The Princess and her Knight
Well, hopefully you know why you're here.
If not - you might wanna check out the rest of the essay. This is the third part.
As it stands - this is the part about Sora and Kairi - and why their relationship is borderline nonexistent to me.
Sora/Kairi
Supposedly Kingdom Hearts' main and most important romantic couple, serving as one of the reasons why Sora did quite a bit of the things he did in the games and why he went through what he went through.
It only makes sense, right? Why would anyone do so much - if not for the ones he loves?
Well, true enough.
But does he really love Kairi in the sense a Knight is supposed to love his Princess? To hold and to cherish until Death does them part?
Let's find out.
I will take a moment then to clarify that while quite a few points in this article seem like bashing, they are not the result of me going "ne he he, Kairi is ugly!" and typing this.
As noted in the part about her - we hardly saw enough of her during the games for me to truly hate her as a person that much on such a petty level.
It is, however, the result of overwhelming frustration with how they treated both the character, her relationship with Sora, and Sora himself as a character as a result.
I apologize in advance and request that should some parts be "too much" for you, do let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Keep in mind however that while I might sound harsh I did my best to at least have basis to what I say
As always, for easy browsing -
The Beginning - Destiny Islands
Sora and Kairi's relationship is first presented, lo and behold, as early as Destiny Islands. We in fact see the two of them interact before we see anything else once Sora wakes up from his Destati (pun intended). They are presented as childhood friends, two thirds of a threesome they form along with Riku, which in turn makes half of the sixuette present on the island, along with Wakka, Tidus and Selphie.
There is quite a crucial error with this wonderful situation, however -
It isn't based in the least.
I'll explain.
Let's look at the relationships we have presented before us on the islands, keeping our attention mostly at the Happy Couple.
Once the sequence with Riku and Kairi is over (in which both Sora and Riku more or less left her to eat their dust), we're presented initially with a choice to speak to Kairi before investigating the rest of the Islands. It turns out we need to go out and collect supplies.
Problem - we don't know where to fetch them.
Upon speaking to Kairi again, we will be presented with three options.
The first and most tempting is for Sora to be macho (or the player to just having played the game before) and claim he knows where everything is. Kairi in response will give him a small pat on the head and send him off on his way.
Nice... only it gets worse from here on.
The second option is to ask the girl for a hint as to where the supplies might be. Should we choose that, Kairi will give us a hint - and more or less tell us, in not the most polite of ways, to get a clue.
That doesn't really leave a nice flavor in my mouth.
Onwards to the third option then, which has Sora declare shamelessly he hasn't said clue Kairi told him to get and he needs her to tell him where it is.
Ignoring for a moment that if the girl herself knew where everything was, why did we need to go look for it - let's see what Kairi herself does -
With a smile wide as her lips enable, the delicate Princess would reach out her gentle hand, wiggle her fingers... and rip Sora's Heart out a bit too early in the game before throwing it down on the sand and step on it with her heel.
She mocks him that badly when she has him run errands for her!
If that's the kind of treatment Sora receives from her, it's small wonder that right after we see both Sora and Kairi, we see Riku - coming in to defend Sora from Kairi!
Kairi insults Sora, hits him on the head and then mocks him after he just woke up - why shouldn't Riku come in later and tell it to her face she isn't better than Sora if not worse?
Quite a lovely basis for a romantic relationship indeed, I'd say, especially since the interaction we get to see beyond this is - "Hey Sora, let's go! Just the two of us!"
Leaving aside what I've discussed in the part about Kairi about her not understanding Sora and Riku's relationship, we kind of get a slap in the face as far as SoKai goes - Sora ditches her non too gracefully and seems highly uncomfortable at the mere offer - be it over leaving Riku behind - or being alone with Kairi. Either way, that line didn't seem to win her any points with him.
What I like the most about Destiny Islands is that I am, in fact, not the only one left unconvinced. Ho no. We need to remember one important thing - if something exists, it will exist in two manners - one is internally and that would be Sora and Kairi's own interaction. The second existence is - external. Namely - the way people perceive Sora and Kairi's own interaction.
Now there are two relationships Wakka, Tidus and Selphie mention when you talk to them without regarding the fights.
The first is, how unsurprising - Sora and Riku. Ironically - how that doesn't exist. Tidus asks Sora if he and Riku truly are friends, since it doesn't seem like that. I gotta hand it to him - he's a little bit right since Destiny Islands doesn't portray Riku and Sora as anything too special to each other.
On the other hand, we have the rest of the games for that, so I can forgive them.
The second relationship mentioned by the joyous threesome truly does involve Kairi... yet it hardly involves Sora.
"Good thing Kairi has Riku."
"Kairi could always count on Riku!"
"Just leave everything to Riku, not even you could beat him!"
At this point in Destiny Islands I grabbed the sides of my head and raged about not being warned from all the Riku/Kairi. And why? Because starting from Tidus, Selphie and Wakka, onwards through the race - who presented the alluring prise of sharing a Paopu with Kairi, and Riku, all mighty Riku downright thanking the girl, what we have presented on Destiny Islands is hardly Sora/Kairi.
It's one horrible case of Riku/Kairi, supported and acknowledged by the rest of their small group.
I dare say that one of the reasons Sora cares so much about Kairi later on is simple - he was worried about his best friend's girlfriend.
And why? Because he has enough of that relationship thrown in his face to have him believe it - be it true or not.
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The Visions
Once the Islands disappear and Sora gets thrown off - without really convincing me the redhead and the brunette are an item - Sora runs into visions of Kairi in all sorts of places. In Traverse Town, in Deep Jungle, and he hears her voice and even sees her Memories (Hollow Bastion, Traverse Town).
True - one might see this as concern; longing; a heartfelt wish to be reunited with his Loved One.
If this truly was so, however - why is it that every time Sora runs into Riku, Riku has to ask him - "Are you really trying to save her?"
And Sora hangs his head low, slumps his shoulders, and tries his hardest to sound remotely convincing despite his stuttered "Sure... I do..."
I, personally, was not convinced.
There is a solution, however. Sora reacts that way for a reason - just like he has a good reason to seeing her and hearing her and seeing her memories.
It's not longing or missing her or wanting to be with her and it certainly isn't Love if Destiny Islands is any indication.
Despite it being adorable, it's not as if he's hearing her from Worlds away because her Heart called out to his.
It did - but from very, very close by.
Kairi's Heart is inside Sora's own body, after all.
To show the importance of this fact I'll refer to one of the Secret Ansem Reports from KH2 where Ansem tries to explain Namine's hold over Sora's Memories. The explanation he comes up with is that while Kairi's Heart was inside Sora's body -
Her Heart directly interfered with Sora's Heart.
It's not like he even wanted to see her, really. It's just that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter but see her, hear her - and share her Memories.
To me, that was what pretty much killed the little SoKai interaction there was in the game up to that point... especially in light of what comes up ahead.
What more, this was the little interaction we get to see between them in all the game. What a wonderful main couple - not meeting even once. And to anyone who feels like going "Ah, but that's the point! Longing!" Reread the part about Destiny Islands please and tell me why those feelings should be so strong - after all, she hardly came out as someone overly important to him beyond a childhood friend.
I'll hop over to Neverland for a moment at Sora reminiscenting over Kairi - and remembering that even if he'll tell her he flew, she'll probably smack him on the head like she did at the start of the game and mock him for dreaming.
It hurts to see the expression on his face at that notion.
All in all, this relationship is horribly built during the first game - if in fact it is built at all past the "it's there because Disney said so!" phase.
That said, I'll now examine the one moment you can somehow yes say SoKai about in Kingdom Hearts 1 - and show that that too isn't as SoKai friendly as it might seem.
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Releasing the Heart and Falling to Darkness
Again, Kairi's Heart is inside Sora's body, messing with his own Heart. In order to get it out, Sora became a Heartless.
This is seemingly a wonderful, beautiful moment in which Sora wholly sacrifices himself in order to save his One and Only Lady Love.
