When I was seven years old, a magical video game that combined Final Fantasy and Disney came out and my life changed forever.

Kingdom Hearts had such a power over me instantly, and I knew getting my hands on it would usher me in to a whole new era of my life. The commercial brought me to tears, and my eighth birthday party was Kingdom Hearts themed, to just give you an idea of where I was at. It drew me in because of the gorgeous graphics, breathtaking music, and licensing deal with Disney, of course. But above that, this game, its sequels, and characters remain a major touchstone for my lessons in friendship.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku are the resident adventure gang on Destiny Island when the Kingdom Hearts franchise kicks off, and throughout the subsequent games, they remain loyal to each other against all kinds of unbelievable odds. After the Darkness comes and the three are scattered to the wind, Sora is tasked with saving the worlds with the help of his new friends Goofy and Donald—but Sora’s real mission is friendship. Sora is determined to find Kairi and stick by Riku, even when he’s being super evil. What may or may not have been a love triangle between the three—depending on how you interpret the prophecy of the paopu fruit binding souls forever—was later made clear to me as just a remarkably powerful friendship.

Related: Here Are The Essential Songs We Need In Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

The franchise is rife with strong friendships that withstand time, the end of worlds, memory wipes, and in some cases weird instances of death and/or reincarnation. The Destiny Island trio; Sora, Donald, and Goofy; Roxas, Axel, and Xion; Aqua, Terra, and Ventus; each of these groups of friends exhibit undying love for each other, and regularly put themselves in harm’s way and brave the unknown for each other.

These are true examples of peak friendship, and I have taken them to heart since the first time I watched Kairi and Riku get sucked into the Darkness - still a very emotional scene to experience. Even outside of these bedrock friendships, Sora racks up friendships on every world he stops by - friendships he wouldn’t be able to be the hero without. Helping these beautifully rendered characters save those they loved taught me how to be a real friend. While I haven’t had the chance to battle any amorphous monsters with my own Keyblade, I do hold my friendships close to my heart because they have carried me through the darkness before.

Friendship is the thing that carries these heroes through their battles and wins them the day. Love and heart are literally the roots of the magic in this franchise. These characters have been with me throughout my entire life and are the focus of some of my earliest memories, the lessons they taught run deep.

Kingdom Hearts spins some really complicated stories over a confusing timeline, but the one thing that is easy to follow is how ride or die friendship works.

Next: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - All Of The New Seasonal Nook Shopping Items