I think villains who don't exactly have an evil heart or intentions, but are so down bad obsessed with their ways of "saving the world" that they end up making the most vile acts of the story, are the perfect type of main/final antagonist to an story arc
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon well, you could say that Xemnas have a little bit of Terra in him (cuz of the whole body steal shenanigan), I think that's what makes him so slightly different from actual Xehanort, a Lingering Will maybe lol Tldr yeah Xemnas is the goat
@@Uxmaset that's true. Something that I really appreciate this series mastering, is the double meaning in everything and everyone. It keeps you on your toes, constantly making you question if the characters did the right thing at moment X, and if you truly understand your core. There are multiple ways to look at this series other than the "BFFs are the best" trope seen at first sight. My vision on it may be cynical, but it has its merit. I admire Xemnas (and the Nobodies in general), because they're litterally wired differently (like I am), impact reality differently, and show there are multiple ways to look at the world.
Sora being a "bug" in the system theory LITERALLY gives me chills. Because, "Is anything for real, or not?" Also, I just love the way Nomura wrote Xehanort's character/backstory, it's crazy. And not only does Riku obviously parallel Xehanort, in story, design, and lore, Sora does too--albeit in a more subtle way. Which really makes me wonder what that means...
Calling Sora a "bug in the system" is a bit inaccurate. Presumably, he's some weird cosmic anomaly that the system created in order to protect itself: the Kevin Bacon of Kingdom Hearts. When Sora was declared "the key that connects everything" in KH2, the game means that in a very *literal* sense. All hearts *are* connected because every heart, if you follow the connection long enough, will eventually lead you to Sora, and from there you could then reach any other heart.
So before the video comes out, just my own assessment of Xehanort. Xehanort is a man who is defined by his duty and perceived destiny as a Keyblade Master, but in a very warped and twisted sense. From birth Xehanort was told he is the child of destiny by his caretaker. Automatically he feels a sense of duty to fulfill this destiny. When he becomes a student of the Keyblade in Scala ad Caelum, he's told that light is good and darkness is evil. However his own experiences and encounters with darkness fills him with doubt. When the events of Dark Road happen, Xehanort witnesses most of his friends fall to darkness. If these Keyblade Wielders who are so devoted to the light could fall to darkness so easily, so quickly, then Xehanort surmised there must be something wrong with the teachings of Keyblade Wielders. Even the Keyblade Wielders of old, fell to darkness in the Keyblade War, and the world was left shattered because of it. I think Xehanort realized that total devotion to the light was flawed. Previous generations of Keyblade Wielders were so devoted to light, they were blind to the darkness in every heart, even their own. As such when the darkness came in ancient times, the Keyblade Wielders were unprepared for it, didn't know how to handle it, and war broke out. When darkness came for his friends, they were unprepared for it, didn't know how to handle it, and they perished. So Xehanort seeing the failures of previous generations of Keyblade Wielders, decided, instead of rejecting the darkness, why not study it? Xehanort realized darkness is unavoidable, it will always keep coming back, it's part of the universe. So he spent his life studying the darkness and after a lifetime he came to master it. Xehanort learned to master the darkness, so that darkness would never hold mastery over him as it did so many others. Xehanort even became a heartless and held onto his sense of self, his mastery was so great. And this is why he could so easily manipulate the darkness of others. Xehanort came to believe that a balance of light and dark was needed, that would could not be blinded by the light nor allow darkness to conquer them, but needed to master the dark and light. However the world he lived in was a result of the failures of previous generations of Keyblade Wielders. Most people in the worlds could not master darkness as he had. So Xehanort decided the only way to correct the errors of his predecessors was to create a blank slate. To reset the world and begin a new. A blank canvas on which to paint his ideal world. In this new world the people that would emerge could be guided and taught Xehanort's idea of balance. That way when the darkness eventually came again, the people would be prepared for it. They wouldn't be caught off guard. They could master it as Xehanort had. In this way the ideal world (at least from Xehanort's standpoint) could be achieved. I believe that in Xehanort's heart and mind he viewed creating this ideal world as not only fulfilling his believed role as the child of destiny, but also as correcting the mistakes of previous Keyblade wielders, and fulfilling his duty as a Keyblade Master. If he could create a world where the people could control their darkness and master it, then he would have created a world where darkness is no longer a threat or the enemy. And thus done what no other Keyblade wielder has done, what every other Keyblade Wielder has failed to do before. I think all of this also explains why he can hurt and manipulate so many people. In the end, this current world will be erased and all those people he used would be reborn into his new world anyways. So in his mind, their suffering is temporary and won't matter in his new world. And if you notice, everyone version of Xehanort desires a new and ideal world. Master Xehanort obviously. Xehanort's Heartless in his reports seeks "nirvana" which is an ideal state of being. Xemnas tells Ansem the Wise "I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time." The desire to create a new world is the driving goal of Xehanort wanting Kingdom Hearts no matter the version or the type of Kingdom Hearts used. The methods differ but the goal is the same. In the end he realizes that he didn't have the correct answer, the correct solution. He is overcome by Sora and gains newfound respect for him. He finally seems to realize that while he and Eraqus failed to find the solution Keyblade Wielders have sought for so long, Sora and his friends may be able to find the right answer. Thus he can let go.
In the bluntest of perspectives, he became an unforgivable kind of evil I constantly call out through out the series, both from the heroes and the villains. He may have started as an extremist, but what he did to Vanitas (which is not too different from that abusive web between Riku, Roxas, Naminé and DiZ I constantly call out) shows he betrayed the very mission's core. The ending he got in 3 was disrespectful to victims of abuse, in every sense of the word "disrespect", along with giving a bad name to the likes of the military.
In a "Naruto" fic called "The Daemon of Pain", Nagato (who was never meant to lead, he was only stepping up in his friend's place, hence him being the spacegoat) rejects Obito/Madara, evolving as a leader. You know what that makes me realize ? THAT is Sora's deal too. Right now, he doesn't really possess the qualities of a leader, merely the charisma. If he is to find himself, he can't make the same mistake Xehanort did. The same mistake Roxas and Naminé learned from Xemnas, DiZ and Riku. He MUST NOT give up his own agency again. He must regain it. And for a while, maybe distance himself from both his enemies and friends. By whatever means and time it takes. He doesn't seem to truly understand how messed up the things his..."friends"...did, really were. Time for him to get his own hands dirty. Like Nagato does in that fic, and then, Naruto, by leaving that toxic household he called a Village.
The only person I can think of that has the mastery of both light and dark that Xehanort wants others to follow is Riku. Riku is a good example of both elements woking in coexistence instead of opposition of each other
@jezkerjamez7110 is he ? He seems to look at darkness as a burden more than a part of life. It's kinda like the White Lantern from DC. If you draw no sort of pleasure or liking from it, then what's its point to you ?
@@Uxmaset not just thinking they're the hero, but losing any principle along with it. The reason I'm still "holding grudges" against Riku, DiZ, Mickey, Yen Sid...Pretty much every "mentor" character and close friends, is because not only they keep seeing themselves as the heroes, their methods were just plain horrible, when we see they're more than capable in being actually useful in the battlefield to help lessen the burdens. That, and...Why was Roxas left in the dark for a year ? How dare they sleep at night after abusing Naminé for a year, and not help her in time in order to prevent her pseudo-suicide ?
@@Uxmaset would it have been so wrong for Roxas to beat Sora at their battle in 2 ? I know he accepted his defeat out of integrity (and brainwash from every world visited), but even back then I felt it was wrong choice. And with the consequences from the villains' side, my feelings became pretty much facts. As I said in another comment, there's a lot of double meaning in the series. We are never to see most of the decisions as 100% wrong or right. So who's to say the right choice in that scenario wasn't the dark one ? After all, if it wasn't for Darkness, the worlds would have remained separated because of MoM's machinations.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon Out of everyone you listed, I feel like Riku has earned forgiveness at this point after everything. Because he knew/is aware, accepted, and is fixing his past "wrong-doings."
@purpleirken1529 it's not his actions back in 1 I'm angry at, I should make that clear. I'm not even one of those extremists who say he should have left Roxas and Xion alone. What I'm angry at, is that he had the power to go against the Org, but stayed in the shadows, letting DiZ make Sora his puppet for later, refusing even to use his own Keyblade to take the fight (that brief fight of his with Saix, he uselessly called it off when he saw Kairi); He watched him abuse Naminé, but held his tongue; He spent the whole year persuading Xion, but let Roxas in the dark until the last moment, and then simply decided to let him be fully erased, when Naminé implied there might be a way to at least keep him conscious; According to the novels, he checked back on Naminé, but did not try to convince her to live for herself after everything was said and done, leading to that pseudo-suicide of hers; He tried to actively erase any mentioning of Roxas's existance, so Sora would never even learn of him. He would even deny Roxas the proper rites of respect. Not even a letter or note explaining the "Roxas" thing, no matter how angry Sora got. He let them all be used, like he was. He ignored them, just because inaction from his part was his definition of atonement. He has not felt what each felt, like Sora was forced to. He switched from taking the entire burden, to putting it all on those he comes into contact with. And it is for his puppetering that enabled all the negative consequences we witnessed from 2 onwards, consequences as predictable as Earth's rotation around the sun, and that he still enables to happen, that he must get the Poseindon's "Six Hundred Treatment".
@IwakuraYumeko7 honestly, all the things you've stated us exactly why I forgive Riku. We have to remember he was a kid in a fucked up place, who'd done fucked up things. By the end of CoM, the only person really giving a way to "redemption" was DiZ, who was obsessed with vengeance and gave Riku a narrative that made it easier to carry on with the exact actions you describe. I'm not surprised Riku was unable to make the right decisions. You have to remember that he utterly hated himself and let DiZ use him until KH2. By the time the work could be done to fix things it was too late. This isn't mentioning not much thought could be given to his actions against Roxas, Nadine and Xion due to the mark of mastery and xehanorts return. In KH3, however, we finally see how he uses the opportunities given to right his wrongs. He's among the first person Namine sees when she wakes up.
I think meeting Xehanort again in KH4, not as an antagonist, but just someone that Sora can discuss stuff with, would honestly be a really lovely cap on his story.
I think the moment when MX gives the X-blade to Sora a really powerful moment. It shows his respect for Sora (especially after he called him a “dull, ordinary boy” in DDD).
@@redlox2 Sora IS ordinary, in the sense he lacks whatever sense the other Keyblade wielders possess, having the Keyblade out of his personality alone. That in itself is worthy of respect, which is why even if he isn't the most relatable, he's still my favorite character.
@ true but MX in DDD used the term as a derogatory term in DDD and outright dismissing how Sora beat his Heartless and Nobody (albeit I get it it was arguably part of his plan to get them destroyed so he would return as himself but he might have expected a “true” Keyblade wielder to be the one to do it)
@@redlox2 a madman who should be in some lair is hardly a good judge of character (at least at death's bed, clarity overruled his insanity, though I still wished he suffered). His Heartless and Nobody didn't even want to be destroyed at first. They fought with everything they had, as they lacked most of their past memories. Like me, having different interpretations on how the system should work, other than "Power is everything/Friends are strength" If the man wants to be condescending, he should condescend himself as well. But he won't. Because he pretty much has dementia. Such a shame Sora seems to have bought some of his words. And how shameful no one could point out his accomplishments to console him, being instead focused on outdated traditions.
