SPOILERS AHEAD
If you've played Klonoa Heroes, you probably know that there's essentially two endings in the game. There's the main story ending (considered the "bad" one), and an extra one unlocked by going through some extra levels (the "good" one). In the first ending Klonoa sacrifices the power of his Star Medal in order to destroy Nahatomb once and for all, while the second has him regaining the Medal's power and gaining the title of a hero once more.
I wonder though, is the original ending actually the more positive of the two?
This mainly hinges around the origin of the Star Medals, which you find out were created by Nahatomb (who in this continuity was a former hero who became obsessed with the title and believed himself to be the only one worthy of it). From that alone you can imagine the Medals have a twisted sense of what heroism is, likely favoring power above good deeds. This is illustrated by both Garlen and Janga possessing their own Star Medals that are both at maximum rank. And yes, I realize Janga's was stolen from Guntz's father, but then shouldn't the medal have reacted to Janga's own "heroism" once it switched owners?
Throughout the game Klonoa himself is bombarded with these facts... and yet the power of his medal continues to grow, likely making him wonder if he's truly doing the right thing. Is he really doing heroic deeds, or is he merely setting himself down the path to becoming just like those who he fights against? From the beginning he was obsessed with becoming a hero, but he comes to realize that true heroism isn't some simple title and has no measurement. As such, he sacrifices those notions in order to do what's right, not caring who will or won't know of his deeds. I think that's far more heartwarming, and it has a good moral lesson behind it that isn't hammered in.
Now it could also be argued that his medal ranking up once more could be due to it learning what true heroism entails through being with Klonoa, but I just like the idea that he'd be content with doing good deeds even if he gains no recognition for it. Actually, it's rather meta in that way.
Oh well, what do all of you think?
