Hollow Bastion

Hollow Bastion is an original world in ' and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, with loose references to ' and . In Kingdom Hearts coded, the world is divided into two episodes: Hollow Bastion I and Hollow Bastion II. In Kingdom Hearts II, the world was expanded into the town and other areas and eventually renamed Radiant Garden, which was the world's original name. It also briefly appears as a flashback in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, experienced by Xion.

Ansem the Wise was the former ruler of this world, before it was taken over by Maleficent.

Kingdom Hearts
Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter Hollow Bastion at the Sakamaku Taki no Soko (逆巻く滝の底), appropriately named as there are waterfalls that run up instead of down. This area, as well as all other areas on the bottom reaches of the castle, contains magical bubbles that can transport the team under the solid water, or can be frozen to be used as platforms. Jumping on icy floating rocks and ledges takes the party to some broken stairs with a lift at the end. The lift takes Sora to the Seimon (正門), the main entrance of Hollow Bastion which is made up of a set of balconies and lifts running both outside and inside the castle. From here, the party can travel down into the underground water system or enter the castle itself.

Going down the nearby platform or leaping off the edge of the balcony takes the party to Kibu (基部), an area full of ledges, switches, and enemies. Successfully climbing to the balcony near the entrance earns extra treasures, while taking a nearby bubble carries them to the Utsuronaru Shiro: Chika Suiro (虚ろなる城：地下水路), where a series of gates, switches, and bubbles must be navigated to operate the castle gate controls. Off of the Waterway is a small room called the Chika Rō (地下牢).

Going through the doors at the other end of the Castle Gates area takes the party to the massive two-level Utsoronaru Shiro: Entoransu (虚ろなる城：エントランス), where a fight against Riku takes place. To continue onwards through the castle a puzzle at the end of the hall must be solved. When solved it'll allow access to the second half of the Castle Gates. Taking the left door in the Entrance Hall leads the party to the Utsuronaru Shiro: Shoko (虚ろなる城：書庫), which is also the site of a large puzzle involving organizing the Hollow Bastion Library books. The room also contains one of the world's save points. After the world's Keyhole has been lock, Belle, Yuffie, Leon and Aerith can be found here.

Also accessible from the Library is the first of many entrances to the Torokko Noriba (トロッコ乗場), a junction point for many of the castle's lifts, which snake throughout the castle through magical tram lines. Each route is separated from the others by mystical barriers, and many passages and hallways also converge at this hub. The ceiling of the Lift Stop is decorated with stained glass.

By taking the lift on the other side of the Castle Gates, the party can continuing up the castle to reach the Utsuronaru Shiro: Daimon Kabe (虚ろなる城：大紋壁), which consists of three large balconies on opposite side of the castle's enormous Heartless emblem. From the first balcony, Sora can travel by use of the castle's largest lift, and after a slow journey across the front of the bastion, the party is dropped off at the second balcony. From there they can take the Lift Stop up to the third balcony, which further leads to the next area, the Kōrō (高楼). Located here is a smaller Heartless crest that can be moved to create a route up to the upper levels of the castle. The High Tower is divided into two areas which is connected by a passage through the Lift Stop. At the second level of the High Tower is an entrance which eventually leads to the Utsuronaru Shiro: Raihaidō (虚ろなる城：礼拝堂), where Maleficent is fought. After her defeat, a portal to a secret area of the chapel can be temporarily found here, leading a fight against Maleficent in her dragon form. The portal later appears again for a fight against Xemnas.

After defeating Maleficent twice, one of the walls to the right of the Castle Chapel will reveal a hidden entrance. Through there the Lift Stop can be quickly accessed which ultimately leads to the Utsuronaru Shiro: Ōhiroma (虚ろなる城：大広間), where the Princesses of Heart are held captive and the Final Keyhole forms. Inside the Grand Hall is a Heartless Emblem-shaped portal leading to a small dimension known as the Yami no Fuchi (闇の淵). Here, Sora and company fight off the Behemoth guarding the Keyhole from being sealed.

The  is a room within Hollow Bastion, that can only be accessed once at End of the World. The lab consists of a short hallway blocked by a large Heartless emblem at one end, with a small room to the left. The side-room contains a large machine with a computer console and five capsules on it, hooked up to a tank of unknown liquid. Red, orange, and black warps in space dot the hall and lab.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Hollow Bastion appears within Castle Oblivion as a memory. The world can be explored through boxed-in areas that draw heavy inspiration from the various balconies across the castle, as well as the Lift Stop areas. In cutscenes, areas such the Castle Gates, the Library, the Entrance Hall, and the Castle Chapel are visited. The secret part of the Castle Chapel also serve as arena for the fight against Dragon Maleficent

When Riku visits the memories of Hollow Bastion, a new area called  is shown in cutscene. It's quite similar to the Library in design, but is a lot smaller with also a bed in it.

