Mickey Mouse (ミッキーマウス Mikkī Mausu) formally referred to as The King, Your Majesty, or King Mickey, is the king of Disney Castle and a recurring character in the Kingdom Hearts anime series.
Appearance[]
Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, round ears of the same color, and a thin, long, black tail. The fur on his face is cream-colored. His usual outfit in the Kingdom Hearts series is a modified version of the one he wears in modern Disney cartoons. He wears a short-sleeved jacket with white lining. The top half of this jacket is black, while the bottom half is red, and there are two yellow straps dangling in front of it. His pants are red and sport a zipper going down the front of each leg. Each leg also has a yellow pouch with a black strap that partially covers the zipper, as well as a blue strap on the outer side of each pant leg. Mickey wears very largely, yellow shoes with grey backs and two orange, intersecting straps attached to the front of each shoe. Throughout the Kingdom Hearts series, Mickey appears in numerous outfits and forms from different worlds. In all of his appearances, except for when he wears the black coat, Mickey dons the famous, white gloves common to most older Disney characters.
Personality[]
- "They'll pay for this."
- —King Mickey after Goofy is knocked unconscious.
In the past, Mickey is a mischievous and playful individual, often skipping work and getting himself into trouble. He tends to steer clear of dangerous fights, but he shows moments of bravery, such as when he saves Sora from a Heartless ambush. Even as an apprentice under Yen Sid, he often goes against his master's instructions, whether it is to get out of doing chores or to explore other worlds.
As king of Disney Castle, Mickey is much more responsible and dutiful. He commands the respect and loyalty of his subjects, especially Donald and Goofy. Mickey is very friendly and loyal, always thinking positively. He is always ready to help his friends and tries to protect them at any costs. He always tries to keep the promises he makes to his friends. When he sees his friends get hurt, he becomes surprisingly serious and angry, such as when Goofy appears to be mortally wounded after saving him during the Battle of the 1000 Heartless.
Mickey's valiant nature often pits him against villains that try to hurt his friends and allies or conquer worlds. He is especially antagonistic towards Maleficent, with whom he has clashed multiple times, and towards Master Xehanort, whose actions have caused a great deal of pain and destruction throughout the worlds, including the ruining of the lives of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.
Story[]
Past[]
When he was young, Mickey worked as a deckhand with his captain, Pete. He and Pete sailed the Steamboat Willie throughout Timeless River. This past association causes Pete to refer to Mickey as "the Boat-Boy King."
When Sora comes from the future using a door in the Hall of the Cornerstone, he, along with the future versions of Donald Duck and Goofy, mistake Mickey for being himself from the future. Four times, Mickey appears at scenes of trouble, either in peril (or appearing to be so), saving the day, or both. On one such occasion, his house is attacked by hordes of Heartless and a mini black hole that sucks up all his furniture. After each time Sora helps him out, Mickey shakes his hand and leads him to another scene of peril.
At some point, Mickey gains knowledge of the Keyblade and begins to study them, as well as how to travel to other worlds. Eventually, he travels to the 17th century to solve a problem, along with Donald and Goofy. Though his skills with a sword are not excellent, he nevertheless doesn't give up on his duty and continues to fight for everything that defines a Musketeer. His task while here is to protect Minnie, who would eventually join him in ruling over Disney Castle.
At another point in time, he finds his way to the Mysterious Tower, where Master Yen Sid takes him in as an apprentice. One day, Master Yen Sid leaves his sorcerer's hat out and Mickey places it on his head, casting spells of all types. By enchanting the brooms, he has them do his chores and eventually decides to take a nap, only to awaken and find that the spell has gone horribly wrong and chaos is running rampant, with the entire tower flooded.
Despite his mistakes, Yen Sid keeps him on as his apprentice and Mickey eventually is able to wield the Star Seeker Keyblade.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep[]
While Terra, Ventus, and Aqua search for Master Xehanort and Vanitas, King Mickey undergoes the Mark of Mastery Exam under the supervision of Yen Sid at the Mysterious Tower, accompanied by Donald and Goofy, during which he uses the Star Seeker Keyblade. Later on, Mickey runs away without Yen Sid´s permission, using a Star Shard that allows him to travel throughout other worlds; however, it works rather randomly, as he has not learned how to control it. Terra witnesses the King's leave when he first visits the tower.
Upon visiting the Mysterious Tower, Terra watches Mickey's Star Shard take him to the Keyblade Graveyard. The Star Shard knew that Mickey needed to be there to save Ventus. When Ventus loses a fight with Vanitas, he steps in to help. They successfully drive him off before Mickey's Star Shard brings them to Radiant Garden. He later teams up with Aqua (after Ven attempts to get inside the Radiant Garden castle), rescuing a young Kairi from the Unverseds' attempt to capture her. He is whisked off to Neverland when the battle ends, telling Aqua to not worry about him.
