064: Untangling the Kingdom Hearts Saga Part 9 (Dark Road)

And we’re back! This is the penultimate post in my extensive series of Kingdom Hearts recaps and analysis! Below is the list of the previous posts so you can catch up if you missed any.

Fightin’ a dwarf Heartless. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

This post focuses on the story of Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road. The intention of this game was to tell the origin story of Master Xehanort, the elderly and evil Keyblade Master who drove much of the events in the series thus far. He was a mysterious character who was fascinated with darkness, time travelled often, and could conquer death. But how did he get this way? Let’s find out.

Just a quick spoiler warning before I begin. Full spoilers follow for Dark Road, of course. Also there will be some spoilers for Union Cross and Kingdom Hearts III re:Mind. With that in mind, let’s get going!

The lovely Scala ad Caelum. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Although chronologically taking place before much of the Dark Seeker Saga, Dark Road is the most recently completed portion of the story at the writing of this post. I talked a lot about the game play in Part 2 of the Mobile Saga posts, but I do have a bit to talk about the final game update. See, after the end of service hit in 2021 Dark Road was purposely made completely inaccessible as they waited to roll out to rest of the story chapters. The final update that added the rest of the story and allowed for offline play didn’t hit until August of 2022. So there was quite a bit of wait to finish this portion of the Kingdom Hearts story. (As I discussed in my previous posts, this also forced me to rethink my outline of posts and scrap my original plan.)

Putting on my critic’s hat now. (It’s a little dusty and I think I sat on it at one point but it still fits.) This final update seemed mostly to be a way of relaying the story. The gameplay feels like an afterthought. Perhaps it’s my advanced level (Level 50) but I had zero issues winning every battle (except the final one) on my first try. This was not how it was prior to the shutdown and hiatus. I feel like this wouldn’t have been the case had the game continued its old update cycle, with the difficulty scaling as you go along. It feels like they stopped the scaling and froze the difficulty where they left off. Which, really, is fine. Who wants to grind for months to level up in a game that’s no longer adding new content, prizes, or events?

Interestingly enough, they made the choice starting with Episode 4 to make the choice of characters up to the game, not the player. Prior to that you had Xehanort, Eraqus, and a third member of your choice. You could even choose to leave Urd behind, which contradicts her part of the story once you reach Episode 4. More on that later. Anyway, this decision makes sense as the story later does dictate certain characters be present or absent due to plot developments.

Okay, I remove my critic’s hat and stuff it back in the couch cushions so my cat won’t chew on it. On we go to the story breakdown.

Remember kids, always follow robed strangers into dark places. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

As the story begins, we see a young Xehanort dreaming images from Player’s adventures in Union Cross. These are recurring dreams to him and it feels like living through someone else’s life. He longs to have adventures like that, to make friends, and see other worlds, but Destiny Islands is his entire world. He thinks about finding a way to leave and that’s when he’s approached by a brown robed figure that we recognize from the very first Kingdom Hearts game. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know it’s Xehanort’s bodiless heart time travelling from the future. The figure opens a Corridor of Darkness and tells Xehanort he should have the courage to cross over, to explore the worlds outside and learn.

We then flash forward to the world of Scala ad Caelum where Xehanort sits on a bench with his friend Eraqus. We learn that they found him lying unconscious in the square with no memories of where he had come from. Every town on this world aside from this one is abandoned, so Eraqus reasons his friend had to come from “outside”. The tower in this world looks an awful lot like the clock tower in Daybreak Town. File that observation away for later.

This homework sucks. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

In the classroom are the four other students: Urd, Bragi, Hermod, and Vor. They await their teacher, Master Odin, as well as their fellow student, Baldr, who is absent. We get to see some of the kid’s personalities, but I’ll really just focus on the two main ones. Xehanort is quiet, contemplative and serious, while Eraqus is his opposite, outgoing, easy-going, and a little goofy. (A far cry from the old scarred samurai-like figure we met in Birth By Sleep. He must go through a lot between the two timeframes.)

Odin arrives and gives us the expected exposition dump. They’re not here to study, they’re going to be sent to different worlds to search for seven missing Keyblade wielders, their upperclassmen. They were off to study for their Mark of Mastery exams when they disappeared. Baldr’s sister is one of the missing, so he won’t be joining them. He’s off on another assignment and Odin has not told him yet about his sister. The kids are understandably excited about this field trip because they’re all still at the beginner stages and normally wouldn’t be allowed to explore different worlds. They learn how to summon their armor and gliders, as we saw in Birth By Sleep. They let Xehanort pick the two teams of three, since he’s already been off-world… an experience he doesn’t seem willing to discuss with any of them. He talks about how they have to maintain the Order of the worlds they visit, which we learned all about from Donald in the first game. (Most denizens of the various worlds are unaware any other inhabited worlds exist.)

I want some badass armor. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Xehanort makes an fascinating point here. Master Odin explained to them that after the Keyblade War, the worlds had to recover from being forcibly separated. (Remember, they used to all be one huge world.) But time flows differently in each world. Some worlds have recovered already and order must be maintained. Others are recovering more slowly, and they have to be especially careful with those worlds. Any false step could cause the worlds to develop in unexpected and unnatural ways. (They don’t get back to this, but it seems like obvious foreshadowing.) In fact, Xehanort theorizes that the instability of these worlds may be why the upperclassmen disappeared in the first place.

Good point. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Xehanort, Eraqus, and one friend head off to the world of Agrabah first. (The friend who joins them is chosen during gameplay and can be changed at any time. When I first played I swapped out often. This time I brought along Urd because I liked her design. See above screencap.) This is clearly a recovering world, as it’s deserted aside from Heartless. The wielders decide that the residents must be the last to recover and until then the Heartless roam free. Here we get a huge plot explanation answering one of the many questions I left Union Cross still having. Eraqus points out that Pureblood Heartless are common, but the Emblem Heartless only existed in the future worlds projected by the Book of Prophecies. This explains why there were Emblem Heartless back before they should have existed— they were part of the projections. Also this lets us know that the Book of Prophecies and the Datascape were common knowledge among Keyblade users. But this all brings up a new mystery… if the Emblem Heartless are only supposed to exist in the future then why are they here now? And a more important question… will this question ever be answered?

