Kairi Is Amazing and Here Is Why - Mistress Dove

[@LezzyBugO3O]

People tend to forget that there are more strengths in the world than just physical strength. Like you said, Kairi may not be strong enough to one-shot bosses or completely wipe the floor with them, but that scene where she wants to go with Riku but then stops herself? That's another type of strength that sadly goes unnoticed by many. The strength to put aside what you want instead of what the situation needs and admitting you're not ready yet. I think that definitely deserves just as much praise as the physical aspects of strength Keep up the good work, Dove!

[@KHVidsNETStream]

Great video! I can't tell you how many times I've seen people complain about Kairi's "lack of character development", where I feel like if I asked them a few questions it would become obvious they just want her to fight more. While I wish she had more screen time, the time she DOES have is great. A lot of people sleep on the scenes with Kairi and Lea in KH3, but there's so much great characterization there: her emotional intelligence shines through beautifully. How she forgives Lea for treating her poorly in the past, and helps him to forgive himself. She also reflects on how even though Namine is always with her, Namine "can't feel the wind on her face" and deserves her own autonomy. She relates this to Roxas which helps Lea face his own feelings and open up about his anxieties about Ven. Plus we see the cute little quirk that she processes her feelings by writing them down, which builds nicely off her letter in KH2. I also adore the idea that at this point, her greatest weakness is her own lack of confidence. While Kairi can absolutely benefit from more training, I think she's stronger than both she AND her friends give her credit for. The Master Xehanort in Melody of Memory is purely a product of her mind. He's a manifestation of her fears, doubts, and trauma, both from childhood and her more recent near-death experience. The fact she loses to him is less a mark against her fighting abilities, and more-so a demonstration that her mind is in turmoil and her self-confidence is almost non-existent. She's used to Sora coming to her rescue and takes comfort in it. I think it can be argued that when Kairi "turns into" Sora, it's still her doing most of the work. She just can't imagine herself being a strong person, so she literally projects Sora's confidence onto herself in order to win. It's a sad concept, but there's great potential for growth. Just my theory, I hope they're cooking something similar. I'm very interested to see how they'll handle her next arc.

[@Dawn_Epiphany]

Well said!

[@alexmetaverse]

Genuinely one of the best kh videos ive seen ever. I LOVE how much attention its given to kairi's traits of her being both a kind loving person, but also a reckless, self sacrificing person who does not want to lose the bonds she has

[@pausebreakreviews]

Kairi fans eating GOOD tonight!

[@apathy2454]

Love her

[@firstnamelastname2202]

Kairi desperately doesn’t want to lose anyone which makes her reckless but also courageous and an interesting character

[@alphared920]

Great video, Dove. Even if I'm not head over heels for Kairi, I never once thought she was a shallow, one note character.

[@kingdanett4043]

31:55 "I understand KH2 came out when your parents loved eachother, and KH3 came out after they got divorced..." goes so hard jesus christ! I didn't know I was watching this video on critial mode my god!

[@MistressDove]

I am so proud of this joke so I'm glad people are highlighting it specifically.

[@SharksGamingCorner]

I'd pay to see you take on video topics that the violet holwer does, I feel he keep misinterpreting or intentional leaving out details when it comes to kairi

[@TheOneAnalyZer]

What a great video you made. As the character analysis guy myself, my hat's off to you. Every point brought up and every comparison was spot on. You always used to talk about this so seeing it finally being realized makes me so happy and proud of you. As for the subject of the video itself, I'm not a the biggest KH fan as you know, however I do know a bit about its characters and lore and I have to say that the hate for Kairi always seemed forced to me. It's either "ugh I hate how she is weak, she isn't as cool as the other characters in this game" or "She gets in the way of my ship" and to me these are... Pathetic excuses for hating a character, so seeing you put a whole group of people on blast is absolutely cathartic. Great work baby, and happy birthday!

[@DreadLockedCipher]

This is easily the best video you have made yet. I am so glad you stepped up and expressed in excruciating detail, Kairi rules, you guys are just mean. In complete honesty, I have not touched the series since Dream Drop Distance (just fell out of interest and was dealing with…a lot of bad stuff that's stuck around, not important), so if I get anything in the following rambling fueled by tiredness wrong, I deeply apologize in advance. That said, I do not comprehend the vitriol Kairi gets. I'm glad to see this video because Kairi has become a character I root for constantly, even after my attention on the series has waned. Kairi is integral to the series as a whole, and grows along with the others. She keeps the trio grounded. She brings the trio back together when they reunite. Without her, Sora and Riku would have been screwed. Furthermore, she has shown her importance in the series through her compassion and her strength, not just physically (as a character's impact and importance shouldn't just be measured by if they can bench an island or not), but emotionally as well. She wants to prove herself, but the world or her friends tell her no to keep her safe. And yet, it does not stop her from trying to find a way to help, or at least be there in spirit. She carries a fear of losing her best friends, the closest she has to home, throughout the series, but she does what she can to overcome that fear, leaping into action, sometimes literally. She lacks confidence, but she still does her best, psyching herself up when necessary. Plus, she can be sweet and understanding to anyone on a dime. That capacity to be kind and understanding to others is, to me, true strength. Furthermore, you don't just jump off a balcony for someone you don't care about. She saw a portal that could've led to hell for all she knows, and ran in anyway. She was ready to tag along with Sora, not giving a damn about the danger. Not only that, but she doesn't even hesitate in taking on Xehanort's memory by herself. The girl has pluck in spades, even with her concerns and worries. She is brave to a fault. Her amount of courage is on par with her compassion, which is high. I actually like how she is portrayed as the weakest Keyblade wielder in the group. It makes perfect sense. There is no way someone can become a skilled fighter within the span of a few days of training. And yet, she still tries her best, wanting to fight by their side, and being pretty solid. In the end, rather than stubbornly jumping in with Riku, she realizes that she needs further training so she can fight alongside Sora and Riku as an equal. If that is not maturity and growth, I don't know what is. Tl;dr, Kairi kicks ass, especially when she doesn't throw a punch but extends a hand, and the hatred she gets is unnecessary.

[@HolyDruid7]

Thank you for making this video! ^^ I can not tell you how many times I've seen fans try to "fix Kairi" by turning her into some sort of yandere attack dog instead of the character she actually is. It's a fun idea... for a fanfiction/fan comic but the amount of comments I kept reading where they demand that Kairi become this instead of the character she is... its disheartening (pardon the pun).

