A Handy Dandy Guide to Kingdom Hearts, Part III

Welcome to the final part of our handy dandy guide to the Kingdom Hearts universe.

THE TIMELINE

Kingdom Hearts has a linear timeline that takes place over around twelve years. Most of the events lie around the machinations of Master Xehanort, and how our heroes (Sora, Riku, Mickey) deal with them. The timeline goes something like this:

Many years ago, Kingdom Hearts and its counterpart, the χ-Blade, kept balance between light and darkness in the universe. Many people held Keyblades, and were part of five Unions, each run by a Foreteller. The Master of Masters writes the Book of Prophecies, which predicts the Keyblade War. The war occurs, and everyone dies, save a small group of Keyblade wielders who from the Dandelions to protect the light. One of these is Ventus. The χ-Blade is shattered into twenty pieces, seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. The pieces of light become the Princesses of Heart. The Master of Master’s apprentice, Luxu, survives as well, armed with a Keyblade which contains the Master’s clairvoyant eye, and a black trunk which must never be opened.

Some time later, Xehanort become nuts about DARKNESS(!), and plots to kick off a second Keyblade War by recreating the χ-Blade. As a young man, he is approached by his Heartless from the future, telling him of things to come. As an old man and Keyblade Master, Xehanort plots to use Ven’s heart to forge the χ-Blade, and possesses Terra to see his plans come to fruition. Ven sacrifices his heart to destroy the χ-Blade, and he finds shelter within Sora’s own heart. Aqua puts Ven’s body in Castle Oblivion, but is trapped in darkness after saving Terra from the same fate.

Xehanort develops amnesia and becomes Ansem the Wise’s apprentice, researching the heart. He eventually regains his memories and plots to found Organization XIII, using the members as vessels for pieces of his heart to create the thirteen Seekers of Darkness. He banishes Ansem the Wise to the realm of darkness, steals his identity, creates the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII. His Heartless and Xemnas both go about their own plans to forging the χ-Blade, making artificial versions of Kingdom Hearts from the hearts of lost worlds, and the hearts of slain Heartless. Maleficent also becomes a major antagonist on her quest to collect the Princesses.

Ten to twelve years later, Sora, Riku, and Kairi get involved in the events of the story. Sora wields the Keyblade, and thwarts Xehanort’s Heartless. During this, he stabs himself with a Dark Keyblade made from the Princesses’ hearts. This turns him into a Heartless, freeing Ven’s heart which is reborn as Roxas, and creates Namine, Kairi’s Nobody as well. Xehanort’s Heartless is blown up, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey close the Door to Darkness (the actual name for the Kingdom Hearts door). The lost worlds are restored, Sora leaving Kairi behind to find Riku.

Roxas joins Organization XIII and becomes buddies with Axel. One week later, Xion, a clone created from Sora’s memories, is recruited as the 14^th member. The three eat ice cream every day for a year and don’t get fat or diabetes. Elsewhere, Sora, Donald, and Goofy lose their memories in Castle Oblivion thanks to Namine, as per Marluxia’s plans. To restore their memories, Namine puts them in special pods to rebuild them, but they will lose any knowledge of the events in Castle Oblivion. Riku overcomes his darkness and teams up with Namine, Mickey, and DiZ to awaken Sora.

Over the next year, Roxas, Axel, and Xion build their friendship but it all comes crashing down as Xion must be erased from existence in order to awaken Sora. Roxas quits the Organization to find Sora, but is captured by Riku, who dumps him in the simulated Twilight Town until the time is right. Roxas spends a week in Twilight Town, before, reluctantly, bonding with Sora. Axel goes rogue from the Organization to see Roxas again.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy wake up, learning of the Nobodies and Organization XIII from Yen Sid. They set out to find Riku, battling the Organization, as well as Maleficent and Pete’s forces along the way. Kairi is kidnapped by Axel, and then Saix, and held captive in The World That Never Was. Sora and co. discover Xehanort as been posing as Ansem. Axel sacrifices himself to allow Sora access to The World That Never Was. Sora, Riku, and Kairi reunite. DiZ is revealed to be Ansem the Wise and attempts to turn Kingdom Hearts into data, but his machine to do so explodes, sending him back to the realm of darkness, where he crosses paths with Aqua.

Roxas and Namine bond with Sora and Kairi. Xemnas is defeated, and Sora and Riku return home to Destiny Islands. Mickey and Jiminy Cricket discover the existence of those lost souls linked to Sora’s heart (Namine, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Ven, Aqua, Terra), and Yen Sid anticipates Xehanort’s return. He and Mickey summon Sora and Riku to become Keyblade Masters. Maleficent and Pete start looking for the Book of Prophecies.

During the exam, Sora is abducted by the reformed Organization XIII, now consisting entirely of vessels/incarnations of Xehanort. He is to become the thirteenth vessel. Riku, Mickey, Axel, Donald, and Goofy come to the rescue, where Master Xehanort tells them to gather seven Guardians of Light – Keyblade wielders – to protect the Princesses of Heart. The Xehanort brigade vanish, promising to return when the time is right. Riku also receives data from Ansem the Wise, which could restore a lost heart.

Needing more Keyblade wielders to serve as the Guardians of Light, the revived Axel (Lea), and Kairi, are both recruited. Riku and Mickey plan to head to the realm of darkness to rescue Aqua, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out on their own journey to find other Keyblade wielders and rebuild Sora’s power, lost during Dream Drop Distance.

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ELEMENT OF THE UNIVERSE

In this final part, we’ll detail some of the vital parts of the Kingdom Hearts universe and how they tie into the story.

Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts itself, aside from being the title of the franchise, is the most important plot device of the games. It is described as the centre of the universe, or the source of all hearts. All hearts start there, and return when they die. Those of the Heartless also return there too. It appears as a heart-shaped moon, which can only be summoned the χ-Blade, its counterpart. It was swallowed by darkness during the Keyblade War, and briefly appeared during Birth By Sleep. Two fake versions appear in the games – the Door to Darkness, which is made from the hearts of worlds destroyed by the Heartless; and the moon in The World That Never Was, made from the hearts collected by the Organization.

The Keyblades

The iconic weapons of Kingdom Hearts, the Keyblades were created to combat darkness and can destroy the Heartless. Being keys, they can lock and unlock a variety of things, including doors, the Keyholes to various worlds, and access the contents of a person’s heart (i.e. memories). In Birth By Sleep, the Keyblades were connected to mechanical armour, and could be transformed into hovercraft-like Keyblade Gliders, which could allow the user to travel between worlds. Keyblade wielders who pass the Mark of Mastery Exam become Keyblade Masters. Keyblades, or the rite to use one, can be passed down to other people.