I will now do what so few seem willing to do - and analyze not the events, not the relationships, not even any other character - but the main character himself, the one and only Keyblade Master, Sora.
Specifically - what he's been through up to that moment where he shoves the Keyblade of Darkness through his chest.
And turns.
Sora's Best Friend since birth can't wait to hurt him more - to repay him the suffering he claims Sora bestowed upon him.
It reaches a climax when Riku lands the finishing blow, deeming Sora a mere "Delivery Boy". He takes from Sora not only the Keyblade but Donald and Goofy too, making Sora fall to his knees.
A moment later, true enough, Sora retakes both the Keyblade and his friends -
But at the cost of making Riku his enemy for good, no chance of reconciliation. Forget coming along with him - Riku wants him out of his life if not dead.
Sora lost Riku to Maleficent, to the Darkness, and then to Xehanort's Heartless.
Kairi is still in a coma.
The Princesses are still trapped in Darkness.
The Keyhole to Darkness is about to go out of control and take the known universe with it.
And the Darkness just keeps getting stronger and stronger.
To put it simply -
Sora failed as the Keyblade Master.
So he'll get Kairi's Heart out of his body, bringing balance to the Keyhole of Darkness.
The other Princesses will be freed.
Kairi will wake up...
and he himself will fall to the same Darkness that claimed Riku, losing his Memories and Feelings on the way to become a Heartless.
The Ultimate Escape.
And who can really blame him when you remember that despite being the Keyblade Master, that despite being the Hero, that despite being the Light - Sora is still not only a human being - but also - a child.
And only the Princesses lack Darkness in their Hearts.
I find very little romance in this scene once I stop and smell the rose which is Sora.
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The Return from Darkness - The Heart Chosen by the Keyblade
Not only did I just say that no, Sora becoming a Heartless wasn't for Kaira's sake, now I also come and say that no, it's not because of intense, incredible Romantic Love that Sora came back from that Darkness.
Sora fell to the Darkness not to save Kairi, but to run away - for his own selfish sake, and because of everything Riku put him though.
I go further and say that there is an excellent reason as to why Kairi pulling Sora out of the Darkness isn't romance - it's plot.
Let's once again do something bizzare and look at Sora of all people. Look at what happens when he turns into a Heartless. You get to play him, you navigate around, and eventually -
You look for your friends.
Even after he fell to the Darkness, even as a Heartless - Sora remembers. He remembers his friends, he remembers his feelings towards them. He has enough of Sora to him that Kairi can recognize him when she sees him.
He might've fell to the Darkness, but he didn't lose to it.
Hencefor -
Sora can be brought back from the Darkness, and why? Simple -
Sora is the Heart Chosen by the Keyblade.
Had Sora truly fell to the Darkness... forget it all, lose all emotions... could Kairi really have known it was him? Could she truly have spotted him amongst the herds of Shadows out to get her?
Doubtful.
However, she knew it was Sora - because Sora retained his Self.
So we have a Heart capable of returning from Darkness, otherwise even with an army of Kairis, he'd have stayed a Heartless.
Then we have a Princess of Heart who's been in direct contact with Sora's Heart.
Once again the plot explains it all.
I say Belle could've done it. Or Alice, Sora knew Alice and seemed to care about her.
Jiminy said as much himself in Sora's Journal entry post this point, stating clearly that Kairi pulled Sora back thanks to her being a Princess of heart!
True, Belle and Alice would have had to go "Sora, look! Donald and Goofy! Kairi's over there! Remember your friends!" whereas Kairi would've been those friends herself.
But they'd have managed, for they're Princesses of Heart who can work as a group, dealing with the Heart Chosen By the Keyblade.
Kairi made the process go much faster - but she didn't base it, much less Sora's would be feelings of love towards her. Heck, Jiminy said it were her feelings towards Sora, but I never doubted that, did I?
Sora cares for her, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to save her at all - but it's hardly the kind of Love Disney would have us think he feels towards her, especially when you keep in mind that upon finding Kairi unconscious - he screamed at Ansem to give Riku back his Heart.
Kairis a childhood friend - nothing less... yet nothing more.
Especially when you look at what comes next.
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Saying Goodbye - Twice in a Row
"You sure I can't help?"
"I'm... pretty sure you'll get in my way."
That is how Sora effectively says Goodbye to Kairi before heading out to the final battle. He could've said he was worried for her; that it was dangerous; that he doesn't want her to get hurt.
Instead, he comes and tells her what I pretty much said in the Plot analysis in the part about Kairi as Kairi - that she's useless.
The whole set up for their parting is painted in a horribly negative light.
Small wonder then that Kairi has to take Sora's hand and shove the Thelesea necklace shell charm into his hand, milking that promise out of him.
And then they part.
And then comes the end of the game, in which Riku specifically tells Sora to take care of Kairi (he says her name in the Japanese version).
Sora comes, shakes Kairi's hand... and dashes off after Riku.
Even if you say it was out of concern to her, it doesn't add up with the rest of what I just wrote... and actually does add up with Sora believing that by fetching Riku - he'll be taking care of Kairi.
Destiny Islands, remember? Riku/Kairi and Sora possibly believing it.
They said it rather bluntly in the 2nd volume of the KH2 manga - where Sora says, and I quote from the volume resting in my lap -
"I promised Kairi I'd find Riku and bring him home"
It's either he promised Kairi to bring Riku back, or that they will come back, thus lowering the promise's worth as far as romance is concerned.
And that is how Sora sees his promise to Kairi at the end of KH1.
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Kingdom Hearts 1 - Conclusions
The basis for the relationship - Destiny Islands - is passable in 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.
Said 10 minutes base to us a couple - the wrong couple being Kairi with Riku and not Sora.
With all due respect to Sora saving Riku and Kairi, what we have specifically towards Kairi is pure plot circumstances - thus making it all circumstantial romance at best if at all.
And then I had to ask myself -
Why did Sora save just Riku and Kairi from his whole world?
Hm.
Interesting question.
Let's have a look.
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The One IslanD to rule them all
Once I got out of Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts 1, I screamed at Sora so much my throat hurt.
"You idiot brat, you whole world just disappeared. Why do you only care about Riku and Kairi?!"
And again, I'll remind you - Destiny Islands did not convince me Sora should care so much about Kairi.
And if you don't fight too much, you can believe Tidus when he says Sora and Riku don't seem that close too.
Why then, oh why, did Sora come and ask Leon specifically -
"What happened to my home? My Island? Riku... Kairi..."
Why them then?
When you reach that point in Kingdom Hearts 1, the following impression is left -
Need to save - Whole World. (Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Mother)
Actually saves - Riku, Kairi.
Out of all the people we know Sora cares about, he comes and says "I'll save Riku and Kairi".
It's all too easy assuming he says that because Riku and Kairi are the most important people to him.
But I just said why that doesn't sit too well with me, didn't I?
Take the first 10 minutes of Destiny Islands. Extend them to 20 and see how much interaction Sora has with Tidus, Selphie and Wakka outside the fights. It's amazing how from just that little you can precisely describe Sora's relationships with them since they're short but well based.
Tidus comes out more as Sora's best friend than Riku and somewhat rival while probably looking up to Sora on some level, thus he wants to prove himself to Sora who gets so close to Riku, the Islands' God.
Wakka, being older than Tidus and Selphie by three years and from Sora in one comes out as the 'spiritual teacher', giving Sora tips and taking the fights seriously while still enjoying himself with his friends.
And Selphie... Selphie gives Sora puppy eyes when she's talking about Paopus and "doing better than Tidus and Wakka" and then lets Sora see her undies if he knows where to stand.
You want me to honestly believe he won't save them? Or at least look for them? This threesome who, at the end of CoM stands next to Leon, Yuffie and Aerith when Sora remembers his friends. KH2 shows us exactly how important Leon and his people are to Sora.
Tidus, Selphie and Wakka are equally important; that important.
The other person we know exists on Destiny Islands is, quite oddly - Sora's mother.
