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* {{Adorkable}}: Vivi's awkward bumbling just makes him all the more endearing.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: "Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..." Was Demyx lying in order to weasel out of fighting Sora and company or was he saying what he thought was the truth? Furthermore, was his temporary change in demeanor after Sora and Donald call him a liar due to him deciding to drop the charade or him entering a state of TranquilFury? While Demyx doesn't really have enough screen time in the games to make one interpretation more likely than the other, the manga adaptation goes with the latter interpretation in both cases.
* AntiClimaxBoss:
** Jafar puts up a pretty poor showing in his boss battle. To start, Sora fights him on the magic carpet, which means you're alone and can't use Drive Forms, Limits, or Summons, so your only options are normal attacks and magic. Jafar can be briefly stunned by attacking his midsection, which has very low HP and doesn't even require a finisher to defeat. Once it's beaten you can use a Reaction Command to stun Jafar even longer, giving you plenty of time to attack his head. To make him look even more pathetic, said Reaction Command has Sora grab his genie tail, wrap him up in it, and spin him around to make him dizzy. The fight boils down to taking out his midsection's HP bar (during which time Jafar may not even be able to get an attack off), stunning and embarrassing him with his Reaction Command, then comboing his head without resistance.
** Ursula. Aside from Atlantica's shift to being a RhythmGame, "Ursula's Revenge" is the song that introduces ButtonMashing notes, which give so many points that you could ignore literally every other mechanic and still clear the song. For that matter, in-story Ursula loses when Sora lands a single Keyblade hit on her hand, sending Triton's trident flying into Eric's boat, and he hurls it through her torso. In the meantime, Ursula's shows of power with the trident during "Ursula's Revenge" amounts to just waving it back and forth as the heroes duck under the water to avoid it.
** Saïx. His presence in the story is menacing enough, as Xemnas's [[TheDragon right-hand man]] and the last boss fight before him. However, fighting him is fairly straightforward, unlike with all the other members of Organization XIII, and his unique gimmick seems to only [[BlessedWithSuck make him weak when he's not using it]], rather than strong when he is. In his normal form, he can be disarmed easily with a well-timed attack, guard, or Reflect, and even in Berserk form, he only has a few attacks which are predictable and simple to avoid until he calms down, especially if you've been leveling up Final Form and can glide out of his way fast enough. And that's if you don't [[TacticalSuicideBoss abuse the Reaction Command]] on the claymores that Saïx [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks keeps throwing around]], which does massive damage on his normal form and drops him out of Berserk immediately. There is also a fairly well-known strategy of using Peter Pan to engage in CherryTapping, which stunlocks him and prevents him from being able to fight back even in his superboss rematch.
* AssPull:
** The heroes finally find a way to enter the Organization's stronghold world, The World That Never Was, via a dark portal in the datascape version of Twilight Town. What really pushes it into this territory is that it's implicitly the same portal Axel used to enter Twilight Town in the prologue, meaning that this portal has remained open for days, possibly weeks, connecting the two worlds. To say nothing of the confusing concept of a portal from the ''data'' version of Twilight Town ''that exists inside of Sora's memories'' leading not only into the real universe, but into an entirely different world.
** When Ansem's Kingdom Hearts encoder machine explodes, it changes Riku back to normal. There's no real reason given as to why outside of some FiveSecondForeshadowing where Ansem says "anything could happen." Mickey even [[SarcasmMode helpfully]] reminds us of this after it happens.
* [[AwesomeBosses/KingdomHearts Awesome Bosses]]:
** The final Roxas vs. Axel is made between walls of fire and a burning floor, and [[ATasteOfPower Roxas dual-wields Keyblades out of nowhere]]. ("Two?") A lot of players would have liked to play more as dual-wielding Roxas.
** The Battle of 1000 Heartless pits Sora against one thousand enemies that he has to defeat on his own. Not only does he do it, it's a CurbStompBattle.
** The fight against Xaldin in Beast's Castle, both due to its [[ThatOneBoss intense difficulty]], presence of the Beast as an ally, and presence of King Mickey if you die.
** Although Sephiroth is easier here compared to [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]], his boss fight is still a challenge and is considered more fun and dynamic than his fight in the first game, featuring rapid sword combos, Shadow Flares, Meteor swarms, and [[TurnsRed he becomes even more erratic and dangerous as the fight goes on]]. It also marks Creator/GeorgeNewbern's iconic debut as the character's voice in the English dub.
** In ''Final Mix'', the Sora vs. Roxas fight in the Dive to the Heart, with Roxas dual-wielding Oathkeeper and Oblivion against you. The entire reason the fight happens is because Sora's bond with Axel has awakened Roxas within him, and Roxas is once again attempting to assert his individuality by overpowering Sora. Aside from the story setup, the fight is against a LightningBruiser Keyblade warrior just as skilled as you, and a Reaction Command lets you steal Roxas' keyblades and wield them against him.
** All the new Organization XIII fights and the data battles of the old and new organization members from the ''Final Mix'' add a lot of variety to create some memorable and fun challenges.
** Lingering Will. Everything about the fight, from its arena, its ominous pre-battle cutscene, its music, its extreme but mostly fair difficulty, and everything else has made it a very highly regarded boss battles in the series. It's even more appreciable after playing ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]''.
** The fight against Pete in Timeless River is quite amusing, mostly because of the various scene changes and Pete's past self fighting on your side.
** Storm Rider. A [[ShockAndAwe thunder]] [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] Heartless, its fight makes good use of aerial combat and even lets Sora climb and ride on its back to gain the upper hand.
** Groundshaker. Easily one of the largest Heartless bosses in the series, it consists of a masked monkey-like shaman riding a dinosaur/rhino creature, each with two faces. Sora has the option to fight it on the ground, or to [[ColossusClimb jump up onto its back]] to fight the shaman body. The implication that it's [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Scar's]] Heartless only makes things better -- in fact, it paved the way for more Disney villain Heartless bosses in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', specifically [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} the Grim Guardianess]] and [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Sköll]].
** Nobody can forget the amazing multi-tiered final battle against [[BigBad Xemnas]]. Even grander and more epic in scale than the previous game's final Ansem battle (which took place around a single huge battleship), the battle has Sora and co. slicing through and leaping across buildings to take down Xemnas' floating fortress, then flying through outer space to infiltrate Xemnas' huge dragon-ship, and finally leading to a final showdown of Sora and Riku vs. the man himself. It's all topped off by some of the best and grandest boss music the franchise has to offer. As a result, it's often considered not only the best final boss of the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series thus far, but also one of the greatest boss battles of all time.
** The Grim Reaper Heartless at the end of the second visit to Port Royal. It's not ''that'' challenging, but the use of the cursed Aztec gold as a game mechanic is ''inspired'' -- it will take the gold for itself to become cursed and gain invincibility, forcing you to make sure all the gold is back in the chest where it belongs in order to damage it. This results in a tug of war just as much as a boss fight. It helps that the mechanic doesn't extend the fight too long to be repetitive, and you get a really cool react move to stop it from sucking up all the gold (aka ''stealing its scythe and throwing it in its face''). It's also what causes Jack, Will, and Elizabeth to just take the chest and ''send it to the bottom of the sea'', since they realize that Organization XIII and the Heartless can abuse its curse to their advantage.
** Oogie Boogie's battle, like in the prequel, gives you a much different battle from the usual hit-and-run boss fight. First you have to make him drop from his platform, all the while avoiding his attacks, which progressively get faster, and then you can only hit him for a determined amount of time before he goes up again. And during the whole fight, you're in a conveyor belt that is sending you towards spikes, meaning you can't stay still one second. All in all it's a fun fight that is vastly different from the usual ''Kingdom Hearts'' bosses, which is a breath of fresh air. Not to mention, he's (following the correct worlds order at least) the first boss that has ''The Encounter'' as a battle theme.
* BadassDecay:
** Riku, at least until the end. [[spoiler:Before that, he's a stiff and rather mopey silent protector for the main characters and who has given up combating the darkness and has taken on the appearance of "Ansem" for some vaguely defined reason that gets explained with a HandWave, and [[VoodooShark raises more questions than it answers]]. At least he kind of makes up for it as the unique partner in The World That Never Was]].
** Axel. A defenseless Kairi manages to escape from him twice, with the second time being ''off-screen'', and who flees from Saïx the moment he shows up despite having gone toe-to-toe with Marluxia in the special edition of the previous game.
** Maleficent. In the first game she was the BigBad of the plot up until her death when it's revealed that she was actually just a pawn to Ansem. In this game, she is presented as much less threatening compared to Organization XIII and has inconsistent motives, alternating from wanting to steal the Cornerstone of Light, destroying Christmas Town, and wanting a castle of her own.
** Pete's past self had a lot more guts than his present day self, even if he was completely harmless. Though he does seem to regain some of his former toughness when confronted by Mickey "the boat-boy king" at the end of the game.
--->'''Pete:''' What, you mean like abandon ship? I don't think so! BRING 'EM ON!
** Sephiroth is far less challenging than before. He's still not ''easy'' per se, but the difficulty of his {{superboss}} battle is definitely lower than his fight in the first game. His attacks are slower and he telegraphs them more, making it easier to dodge them. Heartless Angel charges slower, and the larger arena makes it easier to avoid his attacks. Add in Reflect spam, and you can beat him pretty simply. His attack patterns are arguably more aggressive (at least in the beginning) than they were back in the first game, but once you get his pattern down, it's pretty easy to predict what he's going to do. Partly {{justified|trope}} in that the change in mechanics makes Sora more capable than in the first game and bosses in general somewhat easier.
** Ariel was an AdaptationalBadass in the first game. She was skilled with different magic attacks, temporraily wielded her father's trident, and showed no fear facing off against Ursula ''twice''. In this game she doesn't even fight at all, is rendered powerless against Ursula and needs to be saved by Sora and Eric, and [[AesopAmnesia gullibly gets tricked]] by Ursula again.
** In the manga, Leon becomes a PluckyComicRelief character who barely does anything. The only time he is seen in action is when he gets beaten up by the Nobodies while in the rest of his scenes he is a ButtMonkey who can't handle any situation. Similarly, Xaldin goes from one of the Organization's [[ThatOneBoss most powerful fighters]] to an AdaptationalWimp who is [[SmugSnake all talk]] and easily beaten up by the Beast [[spoiler: and killed by a Vexen replica.]]
* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Demyx is either liked for his dopey personality or hated for his [[ThatOneBoss surprisingly difficult boss fight]].
** Roxas. Tragic hero or biggest time-sink ever? [[TakeAThirdOption Or]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter tragic hero saddled with]] [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs the biggest time sink ever]]? Depends on how you felt about the [[ProlongedPrologue Prologue]].
** The Organization XIII as a whole are either interesting antagonists with a sympathetic motive or a generic StandardEvilOrganizationSquad.
** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' characters new and returning, for serving as a shameless plug for ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' and bringing along recycled plot points as well as {{wangst}} from that movie, and dividing fans in a very similar (if lesser) manner. That said, Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie still get a fair bit of lighthearted banter, and their boss fights in the Coliseum cups and role in the big badass team-up sequence in Radiant Garden are generally well-liked.
* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Best Level Ever]]:
** Halloween Town, for expanding on the already well-received world of ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' from the last game and adding so much more. The ''Final Mix'' edition adding new Christmas-themed costumes for Sora, Donald, and Goofy certainly helped as well.
** Pride Lands. Of course, this was almost a given considering the world is based on the much loved ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' movie.
** While Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden is now a HubLevel and no longer a massive dungeon like in the first game, it ''is'' a particularly fun and engaging hub world with multiple iconic boss battles and different vistas. It also has an awesome dungeon of its own in the Cavern of Remembrance (added in ''Final Mix''), with tough enemies and platforming challenges that culminate in access to the Garden of Assemblage and its data battles.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** A minor one at the very start of the game, when a mysterious string of thefts occur in the digital Twilight Town, resulting in the ''word'' "photo" being stolen, meaning no one can actually say it, even though they all remember the item they want to name. This is is chalked up to being the work of a thief, which everyone accepts. It turns out a Dusk is behind the thefts, and Pence theorizes it was trying to abduct Roxas but kept stealing photos of him by accident. Even by the series lore of how memories work, it doesn't make sense a Dusk stealing photographs could cause people to forget the word itself, nor does it make sense that they clearly know the word has been stolen, they just can't say it when they try to. Once the Dusk is defeated and the photographs returned, the situation is resolved and no one ever mentions it again.
** On the revisit to Olympus, Sora goes to Hades' lair to retrieve [[spoiler:the statue he's using to control Auron]], and the party is attacked by a group of Dusks. After fighting them off for a bit, a group of Heartless attack the Dusks and the party takes that opportunity to make a run for it. The presence of Nobodies is universally a sign that the Organization is in town, and in-story they never attack when there isn't an Organization member overseeing them, but the Organization has no operatives in Olympus (Demyx is dead by this point and no other members ever appear in this world). Additionally, it makes no sense for the Heartless to attack the Dusks; the only times previously when Heartless attacked Nobodies was because they were ordered to, otherwise doing so is almost against to their nature, as Heartless are drawn to attack beings with hearts and Nobodies don't have hearts. The encounter makes no sense, is a surprise to the party and at-odds with the story unfolding, and once they make their escape they never bring it up again.
* BreatherBoss:
** Barbossa shares the magic weakness that the Cursed Pirate {{Mooks}} have, so he can be completely shut down by occasionally hitting him with Blizzard and pushing him into a corner to ensure he's always in the moonlight. It's possible to go through his entire fight without the Illuminator spawning again or letting Barbossa attack at all.
** The Blizzard/Volcanic Lord fight at the end of the first trip to Agrabah. They constantly put themselves into a position to allow the use of their Reaction Commands to stun them, plus their attacks are not hard to dodge.
** The Hostile Program is predictable in its attack patterns and has a Reaction Command that can be used to completely freeze it for a few seconds. Using Tron's [[LimitBreak Setup]] will give the clusters needed to trigger the Reaction Command very quickly due to dealing damage via multiple hits.
** The first Grim Reaper fight is very simple. The boss has few attacks, is easily stunned (with or without abusing magic), and even on Critical difficulty doesn't do a lot of damage.
** Luxord can be considered this for Organization XIII. Whereas all other members have at least two or three troublesome moves to deal with, Luxord has just one truly dangerous move, which he employs only when he's at his last legs (a mandatory, but otherwise easy timing-based minigame that turns you into a bouncing die if you lose). Even if Luxord wins that, he's nowhere aggressive enough to take advantage of your vulnerable state, so you can easily escape from him until you play the minigame again.
* BreatherLevel: The story-mandated Gummi Missions. The inclusion of a dodge mechanic, removal of obstacles to dodge, and the game no longer scaling damage based off of difficulty like in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' make them a breeze to complete. There are a couple levels (like Floating Island) where the player can literally do nothing for most of the mission and still win.
* BrokenBase:
** The prologue gets a fair share of defenders and detractors. On the defender side, people say that Roxas is an interesting idea and a good way to introduce the plot, as well as becoming a tragic character in his own right. They also like the dynamic between Roxas and Axel, as well as having [[AwesomeBosses/KingdomHearts a really cool boss fight against Axel to end the prologue]]. On the detractor side, the prologue has earned the name "Longest Prologue Ever", which was the former trope namer for ProlongedPrologue. Those who don't like the prologue feel like it's way too long for what is essentially a tutorial, accuse Roxas of [[SpotlightStealingSquad stealing the spotlight]] away from Sora, and find the problems of Roxas to be {{Wangst}}. In any case, there's very little overlap between the two sides.
** [[ActionizedSequel The gameplay shifting away from exploring to battles from the first game.]] The first game had more emphasis on exploring but the battlefield can be claustrophobic at times. The second game, the wide open areas makes it easier to read the battles, at the cost of making the level design feel lifeless. This is a big reason the game was considered more of a ContestedSequel at launch (along with the lack of bonus ''Final Mix'' content), as fans hadn't yet cracked open ''KHII'''s combat system and Critical Mode wasn't available yet.
* CaptainObviousReveal:
** [=DiZ=] is [[spoiler:Ansem the Wise]]. If Creator/SquareEnix wanted to make the reveal surprising, they shouldn't have [[spoiler:cast Creator/ChristopherLee and his immediately recognizable voice]].
** Ansem, Seeker of Darkness [[spoiler:turns out to actually be Riku stuck in the form of Ansem. This becomes very obvious when one considers the fact Riku and "Ansem" were both shown working with [=DiZ=], that Ansem claimed his darkness still lingered in Riku at the end of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'', and "Ansem" is wielding Riku's weapon. The Final Mix version makes it even more obvious thanks to the addition of a scene where Riku frees Naminé and Axel as thanks for helping at Castle Oblivion]] yet the game doesn't expect the player to know till the final world.
* CatharsisFactor:
** For many fans, the boss battle with [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Scar]]. Given he murdered Mufasa, lied to Simba and forced him into exile, and tried to force the lionesses into cannibalism by attacking and eating Sora, being able to fight Scar for all his crimes is a huge catharsis for fans of the film after waiting for eleven years.
** Ever wanted to give [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Shan Yu]] his just desserts for ambushing the village and slaughtering tons of innocent people, including children? Well, this game gives you the satisfaction to give him the beating he deserves.
** Just in case you didn't get your fill of beating up the Disney villans that terrified you throughout childhood in ''KHI'', this game gives you the opportunity to beat up Hades, Jafar, Oogie Boogie, and Ursula ([[MusicalEpisode sort of]]) again.
* CommonKnowledge: Creator/BillyZane not returning for the role of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is often claimed/believed to be due to a RoleEndingMisdemeanor relating to a film he was in that was critical of the UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. Despite being pretty commonly stated as fact in the community, no such evidence in relation to ''Kingdom Hearts'' exists, and Billy Zane wasn't the only actor to not be brought back for the game (Leon for example). When asked by fans, Zane himself was unsure why he wasn't brought back.
* ComplacentGamingSyndrome:
** This game is the start of the "Mash X" combat criticism for the series. This refers to the fact that melee attacks in either the Sword or Shield path can get ''really damn strong'' if you set up the right abilities and equip the proper Keychains, which makes it so the combat degenerates into the player mindlessly mashing the X button. This gets even worse with the advent of Drives, which seriously benefit from this kind of mindset -- especially Valor Form and, to a lesser extent, Final Form. [[HarderThanHard Critical Mode]], on the other hand, will likely quash all players expectations for this kind of gameplay and outright force them into using their other tools like magic, summons, and limits, which will likely give them a better appreciation for the combat system. Bonus bosses on any difficulty are also likely to force players to think outside the box and look more closely at what the game is doing.
** It is extremely common for players to choose the Shield at the start of the game. ''II'''s restructured progression system means that Sora gets most of his offensive abilities from specific {{Event Flag}}s regardless of your ability tree choice, so picking Shield is favorable to learn Second Chance and Once More as early as possible.
** Outside of [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ultima Weapon]] and the handful of InfinityMinusOneSword alternatives present, many players end up mostly using two Keyblades for actual combat: Hero's Crest and Decisive Pumpkin (itself one of the aforementioned [[InfinityMinusOneSword Infinity -1 Swords]]. This is because they have abilities that boost the damage of your finishers according to how many hits your combo has (Hero's Crest boosting aerial finishers and Decisive Pumpkin boosting ground-based ones). This significantly increases your overall damage output, in comparison to the benefits the other Keyblades offer which tend to be much more situational or just not very good.
* DemonicSpiders:
** The Hot Rod Heartless. Besides having a lot of health, they enter a berserk mode when their health goes down, which makes them charge at Sora three times. During this time they're completely invincible, and they can enter this berserk mode over and over again if they want to. In addition, they come in pairs on top of being accompanied by other Heartless. Their presence is the reason why Timeless River, particularly the "Scene of the Fire" battle, is considered ThatOneLevel by fans.
** Dancer Nobodies have a move where they turn invincible, slide across the floor towards Sora at high speed, grab him, swing him around, and throw him away. It is completely unblockable, very difficult to dodge or interrupt (the best option in response is to spam Magnet and pray they get caught in it), and deals a ton of damage (or outright kills in Critical Mode). The Titan Cup and especially the Titan Paradox Cup are made into nightmares because of the battle where there are three Dancers.
** Sorcerer Nobodies are immune to all magic except Reflect, have no Reaction Command to cheese them with, have a large attack range thanks to their cubes, and can attack even if they're being hit. A lone Sorcerer is easily capable of taking out the entire party if you're not careful.
** Berserker Nobodies. Like the Hot Rod Heartless, they can turn invincible to normal attacks for a short time at low HP, and when they do, they go into an attack sequence that can [[CycleOfHurting stunlock]] for a good chunk of HP. Compounding this is the fact that their hammers deflect normal attacks from the front at all times, which makes damaging them a pain.
** The Graveyards in Halloween Town are capable of taking out a lot of Sora's health, and can even block his attacks. In the Curly Hill during the second visit, ''three'' will appear during the second wave, and if you're not careful, Sora can die in just two hits at a low level.
** The Assault Riders of the Land of Dragons are essentially the enemy equivalent of the WakeUpCallBoss, considering how much trouble they give beginner players. Their SpinToDeflectStuff attack will absolutely destroy anyone who dares to get close and mash the attack button senselessly in hopes of defeating them, potentially eating through the MoraleMechanic that's used in one part of the level.
* DracoInLeatherPants: ''Every single member'' of the Organization, except [[TokenGoodTeammate Roxas]]. Between the FreudianExcuse and their overall prettiness, fans are quick to excuse their crimes, which include turning innocent people into Heartless.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Jack Sparrow was one of the most popular guest star allies when the game came out, largely because the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' franchise was in its heyday with ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'' on the horizon.
** Axel clicked so well with both the fans ''and the staff'' that they extended his part ([[SavedByTheFans he was meant to die in the prologue]]). Allowing him a HeelFaceTurn and a HeroicSacrifice to boot. To say nothing of [[BreakoutCharacter future games]]...
** Regarding the new worlds introduced, due to RuleOfCool, Space Paranoids seems to get more attention from the fanbase (especially in Japan) than most of the other Disney worlds, especially because of Sora's computer armor. And with RuleOfCute, the Pride Lands also gained some love.
