Let's talk about Xion

[Seyin95 175]

As a starting point; I'm aware some people might get offended by this topic; but as I respect other's opinions I ask the same for my own. Today's topic is about Xion.

 

For those who love her ( I'm aware people do); I'd really like to understand why? However I'd also like to voice my grievances with her as a character too.

 

Firstly; let's get the controversial point out of the way first- arguably her most memorable moment in 358/2 days was her fading away. However my grievance here is: if the character's greatest ' achievement/memory' is a death then there is an issue, yes I gather it had an impact on Roxas emotionally; but if I ask people to name a top 5 Xion moments list ( her death will top most lists and realistically what other events can fill the list which makes her unique?)

 

Secondly; if she does return in Kh3 ( which due to fan service I believe she will), her death becomes significantly less emotional than if she remains ' dead'. At the current moment she has physically gone and she isn't remembered which is a cruel fate; however if she returns then I'd argue it's diminished due to the fact it's not permeant.

 

Thirdly; what Days does do well in my opinion is highlight the friendship between Axel and Roxas and makes Axel's ambitions throughout KH2 even more noble and tragic. We see the development of how Axel was always there for Roxas and how the absence of one affected the other. This is strengthened in KH2 final mix with the symbolic farewell between the two friends; with both characters in tears ( this is where I admit I was close to joining them). I can't help, but feel Xion is a ' tag-a-long' friend. The person who is more on the side. If she was a love interest for Roxas I'd too have more sympathy for her; however Naminè I'd argue fills that role more ( she has a stronger connection to return I feel). Even if we compare other female lead characters ( Aqua- represents an elder sister/mother role for Ven and a sister role for Terra, Kairi in terms of KH1 was an interest for both Sora and Riku and as the series has advanced has become Sora's driving force as well as being a POH).

 

fourthly; this is more a list of a few things moulded into one paragraph. 1) is she needed for the series to develop?- no is the honest answer ( TAV from what Yen Sid has indicated are needed for the upcoming war, Roxas I believe will become as has been mentioned before by others a denizen of the twilight ( I feel he has potential to wield if there is a Keyblade of the Realm of In Between, adding more depth to his character; Lea returning to Radiant Garden sets up future interactions), but where would Xion go? Yes she was created in CO; however that's likely to be transformed back to the Land of Departure ( Cable Town??), but where would she go and how would she develop? Again I feel she'd be a tag a long character or a Cameo character.

2) she's hardly the most stimulating character- I'm not being harsh here; but in terms of personality and engagement would she make a top 5? Or even a top 10? I don't find her connectable; Sora ;people can relate to an optimistic person, with Riku; people can relate to people who overcome hard trials to succeed. Terra; everyone has a desire to achieve and a lot will go to tremendous steps to achieve it. Even my boy Luxord; people probably know a gambler or someone who analyses in that manner. My list goes on; Kingdom Hearts charactees are relatable; I don't feel Xion has that affect.

 

I gather this will be controversial to some; and I seriously do welcome people saying why they like her; a lot of the characters I like most can't stand ( Luxord and Marluxia); so different tastes are reflected in the series/community. However as I said to start with; I was not aiming to offend and I hope people respect my opinions here and upon reflection can understand what I outlined here.

[Sora 2,184]

Who's that?

[AzureAce 544]

I personally don't think she'll have a big role, if any at all. She's inside Sora's heart now and wasn't even meant to exist in the first place, she came to be because she was synthetically made. People would make the argument that neither was Roxas, however at least he was naturally made. I honestly cannot think of a way Xion can be implemented into the story now. She's not like a normal Nobody, she can't grow a heart, to my knowledge anyway.

[Felixx 6,646]

In any case, Xion will definitely return in KH3. In DDD we saw that she's one of the persons Sora has to save, so there's no way she won't be back. 

Edited May 6, 2016 by Felixx

[Col.Random 3,683]

Who?


