I agree but i feel Eraquas failed all three of his students in some way. He tried to kill Ventus (for the possibility he would be used to form a form of yeh X-blade), he let his prejudice against darkness push Terra away and he expected Aqua to basically “keep reign” over her tow best friend (make Ventus come home without acknowledged his independence and “keep an eye on” Terra who felt betrayed) Not saying Eraquas is necessarily a bad person or anything but in BBS he was short sided
Honestly, I feel like most people cast their judgment on Terra based on dramatic irony, not realizing that in-universe there is no reason that Terra would have to distrust Xehanort even if we know he is untrustworthy based on the game pointing to him being the villain
Eraqus presents Xehanort as a trusted friend and fellow Master, without anything about Xehanort’s dark ambitions. That’s before Xehanort intentionally manipulating what information Terra has access to, such as the existence of Vanitas but omitting key details like his own involvement in the creation of Vanitas as an individual while playing on Terra’s protective instinct of Ven.
Yeah it's real easy for us the audience to not trust him based on his character design as well as the fact that most people playing this game probably knew well ahead of time Xehanort was an antagonist to these three protagonists thanks to the well known KH2 secret ending. But yeah, for all the reasons jbcatz mentioned there's nothing inherently untrustworthy about him and it would make even less sense for Terra to suspect anything. Heck it's not even like the rest of the Wayfinder trio, or even Master Eraqus, suspected Xehanort of anything till it was too late yet no one mentions them being too dumb to see.
Honestly? Xehanort is one thing. But Captain Hook? Jamba? Maleficent? You'd think he would have learned his lesson not to trust people blindly after the incident with Aurora.
It’s interesting to note at the end of III, where Eraqus does say he failed his students and makes personalised apologies to Ventus (putting him through a harrowing experience), and Aqua (about the burden he placed on her), all he has for Terra specifically is that he trusts Terra to look out for Ven and Aqua, when Terra was the one who paid the heaviest price for Eraqus’s failings as a teacher. Granted, all three lost a lot, Ventus falling into an over decade long sleep to heal his shattered heart and Aqua trapped in the Realm of Darkness before falling to it herself, but Terra lost his identity and was victim to his body being stolen and used to commit dark experiments, to fight while his mouth was bound shut, his resolve manifested as the closest thing to the physical incarnation of Rage we’ve seen in the series. Eraqus owed him a “I screwed up, and you paid too heavy a price than you ever should have for it” for starters. Let’s face it, if anyone deserves flak for trusting Xehanort it’s Eraqus, because it was his responsibility to protect his students from the man he knew had ambitions to recreate the most destructive event known to Keyblade wielders. Yet he let his old friend influence him, gave him access to impressionable young individuals and at the cost of these individuals, as well as fostering an environment that would set them at ends when outside of it.
Yeah, that is exactly what happened. In Eraquis' defense other his delivery of Ventus years before to Eraquis supposively swayed Eraquis to think he was letting go of that goal because of the destruction it caused. A lot of BBS also only occurred because the trio was isolated. If they had journeyed together or had established ways to contact one another that they would use (gummy phone, although I honestly think early wedges would have them drop using them early on) then BBS ending would have been avoided. Terra also had it a lot worse. Ansem seeker of darkness went back in time to the point young Xehanort left the island and then stayed there. Terra lived out all of those decades as unwittingly protector for Xehanort's heartless until he finally got the chance to break free again. I would honestly say that Lingering Will had to be destroyed to transfer that part of Terra back to his heart.
Terra's actually always been my favourite member of the Wayfinder Trio. Part of it I'll admit is his connection and parallels to Riku, my favourite character in the series, but I always picked up on a lot of these themes, and while I don't personally relate, I can tell how realistic his portrayal is. Also I can put aside the "he should've known Xehanort is evil" arguments, because it's obvious, when looked at without the context of KH2 and everything we know about Xehanort and his motives that, no, Terra shouldn't be expected to know what Xehanort's planning
Being honest terra probably had the better overall campaign despite the gameplay being worse. Aqua don't do much until it's become really interesting on the final act so i can give her that, but ventus always felt the weakest to me it's was very much "sora-lite".
ROCK! As someone who grew up in a very sheltered, religious environment, I always understood Terra's point of view. It's been a constant learning experience to trust in my own heart and realize that just because someone is an adult, doesn't make them always right. Also, thank you for mentioning found family, it's my favorite trope for these reasons
Mood haha I also grew up very religious so seeing Terra’s story felt a little too real haha I love the found family trope too! Glad I could sneak it in even if just a little bit. I would love to do a full video on it at some point
One thing I thought was being portrayed about Terra's Psyche during his scene with kid Riku was that he was still focusing on strength too much. yes he resolves to use his strength to protect his friends but he is merely directing where that strength goes. Riku who we know was also obsessed with strength could relate to terra and show a younger version of himself in him. that's why he resonated with Riku so much and failed to notice sora. Sora isn't someone who cares about strength. he cares about friendship and protection, that's why both Ven and aqua resonated with him so much and why aqua could see soras potential and considered bequeathing him, because aqua prioritizes protection of friends. I think this is also why Riku falls down the dark path like terra. Because terra still had flaws with his views only caring about strength and that bled over to Riku who because of his obsession with strength and promise to achieve something he wants succumbs to darkness like his predecessor
Terra is a bit of a complex case. But also highlights the issue with the view darkness is only evil and must be suppressed or destroyed. It is this view that causes terra to have issues controlling the darkness within him in the first place and this view causes eraques to truly try and kill one of his own students. Darkness isn't all bad just as light isn't all good
I've always felt that some people were WAY too harsh on Terra, especially since it seems like they don't even try to understand him and his circumstances. Even though Xehanort obviously looks evil, that's our perspective as outsiders of this universe. Terra has his reasons for trusting Xehanort, after all he is a old and experienced Keyblade Master who is apparently good friends with his Master. Not to mention during the scenes in which Xehanort is making faces and looking obviously evil, he is smart enough to only do it during times when nobody is watching him or aren't able to see his face which means nobody is ever in a position to see his evil grin and Xehanort did it intentionally. Not to mention he played the part of a kind and understanding old man during crucial moments in which Terra was feeling lost and in need of guidance. It also doesn't help that Terra has the worst luck imaginable and keeps conveniently running into villains who keep feeding him contradictory information. It's easy to call him an idiot but the reality is that both he and Aqua are sheltered and have most likely never left the Land of Departure which means his "real world" experience is completely different from ours. And it's not like Terra is the only naive or ignorant one, Aqua was going to ABSOLUTELY murder Cinderella's stepmother for having the *AUDACITY* to harbor Darkness in her Heart, Fairy Godmother had to step in and stop Aqua from breaking into the house Keyblade in hand.
A lot of people say that Terra is a moron for instantly trusting the first people he meets in each world, but Ven and Aqua do literally the exact same thing. Those two are just lucky enough to stumble upon the good guys in the respective Disney worlds first.
still one of my personal GOATs, mustering up the will to keep fighting even after losing his body and imo becoming one of the franchise's most iconic bosses
We also recognize that the technique used by Master Xehanort to manipulate Terra is the same Baldr's Darkness and the Master of Masters used on him. It is "You aren't like them" and "you are Chosen". And if Xehanort fell for it, it seems likely Terra would, too.
when i was younger terra was a huge source of strength for me, he pushed me to do the right thing after i heard my brother stood up to my abusive mother for me. terra's journey was the last one i took in that wretched house, i vowed to always have my brothers back and to stand against all things evil. terra taught me that darkness can be a tool to help others find the light that just because you are mired in sin and evil doesn't mean you can use it to save others you care about. its thanks to him that im as strong as i am now, and i no longer fear the worst outcome for my life. he is and always will be my favorite kh character.
Such a thoughtful dissection of not only Terra's psyche, but how a person's family dynamics and social circle can create a truly malignant set of circumstances for someone, even if their heart is in the right place. He tried his best with the hand he was dealt, and he came out stronger for it. ... Also where is my 3 hour long "Psychology of Smee" video, Mr. Biological Roxas? Hmmmm?
The issue with extremes is that when you are told to avoid something with all your being, you will succumb once you have just a tiny taste of it and it goes only downhill from there. Eraqus fear of darkness simply poisoned the well of Terra's person was reflected in the first worlds he visited and once Xehanort, a person of similar authority to Eraqus, told Terra that Darkness shouldn't be feared but channeled just like the Light, Terra was slowly becoming used to Darkness as a weapon to use just like his keyblade. Also, seeing the father figure who raised him raising a keyblade against one of his friends was the final push to have Terra's resolve ROCK solid that Light could be just as "evil" as the Darkness he was told to fear, shun and avoid at all cost.
Just finished playing BBS thanks to the Steam release. All three stories are so sad as Eraqus sheltered them too much and made it all too easy for Xehanort to manipulate them. Terra, in particular, gets the short end of the stick.
