Evidently this is a long video, so you may want to watch it in chunks. Or use the provided timestamps to skip to the keyblades you're most interested in.
I watched it all in one-go. Main reason is that i'm mostly listening to these long videos as a podcast during worktimes. To be fair, for this video specifically I was at homeoffice and could watch it too. I really loved it, thank you so much for your efforts!
When looking at the design of Two Become One, there are also thirteen spikes between the handle and the teeth (seven on the former, and six on the latter), fitting because of Roxas’s place in the original Organization.
I hadn’t ever noticed that either but it’s a really cool detail. I don’t personally like the look of the blade like Novayon was saying, but it’s a nice touch to further reference the character. I just think the guard and end of the Keyblade were reference enough lol
Tbh it looks more like an X to me, which makes more sense to me with how prevalent X is in the series, plus how Xemnas put an X in Lea's name to get Axel.
@@silverauron7850 that's pretty true. I like to think it's an X because of Xemnas's relationship to Xehanort and everything from Dream Drop Distance. Then again, Nomura probably didn't plan ahead that far so maybe I'm wrong
I'd actually change oblivion's ability to drive converter so it would make their abilities link way better, and to better balance oblivion, sm can keep it's drive converter too to keep it's grinding ability
@@red5158077 what about Jafar? Genie Jafar was never shown after his kh2 battle, i know in the manga he returns to the lamp but in the manga there's Vexen alive in kh2 kinda and many people ignore the manga.
I think, considering that the Kingdom Key has a length of 100, I think the units of measurement is simply a percentage comparison to the most basic unit. 102 means that it's 102% of the KK's length, etc.
Sleeping Lion stars also seem to represent revolver chambers. And I think the "length" stat is a %, kingdom key being the norm, 100% length, which went from there.
I actually do like Winner’s Proof, specifically the sounds it makes. Also Kingdom Key D, I love the star shower it makes and the sounds again. I remember purposely letting Sora die so I could play as Mickey just to use his keyblade more often. Really wish they would have put like “replica” keyblades of Riku’s and Mickey’s for Sora to use
I think I actually like the tacked-on feel of Way to Dawn. The thing is clearly supposed to be a recent acquisition for Riku, and I do like how it takes shape in the small addition of the clasp, keychain, and wings. Those were not meant to be a part of this weapon, and it worked in showing Riku's overall mental state; that he's basically a dark spawn at this point, but that he acknowledges that he also has a sliver of light in him to keep him sane. This works doubly well in the fact that the two wings are attached differently: The one at the base of the handle looks like it was artificially attached, along with the keychain it was connected to, and its color is distractingly off from the rest of the weapon, with uses darker, colder colors. This demonstrates the alien nature of the light to Riku, and how he's only now deciding to play nice with it, even if he doesn't think it suits him anymore. The other two wings show Riku's growth in a different way. These are more clearly organic to the weapon, looking like they grew out from it - as opposed to the attached guard wing. The angel wing is clearly growing out from one of the digits in the blade, and the bat wing guard looks like it was supposed to form a second proper blade. Together these almost make this look like Soul Eater was on its way to becoming Ansem's double-bladed weapon from the KH1 final boss fight, but the last-second light addition caused it to mutate. An angel wing is growing off of the blade, the new batwing is stunted, and both now sport a brighter color scheme than the rest of the blade. A bit of an overly-dramatic analysis, but I do like the subtle-seeming touches don to this weapon. It's just enough to make you stop and think about it, but not enough to actually be problematic to look at for too long. And it gets followed up on well in KH3 when he gets a proper Key with Braveheart, which goes for a straight and simple design scheme to show how Riku has finally gotten his act together, and knows completely what he wants out of himself at that point.
You know with each passing year since Kingdom Hearts 3 and the debut of Riku’s new Braveheart, I’ve been liking missing Way to the Dawn more than I thought, it’s just so symbolic and edgy and iconic and Braveheart is just such a downgrade.
Looking at all three weapons, that's a super cool analysis! I don't see how the bat wing guard looks like a second blade, but the rest makes sense to me :)
when riku replaced his keyblade in kh3 i was pretty mad but i think this is a good analysis of why they would do that. it just stopped fitting him at that point as he had fully overcome his internal conflict by the end of dream drop and it symbolizes him sort of moving on from his past and choosing a completely different weapon for himself rather than being remnants of his darker past he was trying to run from
I know that they aren't technically from kh2 but I like how the kh2 randomizer gave edge of ultima and detection saber actual designs even though they are jsut recolors.
That and lion heart are growing on me, as I find I'm going from a pure physical punch through everything to a more tank build as time goes on, and lion heart is currently my main keyblade for kh1, only truly beaten by diamond dust, but that's because aeroga and curaga are stupidly broken, especially if you have 8 item slots full of ethers, just my god, that and 80 % ice immunity makes the ice titan the best free xp giver ever, only beaten by rock titan who is the tech bonus for beating hades cup. Outside elemental enemies being completely useless with that set up, lion heart is better for my style than diamond dust, which really says something if the only thing I'll use above it requires a broken set up, just wow, good on you lion heart, you got just enough scenarios going for you I don't feel pressured try and look up magic enemies in the next area just to break the game, you've saved me alot of headaches.
/awkwardly really likes how Winner's Proof looks honestly tho, like. the colors are very nice and look "professional" but then the mushrooms playfully overlaying it as tho to say "but you got this from us funny fellaz!" is just really cute to me.
Is it just me: the keychain for kingdom key being changed from 1 to 2. 1 is so much better! On Circle of Life, if you do a full combo, you can ear lion's roares on the hits
I absolutely love the ultimate weapon in this game, the colors and the weaving blade going up and just it being a long blade By far my favorite with guardian soul also being super cool
@@tmac1499 Yeah, apart from some, the Disney worlds' ones aren't the ones of my likes. The ultima has a good design in KH3 with another colour too. The ones that are not Disney are the ones I like.
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ Frozen’s and Arendelle’s keyblade’s are well designed. The others are hit and miss. Olympus’ world has a fairly good one. The rest look way better while transformed. Especially the Caribbean’s while it’s in the Storm Flag mode.
