To Awaken From the Eternal Sleep-An Analysis/Explanation of Kingdom Hearts 3
The Power of Waking is a central plot point in Kingdom Hearts 3. Obtaining it is the main goal of Sora’s journey throughout the Disney Worlds. It is how Sora restores Ventus. And ultimately it is the cause of The Seven Guardian’s salvation and Sora’s damnation. But it is also a very controversial aspect of Kingdom Hearts 3 with many people being confused on how the power works or frustrated with its ultimate purpose in the narrative. So I am going to address these complaints and go over not only how The Power of Waking works in Kingdom Hearts but why it is pivotal to the game’s overarching themes.
The Power of Waking is to put it simply the power to awaken a sleeping heart. First appearing in Dream Drop Distance it was granted to the two boys upon unlocking the Seven Sleeping Keyholes and used by Riku to wake Sora up after his heart fell to darkness. In this one instance Riku is able to demonstrate to the player the two main uses of The Power of Waking. The Power of Waking is like its name suggests the power to wake a sleeping heart. In the world of Kingdom Hearts Darkness and Sleep share an integral connection. For you see, darkness itself is what allows a person to enter sleep and is what holds their dreams. After all one must close their eyes and turn away from the light in order to sleep. However if a heart indulges in darkness and becomes consumed by it then it will be left scarred and forced to enter an eternal sleep, as shown by both Ventus and Sora. This is why The Power of Waking is so vital as it is the only power cable of waking the heart up and healing it’s scars. The second use of The Power of Waking is the ability to traverse worlds through hearts. To be more specific The Power of Waking is also capable of opening the connections between hearts and worlds allowing a keyblade wielder to create portals to other worlds through a person's heart. For example Riku uses The Power of Waking to open a portal to Sora’s Station of Awakening at the end of Dream Drop Distance. To summarize, The Power of Waking is the ultimate proof of mastery for a Keyblade Wielder as it shows a complete control over the Keyblade’s ability to unlock a heart.
The Power of Waking appears again in Kingdom Hearts 3 where it takes an even more important role in the story. In Kingdom Hearts 3 Sora’s main goal throughout the Disney worlds is to rediscover The Power of Waking after losing it at the end of Dream Drop Distance. He is even forbidden by Master Yen Sid from helping Riku and Mickey retrieve Aqua until he has The Power of Waking. It is what Sora uses to finally wake up Ven. And ultimately it is the Power of Waking that allows Sora to bring his friends back from the dead. Each one of these plot points has been met with its own fair share of confusion and criticism. From fans not understanding how Sora used The Power of Waking to bring everyone back to some believing it was a cop out that Sora had The Power of Waking all along. However despite these issues The Power of Waking does make sense within the rules established in Kingdom Hearts as well as adding an extra layer of thematic weight to both the story of Kingdom Hearts 3 and Sora’s character arc. So let's go over these complaints one by one
“Why does Sora need The Power of Waking To Save Aqua?” Now this complaint, while a little overblown, is fair since the game only gives a brief explanation for it, which can be quickly forgotten by the time the player reaches Anti-Aqua. When Yen-Sid says Sora needs The Power of Waking to Save Aqua it is because he and the rest of the gang are under the belief that Aqua is trapped underneath the Seas of The Dark Margin after falling into darkness and is now in an eternal sleep like Sora at the end of Dream Drop Distance. So They believe the best way to solve this problem is the same way they did before: have someone with a deep connection to Aqua use The Power of Waking to wake her up. Sora lacks The Power of Waking so he would be of no help in this situation. Of course when comforted with Anti-Aqua Sora and Co learn that they were mistaken about Aqua’s situation. She had indeed fallen into darkness but it was not the same as Sora’s Situation. No, Aqua had been infused with darkness by Ansem Seeker of Darkness transforming her into a monster that resembles the Darkling Heartless from Unchain X-Chi. As such it became clear that The Power of Waking was no longer necessary to save Aqua and instead what she needed was just the helping hand of a friend. Which Sora can give regardless of having the Power of Waking or not. Besides that it also makes sense on a more pragmatic level not to send Sora The Realm of Darkness unless he has The Power of Waking. For one, The Realm of Darkness can not be entered so easily. In order to get there you must either possess Kingdom Key D, Wield the power of darkness to create Corridors of Darkness, use the opening that is created when a world falls to darkness, or use the Power of Waking to make a portal there. So even if Sora wants to get there he is going to need The Power of Waking. 2. Sora is at neither Riku nor Mickey’s level by the start of Kingdom Hearts 3 and would only be a hindrance to them in the Realm Of Darkness. So it makes more sense to send Sora on a journey to help him reach Riku and Mickey’s level rather than needlessly endangering him.