** Pete, who became known as the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Team Rocket]] of ''Kingdom Hearts'' after this game.
** Iago gained some popularity from fans grateful for the series adapting his HeelFaceTurn from ''Return of Jafar''.
* EpilepticTrees:
** Many have been inclined to believe that this Auron is not an AlternateUniverse [[AlternateSelf version]], but '''''THE''''' Auron from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' thanks to the fact that the words heard when Sora obtains the Auron statue are his quotes from his pilgrimage with Braska and Jecht and [[spoiler:Auron leaving behind pyreflies]] when seen at the Olympus Coliseum during the credits. [[spoiler:A joint theory goes on to say that Auron wound up in the ''KH'' universe after his death at the hands of Yunalesca in ''FFX''. After dispersing into pyreflies at the end of ''KHII'', he goes on to Dream Zanarkand, effectively setting ''FFX'' into motion. Said theory is used to explain why Auron has his youthful appearance as seen in flashbacks.]]
** Fans believe the letter Squall was reading in the credits reel of ''KHII'' came from his [[OfficialCouple girlfriend]] Rinoa Heartilly, [[AnimalMotifs due to the]] [[PrettyButterflies butterfly]] that fluttered out of it.
** While it was probably just for gameplay's sake, Scar's Heartless retains its appearance as Scar as well as some sapience including the ability to speak -- the only other Heartless to retain its original form and sapience is Ansem. Further, even when killed Scar's darkness continued to haunt the Pride Lands, lingering through an attachment to Simba's heart just as Ansem did through an attachment to Riku's, and eventually formed into the Groundshaker, one of the most massive Heartless seen in the entire franchise. This has led to speculation on just ''how strong'' Scar's blackened heart was that he could do all this.
** For a while, the added ''Final Mix'' scene where Xemnas talks to to Aqua's Keyblade armor and [[CompanionCube refers to it as "old friend"]] caused some fans to believe that Xemnas was formed from Terra's body when Terra-Xehanort became Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, given that Xemnas was drawing upon Terra's memories of friendship with Aqua. This theory died over time, with the consensus instead being that both Ansem and Xemnas drew from both Terra and Master Xehanort as if Terra-Xehanort was a single being to begin with.
* EndingFatigue: The World That Never Was is long, large dungeon full of powerful enemies. While this is to be expected of TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, it's long even by that standard. There's no less than three bosses along the way (as well as a fourth in ''Final Mix''), and there's also a lot of long, story-critical cutscenes to watch. Then you finally get to Xemnas and beat him, and as expected from Square Enix he goes OneWingedAngel for a SequentialBossFight. However, as the heroes begin to walk away, it turns out Xemnas is NotQuiteDead, leading to a ''second'' SequentialBossFight, and finally, at long last, his final form. By the time Round 3 of this fight starts, you're probably screaming "Will you just ''die'' already?!" when Xemnas shows up on your monitor.
* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Story-wise, the ProlongedPrologue is beloved by fans for Roxas' character arc and his interactions with who he is and the larger universe around him. However, it's always been infamous for being a slog compared to the rest of the game, largely because of Roxas' very basic combos, abilities and missions compared to Sora's increasingly intense and intricate gameplay as well as the generally slow pace. It's not uncommon to find {{Game Mod}}s to make Roxas playable in later worlds with power levels and abilities closer to his original self.
* EvenBetterSequel: ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' is generally well-liked and considered a strong game, though the gameplay is seen as a bit rough around the edges. ''II'' is widely considered a major improvement in every aspect when it comes to the gameplay due to streamlining the combat and trimming other bits of fat, with the ''Final Mix'' version often being cited as the single best game in the entire series.
* FanNickname:
** Before his name was revealed, fans took to calling Roxas the Blond-Haired Kid (BHK) or Dual-Wielding Unknown.
** "Orgy XIII" for the entirety of Organization XIII.
** Fans commonly refer to Xemnas as "Mansex" -- an anagram of his name. This paved the way for Bigrax for Xigbar, E-Sexual for Lexaeus, and finally Rentx-a-ho (Rents a ho) for Xehanort.
** Xemnas in his FinalBoss outfit is occasionally referred to as Zebraman due to its black and white coloration.
** Pete is given the nickname [[LetsPlay/HellFireCommentaries Captain Ass-Zipper]], due to the bizarre placement of the zipper on his outfite.
** LetsPlay/ChipCheezum and friends popularized "Dogstreet" for Pence, named after the writing on his shirt.
** The anti-stunlock feature on certain bosses is typically known as the "Revenge Value".
** Atlantica's set of episodes are collectively referred to as "Finny Fun" after a line in "Swim This Way".
** The [[{{Superboss}} Lingering Will]] was (and still is) referred to as "Terra", the name of its original self (including by Sora, Aqua, and Ventus in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''). This is only partly accurate; Terra's essence was actually split between three entities, with the Will being his soul, Terra-Xehanort using his body, and [[spoiler:Ansem's/Xehanort's Dark Figure]] containing his heart.
* FranchiseOriginalSin:
** A ''lot'' of the franchise's storytelling issues can be traced back to this game. It's the first one to majorly {{retcon}} previous events (Ansem's origin in this case), the ContinuityLockOut gets a proper startup, due to the plot springing off the back of [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories a handheld spin-off]], and the plot takes its first steps towards the {{Kudzu|Plot}}. But it's all restrained enough (and not scattered across multiple different gaming platforms over the span of [[SequelGap nearly two decades]]) that if you were to take ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' as a standalone trilogy, it all still feels like a satisfying, ''understandable'' story. It's not uncommon to hear players state that they found ''Kingdom Hearts II'''s AndTheAdventureContinues ending to be less open-ended and more rewarding than the actual ending of the Xehanort Saga in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.
** For a company example, a complaint about ''Film/TheLittleMermaid2023'' is that Ariel joins in on singing "Under the Sea", which feels out of character, goes against the plot and song's message, and feels like only a means to let Creator/HalleBailey sing one of the franchise's most iconic songs. Said situation happens in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', though it is mitigated by AdaptationalContextChange. While still an attempt to dissuade Ariel's interest in the human world, it doubles as a rehearsal practice that Ariel has a part in whether she likes it or not, and she clarifies after the song she doesn't agree with it.
* GameBreaker:
** If Reflect successfully intercepts an attack, it will completely neutralize the damage and deal high damage in Sora's immediate vicinity. The timing can be difficult, but it has a relatively low MP cost, meaning it can be cast multiple times before the gauge needs to refill. With a bit of practice, Reflect can trivialize some of the game's most difficult fights.
** Limit Form in ''Final Mix''. It doesn't require any party members and it comes with a set of Limit attacks that simultaneously deal high damage and heal Sora. Combine with MP Rage and the Hades Paradox Cup becomes even easier.
** Building a Gummi Ship with a hole in the center. Enemy ships will always try to target the middle of the ship, which means all enemy fire except bombs and kamikaze attacks will go right through, rendering it practically invincible.
** Combining two Negative Combo skills, two Finishing Plus skills, and a Combo Master skill can allow you to use [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK4BMz2SHQ4 a devastating infinite combo.]] Just make sure not to use the last combo hit until it's time for the killshot, and don't drop the combo, and {{Superboss}}es -- including the Lingering Will -- can go down like dominoes.
** Horizontal Slash has incredibly high stunning power ''and'' damage; with Berserk Charge, a sufficient Strength value, and [[DifficultButAwesome consistent precise timing on your button presses]], it's possible to use it to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ELEsChMFjc defeat Lingering Will in a single extended combo.]]
** Goofy's LimitBreak, Teamwork, is the strongest attack in the game -- at least until it was {{nerf}}ed in ''Final Mix''. It can shred through practically any boss's health in the matter of seconds, even on higher difficulties, and this attack is unlocked [[DiscOneNuke before the game's halfway point]].
** Magnet (but mostly its upgrades Magnera and Magnega) is the perfect crowd control technique. It will stun enemies in a large area and pull them into a vortex above Sora, where you can easily hit everyone at once with area-of-effect attacks like Thunder or a Finishing Plus-boosted Explosion.[[note]]Magnet is treated as a combo finisher itself, so you can go straight to your other finisher with Finishing Plus and hit everything in the Magnet.[[/note]] The game attempts to offset this by assigning it the game's second-highest MP cost, but you can easily avoid that by summoning Stitch, who can easily refill the gauge as needed.
** Duck Flare in ''Final Mix''. Compared to the base game's version, it absolutely chews through the target's HP in addition to applying a massive amount of hitstun from the gigantic number of missiles, giving you plenty of time to unleash a combo or use items without the boss being capable of retaliating. Its main downside, using all your MP, can even be offset by using an ether in middle of the attack to let you freely use spells or cast it again.
* GeniusBonus:
** Hades calling Auron the "mother of all bad guys" isn't technically wrong, if you understand historical context behind what happened to him in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. If you were charged with protecting someone and you failed to do so, with you surviving when they didn't, you'd be considered scum. It would be ''less'' dishonorable if you killed them yourself, because at least then the worst you're seen as is a traitor and not a ''failure''.
** Sora's form in Timeless River (dubbed Retro Form by the fandom) makes him look like a character created by Creator/OsamuTezuka, the grandfather of anime that was also trained by Creator/{{Disney}}.
** The ability rings with gems set in them (Sardonyx, Tourmaline, etc.) all have Dragonscript etched into them that states the name of the gem set in the ring.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Space Paranoids is very popular in Japan, despite the frustrating Light Cycle challenge. It's a major reason why ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' includes its spiritual successor world: The Grid.
* GoddamnedBats:
** [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Undead pirates]] can only be damaged by your attacks when they're standing in clear moonlight, and if they're fighting you in an area with a lot of shady spots, expect a tedious battle to ensue. To make up for it, it's really easy and very satisfying to hit them with magic spells to screw around with them.
** Crimson Jazzes are just like the other Color/Music Heartless, except bigger and ''very persistent''. It's impossible to get clean attacks on them because they're always summoning chains of fireballs around you that explode almost immediately to send you flying. And if you try to run away, even with such abilities as Level 4 Quick Run/Glide? They'll just fly over to you so fast you'll ''swear'' they teleported, and smack you with their ass before summoning more fireballs to spawn on top of you for 10 seconds. It says something when it's actually ''easier'' to deal with a Crimson Jazz when it TurnsRed because its new attack is far less annoying.
** The Emerald Blues tend to use Aero-related attacks, including one that happens to draw the party in and another to send them sky high. Sometimes, they can even be paired up with the difficult-to-fight Devastator, making the fight a real challenge.
** The Assassin Nobodies require a ton of patience to deal with, as they prefer to stay underground most of the time, where they're invincible (parrying their attack is necessary to get them to the surface). They will also run up to you and ''explode'' on your face when low on health, dealing tons of damage. The Fail-Safe reaction command that can counter it has too much of a brief window of time to perform consistently.
* GoodBadBugs:
** During Gummi Ship missions, enemies will aim for the center of your hitbox with unerring accuracy. Therefore, creating a "donut" Gummi-ship with only material on the square edge will result in nearly all the shots going harmlessly through the hole.
