Woah! Oh damn! Wait, what?! Woah noooo! Whyyyy?!

 

-time passes-

 

Welp, let's repeat that.

Pretty sure that's Riku Replica. I know people like linking him and the Bug Blox together, but really think about it. Data-Riku is a benevolent character, and one that seemed to be off Xehanort's radar. Why would he care about a being made of data when Riku Replica could work just as well, has a physical body that was literally designed to be filled up in the first place, and has a much more open appreciation for Darkness? Data-Riku was unwilling in his corruption in Coded, and yet if this is supposed to be him then why is he suddenly fine with being taken over now? It just doesn't add up, even if you wanted to argue that he was being controlled by Bugs like before, there's still a clear difference. He was visibly struggling to keep the Bugs and the Darkness within him at bay. If we're supposed to believe that this is indeed Data-Riku, then why the sudden 180? What's the motivation, where is the struggle, why is he just fine with being a pawn when he was very obviously against it earlier?

 

At least Riku-Replica being evil is more believable, he already has a clear motivation to want to become a Seeker of Darkness, to become different from and better than the real Riku. He has enough resentment for Riku that his Darkness would be much more to Xehanort's liking, raw rage like Vanitas, easy to control and manipulate. Data-Riku is about as passive as the real Riku was in CoM, KH2, and 3D when it comes to Darkness, it wouldn't make sense for him to suddenly be okay with using it in an evil manner. If anything he would just use it in a similar manner to the real Riku, on the road to dawn.

 

And there's one more bit of evidence against it being Data-Riku. Said Riku-lookalike muses about how competitive he and Sora used to be. That harkens back to the scene in Hallow Bastion all the way back in KH1, where Riku literally said "We've always been rivals haven't we? You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you." It's a reference back to when Riku was under the sway of Darkness. Data-Riku never speaks that way, he never behaved that way, he always seemed to work as a sort of composite of Riku as he was in CoM and what he became in KH2, level-headed, witty but non-competitive, focused on the bigger picture.

 

Riku-Replica on the other hand is VERY based off of how Riku used to be in KH1. He's cold, ruthless, bitter and spiteful towards Sora as well as the real Riku, he only cares about strength and his sense of identity, the Darkness isn't something he thinks he needs to fear or manage safely, he thinks it's the greatest thing about him, he thinks it makes him better than anyone else. Even with his false memories of Sora and Namine, he constantly tries to bring up his and Sora's supposed past friendship, how they were always at odds with each other, how Riku had a reason to be resistant to Sora. That sounds much more in line with the kind of twistedly nostalgic Riku-lookalike we saw in this trailer.

 

There's nothing so far that suggests that Data-Riku is the only one who would be able to summon and use Blox in that sort of way, the Bug Blox are just Darkness in data form, and as Xemnas said before, data is very easy to manipulate, and I would imagine that "Dark-Data" is even easier to manipulate for staunch Darkness-users like the Seekers of Darkness.

 

I could be wrong and this could still end up being Data-Riku after all, but I have to say that would be kind of unsatisfying given the kind of person who he was before. I know we see that Demyx and Vexen end up being evil as well, but we never really got to see if they got any better after turning into humans. For all we know they were still just as bad as they were when they were Nobodies. Data-Riku was never bad to begin with, so it just feels so wrong to make him evil out of nowhere now. I know there's still the possibility that they just corrupted him unwillingly like they were trying to do with Sora in the first place, but that doesn't make it any less unsatisfying if that turns out to be the case. You could have at least teased the idea of him having some sort of moral conflict that was more than just a mirror/retread of Riku's character arc before you turned him over to the Dark side, but no, he never showed any signs of being in danger to giving in to his own Darkness, any instance close to that was due to outside influences, not his own weaknesses, apart from being ashamed of having Darkness inside himself, which would make him joining the glorified Darkness Club completely random.

 

And before anyone brings up the possibility that it's just KH1 Riku pulled out of the past, that still makes no sense. There's no reason that they would ever be trying to win Riku over in 3D if they already got a past version of him who's much more submissive to Darkness in the first place. Otherwise they would have just tried stealing a past version of Sora as well. So at best, this "other Riku" would have to be a separate entity, meaning he's either Riku-Replica or Data-Riku, and I already gave my arguments about why I feel it's the former instead of the latter.

Edited September 19, 20187 yr by Hero of Light XIV

I'm an Axel fan, so he obviously gets my vote.  Also liked seeing Saix and Axel meet up.  Xigbar is always awesome to see.  Loving Luxord's upgraded/sharper look.