I learned a few new things from this, great vid! Another interesting feature is each chain/bangle on each keyblade mades a different jingle sound when you run with them. I understand why this isnt included in the video, its already very long and the jingles arent that interesting. Just thought Id mention it since I didnt realize the difference until many hours in.
Halloween Town has the best asthetics of any KH (Edit: or rather Disney, I shoukd say) world in my opinion. Great music, great visuals. You'd think with the grittiness it would be drab or boring, but I've never been bored with the world. If anything I'm always happy going there. Very fun to look at. Edit2: And as I went through the video, the Keyblade variations are amazing as well.
I still think Hidden Dragon looks extremely cool, despite the bad stats and abilities. It really makes great use of the fire dragon concept, even if you don't consider the whole Mulan (or more specifically Mushu) theme behind it!
A lot of the alternative colors I've never seen since I usually use the same keyblades in each world. I really like that Lion King's Halloween Town version has the wooden texture on it. In general I agree, most Halloween Town versions look great.
I actually think most of these keyblades look great in gameplay when the details on the handle aren't very noticeable. But when you actully take a look at them outside of combat there indeed some busy designs or clashing color schemes. to me, the design of the blade is more important than the handle and I think most of the KH2 keyblades have pretty good looking blades and I generally prefer these over KH1
I get that these are your opinion and I don't know if this changes anything or not but the reason "Follow the Wind" has two medallions is because it took two for them to stop Barbosa in the movie. The one Elizabeth stole from Will and the one Jack took out of the chest when he pretended to switch sides.
Man, I loved Hidden Dragon! It had a nice design and its weakness was really useful! Weaker hits=less damage=having to attack more=great keyblade for Valor!
Great Video! Although, There seemed to be a Keyblade you actually Missed! Genie's Keyblade! When you summon Genie in KH2, He uses his Cosmic Power to Wield a Keyblade of his Own! Compared to other keyblades, its alot more simple, and I do find it funny that it's Keychain is actually Genie himself.
This probably looking into it too much but I think the way genie's keyblade is more simple compared to Sora's is because genie was originally a summon in kh1 which had more simple designs. The keyblades from Atlantica being a example.
The symbol for the Zanarkand Abes was very important to Yuna, since Tidus had it on his clothing prominently since he was the star player for the Abes. Plus, her father's Guardian was Tidus' father, so she saw it a lot around him too.
Fenrir is one of my favorites in the KH franchise because it is closely associated to a double-edged sword unlike the other Keyblades which resemble either battle axes or spiked maces. Also I wonder why do a lot of the skeleton Keyblade wielders use the flat side instead of the spiked side? I mean in terms of battlefield tactics using the spiked edge would deal more damage to enemies than the other edge.
I can agree that there's alot going on in the kh3 keyblades but they're my favorites overall, I just think alot of the kh1 and 2 keyblades are lacking in one way or another, almost as if they're only loosely inspired while kh3 the keyblades SCREAM that they're from a Disney world and I actually like that alot
I remembered Winner Proof to only have the Mushroom 13,but now that i see it better i really like it. The Mushrooms over the golden metal skeleton gives it a nice contrast of colors and materials.
might as well do it again kingdom key: it's the kingdom key. i like the greater amount of detailing, and i do really prefer the look of the flat emblem over the round one. i have to agree with what you said about the halloween town filter, and i also quite like the space paranoids look. i really wish there was some post-game thing letting you use world outfits and filters in other worlds. star seeker: i like it. it feels weird that it doesn't have a minor magic boost, just from looking at it, and from it's association with yen sid. hidden dragon: i got some early use out of it, but it really is just "the early magic keyblade", i guess. i have mixed feelings on the appearance, i guess. feels like it should focus either more or less on it's firey dragon aspect, if that makes sense. hero's crest: kinda have to agree with you here. i do really like the halloween town version of it. this one isn't really my kind of keyblade for gameplay, but less so than in kh1. monochrome: gameplay wise, it's better then hidden dragon, though its ability isn't really something i use(i tend to hoard items and never use them). i'm more on the side of liking it, but i can get it being split from looking at it. follow the wind: looking at it, it weirdly doesn't feel like a keyblade; just kinda feels like a normal weapon shaped like a keyblade. otherwise, yeah, kinda bad, disappointing for the world. circle of life: i like the blade and teeth, and i feel like it's colour scheme looks better than jungle king. except the guard face. i see what they were going for with the face, but i'm not sure it hit the mark. i'd say this is one of the ones most improved by the halloween town filter, both with those details and the lessened yellow. oathkeeper: it's oathkeeper. i like the greater detailing and the colours. it has better magic than the blades before, and it's ability is more usable. photon debugger: i like the basic look, but i agree that the colours need abit more consistency, the guard and handle makes me think it looks more like monstros aesthetic than trons. gull wing: not much to say. rumbling rose: another one much better looking in halloween town. those muted colours really should of been its default. i guess i kinda see where some of it was going, but it's mostly just "divine rose 2". also not really my gameplay. i think the 'rumbling' in the name might also be trying to evoke the beast. guardian soul: masamune is said as "mass-ah-moon-ayh". i like its look, but not especially. i like its hit effect symbols and its trail. mysterious abyss: i actually sorta like the guards look, i think the chain might be what's screwing it up, maybe make the pearl red or pink. i agree that the name was wasted, really makes me think more of an ursula based keyblade, which would be cool. wishing lamp: alot of elements just don't feel like they fit. the blue looks less like genies smoe and more like seawater, the bottom corners of the hilt(and, really, the whole concept of the design) feel more like an olympic keyblade, and the teeth almost look bolted on from another, cooler keyblade. sweet memories: it's well put together. i think, when i hear 'disney keyblade', this might one of the first to come to mind. decisive pumpkin: i really like the look of it. the blade is the good kinda silly, along with not really being too silly. it's very tim burton. it's also really useful, though still a shame that halloween town doesn't have a magic focused keyblade. sleeping lion: it's a slick design, and just has a good feel as a keyblade. not much else to really say. bond of flame: i like it. it sort of makes me think of a card suite/checkers theme. i like when designs make the classic 'red, black, grey' pallette work. i feel like the blade is also trying to evoke axels arms holding his chakrams. agree on the trail. two become one: i really like pretty much everything about this weapon. including the ability, i like using antiform and get sad that it's not really, well, useful(it is intended as a punishment, afterall, but still.). oblivion: it's oblivion. i like it's aesthetics in most every way, and i also like that it's not as antithetical to my gameplay as in kh1. fatal crest: i think this one might be targeting me as a person. it's just cool looking in every way, and it's a magic keyblade. fenrir: i've always like the tumbler-styled blade as being unique... as long as that stays a rare exception, atleast. and this does do the look much better than braveheart, and tries to do more than just that. beyond that, though, not much to really say. winner's proof: it definitely knows what it's trying to be, atleast. i wouldn't say i like its design, but i don't really hate it either. it's kinda an endgame extra keyblade through and through. it's also the highest magic of any keyblade. ultima weapon: it's an ultima weapon. i like the base of the blade, though i kinda miss the dream sword. the designs overlaying it look like it's being embraced by wings. it is kinda at the starting point of overdesign, though. edge of ultima and detection saber: ok, these don't really count, but imagine if they were actual keyblades. just, imagine, something giving you a glitchy crystalline mess called 'detection saber'. kingdom key d: it's the kingdom key d. way to the dawn: it's cool. destiny's embrace: it's not bad. i like the abilities, i think some of them might of just not had their abilities well-handled.
