Identifying the Kingdom Hearts in BBS

Okay so I had another theory in mind when making this but after some back and forth with my friend @blackosprey it kinda fell through. I did however come up with another one. It’s one many already suspect but I figured I’d try to add weight to it beyond mere speculation. Ready? Lets go~






Okay, as you can tell by the title, this theory revolves around the mysterious nature of the Kingdom Hearts we saw in Birth by Sleep. Specifically the one in the image above.

This kingdom hearts has always been a mystery to many. To be honest, in hindsight, I’m surprised it was left in. I would’ve figured it was just there for ‘cool factor’ in the original Birth by Sleep secret trailer of KH2 Final Mix.

It did however make it into the actual game of BBS. When Xehanort mysteriously summons it. It was always kinda just in left field, a thing that just happened but after some brainstorming for the initial theory I remembered something. Specifically this tidbit from the timeline option of BBS’ Trinity Archives on the main start up menu, here:



Do you see it? It’s right in the final sentence of that paragraph. Here I’ll enlarge it for you:



See it now? It doesn’t say Xehanort “summoned” this kingdom hearts, rather, it states he merely parted the clouds “revealing” it.

You could argue this is semantic but I don’t think so. These two words, summon and reveal, have vastly different meanings and uses. It’s impossible to confuse these. In fact the clouds themselves appear on their own rather than Xehanort calling on them. Here I’ll use some shots of the finalized KHBBS game:



When Xehanort appears to greet Terra, Aqua and Ventus the Keyblade Graveyard has it’s typical cloudy but sunny aesthetic. Even as the dual begins the shift of the clouds is gradual:











It’s not until the battle has begun with Xehanort flipping mountains and making keyblade whirlwinds of death like some old magic god that the clouds gather and turn gray. This is best seen in the actual transition during the scenes. If your curious you can view the original teaser trailer here (link) or watch the actual scenes on youtube or your 2.5 disc.

“BUT DEREK! HE COULD’VE SUMMONED THE CLOUDS/KH WITH HIS VAST MAGIC!”

Well dear reader you are correct. For Xehanort I imagine such a feat is possible. However, remember, the timeline that’s within the BBS game itself says he merely parted those clouds. Both visually and in text form we has no cue he’s called the clouds or that KH to his location. In fact, it’s as if the kingdom hearts seen here is appearing of it’s own volition.

I’d wager it’s even appearing because it’s drawn to something but take one point at a time.


Connecting to KHChi (KHUX)

Yes you read that right, I think this KH ties back into Chi. Now known as KHUX. Now this will have some Chi spoilers so you’ve been warned. Good? Okay.

Load video


This is the scene from the ending of KHUX’s original version. The PC browser game (Japan only) Kingdom Hearts Chi.

Tell me what do you notice here? Besides a cartoonish look at a gruesome series of events? This is the keyblade war yes but did you notice in the surroundings? Here I’ll show you a freeze frame:



See them? Yes those are hearts. The hearts of all those wielders slaughtering one another. People, young people, lead into a war with escalating scales that ended with light being sought out of greed.

This isn’t what’s interesting though, not specifically, this is:

Load video


This was the opening scene to KH 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage. This scene showcases the 6th apprentice from Chi known as Luxu. The one who was missing.

What he’s watching here is presumably the end of the keyblade war itself. Aka he’s watching the end of the battle between all those wielders just now. Do you notice what’s in the sky? Of course you do, it’s kingdom hearts.

“Wait-”

That’s right dear reader it’s kingdom hearts! Haven’t you ever wondered why it’s there? As far as we know the Xblade, somehow, was destroyed in this war. In the scenes of Chi was have so far we never see it formed during said war either. In the original game you fight the foretellers and the story ends.

“Wait..then..yeah why IS it there?”

That’s what I was wondering! It just appears! We could presume it appears after the Xblade does offscreen but, why would this be offscreen? In fact, from what we can tell kingdom hearts appears after the fighting is over in general.

Load video


This is the final moments of Chi as it the PC version. In this scene the player character is near death before two cast members appear to save them. All fun theory stuff for another day but what I see is the light.

