Storm Rider



The Storm Rider is a gargantuan Heartless boss that fights Sora in The Land of Dragons in Kingdom Hearts II.

The Storm Rider is a Chinese dragon turned into a Heartless by Xigbar. It can control lightning and thunder, so Thunder magic is useless. It attacks the Imperial city of the Emperor. The vulnerable parts of the Storm Rider are the horns on its head. These two points are how Sora dealt damage and defeated the Heartless.

Journal Entry
''A giant Heartless that appeared in the sky of the Land of Dragons. An intense battle was fought by Sora above the palace.''

Originally a creature that gave strength to the earth and people, it was turned into a Heartless.

Trivia

 * Besides Mushu, the Storm Rider is the only dragon featured in The Land of Dragons. However, unlike Mushu, the Heartless hardly resembles the common depiction of a Chinese dragon, which is serpentine and wingless, among other traits. In truth, the only real similarity to its supposed basis is its powers over the weather, in this case, lightning, as well as its facial whiskers. Also, its journal entry described it as a being "that gave strength to and people" prior to becoming a Heartless, in the same way how revered dragons are as symbols of strength and power in China. It is unknown if the Storm Rider's original form looked the same as it did as a Heartless or had a more accurate appearance.
 * Sora can grab one of the Storm Rider's horns and flip the Heartless over in midair.
 * When charging Lightning Beam, Storm Rider resembles Bahamut from Final Fantasy X when using Mega Flare.