EVERYONE predicted there'd be a Frozen world. NO ONE predicted that Aqua would be norted. Really Nomura? This surprised you?

Finally sombeody said it. Aqua is basically the main character after Sora. She always gets the short end of the stick, but is determined to move forward anyway, which is why everybody loves her so much and why... why... WHYYY NOMURA?!

actually, Aqua falling to the darkness is LOGICAL and probably one of the more realistic character choices in KH so far. 10 years. Anyone would falter in that long. It would be stranger for her to be completely fine.

sometimes i feel like nomura just... doesn't care about aqua? like, when bbs was first released, he was surprised that aqua was so popular with the fanbase. then with the new trailer, he's gobsmacked that people are concerned about her. forget about us, nomura - are YOU okay? O_o

why we cant handel evil aqua because we all like aqua we all wanted to save her after seeing her story. having her tell us that we are to late after we have been forced to wait so long is like a double stab to the heart

Aqua doesnt deserve it! She's been kind and good all throughout the series. She's my favorite of all. Her story is saddening and dark but she remains strong and hopeful. Hopefully, sora and the others can save her fast at kh3!!!!

Die a hero Or live long enough to be a villain

It kinda sucks it wasn't a twist that we found out while playing the game, but I kind of like the idea of Aqua being possessed. It shows even the strongest and purest will, can be broken. The darkness is coming back and it's stronger than ever (at least the way I see it). Raises the stakes.

KH 0.2 - Aqua is full of determination, hope, and fighting spirit Literally her next appearance chronologically - *Aquanort*

Okay, I've been telling people this for years. There is no narrative purpose to locking a character in a realm of darkness for over a decade of they walk away unchanged. Aqua is the kind of person who dwells on her problems. She takes the weight of the world on her shoulders and blames herself when things go wrong. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's what makes her character compelling. It's what sets her apart from Sora. The fall of Aqua was inevitable. Because it's where the story needs to go. Not only for her, but for Riku and for Sora. Sora has no concept of consequences for his own actions. Because the world has always padded him with happy Disney adventures. Aqua embodies this as a cautionary tale. A person so pure and innocent, much like himself. A person who bit off way more than they could chew because they refused to see the world for what it was. But more importantly, saving Aqua is what is going to inevitably save Riku. Riku has been lost in his own self doubt for years. He has admired his friend from afar for years. Staring in awe at Sora's unyielding, almost paladin-like, commitment to the light. He admires Sora and then hates himself for the connection to the darkness from which he draws his power. Even as he is named a Master over his friend whom he holds on such a pedestal, Riku questions the fact that he could possibly be worthy of the title as he is. He spurns himself for the very thing that makes him so special. In Birth by Sleep, Aqua poses a question. "My master always told me that Darkness needs to be destroyed. But how if not with light?" Riku is the answer. Light and darkness exist in balance within Riku. Realizing this will inevitably save them both and make them both stronger people. This is basic story telling. The purpose of a crucible is to break a character down so they come back stronger. Its character growth 101.

I know I’m not the only that skipped ahead 10 seconds when she played let it go

When I saw Aqua’s reveal, I did kinda expect this and seeing everyone’s reactions makes me laugh maniacally.

Aqua didn't deserve it but this isn't unexpected. She's been down there fighting the darkness for so long. Her strength wouldn't last forever and once the norts found her, she wouldn't have the power to resist. Now they have their 13th darkness and we're still missing light warriors.

This is what I've been saying, Aqua just regained hope there's no way she simply fell to darkness there, it didn't corrupt her in ten years and she reconnected with the light. Only way is if Xehanort some how defeated her or it's not her.

The story of Aqua, Terra, and Aqua makes me cry. Every freaking time. They don't deserve it.

Narrative contradictions? Nomura? Never.

Roses are red, Rescue Mission Aborted Please say it isn't true! Aqua got nort-ed

Not to mention that after 0.2 made her look like she will never lose, and then we were hit by this truck. All that hype & hope was crushed

People freaking out because they want to know there’s light at the end of Aqua’s story. Aqua, entrusted to protect all the different worlds as a Key Blade Master, loses her Master Erauqs; witness her friend, Terra, become darkness itself; had to sealed her comatose and shattered-heart friend, Ventus, in the Chambers of Awakening; sacrifices herself in order to save her possessed friend from being trapped in the Realm of Darkness; and vow to continue to fight the darkness because she felt the presence of the glimpse of light (Sora) that will save them all. Then we get this news! We are shown that the Keyblade Master, who’s determination to save her friends and worlds, loses all hope and succumbed to the enemy she’s been fighting. This is not the Aqua we knew from the end of BBS. In the end it was her resolution to keep on fighting no matter what because she’s see that there is hope.

