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Kingdom Hearts: A World Without Sky Artist(s) commissioned: Ai-noHikari www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari ozkh www.deviantart.com/ozkh AlpacaCarlesi https://www.deviantart.com/alpacacarlesi Story by: laika6 / laika665 After Sora's disappearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, Kairi (feeling responsible for Sora's fate & driven by her love for him) sets out on a journey to - hopefully - bring him home. The events of this comic occur between the Ending and Secret Ending of Kingdom Hearts 3. Cover α (art commissioned from https://www.deviantart.com/ozkh) Page 1 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure (Music: Destiny Islands – Kingdom Hearts II) Page 2 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: Destiny Islands – Kingdom Hearts II Lazy Afternoons - Kingdom Hearts II Blast Away! Gummi Ship 1 - Kingdom Hearts) Page 3 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: The Dark Crystals – Final Fantasy III Dearly Beloved – Kingdom Hearts) Page 4 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: The Launch – Treasure Planet) Page 5 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: The Launch – Treasure Planet Silver – Treasure Planet) Page 6 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: Silver – Treasure Planet) Page 7 (artist commissioned: https://www.deviantart.com/ai-nohikari) Kairi's Skills: Fire, Cure, Blizzard, Water, Thunder, Reflect (Music: The Launch – Treasure Planet)

