Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Story and Connections to Kingdom Hearts III Explained

The foundation for Kingdom Hearts III has been laid.
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Quick Recap of Birth by Sleep

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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is actually a prequel to the original Kingdom Hearts game and follows the journey of three Keyblade apprentices – Aqua, Ventus, and Terra – as they seek to become masters in order to help with the fight to maintain the light. Prequel is used a bit loosely, though, because Birth by Sleep starts well before the events of the first game, but the ending (particularly the secret ending) takes place after.

Aqua is first introduced in this entry as she trains alongside Ventus and Terra under Master Eraqus. While taking the Mark of the Mastery exam, Terra relies on the power of the Darkness in order to defeat Aqua, which leads to him failing and Aqua becoming the only master in the group. This piques the interest of Xehanort, a dark Keyblade master attending the exam. This isn’t Xehanort’s first dealings with the young group of Keyblade warriors, though, as he is the one who brought Ventus to Destiny Island after removing part of his heart in an experiment. That act led to a miracle which saw Ventus restore his heart and wield a Keyblade as a young boy, setting off Xehanort’s new plan to start a war.

Xehanort, now back among masters, witnesses Terra’s exam and seduces him with the dark side (like a Sith). At the same time, Xehanort has Vanitas, an Unversed he created from the experiment on Ventus all those years ago. He sought to use Terra as a new vessel while having Vanitas and Ventus clash to create the x-Blade, the ultimate Keyblade from which all other Keyblades are designed. It is the true key to Kingdom Hearts and would allow Xehanort to trigger another Keyblade War (which is something only crazy villains would want).

In order to stop Xehanort’s plans in their tracks, Aqua fights Vanitas after the x-Blade is successfully formed. This allows for the weapon to be shattered, and for Ventus to prevent a complete fusion between himself and Vanitas. Ventus is now in a deep slumber, unable to be awoken, so Aqua hides him within Castle Oblivion which she created from Land of Departure using Master Eraqus’ Keyblade.

Terra, who is now Terra-Xehanort thanks to the evil master taking over his body, must also be stopped. During a duel with this new form, Aqua and Terra are thrust into the Realm of Darkness. In order to save Terra, Aqua entrusts his heart to her armor and provides him with a Keyblade before getting him back into the the Realm of Light before the entryway closes.

This leaves her stuck in the darkness alone and afraid. As she fights through countless Heartless and other denizens of the dark, she obtains a new weapon which seems to be sent from the hearts of Ventus and Terra. As she comes across a familiar location, the Castle of Dreams, she must find her way out.


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Ishmael Romero
Just a wandering character from Brooklyn, NY. A fan of horrible Spider-Man games, anime, and corny jokes.