Come to think of it, MoM putting his eye on Riku's keyblade to make sure that Riku is constantly doing as he wants him to do given he's the God of Kingdom Hearts, in essence, makes a ton of sense from this framing.
Catching up on your series here and I've been screaming along with every single episode as you've not only taken inklings and feelings that I've had about the series, but then go ahead and succinctly expand on them with brilliant research and effort. I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am that you've taken such a fascinating deep dive into this series, and your efforts are honestly helping me piece together a few of these loose pieces myself and my partner have been puzzling over while taking our own deep dive through the KH series as a whole.
It's a little sad thinking that Maleficent is dooming herself to keep repeating the same role. But very imteresting! :0 I absolutely love how Kingdom Hearts (the game series) uses Maleficent. She almost feels like a KH original character with how she has been used in the narrative.
Not much to add besides I love all the new points to this updated version of your maleficent essay from back then, just wanting to point out how telling, pointed and incredibly exciting her last words to aqua are: "I won't be defeated by something as insignificant as love". She is really just gonna have the biggest defeat by power of true love by Sora and Riku ever, no matter what. Like she says in Union after being defeated there too "why does the ending never alter!?" And oh I just realized the fact of how you pieced together the various weird flashbacks of hoder's death, with darkness making illusions and stuff like with ven. That's actually not a bad thought
It is implied by The Master of Masters that Love can created both Light and Darkness depending on the Observer. Love can become Obsession. This is what Riku went through in One. Riku's Obssession was being the idol in Sora's life. Being Worthy and not the third wheel. This is why Maleficent and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness influenced him so easily.
In Toy Box Rex says that he's stuck on Bahamut. I figure that we'd eventually play through the real events that happen in Verum Rex, and I know it might not be a very strong connection, but Bahamut is a dragon and Maleficent is a dragon, maybe when we play through this section, whether it'll be in KH4 or an unnumbered title, it'll end up being Maleficent instead if Bahamut.
Wow yet another fantastic video! This is something that's been in my head ever since KH3. Maleficent was supposedly the main villain in KH1 but after that she and Pete basically became the KH equivalent of Team Rocket. Just bumbling goofy side villains who do nothing for the plot except being occasional obstacles rather than genuine characters or threats. That's what most of the fandom, myself included, has been saying for years now. But even though she hasn't had a very active presence she has been strung along with the plot. She still shows up again and again. Why would the writers do that unless they had plans for her? And when she started focusing on The Book Of Prophecies i immediately felt like her character was starting to get a more active and important role like i suspected. Her and Pete appearing in the secret ending pretty much confirmed that. I have NEVER seen a Disney character in a secret ending except for Donald, Goofy and Mickey. The X saga is super important so the fact that she's directly tied to that now AND the True Darknesses is super interesting and surprising to me. This video (obviously) explains this wonderfully. The themes of her involvement make perfect sense. And i can totally see how she can work with this new arc! Thanks as always Howler! May your heart be your guiding key.
It is also implied a formless Darkness made Maleficent a Waypoint, and is a "Old Friend" to her. It is also implied both the Master of Masters and Darkness saw her in the Book Prophecies, and They are scripting her moves. Even in Kingdom Hearts 3, Pete mentions they got their clue about the Box from a "dingbat in black" that is implied to be Luxu. This is why Xigbar was watching them, and then , through Bookends, she was watching him. Also, in the Third Cinderella movie, Lady Tremaine uses Fairy Magic to reverse Time and make The Prince believe one of her own daughters was Cinderella. She first hypnotizes him, and when that doesn't Work, turns her daughter into a exact replica of Cinderella herself. An interesting note is that when Tremaine uses the Fairy Godmother's magic, it turns green. ( like Maleficent's fire magic.)
Yes! I was definitely thinking of Lady Tremain's actions in Cinderella 3 and all she went through to undo Cinderella's happily ever after. I originally planned to touch on that, but I couldn't find a way to summarize it briefly enough to get her important actions in Cinderella 3 across without disrupting the flow of my monologue.
@@The_Violet_Howler I am also thinking about the point that Lady Tremaine is not a Fairy herself, and still was able to do all that. And in Kingdom Hearts, the Fairy Godmother manifests from Dreams (Fantasy Stories), can go to the Realm of Dreams and Death, and can see Unrealities. Now, Maleficent as a Dark Fairy controls Sleep, and if Fairy Godmother is anything to go by, can see the Spirits and Dark Emotions in the Dark Abyss, the place Darkness lives. I also theorize Maleficent realizes she may be able to clone a Riku, a Riku like Ansem- Riku from the Book. A perfected Dark Riku with the appropriate age.. One Sora would be to quote Lady Tremaine "perfectly happy" with.
@@The_Violet_Howler It is also implied the Organization is aware of the Witch(Maleficent) and her connected to Darkness. Zexion smells her memory manifestation when Riku and "Ansem"/Riku's Darkness appear in the Basement of Castle Oblivion, and calls her by name. Vexen also knows she is gone, which feels like a Xigbar manipulation. Luxu also was watching her in Union X times. And it seems like Maleficent is aware of the Organization, too. When Pete mentions them in 2 when they first meet back up, she sneers and says "Let those fools play their little game." "Game" is a little suspicious , and we know Xemnas is playing games with the original Organization. Further, Maleficent knows Xemnas's name for some reason. I wonder if Maleficent is somewhat aware of her own story, too? Yen Sid seems to know certain things, and so the does the Fairy Godmother. Even the Magic Mirror seems aware...
@@Fragmentsinfractals488 That's an interesting idea. Personally, I suspect that she had more contact with Ansem SoD than we've been shown in the games (she doesn't show any confusion or question why Riku is suddenly speaking w/ someone else's voice after Ansem posesses him, and was more open with Ansem than she was with Riku, suggesting she was fully aware that Riku was being possessed and who was doing the possesing) and learned about Xemnas/the Organization from him. But your idea is definitely something I'm going to take a look into irt Yen Sid, the Magic Mirror, and the Fairy Godmother.
@@The_Violet_Howler I personally believe the Darkness that killed Holder was "assisting" Maleficent, and that once They reconnected with her through the Fear of Darkness, it lives in her subconscious. Therefore , she "knows" things she wouldn't. In this Light, even kidnapping Santa makes sense. If Santa becomes a Darkness, He can eat the Hearts of children all over Reality. And we know it is all over Reality because Santa knows Riku and Sora. Basically, Santa is a Wonderful infection vector , and This is something that would please Darkness. Destroying the Cornerstone of Light and destabilizing a crucial tale of Disney, same. Further, Darkness knows the first Organization has to fail to reach the point where the True Organization can reach the point where "Darkness prevails." So Maleficent's Heart, touched by Darkness, pushes her to save Sora so he can destroy the first version of the Organization. Maleficent just isn't consciously aware she is doing these things. This also means she would trust a Heartless ("Ansem") even if he just showed up.
