122-485: Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games created by Japanese game designers Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto , being developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square ). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company , and is under the leadership of Nomura, a longtime Square Enix employee. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney properties based in an original fictional universe . The series centers on
244-698: A job in Final Fantasy . Like the Emblem Heartless, the Nobodies have an insignia—an upside-down, incomplete heart—which was designed to resemble a splintered heart as a complement to the Heartless emblem. Upon being defeated, a Nobody fades into a state of non-existence until its Heartless counterpart is destroyed with the captive heart released, recreating the original being. Within the series, two Nobodies, Roxas and Naminé are considered "special cases" regarding
366-401: A "delightful mixture of two enchanted worlds". Video game critics of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories expressed disappointment at the limited number of new worlds to explore in the game. 1UP.com 's Bryan Intihar lauded Kingdom Hearts II ' s environment, calling it appealing and stating it was an improvement over the first title's. He described the level designs as "impeccable", citing
488-499: A Disney executive in an elevator (Square and Disney previously shared the same building in Japan) allowed Hashimoto to pitch the idea directly to Disney. Development began in February 2000 with Nomura as director and Hashimoto as producer. While Nomura had done previous work in the Final Fantasy series as monster designer and graphic director, he did not gain widespread recognition until he was
610-578: A Nobody, Ansem seeks out the Door to Darkness to gain access to an artificial Kingdom Hearts created from the hearts of worlds, while Xemnas seeks to create his own artificial Kingdom Hearts from the hearts of people. These artificial constructs, however, are only small-scale versions of the "true" Kingdom Hearts, which can only be accessed with its counterpart, the χ-blade. Each Kingdom Hearts takes different shapes depending on from which hearts they are created. The first game's Kingdom Hearts, artificially created from
732-609: A Riku Replica completing the group, at the Keyblade Graveyard. After initially losing the fight, Sora once again uses the "Power of Waking" to restore the guardians and call upon the "Lingering Will" armour, to assist in the fight. Afterwards it is revealed that Saix and Vexen sabotaged the Organization's plan by restoring Roxas as Sora's group manage to defeat all of Xehanort's remaining selves while freeing Xion and Terra from his control. Xehanort kills Kairi to force Sora to manifest
854-476: A collaboration between Square and Disney Interactive , and would feature worlds developed by both companies and Disney characters. New characters were designed by Nomura and include Sora, Riku, Kairi, and the Heartless. On May 14, 2002, a press release announced a list of the English voice actors. The list included Haley Joel Osment , David Gallagher , and Hayden Panettiere as the three new characters introduced into
976-443: A discussion between Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi about Super Mario 64 . They were planning to make a game with freedom of movement in three dimensions like Super Mario 64 but lamented that only characters as popular as Disney's could rival a Mario game. Tetsuya Nomura, overhearing their conversation, volunteered to lead the project and the two producers agreed to let him direct. A chance meeting between Hashimoto and
1098-583: A fifth series based on Kingdom Hearts III has been serialised monthly in Gangan Online with Amano returning to do story and artwork. Yen Press also licensed the series and published it online in English on apps such as Comixology and BookWalker alongside the Japanese release. This series will soon have two volumes published in tankōbon format. The games have also been adapted as a light novel series, written by Tomoco Kanemaki and illustrated by Shiro Amano. Like
1220-462: A game on the Game Boy Advance because he felt the 3D graphics of the original game would not translate well into 2D. He changed his position after hearing that children wanted to play Kingdom Hearts on the handheld system. Though Disney gave Nomura freedom in the characters and worlds used for the games, he and his staff tried to stay within the established roles of characters and boundaries of
1342-477: A letter from King Mickey. The letter, written by Mickey during the events of Kingdom Hearts Coded , describes the parts of their past that Naminé learned while restoring Sora's memory. As they read the letter, they learn of Xehanort 's true identity as a Keyblade Master who sought the secrets of the Keyblade War which created their current reality and the fates that befall the apprentices of his friend Eraqus during
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#17328695288601464-490: A lot of originality. We want variety... so we don't want too many of one sort of world, that would look the same. For each world there has to be some meaning for it, in the plot... Also, gameplay-wise, is that world something that would make gameplay fun?" The game does not feature any worlds based on Final Fantasy . In addition to the Gummi Ship mini-game , mini-games feature prominently in certain worlds. While Atlantica
1586-496: A means through his former apprentice Ventus and his personified darkness Vanitas , who Xehanort created and enlisted to ensure his plans succeeded. Though Ventus and Vanitas fuse back into one being with the χ-blade in hand, the unstable χ-blade explodes due to Vanitas' destruction within Ventus. Dream Drop Distance reveals that, as a contingency to his previous plan, Xehanort arranged the formation of his thirteen "Seekers of Darkness",
1708-529: A mixture of familiar Disney and Square Enix characters, as well as several new characters designed and created by Nomura. In addition to original locations, the Kingdom Hearts series features many worlds from Disney films. Sora must visit these worlds and interact with various Disney characters to protect them from enemies. Often, his actions in these worlds closely follow the storylines of their respective Disney films. The main characters try not to interfere with
1830-586: A new program. Nomura had wanted to include a world based on The Lion King in the first game, but was unable to since the engine could not process quadrupedal character models properly, a feature included in Kingdom Hearts II . Birth by Sleep introduced several new Disney-based worlds to the series: Castle of Dreams , Enchanted Dominion , Dwarf Woodlands and Deep Space . Dream Drop Distance included more new Disney worlds, such as La Cité des Cloches , The Grid , Prankster's Paradise , Country of
