Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Finally Sets Up Kairi With Aqua
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory's ending promises that the future of Kingdom Hearts will give Kairi and Aqua a unique dynamic compared to the rest of the guardians of light (spoilers ahead). During Melody of Memory's secret movie, Yen Sid asks Kairi if she would like to resume her training as a Keyblade wielder, as she stopped practicing for a year to search her memory for clues on Sora's whereabouts. Kairi wants to continue her training, but she requests Aqua take over as her teacher.
Should Aqua accept — and there's no reason why she wouldn't — she and Kairi would be master and student. Terra, Aqua, and Ven have always had a "pass the torch" style relationship with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Riku and Kairi can wield Keyblades because of Terra and Aqua, and Ven was the original reason Sora could dual-wield. Aqua becoming Kairi's mentor, brings all of this full circle, and it allows Kingdom Hearts to play with some unique future scenarios, ones that will allow Aqua and Kairi to develop in interesting ways. For example:
Despite having more unexplored lore behind her than any other hero in the series, Kairi essentially sat on the sidelines throughout the entirety of the Dark Seeker saga. If she weren't strong enough to help Sora and Riku save the day, she would either play the damsel in distress or just not be present. Even Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory sidelines Kairi, and she's supposed to be the protagonist of the game. It doesn't allow her to go off with Riku into uncharted territory to look for Sora because she's not strong enough to keep up yet. These scenarios are ones Kairi repeatedly finds herself in, but becoming Aqua's apprentice would certainly change that.
Aqua is one of the most powerful Keyblade wielders among the guardians of light, certainly the most powerful magic user and female character among the group. If she trains Kairi, there would no longer be an excuse for why Kairi can't be a part of the action, especially considering her progress while training under Yen Sid. With Yen Sid, Kairi spent most of her time practicing with Lea, who was just as inexperienced with a Keyblade as she was. Despite that, she still managed to progress quickly, even going so far as to learn "-ga" level magic and teleportation.
If she can develop that fast training with a fellow novice, her progress rate should skyrocket while under Aqua. Aqua doesn't have nearly as many responsibilities as Yen Sid, and on top of that, she hasn't given up her mantle as a Keyblade wielder and thus uses the weapon regularly. In other words, Aqua would be able to focus all of her attention on Kairi's training and would be able to take a more hands-on approach to it than Yen Sid. Add to that Terra and Ven, who would be there to help out, and Kairi should end up as one of the squad's most powerful guardians.
None of Aqua, Mickey, or Riku — the new generation of Keyblade Masters — have reached the same level of status as Eraqus and Yen Sid. The two of them have indulged in all of the duties that come with being a Keyblade Master, while Aqua, Riku, and Mickey haven't. As such, Mickey still seeks out Yen Sid's advice even though he's been a fully realized Master himself for over a decade. Aqua would probably be the closest to Eraqus and Yen Sid, as she's the most experienced master between herself, Mickey, and Riku. She was the first one to grab the title, and she's the only one confirmed to know the ins and outs of worlds like the Land of Departure.
When Aqua decides to take on Kairi, she'll be even closer to reaching Eraqus and Yen Sid's level. Both Eraqus and Yen Sid have taken on and trained apprentices of their own, passing on what they know to the next generation. Mickey and Riku haven't done that yet, and it doesn't seem like they will for quite a while. Aqua would be the first, just as she was when it came to taking the title of master.
Training Kairi also creates opportunities for Aqua to utilize other abilities master's have, ones that, again, Riku and Mickey haven't yet. Primary among them would be the administration of Mark of Mastery exams. If Aqua turns Kairi into a full-blown Keyblade wielder, there's no reason why she can't create her own Mark of Mastery exams for her. On top of that, if she can administer a test to Kairi, she should be able to do it with other wielders as well. Yen Sid gave the test to Sora and Riku but wasn't responsible for preparing them for it, as they're both self-taught wielders. In that case, Aqua could even give Terra and Sora the test if they wanted to retake it.
Kingdom Hearts 3's ending reunited Terra, Aqua, and Ven with Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but didn't provide many moments between them. It's a good guess then that the series plans on having future games further develop their relationship. At this point in their lives, the six have a lot to discuss and share with one another, be it trading tricks on how to be better combatants or just their general experiences.
Right now, Sora and Riku aren't around, but they'll likely be back before Aqua gets done training Kairi. When that happens, it would be interesting to see Terra and Ven teaching the two of them how to create Keyblade Armor and Riders. On the opposite end, Riku could show Terra a few tricks about utilizing the darkness. Terra hasn't ever had any trouble controlling the darkness, but he has an issue accepting it as a part of himself. Considering Riku once struggled with that as well, he could be of some help in that regard. Overall, Aqua training Kairi gives everyone a reason to gather together often.
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