What do I have to know about/ from Union X to probably understand KH 3?

[Zyrax]

Potential (Union Cross X) spoilers ahead.

I wasn't too sure if I should put this here or in the Union X section, but I eventually decided to put it here as my question is targeted towards KH3 and what else I need to know to be prepared for it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything similar in the search option as most of the things I found were summaries of Union X which only partly answer my questions (see very last paragraph for clarification).

I played KH 1 and 2 and watched the cutscenes of Re:CoM in 2009 (at that time, the PS2 version was not released in Germany, so I had to watch it on Youtube). I played 358/2 Days and watched the story cutscenes of BBS in around 2010/11 and played 3D in I think 2014. I read a few summaries on Coded somewhere in-between 2010 and 2013 (with the "if a Heartless and a Nobody "die", the somebody can return" reveal being the important thing). I was regularly invested in theories about new concepts (Reverse/ Rebirth one was really fun xD) and followed most of it (although I did not write much about it here on this Forum). Around 2015/16 I focused on my studies and until a few months ago did not follow much of the KH related theories as I thought KH3 would be the next entry and I assumed I knew everything else (since I played any other game/ watched its story cutscenes and followed most of the theories on this Forum).

I knew about the Japanese-only Browser game Kingdom Hearts X (Chi) and its mobile game version and assumed that the movie Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover that was included in 2.8 would be more or less a summary of all the relevant plot points appearing in it, until I found out a few months ago that Ventus and Marluxia's supposed somebody (Lauriam) appear in the time of the Keyblade War which was featured in the Mobile Game. I was shocked to realize this as I assumed the mobile game would be more of a cash grab (micro transactions etc.) than a relevant plot point for the KH entry on the whole. On top of that I thought that the movie in 2.8 (Back Cover) would be sufficient to know everything about the mobile/ browser game and it turns out to not be the case (Ventus and Lauriam being one of the examples). Since I really don't want to play all of those Quests in the Mobile game (I really do not have the time for that), I wanted to read some kind of summary and stumbled upon this thread, which was really nice. But in the very recent posts in that Thread people write about the Unchained realm and how everything that happens in the Mobile Version is a dream/Illusion in the Unchained Realm (I'm paraphrasing here) and the "actual" plot is the one that happens in the Browser Version (which - if I understood correctly - is Japanese-only)...

So right now I am really confused and also a little bit frustrated/ salty as I was under the impression that I was prepared for KH3 (as I literally played/ watched all of the other games and was invested in the theories until 2015/16) only to realize that the Browser/ mobile game is quite important and not everything of it is mentioned in the movie. If I understood it correctly, the Mobile game is still regularly updated, meaning that new important content could potentially be revealed in the coming weeks/ months. My question is, is there some good summary/ information video that not only summarizes the events of the mobile/ browser game but also explains it and how they are tied together with themselves (mobile and browser as they seem to have a slightly different plot lines) and the overall lore of KH until now.

I hope some of you might be able to help me.

On a side note: do you think it would be a good (or maybe even necessary) move by Square Enix to release a second movie right before KH3 that summarizes all of these things from Union Cross/ Chi that are not directly mentioned in the first film?

 

[Meow Wow]

I'm not sure that anyone's been told about the specific ties to KHUx and KH3. All we really know is that references to the Keyblade war, lost masters, and certain characters will be in KH3.

As for how to catch up: there are videos on YouTube showing the important story cutscenes for the browser game and Ux. I'd recommend a channel named Everglow and you could always check out some of Khinsiders or KH13s archives, too
Both have translated versions of KHX so you should be good there

Hope this helped

 

[raccoonscity]

Hmm, I think we won't know what's important from Chi because we don't know what'll show up. I think some of it is meant to be a surprise/mystery until KH3, but there's supposed to be actual content from Chi appearing. Nomura has hinted the characters in Chi appearing or being mentioned in KH3 (at the very least, we'll have Ventus) but we were also told the Master of Masters wouldn't appear in KH3. The only thing from Chi mentioned in KH3 trailers as of right now is Luxu's Black Box, but we also know Xehanort's Keyblade is the Master's and has his eye, and I doubt that won't be mentioned in some capacity.

The story with KHUX is ongoing, and there's a lot of mysteries that haven't been answered yet. But to kind of give you a general idea, here's some of the differences between the different Chi entries.

Chi (the browser) game ended with the Keyblade War, and the player character fights the Foretellers and Ephemera and Skuld appear to save you. It's assumed that at this point, they bring you to the "Unchained Realm" (which I don't think has been fully explained, it's assumed to be within the Realm of Sleep though) before the war ever happens. There's also a confrontation between Luxu and Ava. Nomura has commented that this is "Season 1".

Back Cover just summarizes and shows extra scenes in the POV of the Foretellers and gives us more info on Luxu and the Master. The important things to note from the movie are that the Master assigned them roles before he/Luxu disappeared, Gula had the lost page, the Master gave Luxu a Black Box to hide, and the Master's Keyblade (which is now Xehanort's) has his eye on it which enabled him to see the future and write the Book of Prophecies. We don't know who the traitor was supposed to be or if there ever was one.

