Kingdom Hearts 3: Olympus And Pandora’s Box

Kingdom Hearts 3: Olympus and Pandora’s Box

More Symbolic of the Xehanort Saga Than You Think

Okay, I know that KH3 is… what… almost 5 months old at this point? And recently I’ve been thinking about something recently. I know it’s probably been talked about a thousand times already, but I just started thinking about it.

Now as you know, in Kingdom Hearts 3 you don’t necessarily HAVE to go back to all the worlds if you don’t want to. Sure, you might go back if you want to level or just mess around. Or maybe you’re looking for the Lucky Emblems so you can get the secret ending. Maybe you’re even going back to do the photo quests that the moogles will give. It doesn’t matter. They give you the ability to go back, but you’re not required.

That being said, something that happened in one world - specifically the FIRST world - has been bugging me. And until now I never really put two and two together quite like this.

In the world of Olympus, Maleficent and Pete are looking for that world’s “black box” - if you paid attention to Re:Coded and/or Dream Drop Distance, you know what this is. Anyway, Hades, almost confused, thinks that they’re talking about Pandora’s Box. He sends them that way. They find the box, but it’s not what Maleficent wants and they just leave it there. Out in the open. By the time we come across the area, mind you, the box is gone.

But that’s it. End of that story. Move on to the next world, only to maybe come back to get Lucky Emblems or pictures. But that’s it, we don’t really get more of a continuation of the story.

So why would Nomura-sensei include that? Specifically why would they include the infamous Greek box of horrors, illnesses and evils but do nothing with it? Let alone near the end of your adventure to that world?

If you’ll give me some of your time, I believe I’ll be able to tell you why.

Now, anyone who knows their Greek myths (and even for some who don’t really), the legend of Pandora’s Box (originally Jar) is very well-known. To sum it up, the gods created Pandora and made her extremely curious (as a sort of revenge to humanity). Then they gave her a jar (later translations changed it to a box) and told her never to open it ever. She became Prometheus’s sister-in-law (remember him? The one who gave man fire?). Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the jar. All of the evils, illnesses, disasters and horrible spirits left the jar before she could close it. This left only Hope within (as Zeus had intended).

So why include the small detail?

Supposedly a long time ago (though, we’re getting more information that it wasn’t THAT long ago) there was the legend of the X-Blade (read: kai or key) the (original) Keyblade War. Involved with the war was the 13 Darknesses and 7 lights. It destroyed nearly all of those who would wield the key-based weapon, along side most of humanity. The X-Blade was eventually destroyed. Humanity was dispersed among the worlds, hopefully to forget what had happened (though some still… “remembered” to a degree).

As time passed, one man - Xehanort - became curious. He wanted to know more about the Keyblade War and the legendary X-Blade. The more he learned, the more obsessed and darker he grew. He studied and studied, eventually being able to wield a Keyblade himself, but he wanted more. Upon learning what needed to be done, Xehanort made a plan. So he went and tried (sometimes succeeding) to corrupt people to join him in creating the 13 Darknesses.

As he went about the worlds, chaos, darkness and evil would enter each, causing mayhem and destruction wherever he would go. Heartless, Unversed and Nobodies started to make their way between worlds, making their paths available for each to follow and move to their next world to invade.

He wanted to recreate the war. With darkness reigning over the worlds, he knew he would eventually be able to see it once again. It would only be a matter of time before chaos would rule over all. (Organization 13 anyone?)

However, there was the one thing that he forgot as his curiosity consumed him. For within the legend, within the chaos that he wanted so much, there was one thing he missed.

Hope.

For the worlds, the 7 Lights would be the hope to end the war before it started. And if it did start, to keep the war and the casualties to a minimum. They would be there to bring light and hope back to the worlds. (Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Lea/Axel, Kairi, Sora, Riku)

TL;DR?

The nod to Pandora’s Box/Jar in Olympus was acknowledging the connection between the Greek myth of Pandora’s curiosity releasing evils onto the land, Xehanort’s curiosity bringing chaos and darkness into the worlds and how hope - and light - still remains.

