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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (view source)

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* [[Armor Is Useless]]: Well, more specifically, it only plays a role in story rather than in gameplay. It's designed to protect you from the power of darkness and basically acts like a space suit when the [[Three Amigos]] travel through the void of space to other worlds. It has no apparent effect on your actual defense stat. Of course, that doesn't stop the trio from activating it for the finale because [[Rule of Cool|it looks awesome]]!
** Expecting this trope to be averted, Terra becomes slightly [[Wrong Genre Savvy]] when {{spoiler|Master Xehanort tries to take over his body. Not only is the darkness of Xehanort's heart so great, but Terra's heart has been weakened by the dark powers he embraced.}}
* [[Art Evolution]]: Every character who appeared in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' got a new, much prettier model. It's most obvious in [[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Aurora]], who goes from having [[Tareme Eyes]] to having [[Tsurime Eyes]].
* [[Artificial Stupidity]]: The objective of the Command Board is to acquire a pre-set amount of GP by circling the board earning GP and buying tiles, then be the first person with that amount of GP to make it back to the start panel as quickly as possible. AI opponents will frequently earn enough GP to win and keep circling the board like normal. AI opponents always rarely make decent use of their cards, either using them very rarely or using them too much and thus being unable to buy panels.
** Exceptions are Peter Pan on the Skull Board and Tigger on the Honey Board. Both make liberal use of Magic cards to roll two or three dice at a time, but conserve their other cards.
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* [[Artistic Age]]: There are flashbacks where, given that Aqua is [[Vague Age|approximately]] 18-20 in the main story, she can't be older than 14-16. Not that you would know that from her character model, which is unchanged. The characters do seem to act younger, at least. Ven, however, has a somewhat younger looking model.
* [[Ascended Extra]]:
** In a sense: Xigbar didn't play too large a role in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]'', but his original self, Braig, gets more screentime and figures heavily into the villain's plans. Then again, much of his role in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' was [[Foreshadowing]] for his role in this.
** Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora also fit this role seeing as how they didn't have voices in the first ''[[Kingdom Hearts (Videovideo Gamegame)|Kingdom Hearts]]'' and were barely even mentioned in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: Especially for weapons, where there's a [[Serial Escalation|descending tier]] of [[Awesome but Impractical]]:
** The No Name and Void Gear keyblades in ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep]]''. By the time you get them, you've already beaten the game and there are only a handful of enemies worth using them on. Aqua's and Ven's [[Infinity-1 Sword|Infinity Minus One Swords]] are also a bit more suited for them, anyway, and Aqua gets a weapon that better suits her for the [[True Final Boss]]. They can still be quite useful for the Mirage Arena, unless you've already cleared ''that'' out, too. Which, by the way, earns you ''another'' Keyblade: Ultima Weapon, which is between the two extremes offered by Void Gear and No Name. If you have all three of those, congratulations! You'll ''never need them again.''
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* [[Badass Grandpa]]: In ''Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix'''s secret trailer (which turned out to be the penultimate scene in everyone's scenario), Master Xehanort makes a ''mountain'' out of nothing and smacks around the trio with a Keyblade ''tornado''. It takes half the video for Terra and Ventus to even get to him and when they do he kicks their asses in about ten seconds. He manages to hold down Terra, the strongest of the trio, ''without even straining.'' All with that [[Slasher Smile|little grin]] on his face.
* [[Bald of Evil]]: Master Xehanort.
* [[Battle in Thethe Center of Thethe Mind]]:
** {{spoiler|Ventus and Vanitas's final showdown.}}
** The secret ending also implies that {{spoiler|Terra and Master Xehanort will be doing this in Terra's mind ''indefinitely''}}.
** During the battle with {{spoiler|Terra-Xehanort, Aqua herself can briefly enter Terra's mind (somehow). If she can evade Xehanort's guardian [[Familiar]] and make it to a comatose Terra (''[[Guide Dang It|without attacking him]]'') in time, she can join him for a [[Combination Attack]] meant to purge Master Xehanort's heart out of Terra's body. It doesn't (fully) work, although it ''can'' be a [[One-Hit Kill]] if done correctly.}}
* [[Beam-O-War]]: {{spoiler|Ventus and Vanitas, at the very end of their final fight.}}
* [[Be Asas Unhelpful Asas Possible]]: Terra's chasing after any number of things, Ven's chasing Terra, and Aqua's chasing after both of them. In this massive amount of chasing around, there's quite a bit of bystanders from Disney worlds who can be questioned for assistance and many of them are quite unhelpful. The Magic Mirror? Speaks only in riddles. The Seven Dwarfs? Openly hostile to Ven even after he saves Snow White! Maleficent? Takes every opportunity to sow seeds of discord between the [[Three Amigos]] she gets, [[For the Evulz|just for the evil of it.]]
** ''Veeeeery'' slightly averted when Aqua asks Scrooge McDuck for information on Terra's whereabouts. Scrooge answers as helpfully as he can, but because her description of Terra was so vague <ref>she had even called him a boy, instead of a young man</ref>, Scrooge sends her after where he last saw ''Ventus'' instead of Terra.
