No one likes Sora

[Bloodblade777-2]

I love sora, he's one of my favorite characters. I do think he became a bit more 'shoujou' and a bit less shounen in KH3 compared to the previous KH games. Actually funnily enough that profile picture is an example of what I dislike. In KH1 Sora stops Riku-ansem while he swings at him and Kairi, in KH3 when the exact same scene happens with Kairi and Terra-Xehanort in KH3, Sora just hugs her, idk. Also he wasnt portrayed as so derpy in the earlier games

I think nomura though is probably a bit tired of Sora though. I don't think he dislikes Sora or anything, I think people are reading to much into things there. I think its that he's had the same character for 20 years now, he probably wants to make a new story for a different character.

 

[disney233]

I hope so because my wife is upset they are trying to kill him off

You realize how the concept of death is basically meaningless in Kingdom Hearts, right? KH is a shounen anime now. No shounen anime (that I know of, and bear with me here, I know little of animes) kills their main protagonist. And if they do, it isn't permanent. and Kingdom Hearts is a game that completely 180s the concept of death.

 

[Bloodblade777-2]

I don't think Nomura wrote sora badly because he wanted him killed off. Otherwise we wouldn't be trying to save him. I do however think and agree that he had Sora 'fade' because he wanted to focus on someone else.

Also I always thought the "Everyone has a keyblade" thing people used as a criticism was stupid. Its a main part of the series, why is it a bad thing that other people can use the keyblade? Actually I was disappointed that MORE people didn't use the keyblade in KH3. When Xemnas brought Luxord Larxene Marly etc. together and said that "an ancient keyblade legacy sleeps within you", I thought that meant that during the final battle those organisation members were going to have their own keyblades with crazy new powers, but nope, that was just some random tease for a future KH game with no relevance to the plot of KH3 (why did Xemnas even tell them that lol? Was there any in-universe reason for it?) and they were just same-old-same-old. I hope everyone gets a keyblade in the next kingdom hearts game. Keyblades that turn into bazookas and helicopters and buzz saws and wings bro give me all the keyblades, shoot me.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I think nomura though is probably a bit tired of Sora though. I don't think he dislikes Sora or anything, I think people are reading to much into things there. I think its that he's had the same character for 20 years now, he probably wants to make a new story for a different character.

I'm going to say this is likely in the middle. Yes, it's clear he's tired of Sora and wants to focus on a different character, but also Nomura has literally said in previous interviews that he doesn't understand Sora, that Sora is his enemy, and that he sees himself in Xehanort (and clearly this was such a big thing that he essentially made most versions of Xehanort more sympathetic especially in their dying moments).

Nomura doesn't hate Sora, but he definitely had some...let's call them "hang-ups" about Sora for awhile.

 

[KeybladeMasterJr]

It’s all so sad because Sora to me will always be my Hero

 

[Noivern]

I think the overall issue with KH as a franchise is that it's bound by a storyline and the characters it has created, but at the same time they clearly don't know what to do with it's cast.

Sora is a really good protagonist. Sure, some people like the sidecharacters more (me included), but he does his job and I don't think Kingdom Hearts could have worked without him.

That being said, I'm hoping his plot is done after he comes back and they move to something else. While I do think there's almost infinite potential with KH as an IP (just like FF or DQ), I really don't think the current writing team can do a good job with the giant cast of characters we currently have.

Some are going to be badly written. The fandom will always be annoyed by some things.

This is why I personally enjoy the UX and Dark Road stuff more, even though so many people complain about the gacha nature and very slow updates; it's a brand new cast (for the most part), things feel fresh. The story doesn't move because of the mainline games, but the mainline games are affected by it's events.

I love Sora and I hope he comes back ok, but I hope the franchise moves past him (and preferably the current cast) in the future.

 

[Deliverance]

Gotta disagree wtih you on that one. For the most part, KH2 Sora was second-to-last the worst characterization of him. The computer in RG, fist fighting in Land of Dragons, his reaction to the two Petes are a few examples on how shonen-type Sora became after CoM. He is not naive, he is just one-sided dumd. He never reflects on things like "why was I sleeping for a year?", "why there is only a few of the 13 members of the organization?", "why everyone calls me Roxas?". Worst offender is the revelation of Organization plans at RG. He expends ONE TIME thinking "maybe I can't use my keyblade because I'll be helping them" and he forgets about it for the rest of the series. Gotta say that DDD Sora is the dumbest though.

Back to the topic. I think Sora is pretty lovable and many people actually like him. Thing is, every other KH main character with the exception of Kairi have had a more dramatic character arc. Most of them are not better written than Sora, but the atmosphere in which their storyline is play out is more compelling due to the drama or the mystery. Like said before, Sora is the perfect blend between the different characteristics that make KH. And for many, me included, going back to SDG as the major party in KH3 had a feeling of going back home. I also see progress and evolution in his character in 3/RM, so I hope he will get further characterization to make not only a lovable, dumby protagonist, but an interesting character to follow.

Second worst? Dude, have you played Coded? The game where Sora just blindly believes and does everything he’s told because he’s literally too stupid to understand anything that’s going on. His personality begins and ends with ‘generic good guy’ with no personal stakes at all.