Man... I had totally forgot about this place after almost 8-9 years since I last logged in. I remember it use to be booming with all kinds of posts years ago. I guess it died down a bunch since then. 1.) Introduction and Explanation Anywho, for those who don't know me. I'm the crazy guy that attempted, Raged hard, raged some more, almost lost my sanity, completed, and proved to everyone on gamefaqs over 8-9ish years ago that it's 100% possible, and legit to be able to complete BOTH (Well... Now 3 is added as well, so more than 2)(NAMELY 2.5, and reasons will be listed next) Kingdom Hearts games at Level 1 Proud Mode for KH1.5(which, if you DIDN'T know, because of the way the mechanics work, Proud mode is actually the harder difficulty for a Level 1 run in KH1.5 instead of Critical because you ALWAYS do chip damage in Proud. Critical is actually a little easier because Sora can do more damage in that difficulty) and Critical Mode(2.5 + 3), but not just complete them at Level 1; (that's been done by a handful of people. However, everybody that has completed the Lvl 1 run always labels their run "complete" Yet, they all stopped at SILVER Crown.) But, I decided, and wanted to take it all a step further, and be the standout of them all. As well as debunking the most ridiculous, yet shockingly widespread belief beyond the masses: the before thought "Impossible" Holy Grail of Kingdom Heart challenges: Completing Level 1 critical mode... AS WELL as obtaining 100% completion in the Jiminy Journal, including completion of EVERY Mushroom XIII challenges, and actually having the GOLD Crown! Which was considered literally impossible. (Yeah, I know. Insane, isn't it?) 2.) The False Rumor And The Mission To Prove The World Wrong To actually 100% the Jiminy Journal, and Obtain Gold Crown in 2.5 which involves the Mushroom XIII challenges. Everybody, and their momma back then swore, and pushed the notion of "You can't complete atleast 1 or 2 of the mushroom challenges (most notably, Agrabah mushroom, Twilight Town, and Port Royal mushroom, respectively) without leveling up, it's totally impossible" As well as the old fable of "It's impossible to get Ultima Weapon in 1.5 at Level 1 because you don't get lucky strike abilities to grind synthesis materials without leveling" etc. Nah, it's all do-able. A huge pain in the ass? Yes. Definitely. But, achievable. 3.) Hype Yourself Up/Believe In Your Ability Like myself before attempting, I'm sure most people would just shake their head, and say to themselves "nope. Never. Cant do it" I was that guy. Then one day, I told myself "Hey... they put the option to void any EXP gain.. I'm gonna try it.. Let's see what happens, and how it goes at level 1. I mean, it can't be IMPOSSIBLE; They obviously added it as a feature for a reason." 4.) The Beginning of Doubt Of course, I begin. I start treading along, beginning my journey into my first attempt into a Kingdom Hearts game without leveling up. Everything goes smoothly, up until you start getting demolished left, and right every second, and the bosses annihilate you in a single hit. Making you re-evaluate, and question your ability, and if you can do it. 5.) Opening Your Perception/Total Realization The KH series, AND the series' difficulty as a whole; drastically, and dramatically changed for me once my eyes opened, and I seen the blatant "slap you in the face" obvious, and stopped trying to play Kingdom Hearts like an Action/Adventure RPG like a normal/casual playthrough would basically literally be. Instead, gaining the Square Enix perspective, and knowing their past; made me realize that it's supposed to actually be played like, (and get ready for a mind blown moment) a friggin' Turn Based RPG... Honestly, I think once you guys get this realization, and mindset in your head like I did while you're playing through; every one of you, and I mean EVERYONE of you guys, no matter how "gud" you ARE or AREN'T at the Kingdom Hearts games in a casual, normal playthrough. You can be absolute dirt at the (falsely assumed random, seemingly "unpredictable", ever-constant flow of combat) but start trying to take a slightly different approach/('s) towards the way you actually play games like this, and even open up your mind, and perceive, and acknowledge the gameplay in a different way altogether than what you, and probably, most people normally would have absolutely no idea or even fathom that there's more to, and many more ways to go into a Kingdom Hearts game than the basic, "normal" DmC-esque style combat that we all experience/('d) and most of us, are even conditioned to. 6.) Breaking Old Habits/Adopting New Ones However, once you change the perception/habits you have of the game already, and change the rules ever so slightly, and subtly to merely change towards a playstyle that of the old-school, traditional turn based views, and start planning strategies, and changing your playstyle around a "turn-based rpg mindset" instead of our pre-conditioned, already accustomed, and comfortable free flow combat that most of us are already "comfortable" with or use to. 7.) Acknowledge Game Mechanics/Learn Everything Any of you guys without a doubt in my mind would be able to Level 1 the game as it then becomes almost trivially easy once you decide to perceive KH in just a slightly different way (Turn Based instead of Free Combat) and start to play in an entirely different way accordingly (Having a turn based view/play style really helps not only by helping you learn to better/more accurately time your attacks, guards, dodge rolls, reflects, and etc. But, also makes you a lot more aware, and attentive as you're going to be learning to take it slow, and not rush battles, but to stay on your toes, closely watch for any, even if very subtle visual clues: motions with an enemy's hands, AND their body language. As well as listening for any audio clues or catch phrases; these are everything you are looking for to expect, and anticipate the next move of your opponent. Get a hit in when you can, and defend all the counter attacks that will be delivered back afterwards. Learn the timing to perfect guard; it's going to be the key to your survival, and the timing of each attack you learn never changes. So you don't have to ever expect or assume that a certain attack is ever going to be slower/faster than when previously used. You finally learn the timing for perfect guarding an attack, and you'll always be able to perfect guard it, as it will never be change the rate of speed. 8.) Truth of Developer's 100% Intended Game Design And The Public's Blindness So yes. After stating this, and the way certain mechanics work. Know it or not, even believe it or not. Even though it does EVERYTHING to make you "think" it's an action RPG. Which is semi-true, and fully the case to the masses. It was fully meant, and intended as a Turn Based RPG, and I'm going to open your eyes, and convince you. 9.) How The Kingdom Hearts Series Hides It's True Intended Design, and Disguises Itself As An Action RPG Any casual player gets the action RPG style in a normal playthrough. Just as every first time, 2nd time, etc. player always does. Nothing about the gameplay comes off as "turn based". And is more than often considered the polar opposite of a Turn Based game. Which, was presented this way to appeal to a wider audience such as younger aged, Disney lovers who didn't grow up with RPGs, or just jumped into the game world. As leveling makes it where you literally never have to learn or even use guard, reflect or parry the counters you receive if you really never even wanted to. As taking damage is hardly worrisome, or trivial, and easily tended to with a Cure, and Potions. You can even just carelessly attack, and attack anytime you want. Even if it isn't the best time, and you take a hit. You can still beat the game, and everything in it regardless. - No Turn Based Elements seen/felt whatsoever 10.) Awakening Into Reality/Acknowledging The Hidden Truth: Turn-Based Gameplay In comparison, Level 1: Any hit you take can 1 shot you. If you get caught in a combo attack, you WILL die. There's no possible way to constantly spam attacks, and tank hits. You gotta learn how to properly utilize things that you probably hardly, if ever even used: Guard, Reflect, Dodge Roll, Aerial Recovery, etc. and to learn timing. All this coupled along with the Revenge Counter mechanic (Which, I will explain in more detail below) is how it becomes a Turn Based game; as there is only a certain amount of attacks you can deliver before the enemy counters. - Turn Based RPG 11.) Notice The Signs/Process Everything/Uncover The Veil The first mentioned; is the game probably 90% or more of the masses experience, and perceive. People just don't see the alternative, and it's funny because I just seen a thread on another forum where the OP literally posted "I absolutely love Kingdom Hearts, because it's not just another cliche Turn Based RPG. I despise them." That was almost laughable, and cringe to read, and goes to show just how many people can overlook major things that are hidden in plain sight. However, if one is to attempt a Level 1 run, and play Kingdom Hearts the true way the developers intended; fact is, it's nothing more than a regular Square-Enix FF style "TURN BASED RPG" with complete movement, and control of character at all times. 12.) The Main Mechanics And Physics: The Enemy's "Revenge Counter" Seriously, when you get down into the physics, mechanics, and all the equations that go into every single boss fight, you begin to see it. Just ONE example is this: You're in the middle of a fight, let's say with Data Roxas; just for an example. Soon as the battle begins, and you gain control of Sora, you need to cast a reflect to counter Roxas' Keyblade Spin. After the successful reflect you are granted a small window where you're allowed to attack, and land up to (and let's just say for instance in this example, maybe 3-4 hits) 3-4 hits on Roxas before he is scripted to automatically counter attack. These counter attacks are termed "Revenge Counter" or just simply "RC" abbreviated. if you ever see the term in guides or posts, or in future research, but didn't know what it meant. 13.1) Explaining "Revenge Counters" And "Revenge Values"/Looping Bosses And Minimizing Danger Ah, Revenge Counter. The key to winning, and main mechanic of a level 1 run tbh. Every enemy has always been scripted to counter attack after a few hits, and this was so everybody at level 100 with Sora couldn't just endlessly wail on an opponent non-stop, and make it even easier than what it already was to begin with. Now, once you actually learn about, and study the revenge counter mechanic, and how each enemy works; you actually can use it 100% in your favor in completing, hell, I'd even go so far as to say even almost cheesing a Lvl 1 crit run. As in, learn to read the small signals before attacks. Nothing is unpredictable. There's ALWAYS a signal/warning. Learn how many hits you can throw before they counter attack Sora. 13.2) Deeper Breakdown Of "Revenge" Mechanics/Examples Of "Baiting" Attacks These hits, the attacks, the number, whatever you're most comfortable calling it; for future reference or research of your own are termed "Revenge Values" or simply "RV" if abbreviated. After you learn how many hits you can land (the number of hits it takes to bait an RC is the opponent's RV) learn the timing to guard the counter attack/(s) after, and retaliating in the enemy's small, brief recovery window. All you do is, count your hits, after you land that 4th hit (or whatever number of hits the current boss' Revenge Counter activates) you need to automatically hit guard so you can negate his RC, and guard his other 2-3 hits he dishes out before leaving another open window to land another 3-4 hits on him. It's literally rinse, and repeat: Attack 3-4 times to force or "bait" the enemy to counter attack-> Guard incoming revenge counter attacks from the enemy -> Throw another 3-4 strikes to hit his Revenge Value again to force another auto-counter. And it's just repeat steps over again. Essentially, what you're trying to do is put an enemy into a neverending loop that you can fully predict. You will see evidence of this in every fight in every video I'm going to post below. You pay attention, and you'll notice that I'll always hit an X amount of times (factor of X is the actual RV. Determined differently with each enemy. Could be 6 hits, like Marluxia's RV. Could be only 4 hits like Roxas' RV) but I ALWAYS land no more, and (hopefully) no less than the exact number of attacks needed to bait them into a RC, and guard it. 14.) Always Land The Exact Revenge Values. No More Any attempt to, or if you accidentally deliver an extra attack that is higher than the actual RV, you might as well retry; because you're not going to be guarding that counter, get caught in a combo you can't escape, and face the 1 hit death. Just follow those simple steps, and it then repeats the pattern if you're doing it correctly, and won't be unpredictable. What you're really trying to do is just try to keep everything in a never-ending loop so any unpredictability, and danger is eliminated. 15.) Explanation of "I-Frames" and How To Use Them For An Advantage Also, another biggie is learning I-Frames. Or, "Invincibility Frames" meaning the tiny few frames where Sora is invincible for instance: when you use a Drive Form, there are a few brief seconds of frames where you will not take any damage in the middle of using a form. Or using a skill like Donald's Duck Flare, and using it to your advantage, as you will see me do a bunch against Lingering Will at Level 1 to avoid being skill/attack/item locked, whip locked, and to stay safe during his DM or "Desperation Move" (Every boss has a DM which is expressed by the screen going dark, and the boss does their "finisher" per se.) 16.) The Biggest Slept On/Underestimated Skills In The Game: Reflect/ra/ga And Guard To probably over 90% of the KH community that sleeps on, and probably have never once used the spell Reflect-Reflectga. You have no idea just how busted, how necessary it is, and how brokenly powerful that spell is. Especially in a Level 1 run. It's pretty much an absolute MUST in it to do any real damage at that level. Not only that, but if you're not a master or not use to timing your guard precisely yet, Reflect/ga is an alternative that is safe, and don't need to be facing any particular direction to guard anything. Only downside to spamming reflect constantly instead of mixing up guards, and reflects is that if you don't rely on using guard, and spam reflect instead; you're going to be struggling to keep, and have MP when you want/need it. 17.) Short Summary/Review Of Everything So Far/Convinced Yet? Convinced yet? Literally. Turn-Based RPG. Except think of each of your 3-4 chain attacks as a "turn" and you know that as soon as you land your 4th keyblade hit, your turn is over, and it's automatically going to be the opponent's "turn", and since you're expecting this, and know this, you block perfectly in time with his counter attacks, and learn their pattern. The key is to try to just keep it in a constant, simple, loop-ish kinda fight. Making sure to force the counter attack yourself so you know precisely when to guard; rather than having to randomly guess/pray when their next attack is going to be, and if you're going to be able to read it quick enough. 18.) Opening Up Your Mindset/Perception/Planning Strategies Toward The Hidden Turn-Based Gameplay Is Key This was the biggest, and most obvious "eye-opening" realization that helped me tremendously once I started looking at it as a Turn Based game. Respectfully like most of Square Enix's works prior. Which, I believe if most people started having that mindset of playing it like it's turn-based, just about everyone that truly wanted to would be able to complete the level 1 challenge a lot easier than ever initially thought. Literally every boss has their own respectful number of attacks they can receive before being scripted to auto-counter attack. Don't matter who you're facing. Don't care if it's a regular ol' Heartless, and Nobody, or if it's the friggin' One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth or the "Seemingly impossible, even at Level 100" Lingering Will himself... They all can be read, and baited into an auto-counter. All of them. 19.) Outro/Final Messages/My Video Proof If anyone is interested in watching a few of my Level 1 Crit 2.5 Organization fights for entertainment or maybe to study for your own future level 1 run, I'm going to be posting links to them below. I just wish like hell that I had a good camera back then... I'm so sorry, and apologize from the bottom of my soul about the quality, but... It's literally all I had. My crap phone camera, and setting it up to point directly at my TV while I'm actually playing live in the moment, as you can probably tell by the noise of all the button mashing but, at that time, all I was worried about was having proof so all the board back then stopped saying that I was a liar, and showing that I actually did it... Recorded most of the highlight battles anyway Level 1 Crit Run .vs Sephiroth - https://youtu.be/GtBcldOxgIg Level 1 Crit Run .vs Marluxia - https://youtu.be/mDz2O8CZxFo Level 1 Crit Run .vs Larxene (THIS BITCH RIGHT HERE...) - https://youtu.be/nf684D52Mwc Level 1 Crit Run .vs Axel (w/ Restrictions) - https://youtu.be/vztQYNIeT4U Level 1 Crit Run .vs Lexaeus (No Damage) - https://youtu.be/ad58PWJmt80 Level 1 Crit Run .vs Roxas (w/ Restrictions) - https://youtu.be/TTaMJpxxxJM Level 1 Crit Run .vs Lingering Will + Silver Crown (Evidence of me using I-Frames to my advantage, and how you can utilize it) - https://youtu.be/dTm215sIhmI Obtaining Crown From All Data Battles Lvl 1 - https://youtu.be/IydQ7qub5-w Obtaining The Elusive and "Impossible" Gold Crown Lvl 1 Proof - https://youtu.be/YdbUuJd5JM8 Then the creme de la creme. 100% Jiminy Journal At Level 1 Proof - https://youtu.be/I0d1_Ec_UdY Bonus: My proof of getting Ultima Weapon on Level 1 PROUD Mode (Ultra Difficult) in KH 1.5 (Was hilariously, also considered impossible at first) - https://youtu.be/ye2ZsgQWI_Y 20.) Final Words Of Encouragement/Faith In You All Hope others may find help, and for others, even courage to attempt this challenge. If anyone is interested in trying it, and maybe have questions, I'd be more than happy to help out in any way that I possibly can, and any feedback, comments, questions, and anything is welcome, and wanted. Thanks guys! Like I said earlier, don't ever doubt yourself in anything. If myself, of all people can beat every KH game at Level 1; then I KNOW for a FACT anybody at all can. I promise you. As for the brave souls that will be attempting this seemingly impossible task anytime in the upcoming future, I leave you all with 1 final, and important message: "May Your Heart, Be Your Guiding Key"

