Should characters that got their happy ending be relevant to the new plot or stuck to cameos?

[masteroflostrain]

Hello. I'm one of the fans that think characters that got their happy ending should at least stick to cameos. Mostly because I read somewhere nomura said some darkseeker saga characters won't be seen again. So cameos can be a good solution.

Basically here at my personal reasons why shouldn't be a active part in the story with the exception of ventus, Lea & Isa, marluxia, and Xigbar(Lucy). Possibly kairi because the princess of heart may even play a bigger role next saga.

1: They all got their happy endings. You seen the ending of kingdom hearts 3. Terra, Aqua, xion, and Roxas got their happy endings. Xehanort already had them suffering, why add to that? They deserve to enjoy each other's company.

2: In my opinion, they don't have anything to do with the foretellers. Yes I recognize they don't have to, but with next saga taking places with chi storylines taking 1st place, it's gonna be hard for them to stay relevant with the new cast taking center focus.

3: It's gonna be too cluttered if they join the chi characters. How are we supposed to focus on the new cast if the old ones take it away? If what I read was true about nomura not bringing back past darkseeker saga characters, it could be to make it less cluttered and make it more digestible storywise.

And finally 4: Until the final game of the foretellers saga, they have no purpose to defeat the master of master's. Simple as that.

Do you want the darkseeker saga characters to stay, make cameos, or begone completely and let them have their happy endings?

Please tell me, I wanna hear your opinion on this.

 

[Zettaflare]

Probably for the simple reason that they would want to support their friends and aid in any way they can. No way Terra and Aqua would leave Ventus alone after being separated for over a decade. Same with Roxas and Xion in regards to Lea

 

[Chaser]

I think, for me, it depends on the story they want to share.

I wouldn't mind seeing how Terra fares now that he has Xehanort removed from his heart and how he adapts to being his own self again and if he still has the darkness inside of him that he showcased throughout Birth by Sleep. But this goes against where it looks like the series is going so as the story Nomura wants to share is about that, I wouldn't expect to see Terra be a main character again, but he could certainly tie into Ventus's story and his connection to the X era.

As much as I don't like the character, Lea is going to be around so long as he's in training to be a Keyblade wielder, and he brings Isa, Roxas, and Xion so they may be cameos throughout his upcoming storyline. But like Terra, I'd love to see how they adjust to controlling their own bodies and fates.

I've highlighted how the characters that got their happy ending could be brought back into the main character spotlight, but I have also highlighted how those stories may run against where Nomura wants to take the franchise. It'll certainly be weird to see Ventus and Lea without the other characters that are around them, considering said characters were big parts in their storylines over the last decade (Lea wanting to bring them back, others wanting to bring Ventus back).

Frankly, I think it's a bit too early to really tell about the impact of those characters getting a "happy ending". They were all brought to Destiny Islands beach, even Hayner, Pence, and Olette, which showed that Nomura might be open to having them all easily be able to be carried through to future games, but from the extremely limited scope of what we understand the next Kingdom Hearts game to be, I don't think they'll be in it but they could definitely be in Kingdom Hearts 4 itself.

 

[MrFranklin95]

I think it'd be pretty lame to have all these characters that we've come to love and spent almost half the saga figuring out how to save them to be regulated to just cameos.

I would like to see theirs arcs taken much further now that they all have new lives now beyond Xehanort and the Organization. I don't want them to end up like the DBZ cast were only certain characters are important and the rest are just background or there to fill up space.

It's one of my many fears going into this new arc; that certain characters sidelined.

 

[MATGSY]

My wish is for KH4 to be a soft reboot, dialing it back to Sora/Riku/Kairi, & the Mickey Mouse cast as the only returning characters & starting fresh.

Already I'm not getting that.

 

[Sign]

I'm of the opinion that it's easier to retire RAX since Isa doesn't really need Lea to accompany him on his search for Subject X, Lea's connection with her is weak af and Roxas and Xion want a normal life anyways. But since these characters are among the most popular, there's no way they're going to sit idly by.

At least TAV has stronger connections via Ven and Eraqus's ties to UX and a lot of untapped potential that isn't confined to the whole Xehanort mess.

I'm not just saying this because I am incredibly biased

 

[Face My Fears]

I mean, it's possible to tell a good story with the number of characters that we have (including the Chi ones). It would be about 8 from Chi and Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Isa, Namine, Ienzo, Elrena, Durol, Emyd, Lauriam, Maleficent and Pete. That's around 30 characters to build the story around and I don't see an issue pulling off such a feat. All it takes is careful planning and writing of the story. Some characters like Ienzo and Namine may be relegated to the lab, others can be grouped together so they're sort of treated as one, while others get more of the main focus.

