Kingdom Hearts Lore ► Time Travel Explained!

[@numbug1234]

The reason why Ansem SoD & Xemnas are able to appear in DDD is because they'll eventually return back to their own times - so as long as they eventually get returned, their destinies aren't changing.

[@SnoopingTurtle]

I have been playing Kingdom hearts since its release in 2002. I have played every single game in the franchise... I still have no fucking clue about what is going on.

[@Harkins1721]

+SnoopingTurtle Read wikipedia.

[@SavagenymphX]

+Harkins1721 even wikipedia could not handle the complexity lol

[@swiggityswooty8579]

+SnoopingTurtle Then Kingdom Hearts just isn't for you, kid.

[@flowmotiiion9441]

you're fucked

[@jaquan541]

look up kh story explained

[@xaric3967]

time travel messes with so many series, hopefully it's only used for this xehanort part of the game and not a frequent thing,

[@Shadowhero43]

+Xaric yeah, like Ocarina of time?

[@xaric3967]

so long since I played Zelda, things that are made around time travel are okay, or if it's just one person (like infamous) but when it just appears in a story,

[@axceljulio5747]

Now it's already established that time travel was only used to bring back past villains whom otherwise can't exist due to the presence of Master Xehanort (Ansem, Xemnas) or already defeated (Vanitas) and returned to their original self (Repliku). The rest are pretty much Nobodies that were reborn from the restored humans (Marly, Demyx, Larxene, Xiggy, Saix, Vexen and Luxord) or the vacant body of a restored Keyblade wielder who houses a fragment of MX's heart (Terranort).

[@ethosdelsol]

*laughs in Maleficent*

[@kingkilla777]

im not gonna lie I like time travel being in kh when it was first revealed in DDD it put a surprise twist in the plot and made the series more conplacated

[@meachew]

Me too

[@Kira1Lawliet]

Here's my question: (Okay, there are actually several questions) 1. How could Xehanort travel to the past if he had forgotten that he once had done so? Certainly, we've never seen any evidence of Xehanort's knowledge about time travel, and keep in mind that this is post-amnesiac Xehanort we're talking about here. 2. How is it that one can just impart the ability of time travel to someone else, even their own past self? Isn't the rule explicit that you have to give up your body and soul to accomplish it? Isn't that kind of contradicted by saying that you can just give the ability to someone? And again, how would Xehanort have known he could do this? 3. How can Young Xehanort travel forward in time (or, hell, in any fucking direction he wants to, it seems) if the other rule explicitly states that once you have traveled back through time to a past version of yourself, that you can only move forward at a normal pace as per the normal laws of time? 4. How is it that Young Xehanort manages to bring OTHER versions of himself forward, and then back again, through time? 5. How does it make sense that destroying someone's Nobody and Heartless returns them to being a whole person again? I mean, I could understand if you destroyed someone's Heartless but not their Nobody; the heart freed from darkness would simply find its old body and reclaim it. But if the body and soul are both destroyed, how does the whole person come back into being? It completely ignored the anatomy of people that the whole series has worked around establishing since the very beginning! They set up all these rules, but you can spot basically a thousand self-contradictions just in Dream Drop Distance alone. And though I think trying to explain it is a valiant effort, it's very clear that it was not thought through well enough by the creators and cannot be explained rationally. It's just a lazily concocted excuse to have all the old antagonists reappear for a climactic final showdown.

[@surajshergill7777]

Thank god! Playing from KH1 to Re:Coded, I understood the lore perfectly! There was practically no confusion because I played the games in release order for my first time. Then, I got to DDD! The time travel absolutely confused me! It was the first time I was confused in the KH lore! I still don't get it, but replaying the video should help me out more! Cheers Cynical!

[@clayxros576]

I am confident in saying that the Time Travel is confusing right now because we do not have enough information about it. It was only revealed to be a force in the KH universe in DDD, and there has not been a new game since. (Chi doesn't count) All other aspects of the universe have been well explored at this point, even the relationship between Darkness and Light and how they can coexist. Time Travel is simply not fully explored yet.

[@InTheMindOfDavid]

Suraj Gill I’m right there with ya

[@InTheMindOfDavid]

ClayXros Good point. Remember when we all collectively scratched our heads at the idea of Nobodies? And now 4 games later we like “that’s one of the easier ideas to explain. Try cracking this Time Travel shit! Bet ya can’t.”

[@legitlogic1370]

I started watching your channel a little over a year ago because of your quick lore videos. Glad to see you're doing lore again!

[@dantelaw1710]

That was an interesting video about Time Travel in Kingdom Hearts! It makes sense and it's pretty cool. Looking forward to more lore about Kingdom Hearts!

[@samuell24]

Cynical you didn't explain one part well. You can move forward but only per the laws of time. You can move forward but the furthest you can go is the immediate present and not anything that lies beyond what your appointed path is. This explains why young xehanort was able to gather the different xehanorts throughout time.

