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Who Is The Best Kingdom Hearts Character?



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Who Is The Best Kingdom Hearts Character?


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Face My Fears

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Now that the Dark Seeker Saga is complete and most characters have had their character arcs completed - I was wondering who do you all think is the best KH character? I'm not talking personal bias or favourites, but which character do you think had the best character journey and development?

As much as I want to say Roxas because he is king... I have to go with Riku. The only falter in his story was in KH3, but admittedly that game wasn't about him. Riku's growth from arrogant kid who made a mistake, to a loner desperate for redemption and forgiveness, to a mature keyblade master was so well done that sometimes I forget that Sora is the main character of the series.
 

Elysium

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Looking at it both subjectively and objectively, I think it's Riku. I think only Sora and Roxas would compete. Sora is a malleable and fun lead even if they don't really do much with him (like a character arc, I mean). Roxas actually goes through a great deal as a character, similar to Riku; I think he'd be even better off if we'd got to see more of him in 3.

Aqua and Xehanort would probably be the next tier down, imo.
 

*TwilightNight*

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Riku and Roxas in that order, objectively.

I like Naminè, and her growth from being a doormat to a more confident young lady after her ordeal and that one mistake that had multiple consequences is great, but it's hampered by the fact that she hasn't driven a game as a playable character. Her story is more a part of Sora's or Roxas' tenure rather than having the focus solely on her and now she's barely present with everyone else due to not being able to fight and not being stuck in some trio crap. But I consider her the best "Kairi". That's not saying much though >_>.
 

Sign

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Yeah, it's undeniably Riku. No one else even comes close. While others have stagnated or even regressed, Riku has been continuously moving forward for almost 20 years.
 

The_Echo

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Riku and Roxas stand at the top in terms of quality of writing. It's hard to deny the strength of Riku's growth over time or the sleeper hit meta-tragedy of KHII's opening hours.
Gotta put Riku over Roxas though, because Days really did that boy dirty.

But personally, I've always really loved Naminé. I feel like the melancholy of her storyline is the most genuine and relatable of the entire cast. She also gets some of the best body language/animation, deftly communicating the conflicting emotions she feels as her desperate loneliness clashes with her inherit will to do right by others over herself.
I don't think she gets enough love from the community, which is ironically mirroring her place in the narrative.
 

hlc1988

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Riku.

You go from hating him in KH1 for being an idiot to going on such a journey and becoming a Keyblade Master. He is the strongest character there is in terms of development.

But it does make me wonder what they can do with his character going forward?
 

Zettaflare

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But it does make me wonder what they can do with his character going forward?
That's a good question. I'm hoping Nomura can give him an interesting character arc in Shibuya next game. Despite his strong development there could be some more room for growth
 

Face My Fears

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I see Namine mentioned a lot. I also think she got a great deal of development. If you consider how much she's been shown and the fact that she's a NPC, I think she could qualify as well. You can even look at her summoning Lingering Will in KH3 as her ultimate redemption/revenge on the Organization. She goes from being enslaved by them, to ultimately being part of their complete (and true) demise. The girl didn't even have a body, but she was so intent on helping defeat them that she unleashed Lingering Will.

I can see Sora getting some actual development in Phase 2. After the sacrifice he made in KH3, I have a feeling that his outlook will change and he may mature. The tricky thing with Sora is that he has to be sort of static from game to game because we're used to the happy-go-lucky Sora and that helps his interactions in Disney worlds. I do think that Sora's growth shouldn't go unnoticed. The only game that really undid Sora was KH3D by making him an idiot, but I honestly loved what KH3 did for Sora's character. Not that it compares to Riku's arc or Roxas', but I think there is a good setup for Sora to really stand out as a character.
 

The_Echo

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I can see Sora getting some actual development in Phase 2. After the sacrifice he made in KH3, I have a feeling that his outlook will change and he may mature. The tricky thing with Sora is that he has to be sort of static from game to game because we're used to the happy-go-lucky Sora and that helps his interactions in Disney worlds. I do think that Sora's growth shouldn't go unnoticed. The only game that really undid Sora was KH3D by making him an idiot, but I honestly loved what KH3 did for Sora's character. Not that it compares to Riku's arc or Roxas', but I think there is a good setup for Sora to really stand out as a character.
When it comes to Sora, though there is room for him to develop, being a relatively static character whose overall outlook remains unchanged is part of his purpose as a character. Sora is entirely intended to be uncomplicated and uncompromised, that his ideals are set in stone and his perspective with it.
It keeps him in a space where he's equally comfortable as a compliment to the lighthearted Disney elements, empathic in the heartfelt moments of the original story, and contrasting heavily the world, narrative, and enemies around him which is increasingly dark and complex.

Because he's static for purpose, and not for lack of skill or care on the writer's part, I don't think it ever really becomes a problem.
And I think it's that quality that does make him stand out, as it's something no other character in the franchise shares.

Hm... thinking of Sora in that way, maybe he should get some more praise for how he's written.
 

Launchpad

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Development? It's Riku and I really don't think there's another acceptable answer there. Contrary to popular belief, there are characters who HAVE had development, like Sora and Axel, though people like to say it's just Riku. But Riku's gotten the time, and there's a noticeable shift in his character beyond any other.

For what Kingdom Hearts is, Sora is absolutely the best character. I love Riku, but we've already seen a solo Riku adventure through Disney worlds, and MAN is it dry.