As all your videos, this makes so much sense!! Maleficent coming back for Riku after all this time and after all he's done to grow and atone for his past 😭
I love Malificent as Riku’s toxic mother figure so I hope this actually happens in canon so we can see more of it, obviously Riku not buying it thanks to his arc but maybe he can finally call her out like an abused child would their abusive parent. Though your enchanted parallel doesn’t really fit considering Giselle is clearly meant to be Sora in this scenario and Riku being Prince Edward, still fits with Malificent being the Queen but Sora is clearly going to go through his own arc similar to Giselle that wouldn’t make sense for Riku to (like Giselle learning to show her true emotions and see herself as her own person and not the partner of the fairy tale prince fits with what Sora’s being set up as in KH4 onwards)
And if we go with the Malleficent creating a protagonist plot for herself narrative theory to its logical conclusion having Sora go trough an alternate version of Sleeping Beauty (The Maleficent films) as a world to flesh out her perspective and give a game play context for the plot point would make sense.
.....I never realized that Riku most likely didn't kno Sora was there in CO cuz Sora was looking for him ;~; that's so sad Also great vid once again! I'm so glad you made a vid about Maleficent on how she's going to eventually come back to being important! Sure, it's funny how irrelevant she's become come KH3 but it's obvious she's just waiting until what she's looking for comes up. It almost feels sad on how desperate she is to defy her fate to die. You really worded this all so well. I'm so excited to watch this vid more times to fully take in your research ^^b (btw, sorry to ask, but will you be making a playlist with all the vids in 1 along side the playlists by seasons? I don't mind making my own to have them all in 1 place but I wanted to kno if you were planning to do so any time soon. I just like listening to them all in 1 go)
@@The_Violet_Howler understandable! I'll make an unlisted/private all in 1 playlist for me then in the meantime ^^b I just like listening to them in the background a lot
I've been going through and catching up on your Constructing Kingdoms series, and I love the way you discuss and break down the series! You have such a great perspective on everything, and you've given me a newfound respect for the current state of the franchise in general. But this episode in particular is far and away my favorite (for obvious reasons XD). I love hearing someone finally discuss Maleficent in KH with the care and perception that she deserves, and you have me genuinely excited for her future in the franchise. If they do end up recreating that Enchanted finale with Maleficent climbing the 104 building in Quadratum, that would be the single coolest thing in the franchise for me XD
Your comment really means a lot to me (so much so that it took me days to find a way of putting it into words that I felt satisfied with XD) because your fics are some of the few KH fan works I’ve been able to find that manage to capture the essence of how I see Maleficent’s motivations in the series. When I first read the Quite A Glittering Assemblage trilogy, the way you wrote Maleficent, your take on the Book of Prophecies, and how you acknowledged the fact that some worlds featured were considered works of fiction in others quickly made my brain go “this guy *gets it!*,” so knowing that you like my analysis of Maleficent makes me incredibly happy.
Omg Howler! I'm literally stunned. I had never thought so much about Maleficent even though I suspected that her character would be important in KHIV. When you explained that her role in KH embodies that of multiple female villains from fairy tales, I was really astonished. Really kudos, this is one of my favorites. And while we're on the subject, in your search for information for the making of this video, did you happen to consider the live action Maleficent as well? 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And yes, the live action Maleficent did come up in my planning. But because my next video is going to involve going into more detail on Maleficent being a mother to Riku, I decided to save discussions of other incarnations of the character for next time.
You know it's funny, I just rewatched Enchanted like, 2 days ago, and I kept thinking about how appropriate it would be for a parallel in KH, especially with Quadratum and the use of multiple references to traditional fairytales. I agree that Maleficent's role has to be more than just "background villain", otherwise we wouldn't see her in litterally every Kingdom hearts game (and when its not her, it's at least Pete, like in 358/2 where she is not there for obvious reasons, or re-coded; actually is there any game where neither of them appears? oh yeah 0.2 and Back Cover , if it even counts as separate fom BBS and UX) Riku's relationship to Ansem has been at the forefront of his story for a while, but now that he's not there it would be great and coherent to address that other big manipulative figure in his life. And let's be fair I do enjoy fighing dragons in videogames. Come to think of it, Xemnas does take the form of a dragon at one point during the final fight of KH2, now I want to check if there are more I'm forgetting about. Ah I started rambling, your content always makes me want to think more about Kingdom Hearts, and I already think a lot about the series; it's really appreciated! I feel less like a fish inside of a small tank and more like I'm swimming in an ocean of ideas!
Each video gives me goosebumps! Your ability to connect all these dots is stunning and by the end of the video my jaw is on the floor! There are no words to properly described just how incredible you videos are! thank you!
This video is very good at explaining what I hadn’t pondered out myself yet. I hadn’t thought about her arc fully even though I’ve seen all of it and this brings it together in a very coherent way. I’m more excited to see her in KH4 now since I thought she’d make an appearance somehow but I guess I assumed she’d only be on the Reality side as I’m not sure how she’d steal the Box from the Foretellers
I had noticed that Maleficent is the only KH character who has been in every KH game(maybe not Days). In CoM she was the only memory to talk to Riku. In Days although she herself doesn't appear expect maybe as one of Sora's memories Pete's actions are all over the place and I think he talks about her. She appears in all the mobile titles, even when our main characters of Sora and Riku do not. And she is one of four boss fights in KHMOM. The Writers of KH clearly are planing to do something with Maleficent even if I don't have a clear idea of what they want to do. So I have been trying to come up with theories on where I see Maleficent going, mostly because I do think she is going somewhere big. My main theory before your video has been that Maleficent was waiting for a moment where she could attack. With the Wayfinder trio, Mickey, Riku, and Sora all gone now is really the perfect time to try to take over Reality. And I do think something bad will happen in Reality right now with them all gone though your video has made me doubt if it will be Maleficent. My original theory was that Maleficent would be the first to attack Reality. And that she would be the safe villain for Kairi to test her strength against. A first win for Kairi, if the writers want Kairi to grow in that way...which I admittedly doubt that they do. However if they actually want Kairi to become as much as a main character/hero as Sora and Riku the way that everyone else seems to think Kairi to end up, then Maleficent really seems like the only way to do it. My other idea for Kairi which I like a lot better is that Kairi ends up joining the Foretellers. But this is a Maleficent video not a Kairi one so I will get back on topic. The idea that Maleficent could still be in ownership of the World that Never Was is not actually something I had thought of before your video. In a way it makes sense. After all Maleficent is no longer looking for a castle to call her home. Though the fact that Xehanort was using the World that Never Was in DDD might point to Maleficent not being there. The World that Never Was is also a world that I think is going to be very important at some point. If only because it is way to big of a place not to be important. Here where my ideas for how it could be important. One, when the Foretellers, and the Darknesses attack Reality(Before this video I also had a Maleficent side). The people that don't end up joining one of the two sides all retreat to the World that Never Was. Most likely making the Pods in Twilight Town into an Ark doomsday device, and using it to destroy Twilight Town, after Ira takes over the place, as well as destroying the secret way into the World that Never Was that Sora uses in KH2. The World really seems like the perfect retreat, if only because of how hard it is to get to. Two, I think that Unreality is going to be destroyed by whatever MoM is trying to do. Which is why most of the stars in Unreality are in the Final World rather then in the sky above Quadratum. It would also mean that we would be able to see what happens when Kingdom Hearts is used without destroying Reality. Sora is going to open the Door between Reality and Unreality and save all the people of Unreality by giving them a home in the World that Never Was. Though I guess these two ideas could both work at the same time. The idea that Maleficent is someone that goes to Unreality is not really one I had thought of. If anything I thought that the live action version of Maleficent would be in Unreality. Would a different version of Maleficent, one that is overall not evil and more motherly work in your theory? That said I am not against the idea of our Maleficent ending up in Unreality. I don't really see the how of it, but I am not against it. Maybe if the Twilight Town is really destroyed by Ark use, and the arks are all going to Unreality, then maybe Maleficent is one of the people that uses them.
