Status effect

Status effects, or Status Ailments, are temporary conditions that can affect the attributes or actions of characters or enemies. There are both positive and negative status effects, which can be cast by both the protagonists and antagonists using various offensive and defensive abilities. A status effect can be instantaneous, like cutting the victim's HP in half, or it can be lasting, like slowing all of the victim's actions.

The status effect system is sometimes tied to the element system; for example, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded both allow the protagonist to sometimes inflict a status effects matching the element they are attacking with, and each of the thirteen Organization XIII-based elements in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days has a corresponding status effect that it can inflict.

Most status effects wear off after a short period, so a player inflicted with one may viably wait it out, and in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, and  Kingdom Hearts II, that is their only option. However, in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, negative status effects can be removed using the Panacea, Elixir, and Megalixir items, or by using the Esuna command. However, a character cannot cure themselves if they are inflicted with a status effect that prevents them from acting, such as or Air-toss.

In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, it is also possible to prevent catching a status in the first place by equipping certain accessories. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, resistance to status effects takes the form of anti-element armor, which each character except Riku possesses. For example, the Anti-Ice armor protects against freezing. Each member of Organization XIII is resistant to their own signature element, while Xion, Sora, Donald Duck, Goofy and The King are resistant to Light. Natural resistance increases as a character's level goes up, giving 10% of resistance for each 10 levels, and can be stacked with the various resistances provided by certain Ring Panels. In Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, however, each status effect has a matching accessory that provides immunity to it for Data-Sora.

Air-toss
The Air-toss (吹き上げ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It causes the victim to fly spinning into the air and slowly descend. While airborne, they are immobilized and unable to recover, and they will also take extra damage if attacked. Air-toss is typically caused by -type commands, Wind-type attacks in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and abilities like Aero Finish or Aero Counter.

Bind
The Bind (バインド) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It forces the victim to stay in one location, although they are still capable of attacking from their position. Bind is typically caused by commands like Bind and Binding Strike.

Black Fog
The Black Fog (黒霧) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, exclusive to Flick Rush. It causes the majority of the Spirit icons on the bottom screen to be covered with a black fog for ten seconds, making it difficult to see. This status effect can only be inflicted by using Dark Mist.

Blind
The Blind (暗闇) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It hinders its victim's ability to successfully land attacks. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, Blind often causes physical attacks to miss. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, enemies suffering from Blind either attack other enemies or go in the wrong direction; playable characters suffering from Blind have a reduced field of vision, and only the area immediately around them is visible. Lock-On and Shotlocks are also disabled. -type commands, Blackout, and Flower-type attacks in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days are able to cause Blind.

Burn
The Burn (バーン) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts III. It causes the victim's rear to catch fire, causing them to forcibly jump forwards multiple times, after which the victim is stationary for a couple seconds as they put out the fire. Each jump from the second onward causes the victim to lose 5% HP, however this cannot bring the victim's HP below 1.

Clock Rewind
The Clock Rewind (クロックレベル1) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It resets Data-Sora's clock gauge to level 1 and prevents it from being filled.

Cloud
The Cloud (クラウド) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts III. It causes a cloud to appear over the victim's head, which causes commands to briefly be replaced by cloud commands in multiple states. The cloud can appear in either the state of heavy rain (3 seconds), no rain (3 seconds), or light rain (4 seconds), with the status sequentially changing between these three in said order. During heavy and light rain, Sora's commands will change to Thunder in top-to-bottom sequential order, with heavy rain adding two Thunder commands that change positions rapidly, light rain adding one that changes positions slowly, and no rain causing no harmful effects. Selecting a Thunder command will cause lightning to flinch Sora. Sora can dispel the status effect by using Aero magic.

In the case of party members, the lightning will cause them to flinch every 0.5 seconds during heavy and light rain.

Command Lock
The Command Lock (コマンド禁止) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It prevents Data-Sora from using any commands, similar to Silence. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Staggerceps Nightmares can use an attack having a similar effect.

Confuse
The Confuse (混乱「コンフュ」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. A confused enemy will attack other enemies, or otherwise act in support of the player, e.g., the Vile Phial will heal the player when confused. A confused character will have their movement controls reversed. Confuse is typically inflicted by commands like Confuse and Confusion Strike, certain room gimmicks in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, being attacked by enemies like the Mandrake, being attacked while affected by Zero Gravity, and Illusion-type attacks in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

In Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, only enemies can be inflicted with Confuse; Data-Sora can instead be inflicted with the Flip-foot status, which has an identical effect to Confuse.

