Olympus Coliseum

Olympus Coliseum is a world that appears in all the Kingdom Hearts games except Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It is based on the feature film, , although the Coliseum is an invention of the games, and only the Underworld actually appears in the film. The Coliseum has since become a staple in the series.

The ruler of this world is Zeus, but Hades is the ruler of the Underworld. The Coliseum is stated to be in.

The Keyhole of Olympus Coliseum is hidden in the Lobby, underneath a large stone block.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
The Coliseum has the same appearance as Kingdom Hearts, but unlike the other games, the ', which were originally connected to the exit in Kingdom Hearts and the Underworld in Kingdom Hearts II, are now a pathway to a '.

Kingdom Hearts
In the original game, Olympus Coliseum was the smallest world, consisting of three areas: the Coliseum Gates (コロシアム前) where Sora and his party enter, the Robī (ロビー) where Phil briefs contestants and keeps the cups of the winners, and Koroshiamu (コロシアム) itself, where the party competes against various combinations of Heartless, villains, and other characters in the game. The same exact areas are present in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Kingdom Hearts II
The area gains a drastic expansion in Kingdom Hearts II, as the Underworld can now be accessed through the Coliseum Gates. The  connects the living world to the world of the dead, as well as holding the world's Moogle Shop, a save point, and the Underdrome where Sora can talk to Pain and Panic to gain access to the tournaments there. From there, two paths into the Underworld branch off. The first branch that Sora and his friends can explore leads to Hades's domain through the . Beginning at the ' (where Sora and Auron later fight Cerberus), the party travels down the narrow and meandering ' before reaching the relatively safe . From there, the party traverses the ledges and cliffs of the ' before reaching '.

Later in the story, the second path opens and allows the group to enter the . After going down through the ', the party goes through the twisting ', which in turn leads to the . After an encounter with Demyx, the party passes through to , where Meg can be rescued and a boss battle with Pete takes place.

Kingdom Hearts coded
The Coliseum is similar to that of previous games, albeit with a different naming scheme, however the data world's Keyhole is expanded greatly. Data-Sora arrives at the world, ' and goes into the ' which is the Coliseum's interior. The Keyhole is divided into thirty floors, called "layers" with multiple s spaced out between them. After Data-Sora completes ', he unlocks ' and after those are completed, he unlocks .

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Ventus is the first person to visit this world. First he meets Phil, who is trying to decide whether to train Hercules or Zack. Phil says that whoever proves himself in the tournament can train under him. An eager Zack runs off to the Coliseum, while Ven promises to help Hercules train, become a hero, and return to his rightful place on Mt. Olympus. Hercules and Zack eventually face off in the tournament, but the fight is interrupted by a swarm of Unversed in town. Ven goes to fight them alone, but Hercules withdraws from the match and comes with him. The two finish off the swarm, when Zack arrives. He wanted to help his friends too. Phil says that he never cared about who won, but whose heart was in the right place. Since Hercules left first, he gets to train with him. Nevertheless, the trainees continue towards their goals of becoming heroes. Phil thanks Ven for giving Hercules the strength to become a hero.

Terra is the second person to visit this world. He encounters Hercules and some Unversed during his arrival. The hero-in-training compliments Terra's strength and recommends he compete in the upcoming games. He heads up towards the Coliseum where Hades is devising a scheme to defeat Zeus. The god approaches Terra and tells him that by hiding his darkness, he is wasting his power. Terra takes up Hades's offer to help him control his darkness by entering the games. However, as Terra continues to compete, Hades starts to see that Terra may not want his darkness and starts to think of a new plan when Zack enters for his match. Inside the arena, Terra and Zack face off, with the Keyblade Wielder victorious. However, as Terra turns to leave, Zack awakens with a dark aura and attacks. Zack tries to resist this power, reminding Terra of when the darkness overcame him in Enchanted Dominion. Hades appears, saying that this is power that Terra can have. Terra refuses and fights Zack again. Terra wins again and Hades realizes his defeat and disappears. Zack calls Terra a hero and promises to have a rematch someday.

Aqua is the last person to visit this world. There, she meets Hercules and Phil, who are still training. Hercules says he wants to be strong as the Champion Terra. Phil mentions that Terra could show again anytime, so Aqua agrees to enter the games in hopes of seeing him. Aqua qualifies for the finals against Zack. Zack wants to win his block to face Terra again, the champ of the other block. Zack still wants his rematch with Terra after he helped him against Hades. Aqua and Zack square off, Aqua being the victor. Hades shows up again to check out the new competitor. He also calls Terra a coward for wasting his darkness. Aqua wants to fight, but Hades says she'll have to do it in a by-the-rules match. However, Hades shows up with the Ice Colossus, saying it does not have to be one-on-one. Zack then wants to help Aqua, but she insists that she handle the god and Titan alone. Hades is defeated and swears his return. Aqua exits the Coliseum, and Zack asks her out on a date. An embarrassed Aqua politely declines, but Zack says maybe he can do it and they will go out when he is a hero, but Aqua refuses that promise. Zack leaves as Herc returns from training, disappointed for missing the big match. Aqua tells him that his heart is on the right path to becoming a hero.

