---Right then, we'd like to ask you some questions about that improved story. First, was Kairi coming to Destiny Islands fate, or was it just coincidence?
Nomura: It was both. It's not shown in this game, and it's a delicate issue whether I can call this a living setting, but anyway Kairi was sent out from Hollow Bastion by Ansem's hand. And the reason why Ansem sent her was to find the Keyblade. There was actually evidence of that in the jail at the End of the World. Ansem thought that girls who are princesses would be sure to make it to the place of the Keyblade. So Kairi coming to the place with Sora and Riku was both chance, and also fate.
So She wasn't brought by VAT
---Do you mean to say that there are other "Keyblade Heroes"?
Nomura: Well, undoubtedly there are other "Keyblade Heroes", but it just so happened that this time, Kairi made it to the world where Riku and Sora were. That's all.
Meaning others could still be alive
---About Riku being the rightful owner of the Keyblade - why is it that Sora had the Keyblade first?
Nomura: That part is also a bit vague. In the Destiny Islands when Riku is swallowed by the darkness, there's a sparkle of light, and next comes the scene where Sora first gets the Keyblade, right? In my setting, the darkness wrapping itself around those two is the darkness of Riku's heart. At the moment when Sora enters that darkness, the light you can see is the light of the heart. Sora, trying to help Riku, struggling in the darkness, touches that light and temporarily the Keyblade goes to Sora.
---When you look at the computer in the "World's Prison", there is a message with a very deep meaning. It says, "Two will seal the Door of Darkness." Who specifically is it referring to?
Nomura: Well, judging by what happens (in the game), one of them is obviously Sora. As for the other one, you could take it as either; there's both Riku and the King. And for the "two keys" after that, there are both the keys that Sora and the King have, but also there's the presence of Sora and Riku.
Legendary Wielders
---In the ending, Riku and the King are on the other side of the door. Why is that?
Nomura: As far as the King is concerned, he was on the other side from the beginning. He disappeared because he went to the world on the other side in order to find one of the two keys. There, he has his own adventure in the same way as Sora. As for Riku: his body stolen by Ansem, his heart did not remain in this world. The other side of the door is, just as it appears, darkness. So Riku's heart went to the world on the other side, that is to say just as Ansem was saying at the end, the world of darkness. Thus, when Ansem disappears and Riku returns to his original body, he is in the world of darkness.
Stolen by Ansem's Hearts in the RoD
---Looking a little more in-depth in the game: about Castle Oblivion, what world is it a part of?
Nomura: In the endng scene of the previous installment, Sora runs up a path that ends up in a crossroad. It is accurate to think that Castle Oblivion is at the end of one of those paths. This isn't explained in the game but the building's upper floors and underground floors respectively represent the Light and Darkness of memories.
Namine at top Pure Light
Ansem at bottom pure dark
---In the ending of Riku's story, Riku chooses neither the path of Light nor Darkness, but the road in-between. How will that choice affect him as one who wields the keyblade?
Nomura: What Riku is thinking at that point will become clear later. He decides to follow the road in-between to achieve a certain goal. Riku's story was about "What is my relation with the Darkness?", but some things, such as what he is, have yet to be explained.
The darkness before light, using darkness before light
---At that point, DiZ says "The road to twilight...", but does that have a relation with Twilight Town?
Nomura: Yes, it does. This will again be talked about in KH2, but... twilight, that is the time when it is neither day nor night. That theme of being in-between light and dark is central to KH2. In the previous installment it talked more about being of either Light or Dark, but this time we've added being "in the middle". That is why there now is a Twilight Town and a Riku who follows neither Light nor Dark, but both. Twilight Town is the first world to appear in KH2, too. It is very different opening from the Destiny Islands abundant with light you begin the previous installment on and people who played KH might say "What's this?" and get confused. However, I plan to give that confusion further depth as the story goes on.