I don't think any of her fans genuinely love her, it's just that well they kinda feel sorry for her. She is sort of a tragic character who meets a depressing ending.
And since she's portrayed as the same type of 'nice person' that Sora and Roxas are her death naturally had more of an impact on people.

But you gotta give her credit for the fact that she accepts what her fate might be and chooses to save her best friend at the cost of her own existence.
 Though she would no longer exist to anyone else, in the end she still finds it in herself to be grateful for the few days she got to have.

[Rowbe 48]

Honestly she's one of my favourite characters. You do raise some good points though, and I can see why people aren't fond of her or dislike her. I doubt she'll have a large roll in KH3, however, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

[Fates Chance XIII 307]

You bring up some good point about what purpose she will serve coming back but I still love the character. I think she is relatable and very human. She gets upset and makes mistakes, she is sentimental, even depressed and emotional some times. I think she has very human reactions to things like if a real person were in her place. And I can name at least 5 top moments other than her death.

 

1) How she visited Roxas and talked to him while he was in a coma

2) Her reaction to Roxas and Axel talking about how they are best friends after she fainted on their mission and was brought back to her room. As someone who has always struggled to make friends, I really relate with her deep love for these two who just validated their friendship and her want to protect them- her FIRST and BEST friends.

3)When she gets her keyblade back after loosing it. It always makes me smile when I see those two get so happy that they managed to get her keyblade back. The joy on those little sprites faces...made me wish I had friends like that (again very relatable)

4) When she runs away after finding out she is a puppet. While not very admirable or brave I think its a very human response. You just found out everything you know to be, who and what you are is a LIE! What a shock would that be! I understand why she ran why she wanted to be alone. Sometimes, thing happen where you just need to be left alone and you feel like you cant face your friends after something really big has happened. She got depressed about it, and ran away from her friends- making the time she spent with them before all the more sweet to a viewer. We are screaming at her in our minds, "GO BACK TO YOUR FRIENDS! TALK TO THEM!" But she cant. SHe cant look them in the eye now, too much has changed. And when she does go back, and is around her friends again, you can see her get better. She comes to terms with it. But still, though you can feel the shift in their relationship. There is this air of secrets and holding back. Their friendship isn't the same. This is a lot like real life. When something big happens in a group of friends, sometimes the group just falls apart or someone jus falls out because they cant face those faces from a past that seems almost like from another life time.

5) Her asking Namine to take care of Roxas when she is gone. Again showing her love for her friends.

6) When she talks to Axel about Roxas getting weaker. (Though I like this scene more in the manga)

7) Her panic when she realizes the truth about her and Roxas- how he could disappear. (Very human)

8) Her difficulty coming to a decision about what to do when she learns about Sora and Roxas possibly dying if she stays around him.

9) When she tries to get Roxas to forgive Axel for attacking her.

10) When they all get a day off and she teases Axel for sleeping all day.

 

In the end, Days is really about these 3 friends and their struggles and relationship. And I loved it. I loved Xion struggles, her love for her friends, her human questioning, the fact that she has really realistic emotions and even seems to get depressed! I teared up a little the first time I saw her die. I had grown to love her and her relationship with Axel and Roxas. Their little conversations, their struggles to maintain a friendship at all in really trying circumstances. And yes, her willingness to sacrifice her self in the end for a friend. I felt so sad that she was gone.

 

But really, their game and plot really was about a friendship. Sora, the keyblade, all of that sorta seemed almost secondary in Days. The games main plot was their friendship and how it developed and waxed and waned. Where as for the rest of the games, friendship is more of a theme and not the central plot. So her coming back is a bit hard for what she could add to the rest of the mix. Her game was smaller and about different things. So I can see where people are worried. But I am still excited to see what they do with her as a character. I just wish she had had more time for her character to develop, but we will just have to see. Maybe we will get that, maybe we wont. I think it would be super sad for her to stay dead, but more in a Cloud/ Zack way. Sad, but still there and still felt.