Everything you just said was dead on. I mean come on. If you want to surprise the fans of a new disney addition, maybe not throw in a plot twist that powerful with it.

Between 2 and 3 I've had a son, graduated from college and have my own home 😂 at 25 I still have no remorse when it comes out. Finally some closure with this instalment 😂

Technically it’s Mickeys Fault for not telling anyone. Yes I understand he wanted to respect her wishes but i’m sure Aqua didn’t want her wishes to go as far as staying in the darkness forever and alone. Let’s be honest if it was Minnie up in there you think her would respect her wishes?!!!

Randomly stumbling across your channel was a but of a surprise haha, Legacy of the Beast was one of my favourite fanfics back when I first started on the site

Thanks for the recap, definitely needed it

This was an excellently crafted video! I'd definitely love more content like this in the future if you have the time. After initially seeing that trailer, my first reaction was: "that's impossible, that makes absolutely *no* sense!" As you said in the video, during the ending of 0.2 Aqua was at the peek of her determination/will power since she first entered the realm of darkness. Not only did she have renewed hope, but she also gave herself a purpose and reason to fight. In fact, in the original Japanese dialogue she actually ends that 0.2 ending scene saying "There's no need to worry" rather than "and that's a promise" in the English dub. Furthermore, it was made clear through Phantom Aqua's dialogue that a majority of Aqua's doubts were concerning whether or not anyone could, or even wanted to save her, as well as her feelings of loneliness. These doubts were put to rest by the end of 0.2, and by the time blank points came around she even had a companion in the form of Ansem the Wise, who further renewed her hope when he revealed that Sora was continuing to protect the Realm of Light in her absence. So with all of that considered, why was it such a surprise to Nomura that fans reacted the way they did? Proper foreshadowing doesn't allow itself to become invalidated multiple times before the revelation it's supposed to be hinting towards actually comes to pass. Re-contextualization (and I'm referring to what Master Xehanort said to Mickey at the end of DDD) is also not the proper form of foreshadowing for an event you intend your audience to pick up on at an earlier point in the story, especially not when every other form of foreshadowing you used was invalidated anyway. Another good example of this is Xemnas' line toward the end of Dream Drop Distance. He specifically states (and I'm paraphrasing for the sake of clarity) that any previous organization members who lacked physical fortitude, willpower, or trust were deemed inadequate to be part of the new Organization. He says this despite the fact that we now know both Marluxia and Larxene (the two biggest traitors in the organization) were already members during that time, and neither were shown to be particularly strong, both physically and in willpower (at least not compared to any other Organization members, like Xaldin or Lexeus for example). It's also difficult to imagine they would retcon such a scene considering that it contains the whole reason they went after Sora to begin with (something that took them an entire game to get anywhere close to accomplishing, showing how desperate they were, and they *still* failed). This also brings a HUGE list of questions when concerning Xemnas' thought process back when he was still in charge of the original organization (ex. If these factors were so unimportant, why did he wait so long to turn the original members into vessels like he did to Xigbar or *Siax* at the very least? Why did he attempt to create his own Kingdom Hearts in the first place? Why lie to the organization about whether or not they had hearts if that also wasn't even a factor to begin with? etc.) *Edit:* And for those of you who like to think that Vanitas' line about Aqua being a "back up," was in *any* way proper foreshadowing, you are very much incorrect. Later on in Aqua's own story, Vanitas himself takes back what he said about her, shows his intention to kill her, and compares her to a childhood toy he's long since outgrown all within one scene (just before his neverland boss fight). This, and the fact that Xehanort literally tells Vanitas to "take Aqua's life" (and once again attempts this with no hesitation) right in front of Ventus, completely invalidates this line of thinking. If Nomura was really trying to hint at this suprise revelation (which I doubt since he said KH3 was little more than a thought back then), then it falls in line with everything I've said. *-End of edit* So in summary, it's just a case of poor execution and lack of proper foreshadowing. I'd imagine since, from Nomura's perspective, this revelation wasn't anything to be surprised by, there was a disconnect between the writer and the audience. He had it in his mind for so long that it always felt natural for him, but he didn't go back to make sure that it felt natural for us.