The player is laying there in the aftermath of that war when a light appears, then the music usually tied to KH’s appearances prior. Granted we don’t see the source of that light so it’s very possible that it’s merely for dramatic purposes or a portal to the Unchained realm the Player is whisked too but I don’t think so.

“Why not?”

Well just think about it. In Chi we watch the end of the war from a dying participant but then in 0.2 we see Luxu WATCHING the end of that war.

“!!! So that means-”

EXACTLY! That means these two scenes are likely, or at least possibly, two perspectives of the same event! We’re seeing this war and the end of it from the perspectives of an onlooker and an participant in said event.

It’s not two unrelated scenes but two different camera angles to the same scene. AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS IN LUXU’S SCENE? KINGDOM HEARTS!


Connecting to KHDDD



“Okay okay, let’s settle down. So what are you saying? This kingdom hearts was made from the hearts of wielders?”

Damn right I am dear reader. Wanna know why? Because we’ve seen this kind of thing before. Twice in fact. Dream Drop Distance even establishes this fact. I quote:

According to legend, the source of all true light is known as "Kingdom Hearts."

We know Xehanort has created two Kingdom Hearts now, both artificially, by amassing enough hearts. One was made from the hearts of worlds, and the other from the hearts of people.

The Kingdom Hearts made from the hearts of worlds had a door that led to the realm of darkness; its depths were never fully charted.

The Kingdom Hearts made from the hearts of people was believed to have the power to recomplete someone whose heart had been lost.

This quote is taken from the glossary of KHDDD. Any of you with a game disc can read this. For those who cant I leave you this (link).

What this quote is referring to is the giant hearts seen in KH1 and KH2. Behold:







And yes, there was a kingdom hearts in KH1. See it in the imagine above? It was hard to see on the PS2 but with the remixes it can be made out clearly.
Behind that door is a pitch black heart, that is the kingdom hearts forged from the hearts of worlds.

The image below you’re familiar with, it was the one the Organization made from the hearts of men. In fact, the KH of KH2 is the most key element. See the gif? Remember the scenes? Xemnas made that by gathering hearts together in a single place.

Both of these are considered “false” as we’ve never seen the true kingdom hearts. All we know is that it was lost and supposedly tied to the Xblade. But therein lies another fallacy.

If the Xblade can only summon the true kingdom hearts then what did we see in BBS? Sure, Vanitas managed to forge an Xblade but we know now it was faulty. If anything it was incomplete since it was made up of only two hearts, not twenty.

Hell, is the Xblade even the true way to summon it? In Back Cover Gula mentioned summoning kingdom hearts through Lux.

Most importantly, the original KH was lost to darkness. It’s restoration would surely shake the entire fold of creation. When we see it in KHBBS it’s there then it’s gone.

“So what are you proposing?”

I should think it’s obvious. The kingdom hearts we see in BBS isn’t the true one at all, it’s not there because Xehanort summoned it. It’s there because that’s where it has been for eons now.

That kingdom hearts was forged from the hearts of fallen wielders! THE UNIONS WERE USED AS FODDER FOR ANOTHER ARTIFICIAL KINGDOM HEARTS!


Connecting back



At this point you’re likely wondering “why?”. Well to be honest I don’t know. It’s possible this KH just came to be on it’s own however I would wager it’s not. Xemnas himself had to congregate all those hearts into his moon.

Ansem had to use the heartless to create his huge KH of worlds as well. I’d imagine this kinda feat requires actual participation on someone’s part. Someone has to gather these hearts into a mass.

I can’t really point to why due to KH3 being still a dream and also due to KHUX. That story isn’t finished yet. Many foretellers and even the Master of those foretellers seems suspicious. If someone had a motive for this it’s not defined just yet.

“No no. Why did it appear in BBS?”

Ah yes yes very good question. Honestly? I think it’s two possible reasons. Either-

A) It was because Ven and Vantias were there and thereby an Xblade was about to appear orrrr

B) What I figure the most likely. This kingdom hearts just rests there. Similar to how Xemans hung in the sky acting as a moon for The World That Never Was.