Now despite how parents don't take that much of a role in the games, they do exist and are presented as a motive throughout the Disney worlds.
Simba and Mufasa; Jepeto and Pinnochio; Ariel and Triton; Mulan going off to save her family's honor.
Ironic then that the one world where the parents of the Square characters are mentioned is - Destiny Islands.
Tidus and Wakka are pleased with their parents being off the island so they can't bug them, but still think fondly of them when they're hungry.
Riku - Riku! - hesitates for a moment before falling to the Darkness!!! And why? Because "they might never see their parents again"!!!
Sora's mother is heard. Her existence is proved. The same mother whom even Riku acknowledges her importance - you want to tell me a 14 year old child who's never been away from home wouldn't want to save her? Or even look for her?
I don't buy it.
And yet Sora asks not about neither friends nor family.
Why?
Simple.
One thing that struck me while I was playing the series as a whole (1, CoM, 2) was a fairly obvious distinction once you know you need to look for it.
There is the IslanD. The one tiny IslanD where they are shown playing in KH1; the IslanD Sora returns to in his Memories in CoM; and the IslanD Kairi stands on when Axel comes around and Selphie wants to visit for old times' sake.
On the other hand, there is, as is the namesake - IslandS. The group of patches of land consisting of both Riku's tiny island, the IslanD, and the Maindland Selphie and Kairi are shown walking on in KH2. In other words - the World as a Whole.
These IslandS are mentioned in CoM (when Riku's Replica declares he won't go back to the IslandS), and in KH2.
In KH1, however, we only hear about the IslanD.
Sora asks specifically about his IslanD. One; singular; lonesome. You may say and you'll be correct that this is probably a translation mishap.
I will allow myself to remind you all that the Mainland was only vaugely referenced first in CoM and only clearly shown in KH2. In KH1 the existence of the Mainland was an assumption at best.
To add to that when Sora disappeared the small IslanD was torn up into the air in pieces and disappeared like that - Sora couldn't possibly see whatever happened to the Mainland!
And the Mainland was where Selphie, Tidus, Wakka and his Mother were on that late evening hour.
Kairi and Riku, however, are a different story.
Riku fell to the Darkness. Then Kairi disappeared. And only then did the World begin crumbling - Island first.
Then Sora disappeared, never bearing witness to the Mainland following not too far behind.
Sora never saw the Mainland disappear, thus never knew he had people to save from there!!!
Kairi and Riku are a different story then, since they disappeared before the main even began!
It's not that out of all the people he had to save, Sora chose to save just Riku and Kairi -
He didn't know he had other people to save!!!
Proof - he didn't know what happened to the Worlds taken by the Heartless until after Deep Jungle - when he came back to Traverse Town and Leon and Aerith told him - they disappeared.
By this point in the game Sora couldn't let himself worry about his entire world - he had too much on his mind, even if such a young boy could comprehand the concept of world.
Riku and Kairi, however, based themselves long before as need rescuing - Riku specifically.
I know, I know; this takes out a lot of value not only from how Sora sees Kairi, but also how he sees Riku.
Concidering, however, that in KH2 Sora comes and specifically deems Riku as his Best Friend and we all see what he goes through, I can forgive that.
Kairi, however, was lucky enough that Sora was the type to save even strangers - like Alice. So he just went on and saved a childhood friend, too.
That wraps things up around KH1.
Onwards then to KH2 and three scenes I personally could've slept much better at night without. They do show, however, exactly how horribly made this relationship is.
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Kingdom Hearts 2
The Fall to the Knees
Following the epic battle against 1000 Heartless which cost many of us wrists, thumbs and controllers, Saix so calmly comes to Sora and just about tells him he'll take him to see Kairi. Sora, in response, gets down on his knees and begs.
Allegedly we have yet another amazing, undeniable SoKai scene which should had made it impossible to go against the couple.
However, I am here, doing just that. Remember how I explained Sora turning into a Heartless in KH1? Right. Flashback mode!!! ~~~~
So we've been through a whole round of Worlds and got to Twilight Town. Saix declares rather happily that if Sora doesn't take care, he'll "end up like Riku".
Everyone give a nice big warm welcome to the beginning of Sora's panic attack.
It is on top of this that we learn Kairi was kidnapped yet again - yet another in a long line of events where concern towards Kairi is explained by already existing concern Riku brought forth - just like when he turned into a Heartless in KH1. Riku came first, Kairi was just there afterwards. This isn't the last time we'll see this happening.
And just to show exactly how broken Sora is, we catch a glimpse of him taking the passenger's seat for a moment as Roxas looks at the sun through the small blue orb with Hayner, Pence and Olette.
Splendid.
We move along from here to Hollow Bastion and meet Mickey - just about the greatest Hope we have to finding Riku. That too ends in quite a disappointment. Sora goes then as far as to vent at Xehanort's portrait, blaming him for everything and anything.
What a better time then to present him with thousands of Heartless to physically vent on... least they'll turn Hollow Bastion to Nothing.
Now on a little side note - remember I said Tidus, Selphie and Wakka are on the same level as Leon and his gang? Well, that very same gang, when in danger, made Sora comes and say - Riku, Kairi... wait. There're other friends to save first.
Still think he shouldn't have cared about Tidus, Selphie and Wakka under normal circumstances?
This actually has relevance to the topic at hand as well.
Sora tells Riku and Kairi to wait, but Mickey disagrees. Sora won't fight. And Sora, in response, looks as miserable as that time's graphics could have him shown.
A moment later then Goofy and Donald disobey orders and they head out to meet Demyx, who calls Roxas a traitor.
All the more impact on Sora then who just told the friends he should be worried about to wait. Sora is portrayed as having betrayed his best friends, which we can see exactly how deep it cut when Sora goes berserk and just wants to beat up more of the Organization once Demyx disappeared.
And then Goofy dies.
He comes back to life two minutes later, true, but Sora still seems upset about it. Understandable - that sort of hurt doesn't just go away.
We move from here on out to get worn out physically to the point there's a tiny scene discussing it and then charge at Xemnas, Keyblades blazing, Sora all but ready to beat the Nobody to a bloody pulp until he hears something about Riku and Kairi... only to have it thrown in his face that -
Mickey is a filthy liar.
Not only does Mickey know quite well where Riku is and what happened to him he goes on and disappears a moment later - along with Xemnas.
Then we have Axel and Saix and Sora goes down to his knees.
Those of you who know the scene well will know I left something out, and that something is so important it's borderline incomprehensible.
Rewind to before Axel and Saix.
Just after Mickey and Xemnas disappear.
Sora lost his one and only lead to Riku, and he falls to the ground on his ass with choked tears, repeatedly slamming his fist against the ground.
Goofy had to go and stop him least he smashed his hand.
Yet another magnificent example to a SoKai moment that comes as a direct follow up to a scene decipiting Sora and Riku's relationship.
It's not that Sora wanted that desperately to save Kairi that he'll do anything for her.
Look at him - he couldn't even call his Keyblade anymore against Saix, unlike against Xemnas.
He lost everything when Xemnas and Mickey disappeared - everything.
So here comes Saix and offers him something.
It doesn't matter it's Kairi. She, after all, wasn't the one who brought Sora crashing on the ground and slamming his fist against it. Not here, not in KH1's Hollow Bastion ("Delivery Boy")
She was just something he could salvage and then stop worrying about her.
Small wonder he reacts the way he does towards her when they finally do meet again.
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The Heartfelt Reunion
There's much to be desired when dealing with the scene in which Sora and Kairi meet again in the World that Never Was. Sora comes out as a bit chilly. He keeps his distance, and sounds a bit... displeased, I might say. "You have changed, Kairi... but I'm just glad you're here". Doesn't sound happy about what happened to her, I'd say.
And then we have his reaction to the hug. It takes him quite a long while before he feels enough at ease to move, hugging her back simply because he doesn't really have a choice.
And then he breaks the hug, and for what?
Xehanort. The same Xehanort he leashed out at in Hollow Bastion, the same one he has every reason to hate and loath and whose neck would fit nicely between Sora's gloved hands.
