Sora (Earth-101001)

Sora (ソラ) is the main protagonist of the anime series Kingdom Hearts. He is a teenager who originates from the Destiny Islands but obtains the Keyblade, a weapon used to fight creatures known as the Heartless.

Appearance
Sora is a young teenage boy with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and lanky build. Sora's general appearance does not change that much throughout the series, but he does grow taller, gained a slightly different hairstyle, tanned skin, a slightly deeper voice, and more matured looks. Sora goes through many costume changes throughout the series.

In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and certain scenes in Kingdom Hearts, a younger version of Sora appears. As a child, Sora's hair was lighter than it was in Kingdom Hearts, more closely resembling his hair color in Kingdom Hearts: Next Generations, and it was not as spiky.

Personality
Sora is a brave and heroic boy who is extremely loyal to his friends, valuing his friendship with them above all else. He is an optimist and has a strong sense of justice, enabling him to take charge of his group when no one else can. However, he is rather oblivious at times and is often quick to anger whenever he's confused and is quite childish at times. He is also quite impulsive, as he tends to jump into things without thinking them through beforehand.

In addition, a recurring trait Sora possesses is competitiveness, which has often pitted him against fights with those stronger than him, to the point, this has grown to a level of arrogance witnessed when Sora claims that he is already unbeatable even after the threat of Xehanort has been explained to him. When Sora is captured and nearly converted into a pawn of Xehanort, Sora remembers his humility and learns of his limits that he humbly accepts his failure of the exam.

Despite his flaws, Sora is dedicated and kind, making up for his weaknesses with his benevolent and endearing personality. As such, his ability to forgive is incredible along with his ability to connect with others and quickly befriend them. As the series progresses, Sora learns from his past mistakes and becomes less selfish over time as he learns how powerful the heart can be and fight with this in mind.

Powers and Abilities
Sora's primary strength lies in his ability to use the Keyblade, which not only allows him to vanquish the Heartless and other Darkness-based beings but also acts as his primary weapon against foes big and small. Unlike other Keyblade wielders, Sora did not inherit the ability to use the Keyblade from someone else. Instead, it chose him over Riku, it's true owner, due to the darkness in Riku's heart when the two of them were being absorbed by the darkness engulfing Destiny Islands. Over the course of the series, Sora becomes a skilled fighter and has triumphed in various feats against the most dangerous enemies. He is extremely strong, as he can crush rocks and some extremely powerful Heartless with a strike of the Keyblade (His strength affects the Keyblade's strength).

Sora is also knowledgeable about magic, which allows him to cast various spells to aid him or cause damage to foes. He can also use spells to heal himself and his allies. Applying magic with his fighting skill, Sora can access other magical abilities that affect his own physical prowess, such as Drive Forms. However, these abilities only last for short periods of time.

Sora is also able to fight in combined attacks with allies or other characters. With allies, Sora can perform special attacks in combat.

Childhood
After Ventus's heart is damaged by the creation of Vanitas, Master Xehanort brings the unconscious Ventus to the Destiny Islands. Here, Sora's newly born heart encounters Ven in his Dive to the Heart. He offers to join hearts with Ven to prevent his heart from deteriorating any further until Ven's heart can heal on its own. This connection mends Ven's damaged Station, and as a side effect, it causes Vanitas's face to resemble Sora's.

Sora and Riku grow up together on the Destiny Islands as best friends and rivals. They are often seen around the islands battling with wooden swords, racing, and competing in any other way they can think of.

When Sora is four years old, he encounters Terra and Aqua, two Keyblade wielders, on separate occasions. He never speaks with Terra, but they see each other from a distance. Terra shows no interest in Sora because he is unable to sense his potential, and is instead attracted to Riku. When Aqua meets Sora and Riku, she senses that their friendship parallels that of Ventus and Terra, and she tells Sora to protect Riku if he ever falls into darkness. Sora, despite his confusion, agrees.

Later on, Sora and Riku rest on a beach. When they prepare to go home, Sora suddenly feels sad. Riku tells him that maybe someone in another world is in pain and encourages him to reach out with his heart. Sora successfully calls to Ventus, whose heart has been lost after the destruction of Vanitas and the χ-blade. Ven's heart makes its way to Sora's Station in the Dive to the Heart, and Ven asks if it can stay with Sora while he sleeps. Sora, wanting to make Ven better, happily accepts, and Ven's heart merges with him.