 

This game is going to be both emotional and a cluster **** from what I've seen so far.  Can't wait!

 

But I was confused by Vexen.  He is a separate entity from Even, or did Even decide to go back to being a villain?  Even came back with the others, so this confused me the most in the trailer.

In addition to a lot of other things included in this poll, I loved the glimpse we got of Sora and Kairi sitting together in Destiny Islands.

Pretty sure that's Riku Replica. I know people like linking him and the Bug Blox together, but really think about it. Data-Riku is a benevolent character, and one that seemed to be off Xehanort's radar. Why would he care about a being made of data when Riku Replica could work just as well, has a physical body that was literally designed to be filled up in the first place, and has a much more open appreciation for Darkness? Data-Riku was unwilling in his corruption in Coded, and yet if this is supposed to be him then why is he suddenly fine with being taken over now? It just doesn't add up, even if you wanted to argue that he was being controlled by Bugs like before, there's still a clear difference. He was visibly struggling to keep the Bugs and the Darkness within him at bay. If we're supposed to believe that this is indeed Data-Riku, then why the sudden 180? What's the motivation, where is the struggle, why is he just fine with being a pawn when he was very obviously against it earlier?

 

At least Riku-Replica being evil is more believable, he already has a clear motivation to want to become a Seeker of Darkness, to become different from and better than the real Riku. He has enough resentment for Riku that his Darkness would be much more to Xehanort's liking, raw rage like Vanitas, easy to control and manipulate. Data-Riku is about as passive as the real Riku was in CoM, KH2, and 3D when it comes to Darkness, it wouldn't make sense for him to suddenly be okay with using it in an evil manner. If anything he would just use it in a similar manner to the real Riku, on the road to dawn.

 

And there's one more bit of evidence against it being Data-Riku. Said Riku-lookalike muses about how competitive he and Sora used to be. That harkens back to the scene in Hallow Bastion all the way back in KH1, where Riku literally said "We've always been rivals haven't we? You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you." It's a reference back to when Riku was under the sway of Darkness. Data-Riku never speaks that way, he never behaved that way, he always seemed to work as a sort of composite of Riku as he was in CoM and what he became in KH2, level-headed, witty but non-competitive, focused on the bigger picture.

 

Riku-Replica on the other hand is VERY based off of how Riku used to be in KH1. He's cold, ruthless, bitter and spiteful towards Sora as well as the real Riku, he only cares about strength and his sense of identity, the Darkness isn't something he thinks he needs to fear or manage safely, he thinks it's the greatest thing about him, he thinks it makes him better than anyone else. Even with his false memories of Sora and Namine, he constantly tries to bring up his and Sora's supposed past friendship, how they were always at odds with each other, how Riku had a reason to be resistant to Sora. That sounds much more in line with the kind of twistedly nostalgic Riku-lookalike we saw in this trailer.

 

There's nothing so far that suggests that Data-Riku is the only one who would be able to summon and use Blox in that sort of way, the Bug Blox are just Darkness in data form, and as Xemnas said before, data is very easy to manipulate, and I would imagine that "Dark-Data" is even easier to manipulate for staunch Darkness-users like the Seekers of Darkness.

 

I could be wrong and this could still end up being Data-Riku after all, but I have to say that would be kind of unsatisfying given the kind of person who he was before. I know we see that Demyx and Vexen end up being evil as well, but we never really got to see if they got any better after turning into humans. For all we know they were still just as bad as they were when they were Nobodies. Data-Riku was never bad to begin with, so it just feels so wrong to make him evil out of nowhere now. I know there's still the possibility that they just corrupted him unwillingly like they were trying to do with Sora in the first place, but that doesn't make it any less unsatisfying if that turns out to be the case. You could have at least teased the idea of him having some sort of moral conflict that was more than just a mirror/retread of Riku's character arc before you turned him over to the Dark side, but no, he never showed any signs of being in danger to giving in to his own Darkness, any instance close to that was due to outside influences, not his own weaknesses, apart from being ashamed of having Darkness inside himself, which would make him joining the glorified Darkness Club completely random.

 

And before anyone brings up the possibility that it's just KH1 Riku pulled out of the past, that still makes no sense. There's no reason that they would ever be trying to win Riku over in 3D if they already got a past version of him who's much more submissive to Darkness in the first place. Otherwise they would have just tried stealing a past version of Sora as well. So at best, this "other Riku" would have to be a separate entity, meaning he's either Riku-Replica or Data-Riku, and I already gave my arguments about why I feel it's the former instead of the latter.