While exploring Neverland, Mickey is ambushed by Vanitas and knocked unconscious, who then proceeds to kidnap Mickey and take him to the Keyblade Graveyard. Ven tries to help Mickey when he finds out about it, only for them to both get sucked into a vortex. Mickey is left stranded in space before Aqua finds him and takes him back to the Mysterious Tower.
Upon regaining consciousness, Mickey returns to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he helps Aqua battle Ventus, who is possessed by Vanitas, and eventually guides them to the Mysterious Tower, where they discover that Ventus's heart has left his body. Later, after Aqua leaves with Ventus to find him a safe place, Mickey sorrowfully hands in the Star Shard and his Star Seeker Keyblade, thinking he has failed to reach his goal and disappointed his master, and begins to leave. Before he departs, however, Master Yen Sid hands him back the Keyblade with a smile, showing him that he is indeed worthy of the title of Keyblade Master. Mickey then happily accepts it.
After the barriers between the worlds shatter, causing meteors to fall from the sky, Mickey realizes the threat that the Darkness presents. Mickey seeks help for his concerns and the danger he expects. Inspecting the meteors, Mickey found they had a similar property to the Star Shard. Gathering up enough of the raw material, Mickey built his first Gummi Ship, using it to travel in search of any world that was in danger of the Darkness. This eventually brought him back to Radiant Garden, where he befriended it's ruler Ansem the Wise. They would discuss many topics.
At one point, Mickey visited Ansem to discuss the growing threat the Heartless posed to the stability of the worlds. Their meeting is interrupted by Xehanort, who seemingly disturbs the King due to his resemblance to Terra and having the same name as the Keyblade Master that caused Eraqus' pupils to vanish. Because of his feelings towards the man and his persistent interest in certain experiments, coupled with the growing threat of Darkness, Mickey advises Ansem to review the research in his lab's computer in case Xehanort was continuing research behind his back.
Sometime during these years, Scrooge and Mickey traveled together to create a transit system.
Kingdom Hearts[]
- "Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."
Detecting the encroaching darkness, King Mickey left his home, Disney Castle, to search for the Realm of Darkness and its Keyblade in order to seal the Door to Darkness. He left a note instructing his friends, Donald and Goofy, to "find the Key", and arrived in Traverse Town at the same time as Sora. Keeping himself out of sight, he located a Corridor of Darkness leading into the dark realm and passed through it followed by his dog, Pluto.
Once there, he stumbles upon Aqua, floating unconscious in the void. After a brief reunion, they are attacked by a swarm of Heartless but manage to defeat them. Mickey is surprised that he has finally found Aqua, and she explains how her sacrifice to save Terra-Xehanort from sinking into darkness trapped her there. Afterward, she joins him on his journey through the Realm of Darkness to find the Keyblade. Eventually, the pair arrives at the wreckage of Destiny Islands and are intercepted by a massive swarm of Heartless at the entrance to the Secret Place.
After defeating the Heartless, they enter the cave and discover the Keyblade, but just as Mickey acquires it, they spot Riku, whose body had been stolen by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, being chased by a swarm of Heartless. Aqua uses her Master's Defender to ensnare the Heartless, allowing Mickey and Riku to escape but leaving her once more all alone.
Shortly after Ansem is defeated, Mickey and Riku arrive at the Door to Darkness and help Sora to seal the door to prevent the Heartless from escaping through it. Although Sora is reluctant to leave Mickey and Riku trapped within the Realm of Darkness, Mickey assures them that there will always be the Door to Light, and thanks Donald and Goofy for their loyalty.
Kingdom Hearts: Next Generations[]
As Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been asleep for three years and remain unaware of recent events, Mickey pays a visit to Yen Sid to ask him to brief the trio on the threat of the Nobodies. To help them get to the Mysterious Tower, Mickey rides a train provided by his teacher back to Twilight Town. Arriving at the train station, Mickey is met by Riku, who gives him the Money Pouch that he had stolen from Roxas in the Simulated Twilight Town. Not wanting Sora and Kairi to know about his condition, Riku pleads with Mickey not to reveal his whereabouts or his condition to Sora, and Mickey reluctantly agrees.
Mickey later arrives to help Sora fend off the Nobodies that attacked them in Twilight Town posing as somewhat of a fake Organization XIII member. After the battle, he hands Sora the pouch of US dollars Riku gave him and instructs him to visit his mentor, Yen Sid, running off afterward. Yen Sid reveals that Mickey's reasons for leaving Disney Castle in the first place was to investigate the mysterious outbreak of Heartless and the more mysterious Organization.
