"Vanitas" is from Latin (and means vanity), just like Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and therefore is subject to the rules of the source language. He is pronouncing Vanitas entirely incorrect.
Cory Frazier What I mean is, yes you are right about where the inspiration comes from, but HMK simply prefers to pronounce it the way they do in the original and the from a the point of view of someone who prefers the Japanese voices he's saying correctly
It has points that make for debate. But it's not possible. Vanitas and Ventus are one at the end of BBS. Ventus connects with Sora, therfore Vanitas is sleeping in Sora.
Ventus is definitely coming back in KH3 (see the secret cutscene from DDD) so what if the sequence where Ven is awakened also awakens Vanitas, as well as any other characters who are trapped such as Aqua or Terra?
John Malkovich Yeah I'm aware of that and it's a given that Vanitas will be part of Xehanort's New OXIII, so it's a possibility he was awakened I didn't know John Malkovich was a KH Fan...
Adam King I don't think so. Ventus and Venitus were separated into two separate beings, right? Not simply a heartless and nobody, but two whole people. If I recall correctly, even Venitus's heart is his own, even if it was ripped from he darkness of Ventus's, so it makes some amount of sense.
***** Another thing I would appreciate if you can clear it up. How did Riku know, that Kairi could wield the keyblade? For me it suggest that Riku already met Aqua and she told him she met a little girl who could wield the keyblade. It was kinda awkward for me that Riku would deliver such a “femenine” keyblade right on hand to Kairi, as far as I'm concern he didn't knew about the accidental inheritance ceremony. I'm NOT stating this as fact, just a doubt. Gladly appreciated if you replied :)
+Karlhel Rivera All princesses of heart are capable of wielding a keyblade. The only problem is that, in order to summon one, they must first come in contact with it. Now that Kairi has come into contact with the keyblade Riku gave her, she will more than likely be using that keyblade in KH3, that is, if she makes an appearance in combat at all. The secret video obtained in KH: Dream Drop Distance does suggest that she will play a major role in the game in terms of combat but, unfortunately, that's not yet a given.
+Karlhel Rivera Also, after Aqua was banished to the realm of darkness, she never came in contact with anyone except for Ansem, the Wise. That much IS a given.
Tyler Langston Thank You! I never knew that the princesses of heart were able to wield the keyblade. I'm still a little confuse on why he handed specifically Destiny's Embrace to Kairi in the world that never was. Thanks for keeping me updated! 😃👍✌
+Karlhel Rivera Kairi used the Destiny's Embrace because, if you think back to Birth By Sleep, when Aqua saves Kairi from the Unversed, what keyblade is Aqua rewarded with?
I believe the eye has more to do with dark keyblades rather than a relationship to Vanitas or Xehanort. Terra's Chaos Ripper had that evil eye too and he obtained it when he used dark powers against Master Eraqus. Also, I found weird that Ansem's final form also wielded Riku's Soul Eater so my belief is that Riku's fighting style, weapon and leather hawaiian armor came from Ansem (Xehanort created Vanitas and may have taught him how to fight) being inside him during the destruction of Destiny Islands. Ansem may have been looking for a host and seeing that Riku was similar to him, he silently latched onto him, gave him the power to summon the darkness and leather hawaiian armor, wield the Soul Eater in order to get him closer to the dark side and then stayed with him waiting for Riku to be weak enough and take his body thus tainting Riku's heart with darkness forever
Oh ok. The scenario is confusiing but I think I wouldn't love it if it wasn't japanese. They are the only able to give personnalitis like that to the characters, and the character design is japanese style, what I also like from square enix
This is probably because Ventus holds his keyblade backhand, and the swings are somewhat similar to Sora's fighting style, only reversed because it's backhand. Also, Sora is able to use Strike Raid, a command previously exclusive to Ventus.
loversinjapan42 It's actually not backwards if you look at it. He holds them both in such a way for him to be able to attack with them straight forward. They are both in his for grip and held like usual but his arms are in just different positions, I feel like that's mostly cause of style.
Shadowstock agree, i don't recal Sora using any backwarded attack while in Drive forms. neither his combo sequences. ..if he did, it would be a movement quite indetectable, even irrelevant, to count as ''ventus style''
hmm... i like the idea of this theory, none of this had actually occurred to me- and my theory for vanitas showing up in DDD is: Riku had gone into sora's dreams correct? so what f vanitas had leaked into Sora's dream along with Riku?
Hey HMK, With Vanitas appearing in the newest KH3 trailer, I was wondering if you could make an updated version of this theory? I greatly enjoyed this one, I’d love to hear what you’d have to say about Vanitas returning in KH3! Love your content, hyped for KH3!!
HMK actually states in a different video (i forget which one) that van-i-tus is how they pronounce it in the Japanese games, whereas vuh-nee-tus is how they pronounce it in English. It's a po-tate-o po-tot-o kind of thing.
It's "ven-nee-tus" vanitas. There is no Japanese dubbing, it's vice versa. The Japanese Is the original and there is the English dubbing. In Japanese, it says ヴァニタス "van-nit-tasu"' (I know this coz I'm half Japanese.). But because this video is spoken in ENGLISH, he should say "ven-nee-tus" 😊
Ruru Shimba I know what dubbing is, hence my previous comment. Are you meaning to reply to Ian TheCart? Wouldn't "van-nit-tasu" be pronounced "vah-knee-taw-s", which is essentially "Vuh-knee-tuh-s". I would expect HMK to have only played the English versions of the games. Also, being "half Japanese" doesn't necessarily mean you know anything about the language. I am part Native American, but I know nothing about their culture or language(s). I get what you mean, though.
Im fluent in both languages, English and Japanese. Oh and that dubbing part was me replying to ian thecart. Me too, I wish HMK would say the right pronunciation because it kind of bothers me. (not only me but other people too I guess.) I mean it's not a big deal either. Also thanks for understanding my previous comment. I also subscribed to you coz, if I did any mistakes I hope you'll forgive me😊
I KNOW RIGHT! I noticed the eye on Vanita's keyblade, and riku's, but never Xehanort's and the simalarity, i've noticed in fighting style, and suit, atleast I'm not the only one who suspects this
Yeah I never noticed the eye. Up until he pointed it out, I was thinking "This is all kinda sketchy." When you point out the eye, it actually starts making sense. After all, Riku has the Soul Eater early on in the first KH, long before he had any influence from Xehanort. Either that eye is just a vague hint at darkness, or it really does have a connection to Xehanort.
myteethareshiny its just a hint at darkness because terras chaos ripper (obtained after beating eraqus) also has the same eye even though he has no connection with xehanort, but is still a user of darkness
I think the whole Vanitas Riku dark mode thing was just fan service to show that their making a Riku-Sora like relationship (in KH1) between him and Ventus
This theory or something along the lines of it could be a bridge to how Vanitas comes back in KH3. i'm SERIOUSLY hoping he comes back, as he was my favorite final boss of BBS, maybe even my favorite final boss of the series.
