Note that this list will only cover the primary cast from the main line of games. As a result, Keyblade Wielders from the mobile game and Back Cover won’t be counted. Likewise, there will be spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 3 ahead, so proceed with caution.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
13. Kairi
It’s unfortunate, but Kairi’s turn as a Keyblade Wielder ended up being one of the most pointless story arcs in the Kingdom Hearts series.
It certainly had potential. As one of the former Seven Princesses of Light, Kairi’s role in the story has always been integral to the main plot in some way, shape or form across most every game.
Likewise, her gaining a Keyblade at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, and being brought on to help her friends fight against the darkness in Dream Drop Distance, was a nice twist on what people had come to expect of her character.
By the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 though, she’d really only done the same thing that she’d done in most every other mainline game: Get kidnapped and wait for Sora, Riku or both to come and rescue her.
It’s a real shame, and considering this was the last entry in the Dark Seeker saga, she’s not likely to get a chance at redemption anytime soon.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
12. Axel
A fan favorite though he may be, Axel’s time as a Keyblade Wielder proved pretty anticlimactic.
Riding into Kingdom Hearts 3 on a wave of fan popularity and the reveal that he had learned to manifest his own Keyblade, things looked good for everyone’s favorite Nobody.
His Keyblade’s design fit his character, he had a compelling arc in his drive to rescue Roxas, Saïx, and Xion, and his role as a wildcard in the mix of different players in the Keyblade War had plenty of people eager to see how he’d play into it.
As soon as he got a chance to shine though, he was summarily tossed around like a rag doll by anyone he tried to fight against.
Granted, it came off as more of a joke by the game’s creators than anything – look no further than his line “Nobody axes Axel” for proof of that – and he did still get his long-sought-after reunion with Roxas and Xion by the end.
All the same though, his time as a Keyblade Wielder proved to be a low point for his character, leaving the many people rooting for him to wish he could have done more.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
11. Vanitas
For what he was intended to be, Vanitas is a decent enough foil for the Keyblade Wielders of Light.
A constant evil presence in every story he appears in, Vanitas’ ambitions throughout the series always run counter to those of the protagonists.
Where Aqua wants to rescue her friends from the clutches of evil, Vanitas wants to use them to make himself more powerful. Where Ventus wants to strike a balance between light and darkness in the world, he’d rather embrace the dark completely.
It’s certainly an admirable trait, and considering he’s about the only character that doesn’t “see the light” by the end of his story arc, he definitely goes down as one of the more determined villains in the series.
As a Keyblade Wielder though, he feels like one of the flattest of the series’ bunch. His moments to shine are few and far between, and while he has his high points in Birth By Sleep, his turn in Kingdom Hearts 3 leaves him feeling a bit like cannon fodder.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
10. Master Eraqus
The light loving counterpart to Xehanort’s Darkness-driven ambitions, Eraqus proved to be a less than ideal master to Terra, Aqua and Ventus.
He does his best to guide his three pupils toward the right path, and even after he is killed by Xehanort he protects Terra from vanishing completely with a last gasp of light power.
At the same time though, he makes more than a few missteps during his time in the series. Despite clashing with Xehanort in the past over his evil tendencies, he still allows him to get closer to his students and draw out their darker tendencies.
He likewise tries to kill Ventus instead of helping him after discovering Xehanort’s plans for the boy, and instead of trying to work together with Terra to help him address his inclinations toward darkness, he makes it worse by punishing and fighting with him.
The end result is a character that, while certainly boasting merits as a solid mentor figure, caused far more problems than he should have and then left his students to clean it up for him.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
9. Xion
It’s difficult to nail down whether Xion was a good or bad Keyblade Wielder in the Kingdom Hearts series.
On one hand, she originally came off as spin-off fodder for the series’ Nintendo DS title Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.
A near carbon copy of Sora, she was only able to wield a key blade because she harbored the memories taken from him in Castle Oblivion, and was erased from everyone’s memories after Sora regained his memories that made up her being.
On the other hand, she has continued to pop up in some way, shape or form in subsequent entries, continually hinted at as surviving by taking refuge in Sora’s heart.