Xehanort is pretty blunt. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

The Wielders continue fighting their way through Agrabah, searching for clues that could lead them to the missing students. After battling more Heartless and meeting back at Scala ad Caelum with the others, they decide to not report back to Master Odin yet and to continue searching for clues. They set off again for a new world.

Uh oh. Something bad is gonna happen. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Suddenly we flash forward to four years later. On a rainy night, a slightly older Xehanort lays flowers on four graves. Eraqus approaches and realizes Xehanort is leaving. He tells him what happened wasn’t his fault. Clearly this game is going to get dark. (Think about it, four graves with flowers, four characters we just met and never see in later games. Uh oh…) Eraqus tries to get him to stay, but Xehanort says he has more to see in other worlds. They part on good terms, joking about their chess games, which Xehanort usually wins.

Ugh this cat again. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 2 opens with Xehanort pondering that although he left Destiny Islands to explore other worlds, he finds himself still trapped… this time instead of loneliness and isolation, he’s trapped by familiarity and routine. But maybe this is what shapes a person’s heart… those that affect you and those you affect. And change can come from anywhere, light and darkness. He wonders if the emptiness he feels is his own fault, due to the way he chooses to interact with the people and world around him.

The team is now in Wonderland, waiting for their friends to arrive. The Cheshire Cat appears and hints their friends have been locked away, but of course gives no clear responses. Card Soldiers appear and try to capture the three but are alerted to the trial starting, so they run off. The heroes crash the trial and find their friends being threatened by the Queen of Hearts. Eraqus wants to rush in and save his friends, but Xehanort reminds him that they have to respect the world’s order. The Queen sentences all six of them to lose their heads but before that can happen, darkness appears behind her and takes the form of a huge Emblem Heartless .

I ask this every day. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

After fighting it off, the six meet back at the crossroads. They discuss what happened. Xehanort has a flashback to Brain from Union Cross saying that darkness can live anywhere, even in people’s hearts. (Wonder how he saw that? Player wasn’t present for that conversation. Weird…) Interestingly enough, Eraqus quotes the same line, which gives them both some pause. The others worry that darkness could be the rule in some worlds and they don’t know how they would handle it… who are they to go around destroying anything they think is bad? Xehenort however takes a more pragmatic stance. If the darkness threatens them or those they care about, they would need to take care of it. He wonders if darkness can burrow in someone’s heart so deeply that they wouldn’t even know what they’ve become and he asks Eraqus if he could possibly turn his Keyblade on someone like that, who’s lost to darkness beyond remembrance of the light. Eraqus doesn’t know, but Xehanort tells him one day they may have to decide.

The answer is yes. Just ask Ventus. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

They decide to stay and look for more clues while the other three go on to another world. Vor asked to come along with them, so I went along with the game dev’s wishes and swapped out Urd. There’s different dialogue if you choose her, so that was interesting. As mentioned before, the plot later makes reference to Vor coming along with them, so this seems out of place if you chose someone else. Also, she is with the party by default in Episode 4 regardless of the choice you made here. (I guess this whole sequence was an oversight by the devs when they continued the story after removing the character select options. The development hiatus happened between Episodes 3 and 4, by the way.)

Xehanort is in contempt of court. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

We jump again to four years later and Xehanort (presumably fresh from his graveyard visit) confronts the Queen of Hearts in her court. She doesn’t remember him from his previous visit and he sees that the darkness is still surrounding her. He grimly takes the stand and the episode ends.

At least he’s aware of it. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 3 is all about the three Wielders continuing to explore Wonderland. But first we get more of Xehanort’s memories. The first time he travelled the Corridors of Darkness, which was how he got off Destiny Islands, he did so without protection. Remember that even Organization XIII had to wear their black coats to prevent being tainted by the darkness that dwells in the Corridors. (The exception to this appears to be Mickey, who for some reason can travel freely without being tainted, although he did wear his own coat for a bit..) As Xehanort travelled this path (this…Dark Road… Eh? Ehhhh?) he experienced negative emotions he’s never felt before… hate, jealousy, doubt, some of it directed at him. He decided that he could stand having people feel these things about him. It was better than feeling empty.

The trio meet Tweedledee and Tweedledum and attend the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Xehanort realizes that fear of the Queen is what maintains the world’s order and that her own fear has manifested as darkness. But was she the source of the darkness or just a vessel? And was she harboring it unknowingly? The three return to the Queen and try to determine if she knows about the darkness in her heart. As they goad her the darkness comes out and Xehanort sees it smile. It manifests as a new Heartless that they have to defeat.

Eraqus is getting sharp. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

They all meet up back at Scala ad Caelum and Xehanort theorizes that as they travel the worlds, their light may draw more darkness to them, and in turn yield more clues to what happened to their fellow students. Regardless of whether the Queen’s darkness came from within or if she welcomed it into her, it’s darkness either way. And since the Queen is the one who maintains order, perhaps what they learned about light being right and darkness being wrong is not always true. Eraqus reacts to this with a firm no. Darkness is always bad, he says, and Xehanort should not forget that.

Wait, go back. I want to know about this. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Here we see a week before, Eraqus has a conversation with Baldr (who we’re finally seeing for the first time) about his sister’s Mark of Mastery exam. The upperclassmen who return from the adventure will be made Keyblade wielders. But they’re testing all of them at once? This makes it sound like the teachers are not expecting everyone to come back. We also learn an interesting tidbit… Eraqus’s grandfather battled the darkness long ago and it sounds like he may have been claimed by it, but Eraqus doesn’t know for sure what happened to him. Who his grandfather is has not yet been revealed, but I have a theory. (That can wait for next time.)