Sometime later, a young girl named Kairi arrives at the Destiny Islands from another world during a nighttime meteor shower. Not long after that night, Sora and Riku explore a small, hidden cave on their islands, in search of a "howling monster". They are disappointed to find only a featureless door in the "Secret Place", and they decide to someday leave the island and have real adventures. As they leave, they decide to go see "the new girl", and Riku, unbeknownst to Sora, look back at the door to see the Keyhole of the Destiny Islands.

Sora and Riku befriend Kairi, and the three quickly become inseparable as they play together on the islands. During the next several years, they often wonder about what lies beyond their small world, prompted by the mystery of Kairi's forgotten home.

Kingdom Hearts
Sora and his two friends, Riku and Kairi, begin work on a raft, hoping to leave the island and sail to new worlds. One day while exploring, Sora rediscovers the "Secret Place" he and Riku found when they were young. On the wall, he draws himself giving a paopu fruit to Kairi. Suddenly, an unknown figure in a brown hooded cloak warns Sora that the world will be consumed by darkness before vanishing when Sora looks away at the strange door in the rock wall at the back of the cave.

That night, when a great storm hits the island, Sora checks the raft. He sees a dark cloud in the sky and notices that the islands are being overrun with Heartless. As the island is being devoured by the darkness, Sora searches for his friends and finds Riku near the paopu tree. Although Sora wishes to get Riku to safety, Riku refuses and tells Sora that the door to other worlds has been opened and that he does not fear the darkness on the other side. As Sora reaches towards his friend, they both sink into the darkness. Before Sora is consumed, he receives the Keyblade, which chooses him as its wielder and frees him from the darkness. Using the Keyblade, Sora fights the Heartless and reaches the Secret Place, finding Kairi. Before he can help, the door flies open. Kairi disappears and Sora is blown outside where he disappears into the darkness after defeating the large Pureblood Heartless Darkside.

Thanks to Pluto licking his face, Sora comes to in a different universe. After Pluto runs off, Sora meets Leon and Yuffie. The two explain the Keyblade and the Heartless to him. Next, he meets Donald and Goofy. The three fight numerous surrounding Heartless alongside their leader, the Emblem Heartless Guard Armor. After they introduce themselves, Donald and Goofy invite Sora to travel to other worlds with them, because of King Mickey's request. Hoping to find his friends, Sora agrees to accompany them.

Sora begins traveling through many places, becoming good friends with Donald, Goofy and making other friends also. Sora encounters Riku, who is being manipulated by Maleficent, numerous times and each time he sees Riku, his old friend becomes increasingly more aggressive and hostile. Riku eventually turns against Sora, leaves him alone to fight off Heartless, and takes Kairi with him.

Fighting courageously, Sora goes on to Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent set up her headquarters. Again, he encounters Riku, who has just defeated the Beast, who had come to rescue Belle out of sheer willpower. Defending the Beast, Sora stands against Riku. However, Riku takes control of Sora's Keyblade, claiming that he is the true master of the Keyblade. Reluctantly, Donald and Goofy go with Riku, because of the King's instructions to stay with the Keyblade. Sora is left alone with the Beast, but the two join forces and go into the castle. When they are separated by Beast falling for a trick regarding Belle becoming a Shadow Heartless, Riku, along with Donald and Goofy, confronts Sora again, but Sora will not give in to Riku. Donald and Goofy choose to abandon Riku and go with Sora because of their friendship with him. Because he has his friends, his heart finds new strength, allowing Sora to take the Keyblade back, to Riku's disbelief and shock that the Keyblade abandoned him, and brings down Riku, who retreats in disgrace and shame.

When the group finds a comatose Kairi with the rest of the princesses in the Great Hall, Sora rushes to her to wake her up. Riku (now possessed by Ansem) appears and reveals that Kairi is asleep because her heart was within Sora the whole time, and proceeds to extract it from Sora, but Sora refuses to let Ansem take it so easily and faces him in combat. After defeating Ansem, Sora stabs himself with Ansem's Keyblade in order to release Kairi and the rest of the princesses' hearts, causing Sora to fade away and turn into a Heartless. Although confused in his new form, Sora follows Donald, Goofy, and Kairi back to the Entrance Hall, where Kairi is able to recognize him and manages to turn Sora back to normal. However, the group is forced to flee as Heartless begin to flood Hollow Bastion from the unsealed Keyhole, placing Kairi in the safety of Shibuya while the trio returns to close the final Keyhole, being aided by the awoken Princesses with holding back the darkness coming from the Keyhole.

