Dolphin

It's a struggle just to remember the name now.
	This article is about a topic that has not been named in any official Square Enix material. Its title is merely a placeholder.

Dolphin
Japanese	イルカ
Rōmaji	Iruka
Homeworld	Atlantica
Origin	The Little Mermaid (1989)
Games	Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Hearts II

The dolphin is found in Atlantica in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. The dolphin in the Undersea Valley is available even if there are Heartless, but Sora is unable to ride the dolphin until the Heartless are defeated.

Story

Kingdom Hearts

During Sora, Donald, and Goofy's first visit to Atlantica, the dolphin swims around in several places. Flounder calls it a "giant fish". It helps the party to reach the Sunken Ship, particularly when Sora does not yet have access to the Mermaid Kick ability. It also leads Sora to other places in Atlantica if he lets go of the Dolphin before reaching the Sunken Ship.

Kingdom Hearts II

In Sora, Donald, and Goofy's second visit to Atlantica, dolphins like the one who helped Sora a year ago participate in the first song, "Swim This Way". Later, several dolphins dance along to "Under the Sea" along with Sebastian and Ariel, and more dolphins take part in the performance of the final song, "A New Day is Dawning".

Appearance

The dolphin is a medium-sized, cetacean mammal with a dark grey body. It has two oval shaped eyes and closely resembles the features of a common dolphin. The dolphin has two flippers, a long dorsal fin, a blow hole, and a horizontal fluke split into two by a notch in the middle. The horizontal tail separates this dolphin from real dolphins in that instead of having horizontal tail fins, this dolphin's tail fins are vertical.

Origin

The dolphin first appeared in the 1989 Disney film, The Little Mermaid. The dolphin appears twice in the film with both features being a minor supporting role. The first appearance is during the song "Under the Sea". Shortly into the song, the dolphin is shown swimming around, content and happy with its life in the sea. The dolphin is last shown at Prince Eric and Vanessa's wedding, where it successfully interrupts the false wedding alongside other sea creatures.