Where Are They Now?: Characters of the Heart, Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts 3 was one of those announcements that the fans have wanted since, frankly, after KH2. Fans, including myself, have been turned around with all of the prequels and sequels. Come to find out that these games are only one out of three arcs so there is so much to talk about and be confused about. I love Kingdom Hearts to the point that Justin and I talked about the story and which worlds we want to see. Now I want to talk about the characters themselves what I think how they will fit in the Kingdom Hearts story line. Warning Spoiler Alert. Repeat Spoiler Alert.

1. Birth By Sleep: Aqua, Ventus, Terra 

    With the exception of Terra, Aqua and Ventus, are the possible choices to join the Keybladers in the fight against Xehanort. We see Aqua in the other side of the Door To Light which means someone could help her get out from the other side. If Sora and Riku can do it, Aqua can. Ventus on the other hand I am confused about. I know that Aqua was the original creator of Castle Oblivion in order to keep Ventus's body safe. But when the organization and Sora arrive, we see no trace of him. Did he awaken and if so was it because Sora has a special connection with Ventus? There has to be a connection why Roxas and Ventus look identical, so did Roxas reach out to Ven? 

     Then we have the situation with Terra. Terra was taken over by the darkness in his heart and thus became the younger Xehanort that we see in Dream Drop Distance. Plus we see the many clones of Xehanort towards the climax of the game, explaining that Terra, along with the Organization, was basically a host for more of Xehanort's, past, present, and future clones. Yet we clearly see him with the rest of the group in the trailers. Heck we even see Ansem's Heartless and Nobody make an appearance. I am very curious to see where we see Terra in KH3. 

2. Axel's Awakening to wielding a Keyblade
     In Dream Drop Distance, we learned that Axel really didn't disappear and instead during our journey, we find out that he has showed up to The Tower looking like nothing happened. He wants to help out and with a new keyblade in toe, no less. You read correctly, he has a keyblade. Now I know that Axel "disappeared" before Kingdom Hearts was activated by Xemnas which allowed all of the Nobodies to have a heart. Since the organization was defeated, its not possible for them to obatin hearts right? Which makes them incapable of having a keyblade. My theory is that Axel always had a heart. You can see that every moment he had spent with Roxas. This is why he was frustrated when Sora couldn't figure out that Roxas was him. He even helped Kairi, which may seem like he had an evil motive but I think he just wanted Riku and Kairi to be in one place until Sora arrived.
      Axel is what I considered an outcast in the organization and even though he plays to have such an indifference with the events around him, deep down I know he cares. I hope that we can play as Axel or even see how his training is before the Keyblade War begins.

3. Sora
     I'll try not to be too long with this. After all, most of the series is centered around Sora and his journey through Disney and Final Fantasy worlds. Sora's story is downright complex, with half of the series taking twists and turns by adding sequels to sequels and prequels to sequels. So after Dream Drop, where will this take us? He went off back into the Dream World after failing the Keyblade Mastery Test (and surprisingly not at all jealous when Riku became KeyMaster). So he's not mad that he is not a Master nor is worried about taking the test over again. I have a feeling that Sora is one of those heroes that will not be a master (in this case) when it's all said and done. He is already powerful and if it was up to me Riku and Sora would have been masters already.
      I also speculate that Sora went back into the dream world to train like Goku in DBZ, trying to gather more strength for the coming onslaught or finding other players to join in the fight. However, he could be looking for someone in the dream world. Who's to say but I hope that we get the answers soon.

