Universe of Kingdom Hearts

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The Kingdom Hearts video game series, developed by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney, is set in a universe consisting of numerous self-contained worlds based on intellectual properties from both companies. Most worlds are based on different Disney films, although several original worlds also appear.

Contents

The series centers on the character Sora, a boy who searches for his lost friends and encounters Disney and Square Enix characters as he travels between worlds. In the first game, Kingdom Hearts , he fights against the villainous Heartless and seals each world he visits to prevent their return. In Kingdom Hearts II, he helps the residents of these worlds again while searching for his friend Riku. The Kingdom Hearts games have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, and the design of the worlds have been praised for their faithfulness to the source material.

Concept and design

Nomura intended hearts and the strengths and connections of the heart to be a common theme in the games. [1] Characters within the Kingdom Hearts series are composed of three parts: body, soul, and heart. The body acts as a vessel for the heart and soul, with the soul giving life to the body. [2] The heart holds their memories and gives them emotion, light, and darkness.

The Kingdom Hearts games are divided into various game levels, referred to as "worlds", which the player progresses through. Worlds vary in appearance, typically dependent on the Disney setting on which they are based. The worlds' graphics resemble the art style from the originating Disney film, and the worlds are inhabited by characters from their respective films; for example, Hercules and Philoctetes appear in Olympus Coliseum from Hercules , while Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie appear in Agrabah from Aladdin . [3] The game worlds consist of interconnected field maps where battles and plot-related events occur. Players travel between worlds in different ways in each game, such as the "Gummi Ship" in the original Kingdom Hearts, "Keyblade glider" in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep , "Corridors of Darkness" in 358/2 Days , and "Sleeping Keyholes" in Dream Drop Distance . Worlds created specifically for the series mirror the overall appearance of other worlds and predominantly feature characters from Square Enix games and original characters. [4]

Though Disney gave director Tetsuya Nomura freedom to choose which characters and worlds would be used in the games, he and his staff tried to stay within the established roles of characters and boundaries of the worlds. [5] Nomura found managing and keeping multiple worlds consistent to be problematic. [6] After determining the number of worlds in the universe, Nomura picked ones he felt would fit into the series' scenario, which was then evaluated by his team and Disney representatives. [7] He tried to maintain the same number of worlds in each game and tried to minimize any overlap in the overall look and feel of each world, which he and his staff did by categorizing Disney worlds by appearance and setting. [8] For example, a world based on The Jungle Book was considered for the first game, but was omitted because it was similar to Deep Jungle from Tarzan . [7] [1] They also took into account worlds with Disney characters that would be interesting. [9] For example, Nomura chose to include a Mulan world for its unique atmosphere. [10] The Tron world's design was meant to emulate an old computer game in the style of the 1982 film. Nomura got the idea to include this world after seeing a Disney employee working on Tron 2.0 . He hoped that the fact that it was so different from the other worlds would make it enjoyable to players. [11]

Creatures/Enemies

Heartless

The Heartless (ハートレス, Hātoresu) are creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts, and lack a body or soul. They are the most common type of enemy the player encounters in the Kingdom Hearts series, acting as forces of darkness who seek to consume more hearts, including those of worlds. [12] Their name derives from their lack of a heart, despite originating from people's hearts after darkness consumes them.

Initially, the Heartless existed within an all-encompassing variety, the "Pureblood", and, prior to the events of the first Kingdom Hearts, they were typically only encountered in the realm of darkness, although people with a strong will may summon them to the realm of light. While studying the Pureblood Heartless, as a side effect of their research to control the mind through the heart, Xehanort and Ansem's other apprentices found a way to create artificial "Emblem" Heartless via the corruption of living hearts, [13] which are differentiated from Purebloods by an insignia on their bodies. Unlike Purebloods, Emblem Heartless release hearts once defeated. However, unless the Keyblade is used to defeat the Heartless, the stolen hearts go to the realm of darkness and turn into Heartless again. This, combined with Maleficent's quest to gather the seven Princesses of Heart by using the forces of darkness, make the Heartless a common sight within the realm of light by the time of the first Kingdom Hearts.

