Kingdom Hearts Dark Road follows Xehanort in his youth on Scala ad Caelum, travelling across various worlds with his fellow students to locate the Lost Masters. Set well before the numbered series, the game lets you meet a variety of characters, many of them fledgling Keyblade wielders themselves.
For a spin-off mobile game, Dark Road surprisingly has a lot of significance for the overarching narrative of the series, and the characters featured in it are just as vibrant and well-written as characters fans have known since the series began in 2002.
This article contains spoilers for the finale of Kingdom Hearts Dark Road.
9 Urd
A fellow classmate in Master Odin’s class of Keyblade wielders, Urd has a rather cute design with a cat-like mouth and eyes. She wears grey outfit that matches her silvery hair, with a regal cloak over the top. You can choose to have Urd join your party when you traverse the words looking for the missing students, allowing you to take advantage of her Blizzard magic.
Personality-wise, Urd is often relied upon by her classmates, and is seen as responsible and rational. Though she doesn’t have a large role in the main story, she’s still a great supporting character to have on your side, offering helpful suggestions to Xehanort and Eraqus along the way.
8 Hermod
Wearing a regal-looking outfit with gold trims, Hermod is one of Xehanort and Eraqus’ classmates and is often regarded as a model student. He tries his best to stay calm and act as a role model for his peers, but he has a bit of a short fuse, and regularly loses his temper at Eraqus’ “immature” outlook.
Although he doesn’t have much involvement in the main storyline, Hermod has a great character design and carries on the theme of Norse mythology, as he’s named after a god within it.
7 Vor
Matching the mage-like design of her purple cloak, Vor possesses great magical abilities and shares the same name as the goddess of wisdom in Norse mythology. She’s the youngest in Master Odin’s class of Keyblade wielders, and this is shown in her childlike and cheerful personality, as well as her disbelief in her own abilities.
During the search for the Lost Masters, Vor meets some of the missing upper classmen and becomes persuaded by their plan to defeat darkness once and for all. Her youth and insecurities may have come into play here, and being unable to convince her to return to your party leaves you feeling powerless, as if your own younger sibling has decided to turn against you.
6 Bragi
Alongside the rest of Master Odin’s students, Bragi is training to be a Keyblade Master. But with the disappearance of the upper classmen, he joins the mission of travelling to other worlds to find them. Bragi seems to value Xehanort’s opinion highly, regularly asking for his opinion and suggesting he lead the group when they leave Scala ad Caelum.
When Bragi is left alone with Baldr later on, he becomes suspicious of his actions, and easily sees that he has been possessed by darkness. With nothing left to lose, Baldr attempts to kill Bragi, but he never had a chance in the first place — it’s revealed that Bragi is in fact the vessel of Luxu, the ancient Keyblade Master.
5 Hoder
As Baldr’s older sister, Hoder plays a key part in the trajectory of Dark Road’s narrative. From what we see of her, Hoder appears to be a kind and caring older sibling who holds deep affection for her brother, going so far as to try to protect him from Maleficent.
When she ultimately fails and loses her life, her sacrifice causes Baldr great guilt, and leaves him susceptible to darkness. As a character, Hoder is also a tragic one, as she must helplessly watch on as her beloved brother loses himself as a result of her failure.
4 Vidar
Vidar is another of Master Odin’s missing students, intent on gathering seven lights from across the worlds, despite the fact that taking artefacts from these worlds will leave them in chaos. Vidar is very determined, if one-track minded, as he never wavers in his quest to find the lights and open Kingdom Hearts.
In terms of design, Vidar has a simple but elegant look. His outfit is royal blue with a yellow belt, and he wears black armbands fitted with studs and a buckle.
3 Baldr
Baldr is one of Xehanort and Eraqus’ classmates under Master Odin, as well as the younger brother of Hoder, one of the upper classmen who went missing during the Mark of Mastery exam. Everyone around Baldr knew him as a person with a heart of light and admired his shining optimism, even in the face of losing his sister, but this was never quite the truth.
After Hoder lost her life attempting to protect Baldr from Maleficent, Baldr fell prey to darkness, letting the regret and guilt he felt for his sister’s death consume him. Baldr is proof that even those with seemingly endless light inside them can become a victim of darkness, making his story all the more tragic.
2 Eraqus
When Eraqus was first introduced to the series in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep as Terra, Aqua and Ventus’ master, he was a wizened figure with more scars than just the one you can see on his face. In Dark Road, however, he’s full of the innocence of youth, and his brightness directly contrasts Xehanort’s dark tendencies.
As a young Keyblade wielder, Eraqus is determined to protect the light and bring back the Lost Masters, and it’s rare for anything to break his smile. That’s why it’s made all the more heart-wrenching when Xehanort says Eraqus has been crying every night since his classmates were killed. Poor guy.
1 Xehanort
Since he’s the main antagonist of the entire Kingdom Hearts series so far, it’s no surprise that seeing Xehanort’s past as a Keyblade wielder in training has been a fascinating (and fun) ride. Not quite the evil mastermind we know him as yet, this Xehanort questions his allegiance to the light as he straddles the line of light and darkness.
Besides that, though, Dark Road lets you see another side to Xehanort. A side that cares for his friends, especially Eraqus, and uses his strength and abilities to protect them.