Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
Who Is the Master?
*Spoiler Warning* It should be said that in order to discuss the Master of Masters and potential theories, we’ll have to cover spoilers from the Kingdom Hearts series. Every game has been out for years, at least, but if you’re trying to catch up for Kingdom Hearts 3, here’s your warning.
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is rife with crazy lore, including time travel, digital copies of people, Nobodies, Somebodies, and much more. It’s all fascinating stuff if you really dig into it, but some of the more unknown lore of the series deals with events in the far past, like with Unchained X and the movie Back Cover.
Out of everything in the series, however, there’s nothing quite as enigmatic or exciting as the Master of Masters.
This mysterious character was first introduced in the browser-based game Kingdom Hearts χ, and absolutely stole the show in Kingdom Hearts 2.8’s Back Cover with a stellar performance from Ray Chase, also known as the voice of Noctis in Final Fantasy XV.
The character wears the iconic black Organization XII cloak, but we never see his face. The character wrote the Book of Prophecies and recruited six different apprentices.
Ira, Aced, Invi, Gula, and Ava went on to become the Foretellers and created the Unions you’re a part of in Unchained X and Union [cross]. Meanwhile, the Master gave a secret task to his sixth apprentice, Luxu, along with a massive mysterious black box.
Outside of all that we know that the Master has the same Keyblade that Xehanort uses and in Kingdom Hearts 3 Xehanort and his Dark Seekers are looking for a giant black box. Through various other bits and pieces, the Kingdom Hearts community has formulated quite a few different theories on who this mysterious character is.
Tetsuya Nomura went on the record with Famitsu in 2018, saying that the Master won’t appear in Kingdom Hearts 3, but he wouldn’t elaborate any further. Still, all evidence indicates that this character is somehow very important to the overall lore and story of the franchise.
We’ve scoured the internet for some of the best theories out there, and we’ll go into detail on each.
Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
He’s Actually Braig (Xigbar)
One of the more popular theories about the Master ties him to one of the top members of Organization XIII, Xigbar, formerly known as Braig in Birth By Sleep. While none of these theories can be proved exactly, the Braig theory does have some good support behind it, but like any other, some flaws as well.
First, the most obvious, the Master uses his “Gazing Eye” to write the Book of Prophecies, which is his own eye set into the hilt of his Keyblade. Braig/Xigbar also has one eye, but obviously, this doesn’t happen until partway through Birth By Sleep. Some theories say that Braig learned about time travel while serving Xehanort, and in the future used the ability to travel far back in time and write the book.
It’s also possible that Braig received these powers after being possessed by part of Xehanort and getting “Norted.” This would explain why the Master can summon No Name in Back Cover, and why his voice is different from that of Braig’s. We also know that Xigbar is the one who recruited Marluxia to the Organization, and we now know that Lauriam from Union [cross] is the Somebody of Marluxia.
We don’t know how Xigbar recruited Marluxia, but if Lauriam is in the distant past, most likely, Xigbar had to have a way there somehow.
The other similarity between the two characters come down to their mannerisms and way of speaking. Both Braig and the Master are incredibly flamboyant characters, speaking with a kind of snarky sarcasm, different from any other characters in the franchise. They both also use very exaggerated arm movements when talking.
Throughout Birth By Sleep, Braig consistently talks about how he has his own plans, separate from that of Xehanort’s.
Another, very interesting, take on the theory is that Braig is actually a copy of the Master, and the contents of the Black Box given to Luxu. Data Replicas are something we’ve seen in Kingdom Hearts before, and in Back Cover we see that the Master has the power to create beings, like Chirithy.
The Master is a ridiculously deceptive person, pushing the Foretellers into starting the Keyblade war. If Braig was the contents of the box, and Luxu opened the box in the future, it would wake Braig up in a zombie-like state. Doing that in time for him to live on Radiant Garden, would let Braig develop and assist in waking Kingdom Hearts.
The fact that he’s a replica could also explain his similar mannerisms and the fact that he knew how to recruit Lauriam/Marluxia. You can read more about this particular theory right here. Again, none of these theories may be true, but Braig being connected to the Master certainly makes the most sense.
Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
He’s Riku’s Heartless
This is one of the wilder theories out there, but it at least has enough plausibility to make it worth talking about. The theory posits that Riku originally was born and grew up in the time before the Foretellers, which is what allowed his Heartless to travel back in time once it was created, as the rules of the KH Universe establish that you can time travel to a period if a past version of yourself existed there.
One piece of support for this theory comes down to Riku’s eye color, a piercing aqua blue, unlike anyone else’s eye color in the series. The only other eye color of this type is in the Gazing Eye in the Master’s No Name Keyblade, which also bears a striking resemblance to the eye in the hilt of Riku’s Way to Dawn Keyblade.
The idea is that Riku’s Heartless went back in time and became the Master, then put young/child Riku into the box to awaken at a later date. We know there has to be some form of putting people into sleep or preservation, because of Ventus’ presence in Union [cross].