They keep coming back to this imagery. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 4 starts with an image we’ve seen a few times before: a young Xehanort playing chess with a young Eraqus, talking philosophy and legends. Back in the story, Vor enters the Queen’s castle and overhears her talking to the Magic Mirror. So they’re in Dwarf Woodlands now. Vor approaches the mirror to ask a question.

Ya’ think? (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Elsewhere, the dwarves are worried about a cave-in that their friends have been caught in. The three Wielders rush off to help and somehow Vor is able to just pick up a fucking boulder and toss it away. This is not explained in any way so I guess we’re supposed to just forget it happened. The others are all like “Hey, good job” but look at that damn thing! It’s huge! Okay, okay, I really will stop talking about it now. Vor’s apparently a super hero.

Less talky more fighty. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Vor takes her friends to the castle to talk to the Magic Mirror. Eraqus promptly forgets their mission and tries to ask the Mirror how to beat Xehanort at chess. Keeping them on topic, Xehanort asks about the missing classmates. The Mirror speaks in riddles, stating that they’re all over the place but all alone, which answers one of their questions. They try to ask where one of them— Vidar— is but are interrupted by the Evil Queen, who has them pulled inside the Mirror where they have to battle the spirit of the Magic Mirror.

Afterwards Vidar appears acting shady and says that he can’t return with them yet. There’s something he has to do. He asks Vor to join him and we learn what she asked the Mirror at the beginning of the episode. She asked if she will ever become a Keyblade Master. The Mirror as usual doesn’t give a direct answer but says that she will fail and stagnate. She fears if they all become Masters, they won’t be together anymore. Vor leaves with Vidar through a Corridor of Darkness. (Her motivations are confusing here because she just got though worrying about them separating.) Eraqus is upset about her leaving and there’s a flashback to the seven friends in their classroom. They all have their own reasons to become Keyblade Masters. Eraqus wants to destroy darkness, Xehanort wants to see his friends (the ones from Union Cross and his recurring dreams), but Vor refuses to divulge her reasons.

Ahahaha Mirror burn. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

64 years later (!), old man Xehanort approaches the Mirror, asking it if it recognizes him. Unlike the Queen of Hearts, it does. It also recognizes that Xehanort has less hair. Xehanort claims it’s a demonstration of his resolve. (So there’s another mystery solved… evil doesn’t make Xehanort lose his fantastic anime hair. He shaves his head to… make a point? Alrighty then. You do you, X.) He asks the Mirror where his friends are from his dreams. The Mirror says they are still out there. The Mirror prophesizes that on a field of keys stands a boy of great light and darkness. (Which is clearly Ventus in the Keyblade Graveyard.)

Eraqus looks pretty good for a dude pushing 70. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 5 starts 54 years from present time. (Assuming the kids were 14-16 or thereabouts, this means Xehanort and Eraqus are around 70. Huh. Guess aging works differently in their worlds?) Eraqus, now grown, tries to talk Xehanort out of looking for the X-Blade, as it’s forbidden knowledge. Old Man X says that plunging the world into darkness may reveal a precious light. Unable to talk his old friend out of this clear mistake, Eraqus summons his Keyblade and charges. Xehanort fires blasts of darkness at him, giving him the scars we saw in Birth By Sleep. (And also proving definitively that during the events of that game Eraqus was fully aware that his friend was on a dark path and did nothing to warn his students away from him. I always assumed he had no idea what Xehanort was up to.)

We never get to see him get the No Name. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Then we jump to 7 years after the events of Dark Road (three years after the graveyard scene) and a nice parallel to the future confrontation. Xehanort now has possession of the No Name Keyblade that once belonged to Luxu. He was apparently given this Keyblade a year before upon reaching the status of Master. He is already on the path to Kingdom Hearts and Eraqus is very upset that he’s messing with these dangerous forces.

Back in the present day the kids seek the advice of Master Odin, but he’s nowhere to be found. The rift between Eraqus and Xehanort continues to grow as they argue over what to do next and what it means to be a Keyblade Master. Bragi leaves with Eraqus (marking the first time he’s not in your party) and Xehanort takes the other two: Hermod and Urd. They head off on their respective missions.

Yeah yeah, we’ve heard this before. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

We see Vidar approach Master Odin. Odin warns him the Heartless are not the real danger. They need to watch out for True Darkness.

More new characters. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

In the world of Beast’s Castle, the three wielders continue their journey. They save Chip the teacup from the Heartless and the Beast’s magical rose is stolen. The enchanted servants think that because Urd is a girl, she can break the spell. (A little presumptuous of them, isn’t it? This is a person they met moments ago and they’re all “Hey, fall in love with our furry master. It’s not weird.“)

The Wielders jump to the conclusion that the rose must have been stolen by one of the upperclassmen. When they meet the Beast (who’s as full of rage as you would expect) he confirms their theory. He says two visitors with similar key-shaped weapons stole his rose. They flee so that they’re not forced to fight a resident of the world. They all get surrounded by Heartless and Urd is separated from the others. She’s saved in the nick of time by two new characters, the bespectacled Vala and the masked Vali, two of the missing classmen. They give Urd the rose, stating that it’s essential to keeping the world’s order and that they have a larger plan they need help with. Urd refuses to go with them.

We cut to one year later, as the younger wielders are being tested for the Mark of Mastery. Xehanort reflects on their journeys to other worlds and realizes that even through his armor, the darkness in the corridor is seeping in. He deactivates his armor to test his strength, but soon falls. He is approached by a man in a black coat who calls him “the singularity”. There is a flash of the desert as the episode ends.

Episode 6 starts where the last one ended and this is the scene I was waiting for. We got some of this in Kingdom Hearts III— Young Xehanort’s meeting with the most mysterious of all Kingdom Hearts characters, the Master of Masters.