At Hollow Bastion, Mickey reveals the truth about "Ansem", but is reluctant to reveal any information on Riku. He then aides the group in fending off the Heartless that Maleficent has summoned to destroy Radiant Garden. Initially, he orders Sora, Donald, and Goofy to leave Hollow Bastion and leave the Heartless to them, but Donald and Goofy go against his orders when they realize how desperate Sora is to help Leon. He later confronts them after they defeat Demyx, at first appearing angry, but soon simply decides to allow them to help.
When Goofy apparently dies after taking a nasty blow to the head while saving Mickey from the same fate, Mickey swears that the Heartless would pay and permanently discards his Organization XIII disguise. They are later relieved to discover that Goofy was only unconscious. When he and Sora confront Xemnas, he jumps after Xemnas into a corridor of darkness before it closed, thus preventing Sora, Donald, and Goofy from going after him, but since he appears later in Twilight Town, it is apparent that he could not follow Xemnas all the way back to the Organization's base.
Sora and the others meet him in Twilight Town, where they find a way into The World That Never Was through the Simulated Twilight Town DiZ had created. When they enter the world, Mickey goes ahead of Sora to look for Ansem the Wise. He eventually finds him and rescues him from a group of Nobodies. Ansem then attempts to use his machine to convert Kingdom Hearts into data, but was unsuccessful and vanishes when the machine explodes.
Mickey then confronts Xemnas with Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, and watches as Xemnas opens Kingdom Hearts. Xemnas then blocks out King Mickey and Kairi from participating in the final fight, first by launching a building at him and Kairi, closing the door to Kingdom Hearts, and later closing the dark portal to the Destiny Islands, preventing Mickey, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy from returning to aid Sora and Riku.
After Sora and Riku end the Organization's plot, Mickey waits with Donald, Goofy, and Kairi on Destiny Islands for their return. Once they do, he runs to Riku and congratulates them both for defeating Organization XIII. During the end credits, King Mickey is seen returning with Donald, Goofy, Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Pluto, and Jiminy to Disney Castle, where he shares a kiss with Queen Minnie.
Blank Period[]
A few months later, Mickey writes the letter to Sora to tell him about those who need him to heal their sadness, and a new journey is about to begin.
Later, Mickey reports to Yen Sid that he believes he has finally found where Ventus's missing heart is, leaving only Terra's heart to be found. Their discussion quickly shifts towards the topic of Master Xehanort, who Mickey is stunned to learn will return due to the defeat of his Heartless, Ansem, and his Nobody, Xemnas, and the subsequent restoration of Xehanort. Fearing that they may have to fight more than a "single one of Xehanort", Yen Sid orders Mickey to bring Sora and Riku before him so that they may take the Mark of Mastery exam.
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance[]
Mickey is present with Donald and Goofy in the Mysterious Tower as Yen Sid puts Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam in the Sleeping Worlds.
While in the Sleeping Worlds, Sora learns about Mickey's past as a musketeer and Yen Sid's apprentice.
While overseeing the exam, Mickey receives a note from Maleficent and Pete along with Minnie's crown, ordering him to return to Disney Castle, where he finds them holding Minnie hostage. Maleficent demands that Mickey hand the Datascape over to her, but Mickey refuses. Lea arrives and helps free Minnie. Mickey orders Maleficent to leave, and he and his friends return to the Mysterious Tower.
Later on, when Sora and Riku do not return from the Sleeping Worlds at the expected time, Mickey enters and finds Riku in Where Nothing Gathers, using a Stopza spell to freeze Young Xehanort and help him save the comatose Sora, but Xehanort remains unaffected by the spell and knocks Mickey aside in order to battle Riku. Following the fight, Mickey and Riku meet the revived Master Xehanort, who explains to them the details of his past endeavors and his continuing plans to recreate the χ-blade and restart the Keyblade War. Mickey openly accuses Master Xehanort of ruining the lives of Terra, Aqua, Ven and Master Eraqus, but Xehanort merely quips that it was their destiny. As Master Xehanort prepares to turn Sora into a vessel for a piece of his heart, Xemnas physically restrains Mickey from rescuing him. Lea arrives in time to protect Sora, and Ansem responds by releasing his Guardian, who grabs Mickey and Riku but is knocked out by Donald and Goofy. Master Xehanort and the rest of Organization XIII are forced to retreat but swear revenge.
