Kingdom Hearts II Do you hate Kairi?

...That better be a joke.

 

I second Gritz's sentiments....WHUT?

Side-Note: I think almost ALL of the SE girl's suck as characters, then again it's hard to find real character winners at all in SE, IN MY OPINION.

 

I have to agree with Zandyne though when he says it's hard to find any good SE girls. Kairi is pretty and has a nice laugh etc, but she is only starting after 2 games, to be more than a filler female victim to spur on Sora and Riku.

I think about the only SE girls I like are Celes, Terra and Tifa because they actually show backbone and real depth and can kick some butt. Maybe I'm just kind of tired of the same old girls in SE that are always slotted as weak white mages so the hero men have something to fight for. She's getting better in my opinion but I'd like to hopefully see more out of her to show she's not just going to stand on the sidelines having the role of cheerleader for Sora. She doesn't have to be so 'physical' as the boys are because not all girls are meant to be so, but at the same time, I just want to see her actually do more with her mind at least.

 

Like I said, the producers and Noruma didn't give a damn about her. She was only there to be a female victim so Sora and Riku could be heroes. And as a plot device to move the plot along. Anytime the plot needed a push, there was Kairi. Kairi is important to the story. she’s just there to fill in holes in the plot, and is seen as more of a symbol than anything. Kairi, on her own, is not a very compelling character in the least, so I refuse to recognize her as one. All we know is that she had a grandmother, and she lived in Radiant Garden.

She exists as THE ideal love interest. Some one that Sora feels is most important for no other reason than to be in love. You can see why I have grown to hate SoraxKairi.

And that whole "having a nobody thing"? That was another thing that ticked me off. First off, Riku and Sora have been through hell and back, so they’ve earned/deserve the many layers of plot and characterization that surround them. Replica Riku and Roxas make sense. They’re interesting(Well, at least Riku is).

Kairi, however, sat on her ass for a whole game; she didn’t physically do anything, and yet she got a Nobody. Because, you know, Kairi is “specialâ€, and she should get someone like Namine, who ALSO has magical powers AND for whatever reason, can FEEL (ie. guilt, shame, loneliness...), which then makes Kairi even more Sue-ish. It’s like... creating an original fanfiction character, and out of not wanting to leave her behind in the plot, the creator gives her something (i.e. a Nobody) that everyone else has AND she gets magical powers to make HER Nobody cooler than everyone else’s. What defines her even more as Sue-ish is that Namine wasn’t even recruited as a full Organization member, even though her Somebody had a REALLY strong heart from everyone else (because of it’s purity). Having her Nobody go to the dark side, would probably like, taint Kairi’s heart, and we can’t have that, now can we?

Did I mention that her Nobody is also fabricated in the most bizarre way, with an unnecessarily complicated explanation? Seems like Kairi was kind of forced into the storyline, just so she wouldn’t be excluded. That’s kinda annoying. I feel that Namine was originally meant to be a stand-alone character – she doesn’t share any traits with Kairi, except for her looks (kind of) – like I mean, since when can Kairi draw? And Naminé has feelings... which is really weird. Ah, but it IS Kairi after all, heh. –rolls eyes–

The plot alone drives Kairi. She did not willingly choose to go to the islands, nor did she willingly get “kidnappedâ€, nor did she willingly leave the islands in KH2. She didn’t have a choice in anything she did, because, you know, that’s not what she was put into the game for. It was because of Riku’s and Sora’s CHARACTERS that drove the plot (i.e. Riku’s weak heart lost him the Keyblade; Sora’s strong heart gained it; Sora’s heart enabled him to travel and meet many friends; his impulsiveness that made him enter battles, etc etc). It was because of WHO they were why the plot moved. For Kairi, it was because of WHAT she was, as a symbol which contributed to the theme of KH.

She was all talk. To get her to TWTNW, she was practically shoved along.

 

Nope, I don't hate her. She's really nice, kind and considerate. Woot! Go Kairi!

 

I do agree Kairi was pushed along to move things and keep her in the story. Riku and Sora, whether anyone hates them or not, did move the story with their attitudes and drives. She was a reason in KH to do so but after that she wasn't so much till the end when she gets taken again in KH2. Because of WHO they were...versus WHAT she is about sums it all up. Being the goodie goodie Princess of Heart seems to be more important to the creators than being Kairi who is best friends with Sora and Riku. People have blamed Disney for how Kairi acts, but to me it's the same as many of the white mage females in SE.

