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The first half of Kingdom Hearts’ (2002) story takes us through fun-filled Disney-inspired worlds. Sora has met new friends and encountered countless enemies while looking for Riku and Kairi. He has learned about his responsibilities as the Keyblade wielder and what he must do to save all the worlds from darkness. During a return trip to Traverse Town, Sora runs into Riku. He’s safe, but he’s changed since we last saw him. Maleficent, the ringleader of the villains, has sunk her claws into Riku and is manipulating him against Sora. With this recent development, what is in store for Sora, Donald, and Goofy (SDG) as they set off to explore more worlds?
Agrabah
In the sandy dunes of Agrabah, Jafar and Maleficent are trying to further their plans with the princesses. Princess Jasmine, their next target, isn’t making it easy for them since she’s gone into hiding. When SDG arrive, they’re lucky enough to find Jasmine. Unfortunately, Jafar finds them, but Jasmine escapes. SDG set off to find her and make their way to the desert where they meet Aladdin and Genie. They team up to track down Jasmine and arrive at the palace gates where they find her cornered by Jafar. Aladdin attempts to have Genie help, but Iago, Jafar’s parrot sidekick, steals the lamp from Aladdin, making his wish null.
Jafar escapes with both Genie and the princess and the group chases after him to the Cave of Wonders in the desert. As the group maneuvers through the labyrinthine corridors of the Cave, Jafar has Genie show him Agrabah’s keyhole. When Sora and company catch up to them, Jafar unleashes Genie on the group. They subdue them both, but Jafar isn’t finished. For his final wish, he has Genie turn him into an all-powerful genie. After a fiery battle, Sora traps Jafar in his lamp. They can’t celebrate for long, unfortunately, because someone has taken Jasmine. Sora locks the keyhole and the group escapes from the collapsing Cave of Wonders. Back in Agrabah, Sora promises to find Jasmine for Aladdin. Meanwhile, back with the villains, we learn that Riku took Jasmine. In accordance with their deal, Maleficent has found Kairi for Riku and sends him off with Captain Hook. However, Riku is wary of her generosity.
We see Sora and Riku’s diverging paths here. Riku is actively working for the villains and interfering with Sora’s work. Sora is none the wiser, for now. Riku’s heart seems to be in the right place but it could be this very reason that drives him further from the light into the darkness.
Monstro
SDG meets a wooden boy named Pinocchio in Traverse Town. They learn that Gepetto, Pinocchio’s father, is missing so SDG agrees to look for him at Jiminy’s request and head out to search other worlds. While driving the ship, they come across a giant whale named Monstro who swallows the ship whole!
They find Pinocchio inside who has found Gepetto. Pinocchio wanders further off inside Monstro so SDG follows and finds him with Riku. Sora, surprised, asks what he’s doing there. Riku simply states he’s playing with Pinocchio, circumventing Sora’s intended question. Sora isn’t in the mood for Riku’s games but gives chase to Riku and Pinocchio. Maleficent is there and asks Riku why he still cares for Sora since he has “obviously” left him for Donald and Goofy. Riku unconvincingly claims he doesn’t care so Maleficent warns him about the darkness in his heart and leaves. Sora catches up with them and angrily asks what he’s thinking and if he doesn’t realize what he’s doing.
Riku directs the question back at him and snidely suggests that Sora only seems interested in his Keyblade instead of saving Kairi. Pinocchio’s cries for help interrupt their argument and SDG runs off to help him. After a fight against the Heartless Parasite Cage, Riku captures Pinocchio. Gepetto pleads for Riku to return him but he refuses, claiming that he needs Pinocchio to help Kairi get her heart back. Sora follows Riku and demands he let Pinocchio go. Riku asks Sora to join him in trying to help Kairi but Sora feels that Riku is on the wrong side of this battle. At that moment, Parasite Cage drops down giving Riku cover to escape, leaving Pinocchio behind.
