KHWiki:Manual of Style

Welcome to the Manual of Style page. This page will be used as a reference for editors on how to format the articles in the Kingdom Hearts Wiki in a more standard, organized manner. You are welcome to discuss any descrepancies or loopholes in the talk page.

General

 * New articles should be named according to the subject's official name.
 * E.g.: an article on "Sora's Weapon" should be named "Keyblade".


 * If the official name of a subject has been changed in later episodes of Kingdom Hearts, please use the first name. However, redirects can be made using the later names.
 * E.g.: the Watcher is still known as the Surveillance Robot, and the name "Watcher" should redirect to the page on the "Surveillance Robot".


 * The first line in the intro should be about the subject of the article, and the subject has to be written in bold. This is only for the first sentence about the subject. Please note that the first line should be written with the definite article and the topic is regarded as a singular entity, except for certain cases.
 * E.g.: The Keyblade is Sora's main weapon. Sora received the Keyblade in Destiny Islands. Keyblades can destroy the Heartless.
 * For introductory sentences, circular definitions are not allowed, because they do not explain anything to the reader. Please avoid making opening sentences along the lines of "Scar's Ghost is the Ghost of Scar".
 * The definite article (the) and indefinite articles (a/an) should be avoided in article titles except if they are used in an official title/name.
 * E.g.: "The Way to the Dawn" should be named "Way to the Dawn".


 * Avoid using the second person pronoun (you) in articles except for strategies and quotes.
 * Avoid using plural pronouns for singular nouns.
 * E.g.: "The player" cannot be referred to as "they". Use the general "he".


 * Articles created should be limited to the Kingdom Hearts sphere. Real world references such as voice actors and game developers should be linked to their respective pages in Wikipedia.
 * E.g.: Tetsuya Nomura should be linked to his article in Wikipedia using the line Tetsuya Nomura


 * The language of the wiki is American English, considering the fact that the actual gameplay is in American English. In the American English style, it is proper grammar that a possessive term should only lack an "s" after it if it is plural. It also means that you should use a comma before the final term when making a list of three or more subjects.
 * E.g.: Use Xemnas's, never Xemnas'. Use Ventus's, never Ventus'.
 * E.g.: Ling, Chien Po, and Yao, not Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.


 * All game titles should be italicized, except for the article title (there's no coding for that anyway).
 * Do not use abbreviations. Kingdom Hearts II should be written in full, never use KHII or KH2.
 * Use Roman numerals instead of Arabic numerals for titles except when it is the official name.
 * E.g.: Kingdom Hearts II, not Kingdom Hearts 2, but Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, not Kingdom Hearts CCCLVIII/II Days.


 * Wikilinking is limited to the first occurrence of the word or phrase.
 * Exception: An article can be linked to more than once within a single article if the additional links link to individual sections of the article, rather than the article alone.
 * The first letters of all original weapons e.g. Keyblade, Buster Sword, Identity Disc, must be capitalized.
 * Component, minor, or insignificant items can be grouped by an identifying characteristic rather than each item having its own page as long as the details of each component are provided.
 * E.g.: Serenity of Synthesis Materials, Engine Gummi of Gummi Blocks.


 * All buttons (except for the analog sticks) should be represented by, particularly in ability, sleight and enemy pages.
 * Speculation should not be added into any article whatsoever unless there is enough information to substantiate it. If the article concerns a character about to be released, there shall be a section for speculation, but do not add speculation into the Trivia page.
 * Categories on Kingdom Hearts Wiki should be in-wiki and in-game.
 * Interlanguage/interwiki links are optional, but they are encouraged. Note that once an interwiki link has been placed, it should not be deleted unless at least one of the following circumstances are fulfilled:
 * The interwiki link is a broken link, which means that it directs to an empty, unwritten page.
 * The current link is being replaced by another link, either after the renaming of a page, or to prevent redirection.

