Maleficent's goons are dark creatures that serve Maleficent in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Union χ. They guard their mistress's castle with their lives and use spears, maces, and bows to attack. Ventus and Aqua face several of these enemies while exploring Enchanted Dominion.
Maleficent's goons are bipedal and come in two varieties in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: one is of a light build and has the head of a vulture, while the other is stockier and has a porcine visage. Both types of goons wear greenish-brown tunics and spiked helmets, and burst into green flames when defeated. In Kingdom Hearts Union χ, a third variety appears, also pig-like but taller and thinner than the other with a shock of dark hair and two horns that resemble Maleficent's. These wear only a skirt of the same greenish tone as their skin, and carry a shield with the device of a snake.
Individually, Maleficent's goons are easy to defeat. They can become a threat if faced in large numbers, however. All of the goons' attacks can be blocked, and the "Bow" variety's shots can be deflected back at them to deal damage.
Maleficent's goons first appeared in Disney's 1959 animated feature, Sleeping Beauty. In the film, Maleficent ordered them to search nearby lands for Aurora after the infant princess disappeared into the woods with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Sixteen years later, the goons returned to their mistress's side empty-handed, and when Maleficent learned they had spent almost two decades incompetently hunting a baby, she flew into a rage.
Later, the goons helped Maleficent capture Prince Phillip. When the prince attempted to escape the Forbidden Mountain with the aid of the three good fairies, several goons tried and failed to stop him.