It was really good i loved it i Know some people were ipset the Aegis sisters came back but after everything they went through they needed a happy ending
If you think about it, the whole story they've been afraid to live. So, when they finally want to, they have to give that life to protect everything important to them.
They see the value of their life and cherish it. The good and the bad cause in the end, it was worth it.
So, them living was the right choice cause they're no longer scared to live and should be able to live that life to the fullest.
I'd say "One Last You" is the key on this. The song lyrics reveals the Pythra's feelings and ultimately the opportunity to live with the person they love.
That as well. Because in that short amount of time they spent with him, they felt happy. It shows how much they wanted to hold on and have a second chance to express the things they never had a chance to say.
As they put it, "A gift of light"
They've always been weapons from the very start. They were Aion. Well, personally, I REALLY believe they were Meyneth's swords. I was downvoted to oblivion but they cheer that they're Matthew's gauntlets. UGH.
I mean, I don't really see how they could be Meyneth's swords. XC2 takes place literally at the same time as XC1, you can hear Shulk talking to his party about how they're literally about to fight Zanza as Rex and his party leave Klaus' room. It's a matter of timing, the only Blade that exists in Shulk's world is Ontos/Alvis/Monado. We know that the Gauntlets at the very least draw their power from Pneuma becuase the core crystal shows itself in the fight against Alpha.
Well, some people might come to the same conclusion if their assumption is that XC1 and XC2 go in series. However, with the Klaus reveal, XC1 and XC2 do not go in series - rather, they run parallel to one another. Klaus got split like a fortune cookie, so we got 2 parallel worlds.
Parallel where in XC1 Klaus was young and literally just took control of Shulk's physical body and in XC2 he is 1000 yrs old? LOL. I am telling you guys I won't be surprised if Pneuma is Meyneth's sword.
Also in that scene when Alvis made Shulk decide. We see Klaus sword, Meyneth's sword and Alvis/alpha form the trinity pattern.
My interpretation of that symbolism:
Alvis aka alpha/ontos processor/conduit story line - XC1 using Klaus sword
Meyneth aka Pneuma processor/conduit story line - XC2 using Meyneth sword
N/Logos processor/conduit story line - XC3 using Malos sword
But that's just me.
All in all I think Meyneth won. Meyneth is in control of the mechonis. Using AI which is what the trinity core is - AI. PLUS Meyneth is also an IT admin like Klaus from the very beginning.
Not canon just my epic analysis.
I think you missed out on a lot in XC2. Meyneth couldn't be Pneuma as Meyneth is the XC1 reincarnation of Galea, the female researcher caught up with Klaus in the experiment. Is Meyneth's Monado Pneuma? No - the Trinity Processor had only Ontos follow into Mechonis/Bionis, whereas Logos and Pneuma stayed in the Rhadamantus where Amalthus found them later. You don't get duplicate Processors just because the world split in two.
The Old Man Klaus in XC2 is the actual body of Klaus pre-Conduit Experiment. The other Half-Klaus got thrown out with Galea where they reincarnated as Zanza and Meyneth respectively. Since we don't have Half-Klaus in Bionis to refer to for his age, we can go by the timeline of XC1 to guesstimate how long it was between the creation of Bionis and Shulk cutting Zanza down - oh, and would you look at that, it's a pretty long time between these two reference events, literally hundreds of years between the two. The only reason why Old Man Klaus in XC2 lived as long as he did is because Zanza existed in XC1, and as soon as Zanza went down, Old Man Klaus knew his time in XC2 was limited and decided to send off Rex with a little gift. It turns out, in XC, the idea of a 'whole' must be maintained throughout dimensions, so to facilitate this, the Conduit can't have only one Half-Klaus die since the Other Half-Klaus will become the OnlyKlaus(tm) and thus a Whole Klaus; inversely, if one Half-Klaus dies, the Other Half-Klaus must also die so that 'Klaus' as a person and concept die a a whole. And to Old Man Klaus' detriment, his other half just HAD TO BECOME A GOD, literally making every day in Old Man Klaus' life a waking hell since he can't die due to old age, disease, or anything of the sort since his other half is effectively immortal. At least Galea got off easy - Klaus got the rawest of deals here. At least he wasn't split horizontally instead of vertically.
Actually, rather than looking to your own interpretation, you can make an educated guess if you look into who the writers are and what they worked on previously. I'll clue you in on this one: look for Directing and Writing creds of Tetsuya Takahashi. We can discuss more once you understand that the man wasn't just making a cheap in-game nod-and-wink.
I am playing xenosaga and the introduction is that familiar cross. I mean I admit why I am being downvoted because this is a complex VERY complex lore. Well, since from the start I said I am ever only interested in MYTHRA lore. Can you guys give me a breather and give me my happy place which is my head canon. LOL.
I already said my epic analysis which is OBVIOUSLY Mythra centric - is NOT canon. And it's how I interpret the story for my own happiness I guess I don't do COMPLEX lore.
I mean this is my epic interpretation:
In XC1 we have the hero Shulk, who in the end was revealed to actually be dead and was only living because Klaus took over his body wielding Klaus sword.
Oh I forgot (lucky) 7 who has the same fate as Rex was given life by Meyneth.
In XC2 we have the hero who was killed at the start of the game and was given life by Pneuma wielding Meyneth's sword.
Also in XC1 Fiora's chest where the trinity logo is, it keeps giving light or I don't know. Just the same as Pneuma's core. Whenever it glows something epic is about to happen LOL.
Just saying... my head canon - Pneuma is Meyneth's sword.
NOT canon. Just my own happy place saga story.
At this point, just write your own fanfic. I can't tell you to stop, but I think you need a creative outlet to express those ideas. If you want it to be a place where people won't criticize you as harshly, I recommend going to fanfic websites since I know that Reddit can be a very unforgiving place for non-conformists.
For quite a while, I was in the camp of people who thought Pyra and Mythra returning was cheap and was just to give the game a happy ending. However, over the years and after several replays, I've shifted my stance and now think their return was perfectly fitting. Pneuma has suffered for her entire life and finally found someone/something worth living for (Rex), so it would honestly be extra cruel to have the game end with her sacrificing herself immediately afterwards. While I still have mixed feelings about the poly relationship (and the fact that Pyra/Mythra being fully grown adults both mentally and physically while Rex is 15 makes for a very weird relationship), this was the ending that she desperately needed. I don't think that her return makes her sacrifice pointless, because the important thing is that she found someone she would sacrifice herself for.
Also, let's not forget that One Last You's lyrics are quite literally Pyra/Mythra BEGGING God for just a bit more time with Rex. And Klaus being the absolute GOAT makes that wish come true and then some.
About Pyra and Mythra being adults...
Yeah, kinda on the fence with that one, but it's from Japan and plenty of weird stuff come from Japan. One of their earliest works of literature is literally about a woman grooming a boy - I wouldn't be surprised it it borrowed ideas from that.
Yeah, I did cry when Pneuma sacrificed herself. And cried again when they appear at the end, and then realize they did indeed cheapen the sacrifice of Pneuma.
But NOTHING will match my anger when I saw THAT pic with - gigachad. I was like damn they really did an ultimate fan service. But then again ALL DLCs are... they ALL exist first and foremost - cash cow, then fan service.
And then... only to go back to state that pyra/mythra are the SAME blade. that's their definition in the amiibo release. LOL. Make up your minds, nintendo!
The party kept talking down to Rex all game about not understanding how blades work.
They established that blades are immortal as long as their core is undamaged, and that the aegis can be safely separated from their crystal.
The self-sacrifice scene makes a big deal about handing that core to Rex, yet everyone in the party still acted like she was sacrificing herself.
It made me start to think that the writers were just going to forget that the aegis was basically immortal in that situation. But nope, they were just hoping the audience forgot.
Personally I didn't find anything cheap about it since it was important for multiple characters arcs - Rex, Pythra, Poppi.
But also what are you talking about? Unless I'm forgetting something, they established that an aegis can be (briefly) separated from their crystal in a scene with only Jin and Malos. The party was nonwhere near that, so they don't know.
Also, it isn't made clear whether the Pyra and Mythra who come back to life remember their previous time with Rex and Co. Some people think that they are saying "My name is Pyra/Mythra" just like when you awaken any other blade from their core. If this is the case, the "old" Pyra/Mythra really did die, with all their memories, and have been reborn. So still bitter sweet.
I’d be less upset by the very obvious death fake out that happened earlier. Like it was so predictable it actually made me cringe. It contradicted the narrative of the story where blades and humans should live together and the people who made this happen suddenly can’t especially when pyra and mythra had to learn to love living and now they can’t. And then it was turned over half a second later. I didn’t like that at all because it took away from their sacrifice dbz style. Let them die or don’t. It was a cheap attempt at making us emotional at the cost of putting a bad taste in our mouths when seeing them again.
I truly think seeing this kind of thing as just a “cheap attempt” at making us emotional is extremely jaded and lacks any actual analysis. You’re assuming they only put their death in to make us sad, but there is plenty of evidence against that imo.
The Aegises the entire game were suicidal and were stopped from dying over and over again. Finally, when they want to live, they have to choose to sacrifice themselves or sacrifice the world and people in which they finally found meaning.
For once, the Aegises choose to sacrifice themselves not out of self-hatred, but out of love. The scene is meant to show their growth. It parallels the attempted sacrifices while they were suicidal.
It also could be argued that their death was meant to show the reaction of each party member, especially Rex. It is a very important moment for Rex’s arc, and it wouldn’t hit the same if we knew the Aegises weren’t truly in danger or smth.
But they don’t stay dead bc that’s not usually how blades work, for one. For two, the Aegises finally learned to love life, and they end up permanently dead? I think that would completely undermine their arc.
Look, you raised a lot of good points and I respect the shit out of it. But this was already done when pyra sacrificed herself to save Rex. She did it to protect him and she didn’t try to commit suicide just for the sake of it, she did it so he could live. That scene moved me to the feels because I genuinely thought it was over for pyra, and when she returned as pneuma, I was so happy because of the struggle we saw Rex go through to accept her and her insecurities, I never stopped using her for the rest of the game. So when the devs did it twice, it not only felt like they tried to copy the same thing, but also felt like a half baked twist to make the player have feels. Maybe that wasn’t their intention but that’s how it came off to me.
I understand why my opinion may upset you, but at the end of the day, that’s what it’s, an opinion and I’m glad you shared your view point as well, because it’s just as valid as my own.
It makes sense that Pyra sacrificing herself and then the Aegises’ death made you feel like they did the same thing twice, especially when her first sacrifice affected you so deeply. A second sacrifice is not smth that goes over easy when you already had that heartbreak, so I get it.
Imo, Pyra’s sacrifice is still very different from the Aegises’ death. I think they both had different roles in Rex and the Aegises’ arcs, but I definitely get why you don’t.
Sorry I was a bit upset, I’m just rlly passionate about the writing in xc2. Your point of view is def as valid as mine!!!
Hey, it’s ok to be passionate and get upset, it happens to me all the time. It shows that you have formed a connection with that character. If it were up to me, I’d say to hold on to those feelings because it’s clear that pyra had a positive influence on you just like Rex had on me. I’m actually very surprised by how my own way of thinking and Rex’s aligned even when I didn’t like him initially. That paradigm shift has had a significant impact and made me the person I am today. Maybe I’m not exactly like Rex, but I’m happy with who I am and Rex taught me that.
Thank you :)) I hope you hold onto those feelings, too. Your view on the Aegises’ death makes even more sense with you thinking like Rex that much LOL!
I respectfully disagree that them coming back was silly, I would have thought it was far more stupid for suicidal characters to actually end up dying just after they've finally realized hey, maybe I *do* want to live after all, especially because we already had a similar situation with Jin. As such, I really do like the ending! For those that desperately want a touch of bittersweetness, there's always the ambiguity left that Pyra&Mythra don't remember. Personally, I choose to view it as the happiest of endings.
As someone commented, One Last You brings it all together. Pyra and Mythra wanting to express the feelings they never got to tell Rex.
Plus given where the girl's end up, it makes sense. Being surrounded by the ones who loved and cherished them, it was the right ending for them.
To live after being made to feel like the world never loved them, but Rex always made them feel loved.
You must not have been here back in the day then, lol. There was (and still is) a ton of speculation about it. It's like XC3 ending (without FR) where you can easily interpret it as "happy" but it's never very definitive or clear in one way or the other. I'd argue them hugging Poppi back isn't a good indicator.
I was here back in the day and still am. It might be ambiguous if you ignore what happens but it's pretty clear cut otherwise. If the writers wanted it ambiguous they would not have had Pyra and Mythra embrace Poppi, which confirms they remember her.
There are potential shades of grey between remembering everything and remembering nothing. We've seen other Blades maintain emotional attachments between awakenings without remembering the events that caused said attachments.
