Darkness

Darkness is a force parallel to Light, an element for Synthesis items, and is also used in the form of attacks in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Often associated with evil, Darkness has been known to cause people to lose their hearts to it if they have delved too deep into it. Slowly suppressed and conquered by its influence, these unfortunate souls become Heartless and Nobodies if their Heart is strong enough. Those who follow the path of Darkness often gain untold power at the expense of something of their former selves, but this is not always the case.

When a soul with a strong heart becomes a Heartless the body they left behind will begin to act of it's own accord. Often these "shells" or "husks" are in essence reborn in a different location with the occasional difference in their physical appearance from their former self. The being created from someone losing their heart is known as a Nobody. It should be noted that not all beings that become Heartless create Nobodies, since not all creatures possess strong hearts.

Though darkness is often used by the series' villains, it is not entirely malevolent; friendly characters are able to use the powers of darkness to some effect, ranging from opening the Corridors of Darkness to projecting dark energy blasts which is the case of Riku in Kingdom Hearts II.

Weapons and Special Uses of Darkness
King Mickey's Keyblade is a Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness, though this does not mean that it is actually affiliated with Darkness; in this case, it means that it is necessary to close world doors from the side of the Realm of Darkness.

Darkness is also seen being manipulated into attacks by the Heartless and Nobodies, and to a greater degree Maleficent, the members of Organization XIII and Riku. Sora can also slightly manipulate Darkness in Kingdom Hearts II through his Drive Form with the randomly occuring Anti Form, in which Sora becomes his "Darkness" self which many have considered his Heartless form. Sora's Anti Form bears many similarities to that of Anti-Sora. Darkness is also an element used in multiple forms of Magic, the most notable being Gravity and Magnet.

With Darkness being a constant threat in the universe Moogles and other developers have learned to create garments, armours and accessories that will defend against its harmful effects. Some of these items are seen as simple things such as the Midnight Anklet, Champion Belt or even the infamous Black Cloak worn by the members of the Organization XIII.

Among the many uses of Darkness is the ability to use it for transportation. Experienced users of Darkness are able to open a Corridor of Darkness to travel between locations with a great degree of speed, however these are physical corridors of Darkness and prolonged or repeative use of these lanes of travel with often allow Darkness to manifest deeper within a being leaving them more vunerable to its negative effects in the long run.

Negative Effects of Darkness
Besides being one of the major elements for creating Heartless and Nobodies, Darkness can slowly alter the appearance of beings the more they're subjected to it. The general effects on strong willed beings are darkening of their skin, similar to that of a tan, and their eye colour changing to that of an amber. This was most noted with Xehanort in his Heartless and Nobody form, and with Ansem to a lesser degree.

It should be noted that continued exposure or one accepting the darkness can also lead to some interesting effects. On a unique occassion Darkness has been seen to be able to physically transform a being into a different appearance, this occured with Riku accepting the Darkness in his heart and changing to the form of Ansem.

Known and Notable Darkness Users

 * Heartless
 * Nobodies
 * Ansem
 * DiZ
 * King Mickey
 * Riku
 * Organization XIII
 * Master Xehanort