It all culminated in her return at the tail-end of Kingdom Hearts 3, wherein she briefly steps in as one of the Seven Lights alongside Roxas once Axel and Kairi are left on their last leg and kidnapped respectively.
It’s a compelling character arc to be sure, but at the same time, it feels a bit brief compared to the story arcs of most every other Wielder in the series, leaving fans wishing for more from her overall arc.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
8. Terra
While he might not have righted all of his past mistakes, Terra managed to earn a decent enough end to his story arc as a Keyblade Wielder.
His desire to help his friends being twisted by the series’ villains, and his struggles to make things right as a result, made him a character who you couldn’t help rooting for even as it became clear there wasn’t a happy ending waiting for him anytime soon.
Compared to his allies and the Keyblade Wielders that followed him though, his arc doesn’t have nearly as much time to grow.
Following Birth By Sleep, Terra spends the majority of the series as a literal puppet for Xehanort, his heart and mind left to watch helplessly while he waits for Aqua and Ventus to save him.
Luckily, he does at least get a redeeming moment in Kingdom Hearts 3 where he breaks free from Xehanort and saves both Ventus and Aqua.
Likewise, his enduring Xehanort’s control for over a decade goes a long way toward building him up as one of the stronger Keyblade Wielders in the series.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
7. Mickey Mouse
While he may be one of the strongest and most active Keyblade Wielders in the series, Mickey isn’t without a few faults that drag him down from the upper tiers of this list.
A Keyblade Master trained by Master Yen Sid, Mickey is seen trying to keep the forces of darkness at bay throughout almost every entry in the series in some way, shape or form.
He’s always privy to valuable nuggets of information that no one else has been able to obtain, and he’s quick to charge into battle to help those in need across the worlds.
At the same time though, Mickey always seems to drop the ball at crucial moments in the plot.
He was unable to help Aqua, Ventus and Terra stop Xehanort and Vanitas; He left Aqua in the Realm of Darkness for over a decade; and even in Kingdom Hearts 3 he spends most of his time being overpowered and left waiting for rescue.
This leads to a bit of a conflicted character arc. Though he may constantly leave messes for others to deal with, he still does his part to ensure darkness doesn’t overtake his comrades or their worlds.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
6. Ventus
While he may not have appeared to be all that important when he was first introduced, Ventus’ role in the Kingdom Hearts series has only grown in importance with each passing installment.
Originally played off as a kid brother of sorts to Aqua and Terra, he managed to accomplish a fair number of feats in his time as a Keyblade Wielder.
He fought alongside the two masters in training against Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard, and then managed to stop Vanitas from wielding the χ-blade, albeit at the cost of his own heart.
Even after being forced to reside in Sora’s heart as a result of this though, he managed to protect Sora from falling to Darkness in Dream Drop Distance by using his powers to shield it from the Darkness’ embrace.
On top of all this, he still managed to awaken in time to join the final confrontation of Kingdom Hearts 3, and played a crucial role in helping Terra regain control of his body.
Granted, like Terra, his role in subsequent entries following Birth By Sleep was limited, and he spends a fair bit of time waiting for Aqua to help him.
Still, Ventus proved to be a valuable addition to the forces of light, and a character players only came to respect more as time went on.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
5. Roxas
Despite facing some of the series’ more tragic character arcs, Roxas came out all the stronger as one of the series’ more prolific Keyblade Wielders.
A Nobody created from Sora releasing his heart in the first Kingdom Hearts, Roxas was blessed with an unparalleled ability to wield a Keyblade without having a heart.
Though he initially used this to aid Organization XIII in their bid to create Kingdom Hearts, he later began using it to protect those dear to him like Axel and Xion.
Likewise, when he learns he wasn’t supposed to exist and must return to Sora so that he can awaken, he puts up an admirable fight for the right to be his own person, taking on the Organization and Riku all on his own.
Even after he was forced to return to Sora’s heart, he still remained a powerful force capable of manifesting itself through a replica, and would later end up tipping the scales of the final Keyblade War in favor of the Seven Lights.
To be fair, he does spend a solid amount of time on the sidelines. After the second game, he doesn’t serve much of a purpose besides driving other characters’ motivations.