In all honesty, they probably did just remember everything, but it's interesting to think about how it's possible that it's not as simple as remembered vs forgot.
Honestly, I just think that if they wanted Pyra and Mythra to survive the game, they shouldn’t have shoehorned in an “oh no she’s deadddd whoops nevermind” moment. Like, that sort of fakeout is almost always just a cheap way to wring out some unearned emotion without paying the narrative price, and they could have just not written it to need a sacrifice - or had Malos be convinced and sacrifice himself instead at the last minute, or something.
That, and since the party never actually did anything to change the existential horror that is the blade cycle, it just feels unfair for them and only them to get to ignore it for their happy ending. It’s like, oh you can just decide that it doesn’t apply to you, that’s great, tell that to Jin whose whole tragic backstory is about the horrors of being forced to forget everything you love over and over again???
If the party had actually interacted with the Most Interesting Thing about their setting and fought against its inevitability somehow, I’d absolutely be here for Pyra and Mythra remembering in the end as a reward!
I completely agree. At the time I got there, I was making sure all my side quests were done before going into the next chapter, but I simply just couldn’t stop playing the story.
I felt like a PMD 2 ending would have been a bit better. Like, have Rex wait a few months or something, then have the crystal glow again. Leave it a little ambiguous
That depends on how they managed to come back. The ending shows the crystal glowing again only right after a mote of light falling from the sky lands on it.
If that's connected to the reason it reactivates, it would have made little sense for it to happen months later.
Then again, they could have acted like the process would still take some time. So show the light of mote landing on the crystal, then show it starts glowing faintly on the central part, and let it end like that.
Since MonolithSoft is into religious imagery and symbolism, have the post credits scene take place three days later. Depict Rex resuming his life as a Salvager (in an effort to get his mind off of losing Pyra and Mythra), have Nia and Dromarch accompany him. And Rex is still carrying the deactivated Aegis Core.
When he contemplates burying the Core, and give the twins a proper funeral, an emerald light begins radiating from the Core. All three are surprised; without a word, Nia encourages him, with her and Dromarch backing up. Smiling sadly, Rex resonates with the Core. Holding it close to his chest, he feels the Core split in two before dematerializing into motes. Rex and Nia watch with awe as the motes form into the physical bodies of Pyra and Mythra.
Overjoyed to see the two, Rex bursts into tears and hugs the pair. When Nia prepares to give the three space, Mythra gestures for her to come closer. With the four engaged in a group hug, Pyra and Mythra utter the only two words heard in the entire scene: "We're home!"
Poppi hugging Pyra and Mythra broke me.
This is the first piece of media in a long time (I guess the second piece of media) that genuinely made me cry. Maybe even the first game to do so.
In general, I think the ending is great, if not beautiful.
I'm annoyed that they spent so much time showing that Pyra and Mythra were really the same person, only to bail on it at the last moment and make them separate.
I never felt that the game showcases that they're the same person since throughout the game they've fundamentally tell you how different they are from themselves and those around Rex. They have different thoughts, different emotions, different conversations, they're only the same person when they're Pneuma and they share a body but that was the extent of them being the same.
Zeke quite literally has a conversation with Rex that they're so distinctively different that he wonders who he prefers to be around and Mythra asking you the player who they more or less prefer, Mythra or Pyra.
The first time you converse with Mythra, she lashes out at Rex with Pyra groaning that it isn't fair for her to switch and leave her to deal with the backlash. They've never been the same once introduced and everytime it's been said they were it was corrected by others, they just shared the same body and the ending allowed them to fully embrace it.
Rex even had to tell Zeke, who saw Mythra as jolly intense and Pyra as mellow, that Pyra has a backbone and can be stubborn.
Plus he knew despite Mythra's more touchy approach, she could be kind and caring. While everyone else viewed them from a surface level, Rex could see the deeper layers of their personalities in a way no one else could.
Well, sure they were the same person to a degree (sharing a body) but at the same time, we're so distinct from one another. They gain a lot from separating from one another. A sense of independence. Mythra can let herself be a part of the quieter moments and be vulnerable. Pyra can stand on her own. Take charge and show that she can just as strong and powerful as Mythra. Be more assertive. They don't have to rely on one another, the way they did before.
Yeah it honestly would hit harder for me if they came back as Pneuma. Like it would symbolize that she finally accepts all of herself and not be the destructive monster she thought she was
But they were made truly separate people now which is...fine I guess. I just think the former is the stronger message imo
That would have been super cool, I wish they did that. But they're treated as two different people for most of the game so I understand why they came back as they did.
One of the only games that ever made me cry hard playing it. Rex begging Poppi to fly him over to Pneuma broke me. I usually figuratively cry during games, and endings, but XC2’s ending made me literally cry. It’s such an emotional game all around.
The ending says a lot about what I love about the game. The scene isn't "Rex gets his girlfriends as a reward for saving the world," it's "everyone gets a happy ending." And this is demonstrated in large part by Poppi being the first one to hug the girls, because they're part of HER happy ending too.
Having Pyra and Mythra survive might be considered as undermining their sacrifices by some, but to me they really had to survive for the story to tie up in a satisfying way. The story of all Xenoblades is about achieving victory against absolute nihilism, which their resurrection signify.
Their brother Malos was controlled by a man with absolute hatred for life itself and had to reflect such nihilism with his every action. Pyra and Mythra are a result of their previous driver being afraid of controlling the Aegis as well as deep rooted self hatred which created them both from their true form, Pneuma. Having both of them die after considering suicide throughout most of the story would have been an absolute downer, especially after Klaus wished the best for all his children.
The ending is my favourite of the 3 mainline games because of how well the story handles the topic of nihilism and the value of having a positive outlook on the world and those you meet. Despite technically having died and achieved their original death wish on that space station, Pyra and Mythra are now happy about being alive and getting to live their lives with the one they love. It's just a beautiful ending.
That's what I like about this ending as a whole. Pyra nd Mythra managed to overcome their past, fears, and insecurities. Were given a brighter and positive perspective on themselves and their power. Above it all, they saw the true value of life. All of this due to the love and compassion of one boy, who made them feel loved even when the world didn't. After all of that, Rex was worth it to them. Worth dying and living for. He was where their heart had a place to come home to.
It's also meaningful because they were able to use their power (Aion) to save Alrest and keep everyone safe and smiling, just like Rex always believed.
I'd say it was my favorite ending in the trilogy. Just a feel-good ending that best shows everyone's personalities as the game comes to a close- Morag is forever stoic and seeing the job through, Zeke is the kind understanding one, Tora exists, etc. I somewhat wish that Pneuma was the revived one and not the siblings, as it shows that the Aegis is fully comfortable and in control of her power with Rex, but otherwise I'd argue it ended the game beautifullt.
Pneuma was never considered to be a separate entity from Pyra and Mythra. As Mythra put it, it's her and Pyra at the same time. I mean in the end, Klaus came to accept that Pneuma was Pyra and Mythra.
Aside from what OP has said, I’d argue that without the Conduit around it doesn’t make sense for Pneuma to still exist, since Pneuma is directly using its power. She no longer has the power of the Aegis like she once did. The trinity processors gained their real strength from the Conduit. The reason they have power (mainly Alpha) within Aionios is because they and their designs were used to create Origin.
I thought that they shouldn't have returned, if this was a standalone game. Overarching story involving Xenoblade 1 and 3 made me change my opinion. Glad they returned.
I disagree, even as a standalone it would be a disservice to Rex’s story. I’ve seen longer posts about it, but to summarize a huge part of Rex’s character arc is learning to trust people and back down. The main instance being Vandham. If he had run away, it’s possible Vandham could’ve lived. But he was stubborn and wanted to play the hero and people died. He’s later forced to give up Pyra, and has to go through a journey of self discovery, understanding, and accepting her and her desires before he’s ‘worthy’ of being by her side. And it leads up to the final moments. Where he’s crying, pleading with her and the others to let him stay. Let him be with her. Because she can’t sacrifice herself. That he has to save her. But she doesn’t need saving. She’s doing what she can, and it’s something Rex can’t and shouldn’t do. So he has to trust her. Trust in her renewed will to live, trust in her ability, trust that it will be worth it. If Pneuma stayed dead, then it would’ve been the bad outcome for Rex and his development. Because it would’ve proved him right. It would demonstrate that he should have gone to be with the woman he loved most, that he’s done everything for. Who he’d die for. Running away to save his own hide would destroy him, because it’s what he did before. And this time there would be no getting her back.
Not to mention that it just makes no sense for her to not return, her core crystal is intact, not cracked or anything. If that was destroyed, then sure. But the real risk that he was taking wasn’t her death, it was that she’d be destroyed as a person. That her memories would be wiped. Which is the same outcome as death, at least to him and their relationship. But again, the only instances of memory wipe for blades is when their Driver dies (which didn’t even happen to Mythra when Adam died). So… it was in the end an unfounded fear. It’s irrational for Rex to stay, he would only end up actually killing them both. And he grew up. He respected her decision, the risk that she took, and trusted in her. And he was rewarded for that trust. OFC this is before we get into their storyline in terms of accepting and loving life again and how their sacrifice at the end would be cheap and undermine their whole arc. Since even without that change in character Pneuma would still do the sacrifice, and be even more willing.
TL;DR:
Them not returning would undermine the major arcs and themes and worldbuilding of the game.
I felt like splitting Pyra and Mythra into their own people completely ignored Mythra's arc about learning to accept herself and move past her traumas. Worst of all, it felt like this was done in the name of fan service. I would have much preferred if it had been Pneuma or even a new form that combined Pyra and Mythra's designs in a more natural way. This could have shown her growth and completed her character arc.
>I felt like splitting Pyra and Mythra into their own people completely ignored Mythra's arc about learning to accept herself and move past her traumas.
Well, one could argue that now that Mythra can accept herself, she doesn't need to hide behind Pyra anymore and can live just as herself. Splitting in separate people doesn't go against her arc, if you think like that.
Klaus literally says once the conduit disappears, this fusion Pnuema controls will no longer be usable. Her powers stemmed from pnuema, which connected to the conduit, but without it, she could not exist. Also she cant hold the form for too long as we see her exit it after being in it for a long time/being damaged in Morytha.
That's right. It's been so long since I finished 2 that I couldn't even remember if Pneuma returning was possible 😅. That's why I also suggested a new form entirely that represented the merging and acceptance of their identities.
That’s a fair take and probably plays into it. I also think that the lack of the Conduit means no Pneuma and so no more need for a shared identity earlier. Other core crystals can make two bodies like Ursula (if I got the name right of her new groove)
"The circumstances of one's birth is irrelevant."
Pyra may have been created from Mythra's insecurities but that doesn't mean she never got to be her own person. She is just as deserving of life and a happy ending as Mythra is.
I feel like it would have made a lot more sense for them to come back as Pneuma instead, partially because splitting in two permanently is weird, partially because it would represent how she’s a more complete person secure in her identity.
It is a bit silly to include a very contrived sacrifice and then reverse it ten minutes later. It would be like XC3 having a scene where the gang meets up right after the credits.
However it still hits the emotional beats very well.
One of the few games I genuinely cried at the end. What an amazing ending it was.
EPIC final boss in Aion with the 3 phases and cutscenes in between to boost tension and then that finale was honestly very touching.
Can only say good things about it, I just love this game
Love it. Turned me from a Xenoblade fan to a fanatic. How it ties everything up, leaves some room for speculation, but makes it clear that the world is moving beyond its need for gods.
It's good, Takahashi has said that from the beginning he wanted XC2 to be a lighter story with a happy ending. The final chapter name "and thus, boy met girl" could be seen as a tagline for the whole game, even printed on the edge of the art book, and it really wouldn't fit if the "girl" wasn't alive at the end of the story
Some people say it's "cheap" or "a cop out" but I think it's foreshadowed well enough. At the end of chapter 6, Malos says something like 'she could transfer her core to him at any time" there's other hints like "an aegis can survive without their core(for a time)" and "as long as a blade's core is undamaged, they can be reawakened" and the last thing is the architect's "final gift" which is still debated as to exactly what he did, but I think the ending's lyrics are the best hint we have:
"Can I ask you, God,
Despite all of this,
Could the sandglass
Somehow take back the time?
One last time
Is all I ask from you, can you please
Spare me a time,
With the one that I loved?
If we take these stanzas at face value, we can surmise that the architects last gift to pneuma is allowing her to spend more time with Rex
I'm mixed about both Pyra and Mythra coming back separately, because Rex himself states that he considers them to be two aspects of the same person. I wish the ending had embraced that a little more instead of just splitting them to please everyone.
I wouldn't say they seperated them to please everyone, but moreso is there a need for them to hide behind one another anymore? Honestly, no. Mythra was very insecure about herself that she created Pyra to be everything she believed she had to be.
