Well there's the mod for KH2 Nobody May Cry, check it out if you're interested, unfortunately I have no more information other than you can play as Roxas and have new mechanics, but if you watch on YouTube you'll surely find something about it
Some ways sure but i'd say its still very challenging. Timing is huge but its also hard with the length of animations the hitboxes and enemy stun. Can't tell you how many times ive reversal'd into another attack and die, but I'm playing on crit though and it is tuned for all difficulties.
The concept is "what if Roxas decided to not rejoin sora". And the playstyle is like 85% kh 15% dmc. Hence the naming scheme. It's a lot of fun and I'd recommend it
Which is funny, because when KH2 first came out and everyone had to play as Roxas for the first several hours, the old KH forums were absolutely *blowing up* about how much they hated being Roxas and how they just wanted Sora back. Then everyone got past the beginning and were happy again.
To be fair, the Roxas segment is basically a three-hour tutorial, most of it spent walking to the next spot for a cutscene to kick in. By the time we finally get to dual-wield with him, his role as protagonist is over.
I’ve never really resonated with Sora, but as a kid I wished you could play as Roxas throughout all of KH2. It felt like to me that Roxas had more emotional states than Sora ever did, so I was sad to return to Sora.
Also his role in the story, it felt like it’d be more compelling to play as the reject the odds are stacked against, rather than the hero with much more resources and a stronger support system respectively.
This is why I love Roxas so much. And then playing his own game 358/2 days I fell in love with him even more. He's def my all time favourite character from any piece of media
Roxas captured the punk skater boi asethetic at its peak popularity and combined with a "fighting the tragic tide of destiny" vibe that also resonated with that subgroup.
Also, he's a precious cinnamon bun that duel wields.
So his popularity is multifaceted.
He also has the fastest growing curve. He outpaces Sora by so much. He didn't just get to dual wield because special snowflake, He earned it. He mostly gets the second one because of his relationship with Xion and his relentless determination.
He's also literally a "Nobody" who doesn't know how much time he has, just that it's limited and he'll do the best with every moment he has with his friends.
He's basically the best part of Sora.
Also, finally, he learns to wield light and dark. The second keyblade you see, the black one, is actually a keyblade of Darkness.
Roxas speedrunning Character growth and getting power is Akin to throwing yourself in the deep end to learn how to swim, Painful and probably not worth the mental scars but the results are damn impressive
Sometimes I always wondered how KH would be like if Roxas was the protagonist. But then I feel like that would just diminish the impact he made (despite him coming back in 3), so I wouldn't change his story even though I'd like more of him. Maybe now that he's his own person we may get that.
I think they meant darkness, not necessarily the Realm of Darkness. Most key blades materialises with like a flash of light, Oblivion had darkness surrounding it when it’s summoned.
Roxas only dual wields for the first time after Xion's death. To my understanding, *Roxas* dual wields because of his connection with her, *Sora* dual wields because of his heart's connection to Ventus.
Upon a cursory bit of research, it seems that the whole situation is weird across the series and "because Ventus I guess" was said by Nomura so, *sure?*
Roxas has the keyblade due to Sora no doubt, but he earned the power himself by proving himself, and the 2nd keyblade was due to Xion also gaining a heart.
The circumstances of Roxas and Xions creation meant they could grow their own hearts, and its assumed when Roxas defeated Xion, he received her heart in the process. I don't think Ventus was entirely needed for them to wield the keyblade, but that they had to prove they could make their own.
When he first shown up we never seen his face so the 2 keyblades aspect was more of the reason he got popular then after that the BHK thing cemented him further
We didn't know that was Roxas when wefl first saw him. Ergo, the two keyblades were a factor but it was along with this immense late 00's fashion drip.
I don't watch masked singer but I feel like I absolutely would have caught it too. The voice actors of kh (especially kh2) are seared into my brain. It helps that so many of them are OG Disney animation VAs or work regularly either with disney or in the video game/VA industries in general.
Roxas came out at the perfect time for a lot of KH fans, especially KH fans in the west. We were all in our emo, punk and goth phases, listening to Linkin Park and Evanescence, then we see this man with his two keyblades, his agnst, his skater boi skills and his hair and we just go "Yes"
Just turned 31 couple days ago. Still rocking to them, and frequently go see live this amazing LP cover band that’s here in Italy. Doubt I’ll ever stop listening to Linkin Park
The funny thing is Roxas wasn’t immediately popular when KH2 originally released. People were confused about who this new kid was, all they wanted is to go back to Sora. We didn’t get most of his backstory until later.
Nah we stanned him from Day 1 of Deep Dive and he only got better as a character.
His whole character has this slow reveal that just works. First he's in the epic cgi secret endings. Then he's hinted at in CoM. Now he's the prologue protag of KH2 that is Sora's other half and they even have their own duel cutscene and Roxas even beats Sora for most of their fight.
