More than Muscle | The Psychology of Terra 

Terra was 100% a victim who was failed by the authority figures in his life. Glad to see that acknowledged

Terra definitely doesn't deserve as much hate as he gets.

Honestly, I feel like most people cast their judgment on Terra based on dramatic irony, not realizing that in-universe there is no reason that Terra would have to distrust Xehanort even if we know he is untrustworthy based on the game pointing to him being the villain

you could say terra is the rock for the foundation to help ven and aqua on their own journeys

ROCK! As someone who grew up in a very sheltered, religious environment, I always understood Terra's point of view. It's been a constant learning experience to trust in my own heart and realize that just because someone is an adult, doesn't make them always right. Also, thank you for mentioning found family, it's my favorite trope for these reasons

Terra's actually always been my favourite member of the Wayfinder Trio. Part of it I'll admit is his connection and parallels to Riku, my favourite character in the series, but I always picked up on a lot of these themes, and while I don't personally relate, I can tell how realistic his portrayal is. Also I can put aside the "he should've known Xehanort is evil" arguments, because it's obvious, when looked at without the context of KH2 and everything we know about Xehanort and his motives that, no, Terra shouldn't be expected to know what Xehanort's planning

This is the same treatment people give to Knuckles as to Terra. They both grew up outside the civilization, I don't understand they deserved the hate.

Terra is a bit of a complex case. But also highlights the issue with the view darkness is only evil and must be suppressed or destroyed. It is this view that causes terra to have issues controlling the darkness within him in the first place and this view causes eraques to truly try and kill one of his own students. Darkness isn't all bad just as light isn't all good

One thing I thought was being portrayed about Terra's Psyche during his scene with kid Riku was that he was still focusing on strength too much. yes he resolves to use his strength to protect his friends but he is merely directing where that strength goes. Riku who we know was also obsessed with strength could relate to terra and show a younger version of himself in him. that's why he resonated with Riku so much and failed to notice sora. Sora isn't someone who cares about strength. he cares about friendship and protection, that's why both Ven and aqua resonated with him so much and why aqua could see soras potential and considered bequeathing him, because aqua prioritizes protection of friends. I think this is also why Riku falls down the dark path like terra. Because terra still had flaws with his views only caring about strength and that bled over to Riku who because of his obsession with strength and promise to achieve something he wants succumbs to darkness like his predecessor

still one of my personal GOATs, mustering up the will to keep fighting even after losing his body and imo becoming one of the franchise's most iconic bosses

when i was younger terra was a huge source of strength for me, he pushed me to do the right thing after i heard my brother stood up to my abusive mother for me. terra's journey was the last one i took in that wretched house, i vowed to always have my brothers back and to stand against all things evil. terra taught me that darkness can be a tool to help others find the light that just because you are mired in sin and evil doesn't mean you can use it to save others you care about. its thanks to him that im as strong as i am now, and i no longer fear the worst outcome for my life. he is and always will be my favorite kh character.

The reunion of Terra and Riku was one of the things I wanted most when it came to KH3, and now after watching the break down on terra I feel like Riku could really teach him a lot about walking a middle path between light and dark if he wanted to try a different way.

Thank you! Being vulnerable and if your guardian believes you're not normal doesn't make you dumb. People want to fit in within a group. Terra is one of my favourite KH characters because I think his story is so tragic. He just wants to be "normal" and yet Eraqus didn't saw him like this and Xehanort just played with him around

Back in the day, I definitely was one who joked about Terra. But seeing now older how much manipulation and gaslighting he went through but still tried to find his own voice and what mattered to him is commendable. It’s hard when those closest to you, whom you trust, use it against you for their own desires. He’s grown a lot since the beginning ^^ -Rock-

Most underrated KH character ever!! Best person in the trio..

Such a thoughtful dissection of not only Terra's psyche, but how a person's family dynamics and social circle can create a truly malignant set of circumstances for someone, even if their heart is in the right place. He tried his best with the hand he was dealt, and he came out stronger for it. ... Also where is my 3 hour long "Psychology of Smee" video, Mr. Biological Roxas? Hmmmm?

