Kingdom Hearts Keyblades
The Keyblades are mysterious weapons that are heavily featured in the Kingdom Hearts series. Wielded by the main character, Sora, as well as a number of other important characters, the Keyblade is a main part of the battle between Darkness and Light.
Table of Contents
Powers
As the name implies, in combat, Keyblades are used in a manner similar to swords, and have great cutting power despite not usually having an edge. They can also be used as conduits for magic skills such as Fire or Blizzard. Keyblades are also one of the few weapons in existence capable of harming Nobodies, as is proven in the beginning of KH2 when Roxas couldn't attack any Nobodies with his Struggle Club. Any weapon will work on a Heartless, however, as proven when in Hollow Bastion Sora was able to attack Heartless with the puny wooden sword that was thrown to him by Riku.
The main power of the Keyblade, however, is the ability to lock (and possibly unlock) the Keyholes of worlds, sealing away its heart. Possibly as an offset of this ability, the Keyblade can also be used to lock or unlock any lock, allowing the user to access any sealed interior, whether it be a locked room, gate or treasure chest.
In addition to its base powers, Sora's Keyblade in particular has been shown to be customizable via keychains he finds or receives along his journey, giving it additional abilities or boosting its offensive and/or magical powers. Furthermore, the Keyblade's appearance changes depending on what keychain is attached. It is unknown of any other Keyblade besides Sora's can utilize keychains, though it should be noted that King Mickey, Riku, and Kairi's respective Keyblades do have keychains.
At certain points in the series, characters are able to use two Keyblades simultaneously. Roxas is the only individual to demonstrate this ability naturally, but Sora is able to produce a second Keyblade using the Sync Blade ability while in the Valor, Master, or Final Drive Forms. However, Sora had also demonstrated this skill in his normal form when he used both his keyblade and Riku's against Xemnas in the final battle of Kingdom Hearts II, possibly due to his fusion with Roxas, his Nobody. The ability to wield two Keyblades at once has not been expanded upon in the series so far, and it is unknown if all wielders are capable of this action or if it is a special talent or ability.
Appearance
All Keyblades shown have the same distinguishing features that are modeled after a key: a guard with a handle, a hilt and a blade with some type of a "sharp point" that gives it a cutting ability, which comes from the grooves and teeth of a real key. All Keyblades also have some theme, usually a World or the person who bears the Keyblade, that will reflect in its appearance.
Acquisition
It is said that a Keyblade will choose its own master, not the reverse. So far, it is shown only one with a strong heart can wield a Keyblade, be they good or evil. Keyblades can also change masters when they detect a stronger heart or a change of heart; for example, the Kingdom Key jumps to Riku at one point in Kingdom Hearts because he has the stronger heart, but after he is granted powers of Darkness by Maleficent, it chooses to return to Sora as it does not work for those with darkness in their hearts.
A known exception to the rule is Roxas, a Nobody who is able to use Keyblades despite not having a heart by definition of a Nobody. The most logical explanation for this is that because Roxas is the Nobody of Sora, who is able to use the Keyblade naturally, he inherited this ability from Sora. Xion, the mysterious fourteenth member of Organization XIII in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, is also shown in promotional shots to be wielding what appears to be the Kingdom Key.
Keychains
The Keychains are a somewhat special piece of equipment that upgrades a Keyblade, as seen with Sora's Kingdom Key. While the Kingdom Key appears to be the most basic form of a Keyblade, the Keychains actually increase its overall statuses, giving it a new appearance as well as granting special abilities. The power of enhancement in the Keychain may be caused by the relationship between one another, as evident when Riku reclaims the Kingdom Key in Hollow Bastion, despite having the Key, he cannot change or enhance the Kingdom Key. Furthermore, it might suggest that the stronger one's friendship with one another, the stronger the bond it will create, increasing the power of enhancement.
It should be noted that when Sora is equipping another Keyblade, he is actually re-equipping the Keychain, thus enhancing the Kingdom Key and changes its appearance. While Mickey's Keyblade and Riku's Way to the Dawn hold Keychains, some Keyblades lack a Keychain, as evident by Riku's Dark Keyblade forged from the Seven Princesses' Hearts. A theory suggests that while the Keyblade served as a "body" and its wielder serves as the "soul", the Keychain serves as a "Heart", since Xehanort's Heartless possessed Riku, he cannot gain access to the Keychain due to the lack of Heart. However, this may be a hoax, as later seen in Sunset Horizons, where three Keyblade knights possesses Keyblades without Keychains.