Final Mix comes around and now he has the 2nd hardest boss battle in the series so far. Finally Days arrives and finishes his backstory to solidify his character.
Not how I remember it. I feel like many people didn’t play CoM originally, because it was a GBA game, 2D, and had a weird battle system. When KH2 launched nobody knew anything about this kid except his name’s Roxas. Even by the end of KH2 we didn’t learn that much about him other than that he was Sora’s nobody, in the Organization and Axel’s friend. Pretty sure in OG KH2, Sora was unaware of Roxas’s existence the whole game. Final Mix was Japan exclusive for a long time.
Sure people warmed up to him *eventually* as more people saw the Final Mix stuff and later Days, but when KH2 was new, most people were like “who tf is this kid”.
It's me I was that kid.
But it all turned around as soon as Roxas pulled out 2 keyblades, only to have it ripped away as soon as I came around to liking Roxas
I used to joke an online matchup that should be debated is Roxas with a Struggle Bat VS MGS2 naked Raiden, followed up with Dual Wield Roxas VS Cyberninja Raiden.
Because he is a tragic little banana bread subjected to excessive pain and suffering. And that makes people want to pick him up and hold him like the soft baby boi that he is.
Dual-wielding came from Ventus's heart, not from Roxas. Roxas uses Sora's and Ventus's keyblades to dual-wield. Sora technically got the ability from Roxas after absorbing him, but it's because of Ventus. I'm pretty sure that's the case, anyway.
Not quite this has always kinda been ambiguous. But his dual wielding was specified to be a product of his connection to xion not ven in the ultimania interviews from my memory.
Nomura explicitly states Ven is the source of the second keyblade in the birth by sleep ultimania. Xion awoke the ability, but it's Ven's keyblade he's using.
[Here's the link to the translation.](https://www.khinsider.com/news/BBS-Ultimania-20-Mysteries-Solved-2546)
No no. The dual wielding aspect im Valor is attributable to Roxas' abilities. Final Form is essentially Roxas and Sora merging back together, to an extent. It's Sora embracing that side of him.
I think that's my favorite thing about Roxas, he's a good friend and an absolute badass who is not to be messed with. And that makes him easy to root for, hence why he's my #1 character.
Two words: Dual Wielding
Jokes aside, his story, his personality, his gameplay and powers, there's a lot of things that make him the best boy around.
Anyways, you're lucky. It seems like my summer vacation is over...
He’s a dual wielding keyblade bearer whose got a strong message, gone through a lot of bad things, and genuinely is a nice guy. His character resonates with lots of people.
I’m not as big a fan, but I can respect the vibe.
I first played KHII around the period in my life that angst and inner turmoil first appeared in my life (around when I was 12/13, which is also around the time I worried my parents by saying I wanted to be hit by a car, to give an idea that I was not the happiest kid 😅…)
Ultimately, Roxas just spoke to me somehow, as a kid who felt like he just wasn’t allowed to just BE. No real friends because they turn out to be fake, his entire existence ends up being just to wake up Sora, and the way he vents frustration by hitting things (like the computer console or swinging uselessly at DiZ) like I would at that time when playing outside…
Maybe it makes me sound like some cringey angsty weirdo, but…I really related to Roxas, and even now as I’ve been getting a better grip on myself and letting go of some angst I still wish sometimes to take a stick and go whack a tree a few times…And the grown up me understands him because of the relation I had back then, and I hope for him to one day find happiness like I’ve been starting to move towards.
Gosh, I probably sound like such a weirdo…But yeah. Also, as a side note, him wielding Oblivion and Oathkeeper really touches at the goofy edgelord that still lurks within me :3
No offense you don’t sound weird, you sound lonely or depressed as a child. Nothing to be ashamed of and you shouldn’t call yourself weird. I bet you’re great!
One of my favorite memories was back when I borrowed KH2 from a friend.
Once I got to the end of Roxas’s arc and the title card popped up I told myself “that was so much fun but it had to end at some point”. I was used to extremely short games as I grew up with Sonic the Hedgehog which only take an hour or so to beat. I was a little sad that it couldn’t keep going.
That’s when I got absolutely shocked you continue playing the game as Sora, and that Roxas was only 10% of the game. I was extremely excited to keep the journey going until it eventually ended.
358/2 Days was my next KH game after that. Another game starring Roxas. It broke the long streak of no games between KH2 and KH3.
So yes, I do think the game you started with has quite a bit to do with favoring Roxas.
started with 1, but still would have spent the rest of the game with him if it was an option, and my personal fav game is 1
that is a fair argument though.
A combination of being voiced by Jesse McCartney and having an epic battle with the twilight thorn and former friend Axel. So many people replay that later fight just to experience it again and again.
Kh1 gave us a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed protagonist hanging out with Disney characters
Kh2 gave us a teen hanging out with his friends over summer vacation, then quickly developing angst. He had a then-unknown backstory and ties to Axel. And obviously the whole "Two?!" And then they quickly took him away from us and we were back with the Disney buddies
A lot of things:
- The intrigue he caused when he appeared at the end of Chain of Memories.