[@TheGamersJoint]

+sam l Yes indeed, You may only travel to where your current self is in the present.

[@matthewliu1870]

+TheGamersJoint still confuse. so many Xeranunt( did i spell that right)

[@romeo2417]

+TheGamersJoint good grief! At this rate, Xehanort is turning the story into one where the Star wars, Back to the future, and Harry potter movies had a baby!

[@romeo2417]

+Romeo Ocampo maybe not back to the future

[@Darth_Spyro]

+Matthew Liu nope

[@Atopico8]

I finally understand the part on how could Xehanort gather Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas in one place thanks to a comment I read. At the end of 3D, "their time is up" and they each go back into their respectives timelines to fulfill each of their respective destinies. That answers my question about time paradox, they can all gather in one place in the present only for a short amount of time, ignoring all the apparent time contradictions. However I still have some great questions, I'm still not getting this quite yet. I don't know the right order to ask them, so please bear with me: 1) The Ansem the Seeker of Darkness that visits young Xehanort on Destiny Islands doesn't have a body yet..., so it's prior to Kingdom Hearts 1 events right?... then how could he know what was going to happen in the future, about Sora, Riku, Birth by Sleep, the Organization? Maybe the right question is, *at what point in time* does Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness decides to travel back to visit young Xehanort? 2) Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas are the respective Heartless and Nobody of Terra-Xehanort (at the time when he called himself Ansem) right? And Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, without a physical body, travels back in time and warns young Xehanort on Destiny Islands about the events that have yet to happen, so he can lay the ground to gather the seven lights and thirteen darknesses to forge the X-Blade, right? But how could Ansem, Seeker of Darkness know what to tell young Xehanort on Destiny Islands? Terra-Xehanort lost his memories after fighting Aqua. He lost all of his memories and knowledge about the X-Blade. So then how could his Heartless have that knowledge that his human form didn't have at the time, since he lost all his memories about the prophecies and the events of the future? 3) Master Xehanort, the old man, is able to return because his Heartless and Nobody was destroyed? Shouldn't Terra-Xehanort be the one returning, since it's from him that his Heartless and Nobody comes from?

[@Vexwisval28]

ive got questions as well. if terras body was like "destroyed" or sent into darkness while xemnas and ansem existed, because there was no body there for terra, does that means he is in the realm of darkness with aqua. At least until xemnas and ansem go back to being xehanort, and when that happens does that means terras times is up in the realm of darkness and also has to go back to being whole just like xehanort. Spoiler for those who havent seen it, Kh 2.8 trailer terra appears in the realm of darkness, does this explain it?

[@Vexwisval28]

Maybe while ansem the seeker of darkness travels through time he has all of his knowledge of his past self, that would explain why he knows so much about the time line, after all, he probably does have the book of prophecies. And the old xehanort at the near end of kh 3d could just be another xehanort along his timeline, and the one thats suppose to come back (terranort) has yet to be brought back by the defeat of xemnas and ansem the seeker of darkness

[@amirj5232]

2 years later and still no answers

[@mugiwara4709]

Time Travel was never needed in the series to begin with.

[@mohamedab9033]

Time travel is one of the many possible resorts a game story teller (in this case, Nomura) turn to when the story and the game they'v been working on extends beyond it's intended life span. Kingdom Hearts was never supposed to continue and last this long, so Nomura and his buddies just things make up along the way while trying their hardest to not contradict the rules of the Universe they made and not leave out plot holes. Time Travel is a smart move but only if you have the balls for it and can handle it, cause it's perfect for completely turning the story upside down and still remain great , but if you misuse it it could ruin everything. Nomura was bold when he decided on this , and I hope he doesn't do it again cause he really pushed his luck with DDD, doubt it would work again.

[@prgreeneyes]

+Matt Gray Proof please.

[@mugiwara4709]

Sean Akima First off, there was no need for you to spam your comment five times. Don't do it again. Second, Xemnas and Ansem did not need to be brought back. Literally no need to bring time travel into it when Xehanort was already brought back with their defeats. I don't hate it because I don't understand it. I hate it because it's an unneeded convoluted mess added to the story. Pretty sure that there are different methods for gathering seekers, though Nomura for some reason decided to go through the time travel "method".

[@mohamedab9033]

prgreeneyes Proof for what? That KH was never meant to last this long?

[@mugiwara4709]

Matt Gray Personally, using time travel (for the most part) in a story screams desperation.In this case, yeah it does. It felt out of place even for a Kingdom hearts story (Yes I KNOW they have done it before "Timeless River")

[@madratthemighty]

How on earth is Young Xehanort able to travel time in both directions then?

[@MyDisruptedSoul]

+madratthemighty This.

[@AMAZIAH]

right?

[@cillbipher2613]

He hasn't time traveled in both directions. He's been hopping forward gathering his multiple selves up to DDD. Eventually his time ran up and he was jettisoned back to his original time with no memory of what happened.

