Ventus (Earth-101001)

Ventus (ヴェントゥス), also known as Ven (ヴェン), is one of the main protagonists of the anime series Kingdom Hearts. He was a Keyblade wielder before Sora ever became one, and was apprenticed to both Xehanort and Eraqus. He is the youngest of the trio formed by himself, Terra and Aqua.

Ventus's heart is severely damaged by the creation of his dark counterpart, Vanitas, and then again when the χ-blade forged from their hearts is destroyed. Both times, Sora's heart reaches out to mend Ventus's heart, and Ventus's heart has gone to sleep within Sora so that it can recover until it is fully healed and ready to rejoin his body, which lies comatose but safe within the Chamber of Waking.

Personality
Ventus is the youngest of the three Keyblade warriors. Personality-wise, he has many similarities with Sora; he's sweet, cheerful, curious, and gets excited at anything new or interesting, but he feels disappointed whenever Aqua and Terra refuse to allow him to join them on their missions because they do not want to put him in "harm's way." When he gives them their passes to Disney Town, he grudgingly mentions that Scrooge McDuck told him to "take two grown-ups," but he doesn't seem to dislike his status as the youngest of the three.

He also makes new friends easily in different worlds and really cares about his best friends Terra and Aqua, viewing Terra as an older brother. Ventus is very much unable to cope with Terra turning and subsiding to the darkness in his heart. Some of his traits and personality might have passed on to Sora when his heart joined him. Along with his kind personality, he also shows a lot of bravery, especially evident when he battles Vanitas for the final time, where he promises to fight for his friends no matter what, knowing the fact that he would lose his heart as a result.

Appearance
Ventus bears an uncanny resemblance to Roxas, bearing identical facial features and close to clothes. He wears a jacket that resembles a fusion of Roxas' jacket (white on the right side) and Sora's jacket in Kingdom Hearts II(black on the left side), also reminiscent of the Yin and Yang symbol. The collar of the jacket is red and pleated, again, similar to the collar on Roxas' own jacket. Underneath this, he wears what appears to be a grey vest with a single button and several white, angular patterns on it. He wears a third layer under this, in the form of a plain, high-necked, black shirt. He also has a chunk of dull green and grey armor on his midsection that appears to be under his vest, and another piece of armor on his left shoulder. Master Eraqus wears a similar piece of armor, though more blue-green, and more obvious. Ventus' pants are also similar to the pants Roxas wore, though Ven's balloon outward slightly before closing up about halfway down his legs, similar to caprice pants. These pants are colored in shades of grey, black, and white. He also wears an ornate, dull green and grey piece of armor on his upper-left arm, along with a black and white checkered wristband that is, once again, strikingly similar to Roxas', but with white edges as opposed to Roxas' black-edged wristband. Like Aqua, he wears two crisscrossing straps on his chest, on which he wears a silver Keyblade Master emblem. His boots are rather odd when compared to Aqua's and Terra's, as they resemble an armored version of normal street shoes in shades of dull green and grey.

Childhood
Ventus served as an apprentice to Master Xehanort, as part of the elderly Keyblade Master's plans to forge the legendary χ-blade. However, Ventus proved to be a poor candidate, and when he refused to use his darkness to fight several Neoshadow Heartless in the Keyblade Graveyard, Master Xehanort finally lost patience with him and used his own Keyblade to unlock and extract the darkness from Ventus's heart, using it to form a being of pure darkness who was then named "Vanitas" by Master Xehanort.

Unfortunately, the process left Ventus in a comatose state, with his broken heart of pure light slowly fading out. Master Xehanort, disguised in a black coat, then took Ventus to the Destiny Islands to allow him to live out his last days peacefully. Ventus was sent to the Dive to the Heart, where he came in contact with the heart of a newborn Sora. After a brief discussion, Ventus's heart connected with Sora's, halting its deterioration and allowing Ven to stay alive until he someday becomes strong enough to repair the damage by himself. Ventus then summoned a Keyblade and shot a ray of light into the sky above, much to Master Xehanort's surprise. Xehanort decided that Ventus could still be of use in his master plan, but with Ventus still too weak in comparison to Vanitas, the two boys could not be trained under him since Vanitas had a naturally strong impulse to kill Ventus.