Xehanort, and for him he broke the hug with his Lady Love.
Quite odd, wouldn't you say? Especially since even in light of him protecting Kairi, Sora should be suspicious towards him, should be cautious. He should try and protect Kairi, not keep her at an arm's length with his hand on her shoulder.
One could explain this as him realizing on some level this is Riku he's dealing with - but that would mean he broke the hug for Riku's sake, thus putting Riku above Kairi in priority.
You could say he had more reasons to worry about Riku at the moment seeing how Kairi was safe, but in a way, the opposite is true. He didn't know what happened to Riku, but knew Kairi was in enemy hands. He should've been much more relieved to see her.
Also, if they truly wanted to form the whole "Riku - best friend, Kairi - romantic interest" threesome, they truly should've came on the same level unless Kairi had won over Riku. What we have here is the opposite.
And let's have a look at how Sora reacts towards Riku, shall we?
Or, for that notion - Namine.
For the both of them, he was the one who came to them. He was the one that held on with both hands and refused to let go. He was the one that grinned idiotically at being reunited with the people he cares for.
Forget romantic interest, when you compare his reactions, Kairi doesn't even come close!
That said, I will now move to the final rant about SoKai (yes yes, I can hear you cheering, you knew it would be this long! Be quiet.)
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RokuNami/SoKai
Ah yes. The scene in which both Namine and Roxas magically pop into Existence, plot their continued Existence through Sora and Kairi, and disappear into their respective Somebodies.
What I want us to focus on is this specific moment in which the conversation comes to a conclusion.
I don't know about you, but Sora doesn't come off as overly pleased with the whole thing. And why should he be? Roxas and Namine, two complete strangers whom he never met or doesn't remember talked between themselves about existing through Sora and Kairi, and then Kairi agreed for the both of them.
Sora for the most part just stared at the air with his mouth hanging a bit open in confusion.
So he'll go along with Kairi saying they'll meet each other every day... but hey! That's what they did back on Destiny Islands, isn't it?! Childhood friends do as Childhood friends are. This doesn't have to mean anything romantic from Sora's side.
How lovely it is then that he's willing to break this and any other Promise he gave Kairi along the way not too long afterwards when both him and Riku are in the Realm of Darkness. And need I remind you, Riku is a prime example of how you can get out of there if you want to badly enough; guess Sora and Riku didn't really want to get away from there, agreeing to become the Darkness.
And thus never see Kairi again let alone every day.
Or come back to the Islands with Riku as was his promise to Kairi at the end of KH1.
Or give her back the Oathkeerp's amulet.
There're two far more crucial aspects to this scene that pissed me off, however, and they are -
1. Saying that if at any point in time we will get to see SoKai, it won't be because of Sora's feelings towards Kairi. Namine said as much herself back in Chain of Memories - Once Sora forgets about her, the Feelings attached to these Memories won't disappear. They will have to find an anchoring point and Kairi will become that anchoring point, seeing how Namine is supposed to be her Shadow. Leaving aside the fact this didn't seem to happen in KH2 (otherwise why did I have so much to rant on?), they are actually saying -
Sora doesn't love Kairi, he loves Namine, but Namine isn't around so he'll take Kairi. (Hold your horses, SoNami part after this, alright?)
This scene with Roxas and Namine goes even further - not only Sora, but Roxas prefers Namine too! We've already seen on numerous occasions how Roxas's feelings and thoughts affect Sora, so now we have SoKai not only basing on SoNami, but on RokuNami as well! Ironically, that on itself can be explained by SoNami!
The greatest irony of all though is that if indeed SoKai will become official, it will be the undying proof that SoNami exists too, for that - and its variation of RokuNami - are what current day SoKai is based on.
The next part of the essay being SoNami is where I explain why I don't consider SoKai to be basis for SoNami, so I'm afraid I will have to ask you not to bring that up.
2. Everything that was sacrificed on the alter of SoKai.
Just look at all the concepts that were wasted on that one specific scene, and for a moment I won't give much of a damn about the existence of the novels. Just because it exists somewhere in the KH universe doesn't excuse it lacking here - a partial piece still went through the process of having the pieces shown chosen. It's their fault for choosing to show these parts and not others.
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Conclusions
A lot of people tell me I dislike SoKai because I dislike Kairi. Putting aside that I think I proved I've more than enough legitimate reasons to disapprove of her, Just looking at the mere length of this post makes me think that damn, there's something wrong with how this relationship is built. Not only does it defy logic and comes on account of many other, better concepts, it also just about cancels Sora as a character to come and say he's the brainless Hero who'd do everything for his Princess - especially when Riku seems far better at filling that role than Kairi with how Sora chases him in KH2.
One of the things that left a horrible after taste in my mouth about SoKai is that they seem quite content with having us accept it as a fact, part of the status quo in the game. Save for one single flashback we don't know anything about Sora and Kairi's relationship, and come on - who can really base any sort of relationship let alone such an intense romantic one on a couple of children so far away from the mere concept of Romance sitting in a cave and drawing on the walls?
In the games themselves she's either in a coma and away from Sora (KH1), gets kidnapped after over a year of not coming into contact with Sora (KH2), and downright not existing in the universe (CoM).
I'm not saying SoRiku romantically. But it is an excellent example of how a good relationship is built - the amount of interaction between Sora and Riku in KH1 is astounding and comes to a conclusion in a flashback scene that was added in KH:FM before they close the door, showing Sora and Riku friendship moments from since they were infants to current day, making you say "ah... they really are best friends" a moment before Sora leaves Kairi so he can go after Riku.
CoM is actually a glimpse at Riku's side of the story, showing us his guilt and regret and his will to make it up to Sora. We never get to see anything of this sort for Kairi at all, let alone in regards to Sora.
And of course, in KH2 where Sora is busy saving the universe and Kairi is a mere milestone on the way to it, as compared to Riku whose rescue/retrieval is Sora's initial and prime objective.
That gives us, if nothing else - the ability to take Sora's relationship with Riku, put it up against other relationships in the game, and say "wow... they really are something."
Kairi doesn't get compared to anyone, not even Tidus, Selphie and Wakka. I can't even honestly say she's "special" in regards to the other Destiny Islands kids because we didn't see enough of her interaction with Sora there - or alternatively, between Tidus, Selphie and Wakka with anyone - to say "yeah, he wants her".
How am I supposed to believe something like that, especially in light of everything else that went on, specifically in KH2?
...wait a minute, I don't.
Why don't we move on to what I do believe in then?
If not - you might wanna check out the rest of the essay. This is the third part.
As it stands - this is the part about Sora and Kairi - and why their relationship is borderline nonexistent to me.
- Introduction
- Kairi
- Namine
- Sora/Kairi (You are Here)
- Sora/Namine
- The Promises (Because these deserve their own sub-topic)
- What She Made Him Promise (Sora/Kairi)
- What He Promised to Her (Sora/Namine)
- Riku, Sora, and the Girls
- SoRiKai
- SoRiNami
Sora/Kairi
Supposedly Kingdom Hearts' main and most important romantic couple, serving as one of the reasons why Sora did quite a bit of the things he did in the games and why he went through what he went through.
It only makes sense, right? Why would anyone do so much - if not for the ones he loves?
Well, true enough.
But does he really love Kairi in the sense a Knight is supposed to love his Princess? To hold and to cherish until Death does them part?
Let's find out.
I will take a moment then to clarify that while quite a few points in this article seem like bashing, they are not the result of me going "ne he he, Kairi is ugly!" and typing this.
As noted in the part about her - we hardly saw enough of her during the games for me to truly hate her as a person that much on such a petty level.
It is, however, the result of overwhelming frustration with how they treated both the character, her relationship with Sora, and Sora himself as a character as a result.