That’s a good point about Maleficent appearing in every game in the series. I didn’t even think of that. It really just underlines how important she is that the writers will somehow find ways to give her an appearance or role in every single game in at least some capacity. And those are some pretty interesting theories. I definitely think the pods in the mansion are going to become relevant again in future titles, and using them like the pods on the ark would be an interesting way to get Maleficent to quadratum since she can’t use or misuse the power of waking to get there like Riku and Sora did. And with all the unicorn imagery, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the Foretellers take up residence in the old mansion at some point in the next arc. Between the unicorn imagery and the hints at the pods having been used prior to KH2 hints feels too significant to ignore. Unreality being destroyed as a result of MoM’s plans and Sora giving people refuge in his reality could tie in to the theme of people who have died living on through the stories we tell about them. And it would fit pretty well with some parallels that I’ll be talking about in my Master of Masters video in Constructing Kingdoms Season 3. Re: Maleficent owning the The World That Never Was, Xehanort using it in DDD was what made me think she had lost her chance to take the castle. But since we only see them using the Round Room and the city outside of the castle, they could have simply been temporarily reusing it while Maleficent was out. Because it does seem odd that the New Organization went from using that room and then in KH3 right after they’re suddenly using the Keyblade Graveyard as their base when they could be having meetings back at the Castle.
Your videos are mindblowing! I'm happy that Maleficent has a solid role in the story and I hope to see it fulfilled one day! Thank you so much for your work!
Sora and Riku working through their issues and Quadratum, refusing to kill Maleficent but instead work with her to alter the Book of Prophecies since it is outside Reality inside Actual Reality and thus not connected to the Book of Prophecies nor MoM's eye (Riku's new keyblade doesn't have MoM's eye on it), thus changing the prophecy and MoM's plan? I'm here for the possibility.
It ends up turning the animation Sleeping Beauty into the Live Action Maleficent so she could gain control of her narrative, which will see in the KH4 engine! Lol😂
It's intriguing how Maleficent is a mother figure to Riku in KH1 but also in CoM, and she never really quite falls to darkness except when Riku ends up killing her himself because he becomes obsessed in the bid for power out of his pain. While she seems to have issues in some regard, she's clearly a mentor figure. And when you think about that old tumblr post of how Maleficent may've even been queer coded back during her movie (I'm positing that, the tumblr post didn't, the tumblr post only put forth that she was basically an outcast but of high standing, so if you invited any fairies to a formal party you HAD to invite her too or it'd be a problem). The other fairies seemed to hate her too, but it could be the fairies hated her more so through that lens of queer coding, because she often was what got their community in the way of being properly invited to celebrations and whatnot. Won't be surprised if you inevitably go over this. :P
Riku was already possessed when Maleficent was stabbed, so it was technically Ansem who "killed" her. I'm fairly sure that she was aware of this, bc in the KH2 novel her only focus is on how he rejected her when you'd think something like stabbing her would be more of a sore spot for her. Plus, in the novel, Riku is the one who seeks her out to persuade her to get involved in the fight at Hollow Bastion halfway through KH2, and she doesn't give any indication of any hard feelings when she interacts w/ him. And in KH1, the way she talks to possessed!Riku come off differently than how she talked to normal Riku. I have thought about the potential significance of the whole queer-coded Disney villain trend, but i haven't been able to find the right script for it.
Just finished all your videos! Great analysis! Some closing thoughts being maybe don’t look too deep into certain things and don’t compare the KH series to other things in media since the writing is KH is so unique. There are definitely things that COULD happen that you mentioned but getting your hopes up might not be a good idea if your expecting the story to go a certain way when it very well couldn’t. I usually like putting that warning since that why some people where disappointed by KH3 since that wanted it to go a certain way and didn’t actually do exactly what they envisioned. Also LOVED how you touched on how The series as a whole connects to the reality that we currently live. I would personally love to see a video on the way Nomura writes intrigue in the series since I think the way he does it is arguably my favorite part of the entire KH series. Also I don’t think anyone has ever done a video about it tbh. Thank you and you just earned yourself another subscriber! 💙
Thanks for subscribing. I’m glad you enjoyed my videos. I understand wanting to avoid a repeat of how fans turned on KH3 for not being exactly how they envisioned it. But I’m more worried about whether Disney or Square Enix will try to meddle with the story of the series than whether any of my analysis turns out to be right. Because I’ve seen too many examples where corporate executives will interfere with a creator’s series to point where the themes the creator was trying to convey were butchered (Voltron, the Star Wars sequels, etc.), and the same thing happening to Kingdom Hearts is one of my biggest fears. I am fully prepared for all of my theories and interpretations of the developers’ intentions to be wrong, provided that the material that proves me wrong was something they put in willingly and isn’t something that people higher up the company ladder forced them to include. (Though the fact that Nomura has basically told Disney execs “we do this my way or not at all” _twice_ like I mentioned in episode 09 and still gotten his way gives me hope that execs won’t be able to meddle to the extent that I’m afraid of). I’m curious what you’re referring to about Nomura writing intrigue (My brain’s a little tired right now and can’t connect the dots lol). I’ve already started outlining scripts for my next several episodes, and future topics are exclusively decided based on where my inspiration takes me. But depending on which narrative thread you’re referring to there might be some overlap with one of the topics I’m already planning. I do want to point out that Kingdom Hearts invites comparisons to other things in media because that’s essentially the entire point of the Disney worlds within its own narrative: comparing the KH original characters with Disney characters to teach those same KH characters a lesson. And while the series is definitely unique, what makes it unique is how it uses familiar patterns and archetypes in ways that audiences don’t expect. The main present day narrative of the series hits all the beats of a story pattern designed for female characters pushing back against restrictive gender norms, but does so with a male protagonist. Most stories with self-fulfilling prophecies have some message about the futility of defying the inevitable, but with Maleficent, it’s about legacy and reputation. And so on and so forth. So it’s important to talk about how different elements of KH compare to other examples of the same trope, because making those comparisons helps us to understand what makes the way KH does it so unique.
