lies to Ven that he’s always lived with them in the Land of Departure, or considering how she patiently and silently waits for Terra’s explanation in the Keyblade Graveyard, without accusing or questioning him first, are cool details that help deepen her character. Long story short, I just really like Aqua and her interactions with other characters. I think she has a lot of good depth, and she doesn’t need fancy lore to be interesting. I can’t say anything about Jill because I haven’t played FF16, so… yeah. lol But if you find you’re just not interested in certain characters, that’s totally okay. They may grow on you with more time, or maybe not. Try to avoid forcing yourself to like anyone, it won’t end well.

I think it might be a problem with your controller? I was thinking about it, and your problem reminded me of when I'd play games using my old Gamecube controllers with worn-out control sticks and I would struggle to have a character run when the stick was pointed upwards. I just found where someone had a similar problem with KHFM on Reddit a few years ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/KingdomHearts/comments/8qp094/kh15_walk_bug_kingdom_hearts_15/ Have you tried playing with a different controller? Or maybe you can try resetting the current controller, or blowing off the control stick with a can of air? I hope your problem is solved soon!

I think KHII Final Mix and Re:COM only came packaged together? So the JP version's actually the better deal, since you probably got two games for the price of one. lol If you played KHII without beating Re:COM first, then I think all the new Final Mix cutscenes were voiceless (like KH1 Final Mix's new cutscenes), whereas playing Re:COM first added the voice clips.

Like what NeoLimitForm said, I think it was a matter of time and budget. If I remember correctly, Re:COM was made as a bonus game packaged in with KHII Final Mix as extra incentive for players to buy KHII a second time. Developing Re:COM's system from the ground up probably already took a bit of time and resources, which is probably why they prioritized making only the main story cutscenes voiced.

Earlier this March, the global version of Line Disney Tsum Tsum introduced 3 new KH tsums: Sora & Roxas pair tsum, King Mickey (KH3 Version), and Dark Riku, who are all in the Premium Box for the remainder of the month. At present, new tsums Axel and Namine have Lucky Time going, meaning that you have an increased likelihood of pulling them from the Premium Box. At the end of the month there will be a Lucky Time for all 5 of the new tsums at once. There is also a KH themed event going called "Battles in the Tsum World," which sees you visiting various worlds from the KH series and battling Heartless. In-game KH themed pins will be awarded for clearing specific worlds. There is also a Sticker Book event coming that can only be played with the 5 new tsums, also featuring a KH theme. https://twitter.com/LINE_tsumtsum_g Sorry I'm late with this news!

You're welcome! And you weren't offensive or anything, so don't worry about it! Exploring Kairi losing her Keyblade while struggling with darkness and delving deeper into the subject of sacrifice sounds pretty cool and deep. lol And reviewing characters and canon again is always a good idea; sometimes you'll find something you didn't notice before. That's definitely happened to me before, haha But in the end, it's your story, so write it how you want to. I don't want to control it and turn it into something you won't be happy with. Just have fun with it!

Hey, I saw where you were asking for help with Kairi’s character, and I thought I’d give my two cents. I like the points you brought up in the other thread, like Kairi’s hobbies, her education, the idea that she could be a little too dependent and need to learn to stand on her own sometimes, and I’m always up for expanding on friendships and interactions. And exploring someone at their highest and lowest points always has the potential to be very insightful and relatable. But I don’t think the tone of the story itself fits Kairi too well? When I think about Kairi’s personality, the three things that come to mind are that she’s bubbly, pure, and mature. I feel the story’s viewpoint is a bit too aggressive for Kairi? I understand she’s hurting, but she no longer feels like a purehearted character. I think that’s a common occurrence when people try to humanize her. [unless you intend to have her lose her PoH powers after KH3, but even then, I think she’d still remain pretty pure?] I get maybe you’re going for a darker approach with her, maybe you want to explore her struggling with darkness, but it still seems too aggressive to me. I saw where you asked if she hates sacrifice, and I see where you’re coming from with that idea, but I don’t think Kairi would view sacrifice as something so completely selfish, even despite being on the hurting end of it. I think her feeling hurt over Sora‘s sacrifices is a good direction, but instead of feeling anger and hatred, I think she’d feel more guilt at the fact that Sora had to sacrifice himself for her. And that could channel into her desire to become stronger. I think Kairi has a quiet maturity to her despite all her purity, so I feel she would understand the action of sacrifice and respect her friends’ decisions, even if she wishes there was another way to do the right thing. I mean, I’m pretty sure she would sacrifice herself for any of them in a second if she needed to. And I’m not sure why Aqua gets so strict by the end? She’s a gentle soul, despite her strict upbringing and heavy responsibilities. That could be on me, though, for just not getting the insinuation there. These are just my thoughts, you don’t have to agree with them, of course. And I’m so sorry if I came off harsh at all! I think everyone has their own ideas on the traumas the main characters do and don’t, should and shouldn’t, suffer from, so everyone’s viewpoints are going to be a little different. I feel like I always disagree with the levels of guilt and trauma people give them, and I also happen to be someone who wants everyone on the happier end after KH3, so maybe I don’t even count here. Lol Regardless, I think you’ve got some cool ideas and I wish you the best with your story!

