Kingdom Hearts (game)

Kingdom Hearts is the original game in the series. Revolving around a 14-year old boy named Sora, it details his adventures after his homeworld is destroyed by sinister creatures known as the Heartless, and his attempts to restore his world and reunite with his friends. In the process, he meets several characters from classic Disney films and the Final Fantasy video game series.

Chronologially, Kingdom Hearts follows Birth by Sleep and happens before Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

The main theme song for the game is "Simple and Clean", performed by Utada Hikaru.

Story
Kingdom Hearts begins on Destiny Islands, where Sora lives with his two best friends, Riku and Kairi. The three friends seek to leave the islands to explore new worlds and have prepared a raft for this purpose. One night, the islands are attacked by darkness and shadow creatures. Sora seeks out his friends, finding Riku first; Riku disappears into darkness, curious about what it contains. Soon after, Sora obtains a mysterious weapon, the Keyblade, to defend himself. Using it to fend off the creatures, he heads for a secret cave, where he finds Kairi near a door. She turns to him, saying his name as the door behind her blows open. The ensuing blast of darkness sends Sora and Kairi both out of the cave. The islands are soon destroyed, and Sora is left adrift, Riku and Kairi's whereabouts unknown.

Meanwhile, King Mickey has left his world to deal with the increasing power of darkness and left instructions for mage Donald Duck and knight Goofy to find the "key". Donald and Goofy use a Gummi Ship to travel to Traverse Town, where it happens Sora has also drifted to.

Sora encounters the creatures again in the town, and eventually meets Leon, a mysterious traveler who explains they are Heartless, creatures that consume hearts, and that the Keyblade is the only weapon capable of defeating them. The king of Leon's homeworld, a man named Ansem, is said to have studied the Heartless. Donald and Goofy are approached by Leon's ally Aerith, who also tells them what they may be looking for. Soon after, Sora meets Donald and Goofy rather hastily, and the three work together to take down a large Heartless. From there, they decide to travel together: Donald and Goofy to find Mickey, and Sora to find Kairi and Riku.

The three travel to various worlds based on Disney films, finding that the Keyblade also locks "Keyholes", passages that the Heartless use to take the heart of the world. A group of Disney villains, led by Maleficent, seek out the seven Princesses of Heart to unlock the Keyhole that leads to Kingdom Hearts, a repository of knowledge and power and the source of all hearts. This group now includes Riku, who is swayed by Maleficent's promises that she will help find Kairi. At the same time, Maleficent sows distrust in Riku, telling him that Sora has abandoned him and Kairi for new friends and the Keyblade. An increasingly antagonistic Riku manges to find Kairi's body, but her heart is missing.

Sora and his friends eventually arrive at Hollow Bastion, the home world of Ansem and the headquarters of Maleficent. Riku takes the Keyblade from Sora, claiming that he was fated to have it all along and Sora was simply the "delivery boy". Donald and Goofy, taking their order to follow the "key" seriously, reluctantly leave with Riku. Sora calls on his courage enters the Bastion anyway, then challenges Riku again, stating that his heart derives strength from his friends. His friends return to him, as does the Keyblade. Shamed, Riku flees and meets a cloaked man who goads him to give into the darkness.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy, meanwhile, engage and kill Maleficent. They soon after meet a strangely-behaving Riku with a new Keyblade that unlocks hearts. He leads them to Kairi's living but unfeeling body; Riku then reveals himself as completely possessed by Ansem. The newly reformed Ansem explains that Kairi is the last Princess of Heart, and that her missing heart has been trapped within Sora's body since the destruction of Destiny Islands. Spurred to action, Sora defeats Ansem; however, he cannot seal Hollow Bastion's keyhole because Kairi's heart is still in his body. Sora uses Ansem's Keyblade to unlock his heart, releasing both his and Kairi's heart, but turning him into a Heartless. Kairi's heart returns to her body, in turn completing the final Keyhole; she then returns Sora to human form by the strength of her heart. The group resolves to follow and end Ansem's plan.

Ansem retreats to the End of the World, the combined fragments of worlds taken by the Heartless. Upon being found and finally beaten, he explains his belief that darkness is the heart's true essence, and he seeks Kingdom Hearts, the source of all hearts, and therefore the ultimate source of darkness. However, upon opening the door to Kingdom Hearts, it reveals Light, killing Ansem. Beyond the door are Mickey and Riku, back in control of his own body. They help Sora and the others close the door, as there are many Heartless beyond it, but Riku and Mickey must remain inside to help seal it. Mickey and Sora then use their Keyblades to lock the door. The destroyed worlds reconstruct themselves; Kairi is pulled back to the Destiny Islands, but Sora promises before separating they will all reunite some day. Sora, Donald, and Goofy now have a new mission: find Riku and Mickey. Luckily, Pluto appears, clutching a letter from Mickey in his mouth; he runs off with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in tow, ready for a new set of adventures.