I really want to know more about MoM. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Xehanort makes no secret that he doesn’t trust the stranger, even though he saved his life. MoM says he used to be a Keyblade wielder (“more or less”) but he’s never heard of the Mark of Mastery exam, showing that he’s not a “mainstream” wielder. Xehanort summons his Keyblade and MoM summons it to his own hand (!). He gives Xehanort his own black coat, saying that it gives better protection than his armor. He asks Xehanort for a favor… to look at people’s hearts. MoM wants to know if love actually originates from a feeling of light or darkness. Those with power could drag others down due to feelings of superiority and those without power do the same due to inferiority. The weak fear the strong. These words resonate with Xehanort, making him think of the Disney characters he met a year before. MoM asks Xehanort to decide if he’s one of the strong ones or one of the weak ones, but X doesn’t believe people should be categorized in such extremes. The Master of Masters says he will wait in that spot for Xehanort to return and tell him about his trip.

So much gold. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Back to present day. In Agrabah, Jafar uses the sands of time and has a vision of the three Keyblade wielders. He tricks them into the Cave of Wonders. Elsewhere Urd has revealed to X and E that she saw Vala and Vali. In the Cave of Wonders, the five friends are reunited and realize Jafar tricked them. They also suspect the upper classmen of stealing items crucial to the balance of the worlds, like the lamp and the rose.

This guy again. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Before they can grab the lamp, Vidar appears, with Vor in tow. He says that yes, stealing the vital items upsets the balance of the worlds, but that should bring out the true light. (Which echoes what Xehanort says when he’s much older.) The missing classmen are trying to gather the seven lights. (The Princesses of Heart?) Vidar hints that some of his friends fell to the darkness already, and that’s why those that remain are so focused on defeating the true Darkness. He asks Xehanort to seek out the light they need, and then leaves with Vor. The others decide to leave the lamp in the Cave because screw Jafar. They head off to consult with Master Odin.

How do you pronounce that? (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Another flash to one year later. Xehanort, looking spiffy in his black coat, meets with the Master of Masters again in the desert. The coat worked at keeping the darkness away, and in his journey, he learned the reason for his existence. He has learned that all people have darkness in their hearts and their light is a lie. The weak take the power from the strong, convincing themselves that they earned it. This makes their darkness grow and spread. He can’t let them alone, it’s better that they be ruled by darkness so that there will be order. Pretty heavy lessons. MoM seems to be pushing Xehanort towards his destiny with these conversations. He says that one day Xehanort will outgrow his coat. If he truly possesses great power, the Darkness cannot control him. He’ll be the one controlling it. (MoM admits he’s too much of scaredy cat to ever take his coat off.)

He again evades Xehanort’s questions about who he really is. Xehanort pushes, asking for his name and MoM decides that there’s really no harm in him knowing it. We don’t get to see it, though— it’s depicted with a dash. He says that he’s a Lost Master.

Set up for Birth By Sleep. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 7 starts 65 years later, as Old Xehanort leads a blank-faced Ventus through the Corridor of Darkness. He thinks back to his first mentor (the dingy-cloaked stranger who took care of him as a baby) who told him of the “child of destiny who can connect their hearts to others and feel what they feel”. True to what MoM said, he no longer wears his black coat. This is so he can withstand the darkness and negative emotions, proving himself worthy. (Presumably worthy to rule everyone in darkness, as he mentioned when he was younger.)

We flash to Aqua and Terra training in the Land of Departure under Master Eraqus. Eraqus has forgiven Xehanort and agrees to take on Ventus as his third apprentice. As for why Xehanort won’t train the boy himself, he believes he needs someone better to take up the task, as he suspects that Ventus may be the child of destiny. This idea shocks Eraqus, but they can’t discuss it further. They hear a scream and rush to see what’s happening.

They rarely attend class. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

We won’t find out what that’s all about, however, as now we’re back in Young Xehanort’s classroom. The wielders tell Master Odin about Vidar’s plan to gather the true light by disrupting the balance of the worlds. And also that they lost Vor to this cause. Eraqus understands that she’s just trying to do what’s right, but he can’t understand why Vidar is willing to ruin other worlds. Odin explains that True Darkness is an enemy from long ago, and has birthed all the Heartless that have form. We see Odin discussing True Darkness with Vidar in the past. He explains that the actions taken by the Lost Masters lead them to believe that if True Darkness takes a vessel, it then has form and can be defeated for good. The vessel lost in this would be a “necessary sacrifice”. Vidar disagrees, says there must be another way. They’ve already lost enough. Odin says that there is another way, but it’s barred from use… Kingdom Hearts. They know little about it, but they do know the steps to summon it. Seven lights are the key, but they must be True Lights that shine amidst the chaos of darkness. To call upon the power of Kingdom Hearts is to purge the worlds, but they don’t know for sure that it would abolish darkness. It would certainly have an effect on every world, though.

Back in the classroom, Odin tells his students about Kingdom Hearts, but seems a bit more sure that darkness without form could be destroyed by its power. (Interesting how he’s giving different opinions to different wielders…) Master Odin relieves them of their duty, as it’s proven to be above their level. When they leave, Odin muses that the Dark Seeker will finally be upon them, hinting at another prophecy.

Dragonfire! (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

The young wielders return to the square and discuss their next move. They all agree they’re not supposed to act, but Eraqus can’t let Vidar keep messing with worlds. Xehanort agrees with this, but what can they do? No one who was involved is around anymore. Suddenly, as if on cue, their classmate Baldr appears, back from his secret mission to learn about darkness. They fill him in on what’s going on, and he suggest they can still talk to the fallen classmen… in the Underworld. Baldr reveals that he was actually sent away to recover… he nearly died and his sister Hoder did die protecting him from Dragon Maleficent.