Mickey helps bring Sora's body back to the tower, where Riku manages to mend his broken heart and awaken him. Riku is named a Keyblade Master for this and Mickey congratulates his friend, but is shocked when Lea summons his own Keyblade. Later on, Yen Sid tells Mickey of their plans to form a group of seven Keyblade warriors of Light to counter Master Xehanort, and Mickey is visibly stunned when Yen Sid's newest student turns out to be Kairi.
Along with their journey, Sora and Riku also cross paths with two past incarnations of Mickey: one as a Musketeer and the other as a Sorcerer apprentice under Yen Sid.
Kingdom Hearts Guardians of Light[]
In order to gather the seven guardians of light, Riku and King Mickey enter the Dark World in search of Aqua. They follow her trail to the Dark Margin, but when they arrive they find no trace of her, her trail having gone cold deeper into darkness. Though Riku insists on staying to save Aqua from the same fear and loneliness he once felt in the Dark World, Mickey convinces him to retreat back to Yen Sid to regroup and resupply.
At the Mysterious Tower, Yen Sid suggests that as Aqua visited many worlds during her own journey, it may be prudent for Riku and Mickey to follow her footsteps to gain clues to her current whereabouts. He provides new garments for Kairi and Lea and requests that Riku and Mickey deliver them when they visit Merlin to gain new Keyblades. Mickey travels with Riku to Radiant Garden, the last place Aqua was seen in the Realm of Light. They discuss the path of Xehanort's heart through time and vessels, and the realization that the Xehanort that served Ansem the Wise was, in fact, a possessed Terra. After a phone call from Sora, they head into the castle to discuss the replica project with Ienzo.
Without any new leads to her location, Mickey and Riku travel back to the Dark Margin to pick up Aqua's trail. Once again, they are assaulted by the Demon Tower, and are overwhelmed by it. This time, however, Mickey is disarmed and trapped within it, and Anti-Aqua reveals herself from its depths. She claims Mickey's Keyblade, planning to use it to return to the Realm of Light, leaving Mickey and Riku trapped behind as she was. Riku connects with his replica's heart and uses their combined strength to confront Aqua and the Demon Tower. The fight takes its toll on Riku and, faltering, he speaks Sora's name. This connection allows Sora to enter the realm of darkness, where he defends Mickey and Riku and defeats Aqua, freeing her from the darkness.
Abilities[]
While only being a few feet tall, King Mickey is an incredibly powerful Keyblade wielder, as shown when he defeated three Darkside Heartless in a single blow just after the battle with Ansem. King Mickey is extremely skilled with a Keyblade, and the only one of two Disney characters that are able to wield the weapon. He uses his size and agility to maximize his advantages and wear down his foes, flipping and spinning attacks and finishing them with wide strokes of his blade. It is possible to assume he gained his abilities from his training with Yen Sid. It's also known that Mickey has used two Keyblades: Star Seeker and the Kingdom Key D, a Keyblade of the Realm of Darkness. Due to his small size, Mickey has also shown to have great agility, as he is usually seen doing backflips while using his Keyblade. King Mickey wields his Star Seeker in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Mickey is probably the strongest proponent of the Light, although his devotion to it is eventually tempered by his friendship with Riku.
In terms of magic, Mickey is also very apt. Kingdom Hearts: Next Generations demonstrated Mickey's ability to use "Pearl," a clearly light based spell, and "Holy", the ultimate light magic, he is shown to heal Ventus with Cure after Vanitas beat him. Mickey is shown casting Stopza, freezing everyone in Where Nothing Gathers in time.
Mickey is very able outside of combat, as well. He has spent a large amount of time in the Dark Realm, and his Dark Realm Keyblade, the Kingdom Key D, is a polar opposite to Sora's Light Realm Keyblade, the Kingdom Key. As a testament to his heart's strength, Mickey has never once fought with his inner darkness. He can travel easily within the Corridor of Darkness and seems to be completely unaffected by it. Based on Ansem's Reports, Mickey is said to have discovered the properties of Gummi material and used it to travel to other worlds.
Origin[]
Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928. Although it is commonly thought that Steamboat Willie was his first cartoon, it was actually Plane Crazy where he made his debut six months before, albeit in a test screening. The reason why Steamboat Willie premiered was because it was the first cartoon in history which had synchronized sound. Since then, Mickey Mouse has become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, existing for almost ninety years as the mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
On May 18, 2009, Mickey's first voice actor for Kingdom Hearts, Wayne Allwine, passed away from complications due to diabetes. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days became the last work in which Allwine provided the voice of Mickey Mouse (and his final performance overall), and the English versions of the game were dedicated in his memory. Mickey is now voiced by Bret Iwan, who gave his first full performance as Mickey in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and later voiced him in Re:coded, Dream Drop Distance, and the HD ReMIXes.