Whether Nomura can pull it off, I don't know. I believe he can, especially given that the old ties and baggage is gone (IE Xehanort and Norts). I feel like Nomura was on the right path with second visits in KH2, but the execution was poor. The reason why a lot of KH feels rushed is because most of the story happens outside of the Disney worlds, but the Disney worlds are where we spend most of our time. I think that Nomura can get creative and maybe even take a risk by having the first visit be an original story (depending on the world) featuring some main story characters, then have the second visit be the film reenactment (and meeting the Disney character) and maybe blend in some original plot too. That would make the second visit more exciting (meeting Disney character) and extending the original story we already encountered before.

But to answer the question -- I'm not sure. I want Roxas and Xion to sail away happily ever after because I've seen them sad for too long and I want them happy. On the flip side, I love them so much and want them around more... BUT I'm afraid that anything further may tarnish their amazing stories. Like what if Roxas or Xion somehow get Chi stuff shoved on them?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I mean, I'd want a lot of characters relegated to smaller roles but that isn't happening.

Terra and Aqua are going to stick like glue to Ven once all of the UX stuff starts really unfolding. Aqua is also a beloved character. (Also I don't want TAV made into cameos because I love them so much <3 <3 <3 )

RAX, like Sign said, are the easiest to "retire" because for the most part their storylines are done, but they are some of the most popular characters in the series so they will never be retired. What is likely is that they will either be tied into Isa's quest in finding Subject X (Skuld?) or Roxas and Xion will at least have their own journey they go on while Lea and Isa go on their Subject X quest. (At the end of the day I can accept this even if they aren't on my top 5 fav list)

Like 90% of the Apprentices can disappear forever and I'd be fine with it. Aeleus and Dilan are definitely two characters that can stick to being cameos like they already are. I'd be fine with Even fading into the void. I wish wish wish Luxord wasn't important but he is and I hate Nomura so much for it.

In the end everybody is important somehow until they aren't anymore, so Nomura can do whatever he wants and I'll just play it anyways.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

I don't play Kingdom Hearts for the main story plot. I play for the characters that captivate me with their own stories, so I don't judge only by that. My favorite characters in the series have the least amount of relevance to the Xehanort or Foreteller stories. Relevance to the overall Kingdom Hearts narrative means nothing to me.

That being said I don't know what Nomura has planned for KH4 so I cannot say which characters are or are not relevant for the future. All I can do is speculate on it. But on the subject of popularity, Isa is nowhere near popular enough to carry a storyline by himself post KH3. Let alone for Subject X, a character that doesn't even have a face right now. So at the very least Lea will have to be part of that plot.

RAX: I fully agree these guys are the easiest to retire. Despite Roxas being my fave character, Xion being in that same neighborhood, and this being my favorite trio, I'm fine with them getting a smaller role going forward. And if Nomura truly does not have a role for them in KH4, then let them skip out. I'd rather that then shoehorned them in. What I don't want is for Kingdom Hearts 3 to be their last appearance. If you are going to undo their tragic yet beautiful endings then I expect them to do something with them new eventually. Because otherwise why bring them back? I love their self-contained stories and would love to get a update on how they are adjusting to normal life.

TAV: Ventus is like almost a given to come back. Aqua and Terra not so much. Invi and Aced even kinda feel like Aqua and Terra replacements. That being said I hope that's not the case. I'd be down for some TAV doing something that doesn't involve Xehanort. Even if they aren't my fave trio I do like these guys. My biggest fear though is they'll use Aqua and Terra as punching bags for the Foretellers to establish them as threats. That whole "We took out some of your best warriors, now fear us" kinda thing. Though I'd love to see Terra fight Aced. Let it happen.

Namine: Not a lot of people are bringing her name up in the discussion of if she'll come back or not. I actually think Namine will just continue doing what she always does for the rest of the series. Not be in the game for 90% of it then randomly show up to pull off a cool magic trick and then disappear until the end of the game.

Riku and Kairi: Stay the same.

Ansem and the apprentices: Probably cameos. Has Sora ever even met Ansem the Wise?

But anyway, like I said I have no idea what the future holds for the KH characters. All I can do is hope that I get to see all the characters back in some way.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Ansem and the apprentices: Probably cameos. Has Sora ever even met Ansem the Wise?