1952-470: A portal at Disney Castle, and ventured through it to find a mysterious armour referred to as 'Lingering Will'. During their exchange, it mistook Sora for Xehanort, after which Sora fought the mysterious armour. Sora won the battle, and the Lingering Will merely knelt down after this, saying that he once felt the power Sora possessed. Sometime later after the events of the game, Sora, Riku, and Kairi receive
2074-466: A result of in-game events, while others can be obtained by completing mini-games. A driving element in the first game is the ability to seal the "heart" of a world by locking the keyhole to the door leading to it, preventing it from being destroyed by Heartless. In Kingdom Hearts II , the player uses the Keyblade to unlock pathways between worlds that were closed after the events of the first game. While Sora
2196-539: A rogue Organization member who is Roxas' friend and first encountered Sora in Castle Oblivion, abducts Kairi in an attempt to see Roxas. Axel's action only give Saix, his former friend and Xemnas' enforcer, leverage to force Sora into finishing what Roxas and Xion began. Axel sacrifices himself to help Sora's group reach The World That Never Was (Organization XIII's headquarters) and, after defeating Xemnas's right hand Xigbar, reunite with Riku and Kairi. DiZ, revealed to be
2318-483: A search for him after opening a portal to another reality in the Final World. Elsewhere, Sora meets Yozora, a supposedly fictional character from a video game. During their exchange Yozora claims that he is tasked to "save Sora" and the world is transported into Shibuya. Sora is challenged to a fight by Yozora, whom he defeats. Yozora fades away as Sora returns to The Final World. Both Sora and Yozora wonder if their meeting
2440-427: A sequel. One was the development team's desire to showcase Mickey Mouse more; Mickey's inclusion in the first game was restricted to a very small role. Nomura had planned for the sequel to take place a year after the first and originally intended for the events of that year to be left unexplained. To bridge the gap between the two games, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was developed. Nomura was hesitant about releasing
2562-557: A standard version and a limited edition version. The limited edition was available in four different covers and included a copy of Jiminy's Journal along with 400 stickers. Sora has made guest appearances in other video games, including World of Final Fantasy and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . A manga based on the Kingdom Hearts storyline has been released in Japan and the United States. The story and art are done by Shiro Amano , who
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#17328695288602684-504: A strong will. However, in worlds closer to darkness, the Heartless are more powerful and uncontrollable. They invade worlds through corridors of darkness, which are unpredictable pathways that interlink the worlds. When Heartless are created, the body and soul of those with strong hearts that have lost their hearts to darkness become another type of creature called a Nobody ( ノーバディ , Nōbadi ) . As they lack hearts possessing light and darkness, they are "nothing", yet still exist within
2806-521: A surprise. He praised the level designs, commenting that many familiar elements from the Disney films were integrated into them. Marriott further stated that though the stages were small, interacting with beloved characters and exploring familiar settings were enjoyable aspects. Maura Sutton of Computer and Video Games attributed the Disney elements as a major factor in creating the game's "astounding worlds". She summarized her review by calling Kingdom Hearts
2928-462: A television adaptation of the first Kingdom Hearts game was commissioned in 2003 for the Disney Channel , but did not go forward as a series. In October 2022, the pilot's director, Seth Kearsley, uploaded the pilot animatic to his personal YouTube channel and shared more details on the production. The cast of the games reprised their roles for the pilot with the exception of Haley Joel Osment , who
3050-428: A type of Dream Eater called Chirithy appears in Kingdom Hearts χ and Kingdom Hearts III as NPCs. Keyblades ( キーブレード , Kīburēdo ) are key -shaped melee weapons created to combat darkness and are the only thing that can free hearts from a Heartless form, thus allowing the restoration of complete beings. Keyblades are also capable of locking and unlocking doors and keyholes. Initially, Keyblades were crafted in
3172-399: A world based on The Jungle Book was considered for the first game, but was omitted because it was similar to Deep Jungle from Tarzan . They also took into account worlds with Disney characters that would be interesting. For example, Nomura chose to include a Mulan world for its unique atmosphere. The Tron world's design was meant to emulate an old computer game in the style of
3294-435: A year-long sleep by Naminé to restore their original memories while losing their experience in Castle Oblivion. At the same time Sora ventured through Castle Oblivion, Riku ended up in the basement levels and ascends to the ground floor with Mickey's aid while dealing with a Replica of himself that fought Sora. Finding the comatose Sora while joining forces with the mysterious DiZ , Riku helps Naminé keep his friend safe until he
3416-762: Is accessible from the main menu. This journal keeps track of information regarding the story, characters, enemies, and locations. In Kingdom Hearts , Chain of Memories , Kingdom Hearts II , and Kingdom Hearts III , the journal is kept by Jiminy Cricket , who was appointed by Queen Minnie as the royal chronicler. In 358/2 Days , Birth by Sleep , and Dream Drop Distance , the main characters write their own journal entries. The games are influenced by their parent franchise, Final Fantasy , and carry its gameplay elements over into their own action-based, hack-and-slash system. Like many traditional role-playing games, Kingdom Hearts features an experience point system which determines character development. As enemies are defeated,
3538-520: Is also known for his manga adaptation of the Legend of Mana video game. The story follows the events that took place in the video games with differences to account for the loss of interactivity a video game provides. The manga was originally serialized in Japan by Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan and eventually released in tankōbon format. The first tankōbon was released in Japan in October 2003. The manga
3660-497: Is an ordinary world in Kingdom Hearts , albeit with a unique "underwater" control scheme, it becomes an interactive rhythm game in Kingdom Hearts II which is unrelated to the overall story and serves as filler. Space Paranoids features a Light Cycle mini-game that strongly deviates from the original film, which Nomura included because he knew people associated the Light Cycles with Tron . The worlds created specifically for
