Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square 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 around the main character Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with Disney and Final Fantasy characters on their worlds. There are few playable characters in the games, though there are numerous characters that are able to join Sora's party as computer controlled members. The majority of the characters were introduced in the first game, Kingdom Hearts. Several new characters were introduced in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which also features alternate versions of previous characters created from Sora's memories. The third game, Kingdom Hearts II, added more Disney and Final Fantasy characters, as well as introduced new antagonists.
Various types of merchandise modeled after the characters' likeness has 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.
The Kingdom Hearts series is directed by Tetsuya Nomura, who also works as the character designer of the games. Nomura has stated that unlike working with Final Fantasy characters, keeping the main character Sora alive and interesting over multiple games is a challenge.[2] He has also 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.[3] 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 the worlds.[2] 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.[4]
The inclusion of specific Final Fantasy characters was based on the opinions of fans and the development staff.[5] Another criteria for inclusion was whether the staff felt the characters would fit into the storyline and in the Kingdom Hearts universe.[6] Initially, Nomura was hesitant to use characters he did not design, because he was unfamiliar with the background work of such characters.[7] For Kingdom Hearts II, he changed his mind after receiving pressure from his staff.[5] Throughout the development of the games, Nomura has often left certain events and connections between characters unexplained until the release of future games. Nomura did this because he feels that games should have room for fans to speculate and use their imagination. He stated that with speculation, even though a game gets old, people can still be happy with it.[8]
The Kingdom Hearts games feature well-known voice actors for the Japanese and English versions of the characters. The Japanese version featured Miyu Irino as Sora, Risa Uchida as Kairi, and Mamoru Miyano as Riku.[9][10] Kingdom Hearts II introduced Kōki Uchiyama as Roxas, Iku Nakahara as Naminé, and Genzō Wakayama as DiZ.[11] The English release of the Kingdom Hearts games featured an all-star voice cast which included many of the Disney characters' official voice actors. Wayne Allwine, Tony Anselmo, and Bill Farmer voiced Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy, respectively.[12][10] Several high profile actors provided the voice acting of the main characters. The first game featured Haley Joel Osment as Sora, David Gallagher as Riku, and Hayden Panettiere as Kairi.[13] Kingdom Hearts II saw the return of the main character voice actors and added Jesse McCartney as Roxas, Brittany Snow as Naminé, and Christopher Lee as DiZ.[14]
Sora (ソラ?) is the primary protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series, and the character that the player has direct control over throughout almost the entire series. He is an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura for the Kingdom Hearts series.[1] Sora's weapon is the Keyblade.[15] Though not the original wielder of the Keyblade, Sora was chosen over Riku because Sora chose light, while Riku opened himself to darkness.[16] Nomura has stated that Sora's name can be seen as "sky";[17] the Japanese word for sky is sora (空?).[18] Over the course of the games, Sora grows older and matures. Nomura wanted to help illustrate this by having his fighting style in Kingdom Hearts II reflect his maturity; the combat system was completely reworked in the game for this.[3] He is voiced by Haley Joel Osment in the English version and Miyu Irino in the Japanese version.
At the beginning of the series, Sora is 14 years old and lives on Destiny Islands along with his two friends, Riku and Kairi.[19] When their world is attacked by a group of corrupted hearts known as the Heartless, the three are separated. During the invasion, he obtains the Keyblade. Soon after, Sora meets Donald Duck and Goofy, who join him on his search for his friends.[18] To blend in with the inhabitants of the various worlds they visit, the group's appearances are altered by either Donald's magic or, in Kingdom Hearts II, by Sora's magical clothes. Some examples include a dolphin-like merman and a brown lion cub.[20] Sora later meets Riku on several occasions, but the two clash over saving Kairi. Riku is later possessed by Ansem, Xehanort's Heartless. After fighting him, Sora sacrifices his own heart to restore Kairi's to her body, becomes a Heartless and creating a Nobody, Roxas, in the process. Soon after, his heart is restored by Kairi. Sora, Donald, and Goofy then fight and defeat Ansem, and with the help of Riku and King Mickey on the other side, they seal the door to Kingdom Hearts. Afterward, Sora, Donald, and Goofy resolve to find Riku and the King.
While traveling the three find a fortress known as Castle Oblivion. Upon entering, they begin to lose their memories and Sora's memories begin to be manipulated by the Organization that is controlling the castle. The Organization use Naminé to make Sora forget Kairi and replace his memories of Kairi with herself. Sora discovers the truth behind the events that have taken place and after defeating the Organization members, he meets with Naminé. She puts Sora, Donald, and Goofy to sleep for one year to restore his memories to their state prior to entering Castle Oblivion.[21] The three awake a year later in Twilight Town and learn about the Nobodies and Organization XIII. Sora also obtains a new ability, "Drive Form", from the fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, which allows him to transform into more powerful forms and access to new abilities.[20][22] Sora and the others begin their quest to confront Organization XIII and solve the mystery to why Sora is constantly being referred to as "Roxas". They eventually find King Mickey and Riku (rescue Kairi) who assist in fighting the organization's leader, Xemnas. Sora and Riku are separated from the others to fight Xemnas one last time. After defeating him they find their way back to Destiny Islands, where they are reunited with Kairi, Donald, Goofy and Mickey.
