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Oh no! The water! I'm in big trouble if I don't fetch it!
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Kairi
Japanese	カイリ
Rōmaji	Kairi
Voice actors	(Ja:)Risa Uchida Sumire Morohoshi (Young Kairi) (En:)Hayden Panettiere (KH,KHII,BbS) Alyson Stoner (ReCoM,0.2BbS,KHIII,MoM) Ariel Winter (Young Kairi)
Homeworld	Radiant Garden Destiny Islands Traverse Town
Games	Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts coded Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Kingdom Hearts III Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
KH tracks Character theme -Kairi I Character theme -Kairi II Character theme -Kairi III KHII tracks Character theme -Kairi KHBBS tracks Character theme -Kairi

Kairi
Kingdom Hearts
First entry Islander. Kairi, Sora, and Riku were best friends. They built a raft to sail out and see new worlds. The three were separated when a mysterious force struck the Destiny Islands. Thus did Sora's search for Kairi begin. Second entry Kairi, Sora, and Riku always hung out together. When their island vanished, Kairi lost her heart. It turned out that it was hidden within Sora's. As one of the princesses with the power to unlock the secret Keyhole, Kairi restored Sora's heart when he was turned into a Heartless.
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Sora's Story Sora's childhood friend. Sora's journey began as a search for Kairi, who disappeared when their island home was swallowed by darkness. Kairi was held captive by the Heartless, but thanks to Sora she and the islands were saved. She waits there for Sora and Riku's return. Reverse/Rebirth Riku and Sora's friend growing up. Kairi vanished when their home islands were devoured by darkness. Riku and Sora both journeyed to find her. Kairi was held captive by the Heartless, but thanks to Sora, she and the islands were saved. She waits there for Sora and Riku's return.
Kingdom Hearts II
First entry Longtime friend of Riku and Sora, and one of the Seven Princesses with ties to the Keys and Keyholes. Not long ago, when she was lost in the darkness, Riku and Sora both tried to save her, each in his own way. Thanks to them, Kairi was able to return to her home islands, but her memories of Sora were gone, and she soon stopped visiting the islet where they once played. Second entry Longtime friend of Riku and Sora, and one of the Seven Princesses with ties to the Keys and Keyholes. She had lost her memories of Sora, and after they returned, she wanted to meet him more and more with every passing day. Falling through an unexpected hole into the darkness, she arrived in Twilight Town and befriended Hayner, Pence, and Olette before being captured by Axel. Kairi is fervently hoping to meet up with Sora once more.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
HD 1.5 ReMIX Childhood friends with Sora and Riku. She was once targeted by the forces of darkness for being a Princess of Heart. Back at Destiny Islands, she waits for Sora and Riku's return.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
A girl born in Radiant Garden. Life carried her to the Destiny Islands, where she met Sora and Riku. Kairi is a princess of heart, and the forces of darkness tried to bend the pure light within her to sinister purposes; for a long time, she and Sora and Riku were separated. After a long journey, though, they were brought back together, their lives at last normal again.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
A girl with the mysterious ability to drive the Unversed away. Her heart is pure light.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Sora and Riku's childhood friend. As one of the seven princesses, she became a target of the forces of darkness, but thankfully Sora and Riku came to the rescue. She is waiting in the Destiny Islands for their safe return.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ
Illustrated Kairi KINGDOM HEARTS (2002) Sora and Riku's childhood friend. A caring and kindhearted girl. KH Kairi KINGDOM HEARTS (2002) Sora and Riku's childhood friend. KH II Kairi/Uniform Kairi/Illustrated KH II Kairi KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005) Childhood friend of Riku and Sora, and one of the Seven Princesses. Sora & Riku & Kairi KINGDOM HEARTS (2002) Three friends who live in Destiny Islands. HD Sora & Kairi (EX) KINGDOM HEARTS (2002) The Keyblade-wielding hero, and one of his childhood friends. KH 0.2 Kairi KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 (2017) Childhood friend of Riku and Sora, and one of the Seven Princesses. KH II Kairi [EX+] KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005) Childhood friend of Riku and Sora, and one of the Seven Princesses.
Kingdom Hearts III
Sora and Riku's childhood friend. As one of the seven princesses of heart, she became a target of the forces of darkness, but thankfully Sora and Riku came to the rescue. She now trains with Lea as a Keyblade wielder herself to prepare for the final battle ahead.

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

—Kairi to Sora

Kairi is one of the several major original characters in theKingdom Hearts series. Her major roles are inKingdom Hearts,Kingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,Kingdom Hearts III, andKingdom Hearts Melody of Memory. She has also appeared in other games as a minor supporting character.

Kairi is aPrincess of Heart and is the only Princess of Heart to remain among theNew Seven Hearts. Kairi is the original persona ofNaminé and physical template ofXion. Kairi was born inRadiant Garden and currently lives onDestiny Islands along with her two best friends,Sora andRiku. Kairi eventually trains as aKeyblade wielder to help her allies as one of the sevenGuardians of Light.

Story[edit]

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep[edit]

A young Kairi with Aqua and Mickey after they rescued her from the Unversed.