* [[Because Destiny Says So]]: Even at age ''four'' Sora is able to see the light in darkness. The secret ending also {{spoiler|ends with it implying that it is Sora's destiny to unite all hearts.}}
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* [[Bonus Boss]]:
** {{spoiler|Vanitas Remnant}}, accessible only after playing through every character's storyline and obtaining all the Xehanort Reports.
** A new one exclusive to the international releases and ''Final Mix'' is dubbed the Unknown, a man in a [[Black Cloak|black coat]] who [[Dual-Wielding|dual-wields]] [[Reverse Grip|reverse-gripped]] [[Laser Blade|laser blades]] that he can [[Bifurcated Weapon|combine]] to result in a [[Blade Onon a Stick|lance]] and [[Whip Sword]]. Just look at [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIRjW-tO8Yc him.]
** And yet four more bosses in the ''Final Mix'' version: in the Mirage Arena, [[Pinocchio|Monstro]], No Heart <ref> a Keyblade-wielding armour which appears to be Master Xehanort's armour; it resembles Xemnas' armoured stages in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|II]]'''s final battle, but wields Master Xehanort's Keyblade</ref>, and Armor of the Master <ref>seemingly Master Eraqus' armour given form</ref>. The Secret Episode has "Red Eye", who Aqua fights {{spoiler|in the Realm of Darkness post-game}}. Mercifully, none of them are quite as [[Spam Attack|relentless]] as the Unknown, though Nomura mentioned that they were intended to be multiplayer bosses.
* {{spoiler|[[Bonus Dungeon]]}}: {{spoiler|The Realm of Darkness, in Final Mix.}}
* [[Book Ends]]: One of the earliest battles in the game, {{spoiler|Aqua vs. Terra}}, is revisited as {{spoiler|the final battle, entirely playable and much more tragic}}.
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** It's not all serious stuff, either. Aqua waking up Ven the same way Kairi woke Sora up in ''KHI'', complete with "Gimme a Break, Aqua.", and Terra saying [[Kingdom Hearts|"Come on, Ven. I thought you were stronger than that."]]. The beginning scene also mimics ''KHII'', where Ventus wakes up in the same manner as Roxas.
*** In addition to Terra's line, {{spoiler|Ventus-Vanitas says "What's wrong? Giving up already?" as a [[Call Forward]] ''and'' a [[Call Back]]!}}
** Another one (that retroactively doubles as [[Foreshadowing]]) is {{spoiler|Master Eraqus' death scene. As he [[Disappears Into Light|fades into light]], his body phases through Terra at the last moment. Much like the whole [[It Was Withwith You All Along|Sora-Kairi deal in the first game]], Eraqus' heart is locked away inside of Terra's as revealed by "Blank Points".}}
** From the epilogue:
{{quote| {{spoiler|'''Terra''' (''inside his mind/heart, conversing with Master Xehanort''): "Wrong. [[Be Careful What You Wish For|You're going to get shown the door]], old man."}}}}
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*** [http://monjava.deviantart.com/art/Aqua-meets-sora-and-riku-184775868?q=gallery:monjava/27230077&qo=28 "Why do you say it like it's a pre-determined thing?"]
** In a flashback to Master Eraqus confronting {{spoiler|Master Xehanort}} about his objectives:
{{quote| '''Master Eraqus:''' ''"Would you [[Kingdom Hearts (Videovideo Gamegame)|blanket all the worlds in darkness?]] [[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Reduce them to nothing!?]]"''}}
* [[Camera Screw]]: Occasionally, the camera will end up behind your target instead of you, which will have you running the wrong way. More annoying, however, is when the Lock-on will randomly ''un''lock, potentially making you attack and guard in the ''wrong direction.'' Usually (but not always) the camera only unlocks after you get a certain distance from the target but it also shows no ability to realize whether it's locked onto a barrel or an enemy. This can make fights in some areas a headache if you can't switch targets quick enough.
* [[Cap]]: The damage cap against bosses prevents them from losing more than 25 [[Hit Points]] per hit.
* [[Casting Gag]]: In the English version, Master Eraqus is played by [[Mark Hamill|Luke Skywalker]] while Master Xehanort is played by [[Leonard Nimoy|Spock]]. This was deliberately done at the behest of Nomura to play on the ''[[Star Wars]]'' vs. ''[[Star Trek]]'' debate.
* [[Cats Are Mean]]: Lucifer, the cat of [[Evil Stepmother|Lady Tremaine]] of ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]'' is a boss. This might not seem like a challenge except that you happen to be the size of a mouse at the time.
* [[Chained Byby Fashion]]: The Secret Episode's final boss and the Iron Imprisoner.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]:
** At the part where you choose who you want to play as, Ven's description notes he holds his Keyblade backhand. This might not seem important at first. However, at the end of Aqua's story, {{spoiler|Ven gets possessed by Vanitas.}} When this happens, {{spoiler|Possessed!Ven holds his Keyblade out in front, showing that he isn't really Ven.}}
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* [[Crosshair Aware]]: Terra when he fights Braig.
* [[Cutscene Incompetence]]: Oh sure, you'll kick their asses in the actual fights, but in the final cutscenes Xehanort and Vanitas utterly ''own'' Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.
* [[Cutscene Power to Thethe Max]]: Averted by Master Xehanort. Blasts of ice, a storm of Keyblades, raising plateaus of earth? Those are all things he does when you fight him.
