[PLAIN]Re: Kingdom Hearts ?[chi] 3rd Anniversary Key Art Released![/PLAIN]

holy mother of god

they turned riku into sho minamoto and kairi into shiki and i FULLY approve

edit: just kidding about the shiki part, its the animal ears that made me say that. but... is this more proof in the pudding towards the "chi is kairi's keyblade master training dream bubble" theory? or am i just rambling at 5am?

regardless, awesome job on the thread chaser. thanks for the news!

Is it just me or does Ephemera's scarf get bigger every time Nomura draws him?

[PLAIN]Re: Kingdom Hearts ?[chi] 3rd Anniversary Key Art Released![/PLAIN]

You're welcome. I hope X players go kindly on me since I didn't keep up with X or UX storyline past what the English version is at now so if there's any incorrect information or anything that needs to be added or removed, please let me know!

[PLAIN]Re: Kingdom Hearts ?[chi] 3rd Anniversary Key Art Released![/PLAIN]

Looks like Riku, Kairi, and Roxas/Ventus will get new clothes, they could be.

Me: I don't wanna get into the Hype
Square Enix: KH3 Sora Play Art Kai, X story features the Keyblade Graveyard the end is coming!!!!, new anniversary artwork with KH3 outfits
Me: oh bother

Uhhh if anyone's still interested here are the magic and speed variants of the card:

So is this a soft confirm of Riku and Kairi's new designs for KHIII?

I like 'em. Fits the urban aesthetic he went for with Sora. Also, Riku grew his hair out again, thank God.

Possibly.

I don't know from where you get that "Riku grew out his hair" as he has longer "bangs" on the front with his short hair as well which may poke out from under that hoodie:


What I find somewhat remarkable though is that the golden buttons on a silver ground on Riku's pleated collar are exactly the same ones Sora has on his red/black one too.

I am loving those Keyblade armor's. Wonder if the Fortellers are going to be wearing them for the final clash.

And as far as whether the character in the top right hand corner is either Roxas or Ventus, I'm going to assume that it's Ventus. My theory is that Ventus could have been a Dandelion that survived beyond the Keyblade War, and eventually found by Xehanort to be trained. Xehanort may have realised that he lived during the era of the Keyblade War hence his obsession with Ventus and linking him with the X-Blade.

Pretty sure those are new outfits. I am flippin out

everyone else has armor and he just wants to stay warm

[PLAIN]Re: Kingdom Hearts ?[chi] 3rd Anniversary Key Art Released![/PLAIN]

It's Ventus. I updated the article about that (https://twitter.com/bKvEBVAvUq/status/756057118570971136).



Which makes me ponder.

Why Ventus and not Aqua

[PLAIN]Re: Kingdom Hearts ?[chi] 3rd Anniversary Key Art Released![/PLAIN]

Looks like Joshua took Riku shopping in Shibuya.

You know, that's an interesting theory. His station has always had the keyblade graveyard on it too from what I can remember.

So far as I've heard they're nothing more than avatar parts available to every player. No actual story connection.

I'm right now also more on the assumption that the boy in the back is Ventus, but care to explain how you come from just an appearance in an Anniversary drawing made by Nomura to a theory like that?
The 2nd Anniversary art had Roxas and Naminé in it, does that mean they're also Dandelions?
Also, if we follow the hypothetical scenario that Ventus is/was one of the Dandelions how do you explain him still being a kid when found by Xehanort (he was 11/12 back then). The Dandelions lived hundreds of years ago and as far as we know they didn't know the secret of immortality so they won't age nor are they special kids that are ageless, so how can Ventus be still a kid when he's one of the surviving Dandelions?
More logical would be that he maybe is the direct descendant of one or more of the Dandelions, but that's also murky.
In the Xehanort reports MX talks about taking Ventus in because he could sense the boy's immense potential, which is a very general and vague statement that can mean many things.




Maybe Flowerboy just gets cold easily and finds armor uncomfortable to wear?

EDIT: (damn, you people are posting too fast! ;P)



And why o why has it to be always Aqua?
She's already the poster girl for 0.2 and 2.8 as a whole so maybe Nomura just decided to feature a different character this time for the 3rd Anniversary of X[chi].



Now that you say that I remember you're right, even Ventus' very first platform as a kid has the "badlands" as a background, although without all the dead Keyblades:

Yeah... as for why Ven would have been so young and memoryless... maybe the dandelions didn't all 'wake up' or appear in the new world at once? Bah, I have no idea. But it's strange that he's pictured on the side with Ephemera and Skuld, is missing his armor, the Badlands always on his platform... some things seem to be adding up.

I mean, I doubt Xehanort knew anything... but maybe he actually did.

inb4 Player is Ventus

... Somehow.

You mean a similar situation as Ven is in right now (sealed in a special chamber and his body not aging) also happened back then? That some of the Dandelions might have been put in "stasis" so to speak?

Him placed together with Ephemera may stand for the double-cinnamon roll aspect, lol.

The Badlands being always on his awakening platform does serve to throw up some suspicions though.
Now I regret that we never saw Aqua's and Terra's platforms so far.

Xehanort does not necessarily need to consciously know, but it might be possible that he instintively felt something.



Wha? Uuuh...well, on looking further into things like Chirithy = Dream Eater and the possibility of at least one version of Daybreak Town being in the Realm of Sleep, Ventus being right now in a deep sleep since a decade to heal his heart and no time flowing in the RoS this notion is not completely out of the question. o_0

Because the previous two anniversary images were just asthetic celebrations. Seeing as X is nearing the end of its lifespan, and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is close to release, I feel as though this particular anniversary image is more than an aesthetic celebration.

Plus, Ventus is out of place with the rest of the characters. Roxas was with Namine in the 2nd Anniversary picture because they're counterparts. Sora is with the Destiny Islands trio and Ephemera is with Skuld. Why randomly plop Ventus without Aqua and Terra? Just Aqua would be acceptable because she has her 0.2 Birth by Sleep chapter to be told, but why just Ventus?



We don't really know Ventus true personality before he was split from Vanitas. Maybe he was a dark character during his past and that darkness is what intrigued Xehanort to train Ventus under his wing.

I'm just thinking, 'cause, the Daybreak Town trio is Player, Ephemera, Skuld, but Ventus is there, so...

I mean, looking at the new story update, something happened to Player.
Ava also mentions that Player may be reaching the state of being Unchained, not that we even know what that means yet...

I'm saying it mostly as a joke but also I think it might happen

Do we have any reasonable implications towards that this is indeed more than an "aesthetic celebration" (and possible stealth reveal of new outfits) or is this just a gut feeling?

What does Aqua's 0.2 Birth by Sleep chapter have to do with x[chi]'s 3rd anniversary? Strictly spoken she has no more business than Ven to be on this art piece.
Also, Ventus isn't "out of place" with the rest of the characters at all or have you forgotten that he's very closely connected with Sora?
There might be a theme going on like this however as we might eventually get another art piece down the line where only Terra is featured with a group of characters he's apparently "out of place" with.


According to Xehanort in his reports Ventus was "too benign for his own good", that doesn't sound like a darkness-fueled rebellious dark character with asshole personality-tendencies.



Well, this particular "trio" is more of an fan-invention up to now as we never see all three together even once, but theoretically this possibility is indeed there.

It's also maybe something worth of note that so far we know that Ventus had to suffer having his heart shattered twice in the series, once at the fault of Xehanort when creating Vanitas and another time at the fault of Vanitas when he forcibly tried to merge with Ven and forged the proto-X-blade against his will.
However, it may also be possible that these two heart-shatterings were actually the second and third time and we haven't even witnessed the first time yet.

Oh yes. It is time. 2017 is the year of KH3. Bring it, baby.

All I can really tell from these new clothing designs, is that Kairi seems to have joined Team Magma.

O man, this is awesome. We finally got armor, and those cards are available to F2P. Omg, I missed this!

Also it's Ventus.

If you look closely at the picture you see that the wristbands (sweatbands? bracelets? You know what I mean) sides are white. Just like Ventus his wristband. Roxas his wristbands sides, however, are black.
[SPOILER=woah, that came out small][/SPOILER]
[SPOILER=that came out too big...][/SPOILER]
[SPOILER][/SPOILER]
As for why Ventus is in this artwork, it's Ventus, he is awesome. #Ventus4Life

Dude, I was thinking the exact same thing. It looks alot like the Team Magma outfit.

I think there was a theory during the revelation that Chirithy is a Dream Eater that everything is playing inside Ventus' dream. Maybe that's a bit too crazy, but he's sleeping for 10+ years now, maybe he has a project of his own while Aqua is busy in the realm of darkness and Terra tries to get his body back.