KH2 Sora wasn’t all that deep but he had attitude. I loved watching him constantly flip the bird at the Org members. He was proud and self assured which was a natural extension of his competitive nature in 1. You’re right on some of those instances but they really don’t compare to what came afterwards. The whole reason Sora is dead in 3 is because he and the others were too stupid to realize that participating in the Keyblade War was a bad idea.

It's because Nomura had lost sight of what a character like Sora is. In the past he used to stay he saw a lot of himself and what he wanted to be in Sora, and then after the whole Versus XIII thing, he completely flipped and said he relates to Xehanort above the rest.

I think this is why Nomura has "killed" Sora. Sora represented something Nomura could not embody at the time he was working on KH3 because he was so cynical and broken down by everything going on around him. Nomura seems to have gotten better over the years now that he has FF7R to focus on and Tabata is gone from SE.

ReMind giving us a more interesting version of Sora is enough proof to me that Nomura has regained a bit of what he felt like he lost so long ago, and I doubt today he'd say Sora is his enemy.

Also, he is actively molding Sora into the character he's probably more comfortable writing with Sora's "death" and confrontation with Yozora. I think we'll see this period of KH as a turning point for Sora's character. He'll still probably be the same happy-go-lucky character we've always known, but I think we are definitely going to see a more grounded Sora that mirrors what we saw of him in CoM.

Can’t say I share your optimism. I’ve always gotten the impression that Nomura’s views on Sora’s character were really surface level. Like he sees him as just an ordinary, happy go lucky hero. It was the actual scenario writers that fleshed him out. We know that as the series went on Nomura got more and more involved in the script writing, so I don’t think it was a coincidence that Sora got increasingly flanderized.

 

[Henryp]

Second worst? Dude, have you played Coded? The game where Sora just blindly believes and does everything he’s told because he’s literally too stupid to understand anything that’s going on. His personality begins and ends with ‘generic good guy’ with no personal stakes at all.

KH2 Sora wasn’t all that deep but he had attitude. I loved watching him constantly flip the bird at the Org members. He was proud and self assured which was a natural extension of his competitive nature in 1. You’re right on some of those instances but they really don’t compare to what came afterwards. The whole reason Sora is dead in 3 is because he and the others were too stupid to realize that participating in the Keyblade War was a bad idea.

Wow totally forgot about coded, mostly because I don't count it as part of Sora's character progression. While I do think it has its genuine moments, I always skip everything Coded related because of how pointless it is.

Regarding the death and the keyblade war, i thought the same after finishing DDD, "why go with MX plans and do the keyblade war if thats what he wants?". KH3 actually partially addressed this with the Princess of the Hearts being the second choice and I do think it is pretty in character with Sora (and Ven and Aqua) to risk it in order to protect them. What I miss actually is Riku, Mickey or Lea actually questioning if there isn't any third choice. This could have been completly avoided if the org actually kidnapped the princess like KH1...

In general I think Nomura does care about Sora, and if we haven't seen more of him is because Nomura was in a trippy/weird place in the 2010s. He has said a lot of times Sora is going to be the protagonist of the series, that the main titles will be focused on him. I see a step in the right direction in KH3/RM, leaving him in the most interesting place for character development since CoM. Sora has always be the hero for a story that happens around him or to people he cares about. Riku, Terra, Ven or Aqua were not only characters on their own but their personal struggles were part of the overal plot of the Xehanort saga. Sora most of the time was just the keyblade hero that was there to save the world and his friends. The only two titles where Sora is a pivotal part of the plot and not just someone who comes across it is CoM and DDD, and in the case of DDD it actually got resolved pretty quickly and had no consequences to the plot itself apart from setting Sora mind-state in KH3. KH3/RM ending points to a storyline in which Sora is not only the hero, but the central part of it. He doesn't have to save anyone else, he is the one that needs saving. That has a lot of potential going forward, and I'm sure Nomura will be way more confortable being free to experiment with Sora. And judging by the last few years, I do think KH team is trying to address past mistakes, so I am hopeful that we will get more interesting bits of Sora in the coming games.

 

[the red monster]

I do think ReMind sora is the best version of sora by far. he was super motivated to bring kairi back at all cost and it felt more personal which i liked.

 

[Face My Fears]

I always liked Sora as the protagonist oh KH because he was sort of the incorruptible, so when there were moments that he may fall - I really felt it. Other characters are my favourites, but I wouldn't say that I hate any character in KH. There's no character that comes on screen and I hate it, which is rare for me. Most shows I watch, there are characters that I hate wasting time on, but KH I like seeing everyone get time.

Admittedly, I didn't care much for Sora during the coded-3D period because I thought he was taking a step back in terms of development. However, the KH3 Sora is probably my favourite version. I liked actually seeing Sora feel vulnerable and acknowledge that his actions has consequences, so yeah killing himself in KH1 was for Kairi, but back then I think he was naive and didn't really think about it, but in KH3 he was aware of the price he had to pay.