[@randychristian4052]

+madratthemighty Apprentice Xehanort didn't travel to the future, he simply travel back to all times during his past life. KHBBS, KH1, KHCoM, 358/2, KH2, KH3D, is all within Xehanort's lifetime, then he is free to jump around those timeline, whether he travel from KH1 timeline to KH2 timeline or to DDD timeline, it still count as apprentice Xehanort's past. Young Xehanort are able to do this beacuse he and apprentice-Xehanort are the same exact person.

[@cillbipher2613]

+Noir Delusion Actually you can only go in one direction, either past or future. If you go to the past, you're stuck there and can't move forward, so you have to pick your destination wisely. Apprentice Xehanort, after giving up his mortal body, chose to go back to when he was a young man on Destiny Islands. He gave Young Xehanort the ability to time travel, and Young Xehanort traveled forward in time. You can travel forward in time as much as you like but you eventually have to return to your own time, opposed to traveling backwards in which you stay in the time you traveled backwards to.

[@DigitalSamsonTV]

I've kind've just accepted at this point to be ready for anything when it comes to KH. Great video!

[@theskepticpirate156]

Perhaps a simpler way of looking at Ansem SOD and Xemnas's return in DDD is that since they were destined to be defeated by Sora, Xehanort uses this by changing when they are destined to be defeated. Think of it as delaying the inevitable so that when it does happen, it happens at a time that is much more convenient for Xehanort.

[@Beastkiller12]

Dudes! Everytime Jared puts a theory, news or lore video of KH3 and 2.8, It gets me like too hype that i can't much longer for this game! Hopefully Jared gets to that spot in youtube that Tetsuya Nemora will notice Jared

[@max-8484]

You have given me the best gift anyone could give me on my birthday, which is today, and it's the lore behind all this time travelling shit in kingdom hearts.

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

5:50 Another more simple explanation, it is that Ansem Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas where brought to the future before Sora destroy then, and when they are send back in time to the past they will be defeated by Sora, see simple nothing changes.

[@carbootstudios2459]

My theory's that the Xemnas and "Ansem" were from certain periods when they were alive, most likely before the events of KH I & II. So that might mean in KHIII, to defeat them, (if we ever will), they'll have to be thrown back into when they came from and make sure they stay there.

[@Barex99]

I GET IT! This game awesome! U might need a lot of time to understand KH, but wen u do u feel LIKE A BOSS!

[@jamesmcdaniel7700]

Whoa dude I was also born in 1997. Been watching your videos for a while now and I love how much this series means to you. It's been THE game series defining my life so far. It's grown up with me as I've grown up with it. Sorry if this sounds sappy but idk I thought it was kinda cool we're the same age :D

[@Azurenighterror11]

One can not travel forward in time...young xehanort proceeds to travel forward in time

[@aukaing5090]

Nice video Jared, this will help a lot of us. It helped me out a little more and clarified somethings.

[@hayessimon9051]

Luxu gave xehanort's the book of prophecies

[@wx1734]

Time travel and Multiverse theory..... NOW IN KINGDOM HEARTS! PERFECT!

[@DLOULTRA7]

This is the best Time Travel in KH explanation I heard. Domo arigato gozaimashita Cynical-san. (Thanks very much.)

[@Livael23]

That's a very cool video ^^ Everything's clear and understandable, I reckon it may help a lot of people who're confused about time travel in KH ^^

[@apotlacheruvu]

Damn this time travel, making things more complicated in the series!

[@MrJaakob13000]

MoM's heart is in Luxu's mystery box

[@lunarshadow5584]

There is a theory that when you sleep you are experiencing the past again or just experiencing another realm in general, yet you, most of the time, forget everything that happened. Similar to how Young Xehanort loses his memories when he returns to his time, yet still has fragments to lead him to the future. Edit: also, Kingdom Hearts treats the Heart like we would treat the Soul. As mentioned when Xehanort took over Terra only for Terra's Will to possess his armor. "Your Heart and Body submit, but not your mind". When i look at the Mind body and soul, I think that the Mind is the chain between the Body and Soul, it is what makes the current you you. If you lose your memory, Your body and Soul still have remnants to fix the mind as you are able to make your body remember to do certain actions in certain situations while i think the Soul is more like the Desktop of your computer, holding most of the memories of every life you lived in the past. So in order for Terra to not be completely taken, he put 1/3 of himself, his will, into the Armor to stop Xehanort, yet it is limited without the Mind and Body to help lead it past its limits. Unable to leave the graveyard till his body and soul return to the Graveyard to reunite back to himself and kick Xehanort out for good.

[@SamLoser2]

I think I _mostly_ have this down, but I'm still very unsure on how the teams work. Throwing both of those complicated and abstract concepts into one game... bold move Square. Bold move.

[@TheFatDrake]

So how did teenage Xahanort go forward in time to Dream Drop Distance?

[@utubemaniac8708]

I felt that the video of GameTrailers and KHinsider explained this better....

[@clayxros576]

They did. This guy didn't even mention Timeless River.

