Another side, Another story...

Another side, Another story... is the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts, and the first one of the series. It was later expanded in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix's secret ending, Another Side, Another Story [deep dive].

Synopsis

Another side, Another story...

During a storm, a hooded Roxas walks through the Dark City, located in the The World That Never Was, towards the Memory's Skyscraper. He stops, looking up at the screens, and then notices many Neoshadows rising up from the ground, surrounding him. The camera moves to a blindfolded Riku, in a Black Coat, on top of Memory's Skyscraper. To defend himself, Roxas pulls out the Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblades. Riku looks to the sky, where clouds part to reveal a meteor shower. A purple, glowing heart shape surrounds Roxas, reminiscent of the Heartless symbol, but without the crossing thorns. Riku takes off his blindfold. Roxas asks a question: "Where's Sora?"

The screen blacks out, and suddenly, many quotes fly by, ending with "We'll go together". A flash, then the words "Kingdom Hearts" appears. It fades to a beach where an early version of an older Kairi looks at a meteor falling near Destiny Islands.

Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]

File:Roxas - Deep Dive.jpg

Roxas in Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]

Sora stands in the middle of the Crossroads, looking up at the night sky.

Utter silence

A message in a bottle arrives on the shore of the Dark Meridian, as the wave recedes.

A fragmented tale
A world without you
The eyes will close

A white Heartless emblem appears on a boulder for a split second, before Roxas passes through it. One of his eyes - golden yellow - is briefly shown, and he walks forward.

Something so natural

In the Dark City, Roxas walks towards the Memory's Skyscraper in the pouring rain. Clashing blades sound, and in an instant, he is surrounded by numerous Neoshadows, now holding Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Roxas engages the Heartless and easily destroys three.

The memory beyond

He continues, slashing them with his Keyblades, not hesitating to resort to kicking two of them. Three Neoshadows jump high in the air. Roxas looks up at them and follows suit, doing a backflip. The three Neoshadows land on the ground, one on top of each other and dissolving into darkness. More Neoshadows leap into the air, and Roxas proceeds to slash at them as he rises; with Oathkeeper in hand, he throws the Keyblade and eliminates four of the airborne Heartless. The Oathkeeper returns seconds before Roxas lands on the ground, and backflips up to the porch of Memory's Skyscraper, other Neoshadows beginning to crawl up the structure's gargoyle statues, as he looks out at the horde of Heartless. He looks up at the screens of the Skyscraper.

Something so simple

Riku stands atop the screens, looking down at Roxas. He smirks; Roxas mimicks the action and jumps onto a post, leaps to an extrusion on the wall, and begins running up the side of the Skyscraper, Oathkeeper and Oblivion held out at his sides. Neoshadows begin to chase after him, as new ones emerge from above, which Roxas promptly cut down. Riku walks up to the very edge of the Skyscraper's screens.

XIII
"Where's Sora?"
"We must find him..."

Roxas hurls Oblivion upward in another Strike Raid-like move, eliminating several more Neoshadows. Riku jumps off the edge, body parallel with the ground, with his arms outstretched.

12
[Ansem's other report]
"A creation born of ignorance."

The Oblivion slices through one more Neoshadow before Riku catches it; his body turns, now parallel to the Skyscraper as three more of the Heartless leap down after him.

11
Behind the darkness ≠ Door to the light

The two approach the Skyscraper's largest screen; Roxas - now wielding the Kingdom Key in his right hand - runs past the bottom of the central screen while Riku falls.

X
The secret place
"His voice... It's left me."
"This time... I'll fight."

The two pass each other, turning their head to the other before continuing on their way. The clouds above Memory's Skyscraper clear, revealing three rays of light.

9
A world between = A forgotten world
The gathering

Roxas mouths something as he and Riku continue on their paths.

VIII
The third enemy = Nobody "Who is Nobody, you ask? They are the nonexistent ones."

Roxas has flashing images of Sora during his Dive to the Heart.

VII
ENDLESS
"What took you so long, Kairi?"
"Can we do it? Against that?"