I've never been a fan of Riku's past designs, but i'm really liking this one, its very TWEWY and pretty much how I envisioned him to look like. Kairi's design looks fairly similar to the KH2 one, but I'll obviously need to see more to judge. Also i'm loving the hoods, it'd be pretty cool if some of the characters got their own unique hoods as well.

i wish the three first trio was facing us so we can look at them more at a better angle

Ooh, if they indeed are the new clothes they look really nice. I like how Sora, Riku and Kairi seems to have a small little detail that all 3 share in their outfits. It`s that little collar thing with buttons. Sora has it, Riku has it and Kairi seems to have it too.

i think those are the new clothes and i don't think nomura would draw the outfits for fun if x is ending soon plus i think he might show these new outfit in December for kh3 news along with the release of 2.8

ps kairi look so badass

Kairi?! NEW CLOTHES?! FINALLY?!
MAN I'VE ONLY BEEN UP FOR 20 MINUTES
THIS IS A GOOD DAY

I dunno, how you you explain Riku suddenly rocking shortsleeves and a hoodie?
Kiiinda wish Kairi could've had a more dramatic change. Her outfit looks the same except for the Team Magma hood.

I hope Kairi keeps the hood on during the game actually. Else, why add ears onto them in the first place.

I am so in love with how grounded these outfits are.

KAIRI'S GOT A BOB. Also Nomura stuck to pink but I think it is a better pink and I have a feeling her dress is not so awful anymore.

Riku looks great even though we can't see him very well but still. Damn Riku.

Ven gets his spikes chopped. I like it a lot.

My theory is as follows: Sora goes to Realm of Sleep to see his Dream Eater friends. Amid the happy reunion, a small cat-like cutie appears tells Sora there is something important he must show him. Leads him to Daybreak Town trapped in their eternal mission loop and Chirithy uses this to show Sora the history of the Foretellers and the start of the Keyblade War. Skuld and Ephemera are there and talk to Sora. Sora then unlocks Daybreak Town to free it from its endless sleep. Gives him the new Keyblade in KH3.

Daybreak Town is changed into Cable Town, is saved, Skuld and Ephemera become important to KH3.

None of this will be right.

The Player to be important they would need an official name and appearance, but then it is no longer us

well, not unless therealansem was right about cern.

pls chuman not right now

Anyways, I don't think that an official name is even necessary. Just write around revealing their name and use the default male appearance if you have to.

Guess I should've figured that Kairi would never join Team Aqua.

i really really like the outfits and hope there that might be reveal in december kairi look like she belong with sora and riku and realy to kick some xehanort clones

Kairi's outfit opens up a bit at the bottom, so I'm guessing it's not going to be one slip like in KH2, but rather an open skirt situation. Regardless, I think it'll be more different than people are anticipating.

whoops who put this here

Riku's outfit looks so......normal. I was naturally expecting something similar to his previous outfits. I also find this outfit odd because his clothes got lighter each iteration, so seeing him wearing a black hoodie and not like, say, something I did, is odd.
I wonder if it's actually a version of the Org. coat and not his true outfit.

Kairi has apparently joined Team Magma.
The little ears on Kairi's hoodie are adorable (and suspiciously like the ears on the Foreteller hoods.)
From what we can see her outfit looks similar to her KH2 outfit.

Curious why Ventus is there.

0_0

Riku is Pi-Face confirmed? I can get behind that. Bet his hair would look better tied back anyways.

I would expect "us" to have a more unique appearance if we are important

Oh Nomura you tease. Even if its not much to go on, I am digging their new outfits!

I am excited about the potential fan-art the fandom might start to create about these outfits. Need more Kairi with a dress hoodie hybrid that has adorable ears.

by the way i dont if just just me but skuld look awfully close to to xion in the picture

Riku; Any tree can drop an apple. I'll drop the freaking moon! *proceeds to suplex Kingdom Hearts*

Ava and Gula were said to be really close right? Maybe the reason Ventus is on there is because Kairi and Ventus are stand-ins for Ava and Gula which is how it connects to the Chi anniversary.

i ididnt notice at first k but airi hair is shorter in the picture

I actually wish for a vastly bigger version of the art piece as I think Kairi's outfit is actually different like i.e. she has her shoulders covered and some other subtle things but it is very difficult to properly discern because of both the limited size and limited angle of the art.



I dunno, did Ven's hairstyle really change or is it just adjusted like Sora's is in the new KH III look?

While it may not exactly go down like this I can actually see parts of it happen somehow.



Seeing any plausibility to those thought games/theories? *ggg*



Except that if they wanted to portray Ava and Gula they would have placed them directly on the art and not Kairi and Ventus? Ava and Gula are not Kairi and Ventus...they also stand nowhere near each other as Kairi is in the lower part with Sora and Riku while Ventus is all way up to the top and despite placed closest to Ephemera, still stands alone.
Chirithy, Ephemera and Skuld are primarily how it connects to the Chi anniversary.

https://twitter.com/reria969/status/756081921075974144





https://twitter.com/ichisuke12tt/status/756064585874976768

Well, that was fast. Some of these artists really have quick hands.

It's started....brace yourselves....the fan art is coming.

@Redcrown; lol, you maybe right! Man, hope to see more work from Nomura again soon! I love Riku's look. =w=

ooh lookit I found a thing


"OnLy A ShImaDa Can F!#k a cOwBoY...", I Love Kairi’s Clothes at the Key Art for X-chi’s...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Daybreak_Town/status/756037467501764608/photo/1

Better pic

I.... don't follow? It's the same Key Art from the OP that was screenshotted by Sign before the article went up

So was the last Quest update the last one for X? Or will there possibly be one more? I'd go with the latter because that was too much of a cliff-hanger.

Always good to see new Nomura art! Man, the KH hype just keeps rising, can't wait for 2.8. When KH3 finally someday comes it's going to be insane.

It's missing all of the card-details (like the border, attribute, description, etc) so you can better see the actual art, is what I think they're saying.

the next quest update is the last one

I like how much Kiari looks like a Foreteller

Riku tho. RIKU THO. Looking fresh.

So then



???

Yes exactly, but I had a hard time trying to post the pic itself so I just linked the tweet instead. If someone can please do.

Edit chaser beat my comment

lol i guess so. i didn't see anyone share that in this thread tho?

why does kairi looks so amazing in the artwork :biggrin:

I was starting to think that Riku and Kairi weren't gonna get new duds, so I had little hope for anyone else... but could this mean Lea is gonna get an actual outfit too? How likely is that do you think? Not that we'll see it until the game releases probably.

wht would did you think they weren't going to get new outfits their outfits change each game well new number game plus i though nomura said in somewhere he was going to get kairi and riku new outfits?

Kairi got hood ears. I like hood ears. Hood ears nice.
#HoodEars4Lyfe

Nomura has said that he had finished designing new outfits for "Sora, Riku and the others".
I think we can definitely assume Lea will get an actual outfit. I doubt he wants to spend forever in the uniform of the organization he hated lol. I just wonder if he'll have a new outfit right at the beginning, or if he'll rip off his coat in a dramatic moment to reveal his new outfit a la Riku and Mickey in KH2.

Nomura: I only work in black! And sometimes very very dark red!

Fandom work fast

Lmao here I am thinking "KH3 duds cause X is almost over, 2.8 leads into 3, they're starting 3's promotion" then I realise it's the 3rd anniversary so of course KH3 would be on the card.

it could be both to celerate 3rd anivesity but also to promte 3 as in the new outfits

The first anniversary was Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Chirthy.

Second was Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, and Chirithy.

Third is Sora, Riku, Kairi, Skuld, Ephemer, and Chirithy.

Each anniversary is connected to a numbered game. How I never saw this I don't know.

I'm still really not over the matching buttons on Sora and Riku's outfits. Also Sora needs his hood on so they are all matching.

Nah, his hair actually looks shorter at the top like somebody took scissors to it and then ruffled it up to even it out. Guess we won't really know until we see him in X or in KH3.

dont forgt each the clotes are the same one form each game so kairi and riku clothes are there kh3 clothes

All I can say is that this artwork is beyond amazing. Hype!

wonder which hooded asshole is getting drawn for the 4th anniversary

Ring ring Darknado, it's shut down. X is cancelled. No 4th anniversary for it.

yeah anyway the fouth kingdom hearts number game wont proablly be called kh4 if the new saga starts

time travel

okay i havent slept since yesterday so i kinda messed up on that my bad

The 4th anniversary art will be dead bodies littered everywhere.

-prays there's a feature in kh3 where we can leave the hoods up, or that they'll at least where them in some cutscenes/environments that calls for them: hello, arendelle-

But I love how Sora, Riku, and Kairi all have hoods and are matching in some way! (Because I'd like to believe that Kairi has those buttons herself, but that we just can't see them in this image. That's so adorable!)