I wished Xemnas, the most curious of the counterparts, had found his way away from his previous incarnations. But just as Roxas and Naminé at the end of 2, I was told to see the "No" as the correct answer, even when both my heart and mind knew the answer was a mistake. The discovery of MoM merely made my decade old suspicions solid.
I feel like Xemnas was great by having him search for his heart through unconventional means by the logic of KH. I honestly didn’t like the idea that he just lied to them to turn them into the 13 Vessels of Darkness. Like, if he were to return. I honestly woulda like the idea that he only joined Master Xehanort because he wants to return to him, a longing for his heart, in this case-Ansem. Keeping the same angle, but only making him a general with benefits
@@Doze1202 precisely ! That retcon was ridiculous ! There were other ways to ressurect the Sea-Salt trio and Axel. They did not behave like the other Nobodies at all. They were special cases. They, alone, were able to grow their own hearts, which saved them, from death. And Xemnas saved himself, because he used the power of his Kingdom Hearts to get a heart for himself (Luxu's, which would be trapped among all other hearts, waiting for the strongest vessel).
truly an engaging look into Xehanort and his motivations throughout the series. it's interesting yet tragic that he wanted to see his friends from his dreams so badly, he forged the χ-blade twice, and made Kingdom Hearts his endpoint, trying to open it at every chance he got, all in pursuit of those friends, when Eraqus, and the Wayfinder trio by extention, were right in front of him. great video, and keep up the good work
I played the start of BBS Final Mix a few days ago, and when I read the letter from Xeha to Eraqus I kept thinking if Eraqus would let Terra pass with only a warning instead of outright failing his test if Xeha didn't made that one remark about darkness inside Terra's heart That line made me remember that sometimes a phrase is more than enough to make the most damage
Speaking of damage, In a "Naruto" fic called "The Daemon of Pain", Nagato (who was never meant to lead, he was only stepping up in his friend's place, hence him being the spacegoat) rejects Obito/Madara, evolving as a leader. You know what that makes me realize ? THAT is Sora's deal too. Right now, he doesn't really possess the qualities of a leader, merely the charisma. If he is to find himself, he can't make the same mistake Xehanort did. The same mistake Roxas and Naminé learned from Xemnas, DiZ and Riku. He MUST NOT give up his own agency again. He must regain it. And for a while, maybe distance himself from both his enemies and friends. By whatever means and time it takes. He doesn't seem to truly understand how messed up the things his..."friends"...did, really were. Time for him to get his own hands dirty. Like Nagato does in that fic, and then, Naruto, by leaving that toxic household he called a Village.
Sora is Xehanort's true parallel. And Nomura himself said Sora was the one missing the point. But there's still time to set things right. Between him, Kairi and Ventus, there has to be a way to restore true strength and agency. The Disney idiots and "Final Fantasy" lookalikes (they lack the OG's charm) had their chance to do things right. Time to see Red, like the Princess of Hearts.
@IwakuraYumeko7 Sora is a statue with cracks. His biggest weakness is his love to life. It maybe a nice thing but at the same time he can't handle the loss of the loved ones. In the chain of memories Sora became agressive when his "bond" with Namind became questionable. In KH2 Sora became very depressed when Kairi became a hostage of Organization 13and In KH3 Sora had a mental breakdown when his friends vanished In the Dark ending. So even if Sora is an opposite of Xehanort, he has cracks in his good nature. As this series keeps going those cracks keep getting wider.
@@rikuvakevainen6157 my point exactly. To set things right, he needs to do what Xehanort never could, at least not in time to be helped. To crack in front of everyone he loves. But before he does that, he needs to get a good, lasting idea about himself. After all, he is the one missing the point. A point he, Ventus and Kairi can still get the hang of.
Aww man! I wanted to watch this when it released, but I have something I need to prepare for! But I'll definitely watch it tomorrow, hopefully, if I have the time.
An important thing you've missed is that Xehanort knows Eraqus better than Eraqus knows himself by the time of Birth by Sleep. Eraqus ends up replicating what Xehanort did, by Xehanort's design, which is a way for Xehanort to prove that Eraqus would now have made the same choice that Xehanort did with Baldr, given even less information. We have to remember, Eraqus worships not the light, but his grandfather. He is trying to re-enact his grandfather's grand stand against the Darkness and he sets upon this journey with a 'true heart', as it is called in Shinto, which is to say that he is sincere in wanting to do good. But in trying to be a hero over trying to be good, Eraqus allows some amount of darkness to sneak into his own heart, eventually allowing himself to turn his weapon against Ventus. I think that this is fundamentally why Xehanort does not trust people anymore, because he has seen that the only person who seems to have been on Xehanort's level would still begin his own descent into darkness by doubting Xehanort's choices. Eraqus' light is a farce; he's become confused by Xehanort's actions and their consequences. His sincerity turns into severity, believing that darkness must be opposed and negated, but this is a paradox. Attempting to negate someone else's emotions is darkness, so denying your own emotions and encouraging others to suppress their own is what allows a subtler kind of darkness to hold sway over Eraqus and for his light to become a pale echo of the light Xehanort saw in him in his youth. So his killing of Eraqus is almost a mercy once Xehanort has confirmed that Eraqus' loyalty to the light was in bad faith.
Peak Video. Really glad I had the time to watch it. I hope you feel like it was worth it because it definitely feels like you put a lot of effort in. Also Keyblade…or X-Blade you didn’t really specify.
Sora is Xehanort's true parallel. And Nomura himself said Sora was the one missing the point. But there's still time to set things right. Between him, Kairi and Ventus, there has to be a way to restore true strength and agency.
@@BioRoxas Light is Light, just as Darkness is Darkness. What changes is the humanity put into the duty, which allows the two elements to meet in the middle without one assimilating the other. Back in "Kingdom Hearts 2", the heroes interfered with Sora's growth, just as much as the villains, making him more closed off and ruthless to Darkness, to the point it took trauma dump (Dream Drop Distance and "KH 3") to break through his armor. Light, without a shade, broke him. Now, he must pick himself up.
Love the video, Bio! This made me realize how much I have in common with kid!Xehanort. I’m also really happy you pointed out that the meeting with the Master of Masters got in Xehanort’s head and affected his worldview (for the worst).
He is kinda relatable, isn't he ? Although, I think I have more in common with Xemnas than the old man himself. The nihilisim and the instinctual need to find a higher purpose without too many strings attached ? I refuse to be a zealot. I value practicality. Progress (not just technological, but also spiritual) is my goddess.
39:33 Also, the time travelling YX from DDD/KH3 isn't from before Dark Road, Dark Road roughly reveals the time using time cards. His hairstyle is also a clear indication, as it's different than during the main story of Dark Road (excluding flash forwards). Thank you for the amazing video nonetheless!
Amazing Analysis, I really enjoyed this video. Xehanort is my favorite kingdom hearts character and I love him so much. My fingers are crossed to see more of him in the future sequels hopefully in KH4
Truly enjoyable!! I loved the character of Xehanort and seeing this greatly increases my appreciation for him. I love how you tied the keyblade design in too, really helps to emphasise the scapegoat idea
Great video! Fingers crossed we find out about more of Xehanort’s early life in the future, since there has to be a lot of interesting stuff there. Can’t wait for Namine’s video
Do say Sora's presence as the "bug in the system" of Xehanort's, and therefore The Master of Master's plan, does give his presence a very unique place in the franchise. Sora from Game 1 was always a factor that defied expectation and even "fate". First it was Riku's Keyblade defining him as worthy in account for its original owner's fall to darkness Second, it was surviving relatively unscathed the destruction of his world (he would've gotten dragged through darkness like Riku but he survived it and ended up in Traverse Town). Third it was completely defying the "Destiny" that Riku was to be the wielder of the blade, forcing a Keyblade of another keyblade wielder to define himself as its owner by sheer will of heart (A parallel to the MoM as he's the only one who'd shown that as of far) We also can probably see this pop up again with him just finding and picking up the Master Defender (a Keyblade that should have a pretty firm ruleset for ownership), like it was nothing. Fourth was him sacrificing himself and combing back from being a heartless without rejoining with his corresponding body (A Kairi Feat to be fair, but the fact it worked, and everyone attributes the situation to Sora himself to a degree. Acting as an extension of his elements "birthing" both Roxas and Naimine (Roxas born out of Sora's Heart but Ventus' Body and Soul within him, Namine born out of Kairi's Heart but Sora's Body and Soul) Fifth would be him being a unique entity in general with him reuniting with so many hearts inside of him, and housing a being that shouldn't exist (Xion). This multitude of hearts producing the exclusive ability for him (and Roxas as he is an extension of him), to dual-wield keyblades, while originally starting as being "Two hearts inside allowing him to use two keyblades", as seen with himself and Roxas dual-wielding even after Xion, Roxas, and Ventus were separated from Sora, it seemingly is the physical manifestation of Sora's (and Xehanort's) Heart being to trace and connect to hearts in a manner that few others can. Sixth would be being the one entity with a version of himself completely able to be copied out of data and retain his traits. Even being able to empathize with his "other". (As Data-Sora is a unique entity within himself and is yet another extension of Sora), Seventh would be defying fate itself in KH3. Not only managing to survive an attack that should've completely tore his heart and body apart, but also managing to recomplete himself while inside The Final World (being the only entity since Chirithy to have a physical form in there at least as said so far), then go to literally rewind time by accident by using The Power Of Waking, proceeding to defeat Xehanort and then save Kairi after the fact via using The Power of Waking to time travel again, changing events multiple times. (To the extent that Data-Xehanort is shocked about his defeat crying "This wasn't what was written", indicating that either Xehanort was aware of the book of prophecies, or his data-counterpart was and was shocked at Sora defeating him. Or maybe even surviving after the fact even if he was in Quadratum)
Standing ovation. This was amazing! Thank you for doing this work! It made me realize that I am behind on my lore. The Keyblade wars and everything through 3 this was a great way to inspire that! Thank you!
I do hope that he indeed appears in Quadratum. Expecially since Terra-nort post BBS, seems to know a lot about Quadratum looking at Melody of Memories. I feel like this incarnation of Xehenort will become a focal point connecting the dark seeker to the Master of Masters plans. Either way great video. The transitions between incarnations at the start of the video was so peak.
This was so nice, very well researched and made me so much more interested in the character. I listened to this while walking. Also a real life key blade would be sick as hell
Hey, great video as always i really loved the transitions and the way we took a closer look at Xehanorts life. A little question: Is a psychology of Axel / Lea video planed? I Know we dont se much of him but i think the few parts we see especially as young Lea are quite interesting.
My own conclusion about him: -He evolved. But I still can not forgive him for Repliku. That was careless and monstruous of him, letting him out, alone in the fragile state he was. Heart or no heart, it was obviously a gross miscalculation. I HATE how they started sugarcoating stuff after 2.
Took me a little bit before I finally had the time to watch this, but I've been looking forward to this. Master Xehanort has always been such a fascinating character to me since Birth by Sleep, and this video did him justice. I still get pretty emotional when seeing his final scene in KH3 when he looks over at Eraqus reuniting with Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and you can just see this sadness emanating from him as he stands alone. I also appreciate that you included the final moments of Ansem and Xemnas as well, since I do think those moments are very much meant to say something about Xehanort himself and not just those two individually.
amazing video. thank you so much. he is one if not the best and most interesting antagonist I have seen in any media. It annoys me so much that those important stories are locked on mobile games.