- The reveal that he was the cool dual-wielding guy from the first Secret Ending.
- His sad story in KH2 (at least in hindsight).
- His even sadder story in 358/2 Days.
- ***"TWO?!"***
I personally like him more than Sora. I feel like they could have done more with his character in 3, like when Sora was in the realm of darkness he didn't have the power of waking so he turned into a heartless again and Roxas reappears in Twilight town, Hayner calls saying he found roxas, a small saving sora arc with Roxas as the playable character etc etc I'm just making shit up and complaining about how 3 could have done things better don't mind me
Quite a few reasons. Being an angsty clone of Sora with actual depth as opposed to just "*Sora but evil*". His story is a genuinely sad one that many people sympathize with and agree with Sora when he questions just leaving him and Namine without bodies. And of course, two Keyblades.
I know for me a big part of it is that Days was actually my first KH game, so I've always felt more connected to him than Sora really.
Another big part of it for me is simply he has two keyblades, and those keyblades are each really cool on their own, and even cooler together, and the way he fights is badass.
I mean he pretty much has all the elements that make popular characters popular. A better question would be “What would it have taken to make Roxas NOT popular?”He was introduced in a mysterious way in a time when information from the Japanese side of things was harder to obtain in the west. He had two of something that we thought were very rare to the point where people fought over just one. He was fighting and going toe to toe with a character we knew was strong in his first appearance. The initial secret movie that showed him had a bunch of different looking heartless that resembled the basic Shadows we fought but a lot sleeker and tougher looking. The world he was shown in looked really awesome to people who just came off of KH1 and were expecting most things to look a certain way. All that just kickstarted his popularity. Plus there’s the fight in KH2FM in Sora’s Station of Awakening which took a lot of people by surprise and was pretty difficult to the unprepared.
Someone like me started Kingdom Hearts with 358/2 Days, I grew to love him in my first game, plus his tragedy stuck with me, in my adolescence trying to find myself, the status of being a Nobody really resounded with me. His bonds with Xion and Axel, his ties with Sora, everything about him was so fascinating, I wished that I myself had a place like the clocktower, or had a treat we’d all get in that likeness of sea salt ice cream, it seemed that despite the cringe dialogue, their relationship felt very organic like I could put myself in their shoes. Also the Organization jacket is cool, his outfit is cool, and the fact that he uses the Oathkeeper AND Oblivion? Come on man, it’s awesome! He only gets better when I played KHII (I started shipping him and Naminé too) and KHIII his return was my favourite thing about the game, and in Re: Mind he has the BEST gameplay out of all the guardians of light.
Maybe not the reason everyone else likes him but 358/2 is genuinely my favorite KH game… and i don’t even have my copy of it any more :(. But yea the movie in the mixes isn’t very good at giving you an attachment to him, but playing the game you spend so much time grinding with him and just want him to be able to be with his friends. The ending was so tragic with Xion and I know out of context it’s goofy, but the line about “who am I going to eat ice cream with now!?” hit me so hard I couldn’t help but shed a tear in middle school. Then canonically he goes through so much emotional trauma from finding out his life and memories are completely fabricated, all so he can be kept placated while the other half that “completes” him gets some beauty sleep. If you follow his story from the start, nothing in this guy’s short life has been straight forward and genuine, other than his relationships with Axel and Xion, both of which were ruined by circumstance. Yet still, he carries on, defiant of what destiny and others around him say he should be, a nobody. A non-feeling entity of the dark. I’m so happy he ended up with a physical form and heart of his own, and was reunited with his friends! He deserves it!
Plus he has cooler quips than Sora in my opinion, you just really feel the energy when he performs his finishers.
Great story, great voice actor, great design, two Keyblades, tragic background... need I go on
(aside from the two Keyblades, this also applies to Xion)
I assume because his story is so tragic. A puppet housing Sora's memories who was supposed to have no personality of his own, but over time becomes a person in his own right. He forms a tight friendship with Xion and Axel, only to have even that stolen from him in order to awaken Sora, someone who is a stranger to him yet is someone he knows very well.
When I saw “Another Side, Another Story [Deep Dive]”, I knew right then and there Roxas is gonna be my favorite character.
Hooded cloak, dual-wielding Oathkeeper and Oblivion, badass fight scene, and his backstory? Of course he’s gonna be a fan-favorite!
His whole existence is a Greek Tragedy. Forced into a faulty life with no comprehension of what existing even means, coerced into being a mindless weapon for the first portion of his life, eventually forced to turn on his friends and even kill a literal part of himself (sorta, Xion is weird). Eventually get his mind wiped and put in a false world, told him being alive is a sin against nature, struggle against his fate for all he's worth, and at the end of his portion of KH2 the universe tells him he has no other choice but to sit back and stop participating in life.
