Kingdom Hearts Community: May your heart be your guiding key

I imagine they will announce the full cast list at some point in the future. Birth by Sleep was the last time they did that, and that's because they had big names like Willa Holland, Leonard Nimoy, Mark Hamill, and Jason Dohring.

KH3 has even bigger names so a cast list that confirms who plays Kairi / Xion / Namine will be very appreciated.

Xion's voice actor did Kairi in 0.2 right?

I really liked how she sounded, but she also sounded different.

Not sure if the original voice actor is coming back for 3, but it would be nice if she did.

I can't even tell anymore is Allyson stoner still doing it

Yeah, it was Alyson Stoner.

I don't know if they can entice Brittany Snow to come back, so they might just leave it as Meaghan Jette Martin, but Hayden should voice Kairi and Alyson voice Xion. I think that would be the easiest way to deal with this VA mess while respecting their dedication to voicing for the series.

Hayden Panettiere voiced Kairi in KH1, KH2, and BBS, and she voiced Xion in BBS and 3D. Alyson Stoner voiced Kairi in Re:CoM, Days, and 0.2, and she voiced Xion in both the Days game and movie. The issue is that they're supposed to sound the same, but Hayden Panettiere has voiced a lot more lines as Kairi, and Alyson Stoner has voiced a lot more lines as Xion.

If I had to guess, I'd say Alyson Stoner would probably be the one voicing them in KH3, because Hayden Panettiere has only come back after KH2 for very minor roles, and as I understand it, she's taking more time off of acting for personal reasons.

I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in English for so long I forgot how they sound like..

Xenosaga said:

I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in English for so long I forgot how they sound like..

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Goofy sounds normal :D

On the subject of voice acting, it will never not be surreal to me that Jesse McCartney consistently puts out some of the best performances in the series. Who would've guessed?

Voltty said:

On the subject of voice acting, it will never not be surreal to me that Jesse McCartney consistently puts out some of the best performances in the series. Who would've guessed?

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He continued to improve as the games went on. It's pretty impressive.

I'm all for separating the art and the artist in most cases (admittedly it's easy for me to say when I live on the other side of the world where ''conservatism'' or whatever you want to call it isn't taken to a whole new level) but as I said in the other thread and even as far back as 2014 when Re:Coded movie first released his voice isn't what it used to be and it might have been better to replace him all things considered.

Just check out KH2, 2006. James Woods gives easily one of the best performances in the game, he still clearly got it. Good energy, legit funny performance (heck, the little dry humour of 6:21 is one of my favourite funny moments in the series because how rooted it is in his delivery and character you rarely see in a JRPG):


Fast forward to 2014 mentioned previously and his performance in Re:Coded. You can start to hear his age (I have no idea if he is a smoker too). Of course there isn't anything inherently bad in his acting neccessarily but the voice isn't always what should come out of the characters mouth. While Hades is supposed to be laid back, dry with occasional bursts of booming anger what we are getting is voice that... the word I would use is ''struggling'' at places. Listen to the delivery of the line at 46:21 for example. Maybe it was just a bad take and they were in a hurry and I'm worrying too much, who knows:


And that was 3-4 years ago. Here is the absolute latest footage of his voice I could find and yeah, I have my fears when it comes to his Hades performance in 2018.
https://youtu.be/7RuUMiKGZ1Y?t=20s

The Re:Coded movie is not exactly where everyone gave their best performances.

Voltty said:

The Re:Coded movie is not exactly where everyone gave their best performances.

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We will know soon enough!

Hades sounds awful in that movie.

on the topic of voice acting what's the deal with Sora's Voice Actor in CoM? He sounds pretty different compared to KH1 Sora

Ratchetdude231 said:

Hades sounds awful in that movie.

on the topic of voice acting what's the deal with Sora's Voice Actor in CoM? He sounds pretty different compared to KH1 Sora

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He went from being a kid to being in his late teens.

Ratchetdude231 said:

Hades sounds awful in that movie.

on the topic of voice acting what's the deal with Sora's Voice Actor in CoM? He sounds pretty different compared to KH1 Sora

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Puberty. KH2 is set a year after CoM, so it's a lot more natural there.