Yeah, for like a few seconds when Xemnas and Ansem were monologging at each other before Ansem said sorry and blew himself up onto a beach.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Yeah, for like a few seconds when Xemnas and Ansem were monologging at each other before Ansem said sorry and blew himself up onto a beach.

Shame. I'd say these two should interact but what's the point now?

 

[Zach2]

Hello. I'm one of the fans that think characters that got their happy ending should at least stick to cameos. Mostly because I read somewhere nomura said some darkseeker saga characters won't be seen again. So cameos can be a good solution.

Basically here at my personal reasons why shouldn't be a active part in the story with the exception of ventus, Lea & Isa, marluxia, and Xigbar(Lucy). Possibly kairi because the princess of heart may even play a bigger role next saga.

1: They all got their happy endings. You seen the ending of kingdom hearts 3. Terra, Aqua, xion, and Roxas got their happy endings. Xehanort already had them suffering, why add to that? They deserve to enjoy each other's company.

2: In my opinion, they don't have anything to do with the foretellers. Yes I recognize they don't have to, but with next saga taking places with chi storylines taking 1st place, it's gonna be hard for them to stay relevant with the new cast taking center focus.

3: It's gonna be too cluttered if they join the chi characters. How are we supposed to focus on the new cast if the old ones take it away? If what I read was true about nomura not bringing back past darkseeker saga characters, it could be to make it less cluttered and make it more digestible storywise.

And finally 4: Until the final game of the foretellers saga, they have no purpose to defeat the master of master's. Simple as that.

Do you want the darkseeker saga characters to stay, make cameos, or begone completely and let them have their happy endings?

Please tell me, I wanna hear your opinion on this.

I really hope Kairi does play a bigger role in the future

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

That being said I don't know what Nomura has planned for KH4 so I cannot say which characters are or are not relevant for the future. All I can do is speculate on it.

Neither does Nomura himself, if all of his "blank slate" comments are to be taken seriously.

My biggest fear though is they'll use Aqua and Terra as punching bags for the Foretellers to establish them as threats. That whole "We took out some of your best warriors, now fear us" kinda thing

Aqua was already turned into a punching bag (or at best, relegated to a plot device) for Sora's benefit during KH3, so I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up doing exactly that. If I had to pick though, I'd rather they be ignored and left alone than disrespected and humiliated the way she was though. Any day of the week.

Shame. I'd say these two should interact but what's the point now?

None really. Ansem The Wise didn't interact with any of the main protagonist in KH3, and his relationship with Aqua was purposefully compromised and immediately forgotten in favor of injecting fake tension and padding into the game. If that treatment is anything to go by, Nomura clearly doesn't have any interest in him as a legitimate character anymore beyond potentially the Subject X storyline.

 

[Amadeus]

I want to see more of TAV and RAX, but not as "main characters" per se. Nomura's said that Sora will continue to be the main character iirc, so I see Terra and Aqua playing third fiddle to Ven's second fiddle. Overall, my vision for the Wayfinder trio has basically already been explained by others.

The Sea Salt trio, though, I want to see as the protagonists of a side story. Think a slice of life game set in the KH universe. It would never happen, but I'd like to see Roxas and Xion complaining about homework and working odd jobs with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Show me Xion learning to struggle! Let the gang finally go to the beach and eat watermelon/pretzels/yakisoba/etc!!! I don't want them to disappear entirely, as I treasure Xion with all my heart and also love Roxas (and Axel too, I guess), but I don't want them shoehorned in where they don't fit. So my realistic dream is to see them if we ever revisit Twilight Town, so we can see them just chilling as NPCs. No need to fight, just let them live normal lives and show us that they're finally happy :')

 

[SuperSaiyanSora]

They can all still be used, but they most likely won't (and shouldn't) all be crammed into one game. RAX's story is pretty much done, but there's still Lea and Isa's story that hasn't been touched on much. So I see Lea sticking around for quite some time, but Xion and Roxas may take a bit of a backseat for now. They don't currently have any plot points for them to be super involved with, so they can relax with Hayner, Pence and Olette for a while. They've earned it.

TAV are still gonna be important because now that Chirithy is reunited with Ven, and Ven being an ancient Keyblade Wielder, there's no way Terra and Aqua aren't going to have some role in some way shape or form.

The Apprentices can work with the Restoration Committee and if we ever see Leon and co. again, boom, easy.

