Breaking down the Summons | A Kingdom Hearts Retrospective

[@Redxan600]

What I love about the summons is that they'll remember the adventures you had with them. It's even more sweet when you realize Ariel got her wish to see what the outside world is like.

[@garrettcarter5622]

I don’t think she wanted nothing but combat.

[@mascotvt]

@@garrettcarter5622 Looks like she's having fun~

[@mowrt620]

Kinda throws a wrench in the whole world order thing but that's always been one of the more glossed over plot aspects anyways lmao. I'm glad for Ariel!

[@garrettcarter5622]

@@mowrt620 "The World Order is a lot more like GUIDELINES than rules."

[@mowrt620]

@@garrettcarter5622 Tru yeah. They probably realized they could trust some of them. Although I'm not sure if stitch is a good idea to release into other worlds...

[@shadowldrago]

"Stitch is the next D-Link and is definitely not a Disney Princess." Wow. I can't believe Bio is slandering Stitch, who is objectively Best Princess.

[@Pishy4]

Oh! I know the reason for the faded out Thundaga Shot command. It's only available to Aqua, so if Terra or Ven use Stitch, they won't get to use that command :)

[@masterdreamer7848]

I was just about to say that.

[@timothyulriksen2960]

One of Cinderella's commands is just barrier surge with a different name, and all three characters can use it, despite the actual attack being exclusive to aqua.

[@KRJayster]

One of my favorite subtle references in the D-Links, and I might come back for an edit later, is that Mickey has that one spell that shrinks enemies. Mickey has Mini/Minnie. Also that Zack has slot mechanics, in reference to his own PSP game.

[@chainlink42]

One thing with the summons in KH2. Chicken Little is the only one to use the KH model for the hud instead of a drawn image. My thoughts on it are either chicken little as a summon were later in development and they were able to get someone to draw a hud icon for them, or because he's the only summon in 2 to be from a 3D movie they wanted to try to reflect that in the hud icon.

[@phillipbrown9228]

Most likely the latter, because the same thing happens with Jack Sparrow and Tron.

[@bishibibi]

Well kh2 came out before chicken little came out in Japan

[@totallynotkhobsessed]

This video is so in depth I can feel the summons coming inside of me

[@EMD766]

Phrasing.

[@chrisluvener173]

​@@EMD766 Yeah, they're coming. I don't get what the issue is. He said it perfectly fine.

[@user-yb2mh8do4m]

Does tastu have a Chanel

[@BioRoxas]

@user-yb2mh8do4m @tatsoomaki should be the channel

[@Khlaylav]

You shout out Zero Gravira in Terra's D-Link and my guess is it's meant to be a representative of darkness. It might not actually be a darkness command, but the coloring is fairly similar to an actual darkness attack. That, and it drags people back down to the earth, Terra's actual element.

[@jorymo4964]

If I remember correctly, gravity magic actually does dark damage in some KH games

[@jstar3382]

​@@jorymo4964it's only in 2 games, and it always does percent damage

[@jj3085]

21:50 Terra in BBS is for some reason a very skilled Time Mage. In FF, Time Magic’s original name in Japanese is Jinku, which means space-time. Terra is not only good at the earth based spell Quake but other space related spells such as Warp (another spell exclusive to him) and Meteor acting as an intermediary form of this earth and space-time connection. Not to mention the fact that you pointed out that the Lingering Will uses gravity magic to draw in Sora. This could be why he has Zero Gravira in his d-link’s command deck. That or he’s just slow so he wanted a spell that would stop the opponent in place

[@mmileymiley15]

Maybe it’s a darkness thing, Xehanort especially young Xehanort uses a lot of time based magic and time travel stuff, also the master of masters whole deal is he makes books full of prophecies from his keyblades eye being able to see through time

[@AkaruiSora]

Okay, so Thundaga Shot is an exclusive command to Aqua. Terra and Ven cannot use that command themselves, even with the D-Link. However, if you use the D-Link as Aqua, you'll have Thundaga Shot avalible. I'm not sure why they didn't just replace it with a thunder surge or whatever, but that's how that is.

[@ProjectDestati]

outstanding video. Really enjoyed this longform discussion showing the evolution of summoning through the games!