Yo HMK, i just realized somethng.You never did a video on Master Eraqus. My theory is that he could possibly return in Kingdom Hearts 3. My reasons are this. First, if you look back on Birth By Sleep on the secret ending when Terra is speaking to Xehanort inside of his heart/mind. During the conversation, Xehanort makes a remark saying "you sly fox, made to into his heart....". This leads meto believe Eraqus could possibly return, as well as the return of Terra. Secondly, in the trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3, his keyblade had appeared on the shore of Destiny Islands. The last time that keylade was seen was with Aqua who was last in the realm of darkness. So that also means the return of Aqua as well. But when a keyblade wielder is truly lost, their keyblade also disappears as well. So since Eraqus found a way into Terras' heart when he died before Terra was defeated, it could mean he is not truly gone for good. And that is my theory of the return of Master Eraqus. Feel free to make a video on this too. Just dont steal all the credit. ;)
it's a cool theory. but i have some points to address. 1- ven and vanitas clashed INSIDE VEN'S HEART. so when vanitas was defeated, i imagine ven's heart just absorbed the darkness, and vanitas's heart and put it back where it belonged. so there isn't a logical way vanitas could have fled to riku. plus this would insinuate that vanitas turned heartless like ven, but there is only one remaining body; ven's. 2- point 1 allows sora to be tied to ven and vanitas which would allow him to see vanitas in the dream worlds. because sora and ventus are asleep, technically vanitas would be too. and we all know vanitad isn't just gone forever. 3- the eye is not a xehanort mark. all 5 foreteller keyblades have them. it is a mark of the master. i believe soul eater is just an incarnation of riku's darkness, it has the eye because the darkness on the island was spawned due to the robed figure so it's possibly the darkness that devoured riku on the island was ansem's darkness ergo riku was bequeathed the eye as a result. and 4- the suit is a symbol. it represents raw darkness, which is what riku is by the end of kh1 and he is battling with it in khcom. this is why he never uses it in any title passed khcom, he beats the darkness and learns to control it. that's why he doesn't wear it as armor anymore. that's all. thoughts?
Hey HMK just wanted to let you know that blue cat-like eye is "Eye of darkness". It's frequently used to symbolize an affiliation with the darkness for several Keyblades. The eye generally appears on the hilt, tip, or keychain of the Keyblade.
The way you pronounce Vanitas made me cringe so much I had to pause periodically. One thing I say is that Riku would maybe have had a split second more to accept Vanitas since him and Ventus faded at the same time.
Actually, if I remember correctly, the word 'Vanitas', which in art it's a theme that symbolizes the fragility of life and prevalence of death, as well as Latin for Vanity, is pronounced Vah-Nee-Tahs, aka how HMK says it. Now, I'm not saying that the ones pronouncing the word wrong is the Kingdom Hearts crew, but it's the Kingdom Hearts crew.
I don't think Vanitas and Riku are related to the way you're saying. The reason Vanitas and Riku share clothing similarities, keyblade similarities(the eye) and stance/fighting style is because they use the power of darkness. I think Ansem goes after Riku because he resembles Terra and thus likelier than Sora to succumb to darkness.
I completely agree with your theory bit also theirs the face that young xehanort mentioned that they originally had their eyes on riku for the new vessel. Giving thought could mean they know vanitas is in him and also that the fact that everything has been predetermined. The biggest possibility is tht riku will use his dark power more but won't allow it to take over
you are right. When riku destroyed xehanort's heartless, he said that the darkness still has a hold on him. I am pretty sure "the darkness" in riku's heart is vanitas's dark heart.
i have an idea. in this video you say there is a theory that riku is housing vanitas. you also have a theory that riku is xehanort. what if both theories are correct? what if vanitas is the darknes in riku that helps lead him to become xehanort also what if that is the reason why vanitas is showed with young xehanort in dream drop distance? what if xehanort is really Vanitas? riku houses vanitas' heart then riku slowly gives into darkness, then eventualy is forced to clash with the vanitas in his heart then causing vanitas to take over riku similar to xehanort taking over terra. this would be the cause for the eyes of riku to change from blue to yellow. the reason why the hair could still be white is because what if their hearts mixed and fused together, then causing the yelllow eyes and white hair. somehow through the time travel stuff he looses his memory and as you said grows up to be xehanort. this is just an idea of course. what are your thoughts on it?
Kameron Esters Is it just me or does Riku's eye colour look to be the exact same blue as the eye of darkness. (The eye on Xehanort's, Vanitas and the Fortellers Keyblades)
Kameron Esters Again, maybe, but it seems more likely that he had no conscious choice but to use the darkness after the events of CoM. He could of chose to just flee and forget about healing Sora's memories. if it wasn't for that, he'd still be in complete control. His form was permanent because you can't go back to using the power of light. My point is that whatever way you look at it, Riku had control of the darkness after CoM, but he "chose" to give that control up when he gained the form of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.
Well, this is a good theory, but when you think about it, it doesn't exactly add up. It is said that when even light and even darkness clash, the x-blade can be formed. This causes the merge of the 2. Ventus and Vanitas merged back together (their hearts did) with made the x-blade. So practically, since Vanitas was defeated and faded into light, this means Vanitas is gone and the darkness within him has joined together with Ventus. However, since the darkness in his heart was fractured and he had to get used to the strange feeling of having darkness in his heart, Ventus' heart was indeed fractured. Ventus became a sleeping body, but his heart found refuge inside of Sora's.
While that may be true, remember that the the X-blade damaged both hearts upon destruction leaving the potential of both hearts being damaged but still tethered together.
Actually, to be perfectly clear, the X-Blade was the bond between the darkness and the light of their two hearts. When the X-Blade was destroyed, so was the bond keeping their hearts tethered together. When that happened, a repeat of what happened before occurred and Ventus was put in a deep sleep and, unlike last time, Sora was unable to lend a piece of his heart to save him, so what would've happened years before then basically happened when the blade was destroyed. Also, because Vanitas was not using an actual human host, the body or whatever that he appeared to be using disappeared instead of just falling into a deep slumber like Ventus. It couldn't reach Kingdom Hearts so it's possible that his heart could have found the most available host to reside in (Riku).
