Does Xehanort Still Want Sora as a Vessel?

Coming out of E3, the main thing Kingdom Hearts fans were talking about was, of course, Aqua. After Aqua (or Aquanort, as she might be now), Larxene and Luxord drew attention as new Seekers of Darkness.

But what about the return of an old favorite, show in Kingdom Hearts III footage for the first time?

Xigbar wasn’t in the first Kingdom Hearts III E3 trailer, but the second one shown at Square Enix’s conference included a few new scenes. At 1:28, Xigbar says:

“Still, Sora, that doesn’t mean you should change. Accept the power you’re given. Find the hearts joined to yours.”

This is somewhat sinister, especially since seeking out the hearts connected to his is already one of Sora’s goals, and Ansem and Xemnas seem eager to goad Sora into using darkness to restore Roxas.

Even more ominous is the change in Xigbar’s voice. When he says “Find the hearts joined to yours,” his voice takes on a growl reminiscent of Master Xehanort. He almost sounds more Xehanort than Xigbar for that line.

In the third new Kingdom Hearts III trailer, shown at Sony’s E3 conference, there is another clip with Xigbar at 2:33:

“And at the end, you’ll finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be right around the corner.”

That adds a threatening note to the conversation. Xigbar is implying that something is going to happen to Sora because of “destiny.” (He’s definitely more than half Xehanort now.)

It reminds me of the cryptic, vaguely threatening comments Xemnas and Young Xehanort had for Sora whenever they encountered him in Dream Drop Distance. Is Xigbar implying that Xehanort hasn’t given up on Sora as the 13th Seeker of Darkness?

Dream Drop Distance left fans with a lot of questions, one of which related to Master Xehanort’s goal at the end. Why didn’t he know the “destined” day wouldn’t result in Sora as #13? Why did he seem so unconcerned when Lea saved Sora?

Before, I hypothesized that Master Xehanort knew Sora wasn’t his vessel in the future but couldn’t resist trying a shortcut, but now I’ll suggest the opposite. What if Master Xehanort knows Sora is destined to join the Seekers of Darkness, and his failure in Dream Drop Distance made him realize it would happen another day instead?

Will Kingdom Hearts III see the guardians of light forced to fight Sora?

Alternately, since Xigbar has his own secret plans, maybe he’s planning to use Sora as a part of them. Either way, his comments definitely suggest he sees something ominous ins Sora’s future.

What do you think Xigbar’s lines in the new trailers mean? Is Xehanort still hoping to claim Sora? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: braig/xigbar, master xehanort, seekers of darkness, xehanort