* [[Damn You, Muscle Memory!]]: Spend ten or more hours playing as Terra and you'll take quite a bit of getting used to the style of the next two characters. Especially Aqua.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: This is, without a doubt, the darkest game in the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series, with ''358/2 Days'' coming in second. [[Doomed Byby Canon|You already know that something]] ''[[Doomed Byby Canon|has]]'' [[Doomed Byby Canon|to happen that makes the three former Keyblade wielders disappear by the time]] ''[[Doomed Byby Canon|KHI]]'' [[Doomed Byby Canon|starts.]] It's also not afraid to deal with heavy subjects such as death. However, as dark and as intense as it is, the game does not lose the happy fun of the Disney worlds. It's a testament to the quality of the game's writing that they mesh so well.
* [[Dark Reprise]]: The battle against the Armor of the Master uses one of "Future Masters", the Land of Departure's battle theme.
* [[Death By Origin Story]]
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** If you know the right melds it is entirely possible to fuse Mega Flare well before you get to Radiant Garden.
* [[Disney Death]]: {{spoiler|The secret ending reveals Ansem the Wise's [[Heroic Sacrifice]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' to be this.}}
* [[Disney Princess]]: Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White have a larger role than they did in the [[Kingdom Hearts (Videovideo Gamegame)|first game]].
* [[Distant Finale]]: {{spoiler|The final scene in the game takes place a bit after ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]''.}}
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: The Conclusion to the Festival in Disney Town. After Pete loses to The Trio in a threeway tie, Queen Minnie sends him to the ''Realm of Darkness'' for being a bad sport about it, effectively [[Retcon|Retconing]] earlier statements that Mickey had banished Pete for severe wrongdoing. Afterwards, he is recruited by Malefecent to be her [[The Dragon|Right Hand man]]. Yeah, [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Nice going Queen...]]
* [[Divergent Character Evolution]]: Terra, Ven and Aqua are a [[Mighty Glacier]], [[Fragile Speedster]] and [[Squishy Wizard]], respectively, but at the beginning of the game they all play more or less the same. As you proceed through the game you unlock their unique abilities a bit at a time, and come the final world their unique playstyles are firmly established.
* [[Doomed Byby Canon]]/[[Shaggy Dog Story]]: Considering the many events hinted to happen in this game and the conspicuous absence of a Keyblade-centric order in the other games, it's pretty much to be expected.
* [[Doppelganger Spin]]: [[Bonus Boss|The Unknown.]] The Spirit of the Magic Mirror pulls this off multiple times, too (which should be expected, given it's a ''mirror''.)
* [[Double Entendre]]: Arguably, Vanitas' battle quotes, "What's yours is mine!" and "Show me anguish!" <ref> The latter is even worse if you [[Mondegreen|mishear]] it as "Show me anything!"</ref> The former is supposed to [[Foreshadow]] Vanitas {{spoiler|being Ven's dark half}}, and the latter is just there to show [[Complete Monster|what kind of person he is]], but if you know what anguish ''[[Mind Rape|means]]''...
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** This is Terra's standard reaction to just about everything he encounters. Although this seems to be more to do with the nuances of Jason Dohring's acting method rather than Terra's characterization.
** Willa Holland (Aqua) dabbles a bit in it too. That being said, both characters ''can'' emote, but Terra is usually subtle about it (if his friends {{spoiler|and later on, Xehanort}} are the subject of choice, ''then'' Terra starts to break out the passion).
* [[Dummied Out]]: Hackers have recently found remnants of an [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxX9huOsGF0 unfinished world] based on ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]]'', the one completed room being King Louie's temple, along with a few partially unfinished jungle rooms including the edge of the man-village. They also found [http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100629010307/kingdomhearts/images/2/21/Light_Seeker.jpg Mickey's Kingdom Key D], which seems to have been an exclusive Keyblade for Ven.
** The final Mix also includes graphics related to the ''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts 3D]]'' Demo(most strikingly the title card). The 2 best guesses to why they're there so far is that they either used BBS graphics as a placeholder for the actual game or they intended to have some sort of demo for ''Dream Drop Distance''.
* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: While the game's normal ending is a [[Downer Ending]], the secret ending implies that this is what will eventually happen to the main characters. After all, {{spoiler|although they lost, the three really fought like lions and they DID manage to derail most of Xehanort's scheme by destroying the χ-blade and Vanitas. I mean, come on, all that effort should be rewarded.}}
* [[Easy Mode Mockery]]: If you play the game in Beginner mode, you won't get to see the secret movie.
* [[Elemental Powers]]: Terra and Ven get powerful exclusive [[Dishing Out Dirt|Earth]] and [[Blow You Away|Wind]] based abilities and spells, curiously however, Aqua doesn't get a powerful [[Making a Splash|Water]] spell or ability, other than her starting Bubble Blaster Shotlock. That's because she kicks ass with [[Playing Withwith Fire|Fire]], [[Shock and Awe|Lightning]], [[An Ice Person|Ice]], [[Time Stands Still|Time]], and [[Light'Em Up|Light]].