** Battle music may get distorted if you skip a cutscene just before a boss fight.
** It's possible to clip through the map in the Cavern of Remembrance and reach the Garden of Assemblage without having to do any of the scripted fights. Entering the room this way also gives you the Proof of Nonexistence without having to do the Data Organization fights, though you can't do any of them because the proper event flags don't get set.
** The [=PS3=] port of ''Final Mix'' has a lot of long load times, especially when entering Drive Forms, where the game can hang for as many as five seconds. However, the game does not pause during the transformation, and even in the middle of combat keeps going. Sometimes this can be brutal (trying to do a Drive Form during a TimedMission for instance), but on the other hand, Sora is invincible during the transformation loading, so you can utilize the Drive Form transformations as a way to become immune to attacks for a short time. Against many bosses with powerful single attacks, especially the members of Organization XIII, this little oversight can save your life. The brutal instances can be easily fixed by simply pausing the game for a few seconds, during which the game will still load the form.
** Changing Genie's Drive Form during a combo finisher cancels it, allowing you to immediately start another combo. The only downside other than its difficulty is that since there's a gap between the canceled finisher and the next hit, a couple bosses are capable of hitting you with a quick enough attack.
** As mentioned in GameBreaker above, exploiting the Negative Combo ability and disabling select abilities enables you to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iX4qtTbN2o defeat bosses, such as Lingering Will, with relative ease]]. The boss programming wasn't set up to account for this, allowing you to jump-and-swing repeatedly to put them into CycleOfHurting, with some practice. Doubles as a CheeseStrategy.
** In the HD English version of ''Final Mix,'' Duck Flare does a ''lot'' more damage [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDUgL7ZgfVM due to lasting about 6 seconds longer than it should]] (as a result of the [=PS4=] and PC ports of the game running at 60fps, unlike the original [=PS2=] release and [=PS3=] port), something that has yet to be patched out as of 2023.
%% Though it's unlikely the above Duck Flare exploit will be patched, we may need to keep an eye on it. The "has yet to be patched out as of 2023" part is based on a comment by the video's creator from 8 months ago as of this edit (5/2/24).
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Track #13 on the soundtrack is Roxas' Theme. Track #14 is Sora's. [[spoiler:Xion, the fourteenth "member" in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Days]]'' is a replica that was absorbing Sora's memories, thus keeping him from waking up. [[HeroicBSOD She didn't take it well]] and ultimately forced Roxas to kill her.]]
** [[spoiler:[[AccidentalTruth "Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..."]] This line from Demyx takes more meaning when ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' reveals that they do indeed have hearts.]]
*** On that note, this is the only ''Kingdom Hearts'' game that [[spoiler:''explicitly'' [[FantasticRacism dehumanizes]] the Nobodies]]. Once you play the later games (most notably ''Days'', which [[spoiler:portrays many of the Organization members as [[PunchClockVillain Punch-Clock Villains]]]], and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'', which has [[spoiler:a [[InnocuouslyImportantEpisode surprisingly heavy]] WhatMeasureIsANonHuman theme]]), to say nothing of TheReveal in ''Dream Drop Distance'', it can be hard to watch the cutscenes involving [[spoiler:Nobodies]] in this game again.
** The {{tagline}} for ''KHII'' ("The story is not over") is either this or HilariousInHindsight depending on how one takes to [[ArcFatigue the amount of time it took the series to get to]] an actual ''KHIII'' [[note]]''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-]]'' (2017) marked, [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] and [[UpdatedRerelease updated re-releases]] notwithstanding, the ''sixth'' non-numbered game released after ''KHII'' (2005), whereas ''Chain of Memories'' (2004) was the only game between the original ''Kingdom Hearts'' (2002) and ''KHII''[[/note]], the various [[TheReveal twists]] each subsequent game brings to the table, and the fact that ''KHIII'', according to WordOfGod, is merely the end of [[StoryArc the Xehanort Saga]], not the series as a whole.
** Visiting [[Film/{{Tron}} Space Paranoids]] can be this for people who have seen [[Film/TronLegacy the sequel]], [[spoiler:knowing what happens to Tron]]. It only gets worse with ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', where [[spoiler:Sora has to fight Tron's brainwashed form, Rinzler]]. Though this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that [[spoiler:the Tron you meet in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is only a copy of the Tron from The Grid]], it still doesn't make it any easier, especially since [[spoiler:Rinzler shares Tron's heart]].
** During [[spoiler:Goofy's "death" scene]], Donald apologizes about ice cream. When the game came out, it seemed like a random NoodleIncident. However, play through ''358/2 Days'' and it hurts a lot more due to [[spoiler:ice cream being what Roxas asks about when Xion is ''actually'' dying because he didn't know any other way to express what he was feeling]].
** Among his many other KickTheDog moments, Saïx is more than willing to kill Axel for deserting the Organization and derides him as "foolish and weak" in ''Final Mix''. ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' later establish that he and Axel [[WeUsedToBeFriends used to be best friends]].
** On a related note, Sora quips to Saïx "Not a very organized Organization!" shortly after Axel displays his treachery. [[spoiler:By the time of ''III'', Xehanort made ''sure'' that the revived Organization XIII wouldn't be as defective. This is subverted to HilariousInHindsight when it turns out in ''III'' proper that even more members of the newly remade Organization started to defect, such as Vexen, Demyx, and ironically Saix himself.]]
* HeartwarmingInHindsight: [[spoiler:Tron suddenly getting emotions after the MCP battle becomes one after playing ''[=KH3D=]'', which not only reveals that programs are like Nobodies, in that they don't have hearts, but that anything with a mind can grow a heart in no time. As Tron started out as TheStoic, his friendship with Sora allowed a heart to grow within him.]]
* HilariousInHindsight:
** The game's title song being called "Sanctuary" is this given that ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', which, like its source material, has Quasimodo declaring sanctuary after saving Esmerelda from being burned at the stake as its SignatureScene, wouldn't be featured in the series until ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''.
** The final Gummi mission, Assault of the Dreadnought, is a direct ShoutOut to ''Franchise/StarWars''... the very same franchise Disney would purchase ownership of in October 2012.
*** "Dreadnought" was also the name of a ship class owned by the First Order in ''Film/TheLastJedi'', the third of Disney's ''Star Wars'' films.
*** When Roxas finds out that his whole life in Twilight Town has been a lie, he gets so infuriated that [[PercussiveTherapy he starts smashing up all the computers in the room with his Keyblade]] in a way that's almost identical to how Kylo Ren would later smash controls with his lightsaber in a fit of rage in ''Film/TheForceAwakens''.
*** The end of the prologue is eerily similar to the climax of ''Film/TheLastJedi'': [[spoiler:Roxas attacks a projection of [=DiZ=]/Ansem the Wise, just like how Kylo Ren attacks one of Luke Skywalker]]. The Kylo Ren/Roxas parallels would reach HarsherInHindsight come ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', where [[spoiler:Ren gives up his lifeforce to revive Rey before becoming one with the Force, just like how Roxas gives up his existence to revive Sora]].
*** Xemnas's "Ethereal Blades" also look exactly like lightsabers sticking out of his hands, and even make a similar noise.
** Demyx's infamous quote, "Dance, water, dance!", is a take of "Dance Magic Dance" from ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', another Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} franchise that Disney acquired when they obtained ''Star Wars''.
** In the ''Final Mix'' version of Christmas Town, Sora, Donald, and Goofy change their appearances from their Halloween Town counterparts. Now tell us [[https://www.khwiki.com/Form:Donald_Duck#/media/File:Donald_Duck_CT_KHIIFM.png Donald's appearance]] doesn't remind you of [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} a certain other snowman]]. Becomes even ''more'' hilarious when ''Frozen'' actually appeared as a world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', where Sora sees Olaf for the first time and tells Donald...
--->'''Donald:''' [[HypocriticalHumor Everybody knows snowmen can't walk.]] You must've imagined it.
** During the battle with Hades, in order to make him vulnerable to attacks, you need to whack an "Aura Sphere" that Hercules would create towards him. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'', which introduced a Fighting-type move with the same name, was released a year later.
** Later in the game, the Master Control Program [[spoiler:hijacks the Heartless creator under Hollow Bastion to start sending his troops into the analog world. This is more or less what CLU would attempt in ''Film/TronLegacy'']].
** In Beast's Castle, after meeting the servants and learning about the curse placed on them, Donald suggests that they go after the Enchantress, with the servants telling him they don't need to. She physically appears in [[Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017 the live-action remake]] nearly 12 years after this game's release [[spoiler:and outright lifts the curse herself]].
** When Barbossa captures ([[InsistentTerminology Captain]]) Jack Sparrow, the latter is tied up instead of locked in the brig in the game's version of the story, mainly because [[AdaptationalVillainy Barbossa has none of his likable traits in this adaptation]]. In the film continuity, it isn't until ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales Dead Men Tell No Tales]]'' where Barbossa actually ties Jack up, if only to prevent him from revealing to Carina Smyth that [[spoiler:she is Barbossa's daughter]].
** The second act of the [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Pride Lands]] introduces a conflict between Simba and Scar's ghost. A pretty fun setup in its own right, but no one would've guessed it'd be in the universe's canon by the time the first season finale of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' [[spoiler:brought Scar back as, you guessed it, a ghost]].
** When the group first gets to Halloween Town they are visibly confused at the orange string lights strung across the walls and all over town. At the time Halloween-themed string lights weren't very popular, while these days decorating your house in lights for Halloween is almost as popular as decorating them for Christmas.
** The background music for Disney Castle opens with a near identical drum riff as the opening logo for Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox. In 2019, Disney bought Fox. Retroactively, you could say Fox became the first Disney acquired studio to be represented in a Kingdom Hearts game, nearly a decade and a half before Creator/{{Pixar}} made its Kingdom Hearts debut in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII KHIII]]''.
** After the fight with Sephiroth, Cloud and Sephiroth duke it out and then they mysteriously vanish, with Sora saying that they "went somewhere else" and that Cloud "went to fight a great battle to defeat the darkness inside him." Considering that Cloud and Sephiroth both made it into ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' and were absent from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' (even with Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid along with Leon returning in the latter), those words suddenly have a new meaning. Even better, Sora ended up joining the two in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', meaning all three are now "fighting a great battle"!
** Roxas' gameplay during the prologue is criticized by some for being very slow and limited compared to what Sora would later be capable of. In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIIIReMind'', the player is forced to control Roxas during the post-endgame DLC and he's ''more'' powerful and flashy than Sora would usually be at that point.
** At the end of Sora's second visit to the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' world, Jack tries to steal his Keyblade and, when thwarted, vows to find a way to keep it for himself. ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity 3.0'' features a Keyblade as an unlockable weapon, meaning Jack would eventually get to use it after all.
** Pete's hijinx in [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Agrabah]] become a lot funnier in light of ''Film/ChipNDaleRescueRangers2022'', which has him starring in [[spoiler:a [[TheMockbuster mockbuster]] version of]] ''Aladdin''.