Unchained Chi and Union Cross diverged so the war never happens. This is considered "Season 2" by Nomura, and is still ongoing, but nothing from it is in Back Cover. Basically the Five Foretellers disappear, and Ava was tasked to assign new Union leaders from her Dandelions and give a special book to one of them (we don't know who it is yet). The new Union leaders are: Ephemera, Skuld, Ventus, Blaine, and Lauriam. Laurium hasn't technically been revealed as Marluxia's Nobody, and we don't know how/why Ventus and Lauriam are there. There's also Strelitzia, who was picked as the last Union leader by Ava, but was killed off and her book was stolen (it's assumed it was Lauriam, but some suspect Blaine, too). All the Dandelions except for these guys will be memory-wiped so they don't remember the war.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

The general explanation of raccoonscity is already covering most things, so I'll just add some small supplementary things..

Ventus and Lauriam being present is definitely intended to be the big "shocker" and WTF-inducing theorizing which ties the whole thing to the present day-era and its cast even more obvious than the ominous black box (which is a new plot device introduced solely in Back Cover, it doesn't appear anywhere else) and the No Name Keyblade which today belongs to Xehanort.

Another thing that can be taken from the few bits already shown from "Season 2" though is that the audience can practically witness the origin and original "birth" of the Dream Eaters shown in Dream Drop Distance as Chirithy is a prototype and the others are "created" with recipes just like in DDD itself by the new Union Leaders with Blaine and Lauriam working to actually create them while Ephemer, Skuld and Ventus go around collecting the materials needed to do it.
Generally spoken it is advisable to refer to either KHInsider's own archive or Everglow's Youtube channel to follow the main plot of Browser-Chi and Union Xto have the entirety of it as background knowledge since what exactly is important to KH III is still a huge question mark overall.

The main issue with the so-called "season 2" so far is also that there isn't much go with yet because its main plot didn't move beyond the introductory episodes since last September.

 

[Zyrax]

Hmm, I think we won't know what's important from Chi because we don't know what'll show up. I think some of it is meant to be a surprise/mystery until KH3, but there's supposed to be actual content from Chi appearing. Nomura has hinted the characters in Chi appearing or being mentioned in KH3 (at the very least, we'll have Ventus) but we were also told the Master of Masters wouldn't appear in KH3. The only thing from Chi mentioned in KH3 trailers as of right now is Luxu's Black Box, but we also know Xehanort's Keyblade is the Master's and has his eye, and I doubt that won't be mentioned in some capacity.

The story with KHUX is ongoing, and there's a lot of mysteries that haven't been answered yet. But to kind of give you a general idea, here's some of the differences between the different Chi entries.

Chi (the browser) game ended with the Keyblade War, and the player character fights the Foretellers and Ephemera and Skuld appear to save you. It's assumed that at this point, they bring you to the "Unchained Realm" (which I don't think has been fully explained, it's assumed to be within the Realm of Sleep though) before the war ever happens. There's also a confrontation between Luxu and Ava. Nomura has commented that this is "Season 1".

Back Cover just summarizes and shows extra scenes in the POV of the Foretellers and gives us more info on Luxu and the Master. The important things to note from the movie are that the Master assigned them roles before he/Luxu disappeared, Gula had the lost page, the Master gave Luxu a Black Box to hide, and the Master's Keyblade (which is now Xehanort's) has his eye on it which enabled him to see the future and write the Book of Prophecies. We don't know who the traitor was supposed to be or if there ever was one.

Unchained Chi and Union Cross diverged so the war never happens. This is considered "Season 2" by Nomura, and is still ongoing, but nothing from it is in Back Cover. Basically the Five Foretellers disappear, and Ava was tasked to assign new Union leaders from her Dandelions and give a special book to one of them (we don't know who it is yet). The new Union leaders are: Ephemera, Skuld, Ventus, Blaine, and Lauriam. Laurium hasn't technically been revealed as Marluxia's Nobody, and we don't know how/why Ventus and Lauriam are there. There's also Strelitzia, who was picked as the last Union leader by Ava, but was killed off and her book was stolen (it's assumed it was Lauriam, but some suspect Blaine, too). All the Dandelions except for these guys will be memory-wiped so they don't remember the war.

Ok, so the movie (Back Covers) roughly follows what happens in the Browser Game, but from the perspective of the Foretellers. In addition, the Browser game contains the actual Keyblade War and how the Union Leaders fight against each other and at the end of it, the Player is saved by Ephemer and Skuld. Now, did I understand it correctly, that from there, the Player was placed in the Unchained Realm (/Dream World) and basically "relives" everything from the Browser Game in the Mobile game in "his dreams"? And this is where it diverges, because in his dreams the eventual Keyblade War does not take place, but instead we see how the Dandelions gather etc.?

