The Kingdom Hearts franchise has one of the most recognizable cast of characters in all of gaming. Everywhere you look online you’ll find people with either Organization XIII profile pictures or cosplayers talking about how hard it is to look like Roxas. Because of this, every gamer worth their salt can identify at least one Kingdom Hearts character.
With this many iconic characters, it can be hard to pinpoint who is the most iconic. If one were to judge characters based on their role in the games, whether there’s anything particularly memorable about them and how the fandom reacts to them, however, it becomes possible to construct the following list of the most iconic characters in the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Not What He Seems
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2 introduced gamers around the world to Organization XIII, a group of some of the most recognizable villains in gaming. While nearly every member ofOrganization XIIIis memorable in their own right, a few stand out above the crowd. The first of these is Xigbar, the Sharpshooter. With a great personality and multiple fantastic boss fights across multiple games, he has won over the hearts of many fans.
Just being a fantastic secondary antagonist wouldn’t have been enough to place Xigbar on this list, though. What truly granted him this slot was his iconic line from Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance “I’m already half Xehanort.” A line which has been quoted in both earnest and confusion by many fans for over a decade now. With a memorable quote like that, how could he not be on the list?
Seeker of Darkness
Next up on the list is the final boss and main villain of the first Kingdom Hearts game: Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. This Heartless man and his smooth voice immediately won the hearts of gamers and became one of the mosticonic gaming villainsof the PlayStation 2 era. While he may have taken a backseat role for most of the first game, solely relying on Riku, when he does make his appearance every line out of his mouth is one of the most quotable in the series.
Ansem’s role didn’t end at the first game, though, as he would frequently appear in the series’ various sequels as an antagonist force who haunts Riku and players alike. When Ansem gave his final farewell speech in Kingdom Hearts 3, it felt like it was spoken directly to the audience as a final goodbye to one of the series' first and most iconic characters.
A Keyblade Master
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep took a bold leap forward for the franchise by introducing its first playable female protagonist: Aqua. With how cool she is during the climax of Birth by Sleep and her role in future games, you’d be hard-pressed to find any Kingdom Hearts fan who doesn’t love her. While her role in the series seems to have ended as the franchise transitions to a new saga, many are hoping that she’ll have a chance to shine again in a future game.
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Even when one discounts all of the previous points, Aqua is at least an iconic character for the moment during Kingdom Hearts 3’s marketing campaign when fans were shouting to the rooftops that “Aqua got Norted” while anyone who wasn’t a Kingdom Hearts fan just stared at them in confusion. Surely creating that memorable internet moment earns her a placement on this list.
Not an Imaginary Number
Ranking seventh on the list is the fourteenth member of Organization XIII: Xion. When Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was first released, this character received some hatred and was seen as a retcon. As time has passed, however, many new fans have grown attached to this clone of Sora, her relationship with Roxas and the tragedy that unfolds within the back half of 358/2 Days.
Aside from her role in the game, Xion has also gained a sizable fanbase online due to several plot points of her character arc like being unsure of her identity and characters like Saix purposely using the wrong pronouns for her, insisting on calling her “it.” Despite that, unfortunately, Xion ranks relatively low on this list due to the initial hate she received in the 2000s.
If this list was entirely my personal bias, Xion would have placed in first.
Got it Memorized
Placing at the halfway point of this list is Organization XIII’s red-headed assassin: Axel. This chakram-wielding Nobody made his debut in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, but most fans were introduced to him as Roxas’ mysterious best friend in Kingdom Hearts 2. Immediately becoming one of the most-popular characters in the franchise, Axel went on to appear in literally every single Kingdom Hearts game since.
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Axel’s journey would then involve constantly avoiding death, spouting catchphrases and even becoming a full-fledged Guardian of Light in what may be one of the best redemption arcs in the franchise. Fans have committed Axel to their memory for two decades now, making him an immortal and iconic character who perfectly fits this list.
Remember to Thank Her
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories offers one of the most unique plotlines in the Kingdom Hearts franchise as at first it appears to be a simple plot about a hero saving a girl, only to later reveal that said girl is a ‘witch’ who has manipulated Sora’s memory. Namine is one of the best characters in the Kingdom Hearts franchise as despite her life being a never-ending tragedy, she still does all she can to atone and help those around her.
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The phrase “Thank Namine” haunted Kingdom Hearts fans for years as they waited for Sora to finally say it, even if he didn’t remember the reason why. This plot thread hanging over the heads of fans as well as occasional appearances in games like 358/2 Days made her ever-present in the minds of fans and earned Namine a placement on this list.
Next up on the list is the series’ secondary protagonist, theKeyblade’s chosen one,and beloved rival character, Riku. While Riku’s role in the franchise began as antagonistic, with one of the best gaming boss fights in the PS2 era, he would swiftly undergo a multi-game redemption arc. This redemption arc (combined with a cool older design and a blindfold) would both endear him to countless Kingdom Hearts fans and make many non-KH fans accuse him of being too edgy.
After his redemption, Riku would rise to a playable role in several games like Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. During his time as protagonist, Riku would both show great growth in how he interacted with certain troubled Disney characters, but also show fear of relapsing into the darkness. Within this complexity lies the reason so many fans have grown to love Riku. That love in turn has earned him a high placement on this list.
More than a Nobody
Any fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise can recall tales of confusion about the time they first booted up Kingdom Hearts 2, prepared themselves for another journey starring Sora and friends, and then became confused over the game seemingly starring an ordinary boy named Roxas. This was a controversial-yet-fantastic way to introduce players to this character, immediately filling gamers with intrigue over how this plot development will play out and questions about who Roxas is.
After his introduction, Roxas would quickly became one of the most well-loved characters in the franchise and even got to star in his own game via Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Being so beloved by fans (especially cosplayers), Kingdom Hearts fans were waiting with anticipation to see if he would be given a happy ending in KH3. With this much love directed to the character by fans, there’s no argument for why he shouldn’t be on this list.
Darkness' Scapegoat
Placing second on this list is the main villain of the entire Kingdom Hearts franchise, Master Xehanort. This old man and his knack for either not dying or hopping bodies has been a thorn in the Guardians of Lights’ sides their entire lives. With many amazingboss fightsand too many fantastic musical motifs to count, it’s almost always a joy when Xehanort is the center of attention. So much so that Square even released a prequel game all about his backstory for Xehanort fans.
Several characters in the upper half of this list were only able to achieve iconic status via their connection to Xehanort. The fan term “being Norted” has long been mocked by those unaware of the franchise, but just being in their mind at all has allowed Xehanort to stand the test of time among other famous gaming antagonists like Bowser and Ganondorf. While he doesn’t top this list, he comes close.
That Keyblade’s Chosen One
Topping off the list is the main protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts franchise: Sora. Being the main playable character in six of the series’ playable games, he’s undeniably the character audiences will be spending most of their time with as they go through the franchise. Sora’s cheerful, child-like, attitude when interacting with both original andDisney charactersmakes him the perfect protagonist for the franchise and a joy to control throughout the games.
Any argument against Sora being the most iconic character in the franchise can be almost immediately shot down by remembering that Sora earned a spot in the Super Smash Bros franchise. This not only cemented him as an important protagonist in the history of gaming, but also introduced him to a whole new generation of children. When taking these factors into account, the only place Sora belongs on this list is at the top.