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

1:38 Um Cynical, that's wrong, you can only time travel forward, after you have time travel one time backward. So for example when Ansem Seeker of Darkness travels back in time to give his Younger self the ability to time travel. From that moment onwards all Xehanorts, can't time travel backwards, only forward, and Xehanorts Younger self travel forward to collect the future selves that Xehanort wanted, but like you said he can only time travel to the point in which there is a future version like you said. And if one of then try to travel backwards they are send back to their Original time in which they all have come from and forget the memories everything about what happened in the future, but the heart remembers.

[@axceljulio5747]

With the release of KH3's ReMind DLC, we finally got a look to how the time travel works. And it's exactly like what Young Xehanort mentioned in DDD.

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

2:19 That's a good example, but it is more of Nomura saying "No we can't, and we won't change the events of past games"

[@mohamedab9033]

Time travel is one of the many possible resorts a game story teller (in this case, Nomura) turn to when the story and the game they'v been working on extends beyond it's intended life span. Kingdom Hearts was never supposed to continue and last this long, so Nomura and his buddies just make up things along the way while trying their hardest to not contradict the rules of the Universe they made and not leave out plot holes. Time Travel is a smart move but only if you have the balls for it and can handle it, cause it's perfect for completely turning the story upside down and still remain great , but if you misuse it it could ruin everything. Nomura was bold when he decided on this , and I hope he doesn't do it again cause he really pushed his luck with DDD, doubt it would work again.

[@randychristian4052]

+Matt Gray Pretty much, maybe they didn't think the series would be much successful when they made KH1, so they keep on going. But there's a chance that this is all have been planned from the very begining, beacuse in KH1 you can see the brown-cloacked-Xehanort lurking for a brief moment when destiny island fell into darkness. Maybe they didn't reveal too much in the previous series, just in case the KH series is unable to continue, they didn't leave too much question unanswered.

[@mohamedab9033]

Noir Delusion The cloaked Figure was a master move by Nomura, only a pro can think ahead so much without even thinking ahead! lol Ik i'm sounding weird but what I mean is : He purposefully made that character "just in case" for future developments (we never saw that figure speak with anyone else other than Sora too).

[@randychristian4052]

+Matt Gray Yeah! as expected from the creator of the entire FF series, he can possibly made all of KH storyline in his head before KH1 even begun. But marketing and people's interest over this game is a crucial input to make that story in his head continuously become reality.

[@cillbipher2613]

+Noir Delusion ....Nomura didn't create FF.

[@randychristian4052]

Cill Bipher Ooops my bad, i meant squareenix/soft

[@rionabelle8212]

My question is about The Timeless River, in KH2. That is our first forray into time travel in the series (by release order). Timeless River is supposed to be the past of Disney castle, before Mickey was King. As far as I am aware, when the gang when through the door, they didn't become only hearts, nor was Sora there. Donald and Goofy were able to travel just fine, but I always got the jist that they traveled to a time before Sora was born. Where am I wrong? What have I missed? Thanks!!

[@Raximus3000]

I don't have anything concrete about it, but here's a theory, let's assume that some worlds have their own multiverses meaning paralel versions of that world with small or greater differences an that the world where the Disney castle exists is the center of that multiverse. What Pete did was travel to a paralel world that is that world in the past thus creating a slight swift in what the center of that multiverse thus making that world vunrable to the heartless but before the change had become complete Sora and co. stopped him thus retuning the center of the multiverse to its original state. This would explain why there was a defence against dark influences from the other worlds like Maleficent keyblade masters might have put the cornerstone of light there for that reason think of it if the heartless reached the heart of the center of a multiverce that could affect the multiverce itself.

[@Arismory]

I got a bit of a theory,basically when bbs master xeanort separates vens light and darkness,he's bringing sora who turned into a xeanort from the future into the past,thats who is vanitas and why he looks like sora,he even has the xeanort yellow eyes.Also when master xeanort from bbs merges with terra he is creating a infinite time loop because a part of him known as absem seeker of darkness can bring people back and forth through time creating the time loop.

[@Stupranos]

Note that there has to be a version of you in the time period. Xigbar/Briag and Siàx/Isa are now part Xehanort. That adds them to the rules Xheanort time traveling.

[@ARMageddonMaster]

This is actually a helpful lore summary video. Looking forward to more :D

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

1997?! WHAT?! WE HAVE THE SAME AGE?! i can't believe this, i thought you were older!

[@Ven9991]

Note:xehanorts key blade eye is the eye of the master of masters in which it is used to see the future and such.