Thank you. A lot of these early videos have drawn from my earlier essays, but i've been able to use the video format and the fact that my understanding of each topic has evolved over the years since I first made those posts to go into more detail and elaborate on things that I hadn't thought about when writing the original essays.
i'd entirely missed that Xehanort had a PERSONAL motive for using and [making a fool of] Maleficent, thus triggering her series-wide... until she acted beyond his own plans (transformative fiction!Maleficent going for Data Riku & the Black Box). in Xehanort's eyes, Maleficent killed or "caused" all the tragedy he (& Eraqus) experienced in Dark Road. Maleficent was, whether he knew it or not, Xehanort's Archenemy. post-KH1, Sora & players were "distracted" with Xehanort & his machinations while Maleficent's movements seem to be setting up the Final Act of the KH series. Maleficent & her actions have become something of a Chekhov's Gun for the series A very interesting question I can see future games addressing is this: how did Maleficent FIND Riku when the Destiny Islands fell & how did she get to him BEFORE, say, Xigbar? This video poses some very, very interesting food for thought. (i do kind of want Maleficent to overcome her Fate as Villain, ultimately, perhaps by fimally & truly acting as Riku's "true" Fairy Godmother instead of a Wicked Mother)
That's a really good observation re: Maleficent and Xehanort! I didn't even think of that before. As for her finding Riku, they showed in KH1 Final Mix that the dark corridor that swallowed him up when the Islands fell dropped him off literally right outside the front door of her base. All she had to do was step outside when she sensed the portal he fell through opening and boom.
@@The_Violet_Howler which begs the question, with Riku being so Dearly Beloved by Destiny... was it really a coincidence that he was left at MALEFICENT'S doorstep, specifically? Sora's first Heart Dive shows that his Heart Station was directly connected to those of the Princesses of Heart: the order he sees them is the same as the order Ven met these princesses in BBS... but, even with KHUX in mind, Ven's presence in Sora's Heart does not explain how Sora can access the Heart Station representing Alice, Jasmine, AND Kairi (who wouldn't exist yet anyway). And Sora was able to access these Hearts BEFORE Riku's Heart went all Arthurian and threw Kingdom Key to him! so: Riku's Crown is the connection (unless Ven was/is a prince of heart via technicaliy..?). Sora's connection to Aurora could, walking the idea back, mean that Riku would connect to her & her World... thus Maleficent? i've been having a lot of fun using KH3 meta to retroactively direct me to things hidden in KH1 - in this case, the opening cutscenes & tutorials. i'm so happy to have found your video essays! you articulate many ideas i've gathered up & connected on my own in a way much more concise!
Re: Sora's dive, well he already knew Kairi by the time he did the dive, and Alice and Jasmine were there in KHUX so Ven would likely have met them too. Honestly i have no clue how the lore of it would work for Riku ending up in Hollow Bastion, but it fits from a narrative perspective because in each KH game the state of Hollow Bastion is tied to the state of Riku's heart and his character arc. And I'm glad you're enjoying my videos.
@@BattyButtercup It is explained indirectly that the Man in the Brown Coat (Ansem, Seeker of Darkness) opened the portal to Maleficent. So, Xehanort lead Riku there. It is also implied that Master Xehanort told clues about future knowledge that would make Maleficent inclined to "help " Riku become a Chosen Dark Vessel, which is a condition of being a Child of Destiny. One of Xehanort's side plans is possessing a Chosen to become a Child of Destiny by proxy.
Even in the original Macbeth play, just like the OT of Star Wars, the main reason destiny always played out as it was said to play out was because people gave into their worst natures - their fears and cruelties.
To add on to my previous comment, it's quite clear from another standpoint that Maleficent IS queer coded just like Riku. Because Maleficent turns into a fucking DRAGON. She's essentially turning into a completely different species from any other human despite looking like a human devil with horns at first. LITERALLY A DEVIL HUMAN WITH HORNS. With that context it becomes even more important why Sora's original journey had to be so fairy-tale like in the first place. To set UP the traditional narratives of society - not just queer-like but also the framing of hatred, conflict, divides, and fear in general.
if the book of prophecies is a book of stories that makes those stories real and explorable, the book itself feels like the in game version of the kingdom hearts games themselves, an object containing stories that become real and let you step inside
Is it ever made EXPLICITLY clear that Maleficent was intentionally gaslighting Riku, or was she just assuming (as part of the queer-coded narrative) that Sora genuinely didn't feel the same way about Riku as Riku did about Sora? Especially since within the queer-coded narrative, darkness can't mingle with Light, and after all of Maleficent's experiences she would have assumed the same thing, right? Especially after SEEING Riku's darkness.
I don't think Maleficent cared. I think she just saw a potential asset for her own agenda and immediately started figuring out which strings to pull to get him to dance to her tune, not caring whether there was any truth to the things she said.
@@The_Violet_Howler Thinking about it from the framing that all Maleficent has ever known is betrayal, hurt, ostracization, and a death sentence - as well as her entire being to begin with - and it hinging on a pre-destined outcome I wouldn't be surprised if Maleficent herself is incredibly jaded. That she saw Riku as a genuine son-figure but didn't know how to properly take care of a child since she herself was prone to misjudgements - but more inadvertently manipulative - like Donald and Goofy while meaning well, ended up hurting Sora in the longrun. Which, if you think about it, Maleficent telling Riku that all he had was the darkness could have been her trying to help him let go and focus on her more toxic, singleminded goal as well. I think it could be argued some of it was a cry for help.
A fictional character from a queer coded movie whose Canon was always set in stone, who was always destined to fail, ending up in a traditional fairy tale-like traditional-coded first game with the queer-coded God of Hearts trying to control her own own fate and narrative so that she wouldn't constantly be put to death and rebirth as something else over misunderstanding after misunderstanding (she even helped Sora and Co. in KH2 even if out of a selfish desire)? More likely than you think!
18:32
Sephiroth: "I will NEVER be a mere memory"
Maleficent: "I am MORE than just a stepping-stone!"
Come to think of it, MoM putting his eye on Riku's keyblade to make sure that Riku is constantly doing as he wants him to do given he's the God of Kingdom Hearts, in essence, makes a ton of sense from this framing.
Like a wise tortoise once said "One often meets his destiny on the road to avoid it."
Mm... Monke
Catching up on your series here and I've been screaming along with every single episode as you've not only taken inklings and feelings that I've had about the series, but then go ahead and succinctly expand on them with brilliant research and effort. I cannot stress enough how thrilled I am that you've taken such a fascinating deep dive into this series, and your efforts are honestly helping me piece together a few of these loose pieces myself and my partner have been puzzling over while taking our own deep dive through the KH series as a whole.
It's a little sad thinking that Maleficent is dooming herself to keep repeating the same role. But very imteresting! :0 I absolutely love how Kingdom Hearts (the game series) uses Maleficent. She almost feels like a KH original character with how she has been used in the narrative.
