Kingdom Hearts (game)

Kingdom Hearts is the first game in the series & the second game in the timeline after  Birth by Sleep. The main theme for the game is "Simple and Clean", performed by Utada Hikaru.

Story
Kingdom Hearts begins on Destiny Islands, where Sora, Riku and Kairi live. The three friends seek to leave the islands to explore new worlds and have prepared a raft for this purpose. One night, the islands are attacked by darkness and shadow creatures. Sora seeks out his friends, finding Riku first. He disappears into darkness and Sora obtains the Keyblade. Using it to fend off the creatures, he heads for a secret cave, where he finds Kairi near a door. She turns to him, saying his name as the door behind her blows open. The ensuing blast of darkness sends Sora and Kairi both out of the cave. The islands are soon destroyed, and Sora is left adrift, while Riku and Kairi's respective whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, King Mickey has left his world to deal with the increasing power of darkness and left instructions for mage Donald Duck and knight Goofy to find the "key".

Donald and Goofy use a Gummi Ship to travel to Traverse Town, where Sora has drifted. Sora encounters the shadow creatures again, and meets Leon, who explains the shadow creatures are Heartless, creatures that consume hearts, and that the Keyblade is the only weapon capable of defeating them. A man named Ansem, the leader of Leon's home world, is said to have studied the Heartless. Sora meets Donald and Goofy and the three decide to travel together: Donald and Goofy to find Mickey, and Sora to find Kairi and Riku. The three travel to various worlds based on Disney films, finding that the Keyblade also locks "Keyholes", passages that the Heartless use to take the heart of the world. A group of Disney villains, led by Maleficent, seek out the seven Princesses of Heart to unlock the Keyhole that leads to Kingdom Hearts, a repository of knowledge and power and the source of all hearts. This group includes Riku, who Maleficent promises will help find Kairi. Maleficent sows distrust in Riku, telling him that Sora has abandoned him and Kairi for new friends and the Keyblade. An increasingly antagonistic Riku finds Kairi's body, but cannot find her heart.

Sora and his friends eventually arrive at Hollow Bastion, the home world of Ansem and the headquarters of Maleficent. Riku takes the Keyblade from Sora, claiming that he was simply the "delivery boy". Donald and Goofy, taking their order to follow the "key" seriously, leave with Riku. Sora then challenges Riku again, stating that his heart derives strength from his friends; his friends return to him, as does the Keyblade. Shamed, Riku meets a cloaked man who goads him to give into the darkness. The three engage and kill Maleficent but then meet a strangely-behaved Riku with a Keyblade that unlocks hearts. Sora finds Kairi's body and Riku, who reveals himself to be Ansem, possessing Riku's body. Ansem explains that Kairi is a Princess of Heart and that her heart was trapped within Sora's body since Destiny Islands was decimated. After defeating Ansem, Sora uses Ansem's Keyblade to unlock his heart, releasing both his and Kairi's heart. Kairi's heart returns to her body, in turn completing the final Keyhole, while Sora becomes a Heartless. Sora is then returned to human form by Kairi's heart and resolves to follow Ansem.

Ansem is found in End of the World, the combined remnants of worlds taken by the Heartless. Ansem explains his belief that darkness is the heart's true essence, and he seeks Kingdom Hearts, as that would be the ultimate darkness. However, upon opening the door to Kingdom Hearts, it reveals its light, killing Ansem. Beyond the door are Mickey and Riku, and they help Sora and the others close the door, as there are many Heartless beyond it. Mickey and Sora use their Keyblades to lock the door. The worlds reconstruct themselves, separating Sora and Kairi. Sora, Donald, and Goofy resolve to find Riku and Mickey, and Pluto, clutching a letter from Mickey in his mouth, appears. Sora asks him if he has seen them, but he merely runs off with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in tow. This sets the stage for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Key Characters


Main characters are, in this case, defined as characters with the largest effect on the storyline, who have a direct relation to Sora.

Sora (Protagonist; playable character)

A 14-year-old boy who lives on the Destiny Islands with his best friends Riku and Kairi, a kind-hearted young man who dreams of seeing other worlds. After the islands are consumed by darkness he finds himself alone in another world. He travels to various different worlds with Donald and Goofy in search of Riku and Kairi. He wields the Keyblade, a weapon capable of destroying the darkness and sealing the hearts of worlds. His name means "sky".

 Donald (AI-controlled character)

Disney Castle's Court Magician. He is searching for his missing King by traveling to various worlds in the gummi ship. He and Goofy team up with Sora in order to find their King.

 Goofy (AI-controlled character)

Captain of the Royal Knights at Disney Castle. He is also searching for the King.

 Riku (Original Keyblade-wielder)

Riku is the 15-year-old friend of Sora and Kairi and lives with them on Destiny Islands. He and Sora always competed on everything as friendly rivals. He was meant to be the original wielder of the Keyblade, but he gave in to the darkness of his heart in order to fulfill his dream of seeing other worlds. His name means "land".