[Hallowseve 143]

The poor girl's been through enough already! Anyway, I know that her death hit a lot of us emotionally, but I feel as if we'd feel even more emotional upon seeing her being revived. Imagine the chills we would get, she and Roxas appear out of nowhere (or wherever the plot takes us...) and Lea is just standing there. In that moment, Lea begins reliving his memories as Axel. Happy to finally be reunited with each other, Xion and Roxas run at Lea and give him a big hug, tears and all. Lea sheds a tear, knowing that his friends are back for good.

 

Xion, Roxas and Lea toss their black coats away, revealing a new outfit for Xion (reminiscent of Kairi's KH1 outfit) and Lea; Roxas appearing in his Twilight Town clothes. The three of them walk together, their arms around each other's shoulders, them joking and laughing. Lea buys sea-salt ice cream for them all, and their sticks all read "winner". *Que emotional theme*

 

That, to me, would be emotional-- I'd feel chills, tears and happiness.

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

I never liked it, it's broken, Saïx said it himself.

 

Honestly, I never liked Xion, she didn't even play an amazingly big role in Days, she just kept dissapearing and you would have to look for her constantly

[Isamu Kuno 2,512]

I personally don't think she'll have a big role, if any at all. She's inside Sora's heart now and wasn't even meant to exist in the first place, she came to be because she was synthetically made. People would make the argument that neither was Roxas, however at least he was naturally made. I honestly cannot think of a way Xion can be implemented into the story now. She's not like a normal Nobody, she can't grow a heart, to my knowledge anyway.

According to Ansem the Wise she can "Even an empty puppet" Pinocchio proves that artificial beings can indeed grow hearts. Just like Xion, his body was synthetic yet he has a heart.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Isamu_Kuno

[Dracozombie 4,554]

Xion's not my favorite, either, but I can understand why people like her.  The reasons for folks hating her are pretty well-covered by this point, but as for why they like her? Well, she might not the most necessary character to the plot, but even I can see her as endearing in her own way. She has pitiable circumstances, yet she's quiet and sweet, and it can be nice just watching her enjoy herself with her friends (seriously, for a series that focuses so much on friendship, how often do you see these characters just sitting around and being friends?). Granted, a lot of characters are nice and sweet and care for their friends, but so what? She's still a cutie pie.

 

And I don't think finding Xion relatable is out of the question. Xion can relate to lonely people, or people who are forced into circumstances where they must sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of others. She wants a life that she can't have, friends who she'll just end up hurting. She's is stuck between a rock and a hard place, grappling with how she might not deserve the life she wants or the friends she has just because of the circumstances of her creation. Her very existence was not meant to be and is just hurting the people she cares about. Running away is hardly the best way to deal with the problem, but I actually find it fascinating when characters do things like that (which is why it baffles me that so many people hate Donald for abandoning Sora at Hollow Bastion in KH1 -- I thought that having to choose his duty over his friendship was a tough decision that wasn't easy on Donald either, and I thought that was one of the most interesting moments of his character, but I digress). You can argue that Xion continually put Roxas and Axel through hoops to find her, and I agree, especially since she never gets called out on the headaches her running away caused, but I don't really hold it against her character. You gotta admit that Xion is not in a fun place to be.

 

And sure, Xion coming back would cheapen her death, but that's hardly anything new with KH. Pretty much everyone who sacrificed themselves or is otherwise out of commission somehow is coming back, or at least is strongly implied to be coming back. Even Goofy got a scene where Sora and co. thought he died.

 

And on a side note, I'd argue that Xion fits the bill as Roxas's love interest or even just a normal friend better than Namine does. I'm hardly a shipper myself, and I actually think Roxas and Namine are cuter together. But, Xion actually hangs out with Roxas. Namine's interactions with him are to tell him that he's not supposed to exist, and the fact that Roxas/Namine parallels the implied Sora/Kairi can be taken as shallow to some -- if they're only in love because Sora and Kairi are (most likely) in love, then doesn't that mean their relationship is nothing more than a reflection of someone else's -- something that's not really theirs? If Roxas/Xion is a thing, at least it's one that can stand on its own merits.