* [[Enemy Without]]: As the tutorial prologue shows, Ventus literally has a broken heart; all the darkness got ripped clean out of it, and he'd have died of this if not for the outside intervention of a mysterious force. Things get a little more sinister when it becomes clear that his shadow didn't just go away, either...
 
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** At the beginning of the game, we see {{spoiler|a younger Master Xehanort, who looks very much the present day Xehanort, as well as Terra. He even appears to be voiced by both [[Ryotaro Okiayu]] and Jason Dohring (who voice Terra). When Terra picks Riku to be his successor, we see a brief silhouette of Young!Master Xehanort and then Riku circa ''KHII''.}} [[Harsher in Hindsight|This should make you cringe]], as {{spoiler|when Terra performed the [[Take Up My Sword|Keyblade Rite of Succession]], he didn't intend for Riku to end up being body snatched by Xehanort like he was.}}
* [[For Science!]]: Xehanort's plans: {{spoiler|1: Forge the χ-blade to summon Kingdom Hearts and get Keyblade wielders fighting over it. 2: Possess Terra to live through to the end of the new Keyblade War, and watch the universe be destroyed. 3: See what happens next.}}
* [[Fun Withwith Subtitles]]: We probably wouldn't be able to understand half of what Jaq says without it. Made even more funny when you occasionally ''do'' catch what he's saying and realize they are translating his strange way of speaking and verbal tics into normal English.
* [[Game Breaker]]: [[Word of God]] admitted Mega Flare was one, doing high damage to all enemies over a wide area, executing quickly, and doing the damage over a period of several seconds so it could hit waves of spawning enemies as they appeared. As a result it was nerfed for the Final Mix release by doubling its reload.
* [[Game Within a Game]]: The Command Board is a full version of Square Enix's long-standing ''[[Itadaki Street (Video Game)|Itadaki Street]]'' series, rules and all.
* [[Gender Blender Name]]: [[Theme Naming]] aside, Terra is ''still'' [[Final Fantasy VI|a girl's]] [[Teen Titans (Animationanimation)|name]].
* [[Genre Blind]]: Just about ''everyone'' in this game. Come on... Xehanort is ''obviously'' evil. Yet everyone's trusting him, even Master Eraqus, who {{spoiler|even TRIED to kill him in the past but failed}}. More to the point Master Eraqus knew {{spoiler|that Xehanort had used the darkness to grow stronger than Eraqus and wanted to recreate the Keyblade War and yet Eraqus still never saw fit to warn ''anyone'' about any of this leading directly to a [[Poor Communication Kills|situation that could have been avoided]] if he had just bothered to give some information.}}
* [[Get Back Here Boss]]: Braig is ''[[That One Boss|somehow even worse than his Nobody counterpart]]''. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O28p6phnig See here.] Played with since one of the strategies to beating him is to simply use Block to reflect all of his regular attacks right back at him and to dodge every attack that can't be blocked.
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** Vanitas ({{spoiler|the original version of said [[Bonus Boss]]}}) is like this too. He has the speed and strength of a [[Lightning Bruiser]], but his defense is somewhat poor. Of course, his aggressive, [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]-styled attack pattern makes it somewhat hard to notice this.
** As opposed to [[Mighty Glacier|Terra]] and [[Fragile Speedster|Ven]], [[Squishy Wizard|Aqua]] grows into this mold by endgame. She's quick (although not quite to Ven levels) and possesses deadly magic, but due to her low HP, she cannot take a hit. ''Ever''. {{spoiler|Good luck with [[Final Boss|Ventus-Vanitas]] and [[True Final Boss|Terra-Xehanort]]!}}
* [[Go-Karting Withwith Bowser]]: Hey guys! Let's stop trying to destroy the Unversed and race with them instead!
* [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: What happens to Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters is downright brutal.
* [[Graceful Loser]]: The Servant of the Mirror, to Aqua.
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* [[Grand Theft Me]]: {{spoiler|Master Xehanort takes over Terra's body at the end of Terra's story, which explains how he appears as Ansem's apprentice.}}
** {{spoiler|Not to mention what Vanitas did to Ventus. Didn't last, though.}}
* [[Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress]]: [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|Zero Gravity.]] Upgrade it to get [[Up to Eleven|Transcendence]], which traps its helpless victims and ''bounces'' them around like rag dolls.
* [[Guide Dang It]]
** Three characters means you have to get the treasure chests and stickers three times. [http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/943347-kingdom-hearts-birth-by-sleep/56459918 It was bound to happen.]
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** {{spoiler|Aqua would have gone suicidal in the epilogue had it not been for the [[Big Damn Heroes|timely appearance]] of Terra and Ventus's Keyblades giving her a renewed sense of hope and the will to smile again.}}
* [[Heroic Resolve]]: Ventus: {{spoiler|As he lies frozen and helpless on the ground, Vanitas strikes Aqua down and prepares to finish her off. Through nothing more than sheer willpower, Ven thaws himself out just in time to stop him and engage him in combat.}}
** Terra: {{spoiler|After Master Xehanort commits [[Grand Theft Me]] on him, he begins to walk away, when a barrier suddenly surrounds the plateau. The camera pans over and we see Terra's armor has reformed itself, through what is apparently his lingering emotions and ''will''. [[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Terra's Lingering Will]] proceeds to battle Xehanort on its own, giving us a very satisfying [[This Cannot Be!]] moment}}.