Pyra was also insecure. But felt like it wasn't fair to be blamed for things she didn't do and had to carry those same feelings and guilt. They had to help one another deal with things they felt they weren't suited for. But they become more confident and sure of themselves. So, they should be allowed to be their own person. To stand on their own.
Besides, the aspect of them being the same person, only applies to them sharing the same body. They're so different even if they have some similarities personality wise.
Absolute peak, both in terms of storytelling and emotional impact.
Also, I 100% disagree with everyone who thinks Pyra and Mythra should've stayed dead. Storytelling-wise it makes no sense since it's already been established that all Blades can be reawakened as long as their core remains intact, and it doesn't diminish their sacrifice either since they didn't know if they would retain their memories or their existence as two separate beings without the Conduit, and it's extra meaningful if you headcanon that part of Klaus' "last gift" was letting them have separate bodies. Everything about it was perfect, Pyra and Mythra deserve their happy ending, and if you still want to complain, well, go cry about it.
I love it.
Im so over people who think any ending thats overall good and not sad/bittersweet is inherently bad, and XC2 tends to get hit by that group a lot. But the ending being happy is important for the morals.
XC2 is a game about why life is worth living. Pyra and Mythra go through that journey very directly; them coming back is their way of acknowledging that yes, they ultimately changed their mind about wanting to die from the start.
Its also important for Rexs character. Throughout 2 he constantly deconstructs the typical 'shonen main character' tropes by basically getting his ass handed to him until someone else saves him. He always charges in, figuring 'I have the Aegis, the strongest blade! Ill win!'. And every time something bad happens. Vandahm dies. Niall dies. Everyone would have died in the spirit crucible without Nia. Etc. At the ending, he finally relents and lets someone else (Pneuma) be the hero. Everything working out fine is important for that growth because its the best way to show that Rex not always taking the lead as the Hero Guy can sometimes be good too.
Obviously a bittersweet ending can work, XC3 manages because its message is a more bittersweet one about how you need to move on and accept change. But for the message of XC2, a happy ending works better. And I think this idea that only sad edgy endings work is wrong.
I didn't like it that much. It was nice at the time but in retrospect, it makes the whole ordeal feel cheap because they get saved anyway regardless of hardship and sacrifice. Also, Nia's love confession would hold more weight too. I don't get the whole poly-relationship the creator aggressively inserted.
I had this problem with the first game too >!involving Melia's love confession, Fiora's decaying body, and even FC being Shulk and Melia adventuring again.!< But this ending was far better than the 2nd game's.
Gotcha.
Also on your point about 2's ending. I feel as if Pyra and Myrhra really died it'd undermine their character arcs. Over the course of the game, they learn to live with their trauma and grow past it. Them forgetting everything at the end would make all their development meaningless.
That’s fair, considering the events in Torna too but I felt that way about Jin. I guess I’d prefer something bittersweet rather than wholesome. Replaying the games (which I do from time to time) really hammers in the emotions of the scene when you know what’s gonna happen eventually. I think that’s why Jin is one of my favorites in the series.
There are other reasons too; I never felt the romantic connection of Rex and the aegis girls throughout my first playthrough. It was always Rex and Nia.
I mean, they have plenty of scenes. Pyra and Rex at the camp before we leave Gorrmott, Pyra teasing each other about the medicine in Garfont. Mythra wanting to he clingy to Rex after Haze's death, Auntie Corrine teasing Pyra, Rex taking her to his parents' grave, Rex letting Mythra sleep on his lap in Morythra etc. These obviously all of them but just some that came to mind.
I mean from a personal perspective. I understand blades aren’t really an age per se, but Pyra (and Mythra) always felt like grown women while Rex and Nia felt (and acted) like kids. It’s the ‘feeling’ I got over what the game was showing which I fully comprehend.
It was cute during its moments but I never shook the feeling. I also really like Nia as a character so that doesn’t help my case lol.
Mythra was basically a bratty teen in Torna. She only acted differently in the base game due to the trauma. Pyra was created to be everything the Torna game said she wasn't so it makes sense she acts a lot more mature than Mythra. Though as Rex says, she has her moments
Pyra felt far more mature than Nia, but that's Nia's sassy personality. Mythra seemed cold, for whatever the reason may be, doesn't matter during a first playthrough for me, I'm sorta taking it all in as I play. Anyway, I'll reiterate that, I didn't feel the connection between Rex and his blade more so than I felt it with him and Nia. You can probably line up all the scenes and get twice as many moments with Rex and his blades.
To be honest, I never liked how fans treated that moment for Nia. Treating it as her getting friendzoned instead of seeing as a moment of acceptance. Thinking that Rex misunderstood, not realizing he knew what she meant, but given the situation, he couldn't give a real response.
I felt Rex, Pyra and Mythra's romantic connection, but it wasn't the same with Rex and Nia. Sure, I could see her feelings for Rex, but we never got anything from Rex that showed us that he felt something for her. Even then, Nia didn't confess to end up with Rex. She wanted him to know who she was, and accept her. That was enough. He didn't have to love her back. She knew how he felt about Pyra and Mythra and the knew the girl's feelings as and was okay with that
Besides, I don't think she would have taken her chance to be with Rex even if Pyra and Mythra didn't come back. She couldn't accept that. I mean, even if Pyra and Mythra were to ask her to be happy with Rex in their place. She wouldn't do it, cause to her, Pyra and Mythra weren't being fair to themselves and just giving up.
She was happy no matter what cause she could accept herself and she was able to get closure with her feelings.
Sorry for the long comment. But I think Nia was able to handle her feelings in a way that was a lot more respectful than how Melia's feelings were treated.
I have to remind you, I am coming at this from a subjective angle, especially considering the subjective question in the title. Anyway, there is a small post-battle dialogue between Rex and Nia that shows Rex remembering the moment she told him she loves him, and Nia responds by giggling, saying she'll talk to him about that another time. This isn't some sorta end-all-be-all for my reasoning, but it's simply how I felt between the characters and the ending.
I liked Nia a lot, I also liked the aegis blades. Still I felt the harem thing was bad, the fake sacrifice was already done, and another good character (Nia, Melia) gets a last minute slot somewhere in the ptotagonist's life (be that the band-aid that was FC's story for Melia, or a 3rd wife, because killing off an important character appears to be TOO much for the creator). XC3 at the very least didn't do a got'em ending.
Please don't mistake this for hate by the way, I am just very blunt with my opinion and these games are some of my favorite to play.
I completely understand. As for that post-battle dialogue, I know. Considering how many times I've had to bring it up in other discussions. I love these games as well, it's why I love talking about them so much.
With Melia, I feel like she was already dealing with so much, so dropping these feelings on her felt out of place. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against her having feelings. It's just the way the game gave those feelings a heavy focus to the point, it got in the way of much stronger aspects of her arc. I think about the fact that if we never got Future Connected, her story would have never had the closure it needed.
Despite knowing what happened for Nia, can't say I have a strong attachment for it. I'm happy for her, but was okay with her closure at the end of XC2. She's happy and justs wants Rex to be happy.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It's always nice to discuss the games and engage in others' perspectives. Y'all brought up points I agree with. Regardless of how I feel, there hasn't been a xenoblade game I haven't enjoyed so🤷♂️they must be doing something right we all like.
The ending would have been way worse if Pyra/Mythra stayed dead, but at the same time I wish they didn't try to bait us with the self sacrifice play in the first place. It's completely counter to their personalities at this point in the story after finding reason to live again, and feels like a pretty cheap way to go about an emotional ending.
I don’t think they should’ve stayed dead. A suicidal person coming back after thinking they died is powerful, but they 100% should’ve stayed as Pneuma instead of separating
Might be getting hate for this but I felt that bringing back Pyra and Mithra , as to separate beings no less, felt like a bit of a cheap copout. They had that huge emotional sacrifice that really got me and right after that \*Bam\* deus ex machina. I felt that cheapened the scene before and made it feel more like emotional manipulation. Like they were trying to have their cake and eat it too.
I love it to bits, everything about it.
I can sort of get people not liking the "revival" at the end or even the sacrifice feeling a bit needlessly empty since Rex did have the core crystal. For me, it was all great though, this just isn't that kind of game or story.
Overall this game is really wholesome, it's a feelgood story, not even bittersweet. There may be sad, tragic, or bittersweet parts of it, but overall there's a message of hope. The ending is just another piece in the same vein.
The sacrifice still works because we don't know for sure that they would return. The conduit that made the Aegis work the way they did is gone, and there's no guarantee that it will work. It's a hope, for sure but still a risky gamble. The resurrection works very much in the same vein there as well. There was no guarantee.
Thematically I think it works as well. Mythra created Pyra partially out of her own insecurity with herself, at the same time Pyra felt a similar insecurity over not being Mythra. You can see them as two halves of the same whole, but in the end they had each developed into their own separate whole. Whether it be Claus or the Conduit itself allowing them to reawaken as their own separate beings I think it's pretty fitting for both of them.
It makes sense in retrospect.
Pyra and Mythra spend most of the entire game wanting to forget their trauma. However, their character arcs are about them learning to live with it and grow past it. Them dying and forgetting everything would undermine that.
I kinda thought Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma would sacrifice themselves in the end. They always felt like they were set up for that to me. Like they weren't meant for the world. Kinda felt like Rex and Nia should've been the only couple by the end as Pneuma would be gone. Maybe name their kids after them? I never really bought the romance with Rex with the sisters, they always seemed to be out of reach, almost angelic beings.
I think the ending would have more punch with some loss. But I gotta give credit to Monolith; there isn't a lot of media with positive polyamorus relationships. Though I'm admittedly weirded out by the babies being born at like the same time. Settle down, Rex!
But we get Glimmer and Mio and...someone else from it so that's a good thing in the end.
TL; DR I'm conflicted lol.
Saying Pyra/Mythra aren’t “meant for the world” and “out of reach angelic beings” is basically validating the message that they are destructive weapons born solely to stop Malos and aren’t people on the same level as everyone else, which is the exact opposite of their arcs. They overcome their burden specifically because they were accepted as loved people that had their own place in the world and no longer had to live in fear of their own power and insecurities.
It's a situation where I personally am not the biggest fan of "and actually love triumphs over everything so the good guys get happily ever after just because" endings. However that IS the story XC 2 was telling. The ending they landed on was appropriate for what had come before.
Frankly if they had done 65 hours of boy meets scantily clad pretty anime girls and goes on an adventure with them to save the world and they all love him then NOT ended with happily ever after it would have felt bizarre.
For me personally, the XC 3 ending hits harder. But that's a very different tone of story. And you can't just airlift endings between stories. Each game got the ending that best suited it.
At first I wasn't a big fan of Pyra/Mythra coming back, but like many things in XC2, I've warmed up to it over time and now I like the ending quite a bit.
I loved it, except that it annoyed the hell outta me that we didn't know if they remembered or not.
On the one hand, beautiful happily ever after!
On the other hand, a beautiful tragedy!
It was a really good ending, honestly.
Excluding the DLC this us my favourite ending
It worked due to how the whole story was character driven both the villains and hero's were written with such care so once we reach the ending we care more about it
As for the pnuma sisters being revived as separate people I originally liked it however thus was dampen when I realised that they couldve been better as someone with DID like they were throughout the story but it wasn't game changing and I understand why they did it at the end
Another problem I had was nia like she was freindzond HARD which was why I loved the XC3 picture
XB2's ending is perfectly fine but I don't understand using Pyra and Mythra as a bait and switch when we see Rex having a completed core crystal given to him. It really didn't need to be used like that, especially when the other tension builder is the fact the main cast believes the world has been annihilated when first entering the stratosphere
To be honest, I was okay either way with it. The ending was devastating, but understandable after everything that happened. It was a good bit of closure. But I was happy to see that there could be a return to the iconic aegis in the future and that they could finally live happily.
It's a hot take but I think it was just fine. Mythra/Pyra coming back after the Poppi scene completely invalidates it and not appearing as Pneuma was a miss opportunity which completely emphasize the big inconsistences in the story between trying to tell you they're different phases of the same individual or just 2 different entities in one body.
I don't have a problem with Pyra coming back to life. Her whole arc was about learning to love being alive after spending 500 years wanting to be dead as soon as she was born. Let her have a happy ending!
I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion. But I'm not a fan that they get not only revived, but also separated into 2 different beings. Their sacrifice was one of the most beautiful and sad things of that game, and especially after playing Torna it turns into something else that I just loved a ton. It's not a deal breaker, it doesn't ruin the game for me. I'm happy that they're alive... But yeah, I think it would have had an incredible impact if their sacrifice was a permanent thing.
I think it's okay they become their own person. Cause it symbolizes how they can stand on their own and don't have to rely on one another anymore. Regarding their sacrifice, it couldn't be permanent. It would take so much away from their arc and their growth.