Deleted/previously deleted articles

 * Deleted articles should never be revived on the Wiki until and unless there is enough information to substantiate them.
 * If an article is too stubby and should be merged with another, the template should be used. The remaining articles (which are remnants of the merger) should be marked with the  template.
 * If an article was created or revived in bad faith and has little or nothing to do with the Kingdom Hearts universe, use the template.
 * All discussions about articles for deletion should take place in Kingdom Hearts Wiki:Pages for Deletion and not on the talk pages of the marked articles.

For Games

 * Use only official names for the title. The title must also be complete.
 * All game articles should use the template.
 * E.g.: The game "Chain of Memories" should be named "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories".


 * Place relevant navigational templates at the bottom of the article.
 * Games must be categorized under Category:Games.

General sections

 * Story - plot of the game; make it as spoilerific as possible.
 * Gameplay - a general summary will suffice.
 * Characters - limit to a list.
 * Worlds - limit to a list.
 * Trivia - real world references etc.
 * External links - priority to official websites.

For Characters

 * Each character gets an article, as long as it is under the sphere of the Kingdom Hearts series.
 * No extensive research if it is covered by other companies, or has appeared in other films or games (e.g. Disney's Goofy shouldn't be further elaborated in Goofy's article). Priority should go towards the in-game appearance rather than their respective original games/films.
 * Likewise, character names are referred to the same way they are in the Kingdom Hearts series; for example, surnames of characters from existing works are usually dropped (e.g. Cloud instead of Cloud Strife, Mulan instead of Fa Mulan).
 * Each playable character should have an Infobox designed for the game in which the character appears: for all Characters, including villains. Organization XIII members get a special  character infobox.
 * A Kingdom Hearts original character's First Appearance is the game that is their first active role in the franchise; appearances in secret endings, visions, previews, and so on are not used.
 * Insert as much official and relevant character artwork and image as possible, added with caption for explanation, but try not to go overboard. An image every five lines does more damage than good.
 * Character Quotes are encouraged to be placed in between sections, but are not necessary.
 * If a character is fought against, a separate article under Category:Enemies should be created entailing strategies to defeat him/her. More info under Enemies section.
 * Place relevant navigational templates at the bottom of the article.
 * Finally, categorize a character article based on the categories under the Category:Characters.

General sections

 * Journal - according to Jiminy's Journal entry. This should be the first section. All entries should be italicized.
 * All journal entries are not to be tampered with. If there are newer journal entries, bring it to our attention on the respective talk pages.
 * Story - further divided into subsections using the title game, even if it's just one game.
 * Personality
 * Appearance - explaining physical appearance e.g. clothing. Worldly Forms are documented under appearance and linked here. Out of universe reference is encouraged.
 * Abilities - a summary, as abilities will be treated on separate pages
 * Origin - reserved for Final Fantasy and Disney characters articles.
 * Trivia - encouraged but only to a certain extent, as long as it is related and makes sense.
 * Do not insert redundant information into the trivia section, particularly when the information is already contained within the main article body.
 * A trivia section should have, at the most, seven points. If merging bits of trivial information to the main body is possible, then by all means, do so.
 * No distasteful information is to be put in the trivia sections, or in any other part of the character articles.

For Worlds/Locations

 * Each world gets an article, as long as it is under the sphere of the Kingdom Hearts series.
 * Key locations get their own articles, particularly when an event has taken place in a particular location. Other less important locations should not have their own articles, and should only be contained in bold text within the World pages.
 * No extensive research if it is covered by other companies, (e.g. Disney's Atlantica shouldn't be further elaborated in Atlantica's article). Again, priority goes to the in-game appearance.
 * Images are encouraged.