[@Astraldymensions]

I think what people miss in the explanation of Dream Drop is that Nomura does a poor job explaining the difference between a growing block timeline, a fixed b theory timeline, and a branching timeline. The KH series basically uses a B theory timeline. As Cynical quoated everything has happened already. If you could see the beginning and end of the KH timeline in a four dimensional space then there is a predetermined (or destined) point at which Xehanort travels through time. This is a hard fact of the universes timeline. Best example I can think of is the short story "All You Zombies". The real issue is that Time Travel is shown to us and told to us in a very very poor way. If you read the short story it'll click and you'll even see why KH doesn't click immediately. Either way great post man

[@lawrencemoreno5902]

I thought Ansem and Xemnes were from Terranort

[@Erikthedood]

For anyone that doesn't get the whole "you have to have lost your heart thing" and how that applies to the different characters, Sora- Used the keyblade of people's hearts to free Kairi's heart Riku- His heart was removed from his body by Ansem during KH1, which is how he ended up in the Realm of Darkness at the end of the game Xehanort- forced his heart into Terra as Master Xehanort, freed his heart to become a heartless and nobody as Apprentice Xehanort. And that's why all three of them have the ability to time travel

[@mastervidxad5883]

To quote from Back To The Future: "GOTTA GO BACK IN TIME"

[@devonteedwards6769]

Xehanort's traveled backwards through time that sounds amazing and also kinda mysterious/scary if something like that happened in the real world

[@DenisK21]

A guy makes a single trip back in time and brings versions of himself to the present. Absolutely nothing of the past has been changed, as those versions are just gonna go back when they came from without even any memory of the trip. And many people look at this and somehow think it's some sort of incomprehensible cluster[EFF]. Seriously, it's not anywhere near as complicated as people are making it out to be.

[@nomadicgamer9466]

Oh my gosh! Thank you! It's not that complicated. It's complicated enough to be engaging and dramatic, which is the point.

[@platinumvoid1648]

People are stupid, lol.

[@crishawkins7447]

i enjoyed the vid man love ur vids KH happens to be one of my most fav games keep it up man :)

[@AshleyandShelbyGray]

@6:10 - I think he may have been an original Master that's how he has the knowledge

[@ho2da]

wow bro you were born in 1997. Damn I feel old as hell and I'm only 26

[@GAPMan88]

+ho2da I was born in 1988 myself. I feel the same way.

[@ho2da]

Guernsey Pierre yeh thts insane

[@GAPMan88]

Agreed.

[@titodirito570]

I'm surprised he explained kingdom hearts lore of time travel. Kiddos to you TheGamersJoint. 👏👏👏👏👏

[@InTheMindOfDavid]

ho2da I know how you feel... I’m 25.

[@texasnewb2942]

Young Xehanort is super powerful, I don't know why Xehanort doesn't just pick up 12 of his selves in his prime when he was at his strongest. A 17,18,19, and 20 year old Xehanorts

[@werewolves779]

Carnahannamontana young xehanort isnt powerful. master Xehanort is powerful.

[@platinumvoid1648]

@@werewolves779 The Mysterious Figure from BBS says otherwise, lol.

[@werewolves779]

@@platinumvoid1648 that's only because he's a secret boss. And Osaka is terriblerrible at secret bosses. If he'd been that strong in Dream Drop Distance, Riku wouldn't have won.

[@platinumvoid1648]

@@werewolves779 r/wooosh

[@hayessimon9051]

Kingdom Hearts fans must all know that they endured is Apprentice to luxu the master of Masters Apprentice so loose you must have given him the book of prophecies

[@sadsade1850]

So Luxu gave xehanort the book??

[@gulamman5817]

The other promise is such a beautiful and sad theme music.

[@daltonchildress2366]

The rules of leaving your body and only going within your lifetime are only if your not using a time machine or time portal. (You can change the events of the past, but it is very risky & could have terrible consequences) Also, you can go into the future with this method you need something to make a new body as well as someone who remembers you. (That's Maleficent returned)

[@SonicFanJamie]

I like to think that in Kingdom Hearts, when a time traveler is defeated to the point of either unconscious or near death, said time traveler is forced back their own time.

[@CherikoSol]

the random google captions made me die of laughter. "To travel through time first you need to be hard..."

[@Hc2p3n4t4rp]

hey Jared, since Disney did a certain thing I been thinking in another reason to explain KH Time Travel, aside from the rules not many know, though it plaged the internet for a while, but Disney started to put timelines and places into their movies by putting cameos and the like, the most notable example is Tangled and Frozen, where Frozen is put after Tangled, this is confirmed in movie as we see Rapunzel with her short hair and Eugene in a part of the movie other thing is that the boat Ariel explores is actually the sunken ship from Anna and Elzas parents from Frozen, which pits the Little Mermaid after Frozen so my point, as we know, all the worlds in KH were actually one, and when KH was lost into the darkness, the hearts of children created the current worlds, but what if there is more to it, what if the places that got saved where in different spots in time, it also helps to explain why time in the realm of Darkness is all kinds of messed up, also, the worlds between light and darkness have their own flow of time so, lets say you remove your heart in a world you know for a fact is placed somewhere in the future of the worlds, because the link between the heart, soul and body is stron, the place your body would arrive would be the time your body is anchored in that world you leaves it that or simply the flow of time in the Realm of Darkness is so messed up it flows in all directions, and if you learn to read it you can travel through it, but just as a heart (cause the powers Y Xehanort have doesnt look like time manipulation but rather time distortion, basically only allows you to negate something, like battle damage, but can be stopped)

[@MegamanZF200]

I don't know how young xehanort travel forward in time, but in mi opinión the thing is that ones you travel back in time in a ghost like form you also gain the ability to take other people with you to your present or even other points of your time line, then you can also send this people back to their respective times but with no memories of what happen. Also, maybe if they are defeted in the future then they will yust go back to their time. This way you can take people from the past without altering the time line because they will return to the exact moment they were taken, with no memories of the time travel they yust did.