Key Characters


Main characters are the characters with the largest effect on the storyline who have a direct relation to Sora. Three of them were created for the Kingdom Hearts series.

Sora (Protagonist; playable character) A 14-year-old boy who lives on the Destiny Islands with his best friends Riku and Kairi, a kind-hearted young man who dreams of seeing other worlds. After the islands are consumed by darkness he finds himself alone in another world. He travels to various different worlds with Donald and Goofy in search of Riku and Kairi. He wields the Keyblade, a weapon capable of destroying the darkness and sealing the hearts of worlds. His name means "sky".

 Donald (AI-controlled character) Disney Castle's Court Magician. He is searching for his missing King by traveling to various worlds in the gummi ship. He and Goofy team up with Sora in order to find their King.

 Goofy (AI-controlled character) Captain of the Royal Knights at Disney Castle. He is also searching for the King.

 Riku (Original Keyblade-wielder) Riku is the 15-year-old friend of Sora and Kairi and lives with them on Destiny Islands. He and Sora always competed on everything as friendly rivals. He was meant to be the original wielder of the Keyblade, but he gave in to the darkness of his heart in order to fulfill his dream of seeing other worlds. His name means "land".

 Kairi (Girl of mysterious origins) A 14-year-old girl who arrived on the Destiny Islands when she was little, and has been best friends with Sora and Riku ever since. Her name is based on the Japanese word for "sea" ("kai").

Final Fantasy Characters
Square Enix, the makers of the game, inserted several characters from their own popular Final Fantasy game series into the storyline.

Tidus Tidus appears as a young boy on the Destiny Islands. Sora can challenge him to a duel. He can be found on the bridge and balcony. He uses a wooden stick as a weapon.

Wakka Wakka appears as a younger version of himself although he appears to be a bit older than Selphie and Tidus. He can be challenged by Sora and uses his Blitzball as a weapon. He is found on the beach and beside the waterfall.

Selphie Selphie appears as a younger girl on the Destiny Islands. She appears to be a daydreamer although she can be fought optionally by Sora. She uses a jump rope as a weapon. On both days, she can be found on the jetty beside the boats.

Squall Squall appears in Traverse Town. He calls himself "Leon" in the game, taken from his last name, which he chose because he was angry with himself for not being able to save his world. Along with Yuffie and Aerith, he helps Sora along his journey. He can be fought three times: first in Traverse Town and the second and third times in the Olympus Coliseum in the Pegasus and Hades Cups.

Yuffie Yuffie is found in Traverse Town early in the game. At first, Sora mistakes her for Kairi. She helps him along with Leon and Aerith.

Aerith Aerith first appears in Traverse Town. She informs Donald and Goofy about the Heartless and gives Sora munny. Later after the events in Hollow Bastion, she teaches the Curaga spell.

Cloud Cloud appears in the Olympus Coliseum as a boss, hired by Hades to take out Hercules. He is nearly killed by Cerberus and teaches Sora the Sonic Blade ability. He appears twice later as an opponent in the Hercules Cup and the Hades Cup (alongside Leon).

Cid Cid is encountered by Sora in the Accessory Shop in Traverse Town. He gives Sora the book containing the Hundred Acre Wood world and upgrades the Gummi Ship numerous times. Later, he can be found near the entrance to the Second District and parts for Gummi Ships can be purchased from him.

Sephiroth Sephiroth can be found after the Hollow Bastion keyhole has been sealed. He appears as an optional boss fight in the Platinum Match in the Olympus Coliseum. Select the second option "????" and fight him.

Moogles The Moogles appear in Traverse Town. One can be seen walking around the World Exit and others can be found in the Accessory Shop and the Synthesis Shop where they synthesize materials for items and equipment.

Temporary Party Members
Temporary Party Members are world specified, and as such, will only be present in the world they come from. They are characters that Sora meets and befriends during his search for Riku and Kairi. Each character can become a party member, by switching him/her with Goofy or Donald.

 Tarzan (from "Tarzan") Tarzan is only available in the Deep Jungle world. He fights using brute "jungle-strength" and his stone-tipped spear. His passive abilities boost his attack power and chance of landing a critical hit.

<font size=+1> Aladdin (from "Aladdin") Aladdin is only available in the Agrabah world. He fights using "street-smart acrobatics" and a saber. His passive abilities boost drops by enemies (HP/MP balls as well as rare items) and also boosts the summon gauge.

<font size=+1> Ariel (from "The Little Mermaid") Ariel is only available in the Atlantica world. She fights using potions with certain effects and swimming skills. Her passive abilities boost her MP recovery as well as raise rare item drops.

<font size=+1> Jack Skellington (from "The Nightmare Before Christmas") Jack is only available in the Halloween Town world. He fights using magic and scare tactics. His passive abilities are the same as Aladdin's.

<font size=+1> Peter Pan (from "Peter Pan") Peter is only available in the Neverland world. He fights using flight and a wooden dagger. His passive abilities are a scattered version of the above four's. He has the critical hit boost of Tarzan, the drop increases of Jack and Aladdin and one of Ariel's MP recovery abilities.