Riku’s Heartless is known to be in Kingdom Hearts 3, so there’s a possibility he could be the one to transport everyone to the “Fated Place,” in this case the “Destiny Islands.” At this point, after the events of KH 3, he travels back in time and assumes the role of the Master, writing the book of prophecies, until he fades away.
It’s a bit of a crazy theory, but fun to think about nonetheless, and you can see a full explanation here.
Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
He’s the Contents of the Black Box, More Specifically His Heart
This is one of the theories that say the Master is an entirely original character, with a master (haha) plan. Hearts are, obviously, a huge part of the series, and for this one the Master put himself into the mysterious Black Box, or his heart.
This would allow him to see out his remaining days with the Foretellers as a Nobody, influencing them to start the Keyblade war, but keep his heart safe from the end of the world. Then by giving Luxu the task of protecting the box and seeing out the future, the Master awaits the moment of the box being opened.
As YouTuber Glitchy explains, there are multiple points where Xehanort references the Book of Prophecies, including in Dream Drop Distance where he explains to Mickey and the others that he doesn’t possess the foresight to see the future, but he knows about the fated time he’ll meet his twelve other selves.
Now the only ones that were given copies of the Book of Prophecies were the Foretellers, not even Luxu was given one. Therefore it’s possible the Master contacted Xehanort either by time traveling or through his heart in the box, telling him what to do in the future.
While Luxu’s task was to keep the box safe, he served a dual purpose to pass on the Master’s Keyblade and groom the perfect vessel. We know the Seekers of Darkness are looking for the Black Box in Kingdom Hearts 3, and perhaps the saga could end with Xehanort opening the box and the Master’s heart finally having the perfect vessel to inhabit.
Nomura has stated in the past that the Master won’t appear in Kingdom Hearts 3, however, that could simply mean his physical incarnation as we know it. Nomura could also not have meant the Epilogue and Secret Ending, which will be arriving after the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 as an add-on, and technically aren’t part of the base game.
Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
He Possessed Luxu and Became Xehanort and Eraqus’ Master
Possession has been a major thing in Kingdom Hearts, and Xehanort possessing individuals has been the main crux of the Dark Seeker saga. This one also says that the Master used possession, instead this time he actually possessed his sixth apprentice Luxu.
Considering the Master seemingly deceived his other apprentices, the Foretellers, it’s not unrealistic to think he wasn’t telling the exact truth to Luxu either. In fact, Luxu may have been far more powerful than the Foretellers, and the only vessel qualified enough for the Master to inhabit.
We’ve seen possession multiple times in the series with Ansem possessing Riku, and especially with Xehanort possessing Terra to become “Terranort.” This could be the reason Luxu is sent away, and the reason he wears the exact same coat as the Master.
Another, very likely, theory out there says that Luxu became the master to Eraqus and Xehanort. For one, in an early Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer, we can see the two playing chess in a room that has the No Name Keyblade prominently displayed. In that scene, Eraqus says that the Ancient Keyblade War is “The Master’s favorite story.”
Luxu, possessed by the Master, could have forced Eraqus and Xehanort into their opposing light and darkness role, and he also could have taught Xehanort how to possess someone.
Of course, it’s also possible that the Master and Luxu are simply working together. The Master gave Luxu his task, and in order to fulfill that task he takes on Eraqus and Xehanort. Meanwhile, the Master sends his heart to slumber within Luxu’s, similarly to how Ventus’ heart slumbers within Sora, just waiting for the right time to awaken.
You can see more discussion and theorizing about this particular theory here.
Theories About Kingdom Hearts’ Master of Masters
He’s a Future Adult Version of Vanitas
This theory is a little more out there than others, but it also involves a time-traveling version of a major character, Vanitas. First off, since Vanitas is the dark part of Ventus, and stems from his heart, theoretically he could travel back in time to the days of the Master, since Ventus himself existed then in some form, as we’ve seen in Union [cross].
In the picture above you’ll note that the zipper on the Master’s cloak, and Luxu’s, is an unversed emblem. Later Kingdom Hearts 3 trailers have shown us that all of the Organization’s cloaks sport the same zipper in KH3. However, the Unversed emblem is still something that originated with Vanitas and Birth By Sleep.
Vanitas’ time with Xehanort may have inspired him to start the Keyblade War, and it’s not unlikely that he’d see a reason to split off from Xehanort. Vanitas has developed more of a will of his own since the start of Birth By Sleep, and that may become even more pronounced in Kingdom Hearts 3.
It would also make sense that the Master, if he’s the major villain of the franchise, would sport some kind of connection to Sora, or even look like him. After all, most things in the Kingdom Hearts series tend to revolve around Sora in some way.
If Xehanort is defeated, Vanitas would know most, if not all, of the future. This could allow him to travel back in time, write the book of prophecies, and more. By combining with Ventus, Vanitas was able to forge the “Chi-Blade,” and him harnessing some massive power after Xehanort could allow him to forge further Keyblades.
Make sure to search Twinfinite for more of all things Kingdom Hearts related. Feel free to discuss these and any other theories down in the comments below. You can also take a look at our ranking of the best Kingdom Hearts worlds of all time, and our ranking of the whole series.
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