Destiny Islands

Destiny Islands is the home world of Riku, Sora and Kairi. It is formed by two or more islands ; only one of them is playable.

The Destiny Islands are playable only in the first Kingdom Hearts game, during the prologue. However, it reappears again at the End of the World, where Xehanort's Heartless is fought twice. A memory-based version of the world is playable in both stories of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

In Kingdom Hearts II, the world is not playable, only appearing in cutscenes, including the ending. However, in the Final Mix+ version, another facsimile of the world is playable as it is the stage for the secret boss battle against Zexion's Absent Silhouette (Absent Silhouettes of Organization members teleports Sora to where they were fought and, except for a few exceptions, slain. The aforementioned memory-based version, depicting the world's destruction, was where Riku fought Zexion, thus the world being used as the battleground).

Except in Chain of Memories, the world is always the last world depicted before the credits roll.

The theme music for Destiny Islands is "Destiny Islands", and the battle theme is "Bustin' Up on the Beach".

Locations
Destiny Islands is a chain of small islands although only two have been shown so far.

The Main Island
The main island is where the residents live and go to school, Kairi and Selphie are known to go to the same school. The main island also has a small beach and dock, where Kairi pushes her message in a bottle out of sea during the early events of Kingdom Hearts II. There appears to be a fairly large town in the background, with a long clay path leading to the beach.

The Small Island
The island where Sora, Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka play is a relatively small island, but is where most of the beginning of the story takes place. It is reached by canoe from the main island. Most of the island is covered in trees and shrubbery. The outskirts are naturally covered in yellow sandy beaches. There is a wooden beach hut and a somewhat treehouse built into a large tree. A miniature island is settled next to the island and can be reached by crossing a bridge. Sora and Riku often practice their sword fights and where the friends can watch the sunset. On the miniature island, there is a crooked palm tree that grows Paopu Fruit. Local myth dictates that the two people who share one will have their destinies intertwined. The back of the island has an obstacle course which Sora and Riku use during their competitive challenges.

The Secret Place
The Secret Place is a cave hidden behind the island's waterfall, where the children visited during their childhood. Sora and Riku first discovered it when they were young children. There is a door in the cave which is actually the Keyhole of the world. The cave's wall are covered in chalk drawings, some hinting at the earlier encounters of the children. Among them is a drawing of Sora and Kairi sharing a Paopu Fruit, as well as drawings of Donald, a chocobo, Disney Castle, and a monster coming out of a swirling ball. Riku enters here near the beginning of the game and opens the door, unleashing the Heartless. Whether he did so knowingly and willingly or not is not known, though it is likely that the words of Xehanort influenced him to do so.

Birth by Sleep
In the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Aqua, Terra and Ven visit Destiny Islands. It is unknown what they are doing here, but it appears that they are watching over a set of younger Sora and Riku as they practice martial arts on the beach.

Kingdom Hearts
Destiny Islands is the first world introduced, showing up in the opening FMV, where Sora is swallowed by the tide while trying to save Riku, and is transported to another world. This serves as a metaphor for the rest of the story. It is speculated that the Awakening sequence takes place in a hidden area of the Islands.

When Sora awakens from his Awakening, the player meets his friends Kairi and Riku. The three are planning on building a raft and setting sail across the sea to find other worlds away from the island. Destiny Islands is a small world, which often leads to the boredom of its inhabitants, especially Riku, who desired to leave the islands and see the other worlds out there. Tidus once said that once you sail a certain distance from the islands, you simply can't go any further, but the other islanders believe he merely turned back and made up the story.

While gathering materials for the journey, Sora climbs into the Secret Place - a tiny cave on the island where the children scratch drawings onto rocks - and met a figure in a strange cloak who told him cryptic messages about the time to come. Sora's confusion lasts long into the night. Resting up in his bedroom, he sees a dangerous storm approaching, and hurries off the island to save the raft.

Upon arriving on the second island, Sora discovers his friends came too, but only finds Riku, who confuses him further by telling him to accept the darkness. The two disappear in the growing darkness, but Sora returns as the Islands slowly crumble into darkness with the Keyblade in hand. He fights with the Darkside leader, but fails to save his home, and is whisked away on his journey to Traverse Town.

As his first journey ends, Sora and Kairi meet up on the shores of the reforming islands. Sora, knowing that his job is not finished, and that he must still save Riku and King Mickey from the Realm of Darkness, leaves Kairi in the safety of her hometown and promises to return to her.

Chain of Memories & Kingdom Hearts II
During Sora's stay in Castle Oblivion, both Sora and Riku are presented with cards to open a memory version of their island. Naminé here tells Sora the truth about she and Kairi, and Zexion, in the guise of Sora, fights with Riku.

During Sora's sleep, the residents of the Islands forget all about Sora, due to Naminé breaking the chains of his memories. Kairi, however, being so close to Sora, still retains vague memories of the boy, and begins to remember before anyone else. She sends a message in a bottle across the sea, hoping to find Sora.

In an attempt to draw Sora, and with him, Roxas, back to the Organization XIII, Axel goes to the Islands to kidnap Kairi. She refuses to go with him, and flees into a portal to Twilight Town.

Finally, after Xemnas is defeated, all the characters meet up on the Islands for one last time. Mickey, Jiminy, Donald, and Goofy return to Disney Castle, and leave the others on the Islands. But, in an extra video after the credits, it is seen that Mickey sent a letter in bottle back to the Islands for Sora, Riku and Kairi. It is still unknown what it says.

Trivia

 * Tidus and Wakka talk about inventing an underwater ballgame, and in Kingdom Hearts II, Selphie mentions that the two are always wrapped up in their game. For those who played Final Fantasy X, this should seem familiar. Both characters are professional blitzball players - an underwater combination of soccer and water-polo.

Insel des Schicksals