Ok then how the fuck does vanitas have soras face ???? I believe since Xehanort has the power to go though time there are different versions of time he can go too as well and i beileve that Vanitas is sora if he was consumed by darkness which in the reality in rikus suit he was consumed by darkness because soras face was the only thing that got me in it
Vanitas has Sora's face because in the Beginning of BBS, Sora's newborn heart was on it's way to Sora, but encountered Ventus' fractured heart. Upon healing Ventus' heart, it also caused Vanitas (who had no face a the time) to receive a face, which happened to be Sora's.
Dang, that part of the eye on all the keyblades, i never thought about it. Very interesting point and it is possible that this could be an assumption for a connection with Vanitas and Riku.
Another reason Sora has the Keyblade is that when Riku gave into the darkness, Sora got the ability to wield it. The deal with Sora holding Ven's heart in his is another part of that reason but I do agree w/ the rest of the theory
That actually makes a lot of sense. I would of never thought of that. If I remember correctly Terra went to Destiny Islands after he killed Eraques and used his darkness.
Well, Riku's heart was taken by Ansum in Kingdom Hearts 1. And when Riku broke free his heart was still in darkness. So Xaianort is attached to Riku which is attached to Vanitas's Heart.
Wow, that's insane. I really think that is awesome how you went so deep into it. I love your theory videos, HMK! :D Also, whats your opinion on why do people think Riku looks awesome in that creepy suit.
it would be dope if that's with Tetsuya Normura made up a plot twist and decided to show us that Riku accepted Vanitas inside of his heart after he lost to Ven.
A good theory I've thought of is that both evil Riku and Vanitas are connected , not by the same heart n stuff , but are made through the same process . Hence Vanitas is half of Ventas / being all of the darkness in ven's heart, while riku allowed the darkness to take over his heart to gain power.( darkness / heartless Ansem). So it explains the similarity in attire/ clothes .
Wow i have never thought of it that way... I love hearing theories about KH because it really makes you wonder if its really that way or not. Good job with the video.
It's certainly an interesting theory, and I might be able to help with your little dilemma there at the end. Throughout Dream Drop Distance, Sora is asleep. He may be simply dreaming the image of Vanitas, rather than Young Xehanort bringing him there.
Concerning the scene with Vanitas in Dream Drop Distance, it seems that Vanitas only appeared through Ventus's memories of him when Sora encountered Young Xehanort.
"The Foretellers are a mysterious group of Keybalde Wielders who lead the five unions-Anguis, Leopardos, Unicornis, Ursus, and Vulpeus. Their are five Foretellers in total, each with their own unique appearance based on their union."
Ending of Kingdom Hearts 2 displayed that Riku no longer used the powers of darkness (referring to scene where he tries to open a portal and fails). So then, perhaps the destruction of Ansem the Wise's canon thing also set Vanitas free? But if Riku can't use dark powers and Vanitas is free, how come he still has Way to Dawn? Man, I really wanna know the story behind Riku's weapons. He's used so many, Soul Eater/Way to Dawn/Keyblade of People's Hearts... Riku is an interesting character.
Nate VonGrimm Then why do we only see this symbol on the weapons of those associated in some way with Xehanort and nowhere else? Last I checked, the Heartless don't bare that eye marking!
WILDMUSTANGX Heartless do not bare the Eye of Darkness because it is used on Keyblades. If heartless could wield Keyblades, The Eye of Darkness would appear on their weapons. It is also why the symbol does not appear on any of Organization XIII weapons. Before you say anything about Roxas, Roxas was not affiliated with Darkness in any way. Once the Dark Seeker saga is over, We will still see the Eye of Darkness on Keyblades without Xenanort.
When Ven's heart was breaking up because of the extraction of his darkness, he met with Sora's Unborn self(His heart before it entered his body) which is why he recognized sora's light after he well, Defeated Vanitas. From that connectivity... the Nobody instead was made from what Ventus looked like... which is also some of the reasons Sora was able to come back from being a heartless.
This actually makes sense. A lot of sense. I appreciate it man. Another theory that might attribute to yours is that Riku is constantly fighting back the darkness not because the darkness has a hold of him, but because darkness has a hold of Vanitas whose dark heart resides in Riku. When Xehanort said that he already has two of the light side's people on his side, he might have meant the darkness residing in Riku's heart, aka Vanitas. Hard to see Vanitas in an Organization coat though. Lol.
This theory is rather solid and everything click into place in my opinion it's rather flawless, especially the eye... I can't believe i never noticed that before.
WAIT A MIN THERE. actually that scene at 5:15 IS a strong indicator that venitas is within riku and heres why. When sora and riku meet up at the traverse town level (well not exactly meet up, theyre both theyre but still distant.) and if you remember through rikus eyes sora was a lil blurry and distorted and in soras eyes riku was also blurry and distorted too. Practically demonstrating theyre both not in the same place really. and in that scene at 5:15 venitus is also blurry and distorted!!! meaning hes in rikus side of the realm of dream eaters which could also mean hes apart of riku.
But could that blurriness be due to his memories from Ven? In the scene where Kairi and Riku turn into Aqua and Terra, they too are blurry, but instead of a black/dark blue aura as seen with Venitas, they have a white/clearish aura. The clearer meaning (for lack of better words) good, and the darker meaning bad. And since both of these instances are related to Ven's memories, isn't it possible that the blur's color is due to his own feelings towards those people? Which is then just seen through Sora's eyes. Btw, not trying to knock your theory, because honestly I think its a great one, and would have personally never thought or seen the connection, but i just thought I'd share my thoughts
Vanitas and riku are connected by the energy of ansem. Xehanort used energy from ventus and mixed it with a materialized form of darkness. Riku became a part of ansem in KH1 which gave riku a connection to vanitas. BUT vanitas is reincarnated into the younger xemnas for a shell until riku came along (younger xemnas means baby/toddler riku) which is younger xemnas is seen as vanitas cause ventus (in sora) senses him. But why not sensed in riku? Because riku was fighting the darkness in himself (vanitas) concealing vanitas giving ansem control. Riku won his battle with soras assistance and gained control and accepted the darkness to make the darkness in his soul to seal ansem and the light in his heart to take vanitas' power for himself.
