Recap / Freedom Fighters NEO Kingdom Hearts III

• Adaptational Alternate Ending: Aside from Sora being Spared By Adaptation, Metallix condemned Xehanort and Xigbar and the Foretellers, after figuring out through Emerl's connection to Strelitzia, Lauriam, Elrena and Ventus that Xigbar is Luxu to eternally live the pain they have caused.
• Adaptational Badass: This version of Sora uses both light and darkness, nuch like Riku.However, he's not as good as Riku at it. It is stated that Sora only uses the darkness to vent it.
• Asshole Victim: Invoked; While Xigbar and Master Xehanort try to have at least an Alas, Poor Villain moment, Metallix ain't having any of it, condemning them as well as the Foretellers to a Fate Worse than Death, claiming that living the pain they caused as their victims is the only fitting punishment.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Okay, Emerl, I understand your rage and Sora's fear, but crushing Xemnas's hand for attempting to kidnap Kairi is an exagerration.
• The Dog Bites Back: Subverted; Young Xehanort was previously curb-stomped by Sonic and mocked by Woody. He puts up most of the effort among Ansem, Xemnas and himself into defeating the Guardians... but he loses anyway.
• The Empath: Like in many previous arcs, Emerl. He weaponizes Sora's fear of losing Kairi in order to save her from Xemnas. (To know what happened, Emerl took the hand Xemnas was holding Kairi with, forcing Xemnas to let go of Kairi, and crushed every single bone in it to dust.)
• Fate Worse than Death: What Xehanort and Xigbar ended up into. Metallix cursed them to live the pain they caused, seeing all of it throught the eyes of their victims. The Master of Masters and four of the other five Fortellers (remember, Xigbar is Luxu) all suffer this fate as well. The only Foreteller to not suffer it is Ava, because she didn't like the fact the Master of Masters was making so many people suffer just because he saw it as the future.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Woody accidentally revealed Xehanort's Freudian Excuse in his "The Reason You Suck" Speech towards Young Xehanort: Xehanort was given away at birth by his mother, and the mention of that caused Young Xehanort go all ballistic on the Guardians of Light. Metallix, however, explains that being abandoned at birth doesn't give Xehanort the right to destroy all worlds.
• Gone Horribly Right: Metallix attempted to trick Xehanort with the Phantom Ruby and a Replica should he kidnap Kairi. However, his trick was so convincing that, when Xehanort slayed the Replica, Metallix himself thought that the Replica was the real Kairi... when the real Kairi was right next to him. The result: Metallix suffered critical damage and was unable to participate în the final battle. Thankfully, Kairi survived with only a scar on her back.
• Mercy Kill: Sora-Xehanort ended up like this. He lost everyone he loved, transformed into a Xehanort vessel and forced to watch as another Sora enjoys life with his friends. Emerl even calls Sora-Xehanort's death a mercy kill, but only for Sora's body and soul, since his heart was Xehanort's.
• Shout-Out: To Keys to the Kingdom (Kingdom Hearts): Xehanort's 13th vessel is a heartbroken Sora from an alternate timeline in which darkness prevailed.
  • Even beforehand, Xehanort was trying to make the main Sora his vessel. However, he failed, since his attempted to turn Sora into his vessel was noticed by Metallix from as early as the Kingdom Hearts 2 arc, and ever since, he's been teaching Sora how to efficiently vent his darkness.
• Spared By Adaptation: Zigzagged; at first it appears that Kairi ends up like this, but in the games, she comes Back from the Dead... only for Sora to be erased from existence, meaning that he was the one ending up spared.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: If someone who has the strenght to destroy entire worlds with his bare hands would try to crush your hand, of course all the bones in your hand will turn to dust. This is what Emerl did to Xemnas.
• Villain Decay: Xemnas is a complete pushover in his battle. Justified since Emerl crushed all bones on his hand for attempting to kidnap Kairi, meaning he could only use one Ethereal Blade.
  • On the other hand, Young Xehanort inverts this by fighting the hardest among himself, Ansem and Xemnas. Fittingly enough, he's the last one of the three to be defeated.