Kairi was born in Radiant Garden, where she lives with hergrandmother. One day, she is chased by a group ofUnversed and encountersAqua, who senses a pure light in her heart, since she is aPrincess of Heart. Frightened, Kairi touches Aqua's Keyblade, resulting in Aqua unintentionallybequeathing Kairi her own Keyblade. As she and Aqua are about to be attacked,King Mickey arrives and Aqua evacuates Kairi before returning to fight alongside Mickey.

After the Unversed are defeated, King Mickey and Aqua talk about the light they sense in Kairi's heart, and Mickey suggests that they team up, but is called away immediately afterwards. Kairi then gives Aqua the flowers she picked before the Unversed appeared as thanks for helping her (which becomes theDestiny's Embrace keychain). In return, Aqua puts a protective charm on Kairi's necklace and tells her, "One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another, someone to keep you safe". Kairi thanks Aqua and then returns to her grandmother, who begins to tell her the story of the light and the darkness, while Aqua believes their meeting may not have been a coincidence.

AfterTerra-Xehanort's defeat, Kairi is seen picking flowers in a large garden. She looks up to the bright sky, looking as if she sensed something. As she does, her necklace emits a weak glow.

BetweenBirth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts[edit]

"I've told you before, I don't remember... Nothing... Well, I'm happy here... But you know, I wouldn't mind going to see it."

—Kairi to Sora about her forgotten hometown

One year later, Radiant Garden became shrouded by darkness as the Heartless began to appear in large numbers throughout the realm of light as a direct result of Terra-Xehanort and the rest of Ansem the Wise's apprentices' inhumane experiments on the heart. Kairi was eventually targeted and stalked by the Heartless, forcing her to run to the castle gates in an attempt to escape the creatures. Terra-Xehanort, who was controlling the Heartless for his own goals, then abducted her and sealed her in a pod as part of a device created to send her adrift within the ocean between worlds. Xehanort believed Kairi to be a Princess of Heart and, as such, she would theoretically find her way to a Keyblade wielder's world, but warned her that if she were to end up on the other side of reality, they would fail in this search.Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Kairi would eventually make her way to the Destiny Islands. While Xehanort believed this was because her heart resonated with a Keyblade wielder's, her arrival was actually due to the protection spell Aqua had cast on her one-year earlier.^[1]

Sometime later, Sora and Riku were in the Secret Place and talking about "the new girl at the mayor's house".

Kairi later becomes very close friends with Sora and Riku. As children, Kairi and Sora drew pictures of themselves in the Secret Place. Sora and Riku playfully compete for her attention and Kairi often supports these competitions, although she does not know they were contests for her affection and not just innocent rivalry. She bears no memory of her life before the Islands, and her mysterious past sparks curiosity in Sora and Riku, who are anxious to leave Destiny Islands and see other worlds. This leads the trio to build araft in the hopes of traveling to other worlds.

Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Kairi and Sora dream of sailing to other worlds as they watch the sunset.

Kairi wakes up Sora from a surreal dream and tells him to collect supplies for their raft. Later, while watching the sunset, she jokes about leaving without Riku, then tells Sora not to change. However, before they can leave, their islands are attacked by theHeartless, and Sora finds Kairi in their Secret Place. She turns towards him, looking sad and a little ill, and then a huge gust of wind sweeps through a door in the back of the cave and Kairi flies towards him. Sora opens his arms to catch her, but she vanishes right as she is about to be swept into his embrace.

During this time, it is speculated that Kairi's heart chose Sora as a vessel and when she passed through him, her heart was left behind in his own while her body vanished to some distant world. She then becomes the game's driving force, as much of the game's story centers around Sora's and Riku's attempts at finding Kairi. However, Riku is hostile to Sora, having been manipulated byMaleficent into believing that Sora no longer cared for either Kairi or himself.

Throughout Sora's journey, he encounters multiple images of Kairi without knowing about Kairi's heart being a part of his. First, when he wakes up in a motel room after his fight withLeon, and seesYuffie in Kairi's form and mistakes her to be Kairi until she tells him who she is. Later when he visits the Magician's Study behind the door of the Third District, Kairi appears to him and tells him how much the study reminds her of their Secret Place, but she disappears whenGoofy calls to him. When Sora crash lands intoDeep Jungle, she reappears again for a short moment, right behindTarzan, then disappears again. Finally, before setting off toHollow Bastion, Goofy andDonald Duck encourage Sora to believe in himself, then Kairi says from within "I believe in you." before pulling him into one of her lost memories about her grandmother telling her younger self a story about the light. These encounters speculate that Kairi was experiencing Sora's journey from within his heart, including befriending Donald and Goofy.

Riku finds her first, but she is in a comatose state, with a vacant, lifeless expression and a limp body. She'd lost her heart and because of her Princess status, her body remained untouched by the darkness that usually produced a Heartless. With empty promises by Maleficent, Riku was convinced that he alone could locate Kairi's heart and restore her to health. When insideMonstro, Riku attempts to kidnapPinocchio in hopes to use his heart to restore Kairi's. This act confuses Sora as he hasn't learned of her fate. His attempt fails and he is forced to retreat. At some point in his travels, Riku brings Kairi to the clock tower inNeverland, staring at the moon while she sits unconscious behind him.coded

Riku retreats with Kairi in Captain Hook's ship.

