Kingdom Hearts 1 – The Story

Overview

Sora, Riku, and Kairi are friends who lived on Destiny Islands. Their world was taken by the Heartless, creatures born from the darkness within hearts. Following the destruction of Destiny Islands, Sora awakens the Keyblade, a weapon to fight the darkness while his best friend, Riku, is tempted by it and embraces the darkness and Kairi loses her heart. Originally, the Keyblade was meant for Riku but chose Sora because Riku fell prey to darkness. The Council of Disney Villains collect the 7 Princess of Hearts, those whose hearts possess no darkness, in order open the door to all worlds’ hearts, Kingdom Hearts. Ansem (Seeker of Darkness) is the true puppet master behind the Council of Disney Villains and has possessed Riku’s body. He uses six of the seven Princesses of Hearts’ hearts to create the Keyblade of Hearts that unlocks hearts and opens the door to Kingdom Hearts. Riku possessed by Ansem tells Sora that Kairi’s heart is actually been within Sora the entire time. Upon defeating Riku / Ansem, Sora takes the Keyblade and releases his heart, Ventus’s and Kairi’s unknowningly creating his and Kairi’s nobodies, Roxas and Namine. Sora defeats Ansem and seals the door to Kingdom Hearts, trapping Riku and King Mickey in the Realm of Darkness.

Kingdom Hearts 1

Time Period: AS-XIII (anno Sora)

Sora is a thirteen year old boy living on a string of islands called the Destiny Islands along with his close friends Riku and Kairi. This is their world and they seek to explore beyond it by building a raft called Excalibur and setting sail for even newer worlds. But before the day of its maiden voyage, the Heartless, creatures born from the darkness that exists in peoples’ hearts, invade. But prior to this Heartless invasion, at the location of the Secret Place a brown hooded man, tells Sora that he came for the door to his world and forbade that the Heartless were coming to engulf his world in darkness.  And when these events occur, Sora goes off frantically looking for his friends and finds Riku. Riku tells him that their world is connected and they can finally travel to other worlds. He continues to tell Sora, he is not afraid of the darkness and extends his hand to Sora as the darkness swallows him. Sora rushes into the darkness after Riku, but Riku is swallowed by the it and Sora awakens the Keyblade, a legendary weapon to fight the darkness. Sora fights his way through the Heartless and finds a eery Kairi at the Secret Place. She looks exhausted and then suddenly the door to the world behind her opens and pushes her towards Sora. He braces to catch her but she vanishes. After, Sora fights a Darkside with the Keyblade but even with this weapon. His world falls prey to the Heartless and is consumed by darkness.

Following the calamity that befalls Destiny Islands, Sora awakens in a world called Traverse Town. Traverse Town is a world where many inhabitants whose worlds have been consumed by the Heartless find themselves. There, he meets Donald and Goofy, King Mickey’s Royal Knight and Magician respectively. King Mickey, the king of Disney Castle, felt that the world was unsettled by darkness and went out on his own mission but not before tasking Donald and Goofy with finding the one who wields the Keyblade. Various things are explained such as the worlds were not connected to each other and have no knowledge of one another till the Heartless came and the Ansem Reports. Upon meeting Sora, the three join forces to help Sora find his missing friends and lock the Key Holes of different worlds. Jiminy the Cricket records Sora’s progress in a journal.

Elsewhere, Riku awakens in Hollow Bastion, a world similar to Traverse Town that bridges between light and dark, and it is one of the worlds that inhabitants whose worlds have been consumed by the Heartless find themselves. He is greeted by Maleficent.

Sora visits various Disney worlds via Gummi Ships, locking their Keyholes and collecting the Ansem Reports. Gummi Ships are space-like vehicles that traverse through the “Lanes Between” that connect worlds. The Ansem Reports are entries by a scientist and ruler named Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) which takes place from AS-III to AS-XII. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) is fascinated by the darkness within peoples’ hearts and begins his experiments within his castle in Hollow Bastion. He explains those who lose their heart to darkness become Heartless and further explains their nature. Such, they are attracted to more hearts and seek to devour them. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) eventually unlocks the door to his world, the Keyhole, and concludes that beyond the door is the heart of his world and Heartless seek to devour these worlds’ hearts, which is why Sora locks Keyholes to prevent the destruction of a world. Upon opening his worlds’ door, meteors rained from the sky. Later, a visitor from a different world visits Ansem (the Wise), who turns out to be King Mickey. Mickey explains that the material from the meteors were Gummi Blocks. He also explained the story of the Keyblade. Furthermore, Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) creates a machine that artificially creates Heartless and brands these artificial beings with a sigil. We call them Emblem Heartless whereas the Heartless that occur naturally are called Purebloods. Lastly, Ansem concludes his reports by stating that he will find the Keyblade and the Princesses of Hearts by going through the door of his world, but not before casting away his frail body.

