'mind' theory

[Audo]

Xehanort isnt much of a special case =/ Sora and Riku have both, at times, been an existence of purely the heart, than a true heartless.

[Axel's Fire]

The heart holds the memories, but the memories from the heart are put into the Nobody when they are split.
Perhaps in some weird way, both XH and Xemnas had the memories? Maybe they made like.. a duplicate of the memories somehow? It could have something to do with how XH because a heartless, or maybe it has something to do with how Xehanort came to be ([insert Terra/MX/DS fusion theory])

I think when someone willingly lets darkness swallow their heart, their Heartless will have the memories of before because AtW says this in his report:

When a person's heart is stolen, a Heartless is born with no sense of self, and the body and soul left behind give rise to a Nobody.

But what if one willingly releases one's heart from one's body?

Sora and Xehanort retained their selfhood even after becoming Heartless.

@ Daisy Duck
And both Nobodies and Heartless have memories. Axel pretty much tells Sora this during his fisrt appearance in CoM. Nobodies can remember most things about their former lives but their most precious memories are locked in their hearts and out of reach.

I dont know if this is an exception but I do recall Xemnas talking to Atw and telling him that he always held him back. I think that falls into the category of precious memory doesnt it?

[Audo]

Except Sora was beginning to lose his memories, and Ansem surmised that since Sora's time as a hearltess was so small, the memories weren't given to Roxas, which means, if Kairi hadnt had revived him, his memories would have gone to Roxas.
So i dont think it is because he became a Heartless on his own accord.

[Axel's Fire]

Yeah this is true...but Sora didnt forget everything. Sora claims in CoM that when he was a Heartless, he didnt forget his friends. He also wasnt like other Heartless because he didnt act on instinct. Instead of attacking Goofy, Donald, and Kairi, he just stood there looking at them. I bet that Sora's sacrice had something to do with this...idk what do you think R-K?

[Audo]

Yeah, i know he didnt forget everything, but he would have over time, or atleast, he should have.
Perhaps if they go heartless on their own accord, they keep their memories, but the memories are still somehow moved to the Nobody, so his short time would still explain why Roxas had no memories.

[Axel's Fire]

Yeah I totally agree with you on the memory transfer thing.

[DaisyDuck]

Xehanort, Sora, and Riku are all special cases. :/ That's why they can do all the supposedly impossibly things that they can do.

And I don't think that holding him back would count as a precious memory. He remembers that Ansem refused to allow continue his research. He doesn't remember good things about Ansem, like how kind he was. Only that he got in the way. Plus you have to take into account Xenmas tends to say the simplest things as dramatically as possible. His actiling is overcompenstaing for his lack of emotion.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by DaisyDuck

Xehanort, Sora, and Riku are all special cases. :/ That's why they can do all the supposedly impossibly things that they can do.

And I don't think that holding him back would count as a precious memory. He remembers that Ansem refused to allow continue his research. He doesn't remember good things about Ansem, like how kind he was. Only that he got in the way. Plus you have to take into account Xenmas tends to say the simplest things as dramatically as possible. His actiling is overcompenstaing for his lack of emotion.

Tell me how is riku special, just because he turned into rikunort is not a big deal, his heart was just strong.

[Audo]

Riku is special because DiZ said so.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by Riku-Keyblade

Riku is special because DiZ said so.

Diz like's to lie to himself, to make believe.

[Audo]

>.>
Riku is special, stop being jealous of the silver-haired fox.

[DaisyDuck]

He's special because when his heart was forced from his body by Xehanort's Heartless, he did not become a Heartless himself. The Darkness did not conquer him, even in the Realm of Darkness he kept his human form. And he did it without the help of a PoH

[Axel's Fire]

Originally Posted by DaisyDuckXehanort, Sora, and Riku are all special cases. :/ That's why they can do all the supposedly impossibly things that they can do.

And I don't think that holding him back would count as a precious memory. He remembers that Ansem refused to allow continue his research. He doesn't remember good things about Ansem, like how kind he was. Only that he got in the way. Plus you have to take into account Xenmas tends to say the simplest things as dramatically as possible. His actiling is overcompenstaing for his lack of emotion.

Alright...then let's take the scene between Xigbar and Zexion into account. Xigbar clearly recalls the events that happened before he was a nobody.

[Audo]

All Nobodies retain memories of their former selves except Nami and Roxas.

[DaisyDuck]

Thank you R-K.

To simplify, with the exceptions of Roxas and Namine, Nobodies retain their memories of their former selves, just not all of their memories. Some of the memory, not much, stays in the Heart.