Kairi's current and future character development

[LazyDurian 6]

Dear Kairi fans:

It seems like Kingdom Hearts has once again disappointed us with recent KH4 teasers. 

Since KH1 and especially in KH3 and MoM, Kairi has been horrendously trashed and sidelined. Instead of giving her actual growth and development, she has been subject to misogynistic writing and pure hatred, which resulted in Kairi getting no development or love. They can mask it as "realistic growth" all they want, but we all know Nomura simply hates her and wants to get rid of her.

Now in KH4 teasers, she was nowhere to be shown. Instead of her (abd maybe Aqua) shown oscreenshot, damage-control screenshots, it looks like Mickey took the spotlight. It's clear that Nomura didn't just add those shots without reason. He's meticulous with details and not including Kairi, the main character of Kingdom Hearts, clearly confirms that he hates Kairi.

It's so evident that KH4 will permanently erase off Kairi. Since the game is going through the route of Versus and FF15, Kairi is subjected to yet another sidelining and unnecessary death. 

This is the reality, Kairi fans. Thry don't care about you. They hate your favorite character and they hate you. KH4 has no place for Kairi because it never made one. As a fellow Kairi fan, I'll say this:

CLOSE YOUR WALLETS. DON'T LET SQUARE ENIX HAVE A SINGLE PENNY OUT OF YOUR WALLET. DON'T GIVE MONEY TO THE FRANCHISE THAT HATES YOU. STAY STRONG AND VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET.

 

[ocean's rage 785]

nope

[WakelessDream 2,297]

1. Games still in very early stages we don’t have enough info on it to even back this claim up.

2. This is the 5th or 6th topic you’ve made on the same issue. You need to just use the original thread that you made (which I’ll be consolidating this one into shortly) instead of turning every little thought about Kairi into a topic.

I like Kairi too (hell I have her as my pfp) and it’d be great if they could do more with her, but getting hysterical about it isn’t going to help people take you seriously. On a fansite dedicated to the series such as this one people are going to buy the game regardless because they’re that dedicated to the series.  

[LazyDurian 6]

20+ years of Kairi abuse alone is an enough proof that Nomura hates Kairi. The screenshot without her was final nail in the coffin.

And I'll say this: anyone (including Kairi fans) who buys KH4 is fueling up Nomura's misogynistic writing. They're just as guilty as Kairi haters. Heck, they might as well as be Kairi haters themselves.

[FUNGoodbye 32]

On 5/27/2025 at 9:02 AM, LazyDurian said:

He's meticulous with details and not including Kairi, the main character of Kingdom Hearts, clearly confirms that he hates Kairi.

She is not the main character. She never will be and never has been the main character. She's barely ever even been A character, nevermind THE MAIN character. Also you have a recurring fascination for saying the damsel in distress trope is a Japan thing. That is next levels of inaccurate. They did not create the trope (for that matter neither did Disney despite how one might get that idea from examining the company's history). 

Edited May 28 by FadedSparkle

[WakelessDream 2,297]

[LazyDurian 6]

@FadedSparkle Yeah, I get it. You hate Kairi. You love to see Nomura bash her because you're pro-Nomura, pro-misogyny, pro-soriku, and anti-Kairi slop. It's people like you why Kairi became the most victimized character in Kingdom Hearts.

[FUNGoodbye 32]

@LazyDurian - Hate Kairi? No. I have a love-hate relationship with her. Pro Nomura? Yes. He's been critically involved in the creation of some of my favorite games, so why would I not be Pro Nomura? Pro Misogyny? No. But I don't think you know what Misogyny actually is so talking about it with you is moot. Pro Soriku? Yes I am. I'm a female who has been enjoying yaoi and shounen-ai stuff since the age of ten. The relationship between Sora and Riku has been a focal point of the series from the beginning so it was an easy relationship to get behind whether it ever crosses the line into a homosexual romance or stays a beautiful rivalry, friendship, and bromance.

Anti-Kairi slop... I don't think I've ever come across anything of the sort. While I've certainly seen people express dislike for Kairi and the direction of her character I've never seen people who share those feelings band together and form actual hate groups about her. Whether I would actually enjoy such a thing... I can definitely imagine myself having a good laugh depending on how clever the slop was. But my reaction would honestly be either that or a big ole shrug emoji or both. Mainly because I wouldn't even know where to begin with defending Kairi from the people in such groups. 