Other than the series always thematically showing that love is the ultimate answer and power, even more so than the power of light or darkness, here are some quotes: From Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Aqua: "A pure heart filled with light... It's strange, the Master taught me darkness needs to be destroyed. But how, if not with light?" Fairy Godmother: "Oh, my dear, you're too young to know. Experience more things, and you'll find the answer. Just trust in your dreams." (Fairy Godmother implying the only way to defeat darkness other than with light is with love.) From Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Yen Sid: "I will tell you what your friend needs right now. It is not your protection. He needs you to believe. You see, Ventus's heart hangs in the balance. It sleeps in the place between light and darkness. From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend--one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him...then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs--the realm of light.” (Yen Sid implying the balance between light and darkness is love and that love is the only thing that can lead Ventus' heart home.) From Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories: Riku: "What are you making me choose now?" DiZ: "Between the road to light and the road to darkness." Riku: "Neither suits me. I'm taking the middle road." DiZ: "Do you mean the twilight road to nightfall?" Riku: "No. It's the road to dawn." (Riku not choosing light or darkness, but choosing what he calls "dawn.") From Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: Riku (to Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Young Xehanort): "I walk the road to dawn!" Riku (to Ansem, Seeker of Darkness): "Consume the darkness, return it to light.” Young Xehanort (to Riku): "I don't know how you did it, but you really have found a way to trap darkness inside your heart. And a boy who's immune to darkness is of no use to us." (Riku reaffirming that he wields both light and darkness, and that he turns the darkness into light. That is the state he calls "dawn." And Young Xehanort confirming that by walking the road to dawn, Riku has somehow become immune to darkness.) From Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: Data-Ansem the Wise: "The heart has always been quick to grow. Each exposure to light, to the natural world, to other people, shapes this most malleable part inside of us. Nobodies are not different from us in that manner. Sora was the only one able to return to his human form without destroying his Nobody. That is a statement to the love in his heart for other people, and the bonds that tie them together. Perhaps...he has the power to bring back the hearts and existences of those connected to him—to recreate people we thought were lost to us forever. Our most precious treasures—even an empty puppet—the trees of the forest, and the petals on the wind—there are hearts around us everywhere we look. And it does not take superhuman powers to see them. Surely we remember as children the way our hearts made everything seem so shiny, and perfect. Sora has a heart like that—uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad. When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it. He has touched countless hearts, he has accepted them, and he has saved them. And some of those hearts have never left him—whether they fell into darkness or were trapped there—whether they sleep in the darkness of Sora's heart, or were welcomed into its warmth—they can be saved. All Sora needs to do is be himself and follow wherever it is that his heart takes him. It is the best and the only way." (Data-Ansem the Wise saying that Sora's uninhibited undying love for people and his willingness to always see the good before the bad in anyone or anything is the ultimate answer that could solve everything and save everyone.) From Kingdom Hearts III: Ventus: "I didn't ask for this. To be sifted apart nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light, not just darkness. We decide what we are." (Ventus implying light and darkness are choices and you can choose to be both or neither.)