Terra(to me) was the more relatable character out of the trio especially with him being the older brother of the group with high expectations

It’s interesting to note at the end of III, where Eraqus does say he failed his students and makes personalised apologies to Ventus (putting him through a harrowing experience), and Aqua (about the burden he placed on her), all he has for Terra specifically is that he trusts Terra to look out for Ven and Aqua, when Terra was the one who paid the heaviest price for Eraqus’s failings as a teacher. Granted, all three lost a lot, Ventus falling into an over decade long sleep to heal his shattered heart and Aqua trapped in the Realm of Darkness before falling to it herself, but Terra lost his identity and was victim to his body being stolen and used to commit dark experiments, to fight while his mouth was bound shut, his resolve manifested as the closest thing to the physical incarnation of Rage we’ve seen in the series. Eraqus owed him a “I screwed up, and you paid too heavy a price than you ever should have for it” for starters. Let’s face it, if anyone deserves flak for trusting Xehanort it’s Eraqus, because it was his responsibility to protect his students from the man he knew had ambitions to recreate the most destructive event known to Keyblade wielders. Yet he let his old friend influence him, gave him access to impressionable young individuals and at the cost of these individuals, as well as fostering an environment that would set them at ends when outside of it.

I know there might not be too much to analyze for ven but i think a “psychology of” for him would ROCK

Ignorance doesn't always mean stupidity, in this case he doesn't know how to react, so he goes with what he is told. His master is all he knows, and Terra is very similar to Aqua in this way. Aqua just adapted. Terra didn't have the tools and support group to do so. He's not dumb, he isnt weak, Terra doesn't know because he was never taught the information.

Not many RU-vidrs make me literally cheer when I see that they've uploaded, but this is certainly one of them. I love these phycology videos so much! Keep up the great work man!

Terra is just a young man trying to find himself and his purpose in world and he’s my favorite because of that this video covered that really well

rock on! I loved Terra's story, it was always the one that's overlooked, but I saw something special in it... forging ones own path completely different from what everyone else expected to have happen... in-universe, the Wayfinder trio are all insanely powerful people, and everyone always talks about how Aqua survives for over a decade in the realm of darkness or how Ven fights one of the original darknesses that spawned from the original primordial force of darkness... but Terra more than keeps up with both of them despite this in a completely different and unexpected way

We also recognize that the technique used by Master Xehanort to manipulate Terra is the same Baldr's Darkness and the Master of Masters used on him. It is "You aren't like them" and "you are Chosen". And if Xehanort fell for it, it seems likely Terra would, too.

I think the idea that Terra is dumb as a rock is more of a meme, but I guess some people believe. I really hope we get a Birth by sleep sequel, with the three of them together for most of the game.

Terra rocks and nobody can change my mind about that

I started reading the light novel of BBS last week, and what stuck out to me the most in regards to Terra is that he seemed surprised that he had darkness inside him, and that that was what emerged in the fight against Aqua. And i was like, "Wait. Did Eraqus never teach his apprentices what darkness was? Because that should have been step 1, recognizing what darkness looked and felt like. It hit home how much Eraqus failed to prepare them for the outside world, and made his teaching seem even more like a cult than it already was.

One hill that I WILL DIE PAINFULLY ON IS DEFENDING TERRA FROM THE ALLEGATIONS!!! The operative phrase when looking at Terra and Xehanort's interactions is "Dramatic Irony." Terra has no reason to distrust Xehanort, unlike the player, who (Presumably) has knowledge of events that canonically HAVEN'T HAPPENED YET

ROCK 🪨I'm really happy you made this video and I'm super glad people are standing up for Terra. It became a little toxic when the community kept insulting and bashing Terra without taking the time to see everything from his perspective. It's also very interesting how Eraqus' upbringing made him immediately judge Terra when he showed that he had darkness in him.

The issue with extremes is that when you are told to avoid something with all your being, you will succumb once you have just a tiny taste of it and it goes only downhill from there. Eraqus fear of darkness simply poisoned the well of Terra's person was reflected in the first worlds he visited and once Xehanort, a person of similar authority to Eraqus, told Terra that Darkness shouldn't be feared but channeled just like the Light, Terra was slowly becoming used to Darkness as a weapon to use just like his keyblade. Also, seeing the father figure who raised him raising a keyblade against one of his friends was the final push to have Terra's resolve ROCK solid that Light could be just as "evil" as the Darkness he was told to fear, shun and avoid at all cost.

I love these psychology vids so much

I dunno if take suggestions but i think the depression and probably self loathing Namine feels (she arguably feels the most alone of the characters that are the side of Light) would be a cool video. Or maybe Kairi feeling she is a burden to Sora and Riku (and then later responsible for Sora vanishing to save her) would be cool ideas.