Sora finally encounters Kairi's body on Captain Hook's ship, along with a painful reunion with Riku; who is very defensive about her and ends up locking her in a room withWendy so that Sora can't get to her. When Sora reaches the room below her cell, he extends his hand towards her, desperately hoping for a reaction as he is just now discovering the full lengths of Kairi's condition. Unconsciously, her hand twitches before going still again, much to Sora's relief. Riku then takes her away yet again, having new knowledge of where Kairi's heart might be. After the defeat ofCaptain Hook, Goofy ponders aloud whether or not Kairi had indeed lost her heart, but Donald, not wanting to upset Sora, promptly shushes him. Sora, however, appears to be in denial, pondering over his disbelief that he could fly and whether or not Kairi would believe him.

Their friendship severed for the time being, Sora continues his journey, destined to clash with Riku in the near future once again over Kairi. Eventually, Sora follows Riku and Maleficent to the world of Hollow Bastion where he too learns of Kairi's fate. However, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, while possessing Riku, reveals that Kairi's heart has been resting within Sora all along, which explains all the visions he has had of her during his journey. Furthermore, Kairi is one of the Princesses of Heart, a maiden whose heart holds no darkness, and is needed to open theFinal Keyhole. He then attempts to take her heart from Sora, but he defends himself to protect it.

Kairi embraces Sora and manages to bring him back from the darkness.

After winning a fight and driving Ansem from Hollow Bastion, Sora sacrifices himself using theKeyblade of heart to free Kairi's heart, and is turned into aShadow Heartless. Awakened as her heart is finally restored, Kairi runs towards him, but as soon as her fingers touch him, he vanishes. Refusing to believe that Sora is gone, Kairi prepares to fight the Shadow Heartless that surround her, along with Donald and Goofy. However, once Ansem reappears and Riku's spirit stops him from attacking Kairi, she flees. Devastated, she, along with Donald and Goofy, attempt to escape from Hollow Bastion. But just as they are cornered by the Heartless, she somehow recognizesSora's Heartless from the crowd and manages to bring Sora back from the darkness by embracing him and promising to protect him. The group escapes Hollow Bastion, revealed to be Kairi's home world, and find shelter inTraverse Town where she could be protected by Leon and the others.

Sora finds Kairi in the underground water tunnel after talking with Leon. She states absentmindedly how much this place reminds her of their Secret Place. While lost in darkness, Sora witnessed one of Kairi's memories of her as a little girl wandering around the Hollow Bastion library with her grandmother. Sora mentions this and it is revealed that after her heart was restored, Kairi could remember certain things from her past. Though Kairi wants to help rescue Riku and stop the darkness from emanating, Sora convinces her to stay put, not wanting her to get hurt and also joking that she would be in his way; he also acknowledges that, since their hearts were one, they will always be together. During this conversation, it was revealed that Kairi's voice brought him back from the darkness. Kairi gives in and gives Sora herlucky charm, which doubles as theOathkeeper.

Sora promises Kairi that he will return to her.

After Sora's final battle with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, the world is breaking apart as the worlds that were destroyed previously began themselves. Trapped on a section of Destiny Islands, Sora runs to Kairi and promises that he will come back to her as soon as he finds Riku and King Mickey. She is then transported back to Destiny Islands without him, wistfully watching the island regenerate around her with Sora's goodbye still fresh in her mind.

After the worlds are restored, Kairi visits the Secret Place and looks at the pictures that she and her friends had drawn over the years. After spotting the picture that Sora had drawn of him giving her apaopu fruit, she is moved to tears and adds onto it, so that it depicts herself and Sora exchanging paopu fruit.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

When Sora and Riku arrived atCastle Oblivion during their search for a way home, members ofOrganization XIII began their plans to manipulate them as they journey through the castle.

In order to gain control Sora,Marluxia orders Naminé to use her powers to strip Sora's memories of Kairi and replace them with her instead. However, Naminé knew she could never truly replace Kairi in Sora's heart, and saw herself as merely Kairi's shadow. Kairi's image shows up at Destiny Islands when Sora remembers that the one he holds dear to his heart is Kairi, not Naminé. When Sora is about to go to sleep, Naminé tells him that if he remembers "the one most important to him" his memories will restore faster, so Sora looks deep into his heart and finds Kairi.

While traveling through the castle, Riku desperately tried to control the darkness within him, butZexion, wanting Riku to succumb it, torments Riku with an illusion of Kairi, as well as with illusions of Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, and Sora. However, Naminé takes Kairi's form to help Riku control the light and darkness in his heart before the final face-off with the devious Nobody.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]

Kairi stands by the shore of Destiny Islands, awaiting Sora and Riku's return.

