Keychain

The Keychain of the Kingdom Key, with a Mickey Head as its token.

A Keychain (キーホルダー, Kīhorudā^?) is a magical piece of equipment that modifies the appearance and abilities of a Keyblade. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the Gear Panel function replaces Keychains, and in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded the Keyblade Chip in Gear Matrix replaces Keychains. Likewise, the Card system replaces Keychains in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Cards, however, do not affect appearance, only ability.

Power

The Keychains have the ability to change a Keyblade's stats, grant it special abilities, and give it a new appearance. While most Keyblades have a basic form, like the Kingdom Key, a Keyblade wielder can upgrade and change the form of the Keyblade with a Keychain. In other words, when Sora or another wielder is equipping a "new" Keyblade, he or she is equipping a different Keychain to the Keyblade, changing its form.

Origin

It has not yet been explained exactly what a Keychain is and why it has the power to transform the Keyblade. A wielder usually receives a Keychain after "completing" the events that transpire within a world, but the Keyblade wielder is not shown receiving the Keychain from anyone, save for when Tifa hands Sora the Fenrir Keychain after defeating Sephiroth, when Kairi hands Sora her Wayfinder, which turns out to be the Oathkeeper Keychain, and when Ariel gives Sora the Crabclaw Keychain, as well as the few Keychains found in chests. These Keychains are often modeled after elements of the world from which they are received in some way, and nearly all of his Keychain tokens represent some important item from a world he has saved. Usually, Sora is not actually shown to be given the Keychain from one of his many friends, so it is possible that after saving a world, or completing a major step in that direction, the world itself rewards him with the ability to access its power in the form of a unique Keychain.

Keychains that Sora receives from his friends, or from defeating challengers in the Olympus Coliseum, always use a token that is somehow intimately symbolic of that person. While Sora's Keyblade is not specifically a Keyblade of human hearts, like the explicitly named Keyblade of People's Hearts, it is likely that the connections between his heart and those he meets allow him to sometimes access their power as well. Sora and Roxas's Oathkeeper and Oblivion are said to specifically embody Sora's memories of Kairi and Riku and Roxas's oath to Xion before her death (Oathkeeper) as well as her demise (Oblivion) and so it is extremely likely that for "people-Keyblades" like these, the Keychains act as a physical embodiment of the memories Sora and Roxas have of those that are important to them. Keyblades that represent entire worlds likely function the same manner, being formed from Sora's memories of that world.

Roxas utilizes Gears, which function more or less exactly the same as Keychains would, and create Keyblades that feature apparent Keychains.

Sometimes, a Keyblade wielder may also obtain more powerful forms of their personal Keychain, usually after having some kind of epiphany; for example, Aqua's Rainfell became Stormfall, Terra's Earthshaker became Ends of the Earth, Riku's Soul Eater became Way to the Dawn, and Roxas's two Kingdom Keys became the Oathkeeper & Oblivion. Despite these being treated as an upgrade to a specific Keychain, the wielder can still use the original Keychains at will.

Each Keychain has its own innate strengths and abilities.

Most Keyblades also have some theme, usually a world or a person associated with that world, that will reflect in its appearance. A Keyblade's appearance is primarily determined by the Keychain attached to it.

Each Keyblade has a unique effect when it is summoned, which usually matches the Keychain's symbolism. For example, when Oblivion is summoned, a dark aura and violet sparks surrounds Sora's hands before the Keyblade actually appears. The particle effects that appear when the Keyblade is used to hit something also change with each Keychain. For example, the Keyblade "Two Becomes One" uses black and white checkered crowns when a solid object is hit.-->

Exceptions

Sometimes, a Keyblade does not possess a Keychain. For example, the incomplete Keyblade of heart was missing a Keychain, as are the abandoned Keyblades which litter the Keyblade Graveyard.

The Ends of the Earth, Wayward Wind and Stormfall did not posses Keychains in the Kingdom Hearts II secret video Birth by sleep, as they were not fully designed yet.