Kingdom Hearts coded
In Kingdom Hearts coded, Hollow Bastion appears within the Datascape and is divided into two worlds. Hollow Bastion I and Hollow Bastion II, with the former being very similar to Hollow Bastion from Kingdom Hearts.

Hollow Bastion I
The Rising Falls are briefly seen in cutscenes, but Data-Sora's real journey at Hollow Bastion starts at the (正門), where the second part of the area can now be accessed via platforms made of Bug Blox. He then heads down the underground (地下水路) to unlock the castle gate. After opening the gate, he soon joins with Goofy at the Entoransu (Kabu) (エントランス(下部)). After examining the Heartless slot on the exit door, Data-Sora visit the library, which is broken down into Shoko Ichi (書庫1), Shoko Ni (書庫2), Shoko San (書庫3) and Shoko Yon (書庫4), to search for the missing emblem pieces. Passing through the libraries leads to (エントランス(上部)), which is the upper portion of the hall.

After joining up with Donald and finding all the emblem pieces, Data-Sora and party can leave the Entrance Hall to access the (大紋壁), a huge lift which further transports them to the  (高楼). The area is overflown by bugs, and to continue Data-Sora needs to activate all of the area's triggers. Doing so unlocks an entrance beneath the moveable platforms, where they can finally chase after Pete who waits in the (大広間). Data-Sora then encounters Pete and Data-Riku at the glitched and corrupted Kagiana: Raihaidō (鍵穴:礼拝堂). After the battles Hollow Bastion II is unlocked.

Hollow Bastion II
Hollow Bastion II is set within Data-Riku, who is lying comatose in the Grand Hall. Entering Data-Riku will take Data-Sora to Riku Dēta Naibu (リク データ内部), where five doors are located. These five entry points lead to desaturated versions of past worlds from the game that are overrun by Bug Blox.

The first door takes Data-Sora to the Desutinī Airando (デスティニーアイランド). The second takes him to Traverse Town, divided into the Ichiban Machi (1番街) and Niban Machi (2番街). The third takes him to Wonderland at the Chūō Hiroba (中央広場), leading to the Hasu no Mori (ハスの森). The fourth takes him to Agrabah at the Mahō no Dōkutsu Hajimari no Ma (魔法の洞窟 始まりの間), where he must travel backwards out of the cave to the Taigā Heddo (タイガーヘッド). The final door takes him to Hollow Bastion's Raihaidō (礼拝堂) where he encounters the bugged Data-Riku.

After clearing all five doors, an exit appears leading to a side-scrolling segment through Inside Riku's Data, and ends with an encounter against Dragon Maleficent at the Raihaidō (Ryū no Ma) (礼拝堂(竜の間)). Data-Sora also revisits the Grand Hall before a 3D shooting segment takes place in the (データホール). Data-Sora then fights and defeats Sora's Heartless at the Hen'i Dēta Chūsū (変異データ中枢).

Kingdom Hearts
During the destruction of Destiny Islands, Riku is approached by Ansem and opens his heart to the darkness, allowing Ansem to linger within his heart, and steps into a Corridor of Darkness. He awakens some time later in the Rising Falls. Here, he is greeted by Maleficent, given a room to stay in, and is gifted with the Soul Eater blade.

Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive at Hollow Bastion in time to find Riku attacking another intruder, the Beast. Sora, Donald, and Goofy confront Riku, but he declares he is the Keyblade's true holder; it jumps into his possession, leaving Sora defenseless except for his old wooden sword. Shocked at this revelation, Sora collapses to the ground. Riku departs, and Donald and Goofy, having been ordered to follow the Keybearer, reluctantly follow him. The Beast staggers on despite his injuries, and Sora quickly gets over his shock to help him. The Beast reveals that he is looking for someone important to him, and refuses to depart without her. Sora, sympathizing, takes up his old wooden sword, and the two team up to enter the castle.

