Analyzing Trios

Yes! I have another one. Why? *shrugs* A bit bored annnddd once I get an idea to get out I just do it. Hopefully ya enjoy.



So, for a few days now I’ve been feeling the itch to make another one of my meta/analysis posts but I couldn’t decide on what. I read some old interviews and the like but I eventually found that my mind kept drifting back to this old quote.

It’s something that’s always kind of bothered me. When discussing it, my close friend @blackosprey and I were a little confused by it in retrospect. Not so much for Aqua herself but what this line from Nomura means.

It sparked us to talk about the repetitive nature of the characters and from there the trio structure. Once we delved into this my mind clicked, this should be the topic of my next post, this very one you’re reading.

If you’ve read my posts before, you know the lengthy text about to take place, if you’re new and curious, please give a read. Don’t worry, I can be critical but I’m not here to bash anything today. I just wish to analyze it. Hopefully I can spark some discussion so don’t be afraid to add your two cents. =]

Ready? Let’s dig into this~



Now I will be the first to admit, I’ve never understood the repetition of trios in the story. It’s kinda irked me but that’s usually always been for the wasted potential I felt they had versus trios being there. I do however feel confused as to why Nomura feels a trio must be in every entry.

In my pondering, I kept feeling drawn to this:

At first glance, this quote is just a short Aqua focused one but it reveals a key aspect from Nomura. It’s in the first two sentences (which I pasted here) he was shocked Aqua was so popular. Not because she’s a woman, but because she’s entirely original.

Meaning, Nomura is shocked someone with no ties or qualities of the original Sora, Kairi and Riku became so loved among fans.

That is quote a sad statement if you think about it. It shows that all the “clones” of the series mostly exist because he felt they wouldn’t be compelling as people in their own right. Or alternatively, it means he thought fans wouldn’t take to them if they weren’t somehow tied to Sora.

At first, I didn’t really know who to blame for this mentality. Was Nomura just being nervous? Or was it the fandom’s fault? Then my mind shifted to “why”. (as it often does) Why do fans think trios are so compelling? Why are they fine with this stagnated set up? But the most important question I came to was-

WHAT TRIO IS THERE TO EMULATE?

“What do you mean ‘what trio’?! Sora, Riku and Kairi of course!”
Ah yes, of course. But let me counter you and ask; “whenever were they a trio?”

“What do you mean by th-“

Ah ah ah. Just be calm for a minute, think about my question.



Reconsider KH1, Chain of Memories or even KH2 and KHDDD. At which point does Sora, Riku and Kairi behave like a trio of friends? I mean yes, both are Sora’s friends but that’s just it, they feel like ‘just Sora’s friends’ in the same way others do.

Even in the early hours of KH1 their trio doesn’t really feel like one. People often forget but KH versions of Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were also on the island with them. They are more of Sora’s close friends and we know they play on the island together as a group of six.

Tidus, Wakka and Selphie are cameos sure but we know their friendship is important. Even Riku is shown to value them in Chain of Memories when he is in the Destiny Islands level. Up till then none of the people in worlds had appeared to Riku. These three did though.

“What’s your point?”

My point is the only real semblance or clue you get to Sora, Riku and Kairi being closer as a trio as opposed to a group of six kids is the fact they’re making that raft together. And hell, for all we know Tidus or Wakka helped them. Riku made jokes that Sora and Kairi were lazy but I highly doubt Riku built that thing himself with no assistance. (raising the mast alone would require help)



The sad part is that it doesn’t really end here either. In later titles, we don’t get to see Sora, Riku and Kairi interact much. Yes, Sora stabbed himself for Kairi and cried for Riku but we don’t see them BE a trio.

A big portion of this fault is with Nomura and the writers. They leave Kairi out for huge portions of the story, even now her relevance is little. As for Riku, he spends most of his time behind the scenes, brooding and so on.

And no, I’m not gonna count KHDDD because Sora and Riku spend the entire game separated from one another. And even if I did count it that would make it more of a duo rather than a trio.

There’s no time there, no emphasis. However, you know what is a real trio in the series? Sora, Donald and Goofy.



These dorks grow from traveling together out of necessity, through betrayal when they ditch Sora in Hollow Bastion, and true friends by the end.

We see it throughout the entire Kh1 story. They grow on each other, value one another and by the time you get to Kh2 you see the finality of their growth.

These guys are dorks. Their banter is lighthearted, teasing and often silly. They are birds of a feather and when you see them in Kh2, even if you missed their growth in KH1, you can believe they are close friends.

Donald & Goofy are cartoon characters almost everyone has seen or grown up with. They’re people anyone with a soul would love and many do to this day showing their staying power as cartoon icons. When you play Sora it’s like you’re there with them and as the story goes Sora shifts from this self-insert to a part of their three fold dynamic as his own character.

It’s beautiful, it’s endearing and despite how bad Kh2 was written the lighthearted nature of these guys being dorks is enjoyable and resonates.

The closest we ever get to this with other characters is the data versions of Sora and Riku. No really, if you haven’t seen Coded go watch some scenes of it. That light hearted and teasing nature you see in them is something you won’t see in the real ones.



