Sora Shouldn't Have Been A Shadow | Kingdom Hearts Theory

[@zichithefox4781]

Honestly I love the reasoning, and this may even tie into the Darkside we see in the KH4 trailer, Sora's Heartless manifesting itself now that Light and Dark have been introduced into Quadratum, which would he awesome. But I draw a different conclusion. Given just how strong Sora's antiform is, I think his true Heartless would be something more akin to Ansem. A fully fleshed being capable of immense power. Darksides are strong, but as we know, the closer we get to the light, the larger our shadows become. And Sora is all but bathed in light, which would only grow his Darkness past what his Anti Form has been. I'm for either of these conclusions though, and I loved the video!

[@nickmcsleighten]

Oooh that is a really good point, I like your take on it too! I think a full fledged Ansem-esque Sora would be a pretty cool Heartless form for him And also thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed

[@justawafflecousinofpancake4499]

Couldn’t agree more of the video Sora’s shadow, “Darkside” , given like a nine tail fox vibe from Nartuo since , Darkside doesn’t go away from Sora for Darkside needed Sora something always following him. Wonder if Darkside could speaking to Sora for now that will would’ve be crazy if Darkside does speak any words.

[@nickmcsleighten]

It does technically speak in Coded, it says, “Rage... Hatred... Glitches to feed my Darkness... And soon, Hearts to sate my hunger!” but I do like your idea that it could speak to him outside of that, that’d be so cool!

[@papisenpai5994]

The more he moves into the light the bigger his shadow gets

[@onlyacomentarynothingspeci2419]

Damn..... this is a great analogy for the Villians in KH since they all want only Light in the end

[@joshua2400]

Jesus Christ the sovereign God loves you :" ) I hope you personally get to know the Holy Trinity if it interests you to hear, God miraculously healed me of my chronic breathing issues that plagued me if not most nights then every single night for years God did this healing instantly within group prayer over my health You truly matter to Him, no matter how far or grand the things you do in life are, God wants to walk this life with you

[@IAmKentori]

@@joshua2400amen

[@DaKittyKave]

This makes so much sense!! It also helps tie in my theory that sora is the master of masters. I'm so excited for KH 4 to release so we can finally get some more answers !

[@TheDerrezalution]

Yes indeed, the Hearts of pure Light within Sora definitely suppressed his inner darkness which is why it was only a shadow, the Princesses of Heart also talk about being able to suppress the Darkness from the Final Keyhole in KH1. A cool little detail about the shadow Heartless, is that it's stated they often chase their prey to the end. Even as a shadow heartless Sora chased after the awakened Kairi.

[@nickmcsleighten]

You’re right! I forgot the princesses of heart specifically have that power, dang, what a good piece of evidence that woulda been That is a cool detail, is that in the kh1 journal?

[@TheDerrezalution]

@@nickmcsleighten When you go and talk to the princesses they tell you that they are suppressing the darkness. The detail about the shadow heartless is in KH1 journal, from what I remember it’s also in other games.

[@gothwolf13]

After watching the Re:Coded cutscenes for the first time, my first thought was that it was foreshadowing that the Darkside in the KH4 trailer was Sora's. Also, I can't quite pinpoint why, but KH3 made me think that Sora might be forced to confront his own darkness metaphorically and literally in his next arc.

[@nickmcsleighten]

That’d be pretty sick ngl I like the way you think

[@Naruto4995]