The Kingdom Hearts Series Character Files has received more story translations. These translations are courtesy of goldpanner and provided by Kingdom Hearts Insider. For those unaware, the Kingdom Hearts Series Character Files features over 200 characters from the entirety of the series thus far, with several short stories from Tomoco Kanemaki (the writer of the Kingdom Hearts light novels). You can purchase the book for ¥3,080 (approx. $28.03) from the Square Enix e-Store directly or from AitaiKuji, who deliver official and exclusive Japanese pop culture items! We have covered translations for: Xion's Story Saix's Story Naminé's Story Riku Story Riku-Replica's Story Roxas' Story' Larxene's Story Marluxia's Story The story of Daybreak Town Sora's Story Kairi's Story Xigbar's Story Luxord's Story Demyx's Story Axel's Story Aeleus' Story Dilan's Story Ansem the Wise's Story Ienzo's Story Vexen's Story The translations for Aqua's story "A Piece of Cake", Terra's story "Dark and Void", and Ventus' story "Fragments of the World" can be viewed below! View full article

This post contains heavy spoilers.

Morning everyone! I hope you're doing great! Well here's another Countdown to Kingdom Hearts 3 picture, and this time it's our favorite sleeping beauty Ventus! I can't wait to see Ven again because ths dude needs to stretch his legs! Lol! But seriously I can't wait to see how Ventus is gonna to wake up in this game. Only ten more days left to find out!

of all the spoilers we’ve gotten with the kh3 trailers, I’m glad Nomura really hasn’t spoiled that much. we still don’t know how roxas will be saved (or if he will be). we haven’t seen vanitas without his helmet (low key a blessing bc i didn’t want to see him without his helmet until i play the game). we haven’t seen kairi and lea actually training. we haven’t seen aqua being saved. we really haven’t seen terra or ventus that much. we haven’t seen much of master xehanort or his agenda. we don’t even know who all the actual 13 seekers of darkness and 7 guardians of light are.

It appears that everyone in the Kingdom Hearts community is concerned about Aqua! It's a little uneasy waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 to find out how exactly she fell into darkness, but I think in the mean time, this video that we created will help hold some of you over. Please watch our scripted video. You will not regret it! It's filled with an emotional script and voiced by a great team. I just hope everyone will be okay watching it.

I couldn't find another post about this so I hope I'm not repeating a topic already discussed. And I hope I'm not stating something that was really obvious to everyone else. Also if you are not up to date on the Union Cross NA storyline then look away now to avoid spoilers. I was going through a list of all currently known Keyblade Masters in my head the other day (as you do) when I suddenly realised something that I'd never thought about before. Ventus is a Keyblade Master! Probably, anyway. How is he a Keyblade Master, do you ask? Because in Union Cross he appears as one of the new Union Leaders chosen by the Master of Masters to replace the Foretellers (who are also Keyblade Masters) after they meet their end in the Keyblade War. And when Master Ava first tells Ephemer that he has been chosen to replace her as another one of the new Union Leaders he indicates that this also means he has been made a Master. Therefore if Ephemer has become a Master then we can assume that the other new Union Leaders are also Masters, including Ven. So if Ven is a Keyblade Master then that means - assuming he is one and the same as Ven in Birth By Sleep where he appears slightly older - that the whole time he was training with Aqua and Terra and sharing their dream of becoming Keyblade Masters, he was already a Keyblade Master but just didn't know it. I think this is a pretty interesting realisation when you consider that he is not only younger than Terra and Aqua by a few years (in appearance anyway as we don't actually know how old he is) but he is also weaker than them. It also means that Terra is the only one of the three to have not yet obtained the title of Master despite appearing to be the oldest. That would make him really depressed if he found out! On a slightly different note, why do you think Ven was chosen by the Master of Masters for this role? He says so himself that he's not particularly good at anything and never in the top ranks. He doesn't really seem to be a natural leader either. My guess is that he was chosen for his strong resistance to darkness. Though I also wonder if it's because the Master of Masters knew what lay in his future? Please share your thoughts!

The music that plays while you fight the Armored Ventus Nightmare in Dream Drop Distance is called "The Eye of Darkness". From various Nomura interviews, we know that the eye that we see on various Keyblades is called the "Eye of Darkness". We have now found out that the Eye of Darkness is The Master of Masters eyeball that we put on No Name in order to somehow see the future. So, why do you think the name of that music track is called "The Eye of Darkness"? What connection does the Eye of Darkness have with the Armored Ventus Nightmare/Ventus? We recently found out that (SPOILER:) Ventus is a Dandelion, so that's some more evidence for there being a connection. Could this connection between Ventus and the Eye of Darkness also be the reason for Vanitas' Keyblade having two Eyes of Darkness on it? EDIT: I swear I have a distinct memory of reading an interview where Nomura calls it the "Eye of Darkness". I can't seem to find it though.

So now we know straight from the source that Xehanort wanted to find Ven in the Chamber of Waking at Castle Oblivion. I say that because I remember some people speculating that Terra still lived in Xehanort and that Terra wanted to find Ven. But why would Xehanort want Ven? Did he want to use him as a vessel? It'd be much easier considering that he actually has no heart within him. I don't really see any other reason though. Besides, Xehanort didn't show any interest in Ven except for the creation of the X-Blade since trying to use him like he used Terra didn't turn out right.

Do you think the Princesses of Heart could be the Key to Return Hearts? We don't know exactly what it is, but judging by it's name, it has the ability to return someone's heart, whatever that means. This reminds me of the time in KH1 when Kairi hugged Sora's Heartless and was able to bring him back to his regular self. One could say she "returned his heart" back to normal. Nomura said she was able to do this because she has special Princess of Heart light powers. So, maybe the Princesses of Heart can be used to create some kind of Keyblade, like how their hearts were used to create the Keyblade of heart? Maybe the Keyblade of heart is the Key to Return Hearts? It never got an official name, so maybe that's it's official name? The whole thing that made the Keyblade of heart special was that it had the ability to unlock people's hearts, but later in the series, we discover that Keyblade Masters have the ability to unlock hearts, so that makes the Keyblade of heart not seem special anymore. It's sort of special because it allows people who aren't Keyblade Masters to unlock people's hearts, but that isn't really that special or impressive. So maybe the true purpose of the Keyblade of heart is that it can also return people who have succumbed to the darkness back to their original selves? Or maybe it can just "return hearts" in general, which means it can do loads of things? Like being able to make Ven's heart return to his body for example. EDIT: The Keyblade of heart is also special because it also acted as the χ-blade to Ansem, Seeker of Darkness' artificial Kingdom Hearts.

Is anyone else concerned by just exactly WHAT Master Eraquas might be teaching Ventus?