I really enjoy these videos. They also serve to temper and keep sharp all the details with KH that especially may come to play for KH 4/Missing Link and beyond! Keep it up and may your heart be your guiding key (blade)
I agree that I hope we get to see Xehanort again. He's such a fascinating antagonist. I would love to meet a new version of him in that other world, untroubled by his sense of destiny (and keyblades, for the end of video word, lol). Thank you for this fantastic video!! It was incredible! God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)
Absolutely love this, this series has always been awesome and that continues. Also Sonny's visuals were outstanding and I'm excited to hear damo's got a project in the works, I've loved his stuff and its been quite a lil bit. I find Xehanort to be an endlessly fascinating villain, especially post-Dark Road. I'll try not to ramble here cos there's a lot, but I think as a core, I love how he's essentially a dark reflection of Sora. Not just in their shared empathic abilities but in their motivations and circumstances. Both set out on their journeys to find their friends and rid the world of darkness, having encounters with worlds inform their thinking and decisions and both being large forces in shifting the scales of fate through their own will. But whilst Sora learns to enjoy the journey and help where he goes, Xehanort exclusively fixates on the destination, numbing himself to the feelings of others as a means to achieve his self-perceived greater good. It's telling that for all his awareness about the nature of darkness and his proficiency with it, it's not that dark power that leads his actions to being evil. It's him. Blind to his own shortcomings, he tames the darkness only to be it's largest contributor, leading to generations of suffering that transcend his own body and will. It's ironic then that in DDD when he sees Sora all he can think of him is a 'dull, ordinary boy', despite their similarities, only one is proud enough to believe they're above others, sticking with the words he was told all those years ago.
Master Xehanort has one the best builds and villain arcs in fiction, similar to Madara Uchiha and Thanos! Great vid, like theses psychology vids, should make more, im sure you will lol 👏👍
Yay! Another Bio psychology video! I was hoping you would touch on some Dark Road stuff and seeing that you did made me really happy! I’ve been enjoying these videos you made a lot! But I’m curious about something. Are you still interested in making a psychology of Lightning video? I recall you saying you were thinking about doing that. So I thought I should ask if that’s still in the cards. Also I would love to see it if possible. Regardless keep up the good work man! I wish you and your family the best! 👍 Keyblade
Yes I really want to make one on Lightning! This was a huge project but I think I’ll start having time to shift to other games for sure. I’m split on if it should be on this channel or if I should make a separate one for psychology content tbh
I'll admit that I'm still fuzzy on the details of DR, but this video seriously helped me understand Xehanort more. DR really does develop his journey. Thank you.
this is great bc it's also a good timeline of xehanorts time travel shenanigans and how he became the keyblade master and seeker of darkness/scapegoat he is :))
thank you for another great KH vid! A lot of ppl come away with just thinking Xehanort's some big bad villain when he's just a guy on a mission to make things right even if that means having to sacrifice ppl to get there (maybe a lot like MoM in a way?). And I mean. Also being a big bad ofc. Someone's gotta antagonize & his guy's here to do it. Also!! mentioning that it's not just light=good dark=evil. I feel like Xehanort falls in the same category of "thing is dark, so thing must be evil" (which is needed for his own plans ofc) so he's willing to treat Vanitas so poorly to make a powerful dark entity to rival Ven's powerful light. Idk. Anyway, great work ^^b
I loved this so much. And your thoughts on the goat motifs in the keyblade were really interesting 🤔 made me think about the has a Goatee as well lol! 🗝️🗡️
Xehanort is the child of destiny. Just Like light and dark being 2 sides of the same coin, xehanort is the darkness to sora's light. Riku was meant to be the other half, but wasn't able to fulfill his role when he gave in to the darkness. You can't have a coin that both bear heads in the scope of balance. So, the KEYBLADE and the role of the child of destiny for the light found sora. I'm the end, sora needed xehanort to embrace the dark as much as xehanort was waiting for sora to claim the light. Both following their path destiny had for them.
So Xehanort and Sora both bury their true sorrow, but Sora does it by trusting his friends and reframing things in a positive light whereas Xehanort does it by closing himself off from feeling so he can play the long game. I think the light SEEMED false because it could apparently be so easily manipulated. But I think the problem is that when someone is SO devoted to a specific viewpoint (be it of Light or how to go about a job), then someone can almost be TOO good at what they do. Rather, they’re so good at doing it the orthodox way that anything unorthodox catches them off guard, and that can be a path towards a fall. I also think the tragic irony with Xehanort is that in being so absorbed with this idea of what brings him worth, he DOES become a shell of who he once was. His negative qualities are brought out, and his inability to emotionally connect with others following the whole tragedy left him ready to view everyone as pawns. And so, in essentially trying to solve the problem of evil, he falls prey to the exact same shortcomings that he observed in others. Perhaps, as suggested here, a part of him recognized how far he had fallen, and saw the only way out as someone stronger than he was (which would explain how he comes to respect Sora by the end of the Saga). Entertaining Kingdom Hearts’ metaphysics, perhaps darkness really is just the shadow of the light. A twisting of positive traits into something more primal and aggressive. So darkness wouldn’t necessarily be evil as much as it is a byproduct of light. Maybe that’s why there’s light even in the deepest darkness (because Darkness can’t exist without Light). I think that’s why Ansem was surprised at the light, which foreshadows Xehanort’s eventual passing of the torch to Sora. I think it’s like that IRL. In Taoism, for example (which I think these games have a lot in common with), the natural balance is a divine undercurrent that is more or less characterized by a lack of categorical extremes (which are thought to be limiting in nature). So, one has to be willing to question oneself. Growth is a transformative process that goes deeper than understanding statistics and trends, and in order to understand our world we have to be able to adapt and use that flow to our advantage. When we understand that in our emptiness we can bend without breaking, that is when we transcend selfhood and enter the realm of the eternal. Viktor Frankl once said that between what drives us and our responses are our choices. Every situation is a resource. I once said at a neuro-diversity panel that I think it would be beneficial to think of one’s life as a choose your own adventure book. Try to remove the “self” from the equation, yet remain as objective as possible. Look at your life through the eyes of heaven, and instead of seeing life coming at you, be a participant in the process. After you remove “self”, reintegrate it and use the flow of life to your advantage. You are both Sculptor and Sculpture, and the process is your chisel: the coming to fruition of your potential. So, don’t fight the process and instead, channel it until there is no distinction between the process and yourself. Easier said than done, but I believe the payoff is Eudaimonia (human flourishing). The zeitgeist is propelled by ideas. Ideas may govern peoples, but the gravity of the Will that binds us is the source of a fate that governs ideas, and Nature governs Will. All defeat is psychological, because what cannot be harmed in spirit remains yet unsullied. Crazy Horse said “I salute the light in your eyes where the whole universe dwells, for when you are at that place within yourself and I am at that place within me, we will be as one”. I think “that place” is the proverbial “Mauve Zone”. A unified field in which all is one (like Kingdom Hearts). To accept death is to welcome change. One man will never conquer Nature no matter how hard he tries, for she endures because she is selfless. So, I believe the unifying essence of Nature is Love. Such is the point of Kingdom Hearts I’d say. Nothing can happen without Nature’s consent, for we are, each of us, that divine will embodied. We are, in fact, eternal. We suffer not in pain but in confusion. For any harm we do is to a projection of ourselves, and any harm we receive is to our ego. This is because we exist only as relations. That’s why understanding the self is a welcoming of transformation. Understanding is transcendence. If we want the world to get better, we must understand it’s statistical pattern and use flow to our advantage. To do that, understand yourself. You are a microcosm of your community. To serve one, serve the other and you will serve the Tao in the process. For the source of divine love is Nature in transcendent glory. Sora, in his willingness to try and see the best in people and situations, could be seen as more adaptable. And let me tell you, I’m a philosophy major and Kingdom Hearts has been hugely inspirational to me as a super nerd as I attempt to navigate the world and come into my own. This game from my childhood with Disney characters reminds me that I have a reason to keep growing!🙂
Honestly, that tracks elsewhere, especially in Birth By Sleep. Xehanort is obviously instigating things to get the chi-blade, but it is Eraqus’s and Aqua’s devotion to the light that screws everything up. Eraqus makes Terra think darkness is a sin, and Aqua makes Terra feel like he is hounded. All lead to gather them all at the Keyblade Graveyard and ruin themselves as they were not really united, when in fact Terra was fine, and Eraqus is as much a zealot as is Xehanort. It really does seem very strict light adherents tend to become haughty and stuck in their ways and beget darkness.
This was such a well thought out and detailed comment. I’m so glad this video got the gears turning and that you’re continuing to grow with series like Kingdom Hearts :>
I might be asking for too much, but Dark Road’s story absolutely deserved to be in KH3 in some form, even if only in part. Rather than just Remind, we need a definitive edition of KH3 that properly concludes Xehanorts story.
Keyblade! I really like how Xehanort paves his way as an complex but yet scarily thrilling character, I play BBS when I was a kid and I understood both of his planned roles and the way he treated Terra. I admit it, he is an abusive master, to which he brings many catastrophe events that occur both in the past and the future. Though I sympathize with him was not due to his past but rather, his whole character goals. He became this most well-known seeker of the dark and he sacrifice himself further into it by losing his body and soul, which gives me a different perspective about him even when he's an selfish being who achieves his motivations through manipulation and bad deeds. Despite the destruction he caused, there's this undying sense of respect and love within myself where I did cried for a bit, presumably not because of the actions, but it's how he feels when he consumed himself too much from the darkness. Maybe it's just me though I still wanted to say it. Right after he finally got his wishes and achievement to reality, the way he glances at Eraqus also makes me feel this sense of loneliness as well, the emotions are so uncanny, I sympathize him a little just because of that one scene and it brought me into tears that I don't have a support system in my life at all. I was envious, I lose many people in my life since I let my dark thoughts won me over. Even though what Xehanort did was wrong, he managed to pierce through what was missing inside of me and his relatability shows it. It's not entirely visible by the surface, but the way he treated other characters and uses them as pawns somehow managed to connect with the severe state of mental disorders. The most notably would be NPD, BPD, ASD and etc. I had it, it was the most excruciating pain when you absorb too heavily on the darkness and it swallows you whole for years. I have a family of who are dysfunctional, then you see how much it changes me entirely since then. I have two parents, one is incredibly abusive and the other enable them. The sudden change from my house environment left me both neglected and alone, the comfort of darkness makes it hard to push it away when I got older. Though... I am trying my best to heal from my past trauma, most people would think I'm being ungrateful because I have parents who are rich. Guess what, they care for themselves, my mother is npd and I have bpd. My father is being used by mother as well, you can imagine the rest how my mother treated her five sons and me. All of that aside, this video made me respect Xehanort even more. Although he can be seen as the evil antagonist in front of the main characters, I see him in a different light. Just like Terra's viewpoint, he's stuck in the gray area, which makes it interesting and unique compared to Disney villains in their movies, it's such an fresh of air with a mixture of human complexity and the side that Xehanort uses, where Wish on the other hand, Magnifico could not achieve the same flawed human act like Xehanort did, despite him being "just" narcissistic, which is a shame obviously.
Wow sounds like life has been really difficult for you growing up. It makes sense why some of Xehanort’s personality would resonate. Thank you for sharing and I hope you’re able to move forward and start connecting with others. You’ll be happy you did :)
That's a pretty good video, but there's one more thing that needs to be addressed: why did Xehanort conduct his research on Subject X? Is that related to the friends of his dreams? I find it too bad we didn't get a movie related to what Xehanort did between bbs and kh1. Maybe one day? If KH3D YX was the YX before Dark Road, then why does the KH3D one have the hairstyle that he got later in Dark Road? I'm not sure if the Scala we've visited in KH3 is a dream, since there are heartless and nobodies all over the place, in Re:Mind, instead of Nightmares. And I'm not entirely sure if Xehanort's goat armor is a "Keyblade" armor, since it's made from the seemingly essence of the replicas.