[@KHGuides]

Fantastic video, Bio! I really loved this retrospective for a mechanic that's sometimes overlooked by folks during their playthroughs. Looking forward to what's next!

[@ZenoDLC]

Float also happens to be a spell in Final Fantasy which gives the target(s) Float status, entities with Float is effectively immune to Earth element attacks and if your party is affected by Float, they'll be able to just walk over damaging tiles without taking said damage

[@blivveries]

It's worth noting Chain of Memories (and Re:CoM) actually does have three unique summon sleights! Shock Impact summons Simba to knock enemies away with a roar, and inflicts Stop. Idyll Romp summons Bambi to zoom around the arena and inflict Confuse on everyone. Cross-slash+, on the other hand, actually got shown off in the video in place of normal Cross-slash! The only difference is that Cloud warps directly behind his target to use it.

[@elliotlevy8610]

Correct, though technically Shock Impact is classified a a magic sleight, not a summon, and (at least in the original version) Simba himself isn't summoned.

[@vitormartins4282]

I think Zack's D Link finish commands are supposed to reference his boss fight, as when you fight him when he has his helmet on he'll perform a dive attack that shoots out darkness, and when you fight him when he's possessed with Terra the first attack he does is a DM that shoots out darkness before rapidly teleporting around perforrming quick slashes, ending with another dive attack.

[@NinjaWarotMCph]

Correction on Simba for CoM - Simba damages *all enemies in front of him,* regardless of range. Thus, the best way to use him is by going to one side of the arena, face the other side, and use him. By the by, Lv1 only deals damage, but Lv2 and Lv3 also stuns enemies.

[@dangobango2248]

29:46 According to the kh wiki on fandom, thundaga shot is a command exclusive to Aqua and as such doesn't appear for Terra or Ventus during stitch's d-link in their campaigns.

[@FaliusAren]

Ventus' D-Link having a flipped keyblade may be either an intentional reference or a holdover from the original design used in the KH2FM secret video, which did have the teeth on the opposite side!

[@StareachValcin]

The Genie summons in both Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 remain my favorite Kingdom Hearts summons. The Tinkerbell summon was one of my most useful summons during Kingdom Hearts 1, especially against secret bosses. It also helps that Tinkerbell doesn't make Sora's allies disappear when summoned. Simba's summon in Kingdom Hearts 1 was cool too. I definitely enjoyed the summon mechanic throughout Kingdom Hearts.

[@evanmackey190]

17:48 stitch doesnt refill hp with his lick only mp. although he can use the ukelele move at any time being low on health causes him to use it as a priority, thats how he mainly heals sora. that's how we can use him to cheese some coliseum jiminy point requirements since in the cups they drop points instead of hp orbs. also when sora is low on hp he slowly heals him over time.

[@shadowldrago]

53 minutes? Why Bio, you shouldn't have, it's not even my birthday!

[@yodizzle]

Thank you so much for this! I learned so much!

[@Aquafigtherwolf]

This was great. Definitely worth the wait. It was interesting seeing how summons changed over the game.

[@Comicbrooke]

SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS IN MY SUBSCRIPTIONS!! ✨

[@somedegenerate6622]

I love Tinker Bell booping Sora on the nose. Kinda makes me think she's got a soft spot for him despite how sassy she is.

[@twofortiel]

With the stuff we see Sora doing with his Keyblade in the KH4 trailer, I’m hoping summons in this one are more like the D-Links and the KH3 Formchanges. Maybe unique combos and Keyblade shenanigans based on characters he’s bonded with.

[@Derpinator01]

My prediction/hope for KH4 summons is that they will lean more into the Final Fantasy side of the franchise, with Sora summoning characters like Cloud, Leon, and Auron to either fight alongside him or use their techniques, along with new faces like Zidane or Noctis (imagine Sora zipping around with both Warp Strike and Strike Raid or summoning an Armiger of Keyblades like Ultimate Form)

[@castle3267]

Doubt it, but it would be a cool way to solve the “too many characters” problem Nomura brought up when discussing FF characters

[@alexsheperd2060]

Genuinely loved the BBS multiplayer D-links. One of my first play throughs these two super high level players walked me through most of the arena and it felt like a real Sora moment when I’d use their D-links to get through super hard bosses

[@videogameboy90]

I completely ignored the summoning mechanics in every game, so it’s cool seeing what they all do!

