The Keyblade Graveyard is a world that appears in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts III. It was first revealed in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II, "The Gathering". Before its formal introduction as a world, the Keyblade Graveyard was known as "The Badlands" (謎の荒野 Nazo no Arano?, lit. "The Mysterious Wasteland").
Geography[]
Keyblade Graveyard[]
The Keyblade Graveyard is made up of unending, rocky badlands, scarred by the battles of the Keyblade War. Early on, Terra and Ventus investigate the world at the Badlands, where they run into Master Xehanort and Vanitas, respectively. Later, the Vanitas Remnant and Lingering Will appear here, where they challenge intruders to battle.
Each of the heroes eventually enter the true battlegrounds of the world at the Seat of War, a small outcropping of rock overlooking the shattered vista below. It leads into the Twister Trench, where Vanitas's raging emotions have manifested as literal storms of Unversed. If any of the twisters are touched a battle against a group of Unversed begins. After this is the Fissure, a small ravine containing a save point and Moogle Shop.
The final area, the titular Keyblade Graveyard (キーブレード墓場 Kīburēdo Hakaba?) are crossroads, covered in the Keyblades of the wielders who fell during the Keyblade War. During his battle with the heroes, Master Xehanort creates a pillar of rock from the graveyard, and summons Kingdom Hearts to shine down upon it.
After Master Xehanort steals Terra's body and is reborn as Terra-Xehanort, Terra's soul animates his armor as the Lingering Will, locks them both within the Will's Cage (思念の檻 Shinen no Ori?), and forces him into a final battle. Meanwhile, Ventus and Vanitas have reunited into Ventus-Vanitas, and Ventus is forced to fight off Vanitas's control within Ventus's Mind (ヴェントゥスの精神世界 Ventusu no Seishin Sekai?, lit. "Ventus's Soul World"). Both of these areas vanish after the battle ends.
The Skein of Severance[]
The Skein of Severance is an artificial area of the Keyblade Graveyard created by Master Xehanort to serve as the battleground for the real Organization XIII and the Seven Guardians of Light. It is a labyrinthine ruin-like structure that is divided into three major sections.
The first section is the Trail of Valediction, where two separate groups of the Organization are fought - one including Xigbar and Dark Riku, while the other includes Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene.
Upon defeating these two sets of enemies, Sora enters the Twist of Isolation, where in order to proceed, special doors have to be opened and closed by standing on top of colored switches. Here two other groups can be found, one including Vanitas and Terra-Xehanort, while the other includes Xion and Saïx.
The final area, called the Tower of Endings, is located atop the Skein of Severance, and serves as the battle area for Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort.
History[]
Kingdom Hearts χ[]
On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail and the light expire.
Book of Prophecies
Before the war, the Player dreams a vision of the seven lights and the thirteen seekers of darkness about to start a battle in the future. As time went on, tensions between the various Unions arose, and in the end a Keyblade War commenced in a place that would one day be called the Keyblade Graveyard. As the war concluded, the hearts of the fallen began ascending into Kingdom Hearts above. From afar, Luxu stood in silence with the Black Box by his side as he held the Gazing Eye, which allowed the Master of Masters to learn of the event and write it within the Book of Prophecies. Of the known combatants to partake in the war, only the Player survived before being saved by the Dandelions.
Before the events of Birth by Sleep, Ephemer's physical body perished, but his heart eventually found its way to the Keyblade Graveyard due his connection to the place. His heart remains in the graveyard for centuries after his physical death.
Birth by Sleep[]
Behold. These lifeless keys used to be full of power—united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat, as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search for one, ultimate key.
Master Xehanort
The Keyblade Graveyard was the site of the Keyblade War, where the χ-blade was shattered and the only place where it could be recreated. As Heartless appear on the world at times, the Keyblade Graveyard also served as a training ground for Xehanort to train his apprentice Ventus in honing his darkness before deciding to extract the darkness and create Vanitas.
Before the world's identity was revealed, Ventus and Terra visited this world. While Terra's visits have him meet up with Xehanort, Ventus's first visit was a conflict between him and Vanitas and the second where Xehanort reveals his intend to use the boy to create the χ-blade. Eventually through the manipulations of Xehanort, Terra, Aqua and Ventus each end up at the Keyblade Graveyard and meet up. With Vanitas by his side, Xehanort reveals the world's history and how he will accomplish what those who fell failed by obtaining the recreated χ-blade to unlock Kingdom Hearts while causing another Keyblade War upon the worlds.