3782-503: Is awoken. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days , a snag in the plan over the year forces Riku to capture Roxas —Sora's Nobody and Organization XIII member that came into being when Sora briefly became a Heartless in the first game-after he was forced to defeat and absorb Xion, a Replica of Sora in Kairi's image. In Kingdom Hearts II , after Roxas was integrated back into him, an awakened Sora and his friends resume their search for Riku and King Mickey,
Kingdom Hearts - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-553: Is normally not possible, and they are protected from extraterrestrial interference by an invisible shell. When the heart of a world is opened, the shell breaks apart, appearing as a meteor shower. Fragments from the wall are called "Gummi blocks" and are used to make spaceships called "Gummi Ships", which can be shaped into any structure, and the origin of the material used to build them allows travel to other worlds. Gummi blocks serve different functions, from navigation to offense and defense. Other methods to travel between worlds are
4026-487: Is subsequently destroyed within Ventus's subconscious, but are temporarily restored following his return during the events of Kingdom Hearts III . Kingdom Hearts Coded includes software bugs , referred to in-game as Bug Blox ( バグブロックス , Bagu Burokkusu ) or simply "Bugs", who serve as the game's main antagonistic force. To investigate a message hidden in Jiminy Cricket 's journal that Naminé left, King Mickey has
4148-417: Is the only one who uses the Keyblade in the first game, later games reveal more characters who wield Keyblades. In Birth by Sleep , Keyblades can be transformed into hovercraft called Keyblade Gliders, which can be used to travel from world to world, making Keyblade wielders the only people with the means of transportation between worlds before Gummi Ships are used. The "gates" Sora would open later are known as
4270-493: The Final Fantasy games, a series of " Ultimania " books were released in Japan for many of the games. These books include game walkthroughs, interviews, and extra information from the developers. Kingdom Hearts -Another Report- was released along with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ and features game information, visuals by Shiro Amano, and a director interview. In North America, Brady Games released strategy guides for each game. For Kingdom Hearts II , they released two versions,
4392-668: The Genie appear in Agrabah from Aladdin . The game worlds consist of interconnected field maps where battles and plot-related events occur. Players travel between worlds in different ways in each game, such as the "Gummi Ship" in the original Kingdom Hearts , "Keyblade glider" in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep , "Corridors of Darkness" in 358/2 Days , and "Sleeping Keyholes" in Dream Drop Distance . Worlds created specifically for
4514-421: The Kingdom Hearts series, acting as forces of darkness who seek to consume more hearts, including those of worlds. Their name derives from their lack of a heart, despite originating from people's hearts after darkness consumes them. Initially, the Heartless existed within an all-encompassing variety, the "Pureblood", and, prior to the events of the first Kingdom Hearts, they were typically only encountered in
4636-452: The Kingdom Hearts universe. Despite this, Nobodies can gain new hearts of their own over time, separate from their original selves. Nobodies typically assume malformed, inhuman shapes, but the members of Organization XIII keep their human forms because they possessed strong hearts as humans and thus remember their original self. Most members of the Organization control one type of Nobody suited to their fighting style, each corresponding to
4758-428: The "corridors of darkness" and the "lanes between"—interdimensional pathways through which frequent travel eventually erodes unprotected users' hearts with darkness. Heartless and Nobodies normally use these paths, but other characters have used them, including Riku and Mickey Mouse. Those who travel between worlds are advised to limit their interactions with their inhabitants to avoid causing chaos. For this reason,
4880-409: The 1982 film. Nomura got the idea to include this world after seeing a Disney employee working on Tron 2.0 . He hoped that the fact that it was so different from the other worlds would make it enjoyable to players. The Heartless ( ハートレス , Hātoresu ) are creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts, and lack a body or soul. They are the most common type of enemy the player encounters in
5002-435: The 2004 Square Enix E3 press conference, the producer, Shinji Hashimoto, stated that many mysteries of the first game would be answered. To help market the games, websites were set up for each game and demos were on display at gaming events. Each game in the main series was also re-released in Japan with additional content and served as canonical updates to the series. The additional content foreshadowed later plot elements in
Kingdom Hearts - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-475: The Destiny Islands for their return. In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories , Sora's search for Riku and Mickey leads his group to Castle Oblivion, a fortress controlled by a mysterious group of non-existent " Nobodies " called Organization XIII , the castle's overseer Marluxia using the power of a girl named Naminé to alter the group's memories for his agenda. After Marluxia's defeat, the three are placed in
5246-424: The Keyblade is used to defeat the Heartless, the stolen hearts go to the realm of darkness and turn into Heartless again. This, combined with Maleficent's quest to gather the seven Princesses of Heart by using the forces of darkness, make the Heartless a common sight within the realm of light by the time of the first Kingdom Hearts . Ordinarily, the Heartless are mindless and function on instinct, but obey those with
5368-475: The Keyblade wielder under orders from their missing king. As the three band together and travel to save various worlds from the Heartless while searching for their companions, they encounter a group of Disney villains whose ability to control the Heartless was given to them by Maleficent , who enlists Riku's aid in seeking seven maidens called the Princesses of Heart whose power would open the way to Kingdom Hearts,
5490-442: The Keyblade, and after the restoration of Beast's Castle, he becomes a pawn in the plot of Organization XIII during Kingdom Hearts II . During the development of Kingdom Hearts II , Nomura had more creative freedom due to advances in technology, which Port Royal/The Caribbean , Space Paranoids , and Pride Lands benefited from. In Port Royal and Space Paranoids, the character models were generated from live-action pictures using
5612-520: The Lanes Between, which can be accessed by any Keyblade wielder. The χ-blade ( χブレード , Kīburēdo , pronounced the same as "Keyblade") is an ancient weapon of unknown origin introduced in Birth by Sleep that is capable of directly unlocking Kingdom Hearts. It is a double-handed weapon that takes the shape of two "Kingdom Key" Keyblades that intersect in an "X" shape, with additional features that give it