While Kairi continues to wait for Sora and Riku to return home to Destiny Islands, her memories of Sora fade due to Naminé's interference. Selphie occasionally finds her waiting at the beach, but not knowing who for.^{[KH Re:CoM]}

Kairi appears inRoxas andXion's dreams and memories, due to pieces of Sora's memories finding their ways to them. After Roxas wakes from his coma, Xion gives him a seashell, and when Roxas puts it up to his ear, he sees a memory that depicts Sora and Kairi on a beach looking at the sunset. Later, in Xion's nightmare, Kairi is seen waking up Sora. Roxas sees a memory of Kairi during a mission in Destiny Islands and remarks that she looks like Xion. And during Xion's coma, she dreams of the time when Sora sacrifices himself to restore Kairi's heart in Hollow Bastion. Kairi is also mentioned by Riku and Xion when they were having a conversation on Destiny Islands.

Because Xion is an imperfect Replica of Roxas, created from Sora's leaked memories as a fail-safe in case both Sora and Roxas proved to be useless to Organization XIII's plans, her appearance greatly resembles Kairi, since Sora's memories of Kairi were the strongest ones when she was created.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

"Maybe waiting just isn't enough."
"One of life's little rules. Don't think; act."

—Kairi ponders about seeing Sora, only to be surprised by Axel

Kairi sends a bottled letter to Sora out to sea.

One day, while walking home from school with Selphie, her heart is put into contact with a boy named Roxas, later revealed to be Sora'sNobody. Although neither of them understand it at the time, Naminé's encounter with Roxas connected his heart with Kairi's, and when Roxas has a near-death experience after falling off the clock tower, his heart reaches out for help and contacts Kairi's.^[2] Confused, Roxas asks about the strange boy in his dreams and Kairi asks for his name, prompting Sora's heart to join in to jokingly chastise her for forgetting and give her a hint. Soon afterwards, Kairi sendsa letter in a bottle out to sea in hopes that it would reach Sora one day, and immediately remembers his name.

Axel offers Kairi to come with him to see Sora.

One day, as Kairi waits for Sora's return at the beach,Axel appears, offering to take her to see Sora. Suddenly,Pluto appears to warn Kairi. Axel summons a group ofDusks, but she escapes with Pluto into a nearby portal. She finds herself in a mysterious corridor, briefly seeinga hooded figure, then arrives inTwilight Town and meetsHayner,Pence andOlette. She befriends them, learning they met Sora and that he promised to visit again.

Unfortunately, she is found by Axel and forcibly taken by him, with Olette, Hayner, and Pence unable to stop him. HoweverSaïx finds Axel with Kairi and takes her toThe World That Never Was as a prisoner, stating that she is the "fire that feeds Sora's anger". Kairi is devastated, thinking all hope is lost until she is freed by her Nobody, Naminé. Naminé uses a Corridor of Darkness to allow them to escape the cell, telling Kairi to believe in herself.

Kairi hugging Sora in the Castle That Never Was.

The two's escape is halted by Saïx; he offers to take her to Sora, but Kairi refuses. Suddenly a cloaked figure attacks Saïx, who withdraws. Naminé calls the figure Riku; before he can leave, Kairi removes his hood, revealing Riku is trapped in the form of Xehanort's Heartless. She takes in stride, happy her friend is safe. Riku leads her to Sora and is attacked by a group of Heartless. He hands Kairi akeyblade, and they successfully fend off the remaining Heartless. She is then reunited with Sora with a touching hug between these two. When Riku attempts to leave, Kairi has Sora talk sense into him; she helps Sora see Riku's heart within "Ansem".

The three along with Donald and Goofy face off againstLuxord and Saïx to get toXemnas. Kairi acts as a pillar of support during these battles more than an actual participant - as Luxord's battle leaves them caged by cards and Saïx uses a shockwave to force both her and Riku (using his body to shield her) behind a barrier so he can battle alone with Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

After Sora and Riku defeat Xemnas, Naminé appears and creates a portal, where Donald, Goofy and Mickey go through leaving Sora, Kairi and Riku. Kairi walks towards her and Sora follows Kairi. Kairi thanks her as Naminé reminds Sora of their promise. Roxas comes out of Sora. Naminé and Roxas accept their fate together to live inside Sora and Kairi as they fuse with their original selves. Kairi walks into the portal, but when Sora and Riku follow the portal disappears and they fight Xemnas again.

After they defeat Xemnas, they arrive at the shore of the Dark Margin. Kairi's letter washes up on shore and Sora reads it. The Door To Light appears and the two boys go through it and arrive at Destiny Islands shores as Kairi shouts for them. Sora excitedly swims towards her but Donald and Goofy jump at Sora first and Mickey jumps at Riku. Smiling at each other, Kairi welcomes Sora back home as he hands her back the good luck charm.

Kingdom Hearts coded[edit]

Kairi along with Sora and Riku read the King's letter.

While Sora and Riku are talking about the Door to Light, Kairi runs up to them, shouting their names. Kairi hands Sora a letter in a bottle, containing King Mickey's letter. The trio immediately open the letter and read it.Kingdom Hearts II

Blank Points[edit]

Sora sits on the Paopu tree while holding the message from King Mickey, staring off into the sunset. After Sora tells Riku that he has made a decision, Kairi walks up to them. Sora tells her that everyone needs him, and that he has to go because he is who he is because of them. She then hands him her lucky charm and tells him that she'll see him soon.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance[edit]

Illusions of Kairi and Riku in The World That Never Was.

