A Struggle for Existence | The Psychology of Roxas

Saix: We don’t accept resignations. Roxas: I’ve got nothing to say to you. Saix: Then let’s keep this short and sweet.

Roxas' story helped me get through the worst part of my life. He and Xion's lives have helped me to stay strong as I tackle my own depression and fights of identity

Something worth noting is Roxas's relationship with Saïx in 358/2 Days. Saïx is constantly trying to keep Roxas on the path best suited to the Organization's needs and relentlessly dehumanizes Xion at every available opportunity, disregarding their personhood and right to be themselves. In addition, when Roxas confronts Saïx as he flees from the castle, he is still able to defeat Saïx with what I assume is little difficulty, even when nearly drained of all his power because of Xion. I think that fight represents how even with the weight of everything going on in Roxas's life, he still has the strength to stand up to those who seek to oppress those they deem as inferior.

Roxas is one of the most tragic characters in the whole series. Sora WANTED the call to adventure. He wanted to leave his island. All Roxas has ever wanted is just to be a normal kid with his friends. He's very much like Pinocchio who equally wanted to be a real boy and grappled with being manipulated by others for their own agenda. I think he grows to hate Sora because so much of the misery in his life is because of his connection to him. It's what makes his decision of "giving up" and returning to Sora one of the bravest decisions in his life because, in a way, he gives up his autonomy as much as he wants to hold it. But in the post KH2 games, talking and fighting with Sora, Sora validates everything -- the pain in his life and that he deserves to be his own person. It REALLY helps him to understand that Sora is not his enemy. Ironically by "giving up" his autonomy and fully embracing Sora, he gains the freedom and autonomy he always wanted. He's now in his own person and so are his friends. He doesn't have to fight for anybody that he doesn't want too and he can just spend time with his friends. One of the BEST character stories in the whole series!! 🤍🖤

Roxas has always struck me as the negative emotions that Sora tries to suppress until he ultimately has to accept them (symbolized in KH3 when Roxas returns).

One thing I love about Roxas's theme, The Other Promise, is that it always has a part that is moving and changing. Even when the main melody is holding a longer note, the background continues to move and change. They chose a flute to represent the melody of his main theme, which is usually a very bright and happy instrument. They use the key and that flute to help give his theme a sense of forlorn heroism. And this "Forlorn Hero" theme shows itself more and more after Roxas starts to lose the connections he makes. The newer remastered version includes an organ, a choir, and more low strings, connecting his theme to that of the Organization. Those change to a piano and a set of the high strings during the chorus of the song, which detaches his theme from the Organization's for a few fleeting moments before the organ, choir, and low strings return.

Imo Roxas will forever be the best written character in this series as well as arguably the strongest. Keep in mind he beats siax with little to no issue, forced Riku to make a Faustian deal to win, and on top of that when they were sapping his strength as well as the memories trapped in him to awaken Sora he still managed to beat Axel. now an argument could be made that yes Axel was holding back, but keep in mind that this was the organization's assassin whose major role was to kill defectors, who not only manage to take out xion once by surprise, he managed to do it again in a straight up fight when she had absorbed so much from Roxas.

It’s very telling that a scene in KHIII where Sora thinks strongly about Roxas is in San Fransokyo on the Golden Gate Bridge when he, Donald, Goofy and Big Hero 6 are eating ice cream, likening Roxas to a brother just as Tadashi is one to Hiro. He sees himself as Roxas with Hayner, Pence and Olette eating sea salt ice cream in the same scene. The fact Hayner, Pence and Olette are as determined as Sora to give Roxas his own existence even though their interaction with him was one day a while ago shows how strong a bond he formed with them in conjunction with knowing about their digital counterparts.

The 🐐 character

This might be an unpopular opinion but I feel Roxas and Xion bond is closer then romantic, they are best friends who need each other. The series is about friendship (I don’t want to start the ship wars on the destiny island trio) so their bond is special enough without going into the romantic sense.