5734-458: The Musketeers , and Symphony of Sorcery . Kingdom Hearts III introduces more worlds, such as Kingdom of Corona , San Fransokyo , Toy Box , Monstropolis , and Arendelle . When questioned on the possibility of including worlds based on Disney-purchased properties such as Pixar , Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm , co-director Tai Yasue said, "We have to come up with a world that has
5856-473: The North American and European releases. Utada was the only singer Tetsuya Nomura had in mind for the first Kingdom Hearts theme song. This marked the first time Utada had produced a song for a video game. Both of the first two theme songs reached notable popularity; on weekly Oricon charts, "Hikari" reached No. 1 in 2002 and "Passion" reached No. 4 in 2005. The initial idea for Kingdom Hearts began with
5978-499: The Realm of Darkness while an amnesic Xehanort ended up Ansem's apprentice alongside his accomplice Braig (Xigbar's original self). King Mickey also discovers that the destruction of "Ansem" and Xemnas has led to Xehanort's restoration. To combat the new threat Xehanort poses, Sora and Riku take an exam to attain the Mark of Mastery that will allow them to become Keyblade Masters themselves. During
6100-448: The Year awards. IGN named Kingdom Hearts "Best Art Style/Direction" in their 2003 list of "Best Looking Games on PS2". G4 awarded it "Best Story" at their 2003 G-Phoria awards show. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded Kingdom Hearts II "Best Sequel" of 2006. It tied with Resident Evil 4 as Famitsu's Game of the Year 2005. The manga series has also been well received. Several of
6222-445: The affairs of other worlds, as it could negatively affect the universe's order. Various Final Fantasy characters also make appearances within several worlds throughout the series. This includes Moogles , small creatures who are another common element in the games. They provide the player with a synthesis shop in order to create and purchase items used in the game. The main cast from The World Ends with You also makes an appearance in
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#17328695288606344-405: The appearance of boss-level Heartless that Sora had defeated in Kingdom Hearts . Villains and boss-level Heartless make use of the bugs to assist them in fighting Data-Sora. It is later revealed that the recording of Sora's Heartless had gained sentience and is responsible for the journal being blank even after Sora's memories were restored, because the book revolved around him. It seeks to devour
6466-473: The beach and uses it to open a door to the Realm of Darkness, finding Aqua who has been consumed by darkness after Ansem was abducted by Xehanort's Heartless. Once Aqua is purified by Sora and Riku, she leads them to Castle Oblivion which she restores to its true form as the Land of Departure to revive Ventus despite Vanitas' interference. The group are joined by Kairi and Lea as they face Xehanort and his followers, with
6588-468: The book digitized to uncover the mystery. However, due to the "hurt" the message contains, most of the data ended up corrupted and caused the data worlds to be infected with bugs. They primarily take the form of cubes that the game's main protagonist, a virtual replica of Sora called "Data-Sora", can destroy or use as platforms. There are several different varieties of Bug Blox, with the most common, breakable variety being black-and-red in color. Other bugs take
6710-484: The character Sora , a boy who searches for his lost friends and encounters Disney and Square Enix characters as he travels between worlds. In the first game, Kingdom Hearts , he fights against the villainous Heartless and seals each world he visits to prevent their return. In Kingdom Hearts II , he helps the residents of these worlds again while searching for his friend Riku . The Kingdom Hearts games have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, and
6832-399: The circumstances of their births. Both were created when Sora used Xehanort's Keyblade of heart to release his and Kairi's hearts, respectively, but coexist alongside their original selves, rather than in lieu of them. Unlike most of Organization XIII's members, who resemble their original selves with their memories and personalities intact, Roxas resembles Ventus rather than Sora due to holding
6954-452: The current best selling title in the series. As of March 2022, the Kingdom Hearts series has shipped more than 36 million copies worldwide. The games have also received high ratings and positive comments from reviewers. All of the main games in the series have scored a 36 out of 40 or higher from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu , known for its harsh grading. All six games have been praised for their visuals. Game Informer considers
7076-577: The current incarnation of the ancient Keyblade Master Luxu from the time of the Keyblade War, summons the Foretellers, his fellow Keyblade Masters, to the present for the next phase of his mission. A year later, all attempts to find a clue to Sora's current whereabouts have proven to be futile until Riku and Kairi, with the help of the Fairy Godmother, find clues that lead them to believe that Sora has been transported outside of their reality. Riku embarks on
7198-561: The design of the worlds have been praised for their faithfulness to the source material. Nomura intended hearts and the strengths and connections of the heart to be a common theme in the games. Characters within the Kingdom Hearts series are composed of three parts: body, soul, and heart. The body acts as a vessel for the heart and soul, with the soul giving life to the body. The heart holds their memories and gives them emotion, light, and darkness. The Kingdom Hearts games are divided into various game levels , referred to as "worlds", which
7320-574: The details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 492257117 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 08:38:49 GMT Universe of Kingdom Hearts#Nobody The Kingdom Hearts video game series, developed by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney , is set in a universe consisting of numerous self-contained worlds based on intellectual properties from both companies. Most worlds are based on different Disney films, although several original worlds also appear. The series centers on
7442-508: The development of the games, Nomura has often left certain events and connections between characters unexplained until the release of future games. Nomura does this because he feels that games should have room for fans to speculate and use their imagination. He has stated that with speculation, even though a game gets old, people can still be happy with it. The first Kingdom Hearts was announced at E3 in May 2001. Initial details were that it would be