To prevent this, Xehanort brought Ventus to Land of Departure, where he could train as an apprentice to Master Eraqus. Terra and Aqua met Ventus with open arms. However, when Terra asked Ventus about his past, he screamed out in agony, eventually falling unconscious. Eraqus revealed that this was because Ven had lost his memories. Afterwards, he remained asleep for some time. As he slept, Aqua kept watch over him, to keep him safe. Some time later, Ven woke up. Overjoyed, Aqua quickly alerted Eraqus and a worried Terra about Ven's recovery.

It was then that his heart began to heal and he started to form strong bonds of friendship with Terra and Aqua. During a training session, Ventus loses humiliatingly, but Terra and Aqua reassure Ven that he was getting stronger. As time went on, Terra and Ven grew close, forming a strong bond. Terra even went so far as to give Ven his wooden training Keyblade and recite a mock Bequeathing ceremony. Together, the three of them shared the same dream: to become Keyblade Masters.

Kingdom Hearts Brith by Sleep
Years later, Ventus awakens to a meteor shower and hurries out to look at the stars. Later, both Terra and Aqua join him. When Ven asks about stars and the light, Terra explains how each star is another world and compares the light to Ven, who doesn't understand. After a brief spat between the two boys, they, along with Aqua, spar in order to prepare for the Mark of Mastery exam the next day. Following their workout, Aqua gives both Ven and Terra good luck charms and tells them the story behind the charms. The charms, also known as Wayfinders, were gifted with powerful magic that formed an "unbreakable connection". Upon receiving the charms, Ven and his friends return to their castle for the night, eagerly awaiting the exam. However, things don't go smoothly. During the exam, Master Xehanort rigs the test, and the orbs of light attack Ven and his friends. Together, the three fight off the orbs and the exam continues.

After the exam, it is clear that Ventus has earned the interest of Master Xehanort and his apprentice, Vanitas. Though their intentions are rather ambiguous at the time, Vanitas decides to give Ventus some incentive to leave his home. When Vanitas appears in Ven's room, he leaves dark hints of Terra's fate and how he'll "become a different person". Ven becomes very defensive, telling Vanitas that he doesn't know the first thing about Terra. However, once Vanitas leaves, via the Corridor of Darkness, Ven hurries out to find his friend in hopes of giving him a warning. Unfortunately, Ven arrives much too late, as Terra leaves to go on his mission. Left with no other choice, Ventus leaves his home and begins a journey of his own.

Ven visits a number of worlds and builds new friendships along the way. In the Dwarf Woodlands, he helps Snow White escape the woods and guides her to the Dwarfs' home. There, he learns that Snow White encountered Terra and immediately tries to get to the bottom of things. After facing several more Unversed along the way, Ven encounters the Queen in the form of an old lady, and she tells Ven that Terra threatened her with his Keyblade. Refusing to believe this, Ventus leaves in hopes of finding Terra, wondering what's gotten into him.

Later, in the Castle of Dreams, Ven befriends Jaq and Cinderella. Though Terra isn't there, Ven still lends a hand, helping gather supplies for Cinderella's dress, and even facing Lucifer. When the dress is complete, Cinderella thanks Jaq and Ventus, and the two talk about their dreams. It's at this point that Ven decides that his dream is to become a Keyblade Master; the dream he and his friends all share.

While in Enchanted Dominion, Ven gets another clue regarding Terra. After freeing Princess Aurora's heart, Ven encounters Maleficent. Maleficent reveals that Terra helped steal Aurora's heart, but Aqua arrives just in time to convince Ven otherwise. She then asks Ven to go home with her, but he refuses, remembering the cryptic warning left by Vanitas.

Ven encounters Vanitas again after leaving Enchanted Dominion, and he follows him straight to the Keyblade Graveyard. There, Ven tries to get some answers out of Vanitas, who simply restates what he said before: that Terra will be gone forever. The two battle, but Vanitas easily outmatches Ven and nearly kills him. King Mickey arrives in time to save Ven and assists him in his battle against Vanitas. Upon his defeat, Vanitas tells Ventus that he is on probation and disappears, leaving Ven and Mickey alone. The two introduce themselves to one another, and Mickey tells Ven about how the Star Shard allows him to travel to different worlds. However, Mickey remains unaware of all of its secrets.