I apologize in advance and request that should some parts be "too much" for you, do let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Keep in mind however that while I might sound harsh I did my best to at least have basis to what I say
As always, for easy browsing -
- Kingdom Hearts 1
- The Beginning - Destiny Islands
- The Visions
- Releasing the Heart and Falling into Darkness
- The Return from Darkness - The Heart Chosen by the Keyblade
- Saying Goodbye - Twice in a Row
- Kingdom Hearts 1 - Conclusions
- The One IslanD to Rule Them All
- Kingdom Hearts 2
- Conclusions
The Beginning - Destiny Islands
Sora and Kairi's relationship is first presented, lo and behold, as early as Destiny Islands. We in fact see the two of them interact before we see anything else once Sora wakes up from his Destati (pun intended). They are presented as childhood friends, two thirds of a threesome they form along with Riku, which in turn makes half of the sixuette present on the island, along with Wakka, Tidus and Selphie.
There is quite a crucial error with this wonderful situation, however -
It isn't based in the least.
I'll explain.
Let's look at the relationships we have presented before us on the islands, keeping our attention mostly at the Happy Couple.
Once the sequence with Riku and Kairi is over (in which both Sora and Riku more or less left her to eat their dust), we're presented initially with a choice to speak to Kairi before investigating the rest of the Islands. It turns out we need to go out and collect supplies.
Problem - we don't know where to fetch them.
Upon speaking to Kairi again, we will be presented with three options.
The first and most tempting is for Sora to be macho (or the player to just having played the game before) and claim he knows where everything is. Kairi in response will give him a small pat on the head and send him off on his way.
Nice... only it gets worse from here on.
The second option is to ask the girl for a hint as to where the supplies might be. Should we choose that, Kairi will give us a hint - and more or less tell us, in not the most polite of ways, to get a clue.
That doesn't really leave a nice flavor in my mouth.
Onwards to the third option then, which has Sora declare shamelessly he hasn't said clue Kairi told him to get and he needs her to tell him where it is.
Ignoring for a moment that if the girl herself knew where everything was, why did we need to go look for it - let's see what Kairi herself does -
With a smile wide as her lips enable, the delicate Princess would reach out her gentle hand, wiggle her fingers... and rip Sora's Heart out a bit too early in the game before throwing it down on the sand and step on it with her heel.
She mocks him that badly when she has him run errands for her!
If that's the kind of treatment Sora receives from her, it's small wonder that right after we see both Sora and Kairi, we see Riku - coming in to defend Sora from Kairi!
Kairi insults Sora, hits him on the head and then mocks him after he just woke up - why shouldn't Riku come in later and tell it to her face she isn't better than Sora if not worse?
Quite a lovely basis for a romantic relationship indeed, I'd say, especially since the interaction we get to see beyond this is - "Hey Sora, let's go! Just the two of us!"
Leaving aside what I've discussed in the part about Kairi about her not understanding Sora and Riku's relationship, we kind of get a slap in the face as far as SoKai goes - Sora ditches her non too gracefully and seems highly uncomfortable at the mere offer - be it over leaving Riku behind - or being alone with Kairi. Either way, that line didn't seem to win her any points with him.
What I like the most about Destiny Islands is that I am, in fact, not the only one left unconvinced. Ho no. We need to remember one important thing - if something exists, it will exist in two manners - one is internally and that would be Sora and Kairi's own interaction. The second existence is - external. Namely - the way people perceive Sora and Kairi's own interaction.
Now there are two relationships Wakka, Tidus and Selphie mention when you talk to them without regarding the fights.
The first is, how unsurprising - Sora and Riku. Ironically - how that doesn't exist. Tidus asks Sora if he and Riku truly are friends, since it doesn't seem like that. I gotta hand it to him - he's a little bit right since Destiny Islands doesn't portray Riku and Sora as anything too special to each other.
On the other hand, we have the rest of the games for that, so I can forgive them.
The second relationship mentioned by the joyous threesome truly does involve Kairi... yet it hardly involves Sora.
"Good thing Kairi has Riku."
"Kairi could always count on Riku!"
"Just leave everything to Riku, not even you could beat him!"
At this point in Destiny Islands I grabbed the sides of my head and raged about not being warned from all the Riku/Kairi. And why? Because starting from Tidus, Selphie and Wakka, onwards through the race - who presented the alluring prise of sharing a Paopu with Kairi, and Riku, all mighty Riku downright thanking the girl, what we have presented on Destiny Islands is hardly Sora/Kairi.
It's one horrible case of Riku/Kairi, supported and acknowledged by the rest of their small group.
I dare say that one of the reasons Sora cares so much about Kairi later on is simple - he was worried about his best friend's girlfriend.
And why? Because he has enough of that relationship thrown in his face to have him believe it - be it true or not.
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The Visions
Once the Islands disappear and Sora gets thrown off - without really convincing me the redhead and the brunette are an item - Sora runs into visions of Kairi in all sorts of places. In Traverse Town, in Deep Jungle, and he hears her voice and even sees her Memories (Hollow Bastion, Traverse Town).
True - one might see this as concern; longing; a heartfelt wish to be reunited with his Loved One.
If this truly was so, however - why is it that every time Sora runs into Riku, Riku has to ask him - "Are you really trying to save her?"
And Sora hangs his head low, slumps his shoulders, and tries his hardest to sound remotely convincing despite his stuttered "Sure... I do..."
I, personally, was not convinced.
There is a solution, however. Sora reacts that way for a reason - just like he has a good reason to seeing her and hearing her and seeing her memories.
It's not longing or missing her or wanting to be with her and it certainly isn't Love if Destiny Islands is any indication.
Despite it being adorable, it's not as if he's hearing her from Worlds away because her Heart called out to his.
It did - but from very, very close by.
Kairi's Heart is inside Sora's own body, after all.
To show the importance of this fact I'll refer to one of the Secret Ansem Reports from KH2 where Ansem tries to explain Namine's hold over Sora's Memories. The explanation he comes up with is that while Kairi's Heart was inside Sora's body -
Her Heart directly interfered with Sora's Heart.
It's not like he even wanted to see her, really. It's just that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter but see her, hear her - and share her Memories.
To me, that was what pretty much killed the little SoKai interaction there was in the game up to that point... especially in light of what comes up ahead.
What more, this was the little interaction we get to see between them in all the game. What a wonderful main couple - not meeting even once. And to anyone who feels like going "Ah, but that's the point! Longing!" Reread the part about Destiny Islands please and tell me why those feelings should be so strong - after all, she hardly came out as someone overly important to him beyond a childhood friend.
I'll hop over to Neverland for a moment at Sora reminiscenting over Kairi - and remembering that even if he'll tell her he flew, she'll probably smack him on the head like she did at the start of the game and mock him for dreaming.
It hurts to see the expression on his face at that notion.
All in all, this relationship is horribly built during the first game - if in fact it is built at all past the "it's there because Disney said so!" phase.
That said, I'll now examine the one moment you can somehow yes say SoKai about in Kingdom Hearts 1 - and show that that too isn't as SoKai friendly as it might seem.
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Releasing the Heart and Falling to Darkness
Again, Kairi's Heart is inside Sora's body, messing with his own Heart. In order to get it out, Sora became a Heartless.
This is seemingly a wonderful, beautiful moment in which Sora wholly sacrifices himself in order to save his One and Only Lady Love.
I will now do what so few seem willing to do - and analyze not the events, not the relationships, not even any other character - but the main character himself, the one and only Keyblade Master, Sora.
Specifically - what he's been through up to that moment where he shoves the Keyblade of Darkness through his chest.
- A whole tour of all the Worlds in which he had Heartless coming after him in any given moment - interstellar travel included.
- More and more people lose their Hearts and become Heartless.
- The Princesses are kidnapped all over, and then some more girls in case they're Princesses (like Wendy)
- Each and every single friend he made on his journey - hurting, tired, emotionally wounded, lost, in pain.
And turns.
Sora's Best Friend since birth can't wait to hurt him more - to repay him the suffering he claims Sora bestowed upon him.
It reaches a climax when Riku lands the finishing blow, deeming Sora a mere "Delivery Boy". He takes from Sora not only the Keyblade but Donald and Goofy too, making Sora fall to his knees.
