Kingdom Hearts weaves a tangled web of a story, filled with tons of twists, dramatic villains, and sappy power of friendship themes. Part of what keeps fans so invested in the series are the constant twists, and the anticipation of finding out those big reveals that’ll completely change the nature of Kingdom Hearts’ story.
One of those massive revelations came with the release of the 2013 browser game Kingdom Hearts χ, which introduced an enigmatic and quirky character known as the Master of Masters.
Over the years the series has provided minuscule hints as to who the Master of Masters is, and all signs point to him moving in as the main villain after the defeat of Xehanort. So just who is this mysterious character, and what threat does he really pose?
The Master of Masters Is Behind Everything in Kingdom Hearts
While Xehanort has been the main focus as a villain so far, there’s a surprising amount of plot points originated by the Master of Masters. In Kingdom Hearts χ and Back Cover, it’s learned that the Master was a child in the age of fairytales when the first Keyblade War happened. Using his “Gazing Eye” he’s able to look into the future and write the Book of Prophecies. From there he takes on six apprentices, the Foretellers, and grants each of them a Keyblade and a specific role.
The Master wears the iconic black robe worn by Organization XIII that protects from darkness, and he’s actually the one that made the cloaks. In Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind a new scene shows the Master meeting Young Xehanort, gifting him the cloak, and taking him on a tour of the worlds to broaden his horizons. The Master encourages Xehanort to follow his convictions, ultimately setting him on the path that would intertwine with Sora and cause another Keyblade war.
The Master is also responsible for creating Chirithy, who plays a vital role in Sora reawakening in Kingdom Hearts 3. Past that. one of the Foretellers, Ava, is assigned the role of forming the Dandelions and finding Keyblade wielders to replace the Foretellers. One of these wielders is Ventus who, somehow, makes his way through time to Birth By Sleep, where he’s used by Xehanort who, of course, also ties into the Master.
The final piece of the puzzle that we’ve seen comes in the two secret endings of Kingdom Hearts 3. In the first secret scene, Xigbar successfully summons the Foretellers by helping Xehanort, and the mysterious Black Box the Master created is present, with Xigbar hinting at its importance. The contents of the box are another matter entirely, but it’s important enough for Luxu to bring through the future, and for Maleficent and Pete to track it down. Some theories say that the box contains a piece of the Master himself, but there isn’t enough evidence to say what the contents are yet.
In the second secret scene that shows Sora in Shibuya, we see the Master atop a skyscraper forming the shape of a heart with his hands when looking at the moon. There’s nothing concrete at the moment, but the Master’s machinations tie into everything throughout the Kingdom Hearts series, and his influence lurks at every step. The true key to all this seems to be the Black Box that Xigbar (Luxu) kept secret for generations, and whatever its contents are. With Xehanort out of the way, pieces of the puzzle have started revealing the plan of the Master of Masters, but there’s still one major mystery: just who is the Master?
Who Is the Master of Masters?
There are several theories as to the Master’s identity, and combing through sites like Reddit will display any number of lengthy theories. We know that the Master’s main apprentice, Luxu, is actually Xigbar who worked with Xehanort to see through the task he’d been assigned.
The first theory ties the Master to Organization XIII as well, casting him as the infamous slacker Demyx. The two character’s mannerisms are incredibly similar, as you can see in this video by Mykal Williams, even right down to their hand gestures. Demyx has also been present for most of the events of the series, seeing as he’s revived to be a vessel in Kingdom Hearts 3, but ultimately isn’t used. Demyx switches sides to help Sora and crew, which could ultimately tie into the Master’s plan to cause the Keyblade War and bring back the Foretellers.
Some theories posit that the Master is a future Sora or Riku, who’ve discovered a way to travel through great lengths of time. ReMind provides more support for the Master being Sora, for a couple of different reasons. Sora uses the Power of Awakening throughout ReMind, which results in him disappearing from existence. In Back-Cover the Master talks about how he’ll soon disappear forever, perhaps denoting that he as well has overused the Power of Awakening. It’s also interesting to note that the Master tells Xehanort his name in the scene at the start of ReMind, and what Xehanort hears surprises him. The audience doesn’t hear the name, but later in ReMind’s secret episode, Yozora asks Sora why he’s using that name.
So far we’ve seen three Kingdom Hearts characters in Yozora’s world; Sora, Riku, and the Master. It’s possible that the Master is future Sora and has interacted with Yozora, leading him to wonder why the actual Sora is using a name he’s assigned to someone else. ReMind also provides a possibility that Yozora himself could be the Master. Xehanort’s Keyblade, which was originally the Masters, has the blue Gazing Eye embedded in it. During the boss battle with Xehanort in ReMind the eye turns red, which coincidentally are the two colors of Yozora’s eyes, blue and red. This would also explain how Yozora knows about Sora and seeks to save him, as the Master knows the future.
All of this is, of course, theory and Tetsuya Nomura hasn’t said anything concrete about the identity of the Master of Masters. However, Nomura loves teasing out major plot points and giving fans something to stew about for years at a time. The answer could be much simpler, with the Master just being an original character who’s been working behind the scenes to connect everything. With how interconnected everything has been in Kingdom Hearts, though, it seems unlikely that the answer would be that simple.
The Future of Kingdom Hearts
One thing is for sure; the Master of Masters is going to be vital to the series going forward. Kingdom Hearts 3 brought an end to the Dark Seeker saga, and now the Foretellers and the Master will move into the next step of the plan.
ReMind’s secret ending seems to suggest that Yozora will become a playable character at some point, and the next story arc will be about saving Sora and returning him to reality. The building that Sora and Yozora fight on is the Shibuya 104, which is the version of the real 109 building seen in The World Ends With You. The Master watches over the scene where we see Sora and Riku wake up in Shibuya, and it’s likely that whatever the next full entry is, the Master will feature more prominently than ever before.
Square Enix has announced Dark Road as the official next game in the series, a standalone title that lives within Kingdom Hearts Unchained X. Dark Road chronicles the journey of Young Xehanort, and it’s likely the title will feature the Master as well, as he tries to guide Xehanort. The next major step for the series will be the heroes facing off against the Foretellers, as the very final scene in Kingdom Hearts 3 shows Xehanort and Eraqus setting up a new chess game, with the Foretellers emblems making up Xehanort’s side.
The Master has become a fan-favorite character, even though fans don’t have any idea who he is. No matter where Kingdom Hearts goes, the Master will be along for the ride.
Next: What To Expect From Kingdom Hearts Dark Road