In The World That Never Was,Young Xehanort forces Sora into a second sleep, during which he dreams of the various people connected in his heart. One of these figments takes the form of Kairi, who is walking side by side with Riku, away from Sora. She then takes the appearance of Aqua, while the figment of Riku turns intoTerra, and Sora takes onVentus's appearance. Sora is incredibly confused, especially when Aqua and Terra turn around and walk away from him again, morphing back into Kairi and Riku. Ignoring the voice of Riku in the back of his head telling him to wake up and choosing instead to follow the pain in his heart, Sora chases after them as they flicker back and forth between his friends and Aqua and Terra. A long-forgotten memory of meeting Aqua on the islands nearly twelve years prior is recalled before Sora is ejected from his dream, landing in front ofXigbar.

Kairi is summoned by Master Yen Sid to be trained as the seventh Guardian of Light.

As Xigbar and Xemnas reveal thetrue nature of the Organization to Sora, he is outraged by their disregard for the value of people's hearts. When Xigbar brings into question the strength of Sora's own heart, he pauses momentarily before saying with conviction that the Keyblade may not have chosen him, but that he was proud to be connected to those who it did choose. Kairi momentarily appears behind him, Keyblade in hand, alongside all the other friends connected in Sora's heart. The immense power of all the intertwined hearts unnerves Xigbar, who flees, leaving Xemnas to battle with Sora.

Later on, with the knowledge that Master Xehanort is organizing a new Organization XIII, one made from thirteen different incarnations of himself, Master Yen Sid orders Riku to retrieve the seventh Keyblade wielder, Kairi, in order to train her for the battles ahead.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-[edit]

Kairi asking Yen Sid how she can be of use in the upcoming battle against Xehanort.

Right after being brought to theMysterious Tower, Kairi is brought up to speed about the threat of thereal Organization XIII and the fates ofTerra,Aqua, andVentus. Mickey reveals to Kairi and Riku that Aqua sacrificed herself to help keep the Heartless from attacking Riku back when theDoor to Darkness was being sealed. AfterYen Sid assigns Riku and Mickey to rescue Aqua, Kairi asks what she should do. Kairi learns thatMerlin will instruct her in how to use her Keyblade alongsideLea, whom she is shocked to hear is the original form ofAxel. However, both Mickey and Riku assure Kairi that Lea is now an ally, and even helped them save Sora from Xehanort. After Yen Sid gifts Riku and Mickey with new garments to protect them against the darkness, Kairi leaves to undergo her training.

BetweenKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III[edit]

As Kairi trains with Lea, she is a little scared of him, even as he constantly apologizes for kidnapping her when he was Axel. However, Kairi warms up to Lea as their training progresses and they start getting to know each other, seeing him as someone she can't bring herself to hate when she learns that he also has a friend that he is trying to save. Kairi notices that Lea sometimes stares at her face, and asking him what's wrong, Lea would say he doesn't know, but feels like it's something he should remember.Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour-

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

Kairi writes a letter to Sora when she notices Lea staring at her again; she knows he's trying to remember something. Asking Lea not to hold back during their next match, Kairi sparks a memory of Xion, causing Lea to cry. Lea apologizes for worrying her. Kairi tells him to stop apologizing; he agrees if she calls him "Axel" from now on, to which she agrees to.

Kairi and Lea prepare for the journey ahead as their training comes to an end.

Shortly after, Merlin drops off new clothes for Kairi and Lea made by theGood Fairies; Kairi changes into hers and cut her hair. She tells Lea that she wants Naminé to live as her own person. Lea then proceeds to talk about Ventus and how they became friends and how Roxas looked identical to him.

When Kairi and Lea finish their training, they return to the Mysterious Tower with Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the newly restored Aqua and Ventus. Aqua recognizes Kairi as the little girl she and Mickey saved in Radiant Garden many years ago, and though Kairi admits she does not recall much of her time on Radiant Garden, she thanks Aqua for saving her.

Kairi exchanges paopu fruit with Sora.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi return to Destiny Islands the day before the final battle. Kairi sits with Sora on apaopu fruit tree and gives him a fruit. The two vow to protect each other, exchanging their fruits.

When everyone arrives at theKeyblade Graveyard, they are attacked by Terra-Xehanort, who knocks out Ventus and Lea. Terra-Xehanort tries to strike Kairi down, but Sora shields her. Donald blasts Terra-Xehanort away with Zettaflare, but collapses. Riku and Kairi then check on an unconscious Lea while Aqua checks on Ventus. ADemon Tide appears and drags everyone into the giant storm of Heartless.

Kairi remains trapped in the darkness, hoping with all her might for Sora not to fade, allowing him to be sent toThe Final World. Sora uses thepower of waking to save Riku, Lea, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Aqua, and Ventus; Kairi meets him on his way back to the Keyblade Graveyard. Kairi tells Sora that she believed he wouldn't fade away, and that saved him. Sora then tells Kairi he feels strong with her. Kairi holds Sora's hand and proceeds to take him back to the Keyblade Graveyard to redo their previous fight.