A moment later, true enough, Sora retakes both the Keyblade and his friends -
But at the cost of making Riku his enemy for good, no chance of reconciliation. Forget coming along with him - Riku wants him out of his life if not dead.
Sora lost Riku to Maleficent, to the Darkness, and then to Xehanort's Heartless.
Kairi is still in a coma.
The Princesses are still trapped in Darkness.
The Keyhole to Darkness is about to go out of control and take the known universe with it.
And the Darkness just keeps getting stronger and stronger.
To put it simply -
Sora failed as the Keyblade Master.
So he'll get Kairi's Heart out of his body, bringing balance to the Keyhole of Darkness.
The other Princesses will be freed.
Kairi will wake up...
and he himself will fall to the same Darkness that claimed Riku, losing his Memories and Feelings on the way to become a Heartless.
The Ultimate Escape.
And who can really blame him when you remember that despite being the Keyblade Master, that despite being the Hero, that despite being the Light - Sora is still not only a human being - but also - a child.
And only the Princesses lack Darkness in their Hearts.
I find very little romance in this scene once I stop and smell the rose which is Sora.
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The Return from Darkness - The Heart Chosen by the Keyblade
Not only did I just say that no, Sora becoming a Heartless wasn't for Kaira's sake, now I also come and say that no, it's not because of intense, incredible Romantic Love that Sora came back from that Darkness.
Sora fell to the Darkness not to save Kairi, but to run away - for his own selfish sake, and because of everything Riku put him though.
I go further and say that there is an excellent reason as to why Kairi pulling Sora out of the Darkness isn't romance - it's plot.
Let's once again do something bizzare and look at Sora of all people. Look at what happens when he turns into a Heartless. You get to play him, you navigate around, and eventually -
You look for your friends.
Even after he fell to the Darkness, even as a Heartless - Sora remembers. He remembers his friends, he remembers his feelings towards them. He has enough of Sora to him that Kairi can recognize him when she sees him.
He might've fell to the Darkness, but he didn't lose to it.
Hencefor -
Sora can be brought back from the Darkness, and why? Simple -
Sora is the Heart Chosen by the Keyblade.
Had Sora truly fell to the Darkness... forget it all, lose all emotions... could Kairi really have known it was him? Could she truly have spotted him amongst the herds of Shadows out to get her?
Doubtful.
However, she knew it was Sora - because Sora retained his Self.
So we have a Heart capable of returning from Darkness, otherwise even with an army of Kairis, he'd have stayed a Heartless.
Then we have a Princess of Heart who's been in direct contact with Sora's Heart.
Once again the plot explains it all.
I say Belle could've done it. Or Alice, Sora knew Alice and seemed to care about her.
Jiminy said as much himself in Sora's Journal entry post this point, stating clearly that Kairi pulled Sora back thanks to her being a Princess of heart!
True, Belle and Alice would have had to go "Sora, look! Donald and Goofy! Kairi's over there! Remember your friends!" whereas Kairi would've been those friends herself.
But they'd have managed, for they're Princesses of Heart who can work as a group, dealing with the Heart Chosen By the Keyblade.
Kairi made the process go much faster - but she didn't base it, much less Sora's would be feelings of love towards her. Heck, Jiminy said it were her feelings towards Sora, but I never doubted that, did I?
Sora cares for her, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to save her at all - but it's hardly the kind of Love Disney would have us think he feels towards her, especially when you keep in mind that upon finding Kairi unconscious - he screamed at Ansem to give Riku back his Heart.
Kairis a childhood friend - nothing less... yet nothing more.
Especially when you look at what comes next.
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Saying Goodbye - Twice in a Row
"You sure I can't help?"
"I'm... pretty sure you'll get in my way."
That is how Sora effectively says Goodbye to Kairi before heading out to the final battle. He could've said he was worried for her; that it was dangerous; that he doesn't want her to get hurt.
Instead, he comes and tells her what I pretty much said in the Plot analysis in the part about Kairi as Kairi - that she's useless.
The whole set up for their parting is painted in a horribly negative light.
Small wonder then that Kairi has to take Sora's hand and shove the Thelesea necklace shell charm into his hand, milking that promise out of him.
And then they part.
And then comes the end of the game, in which Riku specifically tells Sora to take care of Kairi (he says her name in the Japanese version).
Sora comes, shakes Kairi's hand... and dashes off after Riku.
Even if you say it was out of concern to her, it doesn't add up with the rest of what I just wrote... and actually does add up with Sora believing that by fetching Riku - he'll be taking care of Kairi.
Destiny Islands, remember? Riku/Kairi and Sora possibly believing it.
They said it rather bluntly in the 2nd volume of the KH2 manga - where Sora says, and I quote from the volume resting in my lap -
"I promised Kairi I'd find Riku and bring him home"
It's either he promised Kairi to bring Riku back, or that they will come back, thus lowering the promise's worth as far as romance is concerned.
And that is how Sora sees his promise to Kairi at the end of KH1.
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Kingdom Hearts 1 - Conclusions
The basis for the relationship - Destiny Islands - is passable in 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.
Said 10 minutes base to us a couple - the wrong couple being Kairi with Riku and not Sora.
With all due respect to Sora saving Riku and Kairi, what we have specifically towards Kairi is pure plot circumstances - thus making it all circumstantial romance at best if at all.
And then I had to ask myself -
Why did Sora save just Riku and Kairi from his whole world?
Hm.
Interesting question.
Let's have a look.
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The One IslanD to rule them all
Once I got out of Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts 1, I screamed at Sora so much my throat hurt.
"You idiot brat, you whole world just disappeared. Why do you only care about Riku and Kairi?!"
And again, I'll remind you - Destiny Islands did not convince me Sora should care so much about Kairi.
And if you don't fight too much, you can believe Tidus when he says Sora and Riku don't seem that close too.
Why then, oh why, did Sora come and ask Leon specifically -
"What happened to my home? My Island? Riku... Kairi..."
Why them then?
When you reach that point in Kingdom Hearts 1, the following impression is left -
Need to save - Whole World. (Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Mother)
Actually saves - Riku, Kairi.
Out of all the people we know Sora cares about, he comes and says "I'll save Riku and Kairi".
It's all too easy assuming he says that because Riku and Kairi are the most important people to him.
But I just said why that doesn't sit too well with me, didn't I?
Take the first 10 minutes of Destiny Islands. Extend them to 20 and see how much interaction Sora has with Tidus, Selphie and Wakka outside the fights. It's amazing how from just that little you can precisely describe Sora's relationships with them since they're short but well based.
Tidus comes out more as Sora's best friend than Riku and somewhat rival while probably looking up to Sora on some level, thus he wants to prove himself to Sora who gets so close to Riku, the Islands' God.
Wakka, being older than Tidus and Selphie by three years and from Sora in one comes out as the 'spiritual teacher', giving Sora tips and taking the fights seriously while still enjoying himself with his friends.
And Selphie... Selphie gives Sora puppy eyes when she's talking about Paopus and "doing better than Tidus and Wakka" and then lets Sora see her undies if he knows where to stand.
You want me to honestly believe he won't save them? Or at least look for them? This threesome who, at the end of CoM stands next to Leon, Yuffie and Aerith when Sora remembers his friends. KH2 shows us exactly how important Leon and his people are to Sora.
Tidus, Selphie and Wakka are equally important; that important.
The other person we know exists on Destiny Islands is, quite oddly - Sora's mother.
Now despite how parents don't take that much of a role in the games, they do exist and are presented as a motive throughout the Disney worlds.
Simba and Mufasa; Jepeto and Pinnochio; Ariel and Triton; Mulan going off to save her family's honor.
Ironic then that the one world where the parents of the Square characters are mentioned is - Destiny Islands.
Tidus and Wakka are pleased with their parents being off the island so they can't bug them, but still think fondly of them when they're hungry.
Riku - Riku! - hesitates for a moment before falling to the Darkness!!! And why? Because "they might never see their parents again"!!!
