Limit

Limits are special attacks in Kingdom Hearts II. Available only when a certain character is in the party and the appropriate ability is equipped, Limits enable the player and that party member to initiate devastating combo attacks at the cost of all Sora's MP. Limits can be performed from the command menu, or through the Reaction Command if the party member with the Limit ability has the Auto-Limit ability equipped also.

Upon activating a Limit, the other character in the party besides Sora and the party member performing the Limit vanishes, and the two remaining unleash a powerful attack. For a short time after activating the Limit, the player and the other character performing the Limit are invincible, and a Limit Meter appears in the upper-right; until the Meter is depleted, the player can initiate a series of powerful attacks using Sora and the other party member, leading up to a final attack that is even more powerful after the other attacks have been used enough times.

Limits are generally more effective against monsters than boss characters, as the Limit pulls the monsters towards the player and therefore damages them more. Some limits (e.g. Eternal Session, Trinity Limit) allow Sora to move freely, while most others (Treasure Isle, Complete Compilement) restrict movement.

Main Party Members
The main three party members can equip these Limit skills and use them in any world.


 * Sora
 * Trinity - Activated by equipping the "Trinity Limit" ability, it is perhaps the most powerful Limit technique alongside Eternal Session. After being activated, Sora, Donald and Goofy can each execute a special move. Sora slashes enemies rapidly using the Keyblade, Donald uses Ultima to heavily damage all enemies nearby, and Goofy uses Major Drive to shoot Drive Orbs at enemies. Each of these special techniques can only be performed once during the Limit. The finishing move is Combo, in which the three put their weapons together and create a field of magical energy that heavily damages all enemies. Ultima, Major Drive and Combo can only be activated if both Goofy and Donald are in the party. If only one or neither of them is with Sora, the Limit will be executed but no special abilities will be gained - Sora will merely perform a normal combo attack with the Keyblade, although he is still invincible while the Limit bar is active. Despite its dampened power this way, this Limit is the only one that can be activated by Sora alone, making it useful for solo battles.


 * Donald Duck
 * Duck Flare - Activated by equipping the "Flare Force" ability. Donald calls forth a series of rockets that seek out targets. The finishing move is Megaduck Flare, and Donald calls forth a barrage of rockets to attack many enemies.
 * Comet - Activated by equipping the "Fantasia" ability. Donald attacks an enemy with blasts of magical energy, knocking them into the air. The finishing move is Comet Barrage, where Donald slams his staff downwards and calls forth a ring of energy around him, damaging many enemies.


 * Goofy
 * Whirli-Goof - Activated by equipping the "Tornado Fusion" ability. Goofy and Sora spin around to damage enemies. The damage escalates to Whirli-Goofra, then the finisher, Whirli-Goofga.
 * Knocksmash - Activated by equipping the "Teamwork" ability. Goofy and Sora hit enemies nearby with their weapons several times. Eventually, Duo Raid allows them to throw their weapons towards enemies, similar to the Strike Raid ability. The finisher Cosmo Boost launches Goofy like a rocket, damaging all enemies he hits.

World-Exclusive Party Members
Each world-sepecific character has a special Limit that s/he can perform. In each of them, Sora and the other party member can typically perform one of two abilities, depending on if Sora uses the Attack command, or the Reaction command.


 * Mulan
 * Red Rocket - Activated by equipping the "Dragonblaze" ability. The Limit begins by having Mushu appear and fire a barrage of fireballs. Afterwards, Flametongue causes Sora to leap towards enemies surrounding himself in flame, and Heat Lance causes Mulan to fire a series of fireballs from her hand. The finishing move is Red Rocket, where Mushu spits a volley of fireballs into the air, and the three land on the ground as the fireballs impact around them, damaging enemies.


 * Beast
 * Twin Howl - Activated by equipping the "Howling Moon" ability. The Limit begins by having Sora and Beast roar, damaging enemies nearby. Afterwards, Outcry causes Sora to dash towards enemies in a flurry of slashes, and Stalwart Fang causes Beast to slam the ground and damage nearby enemies. The finishing move is Last Howl, in which Sora and Beast stand back to back and let out another howl, damaging nearby enemies.


 * Auron
 * Bushido - Activated by equipping the "Overdrive" ability. The Limit begins by having Sora and Auron slash around them. Afterwards, the commands allowed alternate between Shooting Star, in which Auron spins around to attack enemies, and Banishing Blade, where he leaps towards the and slices his sword downwards. The finishing move is Spiral, where Sora and Auron slam their weapons into each other and spin them rapidly, causing a large tornado that draws enemies towards it and does heavy damage.


