What Does it Mean to have a Heart-An analysis of KH2
Kingdom Hearts 1 was a game that asked the question, what is the true nature of the heart. The game concluded with the answer that the heart's true nature was light. Kingdom Hearts 2 on the other hand focuses on a different question, What does it mean to have a heart?
In Kingdom Hearts 2 we are introduced to the Nobodies named so for their lack of self and purpose. They are the body that is left behind after a heart gives into darkness and becomes heartless. Without the heart the body becomes nothing more than an emotionless empty shell longing for its missing halve, a true creature of nothingness. Everything else the game tells about the nobodies is to push this idea from Yen Sid’s warning that the nobodies only pretend to be humans, to The members of Organization XIII dismissing the idea of even having emotions, to even Xemnas’s indoctrination speech where tells the new members that they are feel nothing and are NOTHING! Not to mention there are the designs and animations of the Lesser Nobodies. With mouths made of zippers and Skin of rubber these lesser nobodies do not resemble human beings but rather sentient pieces of monstrous clothing. Their bodies move and stretch in ways only possible for something that is completely hollow on the inside. Everything about the Nobodies is designed in such a way to show the player that they are truly creatures without a heart, except for one glaring contradiction, Roxas.
Roxas is Sora’s Nobody created as a result of Sora’s sacrifice near the end of KH1. Because of the unnatural circumstances of his birth Roxas bears neither the face nor memories of his somebody. Which should theoretically make him the most hollow nobody of them all since Nobodies rely on memories of their past life to create the persona of humanity. Yet it’s the exact opposite Roxas is in fact the one character who shows the most humanity in all of KH2. Roxas is first introduced to the player as just your ordinary teenager living out his summer vacation. Unlike Sora he’s a far more grounded character who only wished to spend his last days of summer vacation goofing off with his friends. A far cry from the grand ambitions of traveling to different worlds. With even the World Roxas resides in reflecting his down to earth nature. Despite fitting Kingdom Hearts’s usual cartoony art style Twilight Town is at its core just your average suburban town where the most exciting things to do are go to the beach, play the local games, or investigate urban myths. It’s a world that feels not only like it could fit in the real world but like home. Which is perfect since Roxas more than any other Character in KH is meant to feel like a real kid, not just someone you would know but someone you were. After all everyone has at one point felt the melancholy of Summer’s end.
And Yet Roxas is still a nobody, still an empty white shell, right? Everything else the game has told the player should mean that Roxas’s emotions were all fake, nothing more than a facade or the result of the false life given to him by DiZ. But then Why does he act so defiantly? Why does he fight so hard for his own personhood? Why unless such guttural rage when discovering his life is a lie? Why betray the Organization to find answers? Why oppose returning to Sora when that's everything a Nobody should want? Why shed tears when not a single soul is watching? And why WHY does he claim with such ever brilliant passion to have hearts? And it’s not just Roxas who does this. Every one of the human Nobodies has at least one moment of genuine emotion. From Xemnas’s hatred as he is struck down to Axel’s longing, they all show that despite everything else the game says Nobodies are capable of having real genuine feelings. Leading Axle to ask the big question, Do they really not have hearts?
If Kingdom Hearts is a series built on the premise that everything is capable of having a heart then why are Nobodies the one exception? What does it really mean to have a heart? To Answer the Question we must look towards the Fool of The Heart’s Journey, Sora. In KH1 Sora came to a greater understanding of the heart by staying true to himself and being open to all those he met. However in KH2 Sora makes a fatal contradiction. Whether it be out of anger or juvenile rashness he keeps his heart closed off to the nobodies, believing what he is told about them without doubt and simply accepting whatever simplistic answer suits him best. He fails to see the heart within the Nobodies and thus becomes a Heartless hero himself, making the Members of Organization XIII respond in kind. Throughout KH2 Demyx ironically enough puts the most effort in acting like a human never releasing his mask of a lazy dude bro and retaining a passion for music despite it surviving no real benefits outside of combat. Yet it is during his final fight with Sora that the mask slips off. Before the two come to blows Demyx declares to have a heart only for Sora to dismiss it with venomous words that make the spoony bard crack. Demyx’s goofy face is discarded for one that is blank and stern, his voice now devoid of even the faintest hint of emotion, and his action straightforward and robotic like a machine built only for efficiency. Sora sees the heart in everything yet refuses to do the same for Demyx and So Demyx saw no reason to act like he had a heart anymore. If he is only to be seen as an empty shell then he might well play the part.