Opposite Dawn, ligt for dark
Thanks to Audo for making the interviews so easy to reach. http://forums.khinsider.com/future-kingdom-hearts/120509-khinsider-s-interview-archive.html
Nomura: It was both. It's not shown in this game, and it's a delicate issue whether I can call this a living setting, but anyway Kairi was sent out from Hollow Bastion by Ansem's hand. And the reason why Ansem sent her was to find the Keyblade. There was actually evidence of that in the jail at the End of the World. Ansem thought that girls who are princesses would be sure to make it to the place of the Keyblade. So Kairi coming to the place with Sora and Riku was both chance, and also fate.
So She wasn't brought by VAT
---Do you mean to say that there are other "Keyblade Heroes"?
Nomura: Well, undoubtedly there are other "Keyblade Heroes", but it just so happened that this time, Kairi made it to the world where Riku and Sora were. That's all.
Meaning others could still be alive
---About Riku being the rightful owner of the Keyblade - why is it that Sora had the Keyblade first?
Nomura: That part is also a bit vague. In the Destiny Islands when Riku is swallowed by the darkness, there's a sparkle of light, and next comes the scene where Sora first gets the Keyblade, right? In my setting, the darkness wrapping itself around those two is the darkness of Riku's heart. At the moment when Sora enters that darkness, the light you can see is the light of the heart. Sora, trying to help Riku, struggling in the darkness, touches that light and temporarily the Keyblade goes to Sora.
---When you look at the computer in the "World's Prison", there is a message with a very deep meaning. It says, "Two will seal the Door of Darkness." Who specifically is it referring to?
Nomura: Well, judging by what happens (in the game), one of them is obviously Sora. As for the other one, you could take it as either; there's both Riku and the King. And for the "two keys" after that, there are both the keys that Sora and the King have, but also there's the presence of Sora and Riku.
Legendary Wielders
---In the ending, Riku and the King are on the other side of the door. Why is that?
Nomura: As far as the King is concerned, he was on the other side from the beginning. He disappeared because he went to the world on the other side in order to find one of the two keys. There, he has his own adventure in the same way as Sora. As for Riku: his body stolen by Ansem, his heart did not remain in this world. The other side of the door is, just as it appears, darkness. So Riku's heart went to the world on the other side, that is to say just as Ansem was saying at the end, the world of darkness. Thus, when Ansem disappears and Riku returns to his original body, he is in the world of darkness.
Stolen by Ansem's Hearts in the RoD
---Looking a little more in-depth in the game: about Castle Oblivion, what world is it a part of?
Nomura: In the endng scene of the previous installment, Sora runs up a path that ends up in a crossroad. It is accurate to think that Castle Oblivion is at the end of one of those paths. This isn't explained in the game but the building's upper floors and underground floors respectively represent the Light and Darkness of memories.
Namine at top Pure Light
Ansem at bottom pure dark
---In the ending of Riku's story, Riku chooses neither the path of Light nor Darkness, but the road in-between. How will that choice affect him as one who wields the keyblade?
Nomura: What Riku is thinking at that point will become clear later. He decides to follow the road in-between to achieve a certain goal. Riku's story was about "What is my relation with the Darkness?", but some things, such as what he is, have yet to be explained.
The darkness before light, using darkness before light
---At that point, DiZ says "The road to twilight...", but does that have a relation with Twilight Town?
Nomura: Yes, it does. This will again be talked about in KH2, but... twilight, that is the time when it is neither day nor night. That theme of being in-between light and dark is central to KH2. In the previous installment it talked more about being of either Light or Dark, but this time we've added being "in the middle". That is why there now is a Twilight Town and a Riku who follows neither Light nor Dark, but both. Twilight Town is the first world to appear in KH2, too. It is very different opening from the Destiny Islands abundant with light you begin the previous installment on and people who played KH might say "What's this?" and get confused. However, I plan to give that confusion further depth as the story goes on.
Opposite Dawn, ligt for dark
Thanks to Audo for making the interviews so easy to reach. http://forums.khinsider.com/future-kingdom-hearts/120509-khinsider-s-interview-archive.html