[@arixmas325]

I've always loved Kairi's character. If I had to pick a favorite character that wasn't Sora it would be her. I've never really been able to put into words WHY i like her. I tell most people "I just think she's neat" or just say I see myself in her in some ways (which I do). Though I think you put into words why I find her a compelling character over all. She is very empathetic and caring but also impulsive and reckless and that gives her so much depth and clearly lays out her struggles and flaws. I think its sad people only think Kairi's character is boring or bad cuz she can't fight. It's a little silly. She has a lot of good qualities and SHES STILL LEARNING. Her arc has been put in the slow cooker and is over all pretty subtle which may be why people overlook it. But this whole time its been setting her up for something good and now she's being pushed more into the spotlight because this is the start of her character journey. She has clear flaws and thats a good thing! Because now in this next saga of Kingdom Hearts we can see how she grows from them and works hard to become the person she clearly wants to be. I look forward to it :D

[@ThePonderer]

I was already a fan of Kairi, but this video helped me appreciate her a LOT more.

[@pridefulmaster1390]

49:24 the use of Shoka here is both fitting and amusing since she's literally proof that some people will never be satisfied with a female character. I know most of the TWEWY fandom loves her, but there's also people who hate her due to her attitude in the first chunk of the game, and then those further who hate how she softens up later and say the game "ruined her." Also the people who boil her down to just being "Rindo's love interest" in the same way Kairi gets dismissed as only being "Sora's love interest." And it's because Shoka's got an attitude while still having very real flaws and genuine goodness underneath all she's been through that makes her interesting. It's like how Kairi and (for another TWEWY example) Shiki have their spunkier moments but are still well fleshed out and caring people throughout so much hardship. TL;DR, people gotta put respect on queens names, this video was a banger, Kairi KHIV agenda is real ✨✨

[@princessangel602]

I love Kairi she’s amazing character who’s been through so much through out the years and being just the way she is how she’ll grow and evolve into such amazing character she deserves better 😇🙏 #KH👑💙 #Kairi🩷

[@JALMy64]

Love this video, Kairi gets too much hate. The only point I disagree with is about her training in 3. She says in her letter to Sora that Merlin put her and Lea in a world where "time doesn't matter," so I think a lot of fans assumed she was there for weeks or months learning to fight, even though we don't actually know how long they were there. IMO they shouldn't have put them in a place where "time doesn't matter" especially since they clearly wanted to focus on her training further in future games.

[@pridefulmaster1390]

People jumped to the idea of it being exactly like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in DBZ, but it was more something where they could get a handle on the basics before being sent off for the war

[@stampoulisrafael5262]

Kairi was still 15 even after the place where time does not matter so it could not have been a lot anyway,kairi may have trained but unlike Sora she did not have any real Combat experience because she did not have fights to the death Prior the keyblade graveyard but nah yen sid said let merlin a non keyblade wielder train 2 keyblade wielder noobs and throw them into a War

[@TheAngel24]

Thank you. I'm so sick of people judging characters, especially female characters, solely based on their fighting ability and nothing else, when there's so much more to character writing and strength than how many fights they've won. Characters who aren't the strongest in combat can be strong in other ways, such as being smart, brave, or compassionate.

[@whalleyreviews]

Yo! I hope everyone enjoyed the video and I thought I'd just leave an editor's note here! Well, this was certainly a different type of video I'm used to editing! Because I'm SO used to editing 'review' videos, I was a little worried going in to edit a video essay. But, like with any video, I tackled it and everything came out fine! This video was an absolute pleasure to work on and I personally think this might be Dove's best video, yet! And to work on a video defending one of the Destiny Trio too! Kairi is one of my favourite characters from the series and it saddens me that people out there, STILL think she's one of the worst! Which is why, once Dove informed me about this ages ago, I couldn't wait to help her make this video! I hope this video helps everyone to understand how important Kairi truly is to the story of Kingdom Hearts and maybe change some minds too! Anyway, I think that'll do for me! Take care everyone and once more, a pleasure Dove! Whalley.

[@MarKreationsStudios]

I agree with most of this video! However, i do think there's one thing that id like to point out. Ventus, a male character, has a lot of similar criticism for being "too one note" and stuff like that. It's not only females that get treated like this! You should totally make a video on him in the future!

[@ScapeVEVO]

55 MINUTES OF KAIRI APPRECIATION FINALLY

[@TalonSky]

I want Kairi to be the playable protagonist of the new games. It makes so much more sense; she'll get her own adventurers to grow naturally, they won't have to reset Sora *again*, and it will address fan complaints of her.

[@MistressDove]

I genuinely believe, with everything we saw in Re:MIND and in MoM, her being fully playable in a future game is a matter of "when" and not "if".

[@Dragon_Lair]

I enjoyed this video so much I watched it a second time to take notes. It's awesome to see another Kairi lover. You managed to put into words what I've been wanting to say for awhile. One of my favorite points is is that Kairi saves Sora as often as he saves her in EVERY game she's in. 1. Sora sacrifices himself to save Kairi in KH1. 1a. Kairi shield the heartless Sora and brings him back. 2. Sora didn't really rescue Kairi so much as Namine did in getting her out of a cell but he did fight and help her. 2a. Kairi's letter opens the door to light for Sora and Riku to get back, a letter she had written when she had forgotten who Sora was but was so in touch with her connection to him that she knew the letter would find a way to him and she still remembered him to some degree as she was certain he existed. 3. Sora sacrifices himself through the power of waking to bring her and everyone else back. 3a. Sora was only ever able to do so because Kairi kept him together long enough for him to piece himself back together because her belief in him was so strong it transcended death itself.

[@girlywolfpup1588]

This video should be required viewing for all KH fans

[@TheOtakuKat]

It doesn't sound "clockwork orangey" at all.

[@girlywolfpup1588]

@@TheOtakuKat Do you solely exist to read everything in the worse possible way without any form of critical thinking or nuance? Shonen Brainrot is one hell of a drug XD

[@TheOtakuKat]

@@girlywolfpup1588 Is throwing ad hominems the best you got because that shows a lack of "critical thinking" on your part. 🤣

[@girlywolfpup1588]

@@TheOtakuKat You really do just focus on one fraction of a sentence and ignore everything else, huh? I get it, you hate Kairi and Dove's video properly proved with evidence that the claims made against Kairi are misguided, ill-informed, and come from a place of bias which you can't handle the fact she put a mirror up to your face so instead you just misrepresent her and everyone who disagrees with you.