Further, Sora's development is actually quite visible, at least to me. He's not static. That's the kind of thing I feel people are saying just because they hear everyone saying it.

In KH1, Sora isn't 'happy-go-lucky'. He's curious, cautious, but ultimately ends up helping whoever he can, if somewhat reluctantly. His good nature prevails over his own interests, but he's not really having a blast in each world. In KH2, he's grown confident, snarky, and is driven (outside of a Santa-type distraction or two) to find his friends more than ever, cutting his enemies down rather angrily. In KH3, he's come around to just enjoying LIFE wherever it's happening. He's finally an old pro and finds something to be excited about in each world, especially pirates.

Not static.
 
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Face My Fears

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When it comes to Sora, though there is room for him to develop, being a relatively static character whose overall outlook remains unchanged is part of his purpose as a character. Sora is entirely intended to be uncomplicated and uncompromised, that his ideals are set in stone and his perspective with it.
It keeps him in a space where he's equally comfortable as a compliment to the lighthearted Disney elements, empathic in the heartfelt moments of the original story, and contrasting heavily the world, narrative, and enemies around him which is increasingly dark and complex.

Because he's static for purpose, and not for lack of skill or care on the writer's part, I don't think it ever really becomes a problem.
And I think it's that quality that does make him stand out, as it's something no other character in the franchise shares.

Hm... thinking of Sora in that way, maybe he should get some more praise for how he's written.
Development? It's Riku and I really don't think there's another acceptable answer there. Contrary to popular belief, there are characters who HAVE had development, like Sora and Axel, though people like to say it's just Riku. But Riku's gotten the time, and there's a noticeable shift in his character beyond any other.

For what Kingdom Hearts is, Sora is absolutely the best character. I love Riku, but we've already seen a solo Riku adventure through Disney worlds, and MAN is it dry.

Further, Sora's development is actually quite visible, at least to me. He's not static. That's the kind of thing I feel people are saying just because they hear everyone saying it.

In KH1, Sora isn't 'happy-go-lucky'. He's curious, cautious, but ultimately ends up helping whoever he can, if somewhat reluctantly. His good nature prevails over his own interests, but he's not really having a blast in each world. In KH2, he's grown confident, snarky, and is driven (outside of a Santa-type distraction or two) to find his friends more than ever, cutting his enemies down rather angrily. In KH3, he's come around to just enjoying LIFE wherever it's happening. He's finally an old pro and finds something to be excited about in each world, especially pirates.

Not static.
I meant that Sora was static in the sense that he always sort of defaulted to a certain character type because it worked best for the main character in Kingdom Hearts. He easily blends in with the Disney worlds and the main story "serious" stuff. His character arcs in each game were interesting, and maybe don't get as much praise as Riku's because unlike Riku, Sora always defaults back to how he was. Chain of Memories literally does this by erasing his memories, so in KH2 any development from CoM was mostly wiped away. At least for CoM/KH2, it made sense to have Sora sort of take a step back, but KH3D just made Sora seem dumb. Aside from KH3D, I always really liked Sora's portrayal with KH3 doing the best.

KH3 really showed that Sora grew from each journey. It also showed that underneath the fun loving boy, there was also someone very concerned that he wouldn't be able to do the job. I liked that Sora had that self doubt - it was a side to him that we never saw before. It was almost as if he was questioning everything he preached in previous games. There was also the looming knowledge that so many people were depending on him - it wasn't just the vague concept of "all the worlds depend on you", but rather people with names that he knew like Roxas, Xion, Aqua, Ven, Namine etc.

I think defaulting to Sora's positivity where he ends up post-KH3 will be interesting, since there seems to be a very distinct and contrasting vibe to that world. So it will be a great opportunity to pull out another side of Sora, yet still maintaining the Sora character that we know and love - which I think is the most fascinating part of Sora's character.
 

the red monster

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It's probably roxas and riku.
as much as i don't care about riku, like at all. i can't deny he didn't get character development.
voted for roxas, still, because he got a lot as well. and i like him better lol.
 

Grey Skies

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A lot of people think Riku is the best character, and I can see why. He's been a very prominent character since the beginning, he had steady character development for a decade and has some of the most depth of any KH character, plus he's fun to like and he's fun to hate. He's very high up there on my list of favorite characters.

Other characters have also had strong character development like Sora, Axel, Roxas, Naminé, and Ansem the Wise, but these last three don't have nearly as much prominence in the series, and Sora's character development went from being steady and good in KH1 and CoM to being bizarre and incomprehensible from KH2 onwards. I hardly recognize him as the same guy from KH1 and CoM. He was just suddenly a very different character out of the blue. Axel is in a similar boat, but at least in his case I can understand why he changed so much so quickly, and I can easily recognize him as the same character even after he changed so much after CoM.
 
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Elysium

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I don't think Sora has been developed over the series so much as flanderized. He became incredibly dumb and goofy all the time in 2 and has been that way since.

Personally, I didn't think Sora's interactions with Disney characters in 3D were any better than Riku's--probably because they didn't really interact with the Disney characters very much at all in that game. Almost all the interaction that happened was between them and the TWEWY cast; Riku was just as much fun with Shiki as Sora was with Neku, and they both had a good chemistry with Joshua, jmo. Aside from that, I really only remember Sora with Jiminy and Riku with Esmeralda.
 
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