Also, FREAKIN' KAIRI IS HERE!!!! And better yet: she's standing beside Sora and Riku?!?!?!?!! I need a moment. This possibly hinting at actual Riku and Kairi interaction? And even more for Sora and Kairi (because even though they need it less than Riku and Kairi, and Kairi needs to develop with people outside of Sora, they've only had, like, three conversations this entire series, so their relationship could also use some work)?

Thank you, Square Enix, thank you Nomura, thank you Disney! Thank you that this maybe hints that Kairi might actually be important in KHIII, and be allowed to do stuff for once. -gets on the ground and bows to them- Maybe some of that KairiNeedsLove2K15/2K16 and Kai4KH3 stuff on Tumblr actually worked!

Though tbh, I'm kind of disappointed that her outfits looks so much like her 2 one (at least in this picture), but the hood is cute and it at least seems to have more thought/detail than her KHII one did, so I'm not complaining (especially since this might link her to Ava, or hint that Unchained Key is Kairi's dream like that one theory says?).

But it's so exciting that people are going to have something new to draw where she's concerned! So far, we've only had her four-year-old look, her KH1 outfit, her two KH2 ones, the one in the KH1 secret ending, and the Chi second anniversary art for her and that's it. Compare that to the bajillion outfits that Sora alone has had, and this is really refreshing...

Though it almost seems like Nomura was inspired by some fanartists for Kairi's look (and Shiki again, giving even more evidence that Shiki was a Kairi expy, maybe).

But I'm gushing too much about Kairi! Let's talk about everyone else! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Riku's new look. I didn't think I'd want his hair to grow back out, as I preferred his KH3D style, but I'm loving this. It's a happy medium between his 1 and 2 hair, imo.

This is also his best ensemble in the franchise, imo (like Sora's KH3 one is for him, and maybe even Kairi's KH3 look is for her, though the jury's still out on that one for me; I might still prefer her KH1 to this, one but we'll see). It just embodies him and his arc SO well, with the equal shares of light and darkness displayed here.

The fact that Ven's gotten a new outfit (and the inclusion of Ven in general) has me really curious, and it gives me hope that everyone will be getting new attire. At least those with the Recusant Sigil on them, anyway. Lord knows that they need it.

And is it me, or does it look like Skuld's hair got cut here? Kairi's hair is also a bit shorter. Maybe these two will be best buddies in 3, and bond over their new bobs. I sure wouldn't complain, if that was the case! We need more girl interaction in this saga!:)

But in any case, Ephemera, Skuld, and Chirithy being uber important to III confirmed? (Kind of already figured that, tbh, but this only adds more fuel to the fire.)

But back to the theory about Ven maybe actually being from the Keyblade War, and maybe having his heart shattered before, I would just like to say that you could argue that Aced could've shattered Gula's heart in the new trailer, maybe, and if the Rebirth theory is true... Then well, there you go^^

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Also, I just have to point out that there are seven people here, and supposedly there are seven Guardians of Light.

@Lunafreya And don't forget that Ven's in the art! (But I totally don't blame you for forgetting him in your post comparing the past key arts to this one, though. I did the same thing when reblogging this on Tumblr. Haha. Poor Ven. How could anyone ever forget about you?)

You just said it yourself, it’s a stealth reveal of Riku and Kairi’s new outfits. That alone is beyond an aesthetic celebration. Plus, with the 3’s double meaning of third anniversary and Kingdom Hearts III, it must have a subtle connection to Kingdom Hearts III in some context. The first anniversary image was Kingdom Hearts had Sora, Riku and Kairi recoloured and drawn over to look like Mickey Donald and Goofy, the second anniversary image had Sora and Kairi in their Kingdom Hearts II appearance with their outfits swapped with Roxas and Namine. Now we come to this image, the previous two anniversary images were themed towards the respective numbered Kingdom Hearts. This is no different.



Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is being released around Kingdom Hearts X third year anniversary, plus, there’s also the fact that 2.8 contains Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover: a part of Kingdom Hearts X. That alone would be a validation for Aqua to be there. And yes, Ventus is still out of place with the rest of the characters. Sure, he’s connected to Sora but so is Roxas, Xion and Vanitas. Why is he randomly selected, when quite clearly, Roxas would be more ideal as he’s more popular and is Sora’s nobody?



I struggle to see what theme Ventus fits with beyond the association with Ephemera and Skuld. If we was to be positioned on the left side near Riku, or next to Kairi then I would have not associated him with Ephemera and Skuld, but because he’s clearly near them in the right hand side (a side that is all X characters so far for a Kingdom Hearts X anniversary artwork). And as far as Terra goes, I highly doubt… actually, I’d outright say that it’s unlikely that Terra would be featured “out of place” for artwork like Ventus is (at least, not until official Kingdom Hearts III promotional art comes). This isn’t artwork out of the blue, this is artwork celebrating Kingdom Hearts X. It has significance.



I never theorised that Ventus was outright evil, just that he had darkness harbouring in his heart. Ventus is a character prone to memory loss and a shattered heart, Xehanort wanted to train him: that much was certain. I can’t really speculate Master Xehanort and Ventus’ relationship from this picture, I just feel as though that Ventus being part of the X trio may have been an unbeknownst (or known) added bonus of Master Xehanort wanting to train Ventus under his wing.



Of course, I’m not saying that what I said is outright facts. It’s theorising. I just feel as though that theoretical possibility is definitely there. Ventus has a mysterious past before Eraqus and his connection to that past through Skuld and Ephemera may be a clue to solving that mystery.

The only connection I see between Ephemer, Skuld, and Ventus is that they could be considered the "Keyblade Graveyard trio".

I'm tempted to stop calling SRK "the Destiny Trio" and refer to them as the "Hoodie Trio" from here on out.

@Alpha Baymax If you're right about Ven living during the Keyblade War, and being Player, it would kind of fit what we've seen so far.

I mean, first we were introduced to Roxas, that Days made clear was in a trio with Axel and Xion (and we already even knew about the Axel side of it in II). And even before Days, we got the BbSFM secret ending where we saw who we believed to be Roxas having a previous life and trio.

Of course Ven and Roxas are completely different people, but they are connected.

Maybe it's just becoming a thing, that a lot of the major trios have some sort of Ven or Roxas doppelganger in them?

I mean, Nomura did it twice already, so why not again? Especially since three would be the perfect number for this (for obvious reasons), and the series already celebrates that number with its trios.

Plus, Nomura loves him some parallels and crazy plot twists.

@BlackOsprey Do it, friend. This fandom does crazy things when we get hyped--like calling this fandom the "traindom"--so why not this, too? LOL.

please dont say that :( i get what your saying though

Hoodie trio = yes

N O

Hoodies rule. Join the Hoodie appreciation club.

I'm loving Ventus a little.
I'm also loving Riku a damn lot.
And Kairi looks adorable.

Yes, Riku looks the best and will always look the best! Er- *cough* what were you saying? Yeah...... Kairi is adorable or whatever. So yeah anyways, love the new Riku though! =w= *thumbs up*

I just realized that Zephyr art really resemble Nomura style (BTW, I just see that art day ago). And seeing Ventus or possibly Roxas there makes me (pretty much) hype for Nomura next artwork.

Aw darn, why does Kairi have to have a eared hood too? Well, least it doesn't have eyes on it. ^_^

I treasure my eyed-eared hoods. o_o

You are absolutely right, friend. OMG. I feel like Zephyr actually figured out what Nomura's art style was transitioning into (this) before he himself did! o_0

Good on you, Zephyr. Good on you for being psychic and super talented:D Seriously.

They are always together on art when it is the Destiny Trio.

Thank you, Square Enix, thank you Nomura, thank you Disney! Thank you that this maybe hints that Kairi might actually be important in KHIII, and be allowed to do stuff for once. -gets on the ground and bows to them- Maybe some of that KairiNeedsLove2K15/2K16 and Kai4KH3 stuff on Tumblr actually worked!

Well, again Kairi is usually on the art where the trio is concerned like in KH1 and KH2. It doesn't really confirm anything. Not to mention she's been on every anniversary card since the first one.

Sorry to be that guy, but I really wish the intros would leave out anything story related that's not under a spoiler cut. I consider myself pretty far in the story, but I haven't met a Skuld character yet, and here we're referring to her in past tense, among other events in the plot. I realize we are talking about X and not Unchained X, but I just wanted to look at some art yo...

Anyways. NICE ART. NICE COSTUMES. <3

@Master Spockanort Yeah, but I've just gotten to this point where I don't expect Kairi to be in anything, so I won't be disappointed that way. But I really probably should stop it. They've been doing really well with her and the KH girls in general lately:)

I think that SE has heard our complaints, but more than that: that Nomura's probably always had some pretty big plans for Kairi in 3.