More flashes of Sora's memory. Roxas walks up to the hooded figure sitting on a rock.

HEARTLESS
"We have come for you, my liege."
"You are the source of all Heartless."

6
The Thirteenth Order
Metamorphosis
"Sora?"
"Sora...Why?"
"Your Highness! But why?"

An older Kairi watches the meteor shower on Destiny Islands.

5
Change — The third key

Riku plummets to the ground.

4
End of the world
"Is this the answer you've been looking for?"
"This is the world in its true form."
"Maybe our journey means nothing after all."

3
Paradise

Kairi reaches toward Sora.

"We'll go together."

II

A Black Coated King Mickey flips through the air, landing on the rooftop of the Memory's Skyscraper with the Kingdom Key D held behind him.

KINGOM HEARTS

Back at the Dark Meridian, Roxas approaches Xemnas again; he turns to Roxas and speaks to him.

"He looks just like you."

Sora then flies over a vast expanse of ocean, seemingly asleep, under a cloudy sky.

"Everything is coming back to me, the true..."

Characters in order of appearance

• Roxas.jpg

  Roxas

• Blindfoldriku0.jpg

  Riku

• KH2 Kairi.jpg

  Kairi

• Kh-sora-model.jpg

  Sora

• MickeyXIIIHooded.png

  King Mickey

• Cloak.jpg

  Xemnas

Enemies

• Neoshadow (KHII).png

  Neoshadows

Unlock criteria

Another side, Another story...

• Normal Difficulty
  • Complete the Hades Cup; find all 99 Puppies; seal every Keyhole
• Expert Difficulty
  • Seal every Keyhole

Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]

• Normal Difficulty
  • Complete the Hades Cup; find all 99 Puppies; seal every Keyhole; complete Jiminy's Journal
• Expert Difficulty
  • Seal every Keyhole; complete Jiminy's Journal

Application to subsequent games

"Another side, Another story..." was meant as more of a concept trailer, showing whatever ideas Nomura had for a sequel at the time; it is not meant to be taken as an actual part of the storyline for the games. Nojima, the scenario writer, explained that, after the story for Kingdom Hearts II was written, he had to go back and find places to put in the seemingly random quotes found in both "Another side, Another story..." and "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]" The idea of the Keyblade wielder was affixed to Roxas, and the blindfolded male is Riku.

The quote "The Third Enemy = Nobody" implies that the Unversed and the Heartless are the First and Second Enemies. Although a flashback in Birth by Sleep depicts several Neoshadows before the appearance of the Unversed, the Heartless did not begin attacking the Realm of Light until the period of Kingdom Hearts. Therefore, it's unclear whether the Heartless are considered the First or Second Enemy. Furthermore, the quote "A world between = A forgotten world. The Gathering." is a possible reference to the scene of the same name found at the end of Kingdom Hearts II, the teaser for Birth by Sleep. Another quote, "Changed, the third key", may reference the change of heart Riku takes in Kingdom Hearts II, with Mickey as the first key and Sora as the second key.

Except for some minor differences, such as Mickey appearing at the ending, the entire Deep Dive version of the video is the ending to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days where Roxas confronts Riku at Memory's Skyscraper.

"We'll go together" is the last line spoken by Sora to Riku on the Dark Meridian before the Door to Light takes them back home to Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts II.

Trivia

• Interestingly, Roxas is depicted with glowing yellow eyes, similar to the Heartless, and as he walks through the rock, a glowing, white Heartless emblem briefly appears on his chest.
• When the video shows the countdown from 13, it stops at 2 instead of 1, just like in old movie openings. Also, 2, 7, 8, 10 and 13 are represented as Roman numerals, while the others are shown normally.
• When Roxas throws the Oblivion to Riku and they pass each other, if one looks closely, they will see Roxas is now wielding both the Kingdom Key and Oathkeeper.
• When Roxas looks up in Riku's direction as he fights off the Neoshadows, one who looks closely at Memory's Skyscraper will notice an image of Kairi appear on the screen contained atop the building

Video

Another Side, Another Story	Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]
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