Kairi being the most victimized character in Kingdom Hearts... I guess you're dismissing (among other things) Aqua's twelve years in the Realm of Darkness, all of the years of his life Ventus couldn't live because he was stuck in recovery, all of the years Terra spent being used by Xehanort in so many ways that it is a miracle any part of him remained intact and that he's whole again now. All of the characters who have just flat out died over the course of the Union Cross saga and in Dark Road. All of the characters we will never get to know from the now canceled Missing Link. But yeah, sure... Kairi is definitely the most victimized. 🙄🤮

[ocean's rage 785]

17 hours ago, LazyDurian said:

@FadedSparkle Yeah, I get it. You hate Kairi. You love to see Nomura bash her because you're pro-Nomura, pro-misogyny, pro-soriku, and anti-Kairi slop. It's people like you why Kairi became the most victimized character in Kingdom Hearts.

so anyone who doesn't agree with your little conspiracy theory must hate her too? you need help

[WakelessDream 2,297]

6 hours ago, ocean's rage said:

so anyone who doesn't agree with your little conspiracy theory must hate her too? you need help

Yes that's exactly what they mean and they'll come back to tell you that's exactly what they mean too.  Logic and rational thinking go right through these types' heads, no room for nuanced discussion just screaming the loudest and labeling anyone who disagrees as wrong. 

6 hours ago, LazyDurian said:

 

Yeah...let's not launch personal attacks against other members. This isn't up for debate or argument, and if you put it up for debate, if it happens again, or if you're unable to follow any of our other site rules we'll temporarily revoke posting privileges, that's your final warning.   

[ocean's rage 785]

2 hours ago, WakelessDream said:

Yes that's exactly what they mean and they'll come back to tell you that's exactly what they mean too.  Logic and rational thinking go right through these types' heads, no room for nuanced discussion just screaming the loudest and labeling anyone who disagrees as wrong. 

yeah. it's a shame really

[WakelessDream 2,297]

56 minutes ago, ocean's rage said:

yeah. it's a shame really

Yup, which is sad because I think there is a case and a discussion to be had about how Kairi's been handled as a character through the series so far. Everyone else here has brought up great points regardless of how they personally feel about the character but I guess, like FadedSparkle said, it's all a moot point with certain frames of thinking being brought into here.  

[ocean's rage 785]

58 minutes ago, WakelessDream said:

Yup, which is sad because I think there is a case and a discussion to be had about how Kairi's been handled as a character through the series so far. Everyone else here has brought up great points regardless of how they personally feel about the character but I guess, like FadedSparkle said, it's all a moot point with certain frames of thinking being brought into here.  

yeah it is a topic worthy of discussion but not like this

[LazyDurian 6]

Lol, you really think Kairi hate in KH4 is a conspiracy theory when 20+years of history says it's the truth. Nomura hates Kairi. And I've seen too many cases of people not liking Kairi actually hating Kairi. I guess pattern recognition is still not a thing in this part of the world. Come back to KH4 and I will be RIGHT. I hate it to happen but what I've been saying is 100% truth.

[ocean's rage 785]

23 minutes ago, LazyDurian said:

Lol, you really think Kairi hate in KH4 is a conspiracy theory when 20+years of history says it's the truth. Nomura hates Kairi. And I've seen too many cases of people not liking Kairi actually hating Kairi. I guess pattern recognition is still not a thing in this part of the world. Come back to KH4 and I will be RIGHT. I hate it to happen but what I've been saying is 100% truth.

oh I recognize patterns plenty. it's just the pattern I'm recognizing here is a fanboy saying that a character they love getting mistreated is proof that they hate the character. I've heard it a hundred times in a hundred different fandoms and it's always the same. but more to the point you've been getting pretty nasty towards your fellow users. so don't you try and shrug this off with a "lol" you owe fadedsparkle an apology 

[FUNGoodbye 32]

I think it is worth remembering that while it has been over 20 years externally, internally speaking 20 years have not passed for Kairi. 

Edited June 2 by FadedSparkle