After traversing the castle waterways to unlock the main door, Sora and Beast enter Hollow Bastion. Beast witnesses an illusion of Belle transforming into a Heartless, and, enraged, jumps at the Heartless, with the doors slamming shut behind him. Riku, Donald, and Goofy appear soon after, where Riku orders Sora to give up, though Sora refuses to leave without Kairi. Sora informs Riku that while the darkness may destroy his body, it can't harm his heart, and Riku decides to test Sora's theory by firing a Dark Firaga attack at him. Sora, believing it to be the end, braces himself, but Goofy rushes in and blocks the blast with his shield. After being questioned by Riku, Goofy swears that he will never betray King Mickey, but won't betray Sora after all that they have been through together, and asks Donald to apologize to the King for him; however, Donald also chooses his friendship with Sora over King Mickey's orders and rejoins Sora. Sora informs Riku that he doesn't need the Keyblade; his friends and heart are the only weapons he needs. Sora's strength of heart with his friends back by his side pulls the Keyblade away from Riku and back to him. After a fierce battle, Riku is defeated and flees. Beast rejoins the party after watching the encounter, observing that Sora's heart was what helped him win.

Riku is upset at losing the Keyblade, but encounters Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, who promises him that he can make Riku's heart stronger through darkness and allow him to regain possession of the Keyblade. Jealous and angry at Sora and shamed over his loss of control of the Keyblade, Riku succumbs to his pledge and powers, and becomes consumed by the darkness. In the meantime, Maleficent has attempted to use the gathered Princesses of Heart to open the Bastion's Keyhole. The Heartless-possessed Riku meets with her to check her progress, where Maleficent declares she will control and use the darkness for her own purposes; however, neither she nor Ansem-Riku can unlock the Keyhole without Kairi's missing heart.

Sora and friends manage to travel through the labyrinth of a castle to reach the chapel; there they meet with and confront Maleficent. Overconfident in her abilities and underestimating those of Sora's gang, she is soundly defeated. Escaping back to Riku for help, she is stabbed through the heart by his Keyblade of heart, made from the hearts of the six Princesses. It unlocks the darkest parts of her heart and allows her to transform into a large, powerful dragon; however, Sora's party defeat her again, and she is consumed and burned away by the darkness. Riku then appears and reveals that Maleficent was merely a pawn of the Heartless, unable to see the darkness swallowing her heart. He then departs and Sora and company travel to the Grand Hall, where the Keyhole and Princesses are located, to find and confront him. There, Sora finds Kairi unconscious on the floor in front of the partially opened Keyhole. He tries to wake her, but Riku appears to tell Sora her heart is missing. Riku continues to tell Sora that Kairi is one of the princesses and that her heart is within him. Sora is able to realize that Riku is no longer in control of his own body. Riku knocks both Donald and Goofy back behind a preset barrier, and Kairi's heart reacts to the Keyblade of heart's power, causing Sora crippling pain. Xehanort's Heartless then attacks him, but Sora recovers and blocks the strike in time. After an intense battle over who would possess Kairi's heart, Sora emerges victorious.

Riku disappears, but the Keyhole begins reacting to the presence of Kairi's heart. Sora attempts to lock the Keyhole, but without Kairi's heart, it is not complete and cannot be sealed. Sora puts two and two together and realizes what he has to do; despite Donald and Goofy's desperate pleas, Sora stabs himself with the Keyblade of heart left in Riku's wake, releasing all of the princesses' hearts (including Kairi's) and completing the Keyhole, but Sora falls into darkness himself.

Kairi wakes just in time to see Sora disappear. As Kairi, Donald, and Goofy mourn the loss of Sora, Ansem, now in full possession of Riku's body and having shaped it into one resembling his original human self, reappears, declaring that Kairi's purpose is over, effectively deciding to kill her. Donald and Goofy bravely make a stand against Ansem, but both know that, without Sora, they may not be able to stop him. However, before Ansem can attack, Riku projects himself from his stolen body, manages to establish enough control to stop him in his tracks, and warns Kairi and the others that the Heartless called by Ansem will soon overrun the castle at which they heed and run to escape. The three return to the entrance, and hesitate due to Kairi's reluctance to leave Sora and Riku behind; Goofy himself is still concerned about the Keyhole (apparently failing to realize that, without Sora and the Keyblade, the Keyhole cannot be stopped). An apparently non-hostile Heartless arrives; Donald shouts at it to get lost and whacks it over the head with his staff, but Kairi realizes that the Heartless is, in fact, Sora. At that moment, massive legions of Heartless attack, and swarm Kairi and Sora's Heartless, much to Donald and Goofy's horror. However, a brilliant flash of light blows the Heartless back, and in place of the Heartless, there is Sora, fully restored. Beast stays behind to hold off the Heartless and continue looking for Belle, and so the group departs Hollow Bastion.

