History TearJerker / KingdomHeartsIII

** Even after she is brought back into the Realm of Light, she asks the others whether Destiny Islands (where the team brought her to) has succumbed to the Realm of Darkness. Right, she has a hard time believing that ''she actually had a chance to escape the Realm of Darkness''. Which just makes her subsequent TearsOfJoy and the team's GroupHug even sweeter.

*** To top it off, the Limitcut episode and Melody of Memory more or less reveal/confirm that the secret ending to ''[=KH3=]'' is a dream Riku has ''[[RecurringDreams frequently]]'' about [[DreamSpying looking for Sora in Quadratum]]. He's a seventeen-year-old constantly plagued by dreams of trying to find his best friend. Ouch.

*** To top it off, the Limitcut episode and Melody of Memory more or less reveal/confirm that the secret ending to ''[=KH3=]'' is a dream Riku has ''[[RecurringDreams frequently]]'' about [[DreamSpying looking for Sora in Quadratum]].

*** To top it off, Re:Mind more or less reveals that the secret ending to ''[=KH3=]'' is a dream Riku has ''frequently'' about [[DreamSpying looking for Sora in Quadratum]].

** In the last "chess as kids" flashback, Xehanort admits that Eraqus will surpass him and be chosen as the world's defender, but declares he would still be there for Eraqus regardless. Yeah, we know how THAT ended. One of the Secret Reports that can be found post-game further describes how Xehanort went on his own pilgrimage after that, determined to remain Eraqus's equal, and turned to harnessing the darkness in order to accomplish this, and everything went down-hill from there. In the same way that Riku's past obsession with one-upping Sora was a shadow of his original desire for the strength to protect what matters, Xehanort's insane quest to change the entire world was a shadow of his desire to stand by his friend... and unlike Riku, Xehanort remains consumed by this shadow until the very end of his life. Plus, in the original Japanese text of the aforementioned Secret Report, Xehanort admits that he had hoped for Eraqus to come along with him- which makes it even sadder.

** In the last "chess as kids" flashback, Xehanort admits that Eraqus will surpass him and be chosen as the world's defender, but declares he would still be there for Eraqus regardless. Yeah, we know how THAT ended. One of the Secret Reports that can be found post-game further describes how Xehanort went on his own pilgrimage after that, determined to remain Eraqus's equal, and turned to harnessing the darkness in order to accomplish this, and everything went down-hill from there. In the same way that Riku's past obsession with one-upping Sora was a shadow of his original desire for the strength to protect what matters, Xehanort's insane quest to change the entire world was a shadow of his desire to stand by his friend... and unlike Riku, Xehanort remains consumed by this shadow until the very end of his life.

*** And imagine being in ''Riku's'' shoes, watching as your best friend of over a decade simply... vanishes. Especially after everything Riku did, particularly in ''Days'' and ''DDD'', to bring Sora back from the brink of oblivion. At least the secret ending seems to imply Riku's going to get Sora back once again.

*** Before, Riku willingly separated himself from his two best friends for a year, because he was ashamed of what he'd done in KHI. Now he's been ''unwillingly'' separated from them for the same amount of time. Poor kid can't catch a break.

---->'''Sora''': They're gone... Kairi, Donald... Goofy, the King... gone forever. What to we do? Without them, I... All my strength came from them. They gave me all of it. Alone, I'm worthless. We've lost... It's over.

* Somehow in a big helping of tragic irony, Sora manages to save nearly ''everyone'', from Aqua and Terra who were fully corrupted by darkness, to Roxas, Namine and Xion who ''didn't even have bodies''. The ''one'' person he misses? '''[[ImpliedLoveInterest Kairi]]''', of all people, ''again'', which Sora bitterly lampshades. Sora has to leave to use his power of Waking to find Kairi's heart, and while he does manage to get her back, it means that he may never be able to return to this world.

* In the Keyblade Graveyard, all of Sora's friends are swept away by Heartless or otherwise spirited away, culminating in a shot of Sora letting out an anguished scream and slumping to the ground as if in despair. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Things must really be set to go horribly horribly wrong if it leads to our typically happy hero]] [[DespairEventHorizon breaking down completely]].

* Xehanort killing Kairi. Sora begins ''screaming'' "WHY HER!? WHY!?" as he attacks Xehanort, with tears streaming down his face. Not only that, but both Riku and Mickey throw caution to the side and blindly attack him, no doubt being just as surprised as Sora.

** It's even more bleak as Riku rushes to Sora's side, even shocked at the idea that he's reached his limit, and all we see is Sora ''crying'' and admitting defeat.

* It's almost impossible to feel any sympathy for Master Xehanort after all he's done, but seeing him in a weakened, pitiful state after he's been beaten in the final battle, barely able to stand and barely able to hold the X-Blade, even as he points it at the spirit of Eraqus and insists "No! I can do this!", is [[SympathyForTheDevil actually rather sad, especially when we see how close and brotherly he and Eraqus used to be when they were kids.]] That it takes Eraqus having to simply tell Xehanort "Enough", along with "Checkmate" as a CallBack to their boyhood chess games, to get Xehanort to finally give up his ambitions, relinquish the X-Blade, and [[FaceDeathWithDignity wait for death to claim him]] casts a rather somber light on the end of the series' BigBad to this point.

** The Riku Replica from the present defeating the replica that hold his heart from the past by taking it out, leaving the vessel behind. Riku tells him to take the replica body for himself, but the original turns it down, [[HeroicSacrifice saying that someone else - Naminé - needs it more than he does]].

** The original Riku Replica defeating the replica that hold his heart from the past by taking it out, leaving the vessel behind. Riku tells him to take the replica body for himself, but the original turns it down, [[HeroicSacrifice saying that someone else - Naminé - needs it more than he does]].

* Even though the real Xion is alive, well, and back on the side of light, fighting the recreated data of Xion in Cid’s computer can be pretty gut wrenching. The base game didn’t dwell on Xion being forcibly recreated only to be a vessel for Xehanort, but the boss fight goes for all the tears it can jerk out of you. Xion sounds like she’s in constant pain as she screams in anguish at you even when she’s not being hit or damaged. Her victory quote when you lose to her is “you’re going where I belong”, implying that, data or not, this Xion is a DeathSeeker.