Director's Secret Report XIII

The Director's Secret Report XIII is a thirteen-part expose featuring Tetsuya Nomura's secrets about the worlds, characters, and overall story of the Kingdom Hearts series. This report is included in the book "Another Report" that comes with the Limited Edition version of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+.

Part 1 - ABOUT THE WORLD OF KINGDOM HEARTS

I - In the Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) series so far, two kinds of "Kingdom Hearts" have appeared, the "heart of worlds" and the "heart of people". Can you please explain their makeup?

The heart of worlds was a great heart that gathered everything that formed those worlds: the natural things such as the trees in the forests, the oceans and rivers, the flowers and such. The heart of people, as it is called, was the collected hearts of the humans and animals and such that lived in those worlds. A Kingdom Hearts is considered to be an aggregation of the originally invisible "proofs of life" known as hearts.

II - Please explain the structure of and means by which one may travel between the worlds that serve as the setting of Kingdom Hearts.

As for the structure of the worlds, first, the so-to-speak normal worlds—the ones that Sora, the Disney characters and we live on—are situated in the Realm of Light. If you picture those worlds as existing on the same level on top of a giant plane, then on a separate level, in other words on the reverse side, exists the Realm of Darkness.

Regarding the Realm Between, four worlds have appeared so far: (A) Castle Oblivion, (B) Twilight Town, (C) Yen Sid's Tower, and (D) The World That Never Was. You can think of them as arranged like a stairway extending between the two Realm layers, something like Light < C < B > A > D > Darkness. There are two ways to travel, one of which is to use a Gummi Ship like Sora and his friends do to move through the "Ocean Between", the space studded with all the worlds. Worlds are encased in an invisible shell which keeps the individual world from being breached by other worlds, but when the door to the heart that exists in each world is opened, the shell covering that world is broken, and it rains down as a meteor shower. The meteors, fragments of that shell, result in Gummi Blocks for Gummi Ships. Gummi Blocks have the ability to breach any world as they were originally part of the world-covering shells.

The other way is to use a "corridor of darkness". These routes are like a loophole of sorts and not pathways that should rightfully be used. While only those known as beings of darkness and beings of between are able to create entries and exits, in rare cases even other kinds of beings such as the Beast and DiZ, who held strong sentiment or hatred in their hearts, have been able to open a path themselves. However, this means being near the darkness. Make frequent use of the pathways and the darkness will completely erode one's body. Sora and his friends have also used these pathways a handful of times, but you could consider that the effect of passing through a corridor of darkness is influenced by the strength of one's heart, and as such they have not used them to the degree of frequency that their hearts could have been stained by darkness. In which case, why hasn't erosion by darkness progressed in the heart-lacking Nobodies, King Mickey or Riku, despite them having used the pathways frequently? There is a secret relating to a feature they all share, explained in this very title.

III - Is there a possibility that blank points in time and settings that haven't been shown in detail such as the "Realm of Darkness" etc will be depicted in the future? Was the beach that appeared at the beginning and end of KHII the "Realm of Darkness"?

At present, I think there are four broad stories you could say are blank: "King Mickey's period of absence", "Riku's period of absence", "Roxas's days with Organization XIII", and "Xehanort's past". In that case, "King Mickey's time of absence" would be a story set in the Realm of Darkness. I have been considering over and over how I ought to tell these four stories, so perhaps someday they will be told in some way.

That place that appears at the beginning and end of KHII, called the Dark Margin, is the tip of the cape of that world, and it is not strictly part of the Realm of Darkness but a boundary-like place between Darkness and Between. This means that in the ending Sora and Riku are looking at an ocean in the Realm of Darkness from a beach in the Realm Between. This also means that the scene of the door appearing in the ocean of darkness at the end was symbolic of Sora's "deep down, there's a light that never goes out" line from the first game.

IV - There are also many things regarding Castle Oblivion that remain mysterious. Did Organization XIII build that castle themselves, with Naminé the original subject of the experiments they conducted there? Please tell us the details of the experiments the Organization were carrying out. Also, was that pod that Sora entered something the Organization built in relation to those experiments? Are they the same pods in Twilight Town?