χ-Blade

The original Keyblade, the χ-Blade is the counterpart to Kingdom Hearts. The χ-Blade had the ability to open the hearts of all worlds, and exists as Kingdom Hearts’ guardian. It is the only tool capable of summoning it. At some point, the χ-Blade was used during the Keyblade War, but the mayhem caused it to shatter into twenty pieces. The seven pieces of light became the seven Princesses of Heart. Xehanort hopes to use pieces of his own heart to make the thirteen pieces of darkness, and with the seven Guardians of Light, recreate the χ-Blade. He nearly succeeded in Birth By Sleep, by using Ven and Vanitas to forge it, but Ven’s sacrifice led to its destruction.

Heartless

The main menace of Kingdom Hearts, the Heartless are made from the darkness in a person’s heart. They are driven solely by instinct to devour others hearts, those of other people, and the hearts of worlds. They can be slain by Keyblades, and their hearts shall return to Kingdom Hearts. If a Heartless and their counterpart Nobody are destroyed, they shall bond and recreate the original person anew. Xehanort created the Heartless, though it is possible they may have existed beforehand he started mass producing them. The Heartless come in two varieties – Pureblood, which form naturally; and Emblem, which are made by forced production.

Nobodies

Nobodies are the animated bodies and souls left behind when a heart becomes a Heartless. They are strangely, white creatures that also seek out hearts. Those who had a strong heart as a human, can maintain their human appearances as a Nobody, as well as their memories, but lack emotions. Organization XIII are such people. As it turns out in Dream Drop Distance, a Nobody will be able to regrow a new heart over time, explaining why Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Namine have human emotions (though Roxas had a heart to begin with, being Ventus).

Unversed

A weird group of fledgling emotions that feed on negativity and can take on monstrous forms. They are in fact parts of Vanitas, who is the extracted darkness from Ventus’ heart. They don’t have much of an impact on the universe, beyond being enemies for Ven, Aqua, and Terra to destroy. When Vanitas vanishes, they too disappear from the worlds, later replaced by the Heartless.

Dream Eaters

Creatures who dwell in sleeping worlds in place of the Heartless, Dream Eaters seek out the Keyholes of the worlds. The Nightmares eat good dreams and create bad ones, while the friendly Spirits help those in need. The Dream Eaters appear to have evolved from the Chirithy, cat-like creatures made by the Master of Masters to help Keyblade wielders resist the darkness. However, a Nightmare is created when their owner turns to evil.

The Book of Prophecies

The Book of Prophecies is a book which foretold the events of the future, as written by the Master of Master. The book’s contents are unknown, but it did contain information on the Keyblade War, and the eventual rise of the Heartless. Wishing to see further into the future, the Master attached his eye to Luxu’s Keyblade. The Master gave copies of the book to his Foretellers save Luxu. However, he gave Gula an exclusive page from his book, which claimed a traitor would lead to the Keyblade War. The traitor was never identified, and it is believed the Master caused deceit to kick off the war. Maleficent and Pete seek out the Book to create the worlds it has predicted, and conquer them. Jiminy Cricket’s journal may be connected to it.

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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

And to wrap everything up, here are a few questions that have yet to be resolved, and hopefully will be answered during Kingdom Hearts III.

-How will Ansem the Wise’s data help in restoring hearts? Will it bring back Xion?

-What happens if Roxas and Ventus meet?

-Will Aqua reach Ventus, and will he wake up?

-Why does Xehanort want to seek out the room Ventus is sleeping in Castle Oblivion?

-Who will the seven Guardians of Light be?

-Will Maleficent and Pete obtain the Book of Prophecies, and what is its link to Jiminy Cricket’s journal?

-What was the message Pluto had at the end of KH1?

-What happened to the Foretellers?

-What happened to the Master of Masters?

-What happened to Luxu, and when did he give the Keyblade to Xehanort, if he did?

-What happened to the Dandelions?

-How did Ventus, who is a Dandelion member, end up becoming Xehanort’s apprentice/victim?

-What is Marluxia’s goal, considering his identity as a Dandelion member?

-Who are the other members of the new Organization XIII?

-What is in the black trunk which Luxu was tasked to protect and never open?

-Is Vanitas a member of the new Organization?

-Will Master Eraqus be restored? What happened when Xehanort became a Heartless and a Nobody?

-Why is Xehanort’s method of time travel so complicated, when Merlin simply opened a door to the past with magic?

-What is the true goal of the Master of Masters, and did he want the Keyblade War to happen?

-Is the Riku Replica dead?

-What is the Key to Return Hearts?

-And most importantly of all – will Sora and Kairi get together? 
 

A Handy Dandy Guide to Kingdom Hearts, Part II

Welcome to part two of our guide through the world of Kingdom Hearts.

KINGDOM HEARTS: 358/2 DAYS

While Kingdom Hearts Coded was the next game released, we should cover the events of 358/2 Days first. These events are actually the longest, occurring from the point in Kingdom Hearts where Sora stabbed himself, creating Roxas and Namine, through the events of Chain of Memories and up to the start of Kingdom Hearts II.

The game’s story is a little bit of a filler arc at times, with huge amounts of time passing by with nothing of interest happening. It tells of the 358 days which Roxas is a member of Organization XIII. At first, he is a blank slate due to his birth, but Axel helps him develop a personality. Every day, they go to sit on top of the clock tower in Twilight Town, and eat salty sweet ice cream. I guess Nobodies don’t have any health problems, minus the lack of a heart. Roxas understands he can wield the Keyblade, and it is his duty to slay the Heartless and help strengthen Kingdom Hearts.

Shortly after Roxas’ joining, a fourteenth member appears. A girl named Xion. Even more of a blank slate that Roxas, Xion is revealed to also wield the Keyblade, but hides her face under her black hood. Axel and the rest of the Castle Oblivion brigade are sent off there, leading to the tragic events of Chain of Memories. Axel is revealed to have been in part of a conspiracy with Saix to secure their own ranks in the Organization. Saix’s loyalty to Xemnas, and Axel’s own friendships with Roxas and Xion leads to the end of their own.

Roxas ends up bonding with Xion, who is revealed to resemble a dark-haired Kairi, and she, too, has no memories of her origins. Both she and Roxas can wield the Keyblade, but her ability appears to come and go. Whilst on a lone mission, she encounters Riku, who claims her Keyblade is a fake, and is visibly disturbed when he inspects her face under the hood. Axel returns as the sole survivor of Castle Oblivion, and he becomes friends with Xion.

Over time, both Roxas and Xion are plagued with blackouts, lost memories, and strange dreams that don’t belong to them. Xion, wanting answers, goes to Castle Oblivion and learns the truth of her existence. If you recall, Vexen created the Riku Replica using memories from Riku’s heart. That wasn’t the first clone made; Xion was. She was created from Sora’s memories of Kairi, as a backup plan by Xemnas should Roxas be unable to fulfil his role as the Keyblade owner.