The gang’s all here. Except for Urd. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

He opens a portal and they find themselves in Olympus Coliseum. Hades appears and offers them a deal— he’ll let them go to the Underworld if they win the tournament. One team is Xehanort, Eraqus, and Bragi. Of course they win, in a series of playable battles that reminded me of the early days of the game.

Hades changes their deal and instead drags them all into the Underworld and separates the teams. Xehanort demands to be allowed to speak with one of the fallen wielders, Baldr’s sister Hoder. Hades points out that it will be difficult, since she didn’t die on this world, which is an interesting point that I’d never considered before… the Underworld is only the afterlife for Olympus… does that mean that the people who die on Olympus are doomed to the Underworld and can never reach the Final World? (If you recall this is the blue land where Sora ended up after dying in Kingdom Hearts III and had to return to in order to find Kairi. This was shown as the place hearts go when they leave the body. I wonder if we’ll ever get clarification on this.)

Anyway, Hades will only arrange this meeting if one of them stays behind in the Underworld. They fight their way through the Underworld and are confronted with Cerberus, who they can’t defeat. Baldr appears out of nowhere and keeps the beast busy with Bragi while X and E run ahead to find the others. Their other two friends are close by and head back to help in the doggy battle. Xehanort and Eraqus soon find four of the fallen upper classmen: Hoder, Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun. (All fine KH names! Also vaguely Norse, so that’s interesting…)

Yeesh how many characters are there? (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

After Xehanort explains what Vidar is up to, the fallen wielders explain what happened to them. In their journeys they learned that the evil fairy Maleficent put a curse on Princess Aurora. (Which I’m a little confused about, since we saw that happen in Birth By Sleep also…) They knew they couldn’t interfere, order of the worlds and all that, but Hoder sneaked off anyway to help Aurora and was killed. (Which we saw in Baldr’s flashback.) The three who went after her are also killed by Dragon Maleficent. (Vidar and the others we saw in previous episodes decided not to go with them.)

The wielders found themselves as hearts without bodies in a World with never-ending sky and ocean. (The afore-mentioned Final World.) Back in the Underworld, the upper classmen tell them to live their own lives, broaden their horizons, and make their own way. They then fade away, the limited time Hades granted them over. Before she goes, Hoder asks Xehanort a favor, but we don’t get to see what that is yet.

Another Hades fight. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

On the way back they run into only Urd. Hades says that one of the others live in the Underworld now, as per their agreement that none of them technically agreed to. And, he adds, he can make room for the other one. Eraqus is pissed and challenges Hades. (I like his characterization as an easy-going goof who’s also got a short temper.) Hermod arrives to help. After the battle a portal opens and sucks the wielders in. What caused the portal is a mystery, as Hades is also surprised by it.

I bet he’s always fetching kids from the corridors of darkness. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

In the Corridor of Darkness, Hermod and Urd are separated from the other two. Xehanort and Eraqus put on their armor so they can survive the darkness. Sadly we see the other two fall to darkness, their hearts rising up to the sky as happens when all wielders die. A white light appears and it’s Master Odin, coming to save the unconscious Xehanort and Eraqus.

We jump to 65 years later, back in the Land of Departure. Old Man X talks with Vanitus (the darkness extracted from Ventus’s heart). Some of this will be recap for us, but X explains that long ago there were 13 ancient darknesses, primitive and formless. The Foretellers used themselves as vessels to trap seven of them. Four were imprisoned (by the Union Cross wielders) in the data world. Two were destroyed as the worlds collapsed, and one survived, disguised as an ally of light. Xehanort suspects it still hides in their time, and hints that it may be Vanitus. If he was not born of Ventus’s natural darkness, where else could he have come from? And why would he feel the need to hide? Fear of light? Vanitus, either completely unaware of his true nature or playing his cards close, says he really doesn’t think any of this has anything to do with him and there’s no reason for him to be afraid of Ventus. Xehanort says he believes Vanitus was inhabiting Ventus. And if that’s true where did the two of them come from? He knew of Ventus from his dreams… which we know were the subconscious memories of Player. He feels meeting Ventus was destiny.

I don’t know why the text is so big. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Episode 8. Here we are, the grand finale. Two years after their friends were lost, Xehanort and Eraqus meet for one of their chess games and E asks how the journey went. X says it made him think about a lot of things and realize that one lifetime is too short. He would need at least 13 lifetimes to accomplish everything and rebuild the world. Then he revises it… a 14th life to explore the new world.

He asks what Eraqus’s dream is… to become a Keyblade Master? Eraqus says his dream is to stay true to light. If anyone finds themselves lost in darkness, he can be the beacon to guide them back. Xehanort thanks him for always being there.

Being a wielder is a lot like being a Jedi. Except you can have kids. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Back in present time, Xehanort and Eraqus are the only survivors from the visit to the Underworld in Episode 7. Master Odin tells them that what they’ve lost is immeasurable, but neither of them are responsible for how it turned out. It was his failing in identifying the new darkness and the actions of the upper classmates that led to this outcome. Odin confirms that the others were all lost, and that their sacrifices must not be in vain. He seems shocked when Eraqus mentions that Baldr was with them. But before he can press on, a tremor shakes the building. Odin says that it’s begun. He summons his Keyblade and leaves to evacuate the other students, telling Xehanort and Eraqus to stay in the classroom.

Xehanort knows what’s up… it’s Baldr. Losing his sister made him susceptible to darkness. Eraqus decides that he must confront his old friend, to purge the darkness from his heart. He’s already lost his other friends, he can’t lose Baldr too, no matter what he’s done while under the sway of darkness. Xehanort follow him outside, where they find Scala ad Caelum under seige.

Vidar and his friends arrive and they soon learn Vidar knew all along that Baldr had become a vessel. Despite this, he couldn’t bring himself to kill his friend when he had the chance. Eraqus says none of this would have happened had Vidar chosen to go with the others to save Hoder. He summons his Keyblade and Xehanort warns his to not let his anger take over. Eraqus tells him that even if he gives in to anger, darkness won’t rule him He also reminds Xehanort that he promised to help and the pair clash with Vidar, Vala, and Vali.