I dont care how much i know this story, this video still made me cry like a baby. Roxas is one of the deepest characters in this series. Thanks for making this bro! Great job!!

The fact that KH3 ends with Roxas getting everything he's ever wanted while Sora loses everything is something that I never would have expected. From closure I never thought I would have to an even tougher gut punch. I wonder if even Nomura understood at the time just how prophetic Data Roxas' words to Sora were: "The hurt owns you now, Sora. Don't you see that? It's a wound that will never end." Those two eternally live rent free in my head.

The scene where Xion starts crying at the end just makes me immediately 🥺 Like, no small bean dont cry and Roxas' little hops to get to her while Lea watches. I love this trio so much and i cant wait to see where they go in the next saga 😭

Hey Bio? Could you do a psychology of Namine video one day? She is really underused by the fandom and honestly unlike the sea salt trio she doesn’t even have true friends until the end of KH3 (she even suggests to Sora they only care about Roxas and not her in the final world).

Roxas tried to be the glue of the trio, but someone threw water before it settled in 19:03 btw I just love the fact that this scene happens just after he beats the shit out of his supervisor. He is still a kid, after all, when everything is hopeless and lost, one can only go to their happy place and assume the fetal position

This video, broke me a bit, at the end. While I see myself a lot in Aqua, I see my journey through Roxas'. That last scene of Roxas with all of his friends, it got me. I've, lost so much due to things outside of my control. My whole life, torn from me, and then I was placed in a situation outside of my control. Where suddenly, my life wasn't my own, and was told not only that this is the way things were supposed to be, but on some level made to believe that my resentment at not having control over my life is something to be ashamed of. That, and your discussion at the end on grief, has given me the drive I needed to push forward. I, I won't give up, and I won't stop fighting. I'll return to my own sky, one day. I know it. Thank you, for giving this Princess, enough drive to keep fighting to break her chains, and to one day return to the blue sky that she remembers is hers.

Off topic, but I GOTTA get this revelation off my chest. What I found unique in 358/2 Days is Xion had a new face when she interacted with Roxas. But when we cut to Axel doing all the talking, we kinda see through HIS perspective that Xion's hood is still covered. But little by little as he warmed up to Xion through Roxas, he could see that face Xion now had. The cutscenes made it pretty clear in both the DS and the HD movie on that, and it's an incredibly amazing detail.

Ice cream crew is prolly my favorite . I love them and i cry everytime that reunion scene plays. Like i cant even stop from tearing up for seeing the whole crew on the clocktower I dont have to be immersed or anything the scene hits by itself

I’ve always resonated strongly with Roxas, and the idea of Nobodies in general, and seen a lot of myself in them. Not to get too deep into things, but I first played Days as a young teen (my first KH, too,) and even then I was no stranger to depression. However, I didn’t quite understand it as depression at the time. What I did know was that at a certain point, I couldn’t tell if I was feeling too much emotion, or nothing at all… It all seemed to blend into a numb haze. And as many so often do, I masked that numbness in a facade of normality and practiced smiles. Got so used to it I had a hard time telling when I was acting, and when I was actually feeling. (Still do sometimes, to be honest.) So to have these characters who were supposed to feel nothing, yet seemed to anyway, and even they couldn’t tell how much of it was an act… It hit hard for me. Felt like someone else “got it,” even when I didn’t. As a result Roxas, and Days as a whole, became something very dear to my heart. Special in that way that only the right art at the right time can be. Always happy to see these things getting the love I feel they deserve, and it definitely gets me a bit sentimental. Heh, maybe a little too much so, sorry.

I've seen some say Roxas is pretty much Cloud's story again with tweaks right down to his design. Living a life that wasn't really his, to finding out he was an imposter.Taking their involvement with Shinra/Org13, their manipulation at the hands of Sephiroth and Xemnas,, the death of both Zack and Xion prompting them..