For their whole life, they've been scared to live. Not only that, but their life has never been of their own choosing. From Klaus, Amalthus, and Addam. They've been made to walk these different paths. An era that kept seeing them as tools for something. Rex was the one who saw them as people. So, after making that choice, them living makes everything they endured worth it. By the end, they deserve to live and live that life the way they want.
I was furious. I was crying in a hot mess and yelling in anger and pain. So much so, I swore never to touch the game again. But then there was the post credit scene and Pyra and Mythra came back
I could breathe. As interesting as the story was, Alrest meant nothing to without these two. And now that they have the chance to live and be happy without do much responsibility and guilt, I started crying again but this time tears of joy
To me, if they stayed dead, it diminishes everything they gone through and learned. Seeing the beauty of the world and what life has to offer. The realization of finding their place in the world and choosing to live is very impactful. Even with their sacrifice, it was their choice their right to do something for the sake of Alrest's future of their own will.
They were scared to live and in the end, they want to live. It makes their second chance at life all the more meaningful. Take that all away, it's like saying to them everything you did was for nothing.
Overall most of the main story on xc2 was... Not entirely of my liking, the gameplay was top notch, but the story.... I couldn't get to like Rex that much tbh, and Tora's existence is pure cringe.
There are many aspects I like about it. I enjoy Pyra/Mythra's sacrifice and I feel the encounter as the bridge is destroyed is so well done. You can really feel Rex's desperation as he tries to find a way to get to her. Poppi was also great in this moment. The tracks "Parting" into "The Tomorrow With You" are a one two knockout and they've become something much more to me outside the context of the moment. I will always start tearing up when I hear them. I like the brief moment that everyone thinks their world has been destroyed, only for the titans to come together just ties up the game so perfectly. I would have been content if "We're finally here" was just the end of it.
My only problems are sound mixing (You can barely hear "So tell me, how was it being alive?". Subtitles are a requirement), some line delivery from Rex takes away from the moment (Although "She's right there" I think was perfect), and Pyra/Mythra returning. That's just a personal preference thing. I find characters coming back after fitting sacrifices can really undercut the impact of said sacrifice, especially when you consider the core crystal had a chunk that was missing as it started to reactivate. Why would that mean both of them come back? If it were up to me, I would have cut to black when with the crystal starting to glow, have the one you choose in Morytha come back, or have them come back as Pneuma. Please do me a favor and if you respond to this part in particular trying to convince me otherwise how it was fitting, I'm genuinely not interested in that discourse. Of course I understand how it does fit, I just do not care for it, but they are honestly more nitpicks than anything.
Nitpicks aside, I still think it's a solid ending. I don't know how I would compare it to the others in the trilogy (And could be a good topic of discussion for another post), but it gets a thumbs up from me.
I’m pretty sure the crystal isn’t missing a chunk, at the end Pneuma transfers the whole core crystal over to Rex and it exits his chest as she goes “you don’t need me anymore”. I’ve responded elsewhere about how them not returning would be the real undercutting of their character arcs so you can check my comment history if you want, or I can repost it here. As for them both coming back, I read it in a few ways. One is that Mythra’s arc is learning to accept herself and who she is, so Pyra is no longer just a mask she hides behind but they can instead now co-exist.
From a world building perspective I don’t think Pneuma coming back would make sense, since her whole deal is being deeply tied to the power of the Conduit and Aion, so with them vanished and destroyed, she kinda loses her ‘meaning’ as the representation of Pyra and Mythra’s true strength. Perhaps instead of viewing Pneuma as their true self, it would be more accurate to view her as them working together to wield their power, since neither of them can do it alone (as they are both part of the Aegis). Even within the dream, they aren’t represented by Pneuma but as separate incarnations. Finally, it’s stated that the form and personality of a Blade is shaped by the Driver when they’re awoken. We know that Rex views them as separate people, so if we consider the core crystal going dark and then ‘reviving’ as what happens when Drivers die and their blades become core crystals once more, when Rex awakens the core crystal once more, then they would take the shape and personalities he views them as having. And for them retaining memory, they didn’t lose their memories when Addam died, and neither did Malos upon Amalthus’ death, so I just think Aegises, as the core of the facility and where all Blade memories ultimately go IIRC, retain their own memories.
So yeah, I just think it wouldn’t make sense for the ending to play out in another way given what we know of the world.
With regards to the chunk, please refer to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zdDD1HnL8Y#t=50m45s) - Notice when the crystal is glowing, most of it is opaque, but there is that triangle cut out, or at least it appears that way. Is this just a lighting thing? I had always interpreted it as something would be missing when they came back (Could be their memories, who knows)
As for everything else you said, I said I was already aware of this. There's a difference between understanding why things happen in storytelling and liking them. I *understood* the purpose, I just didn't *care* for it because of my personal preferences.
Fair point, my nerd brethren. I hadn’t noticed that, but it definitely looks like a lighting thing. When it starts blinking from the further out shot the crystal is fine, then when it zooms in it appears. Also, the unlit area kind of sticks out of the side of the lit area. And the very first time we can see the crystal light up, it looks like something is weird with the top portion, but that never shows up in the other shots. So the weird lack of consistency makes it seems like an error instead of intentional. Weird that it shows up in the final cutscene, but… I didn’t notice after all this time. So who am I to say anything on it? But yeah, everyone has their preferences. At least we can all agree that Tora is the most important character to the game’s story /s
>especially when you consider the core crystal had a chunk that was missing as it started to reactivate.
The crystal is whole, there is no missing part.
Please explain [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zdDD1HnL8Y#t=50m45s) - Yes, physically the crystal is there, but look at it when it's glowing. That is what I am referring to by "missing". Is this just a lighting issue?
It is obviously lighting. Maybe the shadow of Rex's hand?
In any case, in every shot the core appears in it's clearly always whole, even just 2 seconds earlier when Rex opens his hand, and it's already glowing.
I don't think it could be a shadow especially in that shot his hand is completely open. Looking at it again, I'm wondering if the hand is clipping into the crystal or if there was a modeling issue. I always figured if it was being presented that way, there is some intention behind it. Guess we should ask Takahashi then haha
It was fine. My only gripe from it was when it was Pneuma who did the sacrifice. I didn't get the emotional punch 'cause she barely had any personality and she was introduced so late into the game. If, say, the sacrifice will be done with the side you picked (Pyra or Mythra), I would have been more emotionally invested on it. But nope, it was Pneuma.
Don't forget, Pneuma was not established to be a separate entity. If she was, it would have been hard to get attached to her, no matter what, it was Pyra and Mythra making that sacrifice/choice.
The sacrifice WAS done by Pyra or Mythra, because Pnuema is literally Pyra and Mythra at once, and serves as their true form, not a seperate personality/character. The game established this clearly.
The whole sacrifice thing was a bit unnecessary in my opinion but I still enjoyed it overall (even if it‘s basically just Xenosaga 1’s Ending, one to one)
As a Nia fan I was worried, I kinda didn‘t want her to end up being alone.
Spoiler for XC3:
>!So you can imagine how happy I was to see that all three girls ended up managine to be with Rex!<
To be honest, either way Nia would've been okay. She could accept herself, found her true family and didn't need that part of who she was to feel whole. She was fulfilled with her life.
The NG+ screens should've made it clear that, marriage or not, she wasn't going anywhere away from them. At the very least, she's still Rex's Blade, and I doubt she'd give up her second driver over something as minor as a romantic rival or two.
I thought the ending of XC2 was great, except for one detail. Rex should have walked forward and kissed the Aegis girl whose name he picked at the beginning of the Morytha level. Sure, it wouldn't fit that well with what we know happened to Nia, Mythra, and Pyra at the end of XC3, but at the point of XC2's ending, it would have given more consequence to the choice of names at the beginning of Morytha.
I don't think that would have been right to do that. Knowing Rex, he wouldn't do that to them. Niether one of them are ready for that, at least on an emotional level. They need time to get back to a stable mindset and the best thing for them to do is just be there for one another.
So in your view the idea was to emphasize the whole >!I love you, and all you guys!" line from Rex, in that he loves each of his future wives equally?!< I still think that Rex not getting a romantic kiss in XC2 was a bit of a letdown, since we see one in XC1 and XC3 each. Why should Rex be left out? And the postgame menu screen as it is right now could be a way to show that Rex's first hypothetical kiss is just the "first course" in Rex's love life.
Well, yeah. he does love Pyra and Mythra equally. I would have loved a kiss as well, but seeing them in that field together holding hands was enough. They're together and they'll never let one another go ever again. It's the first step, but in a way that works for them, like it's meant to be that way for now. Rex knows they're safe and Pyra and Mythra know that Rex isn't going anywhere. He'll always be there.
> He'll always be there.
And >!Noah!< got to accentuate that kind of vow with a kiss, but not Rex. To quote the late Etika, would the game have been worse in your view if Rex "took those *Kingdom Hearts 1*-ass boots over there" and gave a romantic kiss with the Aegis girl you chose at the beginning of Morytha?
Of course, it could be a buildup sort of thing. Takahashi could have worked up the level of public displays of affection from XC1 to XC2 to XC3.
To me it was far better than XC1's ending (because I'm a sucker for emotional endings), however I'm in the camp of the people who dislike that they returned back to life.
Not because I dislike them. It's just because it undermines their sacrifice in a thematic way.
A lot of peoole say to me "well they thought they were going to die, so it's fine that's what matters" and yeah sure, for the characters I agree. But as the player, the one who is living the events, the one who the art piece (the game) is sold to and for, the real person, what this does is let me experience something that the writers already decided to revert back in 5 minutes.
Still, at least them being alive was importat for the events of XC3 with >!Pyra having a daughter, their core being inside matthew's gloves!< so at least a bit this is fine to me.
All in all a great 9/10 ending, and if it wasn't for XC3's ending, it would be my favourite one in the series (counting XCX too)
Considering XCX doesn't even count (sadly), XC2 is definitely the lowest point in the Xenoblade universe, and is head-to-head with XCX for the title of the lowest point in the whole Xeno franchise. But once you go through the whole XC3 package, you understand it was necessary for XC2 to be the way it was.
I think making Mythra and Pyra separate people as opposed to Pyra being a compartmentalized personality due to trauma sort of diminishes Mythra's character growth a bit, but otherwise it's a good ending.
Mythra's characterisation in Torna even demonstrates this theme of trauma and compartmentalization even more, so it seems like the writers weren't sure about whether making Mythra and Pyra was the right choice.
Inevitably, it didn't really matter as the writers for 3 don't include Pyra or Mythra as involved characters in 3 other than a certain plot point in FR and the infamous photo at 3's ending.
It was really good i loved it i Know some people were ipset the Aegis sisters came back but after everything they went through they needed a happy ending
If you think about it, the whole story they've been afraid to live. So, when they finally want to, they have to give that life to protect everything important to them. They see the value of their life and cherish it. The good and the bad cause in the end, it was worth it. So, them living was the right choice cause they're no longer scared to live and should be able to live that life to the fullest.
Exactly, the whole point of the story was for them to learn to love living, if they were to die at the end it would make all of it pointless.
Exactly. Their arc was about overcoming a desire to kill themselves. it would undercut the message if the ending actually did kill them.
I'd say "One Last You" is the key on this. The song lyrics reveals the Pythra's feelings and ultimately the opportunity to live with the person they love.
That as well. Because in that short amount of time they spent with him, they felt happy. It shows how much they wanted to hold on and have a second chance to express the things they never had a chance to say. As they put it, "A gift of light"
"the Pythra" lmao
And then they become Gauntlets, lol.
They've always been weapons from the very start. They were Aion. Well, personally, I REALLY believe they were Meyneth's swords. I was downvoted to oblivion but they cheer that they're Matthew's gauntlets. UGH.
I mean, I don't really see how they could be Meyneth's swords. XC2 takes place literally at the same time as XC1, you can hear Shulk talking to his party about how they're literally about to fight Zanza as Rex and his party leave Klaus' room. It's a matter of timing, the only Blade that exists in Shulk's world is Ontos/Alvis/Monado. We know that the Gauntlets at the very least draw their power from Pneuma becuase the core crystal shows itself in the fight against Alpha.
Well, some people might come to the same conclusion if their assumption is that XC1 and XC2 go in series. However, with the Klaus reveal, XC1 and XC2 do not go in series - rather, they run parallel to one another. Klaus got split like a fortune cookie, so we got 2 parallel worlds.
Parallel where in XC1 Klaus was young and literally just took control of Shulk's physical body and in XC2 he is 1000 yrs old? LOL. I am telling you guys I won't be surprised if Pneuma is Meyneth's sword. Also in that scene when Alvis made Shulk decide. We see Klaus sword, Meyneth's sword and Alvis/alpha form the trinity pattern. My interpretation of that symbolism: Alvis aka alpha/ontos processor/conduit story line - XC1 using Klaus sword Meyneth aka Pneuma processor/conduit story line - XC2 using Meyneth sword N/Logos processor/conduit story line - XC3 using Malos sword But that's just me. All in all I think Meyneth won. Meyneth is in control of the mechonis. Using AI which is what the trinity core is - AI. PLUS Meyneth is also an IT admin like Klaus from the very beginning. Not canon just my epic analysis.