Ordinarily, the Heartless are mindless and function on instinct, but obey those with a strong will. [14] However, in worlds closer to darkness, the Heartless are more powerful and uncontrollable. They invade worlds through corridors of darkness, which are unpredictable pathways that interlink the worlds. [15]

Nobody

When Heartless are created, the body and soul of those with strong hearts that have lost their hearts to darkness become another type of creature called a Nobody (ノーバディ, Nōbadi). [16] As they lack hearts possessing light and darkness, they are "nothing", yet still exist within the Kingdom Hearts universe. [17] Despite this, Nobodies can gain new hearts of their own over time, separate from their original selves. [18] Nobodies typically assume malformed, inhuman shapes, but the members of Organization XIII keep their human forms because they possessed strong hearts as humans and thus remember their original self. [19] Most members of the Organization control one type of Nobody suited to their fighting style, each corresponding to a job in Final Fantasy. [20]

Like the Emblem Heartless, the Nobodies have an insignia—an upside-down, incomplete heart—which was designed to resemble a splintered heart as a complement to the Heartless emblem. [21] Upon being defeated, a Nobody fades into a state of non-existence until its Heartless counterpart is destroyed with the captive heart released, recreating the original being. [22]

Within the series, two Nobodies, Roxas and Naminé are considered "special cases" regarding the circumstances of their births. Both were created when Sora used Xehanort's Keyblade of heart to release his and Kairi's hearts, respectively, but coexist alongside their original selves, rather than in lieu of them. Unlike most of Organization XIII's members, who resemble their original selves with their memories and personalities intact, Roxas resembles Ventus rather than Sora due to holding the former's heart within himself, [23] and lacks Sora's memories due to the short duration of Sora's Heartless state. [24] Meanwhile, Naminé was born of Kairi's heart through Sora's body and, in addition to not having Kairi's memories, has the ability to alter the memories of Sora and those close to him.

Unversed

The Unversed (アンヴァース, Anvāsu) are creatures that are introduced and predominantly appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep . Described by Nomura as being "those who are not well-versed in their own existences", [25] they are Vanitas' emotions given form and feed on the negativity of others, which allows them to assume more powerful forms. Vanitas pits these creatures against his counterpart, Ventus, to strengthen him as part of Master Xehanort's plan to obtain the χ-blade. Upon defeat, the Unversed's negativity reintegrates with Vanitas, allowing him to recreate them no matter how many times they are destroyed. The Unversed cease to be after Vanitas integrates back into Ventus and is subsequently destroyed within Ventus's subconscious, but are temporarily restored following his return during the events of Kingdom Hearts III.

Bug Blox

Kingdom Hearts Coded includes software bugs, referred to in-game as Bug Blox (バグブロックス, Bagu Burokkusu) or simply "Bugs", who serve as the game's main antagonistic force. To investigate a message hidden in Jiminy Cricket's journal that Naminé left, King Mickey has the book digitized to uncover the mystery. However, due to the "hurt" the message contains, most of the data ended up corrupted and caused the data worlds to be infected with bugs. They primarily take the form of cubes that the game's main protagonist, a virtual replica of Sora called "Data-Sora", can destroy or use as platforms. There are several different varieties of Bug Blox, with the most common, breakable variety being black-and-red in color. Other bugs take the appearance of boss-level Heartless that Sora had defeated in Kingdom Hearts. [26] Villains and boss-level Heartless make use of the bugs to assist them in fighting Data-Sora.

It is later revealed that the recording of Sora's Heartless had gained sentience and is responsible for the journal being blank even after Sora's memories were restored, because the book revolved around him. It seeks to devour the rest of the digital Heartless for power and escape into the real world to sate its hunger for hearts. While its most basic form is the weak and common "Shadow" variety of Heartless, it grows increasingly powerful and gains the ability to take other forms, such as an entirely black lookalike of Sora with yellow eyes or an enormous variety of Heartless called "Darkside". The bugs cease to be after Data-Sora destroys the original bug and resets the entire datascape.

Dream Eater

Dream Eaters (ドリームイーター, Dorīmu Ītā) are primarily featured in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . Like the Heartless, they are beings of darkness that inhabit the Sleeping worlds isolated from the realm of light and are compelled to find the worlds' keyholes. Dream Eaters manifest in two kinds: hostile "Nightmares", which devour good dreams and create bad ones and serve as the game's enemies; and benevolent "Spirits", which the player can create to serve as party members and combat the Nightmares. Several boss enemy Nightmares appear under the control of Young Xehanort and various Disney villains throughout the game. [27] [28] Riku temporarily turns into a Dream Eater by subconsciously entering Sora's dreams upon sensing Xehanort's interference within the Mark of Mastery exam. Additionally, a type of Dream Eater called Chirithy appears in Kingdom Hearts χ and Kingdom Hearts III as NPCs.