I almost don’t want to watch your videos anymore because they’re so well thought out it feels like spoilers lol
Not much to add besides I love all the new points to this updated version of your maleficent essay from back then, just wanting to point out how telling, pointed and incredibly exciting her last words to aqua are: "I won't be defeated by something as insignificant as love".
She is really just gonna have the biggest defeat by power of true love by Sora and Riku ever, no matter what. Like she says in Union after being defeated there too "why does the ending never alter!?"
And oh I just realized the fact of how you pieced together the various weird flashbacks of hoder's death, with darkness making illusions and stuff like with ven. That's actually not a bad thought
The gayblade is gonna slice her to bits!!
It is implied by The Master of Masters that Love can created both Light and Darkness depending on the Observer. Love can become Obsession. This is what Riku went through in One. Riku's Obssession was being the idol in Sora's life. Being Worthy and not the third wheel. This is why Maleficent and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness influenced him so easily.
@Franci & Drake yes, exactly!! that line feels so pointed that it's almost certain to come back eventually
In Toy Box Rex says that he's stuck on Bahamut. I figure that we'd eventually play through the real events that happen in Verum Rex, and I know it might not be a very strong connection, but Bahamut is a dragon and Maleficent is a dragon, maybe when we play through this section, whether it'll be in KH4 or an unnumbered title, it'll end up being Maleficent instead if Bahamut.
That's a really neat idea!
Wow yet another fantastic video! This is something that's been in my head ever since KH3. Maleficent was supposedly the main villain in KH1 but after that she and Pete basically became the KH equivalent of Team Rocket. Just bumbling goofy side villains who do nothing for the plot except being occasional obstacles rather than genuine characters or threats. That's what most of the fandom, myself included, has been saying for years now. But even though she hasn't had a very active presence she has been strung along with the plot. She still shows up again and again. Why would the writers do that unless they had plans for her? And when she started focusing on The Book Of Prophecies i immediately felt like her character was starting to get a more active and important role like i suspected. Her and Pete appearing in the secret ending pretty much confirmed that. I have NEVER seen a Disney character in a secret ending except for Donald, Goofy and Mickey. The X saga is super important so the fact that she's directly tied to that now AND the True Darknesses is super interesting and surprising to me. This video (obviously) explains this wonderfully. The themes of her involvement make perfect sense. And i can totally see how she can work with this new arc! Thanks as always Howler! May your heart be your guiding key.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed this video.
It is also implied a formless Darkness made Maleficent a Waypoint, and is a "Old Friend" to her. It is also implied both the Master of Masters and Darkness saw her in the Book Prophecies, and They are scripting her moves.
Even in Kingdom Hearts 3, Pete mentions they got their clue about the Box from a "dingbat in black" that is implied to be Luxu. This is why Xigbar was watching them, and then , through Bookends, she was watching him.
Also, in the Third Cinderella movie, Lady Tremaine uses Fairy Magic to reverse Time and make The Prince believe one of her own daughters was Cinderella. She first hypnotizes him, and when that doesn't Work, turns her daughter into a exact replica of Cinderella herself. An interesting note is that when Tremaine uses the Fairy Godmother's magic, it turns green. ( like Maleficent's fire magic.)
Yes! I was definitely thinking of Lady Tremain's actions in Cinderella 3 and all she went through to undo Cinderella's happily ever after. I originally planned to touch on that, but I couldn't find a way to summarize it briefly enough to get her important actions in Cinderella 3 across without disrupting the flow of my monologue.
@@The_Violet_Howler I am also thinking about the point that Lady Tremaine is not a Fairy herself, and still was able to do all that. And in Kingdom Hearts, the Fairy Godmother manifests from Dreams (Fantasy Stories), can go to the Realm of Dreams and Death, and can see Unrealities.
Now, Maleficent as a Dark Fairy controls Sleep, and if Fairy Godmother is anything to go by, can see the Spirits and Dark Emotions in the Dark Abyss, the place Darkness lives.
I also theorize Maleficent realizes she may be able to clone a Riku, a Riku like Ansem- Riku from the Book. A perfected Dark Riku with the appropriate age.. One Sora would be to quote Lady Tremaine "perfectly happy" with.
@@The_Violet_Howler It is also implied the Organization is aware of the Witch(Maleficent) and her connected to Darkness. Zexion smells her memory manifestation when Riku and "Ansem"/Riku's Darkness appear in the Basement of Castle Oblivion, and calls her by name. Vexen also knows she is gone, which feels like a Xigbar manipulation.
Luxu also was watching her in Union X times.
And it seems like Maleficent is aware of the Organization, too. When Pete mentions them in 2 when they first meet back up, she sneers and says "Let those fools play their little game." "Game" is a little suspicious , and we know Xemnas is playing games with the original Organization.
Further, Maleficent knows Xemnas's name for some reason. I wonder if Maleficent is somewhat aware of her own story, too? Yen Sid seems to know certain things, and so the does the Fairy Godmother. Even the Magic Mirror seems aware...
@@Fragmentsinfractals488 That's an interesting idea. Personally, I suspect that she had more contact with Ansem SoD than we've been shown in the games (she doesn't show any confusion or question why Riku is suddenly speaking w/ someone else's voice after Ansem posesses him, and was more open with Ansem than she was with Riku, suggesting she was fully aware that Riku was being possessed and who was doing the possesing) and learned about Xemnas/the Organization from him. But your idea is definitely something I'm going to take a look into irt Yen Sid, the Magic Mirror, and the Fairy Godmother.
@@The_Violet_Howler I personally believe the Darkness that killed Holder was "assisting" Maleficent, and that once They reconnected with her through the Fear of Darkness, it lives in her subconscious. Therefore , she "knows" things she wouldn't.
In this Light, even kidnapping Santa makes sense. If Santa becomes a Darkness, He can eat the Hearts of children all over Reality. And we know it is all over Reality because Santa knows Riku and Sora.
Basically, Santa is a Wonderful infection vector , and This is something that would please Darkness.
Destroying the Cornerstone of Light and destabilizing a crucial tale of Disney, same.
Further, Darkness knows the first Organization has to fail to reach the point where the True Organization can reach the point where "Darkness prevails."
So Maleficent's Heart, touched by Darkness, pushes her to save Sora so he can destroy the first version of the Organization.
Maleficent just isn't consciously aware she is doing these things.
This also means she would trust a Heartless ("Ansem") even if he just showed up.
As all your videos, this makes so much sense!! Maleficent coming back for Riku after all this time and after all he's done to grow and atone for his past 😭
AHHH havent watched it but im already 💀💀💀😭😭🥹🥹🥹
I love Malificent as Riku’s toxic mother figure so I hope this actually happens in canon so we can see more of it, obviously Riku not buying it thanks to his arc but maybe he can finally call her out like an abused child would their abusive parent.