 

And I just wanted to begin another paragraph with 'and.'

[Movies798 1,357]

Xion is my favorite because I can relate to her more than any other characters in the Kingdom Hearts. No her "death" scene was not my most memorable scene in 358/2 Days. In my opinion her most memorable scenes to me was that she was the first character questioning about her existences after her fight with Riku. Xion question a lot things about her, where she comes from, who she is, and why she's in the Organization XIII in the first place. I like how she takes matters into own hands by going off her own to find out her origins. To me if I was Xion I would've done the same thing, if I have no memories and I want to find out about myself I would've gone by myself to find out my origins on my own in case my family is not around. To me figuring it out your origins feels like a private thing because you don't want everyone to know everything about you, and I like my friends but my friends to don't need to know everything about me. Which I was kinda glad she didn't include Roxas joining her on her missions to figure it out her origins. And I like her friendship with Roxas but to me Xion stands out more than Roxas because Roxas was a walking zombie and he didn't start to become interesting until he was looking for Xion and he too wanted to find out his origins. Xion is an interesting character, more interesting than Roxas and Axel. And I don't care what everyone says about her but all the matter is if I like her or not. And I love her because she wanted to find out her origins and she's willing to go against the Organization XIII's orders. Xion is one my top five favorite Kingdom Hearts characters. 

1.) Xion

2.) Aqua

3.) Riku

4.) Sora

5.) King Mickey

 

And everyone has different opinions, we all play the same game but we always have different experiences that leads into having different opinions about the game, gameplay, characters, and plot.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Movies798

[Isaix 924]

Xion will most likely comeback in KH3 so I guess its true that her death scene will lose some of its impact,but her death scene never affected me anyway because I never cared about Xion in the first place.She's a fine character I guess,but she didn't need to be in Days and she's not interesting

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Well Mr. Seyin, thank you for your honest and respectful opinion, it's greatly appreciated!  (Also, you're not alone in being a Marluxia fan, cuz you're looking at another fanboy right here! )

 

But yeah, you point out some valid points, but honestly, I just love Xion!  Her story is beautifully tragic in the fact that she was basically a puppet who never even had an identity of her own!  She was always looked upon as a different person by everyone who ever saw her, and the fact that she was just being used as a pawn in Xemnas's machinations makes things even more tragic for her!  What I loved about her is that while she was distant from Roxas at first, the two gradually grew closer together! The friendship she formed with both him and Axel was a beautiful one, and I loved seeing them interact with each other, ya know?  When their friendship started to break apart, that's when Xion's story became even more tragic, ya know?

 

But yeah, I agree with you in the fact that Xion didn't have a defining moment except for her death, cuz Roxas lending her his Keyblade was more of a moment for him, and Axel being all like: "I'll always be there to get my friends back!" was a moment for him, Xion's most significant moment was her death!  Although I do believe that another moment that I find important and amazing of the character is when she realized what she really was, and how she then decided to give up her existence so Sora could go on, ya know?  The fact that she accepted her fate, even at the cost of her closest friends, is something that truly struck me about her character, ya know?

 

But yeah, I love Xion, and I hope she becomes her own person in Kingdom Hearts III, cuz I really need her and Roxas to get together! X_X

[Setrex 1,031]

No doubt she'll appear in Kingdom Hearts III in some capacity, but I can't say I'll be thrilled when she is there (unless they kill her again ).

 

 

I never liked it, it's broken, Saïx said it himself.

 

Honestly, I never liked Xion, she didn't even play an amazingly big role in Days, she just kept dissapearing and you would have to look for her constantly

I remember originally thinking the game was buggy when her portrait kept changing from her face to the hooded one..