Donald Duck is the court wizard of Disney Castle and a loyal servant to King Mickey.[15] Donald is voiced by Tony Anselmo in the English version and Kōichi Yamadera in the Japanese version. He is a short-tempered, powerful magician on a quest to find King Mickey Mouse. In Kingdom Hearts, he and Goofy embark on a journey to carry out the missing king’s orders to follow the Keyblade wielder. Donald is one of Sora's two companions who go with him to every world. At the end of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, he, Sora, and Goofy are put to sleep for a year while their memories are fixed by Naminé.[21] In Kingdom Hearts II, he awakens with his friends and continues to fight the Heartless along with the Nobodies and Organization XIII. This version of Donald, like Sora and Goofy, undergoes several transformations on different worlds to blend in with the inhabitants.[20]
Goofy is the captain of the Royal Knights of Disney Castle. Goofy is voiced by Bill Farmer in the English version and Yū Shimaka in the Japanese version. Under the king’s orders, he accompanies Donald on the quest to find the key.[15] In Kingdom Hearts, he and Donald embark on a journey to carry out the missing king’s orders to follow the Keyblade wielder. Goofy is one of Sora's two companions who go with him to every world. At the end of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, he, Sora, and Donald are put to sleep for a year while their memories are fixed by Naminé.[21] In Kingdom Hearts II, he awakens with his friends and continues to fight the Heartless along with the Nobodies and Organization XIII. This version of Goofy, like Sora and Donald, undergoes several transformations on different worlds to blend in with the inhabitants.[20]
Kairi (カイリ?) is a 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 seen as "sea";[17] the Japanese on'yomi pronunciation of sea is kai (海?).[16] Kairi is featured in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. She is voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the English version and Risa Uchida in the Japanese version.
She is originally a resident of Hollow Bastion, but she was sent to the Destiny Islands by Xehanort a few years before the events of Kingdom Hearts.[23] At the beginning of the series, she is 14 years old.[19] During the events of the first game, her heart was separated from her body which led to Sora and Riku both searching for a way to revive her. Kairi's heart was discovered to be in Sora's body, at which point he gives up his heart in order to restore hers, transforming himself into a Heartless. Soon after, Kairi finds Sora's Heartless and restores him back to human form. After Ansem's defeat, Kairi is left behind on the reforming Destiny Islands and separated from Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts. Sora promises to return to her with Riku, and Kairi waits on the island for their return.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Kairi and all of Sora's friends slowly begin to remember Sora. After Sora's memories had been restored by Naminé, Kairi sends the letter drifting to the sea in hopes of that it will find its way to him. She is later confronted by Axel, who hopes to use Kairi to lure Sora to him. With the help of Pluto, Kairi evades him and heads to Twilight Town, but is captured by Axel soon after. However, Saïx takes Kairi from Axel and imprisons her and Pluto in a jail cell in The World That Never Was. She escapes her cell with the help of Naminé and they are saved from Saïx by Riku, in the guise of Xehanort's Heartless. Riku gives her a Keyblade which she uses to fight off the Heartless that Saïx summons. Kairi and Riku are reunited with Sora, and along with Donald, Goofy and King Mickey, the group face and defeat Xemnas. Kairi also bonds with Namine in the process and she returns to Destiny Islands, Sora and Riku following shortly after.
Riku (リク?) is Sora and Kairi's best friend and an original character created by Tetsuya Nomura for the Kingdom Hearts series.[1] Nomura has stated that Riku's name can be seen as "land";[17] the Japanese on'yomi pronunciation of land is riku (陸?).[16][18] Riku is voiced by David Gallagher in the English version and Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese version. He is playable in the second story mode of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and as a world-specific ally in Kingdom Hearts II.
At the beginning of the series, he is 15 years old and lives on Destiny Islands with his friends. When their world is attacked by the Heartless, the three are separated.[19] Riku ends up at Hollow Bastion where he is found by Maleficent. Under her influence, he becomes an antagonist to help Kairi.[16] Riku eventually becomes possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, the main antagonist of the first game, and is sent to the realm of darkness, where he helps Sora seal the door to the realm of darkness.
In Chain of Memories, he awakes in the same fortress Sora had arrived at and begins traversing to the top from the basement. Along the way, Riku confronts the remaining darkness in his heart, and also encountered DiZ, a mysterious stranger. Upon reaching the top he finds Naminé, who is attending to a sleeping Sora to restore his lost memories. Riku then chose to find a balance between his light and darkness. A replica of Riku was created by Vexen in Castle Oblivion during the events of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and was referred to simply as the Riku Replica.[24]
After the events in Chain of Memories, Riku confronted Roxas in order to assist DiZ in reuniting him with Sora. During the fight, he used the power of darkness, which converted Riku into the physical manifestation of Xehanort's Heartless. For most of the story, Riku remains in this form, helping Sora in secret and never showing his face, not wanting Sora or anyone else to discover what had become of him. Riku returns to his original form by the destruction of a machine intended to convert Kingdom Hearts into data. Afterwards, Riku and Sora battle and defeat Xemnas. In the end, they end up on a dark beach, and discuss how strong their friendship is and how much each of them wanted to be like the other, before a portal opens to Destiny Islands. The two use the portal and are sent home.
King Mickey is the ruler of Disney Castle.[25] King Mickey is voiced by Wayne Allwine in the English version and Takashi Aoyagi in the Japanese version. He is only playable in certain boss battles in Kingdom Hearts II; if Sora and his friends are defeated, King Mickey will step in to fight in Sora's place until he is defeated or resurrects Sora. Mickey's inclusion in the series was initially restricted to a small cameo for only one scene.[4] The larger role he played in the sequels first required the approval of Disney.[8] He left his world when the Heartless began to attack. While he had Donald and Goofy find and protect the Keyblade Master, Mickey was on a mission of his own. In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II, he returns wielding the Keyblade of the dark realm. His story will be further explored in the upcoming mobile phone game Kingdom Hearts coded as well as Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
Ansem the Wise (賢者アンセム Kenja Ansemu?) is an original character created for the Kingdom Hearts series. He first appeared in the Reverse/Rebirth mode of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories under the guise of a mysterious man named DiZ (ディズ Dizu?) and appeared again in Kingdom Hearts II. His name "DiZ" is an acronym for "Darkness in Zero". Ansem is voiced by Christopher Lee in the English version and Genzō Wakayama in the Japanese version. Ansem was formerly a respected sage and ruler of the Radiant Garden. As a researcher and ruler of his world, Ansem studied the heart and delved into the many secrets of the worlds prior to the events of the first game. He and his apprentice, Xehanort, believed that darkness could spread into and take control of the heart. In order to bolster defenses against the darkness threatening his world, the two researched the heart. He experimented on Xehanort, who was believed to be Ansem in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
After meeting with King Mickey, Ansem ceased the experiments. He later found his Report on the experiments was given new entries by Xehanort, now using the name Ansem as his own. At that time, Ansem's apprentices betrayed him and banished him to a world of nothingness, where he took on the name DiZ. From that point on, until he cleared his name, DiZ wore concealing red robes and covered most of his face with red bandages. Using the corridors of darkness to arrive at Twilight Town, he took refuge in an abandoned mansion in the forest.
