358/2 Days Countdown: IX

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Published on September 21, 2009 @ 03:37 pm

Written by Raz

Hello, everybody!

It's yet another day closer to the release of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. To celebrate, we bring you our special report on number IX - Demyx!

What We Know So Far:
Fans were first introduced to Demyx in Kingdom Hearts II. Unlike most members of the Organization, he's lighthearted and friendly. He has control over the Dancer Nobodies. Often carrying around written instructions along with him on missions, Demyx isn't very good at his job. When faced with a mission, the hapless Nobody always claims, "They sure sent the wrong guy for this one!" Kingdom Hearts II FM+ reveals that Demyx is very much the joke of the Organization. He appears gung-ho and confident at meetings, but immediately goes back to his scaredy-cat self when confronted with the possibility of actual work. It's obvious that the Melodious Nocturne would rather shirk his duties and strum his sitar over destroying countless Heartless, any day.

Sora first encounters the spiky haired youth while in the Underworld. While under orders to, "liberate his true disposition", Demyx halfheartedly uses his sitar to summon water-clones in a time-based battle. Sora, Donald, and Goofy make short work of Demyx, declaring him a rather lousy fighter. It turns out that he had stolen Olympus Stone, which protects against the Underworld Curse. Demyx leaves the stone and retreats to fight another day.

Demyx's second appearance is his last. Sora runs into him during the battle of Hollow Bastion. At first Sora is puzzled by Demyx's chipper greeting and apprehensive attitude towards fighting. The group quickly sees through the farce, remembering that Nobodies don't have hearts. Offended, his normal cheerfulness fades to anger, and he summons his sitar. He uncharacteristically points at Sora, uttering, "Silence, traitor". The musician puts up a valiant fight, but ends up being no match for the Keyblade Master. With a heart-wrenching scream, Demyx fades back into darkness.

His Role in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days:
The only sighting of Demyx in trailers has been on a mission with Roxas in Olympus Coliseum. Could this be setting up for Demyx's involvement there in Kingdom Hearts II? Up to his usual lazy form, he appears to be lamenting this latest task. It will be hilarious seeing the good-natured, albeit a tad bit inept, Nobody attempting his daily missions. Hopefully this underdeveloped character will get more attention this time around, especially considering that he is one of the few Organization members to remain alive throughout the course of the game.

Based on game play videos, Organization XIII's resident rock-star (and layabout) is better at fighting than most folks give him credit for. Demyx uses his sitar as a blunt object, but can also summon great pillars of water to use against his Heartless foes. Will his classic battle line "Dance, water, dance!" be present? We can only hope!

What the Fans Think:
Demyx is a pretty big hit with the fans. They loved odd-ball personality and general adorableness. His few scenes had many in stitches. Despite what the journals may say, Demyx is one of the stronger boss fights in the game. Plus, his hilarious antics showed a much needed softer side to the Organization in Kingdom Hearts II. Who better to describe just why people love Demyx than forum member Organization_42? Here's what she had to say:

When I first played Kingdom Hearts II, I wasn't an immediate fan of Organization XIII, not even of Axel or Roxas. (I had just finished the first game and hadn't tried Chain of Memories yet.) I guess I felt like they were intruding on the nostalgia factor of the Disney villains. Axel kept popping up at random moments to give Sora/Roxas grief, and Roxas wasn't earning a lot of points in my book because his three hour prologue was keeping me away from Sora and the main action of the game. Basically, it took me some time to like the Organization as a group, with one major exception.

And with that one major exception, it was pretty much love at first "RUN! Run away!"

Demyx stands out compared to the rest of the members of the Organization. While several of them show a "nice" side and act laidback about everything, they've all proven to be tough, capable fighters who can really act heartless when they want to be. (Even Roxas has anger issues in KH2, though he had every right to be angry.) Aside from the infamous, "Silence traitor!" and those deadly water clones, Demyx has never behaved like the others. He openly expresses how much he'd rather not be fighting anyone and actually reads his missions out loud to Sora from a note card. You've gotta love a guy that causes Sora to stare blankly at him in disbelief. In a way, Demyx is one of the most intriguing characters in Organization XIII because he doesn't fit the profile that you'd expect from a member. Why would he join them if he doesn't like to fight Heartless? How did a so-called coward have enough strength in his heart to create Demyx the Nobody in the first place? If he's such a lousy fighter, how does he manage to do it while still playing his sitar like a pro? And I have I mentioned that even though he's only shown up in roughly three cutscenes, he's still one of the funniest characters in Kingdom Hearts?

When 358/2 Days is released, I'm looking forward to seeing more scenes with Demyx, especially the mission with Roxas. A magazine scan said that "the two cause quite a ruckus in the Coliseum" and I would not expect anything less from Demyx. Hopefully he'll provide us with some much needed comic relief as well when things start to get serious.

And then of course, there's the multiplayer. Because who doesn't want to attack Heartless with the power of music? Demyx has a unique fighting style that really stood out in KH2, so hopefully we'll see traces of that in multiplayer mode. Because, in the end, that's what really makes Demyx such a great character: he's unique.

A select few find Demyx unbearable. What use is an Organization member who can't fight? They think he's nothing more than a frightened wimp. His timed battles were just a cheap way of making the battle difficult. With such little screen time, his only possible purpose had to be filler. They simply can't grasp how anyone could love a character with less than four minutes of fame.

In Conclusion:
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a golden opportunity for a closer look at a character that is so popular with the fans. Many are simply excited for a chance to play as him! September 29th marks the US release date, October 9th in Europe. It's not much longer now!

Discuss the upcoming game on our forums! Perhaps your opinion will make the front page?