Napalm_Frank said:

He went from being a kid to being in his late teens.

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you mean the voice actor right?

That makes sense although tbh I struggle to differentiate Sora's voice acting. He sounds really similar in KH1, 2 and even DDD, he just sounded really weird in CoM.

It's another annoying thing about KH, it's high time they let Haley act with a more natural voice to him. Should maybe have just aged Sora up (or get a younger actor until they did, Haley doing Vanitas only would have been interesting to be sure) or something.

Sora looks older in KH3. Maybe they'll let HJO use a deeper voice?

Though to be perfectly honest, my issue with Sora's voice in 3D was that 99% of the time it was coming from a KH1 age Sora. I don't have that much of an issue with it when Sora's older.

I hope so but they didn't in 0.2 so...

I wish Sora would get a Riku esque makeover in terms of character design. Granted I think the changes to Riku's character design in KH2 where done for story reasons + it fits how he's evolved as a character, but still.

Sora looks fine in KH3, but I wish he would get something a bit more than just new threads.

Voltty said:

Sora looks older in KH3. Maybe they'll let HJO use a deeper voice?

Though to be perfectly honest, my issue with Sora's voice in 3D was that 99% of the time it was coming from a KH1 age Sora. I don't have that much of an issue with it when Sora's older.

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3D also has some REALLY bad and dumbed down dialogue for Sora. It was the point where he finally went from KH2 anime hero with some human elements to pure distilled bad shonen stereotype.

Napalm_Frank said:

3D also has some REALLY bad and dumbed down diagolue for Sora. It was the point where he finally went from KH2 anime hero with some human elements to pure distilled bad shonen stereotype.

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Pretty much. Sora had some nice moments, but I think overall the game was very Riku heavy.

Sora was just wandering around not knowing what the fuck he's doing

I blame it on the fact that Sora wasn't even supposed to be in the game originally. It was a Riku game that Sora was shoved into because fans really wanted to play as Sora again. That being said, I do think there's a few great bits of Sora towards the end, so it wasn't a total waste.

Just a lil comparison: In DDD Sora calls Neku, a guy he just meets and betrays him in a matter of few cutscenes, a friend a few times in the first hour for no real reason. They aren't friends no matter what the game wants to tell you. Also Sora has this stupid huge grin on multiple occasions for no reason. ''But that's his character!''. Not really in the past it wasn't.

Then look at KH1. First time Sora is about to refer to Donald and Goofy, the main party members, as friends is at Deep Jungle to Tarzan multiple hours and worlds into the game and he stops in his tracks to basically think to himself ''fuck em'' due to a fight they had and chooses to focus on finding Riku and Kairi. Only at Hollow Bastion at the end of the game does he refer to the characters he has met as friends. The reason why the moment where Goofy chooses Sora over his mission is powerful is because they weren't really friends until that very moment. That is where it becomes real. It all is so much more human.

And next the smiling thing. Really think about how many times Sora has a big smile or grins during the entire game. I can say not many. He does at the start when he is with his actual friends at Destiny islands. Then he does the fake smile and fails at TT. And then there is a huge gap until the part where he is thinking about Kairi at Neverland and even there it is subtle. The only places in the entire game where he gives a big grinny smile are in Hollow Bastion right before he stabs himself and at the very end when he starts running in the grass fields with D&G. Well, I suppose he does grin in his 2D art portrait he has on the healthbar so there is that.

He used to be so much more human and subtle in many ways in KH1 (and CoM especially the GBA version and not too bad in KH2). We can only wait and see what the hell they have cooking up for KH3.

He seemed to be kind of down for a little bit at the end of 0.2 before snapping back to normal. That's the kind of thing I like to see.

Sora's character in 3D is basically on autopilot until TWTNW, at which point a lot more effort is put into him. Riku was clearly the character that the writers spent more time on in 3D.

Hey whats the best way to platinum Chain of Memories on PS4? Should I do 100% and no continues on Beginner for Riku and Sora and then just rush threw it on Proud twice?