Tokens

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Kingdom Hearts

The token of Kingdom Key Keyblade
The token of the Oathkeeper Keyblade
The token of the Oblivion Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Hearts Ultima Weapon Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Key D Keyblade
The token of the Lady Luck Keyblade
The token of the Olympia Keyblade
The token of the Jungle King Keyblade
The token of the Three Wishes Keyblade
The token of the Pumpkinhead Keyblade
The token of the Wishing Star Keyblade
The token of the Crabclaw Keyblade
The token of the Fairy Harp Keyblade
The token of the Divine Rose Keyblade
The token of the Spellbinder Keyblade
The token of the Metal Chocobo Keyblade
The token of the Lionheart Keyblade
The token of the Diamond Dust Keyblade
The token of the One-Winged Angel Keyblade

Kingdom Hearts II

The token of the Kingdom Key Keyblade
The token of the Oathkeeper Keyblade
The token of the Oblivion Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Hearts II Ultima Weapon Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Key D Keyblade
The token of the Way to the Dawn Keyblade
The token of the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade
The token of the Star Seeker Keyblade
The token of the Hidden Dragon Keyblade
The token of the Rumbling Rose Keyblade
The token of the Hero's Crest Keyblade
The token of the Monochrome Keyblade
The token of the Mysterious Abyss Keyblade
The token of the Follow the Wind Keyblade
The token of the Wishing Lamp Keyblade
The token of the Decisive Pumpkin Keyblade
The token of the Circle of Life Keyblade
The token of the Photon Debugger Keyblade
The token of the Sweet Memories Keyblade
The token of the Fatal Crest Keyblade
The token of the Sleeping Lion Keyblade
The token of the Guardian Soul Keyblade
The token of the Gull Wing Keyblade
The token of the Fenrir Keyblade
The token of the Bond of Flame Keyblade
The token of the Two Become One Keyblade
The token of the Winner's Proof Keyblade

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

The token of Kingdom Key Keyblade
The token of the Oathkeeper Keyblade
The token of the Oblivion Keyblade
The token of the Two Become One Keyblade
The token of the Bond of Flame Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Key D Keyblade
The token of the Star Seeker Keyblade
The token of the Way to the Dawn Keyblade
The token of the Missing Ache Keyblade
The token of the Ominous Blight Keyblade
The token of the Abaddon Plasma Keyblade
The token of the Pain of Solitude Keyblade
The token of the Sign of Innocence Keyblade
The token of the Crown of Guilt Keyblade
The token of the Abyssal Tide Keyblade
The token of the Leviathan Keyblade
The token of the True Light's Flight Keyblade
The token of the Rejection of Fate Keyblade
The token of the Midnight Roar Keyblade
The token of the Glimpse of Darkness Keyblade
The token of the Total Eclipse Keyblade
The token of the Silent Dirge Keyblade
The token of the Lunar Eclipse Keyblade
The token of the Darker Than Dark Keyblade
The token of the Astral Blast Keyblade
The token of the Maverick Flare Keyblade
The token of the Twilight Blaze Keyblade
The token of the Omega Weapon Keyblade
The token of the Umbrella Keyblade
The token of the Aubade Keyblade

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

The token of the Earthshaker Keyblade
The token of the Ends of the Earth Keyblade
The token of the Darkgnaw Keyblade
The token of the Chaos Ripper Keyblade
The token of the Wayward Wind Keyblade
The token of the Frolic Flame Keyblade
The token of the Lost Memory Keyblade
The token of the Rainfell Keyblade
The token of the Stormfall Keyblade
The token of the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade
The token of the Brightcrest Keyblade
Master Keeper Keychain KHBBSFM.png

The token of the Master Keeper Keyblade
The token of the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultima Weapon Keyblade
Master Xehanort's Keyblade Keychain KHBBS.png

The token of Master Xehanort's Keyblade
Χ-Blade Keychain KHBBS.png

The token of the χ-blade
The token of the Treasure Trove Keyblade
The token of the Stroke of Midnight Keyblade
The token of the Fairy Stars Keyblade
The token of the Victory Line Keyblade
The token of the Mark of a Hero Keyblade
The token of the Hyperdrive Keyblade
The token of the Pixie Petal Keyblade
The token of the Sweetstack Keyblade
The token of the Void Gear Keyblade
The token of the No Name Keyblade
Crown Unlimit Keychain KHBBSFM.png

The token of the Crown Unlimit Keyblade