I've noticed the battle stance thing too, and one thing I'd like to add. Master Xehanort uses that very stance when Terra fights him, as does Young Xehanort when Riku fights him. This suggests to me that that is simply Xehanort's own stance, which naturally he would have taught to Vanitas. Riku may have adopted that stance thanks to his time with Ansem in his heart. At least that seems more likely to me than Vanitas having an influence on him.
Vanitas and Ventas share the same heart. When Sora fixed Ventas' heart when the two split, Vanitas was still linked. So, it effected his appearance. It's possible that he might not have had a face before that.
I agree because Terra saw light inside riku before Ven and Vanitas faded into the light, perhaps he was supposed to be pure like sora but when they supposedly joined with each other riku was changed drastically as he grew up.
There was this other theory that if true fixes the little loophole you mentioned at the end of your video. That theory was about how somehow time travel makes it so Riku grows up to become young Xehanort. If both theories were correct, what a crazy infinite loop.
that eye on soul eater is called The Eye of Darkness. Also, Riku was on the path of darkness but conquered the darkness within himself, as referenced by the name of his keyblade: Way to the Dawn. If Vanitas was within Riku, he probably would have been unable to contain him in order to return to the light, or Vanitas would likely have needed to find a new vessel as he has a heart of pure darkness which shuns the light.
I may just be nit-picking but here's an idea i had brewing after seeing this. When Vanitas was defeated, he sought refuge; and came into contact with time-travelling Young Xehanort who took custody of the wanderer. This giving him the means to use Vanitas at a later date. This is why you can explain Sora sensing Vanitas with Y.Xehanort since Ventus' heart would resonate with Vanitas. This could explain how Vanitas would be one of the 13 darknesses. Love the video, never crossed my mind.
Yes I know that Riku can wield the Keyblade because of Terra, I am talking specifically about the "Way to the Dawn" keyblade. Ventus used it, Vanitas comes from Ventus
Riku is a reflection of terra where terra was confused about the darkness and was tricked and persuaded to use and be sucked by the darkness, so was riku to help save kairi. But unlike terra who could control it better, riku is experienced and does not know much about darkness until its too late. Ansem took advantage of riku's darkness which is why riku gets darker and is in less control of himself.
I have to agree with ur theory HMK. It is no coincidence that all of the weapons have the blue eye and that rikus "darkness form" highly mirrors vanitas.
not gunna lie..that xehanorts brand thing literally blew me away. my brain melted and the only word i could think of was "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???!!!"
i think the most probable piece to your theory may be the keyblades. as you said, how soul eater came to be never was explained, which always urked me. but then after your discussion on it i gotta say its the best (and only, lol) explanation i've heard.
Very interesting considering people thought before BBS came out that "the guy with the helmet" was thought to somehow be Riku at one point too.....we noticed similarities without even thinking about it.
I have a weird feeling tetsuya nomura watched these and said "how does hmk know so much" lol respect to tetsuya nomura and to you HMK you truly understand the KH franchise. The ultimate innocent/pure game my favorite franchise!!! Thank you for your theories i really enjoy watching these videos.
Ricku only looked that way because he allowed his heart to open up to the heartless ansem, which took over his body. If you recall ventus and vanitas were fighting inside of ventus's heart, in the end destroying most of it and the remainder sought refuge inside of soras heart.
It could also have to do with the fact that because ventus and vanitas became one again, because ventus has such a strong tie to sora, and sora has a strong tie with riku, that could also have to do with vanitas influencing riku's heart to darkness
omg pleeease stop butchering Vanitas's name.
Cory Frazier Nah, that's the original pronunciation from the Japanese voice acting
"Vanitas" is from Latin (and means vanity), just like Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, and therefore is subject to the rules of the source language.
He is pronouncing Vanitas entirely incorrect.
Cory Frazier What I mean is, yes you are right about where the inspiration comes from, but HMK simply prefers to pronounce it the way they do in the original and the from a the point of view of someone who prefers the Japanese voices he's saying correctly
Shade Then why not use the pronunciation of all the characters names? Why just Vanitas? I think he honestly does not know.
Cory Frazier I just think he prefers specifically Vanitas' name to be like the original, everyone thinks differently after all
take a shot every time he pronounces vanitas wrong
lol
Whoah, this theory actually makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't be surprised if Vanitas told the truth in KH3 as a very solid "Plot-twist"
It has points that make for debate. But it's not possible. Vanitas and Ventus are one at the end of BBS. Ventus connects with Sora, therfore Vanitas is sleeping in Sora.
Ventus is definitely coming back in KH3 (see the secret cutscene from DDD) so what if the sequence where Ven is awakened also awakens Vanitas, as well as any other characters who are trapped such as Aqua or Terra?
I strongly believe that's what is going to happen.
John Malkovich Yeah I'm aware of that and it's a given that Vanitas will be part of Xehanort's New OXIII, so it's a possibility he was awakened
I didn't know John Malkovich was a KH Fan...
Adam King
I don't think so. Ventus and Venitus were separated into two separate beings, right? Not simply a heartless and nobody, but two whole people. If I recall correctly, even Venitus's heart is his own, even if it was ripped from he darkness of Ventus's, so it makes some amount of sense.
"The eye!" ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED
Man how time flies... Lets see if we can get this to Hit 100K views guys! Share it!
***** Another thing I would appreciate if you can clear it up. How did Riku know, that Kairi could wield the keyblade? For me it suggest that Riku already met Aqua and she told him she met a little girl who could wield the keyblade. It was kinda awkward for me that Riku would deliver such a “femenine” keyblade right on hand to Kairi, as far as I'm concern he didn't knew about the accidental inheritance ceremony. I'm NOT stating this as fact, just a doubt. Gladly appreciated if you replied :)
+Karlhel Rivera All princesses of heart are capable of wielding a keyblade. The only problem is that, in order to summon one, they must first come in contact with it. Now that Kairi has come into contact with the keyblade Riku gave her, she will more than likely be using that keyblade in KH3, that is, if she makes an appearance in combat at all. The secret video obtained in KH: Dream Drop Distance does suggest that she will play a major role in the game in terms of combat but, unfortunately, that's not yet a given.
+Karlhel Rivera Also, after Aqua was banished to the realm of darkness, she never came in contact with anyone except for Ansem, the Wise. That much IS a given.
Tyler Langston Thank You! I never knew that the princesses of heart were able to wield the keyblade. I'm still a little confuse on why he handed specifically Destiny's Embrace to Kairi in the world that never was. Thanks for keeping me updated! 😃👍✌
+Karlhel Rivera Kairi used the Destiny's Embrace because, if you think back to Birth By Sleep, when Aqua saves Kairi from the Unversed, what keyblade is Aqua rewarded with?