* HoYay:
** Putting context aside, just '''try''' to compare when Sora reunites with Kairi to when he reunites with Riku.
** Also, Sora does show some worry towards Tron during the second (technically third) trip to Space Paranoids when the latter is [[spoiler:[[HarsherInHindsight fighting for]] [[Film/TronLegacy his life]] in the game grid]]. And then, the heartwarming hug scene after defeating the MCP...
* ItsEasySoItSucks: This game is criticized for being the easiest game in the franchise, thanks in part to ActionCommands added in that make defeating bosses much easier. Fortunately, the ''Final Mix'' added in Critical Mode to give players more of a challenge.
* ItWasHisSled:
** Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is actually the Heartless of Xehanort who stole the name from the real Ansem. Hard to believe it now but back then, it was a huge twist.
** Roxas being Sora's Nobody and a member of Organization XIII. Not that any of the [[LateArrivalSpoiler later installments]] would do anything to keep this a secret.
* JerkassWoobie:
** It's hard not to feel bad for Axel. All he wants is to see Roxas again, the only person that he really cares about, but his methods of going about it are pretty cruel. He admits to having no qualms with killing Roxas if he refuses to come back to the Organization and seems far more concerned about being turned into a Dusk, and later kidnaps Kairi in an attempt to turn Sora into a Heartless and get Roxas back.
** [=DiZ=], a.k.a. [[spoiler:Ansem the Wise]]. He [[spoiler:gets betrayed by his apprentices, whom he loved like family, and thrust into a realm of nothingness that drove him half-mad. In his desire for revenge against his apprentices, he becomes a JerkAss and does many morally questionable things, and in the end, is overcome by guilt once he realizes this. To atone, he makes a HeroicSacrifice to save Kingdom Hearts from Xemnas. It doesn't kill him, but sends him to the realm of darkness, where he once again must endure a lonely period of banishment.]]
** Pete's constant failures often incur Maleficent's wrath, and he is later shown to long for the simpler times when he was just the boat captain of Steamboat Willie.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: During the Heartless War arc, the fact that a major character has something big happen to them is less emotional than it should be because of the nature of the event, how suddenly it comes up, and the character in question being too "important" for the ramifications to stick. [[spoiler:Disney allowing this game to kill Goofy? Not likely. Letting Goofy die with a sudden, out-of-nowhere, unexplained rock to the head as the cause of death? Even less likely. But the fact that Goofy's apparent death scene is played completely and totally straight makes it [[{{Narm}} unintentionally funny]]. A player can guess pretty easily that [[DisneyDeath Goofy isn't actually dead]] even on a first-time playthrough, there's no way Disney would let one of their most iconic characters die in a ''Kingdom Hearts'' game, much less in such an anticlimactic way.]]
* LoveToHate: [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Hades]], [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Oogie Boogie]], and the [[Film/{{Tron}} Master Control Program]], all of whom are already popular with their respective fandoms. Organization XIII would count as well, especially Xigbar.
* LowLevelRun: The ''Final Mix'' version is the debut of the No Experience ability, which prevents Sora and co. from gaining normal experience (it doesn't prevent leveling up Drives or Summons). Using it at the beginning of the game will keep everyone at Level 1, creating either the ultimate challenge, or the ultimate nightmare depending on who you ask.
* MagnificentBastard (includes ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''):
** [[AntiHero Captain Jack Sparrow]] is as smart and eccentric as [[Characters/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanCaptainJackSparrow his film counterpart]]. First introduced after recently escaping prison, Jack only agrees to help save Elizabeth due to him needing a crew, but proves invaluable to Sora and Crew stopping Barbossa with his quick thinking, such as using his hidden knife to cut him and the others free when captured. Jack steals a medallion in order to turn into a ghost pirate and distract Barbossa long enough for Will to break the curse. When the ghost pirates return, Jack uses his keen eye to count exactly how many medallions were taken and helping Sora stop Luxord's schemes, before vowing to one day take Sora's Keyblade by force. Reuniting with Sora, Jack manages to figure the way out of Davy Jones' Locker, before manipulating events to get aboard the Flying Dutchman and steal the chest, then helping a dying Will take Jones' place as Captain of the Dutchman. Leading the charge against Beckett, Jack parts ways with Sora once again, giving him some important advice about how there's "always enough time for hearts to say what's true."
** [[IndispensableScoundrel Captain Hector Barbossa]], likewise, is just as charming and intelligent as he is in ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''. A pirate who usurped Captain Jack Sparrow before the games, Barbossa and his crew ended up trapped between life and death as [[GhostPirate immortal skeleton monsters]] after an Aztec curse and he now seeks to free himself from his fate. To this end, Barbossa smartly opts to divide his troops to have one group gain the medallion that can break the curse and the other keep Sora and his friends busy. Barbossa later has his troops manipulate Will Turner into an ambush to take the medallion and undo the curse. Despite not possessing powers of his own, Barbossa [[BadassNormal proves to be a formidable fighter]] able to smartly take advantage of tactics to fight Sora on even terms before his death. Revived to help find Jack in Davy Jones' locker, Barbossa proves instrumental in convincing Jack to go with them. Barbossa releases Tia Dalma/Calypso to help defeat the evil forces of Cutler Beckett and Davy Jones. Later helping Jack fend off the Flying Dutchman, Barbossa ends his story on good terms with the heroes and wishes them luck.
* MemeticBadass:
** Maleficent manages to become this in a rather literal sense. She comes back from the dead simply by the fairies remembering ''she existed.''
** King Mickey is Disney's version of [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]]. [[HilariousInHindsight Before they legally acquired Yoda, at least.]]
** Auron. Carries over from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX the source material]], but it's easy to see why. When Hades said that he was going to summon "the mother of all bad guys," many a fan intentionally misheard it as "the mother of all badasses."
** The rock that hits Goofy in the head has received jokes for apparently being more powerful than the attacks of any of the game's bosses.
* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/KingdomHearts "I need... more rage. I need more... memes..."]]
* MoralEventHorizon:
** Scar, after having Sora, Donald, and Goofy surrounded, tells the other lions to start hunting for prey. They remind him that the herds have moved on and that there's nothing left to hunt. Scar then gestures at Sora. Horrid enough on its own, but because [[spoiler:since Sora has transformed into a lion, Scar is basically telling the other lions to resort to cannibalism. And a ''teenager'' to boot!]]
** [=DiZ=] touched upon the line with his ordered execution of Naminé. Trying to kill her for no other reason than "tying up loose ends" is bad enough as it is, but the coward didn't even have the pair to bloody his own hands. While he apologizes to Roxas for his mistreatment of him, we have yet to hear him do the same for Naminé.
** Barbossa never crossed the line in his origin franchise, but he does here by [[spoiler:tying up everyone and leaving them to die on the ''Interceptor'' when it got rigged with gunpowder, which also doubles as TeamRocketWins for Pete]].
* NarmCharm: What Atlantica is for the fans that don't hate the level. Cheesy lyrics, UnexpectedGameplayChange, and a dose of SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, but all done earnestly by the developes and actors.
* NeverLiveItDown: The scene where Sora reunites with Kairi and Riku. Upon reuniting with Kairi, the two share a hug, whereas with Riku, Sora falls to his knees and breaks down in tears upon seeing him again. His reaction is completely justified -- Sora knew that Kairi wasn't in any danger when Organization XIII kidnapped her because she's a LivingMacGuffin that the Organization needed to keep alive, and even then does he [[AintTooProudToBeg immediately kowtow before Saïx in a plea to have her released]] the moment he learns she's being held captive. With Riku, Sora hadn't seen him since they closed the Door to Darkness (an entire ''year'' prior), and there was a high chance that Riku was dead or otherwise imperiled, not helped by Mickey deliberately changing the subject when asked about Riku's whereabouts. Despite this, a large number of fans believe that Sora's reaction was anything ''but'' platonic and that he actually harbors romantic feelings towards Riku instead of (or in addition to) Kairi, even though both this game and the series as a whole clearly show that this is not the case.
* OnceOriginalNowCommon: Port Royal is often criticized by modern audiences for its UnintentionalUncannyValley and the visual dissonance going on between the realistically designed locals and the cartoonish Sora and friends, but the world's art design was seen as incredibly groundbreaking when the game was new. "Realistic" character models with that level of detail weren't really a thing in 2005, especially for the Platform/PlayStation2, so it was actually ''super'' impressive that Square was able to get them to work and move in an action game. On top of this is the fact that [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome the pirates change between their cursed and human forms without skipping a beat in battle]].
* PeripheryDemographic:
** Aside from the worldwide release of ''Final Mix'', one reason ''KHII'' is considered an EvenBetterSequel is because of the HiddenDepths of its combat system compared to other games in the series, resulting in a sector of the fanbase that focuses on the gameplay over the story and characters (though those are usually not ignored) and develops specific strategies and loadouts to beat each OptionalBoss.
** Like ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', ''KHII'' is very popular with the GameMod community, with many modders adding in their own playable characters (usually other ''KH'' heroes or modified versions of Sora and Roxas), maps, bosses, and storyline. What's notable is that the Japanese [=PS2=] Final Mix version of the game is the most popularly used, as it's simpler to work with than the HD re-releases and has an English patch to allow for the same accessibility among English-speaking modders.
* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading:
** Kairi is supposed to be Sora's {{Love Interest|s}}, while Riku is supposed to be his platonic best friend. What does Sora do when he reunites with Kairi? He looks surprised before hugging her back, and doesn't really do much to indicate that he spent almost the entire first game and a good chunk of this one looking for her. What does he do when he sees Riku? [[HoYay Sora grabs Riku's hand, falls to his knees, and bursts into tears.]][[note]]Again, there ''is'' context behind this, as Sora had been led to believe Riku was very possibly dead for much of the game and he himself asks Riku in this scene "Why didn't you let me know you were OK?" Comparatively, he knew Kairi was safe, albeit held hostage. Still, the reaction still comes off as a little extreme.[[/note]] Kairi's main consolation is that at least earlier on, Sora went to knees for her as well, albeit not in front of her and [[AintTooProudToBeg in a different, sadder context]] (and the HD remaster made it more apparent that he actually cried over her too in the Gummi Ship after learning she had been kidnapped by Axel).
** There exists a very vocal portion of the fanbase that firmly believes that Axel thinks of Roxas as a lover as opposed to his friend. His [[spoiler:death scene]] has quite notable IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy vibes, and at one point he outright compares Kairi missing Sora to him missing Roxas. It can at least be explained that they started their friendship as Nobodies and, according to this game, Nobodies can't actually feel anything, at least at first. Roxas, in particular, has no memory of his pre-Nobody life and thus wouldn't even know the concept of romantic relationship.
** After the events of the first game, Ariel and Sora remain very good friends, have good chemistry, and during the musicals in Atlantica they often dance and sing together. Couple that with most of her relationship with Prince Eric taking place off-screen due to the condensed story, and someone unfamiliar with the film might think they're watching a LoveTriangle.
* PlayerPunch:
** The player is bound to feel awesome about taking down 1000 Heartless in Hollow Bastion -- at least until Organization XIII's plan is revealed. [[spoiler:They need hearts to access Kingdom Hearts, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero and the player fell]] [[UnwittingPawn right into their hands]] by releasing the hearts of all of the Heartless.]]