[@tiernanstevens117]

oh i can see it now.... sora is defeated to Xeahnort..... but his heart is freed- and goes back in time to fight literally every single version of him. oh my god I'M CALLING IT NOW

[@jaydeejay4166]

I imagine xehanort going to sora's parent's house just waiting for him to come down for dinner

[@blazingblazers14]

thanks for the explanation! great video cynical!

[@loslightning5971]

So if Xehanort's other forms can travel through time...wouldn't the same thing apply with Sora. Therefore he can have his other forms travel through time like Roxas and Xion? 🤔

[@TheDark4light]

All I basically understand is that somehow Xehanort found a loophole in the system. He manages to bring 13 versions of himself from different points in time together and we have to fight them all in KH3. How that's going to work without screwing with the timeline I don't know. Also how the hell is teen Xehanort so strong? He's the version from destiny islands right? So how does he have the power to match Aqua and Terra? Was his master really that good at teaching?

[@Qman125]

But how could teenage xehanort travel into the future if one could only travel into the past?

[@cgnfake6721]

I love the birth by sleep world map theme. I love it soo much

[@KBladeHero]

BUT TIMELESS RIVER...

[@shadyblazerofficial]

+LegalEagleLawbot lol

[@SourCherryBomb]

I have a feeling that wasn't TRUE time travel. Maybe it was like a _projection_ or _recreation_ of the past.

[@saikatsune2085]

+Lord Genghis Shawn The Ultimate Invincible If it were merely a projection, Merlin wouldn't have warned them to be so careful upon entering the door. In his actions, he implied that if they messed around in Timeless River, that it might have negative repercussions, which sounds like one of the grade-A number one rules of time travel if you ask me. ...What if, Timeless River is like a sleeping world. We have everything that happened up to Pinnochio and Gepetto's world before it was plunged into slumber... Yet, it wouldn't make sense, because isn't Disney Castle the present-day Timeless River...?

[@SourCherryBomb]

Murasaki The Lucario I'm stumped

[@GAPMan88]

+Murasaki The Lucario (狐の霊魂) That is an interestng question and one that Nomura hopefully answers. Even without the rules of time travel, time travel itself is a trope that needs to be handled well. I will give Nomura this, it is fairly consistent even if it is confusing.

[@ChaoticDeluge99999]

Okay, so I did understand everything that was explained. I thought for sure I was missing something with the Xemnas and Ansem thing. That was the part that really confused me. Unless instead of killing them, the way they're going to deal with those two is by sending them back to their original timeline to be defeated by Sora. Arrrgh this series never needed time travel!

[@TheSabatadarkness]

What about Timeless River?

[@MetallicaFan657]

I try not to think to hard on this. I just summarize as: Ansem gets YX from past, YX gets the others to present, MX came back to life in present, The End. And their gonna do it again in KH3 because Lea screwed up attempt #1

[@Powerman77775]

Sora and Riku both DID travel through time in DDD, it's how they went back to the Destiny Islands before they fell to Sleep/Darkness. The question is how they did that without leaving behind their bodies because they look like their younger selves because of Yen Sid's Magic.

[@kaitoxiii537]

+Gekkouga it's the dream world. their bodies were still in Yen Sid's tower.

[@SpeedBoostGamer]

I wonder, does the secret ending in Kingdom Hearts 1 final mix where two mysterious figures met up with each other foreshadow the meeting between Young Xehanort and Xemnas? I know it was Roxas but still, he had yellow eyes in the secret footage

[@dezkeiz4946]

Takes multiple forms and uses time travel. The answer is obvious. Xehonort is a Time Lord.

[@sparky-the-kitsune]

Basically when you are nothing but a heart, you are free to revisit any moment of your past but you can't change anything.

[@funnyblog100]

So xenaort traveled back in time to stop xenahort from xenahorting a xenahort?