So basically, if I watched Back Covers, I more or less know the important points of "Season 1" (and maybe should just read some summaries on KH X), but as of right now, for "Season 2", I have to read up on KH Unchained X/ Union Cross. If that is the case, do you think it would be a good move by Square Enix to produce a movie for "Season 2" before the release of KH3, similar to how Back Cover covers "Season 1"?

The general explanation of raccoonscity is already covering most things, so I'll just add some small supplementary things..

Ventus and Lauriam being present is definitely intended to be the big "shocker" and WTF-inducing theorizing which ties the whole thing to the present day-era and its cast even more obvious than the ominous black box (which is a new plot device introduced solely in Back Cover, it doesn't appear anywhere else) and the No Name Keyblade which today belongs to Xehanort.

Another thing that can be taken from the few bits already shown from "Season 2" though is that the audience can practically witness the origin and original "birth" of the Dream Eaters shown in Dream Drop Distance as Chirithy is a prototype and the others are "created" with recipes just like in DDD itself by the new Union Leaders with Blaine and Lauriam working to actually create them while Ephemer, Skuld and Ventus go around collecting the materials needed to do it.
Generally spoken it is advisable to refer to either KHInsider's own archive or Everglow's Youtube channel to follow the main plot of Browser-Chi and Union Xto have the entirety of it as background knowledge since what exactly is important to KH III is still a huge question mark overall.

The main issue with the so-called "season 2" so far is also that there isn't much go with yet because its main plot didn't move beyond the introductory episodes since last September.

Thanks for both of you, it helped a lot.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Ok, so the movie (Back Covers) roughly follows what happens in the Browser Game, but from the perspective of the Foretellers. In addition, the Browser game contains the actual Keyblade War and how the Union Leaders fight against each other and at the end of it, the Player is saved by Ephemer and Skuld. Now, did I understand it correctly, that from there, the Player was placed in the Unchained Realm (/Dream World) and basically "relives" everything from the Browser Game in the Mobile game in "his dreams"? And this is where it diverges, because in his dreams the eventual Keyblade War does not take place, but instead we see how the Dandelions gather etc.?

So basically, if I watched Back Covers, I more or less know the important points of "Season 1" (and maybe should just read some summaries on KH X), but as of right now, for "Season 2", I have to read up on KH Unchained X/ Union Cross. If that is the case, do you think it would be a good move by Square Enix to produce a movie for "Season 2" before the release of KH3, similar to how Back Cover covers "Season 1"?

Perspective of the Foretellers is the general gist of Back Cover, yet it covers only the first parts of the Browser game (which are largely identical with the first parts of Unchained), the scene where Ava gives her grand speech to the Dandelions can be roughly seen as the diverging point as everything happening afterwards in the Browser game is is exclusive to it and Back Cover stops there, omitting anything concerning Unchained as well.

Unchained/Union X actually hops around quite a bit in terms of the timeline and locations and while it is known to be the "Unchained Realm" and involve dreams to an extent exactly how and why it works is still a mystery.

The scenes of the Dandelions gathering are not taking place "instead" of the Keyblade War, they take place afterwards.
As instructed by Master Ava, the Dandelions don't participate in the war itself, instead moving to the Unchained Realm to which she had sent Ephemer ahead to "prepare" things.
This however doesn't mean the Dandelions did not witness the war and its consequences, hence the whole memory erasing issue.

The player avatar actually actively participating in the war is because they are not a Dandelion. In the original Browser game the player avatar didn't join the Dandelions despite Master Ava confirming the tests being passed and an invitation extended, so Ephemer and Skuld saving him/her at the end of the war and bringing him/her over to the Unchained Realm is technically not supposed to happen.

Player Avatar's memories were thus also altered to make it seem like they did join the Dandelions.

For all the important points of "Season 1" you'll need the story events of the original Browser-game happening after Ava's grand Dandelion speech as well as Back Cover doesn't cover them, including the parts of the war itself that were shown.

Season 2 is indeed solely Unchained/Union X, at least the few material that they have revealed so far.

In general I would say yes, a "second" movie would be needed, especially since Nomura stated the following right after Back Cover was released:

Now, it should be noted that [KHxBC] is a story about the Foretellers and the events that occurred behind the scenes, so for the parts of the story which are important and connected to the main story, including the Keyblade War, I have separated the story telling of that into [KHx] and [KHUx], which can only be experienced by playing them.

Which is basically confirming Back Cover to be just a giant advertisement for the phone game with some added extras on the characters of the Foretellers.
That black box was more or less literally added to give Maleficent an extra subplot in KH III.

The main iffy thing is though that "Season 2" so far has not by any standard enough worthwhile material to make a movie about.

Beyond the five new Union leaders gathering and introducing themselves to each other and then moving to tackle their first task (creation of the spirits), literally nothing noteworthy happened so far concerning the main plot.
Oh yeah, and Strelitzia was introduced only to be stuffed in the fridge literally two minutes later too, still not enough material overall though.