This essay rocked. I think what's really sad (amd wonderful) about Terra's journey is that he is under this impression that he isn't strong enough to protect what matters from the beginning. The message being sent by the authority figures around him, and the customs surrounding keyblade masters, is that he needs to become stronger, more capable, and purge his darkness. But in the end, he really realizes he had the strength all along. That's what Lingering Will, and his resolve over all those years, always said to me, anyway. He was always strong enough to stand against the darkness. He just needed to gain the resolve and direction to do so. Thats what I feel like your video enforced for me, anyway. I never considered a lot of this. Like how much Xehanort uses the truth to manipulate others, or Terra's agreeableness around authorities as a fish out of water, etc. Definitely can see the sheltered/closed nature of their upbringing affecting the Wayfinder Trio a lot too, I agree Anyway, love hearing your thoughts on characters like this. You're very insightful and thorough and always seem to draw out something new about the featured character I never considered.
Back in the day, I definitely was one who joked about Terra. But seeing now older how much manipulation and gaslighting he went through but still tried to find his own voice and what mattered to him is commendable. It’s hard when those closest to you, whom you trust, use it against you for their own desires. He’s grown a lot since the beginning ^^ -Rock-
The reunion of Terra and Riku was one of the things I wanted most when it came to KH3, and now after watching the break down on terra I feel like Riku could really teach him a lot about walking a middle path between light and dark if he wanted to try a different way.
Terra is my absolute favorite cause I also saw Terra as the groups big brother and as the oldest of my siblings I've made so many mistakes and always try to right them and take a minute to tell my younger siblings what went wrong with my choice and how they can avoid making the same choice too hands down one of my favorites thank you so much for making the video it was a great watch!
I really love your Psychology series! You hit on points that not a lot of people acknowledge about these characters because they’re too caught up in the *Kingdom Hearts is long and convoluted* (and Cloud being an emo anime edgelord) mindset that it blinds them from how deep, realistic and well-written all these characters truly are. And as a 23 year old who’s still dealing with the loss of a best friend, *finally* fully acknowledging I’ve been mentally abused by family my whole life and have struggled with extreme depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, bottling up my emotions in fear of burdening others and being bullied for my upbringing and/or interests… Let’s just say each video in this series has really hit me, like… like a rock. They’ve been incredibly validating, eye-opening and encouraging in many ways. I always felt strong connections with all these characters growing up, but could never exactly pinpoint why. After watching these videos though, I now fully understand. You’re a blessing *and* a hero in some ways, so I thank you for all the time, effort, and money you put into making these videos. Looking forward to the next ones! 💖
A piece of lore I’m fascinated to hopefully see is where Terra and Aqua came from. As Terra’s story in particular echoes Revenge of the Sith, were they, like Younglings, taken from their home and families when found to have Keyblade potential? This would explain why Terra would latch onto Eraqus, Aqua and Ventus for emotional stability and validation, but also coming at the cost of only these relationships to base his own stability and resolve off of, all three of which are tested during his experience in Birth by Sleep and none getting a proper resolution in that time.
when i heard you were making a psychology of terra video, i was so excited. you really do these characters justice, and i'm so happy that you made this. thank for this rock solid video, man.
the found family idea is something that has taken me a lot further than i probably wouldve gotten without it- and i think thats definitely part of why this series means so much to me (rock)
ROCK 🪨I'm really happy you made this video and I'm super glad people are standing up for Terra. It became a little toxic when the community kept insulting and bashing Terra without taking the time to see everything from his perspective. It's also very interesting how Eraqus' upbringing made him immediately judge Terra when he showed that he had darkness in him.
One hill that I WILL DIE PAINFULLY ON IS DEFENDING TERRA FROM THE ALLEGATIONS!!! The operative phrase when looking at Terra and Xehanort's interactions is "Dramatic Irony." Terra has no reason to distrust Xehanort, unlike the player, who (Presumably) has knowledge of events that canonically HAVEN'T HAPPENED YET
I think one thing that even *rock* solid video essayists miss is that Terra never once accuses anyone of lying to him, closest he gets is accusing someone of tricking him. I think the boy might legitimately be so sheltered that he doesn't know what Lying is. This is Eraqus's fault.
Not many UA-camrs make me literally cheer when I see that they've uploaded, but this is certainly one of them. I love these phycology videos so much! Keep up the great work man!
Terra is my favorite character in Kingdom Hearts and he is a *VERY* underrated case. I don't think it's fair that Terra gets the hate he gets. He's my favorite character cuz I can definitely relate to Terra.
rock on! I loved Terra's story, it was always the one that's overlooked, but I saw something special in it... forging ones own path completely different from what everyone else expected to have happen... in-universe, the Wayfinder trio are all insanely powerful people, and everyone always talks about how Aqua survives for over a decade in the realm of darkness or how Ven fights one of the original darknesses that spawned from the original primordial force of darkness... but Terra more than keeps up with both of them despite this in a completely different and unexpected way
Amazing video! I wish more people would look deeper into Terra like this. I'd also like to add that the Character Files for Terra add more depth to him as well. From his viewpoint, he sees Riku, who is now a Keyblade Master, wield the power of Darkness and still protect the Light and yet again questions if Darkness is as detestable as he was initially taught to believe. Also, at the end of the files, Terra speaks of how "even entertaining the thought of being forgiven is so presumptuous of me", when he asks himself if Eraqus had forgiven him. After the events of KH3, he definitely has immense guilt and doesn't forgive himself as he states in the files. (He also goes over what he felt while being in Xehanort's control for 10 years, where his heart was in a void that eventually became pain, anger, and sorrow...)
ROCK!! thank you so much for this. terra has always been one of my favorite characters, because i knew, since the beginning, terra was a very sheltered person. it makes so much why he trusted xehanort so much, and why he was so naive because of working under eraqus. he had no idea what the difference was between right and wrong(he does, but not in a good way since he hadn’t been away from eraqus for a long time). it’s so important for people to realize terra was never dumb, and he isn’t bad character. he never had the opportunity to think for himself until he was so much older. and people manipulated him. the people who he trusted so deeply, they manipulated him when he was struggling with his own opinions and beliefs. what really stands out to me is that you brought up how terra’s relationship with eraqus, is indeed still a toxic relationship, even when it is shown they doncare both of them care for each other like family. that was so important. and everything about terra is empowering, and very well said. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING HIM JUSTICE. i love terra so much more now.
Definitely loved the insight on Terra's character. It rocked. ;D Terra is a character I have always had difficulty understanding as well simply because, as a player, we already know so much more than Terra does about the people he encounters on his journey. It's tough to play through his story without sighing a lot, but it really does make sense that Terra wouldn't know much given his upbringing and lack of real world experience. I can definitely relate to that. Finding your way in the world when you've been sheltered from it is very difficult and can make you look extremely dumb in the eyes of other people. In the end, Terra found his own answer, and that's inspiring if nothing else. I'm not sure if I ever would have viewed him this way if not for this video, so thank you for the time and effort you put into it. Best wishes, and God bless you.
You ROCK! While I didn't grow up sheltered so to speak, i grew up taking every lesson that my elders gave me at face value due to undiagnosed autism and therefore had an extremely rigid and unmoving frame of view. It was very difficult for me when that view was challenged or contradicted, and even more so when I started to rebel against my parents but still being drawn to that rigid view point that they gave me. Now as an adult I've completly moved away from their view point, but it took time and work on myself
Thank you! Being vulnerable and if your guardian believes you're not normal doesn't make you dumb. People want to fit in within a group. Terra is one of my favourite KH characters because I think his story is so tragic. He just wants to be "normal" and yet Eraqus didn't saw him like this and Xehanort just played with him around
Ignorance doesn't always mean stupidity, in this case he doesn't know how to react, so he goes with what he is told. His master is all he knows, and Terra is very similar to Aqua in this way. Aqua just adapted. Terra didn't have the tools and support group to do so. He's not dumb, he isnt weak, Terra doesn't know because he was never taught the information.
Terra was the one who tended to find the villain first, Aqua usually met the heroes first or the villain being obviously a villain (good people don’t plunge you into a dungeon). Yet Terra does work out that the villains aren’t the good guys, he refuses to take Snow White’s heart, rejects Hades and helps Zack (it’s ironic that someone so pure and characterised as a puppy in Crisis Core did entertain darkness if only briefly) to be freed of darkness, stops helping Jumba and stops working for Hook (whether Peter Pan is right to steal from Hook is more of a moral grey area from that particular property though). Fairy Godmother has to lecture Aqua about shades of grey.
I started reading the light novel of BBS last week, and what stuck out to me the most in regards to Terra is that he seemed surprised that he had darkness inside him, and that that was what emerged in the fight against Aqua. And i was like, "Wait. Did Eraqus never teach his apprentices what darkness was? Because that should have been step 1, recognizing what darkness looked and felt like. It hit home how much Eraqus failed to prepare them for the outside world, and made his teaching seem even more like a cult than it already was.
I think the idea that Terra is dumb as a rock is more of a meme, but I guess some people believe. I really hope we get a Birth by sleep sequel, with the three of them together for most of the game.