{{quote| '''Xehanort''': {{spoiler|Your body submits, your heart succumbs-- so why does your mind [[Large Ham|RESIST]]?!}}}}
** Aqua: Despite everything that happens, she keeps on going long after the other two, and even {{spoiler|spends eleven years alone in the realm of darkness without cracking--[[Interrupted Suicide|although she did come close, but it was fortunately averted by the timely arrival of Ven and Terra's Keyblades to give her the drive to keep going.]]}}
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* [[Holy Hand Grenade]]: Ven's exclusive skills Faith and Salvation.
* [[Hot-Blooded]]: Vanitas's battle taunts certainly sound as if his VAs had fun with the role. {{spoiler|[[Miyu Irino]] and Haley Joel Osment were obviously enjoying themselves playing a character who looked like Sora but was his ''exact opposite'' in terms of personality.}}
* [[Hot Chick Withwith a Sword|Hot Chick With A Keyblade]]: Aqua.
** Phil and Hades pick up on this, as well as many a player.
** [[Hot Amazon]]: As far as Zack (and the fandom) is concerned.
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** It's most noticeable in the cutscene near the end where {{spoiler|1=Terra, Aqua, and Ventus [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb1R7TG9Z3s#t=5m8s gather at the Keyblade graveyard.] Look at 'em bounce!}}
* [[Jigsaw Puzzle Plot]]: You have to play as all three characters to get the whole story.
* [[Just Between You and Me]]: Vanitas does this without shame, confident there's nothing the heroes can do about it. {{spoiler|And he's ''right'', more or less.}} Well everyone except {{spoiler|[[Spanner in Thethe Works|Aqua who proceeds to kick his ass and derail Master Xehanort's scheme, but even then she winds up becoming inadvertedly responsible for Xehanort being able to make his ''other'' schemes]]}}.
* [[Kung Fu Wizard]]: No Heart, who turns his Keyblade into armour and kicks / punches you with it.
* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: When Braig confronts Terra in Radiant Garden, he comments on his Keyblade, saying that "it seems like everyone has one of those things these days."
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** Several of the Shotlock commands that you can only obtain on the Command Board can be this (ex: Ragnarok).
* [[Leitmotif]]:
** Terra, Aqua, and Ven all get their own. One shared between Xion, Roxas, and Axel from ''[[Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days Over 2 (Video Game)|358/2 Days]]'' also makes an appearance when Ven and Lea meet for the first time.
** [[Word of God|Nomura]] has stated that [[Bonus Boss|Mysterious Figure's]] battle theme is also this. {{spoiler|It takes cues from Rage Awakened (Terra's Lingering Sentiment), Darkness of the Unknown (Xemnas's final battle theme in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]''), and Lord of the Castle (Marluxia's final battle theme in ''Re: Chain of Memories'')}}.
* [[Lethal Joke Item]]: Sweetstack, an ice-cream-themed Keyblade that just so happens to have a 100% critical rate.
* [[Lightning Bruiser]]:
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** Eraqus sheds a single tear {{spoiler|before locking blades with Terra}}.
** Terra also {{spoiler|when he almost kills Master Eraqus and realizes what he has done.}}
* [[May the Farce Be Withwith You]]: More of a homage than a parody, the story outside of Ven and Vanitas has significant parallels to Episode III of the saga, with several character parallels.
** Terra, a Keyblade apprentice, is refused the rank of Master due to his lust for power and lack of discipline in spite of outstanding talent. Xehanort plays on his insecurities about his skills and his master, tempting him to use the powers of darkness to his advantage instead of rejecting them as he has been taught. At this time a crisis ensues that forces Terra and Aqua to depart from Eraqus
** Xehanort is kidnapped by Braig and Terra channels dark powers to rescue him, but it turns out Braig is working with Xehanort and the kidnapping was staged to lure Terra to darkness.
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* [[Mighty Glacier]]: Terra swings his [[BFS|Keyblade]] in slow, wide arches. He hits like ''hell''.
* [[Milking the Giant Cow]]: Master Xehanort does this even more than the modern one--watch those fingers coil.
* [[Mind Screwdriver]]: This game is this for the previous ones, but [[Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance3D|the effect doesn't last.]]
* [[Mirror Boss]]: {{spoiler|After possessing Terra, the new Xehanort uses his fighting style instead of that of his old body. He can even block, counter and heal.}}
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: Terra and Aqua enjoy a peaceful break at Destiny Island before [[It Got Worse|it gets worse]]: After she leaves the islands, Aqua {{spoiler|finds a weakened Mickey and heads to meet Yen Sid who tells her Eraqus is dead.}} As for Terra, {{spoiler|he leaves the islands only to be contacted by Xehanort, who sets him up to kill Eraqus shortly after.}} Ven avoids this--his visit to the islands is just as traumatic as the events that occur after and before it.
* [[Mook Maker]]: {{spoiler|Vanitas is the source of ALL the Unversed. He's been visiting every world he can and spawning as many Unversed as he can, like a [[Walking Wasteland]]. This is actually a pretty impressive power and just hammers home that he's really [[Made of Evil]].}}
* [[Musical Assassin]]: The Symphony Master, though it has nothing on [[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Demyx]].