After SDG defeats Parasite Cage, Monstro spits everyone out. Meanwhile, Riku, Kairi, and Maleficent are on Captain Hook’s ship. Kairi appears empty and lifeless; her heart is suspected to have been taken by the Heartless. Maleficent tells Riku that in order to help Kairi he has to help her find the other “princesses of heart”: maidens of the purest heart that when gathered will open the door to the heart of all worlds. Therein lies untold wisdom and perhaps a way to recover Kairi’s heart. In order to aid him, she grants Riku the power to control the Heartless. Sora and Riku’s friendship is further strained after these events. They both want to help Kairi but want to go about it in different ways. Riku is willing to do whatever he must, even using the darkness, while Sora wants to follow the path the Keyblade is guiding him on. Their clashing beliefs are driving them further from each other.
Atlantica
SDG arrives in the underwater world of Atlantica where they meet Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Thanks to Donald’s magic, SDG has been transformed to fit with marine life. Ariel takes them to have an audience with King Triton, her father. He’s suspicious of them and Goofy lets it slip that they’re looking for the keyhole. Triton angrily declares there is no such thing in their world and forbids Ariel from leaving the palace. Ariel still wants to help Sora find the keyhole so they head out and find a crystal trident in the ruins of a ship.
They head back to Ariel’s grotto to place it in a similarly shaped crevasse. When this is done, King Triton appears, angered that Ariel has disobeyed him, and promptly destroys the crystal trident. Ariel swims off upset and Triton accuses Sora of being from another world. He reveals he knows about the Keyblade and chastises Sora for violating the rule of not interfering with other worlds. He goes on to further accuse the keybearer of:
“shatter[ing] peace and bring[ing] ruin.”
Meanwhile, the Sea Witch Ursula closes in on a disheartened Ariel. She reveals to her that SDG have come from another world with the help of the Keyblade. Ariel’s interest is piqued and Ursula can set her plan in motion. In exchange for sneaking Ursula into the palace, Ursula agrees to send Ariel to other worlds. However, Ursula twists the deal. With the trident in her possession, she tries to get rid of Ariel and Triton so she may have access to the keyhole. SDG appears before she can do anything and she escapes. SDG and Ariel chase after her. After defeating Ursula, they recover the trident and return it to the King. Ariel uses the trident to reveal the keyhole and Sora closes it. He apologizes for lying about coming from another world. Ariel doesn’t mind since his presence gives her hope. If he can travel to other worlds then perhaps she can as well one day.
Sora receives a rude awakening from King Triton during his visit. As the keybearer, he has responsibilities and must respect the ways of the worlds. Whomever Triton met in the past has negatively impacted Atlantica and he didn’t want that to happen again. But even the King can have a change of heart; after Sora saved them he realizes the Keyblade isn’t a weapon for destruction.
Halloween Town
SDG arrives in the haunting world of Halloween Town in the midst of preparing for Halloween. They discover Jack trying to use the Heartless as performers. He and Dr. Finkelstein are attempting to make a heart to control the Heartless. Sora decides to help them and after mixing together the ingredients they run their experiment. But it fails so the Doctor decides it needs memory. Sora accompanies Jack in looking for Sally, who has the ingredient. However, the experiment triggered something in the Heartless and they are out of control.
The group finds Sally and she hands them the “memory,” but she’s worried about trying to use the Heartless. Jack is determined and decides to go forward with his plan anyway. A trio of eavesdroppers — Lock, Shock, and Barrel — was listening and they rush off to tell Oogie Boogie of Jack’s plans. The group returns to the lab, but Lock, Shock, and Barrel steal the heart. The group chases them down to their Evil Playroom in Oogie’s Manor.
After dealing out punishment on the young trio, they confess to having delivered the heart to Oogie. The group finds Oogie and instead of returning the heart to Jack, he swallows it. After Oogie is defeated, he comes apart at the seams, literally, and the heart is returned. But seeing as how the heart had no control of the Heartless, it is deemed a failure. As the group leaves Oogie’s Manor, they are stopped by Oogie himself, having used the power of darkness to fuse himself with the manor. The group releases all the darkness from the manor, causing it to collapse and reveal a giant keyhole. Sora successfully seals it using the light of the moon.