The Chain's Secrets.

Been awhile since I've posted an analysis/theory, but I've been meaning to write a post like this for awhile, and with the last update it just seems like the perfect time.

Secrets are being revealed left and right (Like with the Wolfie reveal and Four splitting), and it’s been hinted at in the comic that the secrets the chain holds were going to become important to the plot at some point. In this essay I will

Ok, joking aside...

I like to think it's Jojo's way of setting up the story in a way to create division and tension between the group. I'm excited to see what happens next, but for now all I can do is speculate (and drag you all along with me as I spit out crazy theories.)

Every chain member has secrets; some have already been confirmed or even revealed in the comic, however some we are just left guessing as to what they may be.

One thing is certain though, these secrets are being kept for a reason. Most likely because revealing them would lead to more questions and possibly uncomfortable topics/painful memories.

Again, some of these secrets have been confirmed, but some of these are just theories that are bordering on string and thumbtacks conjecture.

So in order from 'canon' to 'likely' to 'what the hell are you on OP', let's guess some secrets!

TWILIGHT

Everyone(?) knows that Twi and Wolfie are one in the same now (Wind may still not know but it's bound to happen soon), but Twi is also holding in a lot of pain when it comes to Midna and also Time's fate.

Midna herself is probably not going to make an appearance; she's gone, and Jojo has said when asked about Midna,

"It wouldn’t work with where I’m taking this. so companions that have said goodbye are not present."

But that doesn't mean their influence is gone. Midna left Twi with so many questions and no answers.

"was it wrong? after all, she’s a princess to another world, he’s a nobody

did she feel the same way? he killed her with kindness, but how far did he reach her heart?

what was she going to say!? “Link I-” I’m grateful? sorry? Love you?

they would have gone their separate ways, but why did she break the mirror? why say goodbye forever

Are his newly strong feelings for Midna a phase? after all, Ilia was always the girl for him.

should he be angry? sad? content? happy? depressed?"

—Jojo (Linked Universe Tumblr). Feb 18, 2018

Let's also not forget that Twi is aware of the Hero of Time's fate.

"Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those that came after. At last, I have eased my regrets." — Hero's Spirit (Twilight Princess)

This statement is ambiguous enough that we don't know the exact reason that prevented Time from teaching those that came after him, but clear enough that we learn that he will die regretting it.

Maybe Time will meet an early demise. Maybe he'll be separated from his family. Maybe something will happen and he physically and/or mentally cannot "convey the lessons of that life to those that came after". Maybe Time just chose not to teach anyone his skills and later came to regret his decision after it was too late.

We don't know, and neither does Twi. Jojo has said that Twi hasn't told Time about the Hero's Shade and it's likely he won't ever tell anyone; keeping that painful knowledge bottled inside is just another thing tearing him apart.

Cowboi is certainly dealing with a lot right now

FOUR

The Four Sword's ability was recently revealed and although we knew it would happen at some point, the way it did was pretty unexpected. However don't forget that Four has another ability— the power to shrink down to the size of a Minish. It appears as though Four has no problem revealing abilities when the need arises and I think we'll get that reveal someday, BUT there's another secret that he might not be so keen on sharing; Shadow Link.

Now admittedly the Four Sword games are one's I haven't had the chance to play (I'm playing like 4 different zelda games right now, I'll get to four swords eventually), so I don't know if Shadow has sneakily been referenced in the LU and I just didn't notice. Four has mentioned the Dark Mirror but I'm still not super convinced that means he'll bring up Shadow Link. It's more likely the mirror was brought up to progress Twi's story and his "complicated" feelings. I think it would be interesting to see what Twi would do if faced with another mirror when he previously thought that there was only one (and that one has been destroyed).