Fancy seeing you here. My 50cents for the hairstyle part is straight up just them not having planned for Norty boy to have a different hairstyle yet. As there were quite a few years in between releases.
I think he was curious about diving into memories in an effort to get his own memories back was my thinking for his interest in Subject X but it may be revealed later! Also some really good points! I think a couple other people have pointed out that his travel happens at a later point so that was my mistake. For the dream Scala, Sora uses one of those portals and the way Xehanort can control the environment made me assume it was a dream world but it’s possible that there was some kind of time travel shenanigans or something happening.
@@BioRoxas I think regarding the "control the environment part" is more similar to Xehanort rising the ground in the Keyblade Graveyard, both in BBS and KH3.
i dont think it should be a hot take to want xehanort to return in quadratum. i just wish so much of his arc that justifies wanting him to come back wasnt exclusive to a mobile gacha game. KEYBLADE!
@@Dawn_Epiphanyoh ! I do know. Why do you think I'm pretty much the Vanitas in the "KH" fandom ? Because I knew, all the way back to "Kingdom Hearts 2", that the good guys were the ones in the wrong. And the info released in the years after only gave me all the confirmation I needed. That's why I don't accept this series take on the friendship message. They're all puppets. And it was VERY OBVIOUS from the start what they needed to do to avoid this. It started with Roxas and Naminé.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon what do you mean by "it was clear with Roxas and Namine"? That Dora and Riku and Kairi should have rejected DiZ and the magician and the standard light path? (Asking in curiosity)
@@xxxxxx-ij8wf let's see: -Riku allows Naminé to be abused to the point she decides to commit a pseudo-suicide by merging with Kairi. Besides, DiZ clearly couldn't keep his Darkness in check, as it amplified his worst feelings to such a nasty point. No idea why he was trusted in the first place; -Roxas's memories were entangled with Sora, but considering that only happened AFTER Castle Oblivion, it's pretty obvious the real reason they wanted Roxas back, was to give Sora a power boost. And as if that wasn't bad enough, they even try to keep his existance under wraps, no matter how angry and confused Sora gets. -And to answer your question regarding rejecting the masters. Sora gets more rebellious by the time of 3, questioning direct orders in order to not be fooled again. And it's usually said the earlier, the better.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon ah, so basically all the reasons after playing 358/2 days, I watched kh2 as a kid and got mega upset at the Destiny trio!!! I thought you mesnt what Roxas and Naminé learned which, I struggled to think of since they sadly resigned to their fates. But this is really it!!! Sora can really turn things around and get new perspective by being away from the structure he was forced to be a part of, snd not feeling guilty since his heart resters got their bodies back and csn make their own lives. I hope they all are moving forward even while Sora is gone
Xehanort is undoubtedly evil. He wasn't always and at multiple turns, he had chances to turn back and change. But, regardless of WHY he did what he did, he basically ensured that so much pain would ensue. He let countless worlds fall to Darkness, snuffed out so many lives, hurt so many people, and in the end, it was for nothing. He lost.
Body-jacking Indoctrination M*rder Attempted M*rder Conspiracy T*rrorism All of this accumulated with this guy. We lost Eraqus, Terra was lost for 10 years, Aqua was sent into the realm of darkness cuz of him, Ven’s heart was asleep. He nearly k*lled Sora Riku and Kairi MULTIPLE times. Sent hordes of enemies out to other worlds for at least 12 years. So yeah, this guys was VERY evil for a man who was trying to “balance the world” like, OK, Thanos.
This got me some closure after finishing Kingdom Hearts 3 after its release. Back then, I didn't understand Xheanort or whatever his problem was, I just knew he was misunderstood, but that's all. But hearing about his back story, his trauma, and his personality, renewed my interest in the series. I wish Square Enix would stop releasing Kingdom Hearts games on mobile platforms, it ruined a great deal of the overarching story for me. Edit: KEYBLADE!
Ahh thank you so much :) I definitely want to! I will probably wait until we get more info on him from the next saga! If you are interested though, I did a stream a couple weeks ago on the lost masters as a whole and touched on Luxu a little bit!
Something to note: Sora never got the Keyblade the traditional way until KH3. You might say he never got a bequeathing ceremony, but neither did Kairi. Xehanort bequethed the X-Blade to Sora, making Sora the one to carry on Xehanort’s legacy.
The intro with the voice overs is great, but it would have been better if you had included a few of Nimoy’s lines. He was the best Master Xehanort by far.
He may have started as an extremist, but what he did to Vanitas (which is not too different from that abusive web between Riku, Roxas, Naminé and DiZ I constantly call out) shows he betrayed the very mission's core. The ending he got in 3 was disrespectful to victims of abuse, in every sense of the word "disrespect", as it gives a bad name to the military.
The interesting thing about all of this is we KNOW death exists in the Kingdom Hearts multiverse. But the thing is that despite everything, Xehanort never actually *killed anyone.* Even Maleficent who he let die and claimed was just a pawn, she came back afterward as though he was well aware she would never truly die in any way that mattered. Almost like he had contingencies to make sure no one suffered the same fate as his old friends. Keyblade I guess. :V
One nitpick, Sora is the scape goat. Xehanort was sacrificed on the "alter" before "God"(Kingdom Hearts), he then passes the X-Blade to Sora. The X symbol holding the meaning of death can be seen as the "sin" of the World. Sora is made to bear this sin and is cast out into the wilderness so that the World can be purified. To further clarify my point, darkness has been shown to completely tear the hearts, minds, and bodies apart on a conceptual level so that they're completely dead and cannot reincarnate or join with Kingdom Hearts. In Christian faith, sin brings about the death of the spirit and permanently seperates one from God. Kingdom Hearts(the moon) can be superficially compared to God since all hearts are born from it, return to it after death, greatly resemble it, and possess powers similar to its own.
Maybe Xehanort somewhere deep down started to see Sora and those he is connected to as his true successors who will succeed at finding proper balance without falling the way he did, even facing the foretellers and whatever that conflict will bring, eith Sora leading the way.
@@Jahof20s Sora needs to fall before he's ready to succeed in anything. I don't think he understands the full depth of what his friends did for him. I don't mean the good parts btw, as people like Riku choose to focus on. I mean the ugly parts.
@@Jahof20s I'm talking about the right way for Sora to resume his legacy. Nomura himself said Sora's the one missing the point, not Xehanort. But the only way he'll understand that, is if he cracks.
@@Jahof20s well, the point he's missing is obvious. He thinks Light is the absolute good and everyone needs to have the same perspective about friendship. During Vanitas's final moments, it's Ventus who shows understanding and acceptance towards the dark Doppelganger. Sora kinda judges him. As for the statement, I think it was on some interview, and multiple people have been referencing it lately, though some interpretations are different from others.
@@Uxmaset sorry for this random question, but how controversial would it be to have a "KH" fic involving a corrupted Mickey ? And, do you know anyone whose parents are divorced ? I need to know specifics on their reactions to such news.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon first answer, would be a little bit controversial but not enough that I would say to script the idea altogether Second answer, no I'm sorry (but I'd reccomend searching for actual professional counseling on that topic)
@@Uxmaset I need to know, because I'm writing my fic version of "KH". The messages, characters and goals remain mostly the same. What changes are most of the worlds visited, some of the "altruistic" events being turned upside down to test the characters' morality further...And what I'm most proud, hardly any ressurections, and the characters having a harder time getting along. Because if I expand beyond Disney, I expand the magic. And why surrender to friendship, when there are SO MANY ways of power to write your story with ? Sora's parents are the ones who get divorced, btw. It happens during the year he's commatose, because of the void he left in their minds and hearts.
@@Uxmaset thanks for the input. This fic is kinda risky, so I want it to be as perfect as possible. In the sense I'm trying to get a more "Grimm Brothers" vibe out of it, so right from the get go, I'm already deviating from a huge canon component, which is that every world is nice and easy to make friends with.
I think villains who don't exactly have an evil heart or intentions, but are so down bad obsessed with their ways of "saving the world" that they end up making the most vile acts of the story, are the perfect type of main/final antagonist to an story arc
I still like Xemnas better than Xehanort himself, both as a character and dare I say, a person.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon well, you could say that Xemnas have a little bit of Terra in him (cuz of the whole body steal shenanigan), I think that's what makes him so slightly different from actual Xehanort, a Lingering Will maybe lol
Tldr yeah Xemnas is the goat
@@Uxmaset that's true. Something that I really appreciate this series mastering, is the double meaning in everything and everyone. It keeps you on your toes, constantly making you question if the characters did the right thing at moment X, and if you truly understand your core.
There are multiple ways to look at this series other than the "BFFs are the best" trope seen at first sight. My vision on it may be cynical, but it has its merit.
I admire Xemnas (and the Nobodies in general), because they're litterally wired differently (like I am), impact reality differently, and show there are multiple ways to look at the world.
Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor both have brilliant versions of this type of antagonist
@@phillemon7664 P5R had the best human villain of the franchise, such a peak game that was
Holy crap the translator did me dirty asf
Sora being a "bug" in the system theory LITERALLY gives me chills. Because, "Is anything for real, or not?"
Also, I just love the way Nomura wrote Xehanort's character/backstory, it's crazy. And not only does Riku obviously parallel Xehanort, in story, design, and lore, Sora does too--albeit in a more subtle way. Which really makes me wonder what that means...
I mean those kids who died in the first KB war are 💀for sure
Calling Sora a "bug in the system" is a bit inaccurate. Presumably, he's some weird cosmic anomaly that the system created in order to protect itself: the Kevin Bacon of Kingdom Hearts. When Sora was declared "the key that connects everything" in KH2, the game means that in a very *literal* sense. All hearts *are* connected because every heart, if you follow the connection long enough, will eventually lead you to Sora, and from there you could then reach any other heart.
I have been cooking the idea for a long time so hopefully I get the idea across well :> please look forward to it!
@@HunterStiles651 Yes, that too. Both.
So before the video comes out, just my own assessment of Xehanort.
Xehanort is a man who is defined by his duty and perceived destiny as a Keyblade Master, but in a very warped and twisted sense.
From birth Xehanort was told he is the child of destiny by his caretaker. Automatically he feels a sense of duty to fulfill this destiny. When he becomes a student of the Keyblade in Scala ad Caelum, he's told that light is good and darkness is evil. However his own experiences and encounters with darkness fills him with doubt.
When the events of Dark Road happen, Xehanort witnesses most of his friends fall to darkness. If these Keyblade Wielders who are so devoted to the light could fall to darkness so easily, so quickly, then Xehanort surmised there must be something wrong with the teachings of Keyblade Wielders.
Even the Keyblade Wielders of old, fell to darkness in the Keyblade War, and the world was left shattered because of it.
I think Xehanort realized that total devotion to the light was flawed. Previous generations of Keyblade Wielders were so devoted to light, they were blind to the darkness in every heart, even their own. As such when the darkness came in ancient times, the Keyblade Wielders were unprepared for it, didn't know how to handle it, and war broke out.
When darkness came for his friends, they were unprepared for it, didn't know how to handle it, and they perished.