Xion takes this as well as you can expect, but is consoled by both Riku and Axel. Riku explains that Sora can never wake up as long as both she and Roxas are separate from him. Xion decides it would be best to return to Sora, even if it means being erased from existence and losing her friends. Axel intervenes, dragging her back to the Organization. During this, Roxas himself turns rogue to find Sora himself. Xion later confronts Roxas in Twilight Town, Xemnas having altered her to absorb Roxas and become Sora, who she has started to visibly resemble, being made of his memories.

Roxas and a mutated Xion battle, but he wins. This causes Xion to start fading away, and she tells him of Xemnas’ plan involving Kingdom Hearts. To make matters worse, Xion’s death means everyone will forget she existed (though Namine might remember). The game ends with Riku capturing Roxas, who is placed by DiZ in the simulated Twilight Town.

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KINGDOM HEARTS CODED

 

In truth, Coded is a relatively minor story in the franchise, but still serves an important role. It acts as a link between the past and the present, and bridges the gap between Kingdom Hearts II and the road to Kingdom Hearts III. It alerts the main cast of what is happening to other supporting characters, and serves as an introduction to Birth By Sleep, and a segway into Dream Drop Distance.

Jiminy Cricket organizes his journals from past games, but his one from Kingdom Hearts is blank, aside from a message reading, “Thank Namine”. He finds another one reading, “Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it.” Informing Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, Jiminy and Mickey have the journal’s contents uploaded into a computer, which houses another world called the Datascape. However, they find the data is corrupted by black blocks who have a link to the Heartless.

To clear the data of the bugs, Mickey creates a digital version of Sora, Data Sora, to do so. Unexpectedly, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy are all digitally imported into the Datascape. A digital Riku appears as the personification of the journal, to assist in debugging the journal. Maleficent and Pete show up in the Datascape to conquer the digital recreations of the worlds, but don’t prove to be much of a threat as usual. The game also takes the time to relive some of the franchise’s greatest hits again.

Data Sora decides to reboot the system by debugging Data Riku, but it would also reset his memories too. The debugging process summons the bug responsible for the mayhem, which takes the form of Sora’s Heartless. Maleficent and Pete escape the reboot, and plot find a book called the Book of Prophecies. It is said to be able to predict the future and even conjure what is to be, including whole worlds. They resolve to find it and the connection between the Datascape and Jiminy’s journals.

Data Riku accesses extra data that hides the secret of Namine’s words. Data Sora and Mickey access a digital Castle Oblivion, defeat Data Roxas, and discover Data Namine. She reveals her message is a nod to those lost people connected to Sora’s heart – her real world counterpart, Roxas, Axel, and Xion, and a trio of characters who we’ll meet in Birth By Sleep – the lost Keyblade wielders Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Mickey then sends this information to Sora in that message seen at the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

In a final scene, Mickey speaks with Yen Sid, who reveals with the destruction of both his Heartless (Ansem in KH1) and his Nobody (Xemnas), this means the original Xehanort himself could return. To prepare for this threat, Yen Sid orders Mickey to summon Sora and Riku to his tower to undertake the Mark of Mastery Exam, and become Keyblade Masters.

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KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP

 

And now onto the big one. Birth By Sleep is a prequel to Kingdom Hearts, taking place ten years ago. It answers a lot of questions about the mythology, but also leaves a few others along the way. We learn just who Xehanort is, what his true motivations and goals are, how Sora, Riku, and Kairi can wield the Keyblade, and what put certain characters on their various paths in light and darkness.

Our heroes in Birth By Sleep are a trio of young Keyblade wielders, who live in the Land of Departure. We have the feckless Terra, blue-haired maternal Aqua, and the young Ventus (or Ven) or resembles Roxas. They are under the tutelage of Master Eraqus, a kind man, but somewhat hostile to the idea of even using darkness as a weapon or tool for good. Terra and Aqua are too undertake the Mark of Mastery under the watch of Eraqus and his friend, Master Xehanort. Oh, yes.

Xehanort, being the master of manipulation, rigs the exam so Aqua only passes, and Terra looks like he is relying on his darkness too much. Eraqus is so pro-light, he scolds Terra, and is blind to the fact Xehanort messed out with the exam. Eraqus learns dark creatures called the Unversed are roaming the worlds, and he sends Terra and Aqua to destroy them. Xehanort also disappears during this time.

Ven meets Vanitas, a Keyblade wielder who dressed like a Psycho Ranger, who convinces him to follow Terra. Eraqus sends Aqua to bring Ven home. Each of the three Keyblade wielders all have their own cool sets of armour, and their Keyblades can turn into modes of transport to travel between the world. Our heroes travel from world to world, Terra struggling to keep his darkness in check, Ven being tormented by the cruel Vanitas, and Aqua is just trying to get her friends home. Maleficent begins her quest to gather the Princesses of Heart.

During the game, our heroes cross paths with the young Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Terra passes on the ability to wield the Keyblade to Riku. Aqua unintentionally does the same thing to Kairi, when she touches her Keyblade. Being a Princess of Heart, her pure light grants her the rite of passage.

As you might suspect, Master Xehanort is the chessmaster behind the whole game’s events. He believes the universe is out of balance, and light dominates darkness. Long ago, an event called the Keyblade War occurred, which was a clash between light and darkness and caused great changes to the universe. All of the combatants had Keyblades. The most powerful was the χ-Blade, capable of summoning Kingdom Hearts. Growing old, Xehanort realises he must forge the χ-Blade soon, and must transfer his heart to a younger host’s body to see his plan come to fruition, to restart the Keyblade War and, in his view, put the universe back into balance.

At first, he chose Ven to be his vessel. Ven refused to embrace his darkness, so Xehanort extracted it, creating Vanitas. Ven nearly died as a result, but Xehanort, in a surprise move, takes his former apprentice to Destiny Islands to at least die a peaceful death. But, Ven’s heart touches that of another person, causing him to revive. Xehanort takes the amnesiac Ven to live with the others, whilst he rearranges his plans. The heart that saved Ven belong to Sora.

While Xehanort has another host in mind for his heart, he split Ven and Vanitas apart to use them to forge the χ-Blade. Xehanort had also previously pitched his plans to Eraqus, leading to a fight, that left his friend scarred and paranoid. Realising Xehanort’s plans for Ven, Eraqus reluctantly tries to kill him, but Terra intervenes. Xehanort then murders Eraqus, and destroys the Land of Departure, sending it into darkness.

Terra, Ven, and Aqua travel to the Keyblade Graveyard, the remnants of the Keyblade War, and battle against Xehanort and Vanitas. A young Mickey, who has appeared throughout the story, appears to aid his friends. Vanitas captures Ven, revealing the Unversed come from his darkness. He removes his helmet, revealing he resembles a black-haired, yellow-eyed Sora. While this baffled many fans, it was explained he resembles Sora because of Ven’s connection to his heart. Yeah, it’s a little vague. Vanitas then forcefully bonds with Ven, reuniting the light and darkness in their hearts, and forge the χ-Blade.