Namine, well... That really all depends on what happens in ReMIND. But if Kairi is gonna be a major player in the next saga (please), I could see Namine also having a role.

The Foretellers are seemingly the new Organization XIII, so there's that. Only this time, there's seven including the Master of Masters.

Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene and Demyx... They're ancient wielders, so this is up in the air because who knows who Luxord and Demyx may actually be. But they'll probably have a role in the future.

Ephemer and Skuld, that's another "who knows", but they're gonna show up sooner or later in some capacity in the future too.

And Yozora? Well, if he stops looking down from buildings all edgy-like, he might have a role too.

If Nomura can make sure that everyone has a role and it's not chaotic, then there shouldn't be any issues. I think he's aware of just how much he has to work with, given how in the Ultimania, he knew that he had to streamline the Keyblade Graveyard segment or else it would take too long. But then now, he's expanding on the Keyblade Graveyard section, so let's see. As long as he doesn't try to cram things in for the next future titles, I don't think it'll be an issue.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

The Sea Salt trio, though, I want to see as the protagonists of a side story. Think a slice of life game set in the KH universe. It would never happen, but I'd like to see Roxas and Xion complaining about homework and working odd jobs with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Show me Xion learning to struggle! Let the gang finally go to the beach and eat watermelon/pretzels/yakisoba/etc!!! I don't want them to disappear entirely, as I treasure Xion with all my heart and also love Roxas (and Axel too, I guess), but I don't want them shoehorned in where they don't fit. So my realistic dream is to see them if we ever revisit Twilight Town, so we can see them just chilling as NPCs. No need to fight, just let them live normal lives and show us that they're finally happy :')

This! I want RAX or at least Roxas and Xion to stay in Twilight Town and any future storylines with them take place there. Now that they've overcome death and the dreaded "memory loss" issue there's no need to force more drama on them, as there's no way they are going to top what they already went through. Any problems they face now should be small scale at home drama, like finishing homework on time and school life. If Sora goes to visit them in future games their stories should be self-contained and stay in Twilight Town. They can be Sora's party members of TT even. Personally I'd love for Lea to get them a pet to teach them responsibility and it turns out to be Nemo in a fish tank. Or they go to a Power Line concert. Or maybe RAX dress up as masked superheroes whenever Heartless show up to get rid of them, which gets TT buzzing. Think the Great Saiyaman or Darkwing Duck. Small stuff like that.

In short, I don't need to see these guys be involved in the battle against MoM and the Foretellers, but I don't want them to disappear either. Just treat Twilight Town as you would a Disney World, being self-contained where we can see Roxas and friends and get a update on their lives. That's enough for me and RAX is my favorite aspect of KH.

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

This! I want RAX or at least Roxas and Xion to stay in Twilight Town and any future storylines with them take place there. Now that they've overcome death and the dreaded "memory loss" issue there's no need to force more drama on them, as there's no way they are going to top what they already went through. Any problems they face now should be small scale at home drama, like finishing homework on time and school life. If Sora goes to visit them in future games their stories should be self-contained and stay in Twilight Town. They can be Sora's party members of TT even. Personally I'd love for Lea to get them a pet to teach them responsibility and it turns out to be Nemo in a fish tank. Or they go to a Power Line concert. Or maybe RAX dress up as masked superheroes whenever Heartless show up to get rid of them, which gets TT buzzing. Think the Great Saiyaman or Darkwing Duck. Small stuff like that.

In short, I don't need to see these guys be involved in the battle against MoM and the Foretellers, but I don't want them to disappear either. Just treat Twilight Town as you would a Disney World, being self-contained where we can see Roxas and friends and get a update on their lives. That's enough for me and RAX is my favorite aspect of KH.

This.... honestly wouldn't be too bad! I mean, I still feel really uncomfortable and icky about the idea of RAX becoming glorified window dressing after A) waiting years for them to come back, and B) they barely did anything in KH3 to justify their returns, but for some harmless slice of life stuff that helps flesh out the characters and keep things simple, this might be the most ideal version of events. I'm particularly fond of the idea that Roxas and Xion might dress up as super heroes around town (it's a similar premise to many games I used to play when I was younger), since that way they wouldn't have everyone in town worshipping them as some kind of saviours. Not that they'd mind, lol.