After the events at the Keyblade Graveyard, Hercules continues his training with Phil as Zack watches from the gates. He looks up when a black feather floats past him, and he disappears.

Kingdom Hearts
When Sora first enters the Coliseum, Phil, who is busy preparing for a tournament, mistakes him for Hercules. When his mistake is revealed, Phil allows Sora to enter the trials. Though Sora passes, Phil won't let him enter the tournament. Disappointed, Sora exits, only to be met by Hades, who grants him an entry pass for the preliminaries. Sora then has to go through many preliminaries before he can get to the final battle. The final battle of the preliminaries is with Cloud, who is secretly working for Hades. After defeating or losing to Cloud, Cerberus appears. Hercules holds the beast off until Sora returns to defeat it, winning entrance into the real tournament. Later on, Sora can return to seal the Keyhole hidden under the rock, with the use of the Yellow Trinity.

Sora can skip Olympus Coliseum completely by traveling to Deep Jungle from Wonderland.

If Sora visits Olympus Coliseum after sealing the Keyhole in Hollow Bastion, Maleficent does not appear to speak with Hades.

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy rescue worlds, tournament cups will be opened back at the Coliseum. Each cup can be competed in three modes: with the whole team, with just Sora, or with the whole team and a time limit. After the cup has been completed in each manner, Phil will allow the team to replay the cup starting at any seed.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
When Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter Castle Oblivion's memory-version of the Coliseum, they find that Phil has arranged a race through an obstacle course as part of the new tournament. Hercules, Cloud, and Sora enter, although is is revealed that Cloud has been hired by Hades to defeat Hercules, in exchange for Hades restoring his lost memories. Cloud attacks Hercules but loses, prompting Hades to cancel their agreement. Hades refuses to restore Cloud's memories and prepares to attack the weakened Hercules. Sora intervenes and successfully defeats Hades. Following the fight, the games are cancelled as all contestants are too exhausted to participate. Cloud prepares to leave, but not before Sora can encourage him to find his memories. Sora comforts Cloud and reminds him that even small events can help someone remember things, and that truly important memories are never completely forgotten.

Later, Riku enters the memory version of Olympus Coliseum in the Basement. As he advances through the simulation, he encounters Hades and defeats the Lord of the Underworld.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
On Roxas's 117th day in the Organization, he and Xigbar set out to investigate the Olympus Coliseum. Xigbar tells Roxas that they're on the lookout for anyone who might potentially become an Organization member. He explains where Organization members come from: that when a strong heart is taken by darkness, a Nobody is created at the same time as a Heartless, and the strongest of those Nobodies gather in the Organization. Furthermore, Roxas and Xion are particularly special Nobodies even within the Organization.

Roxas and Xigbar defeat some nearby Heartless, which attracts the attention of Phil. He runs over, mistaking Roxas for Hercules's new apprentice candidate. Roxas realizes that Xigbar has disappeared. After Phil tells Roxas to report for training and rushes off to the Coliseum, Xigbar reappears. Xigbar explains that the Organization is supposed to keep their movements secret, and is thoroughly amused at the idea of Roxas being an apprentice candidate. He leaves Roxas, who is now allowed to enter the Coliseum, to do the investigation by himself.

Roxas takes a look around, wondering what the huge rankings on the wall could be about and who the number one names, Sora on one board and Hercules on another, could be. He is momentarily worried by the massive statues outside the Coliseum gates, musing if this world might be home to giant warriors. However, he soon figures out that this is just a Coliseum, and reports to Phil's training.

After a vigorous training session, Roxas learns from Phil that he's looking for strong warriors to enter the Coliseum's tournament, especially with the Heartless that have been appearing lately. Phil laughs outright at Roxas's request to enter, and Roxas has a strange vision of a boy in red clothes, standing in the same position he is in. As Roxas heads home, he walks past Hercules, and can hear Phil telling Hercules about how the "new apprentice candidate" took care of the Heartless while he was away.

Roxas's next mission to the Coliseum is with Demyx, who complains that he is really not cut out for fighting missions, as he prefers investigations. When Roxas heads off to Phil's training, Demyx says he would pass. When the two of them see Phil forcing Hercules through strenuous exercises, Demyx says if he were subjected to that kind of "training" he'd run away.

Roxas, wondering if Hercules is stronger than him, is about to leave when Phil catches him and gives him his own training for the day. Phil explains to Roxas that Hercules trains so hard because everyone counts on him to be strong, and Roxas wonders if such expectations are the same kind of thing as orders. As the Nobodies leave, Demyx again complains about being forced to fight, and says he's glad he usually gets investigation missions.

Two months later, Roxas and Demyx return to the Coliseum, and Demyx is as unhappy as ever about being forced to fight Heartless. Their target this time is a mysterious Heartless, and since Demyx isn't a hero candidate he waits outside while Roxas enters the Coliseum tournament. He makes it to the final round, and Phil comes over to give him a pep talk, and tell him that he's counting on Roxas to win. Roxas asks if that's the same as being given orders, but Phil just tells him not to ask such ridiculous questions and concentrate on fighting.