I don't want Sora to become dark and brooding or have a major character overhaul. I would like for Sora to get some personal development. A lot of his journey revolved around his friends and helping them (or the worlds), but I think it would do the character some good to go on a journey that's about saving himself, so that Sora can learn more about himself.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Everyone else is Sora.

 

[Dreq the Dreck]

I mean, I don't like Sora and I believe he deserved to die (I'll explain later), but I definitely don't want him to stay dead or be replaced as the main protagonist. He's a solid MC for a series like KH. I just don't resonate with his nauseating niceness and purity, and how the other characters (and the narrative itself at several points) treat them as his only traits. It gives me the irritating "holier than thou", "can do no wrong" vibe.

That said, I was glad when Sora died because it meant he couldn't have his cake and eat it too. He cheated reality several times until he got everything he wanted. I would've been so put-off if he managed to pull that off scott-free. Do people really want an MC who can reset time until he wins, all without any consequences?

"A real leader knows destiny is beyond his control and accepts that."
Excuse me. First, when the fuck have you been a leader? Second, how many times have you cheated destiny in this game alone?

 

[Grey Skies]

I like Sora. A lot of fans like him. I also like his disappearance at the end of KH3. As Dreq the Dreck mentioned, he bent the laws of his universe to do his bidding. It's fitting that the universe erase him for that. He also played a pivotal role in saving the words many times over, and helped bring back TAV, Roxas, and Xion. It's just good, satisfying drama for him to then become the one who needs saving. I find it a very appropriate ending to the first phase, plus his disappearance has been in the series before, and early on, to boot. First after using the Keyblade of People's Hearts on himself and the second time when he couldn't wake up after CoM. Both times he was quite gone and it took other characters to bring him back.

He'll obviously be brought back early in phase 2, and I think that's perfectly fine in a series where most people aren't gone forever. Plus since I like Sora, seeing more Sora will probably be just fine.

 

[Dreq the Dreck]

I don't think Nomura wrote sora badly because he wanted him killed off. Otherwise we wouldn't be trying to save him. I do however think and agree that he had Sora 'fade' because he wanted to focus on someone else.

Also I always thought the "Everyone has a keyblade" thing people used as a criticism was stupid. Its a main part of the series, why is it a bad thing that other people can use the keyblade? Actually I was disappointed that MORE people didn't use the keyblade in KH3. When Xemnas brought Luxord Larxene Marly etc. together and said that "an ancient keyblade legacy sleeps within you", I thought that meant that during the final battle those organisation members were going to have their own keyblades with crazy new powers, but nope, that was just some random tease for a future KH game with no relevance to the plot of KH3 (why did Xemnas even tell them that lol? Was there any in-universe reason for it?) and they were just same-old-same-old. I hope everyone gets a keyblade in the next kingdom hearts game. Keyblades that turn into bazookas and helicopters and buzz saws and wings bro give me all the keyblades, shoot me.

Having a keyblade makes you a swordsman. Iml'm sick of keyblades soley because I feel there are far too many swordsmen. Swords are more aesthetically pleasing than other weapons like lances and axes. I get it. However, a whopping 10 main characters are swordsmen. Eat your heart out, Smash Bros....

 

[astertide]

I don't think Nomura is "killing Sora off". He's almost certainly not going to stay crystallised - especially since there are two endings to Re:Mind, and they're both Yozora's dreams. Nomura just needs something dramatic to happen to start off Phase 2 to get people theorising before getting us to wait for another twenty years ;-;

(And honestly, Sora doesn't have to be the main protagonist 100% of the time. Characters like Xion and Terra need more screentime.)

 

[AegisXIII]

Why a new topic?

 

[KeybladeMasterJr]

Why a new topic?

I figured this out later

 

[Sakuraba Neku]

Can't stand Sora in KH3D and KH3.
I like him everywhere else, with his KH1 characterization being my absolute favourite.

 

[Somnus cealum]

sora is a great and relatable character, but he just need to man up and tell kairi how he feels about her. i loved sora ever since. im happy were getting the "girl saving the boy" theme now.

 

[Elysium]

Honestly I'd take everything cynical/thegamersjoint says with a grain of salt. He's not exactly, to put it nicely, accurate in his assumptions, mostly because others get to the news first before him and he's just parroting. He's fun to listen to, but not all the time.

As for the Sora bashing in the fandom, it's more like a weird case of being pathetically hipster (hating the mainstream in this case the protag, rage currency, a lot of other reasons that are basically bull, etc.), hybristophilia (preference of Riku or Roxas), among other things.

It’s this, definitely. I think it comes from the same crowd—mostly teenagers?—who go through that phase where things like Disney are “kiddie” and beneath them. I'm sure there are others who don't fit in that stereotype, but that's my personal theory of the majority. Sora is like Disney in the sense that he’s innately happy and positive. There’s always been those fans who want a character who’s more serious, moody, broody, ragey, slashy, whatever—like Riku, Roxas, etc. (the Cloud / Squall types)—to takeover for good. I like those characters fine, but I think Sora should always be the main character of KH. I’d actually be okay with every game being Sora-lead.

I do wish he was more like he was in 1 and CoM than the OTT, cheesy character he became in KH2 though.