Here’s what I think. I believe this Kingdom Hearts resides in the Graveyard. A few characters, both in Chi and BBS, mention that the graveyard is “the only place” or the “special place” when mentioning forging the keyblade or having a great battle.

This land is important to everyone’s schemes and no one really seems to know why. I presume the foretellers books say the battle happens here thus they go, Xehanort believes it has to be there thus why Vanitas said what he did to Ven.

I could speculate as to why but for now I think that specific world is important because this kingdom hearts is here. It was forged from the hearts of fallen wielders and so when a group of wielders appeared in BBS to fight it appeared again.

Waiting. Ready to absorb more hearts into itself. The hearts of new wielders.


Vanitas Words



Still there? Good we’re almost done. There’s just onnnnneeee tiny thing I also wanted to add. It was Vanitas words in his final battle with Aqua.

-Vanitas

"This χ-blade will open a door—one that leads to all worlds! Then, Keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from each and every one of them, to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts! And just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!"

I always found this line odd. In Xehanorts reports in BBS, he notes he knows little of wielders outside his own circle. We dont see any during Sora’s adventures either. If anything, keyblades seem a forgotten legend at this point.

So then why would there be enough to make a war? Actually why would they even flock there?

Any wielders still around now would be like Sora who knew nothing of a Keyblade war or like Eraqus and scared of it.

That war was bad, it literally ended the world. So far, Xehanort seems like the only madman to try bringing it back. That said, why would other wielders care?

They aren’t obsessed with owning light, at least I wouldn’t think they’d be to the same extent the Unions were. The foolish nature of the old war would either be lost knowledge or a cautionary fable to any present wielders.

I’m making assumptions here but I also feel like Xehanort and Vanitas are. Also, in the scene Vanitas seems intent on opening the kingdom hearts thats appeared in the graveyard. If his kh isn’t the true one then what would opening it do?

Just a small theory but I kinda wonder if Xehanorts plan for the war involves freeing the hearts in this kh to allow the unions to continue their battle. Kinda as if it never stopped....


Time to Go
Welp that’s all I got for now dear reader. Sorry to end on a kinda low note but I’m sleepy now haha. The part with Vanitas was more rambling but either way, I hope you enjoyed the rest of the theory. Let me know your thoughts.

Goodnight. =]

 

Huh I never thought of it like that either. Damn good analogy. o-o Perhaps the "true" one is merely a natural phenomenon...

 

But where does it say this Kingdom hearts is the "true" one? In BBS it just says MX parted the clouds and it was there, on top of that it appears before the Xblade is made. The true KH is supposed to appear in correlation to the Xblade but this one came before. We now know the Ven-Vanitas combo wasn't "proper" as well which adds skepticism their xlbade could even summon it.

I mean it's true Xehanort said the Xblade would summon the true KH but it was never said that the one was saw WAS it.

I only called it black because that's how it appears to point it out in the image. Whether it's true color was black or otherwise is kinda a moot or unimportant detail to me.

As for any KH becoming a true one, that's another topic entirely I feel but if we talk hypothetically it may be true. KH is supposedly the heart of everything, so if someone powerful and mad enough to collect every heart in existence does so it would hypothetically be "kingdom hearts".
That's a very improbable and crazy what if though, just kinda a tangent of thought.

 

KH1 is where all hearts gathered, aka the Realm of Darkness, KH2 is where Xemnas was forcing them to gather. This alone kinda pokes a hole in the argument because, if hearts gather in the realm of darkness as we both saw in KH1 and then as Saix later said in KH2 with his line that they gather in darkness "masterless and free"- wait Mickey also said it in a KH1 Final Mix scene.
This would mean the place hearts gather naturally is the realm of darkness itself. There's also the fact we must remember, Xehanort artificially crafted both KH1 and KH2's kingdom hearts. That alone throws into question the nature of how he's doing it but more importantly, it showed that they could not only be formed but that they'll remain in place as long as they exist. The case in point here is Xemnas KH which acted for the moon of the nobodies world.

If an artificial KH can form where Xehanort puts it, that would mean a KH formed from the site of a war would also remain in place and just kinda be there. Unlike Xehanort's versions, there was no Sora to undo that.

