Olympus Coliseum

Olympus Coliseum (オリンポスコロシアム) is a world in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts II. Based on the 1997 Disney feature Hercules, Philoctetes can be seen here training Hercules and other heroes. The Coliseum has since become a staple in the series since it has appeared in all the games to date with currently only the Destiny Islands and Hollow Bastion reaching the same feat. Although it is thought that the Coliseum is not originally from the Hercules movie, the Arena (or Coliseum in Kingdom Hearts II) can be seen in a short scene with Phil arguing with Hercules. The ruler of this world is Zeus, but Hades is the ruler of the Underworld.

Setting
In the original game, Olympus Coliseum was the smallest world, consisting of three areas: the Coliseum Gates where Sora and his party enter, the Lobby where Phil briefs contestants and keeps the cups of the winners, and the Coliseum itself, where the party competes against various combinations of Heartless, villains, and other characters in the game.

The area gains a drastic expansion in Kingdom Hearts II, as the Underworld can now be accessed through the Coliseum Gates. The Underworld Entrance connects the living world to the world of the dead, as well as holding the world's Moogle Shop, a save point, and the Underdrome where Sora can talk to Pain and Panic to gain access to the tournaments there. From there, two paths into the Underworld branch off. The first branch that Sora and his friends can explore leads to Hades' domain through the Cave of the Dead. Beginning at the Cave of the Dead: Entrance (where Sora and Auron later fight Cerberus), the party travels down the narrow and meandering Cave of the Dead: Passage before reaching the relatively safe Cave of the Dead: Inner Chamber. From there, the party traverses the ledges and cliffs of the Valley of the Dead before reaching Hades' Chamber.

Later in the story, the second path opens and allows the group to enter the Underworld Caverns. After going down through the Underworld Caverns: Entrance, the party goes through the twisting Underworld Caverns: The Lost Road, which in turn leads to the Underworld Caverns: Atrium. After an encounter with Demyx, the party passes through to The Lock, where Meg can be rescued and a boss battle with Pete takes place.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
In a screenshot of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Terra, Ven, and Master Xehanort are all seen in Olympus Coliseum. It is unknown if Aqua visits this world as well. Screenshots have shown a younger version of Hercules set to appear, as well.

Kingdom Hearts
When Sora first enters the Coliseum, Phil, who is busy preparing for the games, mistakes him for Hercules. When his mistake is revealed, Phil allows Sora to enter the trials. Though Sora passes, Phil won't let him enter the games. Disappointed, Sora exits, only to be met by Hades, who grants him an entry pass for the preliminaries. Sora then has to go through many preliminaries before he can get to the final battle. The final battle of the preliminaries is with Cloud, who is secretly working for Hades. After defeating or losing to Cloud, Cerberus appears. Hercules holds the beast off until Sora returns to defeat it, winning entrance into the real games.

Tournament Cups
Throughout the game, different cups (tournaments) will be unlocked for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to compete in. There are four modes for every cup. First, the regular mode - Sora, Donald, and Goofy face the enemies as they come. After winning a cup in that mode, solo mode is unlocked - this time, Sora faces all the enemies alone. The third mode is a timed competition, and the final mode allows the team to face any enemy from the cup. The modes are unlocked in succession and only for a specific cup. The following is a list of the cups and how to unlock them.


 * Phil Cup - Seal the Traverse Town Keyhole.
 * Pegasus Cup - Complete Monstro.
 * Hercules Cup - Seal the Halloween Town and Neverland Keyholes.
 * Hades Cup - Seal the Hollow Bastion keyhole.
 * Gold Match - Complete the Hades Cup.
 * Platinum Match - Seal the Hollow Bastion Keyhole and unlock all other cups.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
This time, the team, Cloud, and Hercules are the only people involved in the games, which involve an obstacle course. Hades has hired Cloud to defeat Hercules, in exchange for restoring his lost memories. Cloud loses to Hercules, but even though Hades refuses to restore his memories, Sora comforts Cloud, reminding him that even small events can help someone remember things.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
On Roxas' 117th day in the Organization, he and Xigbar set out to investigate a new world - the Olympus Coliseum. Xigbar tells Roxas that they're on the lookout for anyone who might potentially become an Organization member. He explains where Organization members come from: that when a strong heart is taken by darkness, a Nobody is created at the same time as a Heartless, and the strongest of those Nobodies gather in the Organization. Furthermore, Roxas and Xion are particularly special Nobodies even within the Organization.