Objects

Keyblade

The icon that represents the Keyblade Kingdom Hearts-Keyblade icon symbol.svg
The icon that represents the Keyblade

Keyblades (キーブレード, Kīburēdo) are key-shaped melee weapons created to combat darkness and are the only thing that can free hearts from a Heartless form, [29] [30] thus allowing the restoration of complete beings. Keyblades are also capable of locking and unlocking doors and keyholes. [31] Initially, Keyblades were crafted in the image of the original "χ-blade" by those who wanted the light within Kingdom Hearts for themselves and those who sought the opposite. Wielders acknowledged as "Keyblade Masters" can bequeath the power to wield a Keyblade to one they deem worthy by letting them touch the handle of the blade or connecting their heart to another. There are also Keyblades like Xehanort's, which are passed down from different owners through generations.

Keyblades change in both appearance and strength with different keychains, which augment its wielder's fighting capabilities; some are obtained as a result of in-game events, while others can be obtained by completing mini-games. A driving element in the first game is the ability to seal the "heart" of a world by locking the keyhole to the door leading to it, preventing it from being destroyed by Heartless. In Kingdom Hearts II, the player uses the Keyblade to unlock pathways between worlds that were closed after the events of the first game. [32] While Sora is the only one who uses the Keyblade in the first game, later games reveal more characters who wield Keyblades. In Birth by Sleep, Keyblades can be transformed into hovercraft called Keyblade Gliders, which can be used to travel from world to world, making Keyblade wielders the only people with the means of transportation between worlds before Gummi Ships are used. The "gates" Sora would open later are known as the Lanes Between, which can be accessed by any Keyblade wielder. [33]

χ-blade

The χ-blade (χブレード, Kīburēdo, pronounced the same as "Keyblade") is an ancient weapon of unknown origin introduced in Birth by Sleep that is capable of directly unlocking Kingdom Hearts. It is a double-handed weapon that takes the shape of two "Kingdom Key" Keyblades that intersect in an "X" shape, with additional features that give it the shape of an actual sword. It has the power to open the heart of all worlds, and exists alongside Kingdom Hearts as its guardian. It led to "Keyblades" being crafted in its image by those seeking Kingdom Hearts' power, those who sought to extinguish the light, and those who sought to protect it. This resulted in the Keyblade War, which ended in a world known as the Keyblade Graveyard; the aftermath led the χ-blade to shatter into seven pieces of light and thirteen pieces of darkness. These seven lights, which are said to be the source of all light in the World, later became the hearts of the Princesses of Heart, who are targeted by Organization XIII as a result.

In Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort's over-eagerness to obtain the weapon causes him to seek two hearts of equal strength—one of pure light and one of pure darkness—to fight each other. He finds such a means through his former apprentice Ventus and his personified darkness Vanitas, who Xehanort created and enlisted to ensure his plans succeeded. Though Ventus and Vanitas fuse back into one being with the χ-blade in hand, the unstable χ-blade explodes due to Vanitas' destruction within Ventus. Dream Drop Distance reveals that, as a contingency to his previous plan, Xehanort arranged the formation of his thirteen "Seekers of Darkness", the new Organization XIII composing of his various incarnations and vessels, to fight the Keyblade users, who would form seven "Guardians of Light".

Kingdom Hearts

The symbol that represents Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts heart symbol.svg
The symbol that represents Kingdom Hearts

The titular Kingdom Hearts (キングダムハーツ, Kingudamu Hātsu) is the "heart of all worlds" and the source of hearts. It is an object of immense power, which caused conflict as its light drove many to fight over it in what became the Keyblade War. In the end, Kingdom Hearts was consumed in the darkness caused by the conflict, and the worlds became separate from each other. [34] During Birth by Sleep, Master Xehanort seeks the return of Kingdom Hearts, and while it does appear over the Keyblade Graveyard, the flawed reunion of Ventus and Vanitas causes the unstable χ-blade to explode and Kingdom Hearts to vanish. After splitting himself into a Heartless and a Nobody, Ansem seeks out the Door to Darkness to gain access to an artificial Kingdom Hearts created from the hearts of worlds, while Xemnas seeks to create his own artificial Kingdom Hearts from the hearts of people. These artificial constructs, however, are only small-scale versions of the "true" Kingdom Hearts, which can only be accessed with its counterpart, the χ-blade.

Each Kingdom Hearts takes different shapes depending on from which hearts they are created. The first game's Kingdom Hearts, artificially created from the hearts of worlds, has the appearance of a sphere of light beyond a white door. The Kingdom Hearts made by Organization XIII, on the other hand, takes the form of a yellow heart-shaped moon. The authentic Kingdom Hearts called upon by the χ-blade is depicted as a blue heart-shaped moon in Birth by Sleep and yellow in Kingdom Hearts III.