But why would Kingdom Hearts need a fixed doorway? You mentioned it yourself, the true Xblade is supposed to draw Kingdom Hearts to it. If it the one in the graveyard was the true one then there should be no need for a door nor for Xehanort to summon it there, he'd just have to wait for Vanitas to complete the Xblade and watch.

And to be fair, I did point out myself Xehanort's fallacies earlier. Whether we wanna chalk it up to retroactive writing or Xehanort just not knowing as much as he thinks he does, the fact of inconsistency is there which I will concede can make things go in either direction.

I also don't get your fixation on the color of it. Up till now, we've never seen an officially stated "true kingdom hearts". We're not even sure of it's actual form of function. Xehanorts reports in BBS note this pointing out how some believed it to be a "land" or otherwise. Which, again, can be called into question since Chi, depicting the very people those reports mentioned, didn't mention Kingdom Hearts until the Back Cover movie. And even then, one of the foretellers suggest summoning it with lux (light) rather than using the Xblade.

The heart moon has always been a key visual, this can't be denied, but the fact of uncertainty remains as does my confusion of coloration being important to something we've yet to truly see. Although...I do like this concept. It'd be a neat little detail to input if Xehanort's fakes were colored odd due to their nature, granted we only ever saw Xemnas' version. Ansems, the color is still kind irrelevant to me, was hidden behind the Door to Darkness. The black heart was merely a visual outline showing it's there, it's true nature was kinda lost behind said door.

Which, if I can tangent a bit, is kinda hilarious because despite making it, Ansem knew little about it as it rejected his call for darkness by responding to Sora's for light. The more we talk, the more I kinda see how the series likes to poke holes in Xehanort.

Don't be sorry, I"m having fun. This is a nice break from my new college work load. I'm afraid I can't agree with any of it, not because Nomura said anything but because it's your interpretation versus mine. If you perhaps gathered small things like I did to try and back it I may but for now, it's arguing points that can kinda go both ways.
You can ignore Nomura logic if you want, it's why I mostly use in-game stuff for my posts, but I do need something in-game to back the counter.

 

Dont worry, schools in swing so I forgot about this as well. Dx

Honestly, I've always went with the latter explanation. I don't remember it being confirmed anywhere but it made the most sense to me. As I've gotten older I've kinda noticed afterlife in the series but it makes the most sense. Hearts try to go back to the source which is lost in darkness.

That's just my headcanon for now though. The series has lost so much of my attention over the years that I'm not sure if I'll be around long enough for a real answer to even appear.

 

Tbh the way they've used Marluxia would disappoint you. They introduced this character named Strelitzia. A new female character and literally (as in literal as I can possibly be) two weeks later they killed her off and introduced Marluxia's possible human self in her place.
Made a character just to kill her, on screen, to make way for an older character.

I've seen a neat theory on possible two wars which, like ya said, makes sense but it's quite dull imo at this point. If it's true. they've already kinda ruined the keyblade with midochlorian lore, now this war is kinda being messed with.

If you take it further, it makes the Xblade seem dumber than it already is. In Back Cover a foreteller mentioned summoning KH with Lux (light) and the first keyblade war shown at the end of Chi could've possibly lead to Sora's world.
But that causes an issue. At the end of Back Cover and that first Chi season, KH was seen and now we don't even know if it was the real one or a fake due to the absence of the Xblade.

It was Xehanort Report 7 from BBS:
"It is only forged when two hearts of equal power intersect--one heart of pure darkness, one heart of pure light. At the time of its forging, Kingdom Hearts appears. "

Of course, we've already talked plenty about the fault of Xehanort's logic of the inconsistent lore at this point so you can honestly ignore it I'd argue.
OH! I also found this while looking this up, I figured you'd enjoy it:

Source

I don't really think it takes away from your point since this just explains why they first reused the moon art work for the moon in KH2, plot reasons made later render any development explanation prior after all.
(meaning I dont think the quote discredits anything since there's no telling what plot logic Nomura made while making this change) (I just kinda like this random point actually was asked once lol)

I can honestly jump on this bandwagon. Rereading some of those BBS reports for the above response just reminded me how much was changed later. =__=

That's the inclination the story is giving and honestly it was easily the one plot point I truly despised. Many whine about time travel but what I hated what this very fact right there. It's like watching Aizens unbelievable BS in Bleach all over again. It's just so...uninspired and boring when it's all prophecy, time travel and unrealistic levels of planning. (because if someone was that good they wouldn't lose tbh)

I already have them sadly but it's not quite the same. (if I could get Kh1 separate from them it'd be another story)

 

I'm hoping the backlash at last caught their attention. I saw not one soul okay with this ploy.