You can find bigger portraits for the main characters when you go to their KHWiki gallery pages, although I don't think the portraits for Disney characters are uploaded.

I'm sorry you're having trouble with this. Unfortunately, I can't help since I'm not a PC gamer. The KH13 forums can be pretty slow, so I don't know if you'll find help here, but maybe you'll have better luck asking on Reddit or in a KH discord? I hope someone can help you out!

I don't know if this is the one you're looking for, but in an interview with USGamer prior to KHIII's release, this was said Here's the full interview: https://www.kh13.com/news/usgamer-interviews-tetsuya-nomura-on-kingdom-hearts-iii-development-pirates-of-the-caribbean-gummi-ship-system-and-much-more/ And in the KHIII Ultimania, there was an interview with Nomura where he said something similar again. Full interview here: https://www.kh13.com/news/spoilers-the-big-tetsuya-nomura-interview-from-kingdom-hearts-iii-ultimania-has-been-translated-in-full-r2953/ I hope this helps.

1. Xion's hair is still black in KH3, the lighting in the Keyblade Graveyard just adds a brown tint to it. I'm under the impression the character models in the Jiminy Journal use a Graveyard-esque type of lighting there, too, so if her hair looks brown there, that's why. I could be misremembering that, though. 2. Riku heard the Riku Replica's voice when he was swallowed by the Demon Tower, and that's who he left his broken Keyblade for. Also, a cutscene during the Anti-Aqua scene (right before Riku fights the Demon Tower again) shows Riku-Replica with the complete Way to the Dawn. 3. I think the only thing that's been said about Riku's and Mickey's new Keyblades is that they "upgraded" their Keyblades or something. Strangely, there's really no lore given for how/where Riku got a new one. But I assume Keyblade creation could come up in a future game, given Keyblade upgrading's becoming more and more of a thing (Mickey, KH3, KHUX). 4. I don't know Dragon Ball, so I can't comment on that comparison, but Kairi and Lea trained in a world where time was altered in order to speed up their training. Yen Sid had Merlin and the three Good Fairies do the same thing back in DDD to speed up Lea obtaining a Keyblade. The reason Kairi and Lea didn't do so great in the final battle is because a) they were still newbie wielders with practically no real-world battle experience with their weapons, and b) because, although KH3 is a great game, its story really struggled with giving the majority of its characters attention and fitting them in due to time constraints, limited space on the disc, the difficult and complicated situation the story ended up in, and the troubled development the game went through. Unfortunately, I can't help with the gameplay-related questions because I haven't completed those sidequests, but I imagine any Keyblade you unlocked would be carried over in a New Game+, so maybe you didn't unlock it?

For anyone worried the game won't be finished, they're not saying that. They're just telling us the update is delayed until further notice and they're not ready to give an ETA for it. If the update were actually cancelled, then I'm sure there would've been a message from Nomura apologizing and explaining why. KH games tend to have delays lately, and this is probably just another instance of that. Admittedly, I think "indefinitely" is a scary word to put in the article's title and I think they should remove it.

Very nice video! Thank you for speaking up about her character. And awww, I never noticed Kairi pulling Mickey back from that explosion! XD It was also really cool to see the comparisons of her from KH1, KH2, and KH3. I always felt Kairi never deserved the hate she got (although I don't think any character ever does lol). The truth is Kairi is not useless at all, people just overlook that fact because she's rarely playable and a lot of her moments are subtle and not in your face. Plus, nowadays there's this extremely shallow viewpoint on characters (especially female ones) that they're useless or unlikable if they can't fight (or aren't considered "tough"). I think a lot of people like Aqua just because she can fight and she's pretty. Several times, I've seen people completely miss the fact she's so feminine and instead stereotype her as some tough chick, and they forego her compassion and gentle kindness (especially toward Terra and Ven) and just want her to be this "I'm so tough, I can fight alongside the guys"-type of character. When people do that, they must only like her for her fighting capability, because they miss everything else about her. Kairi's in a similar boat, but the opposite situation; she's stereotyped as being "unable to fight," so that's all there is to her. Her personality doesn't matter or her connections or what she does for others: she can't fight and that's it. The whole theme of the KH series is "connection," and everyone remembers Sora's "my friends are my power line" and how he gets strength from his friends, but no one seems to realize that includes Kairi; she's been giving him strength and supporting him since game one. ...On second thought, I think a lot of people miss the meaning of that line, actually. lol Regardless, I think people who complain a character is useless or unimportant in a series about connections and friendship are equatable to the people who complain because they think the Beast's human form in Beauty and the Beast is ugly: you missed the whole moral of the story! I don't think all the critique towards Kairi is shallow and unfounded, though. I understand that some people probably had this idea where in KH3 (or MoM) Kairi would toughen up a whole lot, be playable for a good portion of the game (or at all in base KH3's case), and be this great fighter alongside Sora and Riku. I can imagine some could've been hoping for that as a sort of "Take that" to the Kairi haters and others who had given them grief about her, so when she wasn't everything they wanted her to be, of course there was disappointment. And I understand some people want her to be playable more and get more screen time, and that's completely fine. The problem is that so many are shallow about it and completely miss what was there for her character and that she is a good character, even though her development and such aren't in the foreground as much as other characters'. Another thing people misunderstand is that Nomura does not hate Kairi. So much of the fanbase does not understand how Nomura works: his aim with KH is to expand the lore and the world, and to pull off and explain the crazy plot points that happen. Unfortunately for fans like myself, showing more of and adding extra depth to all the characters are not at the forefront of his goals. He doesn't have anything against Kairi, her playability just doesn't fit directly into his plans for the series right now. I legit think all of the characters have depth and are thought-through and equally cared for, we just don't always see it from what the game needs to show and for some characters we might need to look and think a little harder to understand them. And just because a character is absent doesn't mean Nomura has anything against them. There was a line of his back from around KH2 where he said Luxord was his favorite Organization member, and that guy doesn't get much screen time and no special treatment. lol Sorry for the ramble and the text walls. lol Long story short: Kairi's great and people can be very shallow.