[@bakunin5352]

Jared sounded like he was having a hard time not laughing in the beginning

[@Isperada]

Let me see if I got this right. 1. To travel back in time you must be a heart. 2. You only travel to times where a version of you is present. 3. Once you travel back in time all of your past selves can also travel through time. 4. Only the original heart can travel backwards in time, all the other version must travel forward. 5. One 'version' of yourself can time travel (This is a guess, but if it wasn't true there can be like an infinite number of Xehanorts running around) 6. The versions of the past can skip forward in time, but not backwards. (How young Xehanort was able to get everyone without waiting like 40 years or so? How old is Xehanort anyway?) 7. All the other versions can travel to the point where the original heart started time traveling, but once they reach that point they can only go forward at normal time. (They can't go beyond the time when the yellow potato sack man first traveled back in time) 8. You cannot change the events of the past. (Kinda like Harry Potter rules where things that you did when traveling back in time had already happened) 9. Once the time shenanigans is done, they go back to their proper time and lose the memory that they had ever time traveled. (I think that young Xehanort mentioned this in DDD) Not sure if this is completely correct, but this is my take on this. Time travel just makes everything messy. Also I believe the reason that Xehanort's heartless and nobodies are there even though they had been defeated is that young Xehanort just grabbed them before Sora kicked their butts. If this is true, when the time shenanigan ends, it'll be fun to think that they would just go to the past to be beaten.

[@l3a3n31]

1997???!1 crap you are younger than me???!! damn....

[@cruschamp2994]

i though that to!! im from 95 leeeeeeeel

[@kingofthekickasses2765]

96 here

[@Darxetta2020]

89

[@gzone6710]

Darxetta21 same here bro....and they need to release 3rd faster...we re getting old already

[@wowwar2]

also 97

[@vincentlaz2565]

When Cynical said "I was born in 1997" I gasped and remained slackjawed for a full minute... me too.

[@tristanneal9552]

Me at the start: "Well yeah, that makes total sense! This isn't complicated" Me in the middle: "Wait... that doesn't make sense. And in game evidence contradicts that...." Me at the end: "WHAT?!?! Wait! What about Timeless River?! And I thought Young Xehanort travels forward in time!!"

[@Bravidunno]

+Tristan Neal Timeless River is bullshit compared to the real thing.

[@VectoredPromise]

you should probably watch a better video if you don't understand it

[@Bravidunno]

kbm noctis You mean Cynical tells bullshit ?

[@VectoredPromise]

Bravigaufre not really, just bad at explaining and forget to mention things.

[@Bravidunno]

kbm noctis Then why does he make lores ?

[@Mr.Efffff]

I hope KHIII explains it a bit better. They've said that only a heart alone can time travel but then Young Xehanort does it and the rest of the seekers of darkness in their full forms as show when they physically interact with Riku and Sora in DDD.

[@blackcrossgameshelf6149]

I think I get it. ("meanwhilein my head"... I DON"T GET IT.)

[@narutoKHfan1]

If the Xehanort in the brown robe (Ansem) travelled back in time to tell Young MX about stuff that happens during DDD, and since a heart can only travel backwards in time, has Xehanort not cast his body away yet until after DDD?

[@ArcRogerr]

Something I've been wondering. If Sora defeats Xemnas and Ansem again in KH3, wouldn't that mess up the timeline since those two wouldn't be able to return to their respective points in time in which they traveled to the future?

[@xansaibot3134]

2:28 that was awesome

[@willwhittmon6026]

Be sure to keep us up to date cynical!!!

[@_-solis-_]

I think that Xehanort will prevail, making Sora travel through time to the era of the three friends (You might know who I'm talking about.) and I think that Sora will stop Terra's heart from being filled with darkness so that Xehanort's plan won't prevail.

[@MrLockande]

Great video Cynical!

[@sonichero7]

And people are confused by this? I never played DDD so I didn't want to say how complicated it is without really knowing but is seems really simple to me. I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone but if you stop putting real world logic into it it's easy. The only thing I don't get is how young Xehanort can come to the present if you can't go to the future? Maybe he means the future beyond the present?

[@viniieful]

but in the case of the timeless river world when sora,donald and goofie went to the past?

[@Europa_Forever]

THIS SONG. PLEASE STOP THE FEELS

[@Meepmeep189]

One minor thing you missed Cynical. Ansem (or Xehanort's Heartless) was the only one who had time travel powers and he transferred them to Young Xehanort thus cheating law 2: You must be a heart in order to travel through time. Not every incarnation got them. That said, Young Xehanort could take people with him through time by using The Dream Worlds as a way to Cheat law 1: No one can travel to the future. This is because the Dream Worlds existed out of time, thus from there he could travel to any point along the timeline up until the latest incarnation's departure time. the Dream Worlds' events happened at the same time as all the events of the entire series (because time is relative in a dream state). Just wanted to clear those two points up.

[@Powerman77775]

All the 12 members of The True Organization 13 weren't there for real they all time traveled there which is why they all had to leave. The original 6 members have been revived as seen in 2.5 Re:Coded secret scene where Braig is talking with young Xehanort noting that "Xemnas" isn't with them. Meaning that the person revived through Ansem and Xemnas's death is Terra-Xehanort.