Worlds

The World That Never Was is a setting introduced in a secret trailer in Kingdom Hearts. The heart-shaped moon is an attempt to create an imitation of "Kingdom Hearts", a central plot point throughout the series. Theworldthatneverwaskh2.jpg
The World That Never Was is a setting introduced in a secret trailer in Kingdom Hearts . The heart-shaped moon is an attempt to create an imitation of "Kingdom Hearts", a central plot point throughout the series.

The Kingdom Hearts universe is divided into planes of existence called "realms". Most of the series takes place in the "Realm of Light". Opposite the Realm of Light is the "Realm of Darkness", where Kingdom Hearts resides and where Heartless are born. The "Realm Between" is a plane where Nobodies come into existence. [16] Additionally, there is the "Realm of Sleep" where the Sleeping Worlds featured in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance are located.

In the Kingdom Hearts universe, travelling between worlds is normally not possible, and they are protected from extraterrestrial interference by an invisible shell. [35] [36] When the heart of a world is opened, the shell breaks apart, appearing as a meteor shower. [35] [37] Fragments from the wall are called "Gummi blocks" and are used to make spaceships called "Gummi Ships", which can be shaped into any structure, and the origin of the material used to build them allows travel to other worlds. [35] [38] Gummi blocks serve different functions, from navigation to offense and defense. [3] [39] Other methods to travel between worlds are the "corridors of darkness" and the "lanes between"—interdimensional pathways through which frequent travel eventually erodes unprotected users' hearts with darkness. [35] Heartless and Nobodies normally use these paths, but other characters have used them, including Riku and Mickey Mouse. [15] [35]

Those who travel between worlds are advised to limit their interactions with their inhabitants to avoid causing chaos. [40] [41] For this reason, the main characters change their appearance in certain worlds to avoid standing out. In the worlds based on The Little Mermaid and The Nightmare Before Christmas , Sora, Donald, and Goofy transform into undersea creatures and Halloween monsters, respectively. [42] [43] For The Lion King , they transform into savannah animals because Nomura felt that it would be odd to have them appear in their standard forms when no humans appear in the film. [11]

Disney worlds

Most worlds that appear in the games are based on Disney films and follow abridged versions of their stories, such as in Wonderland, the Land of Dragons, and Castle of Dreams. Agrabah covers the first two Aladdin films in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, while Atlantica and Halloween Town have original plots in the first game and plots based on their films in the second game. Worlds like Monstro and Neverland focus heavily on the main plot, the latter being reduced to Captain Hook's ship, where Riku reveals to Sora that Kairi has lost her heart. These worlds would not be able to be explored fully until the releases of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance , Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep , respectively. In Beauty and the Beast , the Beast appears in Kingdom Hearts to aid Sora when he temporarily loses the Keyblade, and after the restoration of Beast's Castle, he becomes a pawn in the plot of Organization XIII during Kingdom Hearts II.

During the development of Kingdom Hearts II, Nomura had more creative freedom due to advances in technology, which Port Royal/The Caribbean, Space Paranoids, and Pride Lands benefited from. In Port Royal and Space Paranoids, the character models were generated from live-action pictures using a new program. [10] Nomura had wanted to include a world based on The Lion King in the first game, but was unable to since the engine could not process quadrupedal character models properly, a feature included in Kingdom Hearts II. [11]

Birth by Sleep introduced several new Disney-based worlds to the series: Castle of Dreams, Enchanted Dominion, Dwarf Woodlands and Deep Space. Dream Drop Distance included more new Disney worlds, such as La Cité des Cloches, The Grid, Prankster's Paradise, Country of the Musketeers, and Symphony of Sorcery.