[@TheOtakuKat]

@@girlywolfpup1588 Nice Strawman.

[@WilyGryphon]

All of this, 100%. Great video! None of the great Final Fantasy girls and few of the great Final Fantasy guys were great because they were stoic tough guys. Much of their strength has been in their kindness, compassion, sensitivity, and resilience, as well as their character growth. Tifa is the brawler of the FFVII cast, but it's not emphasized over her maternal and caring personality. Lunafreya is not a fighter (although Dawn of the Future did reveal she had combat training), but she is far from passive, refusing to cow to the Empire trying to push her around, taking the mission into her own hands, accepting the fate that is in store for her (until Dawn of the Future when she realizes the threat Bahamut poses and is willing to ally with Ardyn to stop him), and scolds and angry god that is kicking up a city-destroying storm. Lightning was introduced as a cold, stoic tough girl, which got her hate from people who miss her character arc, and she let down her walls over the course of the game and became a more openly caring and emotionally sincere person. (Honestly, half the FFXIII cast got flak for their initially-apparent characterization because I guess they forget how character arcs work.) Even in games big on fighting, they are interesting characters for reasons other than being cool fighters. I am in the same camp as you with Yozora, thinking he's cool and being interested in what his story and deeper character are, but not going gaga over him like some people are. I feel like some of the overblown hype with Yozora is due to people going all RestoreTheSnyderverse for Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

[@pridefulmaster1390]

also how fans insisted they want a heroine who fights more, then FF16 gives us Jill and...they still complain!! It'd almost be funny if it weren't embarrassing. But hopefully the Rising Tide DLC gives more to Jill so those type of fans shut up

[@oriongold395]

@@pridefulmaster1390 That's because she felt underutilized and her arc basically ends after you killed her tormentors. After that, she's practically along for the ride. She kinda stopped being interesting which isn't helped by the fact that she didn't went with Clive, Joshua, and Dion to fight Ultima despite being a Dominant as those three.

[@jazzyolivervo]

Finally. Some good fuckin' Kairi love.

[@Silverkeyblade]

Putting stock in this hitting 10k+ views

[@MistressDove]

That'd be nice~

[@abel081188]

another thing to point out about Kairi's training is that you had yensid sending her and Axel to be trained by a guy who never held a keyblade in his entire life and mostly just left them on their own while he was sipping tea at a bistro, so its really no shocking to why Kairi decided to ditch the lazy ass wizard and would rather go with Aqua a person mind you barely remembers, so Kairi is smarter than most people give her credit for and thank you for pretty much summarizing what ive always said about yozora how hes just the Boba Fett to the franchise that he gets crazy popular over nothing really, theres been nothing that makes him stand out compare to everyone else "hes mysterious" well so is Demyx, Luxord, and the Master of Masters and those 3 have more personality than yozora, hell even Kairi's grandma is more mysterious than that vs 13 reject. "he had such a cool boss fight" well so did lingering will aka Terra, and once we got to know him most people just made fun of him, i guess thats basically what we really have to look forward to him is what new jokes we can make out of him, which wont be unlikely since the fanbase had made jokes over the most serious moments like when Cloud was screaming Tifa's name, im a bit curious over yozora but hes already in the very bottom of lists of things to even look forward in the franchise

[@madestmadhatter]

Yensid never leaves the tower, Merlin creates the pocket dimensio for Lea and Kairi while sipping tea at the bistro.

[@abel081188]

@@madestmadhatter but that didnt stop yensid from even going to the keyblade graveyard to help them, he even was at the disney castle at the very end so if he can leave the tower then he should have no excuse to go and actually oversee Kairi and Axel's training since hes the only one that can actually trained them since hes had keyblade experience but instead he just left them with some other wizard who is just as lazy as he is, im honestly more convinced that Axel was more of a trainer for Kairi than merlin was especially when Kairi has seen using fire based attacks

[@do-re-mi-fabeat4449]

Absolute peak, Dove. I love videos breaking down the bad views people have on a character and talking about how they're actually great. Ive talked about supermans misreads and stuff several times, so hearing someone talk the same way about a character they love is amazing. This is some amazing third person catharthis. - Your pal, the monster man

[@tacodraws5012]

I feel like my own takes on Kairi as a character is what spurred you to make this video, cuz sometimes It felt like you were talking directly to me XD. Amazing video as always, Dove ^^

[@MistressDove]

It was the build up of hearing bad takes about her for over several years

[@FinnishDuck15]

I wouldn't say I agree with absolutely everything in this video, but I do agree that Kairi is so much more than what her detractors often make her out to be. She's not my favorite KH character, but I've always liked her compassion and relationship with Sora and Riku, and I've never thought of her as lesser simply because she isn't a wise-cracking action girl. Also, that stuff with Yozora sounds insane, I thought treating him as a cool idea for the future was the norm and not the other way around O___O

[@jiiijeme]

I love this video thank you for making it 😭😭😭😭 Really this means so much for me thank you!!!

[@NinjaGirlSakura1]

AMAZING JOB,thank you

[@sungbokbessell7853]

What I find interesting is that sometimes the same people who don’t like Kairi love Namine, despite the fact that Namine has even less screen time and no fighting prowess.

[@mellemadswoestenburg1296]

Thank you for making this video! Kairi deserves so much better recognition. You and Violet Howler have done her an amazing service.🥰

[@KrazyStargazer]

I think you make alot of good points though im sure alot of people are gonna hear the word "sexist" and tune out. I get what your saying though, Kairi's positive traits arent as embrased as other characters. Truthfully I see where fans are coming from particularly if youve been waiting for years. I think your overall point about Kairi being judged for her lack of a role in the story has merit. But i will contest that Sora and Riku have been in the series just as long and have far more accalades. Kairi in comparison has less screentime and less devlopment. Much like Demyex she feels 'benched' for much of the series. But i dont think its through any fault of her own. Id even contest that she seems to be reaching Sora and Riku in terms of strength rather quickly.

[@pausebreakreviews]

"Gonna" tune out? Look at some of the other comments, they clearly already did, lol

[@KrazyStargazer]

@@pausebreakreviews yea I know lol Gotta give people the benefit of the doubt though

[@oriongold395]

Honestly, it'd be more accurate to say that those kinds of attitude you brought up are more of a symptom of having to wait for her to get more screentime.