....its VANITUS! VANITUS!
waluigiland SPHERICAL
I believe the eye has more to do with dark keyblades rather than a relationship to Vanitas or Xehanort. Terra's Chaos Ripper had that evil eye too and he obtained it when he used dark powers against Master Eraqus.
Also, I found weird that Ansem's final form also wielded Riku's Soul Eater so my belief is that Riku's fighting style, weapon and leather hawaiian armor came from Ansem (Xehanort created Vanitas and may have taught him how to fight) being inside him during the destruction of Destiny Islands. Ansem may have been looking for a host and seeing that Riku was similar to him, he silently latched onto him, gave him the power to summon the darkness and leather hawaiian armor, wield the Soul Eater in order to get him closer to the dark side and then stayed with him waiting for Riku to be weak enough and take his body thus tainting Riku's heart with darkness forever
Ugh...Why is Kingdom Hearts so confusing???...
Because Kingdom Hearts is japanese !
SoraikoSan why is it in japanese?...
No, I mean Kingdom Hearts IS japanese.
Tetsuya Nomura is japanese
yeah i know its japanese
Oh ok. The scenario is confusiing but I think I wouldn't love it if it wasn't japanese. They are the only able to give personnalitis like that to the characters, and the character design is japanese style, what I also like from square enix
Their fighting stances are similar but it's irrelevant seeing as how nether Sora or Roxas fight similar to Ventus at all.
This is probably because Ventus holds his keyblade backhand, and the swings are somewhat similar to Sora's fighting style, only reversed because it's backhand. Also, Sora is able to use Strike Raid, a command previously exclusive to Ventus.
a concrete evidence is in the fight agains Xemnas. the last cutscene before the finishing blow, sora takes rikus keyblade and uses it backwards.
scatherer I'd like to add: when sora has 2 keyblades (i.e. Valor form) he holds one of them normally and one of them backwards.
loversinjapan42 It's actually not backwards if you look at it. He holds them both in such a way for him to be able to attack with them straight forward. They are both in his for grip and held like usual but his arms are in just different positions, I feel like that's mostly cause of style.
Shadowstock agree, i don't recal Sora using any backwarded attack while in Drive forms. neither his combo sequences.
..if he did, it would be a movement quite indetectable, even irrelevant, to count as ''ventus style''
Va-KNEE-TAS
did u not play the game o.O
Great theory, at first I thought Riku just found Vanitas's old training notes and learnt from them, but your concept does explain a lot more things
I love the theory, finally someone who talks about vanitas story and which role he could play in the future.
hmm... i like the idea of this theory, none of this had actually occurred to me- and my theory for vanitas showing up in DDD is: Riku had gone into sora's dreams correct? so what f vanitas had leaked into Sora's dream along with Riku?
Hey HMK,
With Vanitas appearing in the newest KH3 trailer, I was wondering if you could make an updated version of this theory? I greatly enjoyed this one, I’d love to hear what you’d have to say about Vanitas returning in KH3! Love your content, hyped for KH3!!
Please don't murder me, but it's "Vuh-NEE-tus", rather than "VAN-i-tus".
Thank you! That was bugging the crap out of me! How can he not know that? Either he never played BBS, or he just didn't pay attention.
HMK actually states in a different video (i forget which one) that van-i-tus is how they pronounce it in the Japanese games, whereas vuh-nee-tus is how they pronounce it in English. It's a po-tate-o po-tot-o kind of thing.
Faith Okay then, what confuses me why he insists on using the Japanese pronunciation rather than the official English translation.
***** because he is using the original pronunciation.
***** He says that Van-i-tus sounds more like Ventus.
Brb, I need to clean up the mess from my mind being blown onto the wall.
"Van-nit-tus"? Did you even play Birth by Sleep?
ImDemonAlchemist Listen to the original Japanese dubbing
Ian TheCart "Japanese dubbing", excuse me, that doesn't exist.
It's "ven-nee-tus" vanitas. There is no Japanese dubbing, it's vice versa. The Japanese Is the original and there is the English dubbing. In Japanese, it says ヴァニタス "van-nit-tasu"' (I know this coz I'm half Japanese.). But because this video is spoken in ENGLISH, he should say "ven-nee-tus" 😊
Ruru Shimba I know what dubbing is, hence my previous comment. Are you meaning to reply to Ian TheCart? Wouldn't "van-nit-tasu" be pronounced "vah-knee-taw-s", which is essentially "Vuh-knee-tuh-s". I would expect HMK to have only played the English versions of the games. Also, being "half Japanese" doesn't necessarily mean you know anything about the language. I am part Native American, but I know nothing about their culture or language(s). I get what you mean, though.
Im fluent in both languages, English and Japanese. Oh and that dubbing part was me replying to ian thecart. Me too, I wish HMK would say the right pronunciation because it kind of bothers me. (not only me but other people too I guess.) I mean it's not a big deal either. Also thanks for understanding my previous comment. I also subscribed to you coz, if I did any mistakes I hope you'll forgive me😊
Wow! You're so observant! How could you see the eye on Riku's, Vanitas's and master Xehanort's keyblade? O_O
I KNOW RIGHT!
I noticed the eye on Vanita's keyblade, and riku's, but never Xehanort's
and the simalarity, i've noticed in fighting style, and suit, atleast I'm not the only one who suspects this
Yeah I never noticed the eye. Up until he pointed it out, I was thinking "This is all kinda sketchy." When you point out the eye, it actually starts making sense. After all, Riku has the Soul Eater early on in the first KH, long before he had any influence from Xehanort. Either that eye is just a vague hint at darkness, or it really does have a connection to Xehanort.
myteethareshiny its just a hint at darkness because terras chaos ripper (obtained after beating eraqus) also has the same eye even though he has no connection with xehanort, but is still a user of darkness
No thats the Gazing eye. Its just the eye that master of masters uses to see into the future.
I think the whole Vanitas Riku dark mode thing was just fan service to show that their making a Riku-Sora like relationship (in KH1) between him and Ventus
This was an amazing theory. I'm a huge Kingdom Hearts fan and this video just opened my eyes to that all being a possibility. Nice work
This theory or something along the lines of it could be a bridge to how Vanitas comes back in KH3. i'm SERIOUSLY hoping he comes back, as he was my favorite final boss of BBS, maybe even my favorite final boss of the series.