So Xehanort seeing the failures of previous generations of Keyblade Wielders, decided, instead of rejecting the darkness, why not study it? Xehanort realized darkness is unavoidable, it will always keep coming back, it's part of the universe. So he spent his life studying the darkness and after a lifetime he came to master it. Xehanort learned to master the darkness, so that darkness would never hold mastery over him as it did so many others.
Xehanort even became a heartless and held onto his sense of self, his mastery was so great.
And this is why he could so easily manipulate the darkness of others.
Xehanort came to believe that a balance of light and dark was needed, that would could not be blinded by the light nor allow darkness to conquer them, but needed to master the dark and light. However the world he lived in was a result of the failures of previous generations of Keyblade Wielders. Most people in the worlds could not master darkness as he had.
So Xehanort decided the only way to correct the errors of his predecessors was to create a blank slate. To reset the world and begin a new. A blank canvas on which to paint his ideal world. In this new world the people that would emerge could be guided and taught Xehanort's idea of balance. That way when the darkness eventually came again, the people would be prepared for it. They wouldn't be caught off guard. They could master it as Xehanort had. In this way the ideal world (at least from Xehanort's standpoint) could be achieved.
I believe that in Xehanort's heart and mind he viewed creating this ideal world as not only fulfilling his believed role as the child of destiny, but also as correcting the mistakes of previous Keyblade wielders, and fulfilling his duty as a Keyblade Master. If he could create a world where the people could control their darkness and master it, then he would have created a world where darkness is no longer a threat or the enemy. And thus done what no other Keyblade wielder has done, what every other Keyblade Wielder has failed to do before.
I think all of this also explains why he can hurt and manipulate so many people. In the end, this current world will be erased and all those people he used would be reborn into his new world anyways. So in his mind, their suffering is temporary and won't matter in his new world. And if you notice, everyone version of Xehanort desires a new and ideal world. Master Xehanort obviously. Xehanort's Heartless in his reports seeks "nirvana" which is an ideal state of being. Xemnas tells Ansem the Wise "I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time." The desire to create a new world is the driving goal of Xehanort wanting Kingdom Hearts no matter the version or the type of Kingdom Hearts used. The methods differ but the goal is the same.
In the end he realizes that he didn't have the correct answer, the correct solution. He is overcome by Sora and gains newfound respect for him. He finally seems to realize that while he and Eraqus failed to find the solution Keyblade Wielders have sought for so long, Sora and his friends may be able to find the right answer. Thus he can let go.
In the bluntest of perspectives, he became an unforgivable kind of evil I constantly call out through out the series, both from the heroes and the villains.
He may have started as an extremist, but what he did to Vanitas (which is not too different from that abusive web between Riku, Roxas, Naminé and DiZ I constantly call out) shows he betrayed the very mission's core.
The ending he got in 3 was disrespectful to victims of abuse, in every sense of the word "disrespect", along with giving a bad name to the likes of the military.
In a "Naruto" fic called "The Daemon of Pain", Nagato (who was never meant to lead, he was only stepping up in his friend's place, hence him being the spacegoat) rejects Obito/Madara, evolving as a leader.
You know what that makes me realize ? THAT is Sora's deal too. Right now, he doesn't really possess the qualities of a leader, merely the charisma. If he is to find himself, he can't make the same mistake Xehanort did. The same mistake Roxas and Naminé learned from Xemnas, DiZ and Riku. He MUST NOT give up his own agency again. He must regain it. And for a while, maybe distance himself from both his enemies and friends. By whatever means and time it takes.
He doesn't seem to truly understand how messed up the things his..."friends"...did, really were. Time for him to get his own hands dirty. Like Nagato does in that fic, and then, Naruto, by leaving that toxic household he called a Village.
The only person I can think of that has the mastery of both light and dark that Xehanort wants others to follow is Riku. Riku is a good example of both elements woking in coexistence instead of opposition of each other
@ Bingo! I think Riku is the embodiment of the type of people Xehanort wanted to forge in his new world.
@jezkerjamez7110 is he ? He seems to look at darkness as a burden more than a part of life. It's kinda like the White Lantern from DC. If you draw no sort of pleasure or liking from it, then what's its point to you ?
In the end, Xehanort is what happens when someone goes by life thinking that being a hero is about the result not about the process
@@Uxmaset not just thinking they're the hero, but losing any principle along with it.
The reason I'm still "holding grudges" against Riku, DiZ, Mickey, Yen Sid...Pretty much every "mentor" character and close friends, is because not only they keep seeing themselves as the heroes, their methods were just plain horrible, when we see they're more than capable in being actually useful in the battlefield to help lessen the burdens.
That, and...Why was Roxas left in the dark for a year ? How dare they sleep at night after abusing Naminé for a year, and not help her in time in order to prevent her pseudo-suicide ?
@@Uxmaset would it have been so wrong for Roxas to beat Sora at their battle in 2 ? I know he accepted his defeat out of integrity (and brainwash from every world visited), but even back then I felt it was wrong choice. And with the consequences from the villains' side, my feelings became pretty much facts.
As I said in another comment, there's a lot of double meaning in the series. We are never to see most of the decisions as 100% wrong or right. So who's to say the right choice in that scenario wasn't the dark one ? After all, if it wasn't for Darkness, the worlds would have remained separated because of MoM's machinations.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon Out of everyone you listed, I feel like Riku has earned forgiveness at this point after everything. Because he knew/is aware, accepted, and is fixing his past "wrong-doings."
@purpleirken1529 it's not his actions back in 1 I'm angry at, I should make that clear. I'm not even one of those extremists who say he should have left Roxas and Xion alone.
What I'm angry at, is that he had the power to go against the Org, but stayed in the shadows, letting DiZ make Sora his puppet for later, refusing even to use his own Keyblade to take the fight (that brief fight of his with Saix, he uselessly called it off when he saw Kairi);
He watched him abuse Naminé, but held his tongue;
He spent the whole year persuading Xion, but let Roxas in the dark until the last moment, and then simply decided to let him be fully erased, when Naminé implied there might be a way to at least keep him conscious;
According to the novels, he checked back on Naminé, but did not try to convince her to live for herself after everything was said and done, leading to that pseudo-suicide of hers;
He tried to actively erase any mentioning of Roxas's existance, so Sora would never even learn of him. He would even deny Roxas the proper rites of respect. Not even a letter or note explaining the "Roxas" thing, no matter how angry Sora got.
He let them all be used, like he was. He ignored them, just because inaction from his part was his definition of atonement. He has not felt what each felt, like Sora was forced to. He switched from taking the entire burden, to putting it all on those he comes into contact with. And it is for his puppetering that enabled all the negative consequences we witnessed from 2 onwards, consequences as predictable as Earth's rotation around the sun, and that he still enables to happen, that he must get the Poseindon's "Six Hundred Treatment".
@IwakuraYumeko7 honestly, all the things you've stated us exactly why I forgive Riku. We have to remember he was a kid in a fucked up place, who'd done fucked up things.
By the end of CoM, the only person really giving a way to "redemption" was DiZ, who was obsessed with vengeance and gave Riku a narrative that made it easier to carry on with the exact actions you describe.
I'm not surprised Riku was unable to make the right decisions. You have to remember that he utterly hated himself and let DiZ use him until KH2. By the time the work could be done to fix things it was too late. This isn't mentioning not much thought could be given to his actions against Roxas, Nadine and Xion due to the mark of mastery and xehanorts return.
In KH3, however, we finally see how he uses the opportunities given to right his wrongs. He's among the first person Namine sees when she wakes up.
in the words of xehanort: "very well done."
this was such a treat to watch
I think meeting Xehanort again in KH4, not as an antagonist, but just someone that Sora can discuss stuff with, would honestly be a really lovely cap on his story.
I think the moment when MX gives the X-blade to Sora a really powerful moment. It shows his respect for Sora (especially after he called him a “dull, ordinary boy” in DDD).
@@redlox2 Sora IS ordinary, in the sense he lacks whatever sense the other Keyblade wielders possess, having the Keyblade out of his personality alone. That in itself is worthy of respect, which is why even if he isn't the most relatable, he's still my favorite character.
@ true but MX in DDD used the term as a derogatory term in DDD and outright dismissing how Sora beat his Heartless and Nobody (albeit I get it it was arguably part of his plan to get them destroyed so he would return as himself but he might have expected a “true” Keyblade wielder to be the one to do it)
@@redlox2 a madman who should be in some lair is hardly a good judge of character (at least at death's bed, clarity overruled his insanity, though I still wished he suffered).
His Heartless and Nobody didn't even want to be destroyed at first. They fought with everything they had, as they lacked most of their past memories. Like me, having different interpretations on how the system should work, other than "Power is everything/Friends are strength"
If the man wants to be condescending, he should condescend himself as well. But he won't. Because he pretty much has dementia.
Such a shame Sora seems to have bought some of his words. And how shameful no one could point out his accomplishments to console him, being instead focused on outdated traditions.
A Keyblade wielder unlike any he has ever seen.
I wished Xemnas, the most curious of the counterparts, had found his way away from his previous incarnations. But just as Roxas and Naminé at the end of 2, I was told to see the "No" as the correct answer, even when both my heart and mind knew the answer was a mistake.
The discovery of MoM merely made my decade old suspicions solid.
I feel like Xemnas was great by having him search for his heart through unconventional means by the logic of KH. I honestly didn’t like the idea that he just lied to them to turn them into the 13 Vessels of Darkness. Like, if he were to return. I honestly woulda like the idea that he only joined Master Xehanort because he wants to return to him, a longing for his heart, in this case-Ansem. Keeping the same angle, but only making him a general with benefits
@@Doze1202 precisely !
That retcon was ridiculous !
There were other ways to ressurect the Sea-Salt trio and Axel. They did not behave like the other Nobodies at all. They were special cases. They, alone, were able to grow their own hearts, which saved them, from death.
And Xemnas saved himself, because he used the power of his Kingdom Hearts to get a heart for himself (Luxu's, which would be trapped among all other hearts, waiting for the strongest vessel).
truly an engaging look into Xehanort and his motivations throughout the series. it's interesting yet tragic that he wanted to see his friends from his dreams so badly, he forged the χ-blade twice, and made Kingdom Hearts his endpoint, trying to open it at every chance he got, all in pursuit of those friends, when Eraqus, and the Wayfinder trio by extention, were right in front of him.
great video, and keep up the good work
I played the start of BBS Final Mix a few days ago, and when I read the letter from Xeha to Eraqus I kept thinking if Eraqus would let Terra pass with only a warning instead of outright failing his test if Xeha didn't made that one remark about darkness inside Terra's heart
That line made me remember that sometimes a phrase is more than enough to make the most damage
Speaking of damage, In a "Naruto" fic called "The Daemon of Pain", Nagato (who was never meant to lead, he was only stepping up in his friend's place, hence him being the spacegoat) rejects Obito/Madara, evolving as a leader.
You know what that makes me realize ? THAT is Sora's deal too. Right now, he doesn't really possess the qualities of a leader, merely the charisma. If he is to find himself, he can't make the same mistake Xehanort did. The same mistake Roxas and Naminé learned from Xemnas, DiZ and Riku. He MUST NOT give up his own agency again. He must regain it. And for a while, maybe distance himself from both his enemies and friends. By whatever means and time it takes.
He doesn't seem to truly understand how messed up the things his..."friends"...did, really were. Time for him to get his own hands dirty. Like Nagato does in that fic, and then, Naruto, by leaving that toxic household he called a Village.
Sora is Xehanort's true parallel. And Nomura himself said Sora was the one missing the point. But there's still time to set things right. Between him, Kairi and Ventus, there has to be a way to restore true strength and agency.