[@ariannaroncato5361]

What you said reminded me of Yuna from ff10. She also has femenine traits like kindness and compassion, and is not exatly a fighter but beeing the protagonist of her game has more time to shine and to be remember by the player. And, yes, everyone has had a diffrent reaction when they DID turn her into a fighter. Sorry for the long text. I'm not native a english- speaker

[@focusfireno.1099]

50:57 I fully believe it's because of the promise he can bring to not just KH, but SE as a whole. With the recent mainline FFs (15 & 16), their stories aren't met with universal praise. Now that I think about it no FF starting with 11 has had a universally praised story (I'm not counting the 7 remake project rn, even though that’s very much a real FF). Besides the point, Yozora in concept off the jump is intriguing and NEW. Whether it relates to FFVersus13 or not doesn't matter, it just looks cool and people want it now. As opposed to this Kairi thread that could've had way more focus than it does now. Because at this moment it's currently a coin flip on if that thread get more focus or not. Especially when considering the future is sort of shrouded in mystery at the moment.

[@SharksGamingCorner]

I'd be interested in seeing a video showing how sora feels about both kairi and riku, covering every scene sokai AND soriku fans discuss an ESPECIALLY the scenes they ignored, so we can get a true understanding of sora feelings towards them because I don't trust soriku fans to give a accurate or unbiased analysis of kairi, and vice versa goes for sokai on riku. Im interested to see your thoughts because I've never seen someone who calls out both soriku and sokai shippers

[@zanderlaitinen7109]

Honestly, from the perspective of someone who sees this story through a queer lense, I have seen MANY of the points discussed in this video in Soriku spaces. Sometimes, not always, it's the people who ship Sokai, who misread Kairi in the ways this video points out. There have been times when Soriku fans have been bashed for analyzing her flaws, as people saw it as hatred towards her character. Soriku fans are constantly belittled or called delusional for their read on the series, so many take to looking a lot deeper into the details and see how much has gone into Kairi and her relationships. I've seen a lot of love for Kairi in Soriku spaces, even separate from the Sorikai shippers. They love Kairi, but just don't believe her feelings towards Sora are recipricated in the same way. Granted, I try to listen to people who know what they're talking about when it comes to the narrative, symbolism, subtext, and character analysis (Which unfortunately, does not typically include any of the BIG KH KZbinrs) Regarding Kairi, me myself, I just wish she had more screentime. Her problem is not bad writing, it's just pure lack of exposure. I am deeply excited that we will get to see more of her in Kingdom Hearts IV. There is so much potential for this new arc!

[@SharksGamingCorner]

@zanderlaitinen7109 im queer(bi and trans) i see these point brought up by soriku fans all the time, I've seen baloney the Bard state kairi didn't keep sora alive(it in his riku sacrifice vid he just released) an tennelleflower does it in his riku is gay video, catnip cocoa is a soriku shipper an she made "fixing sokai" which suggested kairi doesn't initiate the hig or papou fruit scene(which her literally trying to make kairi submissive/passive in her dynamic/interactions with sora which is point number 2 in dove's video), violet holwer claims kairi refuses to grow up and change in his kairi video, I've even seen a soriku tiktoker say kairi should die. I can keep going I got evidence of EVERY negative topic in this video being used by EVERY major soriku KZbinr

[@SharksGamingCorner]

@zanderlaitinen7109 I literally got told "I don't understand anything " by a soriku fan today for point out how nomura patch the game so no one could miss nomine stating that it's kairi keeping sora solid in the final world an that baloney is wrong for stating it's riku in his latest riku sacrifice video

[@SharksGamingCorner]

@zanderlaitinen7109 I seen tennelle flower the guy who made the 6 hour riku is gay video literally call kairi boring uninteresting characters while also lying 🤥 about kairi's important in kingdom hearts, an no one in the comment section called him out but me

[@Marliemac]

​@@SharksGamingCorneroh man...I have a story about that video too. I tried staying at middle ground by commenting I see points supporting Sora liking them both and was immediately bombarded by shippers questioning my own take and even pulling out an interview about Nomura as a supporting claim. Like....I was just giving my take and they responded like that. It even got to the point my friend tried making a comment on the video simply supporting Kairi in defense, but all of them were held for viewing and never went public. That video and comment section is like an echo chamber, and I was not welcomed there at all...

[@stardust7104]

I agree with everything you said about Kyrie and characters like her or often my favorite in media

[@fastblueapple6082]

Great vid about Kairi

[@nerdykestrel7429]

After watching this video at least four times I'm wondering what your thoughts on the "Kairi is childish and never emotionally grew up" take. Because this is another popular anti Kairi talking point that annoys me to no end

[@MistressDove]

I think it's a ridiculous notion considering she literally shows she's grown and even says it outloud essentially in Melody of Memory's ending. By the way I appreciate your interest in the discussion and my video, thank you.

[@skazzfish]

This is a wonderful video, my goodness.

[@kylethefan6062]

Happy birthday

[@cosmomage2166]

Finally, someone's agreed with me as a Kairi enjoyer.

[@sneasalmaster]

Absolute banger video!

[@Silverkeyblade]

Commenting as im watching, but it's in large part Kairi's moments in Traverse Town's cave that makes me feel like she's at one of her peaks in the entirety of the franchise. To me, it feels like her personality is more present in that game than in KH2 or 3. She, to me, seems much softer in those games, and while i dont mind that, i personally wish a bit of the spunk that i had seen in KH1 were a bit more present from onwards then. But thats also a preference and not a statement to the quality of character she is in 2 or 3. Personally, my only gripes with Kairi in KH3 (base KH3 specifically) was her effectively getting fridged, something i dont hold against her as a character and more against the writing. Regardless of her abilities and her being the weakest, it felt disrespectful to me, as if the writing was effectively just calling her a macguffin for Sora when she had always been more than that. Still wild to me thar Fairy Godmother is implied to be the most powerful force in KH lol Unbelievable, cant believe you didnt say Bella wasnt like other girls, bideo vad. :c Vernium Rex I should also note that Yozora needs to steal your Kupo Coin first, you dont need to go into the fight coinless to beat him without him reviving. But yeah, fantastic video. Even as a fan of Kairi, i hadn't noticed the moments of her really putting herself forward, particularly in 2, this was great work. Great job, well done, dont fuck with KH fans, they cant read.