They once again encounter Terra-Xehanort, but he is intercepted by theLingering Will, sent by Naminé. In place of Terra-Xehanort, thousands of Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed appear.Yen Sid appears to light a path for the guardians, who head to face the Organization. Xehanort arrives with his Organization and creates a labyrinth to separate everyone to battle separately.

Xehanort destroys Kairi's body.

Kairi and Lea face off against Xion and Saïx. After a while, Sora appears to help. Saïx goes berserk and blows back Kairi and Sora. As he moves to finish them off, Lea stands in the way. The tide swiftly changes when Xion regains her present-day heart and switches sides and Roxas revives as his own person. During the fight, Sora and his friends move in for an attack on Xemnas; after a brief clash, Kairi is weakened alongside Sora with the power of nothingness.Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind This ultimately allows Xemnas to grab Kairi and take her as a hostage, and he teleports away with her. After the defeat of Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort, Xehanort summons the unconscious Kairi to his side. Sora tries to rescue her, but Xehanort strikes her with his Keyblade, crystallizing and shattering her body to pieces, thereby angering Sora into the final clash necessary for recreating theχ-blade.

Unbeknownst to the guardians, Xehanort keeps Kairi's heart in seven pieces as his final insurance for his plan, hiding two fragments within Riku and Mickey's hearts, and scattering the other five throughoutScala ad Caelum when he is unexpectedly sent there. After defeating Xehanort, Sora uses the power of waking in the hopes of saving Kairi. As the rest of the guardians of light fend off theReplica Xehanorts, Sora assembles all of Kairi's fragments and connects the guardians' hearts to recomplete Kairi. The replicas fuse into a copy of Armored Xehanort and fight Sora and Kairi, but the two are able to vanquish Armored Xehanort.Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

Sora has his last moments with Kairi.

Afterwards, Sora takes Kairi to The Final World, where she meetsChirithy. Sora convinces the Chirithy to go with them to find its lost friend. Sora and Kairi watch the fireworks atDisney Castle, reunite Chirithy withVentus at theLand of Departure, watch the sunset atTwilight Town, and help reviveNaminé atRadiant Garden before returning to the Destiny Islands. They share one last moment at the paopu tree before Sora vanishes from sight.

Shortly after Sora's disappearance, Kairi believes that something in her heart holds a clue to locating Sora. She goes to Radiant Garden and puts herself to sleep while Ansem the Wise,Ienzo, andEven examine her heart in hopes of finding a clue about Sora's whereabouts and is still sleeping, even after a year of progress. During her sleep, Kairi has a dream about The Final World.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory[edit]

As Kairi sleeps, she seeks clues to Sora's whereabouts by looking over her memories of him and their friends, recounting their adventures over the years. Her search eventually ends with her in a replica of the Final World, where she finds her heart shattered. As she collects her heart fragments, she is accosted by a memory of Master Xehanort. Angered at his role in spiriting her from Radiant Garden, altering her fate, and causing Sora's disappearance, Kairi engages Xehanort in battle, but the elderly Keyblade Master overpowers her, taunting that she will never find Sora in there. Before he can deliver the final blow, Sora takes over her body and defeats Xehanort, freeing the final fragment of her heart. Before disappearing, Xehanort reminds her of the words he had said to her before he had cast her from Radiant Garden as a clue to Sora's whereabouts.

Waking up in Radiant Garden, Kairi recounts Xehanort's final words to her, with Ansem the Wise surmising Xehanort is talking about a world beyond reality. When Riku arrives to check on Kairi's memories, they both share their findings but are interrupted by the Fairy Godmother, who reveals that Riku and Kairi are two of three keys to Sora's disappearance. The Fairy Godmother transports herself and the two Keyblade wielders to the Final World, where they meet the third key, theNameless Star. When Riku and Kairi recount their findings, the star recognizes the city Riku described asQuadratum. Riku uses the star as a portal to go to Quadratum, but as much as Kairi wants to join him, she realizes that she is nowhere near Riku and Sora's level. With Riku gone, Kairi returns to the Mysterious Tower and chooses to stay behind to train under Aqua's tutelage.

Other appearances[edit]

Kingdom Hearts χ[edit]

Kairi listens to her grandmother recount the story of light and darkness.

Kairi and her grandmother appear briefly in the opening cutscene as a page of the Book of Prophecies. Kairi listens to her grandmother tell the story of light and darkness while they are picking flowers, with the story serving as foreshadowing of future events.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kairi appears in the central clock Stations in theDive to the Heart sections of theHollow Bastion stage, as an obtainablespirit in Sora'sSpirit Board, and is represented byDaisy inSpirit Battle.

Design[edit]

Kairi is four duringKingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, fourteen duringKingdom Hearts,^[3] and fifteen duringKingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, andKingdom Hearts III. After one year has passed since Xehanort's ultimate defeat, Kairi is currently sixteen.

Kairi has dark red hair, violet-blue eyes, a pale complexion, and a necklace with a pearlescent bead that is only absent when she wears her school uniform.

As a child, as seen duringKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and scenes fromKingdom Hearts, her hair is a little longer than it is when she's fourteen; she wears a white apron-like shirt with blue flowers and a blue line across the chest, a pink skirt with a white line on it and large, white shoes with pink and purple lines on them.