If there is eventually a scene of her emerging into the realm of light as she was, I want real emotion for that scene. It better not just be a plot point that goes by. There needs to be tears, good music and just overall happiness. If we don’t actually get to SEE Aqua be freed from darkness, I will rage.

This is such a good informative video!!! Keep making these videos these are so helpful!

You should definitely upload more kingdom hearts videos! Especially that series where you explain important plot points in the previous KH games.

Call me an optimist, but perhaps what we know now does not mean Aqua is an antagonist. The golden-yellowish eyes and white hair might be a sign of Xenahort possesion - but mind you, whe Terra became possessed, his voice changed as well, and Aqua still has hers. And to be fair, we still do not know all that much about Darkness influence on people. PErhaps the hair and eye colour is not as much a sign of Xenahort possesion, but more of a side effect of deeper connection to Darkness, trait that Xenahort forced on others drenching their hearts in it. Aqua might be still herself, but her heart might simply become dark, due to her extremely long exposure to Realm of Darkness. And that fact itself does not mean shes an antagonist now. Darkness is definetly a negative force, yes, but not one ouright evil. Good people used it as well, such as riku in KHII, King Mickey, by wielding Kingdom Key D, or both Sora and Riku utilizing Dream Eaters. Perhaps Aqua did not turn evil, but by being stranded alon in the Realm of Darkness was forced to take hard, impossible decisions - like choosing the power she hated so much, because she needed that strength to survive and continue her self-given mission. We don't know what she had to go through in there, so perhaps "Oh no, she's evil now" might be simply too fast judgemnt. But again - I'm an iredeemable optimist. This might be just my wishful thinking.

Hell seeing Aqua succumbed to the darkness just got me hyped even more for KH3.

Thank you for this channel

Wtf this is such a good synopsis. GJ!

i just realize something that Aqua got influence by Xehanort, back in DDD Xemnas told this words to Sora: "As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known as that...of a recusant." The 3 characters have a sigil on their chest, Xehanort can find them, except Ventus since he is safe at the chamber of awaken, Vanitas have the oportunity to try to manipulate Ven's body but since his heart is on Sora's that why their trackin Sora, Aqua sigil was pink, in the trailer now its black....kinda make sense

Amber eyes are NOT signs of possession. They are markers of traveling through the dark realm. That's why DiZ (Ansem) had them, too.

seems like you´re good at explaining stuff, i would like to see more KDH stuff made by you.

Where are you terra! Why does no one talk about terra! I just want him back. They better not kill him off. He my fav character 😔

Hey I really liked this type of discussion video. Your thoughts were well put together and it literally explained it perfectly. I didn’t know that was even the case until you said it. I’d love to see more videos like this.

Don’t know anything about kingdom hearts, but great video 👍

thank you!!! this is exactly what i was thinking when i saw that trailer, just thank you!

Love the video! and KH. Great job

"the game that's highly been anticipated for 13 years" Nomura.... you planned this didn't you? since 13 is a theme for this game huh?

This was really well made aqua is one of my fav just subed hope to see more

Really enjoyed this video and hope this continues into a series

Really clear and concise explanations. You've gained a sub!

Tbh ive played practically every kingdom hearts minus all the remixes and still have no clue what in the hell the time line is.

Yeah I agree with this one hundred percent. Like Sora, her heart was very strong and she showed a true powerful strength in the face of darkness and what I don't understand is, how after 9 years she manages to hold her own by herself in the darkness and even after gaining new found strength and determination, in just a year she loses all of it. What could have happened in that single year compared to her previous 9 that made her lose so much faith even after getting a boost of determination?

Your right about trying to explain the story lol, really enjoyed the video! You earned a sub

aqua's story is gutwrenching, and this reveal made it soul crushing.

I mean aqua is a very well written character for the most part. When you make great characters; you will have a happy fanbase.

Just imagine the Lingering Will seeing Xeanhort-Aqua...

Thank you so much for this informative video! Really helped me catch up with all the storyline/context lol. Going to check out your KH recap series, esp since KH3 is confirmed to release next month :D :D

Great video I'm amazed how well compiled you guys got it (assuming this wasn't made by just one person) I hesitated to watch because the emoji but I'm glad I did

Aqua is a Xehanort. Orange eyes are what you get from 'falling to darkness.'