Sora's mother is heard. Her existence is proved. The same mother whom even Riku acknowledges her importance - you want to tell me a 14 year old child who's never been away from home wouldn't want to save her? Or even look for her?
I don't buy it.
And yet Sora asks not about neither friends nor family.
Why?
Simple.
One thing that struck me while I was playing the series as a whole (1, CoM, 2) was a fairly obvious distinction once you know you need to look for it.
There is the IslanD. The one tiny IslanD where they are shown playing in KH1; the IslanD Sora returns to in his Memories in CoM; and the IslanD Kairi stands on when Axel comes around and Selphie wants to visit for old times' sake.
On the other hand, there is, as is the namesake - IslandS. The group of patches of land consisting of both Riku's tiny island, the IslanD, and the Maindland Selphie and Kairi are shown walking on in KH2. In other words - the World as a Whole.
These IslandS are mentioned in CoM (when Riku's Replica declares he won't go back to the IslandS), and in KH2.
In KH1, however, we only hear about the IslanD.
Sora asks specifically about his IslanD. One; singular; lonesome. You may say and you'll be correct that this is probably a translation mishap.
I will allow myself to remind you all that the Mainland was only vaugely referenced first in CoM and only clearly shown in KH2. In KH1 the existence of the Mainland was an assumption at best.
To add to that when Sora disappeared the small IslanD was torn up into the air in pieces and disappeared like that - Sora couldn't possibly see whatever happened to the Mainland!
And the Mainland was where Selphie, Tidus, Wakka and his Mother were on that late evening hour.
Kairi and Riku, however, are a different story.
Riku fell to the Darkness. Then Kairi disappeared. And only then did the World begin crumbling - Island first.
Then Sora disappeared, never bearing witness to the Mainland following not too far behind.
Sora never saw the Mainland disappear, thus never knew he had people to save from there!!!
Kairi and Riku are a different story then, since they disappeared before the main even began!
It's not that out of all the people he had to save, Sora chose to save just Riku and Kairi -
He didn't know he had other people to save!!!
Proof - he didn't know what happened to the Worlds taken by the Heartless until after Deep Jungle - when he came back to Traverse Town and Leon and Aerith told him - they disappeared.
By this point in the game Sora couldn't let himself worry about his entire world - he had too much on his mind, even if such a young boy could comprehand the concept of world.
Riku and Kairi, however, based themselves long before as need rescuing - Riku specifically.
I know, I know; this takes out a lot of value not only from how Sora sees Kairi, but also how he sees Riku.
Concidering, however, that in KH2 Sora comes and specifically deems Riku as his Best Friend and we all see what he goes through, I can forgive that.
Kairi, however, was lucky enough that Sora was the type to save even strangers - like Alice. So he just went on and saved a childhood friend, too.
That wraps things up around KH1.
Onwards then to KH2 and three scenes I personally could've slept much better at night without. They do show, however, exactly how horribly made this relationship is.
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Kingdom Hearts 2
The Fall to the Knees
Following the epic battle against 1000 Heartless which cost many of us wrists, thumbs and controllers, Saix so calmly comes to Sora and just about tells him he'll take him to see Kairi. Sora, in response, gets down on his knees and begs.
Allegedly we have yet another amazing, undeniable SoKai scene which should had made it impossible to go against the couple.
However, I am here, doing just that. Remember how I explained Sora turning into a Heartless in KH1? Right. Flashback mode!!! ~~~~
So we've been through a whole round of Worlds and got to Twilight Town. Saix declares rather happily that if Sora doesn't take care, he'll "end up like Riku".
Everyone give a nice big warm welcome to the beginning of Sora's panic attack.
It is on top of this that we learn Kairi was kidnapped yet again - yet another in a long line of events where concern towards Kairi is explained by already existing concern Riku brought forth - just like when he turned into a Heartless in KH1. Riku came first, Kairi was just there afterwards. This isn't the last time we'll see this happening.
And just to show exactly how broken Sora is, we catch a glimpse of him taking the passenger's seat for a moment as Roxas looks at the sun through the small blue orb with Hayner, Pence and Olette.
Splendid.
We move along from here to Hollow Bastion and meet Mickey - just about the greatest Hope we have to finding Riku. That too ends in quite a disappointment. Sora goes then as far as to vent at Xehanort's portrait, blaming him for everything and anything.
What a better time then to present him with thousands of Heartless to physically vent on... least they'll turn Hollow Bastion to Nothing.
Now on a little side note - remember I said Tidus, Selphie and Wakka are on the same level as Leon and his gang? Well, that very same gang, when in danger, made Sora comes and say - Riku, Kairi... wait. There're other friends to save first.
Still think he shouldn't have cared about Tidus, Selphie and Wakka under normal circumstances?
This actually has relevance to the topic at hand as well.
Sora tells Riku and Kairi to wait, but Mickey disagrees. Sora won't fight. And Sora, in response, looks as miserable as that time's graphics could have him shown.
A moment later then Goofy and Donald disobey orders and they head out to meet Demyx, who calls Roxas a traitor.
All the more impact on Sora then who just told the friends he should be worried about to wait. Sora is portrayed as having betrayed his best friends, which we can see exactly how deep it cut when Sora goes berserk and just wants to beat up more of the Organization once Demyx disappeared.
And then Goofy dies.
He comes back to life two minutes later, true, but Sora still seems upset about it. Understandable - that sort of hurt doesn't just go away.
We move from here on out to get worn out physically to the point there's a tiny scene discussing it and then charge at Xemnas, Keyblades blazing, Sora all but ready to beat the Nobody to a bloody pulp until he hears something about Riku and Kairi... only to have it thrown in his face that -
Mickey is a filthy liar.
Not only does Mickey know quite well where Riku is and what happened to him he goes on and disappears a moment later - along with Xemnas.
Then we have Axel and Saix and Sora goes down to his knees.
Those of you who know the scene well will know I left something out, and that something is so important it's borderline incomprehensible.
Rewind to before Axel and Saix.
Just after Mickey and Xemnas disappear.
Sora lost his one and only lead to Riku, and he falls to the ground on his ass with choked tears, repeatedly slamming his fist against the ground.
Goofy had to go and stop him least he smashed his hand.
Yet another magnificent example to a SoKai moment that comes as a direct follow up to a scene decipiting Sora and Riku's relationship.
It's not that Sora wanted that desperately to save Kairi that he'll do anything for her.
Look at him - he couldn't even call his Keyblade anymore against Saix, unlike against Xemnas.
He lost everything when Xemnas and Mickey disappeared - everything.
So here comes Saix and offers him something.
It doesn't matter it's Kairi. She, after all, wasn't the one who brought Sora crashing on the ground and slamming his fist against it. Not here, not in KH1's Hollow Bastion ("Delivery Boy")
She was just something he could salvage and then stop worrying about her.
Small wonder he reacts the way he does towards her when they finally do meet again.
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The Heartfelt Reunion
There's much to be desired when dealing with the scene in which Sora and Kairi meet again in the World that Never Was. Sora comes out as a bit chilly. He keeps his distance, and sounds a bit... displeased, I might say. "You have changed, Kairi... but I'm just glad you're here". Doesn't sound happy about what happened to her, I'd say.
And then we have his reaction to the hug. It takes him quite a long while before he feels enough at ease to move, hugging her back simply because he doesn't really have a choice.
And then he breaks the hug, and for what?
Xehanort. The same Xehanort he leashed out at in Hollow Bastion, the same one he has every reason to hate and loath and whose neck would fit nicely between Sora's gloved hands.
Xehanort, and for him he broke the hug with his Lady Love.
Quite odd, wouldn't you say? Especially since even in light of him protecting Kairi, Sora should be suspicious towards him, should be cautious. He should try and protect Kairi, not keep her at an arm's length with his hand on her shoulder.
One could explain this as him realizing on some level this is Riku he's dealing with - but that would mean he broke the hug for Riku's sake, thus putting Riku above Kairi in priority.
