Sora vs. Toon Link Part 3: Sora Warrior Profile

Catch Part 1 Here:  http://deadliestwarriorshowdown.blogspot.com/2011/05/dw-quickie-match-toon-link-vs-sora.html

Catch Part 2 Here:  http://deadliestwarriorshowdown.blogspot.com/2011/05/dw-showdown-match-2-sora-vs-toon-link.html

Part 3: Sora's Warrior Profile

Sora, The Keyblade Master

Sora is the hero of the Kingdom Hearts series and the chosen wielder of the Keyblade.

  

Theme Song: Simple and Clean Orchestrated

This is the main theme of the first Kingdom Hearts, and it is one of my all-time favorite pieces of music. I still get goosebumps when I hear this, and I think that you'll appreciate it too. This song was a natural fit for Sora's theme.

Sora, from the Kingdom Hearts Series, has had a complex and riveting tale of friendship, struggles, and growing up that's difficult to summarize in a few paragraphs. What follows is his background and his story through the first title, which is the one I enjoyed most and the one I am most familiar with:

Sora's Biography: Sora began his journeys as a fourteen-year-old boy from the mysterious Destiny Islands, a place said to exist only in the desires of those who live there. He led an idyllic existence there with his friends Riku, Kairi, and others, but he always wanted to explore the world outside of his own, one he experienced in a series of disturbing dreams.


Sora's Awakening

Through a process known as an "awakening," those chosen to wield the Keyblade are introduced through a strange dream.

The adventures of Sora start out when he experiences a series of strange dreams that foreshadow the things to come for him. He awakens in the middle of a stained glass platform in the middle of a dark abyss, and as he explores this strange environment a mysterious voice guides him along. It tells him to not be afraid and that he will be the one to "open the door". 

 Sora's Awakening- The Journey Begins

Sora is understandably confused by this, but he continues until the voice goes on to say that "your shadow grows larger as you get closer to the light." At this point, a mutated, giant version of himself called Darkside appears and Sora must defeat the monster. Unfortunately, Sora loses and he is swallowed by the darkness. As death draws near, Sora can hear the voice again: "But remember....... You have the most powerful weapon of all........." 

After this, Sora wakes up confused and half drowned on the beach of the Destiny Islands. Apparently, whenever a wielder of the Keyblade is chosed they will experience a dream like this to prepare them for their responsibilities to confront evil. The dream was not a pleasant experience for Sora, but he learned some important things about how to combat the Heartless and also the darkness within himself.


Sora Confronts His Inner Darkness

Darkside is Sora's first and most persistent enemy, because it originates from within himself.

He awakens to the sight of his best friend Kairi, and things seem normal to him from there. It isn't until a few days later that the consequences of Sora's choices become apparent to him.  At that point, the group organized a plan to build a raft and explore the endless sea around their islands. However, before they could set sail a storm came and dark spirits known as the Heartless invaded the island. With the aid of a mysteriously appearing weapon known as the Keyblade, Sora again defeated the monster of his worst nightmares.

 Sora vs. Darkside, Round 2

However, his efforts were not enough to save his home and the kids were scattered throughout the universe. Sora ended up in a place called Traverse Town, and through several conflicts he grew to know the nature of the Heartless: a force that corrupts everyone who nears it and seeks only to destroy worlds. Upon being chosen by the Keyblade to combat this threat, Sora set out with his friends Donald Duck and Goofy to seal all of the Disney worlds from the Heartless and their evil puppet Maleficent.

After many struggles taking place across various worlds, Sora found himself facing off against the evil Maleficent herself in the dark halls of Hollow Bastion. Upon defeating this last villain, he comes across his friend and rival Riku, who has chosen the side of darkness. After a near-death experience, Sora defeats the spirit possessing his friend and the group sets off to face their final enemy, a man called Ansem who created the Heartless and lives at the End of the World.

As the universe's only hope against enormous odds, Sora remains confident that he can defeat any opponent that comes his way.

After a titanic struggle, Ansem is defeated, but the bonds connecting the galaxy shatter and Sora is once again separated from his friends. Believing in the powers of light and friendship and courageous to the end, Sora, Donald, and Goofy set off for new worlds and challenges unknown. Sora's main asset is his bond to his friends, and this is what motivates him to chase them to the ends of the world and back. His heart is very strong, having warded off evil numerous times, even to the point of death. His primary weapon is his Keyblade, with which he is skilled and knows of many attacks, but he also uses a variety of spells and summons to defeat his enemies, the Heartless and the Nobodies, and the mysterious Organization XIII.

Sora's power doesn't just come from himself; he is aided by the strong hearts of a group of princesses that hold the key to Kingdom Hearts.




Alternate Theme: Diamond in the Sky Instrumental

Here is the other Alternate Track that I selected, and coincidentally it's also from a Sonic game! What can I say?- I love Sonic music. This particular track is from the game Sonic R, and it's energetic yet sentimental in tone, which is an exceptional fit for an energetic yet sentimental person like Sora. As always, read and listen along, and enjoy!

Sora's Weapons and Skills

Sora as he appeared in the first Kingdom Hearts.

As a Warrior, Sora brings a combat style that is distinctively in-your-face and built around the idea that fast, powerful melee combos combined with supportive magic will determine the outcome quickly. As such, his Keyblade is his main weapon, and he primarily relies on it to get the job done. Sora, as a reckless personality, doesn't like to go on the defensive, and prefers counterattacks and evasion to outright parrying. He has a variety of magic powers to use, including elemental attack magic and summons, but he also has a limited Magic Power meter which he must replenish by attacking opponents or using items. Sora will want to close and win the battle quickly without relying on defense or attrition.

Sora's Keyblade is his favorite weapon to use as stated earlier, but this doesn't mean he is a one-trick-pony. I believe that fully thirty percent of  Sora's attacks don't involve the Keyblade, and he has some great choices in this department. For starters, he knows numerous spells of elemental attack magic, which are fast-acting and allow him to strike at long range. Sora's trump card may well be his ability to summon help from the Heroes he has rescued over the course of his journey. All of this requires magic to work, but as long as the battle doesn't drag on for too long Sora should be just fine with his supply of Ethers. Sora's magic can be powerful, but mostly it is used to set up attacks with the Keyblade and harass enemies at a distance.

Sora is an adept duelist on his own, but he is best when fighting alongside those he cares about.

Speaking of the Keyblade, Sora's most useful techniques may well be his special attacks of Sonic Blade, Strike Raid, Ars Aracnum, and Ragnarok. All of these techniques are magic hogs, but they are so insanely quick and powerful that if not evaded they can inflict serious damage on a boss or just mow through a group of normal enemies. The specifics of these techniques are mentioned below.

To round out his arsenal, Sora has some neat acrobatic abilities, including the High Jump, Dodge Roll, and Superglide. Admittedly, he needs many of these for his mobile combat style, they can be used to evade attacks as well as throw off the aim of a ranged attacker. Overall, Sora is perfectly rounded out to be a fast, aggressive attacker who is suited best at close range but can close ground quickly and hold his own at a distance. As such, his weapons and skills suit an energetic, daring personality such as Sora's.

Close Range: Keyblade, Ars Arcanum, Thundaga

 

Sora as he appears in Kingdom Hearts II. He has grown slightly older and more mature here, and has a cooler costume as well.

Note: You'll notice that for the next four categories under Sora I will be explaining one melee special ability and one elemental magic attack. This isn't a mistake, as Sora has specific attacks from both standpoints for every range, and it's proper to give each of the contenders full use of their varied abilities when the real battle comes.

Keyblade 

Sora is one of the few chosen wielders of the Keyblade, a mysterious weapon with the ability to lock worlds from dark forces.

Quite simply, Sora's Keyblade defines who he is, even more so than Link's Master Sword does to him. The Keyblade is four feet in length and is wielded much like a German Zweihander. Despite being a long weapon, it's actually very light and Sora is blessed with the ability to perform combo attacks with the weapon. The typical Keyblade combo is three to four moves in length, and Sora can cover a lot of ground with his attacks. Though by principle it is a blunt weapon, it has proven its worth against such varied opponents as Squall Lionheart, Hercules, Cloud Strife, Jafar, and even Sephiroth himself. Thus, I believe that even though it is blunt the magic powers of the Keyblade give it the ability to cut like a normal sword. Naturally, it is particularly effective against dark forces such as the Heartless.

Sora's Keyblade is his principal means of fighting dark forces such as this Heartless Lord.

Although it is later revealed that Sora is only one of the chosen wielders of the Keyblade, the first Kingdom Hearts focuses on him being the one "chosen" to use the weapon. This is because the weapon chooses its wielder, and the person who uses it must be pure of heart. If one commits an evil or selfish act, the weapon will leave the possession of its user. For the purposes of this fight Sora will be able to use it without fear of this stipulation, but this point is very important to recognize. Some of Sora's allies such as Squall, were skeptical that the Keyblade chose Sora as its wielder, but by all accounts he has proven them wrong (actually defeating Leon and his Gunblade in an early duel.)

It's said that the Keyblade gives its user extra martial prowess and the power to protect loved ones. The Keyblade is also an important plot element in Kingdom Hearts, because it is the only weapon that can defeat the attempts of the Heartless to destroy the worlds they infest. As the Chosen Wielder, Sora is responsible for "locking" the keyhole of each world he comes across to protect it from these attacks. 

Although it's effective as an offensive weapon, the Keyblade is also very sturdy and can be used to absorb or parry attacks that come Sora's way. He won't be blessed with a shield, but his weapon is not a bad defensive implement in the least. Probably the only drawback of the weapon is that it's recovery time can be rather slow; in the game, he is vulnerable for a half second after completing a full combo.

Sora vs. Leon

Leon initially views Sora with suspicion, but he later becomes one of the boy hero's closest allies.
Also known as Squall Lionheart, Leon changed his name in disgrace because he was unable to save his world from the Heartless. He doubts Sora's right to the Keyblade and duels him for it. Leon ultimately wins, but Sora remains tied to the Keyblade. This shows how the Keyblade is used, and it also provides some good background info on the story in general.

A personal date with Squall Lionheart

Ars Arcanum

Ars Arcanum is Sora's Coup de Grace attack against the toughest enemies.


Ars Arcanum is among Sora's most useful abilities, and for good reason. Basically, with each of Sora's special melee abilities Sora can time multiple damaging with a single combo. The moves work at different ranges, but they all share the same high damage and they all come at a cost of Magic Points for Sora. Indeed, his melee special abilities often cost two or even three MP per use, but they are Sora's best option for when he needs to inflict damage on a boss or a group of enemies in a hurry.

Ars Arcanum (no, I don't know what it means) is Sora's close range version of the combo special ability. He gets it pretty late in the game, which is a good thing for Sora's early enemies. When it is cast from the battle menu, Ars Arcanum causes Sora to immediately start wailing on whatever is targeted at the moment. A five-hit combo is standard, but if Sora times it right at the end of each swing he can get four more hits out of it, with the last one being more potent as a bonus! It's obvious as to what this does to an opponent's health bar, but that does not mean that Ars Arcanum is a fire-and-forget move by any means...


Overall, Ars Arcanum is one of Sora's best attacks, but it does have a few flaws. First of all, it costs three Magic Points to even cast once. For perspective on how much that is, for the price of this one combo Sora could get six shots of Firaga or Blizzaga, or three of any other spell besides Aeroga and Stopga. Clearly, when he makes the decision to use Ars Arcanum or any other special melee ability, it should only be when he has a glut of MP or else the opponent is close to demise. In any other situation Sora is left extremely vulnerable if he does not have enough magic left to cast Aeroga, Curaga, or something else that could help him to cope with the opponent's response (which, needless to say, isn't a hug or a pat on the back for such a pretty move).

Another problem with Ars Arcanum is the amount of time that Sora needs to devote to the technique. This is because for at least three and a half seconds after casting it, Sora's only available plan is to engage in a close-range flurry of attacks. It doesn't take Einstein to deduce that he would be left helpless if either the combo doesn't hit its mark or else the target retreats out of its range altogether. As stated earlier, no matter what attack Sora ends Ars Arcanum on, he needs a half second to recover after the combo ends. This is true with all of Sora's Keyblade combos, but since Ars Arcanum is so predictable it's invariably a bigger issue with this attack, not to mention that the enemy is right in front of Sora after the final move.

Sora would not be nearly the skilled fighter that he is without combo abilities like Ars Arcanum, and at close distances it is probably the best means off attack that he has. These facts, though, don't  mean that it is the best plan of offense for every situation. When it's properly used, Ars Arcanum has the ability to win many tough fights for Sora; however, he needs to weigh its costs and benefits carefully before deciding to stake his life on Ars Arcanum in heated combat.

Sora vs. Hercules

Over the course of the story, Sora has the option of competing in various fighting tournaments held at the Olympic Colosseum, which it the home world of the Hercules universe. At first, he had to compete against the rogue warrior Cloud, but after Sora saved the arena from the rampaging monster Cerberus he was given permission to compete in the matches as a full-fledged Hero. One of the highest-profile matchups in the Arena pitted Sora against the godlike Hercules himself to determine the true lord of the arena. 

Sora, Cloud, and Hercules meet as arena opponents but later they combine their abilities to fight the Heartless.

In order to defeat this worthy opponent, Sora must first throw a barrel at him to remove his divine aura (beats me as well...). Then, Sora can strike back with the Keyblade as long as he avoids Hercules' mighty counterattacks. If you just want to see Ars Arcanum being used, then skip to 2:55 in the movie. This video does a good job of showing how Sora fights in one-on-one duels, and it also shows the benefits and limitations of Ars Arcanum (notice that he has to get up close in order to initiate the attack.)

Thundaga

 Thundaga is certainly one of the more visually impressive magical attacks that Sora uses.