[@soleilsenpai2426]

32:00 ayo, you did not have to come after me like that. I'm on your side here.

[@ariannaroncato5361]

I personally think is a matter of screentime as well: Kyrie Is not the protagonist, so she has less appearence and so less time to show her character. Aqua is playable and you spend a lot of time with her. Kyrie Is a good character but didn't had the time to show us with everything going on

[@oblivionslight1346]

6:09 You just put the image in my head of KH characters ending up in our world. The first enemy encounters are crazed Waffle House patrons 😂 Thanks.

[@thenumenfrompacland9491]

1:21 oh I know what video you're referring too...... and yeah it's best left unnamed

[@thedothackerkeyblademaster]

Thank you for this video. You've said basically everything I couldn't articulate about Kairi's character, and even some things about her that I didn't consider.

[@clawlor4957]

I do wish Kairi had more screen time to even further show the depths of her character more but I do understand how that would've been rather difficult in some of the games

[@pausebreakreviews]

Yeah... I mean she was kind-of in a coma for most of KH1.

[@Baileography]

Dove: ""I understand KH2 came out when your parents loved each other-" Me: *Spits Coke all over my keyboard* Your writing is definitely getting funnier with each video, Dove. And great video too! I've never been a Kairi hater but also wouldn't consider myself a big Kairi fan but that's partially because I still haven't played through all the games where she's involved. But it's nice to hear someone's wholeheartedly positive thoughts on her for a change and deep dive into some of her most memorable scenes. I definitely came out of this with a greater appreciation for her sooooooo....mission accomplished for you, I suppose.

[@stardust7104]

I was wondering if you could do an in-depth analysis about nomine like the one you did for Kyrie

[@ThePonderer]

What’s that Dearly Beloved remix at the start? That shit was hot.

[@MistressDove]

It's the version of Dearly Beloved from Missing Link

[@ThePonderer]

@@MistressDove curse my inability to engage with these mobile games…

[@ladyweirdo6035]

Watch Yozora's character be petty garbage. Just kidding, JUST KIDDING!! I think that unless something big centered around Kairi happens, I'll always have mixed feelings for her. When I'm playing the games, I don't pay her much mind, but when I go back and think about her, it's so frustrating. Sora was reckless when he stood up to Riku with no weapon but got rewarded for his courage and learning his lesson about the power of connection. Riku is reckless when he joins Maleficent but gets to redeem himself by going through castle oblivion and eventually becoming a keyblade master. Kairi though? As mentioned in the video, when she's reckless in KH2 by jumping into the pile of heartless, she needs to be given grace by Riku and his ability to apparently pull keyblades out of his bum-hole. It's almost as if the narrative, the very universe of Kingdom Hearts is punishing her for daring to try to be more involved. It's sad. I get that that's the point, but when Sora gets to rebound and save the universe despite his mistakes, it can feel upsetting and unsatisfying to see Kairi be able to barely progress in terms of her position. I get, understand, and agree with some points about the people who say that Kairi sucks because she doesn't fight, having a bit of a sexist mindset. Here's the thing though, when it comes to action movies, cheezy shounen anime, or most relevantly, RPGs, fights aren't just two dudes slicining at each other with "d1ldo sticks," as TheGamer'sJoint calls, them. Fights carry narrative weight behind them. They represent things. Roxas fighting Sora represented the former's last-ditch effort to get out of the latter's shadow and take control of his life, only to end in tragedy, confirming, for then, that nobodies are fated to be forgotten. Xion's fight with Axel represents the hardships of crumbling friendships and how some desperately cling to something that isn't working out. Kairi though? She never gets that big narrative fight. Sure, there's the fight with Xehanort, but that's shared with Sora. I guess it's cool that she got to stick it to the guy who tried to "fRiDgE" her, but most of the truly emotional stuff comes from the scene before that fight. It showed how the relationship between her and Sora has changed over time, where she hasn't proven herself to some losers in the real world, Sora has come to recognize her strength and is willing to fight with her as an equal possibly giving her some confidence for the battle. Still, she never has that character that's a foil to her. She doesn't have anybody forcing her to push past her limits. She's essentially her own cheerleader. I guess Axel's there too? They didn't do anything with that. I used to feel irritated with how much of her character is centered around her relationship with and to Sora and Riku, but the more I think about it, it makes sense. Particularly with Sora, I always thought of them as parallels to each other. Sora is everything Kairi wants to be. Someone who defied fate and expectations by rising above almost any challenge that faced him in spite of his weakness. Kairi is everything Sora thinks he is. Someone who, despite their best efforts and endless potential, end up failing most of the time and having to rely on others, never quite being able to get out of those training wheels. Sora is what happens when TRY to be the knight. Kairi is what happens when you are FORCED to be the princess. I hope that KH4 can find time to make that undertone to their relationship, more of an overtone, even if they're just feeling the relationship change through their hearts or something. I feel like people (myself included) miss Kairi's character because, beyond our misogyny, we're so accustomed to arm candy bimbos in action media, that we'll immediately look at most leading female characters through that lens. I wonder if more people would appreciate her character, had KH been a character-driven TV show instead of an action JRPG. I would love to get some more side material of her, whether it be a short series, a 3-hour visual novel, or another rhythm game. Something that really picks her brain.

[@donovanfaust3227]

I've always liked Kiari and yeah she's always wanted to be a part of the action it's just she was pushed to the side by the story itself. I don't even care about her fighting either that's certainly never been a measure of a good character in my mind. That's been my only complaint and thats not even against her as a character. I haven't actually played KH3 so that opinion mostly comes from the first two games anyways and from a story perspective I get how she was kinda sidelined by circumstance. Great video, this was the first thing by you that was recommended to me so congrats on the algorithm choosing you, I'll be sure to check out some more of your content because I enjoyed your well put together essay and am a bit of a KH fan myself.You've got a good editor too which does help elevate the quality that much more. Can't wait to see what else you create.

[@delmattia96]

Good video!

[@kairi4640]

Yay Kairi love! I chose her name when I transitioned. Still don't really know why, but it instantly felt natural to me like it was my name all along. 😂 It's fun hearing my parents call me that name and it instantly makes whatever we're doing Kingdom Hearts related. 🤣 Oh yeah. There's this character in Nier that kinda looks like a desaturated form of kh 1 Kairi, called "Her." She even has like a choker like thing on her neck. It's kinda funny.