In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories he helped guide Riku through his encounters in Castle Oblivion. DiZ explains that he will watch and see if Riku's decision to fight "Ansem" was the right one. DiZ's role in Kingdom Hearts II was to destroy Organization XIII, while at the same time helping Roxas reunite with Sora with the help of Riku and Naminé. However, flaws arose in his plan when Naminé started acting on her own to help Roxas, and Riku declined to help him in his revenge. As he observed Riku's loyalty to Sora, DiZ lost his lust for revenge and grew regretful of the events in his past. Near the end of the game, he reveals himself as Ansem and attempts to digitally seal away Kingdom Hearts. However, the hearts prove unpredictable and overload the machine, causing it to self-destruct and take a large chunk of Kingdom Hearts and Ansem himself with it.
Naminé (ナミネ Namine?) is an original character created for the Kingdom Hearts series. She has the ability to change or erase memories of those in relation to Sora by rearranging them and creating new links between them. Naminé is voiced by Brittany Snow in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Iku Nakahara in the Japanese version. Naminé first appeared in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Under orders from the Organization, she altered Sora's memories to remember her as a close friend from Destiny Islands, and eventually replacing Kairi. She almost completed her task until Axel allows her to leave his sight. Naminé then manages to reveal herself and the truth to Sora. Once Marluxia is defeated, Naminé has Sora, Donald, and Goofy step into devices that will put them to sleep for a year so she can rearrange the chains of their memories, but break the ones that she created.[21] As a result, Sora's memories of Naminé will be erased. Naminé also helps save Riku in Reverse/Rebirth from Zexion by taking on Kairi's appearance to convince Riku not to refuse the darkness within his heart while drowning in light. When they meet in person, she offers to lock away the darkness of his heart so that it can never hurt him again, but he refuses the offer, opting to battle the darkness. Afterwards she contacted DiZ to help protect Sora, Donald and Goofy.[8]
In Kingdom Hearts II, Naminé is revealed to be a "special Nobody" born from Kairi's heart when it left Sora's body. As Kairi had no darkness in her heart, her heart hid within Sora's body instead of becoming a Heartless when Destiny Islands was consumed by darkness. When Sora impaled himself with the dark Keyblade, his body and soul were used to create not only Roxas, but Naminé as well. As a result of this, she has none of Kairi's memories. Naminé's special birth in conjunction with the fact that Kairi's heart had been in direct contact with Sora's is why, DiZ states, that Naminé's special powers could only affect the memories of Sora and those whose hearts are connected to his, which was why she was used by Organization XIII. Despite DiZ's orders, Naminé visits Roxas in Twilight Town. She appears to him several times, often before he is attacked by Nobodies, acting somewhat as a guide to him. Riku was instructed by DiZ to destroy Naminé since he has no more need of her. However, as seen in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Riku decided to let her go with Axel to repay the favor to her for Castle Oblivion. She is not seen again until near the end of the game where she frees Kairi and Pluto from imprisonment and they attempt to escape from the Organization's stronghold. She then fuses with Kairi to complete her.
Roxas (ロクサス Rokusasu?) is Sora's Nobody who was created when Sora became a Heartless to save Kairi.[18] He was first featured at the end of Riku's ending in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories[26] and is playable in the beginning portion of Kingdom Hearts II. Roxas is voiced by Jesse McCartney in the English version and Koki Uchiyama in the Japanese version. Roxas joined Organization XIII when he was found by Xemnas in Twilight Town. Unlike the other Organization members, he lacks memories of his previous life. During Roxas's time in the Organization, he and Axel became friends, but Roxas leaves to find answers as to why he possesses the Keyblade. After leaving, he was confronted by Riku who defeated him to have Roxas rejoin with Sora. Roxas' story from his birth to his departure from the Organization will be further explored in the upcoming Nintendo DS game, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.[27]
Xehanort (ゼアノート Zeanōto?) is an original character created for the Kingdom Hearts series. Though he was only featured briefly in Kingdom Hearts II via a flashback, his Heartless and Nobody served as the main antagonists throughout the series. His Heartless assumed the identity of his teacher, Ansem,[28] and his Nobody took the name Xemnas.[29] Xehanort's Heartless was featured in Kingdom Hearts as the main antagonist and in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as an entity inside Riku.[30] Xemnas is described as using the power of nothingness and red energy blades called Aerial Blades in battle, and controlling Sorcerer Nobodies, a lesser type of Nobody.[31] Xehanort's Heartless is voiced by Billy Zane in the English version of Kingdom Hearts and Richard Epcar in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II. In a flashback sequence in Kingdom Hearts II, Xehanort is also voiced by Richard Epcar. Xehanort and Xehanort's Heartless are voiced by Akio Ohtsuka in the Japanese versions of both games. Xemnas is voiced by Paul St. Peter in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and by Norio Wakamoto in the Japanese version. Xehanort's name is also connected to the unlockable trailer in Kingdom Hearts II. His name without the "X" is an anagram of "No Heart" and "Another".[31][8] Xemnas's name is also an anagram, but of the name "Ansem" with a "X" added.[31]
Xehanort was a student under Ansem the Wise, and had no memory of his life prior to his appearance at the Radiant Garden. While studying the heart and the darkness within it, he began to assume the identity of his teacher and ravages his world out of his hunger for knowledge. He sacrificed his body in the process,[32] creating a Heartless and a Nobody. In Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort's Heartless possessed Riku's body to regain his physical presence. Although his goal of reaching Kingdom Hearts was realized, Xehanort's Heartless meets his demise by the light of Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, introduced an optional boss, Unknown (謎の男 Nazo no Otoko?, lit. "Enigmatic Man"). This character does not clarify his identity and was later revealed by Nomura to be Xemnas, who was testing Sora. He seeks to increase and use Kingdom Hearts's power in Kingdom Hearts II, using Sora to build it up until there were enough hearts to recreate the universe.[33] He was defeated by Sora and Riku as the final boss battle of Kingdom Hearts II.