Rock! Honestly this is an amazing video. Even though Terra isn't my favorite among the Wayfinder trio, i stil like his character and i truly dont think he deserves all the hate he had gotten. I believe he was such an amaxing character and this video just shows and explains it very well. I'm very thankful that you made this psychology video about terra and take all the time you need to make another psychology video. I do hope that you and everyone will have a wonderful day
This was one of my favorite psychology videos that you have made! I really love Terra as a character and I think he gets way too much hate. This was such an amazing video. You ROCK Bio!!!
He seriously has the strongest will out of anyone in the series. It's so strong that it animated his armor and fought when he couldn't. It's so strong that he's been resisting Xehanort's efforts to completely take over his body...for a decade. Even when he became a mindless beast as the Guardian, part of him was STILL fighting inside and eventually broke free. When he tells Aqua that he won't give in. It was the truth He never lost hope despite being split between three beings Will,Guardian and Terra-Nort. Why he is my favorite character I resonate with his struggles and story. Like him I was a good/kind soul before I was hurt and manipulated into believing I was a bad guy all along. Terra fan for life
Rock! I think there's a lot of misconception about Terra and Aqua, and people get their personalities mixed up. Sure, Aqua is the teacher's pet, but she's also the type to make snap decisions and jump to violence as a solution. Terra, meanwhile, is the type to stop and try to think things through first -- even if that unfortunately means he OVERthinks and causes himself anxiety. There's a tumblr post out there somewhere comparing Hamlet and Othello, how if they'd been the protagonist of each other's stories, neither would have ended in tragedy. I think the same could be said for Terra and Aqua here. Unfortunately, Xehanort knew exactly who to target and which thread to pull :(
BbS was always the closest game to my heart being my first ever completed game... Ventus was always my favourite boy. He was like my cinnamon roll, but after hours, more than 5 playthroughs and reading and watching reviews about the game. I became kinda frustrated with how many people misjudged Terra and how much they ranked up Aqua. I reached the point where I started hating Aqua and loving Terra to bits. While this is still very true, I have made peace with Aqua for now, but to me Terra is definitely the best character that came out of BbS (even though I would kill for Ventus). He is truly an amazing character, I love everything about him. (And hopefully, Kairi will not only learn from Aqua but from Terra as well. Because while he is not a Master in name, he is truly a Guardian and an amazing Teacher and suppporter.) Thank you for this amazing analysis and for the work you (all) put into this video. I have teared up here and there, because it spoke to me on a relatively personal level. Cannot wait for more of these in the future and of course. May the rock be your guiding key I guess :'D
PLEASE! Take your time in creating this gem of content because I personally LOVE how you take each of my favorite characters and convey who they really are in a way that I can’t even do in my own head! You ROCK for this (lol) and sincerely thank you so much for your own spin on my favorite series ever. I value your professional take and I do hope that it is not too challenging to continue making content like this! Take care and “may your heart be your guiding key” 🙏🏻
I loved this video . I was still blown away that he was the guardian the whole time . Even though others have hinted that out in dream drop distance before kingdom hearts 3 even came .
I was under the impression Xehanort manipulated Terra's darkness & brought it out during the fight with Aqua. Also, Terra is one of my favorite characters
Rock! Lol awesome video! Terra is probably my favorite kingdom hearts character. Strong and well meaning. Admits to his mistakes and cares deeply for others and his friends but struggles with insecurities .
And we began to ROCK steady. I think Terra gets soooo much grief because we were all really young and immature when we first experienced his story. And that first impression is really hard to shake
Followed because of your psychology series and definitely hoping to see it continue 🙏💚 I've loved everything you've made so far especially the psychology of riku
I dunno if take suggestions but i think the depression and probably self loathing Namine feels (she arguably feels the most alone of the characters that are the side of Light) would be a cool video. Or maybe Kairi feeling she is a burden to Sora and Riku (and then later responsible for Sora vanishing to save her) would be cool ideas.
@@BioRoxas aw thanks! That’s is good to know! I definitely feel Namine has self worth issues (as harsh as this is if you think about it she probably feels less important then Xion and Roxas who at least had Axel their entire time while she was “forced” to “make friends” by manipulating Sora, Donald and goofy memories.
Honestly, I see him more as the Anakin Skywalker of Kingdom Hearts, with him being tainted by the dark side, wants to be a master, but is always denied by others, including his closest friend (Whom he even might considered a sibling), gets manipulated by an old man who says things he wants to hear, came back with the coolest suit, and somehow always misrepresented as an idiot despite most of his actions were motivated by desperation
ROCK! Of course it's gonna take time to make these Psychology of videos. It's clear that you put a lot of care into making them. While we are certainly very eager to see more in this series you've made, take as much time as you need to make them. Great things take time to make after all.
These videos Rock! And take your time, the quality and care put into them is obvious so whatever you are doing is obviously working. And I totally get what you mean about being in the right headspace, I'm sure this kind of analysis requires a huge, focused deep dive that needs an inherent interest to maintain without burnout. Looking forward to the next "Psychology of"!
@@BioRoxas Ooooh, that would be super interesting. I kinda get Xehanort, but it feels like his motivations were slightly retconned going from BBS to KH3, so it would be nice to see what I missed and if he really was consistent. Looking forward to it when you do eventually get to him!
Thank you so much for talking about this. I always hated how some people call terra easily manipulated and how it wouldn't happen to them. (I'm just at the beginning of the video so it could be that you will talk about this. This is just some of my thoughts that i just need to say). Nobody is immune to manipulation and this is also a thing i love about bbs is how "casual" (i hope that's the right Word i used) xehanorts manipulation is because that's how it is in real life.If we as the player didn't have more information and knew that xehanort was a villain, i would think some of us would have also believed hím. And a thing i feel like a lot of people tend to forget is in what kind of circumstances this manipulation was used. Terra had absolutely no reason to mistrust xehanort. Xehanort was introduced to him as a good friend from his master/father-figure who he trusted and as a keyblade master who he learned his entire life are people who fight against the darkness. If i would have been in his place i also would have trusted xehanort because i wouldn't have a reason not to. Sorry if i have some grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language
I never had much of an opinion on Terra I grew a bit more of an understanding with him ish in the novels but this video especially near the end made me realize that I relate more to Terra than I realized. I know you are probably only doing the hero's right now but I would like to see the villains side too see how that plays out too.
Terra set a lot of Xehanort’s plan into motion, yes, but I don’t think he’s to blame at all for what happened. He was a young adult, and he felt isolated and alone. Xehanort preyed on those feelings of loneliness and frustration, and groomed him into making very poor decisions so that his plan stayed in motion. Terra was groomed and manipulated into hurting the people he cared about most, and I find it terrible that people blame him for everything, when it was Xehanort who made everything happen
Okay I just finished and I gotta say… you absolutely did Terra justice. Thank you for evaluating his character through a sympathetic lens, and I love that you brought up the conditions that he grew up in! He’s my favorite character in all of KH, and watching this analysis really helped solidify my appreciation for him!! He is rock!! 🪨💕
It's crazy that Eraqus had also been with Terra all that time too. Like when he came back during KH3 how did he not punch Xehanort after witnessing everything!?
Probably because he blames himself for not doing enough to stop Xehanort. Getting him to stand down and accept defeat which allowed Sora to seal Kingdom Hearts away.
Thank you very much for this video. I sincerely appreciate your effort to expand upon a character's cognition (thinking), especially since Kingdom Hearts makes it so obscured for players to even understand and relate because the voice actors are called to record lines and have no idea of the story (to avoid spoiler leak). Because of that, most in-game conversation about anything regarding the characters themselves are hard to understand when they overused the terms keyblade, light, darkness, heart for who knows how many? (Disney should stop overuse these terms and get realistic and relatable terms, the players aren't young children anymore). I could never understand them because they are so hard to relate to. There may have been novels that has multiple Point of views that describes their thought process but most people have no access to them to learn more. You do so much to explain about these characters with more relatable context or background so we players can understand them so much better now. Thank you very much once again. I do wish we get to see Terra more in the future and see how he view things after so long, even though it is unlikely. He is a character with a strong impression much like Roxas.
I don't always watch these ad soon as they come out, but i have enjoyed the series so far. I'd also say to take as long as you need for each video. Rock...
I havent finished the video but I wanted to speak on how you highlight the stengths of Terra and your intention to do it more in the future. It feels emblematic to do it with Terra as he's an individual who suffered from not getting positive reinforcement from mentors. I love seeing creators grow and in the years Ive been watching your stuff this is very satisfying to see in your process of growth. Love your stuff keep following your own love!
ROCK!!🪨I’m so glad to have a video to point to when someone talks bad about my boy Terra! Also wanna say as much as I’d love having these videos more often on a schedule because, well duh i wanna see more ofc, but i much prefer the time and energy you put into it and it shows in the quality. I’d never want it to suffer for the sake of quantity. Plus I like how spread out they are because then it feels like a whole special event when a new one drops haha. keep at it!!
