Magic

For other uses, see Magic (disambiguation).

A spell orb, the visualization of an obtained spell.

Magic (まほう, Mahou) is a type of skill that appears throughout the Kingdom Hearts series.

Magic can be either offensive or supportive, and it differs from weapon skills in that its usage is generally limited by some factor, such as the player's current MP, and that its potency is determined by the Magic stat (maximum MP in Kingdom Hearts). In Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, offensive magic is the only way to inflict elemental damage. Additionally, many types of magic inflict status effects on enemies.

Party members who specialize in magic include Donald Duck, Jack Skellington, and Zexion.

The Dream Rod, a weapon heavily-associated with magic.

Magical power is associated with wisdom, as indicated by the descriptions of the Dream Rod and Struggle Wand, as well as Wisdom Form. It is also associated with the color blue, the color of the MP gauges appearing in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, the color of magic cards in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, and the signature color of Wisdom Form. In the menus, magic is represented by a symbol of Donald's mage hat.

In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, choosing the Dream Rod in the Dive to the Heart grants greater magic-casting ability upon leveling up earlier in game. Magic-focused play styles are considered to be among the more difficult to use, owing largely to the care that must be taken of elemental effects, as some enemies may either be immune to and/or healed by certain elements, as well as the limitation of a finite amount of MP which must be carefully managed, with the assistance of restorative items and abilities such as MP Haste and MP Rage.

Usage

Sora casts Ice Barrage, a variation of the Blizzard spell, in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Many individuals in the Kingdom Hearts universe are capable of using magic. All wielders of the Keyblade are capable of learning magic, and magic of the Keyblade itself is capable of great feats, being able to lock a world's Keyhole, open gates, and transform into different forms. There are also those that specialize in the use of magic, such as Donald Duck, Merlin, and Yen Sid. Those that are adept at magic can use it in a wide variety of uses outside of combat, such as transformations, transportation between worlds, realms, or even time periods, or casting enchantments or curses. Like many techniques, spells are often accompanied by an invocation, such as "Light!" when casting a Holy spell.

Mechanics

Kingdom Hearts

An MP orb.

There are seven types of basic magic that become available throughout Kingdom Hearts, which are upgraded upon reaching certain milestones, up to maximum of three tiers. They are accessible from the Command Menu under "Magic", and three of them can be set to shortcuts at a time for easy access during battle.

Casting magic costs MP, which can be recovered by collecting MP orbs, attacking enemies, using restorative items such as Ethers, or by touching a Save Point. Some party members' abilities can also restore MP. The length of the MP gauge determines how effective magic casts are, and as basic magic gets upgraded to higher tiers, it will become even more powerful.

In Kingdom Hearts, summoning is categorized as magic.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories

Magic cards represent the types of magic that appeared in Kingdom Hearts. They are colored blue, as are summon cards. By using sleights, higher-tiered magic can be used in battle, as can advanced magic techniques, such as Tornado and Mega Flare.

Kingdom Hearts II

There are six types of basic magic in Kingdom Hearts II, which are upgraded upon reaching certain milestones, up to a maximum of three tiers. They are accessible from the Command Menu under "Magic", and four of them can be set to shortcuts at one time for easy access during battle. Most magic can be cast in combos, similarly to attack combos, ending with a slightly more powerful magic finisher. Magic combos are affected by combo-related abilities, such as Combo Plus and Finishing Plus, and magic attacks can be interspersed with weapon attacks in one combo. Magnet and Cure magic cannot be used to make a combo.

Casting magic costs MP, which can be recovered by collecting MP orbs, using restorative items such as Ethers, entering a Drive Form, or by touching a Save Point. If the MP gauge is fully emptied, MP Charge begins, during which the gauge is replaced with the pink Charge gauge. While the Charge gauge gradually empties, magic cannot be used, but portions of the gauge can be emptied immediately in the same manner as recovering MP.

Wisdom Form, Master Form, and Final Form have abilities that enhance the casting of magic, while Valor Form and Limit Form disable the use of magic.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

See also: Panel System and Magic Panel

In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, magic can be used during missions when magic panels are installed into the panel grid. The number of available casts for a type of basic magic is determined by the number of installed panels for that type, but casts can be restored mid-mission by using items such as Ethers. Linking basic magic panels to special magic panels will increase the level or grant multiple casts of that magic.