At age fourteen duringKingdom Hearts, she wears a white top with a black one underneath (the black one shows at her collarbone and at the hem) which slightly exposes her navel, purple bike shorts underneath a purple skirt with a blue belt, and white slip-on shoes with purple caps. She also features a black choker, a yellow wristband as well as a purple arm band on her left arm and a pair of bracelets on her right arm. Kairi's hairstyle is based onUtada Hikaru.^[4] Her bangs part to the right.

InKingdom Hearts II, Kairi is taller and resembles a teenager more as opposed to a child, her hair is longer and has become a darker shade of red, and her bangs now part to the left. She dons two outfits inKingdom Hearts II: her school uniform which has a white shirt of which she has rolled up the sleeves, a sky blue striped tie which she has slightly loosened up, a matching skirt with navy knee-high stockings and black shoes; and then her main outfit which mainly contains a pink strapless mini-dress made up of three zippers (two appear to be just decorative) as well as a white halter top underneath her mini-dress with a black hood. She also sports three bracelets on her left wrist, a black belt reminiscent of suspenders with a note book shaped bag attachment, and lilac sneakers.

InKingdom Hearts III, after receiving a new outfit from Yen Sid, Kairi decides to cut her hair, which now reaches slightly to her shoulders. The outfit is a unique hooded pink-and-black dress, with two small black Chirithy ears. There are black ruffles on one side of her skirt and plaid on the other, and she wears black bike shorts underneath it. She sports thick belted black boots. She wears thin white bracelets on her left wrist and a thick wristband on her right wrist.

Kairi's name is derived from the Japanese word for "sea" (海, Kai^?), though her full name is homophonous with the word for "nautical mile" (海里, Kairi^?).

Personality[edit]

Kairi is generally caring, kindhearted, and not afraid to speak her mind. She's usually always very cheerful and upbeat. She is loyal and headstrong, and she can be rather stubborn sometimes.

She is determined and courageous when someone she cares about is in danger, often risking her own safety to help them. Her bravery can be somewhat reckless. Examples of her bravery are when she embraced Sora as a Heartless even though it could be dangerous, when she offered to journey with Sora despite not having a Keyblade, when she jumped into a Corridor of Darkness despite not knowing where it could lead, causing Axel to comment she has guts, and so on. She dislikes feeling useless, making her determined to help fight against the Heartless as Keyblade wielder.

In contrast to Sora and Riku, who were both bothered by not knowing about Kairi's hometown, she took it in stride and was able to look at the positives about living in the Destiny Islands. Despite this, she still has a strong sense of adventure, helping out with the raft. She also ran into a Corridor of Darkness, despite that she may never return, although she knew that other worlds existed and knew the portal may lead her to Sora and Riku, with Sora having a Gummi Ship.

As a child inKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, she is shown to have some affection for flowers, as she appears with flowers in her hand and is picking more during the final credits. But she won't hesitate to give them away in gratitude, like giving them to Aqua as thanks for saving her from the Unversed. Also, her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, has a floral design.

InKingdom Hearts, she is seen with a rather playful, spunky side. For example, if Sora wins the race, she calls him "Captain Sora." While gathering supplies for the raft, she reveals that she is not fond of mushrooms, wondering why she and her friends should even take them on the raft.^[5] She can also make comments about situations for the sake of teasing, like she joked about leaving without Riku.

InKingdom Hearts II, however, she becomes more mature and is saddened by Sora's absence, but obtains wisdom beyond her age. She is not as brash and bold as she was in the first game, but is still sociable, as she quickly befriends Hayner, Pence, and Olette in Twilight Town before being kidnapped by Axel.

Kairi appears to retain fear of anyone who has wronged her in the past, such as her former kidnapper, Axel; when she heard Lea would be training with her to master a Keyblade, she became quite frightened at the prospect. However, she soon overcame this thanks to Mickey and Riku telling her that Lea had helped save Sora.

While sharing a deep friendship with Sora and Riku, Kairi seems to be particularly important to Sora, and vice versa. Kairi's feelings for Sora have been hinted at several times. She jokes about her and Sora taking the raft, just the two of them. She embraces Sora's Heartless as the other Shadows jump on them. She gives him her Wayfinder in hopes it will bring him back to her. The face sketch on said Wayfinder resembles Sora. She sheds a tear when she sees that Sora added a paopu fruit to their drawings of each other they did as kids, and even adds another. Kairi was the only person on the Islands to have any recollection of Sora, and felt guilty that she couldn't remember his voice, face, or even his name. When Kairi tells the Twilight Trio about how she was looking for Sora, Olette says that it was "a romantic story". When Saïx asks her if she wanted to see Sora, she answers "I do, more than anything." After reuniting with Sora, she hugs him, confirming it's really him, while Donald and Goofy looked on as if they were intruding. When Sora tells her that he has to leave again, she just smiles and, once again, gives him her Wayfinder.

