Esmeralda
Template:Enemy Esmeralda is a character who appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. She originates from the 1996 Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Development
Esmeralda's first appearance was in the TGS 2011 trailer, in which she is seen being held unconscious by Quasimodo, apparently having just been rescued from being burned at the stake. Magazine scans depict her interacting with Quasimodo and Riku, and later with Sora and Phoebus. In one trailer, she is shown being harassed by Frollo as Sora furiously rushes to her defense.
Appearance
Esmeralda's most distinguishing feature is the brilliant green of her eyes. She has jet black hair tied with a purple ribbon, and caramel skin. Esmeralda wears a white top with a blue midsection, along with a purple sarong. She is often barefoot, and wears a golden hoop earring on her left ear, a golden bangle on her left wrist, and matching bracelet and anklet on both her right hand and right ankle.
Origin
- "You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help."
- —Esmeralda defends Quasimodo from Frollo.
Esmeralda was originally the titular character and one of the main protagonists in the 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, but this incarnation of the character appeared for the first time in the 1996 adaptation, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She first makes herself known when she meets Quasimodo at the Festival of Fools and is the only one not repulsed by his deformed appearance, but she manages to land herself in trouble with the "law" by defending Quasimodo against a riot Judge Claude Frollo had deliberately refused to stop. When she openly defies Frollo, she becomes a fugitive and hides inside Notre Dame to avoid capture by Frollo's soldier-like thugs.
There, she befriends Quasimodo, who helps her escape and develops feelings for her, although she sees him as a dear friend. Later, she seeks his aid in order to shelter Phoebus, Frollo's former Captain of the Guard and who had rebelled against Frollo. Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus but is forced to leave when Frollo returns. In the film's climactic scene, she is threatened with execution unless she becomes Frollo's mistress, but Esmeralda refuses and is saved from being burned by Quasimodo. Quasimodo protects the weakened Esmeralda from Frollo until Frollo is killed. In the aftermath, Esmeralda chooses Phoebus, and Quasimodo blesses their relationship.
Esmeralda appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in her homeworld La Cité des Cloches. In Riku 's scenario, Esmeralda is seen escaping from Frollo and Phoebus. Phoebus asks the young Riku if he's seen a gypsy woman but Riku denies the sighting. After the enemies leave, Esmeralda comes out and thanks Riku for the help. She tells him that Frollo's heart is infested with darkness, which gives Riku the desire to learn more about Frollo. Esmeralda advises him to visit Notre Dame to asks the one who knows the most about him. A little after Sora's arrival, the Quasimodo is attacked by Dream Eaters (Nightmares) in the square and Esmeralda helps an injured Quasimodo back into Notre Dame. Frollo orders Phoebus and the guards to corner the chapel in an attempt to capture Esmeralda but Quasimodo secretly helps her escape. Sora, Quasimodo, and an exiled Phoebus, soon learn that Frollo's on his way to the newly discovered Court of Miracles. They rush over to save Esmeralda but she is captured anyway. Back at the square, Quasimodo rescues her and takes her to the top of the bell tower where Frollo meets his end. In the end, Esmeralda and Phoebus begin their relationship.
