Nobody Ramble

No, I’m not gonna rant about how I think nobodies should’ve been a heartless type again. I still think that but I also think that the idea just suffered from KH2′s writing and the later games alterations.

I wont say KH2 was outright bad, since to some it wasn’t, but I do think we can all agree it had a lot of good ideas it didn’t execute that well. Like the entire plot spectacularly built up during Roxas’ prologue vanishing for half a game the moment Sora wakes up.

And yes I think the nobodies were one of those poorly executed things. However the idea is damn good on paper. I mean it makes sense, what does happen to a physical body after it’s heart is stolen?



It’s a fantasy series so it’s not like we need a huge level of detail. The set up is damn perfect, the heart’s will is so strong it clings to the body as it’s being stolen. Boom, you have this tortured being that remembers what it’s like to feel or be “whole” but can’t be.

It brought on a lot of great debates back in the day. It’s something we can all identify with, a “what would you be willing to do to be yourself again?” motive for their actions.

It also contrasted their heartless counterparts greatly. The heartless are mindless, the very heart of a person turned into a monster due to darkness. The nobodies are bordering on nothing, they can think but they can’t feel, they dont have instinct.

Even the names contrast. To a degree, the heartless are the true nobodies since they dont even have awareness. In turn the nobodies are the true heartless since they are bodies without a heart, a body lacking it’s mind/soul in our real world terms.



It’s all edgelord as hell in retrospect to me but it was 2005, the era my gen hit that phase. Still, the concept works really well which makes me wonder where it went wrong. Sure I can peg things added later like in DDD but during KH2 it’s a wonder almost as to how.

A good portion of it was KH2′s writing just bouncing around, we rarely seen our antagonists and when we did it felt kinda lackluster. They also showed more emotion than a being lacking feeling should. It broke the illusion.

Originally it was stated they do this because they’re acting according to memory. this would’ve worked real well if they had kept that logic for each one.

The best example, I think, was Demyx. His personality just vanishes when it’s time to battle, it played into the sense he’s showing his real nature. It was kinda eerie tbh, that these creatures can drop their perceived persona in a heartbeat.

Of course this is undone as he screams in horror because he’s fading, showing fear, but I think it would’ve done real well if every nobody displayed this trait and stuck to it.



Thinking on it, that may have been the problem. These characters were supposed to be emotionless, faked personalities, but it’s also really hard to write interesting villains that way. KH2 had to balance the act and follow up the rather good writing of Chain of Memories.

At this point we didn’t know what nobodies were which let the original version of the game (alongside textboxes) have more freedom with the characters. They had personality and motives aside wanting to be “whole”.

This hurt KH2 in a way as well I think, they had to persevere the mystery of the “Organization” for Kh2′s release but they wrote the members like normal people. The whole scheme of the game is Marluxia’s thirst for power/keyblade for example

The only one really true to a nobodies nature in the game was Axel. He had a persona forged from what he remembered but he clearly didn’t care what he was doing. Such as the death scenes of Vexen and Zexion. (not counting the scene Axel mentions feeling something)



The final main problem, I think, was the aforementioned bouncing of KH2′s writing. We rarely saw our villains and when we did it was…uh…a mixed bag. You’d get scenes like Sora telling a grown man “you gonna cry!?” then scenes as fucking soul crushing as Roxas’ basically dying at the start of the game.

More importantly though, you didn’t see them. Sure the Final Mix added scenes but it just feels a bit weird. Of the titles, KH1 & CoM had the best presence of a villain. You regularly saw them watching Sora, talking to one another, being cohesive and plotting.

Basically put, the writing of KH1 & CoM introduced the villains to us early on. Sora didn’t meet them until later but we the player knew they were there. This sense wasn’t in KH2. The nobodies had no presence.

They want to collect hearts? Ok then show them doing this. You dont necessarily have to copy KH1 & CoM but you should show the nobodies being counteractive to Sora.



Given the context of the Organizations goal, all you really had to do was show them in the disney worlds being the source of chaos. They want hearts, Sora, their only remaining means of getting them, is free. Have the problems in Disney worlds be due to nobodies.

Throw out Pete, have the Organization or even mid boss nobodies releasing heartless into worlds. Have a moment or two when the nobodies save Sora to further confuse him. (sora wouldn’t know they need him at this point)

Explore the nature of nobodies and Ansem, have more of the Organization level bosses behave like Demyx did. Having personalities they show only to drop the facade once they’re in battle or dying.

Rather than fear, hate or anything, show how truly lost they are when they’re fading away. No sadness, no tears, just fade away. Play on the creepiness of these beings.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Don’t have Sora be so antagonistic to them. Yes Sora isn’t some saint but have him behave more like KH1 or CoM. In CoM Sora openly questions what they are, aghast Axel would kill one of his own with no emotion. Bring this back, play on both Sora’s anger and his empathy.



he Nobody premise was really good on paper, it just needed minor tweaks. Play on the creepiness of their false personas, the tragic nature of a being that can’t feel. Their motives for being villains was damn good and it sparked so much debate.

Keep the nobodies as they are and just expand on them properly. I know newer fans or those loving the newer material wont get it but, to me, it was truly sad to see Nomura “patchwork” them later.

“Oh they act like they feel? That’s because they can grow new hearts!”

“They werent’ that relevant in their own game? Dont worry they’re relevant now and human again too!”

“Roxas could cry? Easy, it wasn’t nothing special he just had a heart of his own and Ven’s.”

“The nobodies had this morally questionable reason to get kingdom hearts? Nah Xehanort just wanted to yoink 13 extra bodies.”

Kh2′s writing lost me on nobodies before but these additions added later really threw me off to them as a concept. They feel moot and I think that’s sad. Now I’m speculating what could’ve been or worse, wishing the concept wasn’t used at all….

Thanks for reading.

 

It bothered me too the older I got (since I put myself through playing it lots of times for some reason) and that is what I'm describing. They need a persona but they should've focused on the fact it's false. Kept it false imo.
That'd just make it eerier when they dropped this act and showed their real self. It's the definition of a psychopath by our standards now that you mention it. lol