General sections

 * Locations - listing the sub-locations in each world. As said above, key locations have their own articles.
 * Characters - list only residents, not visitors.
 * Story - the story events that have taken place.
 * Shops - a guide of items sold here, and where they can be found.
 * Synthesis Shops - a guide to where moogle shops can be found.
 * Enemies - a list of enemies that have appeared.
 * Treasure List - where the world's treasure chests can be found, and what are contained inside them.
 * Mini-Games - a list of mini-games that might be found in the respective worlds, and on which location they may be activated. Do not elaborate on the objectives of these games, as they will be covered in their respective pages.
 * Trivia.

For Enemies/Bosses

 * Each enemy/boss gets an article. This applies to all Heartless, Nobodies and enemies that do not interact with the player verbally.
 * Characters fought against, such as Maleficent, Ansem or Xehanort, must have separate articles, one Character page and one Enemy page.
 * At least one image must be placed for identification.
 * Add a stats Infobox.
 * Categorize according to type: Category:Heartless, Category:Nobodies or Category:Enemies for non-Heartless/Nobodies. Add the Category:Bosses if it is a Boss, regardless of type.
 * Place navigational templates as relevant, in this case being.

General sections

 * Journal Entry - as according to Jiminy's Journal. All entries should be italicized.
 * Story - Add if there is any relevant story info. This is the first section.
 * Card - add only if enemy appears as an enemy card in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Use Template:InfoEnemyCard.
 * Abilities - battle information.
 * Appearances - divided under games, then listing the world where it appears. Add specific location if possible.
 * Etymology - if applicable.
 * Quotes - if the boss in question is a character with spoken lines.
 * For the Battle Quotes section, a maximum of 10 quotes is allowed.
 * Do not put in grunts or cries like "oof", "ack" or "ah".

Gender
All Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and Dream Eaters are genderless, classified as "it", or "its" when referring to possession.


 *  YES  : The Zip Slasher is a powerful enemy. It uses a powerful slash attack to deal great amounts of damage. Using Block to defend against its slash attack will knock it unconscious.
 *  NO  : The Zip Slasher is a powerful enemy. He uses a powerful slash attack to deal great amounts of damage. Using Block to defend against his slash attack will knock him unconscious.

Any character of either enemy type with an obvious gender, such as the members of Organization XIII and Xehanort's Heartless, are an exception to this rule.


 *  YES  : Xemnas is the leader of Organization XIII. He wields dual Ethereal Blades in battle.
 *  NO  : Xemnas is the leader of Organization XIII. It wields dual Ethereal Blades in battle.

For Items & Equipment

 * Each item and equipment gets an article. Seriously, even a potion. Why? Items & Equipments must be documented of its appearance in all games and how, and possibly where to retrieve them.
 * An image should be placed for identification.
 * Place templates as appropriate.
 * For Keyblades there are Template:InfoKeyCoM, Template:InfoKeyKH and Template:InfoKeyKHII.
 * For non-Keyblade weapons, there are Template:InfoWeaponKH and Template:InfoWeaponKHII.
 * For accessories, there are Template:InfoAccessKH and Template:InfoAccessKHII.
 * For armor, there is Template:InfoArmorKHII.
 * Categorize as appropriate. Equipments must be categorized as either Category:Keyblades, Staff, Shields or Weapons. Items fall under the Category:Items.

Subsections

 * Requirements - for Equipment, how to retrieve said item.
 * Stats - for Equipment
 * Recipe - for Item Synthesis, listing all possible.
 * See also - linking to the Chain of Memories Card for said item, as well as the higher/lower tiers of the item in question.

For Abilities

 * There should be parent articles for Kingdom Hearts abilities, sleights in Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II abilities.
 * Key abilities and recurring abilities get their own pages.
 * E.g.: Sonic Blade, Strike Raid and Glide.


 * Put in at least one image for identification.
 * If the ability is a highly dynamic one (e.g. Sonic Blade), then consider the following possibilities:
 * a few images should be placed in a timeline for editors and readers to understand the sequence. The number of frames in the timeline depends on the length of the ability.
 * alternatively, an animated .gif or a short video clip may be used.
 * Categorize it as appropriate. The general category is Category:Abilities.