Damage Drain
The Damage Drain (ダメージ吸収) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. When struck with an attack inflicting Damage Drain, the character's HP damage is absorbed by the attacking enemy, healing them. Damage Drain is inflicted by Water-type attacks.

Defense Cut
The Defense Cut (防御ダウン) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It cuts down Data-Sora's Defense, causing him to take more damage from enemy attacks.

Demi
The Demi (割合) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It shaves off a fraction of the victim's remaining HP. It is caused by Gravity and related attacks, such as Gravity Break.

Doom
The Doom (死の宣告「デス」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It automatically knocks out the victim independently of their HP after a set period of time, indicated by a countdown above their head, similar to Time Bomb. It is inflicted by the Dark Haze command and the Doom (Death Sentence) technique, which is possessed by the Phantom and Marluxia's third form. Each game has slightly different mechanics to Doom's countdown; in Kingdom Hearts, Death Sentence is tied to the minute hand of the Clock Tower, and can be delayed by casting Stop on the clock face, while in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, it is a sleight that must be broken using the Duel System, and in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep it is a straight five second countdown.

In addition, Marluxia's Absent Silhouette and Replica Data in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix inflict Sora with a similar status effect at the start of each battle. This countdown starts at Sora's level and is reduced by one each time Sora is hit by the Graceful Dahlia, although it can be refilled using the Restore Count reaction command. The Unknown in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep also inflicts a similar status effect using his energy web technique, which traps the protagonist and must be negated by tapping quickly enough within four seconds.

Marluxia's data in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind uses this effect yet again, first about midway through the battle and second when he is at 1 HP. In the former case, the timer starts at 15 and decreases slowly. Marluxia's Armor HP must be depleted and then the Dispel Situation Command must be used to get rid of the countdown. In the latter case, the timer starts at 99 and decreases rapidly. Marluxia must be struck at least once.

Electrify
The Electrify (帯電) status effect, also called Jolt, was introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. It electrifies the victim, causing them to take damage—up to 10% of their maximum HP in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and up to 12.5% in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded—when coming into contact with enemies, other party members, or even walls or other objects. It is typically caused by -type commands and attacks, and abilities like Thunder Finish and Thunder Counter.

A variation of Jolt can be inflicted on Undead Pirates, Captain Barbossa, and the Grim Reaper, by attacking with Thunder. It causes them to move slowly and jerkily, but it does not inflict damage.

A similar effect can be inflicted on Maleficent's Goons in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, causing them to run around faster and suffer damage, an allusion to their punishment for failing to find Princess Aurora in the original movie.

Flip-foot
The Flip-foot (移動異常) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. While under Flip-foot, movement controls are reversed, similar to. Additionally, it prevents Roxas and Data-Sora from locking on to enemies or automatically directing attacks at enemies. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Flip-foot is inflicted by Illusion-type attacks.

Freeze
The Freeze (凍結「フリーズ」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It encases the victim in a solid block of ice, immobilizing them and causing them to take triple damage if attacked while frozen. It is typically caused by -type and Ice-type commands and attacks, and abilities like Blizzard Finish and Blizzard Counter. Airborne targets of Freeze will drop to the ground for as long as they are frozen.

A variation of Freeze can be inflicted on Undead Pirates, Captain Barbossa, and the Grim Reaper, by attacking with Blizzard. It immobilizes them for a few moments.

In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a variation of Freeze (氷結), exclusive to Flick Rush, covers the bottom screen in ice. No commands can be used while the screen is covered in ice, but the ice can be cleared by tapping the screen twenty times. This status effect can only be inflicted by using Ice Zone.

Data-Sora can prevent the Freeze status effect by equipping the Blizzard Charm accessory.

In Kingdom Hearts III, Freeze immobilizes the victim as usual, but it has no effect on the damage the victim takes, and will end when the victim is attacked. It also disables safeguards, meaning that enemies such as the Large Body can be attacked from points where they would normally be invulnerable while frozen.

Halve HP
The Halve HP (HP半減) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. When struck with an attack inflicting Halve HP, the victim's current HP is cut in half. Halve HP is inflicted by Earth-type attacks.

Honey
The Honey (ハニー) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts III. It slows the enemy's movement and attack speed. The honey status effect can be stacked, with each attack applying honey increasing the percentage at which the enemy is slowed, up to a maximum of a 90% slowdown. Honey is inflicted by attacks from the Hunny Blasters and Hunny Launcher Formchanges.

Ignite
The Ignite (炎上「バーン」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. It engulfs the victim in flames, dealing continuous damage to their HP. It is typically caused by -type commands and attacks, and abilities like Fire Finish and Fire Counter.