Since you did both aqua and terra, do you plan to do a psychology of Ventus?

Terra is my favorite character in Kingdom Hearts and he is a *VERY* underrated case. I don't think it's fair that Terra gets the hate he gets. He's my favorite character cuz I can definitely relate to Terra.

ROCK! Terra is definitely one of my favorite characters in the kingdom hearts series. When my friends told me about him, they made him seem as an insignificant dummy. I think someone even told me he was essentially the sonic boom knuckles of the kingdom hearts series. I didn’t feel that way about him thought. I felt bad as I watched him struggle to protect the people he cared about, and felt even worse when that resolve to save his friends ultimately got all of them in deeper trouble. I was so glad to see their resolution in kh3!

PLEASE! Take your time in creating this gem of content because I personally LOVE how you take each of my favorite characters and convey who they really are in a way that I can’t even do in my own head! You ROCK for this (lol) and sincerely thank you so much for your own spin on my favorite series ever. I value your professional take and I do hope that it is not too challenging to continue making content like this! Take care and “may your heart be your guiding key” 🙏🏻

Amazing video! I wish more people would look deeper into Terra like this. I'd also like to add that the Character Files for Terra add more depth to him as well. From his viewpoint, he sees Riku, who is now a Keyblade Master, wield the power of Darkness and still protect the Light and yet again questions if Darkness is as detestable as he was initially taught to believe. Also, at the end of the files, Terra speaks of how "even entertaining the thought of being forgiven is so presumptuous of me", when he asks himself if Eraqus had forgiven him. After the events of KH3, he definitely has immense guilt and doesn't forgive himself as he states in the files. (He also goes over what he felt while being in Xehanort's control for 10 years, where his heart was in a void that eventually became pain, anger, and sorrow...)

when i heard you were making a psychology of terra video, i was so excited. you really do these characters justice, and i'm so happy that you made this. thank for this rock solid video, man.

These videos Rock! And take your time, the quality and care put into them is obvious so whatever you are doing is obviously working. And I totally get what you mean about being in the right headspace, I'm sure this kind of analysis requires a huge, focused deep dive that needs an inherent interest to maintain without burnout. Looking forward to the next "Psychology of"!

the found family idea is something that has taken me a lot further than i probably wouldve gotten without it- and i think thats definitely part of why this series means so much to me (rock)

This was one of my favorite psychology videos that you have made! I really love Terra as a character and I think he gets way too much hate. This was such an amazing video. You ROCK Bio!!!

I loved this video . I was still blown away that he was the guardian the whole time . Even though others have hinted that out in dream drop distance before kingdom hearts 3 even came .

This video rocked! Thank you for going through the nuances of Terra's character

Thank you for taking your time and doing these vids right when it comes to psychology of a character vids you never know who might be watching these and/or if they're going through something similar to what your talking about in these vids so they're best done right. Thank you

This was super good! Great video

We rockin’ out here, this was cool to see, thank you!

Rock! Honestly this is an amazing video. Even though Terra isn't my favorite among the Wayfinder trio, i stil like his character and i truly dont think he deserves all the hate he had gotten. I believe he was such an amaxing character and this video just shows and explains it very well. I'm very thankful that you made this psychology video about terra and take all the time you need to make another psychology video. I do hope that you and everyone will have a wonderful day

Hype! I saw the preview on Twitter and been eagerly waiting for this ti drop.

Man these videos are amazing, thank you for your work

this is the one I have been waiting for I love Terra and your videos

ROCK! Of course it's gonna take time to make these Psychology of videos. It's clear that you put a lot of care into making them. While we are certainly very eager to see more in this series you've made, take as much time as you need to make them. Great things take time to make after all.

Loving these character psychology videos! Also rock!

ROCK!!🪨I’m so glad to have a video to point to when someone talks bad about my boy Terra! Also wanna say as much as I’d love having these videos more often on a schedule because, well duh i wanna see more ofc, but i much prefer the time and energy you put into it and it shows in the quality. I’d never want it to suffer for the sake of quantity. Plus I like how spread out they are because then it feels like a whole special event when a new one drops haha. keep at it!!

Rock! Awesome stuff man. Love your videos

You ROCK. Thank you for another insightful psychology of; it really helped me relate with Terra more.

Thank you for another great video!

Amazing video, Bio! So nice I watched it twice!