I wanted to talk about this for awhile; get my thoughts out on these forums, and maybe we can get some good discussion going. This is regarding the three main characters of Birth by Sleep: Terra, Aqua, and Ven. I don't like them. Not in the sense that they're "annoying characters" or in context of the game they're bad; it's literally because I don't think Square did a good job on establishing their personalities, characteristics, and most importantly, the character relationships between the three of them. When we compare them to the original trio Sora, Riku, and Kairi, they just seem...bland and boring. Terra is a teenage boy with a lust for Darkness inside his heart. Okay, so what's next? We basically know nothing about him aside from that. He goes to a world, becomes a villain (usually due to stupid decisions), learns his mistake, then becomes a villain again in the next world. It's unbelievably frustrating. Ventus is the youngest of the trio, and boring as hell. He acts somewhat similarly to Sora, but just less...interesting. Sora had specific traits and qualities that made him somewhat unique amongst others, even if his personality is the typical cliche "naive happy-go-lucky child". Ventus is basically a slightly diminished version of Sora's personality...with nothing else. The only thing of significance that's related to him is Vanitas, and even then, that doesn't stop him from being forgettable. Aqua is perhaps the most level headed out of the three, but honestly she doesn't have many interesting traits either. Ironically though (despite her awful voice acting in the English version), she is probably the most interesting out of the three (that's not saying much though) as she's the only one with a logical mind, and has a motivation behind her actions as she's trying to lookout for Terra and Ven, being the only Keyblade Master of the three. That being said, I can deal with these problems. However, what I do have grudge against is the relationship between the three. Their dialogue is awkward, and their friendship just doesn't seem very legitimate. The game attempts to prove their friendship at the beginning by showing them interacting for a few minutes and having a few sparring matches. The problem is that it really doesn't show me anything or give me any clue that they may be friends. They try to make up for this lack of character development by adding it on later on in the form of flashbacks, but that doesn't show me anything either. It just seems that the game is trying to desperately tell you that they're friends, even if they don't seem to act like so. You can't do that. You can't just tell me, "these people are friends" and expect me to believe that. People said the ending of BBS was depressing and sad. For me, I didn't feel anything. I didn't connect with these people throughout the game. The game told me they were friends, alright, but that's not enough for me. You have to SHOW me that they are friends with each other, that they care about each other, and show me HOW their character interaction/development strengthens their friendship. Just telling me "these three people are friends" is not enough, because if I don't see it in the way they act, I won't give a *** about their characters. Terra is left only with his lingering sentiment in the form of an armor. Aqua is stuck in the realm of darkness. Ven lost his heart and is likely to not wake up for a very long time. So what? I don't care. I don't care about these characters at all. The game attempts to build this weak friendship, and expects me to care about their tragic fates and sacrifices, but in the end, all I see are three characters meeting a tragic end. And that isn't enough for me. Perhaps a perfect example of what character development between friends should be like is actually 358/2 Days. Say what you want about the repetitive story and gameplay; the bond formed between Roxas, Axel, and Xion was unbelievably well done. You can tell they were friends. You can tell they cared about each other a great amount, even thought they supposedly can't feel. The game does so well in conveying that sense of friendship to you that you genuinely cared about them. Why do many people say Xion's death is the saddest scene in the series? It's because you formed a strong connection with the idea that those three are friends, so you genuinely felt sad when Xion dies in front of Roxas's eyes. This matters in a game where friendship is such a heavy theme. It was almost vital that BBS nails this bond between their three main characters, because that's what makes the story intriguing and captivating. Unfortunately, the way they presented the characters were poorly done, and they just didn't spend enough time on the three character's relations with each other until they progressed the plot. That is where BBS's story falls; it attempts to build a friendship, rushes it and fails, then attempts to get you to care about the characters that you know little to nothing about.

Before I dive into this thread: I'd like to apologise for being absent for so long ( university etc). Anyway now back to the topic. Today I'd like to discuss memories and illusions in 0.2 and express what I feel the connections will be to the plot and gameplay. I predicted on the day of trailer as well as others did that Terra was a mere illusion and wasn't real. Now I feel that 0.2 will centre around this completely and will lead to certain revelations. For some reason; I have a ' layers of fear' feeling for this game. Where the deeper we go ( the more worlds we visit) the clearer the picture will be to us; however the character Aqua will dive deeper into despair ( I hope the pun was appreciated). If this is the case; Castle of Dreams will end with Aqua moving on from the Terra illusion to what I feel strongly will be the Enchanted Dominion. I have a feeling here; we'll see Aqua see Ventus similiar to how she saw him in BBS. He'll fade away; Aqua will become more and more disillusioned and we'll see the effects of being in the RoD. I'd also have Aqua visit Destiny Islands ( before Sora saves the world) and have her explore the islands in darkness and then have her hear Sora and Riku in child form ( as she remembers them) before seeing them fade away too. By this stage Aqua will be close to being mad; with the memories not being safe and her seeing events differently. This is where I'd have her run into Mickey; where we see her thinking he is an illusion and despite Mickey's attempts to save her see her run away. I'd then end the game; with Aqua preparing to wander another world; when all of a sudden she spots a figure in an organization coat walking deeper into that world and have the player know it's a real person; but have Aqua remain convinced she is only seeing Illusions and dismissing the hidden identity. End the cutscenes with Mickey saying she needs to be found and that before Aqua left him she was convinced the secret to rescuing her friends was somewhere to be discovered. Whilst slightly dark; I'd have no issues with 0.2 following this pattern and it would be unique in the series and would prepare us for a more dark KH3