I actually want to touch on that detail that was a bit overlooked. The sentience factor and why that's so important in the evolution of a Heartless. Sora and Xehanort's Heartless managed to reach a scale that's seemingly unheard of. Heartless that are aligned with their humanity. Through the No-Name/Heart science method for Xehanort. Then with Sora, being an actively Heartless that kept sentience, only for Kairi's light to help remold him in a way that didn't destroy the Heartless side of existence. Instead, to me, it looks like a successful fusion was made that leads to these forms of Sora we witness down the line. In Re:Coded on top of that, the fact this Heartless managed to conceive thoughts, even if it's just it's destructive instinct I believe says volumes. Similar to how Anti-Form and Rage Form despite running heavy on risky factors, never make any reckless attacks that got any allies within his party thrown into danger. Let's throw this up to KH3, where Sora's unique Heartless physiology served as the winning factor. Purebloods are inevitably forces aligned to the Darkness, in turn simply would've made him mindless from the concentrated goal of reclaiming what he lost, keeping his fighting sense, so on and so forth in order to build himself back together from the X-Blade Light stealing technique. A Heartless that can also live as a human, to me, feels like it goes like a step beyond. So upon that hierarchy I want to say (at least far as we know) is that the states they've reached are a form of evolution from the Darkside Pureblood. Tapping into Re:coded again, how Data-Sora noticed in that same cutscene that the Darkside after meeting stimulus of fighting a keyblade wielder, evolved further into what was virtually a dark mirror. (Even if it was only for a limited time.) Having sentient Heartless running around I believe is going to blur that divide in ways that others in the series hadn't thought to be possible. Witnessing the way that in it's battle with Xehanort how it began to grow those extra tendrils, that did look Darkside esque to me, but it looked like it going to keep mutating to some unknown limit. This video has been an interesting thought piece. It was nice to see your thoughts and also the attention you put into the series to look this up. It even made me have a few reflections that led to this post right here! Hope to see more content from you.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Wow, that’s a really well thought out and thorough point! I hadn’t even considered it and wrote the process off as “self sacrifice to darkness = sentient heartless” but that was a mistake on my part And thank you so much :) I’m thrilled you enjoyed

[@lisa-tm5ix]

Thanks for sharing your theory. Really enjoyed it. It's so fun to hear different theories and the reasoning behind it. ^^ I always wondered about Sora's antiform and the emphasis made on his darkside in Re:Coded. This was a really interesting take and would be a great story direction. Judging from KH3 and ReMind, we'll hopefully get KH4 diving into Sora's mentality and insecurities, so it would definitely be interesting if they brought up his level of connection to light and darkness, and his antiform/shadow-self. Thanks for the video!

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thank you so much, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it 😁 I’m hoping we get to see more of Sora’s insecurities/darkness in KH4 as well!

[@lisa-tm5ix]

@@nickmcsleighten 😊😁

[@Drew3966]

Sora light grow over the game because growing connection and bonds to people. After stabbed him with Keyblade of hearts, releaseing three hearts his own, Kairi and Ventus. Kairi's went to her body, Ven probably went Roxas and Sora became a shadow.

[@haythammandour1152]

ngl man you cooked a lot , you connected a lot of dots in my head , earned a sub

[@nickmcsleighten]

hey thanks so much 😁 I really appreciate it!

[@domrocc5363]

The darkside is an improtant symbol in the game for alot of reasons. In name, in appearance and in how and when we see them. They are in each game installment, they ar a large, shrouded figure with hair that could be exactly like Sora's and a large empty heart space and their name is self explanitory. It is my opinion as a believer that MoM is a darkest timeline Sora, the the Darkside is representattive of the Master of Master/ Soras large darkness, that permeates all time and the veil of darkness since the era of fairy tales. I think that in the kh4 trailer, we see a more detailed darkside because were in quadratum and in is HD-ified, but i also think its because Soras darkness is growing.

[@juiceboxv2759]

That twilight thorn thing sounds neat, it would be cool if we saw it again in the future, although I don’t know where they would fit it in

[@NoxiousAcid]

incredible video, the theory passed every one of this kh fan's initial vibe-tests. Always love when commentary on subtle things like this can profoundly change my perspective, especially when it can convince me so quickly! Am going to be examining things through this lens and judging its potential whenever i get around to my next series replay/rewatch; there's just so much to explore. Definitely one to keep in the brain until then PS the memes warmed my little heart when they popped up, ty and keep it up ya he/him (:

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it and found the idea interesting :) feel free to let me know how you see it fitting in on your next series play/watch through! Ps I’m glad and I’ll do my best :)

[@joshz2491]

Kh3 debunks this theory a bit as Sora can use his keyblade in rage mode which he has access to from very early in the game. He even has control over his darkness to the point where he can use the pain from the other hearts joined within his own to increase his attack power (riskchage) so I don't quite buy that he would produce a darkside heartless prior to KH4. From that point forward I think that it is more possible.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thanks for your comment! I get what you’re saying, but i personally don’t think that rage Form debunks it as, in an interview, Nomura stats rage form is negative emotions taking over Sora (so more like an Unversed) whereas KH2’s Anti Form was Sora’s Heartless and darkness

[@joshz2491]

@@nickmcsleighten I knew Nomura gave some sort of comparison between the two, but I always forget the details. He says so much about lore it's hard to keep track.