Sora could have been friends with Demyx and maybe even the rest of Organization XIII but because he refused to see the heart within them he only invited further conflict. But of course Sora is the Hero of this story for a reason and he does not keep this mindset forever. Sora’s preconceptions are finally broken upon witnessing the Tears of Flames. Axel gives his life to save Sora, sacrificing himself out of sentimentality for his lost friend, a noble act that mirrors the actions of Sora’s own friends. Forced to see those he loves within the Flurry of Dancing Flames Sora’s heart begins to question the nature of the Nobodies. If Nobodies have no heart then why did Demyx cry out in terror when he fell in battle, why would Luxord care so much about his games, and why would Axel shed tears for a friend lost. All these questions flood Sora’s mind as he comes face to face with his Other.
For the first time in KH2 Sora questions his conflict with the nobodies. He asks who he is fighting, wants to know more about them, and why they have to fight in the first place. Throughout the fight Sora is the one on the defense accepting every blow from Roxas as if to understand his pain. Even the act of Taking His Keyblades shows that Sora is attempting to understand his Nobody for every Keyblde reflects the nature of its wielder's heart. Wait Hearts? Yes YES THAT'S THE ANSWER! THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A HEART!
By using the reaction command “The End” Sora is finally seeing The Heart within Roxas and thus answers the great Question of the Heart. That inorder to have a heart one must see the heart in others. It is far more than simply feeling emotions or having a sense of purpose or even shedding tears. To have a heart is something far more beautiful, it is the ability to see the heart in all things from people to animals, to toys to even worlds. By simply seeing the heart it becomes real. Even Kingdom Hearts 1 knows this truth. Pinocchio was just a simple puppet yet it too possessed a heart not because he was given one through the magic of the Blue Fairy but Geppetto Gave him one. Geppetto made Pinocchio out of love and cherished him as a son even before he could move without strings. Pinocchio had a heart from the minute Geppetto laid his eyes upon him and loved him. All the blue fairy did was bring that love to life. There is also of course The Hundred Acre Woods. By all accounts it looks to be nothing more than a simple book yet it is not only possessing a heart like a world but real people who live within the book with hearts of their own. And while an in universe explanation has never been given for this the thematic explanation is clear as day. The Hundred Acre Woods has a heart because people gave it their love and joy. They read the book and not only fell in love with its stories and characters but saw them as friends, as people with hearts of their own. Through the hearts of the readers The Hundred Acre Woods came to life.
Even the nobodies show they are capable of seeing the heart in others. Demyx may be a lazy bum but even he can see the heart that exists within all music allowing him to play with real passion despite his lack of motivation for all other actions. There is Luxord who possesses a deep respect for games and their rules. He may be a bit of a trickster but he is also a man of honor who will never cheat his opponents and always follows the rules of a game to a T even if doing otherwise would benefit him. And most importantly of all we have Roxas and Axel who see a heart within each other through their friendship with one another. They are told by everyone around them that their friendship is a lie, even turned against each other by their higher ups, and yet they still hold on to the bond despite it all. Even when they are the most separated from each other they still see the heart within each other, making their friendship as real as Sora and Riku’s. Ultimately Sora himself comes to recognize this truth, that to have a heart is to see the hearts in others, shown near the end of the game where he and Roxas have their true union.
Of course though there will always be those who fail to see the hearts in others. Saix, Xigbar, and Xaldin all show a failing to see the heart having no true ideals or bonds of their own. Xaldin targets Beast, wishing to strip him of all love both for others and for himself so that he may become heartless, a tool for the organization. He shows no respect for the concept of love seeing it as a flaw that must be removed from humanity so that they may become like himself. Xalidin does not see people for what they truly are, he only sees them as shallow copies of himself, copies he is free to use for his own ends. Xigbar shows a flippant disregard for all others, teasing both his enemies and allies not out of a sense of playful affection but rather as an explicit act of disrespect. He goes out of his way to upset everyone around him so that he may receive their attention, so all their eyes are laid upon him. Shown by how much importance he places on the angry look Roxas and Sora gave him. Worst of all is that despite demanding the attention of others Xigbar refuses to show them his true self, he never takes off the smug mask of a joker because he has no interest in connecting with others, no interest in seeing others as anything more than his audience. No to Xigbar the world is nothing more than a stage for him and him alone. Everyone else is just another faceless spectator. Lastly we have Saix. Besides The Superior of the In-Between Saix is the best example of what people believe the nobodies to be. He is a sorry excuse of a man whose face and words lack even a facade of emotion. All with one furious exception, Rage. Saix is defined by his anger, a true berserker that draws upon the power of the moon itself to become a beast that destroys all there is in a hatful blue flame. But where does this rage come from? Why would such a stoic and empty man harbor such a passionate rage? Simple because he is a nobody, Saix’s rage was born from the tragedy of losing his heart. When his heart was taken from him Saix lost everything dear to him and was left with only an unbearable emptiness, turning him into the wretch he is now. Saix is defined not by his rage but rather by his loss, symbolized by the X shaped scar on his face, which only grows greater when going into his berserk state. Saix out everyone in organization XIII longs for a heart the most yet can never see it before him because he is blinded by his own tragedy. They all strove to take back the hearts they’ve lost yet without any understanding of what having a heart meant. They could not see the hearts in others and thus could not have a heart themselves becoming true nobodies. In order to understand why these 3 are the way they are one must be willing to look upon the horrid one who shaped them, Xemnas.