Though your enchanted parallel doesn’t really fit considering Giselle is clearly meant to be Sora in this scenario and Riku being Prince Edward, still fits with Malificent being the Queen but Sora is clearly going to go through his own arc similar to Giselle that wouldn’t make sense for Riku to (like Giselle learning to show her true emotions and see herself as her own person and not the partner of the fairy tale prince fits with what Sora’s being set up as in KH4 onwards)
AUUUUUGGGHHHHH-
God these videos just break my brain. Shattered. Absolutely decimated.
And if we go with the Malleficent creating a protagonist plot for herself narrative theory to its logical conclusion having Sora go trough an alternate version of Sleeping Beauty (The Maleficent films) as a world to flesh out her perspective and give a game play context for the plot point would make sense.
That's an interesting way the live action Maleficent movies could be incorporated into the series. I didn't think of that.
.....I never realized that Riku most likely didn't kno Sora was there in CO cuz Sora was looking for him ;~; that's so sad
Also great vid once again! I'm so glad you made a vid about Maleficent on how she's going to eventually come back to being important! Sure, it's funny how irrelevant she's become come KH3 but it's obvious she's just waiting until what she's looking for comes up. It almost feels sad on how desperate she is to defy her fate to die. You really worded this all so well. I'm so excited to watch this vid more times to fully take in your research ^^b
(btw, sorry to ask, but will you be making a playlist with all the vids in 1 along side the playlists by seasons? I don't mind making my own to have them all in 1 place but I wanted to kno if you were planning to do so any time soon. I just like listening to them all in 1 go)
Glad you enjoyed the video. As for your question, I've thought about it before but have not made any solid decision.
@@The_Violet_Howler understandable! I'll make an unlisted/private all in 1 playlist for me then in the meantime ^^b I just like listening to them in the background a lot
I've been going through and catching up on your Constructing Kingdoms series, and I love the way you discuss and break down the series! You have such a great perspective on everything, and you've given me a newfound respect for the current state of the franchise in general. But this episode in particular is far and away my favorite (for obvious reasons XD). I love hearing someone finally discuss Maleficent in KH with the care and perception that she deserves, and you have me genuinely excited for her future in the franchise. If they do end up recreating that Enchanted finale with Maleficent climbing the 104 building in Quadratum, that would be the single coolest thing in the franchise for me XD
Your comment really means a lot to me (so much so that it took me days to find a way of putting it into words that I felt satisfied with XD) because your fics are some of the few KH fan works I’ve been able to find that manage to capture the essence of how I see Maleficent’s motivations in the series. When I first read the Quite A Glittering Assemblage trilogy, the way you wrote Maleficent, your take on the Book of Prophecies, and how you acknowledged the fact that some worlds featured were considered works of fiction in others quickly made my brain go “this guy *gets it!*,” so knowing that you like my analysis of Maleficent makes me incredibly happy.
@@The_Violet_Howler Your reply genuinely made my day! Thank you so much for your kind words :)
Omg Howler! I'm literally stunned. I had never thought so much about Maleficent even though I suspected that her character would be important in KHIV. When you explained that her role in KH embodies that of multiple female villains from fairy tales, I was really astonished. Really kudos, this is one of my favorites.
And while we're on the subject, in your search for information for the making of this video, did you happen to consider the live action Maleficent as well?
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And yes, the live action Maleficent did come up in my planning. But because my next video is going to involve going into more detail on Maleficent being a mother to Riku, I decided to save discussions of other incarnations of the character for next time.
You know it's funny, I just rewatched Enchanted like, 2 days ago, and I kept thinking about how appropriate it would be for a parallel in KH, especially with Quadratum and the use of multiple references to traditional fairytales. I agree that Maleficent's role has to be more than just "background villain", otherwise we wouldn't see her in litterally every Kingdom hearts game (and when its not her, it's at least Pete, like in 358/2 where she is not there for obvious reasons, or re-coded; actually is there any game where neither of them appears? oh yeah 0.2 and Back Cover , if it even counts as separate fom BBS and UX)
Riku's relationship to Ansem has been at the forefront of his story for a while, but now that he's not there it would be great and coherent to address that other big manipulative figure in his life. And let's be fair I do enjoy fighing dragons in videogames. Come to think of it, Xemnas does take the form of a dragon at one point during the final fight of KH2, now I want to check if there are more I'm forgetting about.
Ah I started rambling, your content always makes me want to think more about Kingdom Hearts, and I already think a lot about the series; it's really appreciated! I feel less like a fish inside of a small tank and more like I'm swimming in an ocean of ideas!
Glad my videos could help give you so many ideas!
Each video gives me goosebumps! Your ability to connect all these dots is stunning and by the end of the video my jaw is on the floor! There are no words to properly described just how incredible you videos are! thank you!
This video is very good at explaining what I hadn’t pondered out myself yet. I hadn’t thought about her arc fully even though I’ve seen all of it and this brings it together in a very coherent way. I’m more excited to see her in KH4 now since I thought she’d make an appearance somehow but I guess I assumed she’d only be on the Reality side as I’m not sure how she’d steal the Box from the Foretellers
Wish you brought in Oedipus Rex as a reference because that is just pure irony in its most twisted form.
Yeaah new episode lets gooooooo.
I had noticed that Maleficent is the only KH character who has been in every KH game(maybe not Days). In CoM she was the only memory to talk to Riku. In Days although she herself doesn't appear expect maybe as one of Sora's memories Pete's actions are all over the place and I think he talks about her. She appears in all the mobile titles, even when our main characters of Sora and Riku do not. And she is one of four boss fights in KHMOM. The Writers of KH clearly are planing to do something with Maleficent even if I don't have a clear idea of what they want to do. So I have been trying to come up with theories on where I see Maleficent going, mostly because I do think she is going somewhere big.
My main theory before your video has been that Maleficent was waiting for a moment where she could attack. With the Wayfinder trio, Mickey, Riku, and Sora all gone now is really the perfect time to try to take over Reality. And I do think something bad will happen in Reality right now with them all gone though your video has made me doubt if it will be Maleficent.
My original theory was that Maleficent would be the first to attack Reality. And that she would be the safe villain for Kairi to test her strength against. A first win for Kairi, if the writers want Kairi to grow in that way...which I admittedly doubt that they do. However if they actually want Kairi to become as much as a main character/hero as Sora and Riku the way that everyone else seems to think Kairi to end up, then Maleficent really seems like the only way to do it.
My other idea for Kairi which I like a lot better is that Kairi ends up joining the Foretellers. But this is a Maleficent video not a Kairi one so I will get back on topic.
The idea that Maleficent could still be in ownership of the World that Never Was is not actually something I had thought of before your video. In a way it makes sense. After all Maleficent is no longer looking for a castle to call her home. Though the fact that Xehanort was using the World that Never Was in DDD might point to Maleficent not being there.
The World that Never Was is also a world that I think is going to be very important at some point. If only because it is way to big of a place not to be important. Here where my ideas for how it could be important.