** [[spoiler:Goofy's DisneyDeath]] was most likely meant to come across as this, but [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt many players knew better]].
* PortingDisaster:
** The [=PS3=] port of the ''Final Mix'' version was long-awaited, but has much longer load times (especially between the English [=PS3=] port and Japan) due to the switch to the blu-ray format. A number of glitches were either introduced or exacerbated, such as a rare glitch during the Final Xemnas fight involving the "Reversal" Reaction Command suddenly becoming a common occurrence. The port is also very unstable, with a number of crashes that could either occur randomly or from specific triggers. Most, if not all of these issues were fixed when the Greatest Hits re-release came out.
** The [=PS4=] version was a mess before it was patched. While it cut down on load times and bumped up the frame rate to 60fps, every major glitch from the [=PS3=] version was still present, and the port added a slew of new issues. Originally, Square Enix did not properly adjust anything to the new frame rate, so certain bosses (like Vexen) could charge their attacks more quickly, Sora's Reaction Commands (like during the Grim Reaper fight) and abilities like Quick Run were shortened, and some things (like the Reaction Command for the cannon tower in Liliput) flat-out didn't work. The worst glitch of all was that the game could crash whenever you saved, which could potentially corrupt your files. The port was so bad [[https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/14/14923060/kingdom-hearts-ps4-collection-bugs-issues that it actually made the news,]] and after a series of patches, it finally seems to have reached a much more manageable level. A few new issues, like Luxord's command, have since arisen, but the game is much more playable than it was at launch.
** The PC port has a number of issues that people run into, such as weird audio glitches, crashes, and -- despite having the option to run higher than 60fps -- the game's logic forces the game down to that framerate limit during certain moments, resulting in stutters. In addition, all the glitches that existed in the [=PS4=] version that were never fixed are still in this port, although unlike the [=PS4/Xbox=] versions, you can cap the framerate to 30fps and these bugs will be fixed.
* QuestionableCasting:
** When it was announced that Music/JesseMcCartney would be voicing Roxas in the English version, quite a few people were quick to object with the decision. However, he was able to prove that [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct he could play the part well]].
** Creator/CoreyBurton replaces Creator/MiguelFerrer as Shan Yu. Some fans were confused as to why Creator/{{Jim Cummings|1952}} (who's in the cast as Pete) didn't take over instead, as Burton's take is a bit lighter than Ferrer's and Cummings, who's voiced multiple Guttural Growlers before, would have likely done a far more accurate imitation.
** Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor's performance as Jack Sparrow is widely disliked by fans, as not only does he sound nothing like Creator/JohnnyDepp, but he just sounds... ''off'' in general, which is odd to hear from an experienced voice actor like Taylor, though he confirmed years later that he sounded that way because he was recovering from a throat fungus at the time he recorded for the game. Even so, Jack would eventually be recast in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' with Jared Butler[[note]]who had previously voicematched Depp as Jack and [[Film/TheLoneRanger Tonto]] in ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity''[[/note]] to much better reception.
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
** Kairi once she [[TookALevelInBadass broke away]] from her DamselInDistress role in the final world and fought alongside Riku. Except for the people who liked her better in ''KHI'' and say that this game [[DemotedToSatelliteLoveInterest demoted her]]. Yeah, [[BrokenBase the fandom never can agree on anything]], [[note]]Although many people who derided Kairi in this game had a reversal of opinion after ''KHIII'', where she undergoes severe BadassDecay compared to her portrayal here and is considered a DamselScrappy.[[/note]] The manga [[{{Xenafication}} had her break away from this earlier]], with her punching a Dusk, biting Axel to wrest free of him, escaping from her cell by tricking some Dusks, and punching Demyx in the face when caught. She also gets more screen--er, panel time to showcase her Keyblade-wielding ability, including against Xigbar.
** Similarly, Kairi's Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, was originally hated by many for [[RealWomenDontWearDresses looking too girly]]. Then [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep it became an equipable Keyblade for Aqua]] and players found out firsthand how good it was in battle. Come ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIIIReMind'', and Kairi herself is able to wield it as a very strong ''playable character''.
** Some people became a little more forgiving in regards to the ProlongedPrologue and warmed up to both Roxas and Naminé towards the end of the game, as more is revealed about their characters.
** Squall/Leon was always a divisive character among the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' fandom for his ridiculously distant and silent personality, and the sentiment remained even after ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' gave justification for his loner persona ''and'' [[TookALevelInKindness showed him growing out of it]]. It did not help he had to [[ToughActToFollow follow]] the iconic [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]] and did not reach his appeal. While the original game more or less depicted [[ThatManIsDead "Leon"]] as Squall was throughout the earlier portions of ''VIII'', this game sees him as a more cheerful and mature character and therefore more akin to his portrayal at the end of ''VIII''. While he lost his badassery in the manga, he retains it in the game, especially when teaming up with none other than Cloud. They even [[SnarkToSnarkCombat share a bit of banter]] in a likely nod to their games' FandomRivalry.
* RonTheDeathEater
** Yen Sid, Ansem the Wise, and Sora, all for the same reasons... prejudice against the Nobodies. Justifiable in some respects due to Ansem taking his hatred to the point of despising ''innocent'' Nobodies (Roxas and Naminé) and Sora's speech at the end seeming more than a little racist with his choice of words, though [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance a future game]] would [[CharacterDevelopment change]] Sora's views on them and [[spoiler:Ansem himself likewise admits in [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Blank Points]] that his quest for vengeance unfairly ruined many lives in process, while a data copy of him in ''3D'' expresses similar sentiments]]. (Yen Sid, on the other hand, is just a neutral party who is only disclosing what little he knows about the Nobodies at the time rather than indulging in any active prejudice.) Still, given the fact that in ''II'', all three witness firsthand Nobodies and the Organization XIII attack worlds to try to turn people into Heartless, causing many destructions, they have a justification to not think highly of them.
** The Organization gets plenty of this as well. Despite it being made clear with [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 later]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance games]] that [[spoiler:they were lied to from the start about there being one way to get hearts of their own (a Nobody can grow one back over time)]], never mind how they don't have the option to leave and will be killed for trying, will be turned into Dusks if they're not doing a good enough job, and -- as this game shows -- Xemnas doesn't let members know exactly what they'll be doing until they're already in, many still choose to see them as irredeemable psychopathic monsters who gleefully slaughter countless innocents for their goal. The truth is they don't seem to have a whole lot of choice in the matter, with the exceptions of [[BigBad Xemnas]] and [[TheDragon Xigbar]] (and even ''3D'' and ''III'' casts some doubt of their agency and motives).
* SalvagedGameplayMechanic: The Gummi Ship segments were one of the most criticized aspects from the first game, as they were slow and tedious, and customizing the ship had a rather steep learning curve. The mechanic was much better received in this game, as the levels are a whole lot cooler to look at if nothing else, and also your ship gets an automatic upgrade with each segment passed, so you don't have to spend the time tediously doing it for yourself.
* SavedByTheFans: Axel was supposed to die in the ProlongedPrologue, but fan outcry (including fans of his ''on the Kingdom Hearts staff'') gave him a [[DemotedToExtra small part]] in the story and [[spoiler:a fanbase-splitting death]].
-->'''Creator/TetsuyaNomura''' (''[[WordOfGod from]] [[NoExportForYou Kingdom Hearts Character Report volume 2]]''): "I didn't think he would come this far. To begin with, he was supposed to be gone after Roxas defeats him towards the start. However, the entire staff, including myself, ended up pushing it so that he would return."
* ScrappyMechanic:
** Most bosses require a finisher move to kill them off, even if they are already at 1 HP, meaning you’ll have to perform a full combo uninterrupted in order to end the fight. While making for a nice-looking coup de grace, many see this as just a waste of time.
** Olympus Coliseum, one of the biggest [[LevelGrinding sources of experience]] in the first game, now doesn't give ''any'' experience during the fights. Double that since the hardest cup, while it used to give out the strongest weapons for Goofy and Donald, now only nets [[CosmeticAward a useless trophy]].
** The real problem with the Underdrome is the ever changing rules. The Pain and Panic/Goddess of Fate cups are the most fair and fun with them. The Cerberus Cup places you under a strict time limit (and Cerberus itself knows to beat you out by keeping you out of his weak spots), and the Titan Cup puts you under a point system and relies on you to use Summons; which means spamming Stitch to get the most points from it. It's harder in the Final Mix version, as Stitch's Ohana! is brutally nerfed in terms of time allotted (that limit gauge drops even with Combination and Summon Boost), but some have found using Peter Pan's Never Land to help with this.
** Obtaining Mythril materials becomes a pain later in the game. At first, you're practically tripping over the things, so it was no issue. However, when you need even more of them to make Synthesis items, you're not going to be able to find any of them because no enemies drop them. Instead, you'll have to synthesize them up by using Twilight and Dense items, which aren't easily found until the second half of the game (if you can spawn the Nobodies) or until the endgame when you can easily farm those materials.
** Anti Form is meant to punish players for being over-reliant on Drive Forms, but it does its job too well. Anti Form will randomly manifest when entering a Drive Form, strips Sora of almost every defensive option he has (no guard, no magic, no items, no Limits, no Reaction Commands, no party members), lowers his defense on top of that, renders him unable to pick up HP/MP Orbs, and prevents manual Drive reversion until combat is over. Getting it at an inopportune time can effectively guarantee death. [[GuideDangIt The game also does nothing to explain how it even triggers]][[note]]Every time you use a Drive Form (other than Final Form) in battle, a hidden counter goes up by one. Once it hits 5, you have a chance of triggering Anti Form. Entering AntiForm then reduces the counter by 5 (4 in the original version).[[/note]], which means an unwitting player will probably activate it unless they already know the mechanics beforehand. Not helping matters that is the chance of getting Anti Form increases during scripted battles and most boss fights, when a player is most inclined to use Drive Forms.
** Regardless of whether they like the game's Atlantica or not, most everyone can agree on the obnoxiousness of being forced to quit or restart if you pause during the rhythm games. You ''have'' to complete them in one go without exception.
* ScrappyWeapon:
** Hidden Dragon is widely considered the worst Keyblade in the game. Not only are its stats unimpressive (only +2 to Attack and Magic), but MP Rage is way less useful than it seems due to the ability being {{nerf}}ed compared to the version in the first game (it doesn't work when you have no MP left), the overall changes in the magic system, and the faster combat speed. While there are other Keyblades with similarly low or even worse stats, they at least have abilities that grant a specific utility to make them somewhat useful.
** Two Become One in ''Final Mix'' is useful for a short period for its high Strength and Magic values and is useful for obtaining Final Form, but after unlocking Final Form it becomes an active hindrance because it locks all other Drive forms to transform Sora into Anti Form instead. Even if used as a secondary Keyblade for one of Sora's Drive Forms, it still has no active ability and is overshadowed by other Keyblades.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: When compared to ''I'', anyway. Between this game's more polished combat and movement, better sense of direction, and greater variety in how bosses can be dealt with, a good player will likely see fewer deaths in ''II'' compared to ''I''.
* SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer: [[PaletteSwap Quite]] [[MetalSlime literally]] in the case of the Gummi Ship levels. Going as far as to perfect and complete every mission doesn't even do anything game-wise except give you {{Bragging Rights Reward}}s and make it slightly easier to beat the later Gummi levels (and a trophy in the ''II.5'' version).[[note]]It does one important thing in the Final Mix version: it's required in Standard mode in order to see the hidden "Birth by Sleep" movie, along with completing the journal, completing every world, and getting the three proofs.[[/note]] But it's still fun to blow up ''at least'' two ships that are about 100 times the size of your own, [[StuffBlowingUp let alone everything else]].
* SignatureScene:
** [[spoiler:Sora vs. Roxas]], particularly in ''Final Mix'' where it's an iconic and [[ThatOneBoss very difficult]] fight, making it the equivalent of the Ansem-Riku scene and battle in the first game.
** The end of the ProlongedPrologue, where Roxas says that it "looks like [his] summer vacation is over" upon seeing Sora. Despite Roxas being only on-screen for a short time, this scene really hits the CloneAngst for him, and it's considered a big TearJerker because of Roxas realizing that he'll never have the chance to have what Sora has.
** The Battle of 1,000 Heartless, particularly the mid-plot twist in the following cutscene, as it happens during the climax of the game before some major story revelations are dropped, being a fight that Sora actively questions going through.
* SlowPacedBeginning:
** The game slogs during the prologue due to extremely limited options (Roxas is stuck with basic combos that he tends to drop and a couple of abilities) and lack of enemy variety, compounded by [[ProlongedPrologue its sheer length of approximately three hours]]. It picks up significantly once control switches to Sora, as he starts to stockpile new abilities and encounter more enemy types.
** Story-wise, the Disney worlds take a bit of time to get going. The first world you will likely visit is Land of Dragons, which is heavily derivative of the movie plot of ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'''s and doesn't directly contribute to the game's overarching narrative. Beast's Castle and Olympus Coliseum are better in this regard with original stories that do tie in with the game's story, but both are purposefully left unresolved for the second visits. Meanwhile, Organization XIII and Maleficent are lurking in the background not really doing anything, and in general, it can be a bit boring. Once you get to Disney Castle/Timeless River, the gameplay and story start to pick up, and once the return trip to Hollow Bastion (and the first visit to Space Paranoids) beckons, they ''really'' take off.
* SoOkayItsAverage: Atlantica's musicals have their ups-and-downs, with "Swim This Way" being outright loathed, and Ariel [[TookALevelInDumbass taking levels in dumbass]], but general reaction is mixed ([[AmericansHateTingle unless you're American]]), since at least "Part of Your World"[[note]]Jodi Benson returning from her role in the movie definitely helps[[/note]], "Under the Sea", and "Ursula's Revenge" are tolerable, and "A New Day is Dawning" is mediocre but not as irritating as "Swim This Way".
* StrawmanHasAPoint: When Xemnas says how he and the rest of the Nobodies were turned away from both the light and the dark, and never had a choice, he's just testing them, and the point obviously doesn't apply to him (or Xigbar for that matter) but there is a valid point to be had for some of the others, particularly the non-founding members, who were never part of the [[spoiler:Heartless experiments]]. They didn't ask to have their worlds destroyed and their hearts ripped out of them, and they weren't told what little say they had in the matter (a member of Org. XIII or mutated cannon fodder) until after they were turned and initiated.
* StrangledByTheRedString: The ending of this game and the credits of the ''2.8 Final Chapter Prologue'' HD collection indicate that Roxas and Naminé, [[LiteralSplitPersonality Nobodies of Sora and Kairi]], are intended to be a romantic pairing. The problem is that whereas Sora and Kairi share a history and close friendship, Roxas and Naminé have only a few interactions that are largely based around plot exposition -- Roxas himself shows much more closeness with Hayner, Pence, Olette, Axel, and [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Xion]] than he ever does with Naminé whereas Naminé likewise spends most of her screentime around Sora and Riku. As a result, pairing them together comes out of left field for many players and only seems to be on the basis that if Sora and Kairi are in love then their Nobodies have to be as well, an idea that Roxas and Naminé themselves appear to subscribe to if their exchange before fully merging with their other halves (as well as Naminé promising to Roxas that they'll meet again near the end of the prologue) is any indication.
* ThatOneAttack:
** If you don't knock Xaldin out of it, he will ride his lances like a dragon and blow a massive windgust across the arena. You can only reasonably dodge it by getting lucky and having Xaldin initiate the attack in a position where it won't hit you, or if you have Quick Run or Dodge Roll (with the caveat that if you mistime them, you'll probably die). It ''is'' Reflectable ([[GuideDangIt assuming you try to use Reflect]], which is unlikely during your first time through).
** Xigbar's ultimate move comes in two phases. During the first phase, you have to be really quick. One mistake, and you get hit with an onslaught of attacks, including the second phase. The second phase is practically unavoidable unless you run around in a circle, and it can kill you easily once hit. Also, during both phases of the attack, Xigbar becomes invincible.
** Demyx summons water clones. If you don't defeat them in time, this triggers a NonStandardGameOver as Demyx walks up to an exhausted Sora and the game does a FadeToBlack. When low on health, he will summon 99 clones and gives you 30 seconds to live. There is an ActionCommand to pre-empt his performance, but you need to be [[GetBackHereBoss close to him]].
** Marluxia will turn invincible, teleport to the center of the arena, and create three massive pools of energy that deal heavy damage, enough to completely kill Sora in a couple hits (more likely ''one'' hit on Proud and Critical). These pools then remain in place for a time while he charges towards you and begins attacking again; even if you block or Reflect his attacks, he's likely going to knock you back into the pools, or if you can get him into a combo, you might accidentally push yourself into the pools. Then almost as soon as the attack ends, he does it again, and again.
** A strange example of this is [[spoiler:Roxas' "Duel" reaction command, not because it's dangerous if you lose, but rather it's dangerous if you ''win'', since, without his Keyblades, Roxas will just start {{Beam Spam}}ming everywhere he goes, becoming a far more unpredictable opponent]].
* ThatOneBoss:
** Demyx is extremely aggressive with few openings, his attacks cover large areas, and he can screw you over by forcing you to kill his water clones in a timed minigame that gives you a NonStandardGameOver if you fail. What's worse? You can't save immediately after fighting Demyx, and are thrown straight into the Battle of 1000 Heartless after the fact. Die here? You have to beat Demyx ''all over again''. Woe betide the poor player on Critical that can die in one or two hits from even regular Heartless.
** Xaldin has a gimmick were he takes reduced damage as long as his air guard is up, with said air guard damaging you as well if you touch it. Like Demyx, he is extremely aggressive, with many powerful attacks and not many windows to attack him unless you learn how to guard his attacks properly to stock the Jump reaction command.
** [[spoiler:Roxas]] in the ''Final Mix'' version. You're forced to fight him without the assistance of Donald or Goofy (so no Drive Forms outside of Limit Form and no Summons), he attacks quickly and unpredictably, and several of his attacks can be difficult to dodge.
* ThatOneLevel:
** The mandatory battle at the "Scene of the Fire" in Timeless River is fairly hard due to the final enemy wave having two Hot Rods, extremely dangerous Heartless for this part of the game. They have a lot of health, hit hard, and can temporarily become invincible and charge at Sora with an attack that can be difficult to dodge. The mission also has a damage meter for the building that the player is expected to protect, so neglecting it while trying to deal with the Heartless can lead to a NonStandardGameOver.
** The first visit to Port Royal. Most fights are against the cursed undead pirates, who are invincible unless they're standing in the moonlight, and there's a long, difficult forced encounter against them where Sora and co. need to protect the cursed medallion while also being shot at by the ''Black Pearl'''s cannons.
** The Light Cycle minigame in Space Paranoids can be very difficult to go through due to the UnexpectedGameplayChange to a vehicle section and the unpredictable swarms of Heartless that attack. What makes it even worse is that you have no way to heal for the entire segment, which puts a lot of pressure on you since mistakes can easily add up.
* ThatOneSidequest:
** Atlantica returns completely revamped as a bizarre MusicalEpisode in the vein of a RhythmGame. This draws ire from many fans for the various shades of saccharine, {{Camp}}, as well as Donald Duck's singing voice, which is just as dreadful as you'd think. The mechanics are also incredibly basic and unengaging, making the entire world a slog to play. While Atlantica is optional, clearing it is necessary for OneHundredPercentCompletion and obtaining the Ultima Weapon, so many players feel like they have to suffer through it.
** Some of the sidequests have insane requirements to clear with the best rating. This got so outrageous that some people find it easier to earn the SequelHook movies by beating the game on [[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels Proud]] Mode (requiring just clearing all the worlds) rather than Standard (requiring OneHundredPercentCompletion).
** The Paradox Cups. Enemies are at a ridiculously high level compared to normal gameplay, and the last one, the Hades Paradox Cup, is a '''''50-round battle''''', with the rules changing every 10 rounds, with battles against Yuffie and Tifa, Blizzard Lord, Pete, Cloud and Tifa, Hades, Leon and Cloud, and Cerberus. If you make it to Round 49, you have to face [[WolfpackBoss Leon, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud]] all at the same time as Sora ''alone'', and then if you somehow manage to win that round, you have to face Hades ''again'', though this time with Hercules helping you. Thankfully, you get a checkpoint every tenth round so if you die, you get to continue from that point.
** The Magic Carpet minigame in Agrabah falls into this. To get 100% completion, you need to defeat 65 Heartless before reaching the end. Easier said than done. The best way to get the 65 kills is to equip the Negative Combo ability, the Fenrir keychain, and remove all the Combo Plus and Air Combo Plus abilities. However, getting the Fenrir requires that the player has defeated ''[[{{Superboss}} Sephiroth]]''.
** The Mushroom XIII sidequests. S-ranking their various challenges often requires specific strategies that are otherwise impractical for normal gameplay, combined with split-second perfect timing, and very often, dumb luck. Among them, No. VIII deserves special mention, as it's often considered one of the worst of the group, if not '''the''' worst. You have to air-juggle it and land 85 hits on it without letting it touch the ground. This is ''far'' easier said than done: it will bounce far away at random and gets bouncier the longer the combo goes on, and if you miss a single hit, it'll likely drop and end the challenge. Landing 85 hits requires either very precise timing to the hits on some of Sora's Drive Forms, or using Berserk Charge to attack without finishers, but it still requires a lot of luck and timing. And to make your failures sting that much more, the fact it gets bouncier the longer you combo it means it tends to bounce too far away to reach around the 70+ hit mark, so you spent a lot of time at it and came ''close'' to success only to fall short at the goal.
** To unlock one Trophy/Achievement, you need to score 5,000 points on at least one skateboard minigame. You'd be lucky to even get even 1,000 in Twilight Town or Hollow Bastion, or 3,000 under 30 seconds in Halloween Town.
** No matter which difficulty that you choose, getting the second "Birth by Sleep" secret ending will always lead to lots of hair-raising and broken controllers; you can't get the secret ending at all in Beginner mode, have to obtain HundredPercentCompletion in Standard when the game has some pretty ludicrous completion requirements, and need the Gold Crown and a completed Journal (read: effectively 100% the game like in Standard sans the Gummi Ship missions) for Proud mode. While Critical is the most lenient with the unlock -- just get the Gold Crown -- that still means you are asked to beat the various Superbosses on the hardest difficulty. Needless to say, many casual fans would prefer to watch [=YouTube=] videos for the secret ending than to endure a whole series of insanely difficult trials.