Neverland
It’s time for high seas adventures as SDG are captured by Captain Hook’s pirate ship. Riku greets Sora on the deck, irritated that Sora would be asking for Donald and Goofy when he should be more concerned for Kairi. While Sora is surprised to see Kairi there, he is more concerned with the fact that Riku has joined forces with the Heartless.
Riku clarifies that he controls the Heartless. Sora worries for Riku’s heart but Riku is confident his heart is strong enough to keep the darkness at bay. He shows off his new ability: creating a Heartless Shadow replica of Sora then sends Sora to the brig to join Donald and Goofy. While down there, SDG meets Peter Pan and his fairy friend, Tinker Bell. In exchange for Sora unlocking the cell, Peter agrees to team up with them until they find his friend, Wendy. As they’re looking, Peter has Tink give SDG some pixie dust to help them fly, but it doesn’t seem to work. It’s then that they find Wendy and Kairi being held in the room above them. Kairi appears to be unconscious but has a slight reaction to Sora’s voice. Before they can get to them, however, the pirates come and take the girls away. They chase after them to the Captain’s quarters, but Riku takes Kairi and leaves Shadow Sora behind to deal with them.
They dispose of the Shadow but learn that Riku has taken Kairi to Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent is. Sora is left with an ultimatum: either he gives up the Keyblade to Hook or he walks the plank. Sora takes his chances with the plank and the hungry crocodile waiting in the water. He takes a leap of faith and before he can hit the water, he soars through the air. After dealing with Hook, Tinker Bell takes the group to the clock tower where Sora finds and locks the keyhole. They’ve had quite an adventure so far and Sora is eager to tell Kairi everything and hopefully have her experience the same thrills.
If there’s one thing he’s learned it’s that if you can believe, you can do anything. Sora has a renewed resolve to save Kairi now. We’re taken back to when Sora and Riku were in the Secret Place as children. Riku had seen a keyhole in the door. In the present day, back at Hollow Bastion, Riku is worn out from traveling through the darkness. Maleficent warns again that if he relies too much on his dark powers, then he could lose his heart. Even so, she encourages his use of the darkness and unlocks more of his potential.
We’ve seen how the darkness can consume the careless with the other defeated villains. So then why both warn against and encourage it? Maleficent has plans and sees value in using Riku for now. Riku is wary of her, but because of her helping him he at least accepts the power she has given him. The more power he gains, the more vulnerable he becomes to the darkness and he is blind to this because he is only focused on saving Kairi.
Road To Hollow Bastion
SDG finds the other half of a navigation gummi they need so they head back to Traverse Town to have Cid install it. They learn that Gepetto and Pinocchio made it there safely and have set up a shop. Sora needs a reminder of the importance of believing in himself. He’s having doubts about being able to save Kairi and Riku. But at that moment he hears Kairi’s voice reach out to him saying, “I believe in you.”
Memories Of Hollow Bastion
Sora’s mind is transported to a library. He sees a young Kairi and her grandmother. Her grandmother tells a story of long ago, back when people lived in peace in the warmth of the light. Everyone loved the light but they eventually fought over it. This led to darkness being born in their hearts, consuming them, the light, and the world. But there were small fragments of light that remained in children’s hearts. The children were able to rebuild the world they live in now with their light. True light lies in the darkness, and darkness still exists. It is this darkness that separates the worlds. One day the door to the innermost darkness will open and the true light of the worlds will return.
Hollow Bastion
After a daring flight, SDG land in the Reverse Falls of Hollow Bastion. Sora has this strange sense of familiarity upon seeing the looming castle in the distance. They traverse their way up the falls and come upon Riku in a “disagreement” with Beast. Beast has fought his way to Hollow Bastion to save Belle after she was taken from their world.
