In defense of old guys
I've wanted to rant and such on this for awhile, and now is as good a time as any!
Dude. Fandom-at-large. What in the hell is with the Yen Sid and DiZ hate?
I can understand that they're not immensely popular characters, being that they're 1) minor characters, 2) not all that pretty, and 3) in positions of authority. None of those tend to make for insta-lovable characters, and that's okay. But I think those two, particularly DiZ, even outdo Kairi in terms of hate. And I absolutely do not understand it.
First of all: Yen Sid. I've seen many a fan totally blame Yen Sid for the fact that Sora is brash, mean to Nobodies, and end up destroying them. He is the old fogey authority figure who doesn't really know what he's talking about! He manipulated them and forced Sora and his friends to kill the Organization because of his own nefarious goals, and didn't give the Organization a chance!
...Say what?
Hmmm, let's see what we actually know about Yen Sid:
- He a very powerful sorcerer. Pete thinks he would make an equally powerful Heartless.
- He taught King Mickey. And considering the fact that King Mickey = God, that's gotta count for something.
- Donald and Goofy hold a ton of respect for him. Probably as much, if not more, than Mickey, considering they bow to him and call him "Master Yen Sid."
- Mickey knew that he'd be able to help Sora and friends, since he sent them to him.
And let's see what Yen Sid actually tells them:
- There are still Heartless around causing trouble, despite them closing the door to Kingdom Hearts. This is obviously true.
- Sometimes, when a strong-hearted person becomes a Heartless, a Nobody is formed as well. We know this is true.
- Nobodies are different from Heartless in that they can think and plan. While it's hard to tell just from the lower-ranking Nobodies, we assume this is true.
- The Nobodies are controlled by a group of extremely powerful Nobodies called the Organization. This is definitely true.
- The Nobodies will always attempt to harm Sora and his friends. This is never proven wrong, except in the single case of Axel, when he lets Sora into TWTNW.
- Nobodies will pretend to have hearts, but this is just a ploy, and Sora shouldn't fall for it. While this point seems to get the most debate, since the very definition of a Nobody includes the fact that they have no hearts, we can easily assume this is true. You would be hard-pressed to argue it was false, anyways.
- Yen Sid doesn't know exactly what the Organization is after. So neither does Sora, and no one does, really, until Axel and Saix explain so in Hollow Bastion.
- Yen Sid also gives Sora some swanky new clothes, a gummi ship, and makes him read a book that makes no frecking sense.
So, can somebody please point out to me where all that manipulating and brainwashing took place? Where was all of that swaying Sora into killing poor Nobodies who just wanted a heart? 'Cause I ain't seeing it. And it sure as hell wasn't like Sora was already the type of person to have a very black and white view of the world, or to be cocky and sure of himself, or to get very defensive and ready to fight when he sees his friends in trouble.
So fandom, lay the HELL off of Yen Sid. He didn't do anything to Sora. Just because he isn't pretty doesn't mean you just get to shove the blame for the Organization's plight onto him.
And now! For DiZ, aka Ansem the Wise.
DiZ is a bit more of a problem, since he's not just a minor character, and actually has a big part to play in the story. What's more, he did many things that were Not Nice, and purely for his own benefit: namely enlisting Riku to take down Roxas, to the point where Riku has to change his form, and forcing Roxas into a fake Twilight Town and wiping his memory. All of which were quite selfish and manipulative things to do.
However, unlike any of the other characters in the game, we actually get some first-person insight into DiZ's though process, through those lovely things called the Secret Ansem Reports! And from that, we learn that Ansem the Wise was betrayed by his six apprentices, stripped of everything he had and everyone he loved, and forced to near-nonexistence in darkness. Because of this, he grew bitter and vengeful, and vowed to take down the Organization. He wanted something desperately, and was willing to do whatever he had to and use whomever he needed in order to accomplish his goal.
Sound familiar? Yup, that's an awful lot like the Organization!
And yet, what I see most of the time is the Organization get a free sympathy ride while DiZ gets all the hate. What the hell? Sure, DiZ did some horrible things to innocent people. So did the Organization. So why is the Organization the fun-loving group, the ones with all the "heart," ironically, while DiZ is the snarling manipulative tyrant that Riku and Namine only just barely tolerate? The Organization may be sympathetic, but last I checked, there was only one Demyx in the group. Everyone else was pretty damn bastardly (yes, including Roxas). And DiZ was no more bastardly than them.
Not only that, but DiZ apologized for his actions. Remember these lines? -->
- I must make amends to these young people.
- All my research amounted to nothing next to the heart of one boy.
- Roxas, I doubt you can hear me, but I am sorry.
Sure, apologies are just words, but that's more than most of the Organization did (with the exception of Axel, about kidnapping Kairi.)
So come on, fandom. Stop with the hate! If bashing is bad for KH females, it's bad for KH old dudes, too! I'm tired of peoples' personal bias turning these two characters into Evil Manipulative Nobody-Hating-Propaganda Machines, when NEITHER of them are that. It sucks hardcore to be a Nobody in the Organization, but that is NOT Yen Sid or DiZ's fault. And when you write Yen Sid or DiZ as brainwashing, manipulative bastards, then yes, it IS OOC. Yen Sid is too minor a character, and DiZ is too complex a character for such stigmas.
NO MORE HATRED OF FACIAL HAIR GUYS!
And besides, if nothing else, DiZ is worth a quick little smatter of fangirling for nothing more than CHRISTOPHER LEE YUM.