[@tendothedivingseal]

Great video… If there is one more issue with the character I’d like to hear addressed though, it is the annoying habit of the series of always using her as a damsel in distress. Seriously, it’s annoying that in all 3 numbered games, at some point she’s captured and needs to be rescued by a guy. Kind of an annoying repetition that… makes things a bit questionable in my eye. But as for her character herself, not just how she’s used in the narrative… yeah, she gets too much hate, and she’s a genuinely good character.

[@MistressDove]

Tendo, I mean this as politely as I can, I literally address this point for an extended period of time in this video. Kairi "being used as a damsel" isn't some questionable aspect of the story, it's literally something that happens as she's constantly throwing herself into dangerous situations she isn't prepared for. It's the basis of an entire point I discuss in the video at length.

[@tendothedivingseal]

Fair way to connect it to your points in the main video, didn’t interpret it that way. Regardless, good work. Much respect.

[@oriongold395]

@@MistressDove It still won't change the fact that she gets put into the damsel role three times in three numbered titles. Add to the fact that people have been waiting for KH3 for years and DDD building her up at the very end, you can't exactly blame people for expecting something a lot more. Like it or not, when you have an action series where the boys and the girls are both kicking ass, it's only natural for someone to get miffed if the the female lead doesn't do so. By the point, it basically must become the law if only for some fans of the character to get that instant gratification. Kingdom Hearts has been known for making people wait and just like Kairi herself, they are also tired of waiting.

[@thesoniczone11]

Criticisms that she's not doing cool fighting like the others is a very valid criticism in itself simply because Kairi is the type of character who has all the emotional strength that any pure hearted hero would have, enough to throw herself into danger and want to do as much as she can to help those she cares about. That personality is that of an active fighter. But if she "can't" fight like the others, then her throwing herself into danger is only gonna cause her to be put in a position where she'd need someone else's help, since she lacks the ability to do anything herself. These circumstances putting her in a continuous pattern of helplessness makes her a burden on others, those she cares about, so this would naturally lead to wanting to be strong enough to overcome that and be an active part of her friends' lives without being left behind. That kind of character can not remain an inactive non-fighter in such an action-heavy series, because her own character is hard-wired personality-wise to share the same qualities as her more action-capable companions. But because she's "the girl", she lacks that kind of strength herself. That combination makes her a danger-prone damsel that wants to do things but isn't "allowed", which conflicts with the action-heavy focus of the series itself. It's the same kind of character arc that Amy Rose from Sonic the Hedgehog, and even Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo, have undergown before. The only difference between them and Kairi is that they gained all the strength they wanted and completely recontextualized their own roles in their respective series. Kairi, on the other hand, hasn't reached the same level as them despite all the time that has passed and her own efforts to prove otherwise. So frustrations for Kairi not being as physically capable as the others is perfectly understandable due to these factors. Kairi wanting to do more but being stuck at Level 1 the entire time while Sora has had to be reset BACK to level 1 between each adventure after growing stronger than before over and over, makes Kairi's own efforts look much smaller or less significant by comparison.

[@oriongold395]

Exactly. If you ask me, I do not think it's sexist to expect Kairi to actually take a level in badass since mostly everyone else is fighting while she doesn't.

[@sushii00]

Watch Jujutsu kaisen and you'll understand why Sakura wasn't just useless but outright not needed

[@jamiekosch2562]

good some one how see kingdom hart the way it shound be seeing i like the kingdom hart games the way thay are ther storey tels fo frends frendshipe and love to not all got them maening even behined the song to kingdom hart wen you look away you done here me say sweet dame o baby plls let go its the way one feels to night it hart to let it go o loney past the loney loey its hard to fight how one feel at night being me to light my haer to nigt i keep the fight going een if its sowning its how you to night its hart to light o loey if past the loney this has ben omage apalth hav a nice day

[@nova_plus4209]

Lots of good points in this video and over all I think the message you put out about kairi is accurate. My only complaint is that the video is tackles a lot of straw man arguments with more straw man arguments. This video could be half as long if there wasn’t as much whining about others opinions and focusing more on building up your case for your opinion. Please do not misconstrue my words. I like this video and I agree with you on pretty much everything. But idc about you putting other peoples opinions down. I just care about you building yours up.

[@pausebreakreviews]

You use this term, 'straw man'. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[@madestmadhatter]

​ @pausebreakreviews I mean, honestly, her focus on the narrative that Kari's detractors only value masculine character traits and are only upset because she "doesn't fight good" was kinda hard to get through. Generally people who complain about her writing point out specific sexist tropes like the damsel in distress and fridging the girlfriend for narrative purposes, not "why she no smack heartless bum bum hard enough". I don't mean to say people don't complain about her being weak, and some do just want to see her fight more but it isn't that her feminine traits don't count, it's that none of her traits really get a chance to shine in KH3. Though to be fair, that's true of most of the characters in that game.

[@pausebreakreviews]

@@madestmadhatter Sorry, who are you referring to when you say "his focus" exactly? Who is "he"?

[@madestmadhatter]

@@pausebreakreviews shit sorry, that's my go to neutral, I'll correct it

[@MistressDove]

@@madestmadhatterCould you please not call me "their" or "they". I use she/her exclusively and consider being called "they" to be the same level of misgendering as being called "he". (This fact is in my KZbin bio for future reference by the way.)

[@BobPeterson628]

This is a good video with a valid perspective, BUT… No, Kairi was indeed written well in KH1. All other games crap the bed with her characterization, mainly because she is perpetually robbed of agency. But if it is any consolation, all the KH games after the GBA game are terribly written. Imagine: In KH2, Kairi gets off Destiny Islands earlier and searches for Sora and Riku, going world to world. She doesn’t need to fight but could be just one step behind Sora, showing up to see the good that Sora brings and the hearts that he touches. It makes her feel more active and independent, at least until captured by Axel. Why couldn’t the writing do something like that? Or in KH3, have her doing adventures somewhere else rather than sequestering her off in the corner for training time with a buddy. Allow her to do crap, for the love of all that is good. Kairi was my favorite character in KH1. So it kills me that every game thereafter gives her a crappy role in the plot. She doesn’t need to be a fighter (though I am not opposed if she is). I just hate seeing her being disempowered, or her not being able to do anything of note until someone else allows her to take action, or worst of all, her only meaningful feats being contrived mystical BS pulled straight out of the plot’s butt. I don’t hate Kairi. I like the character. I hate what every single game after the GBA one does with her. Namine is also a non-fighter that is repeatedly damselled, and you know what? People like her because she takes action on her own and actively shapes the plot through her choices. Kairi is constantly robbed of choices, but the best moments she has (even in the lesser games) are when she is making her own choices, taking initiative. More of that, please.