The Disney idiots and "Final Fantasy" lookalikes (they lack the OG's charm) had their chance to do things right. Time to see Red, like the Princess of Hearts.
@IwakuraYumeko7 Sora is a statue with cracks. His biggest weakness is his love to life. It maybe a nice thing but at the same time he can't handle the loss of the loved ones. In the chain of memories Sora became agressive when his "bond" with Namind became questionable. In KH2 Sora became very depressed when Kairi became a hostage of Organization 13and In KH3 Sora had a mental breakdown when his friends vanished In the Dark ending.
So even if Sora is an opposite of Xehanort, he has cracks in his good nature. As this series keeps going those cracks keep getting wider.
@@rikuvakevainen6157 my point exactly. To set things right, he needs to do what Xehanort never could, at least not in time to be helped. To crack in front of everyone he loves. But before he does that, he needs to get a good, lasting idea about himself.
After all, he is the one missing the point. A point he, Ventus and Kairi can still get the hang of.
It is crazy how much influence Xehanort had over making sure Terra stayed on a path to darkness. It’s really sad tbh
Ooh I can’t wait for the Namine video! Thanks for the teasers at the end of this video!
The intros to the psychology videos are so good but this one is PEAK. 🔥
Aww man! I wanted to watch this when it released, but I have something I need to prepare for! But I'll definitely watch it tomorrow, hopefully, if I have the time.
Ahh rip :< I knew Halloween would be tough for some people to schedule around. So sorry about that!
@BioRoxas It's fine! I know I'll still enjoy it tho. Can't wait to watch it and see many more in the future!
An important thing you've missed is that Xehanort knows Eraqus better than Eraqus knows himself by the time of Birth by Sleep. Eraqus ends up replicating what Xehanort did, by Xehanort's design, which is a way for Xehanort to prove that Eraqus would now have made the same choice that Xehanort did with Baldr, given even less information.
We have to remember, Eraqus worships not the light, but his grandfather. He is trying to re-enact his grandfather's grand stand against the Darkness and he sets upon this journey with a 'true heart', as it is called in Shinto, which is to say that he is sincere in wanting to do good. But in trying to be a hero over trying to be good, Eraqus allows some amount of darkness to sneak into his own heart, eventually allowing himself to turn his weapon against Ventus.
I think that this is fundamentally why Xehanort does not trust people anymore, because he has seen that the only person who seems to have been on Xehanort's level would still begin his own descent into darkness by doubting Xehanort's choices. Eraqus' light is a farce; he's become confused by Xehanort's actions and their consequences. His sincerity turns into severity, believing that darkness must be opposed and negated, but this is a paradox. Attempting to negate someone else's emotions is darkness, so denying your own emotions and encouraging others to suppress their own is what allows a subtler kind of darkness to hold sway over Eraqus and for his light to become a pale echo of the light Xehanort saw in him in his youth.
So his killing of Eraqus is almost a mercy once Xehanort has confirmed that Eraqus' loyalty to the light was in bad faith.
really great animations with the camera spinning around the chessboard!! Really cool concept, and I loved the editing in this one
Thanks David!! Sonny knocked it out of the park for sure
Peak Video. Really glad I had the time to watch it. I hope you feel like it was worth it because it definitely feels like you put a lot of effort in. Also Keyblade…or X-Blade you didn’t really specify.
Hehe I did it on purpose 🤭 I wanted to see what people would put
I am really glad you enjoyed it :) I do feel like it was worth it!
Sora is Xehanort's true parallel. And Nomura himself said Sora was the one missing the point. But there's still time to set things right. Between him, Kairi and Ventus, there has to be a way to restore true strength and agency.
But the question is, is the light that Sora and the others fighting for the true light or a false light 🤔
@@BioRoxas Light is Light, just as Darkness is Darkness. What changes is the humanity put into the duty, which allows the two elements to meet in the middle without one assimilating the other.
Back in "Kingdom Hearts 2", the heroes interfered with Sora's growth, just as much as the villains, making him more closed off and ruthless to Darkness, to the point it took trauma dump (Dream Drop Distance and "KH 3") to break through his armor.
Light, without a shade, broke him. Now, he must pick himself up.
Love the video, Bio! This made me realize how much I have in common with kid!Xehanort. I’m also really happy you pointed out that the meeting with the Master of Masters got in Xehanort’s head and affected his worldview (for the worst).
He is kinda relatable, isn't he ? Although, I think I have more in common with Xemnas than the old man himself. The nihilisim and the instinctual need to find a higher purpose without too many strings attached ? I refuse to be a zealot. I value practicality. Progress (not just technological, but also spiritual) is my goddess.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :>
2:30 I hate to be that guy, but chronologically he's first introduced in old Scala as an infant at the end of Union X
39:33 Also, the time travelling YX from DDD/KH3 isn't from before Dark Road, Dark Road roughly reveals the time using time cards. His hairstyle is also a clear indication, as it's different than during the main story of Dark Road (excluding flash forwards). Thank you for the amazing video nonetheless!
Xehanort is such an interesting antagonist who reflects the main cast in pretty unique ways
Also Keyblade
Amazing Analysis, I really enjoyed this video. Xehanort is my favorite kingdom hearts character and I love him so much. My fingers are crossed to see more of him in the future sequels hopefully in KH4
What a gem! Thank you for giving us the full story of Xehanort in such a well presented way! ❤️ 🔑
Truly enjoyable!! I loved the character of Xehanort and seeing this greatly increases my appreciation for him. I love how you tied the keyblade design in too, really helps to emphasise the scapegoat idea
Great video! Fingers crossed we find out about more of Xehanort’s early life in the future, since there has to be a lot of interesting stuff there.
Can’t wait for Namine’s video
Do say Sora's presence as the "bug in the system" of Xehanort's, and therefore The Master of Master's plan, does give his presence a very unique place in the franchise.
Sora from Game 1 was always a factor that defied expectation and even "fate".
First it was Riku's Keyblade defining him as worthy in account for its original owner's fall to darkness
Second, it was surviving relatively unscathed the destruction of his world (he would've gotten dragged through darkness like Riku but he survived it and ended up in Traverse Town).
Third it was completely defying the "Destiny" that Riku was to be the wielder of the blade, forcing a Keyblade of another keyblade wielder to define himself as its owner by sheer will of heart (A parallel to the MoM as he's the only one who'd shown that as of far) We also can probably see this pop up again with him just finding and picking up the Master Defender (a Keyblade that should have a pretty firm ruleset for ownership), like it was nothing.
Fourth was him sacrificing himself and combing back from being a heartless without rejoining with his corresponding body (A Kairi Feat to be fair, but the fact it worked, and everyone attributes the situation to Sora himself to a degree. Acting as an extension of his elements "birthing" both Roxas and Naimine (Roxas born out of Sora's Heart but Ventus' Body and Soul within him, Namine born out of Kairi's Heart but Sora's Body and Soul)
Fifth would be him being a unique entity in general with him reuniting with so many hearts inside of him, and housing a being that shouldn't exist (Xion). This multitude of hearts producing the exclusive ability for him (and Roxas as he is an extension of him), to dual-wield keyblades, while originally starting as being "Two hearts inside allowing him to use two keyblades", as seen with himself and Roxas dual-wielding even after Xion, Roxas, and Ventus were separated from Sora, it seemingly is the physical manifestation of Sora's (and Xehanort's) Heart being to trace and connect to hearts in a manner that few others can.
Sixth would be being the one entity with a version of himself completely able to be copied out of data and retain his traits. Even being able to empathize with his "other". (As Data-Sora is a unique entity within himself and is yet another extension of Sora),
Seventh would be defying fate itself in KH3. Not only managing to survive an attack that should've completely tore his heart and body apart, but also managing to recomplete himself while inside The Final World (being the only entity since Chirithy to have a physical form in there at least as said so far), then go to literally rewind time by accident by using The Power Of Waking, proceeding to defeat Xehanort and then save Kairi after the fact via using The Power of Waking to time travel again, changing events multiple times. (To the extent that Data-Xehanort is shocked about his defeat crying "This wasn't what was written", indicating that either Xehanort was aware of the book of prophecies, or his data-counterpart was and was shocked at Sora defeating him. Or maybe even surviving after the fact even if he was in Quadratum)
Love the video I love the keyblade he uses at the beginning
Standing ovation. This was amazing! Thank you for doing this work!
It made me realize that I am behind on my lore. The Keyblade wars and everything through 3 this was a great way to inspire that! Thank you!
I’m so glad this inspired you to dig in more! :>
I do hope that he indeed appears in Quadratum. Expecially since Terra-nort post BBS, seems to know a lot about Quadratum looking at Melody of Memories. I feel like this incarnation of Xehenort will become a focal point connecting the dark seeker to the Master of Masters plans. Either way great video. The transitions between incarnations at the start of the video was so peak.
This was so nice, very well researched and made me so much more interested in the character. I listened to this while walking. Also a real life key blade would be sick as hell
I was really surprised by how good this was
Hey, great video as always i really loved the transitions and the way we took a closer look at Xehanorts life. A little question: Is a psychology of Axel / Lea video planed? I Know we dont se much of him but i think the few parts we see especially as young Lea are quite interesting.
My own conclusion about him:
-He evolved. But I still can not forgive him for Repliku. That was careless and monstruous of him, letting him out, alone in the fragile state he was. Heart or no heart, it was obviously a gross miscalculation.
I HATE how they started sugarcoating stuff after 2.
Definitely plan to do one on Axel :) I think the plan is Namine > Kairi > Xion > Axel
Took me a little bit before I finally had the time to watch this, but I've been looking forward to this. Master Xehanort has always been such a fascinating character to me since Birth by Sleep, and this video did him justice. I still get pretty emotional when seeing his final scene in KH3 when he looks over at Eraqus reuniting with Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and you can just see this sadness emanating from him as he stands alone. I also appreciate that you included the final moments of Ansem and Xemnas as well, since I do think those moments are very much meant to say something about Xehanort himself and not just those two individually.
Finally, a long form xehanort video. He's the goat!🐐🦹♀️
The video was so good! :D worth the wait xd
Keyblade 😭
amazing video. thank you so much. he is one if not the best and most interesting antagonist I have seen in any media. It annoys me so much that those important stories are locked on mobile games.
Yeah a lot of context is kind of hidden isn’t it haha I’m glad you enjoyed the video :>
Soooo excited!!!!
I hope you enjoyed it!!
I really enjoy these videos. They also serve to temper and keep sharp all the details with KH that especially may come to play for KH 4/Missing Link and beyond! Keep it up and may your heart be your guiding key (blade)
I agree that I hope we get to see Xehanort again. He's such a fascinating antagonist. I would love to meet a new version of him in that other world, untroubled by his sense of destiny (and keyblades, for the end of video word, lol). Thank you for this fantastic video!! It was incredible!
God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)
KEYBLADE!!!!!!
Absolute incredible effort you put into this video, great analysis!
Absolutely love this, this series has always been awesome and that continues. Also Sonny's visuals were outstanding and I'm excited to hear damo's got a project in the works, I've loved his stuff and its been quite a lil bit.