Riku, convinced by Maleficent that he is more worthy than Sora, declares there can’t be two Keyblade masters so they must let the Keyblade choose between them. In a shocking turn of events, the Keyblade leaves Sora for Riku. Not only that, Donald and Goofy have to fulfill their mission to follow the keybearer and reluctantly leave Sora behind. All Sora has left is a wooden sword and his resolve. Beast joins Sora, and together they storm the castle gates. Meanwhile, within the castle, the seven princesses of heart have been gathered: Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, Alice, and Kairi. Maleficent calls upon their powers to open the keyhole.
Once inside, Sora faces Riku, Donald, and Goofy. Riku warns Sora to turn back, believing the darkness will destroy him. Sora refuses to back down, believing that even if his body is lost, the darkness can never touch his heart. Riku attacks but Goofy jumps in to defend Sora. Goofy understands his mission, but he can’t turn on Sora either. Donald joins him to stand by Sora’s side. Sora has his friends and declares that he has a better weapon than the Keyblade: his heart. He’s made a connection with all the friends he’s made along the way and now he is a part of their hearts just as they are a part of his. So long as he has this he doesn’t need a weapon;
“My friends are my power.”
With this declaration, the Keyblade returns to Sora’s side. They battle, but Riku escapes. As he desperately races through the corridors, a voice reaches out to Riku. The cloaked man from the islands appears before him, explaining that for an instant, Sora’s heart was stronger than Riku’s and that’s why he lost the Keyblade. If he wants to become stronger, then he needs to open himself to the darkness. Riku accepts.
Later, Riku meets Maleficent in front of the Keyhole and she reveals that she plans to use the darkness to rule over all worlds. But the keyhole won’t fully open. She suspects it’s because Kairi does not have her heart, therefore she can’t unlock her true power. SDG is closing in so she goes to deal with them herself. Battle erupts in the castle chapel and Maleficent is weakened. She takes refuge behind the chapel and SDG follows. There, Riku appears carrying his own special Keyblade that can unlock people’s hearts.
He uses it on Maleficent, allowing her to unleash her full power. They manage to defeat her, leaving nothing but her black cloak. Despite all her preaching of being wary of the darkness and how the darkness has no hold on her, she was in fact being controlled by the Heartless. SDG follow Riku to the Grand Hall where the princesses are kept. Sora finds Kairi asleep before the Keyhole. She doesn’t respond and “Riku” explains that she’s lost her heart. But this isn’t Riku; he’s been taken over by Ansem, seeker of darkness.
Sora demands that Ansem return Riku’s heart, but he won’t, not until Sora returns Kairi’s. Kairi’s heart had been sleeping inside Sora’s ever since the night on the islands. Sora won’t give up her heart, not without a fight. After an intense fight, Ansem disappears. Sora comes to a realization: if he wants to free Kairi’s heart, he’ll have to unlock his own. He uses the keyblade Ansem left behind on himself. At that moment, all the princesses’ hearts are released. The other six were trapped within the Keyblade itself and Kairi’s heart is released from Sora. As a result, Sora had released his own heart as well. Just as Kairi awakens, Sora’s body disappears.
At this moment, Ansem, having taken over Riku’s body and presenting himself in his true form, appears. With all the princesses’ hearts returned, the Keyhole is complete so Ansem has no need for any of them. Before he can do anything, Riku’s spirit intervenes, holding Ansem back just long enough for Kairi, Donald, and Goofy to escape. As they make their escape, a lonely Heartless follows after them. Kairi realizes it’s Sora and protects him from the oncoming Heartless. The light of Kairi’s heart brings Sora back. Together, everyone makes it out and escapes to Traverse Town.
Last Visit To Traverse Town
Darkness is overflowing from Hollow Bastion’s keyhole so SDG needs a new way back since there are too many Heartless blocking the way. Cid agrees to install a new gummi block. Sora and Kairi have a proper reunion. Kairi is worried about Riku, but Sora reassures her that they’ll be able to get him back. It was Kairi’s voice, the light in the darkness, that brought Sora back, so there has to be hope for Riku. Kairi wants to go with him, but he asks her to stay since it’ll be too dangerous. As insurance, she gives Sora her paopu fruit-shaped lucky charm. He promises he’ll return it.