Yo HMK, i just realized somethng.You never did a video on Master Eraqus. My theory is that he could possibly return in Kingdom Hearts 3. My reasons are this. First, if you look back on Birth By Sleep on the secret ending when Terra is speaking to Xehanort inside of his heart/mind. During the conversation, Xehanort makes a remark saying "you sly fox, made to into his heart....". This leads meto believe Eraqus could possibly return, as well as the return of Terra. Secondly, in the trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3, his keyblade had appeared on the shore of Destiny Islands. The last time that keylade was seen was with Aqua who was last in the realm of darkness. So that also means the return of Aqua as well. But when a keyblade wielder is truly lost, their keyblade also disappears as well. So since Eraqus found a way into Terras' heart when he died before Terra was defeated, it could mean he is not truly gone for good. And that is my theory of the return of Master Eraqus. Feel free to make a video on this too. Just dont steal all the credit. ;)
That is a good point.
it's a cool theory. but i have some points to address.
1- ven and vanitas clashed INSIDE VEN'S HEART. so when vanitas was defeated, i imagine ven's heart just absorbed the darkness, and vanitas's heart and put it back where it belonged. so there isn't a logical way vanitas could have fled to riku. plus this would insinuate that vanitas turned heartless like ven, but there is only one remaining body; ven's.
2- point 1 allows sora to be tied to ven and vanitas which would allow him to see vanitas in the dream worlds. because sora and ventus are asleep, technically vanitas would be too. and we all know vanitad isn't just gone forever.
3- the eye is not a xehanort mark. all 5 foreteller keyblades have them. it is a mark of the master. i believe soul eater is just an incarnation of riku's darkness, it has the eye because the darkness on the island was spawned due to the robed figure so it's possibly the darkness that devoured riku on the island was ansem's darkness ergo riku was bequeathed the eye as a result.
and 4- the suit is a symbol. it represents raw darkness, which is what riku is by the end of kh1 and he is battling with it in khcom. this is why he never uses it in any title passed khcom, he beats the darkness and learns to control it. that's why he doesn't wear it as armor anymore.
that's all. thoughts?
Hey HMK just wanted to let you know that blue cat-like eye is "Eye of darkness". It's frequently used to symbolize an affiliation with the darkness for several Keyblades. The eye generally appears on the hilt, tip, or keychain of the Keyblade.
The way you pronounce Vanitas made me cringe so much I had to pause periodically. One thing I say is that Riku would maybe have had a split second more to accept Vanitas since him and Ventus faded at the same time.
Actually, if I remember correctly, the word 'Vanitas', which in art it's a theme that symbolizes the fragility of life and prevalence of death, as well as Latin for Vanity, is pronounced Vah-Nee-Tahs, aka how HMK says it. Now, I'm not saying that the ones pronouncing the word wrong is the Kingdom Hearts crew, but it's the Kingdom Hearts crew.
I don't think Vanitas and Riku are related to the way you're saying. The reason Vanitas and Riku share clothing similarities, keyblade similarities(the eye) and stance/fighting style is because they use the power of darkness. I think Ansem goes after Riku because he resembles Terra and thus likelier than Sora to succumb to darkness.
I completely agree with your theory bit also theirs the face that young xehanort mentioned that they originally had their eyes on riku for the new vessel. Giving thought could mean they know vanitas is in him and also that the fact that everything has been predetermined. The biggest possibility is tht riku will use his dark power more but won't allow it to take over
you are right. When riku destroyed xehanort's heartless, he said that the darkness still has a hold on him. I am pretty sure "the darkness" in riku's heart is vanitas's dark heart.
i have an idea. in this video you say there is a theory that riku is housing vanitas. you also have a theory that riku is xehanort. what if both theories are correct? what if vanitas is the darknes in riku that helps lead him to become xehanort also what if that is the reason why vanitas is showed with young xehanort in dream drop distance? what if xehanort is really Vanitas? riku houses vanitas' heart then riku slowly gives into darkness, then eventualy is forced to clash with the vanitas in his heart then causing vanitas to take over riku similar to xehanort taking over terra. this would be the cause for the eyes of riku to change from blue to yellow. the reason why the hair could still be white is because what if their hearts mixed and fused together, then causing the yelllow eyes and white hair. somehow through the time travel stuff he looses his memory and as you said grows up to be xehanort. this is just an idea of course. what are your thoughts on it?
Tim Zavesky dude, exactly what I was thinking
Kameron Esters Is it just me or does Riku's eye colour look to be the exact same blue as the eye of darkness. (The eye on Xehanort's, Vanitas and the Fortellers Keyblades)
Maybe, but Riku overcame the darkness, remember? They made that quite clear in KH: CoM.
Tyler Langston
But in 358/2 and KH 2, he was struggling to keep the darkness at bay. He only postponed it in CoM
Kameron Esters Again, maybe, but it seems more likely that he had no conscious choice but to use the darkness after the events of CoM. He could of chose to just flee and forget about healing Sora's memories. if it wasn't for that, he'd still be in complete control. His form was permanent because you can't go back to using the power of light. My point is that whatever way you look at it, Riku had control of the darkness after CoM, but he "chose" to give that control up when he gained the form of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.
Well, this is a good theory, but when you think about it, it doesn't exactly add up.
It is said that when even light and even darkness clash, the x-blade can be formed. This causes the merge of the 2. Ventus and Vanitas merged back together (their hearts did) with made the x-blade. So practically, since Vanitas was defeated and faded into light, this means Vanitas is gone and the darkness within him has joined together with Ventus. However, since the darkness in his heart was fractured and he had to get used to the strange feeling of having darkness in his heart, Ventus' heart was indeed fractured. Ventus became a sleeping body, but his heart found refuge inside of Sora's.
While that may be true, remember that the the X-blade damaged both hearts upon destruction leaving the potential of both hearts being damaged but still tethered together.
Actually, to be perfectly clear, the
X-Blade was the bond between the darkness and the light of their two hearts. When the X-Blade was destroyed, so was the bond keeping their hearts tethered together. When that happened, a repeat of what happened before occurred and Ventus was put in a deep sleep and, unlike last time, Sora was unable to lend a piece of his heart to save him, so what would've happened years before then basically happened when the blade was destroyed. Also, because Vanitas was not using an actual human host, the body or whatever that he appeared to be using disappeared instead of just falling into a deep slumber like Ventus. It couldn't reach Kingdom Hearts so it's possible that his heart could have found the most available host to reside in (Riku).
OMG! why do your theories always make so much sense!? IT BOGGLES MY MIND!