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#17328695288607564-639: The end of the exam, Riku is declared a Keyblade Master; in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue , Sora embarks on another journey to regain his "Power of Waking" while Riku helps Mickey find Aqua, Yen Sid training Kairi and Lea so they can help in the final battle against Xehanort and keep him from the Princesses of Heart. In Kingdom Hearts III , Sora regains his "Power of Waking" in his group's travels while Riku and Mickey retrace Aqua's steps to find her and Terra. Sora later discovers Eraqus's Keyblade on
7686-411: The end, Kingdom Hearts was consumed in the darkness caused by the conflict, and the worlds became separate from each other. During Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort seeks the return of Kingdom Hearts, and while it does appear over the Keyblade Graveyard, the flawed reunion of Ventus and Vanitas causes the unstable χ-blade to explode and Kingdom Hearts to vanish. After splitting himself into a Heartless and
7808-466: The events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep : Terra having ended up possessed by Xehanort and made into the original being that Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas were split from; Ventus sacrificing his heart by fighting his dark counterpart Vanitas, while trying to prevent Xehanort from recreating the legendary χ-blade which allows the user to control Kingdom Hearts, and hiding within four-year-old Sora's heart; and new Keyblade Master Aqua trapped within
7930-454: The field of battle to heal oneself or one's party members. Gummi Ships are another common element of the series, which serve as the main mode of transportation between worlds in the games. The gameplay for the Gummi Ship sections is more akin to a rail shooter . Because it received negative criticism in the first game, it was modified in the third game. Most games also feature a journal which
8052-567: The film. Most worlds that appear in the games are based on Disney films and follow abridged versions of their stories, such as in Wonderland , the Land of Dragons , and Castle of Dreams . Agrabah covers the first two Aladdin films in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II , while Atlantica and Halloween Town have original plots in the first game and plots based on their films in the second game. Worlds like Monstro and Neverland focus heavily on
8174-573: The former's heart within himself, and lacks Sora's memories due to the short duration of Sora's Heartless state. Meanwhile, Naminé was born of Kairi's heart through Sora's body and, in addition to not having Kairi's memories, has the ability to alter the memories of Sora and those close to him. The Unversed ( アンヴァース , Anvāsu ) are creatures that are introduced and predominantly appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep . Described by Nomura as being "those who are not well-versed in their own existences", they are Vanitas' emotions given form and feed on
8296-476: The game would be a failure if it did not aim for the same level as the Final Fantasy series, he began to develop the story further. In June 2013, Nomura stated the name of the game came from him thinking about Disney Theme Parks , especially Animal Kingdom . However, Nomura could not get the IP with just "Kingdom", so the development team began to think about "heart" as a core part of the story, so they decided to combine
8418-470: The game's enemies; and benevolent "Spirits", which the player can create to serve as party members and combat the Nightmares. Several boss enemy Nightmares appear under the control of Young Xehanort and various Disney villains throughout the game. Riku temporarily turns into a Dream Eater by subconsciously entering Sora's dreams upon sensing Xehanort's interference within the Mark of Mastery exam. Additionally,
8540-419: The game's final dungeon. The series' setting has garnered mostly positive reception from critics. Following Kingdom Hearts ' initial announcement, publications expressed skepticism towards the first game's viability. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer stated that despite the extreme differences between Final Fantasy and Disney properties, they blend well together along with the new content created for
8662-553: The game. It was also announced that many of the Disney characters would be voiced by the official voice actors from their respective Disney films. A secret trailer in the first Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix hinted at the possibility of a sequel. Rumors for a sequel on the PlayStation 2 were spurred in Japan when a Japanese video game site, Quiter, stated that "an internal (and anonymous) source at Square Japan" confirmed that development of Kingdom Hearts II had begun. It
8784-410: The games in the series have been positively received and commercially successful. As of March 2022, the Kingdom Hearts series has shipped more than 36 million copies worldwide. A wide variety of related merchandise has been released along with the games, including soundtracks , action figures , companion books, light novels , a collectible card game , and a manga series. Kingdom Hearts features
8906-568: The games, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II , had a soundtrack released to coincide with the video games. These were followed by a nine CD complete set which featured both soundtracks and unreleased tracks. Kingdom Hearts has been adapted as a trading card game by the Tomy corporation of Japan. An English version of the game was released in November 2007 by Fantasy Flight Games . The video games have also been adapted into manga and novel series. Like
9028-452: The heart of all worlds. Though eventually defeating Maleficent and reunited with Kairi after sacrificing himself to restore her heart to her body, Sora learns that Maleficent was manipulated by a sentient Heartless who possesses Riku and claims himself to be the Heartless researcher Ansem. Though Sora defeats Ansem, he is forced to trap Riku and Mickey in the Realm of Darkness after sealing the door and resolute to find them while Kairi remains at
9150-498: The hearts of worlds, has the appearance of a sphere of light beyond a white door. The Kingdom Hearts made by Organization XIII, on the other hand, takes the form of a yellow heart-shaped moon. The authentic Kingdom Hearts called upon by the χ-blade is depicted as a blue heart-shaped moon in Birth by Sleep and yellow in Kingdom Hearts III . The Kingdom Hearts universe is divided into planes of existence called "realms". Most of
9272-645: The image of the original "χ-blade" by those who wanted the light within Kingdom Hearts for themselves and those who sought the opposite. Wielders acknowledged as "Keyblade Masters" can bequeath the power to wield a Keyblade to one they deem worthy by letting them touch the handle of the blade or connecting their heart to another. There are also Keyblades like Xehanort's, which are passed down from different owners through generations. Keyblades change in both appearance and strength with different keychains, which augment its wielder's fighting capabilities; some are obtained as
