Aqua

Unreleased

Aqua is a playable character from the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. She is depicted as one of the former Keyblade masters before Sora.

While Aqua's name means 'water' in Latin, Kairi's name contains the Japanese word for "sea." Any connection between the two is unconfirmed, however similar name meanings also apply with Sora and Ven, and with Riku and Terra.

"Birth by Sleep"
She first appears as a young, blue-haired female knight who fights alongside Ven and Terra in the secret ending movie of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, called Birth By Sleep. She is the first to be unmasked when her helmet gets smashed after being thrown to the ground in battle. She and Ven briefly take on Master Xehanort's Apprentice together, but make no progress in defeating him. She uses a spell reminiscent of Reflect to shield Terra from the Keyblade cyclone generated by Master Xehanort. She is a spectator for the rest of the battle, being too far away to reach their enemies before Ven becomes trapped by Master Xehanort's grip. She is seen looking on in horror as Ven struggles fruitlessly, and catches his frozen body after he is dropped off the cliff. She was originally seen in magazine scans as staring up at a glowing heart, and due to her hair color and style, was seen as connected to Kairi by some fans. The video ends with her holding a helpless but still living Ven, gazing up at what may be a newly appeared blue Kingdom Hearts in the sky.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Aqua's armor and Keyblade were briefly seen in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. They reside in the Chamber of Repose, a room constructed by the Organization under Radiant Garden for an as of yet unknown purpose. Xemnas apparently visits the armor often, calling it "friend" and talking to it for long periods of time. This has piqued the curiosity and suspicion of Xigbar, who often eavesdrops on his conversations, and once shared this story with Zexion, stating that one time he heard another voice respond to Xemnas.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
Aqua has a major role in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, serving as one of the three playable characters the player has to choose from, as well as having her own scenario and storyline. It is currently unknown which roles other than those identified as of yet Aqua will play in Birth by Sleep, but according to director Tetsuya Nomura, her storyline will tie into Terra and Ven's separate scenarios, creating a massive and epic plotline.

In the Castle of Dreams, the female Keyblade Warrior is shown witnessing a stressed Cinderella running from Prince Charming's royal ball and leaving behind a glass slipper before the Fairy Godmother's spell breaks, Aqua later conversing with Terra over the nature of Master Xehanort's plan. Aqua is later brought before Prince Charming via the Grand Duke, who asks for the Keyblade wielder to try on Cinderella's abandoned slipper. Aqua is also seen battling Cinderella's pumpkin carriage, which supposedly has been turned into an Unversed.

When Aqua visits Enchanted Dominion, she comes before both her friend Ven and the evil witch Maleficent. Maleficent claiming that her friend Terra has succumbed to the darkness inside him on a quest for seven of pure light, Aqua must then struggle to keep Ven from losing faith in their fellow Keyblade warrior. She later comes before the evil fairy in the thorn-surrounded courtyard of King Stephen's castle, asking if what Maleficent had said was the truth or merely a way of deception. The witch again claimed her words to be true, transforming into her dragon form and causing a battle between herself and Aqua to ensue.

Aqua later came to Dwarf Woodlands, finding the dwarves crying next to a sleepy Snow White. Later, Aqua explores the castle of the Evil Queen. Finding herself transfixed to a large mirror hanging on the wall of the Queen's throne room, she leaped back in shock when her reflection was replaced by a wall of fire followed by the appearance of a grim, green face. She then is sucked in to fight the Magic Mirror.

Aqua also appears in Deep Space, unknowingly aiding the troublesome Experiment 626 with his escape from a prison spaceship set to land on a desert asteroid. The little alien takes a liking to the Keyblade master, rescuing her in various instances of danger. The two battle against the evil Captain Gantu, coming out as the victors.

Aqua then visits Neverland, coming before Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. The boys are awestruck by the foreign Keyblade warrior, asking for her to serve as their "mother" and tell them stories. They have also been seen to go treasure hunting, Aqua holding a large map before her.

Battle Style
Aqua is described by Tetsuya Nomura as being "tricky". A magic-based fighter with agility to boot, she's capable of doing cartwheels while attacking with her Keyblade. While she's more than capable physically, her prowess lies with a more magic-oriented fighting style, being versed in all forms of it. On top of that, she seems to utilize her own forms of unique magic, including a form of teleportation in mid-battle and an ability that can freeze enemies in time. Her known Mode changes are:
 * Magic Wish: Her own exclusive mode change; it seems to utilize the power of light to attack enemies, while enhancing her magic capabilities as well.
 * Diamond Dust: An ice-based style that seems to specialize in crowd-control and dealing with multiple enemies.
 * Thunder Bolt: A swift mode change that unleashes powerful lightning upon attacks.
 * Fire Blazer: A ranged and versatile mode change that focuses the Keyblade to erupt flames while attacking.
 * Dimension Link(D-LINK): A mode that allows Aqua to summon characters from other worlds to aid her in battles.

Her Shoot Lock is called Rainbow Shower.
 * Rainbow Shower: Light in seven colors bursts from the keyblade and chases after enemies. Press O at the right time in the circle to imput the command. “An attack with light in seven colors.” “A spiralling light whirlwind, a rainbow attack, again!”

Trivia

 * The badge on Aqua's chest slightly resembles the symbol of the Heartless and the symbol of the Nobodies turned upside down. The same badge is on Terra's belt (except yellow) and Ven's chest.
 * Aqua will be voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi, who previously voiced Paine in Final Fantasy X-2 and Kingdom Hearts II.
 * In Aqua's "Magic Wish" Mode, she can control her Keyblade using telekinesis, similar to Sora's Master Form and Final Form.
 * Although Aqua is not the first playable female (an honor belonging to Xion and Larxene), she is the first one playable in gameplay that is part of the storyline; Xion and Larxene are only playable in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days's Multiplayer Mode.
 * Aqua's role of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys' "mother" during her visit to Neverland mimics the role Wendy Darling plays in the Walt Disney film.
 * Aqua's character design was altered on Disney's request, due to her exposed back being seen as "overly sexy".

Gallery
Aqua (KH) Aqua