Lingering Sentiment

The Lingering Sentiment (留まりし思念) is an unlockable secret boss featured in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and briefly playable character at the climax of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. It is merely the lost soul of Keyblade wielder Terra residing within the man's discarded armor, the soul and armor lost to him during the final battle with Master Xehanort.

Journal Entry
A man connected to the portal﻿ which appeared at Disney Castle.

The armor covering his body can master the Keyblade's power much more than Sora.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
After losing his first battle with Terra, Master Xehanort witnessed the creation of the X-Blade along with the young Keyblade wielder. Seeking to use the man's darkness as a younger, more powerful weapon as he ventured further into the mysteries of the Keyblade War, Master Xehanort then proceeded to unlock his heart. Terra attempted to shield himself with his armor, this proving to no avail, the man becoming a younger incarnation of Master Xehanort. Just as the new Xehanort began venture away from the place of Terra's fall, he soon found himself trapped within a force field, turning to find Terra's armor standing reassembled before him, Terra's soul having found residence within it. Angered by Terra's defiance, he then engaged the Lingering Sentiment in a long, fierce battle.

In the end, the Lingering Sentiment emerged victorious, knocking Xehanort unconscious. The armored figure then thrust its Keyblade into the ground, kneeling down (in a similar fashion to that of its Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix incarnation upon its meeting with Sora eleven years later). Soon after, Xehanort consumed in an immense sphere of light, the result of Aqua and Ventus shattering the X-Blade during the process of defeating Vanitas. Kingdom Hearts then disappeared from the sky above, the Lingering Sentiment to remain alone in the Keyblade Graveyard, promising to Aqua and Ven that someday, somehow, it would put an end to the conflict.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
After the defeat of Xemnas, a portal to the Keyblade Graveyard appeared in Disney Castle. Sora, Donald, and Goofy proceeded to enter the portal and find the Lingering Sentiment, which at first mentioned Aqua and Ventus. It then mistook Sora as "the one he has chosen," wondering if Sora was Xehanort before finally attacking him. Sora managed to defeat the Lingering Sentiment after an intense battle, and the Lingering Sentiment respectfully acknowledging Sora as a true Keyblade master. If Sora returned for another match, the Sentiment would accept its defeat, but not before stating that it had nothing left to give him and that all it had left is its hatred for Xehanort.

In the game, the Sentiment speaks to Sora through enigmatic sounds, much like Xemnas did in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, yet Sora appears to be capable of understanding it, demonstrated by when he, Donald and Goofy immediately take fighting stances when the Sentiment mentions Xehanort.

As a Playable Character
When playing as the Lingering Sentiment during the final battle with Xehanort at the Keyblade Graveyard in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, it should be noted that it loses Terra's ability to use D-Links and Command Styles. It can, however, use Terra's Shoot Lock, Sonic Shadow, in which it surrounds itself in darkness before charging into an enemy (Xehanort) multiple times. Retaining Terra's immense power, the Lingering Sentiment only has access to the basic abilities equipped before the battle begins. It is also able to use magic to some degree. While Terra was able to wield whichever Keyblade the player equipped, the Lingering Sentiment's weapon is preset as the Gaia Bane.

Weapon
When the new Xehanort was born, he sacrificed both Terra's armor and the Gaia Bane Keyblade for Master Xehanort's old weapon. Because Terra's soul resided within the Lingering Sentiment, it was able to wield the Gaia Bane to conquer Xehanort once and for all. The Gaia Bane would then remain with the Lingering Sentiment in its solitude at the Keyblade Graveyard, the animated armor using the blade a second time to battle Sora eleven years later.

Personality
As the Lingering Sentiment is truly an inanimate object, it cannot feel or possess a personality of its own. Since it was brought to life by Terra's discarded soul, however, it is able to "feel" a strong hatred towards Xehanort, as well as a close connection and devotion to Aqua and Ventus.

Appearance
The Lingering Sentiment is an animated suit of armor. The helmet is mostly gold, excpet for the visor, which is black, and it sports two, red prongs, one on either side of the helmet, that point straight up The arms, legs, and ribs of the armor is black had have orange patterns decorating them. Its knee guards, gauntlets, breast plate, and armored boots are gold, and there are other, smaller pieces of gold armor on its legs. It wears black shoulder pauldrons with gold edges. The front of the armor on the Lingering Sentiment's torso is red, as are small pieces of armor on its lower legs and gauntlets. It also wears gold anklets with red spikes on the back that curve upward sharply.

In Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, The Lingering Sentiment's armor seems to be much darker in coloration, either because of the lack of light in the Keyblade Graveyard, or that the long period of time it spent there simply faded the armor. It also wears a cape that is gold on the outside and black on the inside, which was never part of the armor in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. While the Sentiment appeared as a secret boss while Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep was still in development, this feature was removed to prevent lagging issues during Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep's gameplay. As it is Terra's discarded armor, the Sentiment uses his main Keyblade, Gaia Bane, in all of its appearances.

Quotes

 * "Aqua... Ven... Keyblade... Who are you? I can feel it - we have met before. But when... No... it isn't you... It isn't you that I have chosen. Why isn't it him? Xe...ha...nort... Is that you? Xeha...nort... Xehanort!"
 * "I see. Your strength is... What I sensed in you is..."
 * "Xe....ha.....nort..... Where are you?"

Trivia

 * Upon its creation at the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the Lingering Sentiment doesn't wear a cape, but when Sora faces it ten years later, it does. This change was made to avoid lagging issues in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
 * Certain changes are noticeable between The Lingering Sentiment in its Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep incarnations, such as its Keyblade being bigger and armor being darker.
 * The Lingering Sentiment is the second superboss to gain a playable role, succeeding Xemnas.
 * The Sentiment's first quote, about Sora not being "the one he chose" refers to when Terra met Riku on Destiny Islands as a child and saw him to be his successor.

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