Dude. Fandom-at-large. What in the hell is with the Yen Sid and DiZ hate?
I can understand that they're not immensely popular characters, being that they're 1) minor characters, 2) not all that pretty, and 3) in positions of authority. None of those tend to make for insta-lovable characters, and that's okay. But I think those two, particularly DiZ, even outdo Kairi in terms of hate. And I absolutely do not understand it.
First of all: Yen Sid. I've seen many a fan totally blame Yen Sid for the fact that Sora is brash, mean to Nobodies, and end up destroying them. He is the old fogey authority figure who doesn't really know what he's talking about! He manipulated them and forced Sora and his friends to kill the Organization because of his own nefarious goals, and didn't give the Organization a chance!
...Say what?
Hmmm, let's see what we actually know about Yen Sid:
- He a very powerful sorcerer. Pete thinks he would make an equally powerful Heartless.
- He taught King Mickey. And considering the fact that King Mickey = God, that's gotta count for something.
- Donald and Goofy hold a ton of respect for him. Probably as much, if not more, than Mickey, considering they bow to him and call him "Master Yen Sid."
- Mickey knew that he'd be able to help Sora and friends, since he sent them to him.
And let's see what Yen Sid actually tells them:
- There are still Heartless around causing trouble, despite them closing the door to Kingdom Hearts. This is obviously true.
- Sometimes, when a strong-hearted person becomes a Heartless, a Nobody is formed as well. We know this is true.
- Nobodies are different from Heartless in that they can think and plan. While it's hard to tell just from the lower-ranking Nobodies, we assume this is true.
- The Nobodies are controlled by a group of extremely powerful Nobodies called the Organization. This is definitely true.
- The Nobodies will always attempt to harm Sora and his friends. This is never proven wrong, except in the single case of Axel, when he lets Sora into TWTNW.
- Nobodies will pretend to have hearts, but this is just a ploy, and Sora shouldn't fall for it. While this point seems to get the most debate, since the very definition of a Nobody includes the fact that they have no hearts, we can easily assume this is true. You would be hard-pressed to argue it was false, anyways.
- Yen Sid doesn't know exactly what the Organization is after. So neither does Sora, and no one does, really, until Axel and Saix explain so in Hollow Bastion.
- Yen Sid also gives Sora some swanky new clothes, a gummi ship, and makes him read a book that makes no frecking sense.
So, can somebody please point out to me where all that manipulating and brainwashing took place? Where was all of that swaying Sora into killing poor Nobodies who just wanted a heart? 'Cause I ain't seeing it. And it sure as hell wasn't like Sora was already the type of person to have a very black and white view of the world, or to be cocky and sure of himself, or to get very defensive and ready to fight when he sees his friends in trouble.
So fandom, lay the HELL off of Yen Sid. He didn't do anything to Sora. Just because he isn't pretty doesn't mean you just get to shove the blame for the Organization's plight onto him.
And now! For DiZ, aka Ansem the Wise.
DiZ is a bit more of a problem, since he's not just a minor character, and actually has a big part to play in the story. What's more, he did many things that were Not Nice, and purely for his own benefit: namely enlisting Riku to take down Roxas, to the point where Riku has to change his form, and forcing Roxas into a fake Twilight Town and wiping his memory. All of which were quite selfish and manipulative things to do.
However, unlike any of the other characters in the game, we actually get some first-person insight into DiZ's though process, through those lovely things called the Secret Ansem Reports! And from that, we learn that Ansem the Wise was betrayed by his six apprentices, stripped of everything he had and everyone he loved, and forced to near-nonexistence in darkness. Because of this, he grew bitter and vengeful, and vowed to take down the Organization. He wanted something desperately, and was willing to do whatever he had to and use whomever he needed in order to accomplish his goal.
Sound familiar? Yup, that's an awful lot like the Organization!
And yet, what I see most of the time is the Organization get a free sympathy ride while DiZ gets all the hate. What the hell? Sure, DiZ did some horrible things to innocent people. So did the Organization. So why is the Organization the fun-loving group, the ones with all the "heart," ironically, while DiZ is the snarling manipulative tyrant that Riku and Namine only just barely tolerate? The Organization may be sympathetic, but last I checked, there was only one Demyx in the group. Everyone else was pretty damn bastardly (yes, including Roxas). And DiZ was no more bastardly than them.
Not only that, but DiZ apologized for his actions. Remember these lines? -->
- I must make amends to these young people.
- All my research amounted to nothing next to the heart of one boy.
- Roxas, I doubt you can hear me, but I am sorry.
Sure, apologies are just words, but that's more than most of the Organization did (with the exception of Axel, about kidnapping Kairi.)
So come on, fandom. Stop with the hate! If bashing is bad for KH females, it's bad for KH old dudes, too! I'm tired of peoples' personal bias turning these two characters into Evil Manipulative Nobody-Hating-Propaganda Machines, when NEITHER of them are that. It sucks hardcore to be a Nobody in the Organization, but that is NOT Yen Sid or DiZ's fault. And when you write Yen Sid or DiZ as brainwashing, manipulative bastards, then yes, it IS OOC. Yen Sid is too minor a character, and DiZ is too complex a character for such stigmas.
NO MORE HATRED OF FACIAL HAIR GUYS!
And besides, if nothing else, DiZ is worth a quick little smatter of fangirling for nothing more than CHRISTOPHER LEE YUM.