If I'm rehashing an older theory that has been discussed, sorry, but while rewatching all the Eraqus/Xehanort cutscenes —BBS, secret endings, and KH 3, I'm more interested in the 7 Guardians of Light and the 13 Seekers of Darkness and what that really is.
Hear me out, I think it's reversed, and we've been duped into thinking it's as it "should" be, when in fact it's not.
13 Seekers of Darkness - Sora, Riku, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Naminé.
7 Guardians of Light - Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, Terra-Xehanort, Vanitas and Dark Riku.
I have left out Xigbar, Marluxia, Larxene, Luxord, Saïx, and Xion, basically anyone whose hearts were too strong for complete corruption. I believe these members are in fact red herrings.
- Xehanort believes he is doing the right thing in the end, protecting the light.
- We literally have spent the entire series "seeking" out the darkness.
- The 7 black pieces on the reversed chess board represent the Foretellers, MoM, and Luxu and we can assume it will be against 13 white pieces.
- The 7 I listed were bodies who were literal manifestations of Xehanort in the past and not nobodies with his heart placed in them and if you look closer, you will also notice the the 7 I listed are the only ones who were replicas with a "heart" of Xehanort, because they were true time-travelling versions of his guardian of light mission.
- This fits with the ending too, as Luxu couldn't possibly be a direct accessory to the fulfilment of the prophecy, it breaks the fundamental rule of time travel in the series, but does explain the preparation of the foretellers return.
- It furthermore aligns with the World A, World B, etc. timelines, perhaps suggesting that each timelines required a different balance of the 13 vs. the 7.
Long winded and not fully fleshed out, but it's been on my mind for a while now. What do you guys think?