One, when the Foretellers, and the Darknesses attack Reality(Before this video I also had a Maleficent side). The people that don't end up joining one of the two sides all retreat to the World that Never Was. Most likely making the Pods in Twilight Town into an Ark doomsday device, and using it to destroy Twilight Town, after Ira takes over the place, as well as destroying the secret way into the World that Never Was that Sora uses in KH2. The World really seems like the perfect retreat, if only because of how hard it is to get to.
Two, I think that Unreality is going to be destroyed by whatever MoM is trying to do. Which is why most of the stars in Unreality are in the Final World rather then in the sky above Quadratum. It would also mean that we would be able to see what happens when Kingdom Hearts is used without destroying Reality. Sora is going to open the Door between Reality and Unreality and save all the people of Unreality by giving them a home in the World that Never Was.
Though I guess these two ideas could both work at the same time.
The idea that Maleficent is someone that goes to Unreality is not really one I had thought of. If anything I thought that the live action version of Maleficent would be in Unreality. Would a different version of Maleficent, one that is overall not evil and more motherly work in your theory? That said I am not against the idea of our Maleficent ending up in Unreality. I don't really see the how of it, but I am not against it.
Maybe if the Twilight Town is really destroyed by Ark use, and the arks are all going to Unreality, then maybe Maleficent is one of the people that uses them.
That’s a good point about Maleficent appearing in every game in the series. I didn’t even think of that. It really just underlines how important she is that the writers will somehow find ways to give her an appearance or role in every single game in at least some capacity.
And those are some pretty interesting theories. I definitely think the pods in the mansion are going to become relevant again in future titles, and using them like the pods on the ark would be an interesting way to get Maleficent to quadratum since she can’t use or misuse the power of waking to get there like Riku and Sora did. And with all the unicorn imagery, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the Foretellers take up residence in the old mansion at some point in the next arc. Between the unicorn imagery and the hints at the pods having been used prior to KH2 hints feels too significant to ignore.
Unreality being destroyed as a result of MoM’s plans and Sora giving people refuge in his reality could tie in to the theme of people who have died living on through the stories we tell about them. And it would fit pretty well with some parallels that I’ll be talking about in my Master of Masters video in Constructing Kingdoms Season 3.
Re: Maleficent owning the The World That Never Was, Xehanort using it in DDD was what made me think she had lost her chance to take the castle. But since we only see them using the Round Room and the city outside of the castle, they could have simply been temporarily reusing it while Maleficent was out. Because it does seem odd that the New Organization went from using that room and then in KH3 right after they’re suddenly using the Keyblade Graveyard as their base when they could be having meetings back at the Castle.
@@The_Violet_Howler Thanks for liking my thoughts. Also for making very nice videos. I always look forward to you making a new one.
Your videos are mindblowing! I'm happy that Maleficent has a solid role in the story and I hope to see it fulfilled one day! Thank you so much for your work!
Sora and Riku working through their issues and Quadratum, refusing to kill Maleficent but instead work with her to alter the Book of Prophecies since it is outside Reality inside Actual Reality and thus not connected to the Book of Prophecies nor MoM's eye (Riku's new keyblade doesn't have MoM's eye on it), thus changing the prophecy and MoM's plan?
I'm here for the possibility.
That's an interesting possibility that I hadn't considered before.
@@The_Violet_Howler Glad to be of service. :V
It ends up turning the animation Sleeping Beauty into the Live Action Maleficent so she could gain control of her narrative, which will see in the KH4 engine! Lol😂
It's intriguing how Maleficent is a mother figure to Riku in KH1 but also in CoM, and she never really quite falls to darkness except when Riku ends up killing her himself because he becomes obsessed in the bid for power out of his pain. While she seems to have issues in some regard, she's clearly a mentor figure. And when you think about that old tumblr post of how Maleficent may've even been queer coded back during her movie (I'm positing that, the tumblr post didn't, the tumblr post only put forth that she was basically an outcast but of high standing, so if you invited any fairies to a formal party you HAD to invite her too or it'd be a problem). The other fairies seemed to hate her too, but it could be the fairies hated her more so through that lens of queer coding, because she often was what got their community in the way of being properly invited to celebrations and whatnot. Won't be surprised if you inevitably go over this. :P
Riku was already possessed when Maleficent was stabbed, so it was technically Ansem who "killed" her. I'm fairly sure that she was aware of this, bc in the KH2 novel her only focus is on how he rejected her when you'd think something like stabbing her would be more of a sore spot for her. Plus, in the novel, Riku is the one who seeks her out to persuade her to get involved in the fight at Hollow Bastion halfway through KH2, and she doesn't give any indication of any hard feelings when she interacts w/ him. And in KH1, the way she talks to possessed!Riku come off differently than how she talked to normal Riku.
I have thought about the potential significance of the whole queer-coded Disney villain trend, but i haven't been able to find the right script for it.
@@The_Violet_Howler That makes a lot of sense, than kyou. :)
Just finished all your videos! Great analysis! Some closing thoughts being maybe don’t look too deep into certain things and don’t compare the KH series to other things in media since the writing is KH is so unique.
There are definitely things that COULD happen that you mentioned but getting your hopes up might not be a good idea if your expecting the story to go a certain way when it very well couldn’t.
I usually like putting that warning since that why some people where disappointed by KH3 since that wanted it to go a certain way and didn’t actually do exactly what they envisioned.
Also LOVED how you touched on how The series as a whole connects to the reality that we currently live.
I would personally love to see a video on the way Nomura writes intrigue in the series since I think the way he does it is arguably my favorite part of the entire KH series. Also I don’t think anyone has ever done a video about it tbh.
Thank you and you just earned yourself another subscriber! 💙
Thanks for subscribing. I’m glad you enjoyed my videos.
I understand wanting to avoid a repeat of how fans turned on KH3 for not being exactly how they envisioned it. But I’m more worried about whether Disney or Square Enix will try to meddle with the story of the series than whether any of my analysis turns out to be right. Because I’ve seen too many examples where corporate executives will interfere with a creator’s series to point where the themes the creator was trying to convey were butchered (Voltron, the Star Wars sequels, etc.), and the same thing happening to Kingdom Hearts is one of my biggest fears. I am fully prepared for all of my theories and interpretations of the developers’ intentions to be wrong, provided that the material that proves me wrong was something they put in willingly and isn’t something that people higher up the company ladder forced them to include.
(Though the fact that Nomura has basically told Disney execs “we do this my way or not at all” _twice_ like I mentioned in episode 09 and still gotten his way gives me hope that execs won’t be able to meddle to the extent that I’m afraid of).
I’m curious what you’re referring to about Nomura writing intrigue (My brain’s a little tired right now and can’t connect the dots lol). I’ve already started outlining scripts for my next several episodes, and future topics are exclusively decided based on where my inspiration takes me. But depending on which narrative thread you’re referring to there might be some overlap with one of the topics I’m already planning.