But still... old habits are hard to break, but I'm going to try and be more positive now. Square Enix ARE leaps and bounds from where they have been in the past with how they've handled the girls, I mean. And that's certainly something.

can somebody sceneshot the d23 trailer of when kairi and riku in the side angle i want o compare it to these artwork

Here ya go.





Riku is definitely wearing a new outfit, based on that T-shirt he's wearing & the fact that his DDD outfit doesn't have a hood. Kairi's a little harder to make out because of the fanciness, but I'd bet on a different outfit for her as well. The hoods being up likely won't be a thing in the actual game though.

(PS. Considering I'm still kinda new to the forums, does anyone know how to resize images?)

yeah kairi outfit is definally new and i knew riku was kairi wanst sure yet thank you

Spockanort approves. Hoodie Trio it is!

I wonder if that is the compensation we get for them taking the capes from us in BBS.
(ANDDONTGIVEMETHATEDNAMEMEIWANTTHEMCAPES)

After staring at the Kairi part of the pic for over five minutes I can come to the conclusion that her new outfit just barely resembles her KH2 outfit, especially since we can only see the top portion. Plus it seems like she got a haircut! :3 Also, I've seen a few people on another site saying that Riku and Kairi's new outfits are just their KH2 outfits with a different color and that they're "actual new outfits" aren't gonna be seen til KH3. Yeah...I'm pretty sure Riku's KH2 outfit didn't have a hood and a white shirt.....and sleeves kinda.....and buttons....and overall handsomeness.

But if Riku's hair grows so much between 0.2 and III, does that mean that there's at least some time between the two games? More than people were thinking, anyway?

Either that, or we're just supposed to forget logic with this. LOL.

I wonder at what point during 0.2 or III Kairi (and maybe Sora also does this, despite what Nomura said before?) cuts her hair.

yeah i dont think nomura would keep them in their old kh2 outfit if this anniversity supsoose repesent the third game

I want Riku's hair to grow out, I didn't like how his hair got shorter in DDD.

Ugh I dunno but if ya ask me Sora's feet became smaller in KH2 than they had been in KH1 so yeah forget about logic in this fandom rly.

It didn't get shorter, he cut it. It's symbolic to represent his new start. III takes place immediately after, it might be styled differently but it's not gonna be like it was in II

like it's peeking out under that hood but I don't think it was supposed to be like lengthy

Eh, I don't think Riku's hair has grown very much at all. Look at the way his pose has his head angled down... I can tell you that if you do that if your hair is more than a few inches in length, it WILL obey the laws of gravity and get in your face if you look downwards.

... This is totally off-topic but I'm still kinda wondering how KH2 Riku managed to keep that scraggly mane of his behind his shoulders at all times. My hair's about that long and I have to tie it back all the time to keep it out of my face. *continues to grumble about anime hair physics*

I'm not sure where everyone's getting that Kairi got a haircut, though. Most of her head is covered by that hood, and the little I can see looks about the same length as KH2...?

Her bangs and sides are symmetrical now as opposed to being the grown out length they were in II

i don't know it doesn't look it long like in this picture

You're missing one character there, are you omitting Ventus from the art piece on purpose now or what? >__<



That's because they're actually brofits. Outfits made for the biggest bros in the series. ;P

It might be because of Nomura's drawing style but on the other hand I remember that Cloud's "spikes" got also tamed from their more "animey" design once more advanced depictions like Advent Children came out.
As for the ruffling up, there are several characters confirmed who seem to really like ruffling Ven's hair up. :D



So Ventus doesn't have a "validation" to be there or needs one? I'm not really sure I understand your reasoning at all, with the other artworks I don't remember anyone questioning the "validation" of the presence of Roxas and Naminé.
Uh nope? It was explicitly stated that Ventus' connection to Sora is apart and deeper than the others? Also Vanitas is NOT connected to Sora, he's only connected to Ventus. It is Ventus' connection with Sora that influences his appearance and thus Ventus is always between Sora and Vanitas as an intermediary.

Maybe because Nomura simply just wanted to include a different character for a change? Maybe because Ventus will actually play a more prominent role in KH III and this is foreshadowing?
And playing the "popularity" card is really not expedient because in that case Axel/Lea would have been needed to be featured in every single of those art pieces.
Roxas would be just as "out of place" or even more than Ven in this case.


The question is though does Ventus NEED to fit a complicated theme at all? The second Artwork is also celebrating Kingdom Hearts X so according to your logic Roxas and Naminé would also have significance to that.
Really, so what would you have done if there actually was Terra on this art piece close to Ephemera instead of Ven? What if it would have been Xion? Would the argumentation remain the same in that case?



Uh, everyone except the Princesses has Darkness in his/her heart so that's somehow a given. Yet when Vanitas was created and, according to MX, "took too much" of Ven's heart the chunk missing according to the broken awakening platform was less than a quarter.
"Prone to a shattered heart" is a nice wording, lol, when both known incidents so far were nowhere accidental nor initiated by Ven himself but by Master Xehanort and Vanitas abusing him for something.
We do not even know how long Ven actually did train under Xehanort before the whole "Vanitas-incident". What we do know is that by the time of that event Ven was either 11 or 12 years old and could at least already summon his own Keyblade as he had Wayward Wind out in the Heartless scene.
It is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, sure, but right now I even find the appearance of substantial hints to be rather thin since there is nothing beyond his placement on a single piece of art.



Heh, I know that. Make no mistake here, I just find the actual pieces and/or implications pointing to it very sparse, so I tried to poke the poodle a little to see if you have any more stuff that can possibly increase the theory's plausibility a little. ;)
Well, BBS didn't give any hints towards that Ventus' past before being turned into an ingredient for a weapon of doom is anything special or important and yet still he's the only one of the BBS trio to actually get some hints about his further past.
Then there is the fact that even his first awakening platform does show the Badlands/Keyblade Graveyard as a background, hinting as a possible connection, but I am not yet really convinced on any concrete outline what form that connection might be.



Huh? Ven I can understand because of the awakening platform, but Ephemera and Skuld so far never set foot in that location and if they follow Ava's instructions (avoid the war) they also shouldn't in the future.

So, looking at a better quality version of the art, I don't think Riku's hair has grown much at all. I take back everything that I said. Maybe just a little bit it's grown since DDD, but nothing substantial has changed.

KHIII probably takes place literally right after 0.2, then, and 0.2 is probably right after DDD (with very little time in between any of them).

I do still think Kairi's hair is shorter, though. Granted, we don't have a lot to go off of, but IIRC Kairi's hair in II was all one length (besides her bangs, and some strands that sort of became triangular shape and longer at the back of her head. But that just seemed like a few strands only did that?). And it looks like at least some of her locks in this new picture are shorter than their II counterpart.

So either she got a razor cut/layers (and has different lengths in her hair now), or it as a whole is shorter.

Her bangs have certainly been cut from what we saw in the II.8 trailer, that's for sure. Yay, for actually being able to see her face again now!:D

For the reason that we couldn't see her face in the second-to-last II.8 trailer, I do think her hair in II.8 might be longer than it was in II, though to be fair... that most recent render we saw of her might have just been the Osaka team trying to figure out the model, and might not be what the final product will look like at all.

So, I've given it some thought... and I'm not disappointed by Kairi's new outfit anymore. In fact, I like it a lot, and it might be my favorite design of hers now (and that's saying something, since we've seen so little of it!), but it's really cute and seems to suit her and how she'd mature, I think.

And it definitely has more going for it than the dress in KHII did, so I can dig it:D In fact, Kairi's really reminding me of Coco from TWEWY Solo Remix right now.

Or better yet, what Lightning would have looked like, if they'd kept Coco's outfit for her in LR, like they'd originally been intending=)

So, Kairi visiting Shibuya KHIII confirmed? LOL. (Note that I'm not serious about this. As cool as it would be, and as much as I want it, I'm not going to start feeding the rumor mill about this, just because Kairi's new outfit slightly reminds me of some of the fashion we see in TWEWY.)

I'm sure Lea will get a new outfit. It better be bright red, hopefully it has some resemblance to his outfit in BBS.

Holy cow, your right :O I didn't realize that (you forgot Ventus though ;_;). But Chirithy is there too. Does that mean he followed Sora since KH1? Meh, he probably is there because of X Chi...


I like that name. It sounds more badass then the other trio names.

I'm dissapointed to see that you didn't start a Fanclub yet in the Fanclub section.

But you are in the Chi section, of course you are gonna get spoilers if you only play Uchained X. Also, the picture is pretty big, you could have skipped all the letters.

I like capes too. Now that we are talking about it, it would be better if our new Armor in Chi had capes too.