9394-593: The latter's mentor Yen Sid re-familiarizing the trio with the Nobodies and Organization XIII's remaining members whom they deal alongside Maleficent and her right hand Pete . The three reunite with King Mickey and encounter Organization XIII's leader Xemnas , him and the Heartless Ansem revealed to the splintered halves of the real Ansem's apprentice Xehanort. The Organization's plan is also revealed: regaining their lost hearts by using Keyblade users to create an artificial Kingdom Hearts from slain Emblem Heartless. Axel,
9516-493: The lead character designer for Final Fantasy VII . Kingdom Hearts marked his transition into a directorial position, though he also served as the game's character designer. Scenarios were provided by Kazushige Nojima who was a scenario writer for Square from Final Fantasy VII until he left in 2003. Originally the development focused on the gameplay with a simple story to appeal to Disney's target age range. After Kingdom Hearts executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi told Nomura
9638-414: The look of the worlds. GameSpot referred to the worlds as "wonderfully rich familiar environments", and GamePro described the worlds as "spot-on with the original movies." Following the release of the first game, the Disney settings were well received by critics. Allgame 's Scott Marriott stated the Disney settings are the most attractive feature of the game and considered some of the world choices
9760-409: The main character, Sora , and his journey and experiences with various Disney characters, as well as some from Square Enix properties, such as Final Fantasy , The World Ends with You , and Einhänder , in addition to original characters and locations created specifically for the series. The series consists of thirteen games available for multiple platforms, and future games are planned. Most of
9882-438: The main characters change their appearance in certain worlds to avoid standing out. In the worlds based on The Little Mermaid and The Nightmare Before Christmas , Sora, Donald, and Goofy transform into undersea creatures and Halloween monsters, respectively. For The Lion King , they transform into savannah animals because Nomura felt that it would be odd to have them appear in their standard forms when no humans appear in
10004-573: The main plot, the latter being reduced to Captain Hook 's ship, where Riku reveals to Sora that Kairi has lost her heart. These worlds would not be able to be explored fully until the releases of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance , Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep , respectively. In Beauty and the Beast , the Beast appears in Kingdom Hearts to aid Sora when he temporarily loses
10126-603: The main vocal themes and the ending themes. The orchestral music was performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra . Soundtracks were released for the first and third installments following the release of their respective games. A compilation soundtrack was later released that included soundtracks for the entire series, including reworked tracks for the re-released Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories . While
10248-404: The manga series, it is divided into separate series based on the games. Kingdom Hearts is divided into two volumes; "The First Door" and "Darkness Within". Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is divided into two volumes. Kingdom Hearts II is divided into four volumes; "Roxas—Seven Days", "The Destruction of Hollow Bastion", "Tears of Nobody", and "Anthem—Meet Again/Axel Last Stand". A pilot for
10370-413: The manga volumes were listed on USA Today ' s "Top 150 best sellers". The highest ranked volume was Kingdom Hearts volume 4 at #73. Every volume listed stayed on the list for at least two weeks; Kingdom Hearts volume 4 stayed the longest at four weeks. Both Square Enix and Disney have released a wide variety of Kingdom Hearts merchandise including toys, figurines, clothing, and jewelry. Two of
10492-494: The month after its release in North America, Kingdom Hearts II sold an estimated 1 million copies. As of February 2019, the Kingdom Hearts series has shipped more than 30 million copies worldwide. This number reached to over 35 million copies shipped by October 2021. On April 11, 2022, Kingdom Hearts III was revealed to reach a total of 6.7 million units as of September 2021 surpassing Kingdom Hearts 6 million units to become
10614-474: The negativity of others, which allows them to assume more powerful forms. Vanitas pits these creatures against his counterpart, Ventus, to strengthen him as part of Master Xehanort's plan to obtain the χ-blade. Upon defeat, the Unversed's negativity reintegrates with Vanitas, allowing him to recreate them no matter how many times they are destroyed. The Unversed cease to be after Vanitas integrates back into Ventus and
10736-403: The new Organization XIII composing of his various incarnations and vessels, to fight the Keyblade users, who would form seven "Guardians of Light". The titular Kingdom Hearts ( キングダムハーツ , Kingudamu Hātsu ) is the "heart of all worlds" and the source of hearts. It is an object of immense power, which caused conflict as its light drove many to fight over it in what became the Keyblade War. In
10858-403: The number of worlds in the universe, Nomura picked ones he felt would fit into the series' scenario, which was then evaluated by his team and Disney representatives. He tried to maintain the same number of worlds in each game and tried to minimize any overlap in the overall look and feel of each world, which he and his staff did by categorizing Disney worlds by appearance and setting. For example,
10980-550: The original bug and resets the entire datascape. Dream Eaters ( ドリームイーター , Dorīmu Ītā ) are primarily featured in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . Like the Heartless, they are beings of darkness that inhabit the Sleeping worlds isolated from the realm of light and are compelled to find the worlds' keyholes. Dream Eaters manifest in two kinds: hostile "Nightmares", which devour good dreams and create bad ones and serve as
11102-516: The overall look and feel of each world. The inclusion of specific Final Fantasy characters was based on the opinions of both fans and staff. Another criterion for inclusion was whether the staff felt the characters would fit into the storyline and in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Initially, Nomura was hesitant to use characters he did not design, because he was unfamiliar with the backstory of such characters. For Kingdom Hearts II , he changed his mind after receiving pressure from his staff. Throughout
11224-417: The player gains experience which culminates in a "level-up", where the characters grow stronger and gain access to new abilities . The amount of experience is shared with all party members and each character grows stronger as experience is gained. The music for the series has been primarily composed by Yoko Shimomura . Kaoru Wada works as the arranger for orchestral music, including orchestral renditions of