Roxas and Xigbar defeat some nearby Heartless, which attracts the attention of Phil - he runs over, mistaking Roxas for Hercules' new apprentice candidate. Roxas realizes that Xigbar has disappeared, after Phil tells Roxas to report for training and rushes off to the Coliseum, Xigbar reappears. Xigbar explains that the Organization are supposed to keep their movements secret, and is thoroughly amused at the idea of Roxas being an apprentice candidate. He leaves the great Hero-in-training, who is now allowed to enter the Coliseum, to do the investigation by himself.

Roxas takes a look around, wondering what the huge rankings on the wall could be about - and who the number one names, Sora on one board and Hercules on another, could be. He is momentarily worried by the massive statues outside the Coliseum gates, wondering if this world might be home to giant warriors. But he soon figures out that this is just a Coliseum, and reports of Phil's training.

No matter how hard Roxas works, Phil sets higher and higher targets - until finally, exhausted, he calls it quits for the day. He learns from Phil that he's looking for strong warriors to enter the Coliseum's tournament, especially with the Heartless that have been appearing lately. Phil laughs outright at Roxas' request to enter, and Roxas has a strange vision of a boy in red clothes, standing in the same position he is in. As Roxas heads home he walks past Hercules, and can hear Phil telling Hercules about how the "new apprentice candidate" took care of the Heartless while he was away.

When Roxas next returns to the Coliseum it's with Demyx, who complains that he is really not cut out for fighting missions - he prefers investigations. When Roxas heads off to Phil's training, Demyx says he would pass. When the two of them see Phil forcing Hercules through strenuous exercises, Demyx says if he were subjected to that kind of "training" he'd run away.

Roxas, wondering if Hercules is stronger than him, is about to leave when Phil catches him and gives him his own training for the day. Phil explains to Roxas that Hercules trains so hard because everyone counts on him to be strong, and Roxas wonders if such expectations are the same kind of thing as orders. As the Nobodies leave, Demyx again complains about being forced to fight, and says he's glad he usually gets investigation missions.

It's over two months later when Roxas and Demyx return to the Coliseum, and Demyx is as unhappy as ever about being forced to fight Heartless. Their target this time is a mysterious Heartless, and since Demyx isn't a hero candidate he waits outside while Roxas enters the Coliseum tournament. He makes it to the final round, and Phil comes over to give him a pep talk, and tell him that he's counting on Roxas to win. Roxas asks if that's the same as being given orders, but Phil just tells him not to ask such ridiculous questions and concentrate on fighting.

To Roxas' surprise, his final opponent is none other than Xigbar. He says he'd heard Roxas has been practicing, and came to see just how strong he is now. But their battle is interrupted by the appearance of the Guard Armor Heartless, and as Phil runs off to get Hercules, Roxas jumps into battle. During his fight he has strange visions of the same boy in red, who seems to have fought this creature before. After Roxas defeats the Heartless, Xigbar comments that he really has gotten stronger, and heads back to the World that Never Was. Demyx wonders what on earth Xigbar was doing in the Coliseum - doesn't he have missions of his own?

They head home too, just before Phil can return with Hercules. When Phil wonders out loud what happened to Roxas, and Hercules wonders who Phil is talking about, Phil suddenly realizes that Roxas wasn't an apprentice candidate after all - and wonders who on earth he's been training the entire time.