Xemnas is the First Nobody ever seen in Kingdom Hearts and as Such he embodies everything a Nobody is supposed to be. He is not a man but rather a void, a hollow force of nature that destroys everything it touches. Without remorse or guilt he spurred further conflict between light and darkness all just to meet his own selfish ends. Even going as far as to puppeteer Sora’s battles against the heartless to collect more hearts. Every world in Kingdom Hearts 2 is on the brink of destruction all because of the violence sowed by the empty words of a man who cares nothing for the innocents that have suffered by his hand. His treatment of his fellow nobodies is no better. He stands above all them on his marble throne like a sham of a king ordering them to their deaths never once treating them as people but rather as weapons, even going as far as to threaten them with further dehumanization if they step out of line. And Despite the wicked grin he wears on his face he does not do anything out of malice. No it is far far worse than that. Every horrific act of evil committed by Xemnas is done out of pure apathy for all of existence, because he feels absolutely nothing. Even his cruel laughter is completely and utterly fake. Every single vile emotion he has ever put on display was nothing more than an act, an attempt to replicate the few emotions he does remember. The only thing that was ever real was the guttural scream of hatred he let out upon his defeat. Worst off all though are his claims to understand the heart. Xemnas believed that he alone understood the heart yet just like his heartless counterpart he was nothing but ignorant on the subject. Xemnas claims that the heart is the source of all power, of all pain believing it to be a burden of hate, rage, and envy. This reveals the tragic truth behind Xemnas, he rejects the Heart in its entirety. This is why Xemnas never truly used Kingdom Hearts to restore his or any Nobody’s heart because deep down he never wanted one. To have a heart is to suffer in Xemnas’s eyes. And it’s plain to see why when looking back on Xemnas’s somebody. Apprentice Xehanort was from the very beginning a pale imitation of a human being. Without any memories of his past Xehanort had his name and nothing else. He was one without identity and purpose just like a Nobody, yet he always had the chance to find them on his own. Xehanort was taken in by Ansem the Wise to be one of his apprentices, given both a home and family by the kind King as well as the opportunity to become a great man in his own right. But Apprentice Xehanort was a man without strength who lacked both the will and resolve to discover himself. Instead he grew jealous of his beloved king, attempting to mimic the wise man. He continued the Heartless research Ansem had long since abandoned, hoping to earn his Foster Father’s praise by continuing his forgotten work without ever thinking that there might be a good reason for why the work was forgotten in the first place. In the end all Xehanort did was earn his master’s scolding, turning his jealousy to hatred. Ultimately Xehanort would become Ansem’s Shadow Stealing his name and status out of spite and envy. Xehanort did not want to be himself, instead he wished to become his father leading him to his final act of self rejection. Xehanort become a heartless and nobody, literally tearing himself in two and destroying everything the young man could have become just because he was too weak to be himself, too weak to bear suffering, too weak to accept rejection, too weak to grow, too weak to strive for greatness, and too weak to shoulder the weight of a heart. In the one act of true cowardness Apprentice Xehanort gave up on himself leaving behind one who could only see Darkness in the form of his Heartless and one who could only reject the heart out of ignorance in the Form of his Nobody.
This ignorance is why Xemnas loses to Sora. Throughout Kingdom Hearts 2 Sora’s preconceptions and childish worldview are challenged. Through his conflict with Organization XIII Sora is made to reexamine his beliefs on what it means to have heart. To Question what truly separates him from the nobodies and whether or not he should blindly follow the words of his elders. Thanks to the sacrifice of Axel and his duel with Roxas, Sora comes to see the heart within the Nobodies and recognizes that all it takes to have a heart is to see the heart in others. The experience was painful and riddled with tragedies but Sora never regretted it, for the pain only made him human. Whereas Xemnas wanted nothing more than to escape pain. He rejected the heart, rejected his humanity all so that he may never experience pain again. So Xemnas simply remained stagnant in his own shallow beliefs of the heart, never once leaving his pale throne of lies. In the end the Ignorant King of Nothing was struck down by one who was willing to accept pain in order to understand the hearts of others.