I like Hero Crest for the simplest and silly reason. Matches Sora's outfit ... hahaha If you look closely, The Kingom Key also looks like it combines and for me some keyblades look so out of place when you equip them but Hero Crest looks so good on Sora and the ability is useful most part of the game before getting one with better states
Oh man. Can't wait for that Heartless Recolor video. As someone who grew up with original KH1, and then bought the Final Mix version later, I definitely found the recolors to be a mixed bag. Some looked great, but some felt like a cluttered mess. Anyway, good video! Me like.
The gullwings keyblade is actually one of my favorites bc of how silly it is 😂 ffx/ffx-2 are my fav in be series and the design is actually a pretty decent homage to the trio. - The chain is inspired by Yuna’s hair braid - The charm is her bf’s symbol - The bows and feathers are worn by Rikku - The spade is a symbol for Paine and she is also a swords master - And the mascot quality bird is very spot on for the game where you do wear a mascot costume and fight in it 😂😂😂 (a few times)
Good video, thank you! I *really* love Star Seeker, mostly for its design. So on one hand I'm really happy we get it early, but on the other hand since it's an early game keyblade it gets outdated pretty fast... but still I love it a lot and I'm always happy to see it in cameos and such in other games as well.
Perfection, someone finally broke down all the detail in these Keyblades. I personally think these are the strongest set in the series. And I can’t believe there were so many things I missed in the game.
I always assumed the lion design on Circle of Life was meant to represent Mufasa considering he taught Simba about "the circle of life". The design being further up from the token could also symbolize how even after death, he's still watching over his son. For that reason, I really appreciate the design and it's why it's in my top 10 KH2 keyblades
The red chain on the pirates keyblade to me always was supposed to be the blood that would break the undead curse the group you go against has. I just looked at it like it was a nice little nod to that plot point.
Ok so bold yet brave, but I really like the Space Paranoids design on a good amount of the keyblades (imo) don’t get me wrong though, I’m not much of a fan of the world, I really only like the design that comes from the world itself. I like how the dark color makes contrast with the neon blue on the keyblade. Very nice to me.
Love these videos, I wrote like 2/3rds of the design descriptions on the KHWiki when I was in high school ages ago and it's cool and nostalgic seeing people noticing things I never did.
This video really made me appreciate a lot of the designs of keyblades I often overlooked, Fatal Crest and Hidden Dragon have grown a lot on me (gonna use them in my next for fun play through)! Especially the Halloween Town and Tron versions 😍
The length number is the percentage of length the hitbox has compared to the standard Kingdom Key, with it itself being at a static 100 units aka 100% the length of a Kingdom Key.
So for the Gull Wing as you said the keychain is the symbol for the Zanarkand Abes, which is the blitzball team Tidus (the main character of Final Fantasy X) and his father Jecht belong to, which Yuna herself has close ties to, both with Jecht being her father's guardian alongside Auron, and Tidus who was her guardian during her summoner's pilgrimage. It is also the symbol used in Yuna's Gunner Dressphere which is her default. As for the chain itself, it's actually Yuna's ponytail from her appearence in Final Fantasy X-2. The hand guard itself could be a reference to Phoenix downs which are used to revive fallen party members (in every Final Fantasy game ever) but it's probably just coincidence. More likely they're just reference to Rikku's original outfit in Final Fantasy X where she had feathers attached to her braids. The ribbons were definitely a reference to her default dressphere in X-2. The handle itself is reference to the sword Paine uses in X-2 since it's got that Spade design when the handle meets the blade. The teeth itself lastly, with it being a Seagull with its wing jutting out, that's the mascot of the Gullwings group, which I found to be pretty neat. Overall it's not my personal favorite Final Fantasy keyblade in the series, there are better one but as a fan of Final Fantasy I like the design and references to X and X-2 they put into it.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this or not, but the Paranoids version of Sleeping Lion is seemingly designed off of Squall/Leon's final weapon from FF8, which was a gunblade with a glowing blue blade.
Great video! I really like how all the keyblades in the game were "nerfed" stat-wise to accommodate the ability to dual-wield them in various drive forms. Imagine having KH1 Ultima Weapon and Divine Rose? That's a lot of Strength!!
You should edit this comment. Cloud is dressed identically to how he did in Advent Children. So not seeing the pendant means you're blind or skipping cutscenes
@@PrincessNine I mentioned it because he mentioned in the video he wasn't aware of where the emblem came from despite the fact we see it on cloud in kh2. And since he hasn't seen advent children and all
@@Vinylmelody1517 I'm saying your comment isn't clear. He's saying "I havnt seen advent children". The thing from advent children is in the game. If I didn't know any better I'd assume that kh2 cloud was a unique design where the pendant happens to also carry over to
I feel like Roxas was called the "Serendipitous Key" because it was a serendipitous event for the Organization that they got a keyblade wielder nobody. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to complete their plan, at least not as fast as they did. Also, Kairi's keyblade seems to largely resemble her original home, Radiant Garden, since it is largely a flower motif. However, that wave pattern also reflects how she has accepted the Destiny Islands as her home as well, as you said, but Radiant Garden still holds a large space in her heart.
i think im the only one but my favorite keyblade is star seeker and wishing star from 3 is my second or third favorite i love the star theme and the ability kinda fits what i like long air combos i love that keyblade and yeah
I love both sleeping lion and fatal crest so much, i kinda got lucky that you liked them because i was dreading watching this for those keyblades alone but omg you share a lot of the same opinions about them which is great. I also used them a lot together as they really work together visually i think, both there normal looks and hit effects. using them together for so many years actually lead me to making up two fan keyblades based on them as well
I never paid too much attention to Hidden Dragon's design, but looking at it, I liked it a lot. That and Mysterious Abyss are among my favs here strictly from an appearance perspective. I also really apperciated how they extended the appearance changes in some Disney worlds to the weapons as well. In KH1, they didn't change in Halloween Town. Much like the drive form appearances, you'd probably never even see many of these changes due to not using the weapons in the worlds.