Rock ! Thank you for this video. I really love how you dive into them to analyze and explain... this one even more, as I haven't got Terra right in my head either. Non I see him in a new light, as I think most do. So again... thank you. I ironically feel just a bit disappointed you didn't got the whole portraits of other characters before (like you said, both bad sides AND good sides), but that's just showing how much you improve your way to analyze, tell and create content. And even though I'm looking forward to watch your next analyze.... please take your time. I can't agree more with your speech about taking the time to do your thing instead of making a limited schedule. Going at your own pace can only make you keep a good quality, even improve and more than anything... keep the passion, which was clearly felt here. And I think I'm gonna play birth by sleep again, with that analyze in mind. To really put myself in his shoes, his place, and understand better as enjoying the game and story in soie new way. Thank you again for the analyze and putting this into new light, for your time and passion. And as you followed your heart for your content, I can't help but saying it : May your Heart (always) be your Guiding Key 💙😉
@@SupaYoshiXP keep everything the same but remove Blank Points so as to keep it (mostly) unconnected to 1/CoM/Days/2. Sora didn't need to be Keyblade Jesus tbh, and he didnt really have personal beef with Master Xehanort (until 3), Terranort, or even Young Xehanort (until DDDish). I liked that Terra and Aqua both visited Destiny Island and ran into Sora and Riku. I also like that Aqua ran into Kairi on Radiant Garden, and that Ven's heart made contact with and found its way to Sora's young heart. That's all cool because on their faces those are all just chance encounters. But. I love that BBS ended on a very sad note. And while I also love Blank Points (it does a FANTASTIC job of setting up SRK's destinies post KH2, and I love the use of BBS' Dearly Beloved), I do feel that so quickly circling back to SRK kinda cheapens the big sacrifices that TVA played. By giving us BP, they essentially said that everything that happened for KH1-2 were kicking the can down the road. That led to bigtime confusion when we got DDD and later impossible fan expectations when KH3 was announced and released
@@RizzyGyatt I enjoyed reading this I agree with everything pretty much I really didn’t like sora becoming the chosen one because KH1 did a amazing job at making sora the Every man and riku the chosen one who was falling into darkness
It's honestly reassuring that you want to take your time between these videos, because the effort you put into the analyses of these really shows. These videos have been great both to help us understand our favorite keyblade wielders better, but also as insightful explanations into psychological behaviors that us viewers may either resonate with or just have yet to learn. I've gathered newfound appreciation for characters I already love through these, and have gotten some personal insight I was not expecting throughout the series! So thanks for making these, and when you're able to put more out, I'm eager to learn more! That being said, the section on "Terra And Why Rocks Are Vital To His Character" was a strange tangent.
What? People really say Terra is stupid? Gullible and naive sure, but he never struck me as dumb. See, this is why I don't involve myself in the fandoms of stuff I enjoy because you get takes like this. Xehanort is introduced to Terra as a friend of his own master and as a keyblade master himself. There's no reason to distrust him right away, at all. The only reason we don't trust Xehanort right away is because of how obvious the symbolism is in KH, he wears black, and most people already knew he was an antogonist to these three protagonists thanks to the secret ending in KH2. Add to the fact that these characters lived sheltered lives as you mentioned and it's easy to see why Terra was led astray so easily. It's certainly not because he isn't intelligent. Wild that people think that. Edit: Rock-sas!
Honestly, Terra has always been my favorite character in the series for exactly the reason you mentioned- I grew up in a pretty sheltered environment where by and large I was taught that the adults in my life were all trustworthy and Good and Bad is a simple black and white dichotomy. It wasn't until I went to college, and to some extent until after I graduated, that I was forced to realize there was a lot more to life than I had ever been brought to understand. And something I think a lot of people just don't internalize is that... Terra is in every sense of the word a child. Yes, he's the most mature looking of the player protagonists, and I've seen his age guesstimated to be somewhere between 19-22, but being totally honest, I was still very much a kid at that age. Maturity is not a number, it is a measure of experience, and you can be physically adult while still very much a child mentally. And your point about people not getting the tragic irony is also on point, and I've made exactly that argument in his defense in the past. He did not grow up with classic Disney- yes, all of the players know that Maleficent, Hades, Hook and etc are villains, but how would he know that? And when the queen from Snow White makes her malicious intentions as transparent up front as a rock to the face, Terra is immediately like "Hmmmm, or how about I DON'T do that." He's not stupid, he's naive, and he's being manipulated and taken advantage of by much older adults.
ROCK A quote from spider-man 2, Sandman says: "i am not a bad guy, just had bad luck" somewhat fits terra here, always met the wrong people before smelling their evil intentions
i won't lie; i thought terra was a bit of a doofus in a few scenes in this game but your video really helped shed some more light for me on the whole deal. rock solid! i really appreciated your other video analysis' on the others as well! i hope you continue to make more.
ROCK! Terra is definitely one of my favorite characters in the kingdom hearts series. When my friends told me about him, they made him seem as an insignificant dummy. I think someone even told me he was essentially the sonic boom knuckles of the kingdom hearts series. I didn’t feel that way about him thought. I felt bad as I watched him struggle to protect the people he cared about, and felt even worse when that resolve to save his friends ultimately got all of them in deeper trouble. I was so glad to see their resolution in kh3!
HMK is 1000000000% to blame for the unnecessary hate against Terra in the KH community. I remember he made a video years ago now on all the reasons why Terra sucked and everything was his fault but it was literally all wrong. It was sad to see as a fan of HMK where he normally does good research.
I never really thought he was dumb, but rather naive. Not in regards to concepts, but to manipulation. He's never had a reason to doubt Eraqus or Xehanort, he was simply being as of a good student when he could, even if it started to lead him down the wrong path.
ROCK ❤ hehe, thank you for another great vid! Terra is such a wonderful asset to the guardians of light. Have to admit, I thought Terra wasn’t the smartest back when I played BBS. but after years of learning more and more about him and who he is, he’s just someone who wants to do good by his friends and himself and I think we need more people like him in our world. 💫
I commented this elsewhere but I think a lot of us took Terra to be not the brightest bulb. It’s probably why it became such a meme but as we grow we look back with our own experiences and time lives and can see a different perspective
Have you ever heard of the tragedy of Darth Terra The Played? It is not a tale you’ll hear from the Masters in Scala ad Caelum….. Lmao but seriously out of all of the Way Finder Trio Terra’s tale resonated with me the longest and idk about you but I got a Anakin and Palpatine vibe from his story and I loved it. “Your body submits, your heart succumbs, so why does your mind resist?!” Will forever be top five quotes from the series for me.
Terra definitely doesn't deserve as much hate as he gets.
He's on the list
Especially from his own master Square... The fact he got *no pass* is outrageous and unfair
I grow to like Terra more then aqua. But the most sympathy goes to ventus.
He really truly doesn't.
For real.
Terra was 100% a victim who was failed by the authority figures in his life. Glad to see that acknowledged
I agree but i feel Eraquas failed all three of his students in some way. He tried to kill Ventus (for the possibility he would be used to form a form of yeh X-blade), he let his prejudice against darkness push Terra away and he expected Aqua to basically “keep reign” over her tow best friend (make Ventus come home without acknowledged his independence and “keep an eye on” Terra who felt betrayed)
Not saying Eraquas is necessarily a bad person or anything but in BBS he was short sided
Kingdom hearts anakin 😅
Honestly, I feel like most people cast their judgment on Terra based on dramatic irony, not realizing that in-universe there is no reason that Terra would have to distrust Xehanort even if we know he is untrustworthy based on the game pointing to him being the villain
Eraqus presents Xehanort as a trusted friend and fellow Master, without anything about Xehanort’s dark ambitions. That’s before Xehanort intentionally manipulating what information Terra has access to, such as the existence of Vanitas but omitting key details like his own involvement in the creation of Vanitas as an individual while playing on Terra’s protective instinct of Ven.
@@jbcatz5 exactly
Yeah it's real easy for us the audience to not trust him based on his character design as well as the fact that most people playing this game probably knew well ahead of time Xehanort was an antagonist to these three protagonists thanks to the well known KH2 secret ending. But yeah, for all the reasons jbcatz mentioned there's nothing inherently untrustworthy about him and it would make even less sense for Terra to suspect anything. Heck it's not even like the rest of the Wayfinder trio, or even Master Eraqus, suspected Xehanort of anything till it was too late yet no one mentions them being too dumb to see.
Honestly? Xehanort is one thing.
But Captain Hook? Jamba? Maleficent?
You'd think he would have learned his lesson not to trust people blindly after the incident with Aurora.
Oh definitely!
It’s interesting to note at the end of III, where Eraqus does say he failed his students and makes personalised apologies to Ventus (putting him through a harrowing experience), and Aqua (about the burden he placed on her), all he has for Terra specifically is that he trusts Terra to look out for Ven and Aqua, when Terra was the one who paid the heaviest price for Eraqus’s failings as a teacher. Granted, all three lost a lot, Ventus falling into an over decade long sleep to heal his shattered heart and Aqua trapped in the Realm of Darkness before falling to it herself, but Terra lost his identity and was victim to his body being stolen and used to commit dark experiments, to fight while his mouth was bound shut, his resolve manifested as the closest thing to the physical incarnation of Rage we’ve seen in the series. Eraqus owed him a “I screwed up, and you paid too heavy a price than you ever should have for it” for starters.