[@Gamemaster6400]

I noticed in the kh3 summons that the symbols appeared to be in stained glass circles that look kinda like stations of awakenings to me. I wonder if this, plus the fact that Stick, Ariel, and Simba seem to be elemental forms of themselves, could imply that instead of actually bringing the person to this different world like previously, Sora is calling on either the power of their heart or is calling some representation of the summons heart

[@kklassact3449]

I've been waiting for this one!

[@markieuzumaki7056]

love it i dont know where i need to throw my cash but i would die for a big retrospective video on all your other covered topics

[@BioRoxas]

I definitely plan on doing more of these :) Feels like the natural step for my old breakdowns! If you want, you can support me here through channel memberships or on patreon! Regardless of if you throw money at me or not though I'll be working on more retrospectives! haha

[@markieuzumaki7056]

@@BioRoxas absolutely I’ve been running through your account finding all the KH vids to binge

[@AlexHeart98]

I died to vanitas in BBS because Last word missed and he just instantly retaliated and I was on 1HP

[@randomgamer625]

18:30 I don’t think this is possible since Nomura himself said that Sora didn’t inherit anything from Ventus.

[@briansanders8122]

Ralph's element is probably actually Earth.

[@sanzei611]

Little correction from a jpanese player here. The summon command was in the magic menu not only on the vanilla KH1, but also in the Final Mix version. The reaction commands for limits and the summon command occupying the fourth slot were revisions in the PS3 versions going forward, otherwise the fourth slot would be used for talking to NPCs, interacting with stuff and triggering limits (they appeared there instead.)

[@specterbektormektor8615]

The Zack one is reference to octaslash his limit break when seperoth appears in the dmw gauge allowing him to use seperoths limit break

[@domcarrasquillo2314]

We need a deep dive on keyblades. There's so much people don't know that's right in front of us

[@NeroDeAngelo]

Funny thing about Ventus Keyblade Icon on his D-Link: That is actually what his Keyblade ORIGINALLY looked like! in the Birth by Sleep Secret MOvies in KHII and KHIIFM, A well as in official concept art, Ventus Keyblade looked like that D-Link Icon. However, for some reason, shortly before release, it was changed to the way it is now, which I actually think is an inferior design, I like the original more. It was also changed in the intro cutscene of BBS, that showed the secret Movie scenes from KHIIFM (they also added key chains which weren't there in the KHIIFM version before). EDIT: Also, The face Aqua in her hud has her with longer hair, that spikes up on the lower end, something that she absolutely does NOT have in any of the games. I guess that design choice was also changed, not sure why though.

[@ItzSpookyz1]

I like the d-links the most

[@sonickhable]

The first section of the video feels like it's sped up just a bit above normal speed

[@kseromore]

oh the crystals you zoomed in during the snow white d link are exactly like khux jewels

[@rogue1248]

i love how you can probably use infinite summon for stitch.

[@sikujacob4556]

Hands down, my favorite summon in this franchise is Tinkerbell in KH1. Because unlike the rest of the summons, you don't run the risk of dying. When I summon one of the others and Donald and Goofy are gone and I only have a split second to either charge up or activate the summon's attack, I'm leaving myself wide open to be attacked. Especially in a swarm of enemies. But with Tink, you keep your allies, she regenerates the party's health, and she acts like a bonus life.

[@wise_thaat]

Wholeheartedly agree with a build up gauge for summons in KH4. Could be like FF Limit Gauge

[@rightwing707]

Reminding me that Mushu's stone drops from dragon Maleficent makes me wonder if he ended up being the summon to replace Bahamut who was originally planned for KH1. I kind of wish we could get a couple of FF summons, though KH3's being inspired by them (Ifrit Simba, Ramuh Stitch, Leviathan Ariel, Titan Ralph) was a really nice touch. Not to mention the actual Leviathan in the Carribean world having Tidal Wave as one of it's finish commands. It offset the absence of all FF characters a little, though I was still happy to see the RG gang again in Remind. Even if it was brief.

[@kalythai]

Got a feeling Bahamut was cut out of KH1 and was replaced by Dumbo. When Dumbo dives from the sky while wrapped by his ears, it is very similar to how Bahamut was summoned in Final Fantasy 7 and 9, where he dives from the sky while wrapped in his wings.