* [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: {{spoiler|Both Terra and Eraqus do this after fighting each other to near death, and the latter additionally for nearly killing Ven. [[Complete Monster|Then Xehanort finishes the job]].}}
* [[Mythology Gag]]:
** In ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'', Aurora fell under Maleficent's spell of sleep when she was drawn into the pathway Maleficent created behind the fireplace in the castle. In this game, you can go through the fireplace in the Enchanted Dominion's castle to find... the Sleep spell. Appropriate.
** In the Dwarf Woodlands as Aqua, you can also find Poison near the cottage.
* [[Necessarily Evil]]: {{spoiler|Master Eraqus really doesn't want to kill his student, but he sees no other alternative to keeping Xehanort from getting the χ-blade.}}
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** Here's one nerf that most players are actually ''glad'' for: in Final Mix, the [[Bonus Boss]] Unknown has had some of the hitstun removed from [[That One Attack|its Collision Magnet attack]], allowing players to escape it before being hit again. This was done to make the two new [[Bonus Boss|Bonus Bosses]] look even stronger.
** Aerial attacks were slowed down considerably compared to how they are in other games, so if you're one of those people who like to [[Super Smash Bros|SHFFL]] your aerials to get extra damage on enemies, weep.
* [[Never Say "Die"]]: Surprisingly inverted--Master Xehanort uses "die" rather frequently, most explicitly in one of {{spoiler|Ventus's flashbacks: "you would rather die than use the power?"}} At the same time, though, the three heroes tend to use euphemisms (examples, {{spoiler|Aqua talking about how Eraqus was}} "struck down", {{spoiler|Ventus asking his friends to "put an end" to him, though he says the idea of the χ-blade "scares him to death" in the same scene.}}). However, both instances could be attributed to not wanting to use the actual word under the circumstances. Disney characters still use the verb as well, such as the Queen telling Terra to kill Snow White, or the three good fairies in Enchanted Dominion chanting "evil die and good endure".
** It also might be the sign that {{spoiler|Master Eraqus}} has [[Jumped Off the Slippery Slope|gone too far]]: {{spoiler|"Let the darkness die!"}}
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]:
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* [[One-Winged Angel]]: Averted in all three storylines, which may be a first for this series. {{spoiler|Unless you count Terra-Xehanort calling the Guardian in the Final Episode.}}
* [[The Other Darrin]]:
** Bret Iwan replacing the late Wayne Allwine as Mickey. Surprisingly averted by Chris Sanders, who still reprised his role as Stitch despite [[How to Train Your Dragon (Filmanimation)|now working for]] [[Dreamworks Animation]], Disney's primary rival in animated films, following behind-the-scenes conflicts on ''[[Bolt (Disney)|Bolt]]''.
** In the Japanese Version, Captain Hook is voiced by Naoya Uchida instead of Chikao Otsuka, presumably because the latter voice actor was also voicing Master Xehanort.
* [[Paint It Black]]: {{spoiler|Vanitas falls into the [[Evil Twin]] variation, being a [[Raven Hair, Ivory Skin|black-haired, pale-skinned]] Sora.}}
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** An evil variation occurs with Master Xehanort and Vanitas: MX is the Blue, Vanitas is the Red.
* [[Retcon]]:
** In ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]'', it was stated that King Mickey banished Pete to another dimension and Maleficent broke him out. In this game however, ''Queen Minnie'' temporarily banishes him to another dimension "until he cools down". While there, Maleficent breaks him out in return for his service.
** Also, [[Donald Duck|Donald]] and Goofy knowing about the Keyblade (when they didn't in the original game) and actually being present at Yen Sid's Tower (Donald's reaction to the tower in ''Kingdom Hearts II'': "Master Yen Sid lives HERE?!") The tower thing could just be that Donald didn't expect Yen Sid's tower to be connected to Twilight Town, which he hadn't seen before ''Kingdom Hearts II''. Maybe there's more than one tower like that.
* [[Regional Bonus]]: The international version features something called Crown Stickers, an extra boss, Critical degree of difficulty, more cutscenes, more songs to the Rhythmic Ice Cream mini game, more Keyblades, more types of enemies, altered battle balance, and additional multiplayer options. As per usual with the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series, this was expanded to a [[No Export for You|Japan-only]] ''Final Mix''.
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* [[Save the Villain]]: Justified. {{spoiler|Aqua saves Xehanort, who is possessing Terra. Since Aqua's not going to leave a friend to die and Terra is showing signs of [[Fighting From the Inside]], this was the logical choice. Too bad it blew up in her face.}}
* [[Say My Name]]: In the Secret Ending of ''Birth by Sleep'': {{spoiler|regardless of their state of existence, Naminé, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Ven, Terra and Aqua pray to Sora's name across time and space.}} [[Your Mileage May Vary|Can be a]] strong [[Tear Jerker]] or complete, utter [[Narm]].
** This may be a case of [[Lost in Translation|Lost In Translation]]. {{spoiler|Roxas et al suddenly look up as a group to watch the sunset, and Terra and Ven are just noticing a shooting star when they say Sora's name.}} So, for those two groups, it's possible they were calling attention to the sky (sora) in the Japanese version, which loses its double meaning in English.