Also, regarding Shadow Link (correct me if I'm wrong), I believe his role/character development was much larger in the manga then in the actual games. All Zelda mangas are noncanon but I won't completely rule out the possibility that Jojo could take story elements from them for two reasons:

1. Jojo has said "there is a part of Akira Himekawa’s contribution to the Zelda series that I will be considering."

2. When asked about Shadow Link and Dark Link (they are different characters), Jojo vaguely responded, "a story about a bunch of Links, he fits in as the perfect main Antagonist"

WIND

Once Time started asking questions Wind's expression morphed from surprised to horrified. This kid is too expressive for his own good (don't let him play poker).

Wind doesn't lie outright, but he purposely omits an important part of the legend he grew up hearing, only telling bits and pieces and feigning ignorance to the reason the Gods flooded the world.

The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them... But the hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the Gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate. — Opening Cutscene (The Wind Waker)

"When the gods heard our pleas, they chose to seal away not only Ganon, but Hyrule itself...and so, with a torrential downpour of rains from the heavens...Our fair kingdom was soon buried beneath the waves, forgotten at the bottom of the ocean." — Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule (The Wind Waker)

Wind doesn't appear to blame Time for what happened to Hyrule, especially after he learned that Time was sent away "to a yesterday where everything Ganon did had yet to transpire". BUT that doesn't mean Time wouldn't blame himself if he were to learn the truth about the Great Flood, and Wind seems to know this. He's playing it safe, believing that by omitting the details of the Great Flood, he'd be sparing Time pain/guilt.

We'll just have to wait and see if this decision come's back to bite Wind in the butt.

TIME

Time's got two big secrets (one of which I'm sure is currently tormenting him with Twi being injured)

Those being the sheikah slates words "someone will die" and the Fierce Deity mask.

Pretty early on in the comic, Time got the coded message "someone will die", and it's been haunting him and fandom for YEARS. With Twi's cursed injury I'm positive it's on constant loop in his mind. Personally I think it either refers to Dark Link OR Time himself, as it is canon that he will die with regrets at some point.

There's also the Fierce Deity mask; an item so intriguing yet also dangerously powerful that it's seldom ever used, so we really don't know that much about it.

The mask's in game description asks,

"Could this mask's dark powers be as bad as Majora? Tremendous power is emanating from within..."

And Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma described the mask by saying

"The best way to think about it is that the memories of all the people of Termina are inside of the Fierce Deity Mask."

Still pretty vague... ( I recommend watching Youtuber Zeltik's video "The Fierce Deity Unmasked - Zelda Theory" for a more in-depth description, theory, and the inspiration behind the Fierce Deity mask. It's very good!)

One thing is clear though and that is that this "dark" mask is insanely powerful, capable of granting it's user god like powers. But just like Majora's Mask, that power is alluring. Time feels that even he would be consumed by it and yet he keeps the mask as a "fail-safe"

Obviously the other chain members would not be ok with such an item, so Time keeps it a secret. The only one who knows of it is Twi (and maybe Malon?)

(I'm also curious about how his face marking and scar occurred. It's not from his initial use of the mask in childhood, as we've seen in the comic that he didn't have them when courting and then proposing to Malon. So Time must have used the mask sometime in adulthood that caused him to be left scarred and marked)

SKY

Although not as expressive as Wind, it's clear that something 'clicked' when the chain was speaking about Ganon. Sky has already figured out that he's the only one never to face this Ganon, but on the other hand that also means the other chain members have never faced Demise. Maybe at first Sky concluded that this meant Demise was truly gone. However, the moment he learns of the "pattern", I'm sure his mind wandered to Demise's last words— the Curse.

"Though this is not the end. My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again. Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!" — Demise (Skyward Sword)

If the Demon King's hate lives on, born anew in the forms of beings such as Ganon and Vaati then Sky probably feels he failed his role as the Chosen Hero. Not only that, but he'd feel like he failed his friends, like it's his fault that the lives they were forced to lead were so dangerous and difficult. He'd blame himself rather then the demon who spouted the curse.

There's also the fact that his girlfriend is a literal goddess reborn as a mortal, but that's not really his secret to share.

LEGEND

Bunny!Legend has already been revealed so I won't really be touching that one.