4. Kairi
     Kairi is another character I hope we get to play in the game. At the end of DD (Dream Drop for short) in a secret ending, Kairi was at Yen Sid's Tower right after Sora left for his mini journey. It's implied that she would help with the Keyblade War and we already know that she has a keyblade in KH2. I have a feeling that Riku will be the one to teach her the ways of being a Keyblade Master since he did become a master before Sora. I also hope that we get to play as Kairi. I think some girl power is long over due, don't you think? ;)

                                                                                     5. Riku
     So Riku is now a Keyblade Master. It makes sense since Riku was the first and original wielder of the Keyblade. You thought Sora was the original? Not really. It was said that Riku was the intended wielder before Sora. However, an argument can be made that you need to play Birth By Sleep in order  to see if either Sora who Ventus saw or Terra was first. Either way, I want to play as Riku too and see if he has a better control with his dark powers. I don't know how many years went by after Dream Drop (could be a year since Riku should be about 18 and Kairi and Sora 17, unless you count when Sora climbs Castle Oblivion), however I hope we see an even stronger keyblader than ever before.




That's it for my theories and wishes. It's a waiting game for KH3 to come out so all we can do is speculate. If there any questions and/or comments about my post, comment down below. Do you agree, somewhat agree, or disagree of what I said? Let me know.  Kingdom Hearts Rules!!!!!!!

     

Top 10 Favorite Kingdom Hearts Moments and Things I Love

I am a Kingdom Hearts fangirl and for good reason. Kingdom Hearts is an RPG that anyone can get into. It has a lot of elements that fans of Final Fantasy and Disney can get behind. As soon as I saw the trailer for Kingdom Hearts back in like 2002, I knew that I had to get it. My mom even played the game and she was a gamer when I was in my mother's stomach. It brings Disney fans, like myself, and Final Fantasy fans common ground. So here are my top favorite moments and things I love about Kingdom Hearts.
                                                                   *Warning Spoilers*


10. The concept of adding two different franchises together
       Who would have thought that combining two different franchises would work so well with a game. Disney is a massive company by itself and Square Enix have been on the map since forever. What happens when you cross two major companies? Epicness.





9. Moment: Sora getting excited by Santa
     I think in the moments of having Sora lash out saying "And then we can go meet Santa!", makes me so happy. He sounds as if he was four years old and it adds when Santa kind of b slapped him by saying that he didn't believe in Santa. It just brings out the navie side of Sora and makes him all the more cuter.




8. Moment: Playing with Spirits

      In Dream Drop Distance there are creatures called Dream Eaters that you can make and befriend during the journey of completing the Keyblade Mastery Exam. On the 3DS it was so much fun to pet, feed, and play mini games with them. Especially when you can level them up and give them certain powers. I also love the fact that you can create a giant T-Rex like Dream Eater.





7. Utada Hikaru- Kingdom Hearts Series

     Utada's music has been made known to me because of her songs in the Kingdom Hearts series. I can't picture her themes in any other game instead of Kingdom Hearts. It fits perfectly with the story and I could not have it any other way. Utada, you rule and please "Come Back" to us very soon. We miss you.



6. Dream Drop Distance: Music

     Dream Drop Distance had such great music and it is very different from the rest of the series especially the world where it played classical music (Fantasia). The music makes me happy, it adds pressure during boss battles, and makes me sad and reflective during serious scenes. The music in the series is awesome but I connected more with Dream Drop Distance a little more.




5. Moment: Singing The Little Mermaid songs
     So going back to Atlantica was a surprising moment for I thought Sora was done with that world when King Triton couldn't wait for us to leave after finding the keyhole. Now in Kingdom Hearts 2, instead of fighting Heartless, we are fighting notes and I love it. Its a new approach and just like Winnie the Pooh's world, it is like an extra bonus level however there is a keyhole in Atlantica once again. I'm just happy that the only major threat in this world, is Ursula and I can sing along to the popular songs from The Little Mermaid.



4. Birth By Sleep

     I felt that the prequel did answer some answers of the never-ending storyline but also caused us to backtrack when Dream Drop Distance came out. I love everything about Birth By Sleep especially Aqua and Vanitas. Aqua, next to Riku, is one of my favorite characters and I hope we can play her again in Kingdom Hearts 3. The reason I like Vanitas is because where he came from and how he looks so much like Sora that I did a double take when I saw him. I feel the prequel was also necessary because of the clues and puzzle pieces left behind by the other games. It was beautifully done and I want to get the Kingdom Hearts 2 and Birth By Sleep Remix for the PS3 when it comes out.