You could argue that Soras personality and actions in DDD is because he's in the realm of sleep, and he isn't really taking the Mark of mastery exam seriously since he's only doing it for Rikus sake. None of his encounters in the sleeping worlds has any effect in the real world.

You could say that he was overconfident after beating both Ansem and Xemnas.

It's also his first adventure where not much is at stake. No people getting hurt, worlds getting destroyed or missing friends to find, It's the first time he gets to enjoy exploring new worlds. Until he gets to know that team Xehanort has messes up the exam that is.

I hope Sora regains a bit more if his KH1 personality in 3, but I'm fine as long as I feel some sort of progression of his personality throughout the game.

Green Slime King said:

Hey whats the best way to platinum Chain of Memories on PS4? Should I do 100% and no continues on Beginner for Riku and Sora and then just rush threw it on Proud twice?

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I would say do Proud mode from the get go. It's really not that difficult and once you get around level 25 to 30 you get a sleight that pretty much breaks the game and makes all the bosses a breeze.

I personally did no escapes on Sora's playthrough while doing no continues on Riku's playthrough, but really it doesn't matter how you do them. You could do both trophies in a single playthrough as either Sora or Riku as you wish.

Either way just prepare to grind a lot cause this is perhaps one of the grindiest plats I've done in a while.

The biggest problem with DDD Sora is that he's an idiot dumb dumb. He was smarter in KH1, he shouldn't be regressing.

At least the little we've seen in KHIII trailers is better. The snide remarks to Marluxia. Teasing Mike in Mon Inc. cutscene.

Ratchetdude231 said:

I would say do Proud mode from the get go. It's really not that difficult and once you get around level 25 to 30 you get a sleight that pretty much breaks the game and makes all the bosses a breeze.

I personally did no escapes on Sora's playthrough while doing no continues on Riku's playthrough, but really it doesn't matter how you do them. You could do both trophies in a single playthrough as either Sora or Riku as you wish.

Either way just prepare to grind a lot cause this is perhaps one of the grindiest plats I've done in a while.

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Yeah your right. Probably should just do it in 2 goes. Probably will do everything but the most grindiest of trophies and come back after I 100% KH2. Overall just loathing the CoM's playthrough.

Hey guys, question.

What should I focus on when leveling up Riku in Re:CoM?

I'm in the third world so far and I haven't done HP at all. Only DP when AP isn't available. Should I focus more on HP? Been a while since I played.

I think it's fine to raise HP if you're playing as Riku. Raising DP makes his Dark Riku mode last longer but it's not all that essential until you get Lexaeus' Enemy Card. Warp Break + Dark Riku air combo (spinning slash) will clear dense mobs in seconds. You'll want that when you get to Twilight Town, the Air Soldiers there are obnoxious. AP of course is the one you want every time it comes up.

When it comes to how Sora was written in DDD I assume they just wanted him to contrast Riku. Riku is smart, serious, and gets things done quite well in the game. Sora on the other hand acts like a dope and feels like a regression. It also doesn't help that the game was rushed out faster than most KH games so I can see the writing taking a hit because of that.

They've had a good long time to write the scenario for KH3 and Sora's attitude from the recent trailers has been pretty much perfect. It's what I expect from him post-KH2.

I think a good general rule of thumb is leveling up HP once per floor.

Voltty said:

I think a good general rule of thumb is leveling up HP once per floor.

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yeah, my big mistake first playing was getting way too into building a super awesome deck, and not being able to take a hit! even a couple of hp upgrades will last you if you're careful.

Oogie Boogie's enemy card was a lifesaver, it heals over time!

I'm playing DDD on proud and just finished Tron world, was Rinzler kinda hard for anyone else? I beat him by dodging like mad and cheesing commands/flowmotion, felt bad about it ):
Just curious, because if that was an easier proud fight then I should probably restart on an easier difficulty while I'm not too far in.

faircure said:

I'm playing DDD on proud and just finished Tron world, was Rinzler kinda hard for anyone else? I beat him by dodging like mad and cheesing commands/flowmotion, felt bad about it ):
Just curious, because if that was an easier proud fight then I should probably restart on an easier difficulty while I'm not too far in.

