Summary
It’s pretty easy to throw around the phrase “there’s really nothing like this”, but in the case ofKingdom Hearts, there really isn’t anything like it. It’s like a time capsule that keeps spilling forth. It’s hard to imagine Disney sanctioning anything of its kind nowadays, though there’s simply too much of a market to kill it.
Part of the reason behind that is because the games are just so wonderfully silly and indulgent, and that is meant as the highest compliment. It’s called Kingdom Hearts, yet it’s not even know what Kingdom Hearts is! Can you even imagine how many times they say Kingdom Hearts? Because they say Kingdom Hearts a whole bunch.
How Many Times Is Kingdom Hearts Said?
Well, that’s the question. The series is called Kingdom Hearts, you would of course expect it to be said quite a few times.In most instances though, it’s not. Really, Kingdom Hearts isn’t even all that relevant most of the time. A very funny trend you will notice though is that for the most part, the entire game goes bywithout ever uttering the words ‘Kindom Hearts’ until the finale.
But that’s irrelevant. Let’s instead break it down on agame-by-game basisjust how many times Kingdom Hearts is mentioned.
Specifically, this is based on the instances thatKingdom Hearts is actually spoken in dialogue. So things like the secret reports and all that don’t count.
Kingdom Hearts - Three Times
In the original Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts is not actually mentioned until the appearance of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Though you can see Kingdom Hearts mentioned in some reports, it isnot spoken in dialogue until the very, very end of the game whenSora seals the door to Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - Two Times
Being a rethread of the original game,Kingdom Hearts is not mentioned all that oftenin Chain of Memories.
Kingdom Hearts 2 - 20 Times
Aside from some brief mentions by Naminé in the beginning, Kingdom Hearts is not mentioned again until The World That Never Was, where it ismentioned a mind-numbing amount of timesof Organization XIII. This is the real Kingdom Hearts this time, apparently. (Spoiler, it’s not)
Kingdom Hearts: Coded - Not Even Once!
Coded is another game threading over Sora’s past, though this time as a digital version of himself rather than an amnesiac. Humorously,this version of him doesn’t mention Kingdom Hearts at alland is more preoccupied with Riku and the bugs they put in him.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - 26 Times
In a rare divergence from the rest of the series,Kingdom Hearts is actually mentioned throughout the whole gamein 358/2 Days. That’s fitting considering you’re literally playing as a member of Organization XIII. In fact, it easilyholds the record for the most mentions of Kingdom Heartsin a single game by a decent chunk.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Just Once
Despite being one of the most lore-heavy and foundational games for the greater lore of the story, and Kingdom Hearts literally being present,the words ‘Kingdom Hearts are actually only mentioned once. And that singular occurrence is given by Vanitas in Ventus’ body at, you guessed it, the end of the game.
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance - Eight Times
Dream Drop Distance is, for many, the point at which the series became its most self-indulgent. Time travel galore, and plentiful mentions of Kingdom Hearts, thoughno actual appearance. And a very sassy Young Xehanort.
Fun fact -six of the eight mentions of Kingdom Hearts occur in two sentences: one from Yen Sid at the beginning of the game, and another from Young Xehanort at the end.
Kingdom Hearts: A Fragmentary Passage - Three Times
A Fragmentary Passage isn’t strictly relevant to the plot of Kingdom Hearts unless you’re really keen on knowing why Mickey Mouse isn’t wearing a shirt in the original game, though it still manages to fit in three mentions of Kingdom Hearts in its short run time.Think of it as an homage to the original game’s three mentions of Kingdom Hearts.
You can alsodress up Aqua as a cat girl,if that’s your thing.
Kingdom Hearts 3 - 11 Times
This time, it really is Kingdom Hearts! Maybe. Anyway, in typical fashion,Kingdom Hearts is not mentioned until near the end of the gamewhen just about everyone gets a chance to shine, uttering the phrase in disbelief as Xehanort, for at least the third time, summons Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory - Seven Times
Kairi, in her first starring role, gets to recap the story from her perspective. Though this mostly just ends up being her telling Sora’s story anyway since their hearts are linked, obviously.Kingdom Hearts gets a decent few mentions here, though exclusively as a recap.
Interestingly enough, Kingdom Hearts is not actually mentioned at all in the base game of Union X. Instead,it gets a healthy 13 mentions in Dark Road, the dedicated Xehanort spin-off. It’s mentioned throughout the entire experience and chronicles Xehanort’s intense interest in it.
Did you knowXehanort is an anagram for No Heart? Food for thought.
That gives us a grand total of 94 mentions of Kingdom Hearts in dialogue across the whole series, which is much less than they say dark and darkness, but still a very respectable number.
What Even Is Kingdom Hearts Anyway?
Now that’s a great question.The titular Kingdom Hearts. You know how often and where it’s been mentioned, but do you haveany idea what it actually is? No, not yet? Well, let’s take a slightly deeper dive then.
Kingdom Hearts is light, according to our beloved Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts 1. Except the Kingdom Hearts he referred to then wasn’t therealKingdom Hearts, but theKingdom Hearts of All Worlds.This is an important distinction because the genuine Kingdom Hearts is that of all creation.The birthplace of all light and reality, a banishing of the dark. So technically, Sora was right.
Of course, we also see Kingdom Hearts summoned in Kingdom Hearts 2.This isn’t actually Kingdom Hearts either, but a simulacrum of the real thing created by Xehanort by implanting pieces of his heart amongthe members of Organization XIIIin the hopes that this would urge them to seek their own hearts, and summon Kingdom Hearts. Of course, since this was never the true Kingdom Hearts in the first place, it failed. You can’t fool reality, it seems.
Of course,we do see theactualKingdom Hearts twice- in Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts 3. In the former, Xehanort summons it through the bonding of pure light and darkness in Ventus and Vanitas, though it fails to truly manifest. In the latter, Xehanort, in the presence of his13 hearts of darkness and Sora’s seven of light. He relents in the end, convinced of his folly, though he does indeed summon the genuine Kingdom Hearts.
Of course, none of that really explains what it is, does it? Sadly,the most important lore is actually in Kingdom Hearts Union X, which isn’t actually playable anymore. Suffice it to say, Kingdom Hearts is the essence of creation, and having power over it would give you control of actual reality. So it’s a pretty big deal.
You can actually download Union X to view cutscenes still, though not actually play it.