To Roxas's surprise, his final opponent is none other than Xigbar. He says he'd heard Roxas has been practicing, and came to see just how strong he is now. However, their battle is interrupted by the appearance of the Guard Armor Heartless, and as Phil runs off to get Hercules, Roxas jumps into battle. During his fight, he has strange visions of the same boy in red, who seems to have fought this creature before. After Roxas defeats the Heartless, Xigbar comments that he really has gotten stronger, and heads back to The World That Never Was. Demyx wonders what Xigbar was doing in the Coliseum, considering he should have missions of his own to do.

They head home just before Phil can return with Hercules. When Phil wonders out loud what happened to Roxas, and Hercules wonders who Phil is talking about, Phil suddenly realizes that Roxas wasn't an apprentice candidate and is left to wonder who on earth he's been training the entire time.

On Roxas's 296th day in the Organization, he's sent to participate in another Coliseum tournament, which feels more like training than a mission to him. Phil confronts him, saying he's glad Roxas hasn't been killed, but also asking just who he is. When Roxas can't reply, Phil assumes that Roxas is there to enter the tournament, and lets him in despite the earlier deception.

Roxas wins the tournament, defeating all kinds of Heartless. Phil congratulates him and tells Roxas to come back and visit every now and then. Roxas assumes that Phil still wants him to do more training. Although Roxas returns to the Coliseum a few weeks later to fight another Heartless, he never meets Phil again.

Kingdom Hearts II
Sora and company return to Olympus Coliseum one year after their first visit. Before their return, Hades has been sending monsters for Hercules to fight against in attempt to weaken his heart and turn him into a Heartless. After Pete tells that Sora's Keyblade could open any lock, Hades uses it to unlock the Underworld Coliseum, which was sealed off by Zeus. He kidnapped Megara to lure Sora and Hercules into saving her and battling Pete while unlocking the Underworld Coliseum and sending the Hydra to destroy the Olympus Coliseum.

Sora and co. are forced to participate in the Underworld Coliseum Tournament with Hercules. Hades stole Auron's free will in attempt to make him defeat Hercules, and Sora and his gang. However, Sora releases Auron's free will and they defeat Hades together, with the help of Hercules. After this, Sora, Donald, and Goofy become legendary heroes.

After the Underdrome is re-opened, multiple tournaments are opened after Sora and his friends accomplish certain goals or progress through the worlds.

After Sora returns to Destiny Islands, the Olympus Coliseum is rebuilt and restored to its former glory.

Kingdom Hearts coded
After discovering that Olympus Coliseum is infested with bugs and Hercules hasn't returned from destroying them, Data-Sora promptly finds and enters the world's Keyhole to reach the labyrinth. After finding several "shreds of wisdom", Data-Sora finds Hercules and the two team up. Later, they battle Cloud, who was tricked into attacking Hercules by Hades. After losing the battle, Data-Sora and Hercules forgive Cloud for his mistake and offer to join forces but to no avail. In a state of shame and humility, Cloud denies and decides to go his own way. Deeper into the labyrinth, Data-Sora and Hercules find Cloud struggling against a horde of Heartless and insist on helping despite Cloud's protests and reluctance. Eventually, the Heartless are overcome and the three agree to journey together.

If the player avoids Cloud, Data-Sora and Hercules can continue on without helping and joining him. Afterward, Sora feels bad about leaving Cloud behind, although Hercules thinks that he'll be all right.

The three soon defeat Cerberus, one of Hades's henchman. and the supposed source of the world's bugs. Enraged, Hades fights the party himself, only to come out as the loser. Data-Sora then realises that Cerberus wasn't causing the bugs, meaning the party had to venture even deeper into the labyrinth. During their travels, the party destroy the Behemoth and Rock Titan, which were also wrongly believed to be causing the world's bugs. Once they get to the end, the trio encounter the Ice Titan and defeat it to discover that it was the source of the world's bugs. Finally successful, Data-Sora and Hercules report to Philoctetes while Cloud leaves to go his own separate way.

If the player is only doing five layers, Cerberus is found to still be the source of the world's bugs and the party return to Phil after battling Hades. If the player is doing fifteen layers, the Rock Titan is the bug source and the party return after defeating it.

Characters

 * Hercules's parents Zeus and Hera are mentioned in his journal profile, and referenced when Sora first speaks to Phil. Hera is again referenced in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded when Phil exclaims "Holy Hera" after seeing Data-Sora and Hercules back alive in one piece.

Trivia

 * In Kingdom Hearts II, the trophy for the Phil Cup and the plaque for the Pegasus Cup were mistakenly switched to a trophy for the Pegasus Cup and a plaque for the Phil Cup.
 * Olympus Coliseum is the only Disney-based world that features Final Fantasy characters.
 * Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is the only Kingdom Hearts game in which Olympus Coliseum does not make an appearance, although its original field theme is recycled as the Musketeers' theme.

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