I do think some have already commented this, but in finishers, some hit effects are added there. Some I found like in Circle of Life, there is a ring of leaves in finishers while there is a small explosion of fire in the finishers while using Sleeping Lion referencing Squall's trigger function in his main game. Ultima weapon has that side thunder lighting or whatevers while Fenrir has more light beams present.
"So what does Lingering Will see when you cheese him?" This is both hilarious and hurtful because I have still yet to beat that bastard. I always die when he locks out my command menu at all.
Actually, Oblivion's ability isn't that useless, especially in Final Mix. Since this game has a new limit form, I personally used a lot of the Cure + fast recharge combo into the hardest difficulties, because it helps a lot to get healed faster
One subtle part of the Halloween Town Oblivion recolor is the missing little piece above the grip or whatever it's called to add to that old and rusty look
Evidently this is a long video, so you may want to watch it in chunks. Or use the provided timestamps to skip to the keyblades you're most interested in.
I watched it all in one-go. Main reason is that i'm mostly listening to these long videos as a podcast during worktimes.
To be fair, for this video specifically I was at homeoffice and could watch it too.
I really loved it, thank you so much for your efforts!
@Ary Brewer at some point after it comes out on PC so I can include the Element Encoder keyblade. Also, I want to do BBS and DDD first ideally
@Ary Brewer It'll likely be 2-3 months away haha
I believe that the handle for wishing lamp is purple for the magic carpet
Still watched the one completely and also the one about KH1 right before it and will continue with the KH3 version
I never realized how well the Space Paranoids versions of each keyblade make some of them look sexy af
The alt versions from that world do make them look aa lot better sometimes while others looked nicer in a spookier light or retro colors
I don't even like blue much as a color, but you're very right.
The Grid on DDD also does that too, and I love
Excuse me but w h a t
When looking at the design of Two Become One, there are also thirteen spikes between the handle and the teeth (seven on the former, and six on the latter), fitting because of Roxas’s place in the original Organization.
And it looks painful. Possibly the most painful looking keyblade.
Or they are just big fans of America’s 13 colonies
Another tiny detail is that the blue in the middle is the same shade as the blue on final form. It's very subtle, but it's cool attention to detail.
I must be blind because I personally am not seeing thirteen teeth between the blade and the handle
Okay yea, I'm blind. I see them now lol.
Never noticed the 8 in bond of flame but it makes sense. Axel is number 8 in the organization
I hadn’t ever noticed that either but it’s a really cool detail. I don’t personally like the look of the blade like Novayon was saying, but it’s a nice touch to further reference the character. I just think the guard and end of the Keyblade were reference enough lol
That 8 is also made by the meeting of two spikes of the chackrams that are blown up in size.
Tbh it looks more like an X to me, which makes more sense to me with how prevalent X is in the series, plus how Xemnas put an X in Lea's name to get Axel.
@@toxas3063 Now that you mention it, it kinda does, but than again, whose to say it isn't both.
@@silverauron7850 that's pretty true. I like to think it's an X because of Xemnas's relationship to Xehanort and everything from Dream Drop Distance. Then again, Nomura probably didn't plan ahead that far so maybe I'm wrong
I really like how Oblivion and Oathkeeper's abilities go together, so they're a natural pair to dual-wield.
I'd actually change oblivion's ability to drive converter so it would make their abilities link way better, and to better balance oblivion, sm can keep it's drive converter too to keep it's grinding ability
I never noticed that destiny's embrace has a hidden heart in the flowers at the teeth.
Or the king chess piece at the pommel?
I’m coming out as a Winner’s Proof fan. Please respect my privacy at this time.
I'll somewhat join you. I find Winner's Proof to be fine overall in design (it works for what it is) and feel neutral towards it overall.
I'll completely join you. I love everything about its design.
I'm not going to argue. It's not my favorite design, but I do quite like the look of it.
Tbh i saw 13 mushroom in the keyblade
I can respect that! The Winner’s Proof feels like the Ultima Weapon, but if it focused on magic more than strength, in terms of stats.
'Don't worry, he'll come back soon. Nobody stays dead in this series'
I can HEAR the vindictiveness in your voice.
He was right when he said that "Nobody" stays dead, look at Xaldin and Lexaus, Vexen, Demyx, Zexion, and Axel.
Except for Clayton that asshole is dead.
@@red5158077 what if Clayton was all a dream
@@red5158077 what about Jafar? Genie Jafar was never shown after his kh2 battle, i know in the manga he returns to the lamp but in the manga there's Vexen alive in kh2 kinda and many people ignore the manga.
@@EduardoTorelly I never read the manga fully I'm just going by characters we never see again and Clayton we never see again.
I think, considering that the Kingdom Key has a length of 100, I think the units of measurement is simply a percentage comparison to the most basic unit. 102 means that it's 102% of the KK's length, etc.
Sora: punching a bag for all the video
Donald and Goofy: 👁️👄👁️ 👁️👄👁️
Sleeping Lion stars also seem to represent revolver chambers.
And I think the "length" stat is a %, kingdom key being the norm, 100% length, which went from there.
I love that you showed what the keyblades look like in special worlds, solid touch 👌👌
To be honest, I REALLY like the Tron World version for almost all the Keyblades.
And I honestly prefer keyblades with a good amount of colours.