I havent finished the video but I wanted to speak on how you highlight the stengths of Terra and your intention to do it more in the future. It feels emblematic to do it with Terra as he's an individual who suffered from not getting positive reinforcement from mentors. I love seeing creators grow and in the years Ive been watching your stuff this is very satisfying to see in your process of growth. Love your stuff keep following your own love!

Im glad to have seen this vid. Oddly enough, I used to dislike Terra since it felt obvious that he was being manipulated but hearing you describe how they were sheltered and naive and all thagmt cleared a lot of questions and critiques I had with him!

I’ve been waiting years for a Terra analysis. Thank you for doing gods work for my favorite Kingdom Hearts Character in the entire franchise

Great video man!

Honestly, I see him more as the Anakin Skywalker of Kingdom Hearts, with him being tainted by the dark side, wants to be a master, but is always denied by others, including his closest friend (Whom he even might considered a sibling), gets manipulated by an old man who says things he wants to hear, came back with the coolest suit, and somehow always misrepresented as an idiot despite most of his actions were motivated by desperation

Your videos made this series more fun! I was just watching your older videos when this one dropped lol

I don't always watch these ad soon as they come out, but i have enjoyed the series so far. I'd also say to take as long as you need for each video. Rock...

And we began to ROCK steady. I think Terra gets soooo much grief because we were all really young and immature when we first experienced his story. And that first impression is really hard to shake

Earth! I mean, ROCK! Loving these analysis, it really makes me feel why I resonate so much with the series. Keep on ROCK'ing, dude!

Quality always beats quantity. I love that you take so long to make these, because it shows how much effort you put into them.

Rock. This was really cool, kinda helped me think about things. appreciate you

I love the bbs trio so much. I will literally defend Terra till my last breath 😭

Terra has been my favorite KH character since BBS on the good okd PSP. I am glad he is getting some attention. Also, that thumbnail is very good.

I love the Terra, I wish BBS was its own separate slice of KH unrelated to 1-3 because of it

Rock! Good stuff, again. All makes sense and a nice insight into Terra.

Rock Twrra is very misunderstood by the community and most characters people understand or want this over that

It's crazy that Eraqus had also been with Terra all that time too. Like when he came back during KH3 how did he not punch Xehanort after witnessing everything!?

i won't lie; i thought terra was a bit of a doofus in a few scenes in this game but your video really helped shed some more light for me on the whole deal. rock solid! i really appreciated your other video analysis' on the others as well! i hope you continue to make more.

Terra rocks! His journey was tragic, but had such a satisfying conclusion I think.

Rock! Lol awesome video! Terra is probably my favorite kingdom hearts character. Strong and well meaning. Admits to his mistakes and cares deeply for others and his friends but struggles with insecurities .

Terra is one of my favorite characters in the series because of how much a well written tragedy he is

Man I love this Psychology series. Please continue to take your time with them Bio-Roxas. You Rock! 🪨

You ROCK! While I didn't grow up sheltered so to speak, i grew up taking every lesson that my elders gave me at face value due to undiagnosed autism and therefore had an extremely rigid and unmoving frame of view. It was very difficult for me when that view was challenged or contradicted, and even more so when I started to rebel against my parents but still being drawn to that rigid view point that they gave me. Now as an adult I've completly moved away from their view point, but it took time and work on myself

I enjoy your content you rock man

INCREDIBLE video! I really hope people who write him off take a look at this.

If I were a dwarf I'd give Terra a Rock and Stone! I'd say my favorite moment for Terra was that moment that he channeled darkness to protect Ventus, not as a weapon to truly wield, but as a shield to protect what matters to him, even if gameplay says otherwise. I can liken him to the Dark Knights of FFXIV even, although I'm not sure how much overlap there really is.

I've always felt that some people were WAY too harsh on Terra, especially since it seems like they don't even try to understand him and his circumstances. Even though Xehanort obviously looks evil, that's our perspective as outsiders of this universe. Terra has his reasons for trusting Xehanort, after all he is a old and experienced Keyblade Master who is apparently good friends with his Master. Not to mention during the scenes in which Xehanort is making faces and looking obviously evil, he is smart enough to only do it during times when nobody is watching him or aren't able to see his face which means nobody is ever in a position to see his evil grin and Xehanort did it intentionally. Not to mention he played the part of a kind and understanding old man during crucial moments in which Terra was feeling lost and in need of guidance. It also doesn't help that Terra has the worst luck imaginable and keeps conveniently running into villains who keep feeding him contradictory information. It's easy to call him an idiot but the reality is that both he and Aqua are sheltered and have most likely never left the Land of Departure which means his "real world" experience is completely different from ours. And it's not like Terra is the only naive or ignorant one, Aqua was going to ABSOLUTELY murder Cinderella's stepmother for having the *AUDACITY* to harbor Darkness in her Heart, Fairy Godmother had to step in and stop Aqua from breaking into the house Keyblade in hand.

