Destiny Islands

Destiny Islands (デスティニーアイランド) is a world from the Kingdom Hearts series. It is the home world of Sora, Riku, and Kairi (although she was only raised there), the three main characters of the games.

The Destiny Islands are playable only in the first Kingdom Hearts game, during the prologue. However, it reappears, fragmented, at the End of the World, where Xehanort's Heartless is fought twice. A memory-based version of the world is playable in both stories of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

In Kingdom Hearts II, the world is not playable, only appearing in cutscenes, including the ending. However, in the Final Mix version, another facsimile of the world is playable as it is the stage for the secret boss battle against Zexion's Absent Silhouette; as a memory-based version was where Riku fought Zexion, the world being used as the battleground.

Except in Chain of Memories, the world is always the last world depicted before the credits roll.

The ruler of this world could possibly be the mayor, who is briefly mentioned as the man who took Kairi in.

The main function of this world in the original Kingdom Hearts was a second tutorial where one could get the hang of battle mechanics against opponents without being incapacitated, gain experience, and receive items for future battles.

Locations
Destiny Islands is a chain of small islands although only two have been shown so far.

The Main Island
The Main Island is where the residents live and go to school;
 * Kairi and Selphie are known to go to the same School (which has yet to be seen).
 * The main island also has a small beach and dock, where Kairi pushes her message in a bottle out of sea during the early events of Kingdom Hearts II.
 * There appears to be a fairly large town in the background, with a long clay path leading to the beach.
 * Sora's House can briefly be seen before Sora encounters Darkside. However, the only portion of the house which can be seen is Sora's bedroom.

The Small Island
The Small Island where Sora, Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka play is a relatively small island, but is where most of the beginning of the story takes place. It is reached by canoe from the main island.
 * Most of the island is covered in trees and shrubbery. The outskirts are naturally covered in yellow sandy beaches.
 * There is a Seaside Shack which contains a Save Point and a somewhat treehouse built into a large tree.
 * A miniature island is settled next to the island and can be reached by crossing a bridge (which can be accessed by using the stairs in the Seaside Shack mentioned above) (or alternatively, by swimming towards a ladder on the opposite side of the island, and then climbing it). Sora can also have duels with Wakka, Selphie and Tidus nearby in the first game. Sora and Riku often practice their sword fights at the place where the friends can watch the sunset - past the Bridge, on a miniature island. On that island is a crooked palm tree that grows Paopu Fruits. Local myth dictates that the two people who share one will have their destinies intertwined.
 * The Cove at the back of the island has an obstacle course which Sora and Riku use during their competitive challenges
 * On the island is also a wide ocean where Sora collects three fish for he and his friends' journey under the requests of Kairi.

The Secret Place
The Secret Place is a cave hidden behind the island's waterfall, where the children visited during their childhood. Sora and Riku first discovered it when they were young children. There is a door in the cave which is actually the Keyhole of the world. The cave's wall are covered in chalk drawings, some hinting at the earlier encounters of the children. Among them is a drawing of Sora and Kairi sharing a Paopu Fruit, as well as drawings of Donald, a chocobo, Disney Castle, and a monster coming out of a swirling ball. There's also a drawing on which you can see a dog facing a kid, this is most likely refering to the point where Pluto finds Sora in Traverse Town. Riku enters here near the beginning of the game and opens the door, unleashing the Heartless onto the islands. Whether he did so knowingly and willingly is unknown, though it is likely that the words of Xehanort influenced him to do so.

Kingdom Hearts
Destiny Islands is the first world introduced, showing up in the opening FMV, where Sora is swallowed by the tide while trying to save Riku, and is transported to another world. This serves as a metaphor for the rest of the story. It is speculated that the Awakening sequence takes place in a hidden area of the Islands.

When Sora awakens from his Awakening, he meets with his friends Kairi and Riku. The three are planning on building a raft and setting sail across the sea to find other worlds away from the island. Destiny Islands is a small world, which often leads to the boredom of its inhabitants, especially Riku, who desired to leave the islands and see the other worlds out there. Tidus once said that once you sail a certain distance from the islands, you simply can't go any further, but the other islanders believe he merely turned back and made up the story.

While gathering materials for the journey, Sora climbs into the Secret Place - a tiny cave on the island where the children scratch drawings onto rocks - and met a figure in a strange cloak who told him cryptic messages about the time to come. Sora's confusion lasts long into the night. Resting up in his bedroom, he sees a dangerous storm approaching, and hurries off the island to save the raft.