“How does Sora use the Power of Waking to bring his friends back from the dead? It doesn't make any sense!” This is another critique that while I disagree with, I do understand where it’s coming from. Kingdom Hearts 3 does explain how Sora used The Power Of Waking to save his friends after they expired and it is consistent with the rules of the series, BUT it is explained in a way where it is difficult to understand on a first playthrough since it’s not explained directly but rather through context clues. Heck for me personally it took about a few months after the game’s release to put it all together. Now with that out of the way let's get on with the explaining. Established in Kingdom Hearts 3 Death and Sleep share a connection as shown by Sora’s ability to slip into The Final World in his dreams. In the world of Kingdom Hearts dreams and death touch which makes sense when you realize the similarities between the two. Like just like with Dreams Death is held in darkness as all eyes come to a final close upon reaching the end. Death IS the final sleep, so it is only fitting that The Power of Waking is capable of awakening a heart from Death. Of course as elaborated on by Young Xehanort this is not the intended use of The Power of Waking but rather an abuse of the power and worst of all a nature taboo. For all living things are destined to die and to defy Destiny is the greatest sin in the world of Kingdom Hearts. As Shown by Sora’s ultimate fate at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 where just like the Master of Masters before him he disappears, dims, or perhaps fades away from reality.
Now that all the explanations are over with and you have a complete understanding of The Power of Waking lets go over the thematic weight of this power and why it is vital to both the story of Kingdom Hearts 3 and Sora’s character arc. Many fans bemoan the fact that Sora had never truly lost The Power of Waking but rather still had it deep within his heart. They say it makes Sora’s previous action pointless as the main goal of Sora’s adventures through the Disney worlds was to rediscover The Power of Waking. And I do understand why people are upset about this not only because it doesn't fit the traditional story structure the game appeared to be setting up but because the whole “The power was in you all along” message can very easily come across as trite if misused. However these criticisms more than any other of Kingdom Hearts 3 are missing the trees for the forest and failing to grasp the true point of The Power of Waking and its role in Sora’s Journey.
While Sora’s motivation to travel through the Disney worlds is for the sake of The Power of Waking it is not the only reason Sora is embarking on these quests. Sora is traveling to the Disney worlds in order to restore the rest of his lost powers. Which is accomplished in worlds like Mount Olympus with Second Form or Kingdom of Corona with Super jump. There is the search for the missing Guardians of Light as well. Which is accomplished in Monstropolis where Sora learns that Ventus is in his heart. Beyond all tangible accomplishments however there is a grander purpose behind Sora’s fairy tale adventures. The reason why Sora goes to these Disney worlds specifically is because his heart itself is leading him to them. In Kingdom Hearts the heart is not just the core of a person’s being but a force of higher power and authority, knowing things even if the person themselves does not. For example in Kingdom Hearts 1 Sora’s heart is already aware of what's to come as shown through the prophetic dreams Sora has at the beginning of the game and the events in the Station of Awakening, which is Sora’s heart preparing him for his trials against the Heartless. Sora’s heart knows Sora still has The Power of Waking but it also recognizes that Sora is not ready to wield said power. Not only has Sora become significantly weaker in body at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 3 but in heart as well. Sora’s character has always had an undercurrent of self loathing underlying it. Show best in Sora repeatedly putting himself down or refusing to acknowledge his own strengths in favor of his friends. This is at its absolute worst in Kingdom Hearts 3 where Sora’s confidence has taken a major hit after his failure in Dream Drop Distance. In order for Sora to be worthy of The Power of Waking he must grow beyond his past and learn to have faith in himself. So his heart leads him to other worlds in order to help him rebuild his confidence, learn new powers, reexamine his values, and help those in need. From learning how to fight with all his heart in Mount Olympus to mentoring the team Big Hero 6 in San Fransokyo Sora becomes the person he needs to be. And only then does Sora’s heart tell him the truth through the one person who needs Sora’s help the most, the one that has been beside Sora all along, Ventus.
Beyond Sora’s character arc The Power of Waking serves another thematic function in Kingdom Hearts 3. The Power of Waking is the purest form of fairy tale magic. Everyone knows Kingdom Hearts is a series that draws heavily from fairy tale stories and tropes. After all it’s not only a Disney property but the series borrows elements from its big brother series Final Fantasy which carries heavy inspiration from western fantasy and myths. But one thing many people fail to recognize is why Kingdom Hearts uses these tropes and what the series is trying to say with them. Kingdom Hearts has always been a story about fairy tales, exploring how the miracles of a happily ever after can overcome the inherent tragedies of life. This is first seen in Kingdom Hearts 1 where by staying true to his heart and fulfilling the role of a typical fairy tale hero Sora is able to defy the cynical expectations of reality and create a new truth about the inherent goodness of life. With The Power of Waking this idea is continued as the power is very clearly based on the fairy tale trope of waking up sleeping beauty with true love kisses. Which has been present in Kingdom Hearts since the very beginning of the series with the opening of Kingdom Hearts 1 ending on a shot of Snow white within Sora’s own dream. And in KH3 this most classic and iconic of fairy tale stories is transformed into a power that can defy the greatest tragedy of life, death. Through The Power of Waking Sora is capable of giving each and everyone of his friends their Happily Ever After showing that Fairy Tales themselves have the power to save us, even if Sora can’t do the same for himself.
