List of Keyblade wielders

The following is a list of known Keyblade Wielders, defined as characters from the Kingdom Hearts series that have wielded a Keyblade in battle successfully. Characters who have held a Keyblade only for it to return to the hand of its true holder are not included on this list.

Sora
The Kingdom Key is Sora's default Keyblade, which appeared to him as his home world, the Destiny Islands, was being consumed by the darkness. A Keyblade from the Realm of Light, its default key chain is a small set of three silver circles that form the symbol most commonly associated with Mickey Mouse. It is commonly referred to within the game as, quite simply, "the Keyblade".

Sora's key is repeatedly shown to possess the ability to seal Keyholes, though it is yet to be revealed as to whether any other keyblades possess this same power, though it is presumable that they do, as the King's keyblade was used in tandem with Sora's to seal the Door to Darkness at the end of Kingdom Hearts.

A keyblade will typically refuse to be wielded by any save those of strongest heart, and may be taken by one with a stronger heart, as is evidenced by the events transpiring between Sora and Riku following the arrival of the former for the first time in Hollow Bastion. Sora is also able to summon his keyblade in a flash of light, as seen during his opening conversation with Leon in Traverse Town and during his fight against Roxas in The World That Never Was.

Riku
Riku was the true wielder of the Kingdom Key of the Realm of Light, but when he chose darkness over light, the darkness weakened his heart, causing the Keyblade to pass on to Sora. Riku came to wield another Keyblade during the course of Kingdom Hearts, while possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, which is described below.
 * Riku's Keyblade:

Riku's Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts II is the Way to the Dawn. It seems to be an evolved Soul Eater, which was formed from the darkness in his heart, but not much is clear about this Keyblade. Some speculate that the Keyblade could have been used as a median considering it's given appearance. The Way to the Dawn is modeled to reflect Riku's abilities of both light and darkness, bearing angelic and demonic wings on both its blade and its handle. It also appears to have multiple crosses lodged in the Keychain, and it bears a heart symbol that closely resembles the Heartless emblem. Finally, it bears a resemblance to Oblivion, the Keyblade that is supposed to represent Riku.

This Keyblade appears in the secret endings of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, meaning that it was created before the Soul Eater. This suggests the Soul Eater is based on this Keyblade; or instead unrelated.

Kairi
Kairi's currently-unnamed Keyblade was given to her by Riku in The World That Never Was. Kairi's Keyblade is delicate looking and sports a floral design. Kairi used this Keyblade to fight (albeit inefficiently, despite Donald's praise) against the Heartless for one battle in The World That Never Was. The fact that Kairi is able to wield a Keyblade raises many questions that Nomura will most likely address in the future installments of the series, but it is likely because of how strong her heart was as shown in the first game as she had no heartless, a feat Sora has not achieved. Tetsuya Nomura has said the scene in which Riku gives her a Keyblade hints at something. Some assume it's the Keyblade that represents Destiny Island, given its floral design and the paopu fruit Keychain.
 * Kairi's Keyblade:

King Mickey
King Mickey’s Keyblade is a Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness, which the King received sometime during his journey in that realm. It is identical to Sora's Keyblade, except the colors are reversed, the hilt being silver and the blade gold, this is also noted by fans, leading some to believe it is called The Kingblade, or the Inverse Kingdom Key. The replica model letter opener called Mickey's Keyblade "Darkside", which is fitting as it is the keyblade of the Realm of Darkness. Mickey used this Keyblade along with Sora's to seal the Door to Darkness, so it theoretically has the same powers as its Realm of Light counterpart. Prior to that, Mickey originally possessed the Star Seeker, which is seen in the Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ trailer for the upcoming PlayStation Portable game Birth By Sleep. Thus, it has been hinted that Mickey possessed it while under Yen Sid, which is how he met Ansem the Wise. Mickey also appears to wield the Star Seeker in Kingdom Hearts coded.
 * Mickey's Keyblade:

Roxas
Roxas, being Sora's Nobody, also has the ability to use the Keyblade. This has earned him the name "Key of Destiny" from his fellow Organization members. The Keyblades that Roxas used and the memories that Sora once lost in Castle Oblivion are the same. Furthermore, these two both used the Keyblade at the same time. In order to learn why he could wield the Keyblade, Roxas betrayed Organization XIII and left in search of his true self (Sora).

Roxas can also use two Keyblades at the same time, Oblivion and Oathkeeper, and use them to perform a "Clear Light" attack. Tetsuya Nomura stated that Roxas' ability to use two Keyblades means that Sora can, too, without the Drive Forms, of course. Due to the fact that Roxas has every ability that Sora has. Tetsuya Nomura said that the Keyblades represent Riku and Kairi, Riku being Oblivion, and Kairi being Oathkeeper. All of these things combined (when Roxas fuses with Sora) complete Sora.

Terra
The weapon that Terra uses throughout most of his appearances. He battles Sora with it in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix. Although it seems to be very powerful, he also takes the Kingdom Key in Kingdom Hearts II's secret movie. Because it lacks a chain, it is rumored to be a "false" Keyblade (however, this may only be speculation). Ven and Aqua also seem to have weapons like this one.