The ultimate goal of the Organization was to obtain a Kingdom Hearts of the hearts of people and become complete beings, and because Nobodies were a new kind of being beyond all expectations, said to be "nonexistent beings", the lack of background knowledge made it necessary for them to collect information relating to their own condition. One major feature of the Nobodies is that they form personalities and feelings through memories without hearts. This means that "memory" is a very important element to them. The creation of Castle Oblivion itself is still a mystery, but, as you can guess from the cutscenes added to this title, you may consider that the Organization discovered the castle, which was there since before the Organization was created, at quite an early stage.

And also, around the same time that Roxas woke up in Twilight Town, Naminé woke up in Castle Oblivion. This means that after was found by the Organization after that. Just as each Organization member has an attribute ability, Naminé possesses the power to manipulate "memory", and they thought that this ability was the key to illuminating the truths of the condition of the Nobodies. This means that in that place that affected the "memory" of those who entered they carried out experiments relating to memory. Above all, Xemnas, the leader of the Organization, seemed to be searching for something important related to "memory". Some of their experiments involved the breaking and rebirth of memories, and those pods were for that purpose indeed created by the Organization. The pod that Sora woke up in in Twilight Town was the same one from Castle Oblivion. DiZ had moved everything as it was in order to escape pursuit by the Organization. Also, as Xigbar says in a cutscene added to this title: when the time comes to reveal the details of "the true purpose of Castle Oblivion", all the mysteries regarding Castle Oblivion will be solved.

Part 2 - ABOUT THE KEYBLADE

V - We believe there are still many mysteries surrounding the Keyblade. As of now we have been able to discern three types of Keyblades: Keyblades of the hearts of worlds of light, such as the one Sora wields, Keyblades of people's hearts, such as the one Riku made from the hearts of the princesses, and Keyblades of the hearts of worlds of darkness, such as the one King Mickey obtained in the Realm of Darkness. We would like you to explain each of these.

Keyblades may have one of two make-up: light-side, or dark-side. That is not a "good or evil" classification, however. Like interior versus exterior keys, the only difference is merely from which side they are able to work. The door of each world is normally closed, the Keyhole itself in an invisible state. These Keyholes, which appear when a Keyblade is held up to them, are not locked. This means that once the Heartless find a door it is very easy for them to open it and steal the heart, which is why Sora went around locking those doors in the first title. Keyblades were also used for a purpose different to any prior intentions or reasons - on the door that opens on the heart that stands as the gathering of the world's hearts, Kingdom Hearts - to guard against the darkness leaking from within that heart. In order to do that, the door had to be shut from both the side of light and the side of darkness, which required the use of Keyblades from both the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness. That is why King Mickey went to get a Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness - to serve as the counterpart to Sora's Keyblade of the Realm of Light.

Then, as for the Keyblade made from the hearts of the princesses that Riku wielded in the first title, it was designed from the special hearts of the princesses purely for the sake of the plan to make the Keyhole appear in Hollow Bastion and force darkness to flood from that heart. It was different from the original Keyblades. There are also hints that Keyblades are artificial, people-made objects.

VI - Please explain Riku's newly obtained Way to the Dawn and the Keyblade Kairi wields, and tell us about the conditions of becoming a Keyblade Wielder.

There isn't just one Keyblade for the side of light and one for darkness. There are as many Keyblades in existence as there are hearts qualified to wield them. At this stage, the only requirement that has been made clear is that someone must have a "strong heart", but there are other requirements that haven't been spelled out yet which I plan to reveal another time when I have the chance. Riku's Way to the Dawn and the Keyblade Kairi wields are of the same nature as Sora's Keyblade. However, what with one having developed with the Soul Eater as intermediary and one having been handed to Kairi by Riku, I would like you to think that something not fully explained, outside the usual method of acquirement, is going on here.