I think the Fatal Crest looks way better in that style
Hell yea
Star Seeker
My favourite design for all of the keyblades is Halloween town
I actually do like Winner’s Proof, specifically the sounds it makes. Also Kingdom Key D, I love the star shower it makes and the sounds again. I remember purposely letting Sora die so I could play as Mickey just to use his keyblade more often. Really wish they would have put like “replica” keyblades of Riku’s and Mickey’s for Sora to use
I think I actually like the tacked-on feel of Way to Dawn. The thing is clearly supposed to be a recent acquisition for Riku, and I do like how it takes shape in the small addition of the clasp, keychain, and wings. Those were not meant to be a part of this weapon, and it worked in showing Riku's overall mental state; that he's basically a dark spawn at this point, but that he acknowledges that he also has a sliver of light in him to keep him sane.
This works doubly well in the fact that the two wings are attached differently:
The one at the base of the handle looks like it was artificially attached, along with the keychain it was connected to, and its color is distractingly off from the rest of the weapon, with uses darker, colder colors. This demonstrates the alien nature of the light to Riku, and how he's only now deciding to play nice with it, even if he doesn't think it suits him anymore.
The other two wings show Riku's growth in a different way. These are more clearly organic to the weapon, looking like they grew out from it - as opposed to the attached guard wing. The angel wing is clearly growing out from one of the digits in the blade, and the bat wing guard looks like it was supposed to form a second proper blade. Together these almost make this look like Soul Eater was on its way to becoming Ansem's double-bladed weapon from the KH1 final boss fight, but the last-second light addition caused it to mutate. An angel wing is growing off of the blade, the new batwing is stunted, and both now sport a brighter color scheme than the rest of the blade.
A bit of an overly-dramatic analysis, but I do like the subtle-seeming touches don to this weapon. It's just enough to make you stop and think about it, but not enough to actually be problematic to look at for too long. And it gets followed up on well in KH3 when he gets a proper Key with Braveheart, which goes for a straight and simple design scheme to show how Riku has finally gotten his act together, and knows completely what he wants out of himself at that point.
You know with each passing year since Kingdom Hearts 3 and the debut of Riku’s new Braveheart, I’ve been liking missing Way to the Dawn more than I thought, it’s just so symbolic and edgy and iconic and Braveheart is just such a downgrade.
Looking at all three weapons, that's a super cool analysis! I don't see how the bat wing guard looks like a second blade, but the rest makes sense to me :)
when riku replaced his keyblade in kh3 i was pretty mad but i think this is a good analysis of why they would do that. it just stopped fitting him at that point as he had fully overcome his internal conflict by the end of dream drop and it symbolizes him sort of moving on from his past and choosing a completely different weapon for himself rather than being remnants of his darker past he was trying to run from
I'm surprised you didn't mention that Fenrir is literally a motorcycle key.
@Kaioken Crimson well yes but its different from his
@@khmasterva6919 yes, that’s why he said “style” lol
@@Gogogadgetyoutubehandle lol
it's already obvious enough...
Isn't this also fashioned after the fusion sword from advent children?
Holy shit it's a 50 min banger! Nice touch on adding the worlds music for each keyblade
I know that they aren't technically from kh2 but I like how the kh2 randomizer gave edge of ultima and detection saber actual designs even though they are jsut recolors.
oh my god, the halloween town version of hidden dragon looks like it's from kh1 hallow bastion, i love how it looks...
Sleeping lion has always been my personal favorite keyblade in the series and I don't think it'll ever change
That and lion heart are growing on me, as I find I'm going from a pure physical punch through everything to a more tank build as time goes on, and lion heart is currently my main keyblade for kh1, only truly beaten by diamond dust, but that's because aeroga and curaga are stupidly broken, especially if you have 8 item slots full of ethers, just my god, that and 80 % ice immunity makes the ice titan the best free xp giver ever, only beaten by rock titan who is the tech bonus for beating hades cup. Outside elemental enemies being completely useless with that set up, lion heart is better for my style than diamond dust, which really says something if the only thing I'll use above it requires a broken set up, just wow, good on you lion heart, you got just enough scenarios going for you I don't feel pressured try and look up magic enemies in the next area just to break the game, you've saved me alot of headaches.
/awkwardly really likes how Winner's Proof looks
honestly tho, like. the colors are very nice and look "professional" but then the mushrooms playfully overlaying it as tho to say "but you got this from us funny fellaz!" is just really cute to me.
I hope you make that video discussing Heartless recolors! Guard Armor’s colors in the original was way cooler than the recolor
I cant think of any of the final mix recolors I like more although I am more used to the final mix ones. This is for all the games.
There is a video showing all the differences between the og and remixed version. It's really good.
@@s-o1224 they are huge differences, from purple to a weird tan orange mix
@@TotalHooman Yeah and all the new cutscenes and boss fights!
I like guard armor’s new colors ngl
Is it just me: the keychain for kingdom key being changed from 1 to 2. 1 is so much better!
On Circle of Life, if you do a full combo, you can ear lion's roares on the hits
I absolutely love the ultimate weapon in this game, the colors and the weaving blade going up and just it being a long blade
By far my favorite with guardian soul also being super cool
KH1 and KH2 Ultimas would look dope if it had the mystical twinkle effects from KH3.
Worth noting that with Monochrome, Ethers heal almost your entire MP bar, making them cheap elixirs essitially.
I love the Keyblade designs! I think my favorite design could be Kingdom Key, Ultima, Oblivion or Oath keeper.
The keyblades in KH3 are are some I don't really like. For other games I would agree with you. And for these four.
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ Ultima Weapon’s ultimate form in KH3 is the best looking weapon in the series......
@@tmac1499 Yeah, apart from some, the Disney worlds' ones aren't the ones of my likes. The ultima has a good design in KH3 with another colour too. The ones that are not Disney are the ones I like.
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ Frozen’s and Arendelle’s keyblade’s are well designed. The others are hit and miss. Olympus’ world has a fairly good one. The rest look way better while transformed. Especially the Caribbean’s while it’s in the Storm Flag mode.
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ My bad I meant Kingdom of Corona not Arendelle twice lol.
Decisive Pupkin is an absolute marvel of design. And you can't change my mind, I'm a design engineer.
It’s so beautiful and perfect for halloween town by seamlessly combining Christmas and halloween
Pupkin?