 Kairi (Girl of mysterious origins)

A 14-year-old girl who arrived on the Destiny Islands when she was little, and has been best friends with Sora and Riku ever since. Her name is based on the Japanese word for "sea" ("kai").

Final Fantasy Characters
Tidus

Tidus appears as a young boy on the Destiny Islands. Sora can challenge him to a duel. He can be found on the bridge and balcony. He uses a wooden stick as a weapon.

Wakka

Wakka appears as a younger version of himself although he appears to be a bit older than Selphie and Tidus. He can be challenged by Sora and uses his Blitzball as a weapon. He is found on the beach and beside the waterfall.

Selphie

Selphie appears as a younger girl on the Destiny Islands. She appears to be a daydreamer although she can be fought optionally by Sora. She uses a jump rope as a weapon. On both days, she can be found on the jetty beside the boats.

Squall

Squall appears in Traverse Town. He calls himself "Leon" in the game, taken from his last name, which he chose because he was angry with himself for not being able to save his world. Along with Yuffie and Aerith, he helps Sora along his journey. He can be fought three times: first in Traverse Town and the second and third times in the Olympus Coliseum in the Pegasus and Hades Cups.

Yuffie

Yuffie is found in Traverse Town early in the game. At first, Sora mistakes her for Kairi. She helps him along with Leon and Aerith.

Aerith

Aerith first appears in Traverse Town. She informs Donald and Goofy about the Heartless and gives Sora munny. Later after the events in Hollow Bastion, she teaches the Curaga spell.

Cloud

Cloud appears in the Olympus Coliseum as a boss, hired by Hades to take out Hercules. He is nearly killed by Cerberus and teaches Sora the Sonic Blade ability. He appears twice later as an opponent in the Hercules Cup and the Hades Cup (alongside Leon).

Cid

Cid is encountered by Sora in the Accessory Shop in Traverse Town. He gives Sora the book containing the Hundred Acre Wood world and upgrades the Gummi Ship numerous times. Later, he can be found near the entrance to the Second District and parts for Gummi Ships can be purchased from him.

Sephiroth

Sephiroth can be found after the Hollow Bastion keyhole has been sealed. He appears as an optional boss fight in the Platinum Match in the Olympus Coliseum. Select the second option "????" and fight him.

Moogles

The Moogles appear in Traverse Town. One can be seen walking around the World Exit and others can be found in the Accessory Shop and the Synthesis Shop where they synthesize materials for items and equipment.

Others

Also, in this first game, Gummi Ship Blueprints which may be used by the party are named after various Final Fantasy enemies, summons and creatures as well as Yuffie, Leon and Aerith.

Temporary Party Members
Temporary Party Members are world specified, and as such, will only be present in the world they come from. They are characters that Sora meets and befriends during his search for Riku and Kairi. Each character can become a party member, by switching him/her with Goofy or Donald.

<font size=+1> Tarzan (from "Tarzan")

Tarzan is only available in the Deep Jungle world. He fights using brute "jungle-strength" and his stone-tipped spear. His passive abilities boost his attack power and chance of landing a critical hit.

<font size=+1> Aladdin (from "Aladdin")

Aladdin is only available in the Agrabah world. He fights using "street-smart acrobatics" and a saber. His passive abilities boost drops by enemies (HP/MP balls as well as rare items) and also boosts the summon gauge.

<font size=+1> Ariel (from "The Little Mermaid")

Ariel is only available in the Atlantica world. She fights using potions with certain effects and swimming skills. Her passive abilities boost her MP recovery as well as raise rare item drops.

<font size=+1> Jack Skellington (from "The Nightmare Before Christmas")

Jack is only available in the Halloween Town world. He fights using magic and scare tactics. His passive abilities are the same as Aladdin's.

<font size=+1> Peter Pan (from "Peter Pan")

Peter is only available in the Neverland world. He fights using flight and a wooden dagger. His passive abilities are a scattered version of the above four's. He has the critical hit boost of Tarzan, the drop increases of Jack and Aladdin and one of Ariel's MP recovery abilities.

<font size=+1> Beast (from "Beauty and the Beast")

Beast is only available in the Hollow Bastion world. He fights using animal senses, claws and brute strength. His passive abilities are the same as Tarzan's, yet he has one of Ariel's MP recovery abilities, but it's boosted even higher than hers, because he has two of the same MP recovery ability.

Summons
Throughout his travels, Sora finds summon gems, which he can bring to the Fairy Godmother, and be granted a summon from the gem. In reality, the gem is the heart of the summon, created when the heart of a world is devoured by the Heartless, but with the heart of one of the residents being too strong to be consumed. Summons take the place of the to AI members of the player's party, and as such, both AI must be conscious before the player can use a summon. Pride Lands, The Land of Dragons and all worlds were destroyed by the Heartless, except Agrabah and Neverland.