You could say he had more reasons to worry about Riku at the moment seeing how Kairi was safe, but in a way, the opposite is true. He didn't know what happened to Riku, but knew Kairi was in enemy hands. He should've been much more relieved to see her.
Also, if they truly wanted to form the whole "Riku - best friend, Kairi - romantic interest" threesome, they truly should've came on the same level unless Kairi had won over Riku. What we have here is the opposite.
And let's have a look at how Sora reacts towards Riku, shall we?
Or, for that notion - Namine.
For the both of them, he was the one who came to them. He was the one that held on with both hands and refused to let go. He was the one that grinned idiotically at being reunited with the people he cares for.
Forget romantic interest, when you compare his reactions, Kairi doesn't even come close!
That said, I will now move to the final rant about SoKai (yes yes, I can hear you cheering, you knew it would be this long! Be quiet.)
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RokuNami/SoKai
Ah yes. The scene in which both Namine and Roxas magically pop into Existence, plot their continued Existence through Sora and Kairi, and disappear into their respective Somebodies.
What I want us to focus on is this specific moment in which the conversation comes to a conclusion.
I don't know about you, but Sora doesn't come off as overly pleased with the whole thing. And why should he be? Roxas and Namine, two complete strangers whom he never met or doesn't remember talked between themselves about existing through Sora and Kairi, and then Kairi agreed for the both of them.
Sora for the most part just stared at the air with his mouth hanging a bit open in confusion.
So he'll go along with Kairi saying they'll meet each other every day... but hey! That's what they did back on Destiny Islands, isn't it?! Childhood friends do as Childhood friends are. This doesn't have to mean anything romantic from Sora's side.
How lovely it is then that he's willing to break this and any other Promise he gave Kairi along the way not too long afterwards when both him and Riku are in the Realm of Darkness. And need I remind you, Riku is a prime example of how you can get out of there if you want to badly enough; guess Sora and Riku didn't really want to get away from there, agreeing to become the Darkness.
And thus never see Kairi again let alone every day.
Or come back to the Islands with Riku as was his promise to Kairi at the end of KH1.
Or give her back the Oathkeerp's amulet.
There're two far more crucial aspects to this scene that pissed me off, however, and they are -
1. Saying that if at any point in time we will get to see SoKai, it won't be because of Sora's feelings towards Kairi. Namine said as much herself back in Chain of Memories - Once Sora forgets about her, the Feelings attached to these Memories won't disappear. They will have to find an anchoring point and Kairi will become that anchoring point, seeing how Namine is supposed to be her Shadow. Leaving aside the fact this didn't seem to happen in KH2 (otherwise why did I have so much to rant on?), they are actually saying -
Sora doesn't love Kairi, he loves Namine, but Namine isn't around so he'll take Kairi. (Hold your horses, SoNami part after this, alright?)
This scene with Roxas and Namine goes even further - not only Sora, but Roxas prefers Namine too! We've already seen on numerous occasions how Roxas's feelings and thoughts affect Sora, so now we have SoKai not only basing on SoNami, but on RokuNami as well! Ironically, that on itself can be explained by SoNami!
The greatest irony of all though is that if indeed SoKai will become official, it will be the undying proof that SoNami exists too, for that - and its variation of RokuNami - are what current day SoKai is based on.
The next part of the essay being SoNami is where I explain why I don't consider SoKai to be basis for SoNami, so I'm afraid I will have to ask you not to bring that up.
2. Everything that was sacrificed on the alter of SoKai.
Just look at all the concepts that were wasted on that one specific scene, and for a moment I won't give much of a damn about the existence of the novels. Just because it exists somewhere in the KH universe doesn't excuse it lacking here - a partial piece still went through the process of having the pieces shown chosen. It's their fault for choosing to show these parts and not others.
- Kairi and Namine. Ok, so they shook hands. Seeing how detached Kairi was from everything from just about the start of the first game, it would've been nice to have it explained to us why she cares so little about having a stranger girl disappear into her. There're many explanations possible but we get to see none, and in light of Sora's reaction to Roxas disappearing, it irritates me they failed to provide something similar here.
- Sora and Roxas.
- 1st part - um... didn't they finish this part earlier? In which Roxas accepted his lack of existence when Sora beat him after Axel's death? And now he wants to continue existing through him why?
- 2nd part - We all knew Roxas has been through a lot to get to meet Sora. Sora himself said in return he wants to meet Roxas. So now that they do... I think they could've done more than have Roxas tell Sora to "look sharp" and Sora get into a mild panic attack once Roxas disappeared until Riku calmed him down.
- Sora and Namine. When I first saw this scene, my heart skipped a beat. Why? Because Namine came and told Sora "We promised we'd meet again". I was certain they'd pick up on their promise from the end of CoM. But no, they did not, and something I spent the entirety of KH2 waiting for ended up not coming to be. Nomura once said that promises were a motive in KH - looks to me more like broken promises.
- Complete and utter ruinage of character for both Roxas and Namine. Roxas who accepted his lack of existence when Sora beat him, and Namine who was certain she shouldn't exist way back in CoM already. So now all of a sudden they're both eager to continue "being" inside people who shouldn't exist for them?
I've been told that this is explainable by RokuNami - they met and found their reason for existing within each other.
Seeing how we don't get to see any of that throughout the games while being slapped in the face by the exact opposite, I find this hard to believe.
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Conclusions
A lot of people tell me I dislike SoKai because I dislike Kairi. Putting aside that I think I proved I've more than enough legitimate reasons to disapprove of her, Just looking at the mere length of this post makes me think that damn, there's something wrong with how this relationship is built. Not only does it defy logic and comes on account of many other, better concepts, it also just about cancels Sora as a character to come and say he's the brainless Hero who'd do everything for his Princess - especially when Riku seems far better at filling that role than Kairi with how Sora chases him in KH2.
One of the things that left a horrible after taste in my mouth about SoKai is that they seem quite content with having us accept it as a fact, part of the status quo in the game. Save for one single flashback we don't know anything about Sora and Kairi's relationship, and come on - who can really base any sort of relationship let alone such an intense romantic one on a couple of children so far away from the mere concept of Romance sitting in a cave and drawing on the walls?
In the games themselves she's either in a coma and away from Sora (KH1), gets kidnapped after over a year of not coming into contact with Sora (KH2), and downright not existing in the universe (CoM).
I'm not saying SoRiku romantically. But it is an excellent example of how a good relationship is built - the amount of interaction between Sora and Riku in KH1 is astounding and comes to a conclusion in a flashback scene that was added in KH:FM before they close the door, showing Sora and Riku friendship moments from since they were infants to current day, making you say "ah... they really are best friends" a moment before Sora leaves Kairi so he can go after Riku.
CoM is actually a glimpse at Riku's side of the story, showing us his guilt and regret and his will to make it up to Sora. We never get to see anything of this sort for Kairi at all, let alone in regards to Sora.
And of course, in KH2 where Sora is busy saving the universe and Kairi is a mere milestone on the way to it, as compared to Riku whose rescue/retrieval is Sora's initial and prime objective.
That gives us, if nothing else - the ability to take Sora's relationship with Riku, put it up against other relationships in the game, and say "wow... they really are something."
Kairi doesn't get compared to anyone, not even Tidus, Selphie and Wakka. I can't even honestly say she's "special" in regards to the other Destiny Islands kids because we didn't see enough of her interaction with Sora there - or alternatively, between Tidus, Selphie and Wakka with anyone - to say "yeah, he wants her".
How am I supposed to believe something like that, especially in light of everything else that went on, specifically in KH2?
...wait a minute, I don't.
Why don't we move on to what I do believe in then?
- Introduction
- Kairi
- Namine
- Sora/Kairi (You are Here)
- Sora/Namine (Go here now!!! ;-; )
- The Promises (Because these deserve their own sub-topic)
- What She Made Him Promise (Sora/Kairi)
- What He Promised to Her (Sora/Namine)
- Riku, Sora, and the Girls
- SoRiKai
- SoRiNami