In spite of this though, he still manages to stand out as one of the better characters in the series, let alone a Keyblade Wielder with a character arc many were happy to see receive a happy ending.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
4. Master Xehanort
The core villain of the Kingdom Hearts series, Xehanort is by no means a slouch when it comes to the series’ Keyblade Wielders.
A friend and rival of Master Eraqus since they were children, Xehanort found solace and purpose in darkness while his friend championed the light.
He believed darkness a necessary component to balance the world, and as a result sought to spread it across the worlds in the hopes of bringing about a perfect world.
To this end, he enacted a decades-spanning plan wherein he used his fearsome control of the Keyblade and its powers to manipulated others toward his own ends.
This included stealing Terra’s body for his own, traveling through time to gather past versions of himself as allies and very nearly ending the world twice.
And yet, despite years of amassing power and gathering his forces, he still wasn’t a match for Sora even after he’d lost his powers for the sixth or seventh time, and subsequently saw all of his efforts fall to pieces.
It’s a somewhat anticlimactic end, but one that can’t entirely diminish his role as one of the more powerful holders for a Keyblade the series has seen.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
3. Riku
Few Keyblade Wielders enjoyed such a well-fleshed out character arc as Riku, and even fewer managed to top it.
Originally drawn into the darkness by his jealousy for Sora and his newfound allies in the first game, Riku spends the better part of the series trying to make amends for his past weaknesses and mistakes.
Unlike others, though, he largely succeeds in this endeavor.
In addition to dispatching several members of Organization XIII in Castle Oblivion, he helps Sora to Regain his memories and awaken.
He also saves Kairi after she is kidnapped by the Organization in the second game, and with Sora’s help topples the group and its leader before they can use Kingdom Hearts toward their own end.
He managed to flip the script and save Sora as well, awakening his friend’s heart after Xehanort nearly engulfs it in darkness near the end of Dream Drop Distance.
It all culminates in him acting as Sora’s rock during most of Kingdom Hearts 3, holding on to hope even when his friend is driven to despair by the loss of his comrades.
It’s a terrific bit of character growth, and if not for several moments where Sora succeeds where he can’t, he might have risen even higher on this list.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
2. Aqua
One of the more popular Keyblade Wielders, Aqua has earned her status with more than a few accomplishments and a stellar character arc.
The only pupil of Master Eraqus to successfully become a Keyblade Master, Aqua spends the bulk of her time in the series fixing the problems her friends accidentally made.
She saves a number of worlds from falling to nefarious plots, and come the final battle with Xehanort and Vanitas she’s the only one left standing by the end.
Afterward, she manages to keep both Ventus and Terra from falling completely to darkness, hiding Ventus in a world of illusion to keep him safe from harm while also dragging Terra’s body back into the world of light so that his heart might return to it.
As a result of this, she becomes trapped in the Realm of Darkness for over a decade, but even then she manages to aid the forces of light by helping Mickey seal the door to Kingdom Hearts from the first game.
It’s really only the third game where her character loses steam, and that’s only because there isn’t much time for her to show her skills before the final confrontation with the Thirteen Darknesses.
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Wielders Ranked
1. Sora
Though it may seem a little unfair to rank the series’ protagonist at the top of the list, Sora has been shown time and time again to be one of, if not the, best wielders of the Keyblade around.
Facing down any number of dangers throughout his adventures, Sora consistently finds a way to overcome each challenge and save those he cares about in the process.
This includes his rescue of most every other character from the forces of darkness at one point or another, the unlocking of dozens of worlds’ keyholes to save them from the heartless.
That’s not even mentioning the laundry list of evil enemies he has defeated over the course of the series, from Organization XIII to the ever plotting Xehanort and his many forms.
Of course, he’s not without his flaws. His constant reverting back to a weaker state, and his ability to somehow get stupider with each passing entry, is cause for some annoyance.
Past that, he’s a fitting hero for the Kingdom Hearts series, and easily ranks as the series’ best and brightest Keyblade Wielder.
For even more on Kingdom Hearts 3 check out our official review, or theories on where the series goes next.
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