This was really helpful, thanks!

I haven't seen the trailer yet, because I wanted to go in blind. I couldn't pass up this video though. That...that is shocking, I would have never expected that aqua would have been consumed by darkness! I'm glad I found this channel! This was an excellent review, and very easy to understand, as well as a nice recap on Aqua's storyline.

Loved the video, all the feels came flooding back and I wasn't expecting it xD poor Aqua

She went straight down to the dark, and she got plucked right out; her eyes wide open, full of darkness. the days of Master Aqua are long gone, welcome back... Dark Venom Aqua.

As it was said, Aqua is like the main character after Sora, how even after everything is against her, she just keeps looking forward and keep going no matter what, even after 10 years of being unable to escape from the world of darkness, she was still with hope. That's why we all couldn't handle seen Aqua finally consumed by darkness. The worst thing, is that she could have been saved TWICE. Yen Sid this is your fault.

Great vid. I can’t believe it’s been this long for the conclusion.

The way you talk through the video is like having someone read a book for me. I love that, and would like to see more! and there's a sub for ya :D

Good Review of Aqua Storyline. Do a breakdown of the KH series before KH3 comes out your review is easy to follow. It's all about Aqua. Yeahhhhhh. She's Main MC and Riku too. lol. I wish we could play Noct-Riku and Kairi and of course Aqua too, not just Sora.

You have amazing commentary!! Im subscribing now!!

Oh the way you explained everything in this video is gold. I played most all of the games but putting all of it into short simple sentences like you do is really impressive.

Thank you for this video and all the work you have done up to this point. I have been a fan of kingdom hearts since I was a kid, always loving the magical journey and the characters that came with those beloved memories. Hopefully within the third main entry, we get to purge the darkness from Aqua to save the trio.

I remember getting Kingdom Hearts II when I was a kid, I fell in love with it and became hooked, andhave been collecting the games ever since. I'm so hyped for this game and I'm so glad they're expanding on the worlds. My jaw hit the floor at the Aqua reveal, I wonder how this will play out? I feel like playing Birth By Sleep now.

I'll be 36 in October and I'm excited for KH3! I've waited so long!

I also got the feeling that Aqua was like the true main character of BBS as she has the most exclusive commands, gets more use out of the keyblades of different worlds, the most exclusive keyblades and the Ultima Weapon even shares her aesthetic. It really just feels like that game was made with her abilities in mind foremost as she'll be used more.

This was really well done. Crazy thing is I played through birth by sleep and lost the disc before I could finish aquas ending (which is super tragic I know). But this was a great video to use as a refresher for thier story lines. Awesome job and keep it up.

"6 year old me is really happy..." Every year of me is really happy to finally see Kingdom Hearts 3 happening! :)

Well we don't have the game yet, but my theory about Aqua is the following. Through BBS Secret Episode and 0.2 we see Aqua slowly considering to give in, to fade, and questioning herself if the darkness have finally found her weakness and it's exploiting that. Since in the Realm of Darkness time is absent, we don't really know how Aqua felt being trapped in there, what's happening to her is the same as what happens when someone is held captive in a dark place or even just a place with only artificial light source without any form of telling the right time. A person in this situation can feel just a fill hours as long as several days or even weeks, the person may start to go crazy in kept in that situation for too long. The longest kidnap we have knowledge about was over 8 years, the woman wrote a book and told how she almost fell apart several times, and thought about killing herself, how she got depressed and many other things. In those 2 years that passed on the Realm of Light, could have been felt like an eternity for Aqua and maybe the darkness played on her once again, maybe it even played with her memories. Ansem seems to be gone from the Dark Margin, who knows where is he now, or how much time after he left Aqua was there all alone, and even if it wasn't her who got rid of him in a moment of weakness. All of that time in the RoD may have made Aqua easier to possess. Maybe sometime before being possessed she wasn't the hero we once knew anymore. I believe that maybe something happened to her there that really changed her and made her becime something like a anti-heroine with only one purpose, save Terra ans Ventus no matter what it takes or who stand in her way. I believe that the Aqua we see in the trailer is winning the property dispute against Xehanort and will now use his powers to achieve her goals and then try to rid herself of him.

