Ventus

Unreleased

Ven (full name Ventus) is a character who will appear in the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. From the view of the story, it is revealed he is the Keyblade Wielder before Sora and may have the strongest bond to him. He first appeared in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II titled The Gathering. The video was continued in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, titled Birth by Sleep. In the video Ven was shown fighting against Master Xehanort and his apprentice with companions Aqua and Terra. On an interesting note, Ven strongly has a similar appearance to Roxas.

Birth by Sleep
His most memorable role in the video is his capture by Master Xehanort, who teleports behind him and grabs him by the back of his head when Ven attempts to attack him from behind. Ven struggles against Master Xehanort's grip, but to no avail; Master Xehanort squeezes his head hard enough to crack his helmet, then freezes his entire body solid before letting him drop from the cliff. Ven's body is caught by Aqua after hitting the cliff wall, shattering his Keyblade and most of what remained of his helmet. When his face is fully revealed, apparently still alive (as his eyes are moving and trying to focus on Aqua), it is shown that he is identical to Roxas. The connection between the two is not explained or even confirmed as an existent connection, leading to many theories among fans.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
According to an interview with Nomura, Ven is expected to play a huge role in the upcoming PSP game named after the video, perhaps even bigger than just being a male protagonist. In a video of unseen footage, Ven encounters Master Xehanort while at Olympus Coliseum. Ven asks who he is but then gasps as if he realized something. Master Xehanort goes on to say that Ven is losing something, but he hasn't lost it permanently. He then summons a lightning-like ball of energy in his hand like he does in the secret ending. He tells Ven, "In order to obtain it, give up!" and, "Now recover everything, and discover the truth!" This may be in regards to Ven's memory (akin to Chain of Memories), but this theory has yet to be confirmed. It could also refer to his heart as a scene shows Terra facing Xehanort asking what Xehanort had done to his friend's heart and another scene where Ven says "Erase me". It is also possible that it is his heart that is missing, as a video clip reveals Terra asking Xehanort what Xehanort had done to his friends heart but it hasn't been confirmed who he's talking about.

At Square Enix's latest convention, a playable demo of Ven in Cinderella's world, Castle of Dreams, was seen. In Castle of Dreams, Ven seems to have been shrunk down to the size of a mouse. This is likely to be magic that was cast upon him so he was the same size as the other mice from Cinderella. An image shows him holding his Keyblade and standing in front of Jaq as if he's defending him from something (most likely Lucifer since Lucifer has been revealed to be a boss for Ven to fight and images of the battle have been seen) and you notice Ven and Jaq are about the same size. Another image shows Ven carrying a ball of blue yarn while trying to sneak past a giant Lucifer. There is also a scene of him standing in the courtyard of a castle with Cinderella running past in the background - from the scale of this image it is assumed that the effects of whatever had shrunk him to the size of the mice in the first place had either worn off or been removed. He was also with Aqua when Maleficent told them that Terra's heart was descending into darkness, after hearing this he seemed upset and didn't want to believe it.

According to the new Famitsu scans, Ven is said to have quite a mischievous side. He appears in the world, Deep Space, and is seen talking with Stitch.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
While Ven does not make a physical appearance in the game, Xigbar sees Xion as Ven for a memorable moment before Xion strikes him down and leaves. Xigbar and Xemnas are the only ones who see Xion as Ven, and Xigbar is heavily implied to have met the real Ven sometime before, possibly before his transformation into a Nobody.

Battle Style
Ven is the fastest of the trio, using swift combo attacks with quick movements. Unlike most keyblade wielders, Ven wields his Keyblade in a reverse grip. Aside from his impressive speed, Ven also utilizes a variety of magic, including new and unique spells such as the Zero Gravity. He also seems to have access to some of Sora's very own techniques, such as the Strike Raid. His known Mode Changes are:
 * Speed Rave: Ven's personal fighting style that puts a large emphasis on overwhelming enemies with wide-ranged, speed-based combos.
 * Thunder Bolt: A swift mode change that unleashes powerful lightning upon attacks.
 * Fire Blazer: A ranged and versatile mode change that focuses the keyblade to erupt flames while attacking.

Trivia

 * Because Sora's Nobody, Roxas, bears an uncanny resemblance to Ven, it appears that he has some kind of connection with Sora. However, it is currently still unconfirmed what that connection might be.


 * Ven's swordsmanship seems to be very odd for several reasons. First, he holds his Keyblade so that the teeth of the key are facing the opponent (all other Keyblade Wielders strike with the flat end). He also holds it backwards so that it is behind him.


 * Ven is apparently ambidextrous, as he is seen using his Keyblade in both his left and right hands, which has another connection to Roxas because Roxas uses both hands for his two keyblades Oathkeeper &amp; Oblivion.


 * His full name 'Ventus' in Latin means 'wind'.
 * Ven's clothes resemble a hybrid of Roxas and Sora's clothes in Kingdom Hearts II.


 * The yellow part of Ven's Keyblade resembles the Kingdom Key, while the teeth of Ven's Keyblade resemble those of Serendipitous Pair which in turn also represent Sora and Roxas.


 * The badge on Ven's chest slightly resembles the symbol of the Nobodies turned upside down. The same badge is on Aqua's chest and Terra's belt (except Terra's is yellow). In its current position it vaguely resembles the symbol of the Heartless


 * In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Xigbar is about to fight Xion in Wonderland, when he sees Xion as Ven and is distracted. The reason for this is unknown, but it may indicate a connection between Ven and Sora (and so Xion, who is partly produced from Sora's memory), and the possibility that Braig may have met Ven.


 * He is the only member of the trio not to have a voice actor who previously portrayed a Final Fantasy character from Kingdom Hearts II, as Terra's and Aqua's portrayed Setzer and Paine, respectively.
 * As Ven and Roxas have the same Japanese voice actor (Koki Uchiyama), it is very likely that he will be voiced by Jesse McCartney in the English version of Birth by Sleep

Ven