Maleficent is an evil sorceress from the 1959 Disney animated film, Sleeping Beauty. She is voiced by Susan Blakeslee in the English version and Toshiko Sawada in the Japanese version. Maleficent leads the group of Disney villains who seek to harness the power of darkness within Kingdom Hearts. In the first Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort's Heartless unlocks her heart which transforms her into her dragon form. Sora defeats her but she is resurrected in Kingdom Hearts II, where she primarily seeks a new base of operations with Pete so she can obtain Kingdom Hearts. She also wants her revenge against Sora, but to that end, she ends up helping him on two occasions in order to stop Organization XIII from interfering with her plans.
Organization XIII (XIII機関 Jūsan Kikan?) is a group of thirteen Nobodies created for the Kingdom Hearts series. They were originally introduced in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix's secret ending video, "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]", along with a member as an optional boss in the game. More members were further introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as the Organization (機関 Kikan?). In the third game, they sought to discover the mysteries that lie within the heart and use the power of Kingdom Hearts to become complete humans.[34] The fourteen members include Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saïx, Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, Roxas, and Xion, the recently named female member.
The Organization was first formed when the six former disciples of Ansem the Wise became Heartless. Their Nobodies then created the Organization.[8] Members are numbered in the order in which they joined, with Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort, numbered one as their leader. Each member also has the letter "X" placed in his/her name. The remaining letters are an anagram of their name prior to becoming a Nobody.[35] As Nobodies, they lack true emotion and morality, and are unable to feel guilt or remorse for their actions.[36] The first two characters conceived were Xemnas, as number I, and Roxas, as number XIII.[35] In an upcoming game, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, a fourteenth member of Organization XIII will be added named Xion, while all other members will be playable in the games multiplayer mode.[35]
During his stay in Castle Oblivion, Riku encountered a clone of himself that was made by Organization XIII member Vexen. Unlike Riku, the replica did not fear darkness and used it freely. Larxene and Vexen decide to have Naminé erase the replica's memories and replace them with the same false memories of Naminé that they planted in Sora. Believing himself to be the real Riku, he engages Sora four times over who will save Naminé. During his final fight with Sora, he is about to finish him off when Naminé interferes and destroys his memories, rendering him unconscious, to save Sora. Later on the 13th floor of the castle, the Riku Replica reappears and prevents Marluxia from slaying Naminé. After Sora defeats Marluxia, he thanks the clone. The clone is later found by Axel as he wanders around Castle Oblivion. Axel promises that he would become a new entity, if he gained new powers. Listening to Axel, he kills Zexion but finds that this did not give him the individuality he desired and he decides that the only way to be original is to kill the original. Tracking Riku to the entrance of the Old Mansion in Twilight Town, he fights Riku a final time but is defeated and destroyed.
Pete is part of the main group of Disney villains led by Maleficent. Pete is voiced by Jim Cummings in the English version and Tōru Ōhira in the Japanese version.[10] Pete is first introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. He was absent from the first two games because he was traveling to other worlds to build a Heartless army. He was originally a steamboat captain from the Disney Castle world, referring to Mickey as the "boat boy king", but was banished to another dimension for his evil ways. However, he is freed by Maleficent and vows to help her conquer the worlds.[37] Pete follows Sora throughout the worlds they visit, mainly to recruit local villains—both old and new—to either join Maleficent's fold or turn them into Heartless for his own purposes.
Kingdom Hearts features numerous characters that either assisted the main characters in some capacity or were integral to the progression of the story. Many such characters were Disney characters, though several Final Fantasy characters were also included. Some of the characters that helped the main protagonists include Jiminy Cricket and Merlin. Jiminy Cricket travels with Donald and Goofy as the royal chronicler, recording information about people, places and events in his journal.[24][38] Jiminy is originally from the same world as Geppetto and Pinocchio, where he acted as Pinocchio's conscience. Merlin is a magical wizard that King Mickey asked to teach Sora magic in the first Kingdom Hearts. He is an eccentric man who is very helpful at times. He lives in Traverse Town during Kingdom Hearts. In Kingdom Hearts II, he goes to Hollow Bastion along with Leon and his group to help restore their old home. Also assisting Sora at Merlin's house in the first game was the Fairy Godmother. She lived in Traverse Town after her world was destroyed by the Heartless.
Other characters that provided assistance were the Moogles and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The Moogles are the individuals in charge of the synthesis workshop, where the player can create a variety of items and equipment. Moogles are well known for their roles in the Final Fantasy series. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are Donald's nephews, who run item shops in Traverse Town and the Radiant Garden. Donald's uncle, Scrooge McDuck, makes an appearance at Hollow Bastion in the third game. The first Kingdom Hearts also features a side quest that involves a search of Pongo and Perdita's ninety-nine Dalmatian puppies. The two parent Dalmatians lived in Traverse Town after the destruction of their world, which also scattered their 99 puppies. Finding the Dalmatians rewarded the player with special items. Another minor character is Chernabog, a huge nocturnal demon who serves as a boss fight before Xehanort's Heartless. He is featured only in the first game at End of the World and is taken from the segment, "Night on Bald Mountain", in Disney's 1940 animated film, Fantasia. After fighting Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy, Chernabog disappears and gives the player access to the final sections of the world.