Great video! Thanks!

I’m a long time fan of kingdom hearts, since I was a child. I am now 23 years old. I just want to thank you for doing an excellent job at articulating the coming events that are to transpire in part three. Good job, keep us updated. One sky, one destiny X

From all characters from kh Aqua is my favorite character. I love her so much. It would break my heart if it would be impossible to save her.

When you played “Let it Go”, you were spot on with my reaction XD

"You're too late." The game wasn't out yet Aqua, what'd you expect us to do?!!!

You have a great voice. It's very pleasant to listen to you talk about Kingdom Hearts!

awesome video, very informative... and sad! i want aqua to be safe

I been a fan sense kh 1 when it first came out huge fan over here too I can’t wait for kh3

I (almost) broke down because it felt like seeing a friend that had tried to help me and keep me safe failing to something I should have saved her from pay for my inaction. My failure and my pain and seeing that look on her face as she said it, "You're too late." hit the hardest.

Do you guys know where the scene 5:55 is from? I cannot find it anywhere at all

Anyone doubt its really aqua? I mean come in could be a doppelganger.

Actually the one who used the keyblade on that scene was Xehanort in a desperate attempt of riding himself from Terra. It's stated on tge records of the game on the Trinity Archives section.

Hey, great video. I only played KH 1-2 on when it was released. It's my favourite game ever! But im a little big behind with the story.. can someone point me to the video where i can learn more about the story from the games i havent played? I know there is loads and im a bit confused Thanks!

I can't wait for the reveal on how it happen. I keep thinking about the 'blank points' and the conversation between Aqua and the real Ansem. Since it is believed to be after the overload from his machine in KH2, Aqua change would have happen fairly recently in regards to the timeline.

This video helped me understand more of Aqua since I've been wanted to play Birth by sleep for a long time so Thankyou great video, if you're making more videos like this explain the connexion between I thinks its Namine and Aqua I know there's a connexion if not correct me please also I've been a huge fan KH since I played KH 358/2 so yeah I love KH's music 😍😍

wow this video really blew up, all her other videos has less than 100 views, but this one has over 150k now.

Awesome video!

Like Legit question do I need to play the other games to u understand what's happening cause I only played Kingdom Hearts 1 an 2 on my old dusty PS2 back when I was a little kid

I'm disappointed they revealed her to be bad. Wouldn't it have been a huge surprise if we were all playing, and then that cutscene happened. We'd have a heart attack! :( Spoilers....

After going through literal hell in the Realm of Darkness Aqua at this point deserves a happy ending. She's suffered too much for people to be fine with her being killed. Same goes for Ventus and Terra along with everyone else Xehanort screwed over during the course of the series. Also unpopular as this may sound I'm not among the crowd that finds Frozen vomit inducing. Truth be told I enjoyed the snippet of Let It Go so yeah I'm still a fan after all this time. Wasn't surprised to see Frozen in KH3 either because let's face it Frozen's among Disney biggest hits in history so it was only a matter of time. Aqua's twist on the other hand...

Okay soo.. Basically I have the kingdom hearts 1.5 + the 2.8 HD remix. Now, even if I didn't finish the storyline, umm.. How should I explain this? I've been playing The KH 1.5 + 2.8 HD remix yet I don't know if final mix is the first game. Maybe I'm wrong. But even if I played it, I still don't ENTIRELY get the storyline. Am I needing to play the first game to understand?

Maam whenit comes out will you please do a long video or a dvd of it after you have played it i have a hard time learning new games

I love this decision its so bittersweet. We finally get to see a fully motivated Aqua just for her to get possessed lol typical Nomura fashion. How I would define the whole franchise of KH would be: Sea Salt Ice Cream

Should also be noted that a Frozen world has been leaked/heavily rumored so it wasn't too surprising. I was happy to see it but it was mostly just like "Oh cool, Frozen" (heh heh)

Great Video!

Anyone know the version of "Simple and Clean" this is?

I was 6 when I played the original kingdom hearts, I'm 19 now. This makes me feel old

I was waiting for ff7 remake...have all the kh games taken this long to make? N thank you! I thought i was the only one who finds frozen well over rated.

Wow I thought Kingdom Hearts was just one game and wasnt interesting. Now I see it all and I thank you for making this video. Guess I got a lot to catch up on. 👍 new subscriber for u 👏

Pls make this a series