This is a really interesting theory, so I think this should definitely be looked into more.
Ok then how the fuck does vanitas have soras face ???? I believe since Xehanort has the power to go though time there are different versions of time he can go too as well and i beileve that Vanitas is sora if he was consumed by darkness which in the reality in rikus suit he was consumed by darkness because soras face was the only thing that got me in it
That probably happened because they run out of ideas on faces. xD
Victoria Nicholson Such a woman XD
Hell yeah I am! (:
Vanitas has Sora's face because in the Beginning of BBS, Sora's newborn heart was on it's way to Sora, but encountered Ventus' fractured heart. Upon healing Ventus' heart, it also caused Vanitas (who had no face a the time) to receive a face, which happened to be Sora's.
That makes much more sense. xD
Your Theory makes a lot of sense.
They said that vanitas and Ven's hearts merged together again but ven didn't have a body so he went back to sora
Dang, that part of the eye on all the keyblades, i never thought about it. Very interesting point and it is possible that this could be an assumption for a connection with Vanitas and Riku.
Another reason Sora has the Keyblade is that when Riku gave into the darkness, Sora got the ability to wield it. The deal with Sora holding Ven's heart in his is another part of that reason but I do agree w/ the rest of the theory
That actually makes a lot of sense. I would of never thought of that. If I remember correctly Terra went to Destiny Islands after he killed Eraques and used his darkness.
This theory seems very, very plausible. Nice HMK. Keep up the awesomeness.
Well, Riku's heart was taken by Ansum in Kingdom Hearts 1.
And when Riku broke free his heart was still in darkness.
So Xaianort is attached to Riku which is attached to Vanitas's
Heart.
Wow, that's insane. I really think that is awesome how you went so deep into it. I love your theory videos, HMK! :D Also, whats your opinion on why do people think Riku looks awesome in that creepy suit.
it would be dope if that's with Tetsuya Normura made up a plot twist and decided to show us that Riku accepted
Vanitas inside of his heart after he lost to Ven.
A good theory I've thought of is that both evil Riku and Vanitas are connected , not by the same heart n stuff , but are made through the same process . Hence Vanitas is half of Ventas / being all of the darkness in ven's heart, while riku allowed the darkness to take over his heart to gain power.( darkness / heartless Ansem). So it explains the similarity in attire/ clothes .
His hearts wasn't damaged
Wow i have never thought of it that way... I love hearing theories about KH because it really makes you wonder if its really that way or not. Good job with the video.
It's certainly an interesting theory, and I might be able to help with your little dilemma there at the end. Throughout Dream Drop Distance, Sora is asleep. He may be simply dreaming the image of Vanitas, rather than Young Xehanort bringing him there.
Concerning the scene with Vanitas in Dream Drop Distance, it seems that Vanitas only appeared through Ventus's memories of him when Sora encountered Young Xehanort.
This actually make sense.... Nice job HMK
"The Foretellers are a mysterious group of Keybalde Wielders who lead the five unions-Anguis, Leopardos, Unicornis, Ursus, and Vulpeus. Their are five Foretellers in total, each with their own unique appearance based on their union."
Ending of Kingdom Hearts 2 displayed that Riku no longer used the powers of darkness (referring to scene where he tries to open a portal and fails). So then, perhaps the destruction of Ansem the Wise's canon thing also set Vanitas free? But if Riku can't use dark powers and Vanitas is free, how come he still has Way to Dawn? Man, I really wanna know the story behind Riku's weapons. He's used so many, Soul Eater/Way to Dawn/Keyblade of People's Hearts... Riku is an interesting character.
Pretty good theory! Very insightful, especially when you pointed out that thing with the creepy eyes on all the key-blades!
The eye is the Eye of Darkness. It symbolizes a person's affiliation with darkness. It has nothing to do with Xehanort.
Nate VonGrimm Then why do we only see this symbol on the weapons of those associated in some way with Xehanort and nowhere else? Last I checked, the Heartless don't bare that eye marking!
WILDMUSTANGX Heartless do not bare the Eye of Darkness because it is used on Keyblades. If heartless could wield Keyblades, The Eye of Darkness would appear on their weapons.
It is also why the symbol does not appear on any of Organization XIII weapons. Before you say anything about Roxas, Roxas was not affiliated with Darkness in any way.
Once the Dark Seeker saga is over, We will still see the Eye of Darkness on Keyblades without Xenanort.
vah-NEE-tahs. Xehanort pronounces it in the game too. His name is based off a style of painting that include skulls in still lifes.
Actually it's based off the Latin word "vanitas" which means "empty". Xehanort himself makes note of this when he creates Vanitas.
+Elersatz I didn't recall that, that's probably a better explanation for his name
You have a very extremely good point on riku and vanitas connection
i like this theory for the sole reason that there is many things supporting it.
When Ven's heart was breaking up because of the extraction of his darkness, he met with Sora's Unborn self(His heart before it entered his body) which is why he recognized sora's light after he well, Defeated Vanitas. From that connectivity... the Nobody instead was made from what Ventus looked like... which is also some of the reasons Sora was able to come back from being a heartless.
Everything in this makes so much sense and it would explain alot and it has good reasoning for it
to me, the story of birth by sleep definitely stands out to me. probably because its the most sad.
Right again hmk, love the kingdom hearts videos keep up the good work dude you rock.
i never thought of the eye within all the blades.
yo the riku xehanort theory with this makes so much sense
This actually makes sense. A lot of sense. I appreciate it man. Another theory that might attribute to yours is that Riku is constantly fighting back the darkness not because the darkness has a hold of him, but because darkness has a hold of Vanitas whose dark heart resides in Riku. When Xehanort said that he already has two of the light side's people on his side, he might have meant the darkness residing in Riku's heart, aka Vanitas. Hard to see Vanitas in an Organization coat though. Lol.
This theory is rather solid and everything click into place in my opinion it's rather flawless, especially the eye... I can't believe i never noticed that before.
the armor similarity is due to both being influenced by Master Xehanort
Couldn’t watch the video, messing up Vanitas’s name bugs me too much.
Yes Yes Yes ive always said this. Ever since riku and vanitas stance were the same
WAIT A MIN THERE. actually that scene at 5:15 IS a strong indicator that venitas is within riku and heres why. When sora and riku meet up at the traverse town level (well not exactly meet up, theyre both theyre but still distant.) and if you remember through rikus eyes sora was a lil blurry and distorted and in soras eyes riku was also blurry and distorted too. Practically demonstrating theyre both not in the same place really. and in that scene at 5:15 venitus is also blurry and distorted!!! meaning hes in rikus side of the realm of dream eaters which could also mean hes apart of riku.