Electricity is perhaps the most enigmatic and potent force in the natural world that we experience on a regular basis, as it is usually invisible and sometimes it even strikes out of nowhere and without reason. Ancient peoples across all civilizations were so impressed by this strange force that they pictured their gods using it as a weapon or as an omen of things to come. In our world, electricity wasn't even well understood until the 1800s, when new materials were discovered that could be used to store this energy inside of batteries. Today we take electricity for granted, but for the entire history of humankind up until a hundred and fifty years ago it was more of a scientific curiosity than something that powers computers or heats up your popcorn as you read blogs on the internet.

Considering this, it's no surprise that electricity is a popular basis for magical attacks in video games. The ability to summon lightning bolts on command would truly be an awesome sight, and in Kingdom Hearts Sora has this exact ability. The Thunder spell is obtained by Sora at the end of the Preliminary Cup at the Olympic Colosseum. After Cloud Strife's defeat, Sora and the gang are declared the winners but Hercules' trainer Philocletes is unwilling to call them true heroes just yet. Then out nowhere, Hades shows up and unleashes his monster Cerberus on the arena. After beating the three-headed dog, Philocletes changes his mind and declares the gang "Junior Heroes", with the Thunder spell being awarded as a benefit. As with his other spells, Sora can upgrade Thunder twice with the best level being Thundaga.

Thundaga is a close range spell designed to cover Sora's flanks from enemies who may try to get an angle on him.

As Sora's closest range spell, it's safe to assume that he would be quite safe when casting Thundaga at a nearby enemy. This is true because the neat thing about Thundaga is that it summons lightning bolts to strike the ground all around Sora. This means that unless the opponent has some type of shielding or is out of the spell's range it is going to be fried by the intense electricity generated by the attack. It doesn't matter what direction Sora is facing when he casts Thundaga, so he doesn't have to worry about aiming it; this is obviously beneficial when fighting a mobile adversary such as Toon Link who needs to stick close for melee attacks. Besides this benefit, Thundaga is also very quick to cast so Sora can activate it in a hurry if the enemy decides on a blind charge right at him. As one would expect from such an impressive-looking attack, it is also quite powerful for its speed as well.


As a dedicated close-range attack spell, Thundaga is only for use when Sora can anticipate his opponent being in this range. This sounds simple, but it is truly the Achilles' heel of the move because for all of Thundaga's power and speed it is a waste of time if the enemy can avoid it by moving outside of its range. While the attack is quick to cast, the recovery time is quite long for a spell so if the bolts don't connect then Sora is susceptible to some serious punishment by his opponent. Since he is stationary when casting Thundaga, Sora is vulnerable in particular to quick projectiles if the attack is avoided altogether by his enemy. Besides this major drawback, Thundaga also costs one full Magic Point per use so while it is very effective when used right the spell is also a magic hog when compared to others. Finally, as lightning energy is reflective, Thundaga's impact could be lessened or negated altogether by the skilled use of a proper shield which can deflect magical energy attacks. To be fair to Sora and his magic, though, all of his spells are very quick to use so this drawback is not the deal-breaker that it may seem to be.

Thundaga as it appears in Chain of Memories.


Thundaga is quite simply Sora's best means of stopping an adversary who wants to take the offensive with in-your-face melee attacks because of its power and its ease of connection at close range. As more of a niche spell than some of his others, Thundaga excels more where it is most useful and is limited more where it falters. Assuming that Sora is intelligent enough to use the appropriate spell at each range, Thundaga is a potent supporting tool which Sora should be happy to have in his arsenal. At a third the Magic cost of Ars Arcanum, Thungaga is a comparatively efficient means of getting Sora's point across in close combat.

Cerberus Fight at the Colosseum

Cerberus is Hades' minion that he uses to crash the party at the Colosseum.


I actually fudged up a little earlier- Sora learns the Thunder spell shortly before the Preliminary cup, not the other way around. Anyway, after fighting their way through several rounds of Heartless Sora and the gang are pitted against Cloud Strife, a mercenary hired by Hades in order to kill Hercules. Cloud reluctantly agrees to fight the boy and his friends, but he refuses to kill them after he wins a close battle. If Sora manages to defeat him, though, the ending is still the same: Hades double-crosses Cloud by sending out his minion Cerberus to take out Hercules, Cloud, and Sora all at once. The task eventually falls to Sora to beat the three-headed monster, but he is aided somewhat by the Thunder spell which is super effective against Cerberus. The dog is pretty tough for an early boss because it has attacks which are hard to avoid: snapping jaws and homing fireballs, for starters.

Sora and Co. vs. the Guardian of the Dead, Cerberus


The newly learned Thunder spell is the key to defeating Cerberus because it allows Sora to inflict damage while staying just out of bite range. Its surrounding property allows him to just spam the attack without aiming, replenish his magic, and restart the process. The first time I fought Cerberus I didn't know about implementing Thunder so I had a hard time with him- his attacks each take off a third of Sora's life bar. He is using Thunder offensively here, meaning that it can theoretically be used in this capacity although there are better attacks for pure damage potential. Still, this fight proves that Thunder is the perfect move for some offensive situations.

Sora vs. Saix- Kingdom Hearts II

This is Sora from Kingdom Hearts II fighting against a high-level bad guy, Saix. Although this match is using Sora from KH1, I wanted to include at least one video from the sequel to show how Sora has grown up and changed since then. He uses a number of high-level abilities that he learned in the sequel, including the ability to change forms.. As this matchup limits both characters to the scope of one game, Sora won't be entitled to these abilities, but it's interesting to guess how Sora from KHII would fare against, say, Link from Twilight Princess. That's a match for another time, but here is a taste of what Sora became after the events of the first title: an older, stronger, more mature, and more lethal young man. For the sake of convenience, I plan to cover all of the elemental spells using one video.

Mid Range: Sonic Blade, Blizzaga

 Sonic Blade

Sonic Blade is perhaps Sora's most versatile melee combo ability.

For Mid Ranged combat, Sora has many options for his keyblade but I want to elaborate here on his two most effective techniques for this specific distance. Sora's Melee ability that excels at mid-range is known as Sonic Blade. This technique is actually the first melee special ability that Sora learns, and he gets the knowledge of Sonic Blade after he defeats Cloud Strife in the Preliminary Cup of the Olympic Colosseum. Just because it is the first ability that Sora gains doesn't mean that it is any less useful than the others; quite to the contrary, Sonic Blade can cover a ton of distance quickly and it can be used up to five times in a row! Like all other melee special abilities, Sonic Blade can only be activated when Sora is at a specific distance from his opponent. When he gets in range and the technique is activated, Sora will wind up for a half second before speeding in a lightning-fast lunge torwards the targeted enemy. After the first strike is made with the move, Sora has the option of turning around and repeating the charge. If he can activate the command at the end of three dashes in a row, Sora's fifth and final strike will be the most powerful single hit.


As Sora's mid-range melee special ability, Sonic Blade is useful in many circumstances when the enemy is too far away for either normal combo attacks or Ars Arcanum. Sora can close and attack his target quickly anyway, but for Sonic Blade he can literally cover twenty feet in about two seconds. Naturally, this can be extremely useful when he wants to surprise a ranged opponent and the combo hits happen so fast that most enemies can't avoid the subsequent hits from Sonic Blade. Even better than this detail is that unlike Ars Arcanum or Ragnarok, Sonic Blade only costs two Magic Points per use! That's still not super efficient as far as attacks go, but if he is in a pinch for magic and he needs a combo attack for a variety of circumstances Sora can't do much better than Sonic Blade.


As a magic-efficient and versatile melee special ability, Sonic Blade sees frequent use by Sora, and for good reason. However, the move's lack of specialization is arguably what hurts it. This is because Sora has better attack choices for both close and long range, and as an aggressive attacker he sees himself more often at these distances than at mid-range. Up close, Ars Arcanum both deals more damage and also leaves Sora at a lesser risk of enemy retaliation. In contrast, Sonic Blade, while relatively fast and powerful to Sora's normal attacks, only hits five times and the hits all come at a regular time interval. It's not unreasonable to guess that a clever enemy could recognize the pattern of Sonic Blade and either avoid altogether or else counter it in some way. Most of Sora's enemies are the Heartless, who aren't very intelligent, so this isn't usually an issue. With human opponents, though, things could be different. Thus, the faster Ars Arcanum gets the edge here. With Strike Raid and Ragnarok, by contrast, both of these attacks put some distance between Sora and his enemy so there is comparatively less risk of enemy retaliation than with Sonic Blade, where Sora ends up facing away from his opponent.


These issues aren't minor, but neither do they render Sonic Blade useless in a duel. Quite to the contrary, Sonic Blade is versatile to the point that it can serve Sora well often and in many different situations. The challenge to Sonic Blade, like all of the other melee special abilities, is for Sora to use it when the advantages for doing so outweigh the risks.






Sora and Co. vs. Antisora!

As the last Disney world that Sora needs to lock from the Heartless, Neverland is also one of the most fun. Antisora is the miniboss of this particular world, and it is the personal minion of Riku, who by this point has fully turned to darkness and is an active enemy of Sora. The gang begins Neverland imprisoned on Captain Hook's ship, but they escape and Riku, underwhelmed by the abilities of Hook's crew, intervenes and sends Antisora against Sora. As he doesn't learn Ars Arcanum until he defeats Hook, Sora's main melee special ability until then is Sonic Blade. He uses it several times during this fight, but more importantly I chose this video to show the potential flaws in Sora's general fighting strategy.

Sora encounters his evil double on Hook's ship when Riku mysteriously appears.



As the fight goes on, Sora uses up his initial stores of Magic Points and thus he needs to rely on landing hits on Antisora to gain more. The problem with this aggressive approach is that by stringing combos Sora becomes predictable and easy to counter. More of an issue is that if if he doesn't land a hit with the Keyblade then Sora's recovery time will make him vulnerable to an opportunistic opponent. I surmise that Sora would not have survived this fight without the liberal use of items, so this video is a good example of how he could be worn down by a conflict of attrition. Of course, both contenders have their own issues, but I feel that this one is Sora's greatest, and it deserves to be shown in a video.

Blizzaga

Blizzaga, the ice cream cone that nobody wants to enjoy except Sora.

Blizzaga is Sora's mid-range elemental attack magic option, and it costs the same in Magic Points to cast as Firaga (1/2 point). Basically, attack magic like Blizzaga is in Sora's arsenal in order to be able to engage in combat at a distance beyond that of what his Keyblade is capable of reaching. He first learns the secret of ice magic from the Cheshire Cat of Wonderland, who teaches it as a reward for finding the four pieces of evidence needed to clear the names of Sora's party, who the rogue Queen of Hearts has accused of encouraging attacks by the Heartless. As with all of his other spells, Sora can upgrade Blizzard to two more levels through completing sidequests, with each power level being more potent and farther reaching in effect than the last. As this is a contest between two Warriors at their most powerful, Sora will be able to use the maximum power level of all his spells, including Blizzaga.

In terms of practical use, Blizzaga is considered to be the "frozen shotgun" of Sora's attack spells. As such, the way that the spell is used is that when Sora casts it a plume of frozen magic emanates from the Keyblade and spreads like a blast from a shotgun. Blizzaga doesn't have a ton of range (about fifteen feet), but what it lacks in the ability to touch enemies it makes up for its ease in hitting enemies up close. Because Blizzaga covers such a wide cone in front of Sora, it makes the spell much more difficult for an opponent to avoid than, say, Firaga, which is a single projectile. Also, the cone effect of Blizzaga means that a smaller shield may not be enough to completely block the effects of the icy spell, although in this event one could certainly be used to protect the head and torso from being frozen. This fact makes Blizzaga an easy hit when used at its intended range.

As with all of Sora's elemental attack magic, Blizzaga is meant to be used at a specific range and against a specific fighting style in order to be at its most effective. The ideal scenario to employ Blizzaga would be against a mobile, hard-to-hit-otherwise opponent at medium range. In this event, Blizzaga works perfectly and it would be very useful in the fight assuming that the enemy doesn't have a resistance to ice magic (as some high-level Kingdom Hearts bosses do). As mentioned before, all of Sora's magical abilities are predictable in nature so the best way for him to use them are to switch attacks often and to only use the abilities that suit the situation at hand. In the case of Blizzaga, while it can't really be blocked once it is cast Sora is still viulnerable for a half-second while preparing the spell, and a mobile opponent who chooses to stick close would be able to roll out of the direction of the expanding cone and deliver a counter. Alternately, if the enemy could smell the trap he could try to roll or fly away out of the range of the icy cone. Of course, Thundaga and Firaga were made for these very events, but if Sora sticks to one or two spells against an enemy as smart as he is he will be doomed. He has plenty of experience against a variety of attack styles, however, so I doubt that this would be the case. This still doesn't hide the fact that while useful all of Sora's spells, Blizzaga included, have obvious counters that when exploited open him up to punishment.


As stated earlier, Sora due to his fighting style is not particularly suited to mid-range combat, but if he were ever forced into this range then Blizzaga would be his best option from a standpoint that favors damaging the enemy with little risk of being punished for the attempt. Blizzaga is relatively quick to cast, and in a hypothetical duel it would behoove Sora to make the icy attack spell his linchpin at mid-range, using the frozen cone to score quick hits before closing in with the Keyblade to seal the game in his favor. If used in this capacity, Blizzaga could be a game-changing attack option for Sora.








Sora and Co. vs. the Neverland Phantom!

Over the course of Kingdom Hearts, there are several optional boss battles that Sora's party should only attempt to win when they are at very high levels. The Neverland Phantom is one of these, and it's generally agreed that he is the second toughtest boss in the whole game, behind only Sephiroth (who will be covered later). As the Phantom requires a variety of attack magic to defeat it, this battle is a good opportunity to showcase and detail how these magicks are used in real combat.

Most of the reason that the Phantom is so hard to beat is that his main attack actually sentences one character to death from the very start of the encounter. As the battle occurs around the Clock Tower, it's only fitting that this death sentence coincides with the ticking hands of Big Ben. Basically, when the hands make a full turn one of Sora's party will be knocked out with no chance for revival. The only way to delay this is for Sora to cast the Stop spell on the clock to temporarily halt the countdown.