Terra, who is kicking Xehanort’s wrinkled ass on a mound, is distracted by the χ-Blade’s creation. Xehanort takes this opportunity to stab himself, releasing his heart, which launches itself at the startled Terra – creating the Xehanort we all know and loathe. However, while it looks like Terra is gone, his discarded armour springs to life, controlled by Terra’s lingering will. It defeats Xehanort. Ven has a metaphysical battle with Vanitas in his mind, while Aqua and Mickey have to fight his possessed body. Ven sacrifices his own heart and destroys the χ-Blade, Vanitas vanishes, and Ven’s heart floats away into darkness. It later finds shelter within Sora’s heart, and would come to be freed and reborn as Roxas.

The destruction of the χ-Blade blasts Mickey, Aqua, and Xehanort right out of the world, while Terra’s animated armour remains. Aqua, the comatose Ven, and Mickey are saved by Yen Sid. Aqua takes Ven back to the ruined Land of Departure, picking up Eraqus’ discarded Keyblade along the way. Following her late master’s words, Aqua uses his Keyblade to transform the land into a new fortress, and hides Ven in a secret room to rest until she returns to wake him up. It is revealed the Land of Departure has transformed into Castle Oblivion.

Aqua confronts Xehanort/Terra in Hollow Bastion (once called Radiant Garden). When Terra tries to regain control of his body, Xehanort stabs himself with his own Keyblade, sinking into the realm of darkness. Aqua rescues Terra, launching him through a portal back to Hollow Bastion with her Keyblade and armour. Aqua herself sinks into darkness, where she shall wander for the next ten years. But, because time is irrelevant in the realm of darkness, she is unaware of how much time has passed.

Xehanort develops amnesia and is taken in by Ansem the Wise, becoming his apprentice. Braig, Xigbar’s original self, quickly puts him on the path to forming Organization XIII, having formed a partnership with Master Xehanort earlier in the game. Xemnas later builds a hidden chamber deep beneath Hollow Bastion’s castle, resembling the room Ven sleeps in, where he talks repeatedly to Aqua’s armour and Keyblade.

Numerous years later, Aqua reaches the realm of darkness’ shore, finds noneother than Ansem the Wise alive and well. He explains he has been trapped in the realm for around a year, confirming at least two years passed since the events of Kingdom Hearts. To make amends for his sins, he transferred data on restoring lost hearts into Sora’s for a better purpose. He notes Aqua of Sora’s existence, with the hope he will rescue them. In another scene, Terra and Xehanort have a metaphysical chat, revealing Eraqus’ heart took refuge within Terra’s. Nobody dies in this franchise!

 

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KINGDOM HEARTS: DREAM DROP DISTANCE

Sora and Riku return to the spotlight to undertake that Mark of Mastery Exams to become Keyblade Masters. With Master Xehanort’s return imminent, Yen Sid has Sora and Riku venture into a dream realm to awaken slumbering worlds that were previously destroyed by the Heartless. These worlds can be freed by unlocking their Keyholes of Sleep. Occupying the worlds are Dream Eaters, which are split between the benevolent Spirits, and the evil Nightmares. Sora and Riku are aided by a cat-like and a bat-like Spirit respectively.

The duo find themselves separated from each other on different plains of existence, and encounter characters from The World Ends With You in Traverse Town. Throughout their journeys, Sora and Riku are stalked by Xehanort’s various revived incarnations like Xehanort’s Heartless, Xemnas, and a mysterious young Xehanort. Sora completes his examine, meeting Xigbar, who reveals he has been chosen to be the thirteenth member of a revived Organization XIII. Or more specifically, he will be a vessel for a piece of Xehanort’s heart and be possessed by him, the same way as Terra.

Sora learns from the Young Xehanort that his Heartless travelled through time via a complex plot device, recruiting various versions of Xehanort to form a new Organization. Yes, really. This was the original goal of the first Organization, with Xemnas plotting to turn the Nobodies into vessels for pieces of his heart, but found most were unsuitable candidates, save Xigbar, Saix, and Roxas. Most shockingly of all, Xemnas reveals that the Nobodies will regrow their hearts over time, and he lied to his comrades about it. Sora’s heart is encased in darkness, but Ven’s armour protects him.

Riku and Mickey arrive at The Castle That Never Was, where Master Xehanort materialises. He still plans on recreating the χ-Blade, but will now be doing things differently. He explains that during the Keyblade War, the χ-Blade was shattered into twenty pieces – seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. The seven pieces of light would become the hearts of the seven Princesses. He plans on creating the thirteen pieces of darkness via thirteen copies of himself. He then explains seven Guardians of Light, i.e. Keyblade wielders, are needed to recreate the χ-Blade. But with Sora and Terra in his possession, the heroes are three Keyblades short.

Sora is rescued by Lea, the original self of Axel, along with Donald and Goofy. Xehanort’s vessels vanish, promising to return once all twenty pieces of the χ-Blade  are gathered. Riku ventures into Sora’s dreams to revive him. He finds himself on a digital version of Destiny Islands, meeting Roxas, Ven, Xion, and then a digital replica of Ansem the Wise, who informs him of the research he left for Sora.

Riku awakens, finding Sora is up and about already. With the Mark of Mastery shanghaied by Xehanort from the start, only Riku is granted the rank of Keyblade Master. Sora, being Sora, is completely fine with this. Needing to gather Guardians of Light, plans are made to locate Ventus and Aqua, while Axel is taught to wield a Keyblade himself. Sora departs to visit the Dream Eaters, while Riku brings Kairi into the fold to train her properly to be a Keyblade wielder.

The stage is set for Kingdom Hearts III, but there are still two more stories to tell.

 

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KINGDOM HEARTS χ

 

Also known as “Unchained χ” or “Union χ”, this game was released on mobiles, which is quite a strange choice for an installment that has such important plot information. Or at least on paper. Kingdom Hearts χ serves as an origin story for the franchise, telling the events which led up to the Keyblade War. However, it still asks many questions with no answers, setting up more mysteries to solve in Kingdom Hearts III.

The story is set many years, possibly thousands, before the events of Birth By Sleep. Since this takes place before the Keyblade War, we assume it takes place on the original world of lore. However, it is later stated that numerous worlds currently exist.

This world is called Daybreak Town, home to countless Keyblade wielders. Each one is a member of one of five Keyblade Unions, run by a Foreteller. The original founder of these Unions is an anonymous man called The Master of Masters, implied to be the original Keyblade Master. He has great power, respect, knowledge, and even has an eye which can see into the future. As such, he created the Book of Prophecies, which foretells the future. However, it also reveals he will disappear, and the Keyblade War shall occur.