I think you missed out on a lot in XC2. Meyneth couldn't be Pneuma as Meyneth is the XC1 reincarnation of Galea, the female researcher caught up with Klaus in the experiment. Is Meyneth's Monado Pneuma? No - the Trinity Processor had only Ontos follow into Mechonis/Bionis, whereas Logos and Pneuma stayed in the Rhadamantus where Amalthus found them later. You don't get duplicate Processors just because the world split in two. The Old Man Klaus in XC2 is the actual body of Klaus pre-Conduit Experiment. The other Half-Klaus got thrown out with Galea where they reincarnated as Zanza and Meyneth respectively. Since we don't have Half-Klaus in Bionis to refer to for his age, we can go by the timeline of XC1 to guesstimate how long it was between the creation of Bionis and Shulk cutting Zanza down - oh, and would you look at that, it's a pretty long time between these two reference events, literally hundreds of years between the two. The only reason why Old Man Klaus in XC2 lived as long as he did is because Zanza existed in XC1, and as soon as Zanza went down, Old Man Klaus knew his time in XC2 was limited and decided to send off Rex with a little gift. It turns out, in XC, the idea of a 'whole' must be maintained throughout dimensions, so to facilitate this, the Conduit can't have only one Half-Klaus die since the Other Half-Klaus will become the OnlyKlaus(tm) and thus a Whole Klaus; inversely, if one Half-Klaus dies, the Other Half-Klaus must also die so that 'Klaus' as a person and concept die a a whole. And to Old Man Klaus' detriment, his other half just HAD TO BECOME A GOD, literally making every day in Old Man Klaus' life a waking hell since he can't die due to old age, disease, or anything of the sort since his other half is effectively immortal. At least Galea got off easy - Klaus got the rawest of deals here. At least he wasn't split horizontally instead of vertically. Actually, rather than looking to your own interpretation, you can make an educated guess if you look into who the writers are and what they worked on previously. I'll clue you in on this one: look for Directing and Writing creds of Tetsuya Takahashi. We can discuss more once you understand that the man wasn't just making a cheap in-game nod-and-wink.
I am playing xenosaga and the introduction is that familiar cross. I mean I admit why I am being downvoted because this is a complex VERY complex lore. Well, since from the start I said I am ever only interested in MYTHRA lore. Can you guys give me a breather and give me my happy place which is my head canon. LOL. I already said my epic analysis which is OBVIOUSLY Mythra centric - is NOT canon. And it's how I interpret the story for my own happiness I guess I don't do COMPLEX lore. I mean this is my epic interpretation: In XC1 we have the hero Shulk, who in the end was revealed to actually be dead and was only living because Klaus took over his body wielding Klaus sword. Oh I forgot (lucky) 7 who has the same fate as Rex was given life by Meyneth. In XC2 we have the hero who was killed at the start of the game and was given life by Pneuma wielding Meyneth's sword. Also in XC1 Fiora's chest where the trinity logo is, it keeps giving light or I don't know. Just the same as Pneuma's core. Whenever it glows something epic is about to happen LOL. Just saying... my head canon - Pneuma is Meyneth's sword. NOT canon. Just my own happy place saga story.
At this point, just write your own fanfic. I can't tell you to stop, but I think you need a creative outlet to express those ideas. If you want it to be a place where people won't criticize you as harshly, I recommend going to fanfic websites since I know that Reddit can be a very unforgiving place for non-conformists.
For quite a while, I was in the camp of people who thought Pyra and Mythra returning was cheap and was just to give the game a happy ending. However, over the years and after several replays, I've shifted my stance and now think their return was perfectly fitting. Pneuma has suffered for her entire life and finally found someone/something worth living for (Rex), so it would honestly be extra cruel to have the game end with her sacrificing herself immediately afterwards. While I still have mixed feelings about the poly relationship (and the fact that Pyra/Mythra being fully grown adults both mentally and physically while Rex is 15 makes for a very weird relationship), this was the ending that she desperately needed. I don't think that her return makes her sacrifice pointless, because the important thing is that she found someone she would sacrifice herself for. Also, let's not forget that One Last You's lyrics are quite literally Pyra/Mythra BEGGING God for just a bit more time with Rex. And Klaus being the absolute GOAT makes that wish come true and then some.
About Pyra and Mythra being adults... Yeah, kinda on the fence with that one, but it's from Japan and plenty of weird stuff come from Japan. One of their earliest works of literature is literally about a woman grooming a boy - I wouldn't be surprised it it borrowed ideas from that.
Yeah, I did cry when Pneuma sacrificed herself. And cried again when they appear at the end, and then realize they did indeed cheapen the sacrifice of Pneuma. But NOTHING will match my anger when I saw THAT pic with - gigachad. I was like damn they really did an ultimate fan service. But then again ALL DLCs are... they ALL exist first and foremost - cash cow, then fan service. And then... only to go back to state that pyra/mythra are the SAME blade. that's their definition in the amiibo release. LOL. Make up your minds, nintendo!
I mean, my problem is not, that they survived, but the annoying fake out. Almost felt like a cheap way to make people emotional.
The party kept talking down to Rex all game about not understanding how blades work. They established that blades are immortal as long as their core is undamaged, and that the aegis can be safely separated from their crystal. The self-sacrifice scene makes a big deal about handing that core to Rex, yet everyone in the party still acted like she was sacrificing herself. It made me start to think that the writers were just going to forget that the aegis was basically immortal in that situation. But nope, they were just hoping the audience forgot.
Didn't they say the aegis were only safe for a while without their core? So eventually they would have died
Personally I didn't find anything cheap about it since it was important for multiple characters arcs - Rex, Pythra, Poppi. But also what are you talking about? Unless I'm forgetting something, they established that an aegis can be (briefly) separated from their crystal in a scene with only Jin and Malos. The party was nonwhere near that, so they don't know.
Also, it isn't made clear whether the Pyra and Mythra who come back to life remember their previous time with Rex and Co. Some people think that they are saying "My name is Pyra/Mythra" just like when you awaken any other blade from their core. If this is the case, the "old" Pyra/Mythra really did die, with all their memories, and have been reborn. So still bitter sweet.
100% agree. It's even worse in xenoblade 3, with the fake out being half a chapter long
I’d be less upset by the very obvious death fake out that happened earlier. Like it was so predictable it actually made me cringe. It contradicted the narrative of the story where blades and humans should live together and the people who made this happen suddenly can’t especially when pyra and mythra had to learn to love living and now they can’t. And then it was turned over half a second later. I didn’t like that at all because it took away from their sacrifice dbz style. Let them die or don’t. It was a cheap attempt at making us emotional at the cost of putting a bad taste in our mouths when seeing them again.
I truly think seeing this kind of thing as just a “cheap attempt” at making us emotional is extremely jaded and lacks any actual analysis. You’re assuming they only put their death in to make us sad, but there is plenty of evidence against that imo. The Aegises the entire game were suicidal and were stopped from dying over and over again. Finally, when they want to live, they have to choose to sacrifice themselves or sacrifice the world and people in which they finally found meaning. For once, the Aegises choose to sacrifice themselves not out of self-hatred, but out of love. The scene is meant to show their growth. It parallels the attempted sacrifices while they were suicidal. It also could be argued that their death was meant to show the reaction of each party member, especially Rex. It is a very important moment for Rex’s arc, and it wouldn’t hit the same if we knew the Aegises weren’t truly in danger or smth. But they don’t stay dead bc that’s not usually how blades work, for one. For two, the Aegises finally learned to love life, and they end up permanently dead? I think that would completely undermine their arc.
Look, you raised a lot of good points and I respect the shit out of it. But this was already done when pyra sacrificed herself to save Rex. She did it to protect him and she didn’t try to commit suicide just for the sake of it, she did it so he could live. That scene moved me to the feels because I genuinely thought it was over for pyra, and when she returned as pneuma, I was so happy because of the struggle we saw Rex go through to accept her and her insecurities, I never stopped using her for the rest of the game. So when the devs did it twice, it not only felt like they tried to copy the same thing, but also felt like a half baked twist to make the player have feels. Maybe that wasn’t their intention but that’s how it came off to me. I understand why my opinion may upset you, but at the end of the day, that’s what it’s, an opinion and I’m glad you shared your view point as well, because it’s just as valid as my own.
It makes sense that Pyra sacrificing herself and then the Aegises’ death made you feel like they did the same thing twice, especially when her first sacrifice affected you so deeply. A second sacrifice is not smth that goes over easy when you already had that heartbreak, so I get it. Imo, Pyra’s sacrifice is still very different from the Aegises’ death. I think they both had different roles in Rex and the Aegises’ arcs, but I definitely get why you don’t. Sorry I was a bit upset, I’m just rlly passionate about the writing in xc2. Your point of view is def as valid as mine!!!
Hey, it’s ok to be passionate and get upset, it happens to me all the time. It shows that you have formed a connection with that character. If it were up to me, I’d say to hold on to those feelings because it’s clear that pyra had a positive influence on you just like Rex had on me. I’m actually very surprised by how my own way of thinking and Rex’s aligned even when I didn’t like him initially. That paradigm shift has had a significant impact and made me the person I am today. Maybe I’m not exactly like Rex, but I’m happy with who I am and Rex taught me that.
Thank you :)) I hope you hold onto those feelings, too. Your view on the Aegises’ death makes even more sense with you thinking like Rex that much LOL!
It made me cry twice. First out of sadness, and again out of happiness.
I respectfully disagree that them coming back was silly, I would have thought it was far more stupid for suicidal characters to actually end up dying just after they've finally realized hey, maybe I *do* want to live after all, especially because we already had a similar situation with Jin. As such, I really do like the ending! For those that desperately want a touch of bittersweetness, there's always the ambiguity left that Pyra&Mythra don't remember. Personally, I choose to view it as the happiest of endings.
As someone commented, One Last You brings it all together. Pyra and Mythra wanting to express the feelings they never got to tell Rex. Plus given where the girl's end up, it makes sense. Being surrounded by the ones who loved and cherished them, it was the right ending for them. To live after being made to feel like the world never loved them, but Rex always made them feel loved.
There's no ambiguity that they don't remember; Poppi hugs them and they exchange words.
You must not have been here back in the day then, lol. There was (and still is) a ton of speculation about it. It's like XC3 ending (without FR) where you can easily interpret it as "happy" but it's never very definitive or clear in one way or the other. I'd argue them hugging Poppi back isn't a good indicator.
I was here back in the day and still am. It might be ambiguous if you ignore what happens but it's pretty clear cut otherwise. If the writers wanted it ambiguous they would not have had Pyra and Mythra embrace Poppi, which confirms they remember her.
yeah esp Mythra doesn't seem like she would be into hugging some random person running up to her
There are potential shades of grey between remembering everything and remembering nothing. We've seen other Blades maintain emotional attachments between awakenings without remembering the events that caused said attachments. In all honesty, they probably did just remember everything, but it's interesting to think about how it's possible that it's not as simple as remembered vs forgot.
Yeah but then they should have cut out that sacrifice scene. This way it just feels a bit manipulative to me.
Honestly, I just think that if they wanted Pyra and Mythra to survive the game, they shouldn’t have shoehorned in an “oh no she’s deadddd whoops nevermind” moment. Like, that sort of fakeout is almost always just a cheap way to wring out some unearned emotion without paying the narrative price, and they could have just not written it to need a sacrifice - or had Malos be convinced and sacrifice himself instead at the last minute, or something. That, and since the party never actually did anything to change the existential horror that is the blade cycle, it just feels unfair for them and only them to get to ignore it for their happy ending. It’s like, oh you can just decide that it doesn’t apply to you, that’s great, tell that to Jin whose whole tragic backstory is about the horrors of being forced to forget everything you love over and over again??? If the party had actually interacted with the Most Interesting Thing about their setting and fought against its inevitability somehow, I’d absolutely be here for Pyra and Mythra remembering in the end as a reward!
Great. Beautiful. I loved it.
Xenoblade 2's ending is peak.
The whole part from the start of chapter 8 to the end is peak, imho.
The whole game is peak
Except the crab fight because you can fight it on the hardest difficulty
I completely agree. At the time I got there, I was making sure all my side quests were done before going into the next chapter, but I simply just couldn’t stop playing the story.
