Leviathan



The Leviathan (リヴァイアサン) is a form of a Keyblade which appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It is available to Roxas and Xion by equipping Nimble Gear and it can be upgraded to the Leviathan+.

Design
The Leviathan has a black handle with an elegant, curved, light blue guard. The two halves of the guard do not connect to the top of the handle, similar to the Rain Fall. The shaft is blue and it has slightly concave edges. The head and teeth are comprised of a large, circular hook that nearly forms a complete circle. This hook is divided into alternating, black and blue segments, and its outer edge is lined by spikes. The keychain token resembles a completely blue version of the head of the blade. Overall, the shape vaguely resembles the "Final Fantasy" summon.

The name and the shape are a reference of the water elemental Summon in Final Fantasy video game series. Coincidentally enough, by also equipping Nimble Gear, Axel can also gain a weapon which is named after another well known Summon, the Ifrit.

During Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days's development, this Keyblade was to take an aerial attack-oriented form known as the "Wind Maker" (ウィンドメイカー) when the Wing Gear (ウィングギア) was equipped. Both the Keyblade and Gear were ultimately cut and the Wind Maker's appearance given to Leviathan.

Gameplay
The basic ground combo contains a total of 4 attacks, with 2 separate options for the last attack. The first attack is a dashing backflip slash that is then followed by a forward thrust. The third attack is another quick backflip slash (in place), and the standard fourth attack is a horizontal slash. The option for the alternate combo arises after the third attack and is initiated with Y; Roxas/Xion will perform a spinning frontflip attack that ends in a strong downward slash. The slash spikes the enemy downward, but since the attack is barely above the ground, the effect is minimized. Having a Block panel equipped with the ability Combo-Block active may make it more difficult to use the alternate 4th attack, as Y also executes the Guard ability. If this is the case, one must make sure to have the directional pad pressed (in any direction) to use the combo.

The basic aerial combo consists of a multitude of attacks, but exists as series of 5 "separate" attacks.
 * 1) The first attack is a Horizontal Slash of 3 separate strikes.
 * 2) If the combo continues one attack further, 2 extra slashes will be added to the Horizontal Slash.
 * 3) If the combo continues one attack further, the fifth strike will be replaced by a spinning frontflip attack (identical to the ground one).
 * 4) If the combo continues one attack further, another Horizontal Slash will be performed after the frontflip.
 * 5) If the combo continues for the fifth and final attack, the third slash of the second Horizontal Slash will be replaced with another spinning frontflip attack. The final strike spikes the enemy downward if it hits.

The complete aerial combo of this weapon nets Roxas/Xion a lot of horizontal distance, allowing them to reach some locations (and chests) at the beginning of the game otherwise unreachable without high leveled Air Slides or High Jumps. A prime example is in the central area of Agrabah; one can use the combos to travel amongst the high ledges. Abyssal Tide's aerial combo is highly similar and slightly inferior at doing this.

Etymology
The Leviathan is a colossal, destructive sea dragon, first portrayed in religious text as one of Hell's seven princes, as well as its gatekeeper. In some languagues, it has simply become a name for whales or other legendary, oceanic colossi. In the "Final Fantasy" series, the Leviathan is also a recurring summon, retaining the usual description as an enormous, spiny but elegant sea serpent, always colored in cool hues. It deals the water-based attack "Tidal Wave" or "Tsunami" that damages all foes on screen.