I don’t think that’s going to work Eraqus. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

After the fight, Xehanort turns his Keyblade on Eraqus, reminding him that his goal was to defeat the darkness, not his classmates. Eraqus stands down, saying that he never thought Baldr was the kind who could fall to darkness. Vidar agreed, saying this is why he was trying to summon Kingdom Hearts and purge all the darkness… but that he’s now changed his mind. Even if he could summon Kingdom Hearts, he wouldn’t. That’s when Xehanort noticed Vor was missing from their group. Vidar says she went to the tower to find Master Odin.

Baldr appears in an aura of darkness, saying that they failed to gather the light. We learn that all along Xehanort suspected Baldr had darkness in him, which is what spurred Baldr to act now. Eraqus appeals to the light still left in his friend. Dark Baldr reveals that if they defeat the darkness, Baldr will disappear along with it. Vidar says they have no choice. Baldr laughs, stating he has business at the tower. He leaves a hoard of Heartless to keep them busy. Xehanort realizes that Baldr is after Vor. The upper classmen easily dispatch the Heartless and run off to save Vor, with X and E close behind.

This sequence is well done. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Baldr finds Vor before the others do. We get flashbacks to the days following Hoder’s death and see Baldr’s struggle with darkness. He’s filled with questions as to why his sister had to die and why her friends failed to protect her. As the days pass, the room becomes darker and darker, and Baldr comes to the conclusion that there’s no reason for the world to remain in light now that she’s gone. Darkness appears to him and tells him to purge the Worlds, to make the light disappear.

Back in the present, Dark Baldr reveals that he was the one who got rid of all the others, including Hoder. We see a montage of him approaching each weakened wielder. Darkness was a formless shadow when it took Hoder, and Baldr saw it happen. (I’m assuming he’s also the one who opened the portal in the Underworld.) Vor, he says, will make number eight in the lights he’s claimed.

This guy just straight up murdered half the good guys. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Before Baldr can defeat Vor, the Three V’s appear and join the battle, followed closely by Xehanort and Eraqus. Before Vidar can strike him down, Baldr summons a huge Heartless called Hringhorn. It easily kills the last three upper classmen and now ten lights have been taken. Vidar has just enough time to apologize to Xehanort before disappearing.

As Hringhorn holds the heroes back, Vor attacks Baldr and is cut down as well.

All my friends are dead. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Before she disappears, Vor apologizes for leaving her friends behind to join Vidar’s cause. With all their friends claimed by darkness, all that remains between Dark Baldr and Kingdom Hearts are the final two lights— Xehanort and Eraqus. Baldr wants to finish this somewhere worthy of the occasion and teleports away.

Chess reference to subtly tie the themes together. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

We find him on the balcony of the tower, where we’d seen Vidar talking with Master Odin in flashbacks. This is where Baldr will complete the thirteen darknesses and summon Kingdom Hearts. Xehanort is confused. Wouldn’t Kingdom Hearts purge the worlds of darkness, killing Dark Baldr? No, Baldr says that the purge will cause the world to be reborn in darkness. See, he was the one who set Vidar on the path to Kingdom Hearts. But when Vidar gave up on the plan, Baldr had no choice but to change his strategy, using the Keyblade wielders as his lights instead of the essential lights of the Worlds.

Xehanort and Eraqus fight the final battle against the powerful Heartless, Hringhorn. (This was the final battle of the game and actually turned out to be challenging. I did die once, having to use a continue to finish the battle. Still easier than the early days of the game, but losing surprised me.)

Xehanort is staggered after the battle and Eraqus saves him, telling him to drive the darkness out of Baldr while he’s down. With an ominous theme playing, Xehanort slowly approaches his fallen classmate, preparing to kill him. Eraqus has second thoughts, thinking there may still be a chance to save him. Baldr asks Xehanort to stop and darkness surrounds him and Baldr.

The implication here is that only the two of them can hear this conversation. Baldr tells Xehanort to put his Keyblade away. He’s wrong… Baldr is not True Darkness. Hearts are not ruled by just light or dark. Things are not that simple. Can Xehanort truthfully say that his heart is not tainted, even a little, by shadow? Is he truly like the other lights he fights alongside? Baldr says that he and Xehanort are the same, standing by the light only to cast shadows and beget darkness. He stands with Eraqus, just as Baldr stood with Hoder. When that light disappears, they lose their purpose, swallowed by the void. Baldr is not the ancient darkness… he’s the unknown, and fear gives him shape and form. He wasn’t an outside invading threat, he was born from the shadows that grew within Baldr’s heart. That’s how Heartless are born, how so many across the scattered worlds have been infected by darkness, and even how True Darkness was born long ago.

Baldr doesn’t believe that Xehanort can bring himself to defeat him, but suddenly a light blooms in Xehanort’s chest and Hoder appears from within her place in Xehanort’s heart. The promise he’d made to her in the Underworld was to allow her to come along inside his heart so that she could speak with her brother one last time. Hoder apologizes for the pain she caused to him. Baldr says it wasn’t her fault, even when he was young he could see the darkness inside others. But over time he realized the darkness he was sensing was actually his own. He realized that there were two kinds of people— those filled with light like Hoder and Eraqus, and those filled with growing darkness like himself. (And Xehanort, although he doesn’t say it.) The siblings draw their Keyblades but Xehanort stops them from fighting. Baldr is going to strike down his sister anyway but before he can, he is bound by golden chains that disperse the darkness.

This feels like a “point of no return” choice. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Master Odin is standing behind him, binding him to give Xehanort a chance to a chance to rid Baldr of his darkness. Eraqus cries out, but Baldr and Hoder strike each other. Hoder disappears and Baldr falls. He tells Xehanort “There’s only them and us.“ Those with light condemn the ones who have strength, claiming their power comes from darkness. (Following what Xehanort later tells MoM, that would equate to the lights being weak and those with darkness being the strong.) That their friends were just stepping stones along their path. He implores Xehanort go out and seek answers to the unjustness of the world, to darkness. Xehanort, saying nothing, approaches and kills Baldr, watching his heart rise into the sky. Odin says that destiny can be cruel.