3. Moment: Being a cub in Kingdom Hearts 2

     Being a lion cub is a huge deal for me because I am a HUGGGGGGGGE fangirl of The Lion King franchise, from the three movies, to seeing the Broadway play twice, to reading and writing fanfic about it. Mind you, KH2 came out in 2007, way before I started reading fanfiction and writing my own, however, I still love the franchise. As the commercial came out for this game and I saw The Lion King world, I nearly had a fangasm. I was so happy and I hope that if they are going back to the same worlds as before, Zira should make an appearance....Just saying.




2. Keyblades

     Since seeing the many keyblades that both Sora and Riku (Dream Drop Distance), keyblades have come in many different shapes, and colors.Some of my favorites are Sora's and Roxas's two keyblades, Riku's keyblade, Star Seeker, and the Nightmare Before Christmas keyblade. I even dreamed of having my own Keyblade if I was ever in the series (which is often). Without Keyblades, there wouldn't be Kingdom Hearts.


1. Riku

     Now you are probably wondering why Riku of all the characters from the series, is my #1 moment and thing (person) I love. There are two reasons: One he is a good-looking young man, with beautiful eyes, a good personality, and a hot body.*smirk* Two, he has a very interesting and dark storyline. I wouldn't say complex since Sora trumps every one's story lines in that category with almost everyone involved in his life.. Riku just has an edge to him I really love. I was actually a Sora fangirl before Riku but since Sora has not grown out of his naive state just yet, I grew into loving Riku especially in Dream Drop Distance (which I mean Dream Drop Sexiness). ^-^

Those are just the Top 10 for I have a lot more to talk about (look at our latest Podcast "It's An Otaku Thing". What are your top 10 favorite moments and things you love about the Kingdom Hearts series. Let us know on the comments below this post. Kingdom Hearts Rule!!!!!!!!!!!!
   

It's An Otaku Thing EP 5: Hearts of Kingdom

On this episode of It's An Otaku Thing. Justin and Ashley discuss Attack on Titan, Kite Live Action trailer, the anime Kill la Kill. Also chat about manga and anime news and Kingdom Hearts. 

New Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix Trailer

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5. remix has a new trailer out. This trailer focuses on Kingdom Hearts Chain Of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. The trailer features the unique card-based battle system from KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories. Originally released as a Nintendo Gameboy Advance game, players will now be able to enjoy the high-definition graphics that make the action more exciting and enchanting than ever before. The trailer also shows the transformation of the cinematic story scenes from the Nintendo DS title, KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days. Players will now be able to view roughly three hours of the fascinating story scenes of KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days in gorgeous high-definition.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX PAX East Trailer (US)

Kingdom Hearts is being remastered in HD for the PS3 with Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5. ReMIX. The official English trailer has been released for PAX East. It looks amazing and it's good to hear Simple & Clean in the trailer. Check it out.

Kingdom Hearts 3D Review

It has been a long time coming. Months of anticipation, months of speculation have finally come to an end. The road to Kingdom Hearts 3 has come to it's conclusion. The last stop on the road to KH3 is Kingdom Hearts 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. How does the last filler for Kingdom Hearts hold up? Is it a hit or miss? Or should we stay asleep?

Story - Sora and Riku enter the Sleeping Worlds to take the Mark Of Mastery Exam to become true Keyblade masters. Sora and Riku must travel to the seven sleeping worlds and unlock the keyholes in order for the worlds to wake up. However a new foe called "Dream Eaters" which have two forms Nightmare and Spirits are there to aid or stop them from achieving this goal. That is pretty much the story in a nutshell. If I say anything else it will be spoiling the experience. However I will say that the story definitely leads to Kingdom Hearts 3. In pure Kingdom Hearts fashion the story gets complex and knowledge of the previous games will be needed. Thankfully the game provides a glossary on all the previous games to get new comers and veterans up to speed. The story is all over the place in Kingdom Hearts 3D but it will all come together in the end.