 London's Clock tower is where the Phantom Duel takes place.




With the clock and the death sentence held back for now, Sora and Co. can now get to the business of whittling away at the Phantom's massive health bar. The problem is that the evil ghost is only vulnerable to one type off attack at a time. A blue orb means that he can be hurt by Blizzaga, yellow by Thundaga, orange by Firaga, and white by the Keyblade. Predictably, this leads to a tedious fight of attrition, not one of Sora's strong points. However, with plenty of items and help from his team Sora can prevail over the Phantom.


The reason that I chose this video for the Blizzaga spell is that the icy attack is used quite often during the battle, showing its strengths and weaknesses during the heat of combat. Watch for yourself to see how Sora's elemental attack magic is used best for different situations.

Long Range: Ragnarok, Gravaga

Ragnarok

Sora's Long Range melee combo, Ragnarok, ends with a dazzling finish!

All of Sora's Melee Special Abilities are quite flashy, and the one he learns last is probably the coolest-looking one of all- the aerial combo attack known as Ragnarok. Ragnarok is the term the old Norse pagans used for the future battle of their gods in which the fate of mankind would be decided, with Thor and Odin making their last stands and Loki, in the form of a wolf, devouring the sun and leading darkness to shadow the earth until a new beginning came for mankind. Obviously this has exactly zero to do with Sora's attack of the same name, but as a somewhat obscure term that many have heard of but few really understand I felt that a clarification was in order. In Kingdom Hearts terms, Sora learns the Ragnarok ability only after he finally settles the score with his friend-turned-possessed-enemy, Riku, as a reward for winning a hard-fought duel with him and then willfully going to hell and back (as a Heartless, but still even a sexy attack like this is small compensation for what Sora had to go through in order to get it.) Once he learns the move, it remains at his beck and call for the final fifth of the game and for any bosses (particularly Ansem, who is shown below) that he may run into at the End of the World.

Therefore, the orgins of the term and its relation to Sora are explained, but the question remains- what is this move exactly? As put in the simplest terms possible, Ragnarok is just  like Ars Arcanum, but airborne and it trades some of the latter's extra hits for an energy projectile attack (which is why this move is in the Long Range category). The trigger for Ragnarok is the same as Ars Arcanum in that Sora can automatically begin the attack provided that he is in the correct range to do so. Once it is initiated, Sora leaps up and executes a six-hit combo much the same as the first phase of Ars Arcanum. After this, he then floats in the air for about a second while he charges up a giant ball of light (no, this isn't Dragonball Z). If the command is used when the ball is fully charged, it explodes in a spectacular display of swirling energy projectiles. These home in on the already worn down opponent, which means that most of the shots from Ragnarok end up connecting. Once the attack is finished, Sora then falls back to earth in order to prepare his next move.

Ragnarok being shot in Kingdom Hearts II.

As the combo portion of Ragnarok is much the same as Ars arcanum, for the purpose of this battle the focus will be put on the projectile aspect as a useful long-range weapon. I'll admit that I'm making a stretch here, but I believe that Sora would not theoretically have to go through the aerial combo part of the attack in order to prepare the energy ball of death covered here if for some reason he didn't want or need to do it. Assuming there is a charge period involved, the energy ball projectile of Ragnarok should be included as a potential ranged attack option to fit the situation. This isn't a perfect solution, but with video game moves I feel that liberties like this have to be taken sometimes within reason. Anyway, the most obvious benefit of the Ragnarok projectile is that due to its multiple nature and homing abilities it would be very difficult to avoid by all but the fastest and most unpredictable opponents. Futhermore, the spectacular explosion of the energy ball could potentially stun or distract opponents from the impending energy bolts headed their way.

When assessed as a long-range projectile attack, Ragnarok has some great benefits as well as some rather glaring weaknesses (see the Ars Arcanum profile for the details of the combo). First of all, in any case the energy ball of death takes a second or two to fully charge, and anything below a full charge would be a waste of the two or three Magic Points required to pull off this attack (I'm assuming that just the energy mall would cost less magic). A second or two can be like a lifetime in an actual fight, when attacks and counterattacks are constantly being traded. Secondly, while the energy ball and its explosion are impressive, it also is a signal to most Warriors that something bad is coming soon and that it may be advantageous to try to either stop, block, or avoid the impending maelstrom. For evidence of this, ask yourself, dear reader: what would YOU do if someone was aiming a massive energy ball at your face? Finally, while the energy bolts created by Ragnarok seem to be potent I can't entirely rule out the possibility of them being blocked or defected by some means of the opponent.

The Ars Arcanum projectile as seen in Chain of Memories.

All that dialogue, and the question still isn't answered: what exactly is Ragnarok, and will it be useful in Sora's quest to preserve his life versus an opponent like Toon Link? To be specific, for the impending battle Sora will have the option of either using the complete Ragnarok combo shown or just opting for the energy ball projectile if he needs a long-range threat. Ragnarok's a unique ability for Sora because it is not really one move but two put together, and as a result of this he will need to measure the pros and cons of both parts of the move before using it in battle. As just the energy ball, Ragnarok is an innovative and unique but not entirely dominant projectile option for Sora.

Sora and Co. vs. Ansem, Round 1!

So, it all comes down to this....

Not quite, but Sora and Co.'s first battle with the Heartless Lord Ansem is the first of probably five consecutive boss fights that collectively serve as the conclusion to the first Kingdom Hearts. There is a lengthy cut-scene before the actual fight, so before you watch it I'll do my best to try and explain what the hell is going on.....

Basically, once Sora and his friends defeat Riku at Hollow Bastion and seal its keyhole, the true leader of the Heartless becomes clear and his name is Ansem. If you watched the video for the Keyblade entry closely, you'll remember that Ansem was a researcher who, while not inherently evil, was drawn into twisted experiments with the forces of the dark occult. Through methods too awful to describe, he successfully managed to isolate people from their hearts and turn their broken spirits into his own personal slaves. However, like everyone else who tried to implement the Heartless to their own uses, he fell under their dark spell without even realizing it. As such, the curious scientist turned into something worse than Frankenstein, with the brains of the maniac but the brawn of the monster. Ansem then proceeds to turn his creation loose upon the galaxy, ant by destroying entire worlds the Heartless manage to destroy the walls between them, starting out Sora on his journey.

In the first game at least, Ansem is the main bad guy and the driving force behind the Heartless. In the sequel, though, things get a lot more complicated.....

It takes Sora and his friends the entire game to figure this out, but until then Ansem is the mysterious puppeteer who pulls the strings of Disney villains such as Jafar, Captain Hook, Hades, and others. It is only when the last of these, Maleficent, is defeated that Ansem becomes bolder and declares his true intentions. He possesses Riku and then lures Sora's gang to his lair at the End of the World, where there is one last door to be opened........and it leads back to the Destiny Islands! It's only an illusion, though- the Islands were destroyed by the Heartless long ago and now only the possessed Riku is left to guard over their shadows. Here is where the cutscene picks up, and it does a better job of explaining the rest than I ever could here. 

Of course, the main purpose of this clip is to show the Ragnarok attack in use, and due to its late acquisition I had to use a late boss. In this battle, Sora uses Ragnarok several times to good effect- it certainly makes a statement against airborne enemies, and the energy projectiles home in on Ansem quite effectively. Against Ansem at least, Ragnarok looks to be the attack of choice when going for an all-in attack strategy.

Gravaga

Sora's Gravaga Spell in action, flattening some enemies for him to finish off.

Gravity is one of the four fundamental forces in the natural world (the others being electromagnetism, the Strong Nuclear Force, and WNF), and it's hard to imagine how anything could exist today without it. Actually, life would be impossible without gravity to keep the planets in orbit, so if you ever trip and fall down the stairs just remember that it's better to be able to fall down then to not exist at all. Obviously the force of gravity has been studied since time immemorial, but the first person to actually create the formulas we know and study today was Sir Issac Newton, otherwise known as the second most influential scientist ever (behind Aristotle).

This preceding rant has almost nothing to do with the Gravaga spell of Kingdom Hearts, however. In the game, Sora acquires the secret of Gravity magic after winning the Pegasus Cup at the Olympic Colusseum. Over the course of the rest of his journey, Sora can upgrade the spell twice (first to Gravara, then to Gravaga). The upgrades increase the area and damage of the attack. The way Gravity works is that when Sora is locked onto a target and casts the spell, a black orb of gravity will descend and envelop the opponents, flattening them and inflicting damage. Like Thundaga, the spell costs one magic point to cast and it is an area-affect attack, meaning that it can strike multiple enemies at once.

Gravaga as seen in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

A highly damaging, wide area attack spell like Gravaga has several obvious benefits. First of all, the black orb that inflicts the damage is quite large, meaning that when casting Gravaga Sora has a bit more of a margin for error when it comes to his aim, which is useful considering the rapid, chaotic pace that the heat of battle entails. Secondly, the spell is quite damaging to enemies, making it very useful against bosses and other foes with large amounts of health. Speaking of which, Gravaga's main property is to crush opponents using gravity but it also has the ability to ground flying or hovering targets; some bosses and other large enemies are made easier to deal with because of this trait. Finally, when they are crushed by Gravaga, Sora's enemies are rendered immobile for about a second and a half. This time can be used to give Sora a needed break from the combat to recover or plan a further attack strategy.

Gravaga also has some obvious drawbacks, which should be apparent enough considering the type of attack that it is. The spell's most prominent weakness is that it is somewhat slow to cast, and though it is not extremely slow the distance between the orb and Sora creates a dead zone around him while he is casting that clever opponents can and do exploit if they can manage to dodge the dark ball before it descends. As such, the spell should be used with caution against small, agile enemies who are fast enough to see the attack coming and avoid it. This weakness can be minimized, though, if Sora manages to distract the enemy beforehand prior to launching Gravaga. The second weakness of Gravaga is that Sora is stationary when casting it, which means that again for the split second it takes to cast the spell he is vulnerable to projectile attacks if he misjudges his aim and misses. 

To summarize, Gravaga is a unique and highly damaging attack with plenty of risks and rewards inherent. I may start sounding like a broken record here, but Sora really needs to select the right attack spell to suit the situation that he is in at the given moment. In terms of fitting within his attack set, Gravaga is Sora's "heavy hitter" magical attack, much as the Skull Hammer is Link's heavy physical weapon. What makes Gravaga different is that it's a little easier to hit with given the longer range and radius of the spell. To win with Gravaga, Sora will need to be patient in order to exploit his opponent's mistakes.

Maleficent, the Dark Sorceress and the Mistress of All Evil!!!

As the coolest Disney villain ever, Maleficent is a real bitch to deal with in both games.

As the caption says above, Maleficent is an evil sorceress who has given herself entirely to the powers of darkness in her attempts to destroy and rule the known universe. Her stated goal in the game is to gather the hearts of a group of princesses and then to use their power to open the door to Kingdom Hearts, the legendary center and beginning of the galaxy that is filled with unlimited knowledge and power. To accomplish this end, Maleficent uses the powers of the Heartless to recruit a group of Disney villains including Jafar, Captain Hook, Hades, Oogie Boogie, Ursula and Clayton the Hunter whose goal it is to wreak havok in their respective worlds. As time goes on and these antagonists are defeated, Maleficent takes center stage as she tempts Riku to the dark side with promises of power to rival Sora's as well as the ability to rescue Kairi from harm.

Maleficent is the one who initially tempts Riku into darkness.

The final confrontation with Maleficent takes place in the Chapel of Hollow Bastion, where she is confident in her abilities to defeat Sora and the gang, who arrive just as the castle's keyhole is about to be unsealed. Unfortunately for her, Sora has just the weapon to defeat the evil witch: the Gravaga spell, which pulls Maleficent's floating island down and makes her vulnerable to the Keyblade. Despite this, as the video makes clear her dark magic is extremely powerful and it is able to dispatch Sora in just two hits. In addition to her magical attacks, Maleficent also summons Defender Heartless to distract Sora from her floating island. She is a truly formidable opponent, and here Sora relies on a variety of abilities including Gravira, Strike Raid, Ars Arcanum, and most importantly Cura to win over this wicked witch.

The duel with Maleficent in Hollow Bastion Chapel

Once Maleficent is defeated, she vanishes into a portal and the story continues from there. To make it brief, Riku who by this point is possessed by Ansem uses his keyblade on her to turn her into a dragon, who is also defeated. Riku states that Maleficent was nothing but a puppet to the Heartless and that anyone who tries to control them will have their own hearts consumed. Luckily for us Maleficent fans, though, this is not the end for her as she revives in the sequel and is once again plotting against Sora's gang along with a new cast of Disney villains.

Maleficent gets a much-deserved second chance as a main villain in Kingdom Hearts II.

Super Long Range: Strike Raid, Firaga

Strike Raid

Strike Raid is Sora's way of taking the Keyblade's melee potential to a distanced opponent.

The ability to throw one's melee weapon at an enemy far away and have it return is obviously something that can't happen with technology as it is today, but that doesn't mean that the idea hasn't been conceived before in the minds of game makers and movie directors- the Jedi Lightsaber throw is only one of the instances where this technique has gained attention, so much so that the ability is almost as cliched nowadays as the story of children coming of age as they save their worlds---- wait a minute........


If the preceding description was shorter than usual, then it's only because there really isn't a parallel in reality for throwing a weapon and having it return- the Boomerang certainly comes to mind, but that example is a huge stretch because if the implement in question hits someone then it obviously isn't coming back! Fortunately, video games aren't like the real world and as such Sora has no problem pulling this trick off with his magical Keyblade. He gains the Strike Raid ability after winning the Pegasus Cup  at the Olympic Colosseum, and in order to get to the winner's podium Sora must first beat the duo of his friends Leon and Yuffie! After the victory, though, Sora can use Strike Raid whenever he has an enemy targeted and at least 2 Magic Points on hand. My description of Strike Raid will be brief because the attack itself is rather straightforward; When Sora activates the ability, he will stand in place and throw his Keyblade at the opponent currently targeted. Once the first hit connects, Sora then has the option of chaining four more throws to create a Strike Raid combo; as with Sonic Blade, the fifth and final throw will be more powerful as an added bonus.