The obvious secret Legend keeps close to his heart is Koholint and Marin. He rarely brings it up but it's obvious that his adventure to wake the wind fish affected him deeply.

There's not much to say other then that... We know he misses Marin, and even blames himself that she's gone. Perhaps this little tidbit will come into play later in the story as Legend can relate to other chain members such as Twi (losing a loved one) and Wild (guilt for not being able to save everyone)

Another possible secret he's keeping is that Legend is a Knight of Hyrule. I've actually already written an in-depth theory on this one, so I really encourage you to check it out. There's a pinned post on the top of my blog and it'll be under "Legend’s Heritage: Why does he hide it?" (I'd link it here, but lately tumblr has been suppressing my posts that contain links so... yeah, sorry)

WILD

Wild has joked that he couldn't hide secrets even if he wanted to, and sure, with his obvious scars and lack of memory one could assume he has nothing to hide. And it seems the chain mostly knows what happened as they've compared scars and Legend has joked with Wild about being 117 years old. They've even discussed how they don't believe Wild should blame himself for what befell his world.

HOWEVER it doesn't seem as though Wild has shared much in regards to the Champions. When Legend finds Mipha's diary, Wild understandably begs him to give it back. And when he's questioned about who it belonged to, he answers vaguely and downplays the relationship he and Mipha had. Partly because he probably can't remember much, and partly because what he does remember is personal and causes his heart to ache.

(There is very early artwork of Wild depicting a scene where he was comfortable enough to show Time a picture of Mipha [doodlespt1], however I believe some of the earlier sketches were/are story elements that have yet to happen. Like in the case of Sky's comments about the Master Sword in 'doodlespt3' being replicated at the end of 'New time new place')

Twilight also makes an interesting comment at the end of 'memories pt.2' in the comic.

"many of us had companions before. Just having someone there— knowing you're not alone through the tough times makes a difference. It's a shame you weren't as fortunate"

Wild's mind then drifts off as he internally thinks of the Champions

I suppose that's not entirely true. I had friends rooting for me then... like I do now

All of this makes me believe he hasn't shared much concerning the Champions— maybe not even with Twilight.

ALSO it seems the chain may not realize how bad it's been affecting Wild's emotional state. I guess you could argue that in a way he's lying to himself. He's not okay, and is overcome with worry and past guilt over losing his friends again.

What Wild is hiding is his worsening mental/emotional health. He really needs help and I hope he gets it soon.

(Maybe he'll eventually speak with his Zelda as Twilight suggested he do)

WARRIORS

Warriors hates traitors. We've seen a small reference to this when he and Wild were attacked by a Yiga clan member, but do you know why Warriors hates traitors?

There's a segment in the Hyrule Warriors game where Ghirahim turns your fellow soldiers into "turncoat soldiers", AKA traitors. They'll attack you and your allies until you take out their leader.

It's not hard to believe that would leave a lasting impact; having to fight and kill soldiers you once commanded, fought alongside with, trusted...

I wouldn't want to openly share that about myself either if I was Warriors.

Having said that though, since the chain is dealing with a shapeshifting shadow that has been known to take on the form of heroes, I wouldn't think it a stretch for Dark Link to take advantage of Warriors distrust.

But there's one more thing to consider... (Ok, next theory might be a bit more outlandish, but hear me out!)

In Jojo's very first original sketch of the chain, they also gave each character a list of attributes, almost all of which have already been addressed/referenced in the comic.

There is, however, one trait in Warriors profile that I found interesting.

has 'women’ problems

What could this possibly mean? Is it just a little joke and not meant to be taken that seriously? Maybe... But this seems too interesting a character point to just have been used only once for a quick gag in 'doodlespt6'.

In Warriors case I think "has 'women' problems" could potentially also mean "has relationship struggles"

I've already discussed how Warriors could have trust issues, but I also want to point out things like him referring to TIme's wedding ring as a "shackle" AND the fact that the war in his world started because the sorceress Cia was obsessed with him.

"Through her powers, the sorceress should have seen that the hero was bound to another. Instead, she saw only a soul that was unlike any she had known.