VII - If Roxas was born and joined the Organization during the same period that Sora became a Heartless, then that means Roxas was using a Keyblade during the same period that Sora was using one in Castle Oblivion. Was he using Sora's Keyblade? It seems that Roxas was valued within the Organization for being a Keyblade Wielder, and surely it would have been handy for them to have Sora, another hero of the Keyblade, gathering hearts. In that case, why did the Organization try to defeat Sora?

The Keyblade Roxas used was the same one that Sora lost temporarily in Castle Oblivion. And then the two of them were using that Keyblade at the same time, which is accounted for by the relationship between Roxas and Sora if you think about it. However, the fact that both of them are dual wielders actually means something rather major. This is connected to the story of "Xehanort's memories", and I cannot touch that topic with a ten foot pole right now.

Also, while the two of them were both using that Keyblade, the Organization were trying to use Sora for the sake of their own end goals. Before long, however, due to different expectations held by different Organization members and the actions of Sora and Roxas themselves, their methods changed, and in the end they became unable to use Sora in any real way. Sora getting in the way of the Organization's actions in this way is what caused them to try to defeat him. You could also say that they were thinking that even if they were to defeat Sora, they had a replacement.

Part 3 - About the Characters

VIII - When the Heartless are defeated, what becomes of the stolen hearts? Also, when members of Organization XIII and other Nobodies are defeated, do they return to their original form?

When Heartless are defeated, essentially the owner's hearts are rejoined with their once extinguished body, whichever world it may be on. As for the whereabouts of hearts in KHII that turn up, this time they remarkably went to the Organization (there is a foot note here that says "In Kingdom Hearts II after Heartless were defeated, the many hearts were absorbed by the Kingdom Hearts of "people's hearts"). However, in the rare case that the body changed into a Nobody, when there is no container for the heart it resorts to a state of suspension.

In the case of a Nobody being defeated, it's a little more complicated. If the above mentioned hearts are liberated, they return to their original form. However, if the heart is still stolen by the Heartless, the Nobody's body is swallowed by darkness. If somewhere in the world their hearts are taken back, perhaps they might be able to return to their original human form.

IX - Could you please gather some information about the main characters? The reason Sora becomes Anti Form, the reason Riku is able to be selected by a Keyblade, Kairi's memories of Radiant Garden, Roxas and Naminé's differences from other Nobodies, the absence of Sora and them, their parents and friends, and what about school?

Concerning Sora's Anti Form, you could think that the reason is related to his changing into a Heartless once before. In fact, beyond Sora's Nobody, it is natural to assume that Sora is influenced by the Heartless. Riku's Dark Mode is similar. By using such a strong power too much, he may have ended up approaching too close to darkness. There should be a hint about Riku being a chosen wielder hidden discreetly somewhere in the additions to the game, so certainly try and find it. As for Kairi's memories, there's nothing particularly special about them. If I personally regained memories from before I was 5, I think I wouldn't remember many details about them. That is to say on a general level, there are things I would remember and things I would forget.

Because there is already a detailed explanation of Roxas and Naminé being special Nobodies in this volume, please read the specific details there. I'll summarize it so its easy to understand. Essentially when a strong hearted person has their heart stolen, they change into a Heartless, and on rare occasions their body changes into a Nobody. But in the case for these 2, for Kairi's heart to be hidden within Sora, it took a special shape. Moreover, when Sora himself was changed into a heartless he was purified by Kairi. In order for Sora to be revived without following the essential course, the special way Roxas and Naminé were born from these types, special Nobodies ended up being left behind. Still, I get the feeling from the story so far that Xemnas might also be a special Nobody.

Finally, about the people on Destiny Island, at the time of Sora and groups disappearance, on the night of the storm from the previous game, Destiny Island itself ended up disappearing and for the people of that world time is stopped. Afterwards, Sora slept for 1 year, and then everyone's memories of Sora himself were no longer there. As such the memory actually became "On the night of the storm, Riku's body disappeared". Once Sora awoke, the memories of him returned. Eventually the memories of Sora, just as Riku was no longer there after the storm that night, were that both of them had disappeared. (footnote: However, Kairi alone was once assimilated into Sora's heart. In this edition "Kingdom Hearts II" I strongly feel that he was influenced by this.