TL;DR but it's Data Riku. He doesn't even have his neck covered in the weird darkness stuff that Repliku is covered in. Also Repliku is seen perfectly fine with Riku on Destiny Islands in the Pirates trailer. They don't sync up, the Norted Riku scene is in the BH6 world where the Bug Blox are prevalent.

TL;DR but it's Data Riku. He doesn't even have his neck covered in the weird darkness stuff that Repliku is covered in. Also Repliku is seen perfectly fine with Riku on Destiny Islands in the Pirates trailer. They don't sync up, the Norted Riku scene is in the BH6 world where the Bug Blox are prevalent.

Despite Vanitas' weird fashion sense, Riku Replica doesn't necessarily need to wear his suit under his cloak. And again, Data-Riku feels like a very odd choice for a vessel, there was like no build up to him ever being evil, and his personality seems to be a complete 180. He sounds more like Riku-Replica than anyone else. Also we still have no idea what the nature of that scene on Destiny Islands is. For all we know, that might just be a metaphorical conversation Riku has with himself, coming to terms with how vulnerable he used to be. It could still end up being Data-Riku after all, but a lot of things don't add up. You can't just throw Bug Blox and a hooded young Riku in there and call that a day, there needs to be some explanation for why he's acting like one version of Riku instead of how he typically acts, especially when one Riku-clone is more fitting of a vessel in context than the other.

Edited September 19, 20187 yr by Hero of Light XIV

Sora and Kairi sitting together watching the sunset, that just made me have feels :].

My other favorite parts are:

Sora grabbing Aqua's hand;

Sora in frint of Ven's glass station;

Sora and Kairi at destiny islands.

 

Sora and Kairi sitting together watching the sunset, that just made me have feels :].

 

 

I am willing to bet that that was from the last scene of the game

My favourite things were the Demyx/Even reveal, flying on Baymax (which looks soooooo awesome), Lea crying (broke my heart, but I still loved it), and one thing not listed that no one else seems to have noticed yet. For a second in the trailer, we see Ienzo being comforted by an unknown figure in a coat and who has a light coloured beard. I'm pretty sure that's Ansem the Wise. At first I assumed it was Luxord, but then I realized that his beard doesn't match. Ansem the Wise was Ienzo's adoptive father, so could it be that he comes back to help his son?

I had to go with Davy Jones.

 

Ienzo calling Sora, and the gang being dissapointed it isn't Riku was funny.

Oh my god we get to fight the Kraken during the Maelstrom this is the best game ever.

 

Also ROXAS!!!!!!

Well, I'd say almost everything! But the most? Master Xehanort in UE4

Despite Vanitas' weird fashion sense, Riku Replica doesn't necessarily need to wear his suit under his cloak. And again, Data-Riku feels like a very odd choice for a vessel, there was like no build up to him ever being evil, and his personality seems to be a complete 180. He sounds more like Riku-Replica than anyone else. Also we still have no idea what the nature of that scene on Destiny Islands is. For all we know, that might just be a metaphorical conversation Riku has with himself, coming to terms with how vulnerable he used to be. It could still end up being Data-Riku after all, but a lot of things don't add up. You can't just throw Bug Blox and a hooded young Riku in there and call that a day, there needs to be some explanation for why he's acting like one version of Riku instead of how he typically acts, especially when one Riku-clone is more fitting of a vessel in context than the other.

I don't think Repliku can even be seen in other ways anymore. I clearly remember him looking like the dark form he has held all this time. It makes no sense to use the Bug Blox then go yeah it's Repliku. It correctly adds up to be Data Riku.

I don't think Repliku can even be seen in other ways anymore. I clearly remember him looking like the dark form he has held all this time. It makes no sense to use the Bug Blox then go yeah it's Repliku. It correctly adds up to be Data Riku.

But the idea of it being Data-Riku is still flawed. His personality never made him that compelling as an antagonist, only as a supporting character. At best he would have to be corrupted again in order for this to work, but as we saw he has a strong enough will to actively resist being corrupted, he had to be strong-armed into doing Pete and Maleficent's doing. Everyone else on the Seekers side seems to be much more willing to follow Xehanort's will, whether it's for their own motivations or if they all just buy into the promises he's been giving them. Either way, it's asking A LOT to try and convince me that a character who has no place in being a villain is suddenly supposed to be a villain now when there's clearly a better candidate out there ripe for the picking. Aesthetics alone are not enough to convince me.