[@aaroncross6874]

I hate videos like this because they always follow the same theme as "Men sexiest because they don't understand female." Because you make a good point with namine being liked despite not being an "action girl". But that's the key point here that they need to be involved & active and it doesn't always have to be action centered. Hell, I actually have in-depth reasons to like each kingdom hearts female characters. Kairi is one of them. Like, if anything Namine being the nobody of Kairi shows her importance as a character especially during; chain of memories. And Aqua is how I see Kairi slowly becoming overtime because of how they show parallels of each character in birth by sleep. Ven being a parallel to Sora. Terra being a parallel to Riku etc. The fact that this argument exists is just stupid to say the least. And calling people sexist or how guy's don't understand this or that about women. People forget that we're all human. Yeah, biology and physical difference keep us separate but what brings us together is how human we can be. And in this video alone. Tells me that someone just wanted to bash on men again for a misunderstanding. My point is. Kairi is perfect and Aqua is what Kairi will soon become. Namine is what Kairi will and strength can do without needing to fight. Xion is the deep care she has or how I think Sora views Kairi to be since she was created from him to begin with. In my opinion, the series does reinforce her importance even if people don't think so.

[@BobPeterson628]

@@aaroncross6874 I like how you described the other female characters as a reflection of a different sides of Kairi or what she will soon become. You’re right that Kairi’s importance in the plot is clear, and there are different dimensions to her character. I am just deeply annoyed by how the narrative handles her role, as I feel she deserves better. And I am doubtful that the series has any intention to give her anything better. To be honest, I held out hope for a long time that Kairi would become more active in the plot. When the BBS Volume 2 teaser was released, for a brief moment, I hoped that we were getting another 3-storyline game but with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. But with how MoM ended, it’s clear that Kairi is being benched, sent somewhere to train off-screen with yet another character, and to what end? Just for another KH3 fiasco? I have gotten my hopes up before. To be frank, this series has little love for its female characters. We played as Aqua, sure, but she was strictly preoccupied with the men in her life in a way that Terra’s story wasn’t. Roxas was my favorite character, so I wanted a game about him, but his game turned out to be about Xion. So why not make Xion the playable character then? I would have preferred that. But no, because Xion’s story apparently only matters insofar as it affects Roxas. And now we see the true sin of this series: The female characters are only given value in relation to how their roles relate to the men, whereas the guys have a bit more going on. I tend not to mind getting called out for holding a view shared by many sexists, because I know such an argument does not really apply to me, and it is often made by smart well-meaning people acting in good faith. I would join such people in saying that critique from the sexist perspective is annoying and there is indeed a lot of it out there, from a lot of people who don’t know they’re sexist. So hey, if you think that I am coming at this from a sexist standpoint unknowingly, that’s a fair starting point to assume, but I feel confident in my ability to persuade people otherwise. You can critique a female character and not be sexist. You can call another character a Mary Sue and not be sexist. And even if you share company with a lot of sexists in a similar critique, it does not mean your take is sexist. So bash away; I take no offense. Maybe most Kairi critics are sexist, but not us. Or maybe most are coming from this from a perfectly reasonable perspective.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

Yozora draws parallel directly to Riku and Sora, and it is drawn to attention in Toy Box directly, and Sora and Riku are where Yozora is now. It is importance by proxy.

[@pausebreakreviews]

OK, doesn't change the fact he hasn't done anything yet except for fight. What kind of a person is Yozora? What are his character traits? Who is he as an actual character? Being important to future entries doesn't make him a good character in his current state.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@pausebreakreviews I am not talking about how it is. I am talking about subconscious perception and subtext. By taking Yozora, and going, "Hey, looks exactly like Sora and Riku" as well as correlating Yozora's condition (Heart replaced by Another's) to Riku's condition in Kh1, it screams Yozora is a "Riku". Therefore, you subconsciously already know what he is like.

[@pausebreakreviews]

@@Fragmentsinfractals488 No, we don't actually. Conjecture isn't the same thing as fact. Your "subconscious perception" is completely subjective. Case in point - I don't think he DOES look that much like Riku, I think he looks more like FF Versus 13's Noctis, before it became FF15.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@pausebreakreviews In Toy Box it is a plot point. Sora, Donald, and Goofy bring up directly. With their mouths.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@pausebreakreviews Goofy " Say, Riku would make a greater action figure!" about Yozora. Donald: "Must be Him"! Sora: " No, it is Me!... The clothes match...and". Donald: "So what?"

[@madestmadhatter]

It's kinda funny, you're claiming it's reductive and sexist by limiting the possibility of good female writing to those characters who exhibit primarily masculine traits, while they argue that it's sexist and reductive to restrict female characters to qualities that are historically considered feminine traits. Of course the issue really comes down to trope writing in two out of 3 of these examples you've given as, on multiple occasions, both Orihime and Kairi are used as Damsels in distress and have their agency taken from them to progress the plot and the male leads character progression. I don't mean to say that it's inherently sexist writing or that they're poorly written characters, I have on multiple occasions fought against these points, just that I see what they're saying. But again, kairi's actions served only to solidify Sora's resolve, and progress his narrative, we learned little of how SHE felt, running through HER childhood home. She has all the narrative value of the prince from snow white, she shows up briefly at the beginning, and saves him with a kiss at the end. I get that she lost her memories, but even a hint of the hollowness she must have felt could have been something. But it was the first game in the series, and it was effective for the narrative for her to behave as such, if it was just one and done like snow white, I don't think people would mind as much. Yes! KH2 she is very brave, assertive, and self actualized, yes she gets captured in the end, yes she needs to be rescued, but she repeatedly saves herself before needing someone to help her, and when they help her they don't grab her and run, they give her the means to protect herself and she takes it! YESSSS!!! She only has fighting experience from the end of KH2 and then maybe a years worth of training with lea, and even still she holds her own against Xion and Siax until Sora gets there, hell she out lasts Lea! Yes this is the third time she gets captured for plot, but it's by the big bad, and they used two other final bosses to distract everyone while he did it. It's not great that they just use her to upset Sora enough to defeat remaining darknesses so he could get the Xblade, but she does so much outside of progressing Sora's story before that. I don't think that was Sora, but similar to Xehanort, her hearts memory of Sora. That's why he's a total bad ass and why she couldn't beat xehanort without him, you don't just get over being iced like that, despite having the will to face him she still holds a legitimate fear of him, and so her memories don't let her defeat him, it's only when she calls upon her memories of Sora that she finds the strength to defeat him, but it's not him who actually stops Xehanort, it's him who gives her the power to do it herself. Raddressing her lost memories, can we talk about how no one else seems to know her? The final fantasy characters meet with her directly and never mention anything, not even "hey you look familiar, neither do any of the organization members, hell I'm no longer confident that Aqua acknowledged that they met!!! We know messing with memories can affect other memories, but it seemed like as early as KH1 some of those memories had been restored, what's going on, and why did I never think about this before!?!? Yeah, here's the thing, it's new character syndrome, Kairi actually had a bit of it in KH1, I remember people were excited for the possibility of her, but that was like 20 years ago, and now people's assumptions of the character have clashed with the reality of who she has become, similar to Boba Fett.