Each of the five Unions are led by the Foretellers, who are named after the seven deadly sins, and wear animal-themed masks. They include Ira (unicorn), Aced (bear), Invi (snake), Gula (leopard), and Ava (vixen). The Master of Masters also has a sixth apprentice, Luxu, who lacks his own union. Both the Master and Luxu wear black hooded coats to hide their identities. Friendly Dream Eaters called Chirithy, which resemble Moogles, accompany their Keyblade wielders. However, if a Chirithy turns into a Nightmare, it means a Keyblade wielder has turned to darkness. Each Foreteller also has their own Book of Prophecies.

The Master, anticipating the war, assigns his six Foretellers different roles to prevent it. Ira is to lead in his absence. Aced is to aid Ira, or replace him should it be necessary. Invi is to act as a mediator between the group. Gula is to consult the Book of Prophecies, using a torn page handed to him by the Master, which predicts a traitor shall lead to the war. Ava must recruit gifted Keyblade wielders into a new union called the Dandelions, who must survive the war, and protect the light. Luxu is given the Master’s Keyblade – which will become Xehanort’s – and a large black trunk to care for. The Master warns Luxu to never open the trunk, and to watch the other Foretellers and the Keyblade War from afar without interference.

The player’s character is depicted as a new Keyblade wielder who must choose a Union and collect Lux from Heartless and Nightmares. The Master vanishes, and Ira produces a Nightmare, revealing the foretold traitor (which only Gula is aware of) has turned to darkness. This quickly causes paranoia and distrust between the Foretellers, eventually leading to the Keyblade War.

In the end, only six characters are confirmed to have survived the war, one of them being Luxu, who, presumably, would pass on the Keyblade to Xehanort. The others would form the Dandelions – Ephemer, Skuld, Brain (who resembles Zexion), Lauriam (the original self of Marluxia), and most mysteriously of all, Ventus. These five will serve as the next generation of Foretellers. Interestingly, another Dandelion member, Strelitzia, is introduced, but is implied to have been murdered by Lauriam to steal her place as a Foreteller.

Unanswered questions include what happened to the Dandelions and Luxu are left unanswered, along with what happened to the Master, who the traitor was (if there was one), when Xehanort obtained his Keyblade, and what is in the black trunk?

One scene also hints Maleficent has obtained one of the Books of Prophecies.

 

...

 

A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE

Returning to the present, A Fragmentary Passage focuses on Aqua’s time trapped in the realm of darkness. Mickey reveals to Riku and Kairi that he actually found Aqua during the events of Kingdom Hearts. Aqua had been wandering through the darkness for ages, finding worlds she had visited now destroyed. She encounters Terra’s heart, who warns her that Xehanort is looking for the chamber Ven is sleeping in. Aqua is dragged into darkness by a Heartless, but is rescued by Mickey. Together, they reach Destiny Islands, where Mickey obtains his Keyblade, hoping to seal the door to Kingdom Hearts with help from Sora and Riku. However, the Heartless attack, and Aqua once again sacrifices herself to save her friends, winding up in darkness, where she eventually meets Ansem the Wise.

Riku is angered by Mickey’s deceit, but Yen Sid explains that it isn’t easy accessing the realm of darkness (even though half the cast can open portals to it), and he didn’t want Sora and Riku recklessly trying to save Aqua.  The plans are made: Riku and Mickey will breach the realm of darkness to rescue Aqua, whilst Kairi will train alongside Axel to master their Keyblades. Sora, Donald, and Goofy later arrive, Yen Sid assigning them to also search for Keyblade wielders, but to restore Sora’s lost powers by visiting Hercules in the Olympus Coliseum.

So, we come to Kingdom Hearts III. We don’t really know much about the plot, but presumably, it will wrap everything up for the Xehanort Saga (the franchise will continue afterwards). We have an idea of what will occur, what everyone’s motives will be, etc. But, there are still numerous questions left to resolve. But for now, we’re going to explain some of the major parts of the mythology, as well as the timeline.

 

In part three, we'll go over the chronological timeline, and answer some major questions in the franchise.

A Handy Dandy Guide to Kingdom Hearts, Part I

Kingdom Hearts is a video game franchise co-created by Square Enix and Disney Interactive. Best known mixing characters from The Walt Disney Company, and Square’s own Final Fantasy, and The World Ends With You games, Kingdom Hearts is perhaps the most well known crossover in video game history. Brought to life by a chance meeting between Square producer Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney executive in an elevator ride, Kingdom Hearts has been fleshed out by Tetsuya Nomura, best known for his character designs for Final Fantasy VII.

Since the first game was released in 2002, Kingdom Hearts has spawned eleven video games and a number of manga. The highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III is due for released (at last) at some point in 2018. How far we’ve come. But, how did we get here?

A large point of discussion and sometimes confusion, is the increasingly complex narrative and universe of Kingdom Hearts. While the first game had a fairly simple storyline, it only got more detailed with each new installment. The world got bigger and bigger, the lore expanding, and more and more questions were being asked.

A story of good vs. evil, and light vs. darkness, had evolved into a boiling pot of ancient wars, otherworldly monsters, memory manipulation, cloning, identity theft, body possession, books which can tell the future, time travel, and the antagonist’s plan of universal balance that was both vague and complicated.

This guide intends to hopefully divulge and make sense of the plot of the Kingdom Hearts, telling brief outlines of each game’s plot, how they link to one another, deliver a chronological rundown of the franchise’s timeline, and answer some of the more head scratcher questions and plot points. Not everything will be answered or explained; just the basic stuff vital to the overall storyline. Some things may provide speculation or guesses.

Chronologically, the games were released as follow:

• Kingdom Hearts (2002, PS2)
• Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (2004, Game Boy Advance)
• Kingdom Hearts II (2005, PS2)
• Kingdom Hearts: Re: Chain of Memories (2007, PS2)
• Kingdom Hearts Coded (2008, Mobile Phones)
• Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (2009, Nintendo DS)
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (2010, PlayStation Portal)
• Kingdom Hearts: Re: Coded (2010, Nintendo DS)
• Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (2012, Nintendo 3DS)
• Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix (2013, PS3)
• Kingdom Hearts X/Unchained X (2013, Web/Android/iOS)
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix (2014, PS3)
• Kingdom Hearts 2.8 (2017, PS4)
• Kingdom Hearts III (2019)

Other smaller side stories were included in the later Remix games to frame parts of the story together.