Kingdom Hearts III introduces more worlds, such as Kingdom of Corona, San Fransokyo, Toy Box, Monstropolis, and Arendelle. [44] [45] [46] [47] When questioned on the possibility of including worlds based on Disney-purchased properties such as Pixar, Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm, co-director Tai Yasue said, "We have to come up with a world that has a lot of originality. We want variety... so we don't want too many of one sort of world, that would look the same. For each world there has to be some meaning for it, in the plot... Also, gameplay-wise, is that world something that would make gameplay fun?" [48] The game does not feature any worlds based on Final Fantasy . [49]

In addition to the Gummi Ship mini-game, mini-games feature prominently in certain worlds. While Atlantica is an ordinary world in Kingdom Hearts, albeit with a unique "underwater" control scheme, it becomes an interactive rhythm game in Kingdom Hearts II which is unrelated to the overall story and serves as filler. [11] Space Paranoids features a Light Cycle mini-game that strongly deviates from the original film, which Nomura included because he knew people associated the Light Cycles with Tron. [11]

Original worlds

The worlds created specifically for the series predominantly feature original and Square Enix characters and are more integral to the series' overarching plot. The first world of each game serves as a tutorial to introduce new gameplay elements and frame the story. Both they and the Disney worlds are fragments of the original world, which is identified in Kingdom Hearts III as Scala Ad Caelum, the seat of power for the ancient Keyblade masters that serves as the game's final dungeon.

Reception

The series' setting has garnered mostly positive reception from critics. Following Kingdom Hearts' initial announcement, publications expressed skepticism towards the first game's viability. [55] [56] [57] Andrew Reiner of Game Informer stated that despite the extreme differences between Final Fantasy and Disney properties, they blend well together along with the new content created for the series. A second Game Informer reviewer, Matt Miller, described the concept as a "hard sell", describing the combination of the two properties as "ridiculous". He also stated his belief that the franchise's formula is successful. [58] The graphics of the games have received generous praise, with particular focus on their similarity to the source material. IGN stated that the "worlds look very much like their filmed counterparts". [59] Japanese gaming site, Gpara.com also praised the look of the worlds. [60] GameSpot referred to the worlds as "wonderfully rich familiar environments", [61] and GamePro described the worlds as "spot-on with the original movies." [62]

Following the release of the first game, the Disney settings were well received by critics. Allgame's Scott Marriott stated the Disney settings are the most attractive feature of the game and considered some of the world choices a surprise. He praised the level designs, commenting that many familiar elements from the Disney films were integrated into them. Marriott further stated that though the stages were small, interacting with beloved characters and exploring familiar settings were enjoyable aspects. [63] Maura Sutton of Computer and Video Games attributed the Disney elements as a major factor in creating the game's "astounding worlds". She summarized her review by calling Kingdom Hearts a "delightful mixture of two enchanted worlds". [64] Video game critics of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories expressed disappointment at the limited number of new worlds to explore in the game. [57] [65] 1UP.com's Bryan Intihar lauded Kingdom Hearts II's environment, calling it appealing and stating it was an improvement over the first title's. He described the level designs as "impeccable", citing the presentation of the Timeless River stage's atmosphere. Intihar further commented that the expansions and changes to previous worlds made them "feel fresh". [66] In contrast, Reiner described the Disney elements in Kingdom Hearts II as "tacked on". [58]

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Kingdom Hearts Coded is an episodic action role-playing puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, for mobile phones. Coded was a Japan-only release announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show. Its Nintendo DS remake titled Kingdom Hearts Re:coded was released in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia. A cinematic remake of the game was included in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix video game compilation for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance</i> 2012 video game

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS, revealed at E3 2010. The game is the seventh installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and was released in Japan on March 29, 2012. It was released in Europe on July 20, 2012, in Australasia on July 26, 2012, and in North America on July 31, 2012.

<i>Kingdom Hearts χ</i> 2013 role-playing browser game

Kingdom Hearts χ, stylized as Kingdom Hearts χ[chi], is a Japanese role-playing browser game developed by Square Enix, BitGroove and Success, and published by Square Enix for web browsers as the eighth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. Gameplay involves players navigating a customized avatar through Disney-inspired worlds fighting enemies, along with taking down bosses in multiplayer matches in competition with other teams. A version of the game for mobile devices called Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ was released as the ninth installment of the series in Japan in September 2015, and worldwide in 2016.

<i>Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue</i> 2017 video game compilation

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a compilation of games from the Kingdom Hearts series, developed and published by Square Enix. A successor to the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix game compilation, the new title was announced in September 2015 and released in January 2017 on PlayStation 4, on February 18, 2020, on Xbox One, and on March 30, 2021, and June 13, 2024, on Windows via Epic Games Store and Steam respectively. A cloud version of the collection was released for the Nintendo Switch on February 10, 2022.

