Esmeralda

Esmeralda is a character who appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. She originates from the 1996 Disney film, .

Side: Sora
When Nightmares attack Quasimodo during the Festival of Fools, Esmeralda helps him escape into Notre Dame. However, Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice of Paris and Quasimodo's guardian who harbors a deep hatred for gypsies, prevents her from leaving by posting guards at the entrances as vengeance for saving the hunchback. Inside, Quasimodo and Esmeralda form a friendship as he shows her the bells of the cathedral and reassures her that sanctuary will keep her safe. Esmeralda, however, tells him gypsies like herself desire freedom and that she cannot remain inside the tower. Despite being disappointed by her decision, Quasimodo then helps her escape through use of his acrobatic skills. In gratitude, she gives him a necklace that would guide him to the Court of Miracles.

Later, she meets Quasimodo, Phoebus and Sora at the Court of Miracles, who came to inform her of Frollo's attack. Having followed the trio, Frollo reveals himself and uses Nightmares to corner them while he kidnaps Esmeralda. For her "crimes," Esmeralda was sentenced to be burned at the stake, but is rescued by Quasimodo and brought to Notre Dame for sanctuary. In the ensuing battle at the top of the cathedral, she tries to prevent the hunchback from falling to his death along with Frollo, but fails; however, Quasimodo is fortunately saved by Phoebus instead. In the end, Quasimodo blesses her relationship with Phoebus.

Side: Riku
Riku arrives in the city as Esmeralda escapes from Frollo and Phoebus through a magic trick and then runs past him. Phoebus approaches Riku and questions if he saw a gypsy had passed him, which he denies. Once Phoebus is gone, a grateful Esmeralda introduces herself to Riku and expresses her gratitude to him for not revealing her location to Frollo's right-hand man. Riku replies that he did not know what a gypsy is, prompting Esmeralda to explain her people's history and Frollo's hatred of gypsies, and that they are guilty of nothing except loving their freedom. After Esmeralda makes a comment about Frollo's darkness, she directs Riku to Notre Dame for more answers about the judge.

Some time later, she is seen unconscious and being held by Quasimodo after he rescues her from being burned by Frollo. At Riku's request, Quasimodo keeps an eye on her while he defeats the Wargoyle. In the end, a troubled Riku informs he gave a thankful Quasimodo advice based on his own experiences. When Phoebus notes that Riku still keeps many things locked inside his heart, Esmeralda assures him it is okay to keep some things locked up inside until he knows how to deal with them.

The Sceptre and the Kingdom
When Frollo accuses Sora and Riku of being witches, Esmeralda is nearby and runs in to hide the boys from Frollo's guards. Once the newcomers are safe, Sora asks if Esmeralda is the world's princess, surprising Esmeralda with the thought of a gypsy being a princess. Afterward, Quasimodo and Esmeralda take the boys to the belltower to show off the town from above.

Appearance
Esmeralda has jet black hair tied with a purple ribbon, green eyes, and caramel skin. Esmeralda wears a white top with a blue midsection, along with a purple sarong. She is always barefoot, and wears a golden hoop earring on her left ear, a golden bangle on her left wrist, and matching bracelet and anklet on both her right hand and right ankle.

Personality
True to her gypsy heritage, Esmeralda is very lively and free-spirited in nature. Stubborn and adamant against Judge Frollo's discrimination against gypsies, Esmeralda is constantly arguing or acting against him. Also, Esmeralda is one of the few people who are initially and unreservedly kind to Quasimodo. Although the two are never thought of romantically, at least to Esmeralda, they remain good friends- a bond further united by their disapproval of Frollo's dark deeds. Initially distrustful of Phoebus due to his loyalty to Frollo, Esmeralda eventually begins to trust him after seeing him turn against Frollo.

Origin
Esmeralda was originally the titular character and one of the main protagonists in the 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, but this incarnation of the character appeared for the first time in the 1996 adaptation, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She first makes herself known when she meets Quasimodo at the Festival of Fools and is the only one not repulsed by his deformed appearance, but she manages to land herself in trouble with the "law" by defending Quasimodo against a riot Judge Claude Frollo had deliberately refused to stop. When she openly defies Frollo, she becomes a fugitive and hides inside Notre Dame to avoid capture by Frollo's soldier-like thugs.

There, she befriends Quasimodo, who helps her escape and develops feelings for her, although she sees him as a dear friend. Later, she seeks his aid in order to shelter Phoebus, Frollo's former Captain of the Guard and who had rebelled against Frollo. Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus but is forced to leave when Frollo returns. In the film's climactic scene, she is threatened with execution unless she becomes Frollo's mistress, but Esmeralda refuses and is saved from being burned by Quasimodo. Quasimodo protects the weakened Esmeralda from Frollo until Frollo is killed. In the aftermath, Esmeralda chooses Phoebus, and Quasimodo blesses their relationship.