It’s dangerous to attend this school. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

One month later, Xehanort lays flowers on the graves of his fallen friends and upper classmen, including Baldr. Now he and his sister can be together and share the light. Eraqus arrives with his own flowers. Xehanort has been isolated for the past month, Master Odin quiet and depressed. The two joke around a bit but we learn that even though Eraqus pretends to be as carefree as ever, he has been crying alone in his room every night. Master Odin wants them to take the Mark of Mastery exam and has stopped accepting new apprentices. He wants them to become Masters and take his place so that he can retire and leave Scala ad Caelum, settling on some cozy little world. (Hmm, Disney Castle maybe? Get it, Disney, Florida, retire? Aw, nevermind.) Eraqus challenges Xehanort to chess. X thinks of how Baldr told him Eraqus was his light and tells his friend to always hold on to his dream.

After they leave, a man in a black coat arrives in the cemetery, saying that he guesses it wasn’t him after all. We get to see a scene we hadn’t been privy to before— Baldr and Bragi defeating Cerberus in the Underworld. Bragi suddenly realizes the truth about Baldr and confronts him. Baldr turns on Bragi, who seems resigned to his fate. But he says it’s the end for both of them, since Xehanort suspects. If Baldr goes back alone, it would confirm his suspicions. Bragi says with all the trouble Baldr caused, he’d draw too much attention as a vessel so he’d “rather just keep this body a little longer“. Bragi disarms the confused Baldr and says “You think you’re strong enough to beat me? As if!“

Oh shit. Who do we know who can jump from body to body and uses that catchphrase? That’s right, the Lost Master Luxu, otherwise known as Xigbar and before that Braig. (See how close those names are: Braig, Bragi… it was right in front of us the whole time.) So now we know another one of the countless bodies Luxu possessed in his lifetimes after Union Cross.

Oh that Luxu. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

He says he has no urge to get in Baldr’s way or fight him, so he’ll just disappear. Baldr asks who he is. Bragi just laughs and keeps walking. Baldr runs up behind him, Keyblade drawn and the scene cuts back to the cemetery. He says, “Tough luck. No chosen one yet. But Xehanort could be useful.“ He pulls back his hood and it’s Bragi, somehow surviving the confrontation in the Underworld. (He must have faked his death since Baldr counted him among the lights he’d collected.) He muses that he can’t show his face anymore, considering he’s supposed to be buried there. Roll credits.

Just a kid and his hermit. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

After the credits we cut to nine years ago on Destiny Islands. Child Xehanort sits on the lap of the mysterious robed man who was his guardian. The man talks about the Child of Destiny, who he insists is Xehanort. He shares a bloodline with a renowned Keyblade wielder. The child of destiny is a special child who saves the world from darkness. Xehanort, he says, will meet and interact with many people. These interactions will shape his emotions and thoughts, leading him on his destined path. Since the two of them are the only ones on their little island (Destiny Islands, where Sora, Riku, and Kairi will later play) he will need to leave the island. He’s been kept safe from darkness there until he grew strong enough to overcome it.

Xehanort asks if he can see his mom again once he’s stronger. He doesn’t remember her, but he also wants to meet the kids from his dreams. He doesn’t know who they are, but they seem to really like each other. Is that what having friends is like? The robed man asks the boy to tell him about the kids. There’s a boy with curly silver hair (Ephemer), a boy with black clothes and a hat (Brain), a skinny boy with pink hair (Laurium), and a quiet boy with blonde hair (Ventus). And a girl with dark hair like his mom (Skuld). And there’s another one who reminds Xehanort of his guardian. This makes robe guy sad and Xehanort can sense what’s in his heart.

Robe guy says that he’s experienced much in his two lifetimes, and shared much of it with the boy. But there’s more to tell and now it’s time. He tells Xehanort that during his first life there was something called the Book of Prophecies. It was given to a dear friend but meant to be kept secret. In his second life, he learned that light was to expire and darkness prevail, but that a child of destiny could prevent it. This child would have the ability to feel, share, and embrace what others felt in their hearts. They could even connect their heart with others to become one. He would hail from the Isles of Destiny.

Ohhhh snap. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Later, Xehanort is the age we saw him in Dark Road. Robe Guy says the end of his time has come. It’s time for Xehanort to leave and encounter many people. “Your childhood dreams are a precious memory I still hold dear.“ He goes on to explain that the dreams the boy had were the memories in his guardian’s heart and in his journey he will connect with many other hearts in the same way. He warns X that not all hearts are good. Some may poison his, moving him to negative emotions. He will be tested by darkness but must press on and become the light’s master. Coursing through his veins is the blood of Ephemer, a dear friend of the guy in the robe. Robe Guy falls and his heart rises. Xehanort’s journey begins. The end.

Wielder against wielder. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Yeah… that shakes things up. That’s one of the fun things about Kingdom Hearts. Just when you think you know what’s going on, where the story is headed, it takes a drastic turn. At the end of Union Cross the character you play as was gifted a second lifetime. I was certain the implication was that Xehanort was the Player character reborn, and I discussed this in the post. (The more I think about it, the more I think they intended for us to believe that. It was a red herring.) No, with this new information, it turns out that Xehanort is actually the child of Ephemer… the nameless, faceless guy in the dingy robes was actually Player at the end of his second lifetime. (I’ve been saying “he” but really we never know the guardian’s gender.) He passed on his memories, feelings, and experiences. In that way he lived on and shaped the rest of the Dark Seeker Saga.