X - KH's Ansem (Xehanort) seems to have thoroughly gotten rid of his own heart, but Xemnas (Xehanort) commanding Organization XIII is seeking a fresh heart. If I understand that in becoming a heartless and a nobody, they became 2 different people, would their minds then as well become separate? Also, the original Xehanort should have some memory loss but in the additional scenes this time there seem to be some questionable parts. Have his memories returned, or perhaps the memory loss itself was a lie?

In essence, the two are the same. However, they function under separate minds. Xehanort most certainly got rid of his heart, and at that time it's assumed a Nobody was born. The means of obtaining their goal is different due to the nature of Heartless and Nobodies. However. I think for both of them the desire "to become a complete existence" is the same. This time the new mysterious keyword "Xehanort's memories" is left behind. In the "Secret Ansem Report" that Ansem the Wise wrote and mysteriously left behind, there is a hidden secret that will have a big influence on KH. As for the contents of his memories and the present condition of them, I cannot reveal that just yet.

Part 4 - About the Keyblade War, and other further developments of KH

XI - Concerning the keyword Keyblade War, could you be a little more specific about that? Could it be related to the "Fairytale of Children and Light" that Kairi's Grandmother told? (footnote: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora experienced Kairi's memories. It was the scene when Kairi's Grandmother told her an old story when she was still young. It was about when worlds were swallowed by darkness, children used the power of fragments of light to rebuild worlds.)

To tell the story about the Keyblade War we need the capacity of hi-spec hardware and we need to accumulate all of our knowledge on this hardware. And in telling this story, we will need to tell it in separate episodes, and how specifically to tell it has yet to be figured out.

As for the fairytale that Kairi heard, for everyone to feel like such an old fairytale is real, I think we need a little more time. That is to say, to talk specifically about either this soon might perhaps be irrelevant.

XII - Of the people that appear in the new secret movie "Birth By Sleep" that was added to KHII:FM, several names and figures are recognizable and must be extremely meaningful. Giving specifics is likely impossible, but could you give us a hint? Furthermore, do the 3 armored figures that appear there and the similar looking armored figure in the Last Battle have some relation to Xemnas?

For the recognizable figures and the recognizable faces, reaching the secret this time is extremely difficult, but I think the video is fairly spectacular and will stir your imaginations. The armored figures have a connection to Xemnas but after all I can't give any specifics at the present stage. But, the video this time has a foreboding opening and please think of the figures ahead as having reason and a hinting connection.

XIII - Lastly, has Sora's journey come to an end this time? Before you told us "I have the end of Kingdom Hearts in my head", but does this mean that Sora won't be there? There seem to be new developments with the Kingdom Hearts Series, so can you please tell us within the present limits any hints?

Without recalling too much about the mysteries and problems of the outline remaining for KH series thus far, I don't think that Sora's journey is over. If you get to see the ending of KHII I think you will be able to sense some new premonitions. About what I said about the "end" of KH, of course I won't be able to say anything about that yet, but if the numbering of KH were to go to "III", I doubt that Sora would have no relation to it. And even if I wrap up Kingdom Hearts, I don't think that Sora will be irrelevant.

Also, there are many new developments. I think that the news will be able to satisfy the widely supportive KH fans everywhere. Because there is still more to say about this "new" thing, please dare to think with a different flow, rather than just going with what's mainstream. I will give you a hint about the contents of one of the numerous developments. In the freshly added secret movie a phrase comes out, "Fate doesn't happen by accident, there is necessity".

In the near future, when you experience the new Kingdom Hearts, please see about opening this book. I think surely some of these points will tie together. And also at that time, it would be very fortunate if all the fans everywhere have a good time with it. Until an announcement comes, please have your fill of fun with this game and look forward to the next.