Keyblades=practical weapons?

[Swordsy]

Please note that I am aware that Kingdom Hearts is pure fantasy. On top of that, I also know that both Disney and Final Fantasy, the two things that KH is made of, really don't seem to care about practical weaponry (mostly FF), so I can see where this is coming from. So everyone just please know I'm not meaning to mock this franchise or its creators. I simply want to overanalyze yet another fictional story like I always do.


Sure, I guess for blunt, stick-like weapons. But really, though, before I really get started, let me ask this as I have yet to play KH1 and KH2 myself:

Do any of the characters of the franchise actually view the keyblades as bladed weapons?

If not, then I absolutely do not understand the name...Why not just...giant key or something? I mean sure you can cut using a key, but it's not practrical at all unless you're just cutting paper, tape or plastic. I suppose with some, you could even stab with if you were desperate enough too. Playing the game, and watching gameplay videos of the ones I haven't yet played, it really sounds to me like Sora is simply bashing his enemies. I'm really not hearing any slices of any nature going on. Now I will admit at least one of Riku's keyblades look practical as an edged weapon. Don't ask me its name, but to me, it looks like a giant bat wing. (To me, this is real odd. Riku is actually pretty buff, has much more normal body proportions, and whoodeedoo, he's the one with the most practical weapon. Sora, however, is real skinny, has freakishly huge feet that would never allow for proper foot work in real life, and seems to only wear baggy clothes....wtf is going on here?)


What about the balancing of the weapon? I understand keyblades are meant to look rather ornate, themed after the different worlds you get them in, but it really seems to me that a lot, if not all of the keyblades are poorly balanced.

The grip...Okay, I'm lost here, I really am. How are you supposed to be able to hold a keyblade and fight properly with it? The giant crossguard thing that surrounds the handle completely gets in the way. Why couldn't they make it so the "blade" of the keyblade (not the tip, the jagged part) so that it would be perpendicular to the giant crossgaurd surrounding your hand, rather than parallel to it? So it would essentially look like a typical medieval sword, but with the little jagged blade piece facing down on the flat of the blade. I just don't get it because sure you could fight using a keyblade, but with rapid attacks and against so many enemies? I don't think so. And seeing as how Sora literally cannot fight at all without his keyblade, he does not have any back up weapon (he can't use magic without the keyblade, right?)

[Eraser Rain]

Solution: Give him two keyblades.

[Cosmic+Amarna]

And seeing as how Sora literally cannot fight at all without his keyblade, he does not have any back up weapon (he can't use magic without the keyblade, right?)

No he can use magic w/out it. KH1-Hollow Bastion

[Key Wielder]

In Kingdom Hearts or any other game, I think the practicality of the weapon comes down to the nature of the enemy. The Keyblade doesn't need to be sharp or have a blade because it has properties that can repel enemies without that attribute. Sora does "bash" the Heartless with the Keyblade, but the power contained within the weapon and, by extension, Sora's heart defeats the Heartless, Nobodies, and other villains (all of whom have, to this point, had darkness in their hearts or were Nobodies). The Keyblade is still something of a mysterious weapon that hasn't been fully explained; we learn more about it in different games, but it is still an enigma. Even though it doesn't seem to have a blade, "Keyblade" sounds far more impressive than "Oversized Key-Shaped Sword."

As for the proportions... They work well enough for the characters, and each character has a distinctive fighting style that allows them to maneuver effectively regardless of the shape of their Keyblade. Ultimately the Keyblade works in spite of its seemingly unwieldy dimensions because that's how it was designed. This is just where the suspension of disbelief comes in. :)

[theirlosthearts]

I actually have a life-size Fenrir keyblade, and after you get used to the heaviness, it's not that bad proportion-wise. And the guard never really gets in the way, regardless of whether you hold it with one or two hands. As for the name. . .keyblade sounds good while giant key-shaped club does not sound good. Some of them (like Fenrir and Ultima weapon, maybe even Chaos Ripper) do actually have blades. Plus, we don't know everything about keyblades yet, so let's see what Nomura springs on us next.

[Rydgea]

Do any of the characters of the franchise actually view the keyblades as bladed weapons?