That said, I have to ask, with the way you phrased this reply, are you not entirely oppose to seeing them involved in the upcoming Saga to a similar degree as the rest? If they did, how would you see the characters themselves developing over the course of it? Personally, in a scenario like that, I could see them gradually becoming more accepting of the responsibilities of being a Keyblade wielder overtime (growing to see it as more than just a burden, especially since the main cast will seemingly be getting a thorough education on the history of the weapon), but it wouldn't be an easy transition.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

This.... honestly wouldn't be too bad! I mean, I still feel really uncomfortable and icky about the idea of RAX becoming glorified window dressing after A) waiting years for them to come back, and B) they barely did anything in KH3 to justify their returns, but for some harmless slice of life stuff that helps flesh out the characters and keep things simple, this might be the most ideal version of events. I'm particularly fond of the idea that Roxas and Xion might dress up as super heroes around town (it's a similar premise to many games I used to play when I was younger), since that way they wouldn't have everyone in town worshipping them as some kind of saviours. Not that they'd mind, lol.

That said, I have to ask, with the way you phrased this reply, are you not entirely oppose to seeing them involved in the upcoming Saga to a similar degree as the rest? If they did, how would you see the characters themselves developing over the course of it? Personally, in a scenario like that, I could see them gradually becoming more accepting of the responsibilities of being a Keyblade wielder overtime (growing to see it as more than just a burden, especially since the main cast will seemingly be getting a thorough education on the history of the weapon), but it wouldn't be an easy transition.

I'm certainly not opposed to the idea of them being involved in the next saga. I'm good either way so long as they appear big or small. I just gave a scenario if Nomura didn't have big plans for them, which I'd be okay with. But if he does and they do play a big role, then that's great for me too. I win either way in that regard. For me it's really hard to determine what the future holds as Kingdom Hearts as a series is so unpredictable. I need more details on what the next saga will be before I can truly even determine what is what and where the characters can fit. I'm cool if RAX continue to help the main cast but I'm also cool if they take a backseat and have smaller stories.

I fully agree with you on waiting for them to return for years and come KH3 they didn't do much. Now that you brought them back I expect them to be part of the KH world in some form. They are far too popular to drop.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

In the end, it just depends on what'll happen next, but certain characters I see staying around for the plot even if they're not the main focus. Lea and Isa will probably start searching for Subject X, but I can't see Roxas and Xion not joining Lea after they just reunited. Ventus is from the Age of Fairytales and there's no way Aqua and Terra will stay behind for the same reason. Aqua is also the successor of a Dandelion descendant. This sudden tie Eraqus has with the UX stuff will most likely have some importance.

Namine might do a thing. Ansem the Wise and the apprentices I dunno. With Subject X being introduced, their experiments in the past might be brought up in more detail now, so they'll at least be around for an info dump. But if the apprentices' personalities can be best described as "is a good guy now" then they can all choke on ice cream.

 

[Amadeus]

This! I want RAX or at least Roxas and Xion to stay in Twilight Town and any future storylines with them take place there. Now that they've overcome death and the dreaded "memory loss" issue there's no need to force more drama on them, as there's no way they are going to top what they already went through. Any problems they face now should be small scale at home drama, like finishing homework on time and school life. If Sora goes to visit them in future games their stories should be self-contained and stay in Twilight Town. They can be Sora's party members of TT even. Personally I'd love for Lea to get them a pet to teach them responsibility and it turns out to be Nemo in a fish tank. Or they go to a Power Line concert. Or maybe RAX dress up as masked superheroes whenever Heartless show up to get rid of them, which gets TT buzzing. Think the Great Saiyaman or Darkwing Duck. Small stuff like that.

You picked up exactly what I was putting down!!! I just want them to have fun, and your ideas for integrating A Goofy Movie and Finding Nemo (which are two very special movies to me) warmed my heart And incognito superhero duo Roxas and Xion would be so cute, they could have costumes themed after Oathkeeper and Oblivion; Roxas already wears white and Xion already wears black, after all!

With Subject X being introduced, their experiments in the past might be brought up in more detail now, so they'll at least be around for an info dump. But if the apprentices' personalities can be best described as "is a good guy now" then they can all choke on ice cream.

It would really be a shame if they did the apprentices dirty like that, especially after Vexen's arc in KH3. There's a lot to unpack with them re: their feelings towards Ansem the Wise, repentance, feelings about their deaths/defeats, etc. Even between individual apprentices, we can explore how Ienzo feels about his attitude and shortness with others as Zexion, how Aeleus feels about failing Zexion, how Ienzo and Even get along with Lea (if at all). There's a lot of potential that I really don't want to see wasted.