The whispering darkness wormed its way into her heart. It pushed the light away and warped her curiosity into a desperate desire to possess the legendary hero's soul."

Creepy!

But let's also take note of the "the hero was bound to another" part. The game makes it very clear that the "another" is Zelda. And do you remember how adamant Warriors was that Time's wife must be Zelda? He even made a bet with Legend because he was so sure. And I mean, sure, the lore of his world literally states he and Zelda have been bound across time so it's not hard to understand why he'd think that Time and OoT Zelda are married.

But there's another interesting part of Warriors and Legend's conversation in 'the bet' comic I would like to focus on, because I think Warriors might be self projecting a bit here.

"if they love him enough, They'll slap on every sort of title to his name. Sir, Lord, Master... it's all about who you know and who you impress."

Is this what happened to you Wars? Hmmm?

Jojo has also stated that the default relationship for the Links is Zelda.

"unless there isn’t a significant character like Mipha, Marin, Midna, Ilia, or Malon to ‘complicate’ things, just by default it’s Zelda. But the degree of the relationship varies."

So maybe Warriors and his Zelda have some sort of relationship (I like to think it's romantic but it doesn't have to be) but it's strained because Warriors has trust/commitment issues due to events such as Cia and the turncoats. He wouldn't want to talk about what happened so any problems he has aren't going to get better.

Those are his secrets.

HYRULE

I've got a couple for Hyrule, so strap in, we're almost done!

The first secret (though I use the word loosely in this case) is that Hyrule and Legend are aware that a hero before them died. Now they probably don't realize that this hero is an alternate version of Time, but when asked about the fallen hero Jojo responded with

"they know a Hero before failed, it’s nothing personal to them, it’s simply the world as they know it. But it gives weight to their responsibility seeing as the Hero of Hyrule’s home is still suffering the consequences. but this did give me some good ideas so Thanks for this Q!"

Wonder where this little tidbit will bring us one day? Again, I'm not sure if this one counts as them intentionally keeping a secret or just thinking the chain doesn't really need a history lesson...

Ok, next one is about magical markings and the Triforce. We've seen within the LU that transformation magic leaves a trace, such as Legend's pink hair, Twi's face markings, Four's height, and Time's face markings AND height (it's hard to tell because the FD mask is limited only to boss fights, but it makes Link huge in comparison to his regular adult form). Hyrule has the unique ability to transform into a fairy, so I like to think he's got little slits or wing marks on his back. Ya'll remember crop-top Hyrule and everyone was freaking out about that instead Twi dying? Simpler times... ANYWAY I appreciate crop top Hyrule as much as the next person for what it was. It could've just been a stylistic choice... but I’m just saying it’s also a very convenient way to cover your characters wing marks if you want to tease but not address it yet.

Having said that... Hyrule's gloves are also pretty unique... and are perfectly shaped to cover the mark of the Triforce.

Unlike the others, the Triforce symbol on the back of Hyrule's hand is a red outline and it didn't initially appear as proof that he held the Triforce, just that he was worthy because at that time he only possessed two pieces rather then all three. And that's another thing, most of the other's have only possessed the Triforce of Courage, but Hyrule has obtained all the pieces.

Now I don't know if the Triforce will actually come into play much in the plot, as Jojo has said

I’d say they can all tap into their courage, but the triforce itself is either a solid item to collect or it serves as proof of the chosen one, but as there are several ‘chosen ones’ I’m just gonna leave out that plothole all together.

But it's an interesting detail I wanted to slip in. I think the mark on his hand is more apparent then the others, so he hides it.

The last secret concerns something I've briefly touched on in a past theory, so I'll just sum up this one real quick.

The game manual for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link states that after the symbol of the Triforce appeared on Link's hand, Impa proceeded to tell him the tragedy of the sleeping Princess Zelda and then said

"For generations, my family has been handed down these things which have been set aside for a time when a great king will come."

A great king you say?

And with that, I leave you with Hyrule is a KING of Hyrule.

Mic drop.