True, but they are friends with Player. And Skuld said she wanted to protect her friends. She does this by trying to prevent them from going to the war. But we already saw that Player ends up in the Keyblade Graveyard (where the war took place), so it's not out of the question that Skuld and Ephemera will come to save us. In wich case they still end up in the Keyblade Graveyard.

I’m saying that Ventus being on the final Kingdom Hearts X Anniversary Artwork is there for a purpose. And that purpose is my hypothetical theory of him being a Dandelion with Ephemera and Skuld. I didn’t question Roxas or Namine for the second year anniversary, because they were not beside human Kingdom Hearts X characters like Ventus was.



An intermediary connection is still a connection regardless. Vanitas was melded after Sora through Ventus connection with Sora when Sora helped heal Ventus fractured heart.





The characters included in the anniversary artwork are often associated with the Destiny Island trio directly. Sure, Ventus fits that bill because his heart is directly resting inside's Sora's, but then you wonder, why is he positioned near the Kingdom Hearts X characters? Had he been at the left hand side, the symbolism would have been interpreted differently. As the final piece of Kingdom Hearts X Anniversary art, it’s evident that this a dual Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts III foreshadowing.





Nope, he really wouldn’t. He’s Sora’s nobody. Ventus is a character that’s connected to Sora because his heart is resting inside of him. Roxas is Sora. Ventus is not Sora. He’s still an individual being. Sure he’s connected to Sora but he’s not Sora. And I’m not saying that Roxas is not a unique character in his own right, he most certainly is, however, a person’s nobody is the remains of those who have lost their heart. And Roxas will always be a nobody until Kingdom Hearts III makes him a somebody. Point being, if Roxas was to hypothetically be on this art, he would not be out of place at all.





My logic does not work like that because I am singling this anniversary artwork out because of its undeniable Kingdom Hearts III affiliation. In the second anniversary artwork of Kingdom Hearts X, the only X character is Chirithy. Chirithy is essentially the mascot character of Kingdom Hearts X. The Kingdom Hearts Moogle of the series. Chirithy isn’t as plot significant as Ephemera and Skuld in connection to Kingdom Hearts III. Plus, the third anniversary artwork has human Kingdom Hearts X characters for the first time. That immediately signifies a Kingdom Hearts X connection beyond the fact that it’s a simple Kingdom Hearts X anniversary celebration.





Fact of the matter is, Terra nor Xion is on this piece of art. Had Terra or Xion been on this piece of artwork, I wouldn’t have considered them as Dandelions. Xion is a clone of Roxas who was created by Vexen. It’d be too much of a retcon for Xion to be connected to the Keyblade War because she was created through Sora’s memories of Kairi. And as far as Terra goes, his past was training with Aqua under Eraqus. I’d personally find it too far-fetched for him to have been a Dandelion because his past didn’t seem to have as much ambiguity as Ventus. Fact of the matter is, Ventus has too much ambiguity with his past. His connection to Xehanort before the split with Vanitas has barely been touched upon. And I firmly believe that this anniversary picture is providing the subtle hint that his past was that of a Dandelion.





I can’t elaborate on how Xehanort and Ventus trained together because I have nothing to back that on with or how long they trained together. All I theories is that, somehow, Ventus is a Dandelion that is eventually found by Master Xehanort and trains under him. Now the details of how that events occurs, again, I can’t say because the core of the theory is that Ventus is a Dandelion.





It’s still something. Sure, it doesn’t have the strongest of substance as a theory because it’s artwork as opposed to an interview translation or teaser, but that single placement of art in itself holds significance on its own merit. It’s a simultaneous means of symbolism for both Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts III. Ventus being on the side of the Kingdom Hearts X character couldn’t simply be for ideal spacing of all the characters. It must mean something more (and I think it’s Kingdom Hearts X related, because again, the positioning of the X characters on the right side with Ventus is too organised to call it a coincidence).





I’m not taking any disagreements personally. The Kingdom Hearts community would be a boring fandom if everyone agreed with every new theory at face value. I liked to be challenged for my theories to have substance. Now if you still don’t think that Ventus is a potential Dandelion, I’m okay with that. This is all theory work. I just honestly feel as though; the stars are really connection for this theory to actually happen (even more so than the Reincarnation theory). Heck, the reincarnation theory would be debunked if Ventus turns out to be a Dandelion because he’d have lived in the same lifetime as Master Gula lol.

Care to explain how a Dandelion could have survived for millenia without ageing? Or barely ageing? Coz you guys need to realize one thing, this is the Keyblade War spoken of in the Ancient Fairy Tales. Do you know how long it takes for a war to become a Fairy Tale? It's not like it was a century ago or something. Or a thousand years ago. Irl we had a war last century, that hasn't changed into a Fairy Tale yet. A thousand years ago we had wars too, none of them are Fairy Tales yet. It takes a loooooooooooooooooooooong time for a war to become a Fairy Tale. So how would a Dandelion survive for so long without ageing?

As for the positions on the Anniversary Card. I think it represents the importance of the characters in futher installments. Of course SRK at the front, most important characters. Then there is ESC, they will be very important in 2.8 and possibly KH3. And then there is Ventus, Nomura wanted to make all of TAV playable in 2.8, but didn't succeed. So Ventus will mainly be featured in KH3. That's how I look at the art. It's not like he really stands beside them either. Ventus stands more behind Emphemera.

I would love to reply to the fact that you think Ventus is out of place on that Anniversary Card... But I just can't follow your logic ._.

Just want to point out that Xion was a clone of Sora, not Roxas. I know you're probably aware of that--and that this was most likely just a simple mistake--but I just want to make this known, because this is a huge misconception that the fandom has (I blame the wiki for that), that has been known to hurt it at times.



I agree with this. I agree with most of what you said in your last post, actually^_^ I think it's possible there have been subtle hints in all of the Chi artwork.

At least the last two, because the second-to-last key art gave us this theory... http://forums.khinsider.com/kingdom-hearts-iii/207949-identity-chirithys-master.html

And maybe I'm putting so much stock and hope into the above idea because I want it to be true (and I'll admit that I do), but no matter how you spin it... the fact that Chirithy's change purse changed for this one thing (from a symbol associated with Kairi to one associated with Naminé) is really suspicious to me.

So if that one's at all true, I think you're for sure right in thinking that Nomura's hoping that we might gather some intel from this most suspect anniversary tribute of all.

...Maybe that's just me wanting to get hyped over this (and I'll admit that that could be the case). But dangit, I live for theories in this community--and I need something to keep me going during this news drought--so I'll take what little I can get. LOL. :D

@JR199913 This response has spoilers for Kingdom Hearts X (not Unchained X) in it, so please only read ahead if you're caught up in that version of the game or you don't care about spoilers, but...

I think a lot of us believe the Dandelions were put into stasis, in order to relive everything that happened in X for training--like Ava wanted them to--and the biggest guess about how that was done is that they were put into the Realm of Sleep.

Maybe some (not all) of the Dandelions are in a sleeping Daybreak Town to this day, and haven't aged at all while being there? And when Xehanort learned about it, he simply plucked Ven from there?

Though I'll admit that this theory has a lot of holes in it=)

Ventus has been locked inside a room for 10 years and hasn't aged even a minute. Aqua has been trapped in the dark realm for the same amount of time and still maintained all her queenliness. It's not impossible for there to be some way to preserve a body for centuries. Someone brought up the pods in Twilight Town, but those pods don't prevent aging, so that's unlikely.

I still think Ven's inclusion is very strange. I understand his connection to Sora (in fact, it's my favorite connection in the whole series cause I'm a sucker for feels), but the whole composition is pretty lopsided.

Hopefully if Aqua get's a new outfit it's more along the lines how they look.Hoodies for everyone i say.

I'm pretty sure that's because his heart is shattered. And time flows different in the RoD. That explains why Aqua hasn't seemingly aged.
But I do see the point your making.

How would she find new clothes in the RoD though? Is she gonna raid all the worlds that have fallen into Darkness for clothes? It would be a fun side-mission.

I like the theory that suggests that Ventus is relieving chi on the Realm of Sleep inside the Chamber of Awakening.

I just feel as though he's out of place without being with Aqua or Terra. He's part of the Birth by Sleep trio, and well, for him to be in the third anniversary artwork of Kingdom Hearts X without Aqua or Terra is unusually fishy for me if it's celebrating Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts III as he's a standalone Birth by Sleep representative.





Thanks for the whole Xion clarification. Why has her existence got to be so convoluted...

Anyway, I think this is an entirely plausible theory. I think the situation that present's the holes (even in my theory) is the premise of individuals surviving the legendary Keyblade War without aging as opposed to Ventus being a Dandelion.



