There are various characters in Kingdom Hearts: Original and Disney characters. All original characters are designed by director, Tetsuya Nomura. This section outlines a broad summary of Kingdom Hearts’ main protagonists and antagonists. This section also does not contain any spoilers pertaining to the story. All of the important characters can be found with their summaries below:
Sora
Sora is a 14 year old adolescent who can seem simple minded at times. He always has a positive and upbeat attitude, which is one of the reasons, he can make friends with whomever he meets. Sora is known to have a strong sense of justice and cares deeply for his friends. He looks up to his best friend, Riku and has a special connection with his other best friend, Kairi. Sora also wields the Keyblade, a mysterious weapon which legend states the Keyblade Master saved the world, while another said he wrought chaos and destruction upon it. Sora means sky.
Riku
Riku is a 15 year old adolescent who is calm, cool, and collected, but he is far from the quiet type. Riku has a healthy rivalry with his best friend, Sora and is also best friends with Kairi. He is also a talented swordsman. Riku has always been curious about the unknown, so he begins to question, the small, closed world in which he lives. Riku eventually convinces Sora and Kairi to help him build a raft to explore worlds beyond the Destiny Islands and to gather supplies for their maiden voyage. Riku means land.
Kairi
Kairi is a 14 year old adolescent. Though she may appear delicate, she possesses a strong, unyielding will. Kairi has a special connection with her best friend, Sora and is also best friends with Riku. She moved to Sora’s and Riku’s island a few years ago. Kairi supports Sora and Riku’s rivalry usually participating in some way herself, but unknowing to her. Both Sora and Riku are competing for her attention. Kairi has no memory of where she was before Destiny Islands and is the adoptive daughter of the mayor. Kairi means sea.
Donald Duck
Donald Duck is a Disney character that debuted in The Wise Little Hen. He is portrayed as a sailor with a short fuse. In Kingdom Hearts, Donald Duck is a royal magician of Disney Castle and the royal assistant of King Mickey. Donald does share similar qualities to his Disney person such as a short temper and a rash personality. As a royal magician, Donald’s weapon of choice is the staff and he is capable of casting spells. King Mickey tasked Donald and Goofy with finding the Keyblade’s Chosen One. Donald eventually forms a bond of friendship with Sora.
Goofy
Goofy is a Disney character that debuted in Mickey’s Revue. He is portrayed as a silly or clumsy dog. In Kingdom Hearts, Goofy is the captain of the royal knights of King Mickey’s Court. Goofy shares qualities of his Disney personal, but also he is the voice of reason in Kingdom Hearts and often is able to see overlooked details that Sora and Donald miss. Goofy’s weapon of choice is the shield. He tries to avoid confrontation if possible. King Mickey tasked Donald and Goofy with finding the Keyblade’s Chosen One. Goofy eventually forms a bond of friendship with Sora.
King Mickey
Mickey Mouse is a Disney character that debuted in Steam Boat Willie. Mickey Mouse is also the mascot of Disney and is one of the main recurring Disney characters in Kingdom Hearts alongside Donald and Goofy. In Kingdom Hearts, Mickey is kind and benevolent. He is also the king of Disney Castle. After realizing the pending threat of darkness, Mickey disappeared, but not before tasking Donald and Goofy with finding the Keyblade’s Chosen One. King Mickey was also the first to act against the impending darkness.
Ansem
Ansem is the main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts. Ansem is a researcher who studied the Heartless and delved into secrets of the worlds. He organized his findings into a single volume known as Ansem’s report. When he inexplicably vanished, most of its pages were scattered to the winds. Ansem was also the ruler of his world. He was possessed by darkness and ultimately destroyed his own world, Hollow Bastion. Because of his actions, he is more commonly dubbed Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. His personality is close to a philosophical professor.