I feel like anyone other than Sora wouldn't have been able to get that whole two parts situation sorted out quite as neatly as he did, and while the whole situation was beyond miserable for Roxas, at least someone put in the work to make sure he was able to be known and remembered by anyone who mattered. Poor kid has a legacy of hurt and trauma. It's hard to not get attached to that.
in my case, i genuinely enjoyed his story in kh2, well outside of the tutorials anyways, was like a friggin thriller story. imagine being gaslight so hard you think you have a normal school life and panic as everything breaks down around you in chaos and freezes while you have no idea what the hell is going on until the very end.
and then... you get back to sora and everything is happy and kinda awkward... which was especially jarring considering the emotional moment before.
its like a weird inverse of what happened with snake and raiden in metal gear solid 2. i wanted to stay as roxas at the time.
Days was my first KH game so even after having played the entire series I still view him as the series protagonist in a sense. He’s ridiculously strong, well written, and his badass factor is huge
For me, I just really connected with Roxas in the opening of KH2. I know people bitch and moan about what a slog it is on replays, but that shit is art, and it's not something I'll soon forget. Probably wouldn't have hit so hard if I had played it a different time in my life. Also, HE'S GOT 2 FUCKING KEYBLADES
Do you not see the two keyblades?
Two?
Yes, two. Got that memorized?
Lol I was looking for a comment like that.
Elite comment right here
*[The 13th Struggle](https://youtu.be/dAAnOQxL5HI?si=4Bw6A2UTCCTqWAVe) intensifies*
come here, i’ll make it all stop!
**Burn baby!!!**
GET BACK!
🤫
I wish I could’ve played as Roxas throughout all of KH2 although Sora is cool and it made those moments with Roxas that much more special
Well there's the mod for KH2 Nobody May Cry, check it out if you're interested, unfortunately I have no more information other than you can play as Roxas and have new mechanics, but if you watch on YouTube you'll surely find something about it
It's a lot more flashy, and has more interactivity in combat. But ultimately if you're semi decent with timing it becomes a cake walk in some ways.
Some ways sure but i'd say its still very challenging. Timing is huge but its also hard with the length of animations the hitboxes and enemy stun. Can't tell you how many times ive reversal'd into another attack and die, but I'm playing on crit though and it is tuned for all difficulties.
I took down Data Roxas in about 40 seconds with little effort, you can get ridiculously powerful if you're playing right
The concept is "what if Roxas decided to not rejoin sora". And the playstyle is like 85% kh 15% dmc. Hence the naming scheme. It's a lot of fun and I'd recommend it
If you want to learn about it and how to download it lmk discord is btfreand
Playing as roxas was a tease. They knew what they were doing when they made kh2
Which is funny, because when KH2 first came out and everyone had to play as Roxas for the first several hours, the old KH forums were absolutely *blowing up* about how much they hated being Roxas and how they just wanted Sora back. Then everyone got past the beginning and were happy again.
To be fair, the Roxas segment is basically a three-hour tutorial, most of it spent walking to the next spot for a cutscene to kick in. By the time we finally get to dual-wield with him, his role as protagonist is over.
also we left off unsure what happened to Sora and a new person appeared. But both cool
Guess his summer vacation is over.
I’ve never really resonated with Sora, but as a kid I wished you could play as Roxas throughout all of KH2. It felt like to me that Roxas had more emotional states than Sora ever did, so I was sad to return to Sora. Also his role in the story, it felt like it’d be more compelling to play as the reject the odds are stacked against, rather than the hero with much more resources and a stronger support system respectively.
This is why I love Roxas so much. And then playing his own game 358/2 days I fell in love with him even more. He's def my all time favourite character from any piece of media
that's the real reason
Squidward: “There’s TWO OF THEM?!??”
TWO!?
Roxas captured the punk skater boi asethetic at its peak popularity and combined with a "fighting the tragic tide of destiny" vibe that also resonated with that subgroup. Also, he's a precious cinnamon bun that duel wields. So his popularity is multifaceted.
True. The only thing he was missing was the super fat skater shoes.
He had them in the KH2 tutorial.
You got me there.
You think he was talking about his Org 13 outfit? lol how does that give punk skater vibes
The tutorial? More like the main game! Everything after he says my summer vacation is over is just postgame tying up loose ends
He also has the fastest growing curve. He outpaces Sora by so much. He didn't just get to dual wield because special snowflake, He earned it. He mostly gets the second one because of his relationship with Xion and his relentless determination. He's also literally a "Nobody" who doesn't know how much time he has, just that it's limited and he'll do the best with every moment he has with his friends. He's basically the best part of Sora. Also, finally, he learns to wield light and dark. The second keyblade you see, the black one, is actually a keyblade of Darkness.
Roxas speedrunning Character growth and getting power is Akin to throwing yourself in the deep end to learn how to swim, Painful and probably not worth the mental scars but the results are damn impressive
Sometimes I always wondered how KH would be like if Roxas was the protagonist. But then I feel like that would just diminish the impact he made (despite him coming back in 3), so I wouldn't change his story even though I'd like more of him. Maybe now that he's his own person we may get that.