The subject of Keychain is taken to a deeper role later in Birth by Sleep, where all of the Keyblade wielders possesses Keyblades without Keychains, with a notable exception of Master Xehanort. It should also be noted that all the Keyblades in the battlefield lack Keychains as well, with the exception of the Kingdom Key, Way to the Dawn, and Mickey's Keyblade.
History
The origins of the Keyblades is, thus far, unclear. Each game references the special qualities of the wielders and some give vague explanations of the Keyblades' power, but none have shown where the Keyblades originated, how they are created, or what their original purpose might have been. One legend mentioned in Kingdom Hearts states that the Keyblade master saved the world, while another said he wrought chaos and destruction upon it. While this legend may appear to contradict itself, it can be assumed that the Keyblade master chooses how to use the Keyblade, whether for good or evil. The keyblade is known throughout the worlds as a unique and powerful weapon. In Atlantica, King Triton and Ursula both knew of the keyblade and its powers. King Triton did not want Sora to seal the keyhole because he thought that the keyblade would send his world into chaos, while Ursula knew that it gave the ability for the one who wields it to travel around the worlds.
One of the pieces of text in the hidden ending video for Kingdom Hearts II, "The Gathering", mentions a "Keyblade War". Hundreds of Keyblades can be seen stuck into the ground during this cinematic, as well as the extended "Birth By Sleep" cinematic at the end of Final Mix+. It should be noted that none of these seemingly abandoned Keyblades, nor those of protagonists Aqua, Terra or Ven, have keychains, although the significance of this detail is currently unknown as the history of the Keyblades.
Theories
There are many theories surrounding the Keyblade that include what a Keyblade's purpose is, how a Keyblade is formed, and the significance of a keychain. Various complications occur when the crossroad with Keyblades with no keychain from previous games were shown.
While the origins of the keychains are a mystery, there are many theories to its purpose, such as that they are charms that summon the keyblade to its host.
Another theory speculates that when one creates a keyblade, as Xehanort did by the use of Riku, there is no keychain with it. That would indicate that the keyblade can then be created either by the person or from the person, as Xehanort's Keyblade was created from the Princesses of Heart, or how Riku's Keyblade was created from the Soul Eater, which was forged out of his own darkness. The keyblade can then be seen as an extension of it's creator, and that a Keyblade's power comes from its creator alone. Therefore, when a keyblade needs to be passed to a person, a keychain is formed to be a power source to give the keyblade lasting energy as well as its power and form. This could possibly explain why some keyblades do not have keychains such as Terra, Ven and Aqua's Keyblade. It could also show how Riku got his Way to the Dawn Keyblade as well. This would mean each keyblade has its own unique power and form if keyblades were created by certain individuals, because people are unique and the same could be said for Keyblades. This could explain why the moogles are able to synthesize the Ultima Weapon.
Yet another theory is that the Keychain is a physical embodiment of one's memories, which would explain why Sora got new Keyblades for every world, as well as why he is able to receive them as gifts from friends (eg. Oathkeeper, Gullwing). It also explains Roxas's Keyblades; because Roxas is Sora's Nobody, Roxas's Oblivion represents Sora's memory of Riku, and his Oathkeeper represents Sora's memory of Kairi.
According to some fans, the Keyblade or it's creator is also the mysterious voice which guides Sora and Roxas in the beginning and ending of both games.
Keyblade Stats
- Kingdom Key
- Jungle King
- Three Wishes
- Crabclaw
- Pumpkinhead
- Fairy Harp
- Wishing Star
- Spellbinder
- Metal Chocobo
- Olympia
- Lionheart
- Divine Rose
- Oathkeeper
- Oblivion
- Lady Luck
- Ultima Weapon
For stats on the Kingdom Hearts 2 keyblades, go to Kingdom Hearts 2 Keyblades.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
There are two Final Mix exclusive keyblades: Two Across and Winner's Proof. There are also two keyblades that show up in only Final Mix and Chain of Memories: Diamond Dust and One Winged Angel.
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