[@nickmcsleighten]

@@joshz2491 thats fair, I’m sure he’ll change his mind in a few years to fit with the new story he’s making too 😂

[@RadinV1]

Damn this makes an insane amount of sense One minor disagreement though, I always assumed that at the end of BBS Ven assimilated at least a part of Vanitas back into himself and was no longer pure light. It doesn't really change anything about KH3 because that Vanitas is a time traveler anyway and the theory still makes sense either way, but I wanted to share my thoughts on this one bit.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Oh? That’s a good point, I never considered Vanitas assimilated back to Ventus; I understood the ending of Ventus’ story as him breaking his own heart to defeat Vanitas, pushing him out instead of reabsorbing him, which is what puts Ventus to sleep because his heart is still fractured, so he has to rest inside Sora But I can definitely see it your way too! I’ll check the Ultimania later and see if it has any info about that :) EDIT: so the Ultimania says, “Ventus awoke within Vanitas’s heart. Vanitas intended to achieve a complete fusion this time, but Ventus refused.” (pg 121, paragraph 4) And then it moves on, but later says, “Sora sensed the heart of Ventus, which was beginning to fade after his battle with Vanitas. Sora and Ventus encountered each other in their subconscious for a second time … The pair’s hearts connected, and Ventus’s heart, on the verge of breaking, was supplemented by Sora’s and fell into a long slumber within the boy.” (pg 123, paragraph 4) So it seems like Vanitas was destroyed completely and Ventus had his own fractured heart back, if I’m understanding it correctly

[@bellamerci8423]

I love these theory videos! They are so much fun and so informative!

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thanks! :) I’m glad you like em!!

[@hillaryslack2884]

I actually think that Sora is a being that in his natural state is going to be completely in balance. He is naturally equal in light darkness and every other element that exists in the KH setting. He just hasn't been in his completely natural state since before the first time we have ever seen him. As his personal light has gotten stronger over the corse of the story I also think his personal darkness has also become stronger. As for what kind of heartless is Sora's natural heartless. I am still a little confused at the difference between pureblood and emblem heartless. Pureblood Heartless with the exception of Sora don't seem to be peoples hearts. Pureblood heartless don't release hearts at their death. We never see a person(besides Sora) become a pureblood heartless it is always an emblem heartless. Pureblood heartless can hold hearts but it doesn't seem to be what they themselves are made from. We also don't know how Pureblood Heartless come into existence. On the other hand, Emblem heartless do release hearts on death. The one time we see someone other then Sora turn into a heartless it is to become an Emblem Heartless. And we know Ansem seeker of Darkness was artificially making heartless, out of the people he had in his basement. Or out of the data people in the computer network. Data people that we know grow hearts through interaction with others, and often do so very fast. Data Sora grew a heart within hours, Xion and Riku Replica within days if not sooner. Even Guardian for all he holds Terra's heart within himself doesn't seem to be Terra's heartless. After all the Guardian appears while Terra's heart is still within his body. Plus Guardian is able to hold more then one heart in Remind, holding Terra, Sora, and likely Eraqus. From watching Pureblood heartless I honestly wonder what piece we are missing. They just don't seem to be normal people's hearts. With only Sora as an exception. Even Ansem Seeker of Darkness is an Emblem Heartless not a Pureblood.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Yeah, it’s pretty unclear, I think the reason Sora becomes a pureblood is because of the Keyblade of Heart itself “unlocking” his darkness, instead of him losing his heart to a heartless - in which case, an emblem heartless makes sense

[@SarahAbramova]

I like this theory! And I hope you have a vudeo of that Nobody theory, because I'll look for it!