Also very powerful.
I love how all the keyblades look in space paranoid the blue pops.
I learned a few new things from this, great vid!
Another interesting feature is each chain/bangle on each keyblade mades a different jingle sound when you run with them. I understand why this isnt included in the video, its already very long and the jingles arent that interesting. Just thought Id mention it since I didnt realize the difference until many hours in.
Yeah I learnt that last year too, included it in a sound details video
Hey, winner's proof lover here. I disagree. Best Keyblade in the franchise.
..great video otherwise really great content I love it!!
Halloween Town has the best asthetics of any KH (Edit: or rather Disney, I shoukd say) world in my opinion. Great music, great visuals. You'd think with the grittiness it would be drab or boring, but I've never been bored with the world. If anything I'm always happy going there. Very fun to look at.
Edit2: And as I went through the video, the Keyblade variations are amazing as well.
Same, though that's probably because of my general bias of nightmare before Christmas. Lol.
I still think Hidden Dragon looks extremely cool, despite the bad stats and abilities. It really makes great use of the fire dragon concept, even if you don't consider the whole Mulan (or more specifically Mushu) theme behind it!
A lot of the alternative colors I've never seen since I usually use the same keyblades in each world.
I really like that Lion King's Halloween Town version has the wooden texture on it. In general I agree, most Halloween Town versions look great.
I actually think most of these keyblades look great in gameplay when the details on the handle aren't very noticeable. But when you actully take a look at them outside of combat there indeed some busy designs or clashing color schemes.
to me, the design of the blade is more important than the handle and I think most of the KH2 keyblades have pretty good looking blades and I generally prefer these over KH1
I get that these are your opinion and I don't know if this changes anything or not but the reason "Follow the Wind" has two medallions is because it took two for them to stop Barbosa in the movie. The one Elizabeth stole from Will and the one Jack took out of the chest when he pretended to switch sides.
Man, I loved Hidden Dragon! It had a nice design and its weakness was really useful!
Weaker hits=less damage=having to attack more=great keyblade for Valor!
Wishing Lamp is useful for jackshi- uhh, photon bugger-all
It's a little helpful when you pair it with Drive Converter, made leveling up Master Form a lot easier.
Great Video!
Although, There seemed to be a Keyblade you actually Missed!
Genie's Keyblade!
When you summon Genie in KH2, He uses his Cosmic Power to Wield a Keyblade of his Own!
Compared to other keyblades, its alot more simple, and I do find it funny that it's Keychain is actually Genie himself.
This probably looking into it too much but I think the way genie's keyblade is more simple compared to Sora's is because genie was originally a summon in kh1 which had more simple designs. The keyblades from Atlantica being a example.
The symbol for the Zanarkand Abes was very important to Yuna, since Tidus had it on his clothing prominently since he was the star player for the Abes. Plus, her father's Guardian was Tidus' father, so she saw it a lot around him too.
He basically said he couldn't be bothered to learn anything about FFX or X-2, so any explanation will just sound like gibberish to him
Fenrir is one of my favorites in the KH franchise because it is closely associated to a double-edged sword unlike the other Keyblades which resemble either battle axes or spiked maces.
Also I wonder why do a lot of the skeleton Keyblade wielders use the flat side instead of the spiked side? I mean in terms of battlefield tactics using the spiked edge would deal more damage to enemies than the other edge.
You’re crazy man the way to dawn looks amazing, but I agree on most all of your other takes
I have to appreciate the music change to fit the keyblades, you didn't need to do it but you did and I love it.
anyone notice the heart shape that the teeth of Hidden Dragon make?
No one uses it. So...... Not really
The Sleeping Lion’s always been my favorite. It’s got good stats and it just plain looks cool to me, both on the key and blade side of things.
I don't think I've ever agreed with anything more than when you said overdesigned keyblades are a problem in KH3 lol
I can see how KH3 Keyblades are "overdesigned" lol. There's too much stuff going on with them.
I can agree that there's alot going on in the kh3 keyblades but they're my favorites overall, I just think alot of the kh1 and 2 keyblades are lacking in one way or another, almost as if they're only loosely inspired while kh3 the keyblades SCREAM that they're from a Disney world and I actually like that alot
I remembered Winner Proof to only have the Mushroom 13,but now that i see it better i really like it. The Mushrooms over the golden metal skeleton gives it a nice contrast of colors and materials.
Didn't expect to see you mention Detection Saber and Edge of Ultima, very nice. They have stats just so you know.
Circle of life’s handle looks like a carving of simba smoking a blunt.
Geez, I dunno what I'm gonna do with myself when you finish this series.
might as well do it again
kingdom key: it's the kingdom key. i like the greater amount of detailing, and i do really prefer the look of the flat emblem over the round one. i have to agree with what you said about the halloween town filter, and i also quite like the space paranoids look. i really wish there was some post-game thing letting you use world outfits and filters in other worlds.
star seeker: i like it. it feels weird that it doesn't have a minor magic boost, just from looking at it, and from it's association with yen sid.
hidden dragon: i got some early use out of it, but it really is just "the early magic keyblade", i guess. i have mixed feelings on the appearance, i guess. feels like it should focus either more or less on it's firey dragon aspect, if that makes sense.
hero's crest: kinda have to agree with you here. i do really like the halloween town version of it. this one isn't really my kind of keyblade for gameplay, but less so than in kh1.
monochrome: gameplay wise, it's better then hidden dragon, though its ability isn't really something i use(i tend to hoard items and never use them). i'm more on the side of liking it, but i can get it being split from looking at it.
follow the wind: looking at it, it weirdly doesn't feel like a keyblade; just kinda feels like a normal weapon shaped like a keyblade. otherwise, yeah, kinda bad, disappointing for the world.
circle of life: i like the blade and teeth, and i feel like it's colour scheme looks better than jungle king. except the guard face. i see what they were going for with the face, but i'm not sure it hit the mark. i'd say this is one of the ones most improved by the halloween town filter, both with those details and the lessened yellow.
oathkeeper: it's oathkeeper. i like the greater detailing and the colours. it has better magic than the blades before, and it's ability is more usable.
photon debugger: i like the basic look, but i agree that the colours need abit more consistency, the guard and handle makes me think it looks more like monstros aesthetic than trons.
gull wing: not much to say.