I was fortunate enough to come across this clip of Strike Raid in action.



Strike Raid certainly adds an unexpected benefit to Sora's attack set because it fills a niche that none of his other moves do- it's his only melee combo ability that's a dedicated projectile, and this means that in using Strike Raid Sora can project some of the power that comes with these attacks at a distance. This attack is without a doubt Sora's strongest projectile, and the fact that it's fast to activate and strike only augments the strong points of this ability. Since Strike Raid is at least as fast as Firaga, the targeted enemy will have little time to avoid the flying Keyblade and if it is hit once often the target will be stunned enough to eat the whole combo (a ton of damage predictably). Not that Sora has to go through with the whole combo, either- on all of his melee special abilities he has the option of ending them early in order to fake out his opponent. I mention this here specifically because as such a predictable attack Sora would definitely benefit from being unpredictable. Since Strike Raid can be used in the same way as Firaga, the two can be mixed to maximize their potential- while a shield may stop Firaga, it probably wouldn't block Strike Raid, and the homing abilities of Firaga could be used against those who try to evade the former. Sora's strategy for success in a duel is to mix up his large command set and always make his opponent guess at what he is going to do next.


The aforementioned part about unpredictability is a double-edged sword for Sora, because when they are telegraphed straightforward attacks like Strike Raid can be a death trap for him. To be blunt, Sora is literally throwing his best chance of  survival away by using this attack, and since he is stationary he had better make for damned sure that Strike Raid will connect before he dedicates himself to it. In the simulation Sora will get the benefit of the doubt by not totally being rendered motionless by Strike Raid, but not by much since it does take some stamina to hurl and catch a massive weapon such as the Keyblade. While the Keyblade flies at a great speed during the technique, it does not home in on the enemy like Firaga does and this means that it's much easier to avoid than the former. Sora takes about a half second to complete each throw of Strike Raid, so obviously if he does not connect he will be a sitting duck for the enemy's choice attack. Sora's Keyblade is at least as important to him as a Jedi's Lightsaber is to that Warrior, so he must exercise similar caution when considering to throw it as a projectile.

Strike Raid as it appears in Chain of Memories.



On the whole, where does all this leave Strike Raid as an offensive technique for Sora? As has been made abundantly clear, Strike Raid is the ultimate wild card for him because it can either enable Sora to inflict serious damage at a distance if it connects or else it may spell his doom if he misses. The sheer potency of Strike Raid alone earns the attack a spot on Sora's roster, but as with Link's Bombs the user has to be very careful to use the attack properly or else it blow up in his face! Unlike Sora's other projectiles, Strike Raid must be patiently set up and not just spammed in order for it to make a real difference in a battle's outcome.













One Word- SEPHIROTH

The baddest girly man in town takes time off his busy schedule just to deal with Sora...

Okay, this may be a surprise to some of you but I'm actually not that familiar with Sephiroth. I know that he's the bad guy of Final Fantasy VII and its spinoffs and that he's regarded by many as the end-all and be-all of video game villains, but besides that I know about zero of his backstory, why he has one wing, or why his sword's so damn long. What is apparent, though, is that Sephiroth is probably the hardest opponent in all of Kingdom Hearts, so he has to be included in a highlight video somewhere. Luckily, that somewhere is now here.

Fortunately for Sora, this isn't how their fight really turns out....

There isn't much that I can write about this particular battle because Sephiroth is just an optional boss battle and a footnote in Sora's story- he appears as the Platinum Match at the Olympic Colosseum, aand after his defeat Sephiroth vanishes just as quickly as he appears with absolutely no clue as to why he came in the first place. Before he leaves, though, Sephiroth takes the time to give Sora some experience against a truly elite video game villain. His strategy can be summarized like this- he constantly warps around the arena, trying to slash Sora with his five-foot-long sword. In order to return the favor, our younger hero must avoid or block each swipe and counter with a combo of Sora's own and then use Curaga to repair his health bar. The first three quarters of the video are just this-nothing fancy, just a very intense sword duel as it should be.


The One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth

By the time he is reduced to his yellow lifebar, though, Sephiroth starts to go absolutely apeshit with his attacks. He changes color, summons asteroids of doom and dark orbs, causes random explosions just for kicks, flies around the arena, and generally acts like the bastard he truly is. At this point, Sora's best move is to start using Strike Raid in order to stay out of the range of Sephiroth's maelstrom while delivering sizeable damage at the same time. This is made difficult by the fact that the One Winged Angel is constantly warping around, but luckily Sora's attack lands more often than it misses. After a bunch of keyblade throws the demon is finally vanquished, leaving only experience points and questions in his wake.

The One Winged Angel won't quit until his nemeses Cloud and Sora have bit the dust.

Sephiroth is only gone this time however, because he makes another appearance in Kingdom Hearts II in case Sora hadn't gotten enough of him the first time. It's likely that Sephiroth will never stop pursuing Sora until the boy gets his own rendezvous with the afterlife, and it's also just as probable that we'll never know why the One Winged Angel is chasing Sora in the first place. In case you were wondering, I never managed to beat this boss myself but that was also years ago. It reminds one that Kingdom Hearts 3 is long overdue, it's been five years already.....

Firaga 

Firaga is Sora's staple long-ranged attack spell.

Firaga is one attack that I believe needs no introduction. The ability to control the power of fire was probably humanity's first want, and through the ages the fates of fire and that of humanity have been undoubtedly linked. From fire arrows to Byzantine Greek Fire to even the Molotov cocktails that today pepper the Arab world, fire has the ability to both create and destroy civilization. Fire has brought safety and shelter to humans through time, but it has also forged weapons and wiped entire cities off the map. Considering this, it's safe to assume that the world has both begun and will end in fire. With such a force that's been so influential in shaping humanity there is no surprise that the ability to harness fire for one's own benefit is a common attack in many types of fantasy media.


Here is where Sora's Firaga spell comes in, as his most basic and versatile magical attack. Predictably, Sora learns Fire as his first spell when he meets Donald and Goofy after first arriving in Traverse Town. The latter two are searching the city for the Keyblade Master, but they run into Sora by accident and together the group has no time to introduce themselves as they are ambushed by a group of Heartless. After the fight is won, the Donald and Goofy are shocked to learn that the Keyblade Master is just a boy, but they have clear orders from King Mickey to aid whomever the magical weapon has chosen to be its wielder. Once the group is officially formed, Donald the Wizard teaches Sora the secret of fire magic and then the Keyblade Master can use and upgrade the spell from then on out. With the fellowship officially brought together, the group of heroes boars their Gummi Ship to explore and save new worlds.

The newly acquainted group must defeat the Guard Armor in order to even get to know each other.



Firaga is a very simple spell in comparison to Gravaga or the Summons, but its very effectiveness lies in this basic nature. When Firaga is activated, Sora stands still for a quarter-second and blasts a fireball at the targeted enemy. The fireball travels quickly and in a straight line for the most part, but it does have a slight ability to home in on a mobile opponent much like the charged Plasma Pistol shot from Halo. Upon contact, the ball explodes in a blast of elemental fire. As can be expected from such a basic attack, Firaga is great for many uses. Far from being just a long-range spell (although it is Sora's longest ranged attack), Firaga is quick and potent enough to be able to be used at any distance. It actually has a fair bit of stopping power for such a cheap and fast spell (the cost is only half of a Magic Point). Also, the amount of time it takes Sora to cast Firaga is so quick that it enables him to use his Keyblade for combat quickly when necessary. Unlike his opponent, there is no extra weapon here for Sora to worry about switching or putting away- instead, the power of Firaga comes from himself and this streamlines his attack plans by a considerable amount.


To be frank here, shooting a fireball at an enemy is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and every hero worth his salt has encountered this attack at some point if they hadn't used it themselves first. Also, while Firaga is efficient as far as his magic goes Sora must use caution and limit his shots with the spell nonetheless; unlike his opponent Sora doesn't have virtually unlimited ammo here, and spamming the attack can really eat up his Magic Points. While the fireball travels quickly and it has a slight homing ability, it is still possible to avoid the path of Firaga by dodging very rapidly; it's not easy to do by any means, but enemies can dodge the attack especially at longer ranges. While Firaga is cast very rapidly and its recovery time is short, every moment casting a spell is one that the enemy can use to his benefit. Finally, a very strong shield such as the Mirror Shield may be able to block or deflect the fireball if it can be readied in time to intercept the attack.

This guy can shoot fire too, by the way....



Those are some serious issues, but they are far from disproving the utility of Firaga; indeed, this one spell is Sora's bread and butter at long range, and he should be very happy to have it in his arsenal. Firaga is a hard-hitting spell that's fast to cast and magic efficient; on paper, it's the best of all worlds. With Firaga, Sora has a spell that he can use to harass opponents at any range, and like Link's Bow it is probably the dominant ranged attack of its user. With Firaga, Sora doesn't always have to rush his enemy in a crazed Banzai charge; instead, the spell opens up whole new areas of strategy that he can use to fake out and eventually defeat any opponent.










The Opposite Armor, Guardian of Traverse Town

This contraption is the Heartless assigned as the leader of the dark forces of Traverse Town.

The menacing armor statue in the above photo should look familiar, because it is an inverted version of the Guard Armor, the first boss that Sora, Donald, and Goofy fight as a team. As was mentioned earlier, after their victory the group heads to other worlds in order to seal their keyholes from the Heartless; the problem is that Traverse Town has not yet been sealed in the same way. After locking Wonderland, and the Deep Jungle as well as competing at the Colosseum, the gang returns to Traverse Town with the powers necessary to finally lock the keyhole of Traverse Town.


Sora and Co. vs. the Opposite Armor

However, their old enemy the Guard Armor returns and even though it is easily beaten this time the old pile of junk has learned some new tricks as well. It inverts itself and its attacks completely change- it uses devastating charge and energy ball tactics this time, and it is thus a far more dangerous opponent. To win, Sora must watch his health meter carefully whilst striking at the individual limbs of the Opposite Armor. The Fire spell only appears here a few times, but from these uses it is easy to get a sense of how the spell is used generally. It's clear here that Firaga will make a great ranged attack for Sora in his other fights. After the Opposite Armor is vanquished, Sora can finally seal Traverse Town from the efforts of the Heartless to invade it.




















Special Weapon: Partners (Donald and Goofy)

Donald and Goofy are Sora's comrades in arms throughout the Kingdom Hearts series.

Throughout fictional quests of all types, the main protagonist usually has two supporting characters who support and fight alongside him. There are exceptions to this, of course, but in Sora's case his partners of Donald Duck and Goofy are important allies who augment his fighting potential. To be brief, Sora greatly relies on his partners for support and he isn't quite the same Warrior without them. Both of these Disney characters were famous long before Sora was even a concept sketch, but the Kingdom Hearts series has breathed new life into them and introduced Donald and Goofy to a new generation of fans. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that these games have turned them from costumed mascots at theme parks into actual Warriors who take serious roles in their parts.

It is often Sora's responsibility to delegate authority in battle.



We are first introduced to Donald and Goofy at the Disney Castle, where the cantankerous duck is the official court wizard and the dopey dog is the captain of King Mickey's knights. King Mickey is suddenly troubled by the events occurring in the other Disney worlds, and he leaves without warning to confront the Heartless. Before he goes away, he leaves a note instructing his two most loyal officers, Donald and Goofy, to board their Gummi Ship and search for the newly selected wielder of the Keyblade whose help is vital to combat the Heartless' growing influence. Dumbstruck but obedient, the duck and the dog land in Traverse Town, where they meet up with Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith who are waging their own underground campaign to free their worlds. Traverse Town is a hub where many such immigrants have settled as refugees, but the town itself is now under attack as well. As mentioned in the previous weapon profile, Donald and Goofy accidentally run into Sora but they join him shortly thereafter in order to protect the Keyblade Master. Originally their loyalty is tied only to the Keyblade, but eventually they grow to protect Sora above all others, even Riku who at one point steals the magical weapon.

Without Donald and Goofy's help, Sora would still be stuck in Traverse Town or worse.



In terms of their actual ways of combat, Donald and Goofy serve both shared and different purposes. While Goofy is a dedicated melee specialist who fights with a shield, Donald is a spellcaster who uses magic to both support the team and inflict magical damage on opponents. Both of them have their own magical abilities and they also have the ability to carry and use items. Probably their single greatest joint use is as a distraction to lure enemies away from Sora because the group is almost always outnumbered by their adversaries. Besides this use, both Donald and Goofy can support Sora as the main attacker by using Curaga on him (Donald) and by using MP Gift to give him more Magic Points (Goofy). The two greatly increase Sora's abilities as a fighter by giving him this help so he can focus on attacking instead of retreating to heal and use items. In Sora's case, having backup on his side changes his approach to battle significantly.

Just because they are best friends doesn't mean that Sora isn't the target of his partners' jokes.....

At first glance, it may seem difficult to picture weakness to having partners in battle but they do exist. Probably the most serious issue with Sora's Partners is that even though they are not as effective as him on a single basis they do require the same amount of items and support. While Donald may be able to bail out Sora's ass with Curaga regularly, the Keyblade Master will often need to spend valuable items or Magic to keep his partners healthy and in a 1-on-1 situation they are individually no match against a tough boss who knows what he is doing. Also, communication may be an issue as it is with any group- Sora is the leader, but often Donald's stubbornness and Goofy's well-intentioned dullness get them into all kinds of problems. It isn't like Sora's current opponent hasn't been outnumbered before either, and he could just summon some help from Komali and Makar if need be. Finally, from the combat videos it should be apparent that without Donald and Goofy's help Sora's own effectiveness as a Warrior is greatly reduced.

The gang often can only rely on each other when facing enormous hordes of enemies, Lord of the Rings-style.