That....is a lovely idea actually. o-o Holy sh*t I like that......

Tbh I would normally say it's semantics but in this case I dunno. We still aren't sure if the KH in BBS appeared because Xehanort brought it there or because it could sense Ven and Vanitas clashing.

I do argue the KH in BBS is false and has been there since the keyblade war but thats a semantic in this case since either Ven&Vanitas' xblade or Xehanort brought it out.

If memory serves, the series has been a process of "okay I made this game, I had ideas for a sequel but nothing fleshed out". There was no guarantee KH1 would get a sequel so it's no surprise really.
Then you have outside influence too. Fans caused Chain of Memories to exist, Disney is the cause of Coded and Nintendo, at least partly, was behind Days. Then by that point you kinda needed KH3D to try and tie all the crazy sh*t together because the story was so all over the place with no Kh3 in sight.

I've always classified it as patchwork personally. I'm also not in the loop with interviews post KH3D (and I'm only reciting ones I remember most the time at that) so there may be a more detailed look into the series history somewhere.

I do remember waaaayyyyy back that I saw fans talking about stories Nomura hadnt' told. Those stories were there, I doubt they were fleshed out, and all the corporate just gave them opportunities to exist.

I'm not sure who the blame but I wish they'd stop it. The earliest example of the trend I know is Bleach but I highly doubt it started that trend given how fast it went down hill.

 

I've never seen that series so the Matrix is the only comparison I'll get sadly. Is that series good? I take it it has a similar premise?

It'd be a neat idea for this story as well, you could make a new saga with it, soft reboot or a number of things. Lots of potential.

It's kinda like that. I don't know about KHDDD and onward but I do have old ones saved since I used it for a post once. (I'll find them when I get home)
Basically 1 happened, ideas for 2 thus the secret ending but no fleshed idea, CoM was due to fans wanting a GBA KH game, Days was Nintendo, Coded was Disney (not sure who was behind Re:Coded), and then BBS itself had that period it was shifted to PSP so there's no telling what changes happened there.

I'm not sure who's idea DDD was but I honestly think it just came to be because the story was so everywhere by that point, it needed to all lead back to one spot. (sadly DDD made more confused than not)

And I think we can all agree 0.2 was just a KH3 tech demo for all of us to see what a KH3 could be like. lol (jk)

Now that I think about it....I wonder what made Chi happen...let alone who decided it'd be a good idea to make it canon along with a companion movie....

 

I read manga and watch anime even if I don't do so as often as I did before. The story sounds interesting enough. The fact someone made a new world does raise one worry for me, how is the level of battle/magic?

Back to it's application to KH, this could be interesting. Like the Unchained Setting of part two or how just so many places could exist in multiple. I still like this idea, there's just so much applicaiton.

Was there that much demand? I don't doubt it but my memory of those days aren't the best. If they gave into fan pressure then that kinda saddens me...some things in a story should be left to wonder.

 

I know it's not much but have you tried looking up the scenes on Youtube? It's free to play so I doubt you'll see many, if any, take downs of it's story. Plus, I'll be blunt, the actual story missions in the game with relevance are probably a close to, if not a little over, one hundred out of it's 700+ missions right now.

The UX story is woefully filled with filler. Actual story updates are scarce. I know that doesn't really help much when wanting to try it anyway but yeah. It should be on any app store though, at least I thought it was. Tablets, ipods, phones, if it can download apps it should be there.

The Back Cover movie was honestly a joke. It just showed us the "foretellers" side of the games first half which was nothing much as you saw. At most, the movie was only fun for one sitting thanks to the Master of Masters and his actors performance.