That'd be really cool: Ventus living a double life lol. It could explain as to why Ventus smiled when Sora was playing with the Dream Eaters at the end of Dream Drop Distance. Because Ventus is also in the Realm of Sleep whilst recovering in Sora's heart (who is also in the Realm of Sleep).

When she get's out,whenever that is in KH3.

could there be concetion with ventus with the master of master because vanitas name devied vanity which another word for pride which is why xehanort was intreast he needed that pride form ventus becuase xehanaort has luxu lust

Nomura's style has slightly changed. I never thought I'd see the day lol.

i NEED to see Organization XIII with ears on their hoods.

I'd love to see confirmation that those are the new outfits for Riku & Kairi but we'll have to wait and see to be sure. I quite like the designs and it suits them. Sort of an odd way to unveil them though. I'll take whatever news I can get for the time being. This and the new Square-Enix merchandise has satiated me a little bit...or at least for the time being anyways.

it not really odd way to show them i mean it only a side angle and i think we will get full reaveal in december in kingdom shader

Yeah, it's clearly meant to be a teaser and gift to fans.

yeah which they they facing a side angel and not a forward angle if it was forward angle then it would be a full reveal

The design is amazing! I love it. :)

Riku and Kairi's new outfits. <3

The art looks so fantastic. I love the consistency in the Hoodie Trio's designs. It's just a teaser, but it's so hard to contain any excitement.

So we're just gonna call Sora, Riku, and Kairi the "Hoody Trio" now? Because if we're doing that I'm fine with it.

Yes, they are now the Hoodie Trio.

@Spocky Yay~, but will they be able to join the Hoodie Club?

y'all know donald goofy and mickey need sweet as duds now right

I merely forgot him (because of how random he is here). I saw your posts in other threads, please don't think I have a grudge against Ventus and am taking it out in news articles :/

Well, to be fair he IS the character furthest in the back but as Alpha Baymax and some others already pointed out, the seeming randomness might not be so random at all (note: I'll answer those theory-relating posts as well later on when I have more time at hand. :D) and if I am not mistaken it is the first depiction of Ventus in official new material unrelated to BBS, so I am certain it would probably be wise to be not overlooked or swept under the rug.

Nah, I'm not actually believing you'll be one to hold true grudges against fictional characters, it just came over as a little odd also since the article makes no more mention of him at all, only speaking about Riku's and Kairi's new duds.
As for the news article, shouldn't it be pointed out especially inside it that the guy depicted there is Ventus (If I recall correctly it was even you who found a japanese tweet confirming it) in order to reduce the amount of fans making the mistake to think it is Roxas?

The new outfits for Riku and Kairi are all fine and dandy, I'm also pretty hyped about them, but they are depicted in 99% of all new Nomura art anyways so characters depicted outside of them should probably be at least visibly pointed out.

IF AQUA DOESN'T GET NEW CLOTHES, YOU'RE DEAD SQUARE ENIX AND EVERYONE ELSE WORKING ON KH3

Obviously Skuld is Kairi's Heartless.

Sadly I think that they will stick with their clothes from previous titles :frown:

Anyone have any ideas on why Ventus is missing that Keyblade armor pauldron in the artwork?

Well...maybe no keyblade armors anymore? :(

Pretty sure it's because, Ventus didn't gain his Keyblade Armor pauldron until he was in Master Eraqus' care.

Possibly because Riku destroyed the armor in DDD when it was possessed by a Nightmare?

But the one on his body was still there...

Ah, right! I had something like this in mind but wasn't too sure. But yup, his sleeping body still has the armor pauldron.

Who's that guy in the back of the Key Art? Is that supposed to be the player?

Actually, it's apparently Ventus.

Ventus. It's his jacket, arm band, and face.

Pardon me for not reading the thread, but I imagine Riku and Kairi have hoods to safely travel the dark realm with the Mickster. Big trouble for Sora when Riku and KaiKai hook up and share that paopu fruit if you get what I'm sayin

Of course that's also a possibility, no doubt.


Aha, so you're basing that assumption on the fact that Ephemera and Skuld are there too? Interesting approach.



An indirect connection at best though as Vanitas was only affected appearance-wise by Sora's and Ventus' new connection through his own connection to Ventus, there wasn't any true connection forged between Sora and Vanitas, which means Vanitas definitely cannot be counted in the same breath as Roxas, Xion and Ven who are directly connected with Sora.
For Roxas it is the same when one counts Ventus' connections as he's only connected to Ven through Sora.




The symbolism itself can still be viewed in many different ways even with this constellation. Heck, just as an example it is even possible that Ventus is placed there because in order to truly save him and wake him up, Sora will need something from Ephemera and/or Skuld, like some extra knowledge etc or if the theory is correct that Ventus' essence is the one to experience the events of Daybreak Town inside the dream world the positioning of the characters indicates that Ventus has learned now important knowledge that needs to be somehow relayed to SRK.




Roxas would still make less sense in the context of your main interpretation of the art piece being a KH III foreshadowing piece. Roxas is a being that didn't exist until the last third of KH 1 so him being placed there close to to Ephemera and Skuld would make less sense. Roxas could make sense if he was placed directly beside Sora, but then Kairi would also need to have Naminé beside her.
Lol, Sora himself stated that Roxas is not him, so that's that but this doesn't really affect the whole issue much anyways. ;P





How can you confidently make this claim if I may ask? Ephemera and Skuld might actually have no real impact or importance in person on KH III at all in the end. We do not even know if they will even make it through X[chi] and/or Unchained unscathed at the end.
Chirithy is a Dream eater and those have already made an appearance in the current era, so going by that I'd say the prospect of a Chirithy making an appearance actually isn't too slim.





We can't really make any assumptions on Terra's or Aqua's past though as there was never any hint towards it. Ventus' past isn't even that ambigious as the Xehanort Reports pretty clearly state what happened: Xehanort found him somewhere on his travels through the worlds, recognized the kid's potential and decided to take him as a pupil. It might actually have played out in a similar manner to how Terra acted with Riku, the main difference being that Xehanort took Ven with him directly.

I'm actually somewhat in awe that you can get such a firm belief on such a thing from merely one piece of art, lol.




It is not "only" because it is an artwork, but because this is the "only" thing the theory has going for it so far which can be seen as overthinking the issue.
That the spacing and placement of the characters in the artwork (and Ventus being the only BBS character) must mean something more is what is the pretty bold statement here.





That's good to hear as indeed none of my tearing into such theories is ever meant as an attack, but as an incentive to try and give the theory in question more weight by digging for further possible hints or implications.

I do not rule out that theory in the slightest, in fact I do think that it might be truly possible. I just won't take it as the primary theory I follow because I think the hints towards this specific course of events are still too thin.
I have the usual modus operandi to keep several theories about an issue in my range of vision and which one becomes my favorite to follow is normally decided over time when more hints and implications become available to support some theories better or less.
To be fully honest anything is better than the Reincarnation theory as it would provide the KH original character cast with actual new characters that are neither clones nor overly "forcibly connected" to already existing characters. For example a lot of Aqua's popularity comes from the fact that she isn't too deeply connected with any pre-existing character.



That's what I think as well, maybe Ventus' body and Aqua not aging was actually a sort of foreshadowing on this procedure also being possible on a grander scope.
I dunno about the actual pods though as Sora's body most likely kept aging because his heart was still inside and somewhat active.

I'm pretty convinced that his inclusion here is supposed to foreshadow something, I'm just not yet ready to cling to any specific theory about it.



I'd say it is more because his heart isn't in his body anymore. With the body strictly spoken "not being in use" and thus there being no energy consumption from the soul the aging process might be halted until Ven's heart is returned to the body.
After all, bodies in KH are nothing more than physical shells and "meatbags" for the immortal heart to use and control in order to interact with the physical word.

Maybe Aqua meets Joshua in the RoD and he takes her on a shopping trip for the most fancy new clothes. He's an expert in such things after all and since the Moogles are extremely crafty I wouldn't be surprised if there's a hidden Moogle-shop somewhere in the RoD that also sells clothes.


And that's what bothers me a little since why does Ven need to be with Aqua or Terra all the time? The last third of his story in BBS actually dealt with the topic of him learning to be less overreliant on Terra and Aqua, not to mention that Aqua has been portrayed more than once already as a "sole Birth by Sleep" representative. Sora or Riku are also often portrayed without each other. You don't need to always portray the whole trios.

To be honest the general premise of individuals surviving the legendary Keyblade War and still being alive at the current age is a huge hole in itself. One of the main reasons Xehanort is craving to do another Keyblade War is because of his immense curiosity to learn what exactly happened back then in that "time of legends". If there would be still people around who actually experienced it Xehanort would not need all this bullshit of re-creating it, he could just ask/interrogate some of those survivors.
That a body can be kept non-aging for at least a decade has been proven with Ventus, so it can be assumed that with the right magical and/or technological equipment this can be possibly done for an even longer period.
And hey, if that is too far-fetched maybe Ventus can also either just be the descendant of one or more of the original Dandelions or somehow inherited some of their powers.