Maybe Kairi can be saved more as she is coming out to face the world and she told Sora to stop leaving her behind. I'm not a Kairi hater as I just see the character is rather ruined being cast in the mary sue role because of the typical white mage wussy female with strong holy powers bit. She has potential but it depends if she is going to be made to be more about WHO she is too or not.

 

She doesn't even seem to have holy powers.

 

Forgetting that she has no means of travel between worlds.

Maybe I missed something, but I'm certain that Kairi was not the only one shunted along by the plot. In the first game she lost her heart, and since Sora had no idea where it was, he kept looking for her body. Even as a disembodied heart Kairi managed to save Sora's life from Rikunort. When Sora commits suicide she seems almost ashamed that he would do that for her. Riku showing up just strengthens the feeling. So when Sora Heartless shows up she's determined to help him for once, and regenerates his body. Once they're all back at Traverse Town she tries to come with Sora because she's sick of being left behind. Sora doesn't want her to and she takes a lot of persuading on the matter before finally giving Sora Oathkeeper. She then shows up in one of the most touching scenes in the series where Sora has to stay behind to find Riku and she is left behind again.

In KH2 she has all but forgotten Sora, but still tries to do something. Kairi sends off that message in a bottle to try and find the 'boy she remembers' and as we all know allows Sora and Riku to come home in the end. When Axel shows his smexy face Kairi charges straight into a dark portal and winds up in Twilight Town where she tells Hayner Pence and Olette about her predicament because they know Sora and he would inevitably show up again. However Axel shows his smexy face again and she is taken to TWTNW. Once there Namine busts her out and the two charge around the Nobody-infested castle because Kairi is going to find Sora damnit! Thus she jumps off a balcony to try and help him and when Riku gives her a weapon she sets about owning Heartless. Every single battle thereafter she tries to help until she is finally locked out of Kingdom Hearts. However, in the end she gives the boys a way home.

 

You've got some great points there, good job! I always think people tend to overlook the fact that Kairi isn't doing as much as the others because she can't. Not because she's weak, but because she has no way to get off of the Destiny Islands, and in the first one, she's a lifeless puppet, so obviously she can't do anything about it. The reason I like Kairi is because, although she is a damsel in distress (which I usually despise), she's trying to help. She brought Sora back from being a Heartless, she brought Sora and Riku back with the message in the bottle, and she ran into a portal of darkness to find her friends. Hey, even Axel said that was brave of her. I'm just glad that she actually does something about her problems, unlike Snow White who just sits by a wishing well all day hoping that her prince will miraculously appear one day. Pfft.

 

*shoves magic staff down throat* HISSSSS!!! I am a Sora fangirl

 

So?

Ok, so what does Sora have to do with Kairi being a plot device? He searched for her while she was being the Damsel in Distress. Nothing new there. She is still a plot device. Kidnapped so Sora could start his adventure and search every world for her

I don't get how this proves she isn't an annoying, useless plot device. She served her purpose as a damsel in distress and brought him back with her Sue Powers. She became useless as soon as her part was done.

.

Yes, because sending a bottle in the middle of the ocean is surely going to get your friends back. They came back because... it's Disney. But that's not the smartest thing to do. You know what she could have done? Search. Like Sora did for her.

But let's give her some credit, is not the only thing she did. She managed to get kidnapped. Again.

And we know that charging into a portal of nothingness is super smart. I don't get how this is making her look smart or useful.

Kidnapped again! This girl deserves her own world record!

Well, this may be the only part where she gets to do something. But the fact that they gave her a keyblade as a way to make her useful is a cheap cop out. As the main female character, however, its sad that her Nobody is much more interesting, intelligent and helpful than her.

 

Way to spam. =\

Let's see...he's her love interest, and vice versa? She's one of Sora's motives to fight.

Yeah, but she still saved him. And how is it not common for a male lead to be in trouble and then BAM! Out of nowhere comes the female lead and she saves him? That's a common element...

But the letter she wrote brought Sora and Riku back. Sora found it on the shore, and then a portal opens to Destiny Islands.

She ran to escape Axel. If there was a man with chakrams and the control of fire, would you say, "Hey, get lost" or would you try and not die?

