Massive Series Analysis: X-Blade's nature, "7/13," what really really REALLY happened to AtW, etc.
I'll be damned if I didn't outdo myself on this collection of theories. If anything, all of them essentially root to concepts that are deeply correlated with each other, so I hope you guys can find some merit in the way everything's structured, for lack of better wording. I know I'll be reusing a lot of the general concepts in the future.
Also, you might find the longevity of this post to be rather...intimidating. DEAL WITH IT, I seriously spent over 5 hours writing this shit out. >_>"
The X-Blade. Most integral plot device of BBS.
Undeniably the most fun I've ever had theorizing on this site. I hope you guys enjoy the read, given how many hours and how much battery life I've wasted. :x
(Edit: Please excuse the corny puns and glitchy coding)
I'll be damned if I didn't outdo myself on this collection of theories. If anything, all of them essentially root to concepts that are deeply correlated with each other, so I hope you guys can find some merit in the way everything's structured, for lack of better wording. I know I'll be reusing a lot of the general concepts in the future.
Also, you might find the longevity of this post to be rather...intimidating. DEAL WITH IT, I seriously spent over 5 hours writing this shit out. >_>"
Anyways, let's start with the most integral plot device of the series: KH.
(I'll slap the shit out of you if you think I'm talking about KH as a game)
(I'll slap the shit out of you if you think I'm talking about KH as a game)
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From what we know about KH, it is the Heart of All Worlds, it coexists with the X-Blade, and Resides in the Realm of Darkness (RoD). Before the Keyblade War, it resided in the Realm of Light (RoL). However, as darkness grew in the hearts of people, the Keyblade War came to happen. Several important things happened as a result:
[*=left]The RoL was reorganized; no longer one, unified world, the RoL became a cluster of separated worlds.
[*=left]KH departed to the RoD, away from the reach of the inhabitants of the RoL.
[*=left]The X-Blade scattered into 20 pieces. 7 pieces of light, and 13 pieces of darkness.
Although KH has left the RoL in pieces, there was still hope to be found.
[*=left]The hearts of the children who survived the world began to rebuild the world/s around them, in the hopes that the RoL can become the unified world it was before the War.
[*=left]If one wishes to bring back KH to the RoL, they must reforge the X-Blade.
[*=left]If one wishes to just reach KH, they must forge the Keyblade of Peoples' Heart (KoPL).
After some intensive analysis involving an unhealthy amount of coffee and procrastination, I think I've thought of a few theories that relate to the various, smaller details surrounding these details.
For starters: The RoD/Darkness is the destination for people/worlds/entities that lack a physical existence.
Something that's been reiterated time and time again in the series, but in ways we wouldn't notice.
Subject #1: Heartless
As everyone knows, Heartless lack a physical/humanoid body; the heart chose to discard its physical manifestation in favor of darkness. Or, the darkness just kinda took over, like a typical bitch with control freak issues.
Subject #2: Riku in the RoD
When Xehanort's Heartless (XH) ejected Riku's heart from his own body, there was no physical shell for Riku's heart to go to. As a result, his heart became merely an entity with no physical definition. Supposedly, the RoD is the destination hearts with nowhere else to go.
Heartless and bodiless Riku, hearts with no natural/physical structure (for lack of better wording; think "human bodies" or "the shape of worlds"). Both share a similar fate, although in differing forms: Darkness.
Theory 1:
"Light" of a heart is represented through physical manifestation. As in, something that can be considered to have a "natural structure."
Theory 2:
As an entity that resides in the Realm of Darkness, Kingdom Hearts currently lacks a physical form. However, it may have had one during its time in the Realm of Light.
Think about it. Forging the X-Blade summons KH to (assumedly) the RoL, the location of the worlds that used to be just one world (since MX implied that the RoD was essentially uncolonized). I don't think it's a coincidence that KH's summoning/materialization in the RoL happens AT THE SAME TIME as the reunion of all worlds.
Moral of the story: KH's light is the key to connecting all worlds into one entity. If KH's light doesn't exist on a physical level, neither does the physical connection between worlds.
Next: The relation between Kingdom Hearts and the X-Blade: How can they manifest physically?
Well, let's move onto our next subject.