On Roxas' 296th day in the Organization, he's sent to participate in another Coliseum tournament, which feels more like training than a mission to him. Phil confronts him, saying he's glad Roxas hasn't been killed or anything - but also asking just who he is. When Roxas can't reply, Phil assumes that Roxas is there to enter the tournament, and lets him in despite the earlier deception.

Roxas wins the tournament, defeating all kinds of Heartless, and Phil congratulates him, his former ire seemingly gone - he tells Roxas to come back and visit every now and then. Roxas wonders if Phil still wants him to do more training. But although Roxas returns to the Coliseum a few weeks later to fight another Heartless, he never bumps into Phil again.

Kingdom Hearts II
In this game, the world of Olympus Coliseum is expanded to Hades' Underworld.

Sora and co. return to Olympus Coliseum one year after their first visit. Before their return, Hades has been sending monsters for Hercules to fight against in attempt to weaken his heart and turn him into a Heartless. After Pete tells that Sora's Keyblade could open any lock, Hades uses it to unlock the Underworld Coliseum, which was sealed off by Zeus. He kidnapped Megara to lure Sora and Hercules into saving her and battling Pete while unlocking the Underworld Coliseum and sending the Hydra to destroy the Olympus Coliseum.

Sora and co. are forced to participate in the Underworld Coliseum Tournament with Hercules. Hades stole Auron's free will in attempt to make him defeat Hercules, and Sora and his gang. However, Sora releases Auron's free will and they defeat Hades together, with the help of Hercules. After this, Sora, Donald, and Goofy become legendary heroes.

In the ending credits, the Olympus Coliseum is restored to its glory.

After the Underworld Coliseum is re-opened, multiple tournaments are opened after Sora and his friends accomplish a certain goal or progress a part of the story.

Tournament Cups

 * Pain and Panic Cup
 * Cerberus Cup
 * Titan Cup
 * Goddess of Fate Cup
 * Hades Cup
 * Pain and Panic Paradox Cup
 * Cerberus Paradox Cup
 * Titan Paradox Cup
 * Hades Paradox Cup

Kingdom Hearts coded
While exact details are lacking, recent screenshots have shown Sora to battle Heartless once again in the Coliseum, this time with Hercules and Cloud as party members. The Keyblade master will also tackle the new Bug enemies and solve various puzzles via the strange block-like foes. It has also been revealed that a stand-off between Cloud and the mighty hero "Wonderboy" will take place once again, as it did in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Exactly how these events play out is currently unknown.

Dalmatians

 * 22, 23, & 24 - The Blue Trinity under the right hand statue at the Coliseum Gates.

Trivia

 * In Kingdom Hearts, the prize for winning the Phil Cup was a trophy and the prize for the Pegasus Cup was a plaque, but in Kingdom Hearts II, when you view the prizes for each of the Kingdom Hearts tournaments, they are switched around. So, when you view the Phil Cup prize, it is the "Phil Cup Shield" (the plaque), and there is a trophy for the Pegasus Cup.


 * Olympus Coliseum is one of the few worlds to be shown with a change of day.


 * So far, Olympus Coliseum is the only Disney-based world that features Final Fantasy characters.


 * In the first Kingdom Hearts, you can complete the game without entering this world. But if you were to go there after sealing Hollow Bastion, you will see that the scene between Malficent and Hades still exists. Although this makes a plot hole, it just mainly proves that this world should be completed before you seal Hollow Bastion.


 * Hades is the boss in every title so far except in the first Kingdom Hearts game (instead, he is available in a tournament battle) and 358/2 Days.
 * Sora, Donald and Goofy seem to visit the Coliseum after the events of Hercules, since Hercules has his divine glow he acquires at the end of the film. This makes it one of the few Disney-based worlds whose plot isn't exactly the same as the film it was based on, although the plot that is there is very similar to the movie.

Gallery
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