Let’s face it, if anyone deserves flak for trusting Xehanort it’s Eraqus, because it was his responsibility to protect his students from the man he knew had ambitions to recreate the most destructive event known to Keyblade wielders. Yet he let his old friend influence him, gave him access to impressionable young individuals and at the cost of these individuals, as well as fostering an environment that would set them at ends when outside of it.
So well said! I really do wish we could’ve had some more conversations between Terra and a few others in the end of KH3
Yeah, that is exactly what happened.
In Eraquis' defense other his delivery of Ventus years before to Eraquis supposively swayed Eraquis to think he was letting go of that goal because of the destruction it caused. A lot of BBS also only occurred because the trio was isolated. If they had journeyed together or had established ways to contact one another that they would use (gummy phone, although I honestly think early wedges would have them drop using them early on) then BBS ending would have been avoided.
Terra also had it a lot worse. Ansem seeker of darkness went back in time to the point young Xehanort left the island and then stayed there. Terra lived out all of those decades as unwittingly protector for Xehanort's heartless until he finally got the chance to break free again.
I would honestly say that Lingering Will had to be destroyed to transfer that part of Terra back to his heart.
you could say terra is the rock for the foundation to help ven and aqua on their own journeys
Fitting, given his name.
Hehe you understood the assignment and passed with flying colors \o/
Terra's actually always been my favourite member of the Wayfinder Trio. Part of it I'll admit is his connection and parallels to Riku, my favourite character in the series, but I always picked up on a lot of these themes, and while I don't personally relate, I can tell how realistic his portrayal is. Also I can put aside the "he should've known Xehanort is evil" arguments, because it's obvious, when looked at without the context of KH2 and everything we know about Xehanort and his motives that, no, Terra shouldn't be expected to know what Xehanort's planning
Same!!
Being honest terra probably had the better overall campaign despite the gameplay being worse.
Aqua don't do much until it's become really interesting on the final act so i can give her that, but ventus always felt the weakest to me it's was very much "sora-lite".
ROCK!
As someone who grew up in a very sheltered, religious environment, I always understood Terra's point of view. It's been a constant learning experience to trust in my own heart and realize that just because someone is an adult, doesn't make them always right. Also, thank you for mentioning found family, it's my favorite trope for these reasons
Mood haha I also grew up very religious so seeing Terra’s story felt a little too real haha
I love the found family trope too! Glad I could sneak it in even if just a little bit. I would love to do a full video on it at some point
@@BioRoxas omg I would love to watch a video on found family 🥺
One thing I thought was being portrayed about Terra's Psyche during his scene with kid Riku was that he was still focusing on strength too much. yes he resolves to use his strength to protect his friends but he is merely directing where that strength goes. Riku who we know was also obsessed with strength could relate to terra and show a younger version of himself in him. that's why he resonated with Riku so much and failed to notice sora. Sora isn't someone who cares about strength. he cares about friendship and protection, that's why both Ven and aqua resonated with him so much and why aqua could see soras potential and considered bequeathing him, because aqua prioritizes protection of friends. I think this is also why Riku falls down the dark path like terra. Because terra still had flaws with his views only caring about strength and that bled over to Riku who because of his obsession with strength and promise to achieve something he wants succumbs to darkness like his predecessor
Terra is a bit of a complex case. But also highlights the issue with the view darkness is only evil and must be suppressed or destroyed. It is this view that causes terra to have issues controlling the darkness within him in the first place and this view causes eraques to truly try and kill one of his own students. Darkness isn't all bad just as light isn't all good
I've always felt that some people were WAY too harsh on Terra, especially since it seems like they don't even try to understand him and his circumstances. Even though Xehanort obviously looks evil, that's our perspective as outsiders of this universe. Terra has his reasons for trusting Xehanort, after all he is a old and experienced Keyblade Master who is apparently good friends with his Master. Not to mention during the scenes in which Xehanort is making faces and looking obviously evil, he is smart enough to only do it during times when nobody is watching him or aren't able to see his face which means nobody is ever in a position to see his evil grin and Xehanort did it intentionally.
Not to mention he played the part of a kind and understanding old man during crucial moments in which Terra was feeling lost and in need of guidance. It also doesn't help that Terra has the worst luck imaginable and keeps conveniently running into villains who keep feeding him contradictory information. It's easy to call him an idiot but the reality is that both he and Aqua are sheltered and have most likely never left the Land of Departure which means his "real world" experience is completely different from ours. And it's not like Terra is the only naive or ignorant one, Aqua was going to ABSOLUTELY murder Cinderella's stepmother for having the *AUDACITY* to harbor Darkness in her Heart, Fairy Godmother had to step in and stop Aqua from breaking into the house Keyblade in hand.
A lot of people say that Terra is a moron for instantly trusting the first people he meets in each world, but Ven and Aqua do literally the exact same thing. Those two are just lucky enough to stumble upon the good guys in the respective Disney worlds first.
still one of my personal GOATs, mustering up the will to keep fighting even after losing his body and imo becoming one of the franchise's most iconic bosses
Hell Terra has been the "face" for iconic fights in KH from the start since Ansem and Xemnas are just him aged up technically
We also recognize that the technique used by Master Xehanort to manipulate Terra is the same Baldr's Darkness and the Master of Masters used on him. It is "You aren't like them" and "you are Chosen". And if Xehanort fell for it, it seems likely Terra would, too.
when i was younger terra was a huge source of strength for me, he pushed me to do the right thing after i heard my brother stood up to my abusive mother for me. terra's journey was the last one i took in that wretched house, i vowed to always have my brothers back and to stand against all things evil. terra taught me that darkness can be a tool to help others find the light that just because you are mired in sin and evil doesn't mean you can use it to save others you care about. its thanks to him that im as strong as i am now, and i no longer fear the worst outcome for my life. he is and always will be my favorite kh character.
keep in mind my brother is younger then me. he was like 15 at the time. he should NOT have had to stand up for his older brother.
I’m glad you found the strength to protect what matters in what sounds like a really dark abusive place :( good on you for pushing forward!
I hope not because Terra’s actions only caused more grief
Such a thoughtful dissection of not only Terra's psyche, but how a person's family dynamics and social circle can create a truly malignant set of circumstances for someone, even if their heart is in the right place. He tried his best with the hand he was dealt, and he came out stronger for it.
... Also where is my 3 hour long "Psychology of Smee" video, Mr. Biological Roxas? Hmmmm?
You always know how to word things in the perfect way Sonny ^^
Soon I will unveil my character breakdown on Smee. Soon
The issue with extremes is that when you are told to avoid something with all your being, you will succumb once you have just a tiny taste of it and it goes only downhill from there.
Eraqus fear of darkness simply poisoned the well of Terra's person was reflected in the first worlds he visited and once Xehanort, a person of similar authority to Eraqus, told Terra that Darkness shouldn't be feared but channeled just like the Light, Terra was slowly becoming used to Darkness as a weapon to use just like his keyblade.
Also, seeing the father figure who raised him raising a keyblade against one of his friends was the final push to have Terra's resolve ROCK solid that Light could be just as "evil" as the Darkness he was told to fear, shun and avoid at all cost.
Most underrated KH character ever!! Best person in the trio..
FAXXX
Underrated and overhated 😤
Just finished playing BBS thanks to the Steam release. All three stories are so sad as Eraqus sheltered them too much and made it all too easy for Xehanort to manipulate them. Terra, in particular, gets the short end of the stick.
This essay rocked.
I think what's really sad (amd wonderful) about Terra's journey is that he is under this impression that he isn't strong enough to protect what matters from the beginning. The message being sent by the authority figures around him, and the customs surrounding keyblade masters, is that he needs to become stronger, more capable, and purge his darkness.
But in the end, he really realizes he had the strength all along. That's what Lingering Will, and his resolve over all those years, always said to me, anyway. He was always strong enough to stand against the darkness. He just needed to gain the resolve and direction to do so.
Thats what I feel like your video enforced for me, anyway. I never considered a lot of this. Like how much Xehanort uses the truth to manipulate others, or Terra's agreeableness around authorities as a fish out of water, etc. Definitely can see the sheltered/closed nature of their upbringing affecting the Wayfinder Trio a lot too, I agree
Anyway, love hearing your thoughts on characters like this. You're very insightful and thorough and always seem to draw out something new about the featured character I never considered.
Back in the day, I definitely was one who joked about Terra. But seeing now older how much manipulation and gaslighting he went through but still tried to find his own voice and what mattered to him is commendable. It’s hard when those closest to you, whom you trust, use it against you for their own desires. He’s grown a lot since the beginning ^^
-Rock-
Oh I think we all have haha it’s not until we’re older that those things come into perspective
The reunion of Terra and Riku was one of the things I wanted most when it came to KH3, and now after watching the break down on terra I feel like Riku could really teach him a lot about walking a middle path between light and dark if he wanted to try a different way.
I wonder how much they talked during the gap we see in ReMind 🤔
Terra is my absolute favorite cause I also saw Terra as the groups big brother and as the oldest of my siblings I've made so many mistakes and always try to right them and take a minute to tell my younger siblings what went wrong with my choice and how they can avoid making the same choice too hands down one of my favorites thank you so much for making the video it was a great watch!