That makes it sound as though the whole game uses low poly face models. BbS uses a lot of high poly models with detailed and realistic expressions and accurate lip sync (for English and Japanese audio) in the majority of its cutscenes. A lot of the major cutscenes are even very animated, in both big and small ways. Of course, characters in the background and Disney characters are usually low poly, but its cutscenes are not any less impressive than ReCOM's cutscenes. ReCOM uses less low poly models in their main story cutscenes than BbS does, but the entirety of ReCOM's Disney worlds are exclusively low poly with text box exchanges and limited animation, whereas BbS uses a lot of animation and almost always uses at least one (or a few) high poly models per cutscene inside and outside of Disney worlds (I can think of a few exemptions, but those are either brief cutscenes or only include low poly Disney characters). Long story short, I don't think saying Birth by Sleep has "really basic facial expressions" is doing the cutscenes any justice, even though I get what you're referring to. And personally, I find its cutscenes more impressive than ReCOM's, but that could just be me. I like BbS more than ReCOM (and... every other game in the series, actually XD), and I don't personally agree with the things you dislike about BbS, but I'm sure you're not alone in liking ReCOM better. It is a good game, after all. lol

Hades wanted to have Terra fall to darkness so he could use him to overthrow Zeus, but when Terra didn't rely on darkness, Hades tried to tempt him by controlling his next opponent in the coliseum (who happened to be Zack). One thing I've always found interesting is how Hades and Hercules never actually see or reference each other during BbS, so I've always thought of it as a neat nod to the original movie where Hades doesn't know Hercules is still alive at this point in time, hence why his attention is on overthrowing Zeus specifically. As for Zack, no one actually knows what happened to him after BbS. My interpretation is that his fate was kept vague so that, in Nomura/FF7 fashion, the players could speculate on what happened to him and how it may tie into both Sephiroth and Cloud in later games. Unfortunately, that makes me believe he won't come back in the future, but it would definitely be cool if he did (especially in another BbS game).

I don't think it's fair to blame CoM for using KH1's Disney worlds, because if it didn't there wouldn't be any Disney worlds in the game, since it's all based on Sora's memories. The worlds themselves (from a gameplay perspective) are bland and pretty repetitive when compared to KH1's larger maps and gimmicks (although I actually don't mind, haha), but I understand CoM did start as a GBA game, so it could only do so much. Even the PS2 remake was made as an addition that came packaged with KH2 Final Mix to help justify buying KH2 for a second time, so it makes sense they couldn't give the attention needed to completely overhaul the worlds in there, either. The illusions of Disney and FF characters don't bother me too much (although the Aerith part is spooky lol), although everyone has their own things that particularly bother them. But the overall concept of CoM is haunting when you think about it, considering the whole theme of gradually losing all your memories (and seemingly your connections with other people), even without the gradually-being-brainwashed thing. KH does a good job of keeping the games lighthearted and not delving too deep into the darker aspects, so it almost never feels jarring or out-of-place, but if you were to take CoM's plot and apply it just about anywhere else (to an anime, a movie, an M-rated videogame), its genre would probably be along the lines of "psychological horror."

I assume it's because of the fan translations of the manga. When fans translate from Japanese, they tend to interpret certain words as swearing, rather than localize them to fit the characters/rating. I'm not savvy on the Japanese language, but I'm under the impression that certain words that are translated as swear words by fans aren't actually as foul as people are translating them to be, like words and phrases that are considered informal or disrespectful in Japanese are translated as flat-out swearing in English, because that's kind of an equivalent. I'm sure there are plenty people who are way more familiar with the process of translating Japanese than I am and would have a better explanation, but this is my take on it. lol

The manga is like the novels; they're both adaptations of the game, but altered to suit the tastes and interests of the writer. The games, the manga, and the novels, despite telling the same general story, all have different continuities and are not canon to each other.