11346-509: The player primarily controls the principal protagonist of the series, Sora . Sora is usually accompanied by Donald Duck and Goofy, who are artificial intelligence-controlled non-playable characters that aid Sora in battle. In the first and third game, their behavior can be altered to suit different combat objectives. The games feature real-time combat that incorporates physical attacks, magic, and summonings, though each game handles battles differently. The game also allows for items to be used on
11468-462: The player progresses through. Worlds vary in appearance, typically dependent on the Disney setting on which they are based. The worlds' graphics resemble the art style from the originating Disney film, and the worlds are inhabited by characters from their respective films; for example, Hercules and Philoctetes appear in Olympus Coliseum from Hercules , while Aladdin , Princess Jasmine , and
11590-547: The real Ansem, attempts dissipating some of the artificial Kingdom Hearts before being engulfed in an explosion when his extraction device self-destructs and is sent to the Realm of Darkness. Sora and his friends then battle Xemnas. After Sora and Riku defeat Xemnas, they get trapped in the Realm of Darkness, but a letter from Kairi summons a gateway for them, and the two are reunited with their friends at their home. Sometime after his first adventure in Disney Castle, Sora discovered
11712-556: The realm of darkness, although people with a strong will may summon them to the realm of light. While studying the Pureblood Heartless, as a side effect of their research to control the mind through the heart, Xehanort and Ansem's other apprentices found a way to create artificial "Emblem" Heartless via the corruption of living hearts, which are differentiated from Purebloods by an insignia on their bodies. Unlike Purebloods, Emblem Heartless release hearts once defeated. However, unless
11834-421: The rest of the digital Heartless for power and escape into the real world to sate its hunger for hearts. While its most basic form is the weak and common "Shadow" variety of Heartless, it grows increasingly powerful and gains the ability to take other forms, such as an entirely black lookalike of Sora with yellow eyes or an enormous variety of Heartless called "Darkside". The bugs cease to be after Data-Sora destroys
11956-431: The series has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The three main games in the series all met with positive sales at the time of their releases. In the first two months since the North American release of Kingdom Hearts , it was one of the top three highest-selling video games. Chain of Memories sold 104,000 units in 48 hours in Japan, a record for a Game Boy Advance game at the time. Its positive debut sales placed it in
12078-646: The series in Dream Drop Distance , and Kingdom Hearts III features characters from Pixar films such as the Toy Story series and Monsters, Inc. , as well as Schwarzgeist, one of the bosses from Einhänder . Nevertheless, the usage of Disney characters is not without restrictions. For example, Nomura had requested the use of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Kingdom Hearts III , but the response from Disney
12200-468: The series mirror the overall appearance of other worlds and predominantly feature characters from Square Enix games and original characters. Though Disney gave director Tetsuya Nomura freedom to choose which characters and worlds would be used in the games, he and his staff tried to stay within the established roles of characters and boundaries of the worlds. Nomura found managing and keeping multiple worlds consistent to be problematic. After determining
12322-428: The series predominantly feature original and Square Enix characters and are more integral to the series' overarching plot. The first world of each game serves as a tutorial to introduce new gameplay elements and frame the story. Both they and the Disney worlds are fragments of the original world, which is identified in Kingdom Hearts III as Scala Ad Caelum, the seat of power for the ancient Keyblade masters that serves as
12444-486: The series takes place in the "Realm of Light". Opposite the Realm of Light is the "Realm of Darkness", where Kingdom Hearts resides and where Heartless are born. The "Realm Between" is a plane where Nobodies come into existence. Additionally, there is the "Realm of Sleep" where the Sleeping Worlds featured in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance are located. In the Kingdom Hearts universe, travelling between worlds
12566-400: The series the eleventh "must-play PlayStation 2" series. The individual games have also won several awards. GameSpot commented that the concept of mixing the serious elements of Final Fantasy with the lighter elements of Disney seemed impossible, but was pulled off quite well. Because of that they awarded Kingdom Hearts "Best Crossover Since Capcom vs. SNK " in their 2002 Best and Worst of
12688-481: The series. A second Game Informer reviewer, Matt Miller, described the concept as a "hard sell", describing the combination of the two properties as "ridiculous". He also stated his belief that the franchise's formula is successful. The graphics of the games have received generous praise, with particular focus on their similarity to the source material. IGN stated that the "worlds look very much like their filmed counterparts". Japanese gaming site, Gpara.com also praised
12810-493: The series. The rereleases of the main series games had the term "Final Mix" added after the title, while Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Coded were re-released as Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and released on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, respectively, with 3D graphics, voice overs during some cutscenes, and new game content. The Kingdom Hearts series has been critically and commercially successful. As of March 2014,
12932-408: The shape of an actual sword. It has the power to open the heart of all worlds, and exists alongside Kingdom Hearts as its guardian. It led to "Keyblades" being crafted in its image by those seeking Kingdom Hearts' power, those who sought to extinguish the light, and those who sought to protect it. This resulted in the Keyblade War, which ended in a world known as the Keyblade Graveyard; the aftermath led
13054-436: The test in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance , Sora and Riku enter the Realm of Sleep where they encounter a young version of Xehanort who can travel through time. The two Keyblade wielders also learn how Xehanort has long manipulated events since Birth by Sleep with Organization XIII's true purpose in providing thirteens vessels for him to inhabit and use against seven hearts of pure light in an ultimate battle to recreate