And actually, the twist that Robe Guy was Player is a better plot point than Player being reborn as Xehanort. It brings up many intriguing questions. Did Player try to shape Xehanort into the child of destiny because he was Ephemer’s son? Or was it wishful thinking? I mean, clearly Sora is the true child of destiny, but Xehanort brought Ventus to train with Master Eraqus… Aqua met Sora in her journeys and placed Ventus within his heart for safekeeping. Having Ventus in his heart created Roxas and made Sora into who he ended up being. So in many ways, Xehanort had a direct hand in creating the child of destiny.

Thoughts: This game was meant to expand on Xehanort’s story and explain how he ended up as the big bad thus far in the Kingdom Hearts series. When all is said and done, did it accomplish its goal? I think so. We got to see Xehanort as a more layered character and see that, while he was eventually corrupted by the darkness he sought to control, he did have good intentions. He saw the way the worlds were, the way people were, and he wanted to impose order and control over them, to recreate the world in a way he thought would be better for everyone. I really liked the character of Xehanort, kind of an aloof, direct, quiet guy who was always watching, always thinking. It was really nice to see him cast in a more positive light. (One person’s villain is another’s hero… we’re all the heroes in our own story. All that.) It was especially nice to see his complicated friendship with Eraqus… that really underlined the good in Xehanort. It also gave us a look at Eraqus before he became all serious and gruff. And we got to see how he got his scars. I like that they were inflicted by Xehanort.

Over the course of the other games we saw many incarnations of Xehanort: his bodiless heart, his possession of Terra, his Heartless Ansem, his Nobody Xemnes, his younger self, and his older and more corrupted self. Here we got to see glimpses all along his timeline, with the main focus being on his adolescence, before getting his black coat. We got to learn his true motivations for all he did in the other games, his friendship with Eraqus, and the heightened expectations Player put on him prior to all of this.

This story sheds more light on his appearances in Sora’s adventures, and especially on his final moments in KH3 where Eraqus kept his promise to lead his old lost friend back to the light. This makes that seem much more significant as a callback to their youth. The revelations about Xehanort’s parentage underlines the importance of Ephemer in the series and also makes his unexpected appearance in KH3 that much more special. The legendary Keyblade wielder, the founder of Scala ad Caelum, and the father of the Dark Seeker, appearing out of the afterlife to lead his fellow fallen wielders in a massive battle against darkness, one last time. Love it. Also the twist about Bragi being Luxu all along was pretty cool… you just never know where that guy is going to turn up. (I’ll be ready and watching for him in the next game, Missing Link.)

So as a part of the whole, I think it did very well. As a story in its own right, I did enjoy it, although it felt a bit rushed in the final three chapters. It became very cut scene heavy after the announcement of the conclusion, as there was still a lot of story to cover. So just like with Union Cross, I have to wonder how many episodes there would have been if it had been given several years to play out. As a result of the breakneck pace, we didn’t get much of a sense of the other wielder’s personalities, which somewhat robbed us of the impact of their deaths.

Another thing that struck me as odd was the addition of the “child of destiny” prophecy. Unless I’m missing something, this is the first time this has been mentioned in the entire series and it is positioned here as being vital. (Sure, there’s been “chosen one” implications about Sora and Ventus but never expressed in this way exactly.) As I said earlier, the actual child of destiny is clearly Sora, and it explains a lot about his less-explored powers. (Being able to shelter other hearts within his, being able to sense his friends and remain connected to them, coming back from becoming split into Heartless and Nobody.) Xehanort is not this chosen one, but clearly he has some of that power since he was able to pick up on Player’s memories and feelings of his past life.

The cut scenes were important but by the end they comprised much of the experience, with the gameplay feeling like an afterthought. Honestly, although the gameplay was fun (except for the infinite runner aspect of leaving the game on auto to grind levels and materials) I think this story would have been better served as an hour-long movie, like what they did with Union X Back Cover. Maybe we’ll still get one… I mean, they have to put the stories of Union Cross and Dark Road into some sort of form for future fans to experience now that these games are somewhat inaccessible. (And until then, you have these four posts as the story summaries.)

This is actually a scene from Union Cross, but it fits here. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

Of course, as with all things Kingdom Hearts, we’re still left with many questions. We still know very little about the Master of Masters. We still don’t know what happened to Ephemer apart from him founding Scala ad Caelum. How did Eraqus and Xehanort know what Brain said about darkness? We didn’t find out why the Emblem Heartless exist in this time period when they’re created by Xehanort decades later. (They even went so far as to point it out but then never resolved the question. Seems like a big oversight to me. Chekov’s Gun fell between the floorboards and they just left it there.) Oh, here’s a good one. How the heck was Aurora able to be cursed here and then again 65 years later in Birth By Sleep? That confuses me. I can’t make the logic of that one work out except for the fact that they revealed time flows differently in all worlds. Does this mean that the upper classmen saw Aurora being cursed and then the next day Terra shows up but for everyone else it’s been 65 years? No clue.

Here’s another intriguing question: was Skuld actually Xehanort’s mother? At the end of Union Cross, Skuld is the one Dandelion we didn’t see, and the flashback of Xehanort’s mother certainly does look like her, but with longer hair. (See the screenshot above.) Of course we don’t know how much time has passed, except that Player is old now and Scala ad Caelum is a fully built up city… so it’s more likely that she’s Ephemer and Skuld’s daughter or grandaughter, who will likely be a character in the upcoming game Missing Link. This makes more sense, as Player didn’t say Xehanort was his grandson, just in his bloodline. I do believe that if Skuld and Ephemer ended up in the same time after leaving their pods they would likely get together. They seemed close.

He’s one of those teens who has his whole life charted out. (Credit: Square Enix, Disney)

But the questions can wait. This was the story of Dark Road, and our own road is nearing its end. I only have one more planned installment in my Untangling series, and that will be the one that ties it all together. Thank you for reading this extensive summary and bearing with my musings and overthinking. I appreciate you all and will see you again soon for Part 10!