The first game introduced maidens, called the "Princesses of Heart", who possess no darkness in their hearts. Six of these maidens—Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, and Alice—are Disney characters, most of whom are known as Disney Princesses; the last—Kairi—is an original character created for the series. The princesses were kidnapped so that their hearts could be used to open the door to "Kingdom Hearts". Snow White is a princess whose world was destroyed by the Heartless, and is based on the title character from the 1937 Disney animated film, Snow White. Cinderella is a kind young woman whose world was also destroyed by the Heartless. She is based on the title character from the 1950 Disney animated film, Cinderella. Aurora is a princess who came from the same world as Maleficent. She is based on the female lead from the 1959 Disney animated film, Sleeping Beauty. Belle is a young girl that resides in Beast's Castle and is based on the female lead from the 1991 Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast. Princess Jasmine is the princess of Agrabah and is based on the female lead from the 1992 Disney animated film, Aladdin.[15] Alice is a young girl lost in Wonderland and is based on female lead from the 1951 Disney animated film, Alice in Wonderland.
The characters on Destiny Islands were introduced in the first game and included some of the main characters; Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Other characters included Tidus and Wakka from Final Fantasy X and Selphie from Final Fantasy VIII. The three appear in the first game and are available for fighting practice. Tidus and Wakka do not appear in Kingdom Hearts II, though they are mentioned by Selphie, who briefly makes an appearance with Kairi.
The characters of Disney Castle include many classic Disney characters.[39] This world is ruled by King Mickey and Queen Minnie with a royal court that includes Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy. Queen Minnie took charge during the King’s absence. Having entrusted Donald and Goofy with finding the King, she awaits their safe return. Other characters include Chip and Dale, two chipmunks that work on the Gummi Ship utilized by Sora, Donald and Goofy to travel between worlds, and Pluto, the King’s dog. Pluto shows up at unexpected times throughout the games. In Kingdom Hearts II, Pluto is led mysteriously to many places and eventually finds Kairi and keeps her company in the Organization's castle.
Wonderland features characters from the 1951 Disney animated film, Alice in Wonderland,[39] based on the classic novel by Lewis Carroll. The main character in this world is Alice, a curious young girl who has strayed into Wonderland,[24] and is one of the seven Princesses of Heart. Wonderland is ruled by the Queen of Hearts. Along with the Queen is the White Rabbit, the Queen's personal assistant. Sora and his friends also encounter the Cheshire Cat and the Doorknob. The Cheshire Cat is a mysterious cat that keeps appearing and disappearing. He also enjoys giving cryptic clues to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Another character is the talking Doorknob, whose mouth is where the keyhole is located in the first game.
The Olympus Coliseum features characters from the 1997 Disney animated movie, Hercules.[39] The main character in this world is Hercules, a legendary hero who is incredibly strong and is the son of the gods Zeus and Hera, though Hercules is not a god himself.[24] He first appeared in the first game along with Philoctetes and Hades. In Kingdom Hearts II, Hercules spends his days fighting off Hades' challengers in the Coliseum. Hercules is voiced by Sean Astin in the English version of Kingdom Hearts and Tate Donovan in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II. He is voiced by Yasunori Matsumoto in the Japanese versions of both games. Philoctetes, referred to as Phil, is a satyr, veteran trainer of heroes, and Hercules’ mentor. He runs the Coliseum and chooses competitors suitable for the games in both the first and third games. Hercules' girlfriend, Megara, also appears in Kingdom Hearts II.
The main antagonist of the Coliseum is Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. In the first game, he hires Cloud to eliminate Hercules during a tournament at the Coliseum but he fails in this endeavor. Hades later tricks Sora to unlocking the Underworld's Underdrome in Kingdom Hearts II. He is voiced by James Woods in the English version and Kyusaku Shimada in the Japanese version. Several monsters from the animated film also appear as bosses. In the first Kingdom Hearts, such monsters included Cerberus, the Ice Titan, and Rock Titan. The Hydra appeared in Kingdom Hearts II along with Cerberus in the Underdrome battles. In Kingdom Hearts II Hades summoned Auron, a formerly dead warrior, to dispose of Hercules. However, he refused to make a pact with Hades and instead tries to put an end to his plans, joining Sora's party. Later, Hades captures his soul to make him a mindless slave. Hercules fought Auron in the Underworld while Sora tried to free Auron's soul.
The Deep Jungle features characters from the 1999 Disney animated film, Tarzan.[39] The main character in this world is Tarzan, a young man raised from infancy by gorillas in Deep Jungle.[15] He spoke only the language of the apes until he met Jane Porter, a naturalist who is in studying gorillas in the Deep Jungle. She is accompanied by Clayton, a veteran hunter who acts as Jane’s guide on her expedition. He thinks of animals only as prey and dreams of the money to be made selling gorillas. His black heart gave him the power to control Heartless but he was crushed by his own Heartless after being defeated by Sora. There are several gorillas that make up the troop Tarzan belongs to. Kerchak is the leader and initially didn't trust Sora and the humans that Tarzan befriended. Kala is Tarzan's adoptive mother and Terk is one of Tarzan's friends. Another animal in the Deep Jungle is Sabor, a leopard that Sora first encounters upon arriving. Tarzan saves Sora from Sabor, but the leopard continues to attack Sora on other occasions until she is killed near the end of the chapter.
The city of Agrabah features characters from the 1992 disney animated film, Aladdin. The main character is Aladdin, a young man living in the streets of Agrabah. He fell in love with Princess Jasmine, but was afraid to tell her about his humble background.[15] Princess Jasmine is one of the seven Princesses of Heart and is a headstrong, smart woman. Aladdin is joined by Abu, his cheeky, but loyal pet monkey and friend. Aladdin is voiced by Scott Weinger in the English version and Shinichiro Miki in the Japanese version. Prior to the first game, Aladdin found Genie and Carpet in the Cave of Wonders. Genie is the spirit of the magic lamp. By the end of the first game, he was freed from the lamp by Aladdin with his third wish.[40] In Kingdom Hearts II, Aladdin feels lonely and restless without Genie and Carpet and is looking for some excitement,[41] though Genie returns to Agrabah in time for Jafar's return. Sora can call on him as a summonable ally in all three Kingdom Hearts games. Genie is voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the English version and Kōichi Yamadera in the Japanese version. Carpet is Aladdin's flying ally and friend.