[@glennparker7028]

31:27 "Do a barrel roll"!!!

[@reallyhimongod]

30:55 I’ll never forget a D-Link vid I watched about the Peter Pan D-Link and blud quite literally stabs a mf like a million times😂

[@ultima1033]

Oof. Bruh got the Yeetus Vanitus treatment at the beginning of his video XD

[@SorakuFett]

Grumpy on Snow White isn't Strike Raid, it's Treasure Raid, cause the dwarves are gem miners!

[@keith3278]

29:52 Thundaga Shot was Aqua only I believe.

[@NeroDeAngelo]

38:13 Aaah... someone who has not followed the Story of Union Cross I see! xD(and yes, I am 100% sure Ralph and his world appeared in Union Cross BEFORE KHIII released) But yeah, Sora never interacted with him, sooo...

[@SoapyFae]

About the stained glass. Im not an expert on kingdom hearts but ive hears that the stain glass you see in like the tutorials were representations of the characters heart? Abd since sora is conexting to the hearts of the characters he summons that could be why the summon menu has stained glass.

[@MovieMadness23]

I was wondering if you were going to discuss the attraction flow as well when you got to the KH3 summons as those are technically summons too (I think) but given that you didn’t talk about them I guess you felt that they didn’t really count as summons

[@Namtaskic]

I think Wreck It Ralph could represent the Earth element since you build stuff with Ralph during his summon like bricks.

[@Vinylmelody1517]

Who were u using with stitch? Cause thundaga shot is an aqua exclusive command. U can't use it with terra or ven

[@WhiteMageBenoni]

All the summons are great, love the little references and the small stories that eventually make up a bigger world (Simba from KH1 to Pride Rock and Simba as a Party Member, or Stitch and Deep Space) I wish they would add some sort of Final Fantasy summon in the style of Kingdom Hearts in KH4, since Bahamut was technically supposed to be in KH1 but was scrapped. Keep the idea alive. Not dissing on the summons we have currently, (I'm learning how to use summons in speedruns now) I just wish we could have a FF summon, that was supposed to be, actually happen. Still, out of all my favorite summons in the games, Stitch has to be my favorite, especially in 3. I love the Deep Space battle music, and combined with Stitch helping me out in the Underworld Colosseum in 2/2:FM to using him almost constantly in 3, he's definitely in my top 3 favorite summons.

[@quinnhouk5369]

Wow

[@briansanders8122]

It really does seem like the summons have been used less and less throughout the series. The ones in KH3 felt especially complicated. If you're taking requests/suggestions for future breakdown videos, how about Sora's Link Attacks from Dream Drop Distance?

[@tasoganedude]

18:45 Looks more like a kiss than a simple boop.

[@JusticeSolaris85]

Summons were broken in kh2, every run i usually lose to Larxene Data Fight at least once or twice, but the last one went smooth and deathless thanks to Chicken Little and Genie that helped me very much

[@thetronwarriors4817]

Not trying to be dumb but how did chicken little help you out in the boss fight I tried using chicken little in the data larxene boss fight and I got killed

[@JusticeSolaris85]

@@thetronwarriors4817 Chicken Little heals you when in low health, he stunned Larxene most of the time and helped me during a critical part of the fight, then i dismessed him and summoned Genie

[@thetronwarriors4817]

@@JusticeSolaris85 how did genie help you out

[@JusticeSolaris85]

@@thetronwarriors4817 He heals you just like Chicken Little and his limits are deadly

[@thetronwarriors4817]

@@JusticeSolaris85 what drive genie forms you use to fight larxene

[@coppercrowxxiii6086]

Loved the Dark Cloud comment. Agreed, great game!

[@Sour_AppIe]

I love how powerful d links are, after a return to all the kh games to take an appreciation of gameplay I used d links which I avoided at first and man Haste on the slow but strong Terra or abilities that are Incredibly useful like stitch who is always the best to use for farming cp on your commands

[@AlexxxMYLSince2013]

18:23 Well Sora meets Stich before getting the summon but they barely interact.