Shortly after, the Star Shard sends them both to Radiant Garden, and Ven tries to follow Mickey, only to be intercepted by Aeleus and Dilan. After spying an Unversed, Ven gives up his search for Mickey and instead trails after the monster. He's interrupted several times, by Scrooge McDuck, who gives him lifetime passes to Disney Town, and Merlin, who tells him of the book to the 100 Acre Wood.

Eventually, he does find the Unversed he was chasing, as well as Terra and Aqua. Together, they face the Trinity Armor, but after its defeat, things change for the worse. First, Aqua tries to tell Ven to go home, and then she and Terra get into a fight regarding the darkness and Eraqus's intentions. The whole time, Ven is left completely confused, as he'd never seen his friends bicker in such a way. In the end, he tells Aqua that she's let being a Master go to her head, and he leaves to find Terra again. His search is interrupted again when he spots Ienzo being attacked by the Unversed. Without any hesitation, Ventus protects the boy and defeats his attackers. Even arrives shortly after and thanks Ventus for his help. Then, when asked about Terra's location, he tells Ven to look in the Outer Gardens.

Though Ven does find Terra, their reunion is short-lived, as Terra leaves, telling Ven that he can't come along, but that they will meet again when they need each other. Meeting up with Aqua again, Ven asks to come along, but Aqua orders him to return to the Land of Departure in a somewhat harsh manner. Seeing Ven's disappointment, Aqua softens and explains that she merely doesn't want him to get hurt before departing.

For a while, Ven stays in Radiant Garden, reminiscing about the times when his friendship wasn't strained by newfound complications. He's left wondering just what it means to be friends, and after meeting Lea and Isa he becomes more and more curious about friendship. Thus, Ventus decides to continue his travels with a new resolve. Rather than search for Terra and Aqua, he decides to go out and make some new friends in hopes of redefining his simplistic views of friendship.

It doesn't take long for Ven to find companions, as he quickly meets Zack and Hercules in Olympus Coliseum. After stopping an Unversed threat, Ven finally comes to understand what it means to be friends, and realizes that he, Terra, and Aqua will patch things up someday.

Eventually, Ventus finds Mickey's Star Shard in Neverland, only to have it stolen, along with Tinker Bell, by Captain Hook. He teams up with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys to defeat Captain Hook. Afterwards, Ventus, along with Peter and the Lost Boys, decide to put their own personal treasures in the empty chest they stole from Hook. As the Wooden Keyblade holds many cherished memories for Ven, he puts it in the chest, believing his best memories with Terra and Aqua are still to come. With Hook out of the way, he also retrieves the Star Shard from Tinker Bell after a little persuasion from Peter, only to be whisked away to the Mysterious Tower.

Upon his arrival, Ven meets Donald Duck and Goofy, who take him to speak with Yen Sid. Ven is informed that Mickey went missing, but when Yen Sid uses his magic to find him, they discover that the King is in danger. Determined to save Mickey, Ven departs from the Tower and returns to the Keyblade Graveyard to find him.

However, he also encounters Master Xehanort, who was waiting for his arrival and reveals Ven's destiny to forge the χ-blade. He tells Ven that this is the real reason why he was never allowed to leave home and constantly told to return, out of fear for the χ-blade's creation.

After learning of his past, Ventus returns to Eraqus, only for his Master to try and destroy him upon realizing Xehanort's plans. Fortunately, he is saved by Terra and sent to Destiny Islands, much to his displeasure. There, he encounters Vanitas again, who taunts Ven into remembering how Master Xehanort broke their heart in twain.

Once the memories return, Vanitas decides to give Ventus a reason to fight: Vanitas tells Ventus to come to the Keyblade Graveyard, the only place where the χ-blade can be forged and threatens to kill Terra and Aqua to see if Ventus will continue to "play the pacifist." Left with no choice, Ven leaves in hopes of setting things right, once and for all. Once reunited with his friends, Ventus explains the situation between himself and Vanitas, and, admitting that he is terrified over the very thought of the χ-blade, asks to be destroyed in the event that he does have to fight Vanitas, much to their shock. However, there's little time to mull over Ven's request, as both Master Xehanort and Vanitas arrive.

