Unforgettable, Epic Battles…it’s all Worth it!

By Inaheart

Epic Battle. When you read that phrase, what comes to mind? Length? Excitement? Visuals? Music? The general feel of the battle? How about a sense of glory? You might even term it as a “glorious battle.” Did you have a feeling of being a magnificently capable fighter? A pivotal battle is usually considered epic by many people no matter the length, and it’s endowed with a strong story that grips the characters involved. So what is considered an epic battle may be all of the above or something entirely different. An adventure within a fight to some, an artistic masterpiece to others. What is epic to one is gloriously lame to another. The analysis can become pretty complex.

Kingdom Hearts is a series known for being full of epic battles. Even the regular fights can feel long, intense, and spectacular, so the boss fights are naturally the cream of the crop. This article showcases the “elite of the elite” battles, the most glorious and spectacular battles. The most pivotal, important, powerful and emotionally-charged battles. The ones that matter most. This is my Top Ten list of the Most Epic Battles in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts 2.

Ten: Final Ansem (Kingdom Hearts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYZoI96nH1M

A monster within a monster controlled by a monster sums up Sora’s fight with Final Ansem. Let’s not forget explosions, Sora flying around bashing everything in his path, and Ansem’s ugly form tethered to another monster. This is clearly one of the most exciting battles in Kingdom Hearts, but there’s no doubt that some readers are going to wonder why he isn’t higher on the list. Quite honestly, I felt that something was missing. Sure, the battle was long and drawn out but it felt like Ansem overstayed his welcome and the prolonged length of battle was unnecessary. Still, experiencing the final strike of a huge ball of fire and Ansem being swallowed by light made it all worth the effort. 

Nine: Vexen (RE: Chain of Memories)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_9Z6_dHqA

Vexen, despite his perceived age and frailty, shows battle prowess that is emphasized by his elegant movments. The graceful gliding, the beautiful ice attacks, the powerful ice blade attack, and the important nature of the fight land Vexen on this list. Sora fights him in Twilight Town at a time when things are finally starting to come together in the plot of Chain of Memories. Some people consider Vexen “more annoying than difficult,” while others consider him just plain difficult. Either way, there is a reason why Vexen is on my list.

Eight: Jafar (Kingdom Hearts 2)

Sora gets to fight this giant form on a magic carpet! He also gets to dodge large white fiery balls, buildings, lightning and whatever Jafar manages to throw at him. It doesn’t help that Jafar can summon a vortex that swallows Sora up at least twice in the battle. The voice acting in this fight is excellent and contributes to the overall intensity and perceived authenticity of this fight. Sure, Jafar has his moments of sounding silly, but they often lead to large amounts of lightning that can be difficult to dodge while flying.

Seven: Groundshaker (Kingdom Hearts 2)

It’s huge, loud, and surprisingly fast. Every move it makes create tidal shakes, which is why it’s called “Groundshaker.” This battle is fought by hitting its flaming head, all the while trying to avoid getting stomped on, and then riding atop the Groundshaker in an attempt to hit its lightning infested “core”. Like most things in Kingdom Hearts, this is easier said than done as Groundshaker almost never holds still and loves to rear up to stomp your guts out.

Six: Saix (Kingdom Hearts 2)

This penultimate battle is nothing if not insanely intense. How can this battle even be described? From the very first “Moon Junta” to the desperate quoted “ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU” end of the fight, Saix screams his attacks, sweeps his huge sword in a bid to hit anything that moves, and tosses damaging light virtually everywhere. The closer Sora is to beating him, the more frantic Saix becomes, making it more and more difficult to get anywhere near him. Overall, Saix isn’t all that hard, but if you are one of the unlucky souls who transformed Sora into his anti-form in this fight, you might have a different opinion.

Five: Demyx (Kingdom Hearts 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPOUZVxuCr8

At least a few people are going to be wondering, “What is he doing here, and why is he so high up on this list?!” Demyx doesn’t have the vehemence other Kingdom Hearts battles have, he’s not a penultimate boss, and certainly not a final one. He is, however, one of the most pivotal and emotionally charged battles in the series. Kingdom Hearts 2 can be thought of in a division of two segments: Before Demyx and After Demyx. Before Demyx, things are generally easy, nothing is revealed except for the existence of the Nobodies, and Organization 13. Thus, when you face off against Demyx in the Underworld, his boss fight was one of the easiest. You can also argue that the second encounter is the easiest of all the Organization. However, after Demyx, things stop being a relative cakewalk and start getting real! The gloves come off during the second fight with Demyx. This time, the water clones have a great potential of killing you (indirectly), and the resident “wimp” shows that he can actually be one of the strongest members in Organization XIII when he puts his mind to it. No wonder Sora practically blew up after winning.

Four: Battle of 1000 Heartless (Kingdom Hearts 2)

This is the first major battle after defeating Demyx and because of that, it’s also one of the most cathartic. There’s no need to explain much here except to say that Sora, Donald, and Goofy go through 1,000 Heartless like a knife through melted butter. Loads of fun and epic due to the sheer amount of enemies alone.

Three: Final Xemnas (Kingdom Hearts 2)

The preceding battles with Xemnas certainly had plenty of grand moments. You commandeered a hover-cycle with your newly-reunited battle comrade, Riku, in a desperate chase to catch up to a gigantic dragon. Then, you fight Xemnas in his full armor sitting on a throne, while skyscrapers get thrown at you like rocks as well as a slew of magic spells. However, it’s this final battle against Xemnas where the stakes and difficulty level go up–where Riku and Sora are alone with the most powerful member of Organization 13. And you also find Xemnas in a brand new coat! Sora is captured, compelling Riku to navigate through Xemnas’ clones, each shooting projectiles in his direction. And then they have to shield themselves against a massive amount of missiles hoping that their defenses don’t fail them. After that? One of the best and most dramatic defeats EVER!

Two: Chernabog (Kingdom Hearts)

For all the Heartless that you’re now practically immune to from mastering your fighting techniques against them in previous worlds, once Sora, Donald and Goofy find themselves in a dark area known as “The End of the World,” it’s clear that increasingly more formidable foes still await them. At this location, they find a volcano with a dreaded monster living inside. Cue classical music used in Disney’s Fantasia, demonic yellow eyes, and a very powerful monster capable of killing Sora with fire and then tearing him to pieces.

One: Final Marluxia (Re: Chain of Memories)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHx59-tSmAg

This final battle has it ALL! The dramatic elements that attacked my five senses were the suspended approach, the gorgeous colors, the falling flower petals and the sensational music. To top it off, Marluxia added a distinctive power angle, difficulty, and drama, and the use of his Grim Reaper as weaponry was inspired. His defeat was coloured by melodrama and his exit was completed with a flush of Sakura petals that reached out and then vanished into darkness. Yup. You can’t deny that even his loss was epic.

Thus concludes my Top Ten list of the most epic battles in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2, and RE: Chain of Memories. I concede that a couple were actually pretty easy, but drawn out and emotional enough to make the cut while others proved exceedingly difficult. Obviously, the mileage of ‘epicness’ varies and some of those who’ve made this list may raise your eyebrows (with the exception of Marluxia, who I’m sure has a very strong, lasting impression in everyone’s KH-gaming history). One thing is for sure: fighting these bosses gave us moments that last into memory.

What do you think? Inaheart shared with us thoughts on battle epicness and are the same qualities important to you as well? Are there any Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days or Coded battles that felt like nothing else you’ve previously experienced in the realm of KH? It’s time to sound off below!

This article was written by Inaheart. You can read more of Inaheart’s top tens and other Kingdom Hearts musings at this blog.