<font size=+1> Simba (from "The Lion King")

Simba's gem is the first one acquired in the game, and once shown to the Fairy Godmother, she will explain about summons. Simba's attack is a charged attack. Once the charge-button is released, Simba will roar and nearby enemies will take damage. The longer the roar is charged, the higher the damage.

<font size=+1> Tinker Bell (from "Peter Pan")

Tinkerbell is acquired after completing Neverland. Peter Pan tells her to help out the party, after defeating Captain Hook. Tinkerbell will heal Sora at timed intervals and if Sora is defeated while her summon is active, she will revive him once and then disappear.

<font size=+1> Genie (from "Aladdin")

Genie is acquired by defeating Jafar and completing Agrabah. Aladdin uses his final wish to wish for Genie's freedom, making Genie free to help Sora. Genie uses random magic attacks on locked on targets as his attack. The spell attack power is usually higher than Sora's and Donald's.

<font size=+1> Bambi (from "Bambi")

Bambi is a good summon to use, when facing enemies strong against physical attacks, but weak against magic, or if simply fighting Heartless attacking in large groups. Bambi will jump around the stage (while still staying near Sora), sprouting large amounts of MP balls each time he lands, making him an ideal helper for when excessively using magic attacks. From a strategic point of view, this is better than using Genie, as you have no control of what spells Genie will use, which at times can backfire.

<font size=+1> Dumbo (from "Dumbo")

Dumbo is yet another summon ideal for dispatching several Heartless at once. When Dumbo is summoned, Sora shrinks in size and latches on to Dumbo's hat. Dumbo attacks by dousing the enemies with water from his trunk and the hit has a wide-area effect. Sora is invulnerable while riding Dumbo.

<font size=+1> Mushu (from "Mulan")

Mushu is a fire-breathing dragon that is ideal for dispatching single enemies quickly or significantly lowering a boss' HP. This is because of his ability to rapidly shoot small fireballs at targeted enemies. However, this ability takes the place of regular attacks, and is a just a little weaker, but it can be used at long distances, meaning less risk of taking damage.

Villains
Most of the villains in Kingdom Hearts are taken from the various Disney films that are featured in the game. The most notable Disney villain in the game, however, is Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty), and appears at first, to be the main villain of the game. However, it aspires that an original character, Ansem, is the main antagonist of the game. Both of these characters are major bosses; though, Ansem is in fact the final boss.

These are the "main" antagonists of Kingdom Hearts, with the majority often seen conspiring together as a group in the ruins of Hollow Bastion.


 * Ansem
 * Riku
 * Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
 * Hades (Hercules)
 * Clayton (Tarzan)
 * Jafar (Aladdin)
 * Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
 * Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
 * Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
 * Chernabog (Fantasia)

Heartless
The Heartless are living beings, whose hearts were corrupted by darkness, and they play the roles of the "common enemies" Sora and party must defeat. They exist for no other purpose than to consume hearts, be it the hearts of other living beings or even that of entire worlds. If someone loses their heart to a heartless, they themselves become one.

In general, there are two types of heartless, commonly referred to as Pureblood Heartless, who are created "naturally", and Emblem Heartless, who are artificially created. The Emblem Heartless received their name because upon creation, they were all branded with an emblem, in order to distinguish them from the Purebloods.

Worlds
Also,other non-playable worlds (other than Disney Castle), are seen each time you summon Simba (Pride Lands) and Bambi. Mushu can also be seen in an unknown misty area while Dumbo can also be seen flying in an unknown place each time you summon either of the two characters.
 * Destiny Islands
 * Disney Castle (Not playable)
 * Traverse Town
 * Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)
 * Olympus Coliseum (Hercules)
 * Deep Jungle (Tarzan)
 * Agrabah (Aladdin)
 * Monstro (Pinocchio; not an actual world)
 * Atlantica (The Little Mermaid)
 * Halloween Town (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
 * Neverland (Peter Pan)
 * 100 Acre Wood (The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh)
 * Hollow Bastion
 * End of the World

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
See article Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix

Trivia

 * Kingdom Hearts was originally produced in America by both Square Soft and Disney, Square Soft had come to join up with Disney because of both their ideas on a game when Japanese and American icons come together; Disney and Final Fantasy. The Final Mixes of the games were only released in Japan. Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ are English dubbed but with Japanese subtitles.


 * If you look at the boxart of the North American release in the lower right corner, you can see a Gargoyle Heartless.


 * In the Brady Games Official Strategy Guide, If you look at Riku (keyblade) and Riku (sword) in the bestiary in the back of the book, you will notice that the pictures are switched. Riku (sword) is wielding a Keyblade in the picture and Riku (keyblade) is wielding Soul Eater.