A Summon is a special character that can be magically called on to aid Sora in the Kingdom Hearts series. They have been present in all released games so far, although the mechanics of using them differ from game to game.
In the series, all summons have been Disney characters, with the exception of Cloud in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Game Differences
Kingdom Hearts
In the original Kingdom Hearts, most of the summons are obtained by finding special gems in various Worlds. The gems can then be given to the Fairy Godmother, staying at Merlin's House in Traverse Town; she uses her magic to restore their spirit and release their power, thus making the summon avaliable. All of these summons are victims of the Heartless' quest to destroy the Worlds. As explained by the Fairy Godmother, the summoning gems are the crystallized forms of strong, good-hearted denizens that did not fall victim to the darkness during the destruction of their worlds, and so are able to be called into battle for a limited time.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
In Chain of Memories there are Magic Cards that Sora obtains during his ascend in Castle Oblivion. Some Magic Cards enable you to perform summons. These cards are created from Sora's memories, so the summons are the same ones from Kingdom Hearts, with the addition of Cloud.
Kingdom Hearts II
In Kingdom Hearts II, summons come from special charms found scattered throughout the worlds, which Sora can immediately use without having to unlock them. The charms from Kingdom Hearts II work differently than the summon gems from Kingdom Hearts, while the summon spells on the first game gave a temporary body to the soul contained whitin the gem, in Kingdom Hearts II the charm actually teleports the summonable character directly from their world.
Summon Mechanics
The Summon menu in Kingdom Hearts is located within the Magic menu during battle. Each summon requires a specific amount of MP to be performed, and the summon lasts until it's MP bar is fully consumed (or until you dismiss it manually). In order to perform a summon you need to have two friends in the battle with you, and they both have to be conscious. Meaning Sora cannot perform summons during battles he is fighting alone or when one or both of his allies are knocked unconscious.
In Chain of Memories, once you play that specific summon card, the summoned character will appear, perform one or more attacks/actions (depends on how many cards you stocked) and immediately disappear.
In Kingdom Hearts II the Summon menu was given its own area in the Command Menu, because of the inclusion of a second menu that could be accessed during battle. In addition, Kingdom Hearts II summons no longer require MP to be summoned; they now use the Drive Gauge to count down their time instead, and again you must have to friends with you in battle in order to perform a summon.
List of Summons
Kingdom Hearts
- Simba (Earthshine Gem obtained from Leon during the second visit to Traverse Town)
- Genie (Genie joins you after sealing Agrabah)
- Dumbo (Watergleam Gem found inside Monstro)
- Bambi (Naturespark Gem obtained after returning the first set of pages to Pooh's book)
- Tinker Bell (She joins the party after sealing Neverland)
- Mushu (Fireglow Gem obtained after defeating Maleficent in her Dragon form)
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
- Simba (Leon gives you the Simba's card after you complete his tutorial)
- Genie (Genie gives you his card after you complete the Agrabah floor)
- Cloud (Cloud gives you his card after you complete the Olympus Coliseum floor)
- Tinker Bell (Tinker Bell gives you her card after you complete the Neverland floor)
- Dumbo (You obtain his card after completing the Monstro floor)
- Mushu (Key to Rewards room in the Hollow Bastion floor)
- Bambi (You obtain his card after completing the 100 Acre Wood floor)
Kingdom Hearts II
- Chicken Little (Merlin gives you the Baseball Charm after he tells you about Pooh's book)
- Genie (Genie gives you the Lamp Charm after your first visit to Agrabah)
- Stitch (You find the Ukulele Charm in a chest in Ansem's Sutdy during your second visit to Hollow Bastion)
- Peter Pan and Tinker Bell (You find the Feather Charm in a chest during your second visit to Port Royal)