MTH's Top 10 Kingdom Hearts Characters

After the month long journal hiatus I took, I decided to treat you to another top 10 list. Remember, this is MY list and MY opinions, you don't have to like it. The determining factors to be my favorites are in gameplay/storyline significance (which means no background characters like Fuu, Rai, or Vivi. I'll make a Top 10 for that later), design/characterization, and how much they have affected me in my playthroughs.

10. Squall/Leon. While a FF character, he's played a larger role than any other character from Final Fantasy (aside from Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid, but that's beside the point.) His fighting style stays true to his original characterization in FF8 and it makes it cooler when he fights with me in Hollow Bastion twice against the Heartless and Nobodies. I also love the designs of the keyblades you get from him in both KH and KHII. I hope he'll be just as cool in KHIII.

9. Hayner, Pence, and Olette. This spot goes to all three of them because of how well they go  together as friends. Pence's quirkiness, Hayner's insolent nature, and Olette responsible nature create a trio balance that makes for an interesting five days in KHII and Twilight Town missions in KH Days. I have a hard time picking a favorite between all three of them so I put all there on the list. Also the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town day was a lot of fun because of the relationship mechanics between the three and Roxas.

8. Aerith. The scene where she puts the program to eliminate the MCP into the disc drive during the second visit to Hollow Bastion/Space Paranoids should explain enough.

7. Sora in KH2. Childish to the point of adorableness, Sora in his Kingdom Hearts 2 incarnation is nice, cheerful, and seeing the good in everyone, especially Axel after he helps him get to the Nobody stronghold despite Axel's stunt of kidnapping Kairi, unlike his whiny Kingdom Hearts incarnation. His design is very interesting, almost bordering on the look of the BBS trio's with pauldrons accentuating his black outfit. The best part about Sora is how I can set his stats however I want. Also the "Like This" face is the best part of KHII.

6. Axel/Lea. Where do I even begin? He's basically the ass of a best friend that you know you have who you can't help but hang out with. He has a dark sense of humor, especially shown in KH Days and KHCOM. He cares for Roxas and Xion, even going as far as "coddling" them like their his own siblings or kids and promising to keep them safe. As Lea, he's still the delightful jerk that you laugh with.

5. Aqua. She's the perfect amalgam of beauty and strength with excellent MP stats. She does all that Donald can do but with the power of the Keyblade. She has one of the most humblest wishes in the series of wanting to keep her dearest friends safe and happy, which does make her come off as a bit naïve. She acts a lot like a mother to Ven, which makes for some cute scenes  and never fails to make me smile.

4. Goofy. The only Disney hero on my list for a good reason. I've always played defense/healing/support type in games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle 64, so when they had Goofy play the defense and support type, I was thrilled to bits. They managed to turn the fool into a hero with excellent defense and HP stats. Also, his MP Gift ability in KH1 came very much so in handy against foes like Kurt Zisa and Dragon Maleficent.

3. Kairi, at least in KH1. Kairi in Kingdom Hearts had more heart and personality than her later incarnations. She keeps things interesting during the Destiny Islands stage and gave me a reason to want to defeat the possessed Riku other than to progress the story. When I played through Kingdom Hearts II, I found her to be boring until the World that Never Was. I have a plush of her Kingdom Hearts incarnation which has become my favorite to dress up as her two counterparts.

2. Roxas. This really shouldn't be surprising, especially since my favorite games are Days and KHII. He has the coolest design and the deepest lines in both games. I had to keep tissues nearby at the end of his five days in Kingdom Hearts II. Unlike Sora, he gets more crap than adoration and he's probably the loneliest protagonist in KH to date. Keep a plush of him as well because he climbed and fought his way to become my favorite male character in the game.

1. Xion. When I first heard about her, I do confess I confused her for Namine. I mean, another girl in the organization who knows Roxas? It had to be her! But then, I saw Xion. Her design is charming, her story made me cry, and I find her to be adorable with her interactions with Roxas (RokuShi forever!) I've made two plushes of her and a wig for my Kairi plush out of respect which is highly due after what she went through in Days.