They really do humanize Lea in the manga and books
They really do. I picked up a TON of additional info about Leaâs character and his original arc thanks to the novels. They are a goldmine of characterization. I developed a whole new level of appreciation for Lea after reading them. Itâs why I am so mad about the way his relationship with Isa was handled in KH3. Isa was the foundation of his character arc. He was the main source of Axelâs emotional depth and complexity. He was the building block of his tragic backstory and inner pain.
For me, it was his relationship with Isa that took Axel from a cool and likable characterâŚinto a truly fascinating one. Axelâs relationship with Roxas and Xion was built off of his relationship with Isa. Axelâs attachment to Roxas and his sacrifice for Sora in KH2 became so much more compelling when I learned how Axel lost his childhood best friend. If you take Isa away, you destroy Leaâs character arc.
Lea: âNever Had a Friend Like Meâ
Maybe she had been sent away somewhere on a long-term mission, like Axel at Castle Oblivion.
ButâŚasking about Axel seemed to put SaĂŻx in such a foul mood, Roxas couldnât bring himself to inquire after Xion. Every day, he carried his slender ray of hope to the clock tower in Twilight Town, and every day he sat there alone.
I couldnât help but notice a recurring theme in Axel and SaĂŻxâs relationship. The concept of worrying. It came up over and over again. It was VERY important, especially in the novels. SaĂŻx was always in a âfoulâ mood when he was asked about Axel.
âThen what about Nobodies? We donât have hearts. Does some part of us remain?â
âAs if. Weâre not even supposed to âexistâ in the first place. Whatâs there to leave behind?â
âThen whoever it was at Castle Oblivionââ
âGone,â Xigbar emphasized. âWithout a trace.â
Roxas hung his head. âSoâŚIâll never see them again?â
When word came in that the entire Castle Oblivion team was terminated, Roxas was extremely worried about Axel.
He felt his fists clench. So maybe Iâll never see Axel againâŚ?
âOhâŚâ When Roxas raised his head, Xigbar had already started walking. âYeah.â
He moved to catch up, but before he couldâthe world around him blurred.
All the sounds of Agrabah fell silent. It felt like he was falling⌠And then darkness swallowed his mind.
He actually passed out after he heard this. It utterly terrified him to think heâd never see Axel again. And all this happened in Agrabah, which I think is important. It relates to what the Genie said in Days. Lea is basically the Genie. The best friend anyone could ever hope for. Iâll get to that.
Xemnas stared down at the boy. âSo sleep has taken you yet againâŚâ
If the words had reached Roxas in his dreams, the boy gave no indication.
Xemnas and SaĂŻx stood over Roxasâ bedside after he passed out. Xemnas made a vague remark which we now know was associating Ven with Roxas. This connection to BBS is important, as Iâll get to later. Roxas has a dream of Xemnas touching him on the shoulder, and when I replayed the game recently the first thing that came to mind were the scenes where Terra touches Venâs shoulder. And since Xemnas has Terraâs memories, I think this was significant.
âBetter hurry, VentusâŚor youâll never see Terra again,â said a sudden voice.
Ven turned around. He should have been the only one hereâbut someone else was standing there. It was a youth about the same height as him, wearing a black bodysuit and a menacing featureless mask.
âWhat? Get real. I can see Terra anytime I want,â Ven snapped back at him.
The young man, Vanitas, leaned against the shelf and replied, âLike right now? Heâs leaving you behind. And by the time you catch upâŚheâll be a different person.â He sounded completely confident.
This was Venâs worst fear. Never seeing Terra again. Itâs why he set off on his journey to begin with.
âThe three of us can never be torn apart, all right? Iâll always find a way.â
Ven felt Terraâs hand squeeze his shoulder. Aqua bent over and looked into his face with concern, then brushed his face with her fingertips.
They had it wrong. That wasnât it.
Ven placed his hand on Aquaâs and gently lowered it, then brushed Terraâs off his shoulder.
His eyes bored into them.
âIâm asking you, as a friendâŚJustâŚput an end to me.â
Itâs why he took Terraâs hand off of his shoulder and told his friends to put an end to him. Terra said heâd find a way and that theyâd never be torn apart. But Ventus didnât believe that was possible. So, he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect them. This idea connects heavily into Axelâs arc.
âI came to stop you from talking too muchâŚby eliminating your existence, that is.â Axel smirked and took a step closer to him.
âNo⌠Donât do itâŚâ
âWeâre Nobodies. We have no one to beâwe just are. But now you donât have to be at all. No more existence, no more memories. Youâre off the hook.â
Axel didnât seem to be paying attention to Sora and the others. He only looked at Vexen.
While all of that was going on, Axel was at Castle Oblivion.
âNo one to be?â What could that even meanâŚ?
âDonât⌠No, please donâtâŚ! I donât want toââ
âBye, now.â Axel shot a bright light from his hand again. Vexenâs scream echoed through the strange landscapeâand then he was gone, not a trace remaining.
âWhat are youâ What are you people?!â Sora demanded.
âHm. Not sure. I wonder about that myself.â With that, Axel stepped into thin air and vanished.
He eliminates Vexen and the novel delves into his emotional state a lot more.
Axel walked through the long corridors of the castle. Normally, he wouldnât bother walking places like this. But he needed time to himself.
I donât have a single friend in this place. All these people on my sideâand his and the organizationâs⌠But I donât know if I can say that weâre really on the same side.
Heâs nobodyâno one at allâand yet he is somebody.
Shards of emotion, fragments of memory. So alikeâŚbut theyâre completely different things.
Even if we can hold on to a few fragments of memory, we canât have the smallest shard of emotion.
We are the ones who lost their heartsâthe ones who are no one. Nobodies. Not light nor darknessâwe live in the twilight.
Taking out Vexen was very personal for him. He has no one to be. He told Vexen that having no more memories means heâs off the hook. Memories are a burden to him. Being in Castle Oblivion, and meeting Sora has brought back a lot of memories, though. Itâs important to note that in Days, Xionâs theme is actually called âWho Am I?â I think thatâs because itâs not really just Xionâs theme. Itâs the theme song of all three main characters. Roxas wanted to know who he was. Itâs why he left. Well, Axel wanted to know who he was, as well. He used to be someone who picked up any stray puppy he saw. But who is he now? He really doesnât know.