Snow White in Birth by Sleep: "Well, I was picking flowers by the wood, and there was a stranger there. He had a sword, but it was like a key - and then these monsters came and -"

If not, then I absolutely do not understand the name...Why not just...giant key or something? I mean sure you can cut using a key, but it's not practrical at all unless you're just cutting paper, tape or plastic. I suppose with some, you could even stab with if you were desperate enough too. Playing the game, and watching gameplay videos of the ones I haven't yet played, it really sounds to me like Sora is simply bashing his enemies. I'm really not hearing any slices of any nature going on. Now I will admit at least one of Riku's keyblades look practical as an edged weapon. Don't ask me its name, but to me, it looks like a giant bat wing. (To me, this is real odd. Riku is actually pretty buff, has much more normal body proportions, and whoodeedoo, he's the one with the most practical weapon. Sora, however, is real skinny, has freakishly huge feet that would never allow for proper foot work in real life, and seems to only wear baggy clothes....wtf is going on here?)

You don't wield the keyblade like you would wield an ordinary key. It doesn't lounge around in your pocket, and you don't go about resolving Heartless and other enemy infestations in the same posture you would unlocking the liquor cabinet. It's a giant weapon, held like a sword, so some compound terminology has to be formulated. However, Keyblades have been verbally referred to solely as "key" before.

Notice that you also see light particles, symbols, and hear ethereal noises emanating from the weapon. We have no clue what the keyblades technical, physical properties are, and worlds are capable of birthing keychains to customize their core. Unlike any specific alloy (steel, iron, etc.) this was clearly not meant to be compared to just one type of weapon, or limited to a sword specifically. Not to mention you could stand to take years of training to properly handle a regular sword, and Sora is forced to dive into battle head-first with succesful results. As it stands, the keyblade is clearly a magical weapon weather you use it for melee combat or not. In some cases it serves the function of a laser gun. In any case, its balance is capable of shifting to the comfort of the wielder. Hence keyblade wielders of all shapes and less-than muscular sizes. Hi, Kairi.

What about the balancing of the weapon? I understand keyblades are meant to look rather ornate, themed after the different worlds you get them in, but it really seems to me that a lot, if not all of the keyblades are poorly balanced.

Again, it can adjust physically (i.e. transmuting into a whip-like status, cannon or vehicular craft). I need a reference for this specifically, but I've heard Terra's keyblades are technically bigger than Ven or Aqua's, and Ven has the smallest of the three, meaning similar keyblades are proportionate to the wielder. It's also capable of adjusting on a mental plane, sensing which path of growth suits Sora best.

The grip...Okay, I'm lost here, I really am. How are you supposed to be able to hold a keyblade and fight properly with it? The giant crossguard thing that surrounds the handle completely gets in the way. Why couldn't they make it so the "blade" of the keyblade (not the tip, the jagged part) so that it would be perpendicular to the giant crossgaurd surrounding your hand, rather than parallel to it? So it would essentially look like a typical medieval sword, but with the little jagged blade piece facing down on the flat of the blade. I just don't get it because sure you could fight using a keyblade, but with rapid attacks and against so many enemies? I don't think so. And seeing as how Sora literally cannot fight at all without his keyblade, he does not have any back up weapon (he can't use magic without the keyblade, right?)

Magic imbued in Sora and Roxas remain without the presence of the keyblade. In it's place, Sora has used a wooden sword and Roxas has wielded a stick, so who knows how they would have fared without those tools if, involuntarily, they were serving as "wands" to channel magic through.

I understand what you mean about needing the tooth of the blade rotated 90 degrees so that the hilt wouldn't impede the handling of the weapon, but it also seems impractical to be swinging a weapon of that manner too. A lot of swordsmen capitalize upon stabbing the opponent for finishing blows, versus strokes for flesh wounds. Sora's first keyblade, the Kingdom Key, has a blunt end, though, so his hammering aesthetic he was first forced to utilized works. The striking motion becomes more fluid upon learning combos, and recoiling strikes become much easier to follow through with and face less resistance.

I suppose I should have prefaced this by saying it's impractical to question the validity of the keyblade as a practical weapon, but you're surely not wrong to over-analyze this element of the game, or anything else, this series being so intricate. We all need to be tested to see if our 9th grade critical thinking class still holds water. Finally, what are you doing disrupting the peace here? Chalk all of this up to a fantasy regardless; you should be off experiencing your virgin playthroughs of KH1 & 2! Questions can wait. :]

[dakirbymaster]

Well I was thinking about this recently myself. I mean, a lot of them look like they go for blunt force for the attack... but there's some good ones that would be practical in real life, such as Two Become One.

