Summary
TheKingdom Heartsfranchise features alarge cast of colorful characterswith different origins. Whether they come from a Disney IP, another Square Enix game or they’re completely original, almost everyone in this bizarre yet wonderful crossover franchise has turned out to be quite an efficient fighter.
But, of course, the strength of some of this universe’s characters has been especially shocking to fans because their design, personality, or previous appearances in other media made them seem way weaker than they are. There are a lot of prominentKingdom Heartscharacters who ended up being surprisingly powerful, but the following are the most noteworthy examples.
When players begin theirKingdom Heartsjourney with the original title,it’s easy to dismissDonald Duckas a comic relief characterwho’s just there to assist Sora and to represent the Disney side of this crossover. Even in gameplay, while always helpful due to his various elemental and healing spells, Donald pales in comparison to Sora in terms of general strength.
This couldn’t be further from the truth, however, because Donald is one of the strongest mages in the entire series. This was perfectly illustrated in some of his recurring special attacks in the numbered titles, like Flare Force or Donald Meteor, but it was officially cemented in the climax ofKingdom Hearts 3when he used the spell Zettaflare to get rid of Terra-Xehanort.
All the unfair misconceptions surrounding Donald Duck can also be applied toGoofy. When the firstKingdom Heartsgame begins, it’s easy to assume he’ll just be a comic relief that is meant to make the player laugh with his slapstick antics, while also assisting them with his defensive properties during gameplay. But, just like his feathered counterpart, Goofy has a lot more strength than it may seem at first glance.
After all, he’s the Captain Of The Royal Knights in Disney Castle, meaning that he has to have enough power to protect both his king and, by extension, all the other worlds. With his resilient shield, Goofy has withstood attacks from other powerful combatants, like Riku or members of Organization XIII, not to mention that some of his special techniques, like Goofy Turbo or Goofy Bombardier, can efficiently drain enemies’ HP in a few seconds.
Disney is quite protective of its IPs and characters,especially its world-renowned mascot,Mickey Mouse. Because of this, many players believed that he was not going to do much in the epic fantasy plot ofKingdom Hearts, a fair preconception that was reassured by his small role in the original game. However, once Square Enix proved that it could treat Disney’s mascot with proper respect, he got a way bigger role in subsequent entries.
This is where fans find out that King Mickey is an incredibly powerful Keyblade Master, on the same level as characters like Master Eraqus or Master Xehanort. His small size and speed make him a deadly physical fighter, and he’s extremely efficient with his Keyblade since he can use all sorts of powerful light magic, like Pearl or Ultima. Additionally, King Mickey’s immense power was finally showcased inKingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind, where he fought thirteen Xehanort replicas all by himself.
For most of the series,Yen Sidwas quite a controversial figure among fans, who saw him as “all talk and no action.” After all, the famous titular sorcerer fromThe Sorcerer’s Apprenticespent most of his screen time sitting in his tower, giving Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey orders and explanations, but without getting involved in the action.
This finally changed in the climactic final battle ofKingdom Hearts 3, when Yen Sid suddenly appeared in the Keyblade Graveyard and saved the Guardians of Light from the massive horde of Heartless that Xehanort had sent after them. Not only did he teleport from his tower in an instant, but he also created a giant wall of light to repel all those enemies. It’s because of this scene that fans are hoping to see more of Yen Sid’s battle abilities in future titles.
TheFairy Godmotherwas a prominent figure in the firstKingdom Heartsgame, where she helped Sora restore Summon Gems throughout his initial adventure. After that, she made a few insignificant appearances (mainly in Cinderella’s world inBirth by Sleep) but it didn’t seem like she was going to have another important role in the main story of the series. Much to the surprise of fans, however, this changed with the release ofKingdom Hearts 3 Re:MindandMelody of Memory.
Of course, the Fairy Godmother still isn’t much of a fighter, but she doesn’t really need to be, because she has proven that she has a special ability to travel to other worlds, especially those within dreams and in other realities, which puts her on the same level as her magical colleagues Merlin and Yen Sid. She has been especially important in the quest to find Sora after he disappeared,meaning that she will most likely appear in the upcomingKingdom Hearts 4.
Due to his cowardly personality and his comedic role within the story,many fans considerDemyxto be the weakest member of the original Organization XIII. However, just because most of his colleagues are stronger than him, it doesn’t mean that this goofy Nobody is a weakling, because this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Demyx revealed how strong he truly is during his boss fight inKingdom Hearts 2, where he revealed his enormous Sitar and used his magic to summon endless water clones of himself. Curiously enough, he ended up being one of the most challenging mandatory bosses of the game, and his encounter was arguably harder than the fights against some of his colleagues, like Luxord or Saix. At the end of the day, Demyx proved that he was worthy of being part of Organization XIII, even if his cowardice and laziness sometimes got the best of him.
Despite his humanoid appearance, theAnti Black CoatfromDream Drop Distanceis not much of a character. This is just a physical representation of Sora’s nightmares that Riku had to face at the end of the game, so it’s not a member of Organization XIII, it has no personality, and it can’t even talk.The Anti Black Coat is just another Nightmare boss, not too different from all the others Riku had already fought in his journey through the Dream Worlds.
Nevertheless, this ended up being one of the most challenging bosses in the entire game, even more so than actual villains with personalities, like Xemnas or Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. This is because Anti Black Coat is a beast in combat, and it can use some truly powerful special moves during its fight. It can slash with blades made of darkness, teleport around the battlefield via shadows, and even drain Riku’s HP in an instant to heal itself. Needless to say, newcomers toDream Drop Distanceshould be especially cautious of the Anti Black Coat.
When Sora temporarily became a Heartless back inKingdom Hearts 1, he took the form of a Shadow, the weakest species of Heartless in the game. This made a lot of sense since Sora is a good person with a lot of light inside his heart, so his dark counterpart was never going to be particularly powerful. Everything changed, however, inKingdom Hearts Re: Coded,a game in which a digital version ofSora’s Heartlesstook the role of main antagonist alongside Maleficent.
This new incarnation of Sora’s Heartless resided inside Jiminy Cricket’s journal and became bigger and more powerful after it absorbed all the Bug Blox and the minds of other digital Heartless. As a result, it became the most epic and impressive boss in all ofRe: Coded, and it certainly gave Data Sora a tough battle with its newfound power. It first took the form of a massive Neo Darkside, and it later turned into its true form, a dark version of Sora that could use all of his signature Keyblade abilities. Who would have guessed that such a small and insignificant Heartless could become such a threatening monster?