Without Donald and Goofy, Sora would have been dead meat long ago and their help turns a great Warrior like him into an epic one. I can't state enough how helpful it is to Sora to be able to have the benefit of teammates, but these partners also come with a price in logistics and communications that can't be overlooked. Still though, Sora is very fortunate to have the help of Donald and Goofy in this fight.














Sora, Donald, and Goofy at the End of the World

After the gang seals the Hollow Bastion Keyhole, they realize that Ansem is the one behind the Heartless and that he must be stopped at any cost. Never afraid of a challenge, they decide to pursue Ansem to his lair at the End of the World. This desolate place is where the remains of the worlds consumed by the Heartless are found, as well as the portals they use for transport. As indicated by the bleak landscape, the Heartless are very effective at what they do and Sora, Donald, and Goofy are met with a fight from the start. In this first video, they enter the End of the World and converse on what the future holds. Shortly thereafter, they re ambushed by many new Heartless including the elite Invisibles and a Behemoth like the one that appeared inside the Hollow Bastion keyhole. After these battles, the gang finally manages to enter the next phase of the Heartless Domain.


End of the World, Part I

The End of the World is the residence of none other than the wicked Chernabog. Look for him in the future.





End of the World, World Terminus

After fighting their way through more chambers of the hostile world, the heroes come across the transport portals the Heartless use to infest various worlds in their reach. Sora, Donald, and Goofy must fight though these worlds once again in order to advance, and the armies of Heartless they face are the heaviest so far seen in their quest. The gang must truly work together and cover each other's backs to survive this labyrinth, and these fights are excellent illustrations of how Sora fights alongside Donald and Goofy. After this World Terminus, the demon Chernabog awaits on top of Bald Mountain.......

Magic Power: Summons

The brave lion Simba is just one of the allies that Sora can summon for help in a fight.

After he seals the Keyhole of Traverse Town, Sora comes across a secret waterway in the depths of the city. Eager to explore this new region, he takes a few steps into the darkness.... and finally reunites with his friend Kairi, the person he had been searching for since the Destiny Islands. She tells him to be strong on his journey, and also gives Sora a mysterious stone called the Fireglow.

Simba is the first summon that Sora acquires, and it's arguably his most useful as well.

As Sora further explores the Secret Waterway, he comes across the house of the old, wise wizard Merlin. Merlin states that through finding more of these stones and bringing them to him Sora can free the hearts of heroes of destroyed worlds who were frozen after the Heartless did their work. Over the course of his journey, Sora finds more of these stones and eventually gains the ability to summon these heroes for help in order to use new abilities. He gains the ability to summon six heroes in all:

Simba: The brave lion ruler of the Pride Lands,

Dumbo: The flying elephant who sprays water at his enemies,

Tinker Bell: The sassy fairy companion of Peter Pan,

Genie: The mischievous spirit famous for helping Aladdin,

Bambi: The son of a mighty stag, and famous in his own right, and

Mushu, The comical little dragon that accompanied Mulan.

The summons all occur with elaborate magical displays.

Sora can summon any of these heroes at will to help him, as long as he has sufficient Magic Points to do so. The functions of the summons are explained in the video, but I will state that Bambi and Tinker Bell won't be used by Sora for this battle, the reasons being:

Bambi is a helpless little deer that could get skewered by any of Toon Link's weapons, and I'm against animal cruelty;

And Tinker Bell is a fairy that restores health, but allowing her would mean letting Link have fairies that revive him when he dies, so it would only prolong the battle and be a wash.

With the aid of Dumbo the Elephant, Sora can fly in the air and spray water at enemies.

Sora's summons have many potential benefits, and here are a few of them. The summons all greatly increase Sora's attacking power, and some such as Dumbo also make Sora a harder target to hit for opponents. It's obvious that having a mighty lion or a fire-spitting dragon on one's side is a clear benefit.

There are a few issues with the summons, however. First of all, they are very costly in magic to use so Sora will have to limit his summons. Secondly, they all are short in length so he has a limited time to use his allies in battle. Third, like Link's Wind Waker Sora needs to be relatively safe when attempting a summon. However, the basic principle of the summon outweighs these drawbacks.

Kingdom Hearts 1 Summons: Simba, Genie, Bambi, Tinker Bell, Mushu, Dumbo

 

These are the summons that Sora can access as of Kingdom Hearts 1, which is the scope in which this battle is taking place. The summoning sequences are often very elaborate and entertaining, although the summons themselves vary in effectiveness. Sora primarily uses them to supplement his other attacks in order to even up the numbers game on his enemies.

Summons Used in Combat

Yes, I'll be displaying two videos for each Warrior's Special Weapon. This video shows how the summons would be used in actual combat. I kept the first one too for two reasons; first, I like that video's music better, and second, I'm a fan of Merlin! Notice how each summon has its own place in Sora's attack set.

Defense: Guard, Counterattacks, Aeroga, Curaga, Strong Heart, Potions

I know the image is hokey, but it demonstrates Sora using Guard against Riku.

Guard and Counterattacks

Guard is quite simple in that Sora uses his Keyblade to deflect incoming attacks.

Contrary to what has been implied so far in Sora's profile, he does in fact have defensive techniques that he can use to negate or counter enemy actions. Admittedly after seeing Sora hack and slash through armies of Heartless it seems odd to witness him actually taking a defensive posture, but sometimes it is simply necessary for him to take action in order to avoid damage. While Sora may not be gifted with a shield the way Goofy and Toon Link are, he does have the next best thing: abilities that allow him to deflect and even counter aggressive moves by his opponents. These two moves are Guard and Counterattack, and since they are closely related the two abilities will both be covered at once.

Counterattack allows Sora to quickly react to a deflected hit.

Both abilities are quite straightforward and can each be described in a single sentence. Guard is when Sora stands with his Keyblade in front of him ready to deflect an enemy hit. Counterattack, on the other hand, is when Sora strikes an enemy at the same time that the enemy tries to hit him; instead of recoiling from the deflection, Sora can deliver a quick follow-up attack with this ability. Sora is quite skilled with both of these techniques; as evidenced above, they seem to work even against very large and powerful enemies such as Defenders and even boss attacks. While Guard provides Sora with a safety net in case his adversary isn't cowed by his sheer aggression, Counterattack ensures that in a heated duel he can back up the said aggression with actual damage. Therefore, even Sora's defensive moves have an offensive leaning to them. As it has been stated repeatedly, Sora is at his best when he's pressing the momentum of the fight on his opponent, taking the initiative with a flurry of offensive attacks. Moves like Guard and Counterattack thus enable Sors to avoid return damage when taking this approach.

Sora has a big weapon to wield, but this mass ensures that it's sturdy enough to absorb incoming blows.

The versatility of Guard and Counterattack mean that they make sense for Sora to use, but they are not the perfect defensive moves that would make him a perfect Warrior. The main drawback of Guard and Counterattack isn't quite what they are in themselves as much as what they are up against in terms of Toon Link's attacks. Probably the biggest example of this lies in the green boy hero's ranged attacks that can possibly either entangle Sora's weapon or avoid the guard entirely due to speed. The obviously suspect weapon here is Link's Hero's Bow, whose arrows will be extremely difficult if not impossible for Sora to knock out of the air with Guard. Against this dangerous weapon he will need to rely instead on Aeroga and his evasive abilities but even these are not perfect solutions to this problem. The fact remains that there are attacks which Guard and Counterattack will have difficulty protecting against, but this isn't quite the abilities' only drawback. The other problem with these moves is that Sora's opponent has to deal with enemies who guard (such as Moblins and Darknuts) on a regular basis, and he is quite adept at surpassing these defenses and making his attacks stick. The lightning-quick Master Sword in particular could be very hard for Sora to keep track of with his larger weapon.

...............Let's just say that this guy would need a lot more than Guard and Counterattack to save his ass in a real duel! HAHAHAHAHA

These may seem like some serious issues with Sora's defensive plan, but this part of the game is far from being lost to him. The answer to Sora's problems with incoming attacks lies in switching up his reactions to his opponent's attacks. By mixing up Guard and Counterattack and using evasion to avoid projectiles. Sora isn't nearly the easy target that he may seem to be on paper. Like Toon Link's Mirror Shield, Guard and Counterattack can't save Sora from all of his opponent's moves but when they are used as a part of a broader defensive strategy on his part they can fufill their niches in this plan (deflecting melee attacks and reacting to parries rapidly) quite admirably.








Cloud Strife, a.k.a. the guy with the huge sword

Yes folks, it's Cloud Strife. Keep your chochobos contained, now.....

Cloud Strife's part of the story of Kingdom Hearts was already covered in the Thundaga profile, so I'll keep it brief here: when competing at the Olympic Colosseum, Sora and the gang run into Cloud, who is working as a mercenary for Hades in the blue god's goal to kill Hercules. Cloud's own intentions in all of this are unclear, but it's likely that his world was one of the many destroyed by the Heartless. He is reluctant to fight a boy, but he confronts Sora's gang with two different outcomes: If Sora wins the battle, he gains experience and Hades has failed in his plan. If Sora loses, Cloud has the option of killing him but he refuses and an enraged Hades double-crosses him by unleashing Cerberus.

Sora vs. Cloud Strife

The reason that Cloud is featured as an opponent here is that Sora's match with him demonstrates several important properties of Guard. First of all, if the enemy hits a guarding Sora it will be momentarily stunned by the recoil. Secondly, Guard is able to take a lot of force as evidenced by how Sora can stop the momentum of Cloud's enormous sword. Seriously, I can't imagine how he can even swing that gargantuan hunk of iron.......

This is Cloud Strife, and the available evidence seems to indicate that he is a soldier....

Counterattack isn't shown in this video, but it's easy to picture how it would work here. Basically, instead of recoiling after clashing with Cloud's weapon Sora would be able to launch a quick strike with his Keyblade right away. Simple enough, right?



Fighting Video: The Hades Cup, Seeds 49-40

As with Toon Link, for the remaining categories of the match I will be posting some fighting videos to give readers a sense of how Sora handles himself in combat. The Hades Cup is the last tournament at the Olympic Colosseum (unlocked after the Hollow Bastion keyhole is sealed), and it contains fifty rounds of enemies with bosses strewn in for good measure. Here are rounds 50-41 of the Hades Cup.


Round 40 pits Sora and Co. against none other than the annoying Behemoth boss they have faced several times earlier! Nothing new here, but I plan to cover every round of the Hades Cup in these fighting videos.

Aeroga

Sora harnesses the powers of wind to use as a barrier with the Aeroga spell.

Toon Link is not the only Warrior with power to control the wind in this matchup- Sora has some control over it as well, as evidenced by his spell Aeroga. As his most versatile defensive implement, Aeroga is vital to for minimizing damage to Sora as well as deflecting energy projectiles that would otherwise harm him. Sora learns the Aero spell after defeating the Opposite Armor, who was shown earlier in his profile. Like as with his other magic, he can upgrade the spell twice to Aeroga but for one of the upgrades he must rescue 101 Dalmatians that have been scattered through the worlds. The way Aeroga works is when Sora casts it he uses up two Magic Points and in return a swirling wind barrier protects him for thirty seconds. The wind barrier cuts in half the damage Sora takes from most attacks, and at its highest level Aeroga also does damage to those enemies who touch the barrier. Finally, some types of projectiles are deflected by Aeroga such as Yuffie's ninja stars and Heartless energy ball attacks. After the spell ends, Sora must recast it in order to regain Aeroga's protection.


As an aggressive fighter who spends most of his time attacking, Sora relies primarily on Aeroga for defense. On the whole, it does a good job of being a fire-and-forget defensive shield for Sora because it lasts for a while and though it costs two Magic Points per cast this is a one-time cost. This means that Aeroga is a great value considering how much it helps him in battle. The barrier causes damage to those who touch it, and even though it is only at close range this quality would be helpful if the duel ever turned to unarmed combat. The wind shield also blocks some projectiles, and even though Link's Arrows probably could pierce the barrier their damage would still be reduced. Also, Aeroga might have the ability to repel the Grappling Hook and perhaps the Boomerang. Finally, the swirling winds may give Sora some protection against the gusts summoned by Link's Wind Waker.

Pictures of Aeroga are scarce, but here is one of Sora vs. an optional boss.



Those are plenty of benefits, but there are also ways that Toon Link could counter Aeroga. First and foremost is the fact that while the wind shield may protect Sora from Link's gusts, the green-clad hero was chosen by the gods as the Wind Waker so he may be able to interfere with the spell's protection or duration with his own powers. Also, Aeroga does not protect against any attack 100 percent except for some projectiles- and that is a potential worry if Sora relies on it for most of his defense. Another annoying flaw to Aeroga is that unlike Link's Naryu's Love, Sora must take a half-second to cast it and is vulnerable while doing so. The thirty-second duration also has the annoying habit of expiring at the worst possible moment.

Aeroga does a great job for Sora when considering all the facts, and the spell should be considered as one of his overall strongest assets due to its ability to keep Sora on the front lines of combat for an extended period. It's by no means a perfect defense, but as the saying goes any defense can be stopped by a good enough offense and vice versa. What sets it apart from Link's shield is its greater magic efficiency and its ability to do damage in close, but it also has additional faults against Link's unique weapons and skills. What seems clear is that Aeroga has gotten Sora this far past many powerful foes, and he will rely on it again when he confronts his most dangerous opponent yet.


The Machine from the Sand, Kurt Zisa

Kurt Zisa, like the Phantom, is another difficult optional boss.

So yeah, I have absolutely no idea of what this thing is but it is found as an optional boss in Agrabah and it is tough as hell. The video explains it pretty well, but what happens is that Sora and the gang come across a very panicked Flying Carpet and they ride it into the desert. There, the gang are cornered by this thing. It appears to be a Heartless, but other than that it is just a very mean boss.


Sora vs. Kurt Zisa

Yep,this thing appears out of nowhere just to pick a fight with Sora.