rumbling rose: another one much better looking in halloween town. those muted colours really should of been its default. i guess i kinda see where some of it was going, but it's mostly just "divine rose 2". also not really my gameplay. i think the 'rumbling' in the name might also be trying to evoke the beast.
guardian soul: masamune is said as "mass-ah-moon-ayh". i like its look, but not especially. i like its hit effect symbols and its trail.
mysterious abyss: i actually sorta like the guards look, i think the chain might be what's screwing it up, maybe make the pearl red or pink. i agree that the name was wasted, really makes me think more of an ursula based keyblade, which would be cool.
wishing lamp: alot of elements just don't feel like they fit. the blue looks less like genies smoe and more like seawater, the bottom corners of the hilt(and, really, the whole concept of the design) feel more like an olympic keyblade, and the teeth almost look bolted on from another, cooler keyblade.
sweet memories: it's well put together. i think, when i hear 'disney keyblade', this might one of the first to come to mind.
decisive pumpkin: i really like the look of it. the blade is the good kinda silly, along with not really being too silly. it's very tim burton. it's also really useful, though still a shame that halloween town doesn't have a magic focused keyblade.
sleeping lion: it's a slick design, and just has a good feel as a keyblade. not much else to really say.
bond of flame: i like it. it sort of makes me think of a card suite/checkers theme. i like when designs make the classic 'red, black, grey' pallette work. i feel like the blade is also trying to evoke axels arms holding his chakrams. agree on the trail.
two become one: i really like pretty much everything about this weapon. including the ability, i like using antiform and get sad that it's not really, well, useful(it is intended as a punishment, afterall, but still.).
oblivion: it's oblivion. i like it's aesthetics in most every way, and i also like that it's not as antithetical to my gameplay as in kh1.
fatal crest: i think this one might be targeting me as a person. it's just cool looking in every way, and it's a magic keyblade.
fenrir: i've always like the tumbler-styled blade as being unique... as long as that stays a rare exception, atleast. and this does do the look much better than braveheart, and tries to do more than just that. beyond that, though, not much to really say.
winner's proof: it definitely knows what it's trying to be, atleast. i wouldn't say i like its design, but i don't really hate it either. it's kinda an endgame extra keyblade through and through. it's also the highest magic of any keyblade.
ultima weapon: it's an ultima weapon. i like the base of the blade, though i kinda miss the dream sword. the designs overlaying it look like it's being embraced by wings. it is kinda at the starting point of overdesign, though.
edge of ultima and detection saber: ok, these don't really count, but imagine if they were actual keyblades. just, imagine, something giving you a glitchy crystalline mess called 'detection saber'.
kingdom key d: it's the kingdom key d.
way to the dawn: it's cool.
destiny's embrace: it's not bad.
i like the abilities, i think some of them might of just not had their abilities well-handled.
I like Hero Crest for the simplest and silly reason. Matches Sora's outfit ... hahaha
If you look closely, The Kingom Key also looks like it combines and for me some keyblades look so out of place when you equip them but Hero Crest looks so good on Sora and the ability is useful most part of the game before getting one with better states
All of the Olympus keyblades match with Sora in my opinion.
Love these detailed analyses. Thank you for putting so much effort in such a long video ❤
Oh man. Can't wait for that Heartless Recolor video. As someone who grew up with original KH1, and then bought the Final Mix version later, I definitely found the recolors to be a mixed bag. Some looked great, but some felt like a cluttered mess. Anyway, good video! Me like.
Been a long time fan of KH since the PS2 days and I have to say, I'm learning quite a lot from this. Very interesting and well researched.
35:53 Not only that but the holes make it look like a gun cylinder this is such a smart design
The gullwings keyblade is actually one of my favorites bc of how silly it is 😂 ffx/ffx-2 are my fav in be series and the design is actually a pretty decent homage to the trio.
- The chain is inspired by Yuna’s hair braid
- The charm is her bf’s symbol
- The bows and feathers are worn by Rikku
- The spade is a symbol for Paine and she is also a swords master
- And the mascot quality bird is very spot on for the game where you do wear a mascot costume and fight in it 😂😂😂 (a few times)
Good video, thank you!
I *really* love Star Seeker, mostly for its design. So on one hand I'm really happy we get it early, but on the other hand since it's an early game keyblade it gets outdated pretty fast... but still I love it a lot and I'm always happy to see it in cameos and such in other games as well.
I’m bored at work and this shows up my feed, let’s go😎
Perfection, someone finally broke down all the detail in these Keyblades. I personally think these are the strongest set in the series. And I can’t believe there were so many things I missed in the game.
I just love that two become one is a fusion between oatkeeper and oblivion thats why I love it so much
I never noticed this before, but one of the hit effects with Circle of Life looks like claw marks!
I always assumed the lion design on Circle of Life was meant to represent Mufasa considering he taught Simba about "the circle of life".
The design being further up from the token could also symbolize how even after death, he's still watching over his son. For that reason, I really appreciate the design and it's why it's in my top 10 KH2 keyblades
Easy to see all the effort you put into this. Immensely appreciated and enjoyed thoroughly
This is a great video, but I can’t help but to chuckle at the idea of Donald and Goofy standing there watching Sora try out all the keyblades lol
The HT!Oathkeeper’s handle looking cracked and peeling is like, the best. I love the texture on it
Mysterious abyss, sweet memories, and decisive pumpkin are the only three strike sound affects that I remembered long after playing kh2
The red chain on the pirates keyblade to me always was supposed to be the blood that would break the undead curse the group you go against has. I just looked at it like it was a nice little nod to that plot point.
Ok so bold yet brave, but I really like the Space Paranoids design on a good amount of the keyblades (imo) don’t get me wrong though, I’m not much of a fan of the world, I really only like the design that comes from the world itself. I like how the dark color makes contrast with the neon blue on the keyblade. Very nice to me.
Love these videos, I wrote like 2/3rds of the design descriptions on the KHWiki when I was in high school ages ago and it's cool and nostalgic seeing people noticing things I never did.