<i>Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory</i> 2020 rhythm-action video game

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a 2020 rhythm action game developed by Square Enix and indieszero, and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. It is the fourteenth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, retelling the events of the series so far, while also being set after Kingdom Hearts III's Re Mind downloadable content scenario.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kingdom Hearts II Tetsuya Nomura interview". Video Game Blogger. August 11, 2006. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  2. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Secret Ansem Report #4: Three elements combine to create a life: a heart, a soul, and a body.
  3. 1 2 Birlew, Dan (2003). Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide . BradyGames. ISBN   0-7440-0198-6.
  4. ↑ Square Co. (2002). Kingdom Hearts Instruction Booklet. Square Co., Limited.
  5. ↑ X-Play staff (October 27, 2003). "Tetsuya Nomura on the 'Kingdom Hearts' Sequels". X-Play. Archived from the original on August 15, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  6. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (September 23, 2004). "TGS 2004: Tetsuya Nomura Q&A". IGN. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Playstation.com Europe – E3 Interview". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Archived from the original on April 18, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Nomura Interview Dengeki 1". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  9. ↑ "KHU Interview w/Tetsuya Nomura". Kingdom Hearts Insider. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  10. 1 2 "Dengeki – Kingdom Hearts 2 Progress Report". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2007.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nomura Dengeki Interview #3". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  12. ↑ Square. Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2). Square Electronic Arts.
  13. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Secret Ansem Report #5: Not only did they generate "pureblood" Heartless from living hearts, but they then used those Heartless to synthesize artificial versions of the creatures as well. These synthetic Heartless bore insignias and were called "Emblem Heartless."
  14. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Saïx: The Heartless ally with whoever is the strongest.
  15. 1 2 Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Yen Sid: The Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds.
  16. 1 2 Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Secret Ansem Report #7: When a Heartless is born, the body and soul left behind are reborn into this world as a different being.
  17. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Yen Sid: An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence---for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all.
  18. ↑ Square Enix (July 31, 2012). Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (Nintendo 3DS). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Xemnas: A heart is never lost for good. There may have been variances in our dispositions, but a number of us unquestionably showed signs of a burgeoning replacement. Once born, the heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating the heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self. But understand, one can banish the heart from the body, but the body will try to replace it the first chance it gets, for as many times as it takes. And so I knew, even after we were divided into Heartless and Nobodies, it was just a temporary separation.
  19. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Secret Ansem Report #7: A great number of Nobodies have lost human form, as have the Heartless. Yet the Nobody born of someone with a strong heart retains its shape, with but the faintest visible changes.
  20. ↑ Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania (in Japanese). Square Enix. ISBN   4-7575-1621-5.
  21. ↑ "2nd Famitsu Nomura Interview". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  22. ↑ Square Enix (January 11, 2011). Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Nintendo DS). Square Enix. Yen Sid: Xehanort's heart, once seized by his Heartless half, is now free. And his body, which had become his Nobody, has been vanquished. Both halves will now be returned to the whole.
  23. ↑ キングダム ハーツ バース バイ スリープ アルティマニア[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania] (in Japanese). Square Enix. 2010. p. 616. ISBN   978-4-7575-2788-1.
  24. ↑ キングダム ハーツ 358/2 Days アルティマニア[Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Ultimania] (in Japanese). Square Enix. 2009. ISBN   978-4-7575-2578-8.
  25. ↑ Yui (August 2, 2008). "KH Birth by Sleep：DKΣ3713初の試遊台出展レポート、新たな敵は「アンバース」" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  26. ↑ "Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata". Famitsu . October 2007. p. 33. Archived from the original (translation) on June 13, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  27. ↑ "Information regarding KH3D's new enemy at TGS". Kingdom Hearts Insider. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Even more details about Kingdom Hearts 3D from the Tokyo Game Show". Nintendo 3DS Blog. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013.
  29. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Saïx: Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts.
  30. ↑ Square Enix (September 29, 2009). Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Nintendo DS). Square Enix. Marluxia:: The rest of us can defeat Heartless, but we have no way of collecting the hearts they release. Eventually, the hearts will turn right back into Heartless.
  31. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Hades: Let me see if I got this right... That brat's Keyblade works on any lock? / Pete: That's right.
  32. ↑ Square Enix (March 28, 2006). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games. Yen Sid: Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared. / Donald: How do we get around? / Yen Sid: Do not fear. If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know... However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship.
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  34. ↑ Square. Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2). Square Electronic Arts. Kairi's grandmother: Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other.
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  37. ↑ Square. Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2). Square Electronic Arts. Ansem's Report 5: Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence. It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy. That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky.
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  42. ↑ Square. Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2). Square Electronic Arts. Donald: Okay, guys. Prepare for landing. / Sora: Land where? In the sea? We'll drown! / Donald: Not with my magic, we won't. Just leave it to me.
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