* [[Senseless Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Aqua gives up her armor and her Keyblade to save Terra. While she turned out fine, she has to spend the next decade stuck in a hostile world at a serious disadvantage and saving Terra turns out to set most of Xehanort's evil deeds in motion.}}
* [[Sentai]]: Pete, of all people, is dressed like a reject from a [[Toku]] series. Two of 'em, actually!
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* [[Slasher Smile]]: {{spoiler|After Aqua battles the hybrid Ven and Vanitas, Ven-hijacked-by-Vanitas flashes a surprisingly eerie one at her. Twice.}} Though [[Your Mileage May Vary]], because not only does it look stupid the second time, but it's a rather toothy grin. {{spoiler|He's [http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w245/megaflamehedge/spoilers/ good at these.]}}
* [[SNK Boss]]: Any [[Bonus Boss]], leaving players ''very'' little time to move, less to heal, [[Perfect Play AI|and even less to attack]].
* [[Spanner in Thethe Works]]: {{spoiler|Again, the entire trio, although Aqua did the best job of screwing with Master Xehanort's grand schemes. However, Xehanort is [[Crazy Prepared]], [[Xanatos Speed Chess|so]]...}}
* [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"]]: Due to differences in Japanese pronunciation, fans in the western world initially believed the Unversed were going to be called the [[Unfortunate Implications|"Unbirths"]]. ''Erakwusu'' was also instantly recognized as a counterpart to Yen Sid by the fandom and a fair-sized faction assumed it'd be a straight [[Sdrawkcab Name]] (Erauqs); turns out it's Eraqus (the slight scrambling ''might'' be a parallel of the space in the middle of Yen Sid).
* [[Standard Status Effects]]: You can inflict blindness, poison, confusion and sleep upon enemies, and they can inflict a few of these on you as well. Doesn't work equally though (see "[[Useless Useful Spell]]"). Hilariously enough, Vanitas is affected by Sleep.
* [[Start of Darkness]]: {{spoiler|We get to see how Xehanort (in Terra's body) becomes Ansem's apprentice, setting the events of the series in motion.}}
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** ''All three'' of the main characters.
*** Terra: After accepting the darkness in his heart, he gains great strength {{spoiler|but ultimately weakens his heart to the point that Master Xehanort can possess his body. Xehanort thinks that he's won, but Terra [[Determinator|refuses to submit]], [[Heroic Willpower|his mind and soul re-animating his suit of armor]] [[Unstoppable Rage|through hate and anger]]. Terra ([[Animated Armor|as the Lingering Will]]) then proceeds to ''kick his own ass'' (at this point, Xehanort was theoretically at his ''prime''), and--to this day--is still fighting Master Xehanort for control of his body. His response to when MX [[Hannibal Lecture|triumphantly boasts that]] [[Crazy Prepared|his grand scheme could take one of several routes]]?. [[Shut UP, Hannibal|A confident smirk.]]}}
*** Ven: When he first encounters Vanitas, it's a [[Hopeless Boss Fight]]. {{spoiler|The paradigm shifts at endgame, when Vanitas [[Combat Pragmatist|knocks out an unsuspecting Aqua]] and then decides to [[Kick Them While They Are Down|go for a deathblow]]. Ven, who was just [[And I Must Scream|frozen]] by Master Xehanort earlier, literally ''defrosts himself with his anger'' and shows Vanitas no mercy. During his subsequent [[Battle in Thethe Center of Thethe Mind]], Ven delivers an absolutely stunning one-two punch of a [[Patrick Stewart Speech]] and a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] to Vanitas. More asskicking ensues, with a hyperkinetic battle that causes Ven's Awakening station to shatter, culminating in a zero-g fight where Ven cribs off of Vanitas by D-Linking with him and ultimately [[Curb Stomp Battle|walks all over him]]. And remember, [[Pyrrhic Victory|Ventus was well aware that Vanitas's defeat would destroy his heart in the process.]]}}
*** Aqua: She didn't have as long a route to take, already starting as a Master. Notably, {{spoiler|Aqua uses [[The Power of Friendship]] to create a [[Laser Blade]] that ''destroys'' the ''[[Infinity+1 Sword|completed]]'' χ-blade. That's the equivalent of cutting through [[Wolverine]]'s [[Made of Indestructium|adamantium skeleton]] with a ''twig''. She then faces Terra-Xehanort and his Guardian [[Familiar]] (beginning the struggle with an [[Mama Bear|empassionated]] [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|My Name Is Master Aqua]] moment) and ''wins'', her actions temporarily allowing Terra to break free and [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|lock away Terra-Xehanort's heart]].}}
* [[Tragic Hero]]: {{spoiler|Terra.}}
* [[Trailers Always Spoil]]: The opening movie borrows a few scenes from the original "Birth by sleep" video that played at the end of ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]: Final Mix''. This scene is actually of the trio's final confrontation with the [[Obviously Evil]] Xehanort and Vanitas. How things got to that way, though, and what lies beyond, are thankfully unspoiled.
** On the other hand, a few trailers did contain lines from the secret ending, {{spoiler|including the page quote and some descriptions of Sora as the savior of people's hearts}}.
* [[Transformation Trinket]]: The chunks of armour on their shoulders.