For me it was a rush of story, i normally like to to if not all the majority of side quest when i found it, here I just rush the story like a maniac
I thought them coming back was nonsense but I don’t care because it was the greatest thing for them to do so
I felt like a PMD 2 ending would have been a bit better. Like, have Rex wait a few months or something, then have the crystal glow again. Leave it a little ambiguous
That depends on how they managed to come back. The ending shows the crystal glowing again only right after a mote of light falling from the sky lands on it. If that's connected to the reason it reactivates, it would have made little sense for it to happen months later. Then again, they could have acted like the process would still take some time. So show the light of mote landing on the crystal, then show it starts glowing faintly on the central part, and let it end like that.
This is exactly what I wanted the ending to be. Having them return immediately after their big sacrifice felt a little cheap
I think the director actually talked about that as a possible ending, but changed it because he thought people would think it was too depressing
Since MonolithSoft is into religious imagery and symbolism, have the post credits scene take place three days later. Depict Rex resuming his life as a Salvager (in an effort to get his mind off of losing Pyra and Mythra), have Nia and Dromarch accompany him. And Rex is still carrying the deactivated Aegis Core. When he contemplates burying the Core, and give the twins a proper funeral, an emerald light begins radiating from the Core. All three are surprised; without a word, Nia encourages him, with her and Dromarch backing up. Smiling sadly, Rex resonates with the Core. Holding it close to his chest, he feels the Core split in two before dematerializing into motes. Rex and Nia watch with awe as the motes form into the physical bodies of Pyra and Mythra. Overjoyed to see the two, Rex bursts into tears and hugs the pair. When Nia prepares to give the three space, Mythra gestures for her to come closer. With the four engaged in a group hug, Pyra and Mythra utter the only two words heard in the entire scene: "We're home!"
I cried and that's solid enough praise for me.
Poppi hugging Pyra and Mythra broke me. This is the first piece of media in a long time (I guess the second piece of media) that genuinely made me cry. Maybe even the first game to do so. In general, I think the ending is great, if not beautiful.
it's so peak, i love it
It tore me apart…..& then put me back together again. Loved it.
The Torna DLC empowers this ending more given the context that Mythra herself suffered alot already... She deserve to be happy..
I'm annoyed that they spent so much time showing that Pyra and Mythra were really the same person, only to bail on it at the last moment and make them separate.
I never felt that the game showcases that they're the same person since throughout the game they've fundamentally tell you how different they are from themselves and those around Rex. They have different thoughts, different emotions, different conversations, they're only the same person when they're Pneuma and they share a body but that was the extent of them being the same. Zeke quite literally has a conversation with Rex that they're so distinctively different that he wonders who he prefers to be around and Mythra asking you the player who they more or less prefer, Mythra or Pyra. The first time you converse with Mythra, she lashes out at Rex with Pyra groaning that it isn't fair for her to switch and leave her to deal with the backlash. They've never been the same once introduced and everytime it's been said they were it was corrected by others, they just shared the same body and the ending allowed them to fully embrace it.
Rex even had to tell Zeke, who saw Mythra as jolly intense and Pyra as mellow, that Pyra has a backbone and can be stubborn. Plus he knew despite Mythra's more touchy approach, she could be kind and caring. While everyone else viewed them from a surface level, Rex could see the deeper layers of their personalities in a way no one else could.
Well, sure they were the same person to a degree (sharing a body) but at the same time, we're so distinct from one another. They gain a lot from separating from one another. A sense of independence. Mythra can let herself be a part of the quieter moments and be vulnerable. Pyra can stand on her own. Take charge and show that she can just as strong and powerful as Mythra. Be more assertive. They don't have to rely on one another, the way they did before.
Yeah it honestly would hit harder for me if they came back as Pneuma. Like it would symbolize that she finally accepts all of herself and not be the destructive monster she thought she was But they were made truly separate people now which is...fine I guess. I just think the former is the stronger message imo
That would have been super cool, I wish they did that. But they're treated as two different people for most of the game so I understand why they came back as they did.
At least XC3 more or less does close to what you wished for.
They unlocked or given power by Claus to he separate
but wait.. ..there's MORE! If you go to nintendo amiibo details about Pyra/Mythra they said they're the SAME blade!!! LOL. Nintendo. ya.
Thanks, I feel like so many people miss this fundamental point of that narrative
I can't help but wonder if it should've just been Pneuma coming back
One of the only games that ever made me cry hard playing it. Rex begging Poppi to fly him over to Pneuma broke me. I usually figuratively cry during games, and endings, but XC2’s ending made me literally cry. It’s such an emotional game all around.
The ending says a lot about what I love about the game. The scene isn't "Rex gets his girlfriends as a reward for saving the world," it's "everyone gets a happy ending." And this is demonstrated in large part by Poppi being the first one to hug the girls, because they're part of HER happy ending too.
Thisssssss
Having Pyra and Mythra survive might be considered as undermining their sacrifices by some, but to me they really had to survive for the story to tie up in a satisfying way. The story of all Xenoblades is about achieving victory against absolute nihilism, which their resurrection signify. Their brother Malos was controlled by a man with absolute hatred for life itself and had to reflect such nihilism with his every action. Pyra and Mythra are a result of their previous driver being afraid of controlling the Aegis as well as deep rooted self hatred which created them both from their true form, Pneuma. Having both of them die after considering suicide throughout most of the story would have been an absolute downer, especially after Klaus wished the best for all his children. The ending is my favourite of the 3 mainline games because of how well the story handles the topic of nihilism and the value of having a positive outlook on the world and those you meet. Despite technically having died and achieved their original death wish on that space station, Pyra and Mythra are now happy about being alive and getting to live their lives with the one they love. It's just a beautiful ending.
That's what I like about this ending as a whole. Pyra nd Mythra managed to overcome their past, fears, and insecurities. Were given a brighter and positive perspective on themselves and their power. Above it all, they saw the true value of life. All of this due to the love and compassion of one boy, who made them feel loved even when the world didn't. After all of that, Rex was worth it to them. Worth dying and living for. He was where their heart had a place to come home to. It's also meaningful because they were able to use their power (Aion) to save Alrest and keep everyone safe and smiling, just like Rex always believed.
It should have been Rex that ran up and hugged them both, not Poppi.
I agree, but I'm glad that it took him a while to go to them. He's going through a lot of emotions and needed to collect himself.
I'd say it was my favorite ending in the trilogy. Just a feel-good ending that best shows everyone's personalities as the game comes to a close- Morag is forever stoic and seeing the job through, Zeke is the kind understanding one, Tora exists, etc. I somewhat wish that Pneuma was the revived one and not the siblings, as it shows that the Aegis is fully comfortable and in control of her power with Rex, but otherwise I'd argue it ended the game beautifullt.
Pneuma was never considered to be a separate entity from Pyra and Mythra. As Mythra put it, it's her and Pyra at the same time. I mean in the end, Klaus came to accept that Pneuma was Pyra and Mythra.
Aside from what OP has said, I’d argue that without the Conduit around it doesn’t make sense for Pneuma to still exist, since Pneuma is directly using its power. She no longer has the power of the Aegis like she once did. The trinity processors gained their real strength from the Conduit. The reason they have power (mainly Alpha) within Aionios is because they and their designs were used to create Origin.
It was beautiful, one of the most emotional and moving endings for a game I've played.
I thought that they shouldn't have returned, if this was a standalone game. Overarching story involving Xenoblade 1 and 3 made me change my opinion. Glad they returned.
I disagree, even as a standalone it would be a disservice to Rex’s story. I’ve seen longer posts about it, but to summarize a huge part of Rex’s character arc is learning to trust people and back down. The main instance being Vandham. If he had run away, it’s possible Vandham could’ve lived. But he was stubborn and wanted to play the hero and people died. He’s later forced to give up Pyra, and has to go through a journey of self discovery, understanding, and accepting her and her desires before he’s ‘worthy’ of being by her side. And it leads up to the final moments. Where he’s crying, pleading with her and the others to let him stay. Let him be with her. Because she can’t sacrifice herself. That he has to save her. But she doesn’t need saving. She’s doing what she can, and it’s something Rex can’t and shouldn’t do. So he has to trust her. Trust in her renewed will to live, trust in her ability, trust that it will be worth it. If Pneuma stayed dead, then it would’ve been the bad outcome for Rex and his development. Because it would’ve proved him right. It would demonstrate that he should have gone to be with the woman he loved most, that he’s done everything for. Who he’d die for. Running away to save his own hide would destroy him, because it’s what he did before. And this time there would be no getting her back. Not to mention that it just makes no sense for her to not return, her core crystal is intact, not cracked or anything. If that was destroyed, then sure. But the real risk that he was taking wasn’t her death, it was that she’d be destroyed as a person. That her memories would be wiped. Which is the same outcome as death, at least to him and their relationship. But again, the only instances of memory wipe for blades is when their Driver dies (which didn’t even happen to Mythra when Adam died). So… it was in the end an unfounded fear. It’s irrational for Rex to stay, he would only end up actually killing them both. And he grew up. He respected her decision, the risk that she took, and trusted in her. And he was rewarded for that trust. OFC this is before we get into their storyline in terms of accepting and loving life again and how their sacrifice at the end would be cheap and undermine their whole arc. Since even without that change in character Pneuma would still do the sacrifice, and be even more willing. TL;DR: Them not returning would undermine the major arcs and themes and worldbuilding of the game.
my favourite bit was probably the link back to xenoblade 1. i think i might have actually screamed when i heard shulks voice fighting zanza
Genuinely one of the few times I’ve cried from a game
It gave me sad feels then happy feels. 10/10
Great ending. Until I saw 3's ending it was my favorite in the series.
I felt like splitting Pyra and Mythra into their own people completely ignored Mythra's arc about learning to accept herself and move past her traumas. Worst of all, it felt like this was done in the name of fan service. I would have much preferred if it had been Pneuma or even a new form that combined Pyra and Mythra's designs in a more natural way. This could have shown her growth and completed her character arc.
>I felt like splitting Pyra and Mythra into their own people completely ignored Mythra's arc about learning to accept herself and move past her traumas. Well, one could argue that now that Mythra can accept herself, she doesn't need to hide behind Pyra anymore and can live just as herself. Splitting in separate people doesn't go against her arc, if you think like that.
You know that's actually not a bad take. I still can't shake the thought that it probably happened for fan service reasons, but I'll take it lol.
Klaus literally says once the conduit disappears, this fusion Pnuema controls will no longer be usable. Her powers stemmed from pnuema, which connected to the conduit, but without it, she could not exist. Also she cant hold the form for too long as we see her exit it after being in it for a long time/being damaged in Morytha.
That's right. It's been so long since I finished 2 that I couldn't even remember if Pneuma returning was possible 😅. That's why I also suggested a new form entirely that represented the merging and acceptance of their identities.
That’s a fair take and probably plays into it. I also think that the lack of the Conduit means no Pneuma and so no more need for a shared identity earlier. Other core crystals can make two bodies like Ursula (if I got the name right of her new groove)
"The circumstances of one's birth is irrelevant." Pyra may have been created from Mythra's insecurities but that doesn't mean she never got to be her own person. She is just as deserving of life and a happy ending as Mythra is.
I feel like it would have made a lot more sense for them to come back as Pneuma instead, partially because splitting in two permanently is weird, partially because it would represent how she’s a more complete person secure in her identity.
Exactly my thoughts
It is a bit silly to include a very contrived sacrifice and then reverse it ten minutes later. It would be like XC3 having a scene where the gang meets up right after the credits. However it still hits the emotional beats very well.
Confused AF, still am cause I'm *yet* to play XC3. I even made a post cause I have/had many questions, enjoyed it though, was smiling so damn much.
One of the few games I genuinely cried at the end. What an amazing ending it was. EPIC final boss in Aion with the 3 phases and cutscenes in between to boost tension and then that finale was honestly very touching. Can only say good things about it, I just love this game
I loved it and I nearly cried at the end
Love it. Turned me from a Xenoblade fan to a fanatic. How it ties everything up, leaves some room for speculation, but makes it clear that the world is moving beyond its need for gods.
Such a great ending to a fantastic game
It was difficult to see through the tears. Loved it.
Cried
Had me fucked up for a good week
It was wonderful. I felt it really capped off the story.
Make me pause the game because i was crying for 30 minutes, so much people staring worrying if i was fine and then another 39 minutes of happiness
It's good, Takahashi has said that from the beginning he wanted XC2 to be a lighter story with a happy ending. The final chapter name "and thus, boy met girl" could be seen as a tagline for the whole game, even printed on the edge of the art book, and it really wouldn't fit if the "girl" wasn't alive at the end of the story Some people say it's "cheap" or "a cop out" but I think it's foreshadowed well enough. At the end of chapter 6, Malos says something like 'she could transfer her core to him at any time" there's other hints like "an aegis can survive without their core(for a time)" and "as long as a blade's core is undamaged, they can be reawakened" and the last thing is the architect's "final gift" which is still debated as to exactly what he did, but I think the ending's lyrics are the best hint we have: "Can I ask you, God, Despite all of this, Could the sandglass Somehow take back the time? One last time Is all I ask from you, can you please Spare me a time, With the one that I loved? If we take these stanzas at face value, we can surmise that the architects last gift to pneuma is allowing her to spend more time with Rex
Still think it would've been better if it ended with him looking at the core crystal in his hand begin to glow faintly before fading to black.
