ANIME

Characters of Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney settings based in a universe made specifically for the series. The series features a mixture of familiar Disney and Final Fantasy characters, as well as several new characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura.^[1] In addition, it has an all-star voice cast which includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors.

The series centers on Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with various Disney and Final Fantasy characters along the way. Players primarily control Sora, though there are numerous characters that join Sora's party as computer controlled members. The majority of the characters were introduced in the first game Kingdom Hearts. Subsequent installments feature several new original, Disney and Final Fantasy characters and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance introduces several characters from Square Enix's The World Ends With You.

Various types of merchandise modeled after the characters' likeness have been produced, including figurines and jewelry. The characters have garnered praise from several video game websites and magazines for the quality of their voice acting and visual style. Comments focused on the accurate presentation of Disney characters, the unique visual style of Square Enix characters, how well all the characters blended together, and the consistent quality performances from voice actors.

 

 PROFILE CHARACTERS

 

Sora

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

Sora (ソラ) is an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura. He is the protagonist of the series and the character that the player directly controls through a majority of the games.^[1] Sora's weapon is the Kingdom Key Keyblade.^[14] Though not the original one chosen to wield the Keyblade, Sora is ultimately chosen over Riku after he demonstrates his strength of heart over Riku's vulnerability to darkness.^[15] Nomura has stated that Sora's name can be interpreted as "sky";^[16] the Japanese word for sky is sora (空).^[17] He is voiced by Miyu Irino in the Japanese version and by Haley Joel Osment in the English version.^[11] As a child, he is voiced by Takuto Yoshinaga in the Japanese version and by Luke Manriquez in the English version.

 

Roxas

Main article: Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)

Roxas (ロクサス Rokusasu) is Sora's Nobody who is created when Sora becomes a Heartless to save Kairi in Kingdom Hearts."Roxas" is an anagram of "Sora" with an X.^[35] He was first featured in the secret trailer "Another Side, Another Story" while wearing the Organization's cloak, though he was unnamed and his face was hidden under a hood. He is playable in the beginning portion of Kingdom Hearts II where Roxas lives in Ansem the Wise's digital Twilight Town after abandoning Organization XIII and being captured by Riku.^[36] He merges with Sora to wake him up from his slumber. He is also the protagonist from Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days which follows his life in the Organization.^[37] He is voiced by Kōki Uchiyama in the Japanese version and by Jesse McCartney in the English version.

Riku

Riku (リク) is Sora and Kairi's best friend. He is an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura.^[1] Nomura has stated that Riku's name can be interpreted as "land";^[16] the Japanese on'yomi pronunciation of land is riku (陸).^[15][17] Riku's character represents one of the series' main themes alongside Sora which is" the light and the dark sides of hearts."^[18] He is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese version and by David Gallagher in the English version.^[11] As a child, he is voiced by Eiji Shima in the Japanese version and Ty Panitz in the English version.
By the beginning of Kingdom Hearts Riku, wishing to going to other worlds and gaining strength, goes with the darkness as his world is attacked by the Heartless. He is separated from his friends and ends up at Hollow Bastion where he is found by Maleficent and receives his weapon, a sword called the Soul Eater (ソウルイーター), from her. Under her influence, Riku turns on Sora and searches for a way to help Kairi.^[15] Riku becomes possessed by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, until being sent to the realm of darkness where he meets King Mickey and helps him and Sora seal the door to the realm of darkness.^[19]
In Chain of Memories, Riku appears as a playable character as he awakens in the basement levels of Castle Oblivion and begins climbing to the ground floor. Along the way, Riku faces Ansem seeking to control him once again as well as a replica of himself that is created by Vexen;^[20] After learning of Sora's comatostae, Riku chooses to find a balance between his light and darkness, allowing him to defeat what remains of Ansem within him. Soon after, Riku joins DiZ to ensure Sora is restored in peace. While capturing Roxas in order to make Sora complete again, Riku uses the power of darkness to capture him at the cost of becoming a physical manifestation of Ansem.^[21] In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Riku is playable in the multiplayer mode, and reprises his fight against Roxas as the final boss. Trapped in his Ansem form, Riku helps Sora in secret during the events of Kingdom Hearts II, eventually gaining the Way to the Dawn (ウェイトゥザドーン^?) Keyblade. He is granted such power by Terra as a young boy in Birth by Sleep. Riku returns to his original form when Ansem the Wise's machine used to digitally seal away Kingdom Hearts malfunctions and self-destructs. Joining Sora's party, they battle and defeat Xemnas, and return to Destiny Islands.^[22]
In Dream Drop Distance, Riku serves as a playable character alongside Sora as the two are instructed to take the Mark of Mastery exam in order to become Keyblade Masters and prepare to fight Xehanort. The two of them undergo a series of trials through various dream worlds. After saving Sora from Xehanort's group, and releasing Sora's heart from Ventus' armor, Riku is declared a Keyblade Master. Nomura emphasizes how Riku is the main focus from this game as it shows the character's growth across the series.^[23]

 

Ventus

Main article: Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)

Ventus (ヴェントゥス Ventusu), also known as Ven (ヴェン), is an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura who first appears as one of the three protagonists of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and the character that the player directly controls in one of the scenarios of the game which also involves him exploring his true identity. His name means "wind" in Latin; both it and his Wayward Wind (フレッシュブリーズ, lit. "Fresh Breeze") Keyblade, which he wields in a reverse grip, have a "sky" theme similar to that of Sora.^[16] The exploration of his identity, including his striking resemblance to Roxas, is a major theme in the game,^[42] which shows him being stripped of the darkness in his heart and sent to train under Master Eraqus by Xehanort so he may form an all-powerful Keyblade called the χ-blade.^[43][44] He sacrifices his own heart to prevent the χ-blade's completion and hides it within Sora's heart while his body is hidden within Castle Oblivion for safekeeping.^[45][46] He is voiced by Kōki Uchiyama in Japanese and Jesse McCartney in English.^[38]

