Roxas

Roxas (Japanese: ロクサス Hepburn: Rokusasu^?) is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. First revealed during the final scenes of the 2004 title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Roxas is a "Nobody", a being created when the series' main character Sora briefly lost his heart during the first game of the series. Kingdom Hearts II revealed that Roxas is a member of Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies who needed Roxas as he could wield the Keyblade, a weapon that allows him to capture hearts. As a member of the organization, Roxas bore the title "Key of Destiny" (めぐりあう鍵 Meguriau Kagi^?, lit. "Serendipitous Key"). He is also the protagonist of the video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which revolves around his origins. In the Japanese games, Roxas is voiced by Kōki Uchiyama, while Jesse McCartney takes the role in the English versions.

Since his first cameo in the series, director Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Roxas is an important character to the series, and that in order to explain his back story in more detail than done in Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was created. Since his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has received positive critical response from video game publications with most of them focusing on his development in 358/2 Days. Various types of merchandising have been released based on his character.

Story so far

Three Keyblade apprentices, Terra, Aqua and Ventus, train under Master Eraqus to one day become Keyblade Masters. However, when Aqua is named Keyblade Master after passing her Mark of Mastery, Eraqus's fellow Keyblade MasterXehanort mysteriously disappears as monsters called the Unversed begin spreading throughout the worlds. Terra is sent to defeat the Unversed and locate Master Xehanort. Ventus is goaded into following Terra by Xehanort's enigmatic apprentice, Vanitas, and Aqua is instructed by Eraqus to bring Ventus back home. Along the way, Terra slowly begins to lose control in the darkness inside his heart, but finds solace with Master Xehanort, who appears to understand him.

Terra crosses paths with a young boy named Riku and chooses him as his successor. Ventus befriends fellow Keyblade apprentice, Mickey Mouse, and crosses paths several times with Vanitas. He eventually learns that Vanitas is actually the embodiment of the darkness inside him, extracted by Master Xehanort as part of his plan to forge the legendary χ-blade, capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts itself. Ventus confronts Master Eraqus about this, who attempts to destroy him to stop the χ-blade's creation, but falls at the hands of Terra and Master Xehanort, the latter whom reveals his true intentions afterward.

Terra, Aqua and Ventus eventually battle both Master Xehanort and Vanitas in the Keyblade Graveyard, where Ventus and Terra's fates are sealed: Terra converted into Xehanort's vessel while his mind took residence in his discarded suit of armor, Vanitas merging back into Ventus and taking brief control over his body in a fight with Aqua and Mickey physically before the χ-blade he used is imperfect as the fusion is revealed to be. In his mind, Ventus sacrifices himself to destroy Vantias. However, as Aqua placed Ventus comatose body to rest inside the Land of Departure, reformatted as Castle Oblivion, Ventus's heart makes contact with the heart of a young boy named Sora, entering the boy's body.

While looking for Terra, Aqua finds Xehanort in the Radiant Garden, where he was sent following the χ-blade's destruction, and battles him in an attempt to rescue Terra. As Xehanort begins to sink into the Realm of Darkness, Aqua follows and sacrifices her armor and Keyblade to save Terra's body while she remains in the darkness. Xehanort, now with amnesia, is found by the sage king of Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise, and taken in as his apprentice. However, with the aid of his ally Braig, Xehanort unknowingly embarks on a back-up part he arranged if his plan had failed. By that time, Mickey passes his Mark of Mastery under Yen Sid and is awarded the title of Keyblade Master.

Kairi

Kairi is one of several original characters appearing in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II, and also one of the main characters in the series. She is the original persona of Naminé. Kairi was born in Radiant Garden and currently lives on Destiny Islands along with her two best friends, Sora and Riku. She is four during Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, fourteen during Kingdom Hearts and fifteen during Kingdom Hearts II. Kairi's name is derived from the Japanese word for "sea" (海 Kai^?), though her full name is homophonous with the word for "nautical mile" (海里 Kairi^?).

Riku

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

—Riku

Riku is one of the main characters in the Kingdom Hearts series. He lives on Destiny Islands with his best friends, Sora and Kairi, and all three of them dream of venturing from Destiny Islands to find out what lies beyond.

Riku is five years old during Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, fifteen during the events of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and sixteen during the events of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Riku's name is derived from the Japanese word for "land".

Sora

Sora is the main protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series. He lives on the Destiny Islands with his best friends Riku and Kairi, and all three of them dream of venturing from Destiny Islands to find out what lies beyond. His home was consumed by darkness, sending him on a journey to many worlds across the Realm of Light. An upbeat youth, he travels with his new friends Goofy and Donald Duck in search of his missing friends, and uses his newly acquired weapon, the Keyblade, to put an end to the threats that destroyed his world.

The main series focuses primarily on Sora's own journey and his growth as a Keyblade wielder, while several side stories follow the characters that are linked to Sora.

Sora is four years old during the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, fourteen during Kingdom Hearts through Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and fifteen during the events of Kingdom Hearts IIthrough Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Sora is the original persona of his own Heartless and Roxas, the source of Xion's memories, and the bearer of Ventus's heart.

Sora's name is derived from the Japanese word for "sky".