Upon arriving on the second island, Sora discovers his friends came too, but only finds Riku, who confuses him further by telling him to accept the darkness, and encounters an apparently-ill Kairi in the Secret Place. The two disappear in the growing darkness, but Sora returns as the Islands slowly crumble into darkness with the Keyblade in hand. He fights with the Darkside boss, but fails to save his home, and is whisked away on his journey to Traverse Town.

As his first journey ends, Sora and Kairi meet up on the shores of the reforming islands. Sora, knowing that his job is not finished, and that he must still save Riku and King Mickey from the Realm of Darkness, leaves Kairi in the safety of her hometown and promises to return to her as soon as Riku and King Mickey are found.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
During Sora's stay in Castle Oblivion, both Sora and Riku are presented with cards to open a memory version of their island; in Sora's version, he is separated from Donald and Goofy and left to make his way through the world without them. Naminé manipulates his memories to make Sora believe she also lived on the Destiny Islands, but eventually tells Sora the truth about Kairi and her in his memories of it. Zexion, in the guise of Sora, fights with Riku on a memory version of the Islands.

During Sora's sleep, the residents of the Islands forget all about Sora, due to Naminé breaking the chains of his memories. Kairi, however, being so close to Sora, still retains vague memories of the boy, and begins to remember before anyone else. She sends a message in a bottle across the sea, hoping to find Sora.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Roxas is seen near the bent palm tree with Axel looking in the distance while talking. Xion is also known to have visited the Destiny Islands, as a scene showing a discussion between her, Axel and Roxas has been revealed to exist. Xion has also been seen on Destiny Islands speaking to Riku. During Xion's nightmare, she transforms into Roxas, Riku, and Sora while listening to the hurtful speech Zexion gave Riku in Re:Chain of Memories near the bent palm tree.

Kingdom Hearts II
In an attempt to draw Sora, and with him, Roxas, back to the Organization XIII, Axel goes to the Islands to kidnap Kairi. She refuses to go with him, and flees with Pluto into a portal to Twilight Town.

Finally, after Xemnas is defeated, all the characters meet up on the Islands for one last time. Mickey, Jiminy, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy return to Disney Castle, and leave the others on the Islands. But, in an extra video after the credits, it is seen that Mickey sent a letter in bottle back to the islands for Sora, Riku, and Kairi. It is still unknown what it says, though its contents may be lapsed into being revealed in Kingdom Hearts 3.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
In the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Aqua, Terra and Ven visit Destiny Islands. It is unknown what they are doing here, but it appears that they are watching over the younger Sora and Riku as they practice martial arts on the beach. Based on the official trailer, it was on the Main Island that Ven asked Aqua to erase him.

Kingdom Hearts coded
After King Mickey and Jiminy discover a message in Jiminy's Journal, they create a data version of Sora. In a screenshot, he is seen appearing on Destiny Islands, which is probably where his journey begins.

Trivia

 * Tidus and Wakka talk about inventing an underwater ballgame, and in Kingdom Hearts II, Selphie mentions that the two are always wrapped up in their game. For those who played Final Fantasy X, this should seem familiar, as both characters are professional blitzball players - an underwater combination of soccer and water-polo.
 * If you go inside the Secret Place in Kingdom Hearts you will see scribbled into the walls pictures of Donald, Goofy, and a Chocobo on the Right side. And on the left you'll see a Dragon, Disney Castle, an obvious world that has a crown on the top on one of the lower rocks.
 * Destiny Islands is one of the two worlds in Kingdom Hearts II to be presented as a non-playable world, along with the Dark Meridian although it can access using cheat codes.
 * Destiny Islands has the only Conqueror's Respite that does not have a ladder.
 * Destiny Islands is one of the few worlds to be shown with a change of day.
 * In a way, this world is home to the last of the Nobodies, Roxas and Naminé.
 * In the original Kingdom Hearts, The Main Island is not shown, even in the far distance. However, in Kingdom Hearts II, it is shown to be quite close to the Main Island.
 * In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, the sunsets on Destiny Islands were in opposite sides of the sky, though during the ending full-motion video of Kingdom Hearts II, the sunset faced the original direction.
 * The design of Destiny Islands bears a slight resemblance to Isle Besaid in Final Fantasy X.

Gallery
Insel des Schicksals Île du Destin