[@nickmcsleighten]

I’m glad you liked it 😁😁 the nobody theory is linked by a card at the end but I’ll comment it here too kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXOZm32afLuIhKcfeature=shared

[@sh4d0wfl4re]

I always suspected that the Invisible heartless in KH1 were some kind of keyblade wielder fallen into darkness, while the Darkside was another step in that heartless family. As for this theory… Riku did extract a number of anti-Sora heartless from Sora only a World before Sora sacrificed himself in an act of selfless love (a light thing). All the circumstances of Sora turning into a heartless seemed to have weakened the amount of darkness that was contained within his heart at the time he let himself fall into darkness. The act of choosing darkness for the sake of light probably has something to do with both Sora and Nort retaining memories, making the heartless act like a Spirit dream eater consensually given the memories rather than a Nightmare that had to tear into the dreams before it could feast

[@lloydiekennedy3754]

Great theory, I really enjoyed this

[@nickmcsleighten]

That’s great to hear :) thank you

[@monice313]

Like 80% sure Nomura will watch this video and incorporate this into future kh entities.

[@nickmcsleighten]

oh god could you imagine?

[@THEAPRILFOOL-1983]

Nice work. Finally got another Pokemon made but I'm going to have to post before photos and I've got a pink Yoshi head that I made having issues with the material that I'm trying to use to do the body . Could use some more ideas for another Kingdom hearts project

[@MarKreationsStudios]

Darkside also spikey, gravity-defying hair just like Sora

[@ligudinkteuf4394]

I was convinced the moment you mentioned Coded(yes it's my favorite fight me) Edit 1: Dye Kairi's hair blonde(ah wait thats namine) and have her vogue to gaga music

[@nickmcsleighten]

Coded is a very fun game! i love it’s gameplay and after i recoded (recorded) this video, I watched the rest of the cutscenes because it sucked me in 😂 Dang you’re right, i shoulda done that, next time lmao

[@ligudinkteuf4394]

@@nickmcsleighten I wanna go on a full rant on why Recoded deserves more love, but I'll spare your sanity by not making you read a full dissertation😂

[@nickmcsleighten]

@@ligudinkteuf4394 put it in a google doc and send it to me 😎 show me the reCoded love on full display

[@ligudinkteuf4394]

@@nickmcsleighten check your mail right away XD(no really do that)

[@polydipsiac]

Darkside also just kinda looks like Sora with the wild spiky hair.

[@nickmcsleighten]

@@polydipsiac you’re not wrong

[@joeyglusky4774]

I’d like to point out by the time Sora began his quest in Kingdom Hearts 2 he had two more “hearts” inside him Roxas and Xion. I know they’re Nobodies, but don’t they count as darkness inside his heart even though they don’t have one?

[@13KuriMaster]

Oh they got hearts, it's part of how they came back in KH3.... they just didn't know they wound up growing there own hearts during there time in the organization.

[@nickmcsleighten]

You’re right, Xion & Roxas are in there but they aren’t pure lights (as far as we know) and likely wouldn’t dampen Sora’s darkness

[@13KuriMaster]

Hmm, interesting.... hard to argue with most of the points here, as it would be fitting for an enemy fought in the Dive to the Heart to reflect the one fighting it in some way. Biggest issue I see is that the amount of darkness in one's heart should be able to change over time... (hey the whole Princessess passing their light thing in KH3 means that even the old princess of heart should now have some darkness in them) and there are other reasons to explain how Sora's darkness might have grown between KH1 and KH2, other then just "Kairi's heart is no longer there"... at the very least, the inclusion of Roxas's heart (and Xion's to a lesser extent) could influence him in some way as Roxas has been shown to let anger get ahold of him more then once (Like slashing at the Diz hologram despite knowing it's a hologram and wouldn't do anything for example)... and Aqua dose point out a clear connection between Darkness and anger in BBS, so there's a high likelihood that his heart has quite a bit of Darkness in it. So I'm not convinced that Ventus's and Kairi's light dampened Sora's darkness and weakened his heartless (not directly at the very least, habits from Ventus being in him for a decade probably helped keeping him light-aligned) as even without Ventus's heart, he was still an extremely nice and empathetic person (helping Ventus's heal his heart as a newborn and latter providing a place for said heart to heal again as a 4 year old), and it's not like there are many things on Destiny Islands that could help fester darkness and make it grow... though the idea that Sora's heartless would have been a Darkside had he had more darkness in his heart is one I can 100% subscribe to.... the fact that Darksides seem to be nothing special in the realm of darkness also fits it in well as Sora is suppose to just be some "dull ordinary boy".