[@Arthur-xr1vk]

To wrap things up. -It all began that Young Xehanort knew about the Keyblade War and the Book of Prophecies. -While he gets older, the events of Kingdom Hearts BBS happen. -Terra-Xehanort extracts his own heart to travel through time. -Xehanort with just a heart told his past self everything that has transpired, giving Young Xehanort the ability to Time Travel. -Xehanort with just a heart becomes Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, thus forming Xemnas, Terra-Xehanort's Nobody. -Young Xehanort, with time travel ability, goes to different eras to find the copies of himself. -While that happen, Xemnas finds the Nobodies to form the Organization XIII. -Ansem (Xehanort's Heartless) searches for the Princesses of Heart with the help of Maleficent. -Ansem is defeated. -Xemnas is defeated. Both Heartless and Nobody is defeated, thus Master Xehanort is revived. -Young Xehanort arrives in the Castle of Ansem the Wise to escort Xigbar and Saïx and explains how Terra-Xehanort travel through time and how Young Xehanort can't possibly know the next actions. -The events of Dream Drop Distance starts. -Young Xehanort explains the laws of time and how he was managed to. Says that he will forget everything when he gets back to his era, and the heart is scratched until the day he remembers. -The real Organization XIII is (about to be, but nearly) completed. Xemnas and Ansem were brought to the present for a meeting. -All of the copies of Xehanort are back to their original era. -Back to the beginning, when Young Xehanort talks to Young Eraqus, he said that 'the future has already been writen', meaning that he now remembers that he have travel through time. -And now... We just have to wait for the end... I hope this helps.

[@EpikStorm101]

But how did young Xehanort bring previous versions to the future, if you can't travel forward? Also didn't Yen Sid send Sora and Riku back in time to before Destiny Islands was swallowed into darkness to start their Mark of Mastery?

[@oaktree8500]

Thanks jared! The explanation was awesome!

[@seanthezon7594]

Great explanation!! This was super helpful, I understand it a lot more now. I have a question to ask though, you mentioned that Xehanort released his heart in BBS to travel back to the past, but then where does that leave room for Terra’s Xehanort possessed form? How did that come about?

[@shadzangoose3553]

would you cover when Terra himself show up do to xananort being brought back during DDD. would he just be wondering around or just waiting in a different world?

[@greenleadercyrus5717]

It may just be me, but I always was under the impression the Ansem SoD, Xemnas, MX and Saix that showed up at the end of DDD were versions from BEFORE they met their varied fates. Like YX pulled them to the realm of sleep for that scene and after time was up they went back just in time for themselves to live out the events leading to their demise. As Doc brown would say, "You're not Thinking 4th Dimensionally!!" Also, random tin foil hat theory time. I have been wondering if the act of MX merging with Terra wasn't the first time he did this. Kind of like an entity merged with YX at some point and lived out his days under that guise until he needed a new one. From some of the dialogue in that scene in BBS, I get the impression this may be the case. "I swore I would survive... and be there to see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War! And now it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!" Random, possibly bullshit, thought train. If an entity who lived during the Keyblade War has been merging with one heart after another would his "Lifespan" as dictated by the rules of time travel be a period of thousands of years or however long ago those events took place? I am wondering if the Books of Prophecy are some kind of evidence of this happening. YX's line in the KH3 trailer about history already being written coincides with someone who knows you can't change what is fated to happen due to the laws of Time Travel. This could also be why the 6th Foreteller has the black robes that MX and the Organization wore. I know that they lose all memory when going back in time but the memories are ingrained on their heart. This brings the question, who wrote the Tomes of Prophecy? And how would they have known? How far into the future did the Tomes of Prophecy detail? As Axel stated: "You had your perfect little script, but you kinda forgot to write the sequel Now, let's see what happens!" If the Tomes of Prophecy were only written up to a certain point in time, they would detail everything except how the story ends. It's possible the knowledge revealed up to where the author 'thought' it would end. This could be a starting point to find where the potentially Time Traveler departed and went back to before the Keyblade War happened. It would also explain how something that is 'Destined' to happen doesn't. The only reason they thought it was destined is because the author of the Tomes of Prophecy thought that's where the story ended because, relative to their point in time upon departure, that is all they could possibly know. Author's write from random things bubbling up from their unconscious mind. They create worlds coming from their imagination. That being said, it is plausible that someone who had memories of the future ingrained on their heart may 'accidentally' write future events without knowing what they were doing. As the Tomes began to come true, they could have gained the name, 'Tome of Prophecy' in order to explain why the hell these books were detailing events before they happened. Another datapoint, if we assume, as some have, that the events of Unchained X and Chi take place in the Realm of Sleep, this could be how this individual knew the laws of the Realm of Sleep well enough to pull the ninja witchcraft to manipulate the Realm of Sleep in DDD. I am not certain about any of this but it would fit into the Laws of the existing Canon quite nicely. Everyone tell me what you think. I am curious to see your opinions.

[@Toukan77]

Dayum, that triangle in the title! Illuminati confirmed!

[@carbootstudios2459]

+ToucanRob XD