The reason for the Keyblade is to show that Kairi also has a strong and pure heart like Sora...and yes, even though I found it slightly sterotypical to be pink and flowery, it proves that she can fight.

 

Why would people hate Kairi? I like her because she's a nice person and she cares about people.

 

I still feel some issues about Kairi. I don't hate her but most of her powers are subliminal and passive. I.e. she can change Sora back to himself because of the link of their hearts, and she can bring back Sora and Riku by...the link she has with Sora. The bond between Kairi and Sora is set in stone so that her abilities really (and Namine's too) only seem to matter when it's Sora or Roxas involved. Riku hardly got any support out of it and in some cases, he was worse off than Sora. Kairi's heart also rested in Sora through the whole game of KH and he didn't realize it. She really was made to be a Mary Sue.

The only redeeming thing I saw in Kairi was that in KH2 she finally told them she was going to go with them from now on and no leaving her behind. Sora seemed to do the 'can't let the girl get hurt' so she was left behind in Traverse Town after she did want to go with him to get Riku back. It's the only time she actually showed she gave a crap about Riku at all. For a pure hearted girl, she certainly was willing to go off with Sora alone on the raft Riku mostly made. I also found Namine to have the same streak of 'oOoh Sora' with how she treated Riku Replica and also ignored Riku's problems until the end when he might die because he thought Zexion was Sora. I really didn't think either girl was that great because of that. A friend is a friend and neither girl defended the other friend that was more than willing to help.

After all, Riku -did- save Kairi and take her to Twilight Town. Yeah, he was messed up mentally in KH but he did get her body back and guarded her. He also isn't the one who told Kairi she can't go anywhere and instead gives her a Keyblade and lets her do her thing. He was a friend but Kairi...her thoughts are so two-dimensional as were Namine's. If it wasn't Sora or Roxas, who cared. I also found Namine's sudden 'interest' in Roxas to be kind of disturbing.

Saying that, I still think Kairi has potential and that she may turn things around as she finally began to in KH2 at the end. Yes, she got a girly flowery Keyblade, but she also did go out and fight and take some brave moves and finally said she was going to not be left behind anymore. She's not going to hopefully be just Sora's girl, and she will instead make a name for herself, I hope. I don't hate her but for a main character she was just pushed along the story from the very beginning. Of course, Riku doesn't get much spot light either but at least we feel we know the character's dimensions, even if some people call him emo. I'd just like to see more reaction and emotional depth at least of Kairi to determine if she's a good character or not. It's hard to say at this point because all she's ever done is get kidnapped, pushed along, giggle, and have the hots for Sora.

I won't say she played Riku and Sora when they were growing up. She didn't 'mind' their competitions which were friendly, but I wouldn't say like some others have that she promoted it. I think in KH, Riku already knew her choice which is why he was trying to get Sora to pay attention and teased him about the Paopu Fruit. Riku was done with the competition because he's perceptive and he knew Sora had some jealousy and Kairi had made her choice already, so being a friend, he teased Sora a bit but was trying to get him to see. Later, when he becomes corrupted by Darkness, he's angry but I would pass that off as Darkness threatening to consume him and all, and not really what he absolutely felt in a sane calm mind.

 

I dont hate her. I dont like her either. I think her and Sora a good for each other, but I dont obsess over them or anything. I think she's a little annoying at times, but what KH character doesnt have their moments? =3 Between her and Namine, I prefer Namine.

 

(addressed in order of paragraph points.)

Being a LOVE INTEREST does not create character. The least they could have done to justify why they like each other or at least what MAKES KAIRI LOVABLE. Sorry people, but if the main character is supposed to love someone, at least grace me with some FLASHBACKS as to why. (Hell, Sora even got a flashback about why he and Riku are friends...where was Kairi's?)

Sorry this also doesn't fly, a HUG is not saving someone, I assure you. The "throwing oneself dramatically" is overdone, a sign of Suedom and a dramatic disgrace. And need I remind you, she just FLOPPED onto little Shadow Sora. Now had she actually taken HITS for actual ATTACKS, my respect for her would have gone up in all fairness. Better yet, if she physically stopped them from attacking and then did her Mary-Sue-Cure action!

Once again, another trait of Suedom. A letter written by a PRINCESS OF LIGHT, brings the heroes back home. They could have at least humored us with the "wishful thinking of all the family and loved ones of Riku and Sora," that brought them back. If they included that in addition to the letter, the whole thing would be far less SUE and far more credible. Alas, this is but another feeble attempt at redeeming miss princess.