A variation of Ignite can be inflicted on Undead Pirates, Captain Barbossa, and the Grim Reaper, by attacking with Fire. It causes them to run around in a frenzied state, but it does not inflict damage. In the Japanese release, the pirates are depicted as being on fire, while in the international release, they are merely shown to be smoking. A similar effect can be inflicted on Maleficent's Goons in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, as well as Meow Wow, Sir Kyroo and Lord Kyroo in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, which are depicted as being on fire in all versions of the game.

Magnet
The Magnet (マグネ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. The victim is immobilized and is pulled into the magnetic vortex created by Magnet and Magnet-type commands.

Mini
The Mini (ミニマム) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It shrinks the victim, decreasing their attack power and making them vulnerable to being stepped on. Mini is inflicted by the Mini magic command.

Null Defense
The Null Defense (防御力無効化) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. An attack with the Null Defense status effect inflicts damage without regard to the victim's defense. Null Defense is inflicted by Nil-type attacks.

Paralysis
The Paralysis status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. It paralyzes the victim and prevents them from selecting certain cards from the hand.

Poison
The Poison (ポイズン) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. It gradually depletes the victim's HP. Poison is inflicted by commands like Poison and Poison Edge, and enemies like the Black Fungus and Vile Phial.

Radar Zap
The Radar Zap (ナビマップ無力化) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It disables the area map that appears on the bottom Nintendo DS screen, replacing it with a large image resembling a glaring light. Radar Zap is inflicted by Light-type attacks.

Rewound Defense
The Rewound Defense (防御LV.1) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It sets the victim's Defense back to its Level 1 state, increasing the damage taken while the status is in effect. Rewound Defense is inflicted by Time-type attacks.

Shock
The Shock (感電) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, exclusive to Flick Rush. It causes the Spirit icons on the bottom screen to be charged with electricity for ten seconds. While charged with electricity, the Spirits cannot be switched out and cards cannot be reloaded. This status effect can only be inflicted by using the evolved command, Thundaga.

Shoe-glue
The Shoe-glue (ジャンプ不能) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. It prevents the victim from jumping, although they are still capable of automatically jumping to attack airborne enemies. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Shoe-glue is inflicted by Space-type attacks.

Silence
The Silence (沈黙「サイレンス」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It prevents the victim from using magic, similar to Command Lock. Silence is inflicted by Kurt Zisa in Kingdom Hearts, and by Moon-type attacks in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Sleep
The Sleep (スリプル) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. It immobilizes the victim for a period of time, or until the victim is attacked, and is inflicted by techniques like Sleep or Joint Force. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, when the character is affected by Sleep, his Drop Gauge speed increases. In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, enemies can begin battle asleep if fought within Sleeping Darkness rooms or hit by certain props.

Slow
The Slow (スロウ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. It slows down the movements of the victim, making it harder to react to attacks. Slow is inflicted by commands like Slow or Twisted Hours, or by abilities like Attach Slow and Counter Slow.

No Heart in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix inflicts a similar status effect using his time warp pillar technique.

Sneeze
The Sneeze (スニーズ) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts III. The victim will be immobilized by a sneeze. For Sora this happens when selecting the Sneeze command when a combo finisher is reached, and for party members this happens continuously, immobilizing them until the status effect wears off.

Stop
The Stop (ストップ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It completely freezes the victim's movements, immobilizing them for a period of time. If the victim is attacked while Stopped, the total damage is inflicted after the status wears off. Stop is inflicted by commands like Stop, Time Splicer, and Twisted Hours, or by enemies like the Chrono Twister.

Stun
The Stun (気絶「スタン」) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. A stunned character or enemy will slump over in a daze, unable to move for a period of time, making them vulnerable to attacks. Some enemies, particularly bosses, can become stunned when they have sustained a certain amount of damage or when certain conditions are filled in battle. Stun can also be inflicted by Aero-based commands, Mine-based commands, Quake, Thunder Blitz, Sign of Faith, Faithcharge, Rockbreaker, Balloon spells and weapon abilities such as Sonic Blade, Stun Impact, and Strike Raid.

In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, specific enemy cards will make the player vulnerable to being stunned by certain types of attacks as a trade-off for their enhancements. Causing preemptive strikes will stun enemies at the start of the battle and the stun effect can be enhanced with the Lasting Daze map card. Riku, while in Dark Mode, can also stun enemies by using combos, so long as Riku's is high enough.

In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, failing to complete Surprise! and Surprise! 2 successfully results in the user becoming stunned.

In Kingdom Hearts III, stun works as usual, however when inflicting the player character, its duration can be shortened by 0.3 seconds with each button input. It will also end prematurely if the victim is attacked.

In Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, enemies that require multiple hits to be defeated can potentially be stunned, with the chance to stun determined by the attacker's strength stat. Stunned enemies will not deplete the party's HP when missed.

Submerge
The Submerge (水没) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, exclusive to Flick Rush. It covers the bottom screen in water for fifteen seconds, reducing the sliding speed of cards to 0.15 times. This status effect can only be inflicted by using Waterga.

Terror
The Terror (テラー) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It strike fear into the heart of the victim, preventing them from approaching the player. It is inflicted by the Terror sleight.

Time Bomb
The Time Bomb (タイムボム) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It causes the victim to explode after a set period of time, indicated by a countdown. The explosion takes out the victim and damages surrounding enemies. It is inflicted by the Time Bomb magic command.

Time Bomb functions similarly to Doom.

Warp
The Warp (デジョン) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. It causes the victim to be removed from the battlefield, regardless of their remaining HP. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, no experience is earned from enemies defeated in this way, though in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories this was limited to the Warp technique itself. Warp is caused by the Warp and Warpinator techniques, and by combo finishers under the effect of Warp Break.

Zero Gravity
The Zero Gravity (無重力「ゼログラビデ」) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It encases the victim with an anti-gravity field that floats them above the ground and inflicts continual damage. If the victim is attacked while inside the field, they will be set rapidly spinning, causing them to be d once the field dissipated. Zero Gravity is caused by Zero Gravity magic, as well as Gravity Strike, Dream Sparkle, and Miracle Dance.

Aero Shield
The "Aero Shield" status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It shields the user in swirling winds, and is provided by the Aero, Aero Guard, Aero Shield, and Wind of Protection techniques.

Auto-Life
The Auto-Life (リレイズ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It allows the user to revive once after all HP is gone and restores some HP, and is provided by the Auto-Life technique. In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, it is provided by summoning Tinker Bell or Peter Pan respectively. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, it is provided by equipping the Auto-Life panel, which can be leveled up by linking Auto-Life LV+ panels into it to increase the amount of HP restored. In Kingdom Hearts III, it is provided by having a Kupo Coin in possession.

Combo Assist
The Combo Assist (コンボアシスト) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It allows the user to strike enemies twice with a single attack, and is provided with the Combo Assist technique.

The Double Strike ability has the same effect as Combo Assist and is provided by Roxas's enemy card and Peter Pan's D-Link.

Disappear
The Disappear (姿が消える) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. This ability allows the user to become temporarily invisible, becoming unable to be seen and allowing it to sneak up on enemies, and is provided by techniques like Vanish.

Drain
The Drain (ドレイン) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It allows the user to recover a small amount of HP each time he hits an enemy, depending on how much damage the attack dealt, and is provided by the Drain technique.

Haste
The Haste (ヘイスト) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It increases the speed of the user's movement or techniques, and is provided by the Haste technique.

No Heart in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix inflicts a similar status effect using his time warp pillar technique.

Invincibility
The Invincibility status effect is introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It prevents the user from receiving any damage, similar to the invincibility frames of certain techniques, and is provided by the Invincible technique. In Kingdom Hearts, Hercules is able to cast a golden aura on himself that makes him invincible, and this can only be removed by hitting him with a barrel. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the Barrier Master is able to cast a barrier on other enemies to protect them from all damage, but the Barrier Master itself is left unprotected; the only way to remove the barrier is to knock away the Barrier Master's book or slay it. Similarily, the Platinum Card from Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories has the same effect and provides the Invincible effect.

Pep Talk
The Pep Talk (応援) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts III. It increases the damage party members deal by 50%, and makes them immune to negative status effects. It is provided by the Pep Talk technique, indicated by a glowing red aura.

Protect
The Protect (プロテス) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It decreases the damage taken from physical attacks by 50%, and is provided by the Protect technique.

Regen
The Regen (リジェネ) status effect was introduced in Kingdom Hearts. It allows the user to restore a small amount HP automatically over time, and is provided by techniques like Regen, Regen-L, or Cure Sun. In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Regen is generally cast by summoning Tinker Bell or Peter Pan, respectively. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the Cura spell has a Regen effect. In Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, the HP Regen EZ Code has this effect, and the MP Regen and Focus Regen EZ Codes have similar effects for the MP and Focus Gauges, respectively.

Shell
The Shell (シェル) status effect is introduced in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It decreases the damage taken from magic attacks by 50%, and is provided by the Shell technique.

Spirit Roar
The Spirit Roar (スピリットロア) status effect appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It increases the strength of the player character's attacks and magic by 50%, and is provided by the Spirit Roar technique, indicated by a glowing red aura.