Well, let's move onto our next subject.
The X-Blade. Most integral plot device of BBS.
Spoiler Show
[*=left]"X" has been used to represent the intersection of light and darkness.
[*=left]In BBS, Master Xehanort (MX) attempted to forge it by fusing together a heart of pure light and a heart of pure darkness.
[*=left]MX fcked up.
[*=left]Of the two hearts that the X-Blade came from, the heart of Vanitas was unnatural; he was born from MX splitting Ven's heart into 2 pieces: Light and Dark.
[*=left]DDD introduced the new "7/13" method as the actual way the X-Blade was meant to be forged. 7 warriors of light must clash with 13 warriors of darkness.
[*=left]Coexists with KH.
[*=left]Forging the X-Blade is the key to summoning KH.
So, another two theories in relation to KH and the RoD.
Theory #3:
Kingdom Hearts and the X-Blade coexist PHYSICALLY.
Forge the X-Blade. It becomes physical. Summon KH. It becomes physical. Not hard at all to understand.
Granted, taking Theory #1 into consideration, that would mean that the X-Blade (and, by extension, all keyblades) are slightly biased towards Light. However, that's to be expected from a weapon known as the man-made counterpart to Kingdom Hearts.
...
And KH is light.
...
So keyblades are man-made counterparts to light.
Theory #4:
Just as KH resides in the RoD, so does the X-Blade.
If KH and the X-Blade coexist, then that means that the X-Blade has some level of existence at all times, probably the same as KH's. Assuming KH is merely an intangible entity inside of the RoD, we could say the same for the X-Blade.
Furthermore, the X-Blade itself is a representation of the unity (or lack thereof) of the worlds. Think of "light and dark intersecting" as "two different worlds intersecting" instead; by physically manifesting the X-Blade, you also physically manifest the intersection of different worlds by reuniting them together.
Next point: The relation between Kingdom Hearts and (the various forms of) darkness (and other shit).
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(Made a quick edit, since the last image wasn't that relevant)
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The key topic here is the reorganization of the Realm of Light. From what we know, KH left for the RoD, the worlds were separated, the X-Blade shattered, and the Keyblade of Peoples' Heart came into existence (kind of; perhaps it too exists within the RoD?). The "7/13" concept is also important here.
Take a second to think about how KH went to the RoD and how a person becomes a Heartless; both scenarios are remarkably synonymous in nature, specifically in how they reflect the theme of, "Within the deepest darkness, there is a light." If we compare KH to a Heartless...
Theory #5:
In order to prevent the growing threat of darkness, worlds needed to be separated from each other (so as to avoid any further chaos); the Realm of Light, as it was, was not ready to control the darkness that came from it. So, KH had to go away. Just as the light of the heart usually fails to manifest beyond the darkness of a Heartless, so does the light of KH fail to manifest beyond the darkness of the RoD...which pretty much reiterates why the worlds were separated, going by my earlier theories.
That's not to say, however, that KH is completely synonymous to a Heartless; just only in certain aspects. Otherwise, the Realm of Light would be a giant Heartless, lolol.
Theory #6:
KH has maintained the title, "Heart of all life." Given how KH is purely light (for a few good reasons), that means that, while normal hearts aren't purely light like KH, KH's primary element of light is present within all natural hearts. ALL (natural) hearts have light. ALL (natural) hearts are connected to KH.
If you're wondering what I mean by "natural," I was referring, of course, to Vanitas, the only known Heart of Pure Darkness. The idea of a heart that doesn't (directly) have the light of KH can seem very...paradoxical. Funny story, that actually explains the negativity of the Unversed.
If all living things that originate from KH result in the "balance of the universe," obviously creating something that didn't originate from KH is going to upset things. Oh hey, look: Theory #7.
Theory #7:
The reason why the X-Blade of BBS was doomed to fail was because of Vanitas.
The X-Blade has, at the very least, a natural existence (arguably supernatural). The idea of forging it through the fusion of a heart of pure light and a heart of pure darkness doesn't make sense because a heart of pure darkness should not be natural at all.
If anything, I fail to see how you can create a weapon that coexists with KH with someone that doesn't reflect KH's most important element.
So where does the "7/13" concept come into play?