The main antagonist in Agrabah is Jafar, the royal vizier of Agrabah. He is unprincipled and ruthless in pursuit of his aims. He used the Heartless and Genie to try to take over the kingdom.[24] However, he used his final wish from Genie to become "an all-powerful genie". After being turned into a genie, he was sealed into his lamp. In Kingdom Hearts II, he managed to trick the Peddler into releasing him, but was defeated again by Sora. Joining Jafar is Iago, a talking parrot. In the first game he aided Jafar in taking over Agrabah and eventually became trapped in Jafar's lamp. In Kingdom Hearts II, he has become sick of being ordered around and joins forces with Sora. Iago is voiced by Gilbert Gottfried in the English version and Akira Kamiya in the Japanese version. Another character is the Peddler. He was briefly featured in Kingdom Hearts, but has a bigger role in Kingdom Hearts II by being responsible for releasing Jafar from his lamp.[42]
The characters featured here are from the 1940 Disney animated film, Pinocchio.[39] Monstro is the enormous whale whose insides comprise a world in Kingdom Hearts. It is alternatively found traveling to and from Agrabah and Atlantica. Monstro is infested with Heartless and had swallowed Geppetto's ship whole. Geppetto is a kind and gentle woodcarver. Pinocchio is a puppet crafted by Geppetto and brought to life by the Blue Fairy.[24] When the little puppet disappears, Geppetto sets out to find him but he and his boat were swallowed by Monstro, the whale. Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet Geppetto and Pinocchio after being swallowed by Monstro, and assist them in escaping from Monstro. They eventually make their way to Traverse Town where Leon assists them in finding a home.[43]
The characters featured in the 100 Acre Wood are from A. A. Milne's series of Winnie-the-Pooh books that have been adapted into animated featurettes and films by Disney.[39] The main character is Winnie the Pooh (also referred to as Pooh), a stuffed bear whose favorite food is honey. He is often absent minded and sometimes forgets what it was he was trying to remember. This is emphasized when, following the Heartless' attempt to steal the book, Pooh forgets everyone he ever knew. Pooh has several friends in the 100 Acre Woods; Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Gopher. Early characters to be confirmed included Pooh, Piglet and Tigger.[39]
The characters featured in this world are from the 1989 Disney animated film, The Little Mermaid.[39] The main character is Ariel, the youngest daughter of Triton, king of Atlantica. She is outgoing and full of curiosity, and longs to see the world outside her ocean home.[15] Ariel is only an active party member in Kingdom Hearts. King Triton is the ruler of Atlantica and father of Ariel. He is very strict, and doesn't like Ariel thinking about the outside world. Sebastian is Triton’s concert master and is also responsible for keeping an eye on Ariel to ensure her safety. Flounder is a friendly fish who acts as Ariel's sidekick. The main antagonist in this world is Ursula, an evil sea witch living inside a cave far from the palace. She is trying to oust Triton and take over Atlantica. Ursula is often accompanied by her two eels, Floatsam and Jetsam. Prince Eric is a young prince whom Ariel falls in love with and rescues from drowning from a storm in Kingdom Hearts II
The characters featured in Halloween Town are from Touchstone Pictures' 1993 stop motion animated musical film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. The main character is Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, and is also fascinated by Christmas. He is headstrong, confident, and the organizer of each year's Halloween festival.[15] Jack Skellington is voiced by Chris Sarandon in the English version and Masachika Ichimura in the Japanese version. There are several other inhabitants in Halloween Town. Dr. Finklestein is the resident mad scientist that creates various experiments. Sally is one of Dr. Finklestein’s creations who helps him around the lab. She loves Jack and tries to steer him in the right direction though it does not always work.[24] The Mayor of Halloween Town is a literally two-faced politician that has trouble doing anything without Jack's help. Santa Claus is a resident of Christmas Town and was featured in Kingdom Hearts II, and is referred to as "Sandy Claws" by Jack.
The main antagonist in Halloween Town is Oogie Boogie, an evil bag of bugs. He plots against Jack to take over Halloween Town. To further his plot, he sends Lock, Shock and Barrel to steal the heart Dr. Finkelstien created. He was defeated in the first game and was later revived by Maleficent in Kingdom Hearts II. Lock, Shock, and Barrel are three young children in costumes that work for Oogie Boogie. While Oogie was gone, they worked as assistants to Dr. Finklestein. Another antagonist is the Experiment, which was created by Dr. Finklestein by using components scavenged around town. However, the robot was not equipped with a heart, which prompted it to steal Christmas gifts in hopes of gaining one.
The characters in Neverland are from the 1953 Disney animated film Peter Pan, based on the story by James Barrie. The main character is Peter Pan, a flying boy that resides in Neverland.[15] In Kingdom Hearts, he snuck aboard Hook’s ship to save Wendy, who had been kidnapped. While he joins Sora's party in the first game, Peter Pan appears only as a summonable ally in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II. He is often accompanied by Tinker Bell, a pixie. After the defeat of Captain Hook, Peter asks Sora to look after Tinker Bell after which she becomes a summonable character. She can also be summoned to aid Sora in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and again in Kingdom Hearts II alongside Peter Pan. Wendy Darling is a girl that Peter has brought to Neverland. She is kidnapped by Captain Hook who mistakes her for one of the seven Princesses of Heart. The main antagonist is Captain Hook, a pirate captain with a grudge against Peter Pan. In the past, Peter caused the loss of Captain Hook's hand to the Crocodile in a duel. Hook is often accompanied by Mr. Smee, his loyal henchman.