I really love your Psychology series! You hit on points that not a lot of people acknowledge about these characters because they’re too caught up in the *Kingdom Hearts is long and convoluted* (and Cloud being an emo anime edgelord) mindset that it blinds them from how deep, realistic and well-written all these characters truly are.
And as a 23 year old who’s still dealing with the loss of a best friend, *finally* fully acknowledging I’ve been mentally abused by family my whole life and have struggled with extreme depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, bottling up my emotions in fear of burdening others and being bullied for my upbringing and/or interests… Let’s just say each video in this series has really hit me, like… like a rock. They’ve been incredibly validating, eye-opening and encouraging in many ways. I always felt strong connections with all these characters growing up, but could never exactly pinpoint why. After watching these videos though, I now fully understand.
You’re a blessing *and* a hero in some ways, so I thank you for all the time, effort, and money you put into making these videos. Looking forward to the next ones! 💖
A piece of lore I’m fascinated to hopefully see is where Terra and Aqua came from. As Terra’s story in particular echoes Revenge of the Sith, were they, like Younglings, taken from their home and families when found to have Keyblade potential? This would explain why Terra would latch onto Eraqus, Aqua and Ventus for emotional stability and validation, but also coming at the cost of only these relationships to base his own stability and resolve off of, all three of which are tested during his experience in Birth by Sleep and none getting a proper resolution in that time.
I’ve been waiting years for a Terra analysis.
Thank you for doing gods work for my favorite Kingdom Hearts Character in the entire franchise
when i heard you were making a psychology of terra video, i was so excited. you really do these characters justice, and i'm so happy that you made this. thank for this rock solid video, man.
You are going to make me cry 😭 thank you!
We appreciate Terra appreciaters in this house 🙏 Excellent video, Bio - and congrats on 40K! 🥳
the found family idea is something that has taken me a lot further than i probably wouldve gotten without it- and i think thats definitely part of why this series means so much to me (rock)
ROCK 🪨I'm really happy you made this video and I'm super glad people are standing up for Terra. It became a little toxic when the community kept insulting and bashing Terra without taking the time to see everything from his perspective. It's also very interesting how Eraqus' upbringing made him immediately judge Terra when he showed that he had darkness in him.
I cannot wait to dive into that with my Eraqus video because Dark Road really recontextualized him in such a good way
@@BioRoxas Oh nice! Dark Road and Brain from Union X really added more demensions to Eraqus' history, so I'm excited to see your video of Eraqus soon!
I know there might not be too much to analyze for ven but i think a “psychology of” for him would ROCK
One hill that I WILL DIE PAINFULLY ON IS DEFENDING TERRA FROM THE ALLEGATIONS!!! The operative phrase when looking at Terra and Xehanort's interactions is "Dramatic Irony." Terra has no reason to distrust Xehanort, unlike the player, who (Presumably) has knowledge of events that canonically HAVEN'T HAPPENED YET
I think one thing that even *rock* solid video essayists miss is that Terra never once accuses anyone of lying to him, closest he gets is accusing someone of tricking him.
I think the boy might legitimately be so sheltered that he doesn't know what Lying is. This is Eraqus's fault.
Terra(to me) was the more relatable character out of the trio especially with him being the older brother of the group with high expectations
Nice pfp! XD
Not many UA-camrs make me literally cheer when I see that they've uploaded, but this is certainly one of them.
I love these phycology videos so much! Keep up the great work man!
This comment meant the world for me to hear :') thank you
Terra is my favorite character in Kingdom Hearts and he is a *VERY* underrated case. I don't think it's fair that Terra gets the hate he gets. He's my favorite character cuz I can definitely relate to Terra.
rock on! I loved Terra's story, it was always the one that's overlooked, but I saw something special in it... forging ones own path completely different from what everyone else expected to have happen... in-universe, the Wayfinder trio are all insanely powerful people, and everyone always talks about how Aqua survives for over a decade in the realm of darkness or how Ven fights one of the original darknesses that spawned from the original primordial force of darkness... but Terra more than keeps up with both of them despite this in a completely different and unexpected way
Amazing video! I wish more people would look deeper into Terra like this. I'd also like to add that the Character Files for Terra add more depth to him as well. From his viewpoint, he sees Riku, who is now a Keyblade Master, wield the power of Darkness and still protect the Light and yet again questions if Darkness is as detestable as he was initially taught to believe. Also, at the end of the files, Terra speaks of how "even entertaining the thought of being forgiven is so presumptuous of me", when he asks himself if Eraqus had forgiven him. After the events of KH3, he definitely has immense guilt and doesn't forgive himself as he states in the files. (He also goes over what he felt while being in Xehanort's control for 10 years, where his heart was in a void that eventually became pain, anger, and sorrow...)
Oh man I didn’t even think about checking his character file :< that’s so much insight
ROCK!!
thank you so much for this. terra has always been one of my favorite characters, because i knew, since the beginning, terra was a very sheltered person. it makes so much why he trusted xehanort so much, and why he was so naive because of working under eraqus. he had no idea what the difference was between right and wrong(he does, but not in a good way since he hadn’t been away from eraqus for a long time). it’s so important for people to realize terra was never dumb, and he isn’t bad character.
he never had the opportunity to think for himself until he was so much older. and people manipulated him. the people who he trusted so deeply, they manipulated him when he was struggling with his own opinions and beliefs. what really stands out to me is that you brought up how terra’s relationship with eraqus, is indeed still a toxic relationship, even when it is shown they doncare both of them care for each other like family.
that was so important. and everything about terra is empowering, and very well said. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING HIM JUSTICE. i love terra so much more now.
Terra has been my favorite KH character since BBS on the good, old PSP. I am glad he is getting some attention. Also, that thumbnail is very good.
Baihu cooked so hard with the thumbnail!
Definitely loved the insight on Terra's character. It rocked. ;D Terra is a character I have always had difficulty understanding as well simply because, as a player, we already know so much more than Terra does about the people he encounters on his journey. It's tough to play through his story without sighing a lot, but it really does make sense that Terra wouldn't know much given his upbringing and lack of real world experience. I can definitely relate to that. Finding your way in the world when you've been sheltered from it is very difficult and can make you look extremely dumb in the eyes of other people. In the end, Terra found his own answer, and that's inspiring if nothing else. I'm not sure if I ever would have viewed him this way if not for this video, so thank you for the time and effort you put into it. Best wishes, and God bless you.
You ROCK! While I didn't grow up sheltered so to speak, i grew up taking every lesson that my elders gave me at face value due to undiagnosed autism and therefore had an extremely rigid and unmoving frame of view. It was very difficult for me when that view was challenged or contradicted, and even more so when I started to rebel against my parents but still being drawn to that rigid view point that they gave me. Now as an adult I've completly moved away from their view point, but it took time and work on myself
Not a lot of people would try to have that kind of insight or put in the work to change :) that’s awesome you did!
Thank you! Being vulnerable and if your guardian believes you're not normal doesn't make you dumb. People want to fit in within a group. Terra is one of my favourite KH characters because I think his story is so tragic. He just wants to be "normal" and yet Eraqus didn't saw him like this and Xehanort just played with him around
Ignorance doesn't always mean stupidity, in this case he doesn't know how to react, so he goes with what he is told. His master is all he knows, and Terra is very similar to Aqua in this way. Aqua just adapted. Terra didn't have the tools and support group to do so. He's not dumb, he isnt weak, Terra doesn't know because he was never taught the information.
Terra was the one who tended to find the villain first, Aqua usually met the heroes first or the villain being obviously a villain (good people don’t plunge you into a dungeon). Yet Terra does work out that the villains aren’t the good guys, he refuses to take Snow White’s heart, rejects Hades and helps Zack (it’s ironic that someone so pure and characterised as a puppy in Crisis Core did entertain darkness if only briefly) to be freed of darkness, stops helping Jumba and stops working for Hook (whether Peter Pan is right to steal from Hook is more of a moral grey area from that particular property though). Fairy Godmother has to lecture Aqua about shades of grey.
Very well said
I started reading the light novel of BBS last week, and what stuck out to me the most in regards to Terra is that he seemed surprised that he had darkness inside him, and that that was what emerged in the fight against Aqua. And i was like, "Wait. Did Eraqus never teach his apprentices what darkness was? Because that should have been step 1, recognizing what darkness looked and felt like. It hit home how much Eraqus failed to prepare them for the outside world, and made his teaching seem even more like a cult than it already was.
Hmm that is odd. Because in a flashback in the first world he does think back to training with Eraqus and talking about keeping the darkness down
@@BioRoxas That is odd. I could be reading it wrong, but that's the impression I got from it
Oh yeah I was agreeing with you! It shows a little discrepancy to me between media
@@BioRoxas Definitely!
I havent read novel but well is an adaptation, theres bound to be differences on it
I think the idea that Terra is dumb as a rock is more of a meme, but I guess some people believe.
I really hope we get a Birth by sleep sequel, with the three of them together for most of the game.
Yeah the trouble with memes is what starts out as a joke becomes cemented or taken at face value by people
I would love a BBS sequel!!