Of course, lol, I didn't really mean the last thing seriously.



My statement about Riku destroying it was obviously a joke, lol. The whole thing took place inside Sora's heart so there's no way that this would have been Ven's actual physical armor.



I'm not sure if you're joking or serious but that guy behind Ephemera is Ventus. Y'know, the little guy from Birth by Sleep looking like Roxas' twin.

I still don't see the appeal of Riku's outfit.

At least the cosplay would only cost around $20.

Like, with Sora and Kairi's outfits, Nomura has clearly looked at their previous ones when designing the news ones (and even seemingly gave Kairi Foreteller hood ears) but with Riku it's like he completely disregarded Riku's previous outfits and designed him like he just walked out of the dollar store.


On one hand the outfit continues his theme of his clothes lighter each iteration (I walk the road to dawn!) Except the black hoodie doesn't fit that (though black has been used in all his previous outfits but not to such a degree) Why not white or yellow? Or white and yellow? Secondly he's never worn a hood outside of the Org. coat, and that was out of necessity.
The outfit also seems it may have sleeves, which Riku, whether it was for freedom of movement or just to show off his muscley shoulders, has never worn sleeves. And again the only time he did wear sleeves was out of necessity.
He's also never worn a shirt before that we know of. He's only worn zipped up sleeveless jackets before now (and in KHII he wore two sleeveless jackets.)

Going from Riku's previous outfits he seems to prefer loose pants with sleeveless, hoodless, formfitting jackets. Which makes sense as both gives him maximum movement. Yet he's been giving a jacket (with sleeves and a floppy, easily grabbable hood) that could obstruct his movement!

I will say that if we find out that this is simply his casual clothes, I'll be perfectly fine with it. But if this is what Riku is going to fight in, then it goes against his character.


Another thing is wooooow that's a lot of black and red.
This isn't 2006. It hasn't been 2006 for 10 years. Give me color damn it!!
At least when it comes to Ephemera and Skuld, the majority of X[chi]'s original character are very colorful, so them in mostly black isn't a big deal.
But team hoodie has only two colors. Two. Black and red. Sora is in black and red. Kairi is in red and black. And Riku is just in black. What the fire engine, Nomura? Did you forget there are other colors besides black and red?

At this point in my life, I might consider paying good money to see that happen. Just so the SoKai and SoRiku fans will get mad.

Note that I'm saying this as someone who ships SoKai like air, also ships SoRiKai, and is even shipping SoRiku some these days.

I'm just sick of the fandumb when it comes to Riku and Kairi's relationship. They have a great one, and are best friends (hello, KHII). Their interactions needs developed, sure, but I'm so sick of people being like, "OMG, Riku and Kairi absolutely despise each other and just somewhat tolerate each other because of Sora."

So if this were to happen, it would be a good "in your face, Fandom!" moment. [strike]Plus, I like RiKai. It's pretty dang original, and actually could be amazing if done right.[/strike]

Not that KH is about pairings or anything, but you get what I mean.

(Also, please no one take this post too seriously. I don't have a vendetta against you or your ships, for as I said above I actually care for those couples quite a lot. I'm not going to pressure Square to do this or anything. I'm just mainly joking that this would be just desserts, because the very vocal fandumb really, really annoys me at times.)

@FudgemintGuardian I feel like Nomura has mistaken this for "The Mortal Instruments" series, where the good Shadowhunters wore black gear in the last book and the evil ones wore red (except it's switched here). Clearly "Color Coordinated for Your Continence" will be a thing in III;)

And it could be worse. Remember when everyone in Advent Children only wore black? Because I do, and it still drives me insane to this day (even though I get why that was).

I'm so excited for the VII Remake, so that we can see Marlene in her purple dress, Yuffie in some green, and some red on Tifa. Oh! And Aerith in her classic pink dress, of course:D

Forgive me for stating the obvious here, FG, but don't you suppose that it's likely the entire picture was tinted red and that the actual outfits will be more varied in color.

I think there's more to it than meets the eye. I don't think he'll completely drop the yellow, just like he never completely dropped the red in Sora's outfit. Riku is a combination of white, black, and yellow, and blue/jean. We're just missing the yellow. He looks like he's still wearing blue jeans even if they're a bit darker. His shirt is mostly white again still. His hoodie has the black. We just gotta figure out where the yellow will be. Will it be left to only accents like buttons and zippers? Will the back of his coat have some yellow designs on it?

I see yellow buttons on Riku's jacket :3

Nooooo don't remind me of the Advent Children outfits noooooooo!


If that was the case then all the white/grey in the picture would be tinted red. Which they're not.

His wrist bands would be a good spot.

I just had a thought. This wouldn't really work for X--that as far as we know, is taking place in reality--but perhaps Unchained X? That may or may not be in the Realm of Sleep?

If we're going off of the theory that Ventus is somehow the Player, what if the reason Player looks vastly different from Ven is because Ven is dreaming it all?

Forgive me if someone's already stated this, but dreams are weird. And I know that a lot of times in mine, I'm actually someone else (or watching the events with other people unfold from behind the scenes). So what I'm proposing is that Ven (more or less) is dreaming about what really happened to him and his friends back in X, but because of the wonky property of dreams he's imagining himself differently or imagining someone else in his place?

Player does remind me of Ven a bit. The fact that he/she talks so little at first is pretty similar to how Ven was after his heart was shattered and he was recovering. And as Player's made friends and grown, he/she's become much more passionate about things and talkative (also like what happened to Ventus).

And even some of the things Player's been doing lately kind of reminds me of Ven. The speech he/she made about friendship, the fact that he/she clearly stays behind (being pretty self-sacrificing in that) and doesn't become a Dandelion because he/she is worried about all the Union wielders who didn't make the Dandelion cut.

Edit: The whole "training to use the darkness" thing that Player does in X is also similar to BbS. And, of course, what the Player ends up doing in the end, and that they never were on board with that idea to begin with.

IDK. Just some food for thought. I'm probably way off on all of this, though!

@FudgemintGuardian Riku at least appears to have some yellow buttons like Sora does, so hopefully that hints there's more yellow incorporated in the other parts of his outfit that we can't see now.

Also, I feel like Riku's outfit now is supposed to represent--maybe even moreso than ever before--that he walks the Road to Dawn, and uses equal parts light and darkness.

In DDD, he finally got over some misconceptions about the darkness that he had and learned that it isn't inherently bad, and that he now has full control over it and an immunity to it (he also has learned how to absorb the darkness and turn it to light, or whatever), so maybe this outfit is even more of a hint at his development.

Before he never would've dreamed about wearing an Organization cloak if he could help it, I imagine; it was just full of bad memories for him. But now he's accepted who he is, and his past, so maybe he's even now showing that through his wardrobe?

Or maybe he's trying to throw the Organization off again. Who really knows? I hardly think that would work at all a second time, however;) Heck, it didn't even really work the first time!

They are, actually. Open up the picture in photo shop and pick out the whites (I did for you, the white in Riku's shirt has R239, G228, and B232 - putting it in the pink family. Regardless, what I meant was the clothes were colored in shades of red for style, but they're not all wearing red in game anymore than SRK ever actually wore Mickey (well, Sora did but not like that), Donald and Goofy's colors from that first anniversary art.

THAT'S VENTUS!?!? Woah, the art style totally threw me off. I didn't recognize him.

It's definitely Ventus. I think it makes more sense for it to be him over Roxas anyway.

Anyone think the ears

[FONT=Roboto]on Kairi's hood look a little like Chirithy's ears, just a little? Just want to obersve that then

"Kairi's a furry now!"

"As if she wasn't weeaboo enough!"

Kairi's a memeber of Team Magma!"

In just a couple days. Don't ask how the weeaboo comment works when she's a japanese fictional character. Is it becase it's not badass or anything, just cutesy girlly girl?
[/FONT]

This is totally awesome! I love it! I know this has to be hinting what Riku and Kairi new attire is going to look like. And the idea of them both strangely wearing hoods... I wonder if this means what their hair looks like has yet to be seen. Interesting... Still, I can't see why Kairi has foreteller ears on her hood. That's a new one on me!
Yes, though! I'm so excited to see something new from KH III! (^o^)

I actually thought that they looked more like the ears on Ava's hood.

hey eveyrbody what if the hood that kairi and riku are the light hoods that the fairies made for them to procect them form dakrness when they enter the realm of darkness to save aqua

Well, Kairi's outfit from KH II onward already has a black hood, but yeah, that ear looks ridiculous.

