Editing Kairi

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'''Kairi''' is one of the several major original characters in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. Her major roles are in ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|game}}'', ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'', ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep]]'', and ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]''. She has also appeared in other games as a minor supporting character.

Kairi is a [[Princess of Heart]] and is the only Princess of Heart to remain among the [[New Seven Hearts]]. Kairi is the original persona of [[Naminé]] and physical template of [[Xion]]. Kairi was born in [[Radiant Garden]] and currently lives on [[Destiny Islands]] along with her two best friends, [[Sora]] and [[Riku]]. Kairi eventually trains as a [[Keyblade wielder]] to help her allies as one of the seven [[Guardians of Light]].

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.{{storylink|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.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania]]''''', '''Interviewer:''' "Why did Kairi end up with Sora and Riku?" / '''Tetsuya Nomura:''' "It has to do with Aqua's 'magic'. Nine years before ''Kingdom Hearts'', Kairi was thrust into the outside world, and found herself on Sora and Riku's world. Ansem Seeker of Darkness thought that she had been able to search for a Keyblade wielder, but what actually saved her was the magic spell Aqua had put on her." [https://www.khinsider.com/news/BBS-Ultimania-20-Mysteries-Solved-2546 Translation via Lissar].</ref>  

[[File:Across the Ocean 01 KH.png|thumb|Kairi and Sora dream of sailing to other worlds as they watch the sunset.]]

 

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 by [[Maleficent]] into believing that Sora no longer cared for either Kairi or himself.

[[File:Sora's Back 02 KH.png|thumb|Kairi embraces Sora and manages to bring him back from the darkness.]]

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 a [[paopu fruit]], she is moved to tears and adds onto it, so that it depicts herself and Sora exchanging paopu fruit.

[[File:Promise in the Light 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|Kairi stands by the shore of Destiny Islands, awaiting Sora and Riku's return.]]

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.

{{Q|Maybe waiting just isn't enough." <br> "One of life's little rules. Don't think; act.|Kairi ponders about seeing Sora, only to be surprised by Axel}}

[[File:Axel Closes in on Kairi 01 KHII.png|thumb|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 of [[Dusk]]s, but she escapes with Pluto into a nearby portal. She finds herself in a mysterious corridor, briefly seeing [[Riku-Ansem|a hooded figure]], then arrives in [[Twilight Town]] and meets [[Hayner]], [[Pence]] and [[Olette]]. She befriends them, learning they met Sora and that he promised to visit again.

[[File:Epilogue 01 KHREC.png|thumb|Kairi along with Sora and Riku read the King's letter.]]

[[File:Another Guardian of Light 04 KH3D.png|thumb|Kairi is summoned by Master Yen Sid to be trained as the seventh Guardian of Light.]]

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.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour-}}<!--http://kh13.com/news/exclusive-canon-back-story-for-kingdom-hearts-iii-shown-at-kingdom-hearts-orchestra-world-tour-in-japan Translation via @momo_krys]-->

[[File:Nothing's As It Should Be 01 KHIII.png|thumb|200px|Kairi and Lea prepare for the journey ahead as their training comes to an end.]]

[[File:The Paopu Fruit 01 KHIII.png|thumb|left|200px|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 a [[paopu fruit]] tree and gives him a fruit. The two vow to protect each other, exchanging their fruits.

When everyone arrives at the [[Keyblade 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. A [[Demon 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 to [[The Final World]]. Sora uses the [[power 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 the [[Lingering 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.

[[File:Kingdom Hearts 01 KHIII.png|thumb|200px|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.{{storylink|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 the [[χ-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 throughout [[Scala 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 the [[Replica Xehanort]]s, 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.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind}}

[[File:Ending 05 KHIII.png|left|thumb|200px|Sora has his last moments with Kairi.]]

 

 

 

 

In ''{{ssb|Super Smash Bros. Ultimate}}'', Kairi appears in the central clock Stations in the [[Dive to the Heart]] sections of the {{ssb|Hollow Bastion}} stage, as an obtainable {{ssb|spirit}} in Sora's {{ssb|DLC Spirits (mode)|Spirit Board}}, and is represented by {{ssb|Daisy (SSBU)|Daisy}} in {{ssb|Spirit#Spirit Battles|Spirit Battle}}.

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.  

At age fourteen during ''Kingdom 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 on {{w|Utada Hikaru}}.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts Ultimania]]''''', '''Tetsuya Nomura''': "Her hair is a secret homage to Utada Hikaru, who provided the theme song.." [https://www.khinsider.com/news/A-Look-Back-KINGDOM-HEARTS-Ultimania-Gallery-Comments-Part-1-15519 Translation via Goldpanner]</ref>

In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', after receiving a new outfit from Yen Sid, Kairi decides to cut her hair now reaching slightly to her shoulders. The outfit is a unique hooded pink-and-black dress, with two small black cat 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 wears thick belted black boots. She wears thin white bracelets on her left wrist and a thick wristband on her right wrist.

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.

As a child in ''Kingdom 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.

In ''Kingdom 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.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts (game)|Kingdom Hearts]]''''', '''Kairi:''' "Mushrooms grow in shady spots, right? To be honest, I don’t even like them. Thanks, Captain Sora!"</ref> She can also make comments about situations for the sake of teasing, like she joked about leaving without Riku.  

While training with Lea, she states while writing a letter to Sora that she likes to talk with him even if its on paper. Her feelings for Sora were confirmed the day before their final battle. While Sora and Kairi are sitting on the paopu fruit tree, 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!"

As a Princess of Heart, Kairi's heart holds the power to open the [[Final Keyhole]] that leads to [[Kingdom 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 special [[Nobody]] [[Naminé]] 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 the [[Keyblade of Heart]].

===''Kingdom Hearts II''===

[[File:The Final Key 01 KHIIIRM.png|thumb|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.

 

After completing her training with [[Lea]], 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 of [[Master Xehanort]] in ''[[Kingdom 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.

Kairi is playable during the final battle of ''[[Kingdom 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 a [[Hi-Potion]], an [[Ether]], and a [[Refocuser]] in her items. Her Shotlock is [[Heart 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 use [[Strike Shift]] to quickly teleport to them, which will cause her to use [[Spiral 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 called [[Starcracker]], and when her Situation Gauge is full, she can activate the powerful [[Seven 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 the [[One Heart]] [[Team Attack]].