You know what I found odd? When Kairi got dropped off in Twilight Town, she didn't bother to get any weapons or much of anything else despite being chased by a man in a black coat and with a CRAZY look on his face. Isn't that weird? I mean, considering he DID come out of nowhere back on Destiny Islands, you would think she would have the common sense to arm herself, with either a struggle bat or something else (she also doesn't know anything about Axel's powers, just an FYI!). Or is that too thoughtful?

The reason for the keyblade can practically be agreed upon as a shabby, poorly executed attempt at showing the brilliant SueRainbow that makes up miss princess of light Kairi. If Sora can pick up a STICK and battle on, so can Kairi. But no, she had a weapon handed to her, a very special one at that.

--------------------------- (a separate point)

For the sake of helping others possibly imagine female characters done FINE AND WELL. Do not look at SquareEnix, refer to ATLUS where apparently they believe in character balance. However for the sake of argument I will outline (for example) a pair of female characters from one game in comparison to Kairi (both share the same role in many senses, but for the sake of not naming names nor promoting another game in a KH-specific thread, I will list only the first letter of their names).

Girl Y is considered popular (because of her appearance) but is an (emotionally) "distant" person (she is only friendly to a few), she is afraid of getting too close to others because of how her mother and father turned out. She is trendy, can come off as being flippant at times, has a fear of ghosts, but an iron will for what is right (there is also almost no stopping her once it gets down to it). Although she gets stuck with healing abilities, she is also associated with the element of wind (and can thus attack with that as well). She also is skilled at using a bow and arrow as well as intrigued by the sport of archery. She has some of her weak moments (she is helped by some despite how she tries to solve them herself) but when it comes down to it, she is able to stare death straight in the eye and overcome that fear. She also despises being looked down at just for being a girl or being given certain roles that are meant to suppress (such as being forced to dress up in a maid outfit just because men say so) . Sexism is one thing she despises, but she still has a romantic part to her.

Girl A is actually conditioned into being a fighting machine, without question or without much thought. However some concepts such as a "reason" elude her for some time, and while not questioning it for the most part, she eventually begins to realize it is -because- she has no reason (that she knows of to fight) that she is left feeling helpless and weak. Only by realizing this does she finally find her true calling as a defender for those she has become friends with. She also manages to figure out that even though she may now have fear and hesitation, it gives her courage and resolve. When it comes to fighting she somehow manages to pull off support skills, one heal skill and several (powerful) physical attacks. She is literally the tank character of the group in addition to this.

Both of these characters are introduced and developed in the ONE game. Kairi received two. Neither of these characters are a "fated" anything, one is a STUDENT (much like Kairi) and the other is a ROBOT with a human mind (so I don't expect as much of an exact comparison with her, but I would like to show more character diversity for the position of heroine.) Also, neither get captured, put in danger, yes (and they get themselves out of it too), but never captured (which probably seems AMAZING to the SE-only player). (Actually a guy happens to get captured, which I found hilarious.) There are two more I could mention, however they have considerable differences in character position, also if you know what game this is from, good for you (you should also be able to understand my griping about SE girls/characters). And if you STILL consider Kairi a good female character after playing this game, I suggest you re-evaluate your thought process, thoroughly.

Side-Note: From this same game, there is an equal ratio of female to male healers and magic users, which I find refreshing given that many of the healers are quite mouthy, strong willed, and in some of these cases, hard hitters, in addition to a more equal justification as to why they can heal (agendas not genders!). They also have to learn these skills as well as actually "want" these abilities. None of their powers were given to them, they had to be earned as well as maintained (in the case of Girl Y, she has to practice for her archery; same for Girl A, where after a while of not fighting her abilities regress).

 

Well, unlike many people my post won't surpass a paragraph...


I don't hate her, she is one of my favorite characters!

 

Nice post. Though it is saddening that SquareEinx crapped up with Kairi when they have other cool females under their belt? What went wrong?

 

Well the two female characters I described actually refer to a completely different game company, so I suppose that's what went wrong. Or maybe it's Nomura, I see a certain pattern with him and his character mechanics... :\

 

Don't diss Cloud though. I hate that KH made him more emo than usual.