Hades Paradox Cup

The Hades Paradox Cup (裏ハデスカップ) is one of the four cups that can be entered by talking to Hades in his chamber in Kingdom Hearts II, and is the longest and hardest in the game. The tournament consists of fifty matches with the cup's rules changing every ten matches. A boss is fought on every tenth match and the final boss is Hades in Berserk mode. Upon winning the cup, the Hades Cup Trophy (ハデスカップトロフィー) is received.

Rounds 1-10

 * No restrictions. Sora has access to Drives, Summons, and his allies.
 * Round 6 is fought in the dark.
 * A good strategy is to use Peter Pan's Journey's End to accumulate points. Note this is ineffective on the boss fights on Rounds 5 and 10.

Rounds 11-20

 * Titan Cup rules. Sora fights alone, and cannot use Drives, but Summons are available. There is also the Damage Points restriction with Sora starting out at 500 points.
 * As with the first 10 rounds, a good strategy is to use Peter Pan's Journey's End to accumulate points. Note this is ineffective on the boss fights on Rounds 15 and 20.

Rounds 21-30

 * Pain and Panic Cup rules. The Drive Gauge is locked, but Summons and Allies are available and Limits consume less MP than usual.
 * Liberal use of Trinity Limit is highly recommended for clearing this section.
 * Round 24 is a group of 3 Bulky Vendors. Because prizes are not given during the tournament, there is no need to wait for their health to deplete. Use this time to breathe before the battle with Cloud & Tifa next round.

Rounds 31-40

 * Cerberus Cup rules. Forms are available, and Drive Gauges fill much faster than normal. There is also a ten-minute timer.
 * Use of Final Form is recommended to beat the timer.
 * Round 35 is a cloud of Rapid Thrusters, against which you must survive for one minute. It is recommended to use Magnet and Thunder to clear as many as possible to increase your score.
 * Round 38 is several waves of Nobody enemies. Magnet and Thunder can be used to clear each wave, but beware that the Sorcerer is immune to elemental magic.

Rounds 41-50

 * No Summons, no Drives (with the exception of Limit Form in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix), and no allies; only the Keyblade, magic, and Trinity Limit are available.
 * Round 44 is a group of Living Bones enemies. Be prepared to Reflect immediately as the round opens to survive their attacks.
 * Round 45 is a repeat of the Battle of 1000 Heartless, and Sora must survive for one minute. Snag Surveillance Robots and use Sparkle Ray liberally to clear the field.
 * Round 47 is the final round in which you can increase your score.
 * The round opens with a single Bulky Vendor; once it is defeated, several waves of additional enemies will spawn. A Magnet and Thunder combo can be used to clear the room rapidly for a score bonus.



Other
Coupe Hadès Paradoxe