Seems like length is % of Kingdom Key length? Idk, just thinking that since Kingdom Key is 100
Okay, idt Star Seeker is 1.28 Kingdom Keys long, so I guess not lol
This video really made me appreciate a lot of the designs of keyblades I often overlooked, Fatal Crest and Hidden Dragon have grown a lot on me (gonna use them in my next for fun play through)! Especially the Halloween Town and Tron versions 😍
The length number is the percentage of length the hitbox has compared to the standard Kingdom Key, with it itself being at a static 100 units aka 100% the length of a Kingdom Key.
So for the Gull Wing as you said the keychain is the symbol for the Zanarkand Abes, which is the blitzball team Tidus (the main character of Final Fantasy X) and his father Jecht belong to, which Yuna herself has close ties to, both with Jecht being her father's guardian alongside Auron, and Tidus who was her guardian during her summoner's pilgrimage. It is also the symbol used in Yuna's Gunner Dressphere which is her default. As for the chain itself, it's actually Yuna's ponytail from her appearence in Final Fantasy X-2.
The hand guard itself could be a reference to Phoenix downs which are used to revive fallen party members (in every Final Fantasy game ever) but it's probably just coincidence. More likely they're just reference to Rikku's original outfit in Final Fantasy X where she had feathers attached to her braids. The ribbons were definitely a reference to her default dressphere in X-2. The handle itself is reference to the sword Paine uses in X-2 since it's got that Spade design when the handle meets the blade.
The teeth itself lastly, with it being a Seagull with its wing jutting out, that's the mascot of the Gullwings group, which I found to be pretty neat. Overall it's not my personal favorite Final Fantasy keyblade in the series, there are better one but as a fan of Final Fantasy I like the design and references to X and X-2 they put into it.
Simba's face on the Circle of Life looks like a song reference. It puts me in mind of "I Just Can't Wait to be King".
damn dude, this must have taken a ton of work. great video!
I actually really like the Winners proof it looks like a trophy
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this or not, but the Paranoids version of Sleeping Lion is seemingly designed off of Squall/Leon's final weapon from FF8, which was a gunblade with a glowing blue blade.
Great video! I really like how all the keyblades in the game were "nerfed" stat-wise to accommodate the ability to dual-wield them in various drive forms. Imagine having KH1 Ultima Weapon and Divine Rose? That's a lot of Strength!!
The emblem for fenrir can be seen on cloud's shoulder in kh2 as well
You should edit this comment.
Cloud is dressed identically to how he did in Advent Children. So not seeing the pendant means you're blind or skipping cutscenes
@@PrincessNine I mentioned it because he mentioned in the video he wasn't aware of where the emblem came from despite the fact we see it on cloud in kh2. And since he hasn't seen advent children and all
@@Vinylmelody1517 I'm saying your comment isn't clear.
He's saying "I havnt seen advent children". The thing from advent children is in the game. If I didn't know any better I'd assume that kh2 cloud was a unique design where the pendant happens to also carry over to
Thanks for the long video we know it took a while!
I like how the stars that come out of Sleeping Lion have holes in them that look like the chambers in a revolver's cylinder.
Oh my God my comment got featured when you were scrolling through the favorite/least favorite post. It's a dumb thing to be happy about but I am
I feel like Roxas was called the "Serendipitous Key" because it was a serendipitous event for the Organization that they got a keyblade wielder nobody. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to complete their plan, at least not as fast as they did. Also, Kairi's keyblade seems to largely resemble her original home, Radiant Garden, since it is largely a flower motif. However, that wave pattern also reflects how she has accepted the Destiny Islands as her home as well, as you said, but Radiant Garden still holds a large space in her heart.
The Halloween town Circle of Life is so sick looking, with the wood actually having texturing on it. Love it
i think im the only one but my favorite keyblade is star seeker and wishing star from 3 is my second or third favorite i love the star theme and the ability kinda fits what i like long air combos i love that keyblade and yeah
"A 100 Nomuras" Lmao.
Sounds like Oda the creator of One Piece how someone will ask how big something is and he'll say "It's 60 Gear Third Luffy arms long."
The blade of Axel's keyblade is composed of two large spikes from each chakram touching
Bruh I just watched the first one and was upset kh2 hasn’t been done yet. Bless this man
oh boy i sure do love the weird monochrome hit sound in the afternoon
I love both sleeping lion and fatal crest so much, i kinda got lucky that you liked them because i was dreading watching this for those keyblades alone but omg you share a lot of the same opinions about them which is great.
I also used them a lot together as they really work together visually i think, both there normal looks and hit effects. using them together for so many years actually lead me to making up two fan keyblades based on them as well
I never paid too much attention to Hidden Dragon's design, but looking at it, I liked it a lot. That and Mysterious Abyss are among my favs here strictly from an appearance perspective.
I also really apperciated how they extended the appearance changes in some Disney worlds to the weapons as well. In KH1, they didn't change in Halloween Town. Much like the drive form appearances, you'd probably never even see many of these changes due to not using the weapons in the worlds.
I do think some have already commented this, but in finishers, some hit effects are added there. Some I found like in Circle of Life, there is a ring of leaves in finishers while there is a small explosion of fire in the finishers while using Sleeping Lion referencing Squall's trigger function in his main game. Ultima weapon has that side thunder lighting or whatevers while Fenrir has more light beams present.
Rumbling Rose is actually one of the only keyblades from KHII that i can remember, i like its design.
Destiny's Embrace has that wavelike protrusion on the guard because the name Kairi means sea or so ive been told.
Interesting considering it isnt her keyblade lol it's also aquas
@@donevonpankey1997 and even after that it was technically Riku's he just handed it to her like "oh hey this one has flowers on it, you can have it"
"So what does Lingering Will see when you cheese him?"
This is both hilarious and hurtful because I have still yet to beat that bastard. I always die when he locks out my command menu at all.
Actually, Oblivion's ability isn't that useless, especially in Final Mix. Since this game has a new limit form, I personally used a lot of the Cure + fast recharge combo into the hardest difficulties, because it helps a lot to get healed faster
The medallion in the middle of circle of life looks like a Sonichu medallion lmfaooo
that 'Sleeping Lion' joke has me absolutely cackling, I don't know why I think it's so funny but I just can't stop giggling, thank you for that XD
I feel like the way to dawn keyblade more represents his coming to the light from the darkness he faces through the series
One subtle part of the Halloween Town Oblivion recolor is the missing little piece above the grip or whatever it's called to add to that old and rusty look