"This world has been connected" interpretation

[drumstickwielder]

So after the revelations of 3D, I feel like this line now has double meaning. For all original intents and purposes, Destiny Islands' keyhole was invaded by the heartless and the world was destroyed. In light of the time travelling reveal, perhaps the brown-cloaked figure also meant that this era of time has been connected to wherever else this figure may have traveled. At different points in the series the word "World" has sometimes referred to the entire universe of kingdom hearts worlds. Maybe i'm overreaching, but I feel like the "world" the brown-cloaked figure is referring to could be this part of the timeline where Ansem SOD is threatening all of existence. This doesn't really impact too much of the series plot that I can see, but I thought it was interesting that something very early in the series can be entirely reinterpreted.

 

[soramstr]

I thought and still think that it means it's been connected to Kingdom Hearts and was "soon to be completely eclipsed" by darkness. The cloaked guy was Ansem SOD and the young Xehanort that once lived there did so years before even Birth By Sleep. So that timeline was already connected by virtue of him being born in that world.

 

[drumstickwielder]

I thought and still think that it means it's been connected to Kingdom Hearts and was "soon to be completely eclipsed" by darkness.

I completely agree with this, I just think the line has a hidden meaning that couldn't have been known at the time.

The cloaked guy was Ansem SOD and the young Xehanort that once lived there did so years before even Birth By Sleep. So that timeline was already connected by virtue of him being born in that world.

There's a scene in 3D where the cloaked figure is shown talking to Young Xehanort, and the only way this could occur is if the cloaked figure is the "discarded form" that was sent back in time. I imagine that for the cloaked figure to actually pull different forms of Xehanort out of their place in time, some sort of connection would have to be established between the entities.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Your interpretation is completely correct, as it truly means both of these things.

Nomura himself confirmed that in the DDD Ultimania:

— The Brown Robed Fgure, a Heartless born from that experiment, says “This world has been connected.” While in KH1 that meant that the island was connected to the darkness, in this title does it signify that Xehanort and co. have connected to the dream world?
Nomura: It means both of those things. In that scene, the Brown Robed Figure becomes a “portal” himself as a result of contact with Sora and co., making it possible for the other Xehanorts to intervene within the dreams.

So congrats, you deduced exactly the right things from just playing the game. ^__^

 

[soramstr]

Well good on you sir, I guess Ansem SOD is the link between all the xehanorts being able to move through time since in that same interview, Nomura says:
— In other words, Ansem and Xemnas were, at the same time, existing in the time and space of KH3D as well as having returned to their true human form after being destroyed?
Nomura: Yes, it does turn out that way. However, as I said before, ‘The World That Never Was’, where the thirteen all met, is a special space. The mechanics behind how they were all able to exist at the same time is a mystery. From KH1 on, Ansem has returned no matter how many times he has been defeated, perhaps the same sort of thing happened.

 

[Gram]

^ That is also correct, it was through Ansem that YX was not only given his ability to travel through time but also his task of gathering his other selves.