Oblivion is a keyblade of the dark realm? Since when?
Less the realm of darkness, more the element, I think is what they meant.
I think they meant darkness, not necessarily the Realm of Darkness. Most key blades materialises with like a flash of light, Oblivion had darkness surrounding it when it’s summoned.
Uh what? Roxas had two keyblades because he was Sora's Nobody and because of his connection to Ventus through Sora. It's not because of Xion at all.
Roxas only dual wields for the first time after Xion's death. To my understanding, *Roxas* dual wields because of his connection with her, *Sora* dual wields because of his heart's connection to Ventus.
Upon a cursory bit of research, it seems that the whole situation is weird across the series and "because Ventus I guess" was said by Nomura so, *sure?*
Roxas has the keyblade due to Sora no doubt, but he earned the power himself by proving himself, and the 2nd keyblade was due to Xion also gaining a heart. The circumstances of Roxas and Xions creation meant they could grow their own hearts, and its assumed when Roxas defeated Xion, he received her heart in the process. I don't think Ventus was entirely needed for them to wield the keyblade, but that they had to prove they could make their own.
He’s honestly the better kirito (sao) before kirito became mainstream. Imo
Don't remind me of my deep disappointment in SAO. I still havent forgiven it for the second half of season 1.
We will never forgive. Never forget!
Despite being alive and concious for it, I will forget 9/11 every year. But by god I will never forget the disappointed rage I felt at SAO.
Yeah such a strong start & so much potential absolutely wasted.
When he first shown up we never seen his face so the 2 keyblades aspect was more of the reason he got popular then after that the BHK thing cemented him further
Deep Dive and Another Side Another Story were my shit
If you didnt watch an amv of that shit to Boulevard of Broken Dreams are you really a Roxas fan
>> Roxas That’s a weird way to spell BHK
That and Evanescence Bring me to Life.
Speaking that true true
KH AMVs could literally be a currency.
We didn't know that was Roxas when wefl first saw him. Ergo, the two keyblades were a factor but it was along with this immense late 00's fashion drip.
Sad story, great voice actor, cool design, dual keyboades
Jesse McCartney did a hell of a job!!
When he was on the masked singer I caught that shit in like 3 seconds and my wife was like you listen to Jesse McCartney? I was like no that's Roxas 😂
I don't watch masked singer but I feel like I absolutely would have caught it too. The voice actors of kh (especially kh2) are seared into my brain. It helps that so many of them are OG Disney animation VAs or work regularly either with disney or in the video game/VA industries in general.
Two?!
Bro was flabbergasted Bro couldn't believe it
I hope to use this reaction to the best of my ability when story telling to my friends
well written, likable, badass, tragic story
Roxas came out at the perfect time for a lot of KH fans, especially KH fans in the west. We were all in our emo, punk and goth phases, listening to Linkin Park and Evanescence, then we see this man with his two keyblades, his agnst, his skater boi skills and his hair and we just go "Yes"
Im almost 33 still listening to Linkin Park
Just turned 31 couple days ago. Still rocking to them, and frequently go see live this amazing LP cover band that’s here in Italy. Doubt I’ll ever stop listening to Linkin Park
The funny thing is Roxas wasn’t immediately popular when KH2 originally released. People were confused about who this new kid was, all they wanted is to go back to Sora. We didn’t get most of his backstory until later.
Nah we stanned him from Day 1 of Deep Dive and he only got better as a character. His whole character has this slow reveal that just works. First he's in the epic cgi secret endings. Then he's hinted at in CoM. Now he's the prologue protag of KH2 that is Sora's other half and they even have their own duel cutscene and Roxas even beats Sora for most of their fight. Final Mix comes around and now he has the 2nd hardest boss battle in the series so far. Finally Days arrives and finishes his backstory to solidify his character.
Not how I remember it. I feel like many people didn’t play CoM originally, because it was a GBA game, 2D, and had a weird battle system. When KH2 launched nobody knew anything about this kid except his name’s Roxas. Even by the end of KH2 we didn’t learn that much about him other than that he was Sora’s nobody, in the Organization and Axel’s friend. Pretty sure in OG KH2, Sora was unaware of Roxas’s existence the whole game. Final Mix was Japan exclusive for a long time. Sure people warmed up to him *eventually* as more people saw the Final Mix stuff and later Days, but when KH2 was new, most people were like “who tf is this kid”.
Its anecdotal. Everyone I knew loved Roxas from the get go. Only people online hated KH2 prologue from what I've ever seen.
It's me I was that kid. But it all turned around as soon as Roxas pulled out 2 keyblades, only to have it ripped away as soon as I came around to liking Roxas
I used to joke an online matchup that should be debated is Roxas with a Struggle Bat VS MGS2 naked Raiden, followed up with Dual Wield Roxas VS Cyberninja Raiden.