Rock! Honestly this is an amazing video. Even though Terra isn't my favorite among the Wayfinder trio, i stil like his character and i truly dont think he deserves all the hate he had gotten. I believe he was such an amaxing character and this video just shows and explains it very well. I'm very thankful that you made this psychology video about terra and take all the time you need to make another psychology video. I do hope that you and everyone will have a wonderful day
This was one of my favorite psychology videos that you have made! I really love Terra as a character and I think he gets way too much hate. This was such an amazing video. You ROCK Bio!!!
He seriously has the strongest will out of anyone in the series. It's so strong that it animated his armor and fought when he couldn't. It's so strong that he's been resisting Xehanort's efforts to completely take over his body...for a decade. Even when he became a mindless beast as the Guardian, part of him was STILL fighting inside and eventually broke free.
When he tells Aqua that he won't give in. It was the truth He never lost hope despite being split between three beings Will,Guardian and Terra-Nort. Why he is my favorite character I resonate with his struggles and story. Like him I was a good/kind soul before I was hurt and manipulated into believing I was a bad guy all along. Terra fan for life
This is the same treatment people give to Knuckles as to Terra. They both grew up outside the civilization, I don't understand they deserved the hate.
Terra is just a young man trying to find himself and his purpose in world and he’s my favorite because of that this video covered that really well
Rock!
I think there's a lot of misconception about Terra and Aqua, and people get their personalities mixed up. Sure, Aqua is the teacher's pet, but she's also the type to make snap decisions and jump to violence as a solution. Terra, meanwhile, is the type to stop and try to think things through first -- even if that unfortunately means he OVERthinks and causes himself anxiety.
There's a tumblr post out there somewhere comparing Hamlet and Othello, how if they'd been the protagonist of each other's stories, neither would have ended in tragedy. I think the same could be said for Terra and Aqua here. Unfortunately, Xehanort knew exactly who to target and which thread to pull :(
Xehanort becomes even more detestable to me when I realized how much he cuts off these really meaningful points for the characters
BbS was always the closest game to my heart being my first ever completed game... Ventus was always my favourite boy. He was like my cinnamon roll, but after hours, more than 5 playthroughs and reading and watching reviews about the game. I became kinda frustrated with how many people misjudged Terra and how much they ranked up Aqua.
I reached the point where I started hating Aqua and loving Terra to bits. While this is still very true, I have made peace with Aqua for now, but to me Terra is definitely the best character that came out of BbS (even though I would kill for Ventus). He is truly an amazing character, I love everything about him. (And hopefully, Kairi will not only learn from Aqua but from Terra as well. Because while he is not a Master in name, he is truly a Guardian and an amazing Teacher and suppporter.)
Thank you for this amazing analysis and for the work you (all) put into this video. I have teared up here and there, because it spoke to me on a relatively personal level. Cannot wait for more of these in the future and of course. May the rock be your guiding key I guess :'D
Terra was an incredible friend that anyone would be fortunate to have. I really enjoyed this arc.
PLEASE! Take your time in creating this gem of content because I personally LOVE how you take each of my favorite characters and convey who they really are in a way that I can’t even do in my own head! You ROCK for this (lol) and sincerely thank you so much for your own spin on my favorite series ever. I value your professional take and I do hope that it is not too challenging to continue making content like this! Take care and “may your heart be your guiding key” 🙏🏻
This means so much to hear :’) thank you so much
Terra rocks! His journey was tragic, but had such a satisfying conclusion I think.
I loved this video . I was still blown away that he was the guardian the whole time . Even though others have hinted that out in dream drop distance before kingdom hearts 3 even came .
BBS fighting Terranort gave me hints at that, but him reaching out to Riku in DDD sealed the deal for me.
I remember that moment in DDD and was like :o
The Man Who is Too Angry to Die is more than just anger, indeed
I was under the impression Xehanort manipulated Terra's darkness & brought it out during the fight with Aqua.
Also, Terra is one of my favorite characters
I love these psychology vids so much
I'm so glad you enjoy them :>
Earth! I mean, ROCK! Loving these analysis, it really makes me feel why I resonate so much with the series. Keep on ROCK'ing, dude!
Rock! Lol awesome video! Terra is probably my favorite kingdom hearts character. Strong and well meaning. Admits to his mistakes and cares deeply for others and his friends but struggles with insecurities .
And we began to ROCK steady. I think Terra gets soooo much grief because we were all really young and immature when we first experienced his story. And that first impression is really hard to shake
That’s a really good point!
Followed because of your psychology series and definitely hoping to see it continue 🙏💚 I've loved everything you've made so far especially the psychology of riku
I dunno if take suggestions but i think the depression and probably self loathing Namine feels (she arguably feels the most alone of the characters that are the side of Light) would be a cool video. Or maybe Kairi feeling she is a burden to Sora and Riku (and then later responsible for Sora vanishing to save her) would be cool ideas.
I definitely have my eyes on Namine :> probably not next up but soon!
@@BioRoxas aw thanks! That’s is good to know! I definitely feel Namine has self worth issues (as harsh as this is if you think about it she probably feels less important then Xion and Roxas who at least had Axel their entire time while she was “forced” to “make friends” by manipulating Sora, Donald and goofy memories.
@redlox2 oh for suuure. She was beaten down by marluxia and the other org members
Honestly, I see him more as the Anakin Skywalker of Kingdom Hearts, with him being tainted by the dark side, wants to be a master, but is always denied by others, including his closest friend (Whom he even might considered a sibling), gets manipulated by an old man who says things he wants to hear, came back with the coolest suit, and somehow always misrepresented as an idiot despite most of his actions were motivated by desperation
Yeah there are definitely Star Wars themes for sure in BBS. Which makes it even funnier they had Mark Hamill voice in this haha
ROCK!
Of course it's gonna take time to make these Psychology of videos. It's clear that you put a lot of care into making them. While we are certainly very eager to see more in this series you've made, take as much time as you need to make them. Great things take time to make after all.
These videos Rock! And take your time, the quality and care put into them is obvious so whatever you are doing is obviously working. And I totally get what you mean about being in the right headspace, I'm sure this kind of analysis requires a huge, focused deep dive that needs an inherent interest to maintain without burnout. Looking forward to the next "Psychology of"!
Thank you so much :) the next one should be on Xehanort 👀 at least for Kingdom Hearts
@@BioRoxas Ooooh, that would be super interesting. I kinda get Xehanort, but it feels like his motivations were slightly retconned going from BBS to KH3, so it would be nice to see what I missed and if he really was consistent. Looking forward to it when you do eventually get to him!
Thank you so much for talking about this. I always hated how some people call terra easily manipulated and how it wouldn't happen to them. (I'm just at the beginning of the video so it could be that you will talk about this. This is just some of my thoughts that i just need to say). Nobody is immune to manipulation and this is also a thing i love about bbs is how "casual" (i hope that's the right Word i used) xehanorts manipulation is because that's how it is in real life.If we as the player didn't have more information and knew that xehanort was a villain, i would think some of us would have also believed hím. And a thing i feel like a lot of people tend to forget is in what kind of circumstances this manipulation was used. Terra had absolutely no reason to mistrust xehanort. Xehanort was introduced to him as a good friend from his master/father-figure who he trusted and as a keyblade master who he learned his entire life are people who fight against the darkness. If i would have been in his place i also would have trusted xehanort because i wouldn't have a reason not to. Sorry if i have some grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language
I never had much of an opinion on Terra I grew a bit more of an understanding with him ish in the novels but this video especially near the end made me realize that I relate more to Terra than I realized. I know you are probably only doing the hero's right now but I would like to see the villains side too see how that plays out too.
Xehanort is next on my radar :)
INCREDIBLE video! I really hope people who write him off take a look at this.
Thanks Nio!! I’m glad you enjoyed it :>
You ROCK. Thank you for another insightful psychology of; it really helped me relate with Terra more.
We rockin’ out here, this was cool to see, thank you!
Terra set a lot of Xehanort’s plan into motion, yes, but I don’t think he’s to blame at all for what happened. He was a young adult, and he felt isolated and alone. Xehanort preyed on those feelings of loneliness and frustration, and groomed him into making very poor decisions so that his plan stayed in motion. Terra was groomed and manipulated into hurting the people he cared about most, and I find it terrible that people blame him for everything, when it was Xehanort who made everything happen
Okay I just finished and I gotta say… you absolutely did Terra justice. Thank you for evaluating his character through a sympathetic lens, and I love that you brought up the conditions that he grew up in! He’s my favorite character in all of KH, and watching this analysis really helped solidify my appreciation for him!! He is rock!! 🪨💕
Terra rocks and nobody can change my mind about that
It's crazy that Eraqus had also been with Terra all that time too. Like when he came back during KH3 how did he not punch Xehanort after witnessing everything!?
Probably because he blames himself for not doing enough to stop Xehanort. Getting him to stand down and accept defeat which allowed Sora to seal Kingdom Hearts away.
Thank you very much for this video. I sincerely appreciate your effort to expand upon a character's cognition (thinking), especially since Kingdom Hearts makes it so obscured for players to even understand and relate because the voice actors are called to record lines and have no idea of the story (to avoid spoiler leak).