13176-467: The themes for some of the Disney-based worlds are taken directly from their Disney film counterparts, most of them are given entirely original musical scores. In addition to each world having unique background music, each is given its own battle theme rather than having a common theme to cover all fights. Several of the main characters have themes, and the final boss of each game has several themes played in
13298-509: The top spot of sales charts in Japan. In the first month of its North American release, it was ranked 1st on GameSpot 's ChartSpot for portable systems and 6th for all consoles. Within three days of the Kingdom Hearts II release in Japan, it shipped 1 million copies, selling through within a month. By the end of March 2006, the NPD Group reported that Kingdom Hearts II was the highest-selling console game in North America, with 614,000 copies. In
13420-441: The two to form "Kingdom Hearts". Nomura placed a secret trailer in Kingdom Hearts in hopes that fans would want a sequel. He was unsure if fans would want a sequel and felt that if they did not, then it would be best to leave certain events in the first game unexplained. After Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was completed, development for Kingdom Hearts II began. There were several obstacles to clear before development could begin on
13542-547: The various phases of those fights. The fights with Sephiroth feature a modified version of Nobuo Uematsu 's " One-Winged Angel " from Final Fantasy VII . The main theme songs for the Kingdom Hearts games were written and performed by Japanese pop star, Hikaru Utada . The three main themes are " Hikari ", originally from Kingdom Hearts , " Passion ", from Kingdom Hearts II , and "Oath" from Kingdom Hearts III . Each song has an English counterpart, " Simple and Clean ", " Sanctuary ", and "Don't Think Twice" respectively, for
13664-528: The worlds. Nomura has stated that though many of the Disney characters are not normally dark and serious, there were not many challenges making them so for the story and despite this, their personalities shine because they maintain their own characteristics. He also felt managing and keeping multiple worlds was problematic. When deciding which worlds to include in the game, the development staff tried to take into account worlds with Disney characters that would be interesting and made an effort to minimize any overlap in
13786-517: The χ-blade to shatter into seven pieces of light and thirteen pieces of darkness. These seven lights, which are said to be the source of all light in the World, later became the hearts of the Princesses of Heart, who are targeted by Organization XIII as a result. In Birth by Sleep , Master Xehanort 's over-eagerness to obtain the weapon causes him to seek two hearts of equal strength—one of pure light and one of pure darkness—to fight each other. He finds such
13908-445: The χ-blade, revealing his true plan is to use the true Kingdom Hearts to wipe the slate on reality clean before finally being defeated. Xehanort departs with Eraqus's spirit into the light as Sora closes Kingdom Hearts. Sora also sacrifices himself by using the "Power of Waking" once more to revive Kairi. Sometime later, all the guardians, including their close friends and allies, celebrate victory at Destiny Islands. Xigbar, revealed to be
14030-639: The χ-blade. But Sora's interference forced Xehanort to retrieve his alternate selves, Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, Luxord, Vanitas, and Xion from across time in Replica bodies to form his ideal Organization XIII with Xigbar, Saix, and Vexen. Sora is narrowly saved from being Xehanort's final vessel with the aid of Lea (Axel's original self) and Riku learns about data that Ansem the Wise had implanted within Sora during his year-long sleep, which may be used to save those connected to Sora. At
14152-506: Was created by late web-based animator and writer, Monty Oum . Dead Fantasy featured Kingdom Hearts characters teaming up with Final Fantasy characters and competing against Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden characters in battle royale-style brawls. [REDACTED] Category Action role-playing games Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
14274-514: Was not until Kingdom Hearts II was announced, along with Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories , at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2003 that rumors were confirmed. Initial details were that it would take place some time after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories , which takes place directly after the first game. Other details included the return of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, as well as new costumes. At
14396-403: Was real, with neither character making sense of it. The Kingdom Hearts games contain elements of action role-playing video games with hack-and-slash elements. The games are driven by a linear progression from one story event to the next, usually shown in the form of a cutscene , though there are numerous side quests available that provide bonus benefits to the characters. In most games,
14518-602: Was released in the US by Tokyopop two years later in October 2005. Yen Press now holds the rights to publish the books for the USA market. The first series, Kingdom Hearts , consists of four volumes, while the second series, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories , has two volumes. The third series, Kingdom Hearts II , has ten volumes total, taking a hiatus to publish a fourth series based on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days which has five volumes total, after which Kingdom Hearts II resumed. As of April 2019,
14640-448: Was reported that a TV series based on the franchise was in development for Disney+ . On April 29, 2024, The DisInsider reported that a Kingdom Hearts film was in the works. While previously having been a show for Disney+, it was changed to a theatrical film. It was also noted that these are just rumors and nothing had officially been given the greenlight . In October 2007, a fan-made web series of CG action films called Dead Fantasy
14762-533: Was that the character would be "too difficult" to use, with no further clarification or details from Disney. The series starts with Kingdom Hearts , where a boy named Sora is separated from his friends Riku and Kairi when their home Destiny Islands is consumed in darkness. At that moment Sora obtained a weapon called the Keyblade that allows him to fight creatures called Heartless, before ending up in another world, Traverse Town, where he meets Donald Duck and Goofy , two emissaries from Disney Castle sent to find
14884-458: Was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced with Bobby Edner . According to Kearsley, the pilot tested well with their test audiences, but the decision was made not to go further into production due to the franchise's expansion and the difficulty of maintaining consistency with the ongoing game series. The animatic was later taken down by Kearsley at Disney's request, though it was later reposted by minor channels. On May 27, 2020, it
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