While training with Lea, she states while writing a letter to Sora that she likes to talk with him even if it is on paper. When Sora and Kairi are sitting on the paopu fruit tree the day before their final battle, she hands him a paopu fruit. She states that she wants to be a part of Sora's life no matter what. After both of them promise to keep each other safe, they exchange paopu fruits together. When Sora finds himself near death in Limbo, it was revealed by Naminé that Kairi was the person keeping him from completely fading away into the afterlife. When Sora finds her, they happily join hands. Kairi states that she believed that he wouldn't give up. When Sora states he feels strong with her, she looks away and holds his hand to proceed with their final battle. When everyone is on Destiny Islands having fun, Kairi is away from the group and sits on the Paopu fruit tree with Sora holding his hand. Kairi smiles while looking at him, and sheds a tear when Sora fades away and continues to stay there after he is gone. She willingly puts herself into a deep sleep so that Ansem may analyze any clue within her heart about Sora.

Despite her skill with the Keyblade, she seems to hold some degree of doubt in her abilities, with her battle quotes consisting of her psyching herself up by saying things like "I'll try!" or "Please work!"

Abilities[edit]

Princess of Heart[edit]

As a Princess of Heart, Kairi's heart holds the power to open theFinal Keyhole that leads toKingdom Hearts when she is joined by the six other princesses. Should her heart be lost, her body will remain in a dormant state until it returns, since her heart has no darkness in it to produce a regular Nobody. However, when her heart was removed from Sora's, the specialNobodyNaminé was created from his body and soul.

• She has the power to hold back darkness using the light stored in her heart, a power which she and the other princesses can utilize alone.
• Her heart, in addition with the other Princesses of Heart, can be used to create theKeyblade of Heart.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Kairi breaking Xemnas' Ethereal Blades.

Initially, Kairi's abilities are rather limited in combat, and she cannot do much in danger. Oftentimes, she must rely on Sora or Riku to come to her aid, and as such, is easily captured, like when Axel merely grabbed Kairi by the wrist and dragged her away with him without much effort.

Despite her limited experience in fighting, she is shown to be naturally competent with a Keyblade once she receives it, and easily took down two Heartless on her own and defended herself along with Riku until Sora arrived. Her potential as a Keyblade wielder is recognized by Yen Sid, who has Riku bring her to him to begin her own Keyblade training.

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

After completing her training withLea, Kairi is shown to be a fairly competent fighter despite her relative inexperience. She is able to go toe-to-toe with much more experienced and powerful foes such as Xion and Xemnas, even dispersing the latter's Ethereal Blades and forcing him on the defensive until he is forced to use Nothingness to stop her. With Sora's help, she is even able to heavily damage and defeat the Armored Xehanort. Despite this, she does not have the reaction speed that other experienced wielders have, and as such, she is nearly struck down by Terra-Xehanort, and is kidnapped by Xemnas. This is displayed again in her later fight against the memory ofMaster Xehanort inKingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, where is she shown to be a crafty and pragmatic fighter who focuses on trying to catch her opponent off-guard.

Playable character[edit]

With enough distance between her and an enemy, Kairi can throw her Keyblade and teleport to it.

Kairi is playable during the final battle ofKingdom Hearts III Re Mind against the replica Armored Xehanort, and her playable form is similar to her as a party member. She has access to Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Curaga, Waterga, and Aeroga, as well as having aHi-Potion, anEther, and aRefocuser in her items. Her Shotlock isHeart of a Princess, which allows her to rain down orbs of light on the battlefield. When Kairi is a certain distance away from an enemy, she can useStrike Shift to quickly teleport to them, which will cause her to useSpiral Bloom as her combo finisher; otherwise, her default finisher involves her spinning her Keyblade around her, then catching it and performing a final slash. Like Riku and Aqua, Kairi defends using a barrier, and can use her unique counterattack calledStarcracker, and when her Situation Gauge is full, she can activate the powerfulSeven Wishes command, which allows her to attack an enemy up to seven times.

In the fight against Armored Xehanort, Kairi is able to team up with Sora to use theOne HeartTeam Attack.

Party member[edit]

As a party member, Kairi is balanced between Physical attacks and magic, and is also able to support her allies withCura. She can hit long range targets with herFlower Shoot ability, or combo them up close with Spiral Bloom. In the fight against Saīx, Kairi will prioritize attacking Xion.

Kairi's base stats are 205HP, 100 MP, 44 Strength, 45 Magic, and 42 Defense.

Keyblade[edit]

Kairi holding Destiny's Embrace.

During the events ofThe World That Never Was inKingdom Hearts II, she receives a Keyblade from Riku, and is able to wield it due to being accidentally bequeathed by Aqua.^[6]

The default form of her Keyblade is theDestiny's Embrace, which uses a paopu fruit as its token.

Notes and references[edit]

• Entelechy
• Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden
• Destiny Islands
• Traverse Town
• Original characters
• Kingdom Hearts characters
• Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories characters
• Kingdom Hearts II characters
• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days characters
• Kingdom Hearts coded characters
• Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep characters
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance characters
• Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- characters
• Kingdom Hearts III characters
• Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory characters
• Princesses of Heart
• Keyblade Wielders

• Featured articles
• Articles in need of improvement
• Articles with non-canon sources
• Articles with unconfirmed statements