During their final battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, Master Xehanort encases Ven in ice and throws him off a cliff. Aqua manages to catch him before he hits the ground. Braig quickly appears and fights Aqua. Stalling long enough, Braig withdraws from the battle. Vanitas knocks out Aqua as he drops down from a cliff. Before the enigma can finish her off, Ventus uses all of his willpower to thaw out of his frozen state and encounters Vanitas. Ven then fights Vanitas and seemingly emerges victorious. After the battle, Vanitas reveals his true intentions and explains that the Unversed came from his own emotions and negativity. Trapping Ven with several Floods, Vanitas merges with Ventus and takes over his body.

The fusion completes Ventus, but Vanitas keeps control over the body. As a result of their union, the χ-blade is forged. However, Mickey arrives on the scene and helps Aqua awaken. Together, they engage Ventus-Vanitas in a battle and emerge victorious, causing the χ-blade to be damaged by their fight. As this happens, Vanitas and Ventus engage in a metaphysical battle, where Vanitas tries to complete his fusion with Ventus and complete the χ-blade. Ven, however, refuses and chooses to defeat Vanitas and destroy the weapon, even if it means the destruction of his own heart, because of his devotion to his friends.

The two engage in a decisive battle, and towards the climax, Vanitas forces a D-Link on Ventus in hopes of completing their fusion. Ventus instead took advantage of the powers the D-Link granted him and used it to destroy the χ-blade along with Vanitas. Unfortunately, this also damages Ventus's heart and causes it to flee his body, leaving him in a comatose state. Despite being comatose, Ventus was able to summon his Keyblade and lead Aqua back to the Land of Departure.

Aqua later places his body in a chamber and transforms the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion. Though Ventus's heart was initially lost in darkness, Sora was able to sense Ventus's pain due to their previous encounter. Sora, with encouragement and guidance from Riku, called out to Ventus's heart and safely guides it to himself. After a brief conversation, Ven asks Sora if he could stay with Sora while he slept, to which Sora happily accepted. With this, his heart passes on into Sora's body, keeping it from deteriorating any further and granting Sora the ability to use Ventus's Keyblade in addition to his own.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
When Sora travels to The World That Never Was, he is plagued with illusions by Young Xehanort, Xemnas and Xigbar in an attempt to get him to fall asleep and leave his heart vulnerable to damage. In one illusion, Sora takes on Ventus's form before Terra and Aqua, and apparently feels Ventus's pain of losing them again, prompting him to run after Terra and Aqua as they walk away.

Following Sora's descent into darkness after his heart is damaged by Xemnas and Young Xehanort, Ventus's heart envelops Sora in Ventus's Keyblade Armor in order to protect him from being swallowed completely, though it is temporarily corrupted by the darkness until Riku saves him. He later appears inside the research data that Ansem the Wise hid inside Sora three years ago, but Riku, having never met Ventus before, initially mistakes him for Roxas.

Physically, Ventus continues to sleep within Castle Oblivion. At the same time as Sora returning to Traverse Town and reuniting with his Dream Eater Spirit friends, Ventus slightly smiles from Sora's happiness.

Powers and Abilities
Ventus is the fastest and most agile, which reflects in his primary fighting style of dodging, quick movements, and swift combo attacks. His primary battle style consists of very fast, wide backhanded strikes with his Keyblade in quick succession to deal damage. His single strikes aren't as powerful as Sora's two-handed strikes but his ability to attack quickly in multiple-succession makes up for his lower attack power. He can even augment his swift combat styles.

Fitting his name, Ven has a strong affinity for aerokinesis, possessing wind-based skills and his heart's nature as one of pure light is also reflected in his affinity for light.

Trivia

 * Ventus's name means "wind" in Latin, similar to how Sora's name is Japanese for "sky". However, his name is pronounced "VEN-tus," despite being rooted in Latin, in which "V" is pronounced as "W".
 * Dream Drop Distance 's ending reveals that Ven has been sleeping in Castle Oblivion for over a decade, but he seems to not have aged. This could possibly be due to its magic.
 * Another possibility could be due to Ventus' comatose state and the loss of his heart, as he has not been able to "grow a heart" over the years without one.