On Sora’s second visit to Traverse Town, he finds Riku and the two reminiscence. Sora summons the Keyblade to defeat a Heartless and Riku takes the Keyblade from him. Oddly, the Keyblade doesn’t return to Sora like when Leon grabbed it. Riku tosses the Keyblade back to Sora and disappears. Later, Maleficent is whispering into Riku’s ear, tempting him to reject Sora. Later, Riku is seen in Monstro. He attempts to use Pinnochio to recover Kairi’s missing heart and he is constantly belittling Sora about the Keyblade and Kairi. It is later revealed that Riku is working with the Council of Disney Villains in order to recover Kairi’s missing heart. The Council of Disney Villains are an organized group of villains who seek the Princesses of Heart, those devoid of Darkness within their hearts and incapable of becoming Heartless. When all 7 hearts of the Princesses of Hearts are together. They open the door to the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts.

A comatose Kairi is later seen with Riku who has gained control over the Heartless thanks to Maleficent and they are on Captain Hook’s ship. Sora fights with Peter Pan to get her back but Riku escapes with her. When Sora revisits Traverse Town, he has a memory of Kairi and her grandmother. Kairi’s grandmother is retelling a story where she states that long time ago everyone was bathed in the light until they fought over it and darkness was born in their hearts. This darkness spread and consumed the worlds which is why they remain separated but fragments of light survived within children and these children rebuilt the world that they live in today. Eventually, the door to the inner most darkness will surface and the true light will return again.

In Hollow Bastion, Riku is battling the Beast and beats him. Sora soon arrives wielding the Keyblade. It is revealed that Riku is the true wielder of the Keyblade and the Keyblade returns to its rightful owner, Riku. Donald and Goofy follow Riku in order to complete their King’s wishes of “following the Key”. Sora is left alone with a wooden sword and the Beast. Sora and the Beast make their way through Hollow Bastion. Elsewhere, in the Grand Hall, Maleficent has collected the 6 of the 7 Princesses of Hearts’ hearts and Kairi’s vessel. The hearts of the Princesses of Hearts reveal Hollow Bastion’s Keyhole. Sora runs into Riku, Donald, and Goofy once again. Riku attacks Sora but Goofy blocks the attack and Donald and Goofy join Sora’s side once again. Sora tells Riku that he doesn’t need the Keyblade and his “friends are his power”. The Keyblade then chooses Sora as its master and returns to him. Sora and Riku then battle. Sora uses the Keyblade and Riku uses Soul Eater. Sora defeats Riku and Riku escapes.

Elsewhere, the brown cloak figure from Destiny Islands appears to Riku and tempts his heart with darkness. Dark energy surrounds Riku. Later, in the Grand Hall, Maleficent and Riku are conversing. The Keyhole is incomplete because it is missing Kairi’s, one of the Princesses of Hearts, heart. Riku summons a new Keyblade, the Keyblade of Hearts. It’s a Keyblade made from six of the seven Princessses of Hearts’ hearts and is capable of unlocking one’s heart. Maleficent goes to battle Sora and company but is defeated. Riku appears and unlocks Maleficent’s heart with the Keyblade of Hearts turning her to a dragon. Riku flees and Sora defeats Maleficent once again. Sora is finally reunited with Kairi but she is lifeless. Riku appears and Sora realizes that Riku is someone else. It is revealed that Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness from the Ansem Reports has possessed Riku’s body. He also reveals that Kairi’s heart is within Sora; which occurred the moment that Kairi passed through Sora on Destiny Islands. The two battle and Sora defeats Riku/Ansem. Riku/Ansem disappears and leaves behind the Keyblade of Hearts. Sora takes the Keyblade and unlocks his heart, releasing Kairi’s heart and his own heart in the process as well as the Princesses of Hearts’ hearts which are released from the Keyblade. Kairi’s heart returns to her while Sora falls into darkness and becomes a Heartless. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) returns and tells the group the Keyhole is now complete. Riku temporarily stops Ansem from harming Kairi, Donald, and Goofy by taking control of his body. The group escape but a Shadow Heartless follows them and Kairi realizes that it’s Sora. She protects Sora and returns him to his original form.

In the Realm of Darkness, Riku is lost. The Realm of Darkness is a plane of existence opposite of the Realm of Light, where all the worlds exist; it is where the Heartless and darkness live and the place where worlds consume by the Heartless go. King Mickey tells Riku that his heart won the battle against Ansem but his body remains under his control. He also explains that the Door to Darkness will open soon and it must be closed from both sides using the Keyblade from the Realm of Light and the Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness that he has located. Revisiting Hollow Bastion, Sora fights a black coated figure later revealed to be Xemnas. Later at the End of the World, the events of Destiny Islands are shown once again revealing the brown robed man to be Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) finally reveals his true form. Sora battles Ansem, his Guardian and the World of Chaos. After, Sora and Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) are standing before the door to Kingdom Hearts also the Door to Darkness. Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness) calls upon the darkness from Kingdom Hearts but Sora tells him that Kingdom Hearts is light and light springs from the door killing Ansem (the Seeker of Darkness). Finally with the help of Riku and Mickey, Sora closes the door to Kingdom Hearts. It is closed from both sides using the Keyblades from the Realm of Light and Darkness. Unfortunately, Riku and Mickey are trapped in the Realm of Darkness. Also, the worlds that fell prey to the Heartless are restored. Thus, Kairi returns to the Destiny Islands. Sora, Donald, and Goofy end up on a path to Castle Oblivion looking for Riku and King Mickey!

Fun Facts:

Stars in the sky represents many different worlds. Donald, Leon and Ansem have agreed to this fact. If a world is consumed by darkness, a corresponding star will also disappear.