The Player

Story and background

The customizable protagonist befriends Ephemer and Skuld, then deceives the Darknesses to help others escape. Their heart later becomes connected to the blue-robed figure who raises young Xehanort.

Events and connections in the series

Among the ordinary wielders of Daybreak Town were three friends whose choices would echo for centuries: a young Keyblade wielder we will call the Player, and their friends Ephemer and Skuld. Ava recruited gifted wielders as Dandelions, sending them toward survival rather than the battlefield. Ephemer and Skuld joined, but the Player initially chose to stay behind. The importance of that choice would only become clear later.

A fourth young wielder, Strelitzia, had been chosen as one of the leaders who would guide the Dandelions after the war. She wanted to warn the Player and bring them to safety. She never got the chance. A bodiless Darkness entered Ventus, a boy who had not intended to kill anyone, and used him in the murder of Strelitzia. The entity then manipulated events so that Ventus took Strelitzia's place among the new leaders. Strelitzia's brother Lauriam was left to search for a sister who had seemingly vanished.

The Foretellers' quarrels finally became open war. At the Keyblade Graveyard, thousands of wielders fell, and a place that once represented hope became a landscape filled with discarded Keyblades. The Player fought and nearly died. Ephemer and Skuld helped them survive. Luxu watched rather than intervening, carrying No Name as ordered. The War devastated the age of fairy tales, but Ava's Dandelions escaped the immediate massacre. The survivors believed they had been given a chance to rebuild. In reality, they had entered another carefully prepared trap.

Historical context

The ancient Keyblade era is remembered through competing accounts of prophecy, the Foretellers and the Dandelions. Individual motivations matter because the Master of Masters assigns different responsibilities that the apprentices do not fully understand. The consequences reach far beyond the first Keyblade War.

Connected characters

More in the lore

Explore the complete chronology for the surrounding events, relationships and consequences across the games.