In a dark world, Riku struggles to keep himself together. The King’s voice reaches out to him, explaining that while Riku’s heart won against the darkness, his body had already been lost. The King has the “other Keyblade”, the one of that world, and the Door of Darkness will open soon. It needs to be closed from both sides. Perhaps Riku can help.
Back to Hollow Bastion
When SDG return, the princesses are gathered trying to keep the darkness at bay. SDG enters the keyhole and is confronted by the Heartless Behemoth. After defeating the beast, Leon and company arrive. They explain to Sora that once Ansem is defeated, the worlds should be restored. But this means that the walls that separated the worlds will return, thus isolating them from each other. It’s the price they must pay to stop the darkness. Sora understands and goes forth to seal the keyhole. Before leaving, Sora and company encounter a mysterious man in a black, hooded coat. He says strange things like “you remind me of him” and “you are not whole.”
He decides to “test” Sora’s strength and they engage in battle. Sora manages to hold him off until the Unknown stops his attack. The Unknown is impressed and promises they will meet again. As he leaves, the stranger explains he is “but a mere shell.” Who was this man? There’s no time to dwell on that, onward to the last world.
End Of The World
This final, bleak world is made up of the fragments of all the other worlds taken by the Heartless. When they defeat Ansem, this world will cease to exist and all the fragments will return to rebuild their worlds. This means SDG will be stuck there. After tirelessly fighting through powerful Heartless, they enter through the final door to the last battle against Ansem.
They are taken to the remnants of Destiny Island. There, Ansem so righteously declares that darkness exists in every heart, such is its nature. Sora rejects this, for he knows that there is a light within every heart that never goes out. These clashing ideas come to a head and thus the long, final battle begins. Holding on to his last bit of strength, Ansem calls upon Kingdom Hearts, the heart of the worlds, to grant him strength through darkness. But his plea fails because Kingdom Hearts has always been light. With the doors to Kingdom Hearts opening, light pours out and this ultimately does Ansem in.
While there may be light at its core, there is still darkness surrounding that light and it’s trying to break out. SDG tries to close the large doors when Riku appears on the other side to help along with King Mickey who’s holding a golden Keyblade! Everyone is reluctant to close the doors. What will happen to the King and Riku if they’re inside? The King reassures them that there will always be a door to the light; they will meet again. As the door shuts, Riku asks Sora to take care of Kairi.
After The Battle
With the King on one side of the door and Sora on the other, they use their Keyblades to seal it. The door disappears. Kairi is there, but as Sora runs to meet her the ground beneath her begins to take her away back to Destiny Islands. Sora promises to come back to her, but for now, he must stay and look for Riku and the King. When Kairi returns to Destiny Islands, she witnesses all the worlds return. She goes to the Secret Place where she finds Sora’s drawing. She heartfeltly adds to it as well, with a drawing of her giving him a paopu fruit.
Another Side, Another Story
Kingdom Hearts’ story is a journey of making friends and forming meaningful connections. It also emphasizes the importance of maintaining these connections. Sora and Riku had the same goal of saving Kairi, but because of the company they fell into when they were separated, they were led down different paths. Despite Maleficent and Ansem’s attempts to keep Riku in darkness, he would ultimately choose to help Sora and the light. In the end, their enduring friendship helped restore the worlds.
The Door to Darkness is sealed, Riku and King Mickey are missing and Sora, Donald, and Goofy are stuck in The Realm of In-between, so what next? In a secret cinematic ending after the game (( Stretch, Andrew. “How to Get All Secret Movies From All Kingdom Hearts Games.” TechRaptor, 13 February 2019. )), we’re given a hint that at least Riku is alright. But who is the hooded, blond boy he fights, the new Heartless, and the strange world they’re in?
Before any of these questions can be answered, we have to know: where are Sora, Donald, and Goofy; and how did Riku end up there?