@kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash Hi Sarah, I saw your tags asking about the line that made me angry in KH3 so I decided to turn it into a little rant, I hope you don't mind. I doubt I'll say something original since the game has been around for a few years and there's a lot of good fanfics exploring that topic, but well, I'm gonna add my little perspective (although I haven't played ReMind yet, so I probably don't have a full picture).
My biggest problem with KH overall is that Sora as the protagonist is barely allowed to be vulnerable and express negative emotions. The line I mentioned in my tags was this moment:
This line hit me like a truck and drove back and forth over me ten times. I believe that his breakdown and frustration were building up ever since Dream Drop Distance when Sora got punished for falling for Xehanort's trap - something that not only wasn't part of his test, but also something he barely had any control over. A human being can only brush aside negative feelings for so long and Sora has been doing that for years.
Other characters are kind of harsh towards Sora in KH3 laughing at him and casually belittling him more often than ever before. They take Sora's light-hearted and "water off a duck's back" type of personality for granted and never consider he could get hurt by all of this - after all, they're friends, right? Sure, banter and teasing with friends are fun, but there's a line for everything.
Take for example the scene that plays after Monstropolis and Arendelle worlds.
This is probably the most mean-spirited scene in the entire game with everyone, Mickey included, laughing at Sora and it just made me feel bad. Riku was the only one to try and remedy the situation, but in the end what was the point of all of this?
Sora has stated before that he's not that strong, smart or special - just a part of something greater (and he's proud to be that) and from what I've seen his friends seem to unintentionally strengthen this belief. So it only makes sense it ends up eating away at his self-esteem and making him believe his accomplishments are either insignificant or not his own.
And the one thing - arguably the most important thing - Sora is denied is acknowledgement. No one in the whole series acknowledges his feelings and insecurities. No one wants him to be or believe he can be anything else than the happy-go-lucky goofball. When Sora cries, Riku evidently wants to comfort him (the way he reached for him and stopped made me go hnnnnnnnnnn), but in the end he dismisses his pain by saying "You don't believe that" was that gaslighting?/jk I realize the situation was rather dire and not suited for emotional conversations or pep talks, but Sora's confession was never followed up later.
I suppose Nomura wanted to patch it up when Sora escapes the depths of darkness with this line:
A moment earlier Kairi says she simply believed he'd pull through. She tries to say she thinks Sora's strong, but he takes it the wrong way and again believes he's only won thanks to her. It doesn't solve anything - Sora still sees his worth and strength in others and not himself.
Friends' support is one of the greatest power there is, but at this point Sora needs to realize his own strength and the story doesn't allow that.
And I know you can dismiss all of it saying it's Disney, but remember when Nomura defended his plot choices (like not making Sora the Keyblade Master) by saying Sora needs to be relatable to the player? If they care about relatability then exploring self-doubt and low self-esteem in the main character is one of the best things they can do. Not only the majority of the players can relate to that, it develops the character and gives him something personal to overcome.
So, do I think there are ways to properly deal with that? Yeah, a lot of amazing writers touched on this subject and made Sora scream about his feelings (the most recent one I read was The Darkness Hidden Within by Cait_Sidhe, I love the way they write Sora and Riku. Also Can't Take It Anymore by Simplistic_Fish is an on-going gem). However taking into account Disney and Nomura I'll put my bar really low for a sec and say what could have been done in my opinion to make Sora's emotional arc feel like an arc:
Remove Riku's disastrous "Sora, you don't believe that" line. Make him say something like "You're giving me strength everyday too" or "You're the strongest person I know", anything to actually reassure him a little bit.
Focus on Sora's distress when Riku and Mickey get taken away during fight with Ansem, Xemnas and Young Xehanort, but show him determined to take them on by himself and maybe keep Riku and Mickey off the battle for longer.
I don't give a duck about Yen Sid - make Eraqus, Xehanort or both declare Sora the Master before they go (I know, I know, it's not really necessary, we kind of got the inheritance ceremony, but let me have this).
At the end while everyone is standing at the Keyblade Graveyard make them simply praise, no, acknowledge Sora. "You did it, Sora", "Good job", "SASUGA SORA" just show SOME appreciation of his actions straight to his face. He deserves it.
Anyway this casual disregard of Sora's feelings in canon is driving me crazy. And that's why I'd love an Encanto world in KH4 (or in KH3 timeline as AU) for Sora to visit. No drama, just chilling and healing.
Also that's completely off topic, but when I rewatched the meeting with Young Xehanort I noticed the ad "Corona Development - to illuminate the future", I love it.
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