An epic battle ensues, and after Xehanort freezes Ventus and drops him off a cliff, Aqua tending to her friend before being distracted by Braig long enough for Vantias to knock the Keyblade Master unconscious. Managing to break free, Ventus battles Vanitas before being restrained by the Unversed as Vanitas proceeds to merge back into Ventus so the χ-blade can be remade from their reunion. At that time, having Terra fully embrace the darkness in his heart Xehanort uses his Keyblade to transfer his heart into the younger Keyblade wielder's body, turning Terra into his vessel.
However, as Terra-Xehanort finds himself facing resistance from Terra in the form of the Lingering Will, Aqua and Mickey find themselves fighting Ventus under the control of Vanitas before the χ-blade is revealed to be unstable. Despite Vanitas's attempt to metaphysically force their fusion into completion, Ventus defeats him as the χ-blade explodes with the blast radius consuming everyone with only the Lingering Will, and Terra's mind, remaining on the Keyblade Graveyard.
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix[]
In Disney Castle, a portal to the Keyblade Graveyard appears in the Hall of the Cornerstone. Chip and Dale summon Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who enter the portal and find the Lingering Will alone in the Keyblade Graveyard. The Lingering Will first wonders if Sora is Aqua, Ventus, Riku or even Xehanort.
Calling out Xehanort's name, the Lingering Will engages Sora in a fierce battle. Sora manages to defeat the Lingering Will, who respectfully acknowledges Sora as a true Keyblade Master and then returns to his normal position. If Sora comes back to challenge him again, the Lingering Will agrees to fight, but states to Sora that he has nothing left to give him save for his hatred for Xehanort.
Kingdom Hearts III[]
Today, we join these other wielders and leave our mark on fate. I have waited patiently... but together, we shall unlock the Keyblade War's secrets. Now we forge it. The ultimate key... The χ-blade!
Master Xehanort
Following Riku and Sora's Mark of Mastery exam in the Sleeping Worlds, the real Organization XIII withdrew from The World That Never Was to the Keyblade Graveyard, where they would set up their new base of operations at the site of thirteen large stone pillars. Members of the real Organization XIII would meet at the pillars to discuss various topics, such as Vexen and Saïx on the Replica Program, and Xemnas revealing to Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene of an ancient Keyblade legacy slumbering within the four.
Once the guardians of light had fully assembled, the guardians travel to the badlands of the Keyblade Graveyard, where they faced thousands of Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed summoned by the darknesses before eventually facing the full thirteen at the crossroads, where Master Xehanort creates the Skein of Severance to serve as the battleground for their clashes. As the new Keyblade War raged, all of the thirteen darknesses excluding Master Xehanort had fallen, with even Kairi on the side of the guardians being stuck down by the hands of Master Xehanort. Upon the thirteenth clash between Sora and Master Xehanort himself following Kairi's destruction, the legendary χ-blade was restored, to which Master Xehanort utilized its power to once again summon Kingdom Hearts to purge the worlds in darkness as it had in the past. Using their combined powers, the guardians of light utilize Xehanort's own powers over space and time against him to trap him in Scala ad Caelum, where Sora would follow in after to finish him off.
Once the battle against Master Xehanort concluded, Master Xehanort accepted defeat and ascended into the afterlife with Master Eraqus, gifting the χ-blade to Sora before his passing, who uses it to close Kingdom Hearts. With Kingdom Hearts closed once again, the group returns back to the Keyblade Graveyard, which had been returned to its natural state before the fights began. Not long afterwards, Luxu, now with the Black Box back at his side, re-acquires the Gazing Eye before summoning the other Foretellers, with the exception of Ava, back to the crossroads. There, he reveals to his old comrades of his current vessel as Xigbar, explaining to them his role over the centuries. While they talked, Maleficent and Pete overlooked them from afar.
Treasure[]
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep[]
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Kingdom Hearts III[]
Trivia[]
- The capital letters in the logo for the Keyblade Graveyard slightly resemble real Keyblades. The "K" bears resemblance to the teeth of the Ends of the Earth, the "E" resembles the teeth of the Wayward Wind, the "G" bears similarity to the guard of the Stormfall, and the final "D" resembles the guard of the Kingdom Key complete with the Keychain, albeit featuring Sora's Crown Pendant rather than the Hidden Mickey symbol.
- The "teeth" of Oblivion, Oathkeeper, Sleeping Lion, Follow the Wind, Circle of Life, and Fenrir, as well as the Keychain of the Gazing Eye, can been seen coming out of the bottom of the World icon.
- In the Kingdom Hearts III version, the Organization thrones from The World That Never Was are seen sprouting from beneath the World icon and logo.
- Each Eye of the Storm contains Unversed inflicted with either Slow, Haste, or an unnamed status that enlarges them, depending on the color of that storm.