Kairi

Kairi (カイリ) is a best friend of Sora and Riku and one of the seven Princesses of Heart. She is an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura for the Kingdom Hearts series.^[1] Nomura has stated that Kairi's name can be interpreted as "sea";^[16] the Japanese on'yomi pronunciation of sea is kai (海).^[15] She is voiced by Risa Uchida in the Japanese version of the series. In the English version, Hayden Panettiere voices her in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep while Alyson Stoner plays her during Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.^[11] As a child, she is voiced by Sumire Morohoshi in Japanese and by Ariel Winter in English.
Kairi is originally a resident of Radiant Garden as one of the seven Princesses of Heart. She has an encounter with Aqua in Birth by Sleep and is given a protective charm to keep her safe from darkness, which leads to her being sent to Destiny Islands when Xehanort performs an experiment where all six apprentices of Ansem the Wise cause the invasion of darkness.^[24]
She is fourteen years old at the beginning of the main series.^[25] When Destiny Islands is destroyed by the Heartless, Kairi's heart enters Sora's while her body falls into a deep sleep.^[19] Upon learning her identity as a Princess of Heart and the location of her heart, Sora gives up his heart in order to release hers and restore it back into her body. Soon after, Kairi finds Sora's Heartless and restores him back to human form. Kairi later stays in Destiny Islands awaiting Sora's return from his journey.^[26]
During Chain of Memories, Naminé's memory-altering powers break the memories in Sora's heart as well as those of all his friends, leading Kairi to lose her memories of him. In Kingdom Hearts II, Kairi gradually remembers Sora as his own memories are restored. Later, Kairi is kidnapped by Axel, who hopes to use Kairi to lure Sora to him. However, Saïx takes Kairi from Axel and imprisons her in a jail cell in the World That Never Was. She escapes her cell with the help of Naminé of Riku with the latter giving her the Destiny's Embrace (デスティニープレイス, lit. "Destiny Place") Keyblade, to fight Saïx's Heartless.^[27] Kairi reunites with Sora's group to face and defeat Xemnas.^[28] Kairi then returns with Sora and Riku to Destiny Islands. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Yen Sid has her summoned to train her in the use of her Keyblade in response their future fight against Master Xehanort's group.

Naminé

Naminé (ナミネ Namine) is an original character created for the Kingdom Hearts series. She is Kairi's Nobody, created during the events of Kingdom Hearts. She has the ability to change or erase the memories of Sora and those close to him by rearranging and creating new links between them, for which she is referred to as a witch.^[68][69] She is voiced by Iku Nakahara in the Japanese version of the series. In English, she is voiced by Brittany Snow in Kingdom Hearts II and by Meaghan Jette Martin in all subsequent appearances.
Naminé first appears in Chain of Memories, where she alters Sora's memories under the orders of Organization XIII to remember her as a close friend from Destiny Islands. She is later released by Axel under his own agenda and reveals the truth to Sora. After Marluxia is defeated, Naminé puts Sora, Donald, and Goofy to sleep for a year in order to restore their memories to their original state.^[34] Naminé also saves Riku in "Reverse/Rebirth" from Zexion by teaching him to not fear the darkness.^[8] In Kingdom Hearts II, Naminé visits Roxas in the virtual Twilight Town to help him discover his true identity. Though she outlives her purpose in Sora's restoration, Riku entrusts Naminè to the now rogue Axel after DiZ gives him orders to destroy her. While Kairi is trapped in the Organization's dungeon, Naminé appears and helps her escape. She meets with Roxas once more through Sora after Xemnas's apparent defeat, and opens a portal to lead Sora and his friends go home, after which she fuses with Kairi to complete her. During the events of Kingdom Hearts coded, it is revealed that Naminé had created a copy of herself within Jiminy's journal during the restoration of Sora's memories to contact Mickey and reveal to him Sora's ties to Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

Vanitas

Vanitas (ヴァニタス Vanitasu) is the embodiment of the darkness in Ventus's heart, created by Master Xehanort and debuting in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep taking the form of a masked teenager.^[62] Without his mask, Vanitas shares a strong physical resemblance with Sora as a result of Ventus' connection with Sora's heart.^[41] His Keyblade, Void Gear (ヴォイドギア), is also the source of the Unversed, which are spawned from his emotions to carry out his will.^[63] His name is derived from the Latin word for "emptiness", which connects with Ventus' and Sora's name. Vanitas shares Sora's Japanese and English voice actors, Miyu Irino and Haley Joel Osment, respectively.^[41]
Vanitas exists for the purpose of fighting with Ventus so that their respective hearts of pure darkness and light can merge and forge the χ-blade. Noting Ventus's weakness, Vanitas goads him into following his friend Terra and pits him against the Unversed to strengthen him. He merges with Ventus during the final battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, though Ventus's consciousness prevents the χ-blade's completion. Vanitas fights Ventus in a metaphysical battle within Ventus's mind while simultaneously possessing his body and fighting Aqua and Mickey, wielding the χ-blade during both fights. Vanitas' defeat causes the χ-blade's destruction, vanquishing him and the Unversed.^[64][65] A secret boss in the game known as the Vanitas Remnant (ヴァニタスの思念 Vanitasu no Shinen, lit. "Vanitas Sentiment"), resembling Vanitas, appears an opponent. He was added to the game due to positive fan response to the secret boss battle of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+.^[41] Vanitas makes a brief reappearance during a single scene in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

 By Wikipedia

 

VENTUS,VANITAS,SORA