But could that blurriness be due to his memories from Ven? In the scene where Kairi and Riku turn into Aqua and Terra, they too are blurry, but instead of a black/dark blue aura as seen with Venitas, they have a white/clearish aura. The clearer meaning (for lack of better words) good, and the darker meaning bad. And since both of these instances are related to Ven's memories, isn't it possible that the blur's color is due to his own feelings towards those people? Which is then just seen through Sora's eyes.
Btw, not trying to knock your theory, because honestly I think its a great one, and would have personally never thought or seen the connection, but i just thought I'd share my thoughts
Let's not forget that DDD was mostly set in the World of Dreams... it may be another way for Vanitas to exist as Riku is also present in that world.
Vanitas and riku are connected by the energy of ansem. Xehanort used energy from ventus and mixed it with a materialized form of darkness. Riku became a part of ansem in KH1 which gave riku a connection to vanitas. BUT vanitas is reincarnated into the younger xemnas for a shell until riku came along (younger xemnas means baby/toddler riku) which is younger xemnas is seen as vanitas cause ventus (in sora) senses him.
But why not sensed in riku? Because riku was fighting the darkness in himself (vanitas) concealing vanitas giving ansem control. Riku won his battle with soras assistance and gained control and accepted the darkness to make the darkness in his soul to seal ansem and the light in his heart to take vanitas' power for himself.
You literally blew my mind with this HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THE EYES TOO HOLY CRAP!!!!!!
I've noticed the battle stance thing too, and one thing I'd like to add.
Master Xehanort uses that very stance when Terra fights him, as does Young Xehanort when Riku fights him. This suggests to me that that is simply Xehanort's own stance, which naturally he would have taught to Vanitas. Riku may have adopted that stance thanks to his time with Ansem in his heart. At least that seems more likely to me than Vanitas having an influence on him.
I always wondered why their outfits looked so similar... Great theory bro!
Did not see the last one coming. Great job
Vanitas and Ventas share the same heart. When Sora fixed Ventas' heart when the two split, Vanitas was still linked. So, it effected his appearance. It's possible that he might not have had a face before that.
dat pronunciation of vanitas
Bro, this makes all sorts of sense! Awesome job.
Good job. I always wondered about the clothes and just figured it was a darkness thing... never thought it was a Sora Ventas thing...
Nah..the eye is the illuminati XD But yeah I can see why Ansem keeps going for Riku all the time, because Vanitas was Xehanort's pupil at the time.
*****
That's what I meant to say ^^
Organization 13
1 - the Illuminati has 1 eye
3 - a triangle has 3 sides
ILLUMINATI CONFERMED!
I agree because Terra saw light inside riku before Ven and Vanitas faded into the light, perhaps he was supposed to be pure like sora but when they supposedly joined with each other riku was changed drastically as he grew up.
There was this other theory that if true fixes the little loophole you mentioned at the end of your video. That theory was about how somehow time travel makes it so Riku grows up to become young Xehanort. If both theories were correct, what a crazy infinite loop.
Maybe one piece of Vanitas' heart is in Sora's as well? That could explain why he appeared to Sora with young Xehanort?
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS so many good points with alot of supporting details along with it PLEASE MAKE MORE
that eye on soul eater is called The Eye of Darkness. Also, Riku was on the path of darkness but conquered the darkness within himself, as referenced by the name of his keyblade: Way to the Dawn. If Vanitas was within Riku, he probably would have been unable to contain him in order to return to the light, or Vanitas would likely have needed to find a new vessel as he has a heart of pure darkness which shuns the light.
I may just be nit-picking but here's an idea i had brewing after seeing this. When Vanitas was defeated, he sought refuge; and came into contact with time-travelling Young Xehanort who took custody of the wanderer. This giving him the means to use Vanitas at a later date. This is why you can explain Sora sensing Vanitas with Y.Xehanort since Ventus' heart would resonate with Vanitas. This could explain how Vanitas would be one of the 13 darknesses. Love the video, never crossed my mind.
this theorie seems to make the most sense so i might go with this
Yes I know that Riku can wield the Keyblade because of Terra, I am talking specifically about the "Way to the Dawn" keyblade. Ventus used it, Vanitas comes from Ventus
Riku is a reflection of terra where terra was confused about the darkness and was tricked and persuaded to use and be sucked by the darkness, so was riku to help save kairi. But unlike terra who could control it better, riku is experienced and does not know much about darkness until its too late. Ansem took advantage of riku's darkness which is why riku gets darker and is in less control of himself.
I have to agree with ur theory HMK. It is no coincidence that all of the weapons have the blue eye and that rikus "darkness form" highly mirrors vanitas.
I totally agree with you. I never even noticed the eyeballs on the swords! I must say, nice work! ^U^
not gunna lie..that xehanorts brand thing literally blew me away. my brain melted and the only word i could think of was "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???!!!"
If vanitas return as nobody, he would be called:
Krixu
Kurix
Xikur
Random name without x
THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!!!
i think the most probable piece to your theory may be the keyblades. as you said, how soul eater came to be never was explained, which always urked me. but then after your discussion on it i gotta say its the best (and only, lol) explanation i've heard.
Very interesting considering people thought before BBS came out that "the guy with the helmet" was thought to somehow be Riku at one point too.....we noticed similarities without even thinking about it.
He (and Sora) change to they're younger appearances in the Realm of Sleep from Yen Sid's magic. They go back to normal when they leave.
Yes. Vanitas is the extracted darkness in Ven's heart.
THE EYE
I have a weird feeling tetsuya nomura watched these and said "how does hmk know so much" lol respect to tetsuya nomura and to you HMK you truly understand the KH franchise. The ultimate innocent/pure game my favorite franchise!!! Thank you for your theories i really enjoy watching these videos.
I've got to say, I'm not sold on the idea, but you have some interesting points.
Ricku only looked that way because he allowed his heart to open up to the heartless ansem, which took over his body. If you recall ventus and vanitas were fighting inside of ventus's heart, in the end destroying most of it and the remainder sought refuge inside of soras heart.
The Eye of Darkness, it was believe that Sephiroth could be one of the member or Seekers of Darkness in the Organization XIII!
It could also have to do with the fact that because ventus and vanitas became one again, because ventus has such a strong tie to sora, and sora has a strong tie with riku, that could also have to do with vanitas influencing riku's heart to darkness