like the title says, what if xehanort is still and was always meant to be the "child of destiny"? what if the hints and the image of young xehanort being in quadratum in some form means he's not JUST going to maybe be a new ally of Sora's, but what if it means...he's going to finally, truly fulfill his destiny as the child of destiny?!

What if he starts to open up to Sora, starts to trust him, and they become allies and friends, and they even share in their empathic abilities together, and Xehanort helps Sora defeat either the Darknesses or the MoM - who manipulated him as a young man; something Xehanort could learn about and tell Sora if he also confronts MoM in Quadratum!

That way, Xehanort gets an actual amazing proper redemption arc, fulfills his true destiny in his 14th life, and Sora gets to stay being a normal non-destined guy who just knows what's right and fights his hardest for it.

What if THAT is the red herring about this narrative? Sora's not gonna be the child of destiny: it really was Xehanort all along.

BAM. That is my crazy theory! What do you think?

I would really like this. Lol

Imo, the series needs to retire Xehanort as a character, but I also completely expect him to show up in KH4 anyway, so why not give him a great send-off like this? Plus, that would feel like a good tie-in and conclusion to Dark Road, which is currently pretty stand-alone.

On 8/19/2023 at 1:04 AM, Arafewaewgaw said:

That way, Xehanort gets an actual amazing proper redemption arc, fulfills his true destiny in his 14th life, and Sora gets to stay being a normal non-destined guy who just knows what's right and fights his hardest for it.

Acknowledging his Quadratum (after)life as his 14th life where he finally fights for the good side and truly turns around would be great. And YES! Keep Sora normal! To be honest, I don’t want Sora to be the Child of Destiny (even though I really expect it). If he can rewrite reality by distorting nature and then turns out to be some special prophesied chosen hero, I think he’s officially lost his “normal” status. …And I likely won’t understand why being officially named a Keyblade Master (which really doesn’t mean or do anything and wouldn't change anything for him) would be too special for him at that point. lol

I figure the MoM plot is more likely to conclude in KH5, since KH4 will probably be all about Quadratum, etc., so I’m not sure Xehanort could actually make it past KH4 to help defeat the MoM’s overall plan, but having him play a significant role in helping Sora in KH4 (especially against the MoM in some way) and being the Child of Destiny is something I’m hoping for now. Lol