Hollow Bastion is an original world created for Kingdom Hearts. The majority of the inhabitants are alternate versions of Final Fantasy characters. Sora originally met many of the residents from here in Traverse Town. The group is led by Leon, a swordsman who fights the Heartless. He is based on the main character from Final Fantasy VIII, Squall Leonhart. Though his full name is Squall Leonhart, he has vowed not to use it until the Heartless are defeated. He and his teammates, Yuffie and Aerith, escaped to Traverse Town with the help of Cid when the Heartless took over Hollow Bastion. In Kingdom Hearts, he and Yuffie encounter Sora and explain the Heartless to him. In Kingdom Hearts II, he and his group form the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee to organize a rebuilding effort. Leon is also featured in the Coliseum and the Underdrome battles of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. Leon is voiced by David Boreanaz in the English version of Kingdom Hearts and Doug Erholtz in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese versions of both games.
Cid operates the Accessory Shop in Traverse Town. After returning to Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II, Cid helps build the defense system to help protect the town from Heartless attacks. He is based on Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII. Aerith is a woman with a good heart allied with Leon and the others. She is based on Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII. She is voiced by Mandy Moore in the English version of Kingdom Hearts and Mena Suvari in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II. Aerith is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in the Japanese versions of the games. Yuffie is a female ninja working with Leon. She is based on Yuffie Kisaragi from Final Fantasy VII. Yuffie helps Leon rebuild Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II and also appears in the Coliseum and the Underdrome battles of the first and third game.[15]
Other Final Fantasy characters are also featured. Cloud is a warrior who wields a Buster Sword. He is based on Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. He also appeared in the Coliseum and the Underdrome battles of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora helps Cloud find Sephiroth. Sephiroth is a warrior who embodies the darkness in Cloud's heart and is based on the Final Fantasy VII character by the same name. He appears in the Olympus Coliseum as an optional boss[15] in the North American release of Kingdom Hearts and in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Sephiroth returns in Kingdom Hearts II seeking Cloud. Sephiroth is voiced by Lance Bass in the English version of Kingdom Hearts and George Newbern in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II. He is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts II, as Sephiroth was not featured in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts.
Tifa is a young woman skilled in combat who is searching for Cloud. Tifa was originally considered to be included along with Sephiroth in the first game, but was left out due to time constraints.[35] She also appears in fights at the Underdrome. Tifa is voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook in the English version and Ayumi Ito in the Japanese version. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are three fairies that appeared in Kingdom Hearts II. The three are based on the three main characters in Final Fantasy X-2. They secretly worked for Maleficent, who had them spy on the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee,[44] until Maleficent left during the massive battle at Hollow Bastion. Nomura changed them into pixies because he wanted to have some Final Fantasy characters appear in a non-human form that still looked human and felt that the Kingdom Hearts universe was the best scenario. He chose a fairy appearance because he felt it would make them more interesting and was also worried that the screen would be too crowded if the three showed up as normal sized characters.[35]
Space Paranoids features characters from Buena Vista Pictures' 1982 science-fiction film, Tron. It is introduced in Kingdom Hearts II and is a world of computer programs located in Ansem the Wise's computer, which is further located in Hollow Bastion. Ruling the world is the MCP, who appropriates other programs' functions to grow more powerful. Supporting the MCP is Commander Sark, who directly deals with dissident programs. With the Heartless, the MCP seeks to extend its reach into the real world. Both are opposed by Tron, a security program who had most of his functions removed by the MCP[45] and is kept in a cell. Tron is voiced by Bruce Boxleitner.
Twilight Town was introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories,[24] but characters were not introduced until Kingdom Hearts II. Many of the characters were first introduced as alternate versions of themselves in DiZ's virtual Twilight Town, though they still exhibited the same personalities. Hayner, Pence and Olette are a small group of friends that reside in Twilight Town. In the virtual town, they were friends with Roxas and they have frequent conflicts with another group. This group is the self-proclaimed "Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee" and consists of Seifer, Rai, and Fuu from Final Fantasy VIII and Vivi from Final Fantasy IX. The two groups sometimes settled their differences in "The Struggle Battle". Another inhabitant of Twilight Town is Setzer from Final Fantasy VI. He is a flamboyant gambler that participates in the Struggle Battle. Other characters make a brief appearance in the beginning of the game and include Yen Sid from the The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment from Disney's Fantasia. He is a sorcerer who lives in Tower accessed from Twilight Town and was King Mickey's teacher.[46] Also in Yen Sid's tower are Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. They are three fairies that give Sora his new attire and the ability to transform into Drive Forms.[22]
Beast's Castle features characters from Disney's 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. Beast is a prince who was transformed into a hideous monster because of his selfish heart.[15] He was first introduced in the first game, but his world was later introduced in the third game. Prior to the first game, one of the Princesses of Heart, Belle, helps heal the loneliness from his exile. After Belle is captured by Maleficent, Beast makes his way to Hollow Bastion through means of a dark corridor where he teams up with Sora to defeat Maleficent.[47] In Kingdom Hearts II, Beast and Belle have returned to the Beast's Castle. However, he is plagued by his inner darkness brought forth through the Organization's meddling.[48] Belle is a beautiful, strong-willed young woman who is one of the seven Princesses of Heart. Since returning to the castle, she has been worried about the Beast, who has been acting strange. The castle's servants also make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts II.
The Land of Dragons features characters from Disney's 1998 animated film, Mulan. This world and most of the characters were introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. The Land of Dragons is in the middle of a war between Shan Yu and the forces of China, ruled by the Emperor.[49] Mulan, a woman, disguises herself as a man, Ping,[20] to replace her ailing father in the Chinese army. Her unit is led by Captain Shang, and includes Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po. Accompanying Mulan is Mushu, a small dragon who accompanied the main protagonists as a summon in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.[15][24]
The Pride Land features characters that are all animals from Disney's 1994 animated film, The Lion King. The Pride Land and most of the characters were introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. Simba is a lion and the son of Mufasa, a former king of the Pride Land. He was first introduced in Kingdom Hearts as a summonable ally and appeared again in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories in the same fashion. His father was killed during a stampede caused by Simba's uncle, Scar. With Sora's and Mufasa's help, he confronted and defeated Scar in the third game. Kingdom Hearts II introduced several other characters from the Disney film. During Simba's time away from Pride Rock, he met Timon and Pumbaa. Timon is a meerkat and Pumbaa is a warthog. They found Simba as a cub passed out in the desert. Nala is a lioness and a childhood friend of Simba's. Later on, the two are reunited in the jungle after Sora revealed to her that Simba was still alive.[50] Rafiki is a wise old mandrill and advisor to the king of the Pride Land.
