Most gamers have watched a Disney film at some point, and many have played one of Square Enix's Final Fantasy games. However, nobody on the 2002 gaming scene thought of the two universes merging together. And yet, Kingdom Hearts managed to pull it off.
In Kingdom Hearts, players take on the role of Sora, a Keyblade Master in search of his friends. Once an ordinary boy, Sora now has to travel across worlds alongside Donald and Goofy in order to stop the Forces of Darkness. In the game, Sora wields the Keyblade, a weapon capable of "opening" hearts and traveling to other worlds. Over the span of two decades, both Square Enix and Disney revealed a ton of information about the Keyblade and its true nature.
10 Chainsaw Blades
Despite being a central element to the Kingdom Hearts story, the Keyblade wasn't originally shaped like a key. In an interview, game producer Tetsuya Nomura told Famitsu that his first design included Sora wielding a chainsaw-like weapon for an action RPG.
As fans would've guessed, Disney wasn't exactly on board with the idea. Interestingly, it's perhaps thanks to this change that fans got the more recognizable Sora design. After all, Sora's first depiction also came with the chainsaw blade. In this first design, Sora had a more beast-like appearance with claws and animal ears.
9 The Key Of Hearts
Fans initially thought that the Kingdom Key should be enough to "seal" Kingdom Hearts. Interestingly, Kingdom Hearts has a counterpart key: the χ-blade. This Keyblade serves not as the "opener" of Kingdom Hearts, but rather its "protector." It's the χ-blade that serves as the "primary inspiration" for all Keyblades created in existence.
Moreover, the original χ-blade has been shattered into 20 pieces — seven of light and 13 of darkness. In KH3, the seven pieces turn out to be from Sora and his forces of light, while the 13 dark pieces have come from Xehanort and Organization XIII.
8 New Chains, Not Keys
Keyblades remain as one of the best elements in Kingdom Hearts, especially because Sora gets a new one whenever he completes a story. However, when Sora gets a "new" Keyblade, it's actually a new Keychain.
In Kingdom Hearts lore, Keychains modify the abilities and appearances of a Keyblade. Most of them take the initial appearance of an important item or element in the world Sora got them from. When Sora activates the Keychain, his Keyblade of Worlds' Hearts changes in appearance, according to the abilities of the Keychain.
7 Some Keys Don't Have Chains
Interestingly, some Keyblades also don't have Keychains. For instance, in KH2's "Birth by sleep" secret video, Keyblades such as Stormfall, Wayward Wind, and Ends of the Earth didn't have Keychains due to the lack of design at the time.
However, the true reason as to why some Keyblades lack Keychains remains unknown. However, fans can gleam some insights on two non-Keychain Keyblades: Soul Eater and the Keyblade of People's Hearts.
Soul Eater is a modified version of Riku's true Keyblade, the Way to the Dawn. Fans can surmise that Riku's lack of mastery over darkness may have reflected in Soul Eater's blade-like appearance. Meanwhile, in The Director's Secret Report XII, Tetsuya Nomura suggested the Keyblade of People's Hearts was artificial in nature and is therefore not a "true" Keyblade.
6 Two Keys Of A Hole
A huge part of Kingdom Hearts lore has to do with the Final Keyhole, which is the keyhole responsible for opening the Door to Darkness. Anyone who goes through it may access the Realm of Darkness. As such, the Door to Darkness needs to be sealed. However, in order to do so, two Keyblade wielders on each side of the Door need to close it with their Keyblades.
At the end of KH1, Sora and King Mickey seal the Final Keyhole from both sides. Sora seals the Keyhole with his Kingdom Key from the Realm of Light, while, King Mickey uses his Kingdom Key D from the Realm of Darkness.
5 The Dark Duplicate
Early players of Kingdom Hearts might find it a weird plot element to require King Mickey to stay in the Realm of Darkness to seal the Final Keyhole. But why is this the case?
In Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, a young Mickey and Aqua venture into the Realm of Darkness to find a way to seal their side of the Door to Darkness. This is where they find the Kingdom Key D, the same Keyblade that King Mickey uses in KH1. It's revealed that the Keyblades needed to seal the Door to Darkness have to represent light and darkness, something the Kingdom Key and Kingdom Key D do, respectively. This factor also explains their "inverted" appearances.
Moreover, the only ones who can use those Keyblades need to possess a heart with light and a heart with darkness. Sora serves the purpose of the former and Mickey, thanks to his control over darkness, serves the latter.
4 One At A Time, With Exceptions
Eagle-eyed Kingdom Hearts fans know that not all Keyblade wielders can dual wield Keyblades. In fact, most ordinary Keyblade wielders can wield one Keyblade at a time and simply "switch" between Keyblades they own. As such, while a lot of wielders in Kingdom Hearts have a ton of Keyblades, only a few characters demonstrate dual-wielding capabilities. Why?
As it turns out, every Keyblade has a special connection to its wielder's heart. As such, wielders like King Mickey, Riku, Kairi, and Lea can only use their exclusive Keyblades. However, if fans remember that Sora technically has two hearts inside of him (his and Ventus'), this factor allows him to wield two Keyblades at once. In KH2, this ability is called Synch Blade.
3 Dual-Wielding Bonanza
Fans might still wonder about Sora's many "parts" and their relation to the Keyblade. For instance, how does the Synch Blade or the dual wield rule apply to Ventus, Roxas, and Xion? How come Roxas can use two Keyblades, while Ventus and Xion use one at a time? Tetsuya Nomura explains this in the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania. Essentially, it all boils down to character history.
As a normal Keyblade wielder, Ventus can only use one Keyblade. However, when his heart inhabited Sora's at the end of Birth by Sleep, Sora ended up with another Keyblade wielder's heart. As such, Sora can use both his and Ventus' heart to wield two Keyblades, one assigned to each heart.
Since Roxas is the Nobody of Sora, he inherits both Sora and Ventus' essences as well, giving him the same dual-wield ability.
2 The Same Keyblade All Along
So, if Roxas has Sora's and Ventus' essences, how come he can only use one Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days?
This caveat finally gets explained with Xion's creation, as she's in fact an incomplete replica of Sora using his memories of Kairi. When Organization XIII created Xion, she took Ventus' essence with her, leaving Roxas with Sora's. As such, they can only use one Keyblade for the duration of the game.
As a kicker, since Ventus' essence is essentially also a part of Sora's, Roxas and Xion actually use Sora's Keyblade, the Kingdom Key. Therefore, in 358/2 Days, Roxas and Xion have been using two instances of the same Keyblade.
1 Keyblade Accessories
Aside from Keychains, early iterations of Keyblade wielders seem to have other accessories as well. Thanks to Ventus, Aqua, and Terra's appearances, Kingdom Hearts fans now know that Keyblade wielders also possess armor and vehicles to aid them in their journey.
However, these armor aren't just for show. Most wielders need the Keyblade Armor to traverse realms without contracting darkness, like the Black Coat. Meanwhile, Keyblade Gliders also exist to let wielders travel to other worlds.