<font size=+1> Beast (from "Beauty and the Beast") Beast is only available in the Hollow Bastion world. He fights using animal senses, claws and brute strength. His passive abilities are the same as Tarzan's, yet he has one of Ariel's MP recovery abilities, but it's boosted even higher than hers, because he has two of the same MP recovery ability.

Summons
Throughout his travels, Sora finds summon gems, which he can bring to the Fairy Godmother, and be granted a summon from the gem. In reality, the gem is the heart of the summon, created when the heart of a world is devoured by the Heartless, but with the heart of one of the residents being too strong to be consumed. Summons take the place of the to AI members of the player's party, and as such, both AI must be conscious before the player can use a summon. Pride Lands, The Land of Dragons and all worlds were destroyed by the Heartless, except Agrabah and Neverland.

<font size=+1> Simba (from "The Lion King") Simba's gem is the first one acquired in the game, and once shown to the Fairy Godmother, she will explain about summons. Simba's attack is a charged attack. Once the charge-button is released, Simba will roar and nearby enemies will take damage. The longer the roar is charged, the higher the damage.

<font size=+1> Tinker Bell (from "Peter Pan") Tinkerbell is acquired after completing Neverland. Peter Pan tells her to help out the party, after defeating Captain Hook. Tinkerbell will heal Sora at timed intervals and if Sora is defeated while her summon is active, she will revive him once and then disappear.

<font size=+1> Genie (from "Aladdin") Genie is acquired by defeating Jafar and completing Agrabah. Aladdin uses his final wish to wish for Genie's freedom, making Genie free to help Sora. Genie uses random magic attacks on locked on targets as his attack. The spell attack power is usually higher than Sora's and Donald's.

<font size=+1> Bambi (from "Bambi") Bambi is a good summon to use, when facing enemies strong against physical attacks, but weak against magic, or if simply fighting Heartless attacking in large groups. Bambi will jump around the stage (while still staying near Sora), sprouting large amounts of MP balls each time he lands, making him an ideal helper for when excessively using magic attacks. From a strategic point of view, this is better than using Genie, as you have no control of what spells Genie will use, which at times can backfire.

<font size=+1> Dumbo (from "Dumbo") Dumbo is yet another summon ideal for dispatching several Heartless at once. When Dumbo is summoned, Sora shrinks in size and latches on to Dumbo's hat. Dumbo attacks by dousing the enemies with water from his trunk and the hit has a wide-area effect. Sora is invulnerable while riding Dumbo.

<font size=+1> Mushu (from "Mulan") Mushu is a fire-breathing dragon that is ideal for dispatching single enemies quickly or significantly lowering a boss' HP. This is because of his ability to rapidly shoot small fireballs at targeted enemies. However, this ability takes the place of regular attacks, and is a just a little weaker, but it can be used at long distances, meaning less risk of taking damage.

Villains
Most of the villains in Kingdom Hearts are taken from the various Disney films that are featured in the game. The most notable Disney villain in the game, however, is Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty), and appears at first, to be the main villain of the game. However, it aspires that an original character, Ansem, is the main antagonist of the game. Both of these characters are major bosses; though, Ansem is in fact the final boss.

These are the "main" antagonists of Kingdom Hearts, with the majority often seen conspiring together as a group in the ruins of Hollow Bastion.


 * Ansem
 * Riku
 * Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
 * Hades (Hercules)
 * Clayton (Tarzan)
 * Jafar (Aladdin)
 * Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
 * Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
 * Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
 * Chernabog (Fantasia)

Heartless
The Heartless are living beings, whose hearts were corrupted by darkness, and they play the roles of the "common enemies" Sora and party must defeat. They exist for no other purpose than to consume hearts, be it the hearts of other living beings or even that of entire worlds. If someone loses their heart to a heartless, they themselves become one.

In general, there are two types of heartless, commonly referred to as Pureblood Heartless, who are created "naturally", and Emblem Heartless, who are artificially created. The Emblem Heartless received their name because upon creation, they were all branded with an emblem, in order to distinguish them from the Purebloods.

Worlds
The Worlds essentially serve as "levels" for the game. Most of them are based on famous Disney animated films; a few, including Sora's homeworld, Destiny Islands, were created just for Kingdom Hearts

Some non-playable worlds (other than Disney Castle) can also be seen each time you summon Simba and Bambi. Mushu can also be seen in an unknown misty area while Dumbo can also be seen flying in an unknown place each time you summon either of the two characters.

Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
See article Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix

Trivia

 * Kingdom Hearts was originally produced in America by both Square Soft and Disney, Square Soft had come to join up with Disney because of both their ideas on a game when Japanese and American icons come together; Disney and Final Fantasy. The Final Mixes of the games were only released in Japan. Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ are English dubbed but with Japanese subtitles.


 * If you look at the boxart of the North American release in the lower right corner, you can see a Gargoyle Heartless.