The main antagonist in Pride Land is Scar, a ruthless lion and Mufasa's brother. He controls a pack of hyenas who are his servants. In order to usurp the throne of the Pride Land, he killed Mufasa by causing a stampede.[51] He also made an alliance with Pete in order to stop Simba and Sora from returning. He was defeated, but dark spectres resembling him later returned to prey on Simba's hesitance. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are the three most prominent hyenas who work for Scar, in the hope that they will get plenty of food while he is king of the Pride Land. They were the cause of the wildebeest stampede that killed Mufasa and were ordered to kill Simba.
Port Royal was introduced in Kingdom Hearts II and is occupied by pirates and local residents, such as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Captain Barbossa leads a team of pirates who have been cursed to be undead by Aztec gold, leading them to seek out all pieces of the Aztec gold so that they can break the curse.[52][53] Chasing them is Captain Jack Sparrow, who wants their ship, the Black Pearl, back in his possession.[53] Though the characters of Port Royal were visually more realistic than the other Kingdom Hearts characters, the development team had experience creating realistic character models from earlier Final Fantasy titles. The characters models were created using technology that generated them from live-action pictures.[7]
An unlockable teaser at the end of Kingdom Hearts II features three unique characters in armor who hold Keyblades. Their names have been revealed to be Terra (テラ Tera?), Ven (ヴェン?), and Aqua (アクア Akua?), which represent "earth", "wind", and "water"; similar to how Riku, Sora, and Kairi's names can be seen as "land", "sky", and "sea".[17][54] The name "Ven" is a nickname; his full name is Ventus (ヴェントゥス Ventusu?).[54][55][56] The three characters were in armor primarily to hide their faces until the character designs were completed. Nomura chose armor because he felt he could not use the dark hoods already used in the first Kingdom Hearts's unlockable trailer.[57] Nomura has stated the characters are related to one or more characters already introduced in the Kingdom Hearts series.[58]
A new optional boss in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, known as "Todomarishi Shinen" (留まりし思念? lit. "Lingering Sentiment"), has a design similar to Terra but Nomura has since stated that whether the two are the same person is uncertain and irrelevant.[59] The Lingering Sentiment is reached through a portal in Disney Castle, in the Hall of the Cornerstone. When Sora meets the Lingering Sentiment in a desert, the soldier calls out Xehanort's name and attacks Sora. If Sora comes back to challenge the Lingering Sentiment again, he states he has nothing else to give him, and that the only thing he has left is his hatred towards "Xehanort". Their story will be further explored in the upcoming PlayStation Portable game, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. In the Japanese version of Birth by Sleep, Ven will be voiced by Kōki Uchiyama, who also voices Roxas.[60] Megumi Toyoguchi was revealed to be the voice of Aqua. Terra's voice actor has yet to be announced.
Master Xehanort (マスター・ゼアノート Masutā Zeanōto?) is a mysterious old "Keyblade Master" who appeared in a teaser present in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. He wears an outfit very similar to the one worn by Xehanort's Heartless in the first Kingdom Hearts. Currently it is known that he and his apprentice disappeared, and that Terra, Aqua, and Ven are sent on a quest to find them, as their disappearance forshadows disaster. He will be featured in the upcoming Playstation Portable game, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.[61] His voice actor has yet to be announced.
The characters of the Kingdom Hearts series have had various types of merchandise modeled after their likeness. Square Enix has released a collection of Formation Arts figurines that feature several of the main characters from the first game.[62][63] A series of Play Arts action figures has also been released.[64] Other merchandise includes jewelry and key chains modeled after character apparel and accessories.[65] The characters are also featured on posters,[65] desktop wallpapers,[66] and trading cards that are part of the Kingdom Hearts Trading Card Game.[67]
Overall, the characters within the Kingdom Hearts series have been well received and have garnered praise for the quality of their voice acting as well as their visual style. IGN, GameSpy, and Game Informer all praised the animation quality of the characters.[68][69][70] IGN's David Smith's impressions of the characters were very positive, referring to them as an "engaging cast", and stating the "characters' acting is helped immensely by the facial expressions and body". The design of the characters created specifically for Kingdom Hearts was seen as the highlight of the first game, stating "the majority of its best visual moments are based on original designs". One complaint he expressed was "the odd bit of cheating with the lip-synching, where textured facial features are substituted for full 3D animation".[68] GameSpy stated the Disney characters "slide perfectly into Square's visual style," and complemented the realistic characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean, describing them as "remarkably accurate."[69]
GameSpot commented the first game created a "fascinating world" using the Disney and Final Fantasy characters.[71] Gaming Age commented the combination of Final Fantasy and Disney characters worked very well and outweighed any design problems in the game. For the third game, they stated Square Enix "captured the look and mannerisms of the various Disney characters" very well.[72] GameSpy stated the inclusion of the Disney and Square Enix characters was handled well.[69] The main character Sora has also received press comments. In January 2007, Sora was listed the 4th biggest dork of 2006 by Game Informer, citing the Atlantica singing portions of the game.[73] IGN listed him as a possible character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl;[74] though he was not chosen as the "reader's choice".[75]
GameSpy praised the voice cast and voice acting in the first and third games.[69][76] G4TV awarded Kingdom Hearts II "Best Voice Over" in their 2006 G-phoria Awards.[77] Game Informer praised the voice acting of the third game, particularly performances by Haley Joel Osment, Christopher Lee, and James Woods. They also stated the voice talent "shines across the board."[78] Gaming Age praised the voice work in the first and third game and the localization of the dialogue.[72][79] They commented the voice acting in the first game was one of its best features.[79] For the third, they stated the voice actors did an "admirable job" and given the amount of characters, the small number of complaints was impressive.[72]
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