Episode 12 and we're having a conversation that a lot of people probably aren't going to be thrilled about.

Tetsuya Nomura and Kou have said that there were initially no plans for Roxas, Xion and Lea to be in Kingdom Hearts 3. Their stories were concluded in 2. It was fan demand that brought them back.

And I think — looking back on it — Nomura was right.

In this episode I dig into whether the Twilight Town trio's presence in KH3 actually adds anything narratively, or whether it's emotionally satisfying fan service that the story had to bend itself around. I look at what Roxas, Xion and Lea each actually do in KH3 beyond the Keyblade Graveyard sequence — and whether any of their returns meaningfully change the outcome of the story.

But the deeper problem I keep coming back to is this: by giving Nobodies permanent vessels, K ...