[@nickmcsleighten]

I’m gonna respond to this in full when I hope onto my computer later, but I always really like reading your insight on KH and I think you bring up some pretty good points with your comment here

[@nickmcsleighten]

Okay, I'm at my computer now lol I agree with you about someone's darkness changing over time; Riku's journey from KH1 to 3 is a pretty good example of that. But consider (someone else comment this) the princesses of heart actually have the power to weaken, or stave off, darkness as they did towards the end of KH1 and, even if you don't agree Ventus' heart could, Kairi's heart definitely could Also I hadn't given much thought to Roxas and Xion, but Roxas for example, I know he "returns" to Sora at the beginning of KH2 but I always considered their battle in The World That Never Was the moment they're actually one again and their hearts are interacting, but Roxas' rage could be adding more darkness to Sora's heart - I've just never seen any official stuff talking about Anti Form and Roxas being connected - only Anti Form and Sora's Heartless & Final Form and Roxas And I hadn't considered Darksides in the Realm of Darkness are just as regular and ordinary as a boy like Sora; that's a good catch, if I come back to this theory I'm definitely gonna slip that in lol

[@13KuriMaster]

@@nickmcsleighten Yeah, that deal with the princesses is definitely worth considering.... though after thinking about it some, I doubt it had to much of an effect, seeing how the action that turned Sora into a heartless was done to free Kairi's heart from him, and we even see her wake up and rush toward Sora before he vanished. ... I can think of one connection between Roxas and Anti-form. In KH2FM, after the Roxas fight, you get the two become one keyblade (which even had Roxas's necklace as it's keychain), who's ability "Light and Dark" makes it easier to unlock Final Form, but also makes it so you are getting either Final Form or Anti-form each time you drive. Maybe it's just a coincidental game mechanic, but I could see a lore based connection going there... and with Nomura, that could be enough.

[@DaybreakTownGSA]

So this theory predicates itself on Kairi and Ventus's hearts being inside Sora's at the time he became a Heartless. There are two problems with this. 1) Kairi's heart was returned to her before Sora fully sparkled away (she even tries to catch his body), and only a few minutes later became a Heartless. You could say her pure light rubbed off on him while she *was* inside him? Maybe? But at the time Sora became a shadow, Kairi had already regained her heart for at least a minute or two. 2) Ventus was, and is, no longer a pure light. At the end of BBS, he had fused back with Vanitas, who is just Darkness. He even still has this Darkness inside him in KH3. Vanitas's presence could also be argued to be why Sora grows up to look so much like him (although the argument could be made in reverse that Vanitas, rather, looks like Sora... but why KH2/15yo Sora idk). Either way, Ventus had a huge darkness in his heart from the end BBS to KH3 that would have been present during KH1. Now that that's said... perhaps the Darkside in KH1 is actually remnants of Vanitas/OG Darkness inside Ventus's heart inside Sora's?

[@nickmcsleighten]

You bring up some good points, but some of the other comments actually acknowledged counter points to this: Kairi not being inside Sora isn’t particularly here or there, because Princesses of Heart have the distinct ability to suppress darkness (as shown by the other 6 princesses staying in Hollow Bastion to keep the darkness pouring out of the keyhole from destroying the world), so Kairi not being inside him I think could still work to dampen his darkness as she would likely be doing all she could to prevent him from fading And Ventus is still a pure light from pre-BBS to KH3, as said in the ultimania that he removed Vanitas from his heart, refusing to merge with him, breaking his heart and putting him to sleep (I have to find the exact quote but that’s the gist) But to your theory: that’s a really cool idea - I could totally see the Darkside being a manifestation of Vanitas or the OG Darkness from KHUX, especially if you consider Vanitas a shadow to Sora as Roxas is a shadow to Ventus

[@DaybreakTownGSA]