Cid manages to find a way to allow them to return and seal the Keyhole. They return and help Beast reunite with the re-awakened Belle, and jump through the Keyhole to fight a Behemoth Heartless. After a conversation with Leon's group, who have returned to restore their home world, Sora seals the Keyhole at Hollow Bastion.

In the Kingdom Hearts Final Mix version, Sora also has his first encounter with Organization XIII in the chapel by way of Xemnas, here known only as "Unknown". After some cryptic messages (such as stating that Sora is incomplete and looks just like "him"), Xemnas departs. It is revealed in Kingdom Hearts II that this battle takes place shortly after Xemnas recruited Roxas into the Organization, and he fought Sora to test his abilities.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Upon arriving in the Basement of Castle Oblivion, Riku enters a memory simulation of Hollow Bastion. Guided by the voice of DiZ, Riku explores the simulation, even coming across his old bedroom, and eventually encounters Maleficent, who tries to convince him to rejoin her. Riku refuses, and she promptly transforms into a dragon to battle him. He ultimately triumphs.

Later, Sora and company also arrive in the simulation. They encounter the Beast, who is being told by Belle to stay away from her. Noticing his plight, Sora decides to help the Beast.

As the group traverses the simulation, they encounter Maleficent, who is holding Belle hostage. Maleficent declares to Beast that Belle still loves him, but is afraid to say it to avoid detection. Maleficent gives Beast one last ultimatum, but Beast refuses. Outraged, Maleficent transforms into a dragon to battle Sora and company. Sora eventually defeats Maleficent, and as she fades away, Belle and Beast rekindle their relationship.

A statue appears here in the Entrance Hall that was not present in Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
During Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, when Xion experiences a short sequence of Sora's memories, the keyhole to Hollow Bastion can be seen as Sora releases his heart and his body dissipates.

Kingdom Hearts coded
After Maleficent destroys Data-Sora's Keyblade in the datascape's version of Agrabah and captures Data-Riku, Pete takes Data-Riku to the Datascape's Hollow Bastion. Without his weapon, Data-Sora is unable to fight, so Mickey travels there himself, leaving Donald, Goofy, and Data-Sora at Disney Castle. However, Sora runs off to Hollow Bastion on his own to confront Pete, and he manages to unlock the castle gate while dodging Heartless. Inside, Pete traps Sora and summons a horde of Heartless to attack, but Sora is rescued by Goofy. The two of them begin searching for a way to follow Pete deeper into the castle, while searching for Donald, who got separated from Goofy when they entered Hollow Bastion.

Sora and Goofy find Donald in the waterway, and the three of them explore the castle, with Donald and Goofy breaking Bug Blox and fighting Heartless in place of Sora. They find the pieces of the Heartless emblem that unlock the door leading to the upper levels of the castle, and at the High Tower, Data-Sora reflects on the bond he feels with Donald and Goofy. The three of them confront Pete in the Grand Hall, where he traps Donald and Goofy in a cage of blox. Desperate, Sora manifests a new Keyblade from his evolving heart and frees them. Pete retreats into the Keyhole, followed by Sora, who defeats him despite his own powers in the datascape. Pete then sets Data-Riku on him, having corrupted his data with bugs, but Data-Sora manages to subdue his friend after a drawn-out battle.

Although Data-Sora and Data-Riku emerge from the Keyhole, Riku's data is thoroughly corrupted, prompting Sora to enter Riku's personal datascape to destroy the bugs, in Hollow Bastion II. After visiting manifestations of Riku's memories of different worlds, Sora defeats the main source of the corruption, which takes Riku's form. Maleficent attempts to block Sora from returning from inside Riku's data, but he emerges, and he defeats Maleficent's dragon form in the chapel. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy say goodbye before returning to the real world, but when the datascape begins erasing itself, Data-Sora sets off through the Final Keyhole for the innermost part of the datascape to retrieve Maleficent and Pete and to confront the source of the corruption, Sora's Heartless.

As Data-Sora progresses through the Datascape's Castle Oblivion, he enters a room based on his visit to Hollow Bastion. He chases after Pete, using switches to progress, and defeats him. Pete calls Maleficent, who brings them to a long, trap-filled room, forcing Sora to traverse the obstacle course to reach the far side of the room. Upon confronting the two, Sora is returned to the Entrance Hall, with an Ending Card for Hollow Bastion.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
is a downloadable stage in , released along with Sora, as part of Challenger Pack 11. When time, stocks, or health are running low, Hollow Bastion transforms into Dive to the Heart.

Other
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