As the video shows, Kurt Zisa has a variety of attacks including sword slashes and energy attacks, but its most potent technique is disabling Sora's magic. Sora must inflict damage on the shielded creature to get his magic back, but until then the machine slashes with some incredibly damaging swords. This video was selected for Aeroga because the spell does a good job inflicting damage on the monster as well as protecting Sora from its attacks. I tried to beat this thing a few times back in the day and I got crushed, so Kurt Zisa has my respect.


Fighting Video: The Hades Cup, Seeds 40-30

As promised, here is the continuation of the Hades Cup. In Rounds 39-30, the enemies start to get tougher and include some old friends such as the Guard Armor and the Stealth Sneak, and the boss this time around is none other than Cerberus again, annoying as ever! As always, watch these fighting videos to get a sense of how Sora and Co. fight as a unit and combine their techniques in combat.

Curaga (Sora, Donald)

Sora's Curaga spell allows him to channel magic energy in order to heal himself.

Curaga is probably Sora's most simple ability covered thus far (and that includes Guard by the way), but it's arguably one of his most important. Simply put , the Curaga spell gives Sora much more freedom than he would have otherwise in terms of all of his other strategies for one reason: if it's broke, he can fix it. Healing magic like fire and ice has been a staple of RPG games since time immemorial, and such spells vary in effectiveness form being able to refill an entire life bar and eliminating status ailments to barely a fraction of that amount of capability. It all depends on the game and the hero's ability with the spell, and in this regard Sora's Curaga falls comfortably in the middle of that spectrum.


Sora first learns the secret of healing magic from Tarzan and Jane after he liberates the Deep Jungle from the rogue hunter Clayton, and like all of his other magic Sora can upgrade it twice more with each new level increasing the amount of health regained by a cast. The final level, known as Curaga, is only made apparent to the boy hero after he liberates Hollow Bastion from the grip of the witch Maleficent and her Dragon incarnation. At that point, Aerith (famous for getting axed by Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII) teaches Sora the Curaga spell.


Curaga is very simple to cast; Sora selects the spell, he selects from a menu who to heal between himself, Donald, and Goofy. When the target is chosen, Sora stands still for a half-second and raises his Keyblade- the recipient of the spell is covered in a green light (the effect is the opposite of something else, by the way!) and then recovers a portion of his life bar. The amount of health gained as a percentage varies depending on what level Sora is, but I'd say that it is probably closest to two-thirds of Sora's lifebar, which is the standard I'll be using for this match. Again, the benefits to a healing spell like Curaga are easy to guess but I'll elaborate on them here: First of all, Curaga gives Sora a means of quickly repairing his health without resorting to finite and slower-to-use potions. Two seconds is all it takes to rescue Sora's health when he needs it most, and the spell goes the same way for Sora's friends (Donald knows Curaga as well, and as mentioned previously he has a talent for bailing out Sora's ass when the Keyblade Master is taking punishment). With Curaga, Sora has an easy time of healing himself as long as he has the Magic Points to do so (and at only 1 MP per cast, it's a great value). Also, Link doesn't have this benefit and he must search his environment for recovery hearts so it's obvious who has the advantage here.

I couldn't find any other pictures of Curaga, so here is an epic photo of the gang.



Curaga may be a game-changer for Sora in the same way as Link's Magic Armor is for him, but the spell does have some drawbacks that can be exploited. First of all, Sora uses Curaga a LOT in his battles and there is a good reason for this- despite being a strong young man, Sora doesn't seem to have quite the health capacity of his current opponent. Enemy attacks seem to damage him more significantly, and there is no real way around this for Sora. Of course, his superior magic reserves and the Curaga spell make up for this somewhat, but Sora constantly needs to have an escape route planned in case he takes too much damage at once. He can do so quickly with Superglide, but even then he could still be vulnerable to a quick arrow or a similar attack by Link. It'll be up to Donald and Goofy to create enough of a distraction for Sora to get away without getting hurt in the process. Speaking of them, Curaga won't be able to revive them if they get knocked out so Sora will need to monitor them accordingly (this could distract him from his enemy).


For a non-offensive move, Curaga is unusual in that it has so many potential offensive uses. With the spell, Sora doesn't have to worry nearly as much about his health as he would need to otherwise, and the fact that Donald can use the move as well only heightens the potential benefits for team Kingdom Hearts. This doesn't make Sora invincible, but Curaga may well turn out to be Sora's most important move in this fight.






Chernabog, the hateful king of Bald Mountain

Chernabog is surely one bad, bad, bad, bad dude......

The demon known as Chernabog is like the Palpatine of Disney movies- he hardly ever makes a personal appearance, but his actions are felt everywhere and he is simply the Lord of Evil (I personally think that Maleficent is cooler, but this guy could probably wipe the floor with her in a fight). Chernabog is pretty much Satan's minion who watches over the part of hell known as Bald Mountain, and his concept actually predates his appearance in the Disney movie Fantasia. We never find out much about Chernabog except that he is extremely evil, but he makes a perfect opponent for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to face at the End of the World.

Sora and Co. take on the ultimate Disney villain!!!

From where we left off, Sora and friends have successfully fought their way through all of the Disney worlds in the World Terminus, and there is but one opponent from Mickey's universe left for them to face- Chernabog. Unlike the other battles shown so far, Sora can fly around during this one and attack the demon from all angles. Chernabog's attacks are extremely powerful, and Curaga is regularly used to preserve Sora's life and limb. He also has something called the Second Chance ability equipped that allows him to have one health point left after any otherwise fatal hit. Aeroga helps here as always by cutting in half the damage recieved, but Sora's friends are knocked out early so the Keyblade Master must fend for himself. Sora's typical attack, retreat and heal pattern is shown here; fortunately for him Chernabog isn't quick enough to nail him when he flies away.

It's hard to imagine any adversary being tougher than Chernabog, but Sora will have to raise his game even higher for Toon Link.



Fighting Video: The Hades Cup, Seeds 30-20

The Hades Cup continues as the enemies keep getting tougher, and Sora turns to Thundaga spamming to get his point across to the Heartless he is pitted against. The spells make short work of the early rounds but they rapidly deplete his Magic Points- notice how he counts on Donald for backup here. The highlight of this video besides the final fight is the return of the Opposite Armor, and even though Sora is more powerful now the Armor remains a formidable opponent. Second Chance saves him numerous times as does Curaga and his friends, until the boss round beckons. This time it's none other than Leon and Cloud, and their tag team tactics are probably the greatest challenge Sora has faced to this point. How will he be able to defeat these two great Warriors? Check around next time to find out!



















Potions (Elixirs, Megalixir), Second Chance (Sora), and MP Gift (Goofy)

Sora can synthesize useful items such as Elixirs with the ingredients he takes from his enemies.

As the basic concept of Potions was covered in Link's profile, I'll cut to the chase here when it comes to Sora's Potions. The Keyblade Master is less reliant on magic items than his green-clad opponent, but he does have the space to carry potions of various types. The two strongest ones that he has are Elixirs and Megalixirs. Elixirs fully replenish the health and magic points of one character, and they can be used by anyone in Sora's party. (Donald and Goofy can keep and use items when need be.) That's pretty much all there is to it, as Elixirs are the strongest potions in Kingdom Hearts with one exception: Megalixirs. 

Megalixirs can only be obtained through synthesis or as the spoils from defeating high-level foes such as this Invisible.

Megalixirs are the ultimate item in Kingdom Hearts; they fully restore the health and magic of everyone in the party! Only Sora can use them, and they can only be found by Synthesis or as the spoils of war with the Heartless. They can't be bought, so they are pretty rare. For that reason, out of the four items Sora will bring to the battle (to keep it even with Link), three will be normal Elixirs and one will be a Magalixir. Also, Donald and Goofy will each get one elixir each for their own use or to give to Sora in a time of need.


There are a few benefits that set Sora's potions apart from Link's; first of all, Donald and Goofy will each get an Elixir to use, which could help out the team if one of its members is single out by the Hylian for some reason. Secondly, Sora's Megalixir will be able to rejuvenate and revive the entire party once during the battle; an opportune use of this could obviously win the fight for Sora. Third, Sora and Co. don't just have to use their Potions for recovery; Curaga and Goofy's MP Gift are both sustainable moves and they perform the same functions as recovery items.


Now it's time to briefly explain two miscellaneous defensive abilities that team Kingdom Hearts also has access to: Second Chance allows Sora to have one health point left after an otherwise fatal hit, and Goofy's MP Gift allows him to give three Magic Points to Donald or Sora at a cost of one of his own. Though relatively minor in the scheme of things, these abilities could benefit the group in a few specific situations.

As a move exclusive to Goofy, MP Gift allows him to feed the spellcasting abilities of Sora and Donald at a cost of his own Magic Points.






There are several drawbacks to these abilities of Sora and the gang, and they start with potions; most obvious is that Link may try to steal an item with his Grappling Hook, and if he pulls this off it could be a major hinderance to Sora's cause. Secondly, the Potions take about two seconds to take; Sora can flee with Superglide to create some distance, but he still exposes himself to Link's Bow with this approach. Third, if Donald or Goofy take a lot of damage Sora may need to use an Elixir to revive them that could have been useful to himself. Finally, Sora doesn't get any damage bonuses with his items unlike Link with his Elixir Soup.


Where does all of this put the Potions and other abilities in Sora's defensive plan? It should be apparent by now that he relies primarily on the faster to use Curaga for most of the group's recovery, but the items are important in that they give a fallback option if Sora needs to completely revive a teammate or if he needs to regain his own Magic Points in a hurry. Thus, a well-used item could set Sora up to win the battle when Link has been worn down by constant attacks.



Clayton, the Old and Scheming Hunter

How about some tea and crumpets, chap?

Clayton is the villain of the Deep Jungle world, and there he is Jane's guide to the wilderness. He is masquerading as a biologist but he actually has more sinister ends- Clayton is really a big game hunter who wants to shoot every gorilla he finds (what he wants to do with the trophies, I don't know...) These gorillas are Tarzan's family, so there is a natural conflict of interest and Sora's position on the matter is made clear by the fact that Clayton uses the Heartless to help him round up the innocent gorillas.


Sora, Goofy, and Tarzan vs. Clayton

A three-on-one battle may seem to be lopsided, but Clayton's goals are helped by two points: a) He has a gun, and b) he has a large chameleon-type thing called a Stealth Sneak to provide backup. I chose this video because as Sora learns Cure after this fight he still needs to rely on items for now. You can see how his pattern works: attack, retreat while Clayton is distracted, and return for more. The items for the battle will be the same except they will replenish all magic and health depending on the item used.

Clayton's Shotgun does a lot of damage, but fortunately for Sora he shoots it infrequently.

Fighting Video: The Hades Cup, Seeds 20-11

Things are really getting serious in the final rounds of the Hades Cup, and Sora and the gang only have twenty rounds of enemies left until the final match. First, though, they must survive against probably the hardest challenge they have seen yet, Leon and Cloud. While Leon is the tank who walks around swinging his Gunblade, Cloud zooms and flies around and is arguably the bigger threat here. The two very nearly kill Sora on multiple occasions, and it's on;y thanks to Second Chance and Donald's intervention that Sora doesn't lose this one. The battle is very entertaining, and I highly recommend that you watch to gain a sense of Sora's skills in battle.


The rest of the seeds aren't quite as epic but they come close. Sora makes good use of Superglide, Ars Arcanum, and Strike Raid here, but at points he nearly loses, especially against the last seed- he is forced to use an item to revive his teammates and stave off his own death. Still though, Sora is to be commended for his ability to slay hordes of enemies at once.

Mobility: Dodge Roll, High Jump, Superglide

Mobility is how Sora manages to quickly close the distance and deliver killing blows to his opponents in a hurry.

Dodge Roll and High Jump

Photos of the abilities are nonexistent, so to see Dodge Roll and High Jump in action just watch the videos.

The abilities of Dodge Roll and High Jump are pretty self explanatory, so this description will be brief. With Dodge Roll, Sora has the ability to quickly roll forward in order to avoid dangers or else to simply cover ground quickly. With High Jump, Sora and friends can now jump about six or seven feet in the air in order to gain access to new areas and avoid low-sweeping enemy attacks. That's pretty much all there is to these abilities, as Sora learns Dodge Roll early in his quest and High Jump is obtained inside of the whale Monstro.


Don't get the impression that simply because they are easy for me to explain that Dodge Roll and High Jump are negligible in importance, because nothing could be farther from the truth. Dodge Roll allows Sora to change his target profile in order to make himself more difficult to hit; he can easily roll out of danger and then get an angle before the opponent can rect to his new positioning. While Link also has the Dodge Roll ability, it's arguably more important to Sora due to his highly mobile and aggressive fighting style. High Jump is even more important to him because it gives Sora and Co. unquestioned dominance of the air. Unlike Toon Link, Sora can use his jumping abilities to hop around, over, and away from his enemies in order to dodge their attacks and facilitate his own. He isn't just tied to the ground, then- in fact, much of Sora's game consists of getting the jump on the enemy so that even before the attacks are launched the angles and positioning favor Sora. This isn't even the most important use of High Jump, however; that honor goes to its use for setting up Superglide. It's explained below, but in a nutshell this ability allows Sora to glide at a very rapid pace, allowing him to make speedy retreats and advances when appropriate in combat. The height achieved by High Jump beforehand enables Sora to cover a lot of ground with Superglide.

Sora's KH1 costume makes a return in the sequel as his Limit Form.

While Dodge Roll is quite useful for evading enemy attacks and High Jump gives Sora unquestioned dominance of the air, these abilities are not perfect and their weaknesses could be exploited by an opportunistic opponent. In Dodge Roll's case, it's less about the move itself and more of what Sora's up against in terms of Toon Link's mobility- in combat, the green-clad hero has leaps, sidesteps, evades, and backflips galore in addition to being able to roll himself, and all of these skills make Sora's lone close-range evasive ability seem lacking in comparison. Also, as with any roll Sora is vulnerable to attack immediately after he emerges from it so to win he will have to time his rolls very well. The drawback of High Jump is that while Sora is capable of fighting from the air he is somewhat looser in terms of his guarding ability when airborne- attacks that he otherwise may have blocked on the ground may get through here. Also, as any Halo veteran will testify it is easy to track a high, floaty jumper and target him during the leap- if Sora can't confuse Link outright he may be easy pickings for such weapons as the Boomerang and Bow.