In this post, I will make a complete list of every single currently unanswered question in the Kingdom Hearts series and universe. Please comment down below all unanswered questions / "plot holes" you can think of and I will add them to this list. Hopefully we can fill it out together and create a truly complete list. Hopefully they answer most if not all of these in Kingdom Hearts III or any future interviews. Complete List of Unanswered Questions Why are there globes and maps of Earth and real world locations in some worlds? Are some worlds just alternate reality-type Earths that exist simultaneously but separately? Or did all the worlds used to be Earth when they were all together in one massive World in the Age of Fairy Tales, and the globes and maps are just artifacts of history? In the first Kingdom Hearts, how did Mickey know about Sora and Riku, and how did he know that they got a Keyblade? Yen Sid has the ability to sort of sense things and people in other realms and worlds, so did Yen Sid tell Mickey about them? In the first Kingdom Hearts, why does Winnie the Pooh's letter to Rabbit have "Mickey Mouse" written on the front with a crown symbol? Also, if you come back later, it'll instead be a letter from Roo. This letter also has "Mickey Mouse" written on the front with a crown symbol. Why is that? In the first Kingdom Hearts, Genie says he's heard about a Keyhole before 200 years ago, and implies that he used to know its location. Why does he know about the Keyhole and how did he know its location? Some residents of Halloween Town, such as Jack, The Mayor, Dr. Finkelstein, etc. all know about the Heartless because Jack found a book about the Heartless. Who wrote this book full of research notes? Why didn't Maleficent getting stabbed with the Keyblade of Heart cause her to turn into a Heartless? Why did she turn into her Dragon form instead? The Keyblade of Heart has the ability to "unlock people's hearts," which sounds like the same thing that any Keyblade can do if you're on the level of a Keyblade Master, so it can be assumed that the unique ability of the Keyblade of Heart is that it allows you to do that without being on the level of a Keyblade Master. But, is it possible that "unlocking people's hearts" is actually different? Could "unlocking people's hearts" mean something different for each person who gets stabbed by it? Such as Sora turning into a Heartless, and Maleficent turning into her Dragon form? Or is it that Maleficent is just different than most people and follows different laws of nature? In the first Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort's Heartless possessed Riku, which sort of kicked Riku's heart out of his body and sent it to the Realm of Darkness. Why didn't this create a Heartless and a Nobody? Was it because the heart wasn't either extracted by a Keyblade or succumb to the darkness? Does this mean it's possible somehow for a heart to leave a body without becoming a Heartless? When a Heartless is destroyed by a Keyblade, whether it be an Emblem Heartless or a Pureblood Heartless, a heart is released from it and the original person is recompleted. (For the Pureblood Heartless, the heart isn't visibly released, but it's still released.) If someone has a Nobody too, you have to destroy that as well in order to get their original self to be recompleted. If a Heartless is destroyed by something other than a Keyblade, then the released heart will end up just eventually turning back into a Heartless. So, when Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was destroyed by the light from his artificial Kingdom Hearts (and Xemnas was destroyed later), why did Xehanort get recompleted? He shouldn't have gotten recompleted since his Heartless wasn't destroyed by a Keyblade, it was destroyed by the light from his artificial Kingdom Hearts. Does getting destroyed by Kingdom Hearts count as getting destroyed by a Keyblade for some reason, or have the same effect as getting destroyed by a Keyblade or something? What was written on the letter that Pluto was holding at the end of the first Kingdom Hearts and in the beginning of Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories? It's obviously not the same one from the end of Kingdom Hearts II since Mickey wrote that at the end of Kingdom Hearts coded. At the end of the first Kingdom Hearts, how did Donald and Goofy's clothes change when they got to the grassy area outside of Castle Oblivion? Also, how did their clothes change while they are in Castle Oblivion in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories back to the clothes they had on before? In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, when referring to Maleficent, Vexen says "Don't be absurd. The witch is gone. She cannot return from the Realm of Darkness of her own volition." This means that after Sora destroyed Maleficent in the first Kingdom Hearts, she got sent to the Realm of Darkness. Why is this? Why did Maleficent get sent to the Realm of Darkness instead of just simply dying? Or did she just simply escape after the battle with Sora to the Realm of Darkness using a Corridor of Darkness? Also, why did she have to wait for someone (the three fairies) to remember her in order to come back when she could've just used a Corridor of Darkness to get out? Why can she not escape of her own volition? When Ansem the Wise was banished to the Realm of Darkness by Apprentice Xehanort, he was able to use Corridors of Darkness to get out, so why couldn't Maleficent have done that? Why did Marluxia and Larxene want to overthrow Organization XIII? In Secret Ansem's Report 12, it says "First I shall convert all of Twilight Town into data and construct a "world duplicate" in Sora's memories. I shall place Roxas within that world to live out his days and regain those memories." If the simulated Twilight Town that Roxas was placed into is located inside of Sora's memories, then how was Sora able to go inside of the simulated Twilight Town by accessing the machine in the basement of the Old Mansion in Twilight Town near the end of Kingdom Hearts II? Is there multiple copies of the simulated Twilight Town, and just one of them is located inside Sora's memories? Or were Sora's memories just hooked up to the simulated Twilight Town before or something? Or is the machine in the basement of the Old Mansion just simply able to access Sora's memories and by going into the simulated Twilight Town, Sora was within his own memories? Why did the guards in Land of Dragons turn into Emblem Heartless (Nightwalkers)? If they were succumbing to the darkness, then they should've turned into Pureblood Heartless. Were they just Nightwalkers disguised as guards or something? How did the Ghosts of Scar form together to create an Emblem Heartless (Groundshaker)? Shouldn't they have created a Pureblood Heartless if anything? Did they just form together with a Living Bone and Shaman Heartless or something? How did Stitch get to Hollow Bastion? Why did Axel and Saïx want to find the Chamber of Waking? Why did Axel and Saïx want to overthrow Organization XIII? How did Saïx get his scar? What are the names and identities of Larxene, Demyx, and Luxord's original human forms? Why hasn't Xemnas wielded a Keyblade? (Assuming he has the ability to). If he doesn't have the ability to wield a Keyblade, then why? How did Ansem the Wise's machine exploding turn Riku back to normal and how did it transport Ansem the Wise to the Realm of Darkness? Why did Naminé return to Kairi, when she's made out of Sora's body and soul? Shouldn't she have returned to Sora instead? Did she have some of Kairi's memories that needed to return to her, the same way Roxas had some of Sora's memories that needed to return to him? If not, then why did Naminé even need to return to anybody? Why does Apprentice Xehanort have brown eyes instead of yellow? Why does Xemnas and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness have orange eyes instead of yellow? Why does Riku not have yellow eyes in the first Kingdom Hearts when Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is possessing him? How did Sora and Riku get from the place where they fought the final fight against Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II to the Dark Margin in the Realm of Darkness? How did Kairi's message in a bottle end up at the Dark Margin? "End of Sea" is the name of a world that's half in the Realm of Darkness and half in the Realm Between. Dark Margin is a location at the very tip of this world. It's on the Realm of Darkness half of the world. The ocean that we see there acts as a border between the Realm of Darkness and the Realm Between. How are there worlds in the Realm of Darkness still? They should've all returned to the Realm of Light after Sora sealed the Door to Darkness and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness' artificial Kingdom Hearts broke apart. Does this mean there are worlds native to the Realm of Darkness that have always never had a heart? Or is End of Sea just a world from the Realm Between that's so close to the edge of the Realm Between that it's also touching the Realm of Darkness? Also, how is there a world that's half in one realm and half in another realm in the first place when the realms aren't physically connected? How did Mickey's message in a bottle get to Sora on Destiny Islands? Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Ventus' heart stayed within Sora's body AKA his Nobody, Roxas when Sora was separated from his body and soul and became a Heartless. What is the reason for this? Why didn't it get released along with the other hearts? How did Ventus become so tiny when he went to Castle of Dreams? Tetsuya Nomura said it was because he somehow messed up traveling to the world and ended up tiny, but how does that even happen? How does you not knowing how to properly travel to worlds make you end up very small? I assume that we just simply don't completely know how physics and stuff works in the Kingdom Hearts universe, but it'd be nice to get a specific answer to this question. How is the ship in Deep Space able to access the Lanes Between without a Keyblade or Corridors of Darkness? Or does this mean that somebody aboard the ship has a Keyblade or the ability to use Corridors of Darkness? Where did Vanitas obtain his Keyblade? He can wield a Keyblade because his heart is half of Ventus' heart, but where did he obtain his Keyblade, Void Gear? Did Xehanort Bequeath him? Or does he wield Wayward Wind, except with a Void Gear Keychain on it? If the Unversed are created by Vanitas and come from Vanitas, then how was Lady Tremaine able to turn the coach into an Unversed and how was The Queen able to turn the Spirit of the Magic Mirror into an Unversed? Why did Lea and Isa go into Ansem the Wise's castle in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and why did they get kicked out? How did Ventus and Aqua end up in the Lanes Between after their battles at the Keyblade Graveyard? How did Terra-Xehanort end up at Radiant Garden after the explosion from the χ-blade? Did Terra-Xehanort/Apprentice Xehanort actually have amnesia or was he just faking it? When Terra-Xehanort split himself up into a Heartless and a Nobody, why weren't two Nobodies created? When Sora became a Heartless, his own heart and Kairi's heart released from his body. This created Roxas and Naminé. When Terra-Xehanort became a Heartless, the same thing should've happened. Terra's heart and Xehanort's heart were released from Terra's body. This should've created a Terra Nobody and a Xehanort Nobody, but instead, Xemnas was created; someone who is a mixture of both Terra and Xehanort. Why? How did Young Xehanort leave Destiny Islands and get to Land of Departure? When we see Young Xehanort in the past on Destiny Islands and in the present-day during Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, he doesn't have pointy ears like he does when he's older. Why is this? And when we see Young Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts III, he does have pointy ears. Why is that? Why does Xehanort's Keyblade Armor have the Nobody emblem on it? How did Riku obtain his second Keyblade (Way to the Dawn) after Sora took his first one (Kingdom Key)? Getting Bequeathed causes a Keyblade to choose you, so when Sora took his Keyblade, did another Keyblade choose him? Is that what happens if you lose your Keyblade somehow? Another one will choose you? The Master of Masters forged and tempered Keyblades by pulling them out of the depths of hearts. And ever since then, if you are Bequeathed, a Keyblade will choose you. If all Keyblades already exist somewhere out there and were created long ago, then how come some people's Keyblades resemble them or their character/personality? For example, Lea's Keyblade resembles one of his Eternal Flames Chakrams with fire coming out of it and Riku's Keyblade resembles his Soul Eater sword. Is this just simply because these people are destined to wield these Keyblades or something? Where did Riku get the Keyblade he gave to Kairi (Destiny's Embrace)? And why did he even have to give her a Keyblade in the first place since one should've already chosen her since she was Bequeathed? Doesn't this mean she has two Keyblades now: the one that chose her from her being Bequeathed and the one Riku gave her, Destiny's Embrace? Who Bequeathed Lea? What's the name of Lea's Keyblade? Why does the Kingdom Key look exactly like the two blades that are a part of the χ-blade? It was stated that the pieces of light of the χ-blade were split into seven pieces to protect the number of pure hearts in the world. This is referring to the Seven Princesses of Heart. The Seven Princesses of Heart didn't exist way back in the Age of Fairy Tales though, so how did the χ-blade know that they were going to be born in the future? And in what way are the seven pieces of light protecting the Seven Princesses of Heart? While Aqua was carrying Ventus' comatose body, his Keyblade raised and opened a door that led them to the Land of Departure. This door was not a method of travel that we've ever seen or heard about before. It wasn't one of the portals they've been opening with their Keyblades, it wasn't a Gate, and it wasn't a Corridor of Darkness. It looked pretty much exactly like the Door to Light from the end of Kingdom Hearts II. So, what was this door? Was it the Door to Light? And how was Ventus able to open it? At the end of the first Kingdom Hearts, Sora, and Donald, and Goofy were standing on a piece of land at End of the World. End of the World was a world located in the Realm of Light that's made up of chunks of worlds that fell to darkness. When a world is falling to darkness/falling to the Realm of Darkness, some chunks of the world might stay behind in the Realm of Light. These chunks formed together to create End of the World. Once Sora and Mickey sealed the Door to Darkness, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness' artificial Kingdom Hearts broke apart and the hearts returned to the worlds, and they were restored. They left the Realm of Darkness and went back to the Realm of Light. The chunks that made up End of the World also went back to the Realm of Light. The chunk of land that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were on was a part of the Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion world. So, when the worlds were restored, they got sent to the recompleted Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion world since they were standing on that chunk of land. But, this means that the Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion world fell to darkness sometime in the past. So, what happened to Ventus' body when this happened? Was it also sent to the Realm of Darkness with the world, and was safe from the darkness/Heartless, because he was in the Chamber of Waking? And does this mean that his body was sent back to the Realm Between with the world when it was restored? Why did Mickey not recognize the name "Xehanort" when he met Apprentice Xehanort? Is that just a common name in the Kingdom Hearts universe? What exactly is a "mind?" And how is it different from the "soul?" Is it even different from the soul or are they the same thing? Braig says he has his hands full with his own plans. What are these plans? In the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded "Destiny" secret ending, we see the Organization XIII members who were residents of Radiant Garden lying on the floor after being recompleted as complete people again. We also see Braig, who is not lying on the floor like the rest of them. He presumably woke up before them. (We know this Kingdom Hearts Re:coded secret ending takes place after Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and before Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance because Ienzo is an adult in this cutscene. There is a cutscene at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance that shows Even and Ienzo on the floor turning into Heartless/Nobodies and Ienzo is a little kid in that cutscene, so we know the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded "Destiny" secret ending takes place after Kingdom Hearts Re:coded because we know Ienzo grew up as an adult while he was a Nobody.) In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, we see Xigbar. It is thought that this is actually Braig, not Xigbar and he's just going by the name "Xigbar" for some reason (most likely because of the Recusant's Sigil in that name). If this is the same recompleted Braig that we saw in the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded "Destiny" secret ending, then how come he has long hair again and how come he has gray in his hair again? It would not make sense for him to just all of a sudden change appearance and grow hair that quickly. Is this actually Xigbar and not Braig? If it's Xigbar, then that can either mean that he was brought to the present day from time travel, or that can mean that Young Xehanort turned the recompleted Braig back into a Nobody for some reason (maybe to be a more suitable vessel?). And is this the same case for Saïx? Was he turned back into a Nobody or was he brought back using time travel? Or it's possible that he's the recompleted Isa since his recompleted human form has no visible differences than his Nobody, unlike Braig and Xigbar. Speaking of which, do people keep their appearances that they had as Nobodies when they turn back into people, or are they reverted to how they looked before they were turned into Nobodies? This is very unclear. It seems that some parts of them did keep their appearance and some parts of them didn't for some reason. Ienzo, Lea, and Isa aged as Nobodies and kept their ages when they turned back into people. Lea lost the markings under his eyes when he became a person again though for some reason. From what we know, this is how it is: You are reverted back to how you looked before you became a Nobody, but you keep your age. For example, Lea was reverted to how he looked before he became a Nobody which is why he lost the markings under his eyes, but he still looks older because he kept his age. Why did Lea and Isa get recompleted with their black coats on? Does that mean they were the only ones who were wearing black coats before they became Nobodies? Ienzo seems to have known this whole time that the original person can get recompleted if their Heartless and Nobody is destroyed, so when he was Zexion, why did he act like he didn't know? It has been confirmed that Axel, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé all grew hearts. As seen with Roxas, if your Nobody grows a heart and recombines with your other pieces to recreate the original person, the heart that the Nobody grew will be trapped inside of you. Since Axel grew a heart of his own and has been recompleted, does this mean that Lea now has two hearts: his original heart and the heart his Nobody grew? Or did the heart that his Nobody grew combine with his original heart? If so, then why didn't Roxas' heart combine with Sora's? Would it be because Roxas had a completely separate personality