I find Xehanort to be an endlessly fascinating villain, especially post-Dark Road. I'll try not to ramble here cos there's a lot, but I think as a core, I love how he's essentially a dark reflection of Sora. Not just in their shared empathic abilities but in their motivations and circumstances. Both set out on their journeys to find their friends and rid the world of darkness, having encounters with worlds inform their thinking and decisions and both being large forces in shifting the scales of fate through their own will. But whilst Sora learns to enjoy the journey and help where he goes, Xehanort exclusively fixates on the destination, numbing himself to the feelings of others as a means to achieve his self-perceived greater good. It's telling that for all his awareness about the nature of darkness and his proficiency with it, it's not that dark power that leads his actions to being evil. It's him. Blind to his own shortcomings, he tames the darkness only to be it's largest contributor, leading to generations of suffering that transcend his own body and will. It's ironic then that in DDD when he sees Sora all he can think of him is a 'dull, ordinary boy', despite their similarities, only one is proud enough to believe they're above others, sticking with the words he was told all those years ago.
Master Xehanort has one the best builds and villain arcs in fiction, similar to Madara Uchiha and Thanos! Great vid, like theses psychology vids, should make more, im sure you will lol 👏👍
Awesome job bioroxas for the amazing detail and effort into this it truly is awesome and a treat to watch!
Very excited! And Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! Hope it was spook-tastic ^^
I would be interested in you breakdown the psychology of Nier. That would be a fun video for sure
This has been my favorite series btw
Yes!! I would love to do that!
Yay! Another Bio psychology video! I was hoping you would touch on some Dark Road stuff and seeing that you did made me really happy! I’ve been enjoying these videos you made a lot! But I’m curious about something. Are you still interested in making a psychology of Lightning video? I recall you saying you were thinking about doing that. So I thought I should ask if that’s still in the cards. Also I would love to see it if possible. Regardless keep up the good work man! I wish you and your family the best! 👍 Keyblade
Yes I really want to make one on Lightning! This was a huge project but I think I’ll start having time to shift to other games for sure. I’m split on if it should be on this channel or if I should make a separate one for psychology content tbh
Amazing analysis. Had to play at 0.75 speed.
I'll admit that I'm still fuzzy on the details of DR, but this video seriously helped me understand Xehanort more. DR really does develop his journey. Thank you.
Huge kingdom hearts fan you’ve earned my subscription
this is great bc it's also a good timeline of xehanorts time travel shenanigans and how he became the keyblade master and seeker of darkness/scapegoat he is :))
thank you for another great KH vid! A lot of ppl come away with just thinking Xehanort's some big bad villain when he's just a guy on a mission to make things right even if that means having to sacrifice ppl to get there (maybe a lot like MoM in a way?). And I mean. Also being a big bad ofc. Someone's gotta antagonize & his guy's here to do it.
Also!! mentioning that it's not just light=good dark=evil. I feel like Xehanort falls in the same category of "thing is dark, so thing must be evil" (which is needed for his own plans ofc) so he's willing to treat Vanitas so poorly to make a powerful dark entity to rival Ven's powerful light. Idk. Anyway, great work ^^b
THIS WAS AWESOMeEEE even if I was a bit in the moon in the end
keyblade!!
I loved this so much. And your thoughts on the goat motifs in the keyblade were really interesting 🤔 made me think about the has a Goatee as well lol! 🗝️🗡️
These are my favorite kingdom hearts related videos. Iove your content and all the effort you put into it. Its amazing. Also keyblade or something
This means so much to hear 🥹
This was awesome! 🎉
Or maybe a Psychology of Eraquas video? (a journey of a Keyblade Master who failed his students due to being clouded by his narrow minded views)
*Eraqus*
You did a fantastic job loved this 👏
Xehanort is the child of destiny. Just Like light and dark being 2 sides of the same coin, xehanort is the darkness to sora's light. Riku was meant to be the other half, but wasn't able to fulfill his role when he gave in to the darkness. You can't have a coin that both bear heads in the scope of balance. So, the KEYBLADE and the role of the child of destiny for the light found sora. I'm the end, sora needed xehanort to embrace the dark as much as xehanort was waiting for sora to claim the light. Both following their path destiny had for them.
And they made the mistake of giving a peaceful ending to Xehanort. Now, to even it out, Sora must see red.
@@AkallakA I saw "Arcane", season 2. Instead of red, Sora should paint the town blue.
Oh interesting 🤔 I never thought of it like that
What a great video. Thank you Bio!
Maybe his keyblade has goat symbols on it because of its connection to the Union Leaders?
Definitely! Which has me curious about Luxu’s role in the next arc 🤔
ITS HEREEEEE
So Xehanort and Sora both bury their true sorrow, but Sora does it by trusting his friends and reframing things in a positive light whereas Xehanort does it by closing himself off from feeling so he can play the long game. I think the light SEEMED false because it could apparently be so easily manipulated. But I think the problem is that when someone is SO devoted to a specific viewpoint (be it of Light or how to go about a job), then someone can almost be TOO good at what they do. Rather, they’re so good at doing it the orthodox way that anything unorthodox catches them off guard, and that can be a path towards a fall. I also think the tragic irony with Xehanort is that in being so absorbed with this idea of what brings him worth, he DOES become a shell of who he once was. His negative qualities are brought out, and his inability to emotionally connect with others following the whole tragedy left him ready to view everyone as pawns. And so, in essentially trying to solve the problem of evil, he falls prey to the exact same shortcomings that he observed in others. Perhaps, as suggested here, a part of him recognized how far he had fallen, and saw the only way out as someone stronger than he was (which would explain how he comes to respect Sora by the end of the Saga). Entertaining Kingdom Hearts’ metaphysics, perhaps darkness really is just the shadow of the light. A twisting of positive traits into something more primal and aggressive. So darkness wouldn’t necessarily be evil as much as it is a byproduct of light. Maybe that’s why there’s light even in the deepest darkness (because Darkness can’t exist without Light). I think that’s why Ansem was surprised at the light, which foreshadows Xehanort’s eventual passing of the torch to Sora. I think it’s like that IRL. In Taoism, for example (which I think these games have a lot in common with), the natural balance is a divine undercurrent that is more or less characterized by a lack of categorical extremes (which are thought to be limiting in nature). So, one has to be willing to question oneself. Growth is a transformative process that goes deeper than understanding statistics and trends, and in order to understand our world we have to be able to adapt and use that flow to our advantage. When we understand that in our emptiness we can bend without breaking, that is when we transcend selfhood and enter the realm of the eternal. Viktor Frankl once said that between what drives us and our responses are our choices. Every situation is a resource. I once said at a neuro-diversity panel that I think it would be beneficial to think of one’s life as a choose your own adventure book. Try to remove the “self” from the equation, yet remain as objective as possible. Look at your life through the eyes of heaven, and instead of seeing life coming at you, be a participant in the process. After you remove “self”, reintegrate it and use the flow of life to your advantage. You are both Sculptor and Sculpture, and the process is your chisel: the coming to fruition of your potential. So, don’t fight the process and instead, channel it until there is no distinction between the process and yourself. Easier said than done, but I believe the payoff is Eudaimonia (human flourishing). The zeitgeist is propelled by ideas. Ideas may govern peoples, but the gravity of the Will that binds us is the source of a fate that governs ideas, and Nature governs Will. All defeat is psychological, because what cannot be harmed in spirit remains yet unsullied. Crazy Horse said “I salute the light in your eyes where the whole universe dwells, for when you are at that place within yourself and I am at that place within me, we will be as one”. I think “that place” is the proverbial “Mauve Zone”. A unified field in which all is one (like Kingdom Hearts). To accept death is to welcome change. One man will never conquer Nature no matter how hard he tries, for she endures because she is selfless. So, I believe the unifying essence of Nature is Love. Such is the point of Kingdom Hearts I’d say. Nothing can happen without Nature’s consent, for we are, each of us, that divine will embodied. We are, in fact, eternal. We suffer not in pain but in confusion. For any harm we do is to a projection of ourselves, and any harm we receive is to our ego. This is because we exist only as relations. That’s why understanding the self is a welcoming of transformation. Understanding is transcendence. If we want the world to get better, we must understand it’s statistical pattern and use flow to our advantage. To do that, understand yourself. You are a microcosm of your community. To serve one, serve the other and you will serve the Tao in the process. For the source of divine love is Nature in transcendent glory. Sora, in his willingness to try and see the best in people and situations, could be seen as more adaptable. And let me tell you, I’m a philosophy major and Kingdom Hearts has been hugely inspirational to me as a super nerd as I attempt to navigate the world and come into my own. This game from my childhood with Disney characters reminds me that I have a reason to keep growing!🙂
Honestly, that tracks elsewhere, especially in Birth By Sleep. Xehanort is obviously instigating things to get the chi-blade, but it is Eraqus’s and Aqua’s devotion to the light that screws everything up. Eraqus makes Terra think darkness is a sin, and Aqua makes Terra feel like he is hounded. All lead to gather them all at the Keyblade Graveyard and ruin themselves as they were not really united, when in fact Terra was fine, and Eraqus is as much a zealot as is Xehanort. It really does seem very strict light adherents tend to become haughty and stuck in their ways and beget darkness.
This was such a well thought out and detailed comment. I’m so glad this video got the gears turning and that you’re continuing to grow with series like Kingdom Hearts :>
Keyblade! I love your vids bioroxas this was amazing!!! ❤️💚💙
I might be asking for too much, but Dark Road’s story absolutely deserved to be in KH3 in some form, even if only in part. Rather than just Remind, we need a definitive edition of KH3 that properly concludes Xehanorts story.
Hey Bio? ANy chance you might do a Psychology of the Foretellers or maybe Psychology of Luxu video? not main characters but interesting backstories.
I have a stream up on the channel :>
ruclips.net/user/live3rjAAKcC1tk?si=swYaKbn5fswrA8IV
@ ooh thanks! I forgot about it. It was really fun to watch the stream!
Keyblade! I really like how Xehanort paves his way as an complex but yet scarily thrilling character, I play BBS when I was a kid and I understood both of his planned roles and the way he treated Terra. I admit it, he is an abusive master, to which he brings many catastrophe events that occur both in the past and the future. Though I sympathize with him was not due to his past but rather, his whole character goals. He became this most well-known seeker of the dark and he sacrifice himself further into it by losing his body and soul, which gives me a different perspective about him even when he's an selfish being who achieves his motivations through manipulation and bad deeds.
Despite the destruction he caused, there's this undying sense of respect and love within myself where I did cried for a bit, presumably not because of the actions, but it's how he feels when he consumed himself too much from the darkness. Maybe it's just me though I still wanted to say it.
Right after he finally got his wishes and achievement to reality, the way he glances at Eraqus also makes me feel this sense of loneliness as well, the emotions are so uncanny, I sympathize him a little just because of that one scene and it brought me into tears that I don't have a support system in my life at all. I was envious, I lose many people in my life since I let my dark thoughts won me over. Even though what Xehanort did was wrong, he managed to pierce through what was missing inside of me and his relatability shows it.
It's not entirely visible by the surface, but the way he treated other characters and uses them as pawns somehow managed to connect with the severe state of mental disorders. The most notably would be NPD, BPD, ASD and etc. I had it, it was the most excruciating pain when you absorb too heavily on the darkness and it swallows you whole for years.
I have a family of who are dysfunctional, then you see how much it changes me entirely since then. I have two parents, one is incredibly abusive and the other enable them. The sudden change from my house environment left me both neglected and alone, the comfort of darkness makes it hard to push it away when I got older.
Though... I am trying my best to heal from my past trauma, most people would think I'm being ungrateful because I have parents who are rich. Guess what, they care for themselves, my mother is npd and I have bpd. My father is being used by mother as well, you can imagine the rest how my mother treated her five sons and me. All of that aside, this video made me respect Xehanort even more.