* [[True Final Boss]]: Completing the three scenarios, as well as collecting all the Xehanort Reports, unlocks the Final Episode, {{spoiler|in which Aqua battles Terra-Xehanort}} which in the Final Mix unlocks the Secret Episode {{spoiler|where Aqua fights an "alpha heartless."}}
* [[Tsurime Eyes]]: Aurora's got 'em. So does Terra.
* [[Two Guys and Aa Girl]]: The above trio, in a parallel to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
* [[Ungrateful Bastard|Ungrateful Bastards]]: The Seven Dwarfs in Ventus' story. He saves Snow White's life and is responsible for bringing her to them in the first place, but they ''still'' treat him with scorn and distrust, telling him to get out. By the time Aqua comes around, the time they've spent with Snow White has mellowed them out considerably though (especially Grumpy, as in the original movie.)
* [[Updated Rerelease]]: ''[http://www.finalfantasy.net/wp-content/gallery/khinsider/bbsfinalmix.jpg Birth By Sleep Final Mix]''. Is anyone ''really'' surprised?
* [[Used to Be Aa Sweet Kid]]: Ienzo, Lea, and ''especially'' Isa, which has made several fans wonder why Saïx's eyes are ''yellow'' in ''358/2'' and ''II''. And where he got the scars...
* [[Useless Useful Spell]]: Inverted and reversed, believe it or not. They can affect you, too, but they're more of an annoyance than anything. On the flipside, status effects work for ''quite'' a bit of enemies. It is ''VERY'' easy to destroy enemies with Mini because all you need to do is just stomp on them. Magnet and Zero Gravity are ''very'' easy ways to get the command gauge filled up. And even bosses are affected by status ailments. Ven can put Maleficent to sleep, and Slow or even stop Captain Hook (With Twisted Hours, most reliably). You can use Aeroga to shut down almost ''anyone''. Also, need a breather from Vanitas? No problem--just inflict Sleep or use Zero Gravity on him.
* [[Vague Age]]: Terra, Aqua, and Ven are never given official ages, unlike Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Though if you take some things into consideration, such as Ventus being physically identically to fifteen-year-old Roxas and [[Word of God]] telling us that {{spoiler|Xemnas is about thirty}}, it's not that much of a stretch to assume that Ven is fifteen and Terra is nineteen. All we get for Aqua, though, is that she's younger than Terra and older than Ven.
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* [[Voices Are Mental]]: A variation; see this game's section on the "[[Fridge Brilliance]]" page.
* [[Wake Up Call Boss]]: Vanitas for both Ven and Aqua's stories. In comparison, Terra faces Braig, who while [[Get Back Here Boss|annoying]], is not nearly as tough to tackle.
** If you never played ''[[No Export for You|The Final Mix]]'' (or defeated [[Bonus Boss|Sephiroth]]) in the prior games, ''Birth by Sleep'' is a Wake Up Call ''[[Nintendo Hard|Game.]]'' To wit: [[Complacent Gaming Syndrome|No, you can't]] [[Button Mashing|bash X to win.]] Yes, [[Mooks]] ''can'' kill you. Yes, bosses can [[Genre Savvy|blink out of your stunlock combos]] and [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|stun-lock YOU instead]]. No, you cannot simply MAX out your shotlock to get free hits in, [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|the computer will simply dodge it]]. Yes, your [[Limit Break|finisher]] ''can'' [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard|become a liability.]] [[Overly Long Gag|No, you can't just use Aeroga to incapacitate]] {{spoiler|Eraqus}} without waiting for him to finish his attack...
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: {{spoiler|Once he realizes Ven's importance to Xehanort's scheme, Eraqus tries to kill Ven to save the universe.}}
** Also, {{spoiler|Master Xehanort started out this way, but he [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope|jumped off the slippery slope]]... ''[[Complete Monster|hard]]''.}}
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* [[What Happened to Thethe Mouse?]]: We never see the Dwarf Woodlands' Queen's final fate. Her profile in Aqua's episode implies she met the same end as her movie counterpart, but off screen.
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Happens several times. {{spoiler|During the trio's reunion in Radiant Garden, Aqua calls Terra out for his alliances with Malificent and the Evil Queen.}} Later, when you get to Disney Town, Terra is greeted by this for stepping on the racing track.
* [[When Trees Attack]]: Ven's Dwarf Woodlands boss, the Mad Treant. It's basically a thematic combination of the evil queen's poison apple and the trees Snow White believed were attacking her.
** And also, When Pumpkins Attack, when the Unversed combine with the Wicked Stepfamily's hatred to create a twisted version of the pumpkin carriage that lobs pumpkin bombs.
* [[Who's Onon First?]]: In the Dwarf Woodlands, Terra is hired by the Queen to kill Snow White and bring back her heart in a box. This causes Terra to think that the Queen is also after the Hearts of Light [[Dramatic Irony|when in reality]], she ''[[Beat Still My Heart|really means her heart, no metaphors]]''. When Terra asks her if she ''is'' after the Hearts of Light, the Queen clearly has no idea what he's talking about and just claims that she had enough of Snow White's light.
* [[Wolfpack Boss]]: The Jellyshade swarm.
* [[Women Are Wiser]]:
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