“Oh please you’re just bashing now you f*ck.”

Am I? Just go back and look at each trio in the series so far. Take what I described from Sora, Donald and Goofy’s friendship and compare it to the other trios. Tell me what you find.

“Well, for one Roxas, Xion and Axel spend a lot of time together!”

Yeahhh and what do they do with it? Sure, you see them eat ice cream, make small talk, but whenever do they really feel like a trio? Sure, the story tells me they’re friends but being told something and believing it aren’t the same thing.

Xion runs off several times, lots of scenes of them together is awkward silence on a hazardous tower, and when they’re together in other scenes there’s always a drama taking place. When do they grow? Where do I see them being dorks or just fooling around outside game intros and a few DS scenes that was cut from the movie version of Days?

I don’t even see them build into a trio. One day Axel just decides to get ice cream and boom Roxas is his friend. Later Roxas does the same to Xion. It’s instant.

And to be fair, I will allot you the fact that the Days movie cut lots of minor things from the DS original. I will also allot you the fact that the writing was questionable like Axel not giving straight answers at the end which just made Roxas angry and run off.



“Well what about TAV?!”

What of them? We literally know nothing about these people. We know Ven is a dandelion from Unchained but we don’t know how he got to Xehanort and we won’t find out for some time because Xehanort ripped Ven’s heart in two giving him amnesia and stunted emotional growth.

As for Terra and Aqua we know even less. How’d they become friends? When did they do so? Are they from the same world? What’s their quirks? What’s their shared interests? Why is being a keyblade master so important to them when it seems like such a lonely occupation?

Sora, Riku and Kairi didn’t have much as a trio but we at the very least got some flashback scenes in KH1 final mix of Sora and Riku. We see them as children in BBS so we know where they’re from and know that even as small children they played on that island together. (with Roxas, Xion and Axel we also get this to a degree)

Light banter and joking as friends do? All we see of this from TAV is that horribly awkward “weirdest brothers” line.

Even their bond is kinda questionable because of how inconsistent they are. In one world, Aqua believes in Terra while in another she’s berating him for the things she’s “seen him do” when she hasn’t seen him do sh*t.

Then there’s all the times Ven wanted to go with one or the other but they said no while at other times wanting to keep him safe. Hell, even Ven decides to search for new friends at one point. There’s nothing really concrete here.



“Okay NOW you’re just bashing.”

Alright fine, maybe a little but I don’t do so intentionally. I list the things I’ve merely witnessed. I make this post because it’s on my mind and I wish to understand it.

If the goal was to repeat the qualities of Sora, Riku and Kairi then Nomura has done that. The problem is there wasn’t much to repeat to begin with. We see it most in TAV. Of all the trios, TAV show this lack of substance most.

I don’t understand what fans are so drawn too when the only trio, in my mind, was Sora, Donald and Goofy. Sure, all these other people are Sora’s friends but that’s a broad grouping. Sora’s a friendly person.

Now I’m not saying any of this is a bad thing. If you like one of these groups or just a person in them, that’s fine, good by you but I find myself confused by this repeated pattern. People complain all the time about reused worlds but no one seems to complain about reused melodramatic plots or the trio archetype.

Constantly my mind jumps back to the first two sentences of that quote I started with above:

Nomura really has no reason to lack faith in himself. When he does experiment, he makes loved characters. Such as the original “trio” or with newer characters such as Aqua, Skuld and Ephemera. These three are the newest in a long time for the series and three of the few not somehow a clone, nobody or replication of an existing one.

And you know what? They are loved. They are unique. So why do we not see this more often? Why is Nomura so scared to make original characters?



Looking back, honestly I think it’s a twofold problem. One best described by my friend @blackosprey herself:

Nomura is afraid to branch out because he’s trained the hardcore fandom to want ties. Someone always has to have meet or be a part of Sora. Someone always has to be a Xehanort. There always has to be some tragic end. There always has to be a trio.

In analyzing this with Osprey I’ve concluded that while trios have little substance they still have familiarity. It’s always Sora, Riku and Kairi in new skin. They never have much but they have enough at base, during to be clones of an existing group, that you can portray you headcanons, views and wants on them. A simple ploy but one that has contributed to stagnation.

Characters can’t grow now because they can’t be themselves. Looking back this is something mentioned by a youtuber known as ‘The Cosmonaut Varity Hour’. In his vid which I’ll place a link too here (click me~) he mentions that the series mostly panders to the hardcore fanbase. Whether fully intentional or not on Nomura’s behalf.

Normally it’s something to be avoided or kept in check but the truth is the hardcore fanbase has kept the series alive since the narrative has lost many others who grew up with Kh1 and 2.

Perhaps Cosmonaut is right, perhaps it’s time to quite pandering to the hardcore fanbase and let some new blood and character driven story return to the series. We’ve had the same thing for so long what harm will it do to have something new? Not just worlds but new characters. People who are in pairs of two or just characters in their own right. Let’s stop this repetition of trios and step into newer waters. =]

*sighs* I feel like I’ve rambled long enough. This is my analysis of the trios in the series. What came to mind when I sit down and viewed it objectively. Let me know whether you agree or disagree. I love opinions just be respectful.