Although successful, they discover that Ansem has departed to open Kingdom Hearts itself. Sora and company proceed to track Ansem down to the Door to Darkness at the End of the World and defeat him. Ansem, in desperation, tries to open the door, but Sora states that behind the door is light, which vaporizes Ansem.

Unfortunately, with the door opened, Heartless begin appearing. Sora, Donald, and Goofy attempt to close the door before the Heartless can come through, and receive help from the other side by Riku and King Mickey, where Sora and Mickey use their Keyblades to seal the Door to Darkness, leaving Riku and Mickey on the other side.

As the End of the World breaks apart, Sora finds Kairi and promises to return to her before they are separated, with Kairi returning to Destiny Islands. The season 1 finale with Sora, Donald and Goofy ending up in a grassy field when Pluto appears with a letter from Mickey, causing the trio to chase after the dog, believing he will lead them to King Mickey and Riku.

Kingdom Hearts: Next Generations
Sora awakens from his three-years-long slumber in the basement of the Old Mansion in Twilight Town following the merging of him and Roxas, his Nobody. After visiting Master Yen Sid (and a brief encounter with Mickey and Pete beforehand), Sora embarks on a new quest to defeat the Heartless remaining in the worlds and meet friends old and new. As the journey progresses, Sora vows to find both Kairi and Riku after learning that Kairi was spotted in Twilight Town with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

In Hollow Bastion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy reunite with Mickey, who reveals to them that the "Ansem" they defeated in End of the World was a Heartless who had been impersonating Ansem the Wise, and that his Nobody counterpart heads Organization XIII, whom they had fought members of back at Castle Oblivion. As the realization dawns upon the group, and Sora is initially angry at what Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, put him and his friends through, Organization XIII begins a massive invasion of Hollow Bastion at the same time as Maleficent and Pete, and the residents start taking on waves of Heartless and Nobodies. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey enter the battle until Sora confronts the Organization's leader, Xemnas, who Mickey realizes is the Nobody of Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort. Xemnas retreats, with Mickey following after him. Saïx informs Sora that he has custody of Kairi and that the goal of the Organization is the formation of Kingdom Hearts, which Sora is helping to complete by slaying so many Heartless. Sora is conflicted by this but is able to escape the battle with unlikely help from Maleficent. Afterwards, Sora becomes determined to find Riku and Kairi and stop the Organization, despite Sora's worries about using the Keyblade to fulfill exactly what Xemnas wants with adding more hearts to the Organization's Kingdom Hearts and allow them to realize their goal.

Eventually, the group encounters Axel in Twilight Town, who sacrifices himself to wipe out the Nobodies ambushing them. As he lays fading away, Axel apologizes for kidnapping Kairi and opens a portal to the Organization's world, The World That Never Was.

Once inside the Organization's castle, the group fights their way through the castle until Sora reunites with Kairi and Riku, the latter in the form of Xehanort's Heartless, on the castle's upper level. Together, the group continue onward and destroy the remaining Organization members, including Luxord and Saïx. When they reach Mickey and Ansem, Ansem tries to seal Kingdom Hearts by encoding it as data, only to be confronted by Xemnas, who taunts Ansem over his past mistakes. The encoder explodes, severely damaging Kingdom Hearts, which restores Riku to his true form, but causes Ansem to disappear. The damage causes Heartless to spawn, but Maleficent and Pete hold them off while everyone heads for Xemnas.

At the top of the castle, the group confronts Xemnas, who begins to fight Sora. After being defeated, Xemnas merges with the remains of Kingdom Hearts, forcing Sora and company to pursue him and manage to defeat him. After Xemnas' apparent death, Roxas and Naminé appear before Sora and Kairi before returning to them. While everyone begins evacuating from the world through Naminé's Corridor of Darkness, the portal suddenly closes on Sora and Riku before they can follow Kairi, and Xemnas reappears to them, forcing them into battling him. After many battles, the duo finally destroys him for good.