 * Jack Sparrow
 * Bluff - Activated by equipping the "Treasure Isle" ability. The Limit begins by having Jack produce a treasure chest which Sora opens, creating a vortex that draws enemies towards it. Afterwards, Jack leaps into the air, and Jackknife causes him to slash the traps enemies, and Slasher has Sora attack them while on the ground. The finishing move is Final Trap, in which the enemies remain hovering in the air as Jack drops a bomb inside the chest and Sora closes the lid. Jack lands next to Sora, and the two look at each other before fleeing to either side as the chest explodes, damaging nearby enemies.


 * Jack Skellington
 * Dance Call - Activated by equipping the "Applause, Applause" ability. The Limit begins by having Jack spin Sora around, damaging enemies. Afterwards, Jack spins in the air above Sora, and Synchronization causes Sora and Jack to conjure a glowing pumpkin that releases ghosts to damage enemies, and the Downbeat command functions identically save for a different animation for Sora and Jack. The finishing move is Finale, in which Jack flings Sora into the air as a flurry of ghosts and bats fly around them to damage enemies, and Sora lands in front of Jack and the two pose as explosions light up from the ground in a shower of confetti.


 * Aladdin
 * Speedster - Activated by equipping the "Trick Fantasy" ability. The Limit begis by having Aladdin draw his sword, the screen goes black as a series of slash marks and exclamation points go off, and when the scene reappears Aladdin leans on Sora's shoulder as enemies are damaged. Afterwards, Quickplay causes either Sora or Aladdin (depend on if the Attack or Reaction command is used) to leap towards enemies slashing quickly. The finishing move is Trickster, in which Sora and Aladdin leap up and touch their feet, then leap off each other. The screen goes black again, and more slash marks and exclamation points are seen. The scene reappears as Sora and Aladdin land crouching next to each other, and jump up to slap hands as enemies around them are damaged.


 * Simba
 * Wildcat - Activated by equipping the "King's Pride" ability. The Limit begins by having Sora and Simba leap up and slam their paws into the ground, causing rocks to erupt around them and damaging enemies. Afterwards, X-Claw causes Sora and Simba to dash towards enemies slashing furiously, and High Fang causes them to spin in the air towards enemies very quickly. The finishing move is Proud Roar, in which Sora and Simba stand beside each other and roar loudly, creating an energy field around them that damages enemies.


 * Tron
 * Setup - Activated by equipping the "Complete Compilement" ability. The Limit begins by having Tron call forth several streams of data code around his hands, after which Sora flings the Keyblade upwards, damaging enemies. Afterwards, Burst Pulse causes Sora and Tron to call a field of rotating geometric shapes around them, and Cluster Code causes them to send out a wave of shapes at enemies. The finishing move is Reprogram, in which Tron calls forth a circle of data in front of Sora, and Sora slams his hand into it, creating several spinning shapes which fly around the air rapidly, causing heavy damage to enemies that touch them.


 * Riku
 * Session - Activated by equipping the "Eternal Session" ability, it is perhaps the most powerful Limit technique alongside Trinity. The Limit begins by having Sora and Riku initiate a series of combos, then execute a series of quick jabbing attacks together. Afterwards, Last Saber launches a series of jabs again, and Dark Cannon launches a series of fireballs. After either of these abilities is used enough times, Master Hearts is used, and Sora and Riku swing their Keyblades to unleash a series of long-range slashes. Then, KO Blades can be used to summon a series of energy swords to swing around them, and Master Hearts can also be used again. Finally, All's End is used, in which Sora and Riku throw their Keyblades into the air. The two weapons fire beams of light and dark energy at each other, drawing all enemies towards them and doing heavy damage in a flash of light. The Limit ends with Sora and Riku catching their Keyblades and knocking fists together.

Trivia

 * The Limit command is named for the Limit Break technique in the Final Fantasy series. The exact system varies for each game, but in general Limit Breaks allow a party member to execute an extremely powerful attack, or series of attacks, based on the amount of damage they have taken in some fashion.
 * As the Limit command takes its name from Final Fantasy, so do several of the commands used. Donald's Limit techniques Flare, Comet and Ultima, are all named for spells in the Final Fantasy series. Auron's Limit Bushido is his Limit Break in Final Fantasy X, the game he originated from, and Shooting Star and Banishing Blade are two of Auron's Bushido techniques in that game. Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy X were called "Overdrives", which is the name of the ability that activates Auron's Limit technique in Kingdom Hearts II.