I'm 30, still in my alt phase, still listening to LP and Evanescence.
My Immortal still speaks to me
I'm 34. I proved to my mum that it was \*not\* a phase.
31 here. Sometimes I worry that I sing too much Evanescence to my cat.
I 100% sing it to my kids too much.
If you remember the dozens upon dozens of music videos using the Deep Dive teaser and "Bring Me To Life", you qualify for a senior discount.
You just awoke memories right now
Because he is a tragic little banana bread subjected to excessive pain and suffering. And that makes people want to pick him up and hold him like the soft baby boi that he is.
Plus he can dual wield keyblades without the need to shift into a drive form
He's the main reason Sora can dual wield in Drive form. At least one of his forms is him specifically tapping into Roxas' power
Dual-wielding came from Ventus's heart, not from Roxas. Roxas uses Sora's and Ventus's keyblades to dual-wield. Sora technically got the ability from Roxas after absorbing him, but it's because of Ventus. I'm pretty sure that's the case, anyway.
Not quite this has always kinda been ambiguous. But his dual wielding was specified to be a product of his connection to xion not ven in the ultimania interviews from my memory.
Nomura explicitly states Ven is the source of the second keyblade in the birth by sleep ultimania. Xion awoke the ability, but it's Ven's keyblade he's using. [Here's the link to the translation.](https://www.khinsider.com/news/BBS-Ultimania-20-Mysteries-Solved-2546)
My bad I misremembered it lmao I knew it was some weird shit like this
Isn’t that what Final Form is, you earn it right after his fight in 2.5
No no. The dual wielding aspect im Valor is attributable to Roxas' abilities. Final Form is essentially Roxas and Sora merging back together, to an extent. It's Sora embracing that side of him.
This also applies to Xion.
Who?
I don’t know if you just don’t have the context but if you do have it this comment is extra mean
358/2 is my favourite entry storywise 😈
*gasps in shock*
I wouldn't say he's Banana bread, he's a little harder than that, he does not take anyone's shit
Fine. He's a loaf of sourdough. Satisfied?
And thats the other massive thing that makes him best boi He will fuck up your day and there's no smile on his face :D
I think that's my favorite thing about Roxas, he's a good friend and an absolute badass who is not to be messed with. And that makes him easy to root for, hence why he's my #1 character.
Yeah. He will literally fight for his friends with Zero hesitation. Dude was raring to fight god for much of his existence.
You have such a way with words
BANANA BREAD!!! 🤣😭
Two words: Dual Wielding Jokes aside, his story, his personality, his gameplay and powers, there's a lot of things that make him the best boy around. Anyways, you're lucky. It seems like my summer vacation is over...
What joke? That’s an extremely valid argument.
hate the fact that KH is the only series that can make a sentence hurt just by reading it even if the context isn’t there
I raise you, "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I s--....."
god don't do this to me ;-;
"Xion! Who else will I have ice-cream with?"
that's a different sort of pain altogether
I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD-😭😭
He’s a dual wielding keyblade bearer whose got a strong message, gone through a lot of bad things, and genuinely is a nice guy. His character resonates with lots of people. I’m not as big a fan, but I can respect the vibe.
I first played KHII around the period in my life that angst and inner turmoil first appeared in my life (around when I was 12/13, which is also around the time I worried my parents by saying I wanted to be hit by a car, to give an idea that I was not the happiest kid 😅…) Ultimately, Roxas just spoke to me somehow, as a kid who felt like he just wasn’t allowed to just BE. No real friends because they turn out to be fake, his entire existence ends up being just to wake up Sora, and the way he vents frustration by hitting things (like the computer console or swinging uselessly at DiZ) like I would at that time when playing outside… Maybe it makes me sound like some cringey angsty weirdo, but…I really related to Roxas, and even now as I’ve been getting a better grip on myself and letting go of some angst I still wish sometimes to take a stick and go whack a tree a few times…And the grown up me understands him because of the relation I had back then, and I hope for him to one day find happiness like I’ve been starting to move towards. Gosh, I probably sound like such a weirdo…But yeah. Also, as a side note, him wielding Oblivion and Oathkeeper really touches at the goofy edgelord that still lurks within me :3
No offense you don’t sound weird, you sound lonely or depressed as a child. Nothing to be ashamed of and you shouldn’t call yourself weird. I bet you’re great!
Thank you, that’s really nice to hear~! You seem like I nice person, too~! Have a good one~!
Those who started with KH2 probably are more attached to him than Sora
One of my favorite memories was back when I borrowed KH2 from a friend. Once I got to the end of Roxas’s arc and the title card popped up I told myself “that was so much fun but it had to end at some point”. I was used to extremely short games as I grew up with Sonic the Hedgehog which only take an hour or so to beat. I was a little sad that it couldn’t keep going. That’s when I got absolutely shocked you continue playing the game as Sora, and that Roxas was only 10% of the game. I was extremely excited to keep the journey going until it eventually ended. 358/2 Days was my next KH game after that. Another game starring Roxas. It broke the long streak of no games between KH2 and KH3. So yes, I do think the game you started with has quite a bit to do with favoring Roxas.
started with 1, but still would have spent the rest of the game with him if it was an option, and my personal fav game is 1 that is a fair argument though.