Trapped in the Realm of Darkness, Sora and Riku wander until they find a bottled letter from Kairi. Reading the letter, the Door to Light appears before them and sends them back to Destiny Islands, where they are reunited with Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. Sora returns Kairi's Lucky Charm to her, happy to be back.

Blank Period
A few months later, Sora asks Riku what he thinks the door to light was. Riku replies that it was Sora's heart; "It's always closer than you think". Kairi runs up to them breathlessly with Mickey's bottled letter, which Sora reads with Riku and Kairi.

Having read Mickey's letter, Sora decides to venture out to find Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Kairi loans him her Wayfinder once again.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
In response to the imminent return of Master Xehanort, Sora and Riku are summoned to the Mysterious Tower in order to take the Mark of Mastery exam and become Keyblade Masters. Despite having the enormity of Master Xehanort explained to him, Sora initially objects, convinced that he can already defeat Master Xehanort, but when Riku agrees to the exam as a way of proving that he has overcome his darkness, Sora also agrees. Yen Sid sets the pair the task of entering the Sleeping Worlds and awakening seven worlds which were left submerged in sleep following Ansem's defeat.

Sora and Riku's journey begins on Destiny Islands, on the day it sunk into the Sleeping Worlds, but they soon move on and Sora finds himself in Traverse Town, where he discovers his new attire and abilities. After meeting up with Neku Sakuraba and his circle of friends, who tutor him, Sora leaves on his new journey, venturing across more sleeping worlds, meeting new friends, and battling new villains. However, several times along the way, Sora comes into contact with a mysterious young man with ties to Master Xehanort, who is accompanied by figures like Ansem and Xemnas, whom Sora believed to have been defeated long ago.

After Sora seals all seven keyholes in the Sleeping Worlds, he finds himself in The World That Never Was instead of the Realm of Light, and he is confronted by Xigbar, who explains that he and his companions had been engineering Sora's arrival in their domain from the start. Placed within a dream version of the Dark City, Sora speaks with the mysterious young man, who reveals that he is actually the younger self of Master Xehanort, who was paid a visit long ago by the disembodied Ansem, via time travel. Ansem had then sent Young Xehanort through time to gather many different incarnations of Xehanort while arranging Sora's journey. As he travels through the dream city, Sora encounters illusions of Naminé, Xion, Roxas, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus along the way, occasionally hearing Riku's voice encouraging him not to fall for the illusions and stay awake. Eventually, Sora approaches the castle and encounters both Xemnas and Xigbar, who explain that the true purpose of Organization XIII was to create thirteen vessels to harbor the essence of Master Xehanort, and their intended thirteenth vessel is Sora himself. Sora refuses to allow it, and, spurred on by the thoughts of those connected to him, he fights and defeats Xemnas. However, Sora's heart is badly weakened, and he falls into a deep sleep, while Young Xehanort takes him to the Castle That Never Was. As he drops into the darkness, Ventus's heart envelops him in Ven's Keyblade Armor.

Riku tracks Sora to the castle and only barely manages to save Sora from the newly-revived Master Xehanort, with help from Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Lea. Sora, still comatose, is brought back to the Mysterious Tower, where Yen Sid tells Riku he now has the power to wake Sora up. Riku dives into Sora's Dive to the Heart, where he captures the fragments of Sora's shattered heart and battles Sora in Ventus's armor, which has been possessed by a Nightmare. Riku defeats the Nightmare, then meets projections of Roxas, Ventus, and Xion, deep inside Sora's heart. A projection of Ansem the Wise informs Riku that Sora has awakened and tells him about the data he hid inside Sora, and about Sora's power to connect with people's hearts. Riku returns to the real world and reunites with Sora.

With the exam at an end, Yen Sid names Riku as a Keyblade Master, and, despite having failed, Sora congratulates Riku. Shortly afterwards, Sora leaves on a new journey, traveling to the sleeping Traverse Town, where he is reunited with the Spirit Dream Eaters.

Trivia

 * Sora's name is Japanese for "sky" (空), as part of the name theme he shares with Riku and Kairi. Together, their names make up "Land, Sea, Sky".


 * Although none of the parents of the characters on the Destiny Islands are shown on screen, Sora's mother can be heard calling him for dinner during the calamity in the first season. Also, Riku mentions Sora's father to Terra in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.