And here is the chronological order for the franchise’s timeline:

• Kingdom Hearts X
• Birth By Sleep
• KH1 (alongside 0.2 Birth By Sleep)
• Chain of Memories
• 358/2 Days (beginning during KH1 and ending just before KH2)
• KH2
• Coded
• Dream Drop Distance
• KH3 (yet-to-happen)

 

KINGDOM HEARTS

Kingdom Hearts was released for the PlayStation 2. The first thing that should be established are the worlds, most based on the settings of various Disney films, and a couple of original locations which would play host to major events in the games’ timeline. According to the mythology of the games, there was just one world of light to begin with. However, the introduction of darkness led to its destruction, but the hearts of surviving children allowed light to return to the universe, creating countless new worlds.

However, these worlds were cut off from each other, with only a few individuals aware of the existence of other worlds. The worlds were walled off by invisible barriers. If these barriers were destroyed, they could be seen by a world’s residents as a star shower. The likes of Mickey Mouse and Scrooge McDuck discovered the pieces of the barriers could be moulded into shapes. The rocket-like Gummi Ships were built, allowing characters to travel across the cosmos and visit the worlds. The universe is also split into the realm of light, the realm of darkness, a realm of dreams, and a realm of “in-between” where the Nobodies come into existence.

One such world was the Destiny Islands, home to our spiky-haired hero Sora. I don’t know what’s more ridiculous: his hair or his clunky, yellow clown shoes (inspired by Mickey’s design). Sora lives on the islands with his best friends Riku and Kairi. The trio have a desire to leave their home and explore other worlds via a raft. This was brought on by Kairi’s strange arrival on the island years ago, appearing during a meteor shower, and has no memory of her home.

The island the children play on has a cave system, where a strange wooden door is hidden. Sora encounters a mysterious hooded man, who claims the world is “tied to the darkness”, and will soon be “eclipsed”. That night, Sora spots a dark storm above the island. Racing to secure the raft, Sora finds the island under attack by black, shadowy monsters called the Heartless. Riku and Kairi both vanish into darkness, and Sora’s home is destroyed by the invaders. Sora finds himself armed with the Keyblade, a legendary weapon that can slay the Heartless.

Meanwhile, at Disney Castle, Donald Duck and Goofy discover their ruler, King Mickey, has vanished to combat the Heartless. He leaves them a letter, instructing them to find the wielder of the Keyblade, and someone named “Leon”. Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Jiminy Cricket, a chronicler from another world, jump into a Gummi Ship and fly off to find the Keyblade and Mickey.

Sora awakens in Traverse Town, an unfamiliar town made up of refugees from worlds destroyed by the Heartless. Sora soon meets Leon (i.e. Squall Leonhart), and his friends Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid Highwind. Other Final Fantasy characters, Cloud Strife and the one-winged angel himself Sephiroth appear later in the game.

Leon explains that the Heartless are the hearts of those consumed/corrupted by darkness. They seek to consume more hearts, including those of the worlds, which is what happened to Sora’s. Each world has a “Keyhole” which acts as a doorway to their heart. Throughout the game, we learn various worlds have already been consumed by darkness, based on numerous Disney films.

The Keyblade is capable of sealing the Keyholes forever, so those worlds can never be destroyed by the Heartless. Sora eventually meets Donald and Goofy, who are also in town, and they agree to search for Riku, Kairi, and Mickey together. Jiminy also accompanies them to chronicle their adventures, while Pluto comes and goes throughout the games. The trio eventually find Riku, but he is quite cold towards Donald and Goofy, believing Sora is goofing off instead of searching for Kairi.

While Sora, Donald, and Goofy venture from world to world, a dark plot is occurring as they go. Maleficent (of Sleeping Beauty) is controlling the Heartless. She and her gang of villains – Hades, Jafar, Ursula, Captain Hook, and Oogie Boogie – are searching for the seven Princesses of Heart. Their hearts are said to be made of incorruptible light. They consist of Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Belle, Princess Jasmine, Alice, and an unnamed seventh. It becomes clear that by collecting their hearts, Maleficent will be able to gain access to Kingdom Hearts, said to be the source of all hearts, light, and darkness. She wants the Heartless to consume it and all worlds in darkness.

Maleficent takes Riku under her wing, preying on his inner darkness to corrupt him. He helps her gather the Princesses in exchange for finding Kairi. She is found, but she is missing her heart. Riku eventually gains control of the Heartless, much to Sora’s horror. Kairi is revealed to be the seventh Princess. Sora, Donald, and Goofy confront Riku in Hollow Bastion, a ruined kingdom which will come to have a larger role to play in the plot.

It is here that Riku drops a bombshell – he was supposed to wield the Keyblade, snatching Sora’s from him, leaving him unable to use it. As it turns out, Riku was supposed to use the Keyblade, but because he was tempted by darkness, the Keyblade chose Sora instead. Or at least, that is how it was explained in the first game. This was somewhat retconned in Birth By Sleep. Donald and Goofy abandon Sora, but he and the Beast storm Hollow Bastion to find Kairi and Belle. Sora confronts Riku, concluding he doesn’t need the Keyblade when his friends are his power. Donald and Goofy return to his side, as does the Keyblade.

Riku flees but is approached by the hooded man from the islands, offering him power. Six of the Princesses’ heart merge, creating a Dark Keyblade held by Riku, who now shows signs of possession. He strikes Maleficent with it, unlocking her heart to darkness, and she transforms into a dragon. Sora defeats her, Maleficent dying as a result, Riku revealing she was a pawn of the Heartless all along. Sora finds Kairi, Riku explaining her heart has been taken refuge inside Sora’s all along, explaining why he has been seeing visions of Kairi throughout his journey.

Sora realises Riku is possessed by another character. This person turns out to be the hooded man, who introduces himself as Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Ansem is a known scientist and researcher who was fascinated by darkness and was aware of the other worlds. Turns out he was a little too obsessed with darkness, and wants to use the power of Kingdom Hearts to consume all worlds with his favourite thing. Lacking a corporeal form, Ansem possessed Riku.

Sora battles Ansem, coming into possession of his Dark Keyblade. Realising he must free the Princesses’ hearts, Sora stabs his own heart with the Keyblade. Kairi and the others are awakened, but Sora is transformed into a Heartless. Kairi hugs him, the light in her heart restoring him to normal. The group flee Hollow Bastion, but Ansem ventures through the Keyhole to find Kingdom Hearts. Sora leaves Kairi with Leon’s group, learning Hollow Bastion is their homeworld. Kairi gives Sora her lucky charm, with the promise to return it too her.

(Kairi’s lucky charm resembles a Paopu Fruit, a star-shaped fruit from Destiny Islands. It is said that if two people share one, their destinies are tied. In the island’s cave, Sora and Kairi slowly complete a drawing of them sharing said fruit.)

Sora, Donald, and Goofy reach the End of the World, an apocalyptic realm made up of broken pieces of the destroyed worlds. They find Destiny Islands and confront Ansem. After a lengthy battle, Ansem draws the trio into the realm of darkness, where Kingdom Hearts dwells behind a pair of tall, white doors. Ansem calls upon Kingdom Hearts to give him the power of darkness. Sora proclaims that Kingdom Hearts is in fact made of light. The doors fly over, bathing Ansem in light, and causing him to explode.