Sora's athleticism allows him to jump far higher than the capabilities of most other heroes, including Link.



One of the main advantages that Sora and friends have over their opponent in this battle is that of superior long-range mobility; abilities such as High Jump and Superglide allow them to cover long distances much more efficiently than their Hylian enemy, and this will enable them to gain many advantages in spacing and terrain. While Sora's close-range mobility in Dodge Roll may be outclassed by Link's evasiveness, the fact remains that if Sora sees an area of the battlefield that he wants to occupy, the odds are that he will get there first.








The Lord of the Underworld, Hades

As the villain of Hercules, Hades makes his appearance as the host of the Olympic Colosseum tournaments.

After Sora and friends seal the Hollow Bastion keyhole, they still have one last Disney villain out of Maleficent's original gang plotting against them- Hades, the smooth-talking, confident god of the dead. As Zeus' younger brother who was forced out of Olympus to watch over the shadows of the dead, Hades pretty much hates everyone who symbolizes life and this group includes Sora. While the Keyblade Master is not originally Hades' main target (Hercules is), the boy quickly gains the god's  attention when he stops Hades' pet Cerberus from destroying Hercules and Cloud. From that point on, Hades sends waves of Heartless against Sora's group during the Colosseum tournaments until the Hades Cup rolls around and the dead immortal finally loses his cool.

The Hades Cup, Seeds 10-5

Hades has only a few attacks, but all of them can rip off over half of Sora's health if they connect. Donald and Goofy quickly fall to Hades' firestorm, so it's up to Sora to revive them with Curaga and triumph over death himself by the skillful use of Dodge Roll and Strike Raid. Speaking of which, Sora exploits the fact that he is invulnerable while using it against Hades; obviously this won't be the case against Link because it frankly makes no sense- it seems to just be an easy way to cover up the weaknesses of the attack for balance purposes. Hades gives Sora all he can handle, but in the end the fiend is defeated and sent to answer to his own disgruntled minions. The next seeds are a cakewalk in comparison, although Sora narrowly avoids death several times against the Stealth Sneak and Invisibles.






Superglide

Sora has the ability to magically glide for long distances- he can cover ground more quickly than by running if he uses Superglide well.

People have long dreamed of individual flight, and I can guarantee you that behind money and immortality what most of us want most would be the ability to quickly travel anywhere we would want without having to deal with such annoyances as traffic and fatigue. While Sora's Superglide doesn't quite live up to this ideal, it nonetheless is a very powerful mobility tool that radically alters his approach to warfare. Sora doesn't acquire the ability of flight until late in the game, at the last Disney world of Neverland. There, it is bestowed upon him and his friends by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell as thanks for their saving Neverland from Captain Hook and the Heartless. Sora's glide becomes the powered-up Superglide only after the king of Bald Mountain himself, Chernabog, is defeated at the End of the World. After Superglide is obtained, Sora can then use it to take on the game's final bosses as well as the secret optional bosses such as Sephiroth and Kurt Zisa.

Sora has the ability to launch virtually any attack from the air, a benefit that his opponent lacks.

Superglide, like the other mobility assets of these Warriors, is simple to describe but complex to explain adequately; in essence, at the height of his jump Sora can then glide at a speed of about fifteen to twenty miles per hour (far faster than running) and on level ground he can fly for around sixty feet or so before having to land. Obviously this is indeed a useful tool for Sora, especially considering his hit-and-run attacking style.With Superglide, the Keyblade Master has the ability to constantly hound his opponent or else make a speedy retreat in order to use a recovery item or gain space. Therefore, the move virtually gaurantees air superiority for Sora.

Sora wouldn't be able to glide across this chasm, but he can cover a long distance nonetheless.

Superglide does have some weaknesses that Sora has to worry about, though. First of all, when he is flying through the air Sora can't attack, defend, or use items. He can descend at any time he wishes, but the fact remains that if Link tries to use an attack on him Sora could get nailed by it before he can get enough distance behind them. Also, while Superglide is fast, it is also very linear; Sora can't speed up or slow down, and it is difficult for him to turn in the air. These facts may make it difficult for him to avoid quick projectiles (such as the Bow, for instance).


With Superglide, Sora gets the ultimate tool at his disposal; with the exception of the Hookshot, he can get anywhere he wants to go faster than his opponent. Also, the Keyblade Master can launch attacks from the air as well. When the combat takes to the skies, Sora will have a definitive edge by using Superglide in conjunction with his aerial combos.









Sora takes on the Black Dragon!

 

Yeah, good luck blocking that with your Mirror Shield.....

If you were looking to see Superglide in use here, well I'm sorry to say that it isn't shown in this video. Indeed, I have made a lone exception in order to feature one of the baddest  opponents in Kingdom Hearts- the Maleficent Dragon. This fight is so epic that a review of Sora's adventures would be incomplete without including it, so it is shown here. 

Even Maleficent's powers are no match for Sora, so she turns into a Dragon as a last-ditch effort to slay him.

After Sora and the gang defeat Maleficent in Hollow Bastion's Chapel, she retreats into a dark portal to gather herself. Riku meets her there, as well as Sora who chases her into a figurative corner. Surrounded and weakened, Maleficent is betrayed by Riku (who is by this point possessed by Ansem) as the protege uses a black Keyblade on her to unlock her heart. Maleficent's evil is unleashed, and she turns into a raving, roaring Dragon.

The Dragon- 'Nuff Said.

The Dragon is probably the toughest enemy that Sora has faced to this point, and he along with his friends must use every skill that they have acquired in order to defeat it. The Dragon is remniscent of the earlier boss Cerberus in that it's weak point is its head and its potent attacks go in a forward direction. However, the Dragon has far superior offensive and defensive capabilities to the Underworld Guardian and it will absolutely destroy Sora's party if given any chance. As always, the video best describes this fight so watch it to see how the Keyblade Master defeats his largest challenge so far.

 Maleficent was such an effective villain that she has appeared in virtually every Kingdom Hearts game to date.

Sora's Intangibles: Tactics, Experience, Past Opponents, Motivations, Psychological Aspects, and Defining Moment

Saving the universe from evil is a full-time job, but even Sora and the gang have some time for a bit of levity in their schedules

Sora's Tactics: Headlong rush, attack with combos, be aggressive, confuse the opponent, attack weak points, defend others

Sora relies mainly on his Keyblade for attacking, but he has access to powerful magical attacks as well.

As explained earlier, Sora's main battle strategy is to meet the opponent head-on, throwing them off-balance with counterattacks and combos until they retreat to recover. At this point, Sora can heal himself with Curaga, summon help, heal his friends, or use an array of elemental magic attacks to further soften up the enemy. Sora is impetuous to the limit, and sometimes he doesn't realize what he's getting himself into until it's too late (see the Leon battle). 

Usually, though, Sora's aggressive strategy works out for him, especially when he has his partners Donald and Goofy around for backup. His only worries could plausibly be either underestimating his opponent, confronting someone who can keep him at bay with ranged attacks, or else running out of Magic Points. Some of these issues make Sora vulnerable to his current opponent, but it works the opposite way in other situations.

This short description of Sora does a good job at explaining who he is and what he fights for.

Because Sora mainly fights those who are stronger than him, much of his strategy revolves around him striking at the right moment or using the patterns of his foes against them. He shares this trait with his opponent, but it's worth mentioning nonetheless.

An overview of Sora's tactics would be incomplete without considering the reasons he has to make tactical decisions: loyalty to his friends. Sora can fight adeptly on his own, but he really shines as part of a team along with Donald and Goofy. His desire to protect others means that his will to survive provides for some clever solutions to dire circumstances.

Sora Versus the Flamboyant Buccaneer, Captain Hook

Captain Hook is an adept sword duelist as well as Peter Pan's main nemesis.


After Sora defeats his dark counterpart Antisora in the Captain's quarters of Neverland, he must then progress to defeat the master of the ship, Captain Hook. Unfortunately for him, the gang is captured and Sora is forced by Hook to walk the plank into the jaws of a hungry crocodile below. Just as the killer croc is about to have his meal, Sora gains the ability of flight and from there the fight is on between the group of him, Donald, and Peter Pan against Captain Hook and his army of Heartless. 

Captain Hook, the Strict Old Codfish

This fight is included in Sora's Tactics for a good reason- it highlights his main attacking style against a single opponent who is good with a sword. (need I say more?) Sora has the ability to fly around during the struggle, but against Hook it is best for him to stay on the deck and meet Hooks attacks head-on. Notice the attack, retreat, heal strategy as always, and how Sora uses his teammates to outnumber and distract Hook while he sets up for a damaging combo like Sonic Blade. There is not much to say about this one other than that, but as an interesting note take a look at how Sora flies- he does so at the same speed as his Superglide ability.

Experience: Various Travels, Training, Duels 

Ansem was probably Sora's most dangerous opponent, but he was by no means the Keyblade Master's only one.

Over the course of Kingdom Hearts, Sora travels to about eight or nine unique Disney worlds and it is his responsibility to lock the keyholes of each one from the Heartless. Every Disney world has its own types of heartless and its own local villain who tries to use them for his own goals. The villains get stronger and more sinister as the story progresses, but the key word for Sora's experiences is Travel. He has traveled to worlds so different from each other that Sora has become adept at fighting against any opponent imaginable in any possible environment. He and his friends often find themselves to be outnumbered against whole armies of Heartless, so Sora is focused on dishing out as much punishment as possible in order to thin out their ranks quickly.

Sora and Riku had a friendly rivalry on the Islands, and they frequently sparred with each other and the other kids they knew.

This doesn't mean that Sora can't handle himself in a duel, however. He has trained in fighting form an early age, and sparred with his friends on the Destiny Islands even before he encountered his signature weapon. After his quest begins, Sora becomes immeasurably more competent as he gains new magical and combo abilities as the spoils of his wars on the Heartless.


Sora had quite a long quest on his hands with Kingdom Hearts 1, and the many worlds he visited and all of the enemies he fought give him all of the experience he needs in order to triumph in the end, even against the most formidable he has ever faced.







Sora Fights Against His Friends!

Tidus is the third-best fighter of the kids, after Sora and Riku.

Before the Heartless attacked his home, Sora had an idyllic life on the Destiny Islands and hung around with his friends all day. It's hinted that the kids had parents at one point, but they are never seen and it can be assumed that Sora and his friends were given complete freedom to do whatever they wished. To pass the time, the friends played all types of games and they frequently had sparring matches to hone their skills. These techniques would benefit Sora later on when he had to fight real enemies intent upon killing him. It's clear, though, that Sora had his fighting style already learned before he touched the Keyblade.




Sora takes on Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie!

In this first video, Sora duels his friends Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie all at once. They frequently gang up on him, but they are not real Warriors so Sora wins in the end. It's interesting to note that the kids are never heard from again after the Islands are destroyed; either they were killed by the Heartless, or else they were sent off into other worlds and Sora has yet to find them. Still, though, Sora doesn't particularly grieve for them after the loss (or his parents either, for that matter).

Sora Takes on his best friend, Riku!

Next up is Sora's best friend, Riku. He fights much in the same way as he does later on, but this time around he is much easier. Riku is actually a good-natured person before he is corrupted by darkness, but his curiousity and desire for power lead the Keyblade to choose Sora instead of him. Riku never recovers from this slight, and their feud begins from here.

Past Opponents: Too Many to List. Overall Quality: Extremely High

Ansem is indeed formidable, and he even uses a Dark Keyblade that unlocks the darkness within peoples' hearts. As is revealed in the sequel, this was only Ansem's Heartless- the real Ansem's story is quite complicated.

For as many worlds as Sora has conquered, he has fought an even greater number of opponents during that time. The names of the villains he has conquered are legendary- Jafar, Sephiroth, Maleficent, Clayton, Captain Hook, Cloud Strife, Hades, the list goes on. Pretty much, if there's a name in the Final Fantasy or Disney Series to be mentioned, Sora has at least encountered and most likely defeated him. That's why I feel that it is in order to give his opponents an Extremely High rating- they are the best of the best, and even those Disney villains who are more comic relief such as the Queen of Hearts are offset by a very good track record of victories against the badasses I have just mentioned.

All of Sora's major opponents have been covered already in videos, save one- the last and greatest threat to the Keyblade Wielder. He will be shown next, but by all accounts experience in the field should not be a problem for Sora. Though he is an adolescent, Sora has faced more combat than most older Warriors, and that's not even taking into account the armies of Heartless that he has had to dispatch to just survive. What keeps Sora from earning the highest rank of Ultimate in opponent quality are two things: first of all, his friends receive aid from local heroes who know the villains better than they do, so those fights are made easier. Secondly, Sora has lost fights to a select few opponents: Riku, Cloud, and Leon aren't pushovers, but they show that when Sora loses his cool or underestimates his enemy he is in fact beatable.

The Final War is on, for the fate of Kingdom Hearts!!!

Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, is the very last adversary that Sora has to face in the game.

You Kingdom Hearts fans out there didn't honestly believe that I would end Sora's profile without showing how the story ends, did you? I have saved the best videos for last, as this time it's no holds barred, Sora and friends versus Ansem to decide how the world ends. If you haven't watched the Ragnarok video already, do so now- that will give you the story so far in this epic struggle. For this final battle, I'll let the videos do most of the talking as the action will pretty much be unbroken until the end.

As a Heartless himself, Ansem is the very embodiment of what Sora has sworn an oath to destroy.



Well, then, where did we leave off? After Ansem is beaten by Sora and his friends, the Seeker of Darkness is flung into the gaping chasm in the middle of the Destiny Islands, and Sora leaps into the crater to pursue the madman. Unfortunately for him, Ansem has laid a trap and now Sora must defeat the far more powerful Ansem in single combat.