Terra's Keyblade displays powers that none of the others can do, in that it can transform into different weapons (either that or Terra has the power to transform it). It can change into a whip, a jet-ski like object, a fast spinning cog-like weapon, and a massive cannon, among other things. It is unknown if Terra will possess this power in Birth By Sleep, or if he can only do it when you fight him in Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+

In a recent trailer leaked on to the internet, we see Terra summoning his Keyblade differently than how most wielders do; his appears surrounded by translucent blocks that are also seen in some of his attacks from Final Mix+, in the form of a flash of light.

It is as of yet unknown if this Keyblade has a name, or not.

Aqua
Fittingly, Aqua wields a blue Keyblade (which has a slight resemblance to Oblivion). Like Terra's, it lacks a keychain. She prefers to use magic with it, as is shown in the secret ending, where she skillfully conjures Blizzard, Thunder, and Reflect. Her Keyblade is also seen along with her empty, damaged armor in a new scene in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix. Whether or not this Keyblade has a name is as of yet unknown.

Ven
Ven's Keyblade is uniquely designed to be held in reverse (although, in the gameplay trailer, he is seen holding it the normal way). Like the other two, it lacks a keychain. The Keyblade has slight resemblances to both the Kingdom Key and the Jungle King.

When Master Xehanort freezes Ven and drops him off the cliff in the Final Mix + secret video, the Keyblade (which was frozen as well) shatters in half when it smashes into the rocks. Some theories speculate that when it shatters, one half (the handle) makes the kingdom key. It is unknown if this Keyblade has a name or not.

Master Xehanort
It is confirmed that Master Xehanort wields a Keyblade as well as his apprentice. His Keyblade has a double-edged appearance with a separated black blade with a black handguard and a head resembling a battle axe. It resembles both the Oblivion somewhat, but with two shafts and a different head. What power his Keyblade holds is shrouded in mystery; however, upon dropping Ven off of the cliff in the Final Mix + Teaser Trailer, he converts his Keyblade into an orb of dark energy, which is shot into the sky to summon Kingdom Hearts. His Keyblade possesses to a keychain.

Master Xehanort's Apprentice
Although Master Xehanort's Apprentice's Keyblade is also shrouded in mystery, his Keyblade takes a strong resemblance to Riku's Keyblade and his Master's Keyblade and holds great strength in thunder and ice attacks. He might have a connection to Riku. His Keyblade possesses a keychain. In the Secret Ending of Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+, it shows the Keyblade, which is red with a round, cog-like shape on the end with green eyes on it.

Genie
The Genie from "Aladdin" also wields a Keyblade (or facsimile) in Kingdom Hearts II, as his attacks mirror Sora and his forms. His "Keyblade" partly resembles Three Wishes from the first game. He seems to obtain it by tapping on Sora's Keyblade when summoned.

Ansem
Made from the hearts of six of the Princesses of Heart. It has the power to unlock people's hearts and send them to darkness, reflected in the heart-emblem on its point. Xehanort's Heartless wielded this Keyblade while possessing Riku, but is unable or unwilling to conjure or use a Keyblade himself. This Keyblade was destroyed when the hearts of the princesses were restored. The Keyblade is referred to as the "Dark Keyblade". It is also called "Artificial" by some fans because it was created by peoples hearts so it is technically not a true keyblade. Riku first used it to unleash Maleficent's dragon form, then wielded it in combat against Sora, where he then lost it after the battle. Like Terra, Aqua, and Ven's Keyblades it lacks a chain. This may be due to the fact that it was an artificially made Keyblade.

Xion
Xion, the fourteenth member of Organization XIII, has recently been to confirmed to wield a keyblade. Riku pondered over the possibility of her, being a Nobody, using a Keyblade, even going as far as to call the Keyblade fake. It has recently been revealed that the Keyblade that she wields is the Kingdom Key. Since this is a Keyblade that has been seen before, some speculate that Riku was just reluctant to believe someone else could have a Keyblade.

It is speculated that Xion's Keyblade is one-in-the-same with Kairi's mysterious Keyblade.

Plot Hole
Theoretically, since Sora could not damage Heartless without the Keyblade, and it's said in Traverse Town in the first game that the Keyblade is the weapon that destroys heartless, that should mean that no one except Keyblade wielders should be able to destroy Heartless. But its very obvious that fellow party members and other characters can. A possible explanation for this is that without the Keyblade, Sora was not strong enough to even damage the Heartless. Another possibility is that the power of the Keyblade is channeled through any hearts aligned with Sora, allowing his party members to wield a small part of it's strength. This theory seems to be lent a little more weight by the fact that before meeting Sora, Donald and Goofy were unable to defeat a pair of small heartless but as soon as they allied with the Keyblade master they were instrumental in the defeat of a rather large heartless.

Another mistake is the fact that the Keyblade is supposed to be the only weapon that can release hearts when defeating the Heartless, though it is shown that other people can release the hearts. Besides party members being able to release hearts in battle, Sephiroth and Leon are shown to do that in cutscenes. Then again, what they mean by "destroy the Heartless" could have a less literal definition, as they might've just meant that the Keyblade was the only weapon capable of bringing permanent extinction to the Heartless, given its unique ability to seal dimensions and worlds.