Terra was an incredible friend that anyone would be fortunate to have. I really enjoyed this arc.

You know a video is great when you’re almost left in tears over characters you never really knew or thought about. Great video man ♥️ Edit: ROCK

Thank you for all of your hard work on another wonderful video!!! Oh! And "rock"!!!!

ROCK A quote from spider-man 2, Sandman says: "i am not a bad guy, just had bad luck" somewhat fits terra here, always met the wrong people before smelling their evil intentions

I never had much of an opinion on Terra I grew a bit more of an understanding with him ish in the novels but this video especially near the end made me realize that I relate more to Terra than I realized. I know you are probably only doing the hero's right now but I would like to see the villains side too see how that plays out too.

Yeah Terra is jusdged extremely harshly. He's a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He really is the wayfinder trios rock

ROCK ❤ hehe, thank you for another great vid! Terra is such a wonderful asset to the guardians of light. Have to admit, I thought Terra wasn’t the smartest back when I played BBS. but after years of learning more and more about him and who he is, he’s just someone who wants to do good by his friends and himself and I think we need more people like him in our world. 💫

This video rocks

BbS was always the closest game to my heart being my first ever completed game... Ventus was always my favourite boy. He was like my cinnamon roll, but after hours, more than 5 playthroughs and reading and watching reviews about the game. I became kinda frustrated with how many people misjudged Terra and how much they ranked up Aqua. I reached the point where I started hating Aqua and loving Terra to bits. While this is still very true, I have made peace with Aqua for now, but to me Terra is definitely the best character that came out of BbS (even though I would kill for Ventus). He is truly an amazing character, I love everything about him. (And hopefully, Kairi will not only learn from Aqua but from Terra as well. Because while he is not a Master in name, he is truly a Guardian and an amazing Teacher and suppporter.) Thank you for this amazing analysis and for the work you (all) put into this video. I have teared up here and there, because it spoke to me on a relatively personal level. Cannot wait for more of these in the future and of course. May the rock be your guiding key I guess :'D

Terra is full heart, and that is why he fell and why he took the darkness

This was beautifully presented; thank you. One might even say it...rocked! Lol. For serious, thank you for this excellent character analysis. I think I'll listen to the others you've done after seeing this one. God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)

Thank you for doing the psychology of Terra. I’ll be ready for psychology of Ventus. Can you do psychology of Master Eraqus?

So Terra is the ROCK that keeps his friends safe

Thank you very much for this video. I sincerely appreciate your effort to expand upon a character's cognition (thinking), especially since Kingdom Hearts makes it so obscured for players to even understand and relate because the voice actors are called to record lines and have no idea of the story (to avoid spoiler leak). Because of that, most in-game conversation about anything regarding the characters themselves are hard to understand when they overused the terms keyblade, light, darkness, heart for who knows how many? (Disney should stop overuse these terms and get realistic and relatable terms, the players aren't young children anymore). I could never understand them because they are so hard to relate to. There may have been novels that has multiple Point of views that describes their thought process but most people have no access to them to learn more. You do so much to explain about these characters with more relatable context or background so we players can understand them so much better now. Thank you very much once again. I do wish we get to see Terra more in the future and see how he view things after so long, even though it is unlikely. He is a character with a strong impression much like Roxas.

these videos are my ROCK or whatever. anyway, we trust you'll know when these videos are done so don't sweat the output rate.

hey bio, first off, rock. second off, dont worry about trying to keep the psychology of series into like, a consistently scheduled series. i and many others understand that these type of psychological analysis take work, and are something that you need to be in the right headspace for, and i wouldnt want these to be turned into content milk farms lol, take your time and im sure a lot of people and maybe especially specific people will be touched by these breakdowns (i know i was). i also wanna offer an idea for a psychology of kairi video? no pressure of course, if you dont feel like it then i dont mind, but i think it would be interesting to delve into her. a lot of people brush her off, and while she doesnt have as much screentime as some of the other main characters, i still think theres a lot in her to look at, which made her one of my favorite characters in the series. again no rush but i just think it'd be neat lol have a good day