Ansem fights much like he did before, but this time he is far more aggressive and he borrows a few moves from his victim Riku. I'll let the video speak for itself, but trust me when I say that this is one heated contest!



Sora versus Ansem, Mano-A-Mano

Once Ansem is defeated again, he vanishes into a black portal- but not before summoning the one monster that Sora fears most.....




Darkside Has Returned!!!!!

If that battle seemed too easy, then it's because Darkside was just a distraction for Sora while Ansem launches his ultimate plan- opening the door to Kingdom Hearts! For no reason, Sora and friends find themselves in an endless abyss with only one thing to keep them company- Ansem's Battleship! I have no clue as to why he turned into this thing, but I guess it's theatrical so just go with it. 


Anyway, Ansem is dangerous here because he both has a huge weapon AND he shoots laser beams! Sora and Co. are free to fly around the chasm at will, so the fight takes place from all angles.

Sora in the World of Chaos

After Ansem is put down again, he is sealed and now it is his Guardian's turn to try and kill Sora. The Keyblade Master disapproves of this plan, and he dives into the menacing portals to rescue his friends. He finds himself up against a horde of Darkballs, but thankfully Goofy is now at his side.


After the boy and the dog escape their black prison, they must now take on a demon's face. The thing is actually very dangerous because it spams energy attacks right at Sora, but he and Goofy eventually triumph and gain access to Donald's cell.




Sora versus Ansem- The Final Showdown

Here the party is reunited, but Invisibles await! Donald falls to the horde, but Sora destroys the room core and the party escapes yet again. For added measure, the Face explodes for no reason. Now all that's left is to destroy the heart of the ship- after this is accomplished, Ansem's seal is broken and the final battle is on!


This one is much more difficult than last time- Ansem shoots lasers like confetti, and Sora nearly falls to the onslaught. After this last victory, the final scenes play. That's it for my description, but here is the ending if you wish to see it.




The Ending to Kingdom Hearts 1

The ending scenes are quite touching, and they also set the stage for Kingdom Hearts II. I haven't played that yet, but after completing Sora's profile it may be time to dust off the PS2 after all.

Motivations : Protecting his friends, loyalty to others, desire to fight evil, love (Kairi)

 Much of Sora's desire to fight comes from his love for Kairi, but he also realizes that the fate of the universe is in his hands.

Sora began his adventures with a self-centered attitude, and friendly rivalries with the other kids on his island, including Titus, Shelsie, and Wakka. His best friends on the Destiny Islands before the arrival of the Heartless were Riku and Kairi. 

Riku, Sora's friendly rival and also an on-and-off nemesis.

Riku, a headstrong boy a year older than Sora, was a friendly rival and a tough-guy foil to the more sensitive and perceptive Sora. He hates how he knows nothing about the world outside his island, and comes up with the idea to build an exploration raft. When the Heartless invade, Riku is unafraid to step into the opening dark portal, as he views the dark side as a way to gain the power and knowledge he craves. Riku later turns to evil entirely, but after his defeat at the hands of Sora he despises how he was captured by Ansem's dark spell and helps Sora close the final door on the Heartless. He remains Sora's closest male friend besides Donald and Goofy.

Kairi, Sora's best female friend, and also a love interest?.....


Kairi is a girl Sora's age, and is his closest female friend (and lover?) throughout the series. Sora and Riku were just becoming teenagers when the series began, so I doubt that either of them loved Kairi in the traditional sense (you know what I mean...). However, they frequently competed for her attention even as they started to oppose each other in moral values. Sora and Kairi would frequently sit together on the beach gazing at the sunset, talking about the wide world that was just waiting to be explored. Sora deeply cares for Kairi and vice versa, so this idea of "love" is probably Sora's strongest motivation. An interesting plot point was revealed, at one point, in that Kairi's heart actually lies with Sora, and vice versa. It's not unreasonable to say that he values her more than his own life, and indeed he has sacrificed himself for her on one occasion. I haven't played the sequel yet, but I'd think the personal bond between Sora and Kairi only grows stronger with time.

Donald and Goofy, Sora's closest companions and also his trusted allies in battle.



After Sora began to see the outside world, he runs into King Mickey's royal guard, Donald Duck and Goofy. At first, they were on a mission to bring the Keyblade Master to the King and nothing else. As time passes, however, they come to value Sora as a person more than this title. This is proven when they fail to leave Sora when Riku takes the Keyblade away. As members of Sora's party, Donald and Goofy travel and fight with him, as such are probably his closest companions besides Kairi. Donald is easily set off by the behavior of the other two, but he is intensely loyal and often casts spells to help Sora when he needs it. Goofy, on the other hand, is the Captain of the King's Knights and specializes in melee combat. Interestingly enough, he fights with a shield alone as he despises true weapons. Together, the desire to protect Donald and Goofy are Sora's second strongest motivation.

Sora doesn't take combat lightly- when he fights, he does so in order to defeat evil.



Besides personal motivations, Sora's largest reason to fight is his true desire to rid the world of evil forces such as the Heartless and the Nobodies. Since the life he knew as a child was destroyed forever by these forces, he wants to help other places avoid the same fate as his by lending a helping hand to regional heroes such as Tarzan, Peter Pan, and Ariel. He also accepts his role as a chosen Keyblade Master, and together with King Mickey and others Sora has an obligation to fight darkness wherever it may appear.

Sora's Psychology: 

Strengths: utterly determined, strong motivation, team mentality, personal responsibility, loyalty of teammates and allies, unselfishness, love

Weaknesses: very impulsive, temperamental, poor decision making at times, personal issues with teammates and allies, stubbornness, love

Many psychological aspects of individuals are shaped in their childhoods. With that in mind, here is what Sora looked like as a young, innocent kid.

While I originally wasn't going to include Psychological Aspects in these profiles, my buddy Monopolyman convinced me otherwise and now both of these Warriors will have their brains picked to see just what makes them tick!

Sora has always been a headstrong, confident, passionate individual who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He is very competitive, especially with his friend Riku, and once he awakens as a Keyblade Master Sora is utterly determined to do his best to fight evil. While Riku was tempted to darkness by the promise of quick power, Sora has taken another route by slowly growing in power and friendship with his teammates Donald and Goofy. 

Things often get lively on the Gummi Ship, considering that there are three wannabe pilots and only one joystick!

Speaking of them, an important strength for Sora mentally is that not all of the will to fight has to be his own- the duck and the dog are always there to support him if something doesn't work out. Conversely, Sora acts as a mediator between the two and keeps things smooth between the otherwise totally opposite Donald and Goofy. Sora knows that it is his responsibility to lock the keyholes of each world, and he does so not for personal gain or fame but as his duty- a very mature behavior for a fourteen-year-old adolescent. He also has traded bonding oaths with Kairi, so he is furthermore responsible in honoring those promises among others. Sora is always willing to lend a helping hand to whomever he finds in distress, and he isn't nearly as selfish as his fiery demeanor may portray him to be.


For all the endearing qualities of Sora's personality, he has just as many glaring flaws. Probably his most costly one is his impulsiveness- from challenging the far stronger Leon to a duel early in his career to risking his life against Cerberus to even killing himself in the name of love, it's clear that Sora's teenage brain still hasn't developed the ability to properly judge the future consequences of all of his potential actions. While this risk-taking behavior pays off sometimes, often it just gets him and the gang into trouble. With this impulsiveness also come a temper that sometimes clouds his judgement as well as a few deficits in his decision-making ability.

The group meets, and the legend begins......



While Donald and Goofy are great for emotional support, there are also times that the group doesn't agree on what to do next. Complicating this is that Sora has a stubborn streak that increases friction between him and Donald Duck. A classic example of this was when Sora and Donald argued over where to land on the Deep Jungle- they couldn't agree, so their gummi ship crash-landed! The easygoing Goofy doesn't start many problems, but Sora finds himself occasionally trying to protect him from Donald's domineering tendencies. 

Awww, ain't it cute? Teenage love is a curious thing, especially considering that Sora and Kairi are so young and have known each other all of their lives.



A final but significant note for Sora's psychological profile concerns the subject of, you guessed it, love. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not the birds and the bees. However, Sora probably does truly love Kairi deep down,  even if he hasn't developed the means of expressing it emotionally or physically yet. The factor of Love works both ways for Sora- it's the strongest motivator in the world, but it also can cloud his judgment and push him into irrevocable consequences. It's not hard to guess, but the major example of this is when Sora kills himself to revive Kairi. By doing this, Sora shows a complete disregard for his still-very-alive friends Donald and Goofy and for his responsibilities as the Keyblade Master. Darkness could have triumphed without him, but Sora was very lucky that Kairi was able to bring him back to life. Given this extreme example, it's not unreasonable to assume that Sora would do nearly ANYTHING for Kairi out of love, "for better or for worse."

.................I swear this was hilarious when I found it at 12:43!!!! LMAO!!! Seriously, though, this probably would not have ever happened during the course of Kingdom Hearts 1 if it makes you feel any better.

Defining Moment: The Duels with Riku

If one battle can define who Sora is and what he stands for, this is it.

I could have gone with the final battle vs. Ansem for Sora's Defining Moment, but I decided instead to showcase two clashes between Sora and his former friend, Riku. As they were sucked into the void as the Destiny Islands vanished, Riku said that he wasn't afraid to venture into the unknown. Sora instead tried to save his home, but he too was consumed by the vortex. The two met several more times during their journeys, but Riku in his lust for power turned to the Heartless and became Ansem's protege. Over Sora's quest, Riku rarely appears but on the few occasions that he does he sends Heartless minions to kill Sora.

Riku turns to the dark side in order to save the girl he loves.....sound familiar?

Their rivalry finally comes to a head at Hollow Bastion, when Riku appears out of nowhere and demands that the score between them be settled. By this point Riku is entirely under Maleficent's influence and he uses his newfound skills to sieze the Keyblade from Sora's grasp. He wants to be the one who saves Kairi, and he will even betray his former friend to do so. Donald and Goofy are under orders by their King to follow the Keyblade, so they are forced to abandon Sora as well.

Sora and Riku- The Rivalry Renewed

After traveling with the similarly determined Beast for a while, Sora finally tracks Riku to the Lobby of Hollow Bastion. In this first battle, Sora tries to convince Riku that what he is doing is wrong and that the two could still be friends. When Riku attacks, Sora says the quote of the game in that his friends are his weapon and that his body may be destroyed, but his heart will never die. By his show of inner courage, Sora regains the right to wield the Keyblade. With the help of Goofy and Donald, Sora defeats Riku and the brooding adolescent flees to make a desperate choice.....

Sora vs. Riku, Round 1

Sora and Riku represent two distinct personality types- one is idealistic and believes that light conquers all, while the other is a cynic and pursues individual gain as life's ultimate goal. Ask yourself, dear Reader: which one are you?


The second battle occurs a while later, after the demise of Maleficent. Riku is desperate to be able to wield the Keyblade, and he is approached by a strange hooded figure. The figure promises him all of his desires in exchange for his heart. Seeing no other way to get what he wants, Riku agrees and he is possessed by Ansem. After offing Maleficent, Riku then prepares to unlock Hollow Bastion's keyhole. He has one problem, though- Ansem needs Kairi's heart in order to unlock the keyhole and destroy the world, but he knows that Kairi's heart truly lies within Sora. After a fierce duel, Riku is defeated and Sora makes the ultimate self-sacrifice- by killing himself with his enemy's dark Keyblade, he frees Kairi's heart so that she may live.

Sora vs. Riku Showdown, Round 2 

Unlike his current opponent, Sora has experienced death firsthand- this knowledge of the end may affect his views on life and combat as well.

These scenes probably illustrate more than anything else what makes Sora a Warrior. He is willing to fight and even die for his cause, and he values what he loves (Kairi) even more than himself. After he is restored to life by Kairi, Sora is never quite the same person again; by confronting death, he is sure that not even that can stop him from restoring light to the world.

Sora takes his own life by choice to revive the person he cares most about. He is reborn as a Heartless, but is later restored to life by the wishes of Kairi. This story twist has been done countless times before in video games, but it works exceptionally well here and it makes for quite a poignant scene.



















Closing Statement: Sora

Sora is the perfect Warrior from a motivational standpoint- his cause is just, his determination unwavering, and he fights for not just the world but also for those he loves.

It's obviously difficult to compress the detail of who Sora is and what he stands for into a few closing sentences, but I'll certainly try to here. Sora is the product of circumstance- he fights to protect others from what happened to him already: his world was destroyed and his family plus most of his friends killed by a force that knows no boundaries and takes no prisoners. Therefore, every fight is personal for the Keyblade Master, and he'll go to war taking the causes of others as his own- Sora will bring this same courage with him when he faces the challenge of a lifetime in Toon Link. He is extremely adept with his Keyblade, and he also knows a powerful array of magical abilities. He is not alone when he fights; his loyal companions Donald and Goofy are at his side, and so are the dreams of his best friends. Sora is superior to his current enemy in some areas and inferior in others, but his aggressive attacking strategies and outstanding mobility give him an excellent chance to win his Ultimate Showdown!

Although this Showdown will indeed be violent and one of these Warriors will not survive, let's not forget that Sora is a person who has battled for years against the forces of darkness, and he will fight with all of his ability to be able to see his loved ones again. That alone gives him an excellent chance against his opponent.

Sora obviously deserves the title of Warrior, and he is perhaps the most accomplished video game hero of his decade. It'll take a truly legendary enemy to even have a shot at taking down Sora, let alone accomplishing that feat. Will Toon Link be up to the task and save Hyrule once more, or will Sora's Key of Light shine again throughout the world? We'll find out soon enough!

P.S.: Thanks to everyone who created the pictures and videos I used for this profile- I don't intend to claim their work as my own. Also, thank you to everyone who has supported and commented on this over the past three months!










Showdown Match 2, Part 4- The Edges!!!