General sections

 * (Lead): should list the games in which it appears and give a general description.
 * Mechanics: should describe particulars about the type of ability and how it's equipped and/or executed/activated, if relevant.
 * Learning [ability]: list of methods of obtaining, learning, or otherwise gaining access to the ability.
 * Drops (for commands): enemy drop rates
 * Recipes (for commands): synthesis recipes for the command
 * Synthesized Commands (for commands): recipes that use the command

For Music

 * Each individual music track gets an article. This applies to both tracks for the same character but with a different name and for tracks with a different name but similar melody, such as Kairi I and Kairi III, and Dive into the Heart -Destati- and Destati.
 * Original soundtracks [OST] also get their own article.
 * Place navigational templates as relevant, in this case being
 * Music track articles should include an infobox detailing the information as listed on

General Sections (music tracks)

 * Introductory sentence - Should use the following format: "[Track title] is a musical composition by [Composer] that appears in [game(s)/the Kingdom Hearts series]." Depending on the track, specific games may be list or may be replaced with "the Kingdom Hearts series."
 * Appearances - This is the first section. List any occurrences the track plays, including cutscenes, boss fights, and outside official sources- such as Square Enix official music websites.
 * Composition - This is the second section. The first paragraph should describe in detail the: approximate length of the piece; tempo(s), noting how many beats per minute; key signature(s); if the piece has or lacks an introduction and/or conclusion; how many measures each loop occurs; and instrumentation. A separate paragraph may be designated for each each game/variation, depending on the track. The second paragraph should be a complete and in-depth music theory analysis of the piece, containing thorough descriptions of all phrases, noteworthy rhythms/themes, any forms of musical expressions (i.e. ornamentation(s), ritardandos, accelerandos, etc.), changes in dynamics, and even chord analysis.
 * Albums - The third section. Any soundtracks that specifically list the respective music track should be listed and linked to.

Using Media

 * For the policy on media files, seek Kingdom Hearts Wiki:Media

Images

 * Head images for articles should be renders or in-game captures. If neither are available, artwork or scans from other sources are acceptable.
 * New images should only be uploaded over old images if you are replacing the image with a better quality version.
 * Where an image is of poor quality, use the template to alert the uploader and other users.
 * Images without white BGs should be placed inside a thumbnail and a caption must be added, if it doesn't fall in the Gallery section (see Help:Images for the know-how). The same goes for images that have been cleaned and cropped.
 * Userbox images should be cropped or resized to no larger than 50 pixels.
 * Only face shots (and perhaps a bit of the shoulders) are allowed for character userboxes, not the entire body.
 * The maximum number of images in a Gallery section (excluding the lists of characters and enemies) is 12.
 * Where possible, please incorporate the images into the story, but do not place an image every five lines!
 * If there are no images whatsoever in an article, you can alert other users by using the template.

Videos

 * Videos are only allowed in:
 * Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days mission walkthroughs,
 * Gummi Mission walkthroughs,
 * boss pages,
 * pages for enemies from the Final Mixes,
 * song pages,
 * game pages, where trailers are often showcased.
 * Videos should be placed at the bottom of the article in their own section.
 * There shall be a maximum of eight videos per article, with the exception of:
 * Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days mission and Gummi Mission walkthroughs, which only require one video per article,
 * game pages, where only four videos can be placed on the page.
 * If the videos are taken from YouTube, the frame color must be similar to that of the Infobox color, and no related videos are allowed.
 * Uploading videos is highly discouraged. To place a video on a page, type  the code after  watch?v=  ''.

Music

 * Music samples for music-related articles are encouraged.
 * Only a 30-second snippet is allowed. If it has to be more than 30 seconds, it must highlight the main theme of the piece, and no more than that. Do not place the entire file as this will be a violation of copyright.
 * Do not link to file-sharing sites, or sites offering illegal music downloads.