Gameplay - The gameplay is probably one of Kingdom Hearts best. It maintains it's basic mechanics with a few new additions that make the gameplay more fun. The usual hack and slash, level up mechanics are in tact. However the new addition of the Flowmotion system is really fun to use and abuse. The Flowmotion system allows Sora and Riku to get the upper hand on the enemies by using the environment around them. Bounce off of walls and do a powerful attack, use the poles to do a spin move attack, and many more. The Flowmotion system also makes traveling through levels quicker. Another great addition is the use of Dream Eaters. The friendly companions replace Disney characters as you allies, even though the Disney characters are missed, the Dream Eaters surely make up for the absentees. Each Dream Eater has their own special abilities, strengths and weakness. You can have three Dream Eaters at a time, each aiding you in some shape or form. In addition to using the Dream Eaters you will also have to take care of them. I found this to be a game in itself. As Sora or Riku you have the responsibility of feeding the Dream Eaters, training theme, giving them new abilities and making sure they morale level with you is in sync. During my gameplay  I didn't take care of them too much. It's not a huge factor but it will make battles a lot less stressful if you level them up properly and take care of them. Finally for the Dream Eaters throughout the game there are recipes scattered all over the seven worlds. These recipes can be use to create more Dream Eaters each with different set of powers. It's fun trying to find all the Dream Eaters and what recipes can be combine with others to make new ones. The last addition to the game is the Drop element. The Drop is used to switch the characters at anytime during the gameplay. I wasn't a big fan of it a first because it gives you a time limit on how long you can play with Sora or Riku. However I did like that it brought a strategy element to it on when you should drop and go to the next character. A little tip drop before you do a boss battle otherwise if your time is up, expect to fight that boss all over again. That was probably my biggest complaint about the game.

The game will take about 15 to 20 hours to beat depending on the difficulty. You travel to seven different worlds some new and some old. The level designs are good and pretty linear so you don't get lost like previous installments, but it does give you room to explore. Square Enix made great use of the touchscreen making it useful in battle, but not so much that it takes away from the original Kingdom Hearts design. Overall the gameplay is solid. The game sticks to the basic but gives us something new and refreshing.

Gameplay Video -

Graphics - Kingdom Hearts 3D is the best looking RPG on the 3DS. It might even be the best looking game on the 3DS next to Resident Evil Revelations. This game you must play in full 3D in order to get the feel of the game. The games strongest graphics is TRON Legacy. This is when the graphics can even rival some of the strongest Nintendo Wii games. Detail is the name of the game on this level the joys of the Lightcycles, the close up shots on Kevin Flynn are phenomenal. It truly will blow you away.

Sound - The voice acting is solid all around from Disney favorites like Mickey, Goofy and Donald. To the returning cast of Sora and Riku and many others who I won't spoil. The performances bring heart and add more emotion to the game with the help of the composition by Yoko Shimomura. The music is awesome as always from tracks like "Dearly Beloved", "Riku Theme", "Organization XIII" and many more. Most of the tracks are from previous games with some new orchestrated feel to it. The only disappointment is that Daft's Punk's music was not featured for the TRON Legacy level.

Replay Value - With recipes to gather, a secret ending to unlock and a New Game + mode. Kingdom Hearts 3D has a lot of replay value. The game story will have you playing it at least twice to grasp the full complex plot. This game is not a one trip deal.

Final Grade A-/9.0 - Kingdom Hearts is back in full form and on full course for one epic conclusion. The set pieces are now in place for the grand finale. Kingdom Hearts 3D is an awesome experience with solid gameplay, solid music, and emotional story that will have you cheering for the heroes. This is one game you don't want to miss.