The Kingdom Hearts series is one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time, and for pretty good reason. The characters are lovable, the battle systems are fun, and the soundtrack is enchanting. Still, while there are a whole bunch of people in Kingdom Hearts' corner, you can't deny the fact that the plot is convoluted, to say the least.
Between data worlds, clones, and time travel, the series employs some of the most notoriously hard-to-follow plot devices in media. Confusing and at times incomprehensible, Kingdom Hearts has had plenty of absolutely bananas moments that made us wonder: is this not making sense to anyone else?
11 Honorable Mention: The Raft
The iconic raft from the first game has been a meme among fans for ages. Exactly why Sora, Riku, and Kairi believed they could go to another world on a raft is beyond us. It's never explained why they believe such a thing is even possible.
Additionally, the fact that they bring "provisions" consisting of three coconuts, some mushrooms, and one bottle of water is concerning. It's for the best that the Heartless swallowed Destiny Islands before these kids could set sail.
10 The Power of Waking
Throughout most of Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora travels the worlds in order to learn the Power of Waking, a skill that would help Ventus out of his way-too-long coma. Originally Yen Sid said that Sora used to have the Power of Waking but lost it. However, when he finally finds Venus, he's just suddenly able to use it.
The explanation is that he unlocked the power in his heart somehow, but that doesn't really explain why you had to spend upwards of 20 hours hanging out with a bunch of Disney characters unimportant to the plot. It's never explained how the Power of Waking even works or why Sora suddenly gained the ability.
9 Ask And Ye Shall Recieve
Lea (or Axel) has been a fan favorite since his first appearance in Chain of Memories. When he sacrificed himself in Kingdom Hearts 2, most fans assumed that was the end of the line for the pyromaniac.
Not only did Lea return, but he complained so hard about wanting a Keyblade that one just appeared for him. By this logic, if Donald quacks loudly and for long enough, will he get one, too?
8 Riku's Quick Change
One of the less well-explained plot points concerns Riku in Kingdom Hearts 2. He spends almost the entire game in Ansem's body, but an explosion created by another Ansem somehow manages to make him regain his true form.
No one really questions why this happens since everyone's pretty hype that Riku's back to normal. Still though, it's a significant moment in the game that has little to no explanation attached to it.
7 A Righteous Cause?
The series really hammers in the fact that both darkness and light are necessary to create balance. You're not expected to question exactly why the Guardians of Light are so hellbent on eliminating the darkness, but an important question is brought up by Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2.
When he points out the need for balance and asks why they're trying to fight him, no one has a good answer. Mickey says the darkness is "scary," and Riku's reason boils down to him thinking the darkness is not ideal. After that it's never really brought up again, making us wonder: does it even make sense to fight at all?
6 Realm Of Plot Holes
The nature and rules of the Realm of Darkness are never really explained. Aqua stays there for over 10 years, but she never has to eat, sleep, and her appearance never changes. Additionally, the beach is often called the edge of the RoD. However, somehow Aqua managed to "dive deeper," according to Mickey, which contradicts what we'd been told otherwise.
Further, it's implied that characters only gain silver hair and golden eyes if they've been Norted, but Aqua gets to sport a fun new evil look just from hanging out there too long. There's even more stuff that needs to be unpacked (like why Mickey had to leave her there for a decade if she had been so easy to find this whole time), but it doesn't seem like there'll be answers for us anytime soon.
5 This Boy's Existence
Sora asserts over and over again that hearts are made up of more than light and darkness, and this lesson is a truth that every character agrees to. Why, then, does nobody question Vanitas' existence?
According to Xehanort (and Vanitas himself), Vanitas' heart is made up completely of darkness. This goes against a core philosophy of the series. Even though his existence negates one of the most important values in the series, the cast doesn't have a reaction to it at all.
4 The Heartless Nobodies
Ever since Nobodies were introduced in Chain of Memories, a core part of their characterization was that they had no hearts and couldn't actually feel. However, in Dream Drop Distance, it's "revealed" that Nobodies actually do have hearts and the lie everyone was fed was a ruse.
Still, how the Nobodies didn't think that maybe their feelings were real when there are multiple scenes of many of them crying, being afraid, laughing, etc. seems silly. If they were obviously feeling, then why would so many of them believe something so clearly false? Additionally, the assertion that they can "grow hearts" does not sit right with some fans.
3 Creation Questions
There are lots of things about the Nobodies that you have to take with a grain of salt. In Kingdom Hearts 2, it's stated that Nobodies are formed when someone with a strong will gets their heart taken away. However, there are two different types of Nobodies-minions (like the Dusks pictured) and humans (like all of the Organization).
The reason why some people retain their form and why others turn into monsters is never explained or questioned by any character. There are countless monster Nobodies but only a handful of human Nobodies, and no one seems to think that that dividing line is weird.
2 Donald Duck, Mage Extraordinaire
One of the most iconic moments from Kingdom Hearts 3 was given to us by none other than Donald Duck. In a seemingly hopeless fight, Donald uses zettaflare against Terranort, a very powerful enemy. However, zettaflare is over a billion times stronger than the world-ending terraflare used by Bahamut in Final Fantasy 14, effectively making Donald Duck the strongest black mage in any Square Enix series.
Somehow Terranort survives the attack, which is its' whole own thing to unpack. Still, though, if Donald Duck can cast the strongest spell in all of Square Enix, why can't he ever heal you properly?
1 What Were We Fighting For?
The whole series is called Kingdom Hearts, and yet no character even knows what it is. They're all fighting to either unleash it or keep it contained, but why? There's no real explanation as to what Kingdom Hearts is, what it does, or why anyone wants to use it. Even Xehanort, the big bad himself, is starting a war over it and doesn't even know its' true nature.
Sora states in Kingdom Hearts, the first game, that Kingdom Hearts itself is light. Still, how would he even know if nobody knows anything about it? One would think after almost two decades we would finally know what the namesake of the series even is.