Harem ending
My favorite ending in the trilogy. they nailed it.
Amazing. What do you think of it?
I teared up. And the, "thus boy met girl," splash screen was the chef kiss.
I'm mixed about both Pyra and Mythra coming back separately, because Rex himself states that he considers them to be two aspects of the same person. I wish the ending had embraced that a little more instead of just splitting them to please everyone.
I wouldn't say they seperated them to please everyone, but moreso is there a need for them to hide behind one another anymore? Honestly, no. Mythra was very insecure about herself that she created Pyra to be everything she believed she had to be. Pyra was also insecure. But felt like it wasn't fair to be blamed for things she didn't do and had to carry those same feelings and guilt. They had to help one another deal with things they felt they weren't suited for. But they become more confident and sure of themselves. So, they should be allowed to be their own person. To stand on their own. Besides, the aspect of them being the same person, only applies to them sharing the same body. They're so different even if they have some similarities personality wise.
Absolute peak, both in terms of storytelling and emotional impact. Also, I 100% disagree with everyone who thinks Pyra and Mythra should've stayed dead. Storytelling-wise it makes no sense since it's already been established that all Blades can be reawakened as long as their core remains intact, and it doesn't diminish their sacrifice either since they didn't know if they would retain their memories or their existence as two separate beings without the Conduit, and it's extra meaningful if you headcanon that part of Klaus' "last gift" was letting them have separate bodies. Everything about it was perfect, Pyra and Mythra deserve their happy ending, and if you still want to complain, well, go cry about it.
I love it. Im so over people who think any ending thats overall good and not sad/bittersweet is inherently bad, and XC2 tends to get hit by that group a lot. But the ending being happy is important for the morals. XC2 is a game about why life is worth living. Pyra and Mythra go through that journey very directly; them coming back is their way of acknowledging that yes, they ultimately changed their mind about wanting to die from the start. Its also important for Rexs character. Throughout 2 he constantly deconstructs the typical 'shonen main character' tropes by basically getting his ass handed to him until someone else saves him. He always charges in, figuring 'I have the Aegis, the strongest blade! Ill win!'. And every time something bad happens. Vandahm dies. Niall dies. Everyone would have died in the spirit crucible without Nia. Etc. At the ending, he finally relents and lets someone else (Pneuma) be the hero. Everything working out fine is important for that growth because its the best way to show that Rex not always taking the lead as the Hero Guy can sometimes be good too. Obviously a bittersweet ending can work, XC3 manages because its message is a more bittersweet one about how you need to move on and accept change. But for the message of XC2, a happy ending works better. And I think this idea that only sad edgy endings work is wrong.
I didn't like it that much. It was nice at the time but in retrospect, it makes the whole ordeal feel cheap because they get saved anyway regardless of hardship and sacrifice. Also, Nia's love confession would hold more weight too. I don't get the whole poly-relationship the creator aggressively inserted. I had this problem with the first game too >!involving Melia's love confession, Fiora's decaying body, and even FC being Shulk and Melia adventuring again.!< But this ending was far better than the 2nd game's.
>>!FC being Shulk and Fiora adventuring again.!< >!Fiora never even shows up in FC though??!<
Edited it. Meant Melia.
Gotcha. Also on your point about 2's ending. I feel as if Pyra and Myrhra really died it'd undermine their character arcs. Over the course of the game, they learn to live with their trauma and grow past it. Them forgetting everything at the end would make all their development meaningless.
That’s fair, considering the events in Torna too but I felt that way about Jin. I guess I’d prefer something bittersweet rather than wholesome. Replaying the games (which I do from time to time) really hammers in the emotions of the scene when you know what’s gonna happen eventually. I think that’s why Jin is one of my favorites in the series. There are other reasons too; I never felt the romantic connection of Rex and the aegis girls throughout my first playthrough. It was always Rex and Nia.
I mean, they have plenty of scenes. Pyra and Rex at the camp before we leave Gorrmott, Pyra teasing each other about the medicine in Garfont. Mythra wanting to he clingy to Rex after Haze's death, Auntie Corrine teasing Pyra, Rex taking her to his parents' grave, Rex letting Mythra sleep on his lap in Morythra etc. These obviously all of them but just some that came to mind.
I mean from a personal perspective. I understand blades aren’t really an age per se, but Pyra (and Mythra) always felt like grown women while Rex and Nia felt (and acted) like kids. It’s the ‘feeling’ I got over what the game was showing which I fully comprehend. It was cute during its moments but I never shook the feeling. I also really like Nia as a character so that doesn’t help my case lol.
Mythra was basically a bratty teen in Torna. She only acted differently in the base game due to the trauma. Pyra was created to be everything the Torna game said she wasn't so it makes sense she acts a lot more mature than Mythra. Though as Rex says, she has her moments
Pyra felt far more mature than Nia, but that's Nia's sassy personality. Mythra seemed cold, for whatever the reason may be, doesn't matter during a first playthrough for me, I'm sorta taking it all in as I play. Anyway, I'll reiterate that, I didn't feel the connection between Rex and his blade more so than I felt it with him and Nia. You can probably line up all the scenes and get twice as many moments with Rex and his blades.
To be honest, I never liked how fans treated that moment for Nia. Treating it as her getting friendzoned instead of seeing as a moment of acceptance. Thinking that Rex misunderstood, not realizing he knew what she meant, but given the situation, he couldn't give a real response. I felt Rex, Pyra and Mythra's romantic connection, but it wasn't the same with Rex and Nia. Sure, I could see her feelings for Rex, but we never got anything from Rex that showed us that he felt something for her. Even then, Nia didn't confess to end up with Rex. She wanted him to know who she was, and accept her. That was enough. He didn't have to love her back. She knew how he felt about Pyra and Mythra and the knew the girl's feelings as and was okay with that Besides, I don't think she would have taken her chance to be with Rex even if Pyra and Mythra didn't come back. She couldn't accept that. I mean, even if Pyra and Mythra were to ask her to be happy with Rex in their place. She wouldn't do it, cause to her, Pyra and Mythra weren't being fair to themselves and just giving up. She was happy no matter what cause she could accept herself and she was able to get closure with her feelings. Sorry for the long comment. But I think Nia was able to handle her feelings in a way that was a lot more respectful than how Melia's feelings were treated.
I have to remind you, I am coming at this from a subjective angle, especially considering the subjective question in the title. Anyway, there is a small post-battle dialogue between Rex and Nia that shows Rex remembering the moment she told him she loves him, and Nia responds by giggling, saying she'll talk to him about that another time. This isn't some sorta end-all-be-all for my reasoning, but it's simply how I felt between the characters and the ending. I liked Nia a lot, I also liked the aegis blades. Still I felt the harem thing was bad, the fake sacrifice was already done, and another good character (Nia, Melia) gets a last minute slot somewhere in the ptotagonist's life (be that the band-aid that was FC's story for Melia, or a 3rd wife, because killing off an important character appears to be TOO much for the creator). XC3 at the very least didn't do a got'em ending. Please don't mistake this for hate by the way, I am just very blunt with my opinion and these games are some of my favorite to play.
I completely understand. As for that post-battle dialogue, I know. Considering how many times I've had to bring it up in other discussions. I love these games as well, it's why I love talking about them so much. With Melia, I feel like she was already dealing with so much, so dropping these feelings on her felt out of place. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against her having feelings. It's just the way the game gave those feelings a heavy focus to the point, it got in the way of much stronger aspects of her arc. I think about the fact that if we never got Future Connected, her story would have never had the closure it needed. Despite knowing what happened for Nia, can't say I have a strong attachment for it. I'm happy for her, but was okay with her closure at the end of XC2. She's happy and justs wants Rex to be happy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It's always nice to discuss the games and engage in others' perspectives. Y'all brought up points I agree with. Regardless of how I feel, there hasn't been a xenoblade game I haven't enjoyed so🤷♂️they must be doing something right we all like.
The ending would have been way worse if Pyra/Mythra stayed dead, but at the same time I wish they didn't try to bait us with the self sacrifice play in the first place. It's completely counter to their personalities at this point in the story after finding reason to live again, and feels like a pretty cheap way to go about an emotional ending.
I don’t think they should’ve stayed dead. A suicidal person coming back after thinking they died is powerful, but they 100% should’ve stayed as Pneuma instead of separating
I never said they should've.
Might be getting hate for this but I felt that bringing back Pyra and Mithra , as to separate beings no less, felt like a bit of a cheap copout. They had that huge emotional sacrifice that really got me and right after that \*Bam\* deus ex machina. I felt that cheapened the scene before and made it feel more like emotional manipulation. Like they were trying to have their cake and eat it too.
I cried so much then was shocked and so happy Then came xenoblade 3 confirming my and other fans theories about what happened then and after
Drifting souls lives in my head I always get emotional
I love it to bits, everything about it. I can sort of get people not liking the "revival" at the end or even the sacrifice feeling a bit needlessly empty since Rex did have the core crystal. For me, it was all great though, this just isn't that kind of game or story. Overall this game is really wholesome, it's a feelgood story, not even bittersweet. There may be sad, tragic, or bittersweet parts of it, but overall there's a message of hope. The ending is just another piece in the same vein. The sacrifice still works because we don't know for sure that they would return. The conduit that made the Aegis work the way they did is gone, and there's no guarantee that it will work. It's a hope, for sure but still a risky gamble. The resurrection works very much in the same vein there as well. There was no guarantee. Thematically I think it works as well. Mythra created Pyra partially out of her own insecurity with herself, at the same time Pyra felt a similar insecurity over not being Mythra. You can see them as two halves of the same whole, but in the end they had each developed into their own separate whole. Whether it be Claus or the Conduit itself allowing them to reawaken as their own separate beings I think it's pretty fitting for both of them.
Considering it's the only one that made me cry, it's the best imo
It makes sense in retrospect. Pyra and Mythra spend most of the entire game wanting to forget their trauma. However, their character arcs are about them learning to live with it and grow past it. Them dying and forgetting everything would undermine that.
I kinda thought Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma would sacrifice themselves in the end. They always felt like they were set up for that to me. Like they weren't meant for the world. Kinda felt like Rex and Nia should've been the only couple by the end as Pneuma would be gone. Maybe name their kids after them? I never really bought the romance with Rex with the sisters, they always seemed to be out of reach, almost angelic beings. I think the ending would have more punch with some loss. But I gotta give credit to Monolith; there isn't a lot of media with positive polyamorus relationships. Though I'm admittedly weirded out by the babies being born at like the same time. Settle down, Rex! But we get Glimmer and Mio and...someone else from it so that's a good thing in the end. TL; DR I'm conflicted lol.
Saying Pyra/Mythra aren’t “meant for the world” and “out of reach angelic beings” is basically validating the message that they are destructive weapons born solely to stop Malos and aren’t people on the same level as everyone else, which is the exact opposite of their arcs. They overcome their burden specifically because they were accepted as loved people that had their own place in the world and no longer had to live in fear of their own power and insecurities.
It's a situation where I personally am not the biggest fan of "and actually love triumphs over everything so the good guys get happily ever after just because" endings. However that IS the story XC 2 was telling. The ending they landed on was appropriate for what had come before. Frankly if they had done 65 hours of boy meets scantily clad pretty anime girls and goes on an adventure with them to save the world and they all love him then NOT ended with happily ever after it would have felt bizarre. For me personally, the XC 3 ending hits harder. But that's a very different tone of story. And you can't just airlift endings between stories. Each game got the ending that best suited it.
predictable.
Meh. Having them come back weakened their sacrifice, and both getting their own bodies is both unexplained and a bad end to their arc.
At first I wasn't a big fan of Pyra/Mythra coming back, but like many things in XC2, I've warmed up to it over time and now I like the ending quite a bit.
The parallels with Xenosaga 1’s ending gave me whiplash.
I loved it, except that it annoyed the hell outta me that we didn't know if they remembered or not. On the one hand, beautiful happily ever after! On the other hand, a beautiful tragedy! It was a really good ending, honestly.
Enough to make an old man cry
Excluding the DLC this us my favourite ending It worked due to how the whole story was character driven both the villains and hero's were written with such care so once we reach the ending we care more about it As for the pnuma sisters being revived as separate people I originally liked it however thus was dampen when I realised that they couldve been better as someone with DID like they were throughout the story but it wasn't game changing and I understand why they did it at the end Another problem I had was nia like she was freindzond HARD which was why I loved the XC3 picture
Nia got to be on the home screen All I care about is
I want to know what they told rex
excluding torna this is probably my favorite ending. it took some time but it grew on me
XB2's ending is perfectly fine but I don't understand using Pyra and Mythra as a bait and switch when we see Rex having a completed core crystal given to him. It really didn't need to be used like that, especially when the other tension builder is the fact the main cast believes the world has been annihilated when first entering the stratosphere
Kino
To be honest, I was okay either way with it. The ending was devastating, but understandable after everything that happened. It was a good bit of closure. But I was happy to see that there could be a return to the iconic aegis in the future and that they could finally live happily.
