Final Fantasy characters with Disney's stylings and iconic characters of their own. Mickey Mouse and Cloud Strife are two great tastes that somehow taste great together. But established icons aren't the only ones who appear in the series.
Sora and his friends have developed a large and expansive ing cast, both heroes and villains made for some of the finest melodrama Square-Enix has to offer. In fact, Kingdom Hearts offered so many great original characters that Kingdom Hearts III largely focused on them, relegating Final Fantasy characters to the DLC. Now that the series is almost 20 years old, it's a good time to look back and judge the cream of the crop.
Xion
Xion was the 14th member of the villainous Organization XIII. She became the third member of a trio with fellow original characters Roxas and Axel. Much like her friend Roxas, her weapon of choice was Kingdom Hearts' iconic Keyblade, but specifically Sora's Kingdom Key. This put her at the center of a mystery regarding her identity.
As it turned out, she was a partial clone of Roxas made as a back-up plan if they couldn't control him. But like most evil contingencies, it ended up ruining both plans A and B. For a while, the friendly and king Xion was cast into nothingness, vanishing from everyone's memories, but she made a triumphant return in Kingdom Hearts III.
Xigbar
There are some absolutely devastating villains in the Kingdom Hearts series who delight in crushing spirits and hearts. But some of them are too darn fun to hate. Xigbar, the eyepatched sharpshooter of Organization XIII, may be a liar and a sore loser, but he's also a lot of fun. His casual accent and disposition makes his darker schemes come off as weirdly inviting.
Before Xigbar became a Nobody, he was a rogue agent named Braig. Kingdom Hearts III also revealed several spoilers about his backstory that is sure to keep him around for a while. Which is fine, because his ranged attacks and gravity-manipulating shenanigans made him fun to fight. Fans are looking forward to seeing this silly, wacky villain in future games.
Kairi
Kairi is the third of the main character trio with Riku and Sora. While she doesn't get as much screen time or development as those two, she's not without her appeal. She's been getting more focus recently since the Kingdom Hearts III DLC. She headlined the series' first rhythm game, Melody of Memory.
Kairi is characterized as being nice, gentle, and sentimental. After all, she is one of the Princesses of Heart, whose purity unlocks Kingdom Hearts. But she's not entirely standby either, especially now that she has a Keyblade. She's intrepid, unafraid, and strong, and hasn't forgiven any of the series' antagonists.
Ansem The Wise
The name Ansem first appeared as that of the first game's villain: Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. In the sequel, it was revealed that he was an imposter of the real scientist king Ansem the Wise. This scientist performed experiments on the heart that alienated his students. Yet unlike most immoral characters in the series, Ansem would go above and beyond to redeem himself.
Ansem's sonorous voice was provided by the legendary actor Christopher Lee, which gave no small amount of gravitas. His schemes also lead him to a redemptive death, unlike his traitorous student that stole his identity Terra-Xehanort. His contingencies would become helpful for the heroes. And as reward for his hard work, he was eventually saved from death by Kingdom Hearts Mickey Mouse and reinstated as ruler.
Xemnas
Xemnas is one part of the larger villain Xehanort, who is one of the series' most diabolical entities. He's also the unemotional half of the villain, with the feelings going to his Heartless counterpart Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. He commits some of the most evil torture and heartless schemes in the series. But his charisma is unmatched.
Xemnas speaks with an unemotional tone that still manages to be hammy. He has some of the best boss battles in the series, including Kingdom Hearts II's final boss. He leads the Organization XIII, which introduced so many new characters to the pantheon. Though he may lack the sympathetic qualities of other villains like Young Xehanort or Ansem, he's a compelling villain in his Machiavellian tactics.
Aqua
Aqua is the equivalent to Kairi in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep's trio. While Kairi was given playable status only recently, Aqua has always been a major player. Her campaign was mainly about fixing problems caused by the rest of her trio, but her big sister disposition, toughness and friendship with Kingdom Hearts' version of Mickey Mouse kept her from feeling like merely the cleanup crew.
Unfortunately, Aqua also experiences one of the worst fates in the franchise. Her attempts to save her friends get her trapped in the realm of darkness for more than 10 years. Her sensory-deprived descent into madness is chronicled in her own game, Birth By Sleep .2 Final Chapter Prologue. Fans were relieved when they got to rescue her in Kingdom Hearts III.
Sora
Main character Sora is one of the most iconic and beloved video game characters of all times. His optimism and hopeful demeanor made him perfect for the crossover's lead, and fans love how he maintains that demeanor throughout all his traumatic adventures.
It's not just how sensitive Sora is that makes him beloved. His massive collection of Keyblades throughout all Kingdom Hearts games prove he's a formidable opponent. Plus, he has such an impressive arsenal of abilities, magic, summons, skill, links and more to fight with that controlling him always feels like a dream.
Axel
Sometimes a writer has certain plans for a character, but the an unexpected fan reaction changes them. In the case of Axel, he was supposed to die twice, but fans rescued him from death both times. This fire-wielding schemer was loved for his double-crossing but also his integrity. He was put in every prequel possible until the series' story developers finally just brought him back from death.
It's not hard to see why Axel is so popular with gamers. He's got cool fire powers and weapons, and his voice acting gave him a cool vibe. In Kingdom Hearts III, he finally evolved from a villain to a member of the protagonist team, even wielding a Keyblade. Perhaps fan demand could even earn him his own game one day.
Roxas
Roxas first appeared in Kingdom Hearts II as a young boy just hanging out with his friends. Little did he know he used to be a member of Organization XIII and was the Nobody of Sora. Roxas was then unfairly told to give up his life for Sora's sake.
Further games would expand on the story of the unfortunate Roxas. He was an optimistic kid like Sora but was broken down by the lies and manipulation of Organization XIII and Ansem the Wise. Fans have really found his heartbreaking circumstances touching and wanted him to have a happy ending, which he finally got in Kingdom Hearts III.
Riku
Gamers who played only the first Kingdom Hearts won't recognize Riku as a likable character at all, let alone the most likable. In the first game, he's a complete jerk and an irrational rival who is easily manipulated. But starting with the next game, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Riku embarked on a new path. His character arc for the rest of the series would be one of redemption defined by his protection of his friends.
Riku's still very cocky, but his elitism and rudeness have faded to reveal kindness. His learning how to control the darkness inside him becomes one of the series' most important plots, and his transformation had him making sacrifices and personal changes players of the original Kingdom Hearts game wouldn't have thought possible. Over the years, Rikku developed into one of the series' most popular and fully realized heroes.