Memory Archive

Oh no! The water! I'm in big trouble if I don't fetch it!

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The Memory Archive (KINGDOM HEARTS 「IIIに繋がる物語たち」^?, lit. "KINGDOM HEARTS The Story That Leads to III") are a series of videos released by Square Enix that recap past events of the series to help players catch up with the storyline leading up to Kingdom Hearts III.^[1] All episodes are narrated by Chirithy.

The episodes were added into Kingdom Hearts III in the Patch 1.01 update and can be viewed from the Opening Menu of the game after clearing the Dive to the Heart tutorial. The episodes can all also be viewed in Japanese at the Square Enix YouTube channel and website^[2] or in English at the Kingdom Hearts YouTube channel.

List of Episodes[edit]

Episode 1: Departures[edit]

"Do you remember this story?"

KINGDOM HEARTS: The Boy Who Found the Key, and Opened the Door to Unseen Worlds.
As darkness closes in, a boy named Sora reaches for the light and is granted the power of the Keyblade.

"It begins with Sora and his friends Kairi and Riku. The three are inseparable. And they believe another world is waiting out beyond the sea. But then darkness consumes the islands they call home, and tears them apart.

Sora wakes up in an unknown world, and before long he meets two courageous companions: a magician named Donald and a knight named Goofy. They embark on an adventure and make countless friends... and a few enemies.

Just as Sora is starting to grasp the power of the Keyblade, he comes face to face with his friend Riku."

The strength of Sora's heart is great. But will it prove enough to thwart Ansem's plot and rescue Sora's friends?

"But that's just the beginning of the tale. Little do Sora and his friends realize what fate has in store for them."

Featured Characters[edit]

Episode 2: Memories[edit]

"Are the memories we share with the people we love, our only true connection to them?"

KINGDOM HEARTS: The Witch Who Meddled with Memory, and Learned Some Things Cannot Change.
The promises we make stay with us always.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been searching for King Mickey and Riku, their friends who were stranded on the other side of the door to darkness. A clue leads them to a mysterious citadel called Castle Oblivion."

"Sora is determined to press on and look for his friends. But as he climbs, his most precious memories begin to slip away. He is being tricked by Marluxia and a mysterious Organization who are trying to make him their puppet."

"Unaware that the events of his past have been rewritten inside his mind, Sora races to the top of the castle to save a girl named Naminé. But there, he learns the shocking truth. Naminé has special powers, and she's the one who's been changing Sora's memory."

Are Sora's most precious memories lost forever? Will he remember his promise to Naminé?

"This would be Sora's first encounter with Organization XIII, but certainly not his last."

Featured Characters[edit]

Episode 3: Twilight[edit]

"Think now, for a moment, about your best friend. Someone you couldn't bear to lose."

KINGDOM HEARTS: The Halves Who Longed to Be Whole, and Whose Hurt Still Runs Deep.
One of them is half of Sora. The other is gradually absorbing Sora's memories.

"His mind a blank slate, Roxas starts counting the days, determined to never forget anything again. He and his friend Axel go on missions for the Organization."

"They are soon joined by the group's fourteenth member, a girl named Xion. Like Roxas, she has no memory of her past."

"The three have been told that they don't have hearts - that they're 'Nobodies' - and yet it's strange. They start to realize how much they care about each other. If only all of this could last forever..."

"Xion's darkest secret is that she only exists to seize control of Sora's power - the Keyblade's power."

"If they really have no hearts, then why does the truth hurt this much? The grief, the anger, the loss, the emptiness..."

Will they find the hearts they seek, or only heartbreak?

"But I believe there's hope for them. Don't you? One day, they'll be together again."

Featured Characters[edit]

Episode 4: Dawn[edit]

"Making tough choices isn't easy. But if that's what it takes to save a friend..."

KINGDOM HEARTS: The Boy Who Walked Toward Dawn, and Discovered That Choices Matter.
"I'd like to walk the road with ya."

"Riku discovers Sora in Castle Oblivion, suspended in a deep sleep. He is faced with a decision. Riku embraces his inner darkness, and resolves to carry it toward the light."

"In time, Riku crosses paths with Xion, who attacks him with a false Keyblade. He learns that Organization XIII is using her and Roxas to drain Sora of his memories and power."

"To save his best friend, Riku prepares for the inevitable. And Xion chooses to do the same."

"Riku and Roxas clash, both desperate to save a friend. Riku's overpowered, and decides not to hold his darkness back any longer."

Will the road Riku chose lead him back to his friends?

"Each fork in the road shapes who we are. But Riku won't look back. Not while his friends need him."

Featured Characters[edit]

Episode 5: Darkness[edit]

"Who are we fighting? How did this all begin? And why did it take us so long to notice?"

KINGDOM HEARTS: The Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, and the Great Battle to Come
Master Xehanort has returned. All that has transpired was exactly as he planned it.

"Twice now, Master Xehanort has sought to drag the World into a great Keyblade War between the forces of light and darkness. But both times his ambitions have been thwarted."

"In his first attempt, he divided a boy's heart into two beings - a pure light named Ventus and a pure darkness named Vanitas. The two were to clash and forge a relic known as the χ-blade."

"Three students of Master Eraqus, Xehanort's former brother-in-training, rose up in order to stop the χ-blade from being forged. They fought bravely, and their strong bond allowed them to triumph over Xehanort."

"But, all three paid a terrible price, and their destinies were sealed. The destruction of the χ-blade plunged Ventus into a deep sleep. Aqua sacrificed herself to the realm of darkness to save Terra. And, by the time he was found, Terra was going by a different name."

"Master Xehanort's second attempt to start the Keyblade War involved pitting seven pure lights against thirteen darknesses. His heart and body acted separately. His heart, Ansem, manipulated Riku and Maleficent into capturing the seven pure lights he needed, the princesses of heart. His body, Xemnas, formed Organization XIII, who would serve as the thirteen darknesses. But his plans were dashed by Sora and his friends, who defeated Ansem and Xemnas."

"Now, Master Xehanort has warned of a third attempt to start his war."

Not even time itself can contain Xehanort's ambitions, but the End is near.

"Thirteen darknesses. Seven lights. The End is coming..."