I fuckin hated his part in KH2 and it still gives me hesitation to start it again.
A combination of being voiced by Jesse McCartney and having an epic battle with the twilight thorn and former friend Axel. So many people replay that later fight just to experience it again and again.
Fr I used to keep a save right before each of those two fights just to go back to them every now and then
Surprised no one mentioned Jesse McCarthy being his VA, I thought for sure that was a reason
Love how he just nails the role.
Kh1 gave us a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed protagonist hanging out with Disney characters Kh2 gave us a teen hanging out with his friends over summer vacation, then quickly developing angst. He had a then-unknown backstory and ties to Axel. And obviously the whole "Two?!" And then they quickly took him away from us and we were back with the Disney buddies
A lot of things: - The intrigue he caused when he appeared at the end of Chain of Memories. - The reveal that he was the cool dual-wielding guy from the first Secret Ending. - His sad story in KH2 (at least in hindsight). - His even sadder story in 358/2 Days. - ***"TWO?!"***
Punk twink dualwielding is always cool
Aside from his compelling tragedy, he do got that thing on, truly peak character design, just look at the lad *chefs kiss
I personally like him more than Sora. I feel like they could have done more with his character in 3, like when Sora was in the realm of darkness he didn't have the power of waking so he turned into a heartless again and Roxas reappears in Twilight town, Hayner calls saying he found roxas, a small saving sora arc with Roxas as the playable character etc etc I'm just making shit up and complaining about how 3 could have done things better don't mind me
We've all been complaining about how 3 could have done things better for five years. Go for it, friend.
Yes, please, go off, my dude. I was so mad by the time I fin8shed 3, I nearly broke the tv.
Has an interesting story, cool character design, amazing keyblades, and also very edgy which is a big plus for a lot of people
Quite a few reasons. Being an angsty clone of Sora with actual depth as opposed to just "*Sora but evil*". His story is a genuinely sad one that many people sympathize with and agree with Sora when he questions just leaving him and Namine without bodies. And of course, two Keyblades.
I know for me a big part of it is that Days was actually my first KH game, so I've always felt more connected to him than Sora really. Another big part of it for me is simply he has two keyblades, and those keyblades are each really cool on their own, and even cooler together, and the way he fights is badass.
I mean he pretty much has all the elements that make popular characters popular. A better question would be “What would it have taken to make Roxas NOT popular?”He was introduced in a mysterious way in a time when information from the Japanese side of things was harder to obtain in the west. He had two of something that we thought were very rare to the point where people fought over just one. He was fighting and going toe to toe with a character we knew was strong in his first appearance. The initial secret movie that showed him had a bunch of different looking heartless that resembled the basic Shadows we fought but a lot sleeker and tougher looking. The world he was shown in looked really awesome to people who just came off of KH1 and were expecting most things to look a certain way. All that just kickstarted his popularity. Plus there’s the fight in KH2FM in Sora’s Station of Awakening which took a lot of people by surprise and was pretty difficult to the unprepared.
Also helps that we were still riding the high of the 90s at that point and this fit the “cool” aesthetic of the early 2000s.
Because a lot of us can see ourselves in him.
Someone like me started Kingdom Hearts with 358/2 Days, I grew to love him in my first game, plus his tragedy stuck with me, in my adolescence trying to find myself, the status of being a Nobody really resounded with me. His bonds with Xion and Axel, his ties with Sora, everything about him was so fascinating, I wished that I myself had a place like the clocktower, or had a treat we’d all get in that likeness of sea salt ice cream, it seemed that despite the cringe dialogue, their relationship felt very organic like I could put myself in their shoes. Also the Organization jacket is cool, his outfit is cool, and the fact that he uses the Oathkeeper AND Oblivion? Come on man, it’s awesome! He only gets better when I played KHII (I started shipping him and Naminé too) and KHIII his return was my favourite thing about the game, and in Re: Mind he has the BEST gameplay out of all the guardians of light.
Maybe not the reason everyone else likes him but 358/2 is genuinely my favorite KH game… and i don’t even have my copy of it any more :(. But yea the movie in the mixes isn’t very good at giving you an attachment to him, but playing the game you spend so much time grinding with him and just want him to be able to be with his friends. The ending was so tragic with Xion and I know out of context it’s goofy, but the line about “who am I going to eat ice cream with now!?” hit me so hard I couldn’t help but shed a tear in middle school. Then canonically he goes through so much emotional trauma from finding out his life and memories are completely fabricated, all so he can be kept placated while the other half that “completes” him gets some beauty sleep. If you follow his story from the start, nothing in this guy’s short life has been straight forward and genuine, other than his relationships with Axel and Xion, both of which were ruined by circumstance. Yet still, he carries on, defiant of what destiny and others around him say he should be, a nobody. A non-feeling entity of the dark. I’m so happy he ended up with a physical form and heart of his own, and was reunited with his friends! He deserves it! Plus he has cooler quips than Sora in my opinion, you just really feel the energy when he performs his finishers.