Because of that, most in-game conversation about anything regarding the characters themselves are hard to understand when they overused the terms keyblade, light, darkness, heart for who knows how many? (Disney should stop overuse these terms and get realistic and relatable terms, the players aren't young children anymore).
I could never understand them because they are so hard to relate to. There may have been novels that has multiple Point of views that describes their thought process but most people have no access to them to learn more. You do so much to explain about these characters with more relatable context or background so we players can understand them so much better now. Thank you very much once again.
I do wish we get to see Terra more in the future and see how he view things after so long, even though it is unlikely. He is a character with a strong impression much like Roxas.
I don't always watch these ad soon as they come out, but i have enjoyed the series so far. I'd also say to take as long as you need for each video. Rock...
Terra is one of my favorite characters in the series because of how much a well written tragedy he is
I havent finished the video but I wanted to speak on how you highlight the stengths of Terra and your intention to do it more in the future. It feels emblematic to do it with Terra as he's an individual who suffered from not getting positive reinforcement from mentors. I love seeing creators grow and in the years Ive been watching your stuff this is very satisfying to see in your process of growth. Love your stuff keep following your own love!
Dude you’re gonna make me cry haha thank you for acknowledging that and I hope to keep growing more and more!
You got to keep making these. Don't rush, do it right man because I love Terrah and this was just great
Rox
ROCK!!🪨I’m so glad to have a video to point to when someone talks bad about my boy Terra!
Also wanna say as much as I’d love having these videos more often on a schedule because, well duh i wanna see more ofc, but i much prefer the time and energy you put into it and it shows in the quality. I’d never want it to suffer for the sake of quantity. Plus I like how spread out they are because then it feels like a whole special event when a new one drops haha. keep at it!!
Ahhh thanks Hani ;-; I really really appreciate that!
Rock !
Thank you for this video. I really love how you dive into them to analyze and explain... this one even more, as I haven't got Terra right in my head either. Non I see him in a new light, as I think most do. So again... thank you.
I ironically feel just a bit disappointed you didn't got the whole portraits of other characters before (like you said, both bad sides AND good sides), but that's just showing how much you improve your way to analyze, tell and create content. And even though I'm looking forward to watch your next analyze.... please take your time. I can't agree more with your speech about taking the time to do your thing instead of making a limited schedule. Going at your own pace can only make you keep a good quality, even improve and more than anything... keep the passion, which was clearly felt here. And I think I'm gonna play birth by sleep again, with that analyze in mind. To really put myself in his shoes, his place, and understand better as enjoying the game and story in soie new way.
Thank you again for the analyze and putting this into new light, for your time and passion. And as you followed your heart for your content, I can't help but saying it :
May your Heart (always) be your Guiding Key 💙😉
I love the Terra, I wish BBS was its own separate slice of KH unrelated to 1-3 because of it
Interesting how would you rewrite BBS in the Kingdom Hearts universe??
@@SupaYoshiXP keep everything the same but remove Blank Points so as to keep it (mostly) unconnected to 1/CoM/Days/2. Sora didn't need to be Keyblade Jesus tbh, and he didnt really have personal beef with Master Xehanort (until 3), Terranort, or even Young Xehanort (until DDDish).
I liked that Terra and Aqua both visited Destiny Island and ran into Sora and Riku. I also like that Aqua ran into Kairi on Radiant Garden, and that Ven's heart made contact with and found its way to Sora's young heart. That's all cool because on their faces those are all just chance encounters. But.
I love that BBS ended on a very sad note. And while I also love Blank Points (it does a FANTASTIC job of setting up SRK's destinies post KH2, and I love the use of BBS' Dearly Beloved), I do feel that so quickly circling back to SRK kinda cheapens the big sacrifices that TVA played. By giving us BP, they essentially said that everything that happened for KH1-2 were kicking the can down the road. That led to bigtime confusion when we got DDD and later impossible fan expectations when KH3 was announced and released
@@RizzyGyatt I enjoyed reading this I agree with everything pretty much
I really didn’t like sora becoming the chosen one because KH1 did a amazing job at making sora the
Every man and riku the chosen one who was falling into darkness
I think they were hoping to do that but then plans fell through. I think they were building to a BBS 2 but it had to be scrapped
It's honestly reassuring that you want to take your time between these videos, because the effort you put into the analyses of these really shows. These videos have been great both to help us understand our favorite keyblade wielders better, but also as insightful explanations into psychological behaviors that us viewers may either resonate with or just have yet to learn. I've gathered newfound appreciation for characters I already love through these, and have gotten some personal insight I was not expecting throughout the series! So thanks for making these, and when you're able to put more out, I'm eager to learn more! That being said, the section on "Terra And Why Rocks Are Vital To His Character" was a strange tangent.
What? People really say Terra is stupid? Gullible and naive sure, but he never struck me as dumb. See, this is why I don't involve myself in the fandoms of stuff I enjoy because you get takes like this. Xehanort is introduced to Terra as a friend of his own master and as a keyblade master himself. There's no reason to distrust him right away, at all. The only reason we don't trust Xehanort right away is because of how obvious the symbolism is in KH, he wears black, and most people already knew he was an antogonist to these three protagonists thanks to the secret ending in KH2. Add to the fact that these characters lived sheltered lives as you mentioned and it's easy to see why Terra was led astray so easily. It's certainly not because he isn't intelligent. Wild that people think that.
Edit: Rock-sas!
He had terrible authority figures to learn from.
Great video, didn't thought much of Terra until just now, despite BBS being my favorite game Rock!!!
Honestly, Terra has always been my favorite character in the series for exactly the reason you mentioned- I grew up in a pretty sheltered environment where by and large I was taught that the adults in my life were all trustworthy and Good and Bad is a simple black and white dichotomy. It wasn't until I went to college, and to some extent until after I graduated, that I was forced to realize there was a lot more to life than I had ever been brought to understand. And something I think a lot of people just don't internalize is that... Terra is in every sense of the word a child. Yes, he's the most mature looking of the player protagonists, and I've seen his age guesstimated to be somewhere between 19-22, but being totally honest, I was still very much a kid at that age. Maturity is not a number, it is a measure of experience, and you can be physically adult while still very much a child mentally.
And your point about people not getting the tragic irony is also on point, and I've made exactly that argument in his defense in the past. He did not grow up with classic Disney- yes, all of the players know that Maleficent, Hades, Hook and etc are villains, but how would he know that? And when the queen from Snow White makes her malicious intentions as transparent up front as a rock to the face, Terra is immediately like "Hmmmm, or how about I DON'T do that." He's not stupid, he's naive, and he's being manipulated and taken advantage of by much older adults.
ROCK
A quote from spider-man 2, Sandman says: "i am not a bad guy, just had bad luck"
somewhat fits terra here, always met the wrong people before smelling their evil intentions
i won't lie; i thought terra was a bit of a doofus in a few scenes in this game but your video really helped shed some more light for me on the whole deal. rock solid!
i really appreciated your other video analysis' on the others as well! i hope you continue to make more.
Hopefully for many more years to come \o/
This video rocks
this is the one I have been waiting for I love Terra and your videos
ROCK! Terra is definitely one of my favorite characters in the kingdom hearts series. When my friends told me about him, they made him seem as an insignificant dummy. I think someone even told me he was essentially the sonic boom knuckles of the kingdom hearts series. I didn’t feel that way about him thought. I felt bad as I watched him struggle to protect the people he cared about, and felt even worse when that resolve to save his friends ultimately got all of them in deeper trouble. I was so glad to see their resolution in kh3!
HMK is 1000000000% to blame for the unnecessary hate against Terra in the KH community. I remember he made a video years ago now on all the reasons why Terra sucked and everything was his fault but it was literally all wrong. It was sad to see as a fan of HMK where he normally does good research.
What is HMK?
I never really thought he was dumb, but rather naive. Not in regards to concepts, but to manipulation. He's never had a reason to doubt Eraqus or Xehanort, he was simply being as of a good student when he could, even if it started to lead him down the wrong path.
ROCK ❤
hehe, thank you for another great vid! Terra is such a wonderful asset to the guardians of light. Have to admit, I thought Terra wasn’t the smartest back when I played BBS. but after years of learning more and more about him and who he is, he’s just someone who wants to do good by his friends and himself and I think we need more people like him in our world. 💫
I commented this elsewhere but I think a lot of us took Terra to be not the brightest bulb. It’s probably why it became such a meme but as we grow we look back with our own experiences and time lives and can see a different perspective
Since you did both aqua and terra, do you plan to do a psychology of Ventus?
Definitely want to in the future!
Thanks for the vid. Hope to see vids on Ventus and Eraqus soon.
Have you ever heard of the tragedy of Darth Terra The Played? It is not a tale you’ll hear from the Masters in Scala ad Caelum…..
Lmao but seriously out of all of the Way Finder Trio Terra’s tale resonated with me the longest and idk about you but I got a Anakin and Palpatine vibe from his story and I loved it.
“Your body submits, your heart succumbs, so why does your mind resist?!” Will forever be top five quotes from the series for me.
Quality always beats quantity. I love that you take so long to make these, because it shows how much effort you put into them.