With darkness leaking out of the doors, Sora, Donald, and Goofy rush to close it before the Heartless get through. Riku appears on the other side, trapped in the realm of darkness. Mickey appears within too, wielding his own Keyblade, and orders Sora to close the door from his side, sealing both sides with their Keyblades. Before doing so, Riku tells Sora to protect Kairi. The door is closed, sealed, and vanishes. Sora spots Kairi nearby and runs to her just as Destiny Islands (and the other worlds) are restored. He promises her that he will return, but has to find Riku too.

In a final scene, Sora, Donald, and Goofy walk down a countryside road with no progress in their search. Pluto randomly appears, carrying a bottle with Mickey’s sigil on it. The three give chase.

...

CHAIN OF MEMORIES

The direct sequel, Chain of Memories could be considered a secondary title, but it is vital to the story of Kingdom Hearts. It is split in two, with the point of view of Sora, and Riku. We’ll go through the game’s story in the same manner.

Straight after the end of the first game, Sora, Donald, and Goofy lose track of Pluto. They instead meet yet another mysterious hooded man, Marluxia, who lures them to weird-looking Castle Oblivion. You’d think the name would be enough to chase them off. But, something guides them into the castle, believing Riku and Mickey are within. Marluxia welcomes them, explaining that something they are looking for is on the top floor. However, every time they scale a floor, they will lose parts of their memories as per the castle’s rules.

To reach each new floor, the trio (and Jiminy Cricket) must use special memory cards. They discover each floor is a replica of worlds they visited in the past, but no one they met remembers them. These plays are made of their memories. As the group venture higher and higher, they forget more and more, including the very reason they came to the castle. To make matters worse, Sora forgets Kairi, believing he was friends with a blonde haired girl named Namine.

In truth, Namine is a pawn of Marluxia and his co-conspirators, the sadistic Larxene, and the trickster Axel. They are members of Organization XIII, who all wear black cloaks and have plans which involve Sora and the Keyblade. However, Marluxia and Larxene wish to control Sora and take over the Organization. Namine has an ability to manipulate memories, capable of erasing them and fabricating fake ones. She is reluctantly doing this to Sora, hoping he will save her. Interestingly, Namine possesses a striking resemblance to Kairi.

Sora’s lucky charm changes, and he is convinced Namine gave it too him. Riku appears, but is seemingly hostile and aggressive towards Sora. Riku also remembers Namine, and plots to rescue her instead of Sora. Another member of the Organization, the scientist Vexen, joins Marluxia’s team to control Sora. Unbeknownst to Sora, Riku is in fact a clone created by Vexen using the original’s memories. This is all part of the plan for Sora to find Namine, at which point, his mind will be blank and he will be a puppet for Marluxia to use in his schemes.

Vexen takes Sora to a memory of an unfamiliar place called Twilight Town and tries to explain Marluxia’s plan. Axel appears and assassinates Vexen to cover up the truth. However, Axel turns out to be a double agent, working to eliminate the Organization’s traitors and dead weight. He frees Namine to put a wrench in Marluxia’s plans. Sora finally finds Namine but is confused when she rejects their memories, revealing her puppetry and she has replaced Kairi in his mind. On cue, Kairi’s lucky charm returns to normal.

Larxene confronts Sora and Namine, but she is destroyed by our heroes. The Riku replica is temporarily rendered braindead by Namine when he attacks Sora, only for the clone to regain his mind, due to having his own heart. Sora later confronts and defeats Marluxia. In order to restore our heroes’ memories, Namine has them sleep in memory chambers, where they will sleep for a year, and won’t remember the events in Castle Oblivion. However, Sora makes a promise with Namine that they will meet again, and he will remember their friendship.

Meanwhile, Riku is trapped in the realm of darkness, but escapes with help of Mickey. He finds himself in the basement of Castle Oblivion, encountering memories of Maleficent and other villains along the way, as he tries to come to terms with his dark deeds. He constantly tormented by Ansem, whose darkness lingers in his heart. In the basement, Vexen and his cohorts, Lexaeus and Zexion, plot to intervene with Marluxia’s plans for Sora, but to also attempt to use Riku to destroy the traitors. Vexen is murdered by Axel, and Lexaeus dies fighting Riku, who is temporarily possessed by Ansem. Zexion attempts to psychologically break Riku with one hell of a guilt trip, but Riku sees through his illusions and defeats him too.

Riku also encounters his replica numerous times. Axel has the replica kill Zexion to absorb his power. The replica confronts Riku, but is defeated and appears to die. However, later games are hinting that he may not be as gone as we thought.

Riku reunites with Mickey and comes to the conclusion he must defeat Ansem’s lingering presence in his heart. He succeeds, though that doesn’t mean his link to Ansem is gone. It also becomes clear that the physical Ansem who has been taunting him, was actually a disguise for a new character named DiZ (Darkness in Zero), yet another mysterious cloaked man with a connection to Ansem. Riku meets Namine, learning of Sora’s fate, and agrees to help awaken him. Riku, Mickey, DiZ, and Namine eventually move Sora, Donald, and Goofy to an old abandoned mansion in Twilight Town. Riku also comes to wield a proper Keyblade.

...

KINGDOM HEARTS II 

Kingdom Hearts II was released in 2005, continuing Sora’s journey, but takes place a whole year after the events of Chain of Memories. However, fans were surprised when the game didn’t begin with Sora as the playable character, but a new character named Roxas, who bares a striking resemblance to Sora.

As the game begins, Roxas lives in Twilight Town with his friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette, spending the summer vacation together. Roxas has recurring dreams of Sora, normally through his eyes. Strange things begin happening around Roxas. Peculiar white creatures called Nobodies stalk him, and he is approached by a number of strangers in hooded cloaks, including DiZ, Riku, and Axel, who refers to Roxas as his best friend. Namine also appears to Roxas as a friend.

Over the next few days, Roxas discovers Twilight Town is a computer simulation set up by DiZ to contain him. Roxas himself has a connection to Sora, explaining why he looks like him, and can wield the Keyblade. He is Sora’s Nobody. Nobodies are the animated bodies and souls discarded when a person turns into a Heartless. Those with strong hearts can maintain their human appearances, but lack a heart, and thus proper emotions. Roxas, however, appears to have his own heart and emotions. The same applies to Axel, who is desperate to save his friend from those who wish to control and destroy him.

In flashbacks, Roxas is revealed to be the thirteenth member of Organization XIII,  and the only one who can wield Keyblades. Haunted by Sora’s memories, Roxas quits the group, only to be captured by Riku and DiZ, so he can merge with Sora and awaken him. During the iconic battle between Roxas and Riku, the latter unleashes the darkness in his heart, physically transforming him into a duplicate of Ansem.