Look at that blade; you could really mess someone up with that. And with that crossguard; if you blocked an attack with it, you've got those spikes ready to do damage. And the teeth are pretty dangerous too; plus, the fact that they don't connect to the shaft completely means you could do some ripping and tearing with that thing.

Let's compare that to another KH2 Keyblade, Mysterious Abyss.

Not as effective; it's pretty much rounded so you could smack someone with it, but no way to do any serious damage. Probably just bruise someone.

So yeah, I think that in general the Keyblade is considered a bladed weapon, but I think it depends on the keychain to determine the practicality of it as a normal weapon. The Ultima Weapons and Oblivion would probably do some real damage as well, btw.

[Cosmic+Amarna]

So I see that the whole blade vs blunt object topic is up so I'll say this. While it certainly looks as though it would be a blunt force object many times (i.e. the kingdom key) but that's getting away from what's actually going on. Sure some look like blunt objects and it seems like ur running around with a wiffle bat or regular bat but the truth is that it is a key! lol no seriously, when Sora hits someone or an enemy with his keyblade it does not matter if it is blunt or bladed but it's a key and when he touches something the key blade's special properties come alive! lol no so whenever he hits something the key blade is actually trying to release the heart or restore it, lock and unlock. So instead of thinking the blunt shaped ones would be different than the bladed ones is not necessary since the key blade's purpose is to act like a key and since its big its like a sword so Sora can go around locking and unlocking things. Bcus when he's fighting heartless, nobodies the main thing is not that he's hacking a slashing but rather the key is doing either releasing or sealing. If anyone can catch that.

[dakirbymaster]

Well yeah, I know that part. But I was talking about as a practical weapon in real life. You wouldn't necessarily get those magical properties irl.

[umazak]

I've actually noticed that the more powerful keyblades tend to have blades and are not blunt, but the strong ones that are blunt typically reduce your speed. Take in KH1 the Metal Chocobo and Oblivion keyblades. Oblivion is bladed and one of the most powerful in the game, same with Metal Chocobo except that it's blunt. I noticed a serious drop in attack speed with the blunt keyblade so I stopped using it after a few battles.

But if you pay attention, as you progress through the games and get stronger keyblades, the ones aimed more for melee fighting tend to develop more into blades than anything. As for the way it's held, that varies depending on the person. Take Riku for example. He holds the weapon extended and on the side so that his wrist doesn't get in the way, and instead serves as a balancing mechanism. And then you have Sora and Roxas. They hold their keyblades the same way and off to the side with their inside arm as the primary base for vertical strikes. But with horizontal strikes, they tend to shift to just one hand in the same manner that Riku does. They even adopt this when they use two keyblades. But as they go through the melee focused forms, they slowly start to just hold the weapons using magic and not hands.

[Cosmic+Amarna]

Well yeah, I know that part. But I was talking about as a practical weapon in real life. You wouldn't necessarily get those magical properties irl.

Well yeah thats what happens in the game, as for real life, no a key blade is not practical. It is or would just be a blade, a sword. It's not a key if it is not locking/unlocking something ya kno?

[dakirbymaster]

Well yeah thats what happens in the game, as for real life, no a key blade is not practical. It is or would just be a blade, a sword. It's not a key if it is not locking/unlocking something ya kno?

I know, my post was just demonstrating that some Keyblades (such as Two Become One) would actually be effective though because of all the pointy parts. XD

Seriously, that thing is vicious. That's why I put it with Final Form, because Final Form is vicious too! XD

[Endless Strategy]

Of course a keyblade is impractical in real life. But in the games it is backed up by a significant amount of magical power. I would like to point out that Sora has cut clean through a building with what could be a Kingdom Key. There sharpness is proportional to the magic power of the user and their opponent. It can cut through inanimate objects like butter, presuming they don't have a magically empowered wielder.

[Vani]

If not, then I absolutely do not understand the name...Why not just...giant key or something? I mean sure you can cut using a key, but it's not practrical at all unless you're just cutting paper, tape or plastic

or buildings

[chihuahuaman]

or buildings

Just what I was about to post dude.

Wouldn't this belong in Forum Insanity? The O.P. even said he knows these things aren't plausible in real life, not trying to be a party-pooper or anything.