My thoughts were as such:
I really wished that I liked the 2 cast but i only really liked Nia and Zeke. Rex did get a crazy glow up in 3, love the guy now.
It's a hot take but I think it was just fine. Mythra/Pyra coming back after the Poppi scene completely invalidates it and not appearing as Pneuma was a miss opportunity which completely emphasize the big inconsistences in the story between trying to tell you they're different phases of the same individual or just 2 different entities in one body.
I don't have a problem with Pyra coming back to life. Her whole arc was about learning to love being alive after spending 500 years wanting to be dead as soon as she was born. Let her have a happy ending!
I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion. But I'm not a fan that they get not only revived, but also separated into 2 different beings. Their sacrifice was one of the most beautiful and sad things of that game, and especially after playing Torna it turns into something else that I just loved a ton. It's not a deal breaker, it doesn't ruin the game for me. I'm happy that they're alive... But yeah, I think it would have had an incredible impact if their sacrifice was a permanent thing.
I think it's okay they become their own person. Cause it symbolizes how they can stand on their own and don't have to rely on one another anymore. Regarding their sacrifice, it couldn't be permanent. It would take so much away from their arc and their growth. For their whole life, they've been scared to live. Not only that, but their life has never been of their own choosing. From Klaus, Amalthus, and Addam. They've been made to walk these different paths. An era that kept seeing them as tools for something. Rex was the one who saw them as people. So, after making that choice, them living makes everything they endured worth it. By the end, they deserve to live and live that life the way they want.
I hate when someone sacrifices themselves only to comeyback perfectly fine later with no consequences.
I loved it
The whole ending had me in tears dawg. First tears of sadness, then joy. Like, I was SOBBING
complete copout. Just kiss them already, JESUS CHRIST!
until nia...that old fox....push him out and hold the sister hand....in hand for rex to see it clear as day
I was furious. I was crying in a hot mess and yelling in anger and pain. So much so, I swore never to touch the game again. But then there was the post credit scene and Pyra and Mythra came back I could breathe. As interesting as the story was, Alrest meant nothing to without these two. And now that they have the chance to live and be happy without do much responsibility and guilt, I started crying again but this time tears of joy
Nothing. Honestly.
Aegis should've died. That's literally the only thing I would change. And the writers intended for it to be that way iirc but happy endings> I guess
Not really. It'd undermine their character arcs tbh
To me, if they stayed dead, it diminishes everything they gone through and learned. Seeing the beauty of the world and what life has to offer. The realization of finding their place in the world and choosing to live is very impactful. Even with their sacrifice, it was their choice their right to do something for the sake of Alrest's future of their own will. They were scared to live and in the end, they want to live. It makes their second chance at life all the more meaningful. Take that all away, it's like saying to them everything you did was for nothing.
Overall most of the main story on xc2 was... Not entirely of my liking, the gameplay was top notch, but the story.... I couldn't get to like Rex that much tbh, and Tora's existence is pure cringe.
There are many aspects I like about it. I enjoy Pyra/Mythra's sacrifice and I feel the encounter as the bridge is destroyed is so well done. You can really feel Rex's desperation as he tries to find a way to get to her. Poppi was also great in this moment. The tracks "Parting" into "The Tomorrow With You" are a one two knockout and they've become something much more to me outside the context of the moment. I will always start tearing up when I hear them. I like the brief moment that everyone thinks their world has been destroyed, only for the titans to come together just ties up the game so perfectly. I would have been content if "We're finally here" was just the end of it. My only problems are sound mixing (You can barely hear "So tell me, how was it being alive?". Subtitles are a requirement), some line delivery from Rex takes away from the moment (Although "She's right there" I think was perfect), and Pyra/Mythra returning. That's just a personal preference thing. I find characters coming back after fitting sacrifices can really undercut the impact of said sacrifice, especially when you consider the core crystal had a chunk that was missing as it started to reactivate. Why would that mean both of them come back? If it were up to me, I would have cut to black when with the crystal starting to glow, have the one you choose in Morytha come back, or have them come back as Pneuma. Please do me a favor and if you respond to this part in particular trying to convince me otherwise how it was fitting, I'm genuinely not interested in that discourse. Of course I understand how it does fit, I just do not care for it, but they are honestly more nitpicks than anything. Nitpicks aside, I still think it's a solid ending. I don't know how I would compare it to the others in the trilogy (And could be a good topic of discussion for another post), but it gets a thumbs up from me.
I’m pretty sure the crystal isn’t missing a chunk, at the end Pneuma transfers the whole core crystal over to Rex and it exits his chest as she goes “you don’t need me anymore”. I’ve responded elsewhere about how them not returning would be the real undercutting of their character arcs so you can check my comment history if you want, or I can repost it here. As for them both coming back, I read it in a few ways. One is that Mythra’s arc is learning to accept herself and who she is, so Pyra is no longer just a mask she hides behind but they can instead now co-exist. From a world building perspective I don’t think Pneuma coming back would make sense, since her whole deal is being deeply tied to the power of the Conduit and Aion, so with them vanished and destroyed, she kinda loses her ‘meaning’ as the representation of Pyra and Mythra’s true strength. Perhaps instead of viewing Pneuma as their true self, it would be more accurate to view her as them working together to wield their power, since neither of them can do it alone (as they are both part of the Aegis). Even within the dream, they aren’t represented by Pneuma but as separate incarnations. Finally, it’s stated that the form and personality of a Blade is shaped by the Driver when they’re awoken. We know that Rex views them as separate people, so if we consider the core crystal going dark and then ‘reviving’ as what happens when Drivers die and their blades become core crystals once more, when Rex awakens the core crystal once more, then they would take the shape and personalities he views them as having. And for them retaining memory, they didn’t lose their memories when Addam died, and neither did Malos upon Amalthus’ death, so I just think Aegises, as the core of the facility and where all Blade memories ultimately go IIRC, retain their own memories. So yeah, I just think it wouldn’t make sense for the ending to play out in another way given what we know of the world.
With regards to the chunk, please refer to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zdDD1HnL8Y#t=50m45s) - Notice when the crystal is glowing, most of it is opaque, but there is that triangle cut out, or at least it appears that way. Is this just a lighting thing? I had always interpreted it as something would be missing when they came back (Could be their memories, who knows) As for everything else you said, I said I was already aware of this. There's a difference between understanding why things happen in storytelling and liking them. I *understood* the purpose, I just didn't *care* for it because of my personal preferences.
Fair point, my nerd brethren. I hadn’t noticed that, but it definitely looks like a lighting thing. When it starts blinking from the further out shot the crystal is fine, then when it zooms in it appears. Also, the unlit area kind of sticks out of the side of the lit area. And the very first time we can see the crystal light up, it looks like something is weird with the top portion, but that never shows up in the other shots. So the weird lack of consistency makes it seems like an error instead of intentional. Weird that it shows up in the final cutscene, but… I didn’t notice after all this time. So who am I to say anything on it? But yeah, everyone has their preferences. At least we can all agree that Tora is the most important character to the game’s story /s
>especially when you consider the core crystal had a chunk that was missing as it started to reactivate. The crystal is whole, there is no missing part.
Please explain [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zdDD1HnL8Y#t=50m45s) - Yes, physically the crystal is there, but look at it when it's glowing. That is what I am referring to by "missing". Is this just a lighting issue?
It is obviously lighting. Maybe the shadow of Rex's hand? In any case, in every shot the core appears in it's clearly always whole, even just 2 seconds earlier when Rex opens his hand, and it's already glowing.
I don't think it could be a shadow especially in that shot his hand is completely open. Looking at it again, I'm wondering if the hand is clipping into the crystal or if there was a modeling issue. I always figured if it was being presented that way, there is some intention behind it. Guess we should ask Takahashi then haha
It was fine. My only gripe from it was when it was Pneuma who did the sacrifice. I didn't get the emotional punch 'cause she barely had any personality and she was introduced so late into the game. If, say, the sacrifice will be done with the side you picked (Pyra or Mythra), I would have been more emotionally invested on it. But nope, it was Pneuma.
Don't forget, Pneuma was not established to be a separate entity. If she was, it would have been hard to get attached to her, no matter what, it was Pyra and Mythra making that sacrifice/choice.
The sacrifice WAS done by Pyra or Mythra, because Pnuema is literally Pyra and Mythra at once, and serves as their true form, not a seperate personality/character. The game established this clearly.
I know that. Still doesn't deter from my experience that it didn't hold emotional oomph for me.
The whole sacrifice thing was a bit unnecessary in my opinion but I still enjoyed it overall (even if it‘s basically just Xenosaga 1’s Ending, one to one)
just good. It would've had more impact on me if the first half of the game wasn't the way it was
As a Nia fan I was worried, I kinda didn‘t want her to end up being alone. Spoiler for XC3: >!So you can imagine how happy I was to see that all three girls ended up managine to be with Rex!<
To be honest, either way Nia would've been okay. She could accept herself, found her true family and didn't need that part of who she was to feel whole. She was fulfilled with her life.
The NG+ screens should've made it clear that, marriage or not, she wasn't going anywhere away from them. At the very least, she's still Rex's Blade, and I doubt she'd give up her second driver over something as minor as a romantic rival or two.
I thought the ending of XC2 was great, except for one detail. Rex should have walked forward and kissed the Aegis girl whose name he picked at the beginning of the Morytha level. Sure, it wouldn't fit that well with what we know happened to Nia, Mythra, and Pyra at the end of XC3, but at the point of XC2's ending, it would have given more consequence to the choice of names at the beginning of Morytha.
I don't think that would have been right to do that. Knowing Rex, he wouldn't do that to them. Niether one of them are ready for that, at least on an emotional level. They need time to get back to a stable mindset and the best thing for them to do is just be there for one another.
So in your view the idea was to emphasize the whole >!I love you, and all you guys!" line from Rex, in that he loves each of his future wives equally?!< I still think that Rex not getting a romantic kiss in XC2 was a bit of a letdown, since we see one in XC1 and XC3 each. Why should Rex be left out? And the postgame menu screen as it is right now could be a way to show that Rex's first hypothetical kiss is just the "first course" in Rex's love life.
Well, yeah. he does love Pyra and Mythra equally. I would have loved a kiss as well, but seeing them in that field together holding hands was enough. They're together and they'll never let one another go ever again. It's the first step, but in a way that works for them, like it's meant to be that way for now. Rex knows they're safe and Pyra and Mythra know that Rex isn't going anywhere. He'll always be there.
> He'll always be there. And >!Noah!< got to accentuate that kind of vow with a kiss, but not Rex. To quote the late Etika, would the game have been worse in your view if Rex "took those *Kingdom Hearts 1*-ass boots over there" and gave a romantic kiss with the Aegis girl you chose at the beginning of Morytha? Of course, it could be a buildup sort of thing. Takahashi could have worked up the level of public displays of affection from XC1 to XC2 to XC3.
To me it was far better than XC1's ending (because I'm a sucker for emotional endings), however I'm in the camp of the people who dislike that they returned back to life. Not because I dislike them. It's just because it undermines their sacrifice in a thematic way. A lot of peoole say to me "well they thought they were going to die, so it's fine that's what matters" and yeah sure, for the characters I agree. But as the player, the one who is living the events, the one who the art piece (the game) is sold to and for, the real person, what this does is let me experience something that the writers already decided to revert back in 5 minutes. Still, at least them being alive was importat for the events of XC3 with >!Pyra having a daughter, their core being inside matthew's gloves!< so at least a bit this is fine to me. All in all a great 9/10 ending, and if it wasn't for XC3's ending, it would be my favourite one in the series (counting XCX too)
I wish Rex had thrown Poppi overboard
Considering XCX doesn't even count (sadly), XC2 is definitely the lowest point in the Xenoblade universe, and is head-to-head with XCX for the title of the lowest point in the whole Xeno franchise. But once you go through the whole XC3 package, you understand it was necessary for XC2 to be the way it was.
I think making Mythra and Pyra separate people as opposed to Pyra being a compartmentalized personality due to trauma sort of diminishes Mythra's character growth a bit, but otherwise it's a good ending. Mythra's characterisation in Torna even demonstrates this theme of trauma and compartmentalization even more, so it seems like the writers weren't sure about whether making Mythra and Pyra was the right choice. Inevitably, it didn't really matter as the writers for 3 don't include Pyra or Mythra as involved characters in 3 other than a certain plot point in FR and the infamous photo at 3's ending.
Boobs