On his last day of summer vacation, Roxas promises Axel that they will meet again. When Namine attempts to divulge secrets to Roxas, DiZ and Riku drag her away, but not before she tells Roxas they will see each other again, but perhaps not as the same people. It is also revealed that Namine is Kairi’s Nobody, and like Roxas, she too has her own heart. Roxas and Namine were brought into existence when Sora stabbed his heart in the first game.

Roxas eventually finds Sora and reluctantly surrenders himself to his other self, merging with his heart.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy awaken in Twilight Town, with no memory of the past year. Mickey instructs them to board a train and visit the tower of his master, the sorcerer Yen Sid. There, the trio meet Pete, a bungling oaf who has a past with Donald and Goofy. Pete works with Maleficent and is unaware of her death. However, thanks to her pet raven Diablo, Maleficent is resurrected, but spends the whole game house-hunting with Pete to find a new lair.

Yen Sid introduces Sora to the concept of Nobodies, claiming they don’t exist, even though they do. The Organization XIII are plotting something related to the Heartless and Kingdom Hearts, and tasks Sora to stop them. The Three Fairies from Sleeping Beauty give Sora a new outfit. Our trio continue their world-to-world adventures, also searching for Riku as well. On the way, Sora slowly acknowledges the existence of Roxas, and later learns of their connection.

Our heroes encounter the remaining members of the Organization along the way, who are attempting to collect hearts to fuel Kingdom Hearts. These include Xigbar, Xaldin, Saix, who has a past with Axel, Demyx, and Luxord. The leader of Organization XIII is a man named Xemnas, who is actually Ansem’s own Nobody.

It is during an encounter with Mickey, where one hell of a bombshell is dropped. Ansem is in fact an entirely different person, having stolen the name and identity of “Ansem”. His real name is Xehanort, an ambitious researcher who became fascinated by the power and nature of the heart. He worked for Ansem the Wise, the sage-like ruler of Hollow Bastion. Mickey had warned Ansem the Wise about the dangers of messing with the heart, prompting Ansem to ban Xehanort’s experiments. This didn’t stop Xehanort, who corrupted Ansem’s other five apprentices to betray their master and turn their hearts to darkness.

Xehanort and the other apprentices – who would become Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion – ultimately created the Heartless and Nobodies. Xehanort banished Ansem the Wise to the realm of darkness, and took on his identity. Organization XIII were founded, and the Heartless began devouring worlds.

Both the Organization and Maleficent launch full scale invasions of Hollow Bastion, hoping Sora will slay all of the Heartless. Saix explains to him that the Heartless, when destroyed, return to Kingdom Hearts. The Organization hopes that with enough hearts, they will be able to use Kingdom Hearts’ power to restore their own.

Meanwhile, Kairi returns to the story. After a year of not remembering Sora, as a side effect of Namine messing with his mind, Kairi recalls her friends and send out a bottled message into the sea hoping it will guide him and Riku home. She also has a brief encounter with Roxas when her memories of Sora return. However, Axel later appears, offering her the chance to see Sora again. The only condition is that she becomes his prisoner. Pluto appears out of nowhere and guides Kairi through a dark portal, implying Riku is also helping from the shadows. Kairi and Pluto make it to Twilight Town, meeting Roxas’ friends, but Axel drags her way into the darkness. Axel later turns up in Hollow Bastion, revealing to Sora that Saix took Kairi prisoner.

Afterward, Sora, Donald, and Goofy continue their adventures, defeating Xaldin along the way when he tries to turn the Beast into a Heartless. They wind up back in Twilight Town, discovering its secrets related to Roxas and DiZ. With help from Pence, Hayner, Olette, and Mickey, they discover they can reach the Organization’s realm through a portal in the simulated Twilight Town.

Whilst travelling through the limbo world, Betwixt and Between, they are attacked by Nobodies. Axel comes to the rescues and blows up the Nobodies with an inferno, but at the cost of his own life. As Axel fades away, he reveals his actions were to see Roxas again, and apologises for kidnapping Kairi. He uses the last of his energy to open a portal to The World That Never Was.

Upon arriving in the dark metropolis, Sora is attacked by an enraged Roxas, mourning Axel. Sora manages to defeat him, and Roxas surrenders, finally accepting his bond with Sora. He also manages to say goodbye to Axel too.

Our heroes storm the floating Castle That Never Was, dispatching the remaining Organization members save Xemnas. Namine and Riku bust Kairi out of prison, Riku giving Kairi a Keyblade. How and why she can wield one will be established later on. Together, they reunite with Sora. Riku reveals he is stuck in Xehanort’s form due to using the darkness in his heart.

Mickey, who ran on ahead, runs into DiZ, who is unmasked as Ansem the Wise. After being betrayed by his apprentices, Ansem took on the identity of DiZ and sought revenge on them. He regarded Nobodies as pawns in his own plans, using Roxas and Namine to awaken Sora, hoping to use him as a weapon. However, as he saw Roxas and Namine develop their own hearts, his guilt grew. It only became worse when Riku went to collect Roxas, and came back resembling Xehanort. At that point, DiZ had a change of heart and knew he had to make amends.

Mickey and Ansem the Wise travel through the castle, armed with a funny-looking machine, which Ansem explains will be able to absorb Kingdom Hearts (which appears as a giant heart-shaped moon) and convert it into data. However, he soon realises his machine cannot control or contain hearts, realising the people in created in the simulated Twilight Town had developed their own hearts as well. Sora and the others appear, as does Xemnas, who mocks his old teacher. Ansem’s machine implodes, taking Ansem the Wise with it. However, it damages Kingdom Hearts and frees Riku of his darkness, returning him to normal.

The group confront and defeat Xemnas, who bonds with Kingdom Hearts’ remaining power. Namine opens a portal to the realm of light, which everyone save Sora and Riku travel through. Namine and Roxas bond with Kairi and Sora, fulfilling Namine and Roxas’ promise to each other. Xemnas returns, dragging Sora and Riku into the realm in-between realms, where they battle, but Xemnas falls.

Sora and Riku make it to the realm of darkness, resting on a dark beach. There, they come to terms with their own jealousies towards each other, renewing their friendship. Just then, Kairi’s message in a bottle appears, and Sora reads it. This opens a door to the realm of light, which our boys travel through, winding up home on Destiny Islands where they are reunited with their friends. Sora returns Kairi her lucky charm as promised.

In the closing scene, Kairi approaches Sora and Riku with a message marked with Mickey’s sigil. The three read, but the contents won’t be revealed for a while.

I did consider doing the whole thing in one post, but it makes sense to space things out. So join us in part two to cover the rest of the games' storyline. I originally wrote this for my Deviantart page.