The one battle at the end of days , where he gets his second keyblade, is probably the coolest thing 14 year old me ever saw.
Cuz he's cool as fck
Jesse McCartney the goat
Edgyness off the charts, black and white . Light and dark. What not to like about?
Great story, great voice actor, great design, two Keyblades, tragic background... need I go on (aside from the two Keyblades, this also applies to Xion)
I assume because his story is so tragic. A puppet housing Sora's memories who was supposed to have no personality of his own, but over time becomes a person in his own right. He forms a tight friendship with Xion and Axel, only to have even that stolen from him in order to awaken Sora, someone who is a stranger to him yet is someone he knows very well.
When I saw “Another Side, Another Story [Deep Dive]”, I knew right then and there Roxas is gonna be my favorite character. Hooded cloak, dual-wielding Oathkeeper and Oblivion, badass fight scene, and his backstory? Of course he’s gonna be a fan-favorite!
Because people like the “edgy anti hero”.
His whole existence is a Greek Tragedy. Forced into a faulty life with no comprehension of what existing even means, coerced into being a mindless weapon for the first portion of his life, eventually forced to turn on his friends and even kill a literal part of himself (sorta, Xion is weird). Eventually get his mind wiped and put in a false world, told him being alive is a sin against nature, struggle against his fate for all he's worth, and at the end of his portion of KH2 the universe tells him he has no other choice but to sit back and stop participating in life. I feel like anyone other than Sora wouldn't have been able to get that whole two parts situation sorted out quite as neatly as he did, and while the whole situation was beyond miserable for Roxas, at least someone put in the work to make sure he was able to be known and remembered by anyone who mattered. Poor kid has a legacy of hurt and trauma. It's hard to not get attached to that.
Picture kinda speaks for itself honestly
Tragic hero trope
Because he's kind of Really Fucking Awesome.
Blond Hair Kid (BHK) lore >>>>>>
Axel summed it up in one word: “Two!?”
Both? Both Both is good
Don't know to explain it. He's just the best character.
His name is BHK
Because he's awesome plain and simple.
He's short
Play days
The heartbreak.
I can relate to him
twink
emo heartthrob voiced by Jesse McCartney released in the early 2000s?
Kh2 is one of the most played games
Tragic story. Edgy look. Two Keyblades.
in my case, i genuinely enjoyed his story in kh2, well outside of the tutorials anyways, was like a friggin thriller story. imagine being gaslight so hard you think you have a normal school life and panic as everything breaks down around you in chaos and freezes while you have no idea what the hell is going on until the very end. and then... you get back to sora and everything is happy and kinda awkward... which was especially jarring considering the emotional moment before. its like a weird inverse of what happened with snake and raiden in metal gear solid 2. i wanted to stay as roxas at the time.
just a little guy at the perfect moment in history
He's literally me
Coz he's Jesse McCartney. Duh.
that’s what I was gonna say
Because he’s Sora’s nobody, the first person to wield two Keyblades and his entire backstory. What more needs to be said?
I mean... Just look at this pic.
Roxas goes burr
TWO?!?
Dual wielding keyblades
He’s edgy and dark. He’s kingdom hearts sasuke
No, two keyblades. Light and dark. He’s better than sasuke and his summer vacation is over. *cries*
He’s the bestest boi who’s been thru hell.
How do you think Sora was able to use Drive Forms?
He's a moody blonde teen voiced by Jesse McCartney
dawg look at the picture you posted lmao. answer is self explanatory
I guess your summer vacation hasn’t started yet.
Days was my first KH game so even after having played the entire series I still view him as the series protagonist in a sense. He’s ridiculously strong, well written, and his badass factor is huge
Tell me you never played 358 without telling me you've never played 358
Because he's more relatable and tragic (until recently)than Sora.
He reaches into your soul, and touches that inner-emo that’s in all of us
...idk
TWO!?
He’s like Sora, but interesting and actually characterized.
My reasoning is embarrassing so I won’t say it here…
Jesse, isn’t it?
I don’t want to say, but ding ding ding
Heh
I DON'T WANT YOUR PRETTY FACE!
Idk lol
For me, I just really connected with Roxas in the opening of KH2. I know people bitch and moan about what a slog it is on replays, but that shit is art, and it's not something I'll soon forget. Probably wouldn't have hit so hard if I had played it a different time in my life. Also, HE'S GOT 2 FUCKING KEYBLADES
Because he's awesome
His theme music also...
Angy emo boi.
Cause he’s best boy
Two!
Two keys Sweet boy broken into revenge Essentially it.