I do want to point out that Kingdom Hearts invites comparisons to other things in media because that’s essentially the entire point of the Disney worlds within its own narrative: comparing the KH original characters with Disney characters to teach those same KH characters a lesson. And while the series is definitely unique, what makes it unique is how it uses familiar patterns and archetypes in ways that audiences don’t expect. The main present day narrative of the series hits all the beats of a story pattern designed for female characters pushing back against restrictive gender norms, but does so with a male protagonist. Most stories with self-fulfilling prophecies have some message about the futility of defying the inevitable, but with Maleficent, it’s about legacy and reputation. And so on and so forth.
So it’s important to talk about how different elements of KH compare to other examples of the same trope, because making those comparisons helps us to understand what makes the way KH does it so unique.
I’ve been reading you posts on Ao3 and I love how these videos expand on them to encompass your full view in a easy to consume manner keep it up👍
Thank you. A lot of these early videos have drawn from my earlier essays, but i've been able to use the video format and the fact that my understanding of each topic has evolved over the years since I first made those posts to go into more detail and elaborate on things that I hadn't thought about when writing the original essays.
i'd entirely missed that Xehanort had a PERSONAL motive for using and [making a fool of] Maleficent, thus triggering her series-wide... until she acted beyond his own plans (transformative fiction!Maleficent going for Data Riku & the Black Box).
in Xehanort's eyes, Maleficent killed or "caused" all the tragedy he (& Eraqus) experienced in Dark Road.
Maleficent was, whether he knew it or not, Xehanort's Archenemy.
post-KH1, Sora & players were "distracted" with Xehanort & his
machinations while Maleficent's movements seem to be setting up the Final Act of the KH series. Maleficent & her actions have become something of a Chekhov's Gun for the series
A very interesting question I can see future games addressing is this: how did Maleficent FIND Riku when the Destiny Islands fell & how did she get to him BEFORE, say, Xigbar?
This video poses some very, very interesting food for thought.
(i do kind of want Maleficent to overcome her Fate as Villain, ultimately, perhaps by fimally & truly acting as Riku's "true" Fairy Godmother instead of a Wicked Mother)
That's a really good observation re: Maleficent and Xehanort! I didn't even think of that before.
As for her finding Riku, they showed in KH1 Final Mix that the dark corridor that swallowed him up when the Islands fell dropped him off literally right outside the front door of her base. All she had to do was step outside when she sensed the portal he fell through opening and boom.
@@The_Violet_Howler which begs the question, with Riku being so Dearly Beloved by Destiny... was it really a coincidence that he was left at MALEFICENT'S doorstep, specifically?
Sora's first Heart Dive shows that his Heart Station was directly connected to those of the Princesses of Heart: the order he sees them is the same as the order Ven met these princesses in BBS...
but, even with KHUX in mind, Ven's presence in Sora's Heart does not explain how Sora can access the Heart Station representing Alice, Jasmine, AND Kairi (who wouldn't exist yet anyway).
And Sora was able to access these Hearts BEFORE Riku's Heart went all Arthurian and threw Kingdom Key to him! so: Riku's Crown is the connection (unless Ven was/is a prince of heart via technicaliy..?).
Sora's connection to Aurora could, walking the idea back, mean that Riku would connect to her & her World... thus Maleficent?
i've been having a lot of fun using KH3 meta to retroactively direct me to things hidden in KH1 - in this case, the opening cutscenes & tutorials.
i'm so happy to have found your video essays! you articulate many ideas i've gathered up & connected on my own in a way much more concise!
Re: Sora's dive, well he already knew Kairi by the time he did the dive, and Alice and Jasmine were there in KHUX so Ven would likely have met them too.
Honestly i have no clue how the lore of it would work for Riku ending up in Hollow Bastion, but it fits from a narrative perspective because in each KH game the state of Hollow Bastion is tied to the state of Riku's heart and his character arc.
And I'm glad you're enjoying my videos.
@@BattyButtercup It is explained indirectly that the Man in the Brown Coat (Ansem, Seeker of Darkness) opened the portal to Maleficent. So, Xehanort lead Riku there. It is also implied that Master Xehanort told clues about future knowledge that would make Maleficent inclined to "help " Riku become a Chosen Dark Vessel, which is a condition of being a Child of Destiny.
One of Xehanort's side plans is possessing a Chosen to become a Child of Destiny by proxy.
Even in the original Macbeth play, just like the OT of Star Wars, the main reason destiny always played out as it was said to play out was because people gave into their worst natures - their fears and cruelties.
To add on to my previous comment, it's quite clear from another standpoint that Maleficent IS queer coded just like Riku. Because Maleficent turns into a fucking DRAGON. She's essentially turning into a completely different species from any other human despite looking like a human devil with horns at first. LITERALLY A DEVIL HUMAN WITH HORNS.
With that context it becomes even more important why Sora's original journey had to be so fairy-tale like in the first place. To set UP the traditional narratives of society - not just queer-like but also the framing of hatred, conflict, divides, and fear in general.
if the book of prophecies is a book of stories that makes those stories real and explorable, the book itself feels like the in game version of the kingdom hearts games themselves, an object containing stories that become real and let you step inside
Yes. That is how The Master and Darkness script the World and bind them to the Narrative.
Is it ever made EXPLICITLY clear that Maleficent was intentionally gaslighting Riku, or was she just assuming (as part of the queer-coded narrative) that Sora genuinely didn't feel the same way about Riku as Riku did about Sora? Especially since within the queer-coded narrative, darkness can't mingle with Light, and after all of Maleficent's experiences she would have assumed the same thing, right? Especially after SEEING Riku's darkness.
I don't think Maleficent cared. I think she just saw a potential asset for her own agenda and immediately started figuring out which strings to pull to get him to dance to her tune, not caring whether there was any truth to the things she said.
@@The_Violet_Howler Thinking about it from the framing that all Maleficent has ever known is betrayal, hurt, ostracization, and a death sentence - as well as her entire being to begin with - and it hinging on a pre-destined outcome I wouldn't be surprised if Maleficent herself is incredibly jaded. That she saw Riku as a genuine son-figure but didn't know how to properly take care of a child since she herself was prone to misjudgements - but more inadvertently manipulative - like Donald and Goofy while meaning well, ended up hurting Sora in the longrun. Which, if you think about it, Maleficent telling Riku that all he had was the darkness could have been her trying to help him let go and focus on her more toxic, singleminded goal as well. I think it could be argued some of it was a cry for help.
A fictional character from a queer coded movie whose Canon was always set in stone, who was always destined to fail, ending up in a traditional fairy tale-like traditional-coded first game with the queer-coded God of Hearts trying to control her own own fate and narrative so that she wouldn't constantly be put to death and rebirth as something else over misunderstanding after misunderstanding (she even helped Sora and Co. in KH2 even if out of a selfish desire)? More likely than you think!
First
Nope. I beat you to it.
@@mellemadswoestenburg1296 naw Sakura was first :p