@nickmcsleighten had to check back at my copy of the Ultimania for this (the Before KH3 because it's the only one in English 💀) and it does say Vanitas was destroyed! But it's interesting to note that the Character Files, which came out after KH3, say the x-blade was destroyed and Vanitas "disappeared." And here's where we have to pick threads over who is Darkness and who is Vanitas. The first was Darkness, a pure being of darkness, one of the original 13 darknesses. He entered Ventus's heart. Vanitas formed as a personality from Darkness residing inside his heart. When MX questions Vanitas over his origin, he seems aware of his existence as the former original Darkness, but obviously he has some new characteristics to him that make him his own unique "self." Then, Vanitas, the personality of Vanitas, is defeated and "disappears." In KH3 ReMind, Sora enters Ven's heart after traveling back. Inside Ven's heart, he speaks directly to that Darkness, who was formerly Vanitas, who was formerly Darkness, but is now Darkness again, while still inside Ventus's heart. So the unique personality known as Vanitas did cease to exist, but evidently it just went back to being that original Darkness resting inside Ven's heart.

[@nickmcsleighten]

@@DaybreakTownGSA ahh okay, so that kind of muddles things, but it implies to me that OG Darkness didn’t return to Ventus at the end of BBS, but does return when Vanitas is destroyed in KH3 - meaning Ventus is a pure light for KH1, but then returns to normal later on - which I guess makes sense? Lol I think you bring up a good theory though, because an alternate theory I have for Twilight Thorn is that it’s the remnants of Xion, so this would be a cool counterpoint to that

[@DaybreakTownGSA]

I'd just like to add to this, it almost seems as if the Darkness inside Ventus's heart in ReMind (it billows out of his heart station) actually seems to have... some sort of fondness for Ventus now? As if it wants to protect him, at least from the way it talks ("leave him, he's too pure, a pure heart can be reckless")

[@HexanTronic]

I have a counter, of sorts to your theory. I personally, after seeing your theory and thinking about it, believe that, Sora is a special case, with his Heartless being a Darkside or a Shadow, because of Ventus's Heart. When Sora released his Heart, it still had Ventus at least inside it. So, when it was surrounded by Darkness, it was collected, and turned into a Heartless. But it became a Shadow, a Pureblood Heartless. Which is odd, as Purebloods have NEVER been seen to release a Heart. So, why is Sora's Heartless always a Pureblood? Because up until Sora's Heart doesn't have Ventus's Heart inside him, Sora's Heart is protected, kind of, from the Darkness. The Darkness can HOLD Sora's Heart. But it cannot absorb his Heart to become an Emblem Heartless. Instead just drawing on what meager Darkness it can from the Heart to produce a basic form, a Shadow, or a Darkside, depending on the situation. I suspect, that if we saw other people go through a Dive to the Heart like Sora did, they too would encounter only Pureblood Heartless. Because that is the Pure Darkness inside them. When their Hearts are consumed however, the Darkness draws on both the Heart's Darkness, and the person the Heart belongs to, in order to create a superior form. The fact that very few Pureblood Heartless are endgame bosses seems to support this.

[@nickmcsleighten]

@@HexanTronic thats an interesting thought, kind of like how Ventus’ armor ends up protecting Sora in DDD

[@HexanTronic]

@@nickmcsleighten Indeed.

[@JuhlaChessu]

Green olives straight from the jar? That explains.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Straight from the jar But it’s also my personal jar, not a community jar 😂

[@kozukiangel5248]

I was just thinking about this if Roxas is soras nodoby were is his heartless like Ansam and Xemnas i know he turned into one but shouldn't he have a separate being as a heartless because of Roxas

[@nickmcsleighten]

I don’t totally understand why either; I believe the reason his heartless wasn’t fully a separate being was because he sacrificed his heart willingly, instead of it being overcome with darkness

[@kozukiangel5248]

@@nickmcsleighten hopefully some of these plot points get explained in KH4

[@rabbitcorp.103]

I know at the end u already said u think twilight thron is his nobody can u do a video on it please 🥺❤

[@nickmcsleighten]

Sure thing :) I’ll add it to my schedule

[@rabbitcorp.103]

@@nickmcsleighten yay ❤️ it'll be amazing thankk u

[@nostalgiatrip3231]

yeah i could see that

[@SupaSonicFanboy]

Hmm…

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thoughts?

[@tomgu2285]

That's a great theory. Yeah it makes sens to.

[@nickmcsleighten]

Thanks! Glad you think so :)