It may not be obvious, but there's actually a level of intelligent design in the reorganization of the Realm of Light. Specifically one that favors light, I might add. What exactly gives us that impression?
The fact that the Keyblade War could have continued to no particular extent. At the very least, there does seem to have been a certain limit as to how much the Realm of Light could withstand the growing threat of darkness (as vague as that sounds).
Where exactly did this "Intelligent Design" originate from? I actually don't care; I'm more interested in how there actually is some level of relevance it has to the series. Through that assumption, I came up with a possible explanation as to why there are more darknesses than lights.
Theory #8:
Whoever/Whatever designed the "7/13" method may have wanted to give the 7 lights a challenge, so as to help them find the power to go against all odds.
Work hard, play hard. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Yolo. Call it whatever you want (actually, don't call it yolo), it's an easy-to-understand concept.
^^^-- I hate coding glitches :v --^^^
Almost done, I promise; let's move on to the Realm of Sleep (RoS).
Almost done, I promise; let's move on to the Realm of Sleep (RoS).
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Earlier, I was going on about how the RoD was the home of entities lacking physical structure. To be fairly honest, we can say the exact same thing for everything in the RoS. So what exactly differentiates the RoD from the RoS?
Both the RoD and RoS are home to those with no physical form. What differentiates them, however, is that the entities with strong wills find their way into the RoD.
Theory #9:
The Realm of Light and Realm of Darkness can be categorized into one group, that being Realms that reflect the CONNECTION BETWEEN THE HEART AND THE MIND/BODY. Likewise, the Realm of In-Between (RoIB) and Realm of Sleep can also be categorized, this time that group being Realms that reflect theCONNECTION BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE HEART/BODY.
[*=left]Why did Riku go to the RoD? Because his heart worked in conjunction with his mind to constitute his existence in the RoD.
[*=left]Why do Nobodies exist? Because their minds worked in conjunction with their bodies to constitute their existence in the RoIB.
Heart. Mind. Body. Many scenarios, many combinations, many results. I'd like to conclude this collection of theories with one last theory about a possible result of relevance.
Mindfck of the day: Possible history of AtW (Ansem the Wise) and DiZ (Darkness in Zero)
Spoiler Show
[*=left]AtW takes in Xehanort.
[*=left]Xehanort has some fun adventures in Radiant Garden.
[*=left]AtW gives Xehanort a time-out.
[*=left]Oh hey look, a keyblade.
[*=left]???
[*=left]PROFIT
I feel as if there are important mysteries behind the exile of AtW, ones that may prove to be integral in the future of the series. For instance, what if DiZ was a Nobody? What if he was a potential vessel of MX? Let's explore.
The rebirth of AtW's apprentices as Nobodies begins with Xehanort's recovery of MX's keyblade. As seen with Braig, Xehanort has used his keyblade to release the hearts of the apprentices. After some critical thinking, there seems to be some disturbingly good evidence supporting how he did the same thing to AtW. Well, that, and Xehanort cloning his heart inside of AtW.
So, what exactly would happen? Well.
[*=left]Xehanort clones his heart inside of AtW.
[*=left]Xehanort releases AtW's heart from his body. Given how the apprentices were still loyal to Xemnas, some kind of memory loss may have been involved. Shit, AtW showed signs of memory loss during Blank Points.
[*=left]The body of AtW becomes DiZ, who now holds a clone of Xehanort's heart. Through that heart, DiZ not only starts to look like Xehanort/XH, but he also adopts Xehanort's anger, hatred, and douchebaggery.
[*=left]Meanwhile, AtW's heart has nowhere to go. Thus, it ends up in the RoD as an intangible entity, or at least until DiZ blows himself up, thus resulting in the reunion of his heart and body.
Darkness in Zero. The Dark Heart of Xehanort in a Nobody.
Theory #10:
AtW has been in the RoD almost as long as Aqua has been in there. DiZ is one of the 13 Darknesses. AtW has gone through the "Rebirth Process."
Game, set, match.
Undeniably the most fun I've ever had theorizing on this site. I hope you guys enjoy the read, given how many hours and how much battery life I've wasted. :x
(Edit: Please excuse the corny puns and glitchy coding)