[@AlexHeart98]

I was gonna comment this but saw it was here already But yeah, sora and Stitch did interact and stitch fought in the 1k heartless fight alongside the rest, which is after getting stitch tho

[@whitemage34]

I would like to see a Chocobo & Slime sommons

[@omnisel]

yeah i think it'd be best if summons were their own gauge but built up way way slower than mp or focus

[@joeshadowman]

Stitch is open af. He’s literally a cheat code.

[@nesstar64]

I dont care if Lightning McQueen is a summon in KH4, I just want something Cars related in it

[@rondino4634]

Summons is a missed opportunity on this series, there should be way more for game, just like the FF games have. The summons would be a great way to represent Disney franchises that would never appear otherwise, like Bambi and Chicken Little. I would cut the attraction flows on KH3 just to double the amount of summons d-links in that game nice video btw

[@CusterdCrange]

i have two words.... Chicken Little solos Demyx any day

[@curabletoxin]

*33:48* yes I agree🤣

[@369destroyer]

Seeinf how Sora is in "unreality", but it looks like the real world, what if you can get toys of Disney characters to use as summons?

[@dangerexplosian]

Im assuming the person that did the first segment doesnt have a youtube or twitch since its not in the description.

[@tylerferguson3193]

Hope you're having a good day

[@BioRoxas]

Thanks :> I hope you are too!

[@andresanaya2821]

I think summons will be replaced by the new Build command

[@MatthewCenance]

You may want to manually set the chapters of this video. The automatically generated ones make no sense - the "Kingdom Hearts 2" chapter runs into the Birth by Sleep section of the video.

[@Goosebusiness]

My dude be flexing ultima weapon like it's nothing

[@rokumi1424]

I honestly didn't know summons were in kh2

[@elliotlevy8610]

I'm still disappointed that not even the remake of CoM managed to effectively improve upon some of the summons. Genie, Simba, and Mushu were fine, and Dumbo got some improvements, but Tinker Bell and Bambi were pathetic for the most part.

[@RandomLap]

I am actually always curious about if Mickey D link has any hidden properties, on the PSP FM I remember there's one time that Mickey Finisher became rainbow colour (UI only, not the light orbs), deal ridiculous damage to Hook, and I have no idea how to trigger it again. Too bad I have no screen shot or anything

[@RandomLap]

Also actually am sad D-link abilities are not something you can get, like imagine leveling up d-link so you obtain haste in your base form

[@connorkelley2844]

Bro said "I'm not gonna say stained glass." Then say it in every single one, but great video keep up the great content

[@zaqareemalcolm]

yes sora ride the child into battle 38:39

[@EMD766]

I really want a Darth Vader summon.

[@KingNice-92]

Maybe yoi can make your own summon ideas for KH4

[@PikminandOatchi]

The only useful thing Chicken Little has ever done in his life.

[@JusticeOutlaw]

Well hope they won't change the summon in Kingdom Hearts 4

[@Sheidowo]

Am i dumb or isnt Auron a summon in 2?

[@newfacepaula]

there are summons?! i thought it is just spam X, block and cure the game. - those try hards

[@canaldeumdesucupadoaleator853]

kh1 genie star platinum joke miss oportunity

[@ricardochavez2946]

KH1 Simba is the weakest, Kh3 Simba is the Goat

[@JaxsonEvans-pw2ff]

Lol, no in KH1 Tinkerbell and Bambi are the weakest summons since they can't fight(no hate to them) and KH1 Simba is the goat.

[@themuffinprincesa21]

​@JaxsonEvans-pw2ff you're using them wrong. Tinker bell is the strongest kh1 summon unless you're using the 0exp exploit. This is because sora can perma keep up Aero(or any level of it) and never die in combat with tink as she will sustain you & you can keep cure & Aero with never running out mana or healing. Straight up walk through the final boss gauntlet on proud mode with 0 issue using those & face tank ansems entire combo + light lasers + heartless bats + those weird things that shoot tiny balls at you

[@tylercafe1260]

If Bambi, Dumbo, and Chicken Little can be Summons why not Rekt-It-Ralph? Man people in this community are so inconsistent.

[@BioRoxas]

What?

[@Cheerwithlovee154]

First

[@reallyhimongod]

Ngl KH3 Simmons suck..

[@themuffinprincesa21]

Feel like that's a skill issue. The kh3 summons are extraordinarily powerful. Certain ones can outright win entire boss fights for you & all of them can wipe even the toughest mobs in the game without issues