** A lot of the Gummi Ship missions are just brutal, especially the EX missions. The EX missions all impose some sort of restriction on you, which can including only using a single type of attack Gummi, having a rating of your ship above a particular threshold (which usually necessitates very impractical builds), using an unmodified vanilla blueprint (which are not that good), and so forth. The final mission, naturally, is the worst -- Assault of the Dreadnaught Missions 3, which surprises you with a FinalBoss that isn't in the first two missions, and it is BulletHell incarnate with a ton of HP and a lot of extremely powerful attacks. And for the EX mission, you have to complete the run with a Drain-G gummi, which is AwesomeButImpractical and the game [[GuideDangIt doesn't properly tell you how to use it anyway]], and its cost is extremely high and leaves you far less room than you'd like to include other weapon gummis.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
** The first game allowed players to affect the rate at which they leveled up. This game does not have an option, disallowing players control over their LevelGrinding speed.
** In the ''II.5'' compilation, Roxas is much more vocal in his boss fight than in the original ''Final Mix'' release, where he spoke almost exclusively in grunts and shouts, which were infrequent as well. Some feel that his near-silence was more appropriate for the fight because it emphasized the mystery of the character and gave him an air of TranquilFury.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** It's easy to feel this way about Organization XIII, particularly in the original edition of the game[[note]]Final Mix fleshed out their screentime with several scenes of group meetings between the members, something that was sorely lacking from the original version[[/note]]. While they do show up in a number of world visits, a lot of the members are arguably still not very interesting, and only show up once or twice without getting to do much besides cause a bit of trouble and fight Sora. This is especially noticeable when you consider that roughly half of the world visits don´t feature the Organization members at all and instead focus on Pete and Maleficent as villains (who many players felt were mishandled anyways) or one-off threats like Shan Yu and Jafar instead of using that time to flesh out the Organization members further. [[MakingASplash Demyx]] and [[TimeMaster Luxord]] are two big examples; they get significantly less characterization and screentime than the other Organization members (both here and back in ''Chain of Memories''). Which is especially sad -- given how (A) their personalities are among the most sympathetic, and (B) their {{Boss Battle}}s are among the most difficult and unique.
** After spending much of the prologue acting as the TheConscience to Roxas, Naminé essentially disappears from the game (outside of an extra cutscene in ''Final Mix'') and doesn't show up again until the final act of the game, which is especially noticeable considering how much prominence she had in the plot of ''Chain of Memories''. (This also factors into the above StrangledByTheRedString complaint, even taking into account that Sora and Kairi don't reunite until the final world.) The same holds true for [=DiZ=] as well, which is particularly strange when he has an important HeelRealization ''entirely offscreen''!
** WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} is perhaps the second biggest victim on the Disney side of things. In the film, her character arc centered around how she was able to use ingenuity and grit to measure up to her male contemporaries on the battlefield. In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', however, she has the misfortune of being paired alongside three RPG protagonists who immediately outshine her and reduce her to a background character in her own plot. As a result, her only standout moment is causing an avalanche to stop Shan Yu's Heartless army, which not only looks less necessary due to the low amount of models that can appear onscreen in the cutscene, but has significantly less effect than in the film due to the Heartless respawning after the avalanche ends. While Mulan is allowed to be more battle capable once she stops pretending to be a man, her moment of defeating Shan Yu isn't even attributed to her such as later moments of Simba defeating Scar or Tron defeating Sark. Even the second visit does little to alleviate the issue, taking Mulan's pillar climbing idea and giving it to Sora, showing Mulan struggling to climb said pillar in comparison to Sora due to her training montage being removed, and ultimately needing to be saved from a falling Heartless by Shang at the world's conclusion.
** Much like in the first game, Aladdin has the unfortunate distinction of feeling completely irrelevant to the ongoings of his world. The decision to forgive Iago largely rests with Sora and Co. trying to figure out how to help him, with them even teaching him the lesson of the meaning of friendship, giving Aladdin little to impart to him. Furthermore, the second visit removes Aladdin almost entirely from both combat and story, preventing him from offering much meaningfully to the story.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 Yuna, Rikku, and Paine]] appear midway through the game, here re-imagined as fairies who are working for Maleficent under promise of being rewarded with treasure. Three characters who were the protagonists in their own game now [[AdaptationalVillainy acting as antagonists for this game]] should be interesting, right? Unfortunately, they're only ever in the middle part of the story, featuring in four scenes (plus a cameo during the end credits), and aside from serving as PluckyComicRelief, their role is merely to get info that helps Maleficent instigate a clash between her Heartless and the Organization's Nobodies, then switch sides and help the good guys fight the Heartless during said clash, and finally just give you the Gullwing Keychain before disappearing from the story without any further elaboration about who they ever were.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Vivi Ornitier]], who is the most famous individual BlackMage in the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise and looks the part in both ''Kingdom Hearts'' and his game of origin -- given that Donald's default Mage's Staff has a little Black Mage figure on the end, the connection could have easily been made. Vivi's magical abilities could have been made into HiddenDepths of some kind, even with his role as a resident of Twilight Town, but instead he acts and is treated as a "normal person" (outside of his virtual self's sudden glitching) and his mage-like design is an UnusuallyUninterestingSight.
* ToughActToFollow: ''II Final Mix'' is considered the pinnacle of the series' gameplay by many (especially players who have challenged Critical Mode or undertaken other [[SelfImposedChallenge challenge playthroughs]]), thanks to its robust combo based battle system, solid boss and enemy design, a wide variety of combat options which remain viable and useful throughout the game, and a lot of fun optional and postgame content including a plethora of challenging and memorable {{Superboss}}es. Many of the games released afterwards have been criticized for their perceived failure in matching or exceeding ''KHIIFM'' in these areas.
* UnintentionalUncannyValley:
** While the near-photorealistic characters in [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Port Royal]] don't fall into this on their own, their being alongside cartoony characters like Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy makes the whole affair just a wee bit creepy.
** The crowd in the cutscene after the battle with Shan Yu. In the original versions, they look more like stick figures, and don't move when they cheer on the party. The ''2.5'' version not only makes them more realistic, it also retcons their reaction to bowing at the party (which leans closer to the film).
* UnderusedGameMechanic:
** The area maps items are basically nearly always acquired in a chest immediately after entering the area in question. At that point you might as well wonder what is even the point of having them.
** Atlantica has revamped and significantly better swimming controls compared to the first game, but the world's transition into a non-combat MinigameZone means they're only used to move around two mostly empty rooms.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: The Nobodies. They are played as disposable monsters without hearts, incapable of any emotion. Still, despite their blatantly evil acts, some fans empathize with the Nobodies' desire to obtain hearts. It doesn't help that they act out what they remember of their emotions, making it easy to forget that they're technically uncaring. It also doesn't help that Roxas is a Nobody, and definitely seems to still have feelings, though he's said to be a special case because [[spoiler:he was created with Ven's heart]]. Interestingly, there are two scenes where the Nobodies straight-out acknowledge that they are emotionless. Twice, one of them gets a big speech on how they're in the right, one talking about the pain of not having a heart... then Sora points out that they can't have pain, as they don't have a heart. The response? To completely shift out, and basically tell Sora "Okay, ya got me." This behavior mimics that of real-life sociopaths.
* VindicatedByHistory:
** The game was already really well-received, but ever since the improved ''Final Mix'' version was finally released outside of Japan in 2014, the game's reputation has risen dramatically among fans, and the plots of the games released since have been even ''more'' [[KudzuPlot confounding]] than this game's plot was criticized as being. Nowadays, there are far more people who say it's [[EvenBetterSequel better than the original game]] than those who say it doesn't match up.
** When the game first came out, a lot of players complained that the combat was too [[ButtonMashing button-mashy]] and that you could just spam X (and occasionally Triangle) to win most fights, which made the gameplay monotonous and too easy. After years of analysis, however, it turns out the combat system is actually pretty complex under-the-hood, and high-level play has much more to do with moves and counter-moves against the enemy's AI. Again, ''Final Mix'' made this much more apparent with the additions of the Cavern of Remembrance (which lets you fight Organization XIII again) and [[HarderThanHard Critical Mode]] (especially [[LowLevelRun Lv1 Critical]]), all of which do a great job of encouraging smarter play and experimentation with the game's numerous combat options, as mindless button mashing will simply get you killed.
** The Roxas prologue was initially one of the most dreaded and lambasted parts of the game upon its release due to its having very little to do with the characters from the first game or the Disney worlds, to the point that a prominent reviewer at the time criticized ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' as "[[TheScrappy Scrappy]]-[[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Doo]] getting his own game." As time went on fans started warming up to it, as Roxas himself has become a more popular and integral character within the franchise, with even some detractors of the character still admitting that his part in this game (namely the prologue) and in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Days]]'' was preferable to his role in the franchise going forward, aside from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' and its DLC where his role (this time as one of the most powerful Guardians of Light) was widely praised (and, in an [[{{Irony}} ironic twist]], he becomes playable again but is just as powerful as Sora at that point if not more so).
* TheWoobie:
** Roxas. [[spoiler:The poor kid was shoved into a simulation device that filled his head with fake memories only to learn that his life and best friends were never real, that he's not even a "real" person and that another person's life depends on him giving up his own.]]
** Naminé. As the Nobody closest to [=DiZ=], she is the one who suffers the most emotional abuse from him, being referred to as "witch" for her powers and treated as nothing more than a tool to help in his revenge plan. He even orders Riku to kill her after he believes that she's served her purpose.
%%** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Vivi.]] [[ButtMonkey Yes, even here.]] Context?

!!The Manga
* CompleteMonster: [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Xemnas]], the Nobody form of Xehanort and leader of [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]], is portrayed as a cruel sociopath who rules his organization without care for any of its members, viewing his followers as weaklings who are only fit to serve his purposes. Looking to exploit the Keyblade's power to claim hearts, he allows [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] and [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]] to grow close, intending to then pit them against each other so he can judge which Keybearer would be more useful to his plans, even tampering with Xion's form, [[MindRape Mind Raping]] her and sending her to her death. When Axel is sent to look for the runaway Roxas, Xemnas threatens to eliminate him if he doesn't bring Roxas back dead or alive. He later attacks the Radiant Garden with hordes of Heartless, almost getting Goofy critically injured in the process, just so [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] and King Mickey can slay them all and give him enough hearts to complete his own Kingdom Hearts. When Ansem the Wise and Mickey try to stop his plans at his castle, Xemnas orders his Nobodies to kill them, and proceeds to overtake the Great Heart from within in an attempt to [[OmnicidalManiac reduce all of existence to nothingness]] and destroy all those in his way. Cold-blooded, pitiless, and lacking his game counterpart's TragicVillain qualities, Xemnas continuously shows himself to be more monstrous than any other Nobody solely because [[ItsAllAboutMe he thinks it in his best interest to be so]].
----