Rapid Thruster

The Rapid Thruster is an Emblem Heartless that is found in Kingdom Hearts II.

Rapid Thrusters are almost always accompanied by others of their kind, be it in small groups or several hundred.

Kingdom Hearts II
Rapid Thrusters make up a great percentage of Shan-Yu's army in The Land of Dragons.

While fighting a disguised Riku at The Land of Dragons, an endless swarm of Rapid Thrusters hover above the battleground.

Design
A Rapid Thruster has a spherical, black head with glowing, yellow eyes and a jagged mouth. Its head is surrounded by a large, two-pronged, beak-like helmet that sports a black spike on either of its sides. The helmet itself is orange and the Heartless emblem is on its top. Its body is also spherical, black, and only slightly larger than its head. It lack arms, and its legs are thin and do not have distinct digits. It has a propeller attached to its rear that it uses to fly. Its neck and body are separated by a thin, cyan line.

The Rapid Thruster's name refers to its speed—hence, "rapid"—and the propeller on its back—a "thruster" is a propulsion device.

Strategy
Individually Rapid Thrusters have very little HP and are defeated effortlessly, however they always appear in large numbers up to several hundred. Though they can be defeated in large quantities through the use of wide ranged offensive magic like Magnet or Thunder, the most efficient way to clear out a horde of Rapid Thrusters is through the Speed Trap and Aero Blade Reaction Commands. If damaged, they will retaliate with Propeller Rush, though the attack is slow and can be avoided by simply moving away. Groups of Rapid Thrusters may simultaneously use the Beak Rush attack, which can be easily neutralized through the use of Speed Trap.

In the Pride Lands, there is an area above The King's Den called the Peak (the area where Scar is fought), where countless numbers of Rapid Thrusters can be fought. This area is an excellent spot for Sora to acquire multiple Lightning Shards, which are dropped by the Rapid Thrusters. If trying to acquire extra experience, it is recommended to equip the Gull Wing Keyblade, equip Experience Boost ability, go down to the critical health point, and then battle the Heartless, as doing so will provide even more EXP. This is not as effective in Final Mix, as the swarm appears only 25% of the time (with a single Rapid Thruster appearing in its place otherwise), and drops HP prizes (which can quickly negate Experience Boost) instead of MP prizes.