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It's one of my favorite fights in DDD, and it is pretty tricky! if I can ever get over the rough start of a critical playthrough, I'll be looking forward to it!

faircure said:

I'm playing DDD on proud and just finished Tron world, was Rinzler kinda hard for anyone else? I beat him by dodging like mad and cheesing commands/flowmotion, felt bad about it ):
Just curious, because if that was an easier proud fight then I should probably restart on an easier difficulty while I'm not too far in.

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Yeah that was probably the hardest boss in DDD for me.

Died so many times to him that I ended up doing some grinding.

Was watching my friend playing DDD on PS4 last night and man the people who designed the shit ton of end game bosses can't be right in the head. Because they're not very well designed are they? Cheap attacks and getting stuck in eternal combos.

Razorrin said:

It's one of my favorite fights in DDD, and it is pretty tricky! if I can ever get over the rough start of a critical playthrough, I'll be looking forward to it!

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I've only ever played KH2FM critical, the damage output cut is so daunting in other games. I hope you can do it though!

Ratchetdude231 said:

Yeah that was probably the hardest boss in DDD for me.

Died so many times to him that I ended up doing some grinding.

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Same here, it felt like such an abrupt difficulty spike. I didn't even have leaf bracer on my first attempt and getting him to leave me alone long enough to heal was horrible.

Psxphile said:

I think it's fine to raise HP if you're playing as Riku. Raising DP makes his Dark Riku mode last longer but it's not all that essential until you get Lexaeus' Enemy Card. Warp Break + Dark Riku air combo (spinning slash) will clear dense mobs in seconds. You'll want that when you get to Twilight Town, the Air Soldiers there are obnoxious. AP of course is the one you want every time it comes up.

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Razorrin said:

yeah, my big mistake first playing was getting way too into building a super awesome deck, and not being able to take a hit! even a couple of hp upgrades will last you if you're careful.

Oogie Boogie's enemy card was a lifesaver, it heals over time!

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Awesome, thanks!

"Dark Seeker Saga finally ends!"
I wonder what they will call the next Saga..

malyse said:

Sora wasn't stressed the fuck out in 3D. In KH he was worried about Kairi. In CoM he was worried about Naminé. In KH2 he was worried about Riku. In 3D, hey! Everyone is safe! It's the same personality he has on Destiny Islands in 1. He was always a lighthearted dope, but he had to deal with a bunch of crap outside of his control.

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Thank you!! Ugh I hate when ppl come for DDD sora(game is top 3). He wasn't worrying about anything he was safe, it was a test he was already over confident about in the first place and didn't even think it was necessary until riku spoke up. He's always goofy and a bit dopey that's been sora day 1.
#DDDTop3

Blackleg-sanji1 said:

Thank you!! Ugh I hate when ppl come for DDD sora(game is top 3). He wasn't worrying about anything he was safe, it was a test he was already over confident about in the first place and didn't even think it was necessary until riku spoke up. He's always goofy and a bit dopey that's been sora day 1.
#DDDTop3

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Pretty much. He's never really had any profound knowledge beyond being hopeful, and everything he did pretty much always involved him doing so for one of his friends. I can't call DDD a regression of his character because he's stayed consistent, personality-wise. The only thing that's really changed about him is his perception of Kairi. Sora's always been headstrong and stubborn and never really thinks things through and it's what causes him to end up in the situation that he does in DDD. Riku starts out headstrong but gets knocked off of his pedestal in the first game, so if he went back to being a cocky rival then that'd be a regression. But Sora can't really regress because his personality never really changed.

So what you're saying is the Org needs to kidnap Sora's mom before we can see serious-mode Sora again. Good idea, I'll tweet it to Nomura.

And find out Sora's mom was a Nobody all along.

We Bleach now.

Johnny Yong Bosch to voice older Sora in Kingdom Hearts 4.