Hey, it's kinda reminding me of Sora's artwork from KHFM. Hood: On. :rolleyes:

Also, first reply, evah.:smile:

Good theory.
So Mickey will have a hood too?

he does his black his orginzation jacket has a hood

Appearently the Fartellers are Furries too, but this is logic from Yotube, what can you do?

Nah. Mickey is getting new clothes at the least.

where's my motherfucking tron mickey square?

Actually, according to Nomura, Kairi was a tomboy in KH1. And though she became more feminine, her fire didn't die down at all in 2... or something like that, he said.

Personally, I think this outfit of Kairi's is less girly than her last one. I believe it's sort of a happy medium between her KH1 and 2 looks (like Sora's 3 attire is a happy medium between 2 and DDD), but then again it might be too early to say that just yet, seeing as how we've seen so little of what Kairi' wearing now.

But man, can the Internet be weird! A fictional Japanese character cannot be a weeaboo. It's literally impossible. LOL.

Plotwist- Riku and Kairi's outfits are worn only in Shibuya.

OR Riku's change into darker clothes will reflect him going dark again, and Kairi's only small clothing difference will reflect the lack of development for her in KH3.

Kairi is Chirinthy confirmed. No possible problems with this logic, absolute. Only comment on this if you agree.

Although Sora already has a hoody jacket, I think the characters that we speculate are rebirth/reincarnations of the Foretellers might also get a redesign with a hoodie. [SPOILER]It could also explain why, during the Player's dream, both sides during the fated encounter have hoods: the Thirteen Seekers have the black coat, while the Seven Guardians have hoodies.[/SPOILER]

[SPOILER=But...]If memory serves right, there were 13 hoodies at the left side, and 9 at the right side. Doesn't explain the 2 extra hoodies.[/SPOILER]

[SPOILER]Oh, yeah. I forgot there were NINE, LOL. Then everyone might get a redesign centered on hoodies. xD[/SPOILER]

[SPOILER]This better mean Goofy and Donald get hoodies. OR ELSE![/SPOILER]

But if Ventus as to hypothetically be from the Kingdom Hearts X era as a Dandelion from Daybreak Town, that would shoot the whole reincarnation theory in the foot as Ventus and Master Gula lived in the same era.

Well, that's the thing. It might hurt the literal reincarnation idea, but will it really affect the fact that there are obvious parallels between the characters? I think the fact that their voices are different already hurts the reincarnation part of the rebirth theory, but I think the Rebirth theory all in all is not harmed if this theory is true at all.

(Or, Gula is meant to be Roxas and not Ven, but that's unlikely)

Don't they share voice actors in the Japanese version of Back Cover, though? Even so, it doesn't debunk the Rebirth theory. It's just a change of voices.

Nope. The voice actors sound similar which makes everyone believe it was done on purpose, but they are definitely different.

I just said it doesn't debunk the Rebirth theory, it debunks the literal reincarnations of the characters part of (some versions of) the Rebirth theory.

So I just came up with a crazy theory (with KHX spoilers below):

What if the Player ends up becoming his/her Chirithy?

Last we saw of Player (during the Keyblade War, that is), they seemed to not be doing well at all. And if no one comes to save them, they'll probably die soon. And I can't imagine Skuld or Ephemera showing up, because they're supposed to be Dandelions and not go to the war.

(Kingdom Hearts, or something, might end up saving Player, but for the purpose of this theory let's ignore ideas like that for now.)

We know that if the person a Chirithy is tied to dies, then so does Chirithy.

What if Chirithy, knowing that his dear friend is on his/her last leg, sort of absorbs him/her as a way of saving them both? (Because otherwise, neither of them would have had enough strength left within them.)

Or moreover, he does this as a selfless way to save Player, because we already know how much Chirithy has grown and just how much he's come to care about his friend.

It would be similar to Xehanort and Sora absorbing hearts, but for the good--like Sora does it--instead of for evil intentions like Xehanort's.

And maybe they can both even kind of happily coexist that way? Maybe both of them are present there, together--in the heart's consciousness--and have equal control of Chirithy?

That would be something we haven't seen before, and would be a good way to show that a parasitic bond can actually become a symbiosis one in this franchise, if both of the people involved are of pure heart and intention?

...This is a bizarre theory, I know. And there's really nothing to hint at this at all. It's just a thought that I had: mainly because the saga has done things like this before, and KH seems to like parallels, but to also turn them on their head every now and then.

And it would be a good way to keep Player for the future, I guess, but to also explain why he/she suddenly looks a certain why, and why he/she would start talking a lot (maybe) because of Chirithy influencing them.

I also feel like Chirithy's character development wouldn't allow Player to die, if he somehow knew what was happening and could stop it. I often think that Chirithy is the most interesting character, with development, in my personal opinion.

IDK.

Your theory sounds cool. It's also a nice excuse for the Player to not have a specific design, haha.

That's a pretty cool theory, LightUpTheSky.

Thanks, guys:)

It's probably not true in the slightest, but when I saw the anniversary art--and Ephemera and Skuld--I felt bad that their other friend didn't get to be with them (though it's not like this is the first time Nomura's just drawn the two of them together, however), and then I saw Chirithy and was like, "...Wait a minute. What if that somehow is the Player?"

And then when I remembered that the Chirithy we know will die if we do end up doing so in the Keyblade Graveyard, this theory seemed to make some sense.

But, yeah: it's probably wrong. There isn't even a hundred percent chance that Chirithy, Ephemera, and/or Skuld will be seen beyond Key/Unchained Key, I mean.

For all we know, they all three could end up dying. But I sure hope that doesn't end up being the case!

Edit: Do you guys think I should black this all out as a spoiler? Technically, the fact that the Player ends up in the Keyblade Graveyard could be seen as a spoiler for those who have just played UX, but what do you think?

I don't think that the ending of X will spoil Unchained X simply because that ending may be exclusive to X and here's why...

Nomura did say that Unchained X is going to be a like a second series for Kingdom Hearts X. If the Dandelions do end up in the Unchained Realm (Kingdom Hearts Unchained X world), I think that the Keyblade War is going to be orchestrated differently in the Unchained Realm. Think of it like an alternate Universe. I still think that the Keyblade War will also happen in Unchained X, however, the moment leading to the event will be fairly different to accommodate the additional stories and length in comparison to X's story.

Updated with a higher-quality version!

this looks so great. Riku is still sporting the only reasonable outfit and sora NEEDS TO PUT UP HIS GOTDAMN HOOD. MAKE IT AN ALTERNATE OUTFIT AT LEAST, GIVE ME SOMETHING

Thank you Sign, it's beautiful.

Looks awesome!

All the designs (with exception of Kairi) are great! Riku is probably the best out of the three new designs.

We also get to see Ven's expression a bit better now, he seems to have a neutral expression.

Woohoo, thanks Sign.
Finally an unobstructed, full view of the whole thing.
Do I see Skuld holding Chirithy in her arm? Aww, sweet <3.
Also, the tips of Ephemera's scarf somehow continue to remind me of little red wings, lol.



Geh, I'd go further and say to you that both Riku and Kairi may very well also have their hoods down in 99,9% of KH III and on their ingame models.
They obstruct the view of their heads and faces anyways and thus are in the way.
Both Kairi and Sora so far always had hoods on their outfits which were never up outside of Nomura art, too.

GAAAAH KAIRI'S NEW HAIRSTYLE IS SO AWESOME.
Thanks, Sign!

Kairi hair is a mix of her kh1 and 2 hair and thanks sign

Ahhh! I can see my Riku much better! *squee* Thanks Sign! :D

Now we have a better look at Riku's crotch. Thanks Sign!

Thank you, Sign! You're the best! Now I can even moreso happily cry over the fact that Kairi's new outfit isn't much like her KHII outfit at all (like a lot of us were thinking it was before, and would therefore have sort of been a cop out if that had been the case). :D

It's shutting down in September??
Man I was just getting into the game :/

The Japanese PC version is shutting down next month. The phone game will continue.

I always love higher quality pics of Ventus, thanks Sign.

well guys kingdom hearts x has only cople more days until the first ends who ready for the finale part two

My phone can't run Unchained X :frown:

Anyone know if selling these Key Art cards will still give you 6 special coins for KHUx? If you have the card in the browser game, try selling it and the confirmation screen should show how many you'd get. I know they're not on SQEX list but that came out before these were released (I think...lol).

I REALLY want to buy em but only if they're gonna sell for 6 in the end :P

you can't get the key arts for the 3rd anniversary anymore, the event shop closed on the 11th.

here is a list of all the cards that sold when ultimitized give 6 coins スクウェア・エニックス BRIDGE | ゲーム・コミュニティ| SQUARE ENIX BRIDGE