and memories than Sora, while Axel had the same personality and memories as Lea? Tetsuya Nomura said that Nobodies don't age, but Axel, Saïx, and Zexion all clearly aged. Maybe you need a heart to age, and since Axel grew a heart, he didn't count as a regular Nobody so he aged? Does this mean Saïx and Zexion grew hearts as well? Do you need a heart to age? Where is Terra's heart and body? Is Xehanort still possessing it, but just making it look like his old man form, like how Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in the first Kingdom Hearts was still possessing Riku's body, but making it look like himself? What's the situation with Eraqus being inside of Terra's heart? After Terra-Xehanort split into a Heartless and Nobody, what happened with Eraqus' heart, and where is Eraqus' heart now? Why can't Sleeping Worlds dream about Heartless? All the "realm of sleep" is, is dreams. It can be dreams of people or dreams of worlds that have fallen to darkness/fallen to the Realm of Darkness, since worlds that fall to darkness, also fall to sleep, and they dream. So, since people can dream about Heartless and have them appear in the realm of sleep, then why can't worlds do the same? Heartless can be created in the realm of sleep by someone dreaming about a Heartless in their dream, but Heartless can't enter the realm of sleep from the outside world. If Heartless can't enter the realm of sleep, then how was Ansem, Seeker of Darkness able to enter the realm of sleep? Is it because he's not just a Heartless, he's a Heartless possessing a body (Riku's body form the first Kingdom Hearts)? Does him having a body allow him to enter the realm of sleep? Also, why can't Heartless enter the realm of sleep in the first place? Why can't they just use Corridors of Darkness to enter? Young Xehanort, and the other Seekers of Darkness, follow Sora and Riku into the realm of sleep. They use that as an entrance. But, I'm still pretty sure that Corridors of Darkness can get you into the realm of sleep since they were all using Corridors of Darkness while in the realm of sleep. That's also presumably how they got out of the realm of sleep when they were done putting Sora into that weird sleep coma. Presumably. So, yeah, why can't Heartless use Corridors of Darkness to enter the realm of sleep? Who are all of the Seven Guardians of Light? Who are all of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness? Why did the time traveling members of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness have to go back to their own time? And how are they going to come back? The Kingdom Hearts Ultimania states that Xehanort's heart being in thirteen vessels serves as raw material for the χ-blade. Why is this? Xehanort's heart isn't pure darkness, so how does him putting his heart into thirteen vessels work for creating the χ-blade? What was the Riku that Riku saw in Monstro in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance? Was it the dream world projecting an image of Riku from the first Kingdom Hearts? Putting Riku "back in his place," like it did to Jiminy in Sora's side of Prankster's Paradise? If so, then why is he wearing a black coat? Riku wasn't wearing a black coat in the first Kingdom Hearts, and the worlds only dream about their pasts, so this wouldn't make sense. Is it a Seeker of Darkness? If that Riku is a Seeker of Darkness, is it Riku Replica? If it's Riku Replica, then why did Riku say "That was my... my dark side. I gave into the darkness once, and ever since, it's chased be around in one form or another. The seeker of darkness who stole my body, a puppet replica of the shadows in my heart, and now, I'm facing me."? He lists the versions of his darkness that have chased him around in one form or another. He lists Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Riku Replica, and then says that now, he's facing himself. That implies that it's not Riku Replica. So, it's not Riku Replica, right? Unless Riku's just assuming it's not Riku Replica. If it's just himself (Riku) that he was facing, then was it when he was a villain in the first Kingdom Hearts that's time traveled to present-day to be a Seeker of Darkness? If it's Riku Replica or himself from the first game time traveled to present-day to be a Seeker of Darkness, then how come Young Xehanort isn't there with him? Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Young Xehanort functioned as a "portal" that summoned the Xemnas and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Wouldn't it be the same for Riku Replica/Riku from the first game and any other time traveling Seekers of Darkness? If not, then why? How are we going to save Ventus, Terra, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé? What is the Key to Return Hearts? In the Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance secret ending, Goofy says that Lea hurried back to Radiant Garden. Why did he hurry back to Radiant Garden? It was shown that the "illusion" of Terra we see in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- was there because of Naminé's help. This took place right after Sora went into the pod to restore his memory, so why/how did Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- end with how the first Kingdom Hearts game ended? How does that make any sense timeline wise? Why did the illusion of Ventus we see in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- have a black and white checkered design on the back of his jacket rather than the half black half white design the back of his jacket usually has? If the dark counterpart of Keyblades of Light (Keyblades of Darkness) are found on the dark side of the world the Keyblade of Light was gained at, then does that mean Keyblades of Darkness are only created when a world that a Keyblade of Light was gained at falls to darkness? Or are Keyblade of Darkness counterparts to Keyblades of Light created in the Realm of Darkness right when a Keyblade of Light is gained, but just teleports to the world the Keyblade of Light was gained at when it falls to darkness? How did Aqua and Mickey end up at the Realm of Darkness area that was behind the Door to Darkness? There was just a flash of light and then they got teleported there. What was that flash of light from and how did they get teleported there? Was it the flash of light that came out of the Door to Darkness when Sora said "Kingdom Hearts is light" in the first Kingdom Hearts? How did Mickey get his shirt back in time for Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories after it got destroyed by the Demon Tide? How long ago does Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] take place? We know that the Age of Fairy Tales takes place "more than a hundred years before Sora received the Keyblade," but "more than a hundred years" is a very vague number. What is the name and identity of The Master of Masters? What were the Foretellers' and Luxu's original names before The Master of Masters gave them new names and what do their faces look like? What are the names of all of the Foretellers' Keyblades? Who is Xehanort and Eraqus' master? Is it Luxu, or was there another generation in-between them and Luxu, or even more? Also, was this Yen Sid's master as well, or did he have a different master? If so, then who was Yen Sid's master? What's in the black box that The Master of Masters gave to Luxu, and why isn't Luxu allowed to open it? How was The Master of Masters able to see the future with the Gazing Eye when it wasn't even passed down yet? Wouldn't that just be him looking into the present since he has to wait until it's passed down? Why did The Master of Masters disappear? How do the Dandelions survive the darkness that covers the World after the Keyblade War? How does Luxu survive the darkness that covers the World after the Keyblade War? If The Master of Masters only put his one eye on one Keyblade, then how are there so many eyes on so many Keyblades in the future? Who Bequeathed Ventus, the Player, Ephemer, Skuld, Brain, and all of the other Keyblade wielders from the Age of Fairy Tales? How did Ventus and Lauriam get from the Age of Fairy Tales to the time period of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. How was present-day Maleficent there in the Unchained realm during the Age of Fairy Tales during the Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] secret ending? How did the light from children's hearts recreate the World? Do children's hearts just simply have the ability to create an entire universe? Or was Kairi's Grandma just being vague in her story? If so, then what really happened? End Notes & Updates If you'd like to know more about the Braig/Xigbar situation talked about above, check out my explanation on the whole situation here. Please give me unanswered questions. Thank you

If Terra is supposed to have parallels with Anakin/Darth Vader, then it’s plausible he is one of the Thirteen Darknesses at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts III (which most people think is already obvious, and I did too, but I have remained doubtful ever since Tetsuya Nomura, in an interview, said he enjoys creating surprises in a story, and Terra not being a Seeker of Darkness would sure be a big surprise). With tvtropes' comments that Terra has similarities to Anakin, who served the Dark Side, I find myself seeing Terra as a Seeker more and more. Anyway, what I’m getting at is remember in Star Wars, Anakin was saved from the Dark Side by his son. In Birth by Sleep, Terra and Ven have a conversation in which Terra tells Ven he knows when he really needs him he’ll be there for him. It seems to be foreshadowing something, but in the game itself this scenario never comes to pass. With these story elements added together, we can theorize that it is Ven who will bring Terra back to his complete form, as it is Ven who serves as a little brother/sort-of son figure to Terra. How Ven does so I ain’t got a clue, but if they really wanted to keep the Anakin-Terra parallels (if it was intentional) this is probably the route they’ll go.