[@2000Talents]

while i agree most of this...i still gonna hate her but i respect Opinions

[@crazystart8581]

Kairi IS a go getter though. Any time she's left to her own devices she acts. She doesn't hesitate in KH2 to find Sora when given the opportunity, she is pretty capable when Rikku gives her a keyblade (which him switching up suddenly when he goes to look for Sora alone is a whole other tangent). But for some reason in KH3, at 16, she all of a sudden is coddled harder than 13 yo Sora? In KH1 I can understand shes mostly likely on the mend because her heart has been separated from her body for so long. But are we really supposed to believe that in KH3 Donald and Goofy are more competent without keyblades? Although there definitely are people who don't like female characters at all and would never be satisfied with Kairi being front and center. Kairi definitely could be written way better in the KH series. I feel she is the most if not the the only character that is told she's incapable despite showing her competence. I seriously believe that she is at greater mercy of the misogyny of the writers than the misogyny of the fans. Nothing in Kairi's desires or actions gives hearth keeper but that is exactly the role she plays throughout the series. Namine is a hearth keeper archetype for example. Namine shows no desire to fight but she effects the story in her own ways. Kairi shows she can and will fight and is told no and just bellys up until the the final fight with Xehanort (which lets face it is 98% fan service) where she is cheepshotted which could have happened to anyone. Goofy has a fake out death scene and he is never told to take the bench because of it. Anyway thanks to anyone thats read all of this. TLDR: Kairi could be amazing but not in the story she's written into.

[@pausebreakreviews]

>But are we really supposed to believe that in KH3 Donald and Goofy are more competent without keyblades? ...Yes? Donald is one of the most powerful mages in any Square game, as we've seen by his ability to use Zettaflare. And like, Zettaflare is stronger than the other most powerful fire spell we've seen, Teraflare, by ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE. Just because Donald and Goofy don't have keyblades, doesn't mean they aren't useful on the battlefield. Sora doesn't keep them around just for chuckles.

[@crazystart8581]

@@pausebreakreviews right but is is canonical that without a keyblade you can't release the hearts of the heartless, all they are doing is dispersing darkness. And wasn't Donald out of commission after that spell? Even still Kairi can pull Sora back from being a heartless which even if it's only Sora Kairi can do that for that's probably more powerful than any zettaflare seeing as seemingly nobody's been able to do that before. My point isn't that Donald and Goofy are weak my point is that Kairi is capable, however time and time again she told she's not strong or will get in the way and the saddest part is that by KH3 she believes it herself.

[@TheOtakuKat]

So it's sexist to want to see female characters that the writer themselves shown can fight to get more screentime like their male counterparts?

[@TheOneAnalyZer]

That ain't was she said, did you even pay attention to the video talking about a character people don't pay attention to and misunderstand? ... Hey wait a minute.

[@TheOtakuKat]

@@TheOneAnalyZer Oh I heard her strawman just fine so you can lay off passive aggressive attitude.

[@MistressDove]

@@TheOtakuKat With all due respect, I think you're missing the point of my argument if what you got out the video was that it's sexist to want women to be better fighters just because the men are. I'm simply saying that insulting a woman character or thinking badly of them BECAUSE they don't fight like the men, when there are other ways to demonstrate strength of character, resourcefulness, and narrative importance WITHOUT being a good fighter (especially if those traits are being highlighted through traditionally feminine traits), IS demeaning, and can come off as being sexist, whether intentional or not. I hope this helps you understand my actual point.

[@pausebreakreviews]

​@@TheOtakuKat The single brain cell in your head bounces around like a DVD screensaver.

[@TheOtakuKat]

​​​@@MistressDove Except we're not just talking about female characters being able to show strength through noncombat we're talking about characters that the writers themselves show (and in the case of Kairi, teased) to being fighters in their own right and then doing very little with them because it's time for only the boys to play. The bigger frustration with Kairi is her role in the story doesn't evolve beyond being a mcguffin for Sora to chase. This was fine for the most part in KH 1 & 2 as she was a noncombatant but then they start building the notion that she will be a fighter in KH3 only to reduce her to the same mcguffin role by the end of the game for Sora to chase after in the Re:Mind DLC. It's just disappointing no matter how you slice it.

[@typeouetco1626]

me when I lie on the internet 🤓

[@sonicsenryaku6205]

I’m assuming you disagree with the video’s thesis and prevailing argument?

[@typeouetco1626]

@@sonicsenryaku6205 Not really, I just thought it sounded kind of funny.

[@sonicsenryaku6205]

@@typeouetco1626 😂

[@pausebreakreviews]

@@typeouetco1626 What's the joke?

[@CyborgCharlotte]

Say it louder for the people in the back: Feminine character traits do not mean a character is boring! Also Kairi’s main character arc is STILL ongoing, there’s still clearly more to come with her if Melody of Memory and ReMind are anything to go by. I feel like she’s going to get a ton more focus in KH4, wouldn’t be surprised if she gets her own full on storyline or she’s the primary player character, and I for one am all for it…..if it turns out to be true 😅