There are five varieties of magic that appear, each with three tiers; however, unlike in other games, different tiers of one type of magic will have different effects. For example, Fire launches a homing fireball, while Fira shoots a penetrating fireball straight ahead, and Firaga launches a large fireball with slight homing capabilities into the air, after which it explodes.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a wide variety of magic techniques are available, basic and advanced, in the form of magic commands. As with attack commands, magic commands go through a cool-down period before they can be used again, but otherwise their use is not limited.

Magic commands may be dropped by enemies, purchased from shops, found in small chests, or obtained from various mini-games, such as the Command Board.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

In Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, magic commands return in the same capacity as in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

They may be found in rare prize blox, purchased from shops, or awarded for high ranks in boss battles.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, magic commands return in the same capacity as in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

Magic commands may be purchased from shops, found in large chests, obtained through Ability Link or won from mini-games.

Kingdom Hearts III

There are six types of basic magic in Kingdom Hearts III, which are upgraded upon reaching certain milestones, up to a maximum of three tiers. They are accessible from the Command Menu under "Magic", and four of them can be set to shortcuts for easy access during battle. Unlike the previous titles, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts III allows players to shuffle through various sets of shortcuts in battle, making various magic, summons, and items easy to access. Furthermore, players are given an option to choose different tiers of each type of magic in the shortcuts. For example, if Firaga is unlocked throughout the story, players can still equip and cast Fire and Fira in the shortcut menu. Whereas in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Firaga is the only Fire type magic spell that can be cast when unlocked.

The fourth tier of magic can be used in battle, only accessible by situation commands from the command gauge. To achieve fourth tier magic, magic must be used against enemies to fill up the command gauge. For example, casting Water would grant a possibility of the Waterza command.

Recurring magic

See also: Magic command (KHBBS), Magic command (KHREC), and Magic command (KH3D)

• Fire, Fira, Firaga
• Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga
• Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga
• Cure, Cura, Curaga
• Aero, Aerora, Aeroga
• Gravity, Gravira, Graviga
• Stop, Stopra, Stopga
• Magnet, Magnera, Magnega
• Reflect, Reflera, Reflega

Origin and naming

Many of the magic that appears in the Kingdom Hearts series borrows heavily from magic in the Final Fantasy series. This includes elemental types, as well as specific spells, such as Fire, Curaga, and Reflect. The distinction between Black, or offensive magic, and White, or supportive magic, is not carried over to Kingdom Hearts, however.

Also borrowed from Final Fantasy is the naming convention of basic magic. In most installments of Final Fantasy, the higher tiers of magic are denoted by the suffixes -ra and -ga, normally corresponding to the second and third tier of a spell, respectively. This convention is followed in Kingdom Hearts, with one notable exception: While the fourth tier of magic in Final Fantasy, when included, is -ja, Kingdom Hearts uses the suffix -gun, localized as -za in the English release of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and as -ja in the English release of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. Some accessories are named after the fourth tier of magic, using the suffix -gun (e.g., Firagun Bangle), as are two Reaction Commands, Firagun and Blizzagun.

Abilities

Certain abilities enhance or facilitate the use of magic, generally by boosting magical damage, elemental damage, or MP recovery.

• MP Haste
  • MP Hastera
  • MP Hastega
• MP Rage
• Fire Boost
• Blizzard Boost
• Thunder Boost
• Magic Lock-On
• Crime & Punishment
• Magic Haste
• Magic Spice
• Master Magic
• Endless Magic
• Leaf Bracer
• Cure Boost

Some party members also possess abilities that mimic the effects of spells, which include the following:

• Healing Herb
• Blazing Fury
• Icy Terror
• Bolts of Sorrow
• Ghostly Scream
• Cure Potion
• Aero Potion
• Dark Shield
• Dark Aura

Some powerful magical abilities, called Limits, may be performed in tandem with a party member, but will drain all of Sora's remaining MP after usage.

Trivia

• The suffixes -ra and -ga are only applied to second and third-tier spells in the English, Japanese, Italian, and German versions of the Kingdom Hearts games. In the French versions, second-tier spells are marked with a "+", and third-tier spells are marked with an "X". The suffix -gun, when used, is marked with an "XX", a "Z" (though only for the Stopza Mickey uses in Dream Drop Distance) or even a "mega" prefix (in Kingdom Hearts 0.2). In the Spanish version of the Kingdom Hearts games, third-tier spells are marked "++".