Although he can be seen as the evil antagonist in front of the main characters, I see him in a different light. Just like Terra's viewpoint, he's stuck in the gray area, which makes it interesting and unique compared to Disney villains in their movies, it's such an fresh of air with a mixture of human complexity and the side that Xehanort uses, where Wish on the other hand, Magnifico could not achieve the same flawed human act like Xehanort did, despite him being "just" narcissistic, which is a shame obviously.
Wow sounds like life has been really difficult for you growing up. It makes sense why some of Xehanort’s personality would resonate. Thank you for sharing and I hope you’re able to move forward and start connecting with others. You’ll be happy you did :)
That's a pretty good video, but there's one more thing that needs to be addressed: why did Xehanort conduct his research on Subject X? Is that related to the friends of his dreams?
I find it too bad we didn't get a movie related to what Xehanort did between bbs and kh1. Maybe one day?
If KH3D YX was the YX before Dark Road, then why does the KH3D one have the hairstyle that he got later in Dark Road?
I'm not sure if the Scala we've visited in KH3 is a dream, since there are heartless and nobodies all over the place, in Re:Mind, instead of Nightmares. And I'm not entirely sure if Xehanort's goat armor is a "Keyblade" armor, since it's made from the seemingly essence of the replicas.
Fancy seeing you here. My 50cents for the hairstyle part is straight up just them not having planned for Norty boy to have a different hairstyle yet. As there were quite a few years in between releases.
@@TSDSepRetcons, yay
I think he was curious about diving into memories in an effort to get his own memories back was my thinking for his interest in Subject X but it may be revealed later!
Also some really good points! I think a couple other people have pointed out that his travel happens at a later point so that was my mistake.
For the dream Scala, Sora uses one of those portals and the way Xehanort can control the environment made me assume it was a dream world but it’s possible that there was some kind of time travel shenanigans or something happening.
@@BioRoxas I think regarding the "control the environment part" is more similar to Xehanort rising the ground in the Keyblade Graveyard, both in BBS and KH3.
I love this Psychology of Xehanor.
i dont think it should be a hot take to want xehanort to return in quadratum. i just wish so much of his arc that justifies wanting him to come back wasnt exclusive to a mobile gacha game. KEYBLADE!
Finally glad to see this video out; keyblade!
Such a tragic story! Great job ❤
Keyblade
FOXY GRANDPA 👴🏽
U_U bruh
People don't seem to get that the Master of Masters orchestrated the Keyblade War.
This continues to irk me. He acted to ENSURE those events would all happen and he even told Darkness why (watch The Purpose cutscene).
@@Dawn_Epiphanyoh ! I do know. Why do you think I'm pretty much the Vanitas in the "KH" fandom ? Because I knew, all the way back to "Kingdom Hearts 2", that the good guys were the ones in the wrong. And the info released in the years after only gave me all the confirmation I needed.
That's why I don't accept this series take on the friendship message. They're all puppets. And it was VERY OBVIOUS from the start what they needed to do to avoid this. It started with Roxas and Naminé.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon what do you mean by "it was clear with Roxas and Namine"? That Dora and Riku and Kairi should have rejected DiZ and the magician and the standard light path? (Asking in curiosity)
@@xxxxxx-ij8wf let's see:
-Riku allows Naminé to be abused to the point she decides to commit a pseudo-suicide by merging with Kairi. Besides, DiZ clearly couldn't keep his Darkness in check, as it amplified his worst feelings to such a nasty point. No idea why he was trusted in the first place;
-Roxas's memories were entangled with Sora, but considering that only happened AFTER Castle Oblivion, it's pretty obvious the real reason they wanted Roxas back, was to give Sora a power boost. And as if that wasn't bad enough, they even try to keep his existance under wraps, no matter how angry and confused Sora gets.
-And to answer your question regarding rejecting the masters. Sora gets more rebellious by the time of 3, questioning direct orders in order to not be fooled again. And it's usually said the earlier, the better.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon ah, so basically all the reasons after playing 358/2 days, I watched kh2 as a kid and got mega upset at the Destiny trio!!! I thought you mesnt what Roxas and Naminé learned which, I struggled to think of since they sadly resigned to their fates. But this is really it!!! Sora can really turn things around and get new perspective by being away from the structure he was forced to be a part of, snd not feeling guilty since his heart resters got their bodies back and csn make their own lives. I hope they all are moving forward even while Sora is gone
X-BLADE
*points threateningly* X-BLADE!
Xehanort let his heart be his guiding keyblade but forgot that his heart has darkness as well
Man I love owning the Kingdom "Keyblade" XD
Amazing
Xehanort is undoubtedly evil. He wasn't always and at multiple turns, he had chances to turn back and change. But, regardless of WHY he did what he did, he basically ensured that so much pain would ensue. He let countless worlds fall to Darkness, snuffed out so many lives, hurt so many people, and in the end, it was for nothing. He lost.
Body-jacking
Indoctrination
M*rder
Attempted M*rder
Conspiracy
T*rrorism
All of this accumulated with this guy. We lost Eraqus, Terra was lost for 10 years, Aqua was sent into the realm of darkness cuz of him, Ven’s heart was asleep. He nearly k*lled Sora Riku and Kairi MULTIPLE times. Sent hordes of enemies out to other worlds for at least 12 years. So yeah, this guys was VERY evil for a man who was trying to “balance the world” like, OK, Thanos.
Definitely. A hollow life eaten away by ambition at the cost of everything with nothing to show for it in the end.
X-blade
This got me some closure after finishing Kingdom Hearts 3 after its release. Back then, I didn't understand Xheanort or whatever his problem was, I just knew he was misunderstood, but that's all. But hearing about his back story, his trauma, and his personality, renewed my interest in the series. I wish Square Enix would stop releasing Kingdom Hearts games on mobile platforms, it ruined a great deal of the overarching story for me.
Edit: KEYBLADE!
This makes me so happy to hear!!
May your heart be your guiding X-BLADE!
Keyblade 👆
I don't know if you'll see this comment but I love your psychology of KH characters. Would you do a psychology of Luxu/ Xigbar?
Ahh thank you so much :) I definitely want to! I will probably wait until we get more info on him from the next saga! If you are interested though, I did a stream a couple weeks ago on the lost masters as a whole and touched on Luxu a little bit!
ruclips.net/user/live3rjAAKcC1tk?si=OX_lzcPCupG79bwe
:3
Edit:
X-BLADE!!!
Something to note: Sora never got the Keyblade the traditional way until KH3. You might say he never got a bequeathing ceremony, but neither did Kairi. Xehanort bequethed the X-Blade to Sora, making Sora the one to carry on Xehanort’s legacy.
Oh what an interesting point!!
The intro with the voice overs is great, but it would have been better if you had included a few of Nimoy’s lines. He was the best Master Xehanort by far.
To me before I watch this video, Xehanort is curiosity to the extreme
After the video I still agree lol
I consider MX an extremist. He doesnt really care about individual rights if it the overall ending is what he considered perfect.
He may have started as an extremist, but what he did to Vanitas (which is not too different from that abusive web between Riku, Roxas, Naminé and DiZ I constantly call out) shows he betrayed the very mission's core.
The ending he got in 3 was disrespectful to victims of abuse, in every sense of the word "disrespect", as it gives a bad name to the military.
Yeah I agree. He became so blind to others in pursuit of his goals
Being a Keyblade Wielder is definitely not without it's dangers and/or consequences 👀
I'm not going to say he's evil he's just stupid risking the Apocalypse just to satiate his own curiosity is more on the lines of stupidity incarnate
The interesting thing about all of this is we KNOW death exists in the Kingdom Hearts multiverse.
But the thing is that despite everything, Xehanort never actually *killed anyone.* Even Maleficent who he let die and claimed was just a pawn, she came back afterward as though he was well aware she would never truly die in any way that mattered. Almost like he had contingencies to make sure no one suffered the same fate as his old friends.
Keyblade I guess. :V
One nitpick, Sora is the scape goat. Xehanort was sacrificed on the "alter" before "God"(Kingdom Hearts), he then passes the X-Blade to Sora. The X symbol holding the meaning of death can be seen as the "sin" of the World. Sora is made to bear this sin and is cast out into the wilderness so that the World can be purified.
To further clarify my point, darkness has been shown to completely tear the hearts, minds, and bodies apart on a conceptual level so that they're completely dead and cannot reincarnate or join with Kingdom Hearts. In Christian faith, sin brings about the death of the spirit and permanently seperates one from God. Kingdom Hearts(the moon) can be superficially compared to God since all hearts are born from it, return to it after death, greatly resemble it, and possess powers similar to its own.
Maybe Xehanort somewhere deep down started to see Sora and those he is connected to as his true successors who will succeed at finding proper balance without falling the way he did, even facing the foretellers and whatever that conflict will bring, eith Sora leading the way.
@@Jahof20s Sora needs to fall before he's ready to succeed in anything. I don't think he understands the full depth of what his friends did for him. I don't mean the good parts btw, as people like Riku choose to focus on. I mean the ugly parts.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon What are you talking about?
@@Jahof20s I'm talking about the right way for Sora to resume his legacy. Nomura himself said Sora's the one missing the point, not Xehanort. But the only way he'll understand that, is if he cracks.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon where did he say that and what point is he missing?
@@Jahof20s well, the point he's missing is obvious. He thinks Light is the absolute good and everyone needs to have the same perspective about friendship. During Vanitas's final moments, it's Ventus who shows understanding and acceptance towards the dark Doppelganger. Sora kinda judges him.
As for the statement, I think it was on some interview, and multiple people have been referencing it lately, though some interpretations are different from others.
I wonder who will be next? Maybe Ventus? Or maybe Vanitas?
🤔 I wonder
11:32 Quite right. And in true KH fasion, the story ignores that nuance and defaults back to light = good and darkness = evil by the end.
I would argue they are setting up to twist the roles of light and darkness in the next arc but only time will tell
If Xehanort actually comes back "reincarnated" as a shibuya citizen they have to name him Shiiha Naruto
@@Uxmasetthat would be SO fun ! I wonder how he'd feel about his past life, though. I REALLY hope the Watcher and Loki meet him.
@@Uxmaset sorry for this random question, but how controversial would it be to have a "KH" fic involving a corrupted Mickey ? And, do you know anyone whose parents are divorced ? I need to know specifics on their reactions to such news.
@@Angel_The_Red_Dragon first answer, would be a little bit controversial but not enough that I would say to script the idea altogether
Second answer, no I'm sorry
(but I'd reccomend searching for actual professional counseling on that topic)
@@Uxmaset I need to know, because I'm writing my fic version of "KH". The messages, characters and goals remain mostly the same. What changes are most of the worlds visited, some of the "altruistic" events being turned upside down to test the characters' morality further...And what I'm most proud, hardly any ressurections, and the characters having a harder time getting along. Because if I expand beyond Disney, I expand the magic. And why surrender to friendship, when there are SO MANY ways of power to write your story with ?
Sora's parents are the ones who get divorced, btw. It happens during the year he's commatose, because of the void he left in their minds and hearts.
@@Uxmaset thanks for the input. This fic is kinda risky, so I want it to be as perfect as possible. In the sense I'm trying to get a more "Grimm Brothers" vibe out of it, so right from the get go, I'm already deviating from a huge canon component, which is that every world is nice and easy to make friends with.
Keyblade/XBlade.
Keyblade! Some say 'Kye,' but the meaning is the same!
Bro needs to make a appearance on CJ Dachamp’s vids