Information
History
Major Spoilers (Highlight to Read) Aqua's story began in the world of Land of Departure, a world both bright and beautiful, and perfectly open to the sky and the many stars above. Brought under Master Eraqus' wing to train to become a Keyblade Master, she trained alongside a man named Terra for a long time. Growing accustomed to training beside him, it was a surprise to one day see another boy being brought under their wing. His name was Ventus, and while he seemed demure and lost, they soon realized it was because he had lost his memories and he was still fragile. Terra and Aqua took it upon themselves to nurse him back to health alongside their Master, soon becoming attached and forming a bond with the boy. They took to training him as well, Terra convincing him to join their goal to become Keyblade Masters.
Eventually, it became time for their Master Exam, their first attempt to prove themselves as Masters. Aqua and Terra trained long and hard for it, with Ven at their side, and as the day drew closer, they became aware that their lives were soon going to change forever. Aqua made them all star charms, each their own color, in the shape of the Paopu fruit in an attempt to bind them together like the old legend: "If you share one, your destinies become intertwined forever". Hopefully, they would stay close to each other in heart and spirit, if not physically, with these. At the Master Exam the following day, Master Xehanort, an old acquaintance of Master Eraqus, came to watch their test and lend his opinion on their skills. Unknown to them, Xehanort manipulated the test in order to better witness the darkness in Terra, and Ven's skills as well.
Because of this, Aqua was awarded the title of Master and not Terra, which proved only to upset her friend. Master Eraqus wasted no time in attempting to acclimate her to her new role, bringing her to a meeting she needed to hear; Master Xehanort had gone missing and a force known as the 'Unversed' were spotted in several worlds, causing havoc. Terra was summoned as well, and while Aqua was glad to hear Master Eraqus wanting to give the Master title to Terra as well, once he controlled his darkness, she soon was told that he was suspicious of the dark in Terra, and that she should keep an eye on him. Uncomfortable, she agreed, and when Ven tried to leave with Terra, she followed them to be sure the boy was okay.
She arrived first at Castle of Dreams, finding Terra there. He seemed neither bothered nor upset with her for receiving the title of Master, instead insisting that he needed to follow his dream to catch up to her, so all three of them could be Master together. Put at ease with his declaration, she went on to help Cinderella, the Princess of Heart of the world - women with hearts of pure light, and no darkness within them - to be free from her wicked step-family, and the Unverse in the world. She then travelled to the Dwarf Woodlands to help revive Snow White from her slumber, watching the power of a heart of pure light in a world as small as that one, as well as defeating the evil that put the girl to sleep.
Moving on to Enchanted Dominion, she came across Ven and Maleficent, the latter telling the boy that Terra was slowly falling into darkness, and that he should not be trusted. She told him not to listen to the witch, and tried to convince the boy to come back with her. He fled, and she was left to deal with Maleficent, reviving Princess Aurora from the cursed slumber Maleficent had put her in. With questions in her heart and uncertainty weighing heavy on her shoulders, she followed Ven's trail to Radiant Garden, the city of light, where the Unverse would probably be targeting next. There, she found both Terra and Ven, and together they defeated a massive Unverse, reuniting briefly. She revealed Master Eraqus' suspicions about the darkness in Terra's heart, and how he was slowly giving in to it. She expressed her own concerns on it, and how she didn't want to believe the stories she kept hearing about Terra. Terra rounded on her and left, Ven soon following, disappointed in what Aqua had become as a Master.
Left to her own thoughts, she soon found a small girl being attacked by Unverse, and went to save her with the help of King Mickey. The girl was called Kairi, and Aqua recognized the purity in her heart at first sight, glad she had helped her. With renewed strength in her cause, to save people like Kairi and rid the worlds of the Unverse, she decided she needed to have faith in Terra. She tried one last time to send Ven home before leaving as well, hurrying off to the next world. She found DisneyTown, the place Ven wanted to go for fun, and engaged in some of the games there, helping Queen Minnie and the others put on an enjoyable time for the rest of the citizens, and finding "Captain Justice" among the crowd, unsure of his motive. The next world she visited was the Olympus Coliseum, where she met Hercules and Zack, two young men both attempting to be heroes. While attempting to help them better themselves in training, she also lent a hand and defeated both Hades and the Ice Titan, the former telling her more about how Terra was giving himself to darkness. Zack soon taking a shine to her power and determination and promised to meet her again one day.
Taking leave of that world, she encountered a large spaceship and a small blue creature named Experiment 626, whom she saved and befriended, asking if she and her friends could become his as well, that they might be connected. She saved him from Gantu, convincing his captors that 626 was not a monster. They agreed to undergo a reevaluation of him, and she departed. Her path took her to NeverLand, where she met Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, who had met Ventus and had befriended him as well. They also seemed to have met Terra as well, briefly, and she was glad her friends were okay. It was here that she encountered Vanitas, a boy in a suit and helmet that seemed more than keen to help the Unverse in the world, and had been the one to plague Ventus on several other worlds. Smashing Ven's wooden Keyblade, once Terra's, angered her and she fought him, defeating him. The battle took a great deal out of her, and she passed out, Vanitas escaping. She dreamed of her friends, of their dream, and of how happy they were...and she made the decision there that she would strive to protect that dream, and to protect their happiness, for as long as she could.
As she left NeverLand, the light of another world sucked her in, dropping her out in Destiny Islands. She met two boys, Sora and Riku, who reminded her a great deal of Ven and Terra, respectively. Telling them to hold on to their dreams, she left, going to Yen Sid's Tower, a very stand-alone world where the old, retired Master resided. He informed her of Master Eraqus' death and that Terra was involved. Crushed, she refused to believe her friend would fall so low, and hurried on to the Keyblade Graveyard. Confronting him, Terra admitted that he was there, and that he had fallen right into Xehanort's hands, helping him kill Eraqus unintentionally. He vowed to destroy Xehanort, to which Aqua tried to convince him to let them help, so he wouldn't be alone and falling ever farther into the darkness. Ven came to their side, dismayed that Master Eraqus tried to kill him because he and Vanitas were connected, and that the two of them being brought together would allow the X-blade to form. He urged them to destroy him so that wouldn't happen, leaving them listless and unresponsive.
Xehanort and Vanitas appeared, prepared to take the X-blade, and Ven, by force. Attempting to defeat them, the trio attacked, but as separate forces they couldn't put a dent in their defenses. Vanitas easily pushed Ven and Aqua aside as Xehanort fought Terra, distracting him. Xehanort grabbed Ven as he tried to help and froze him solid, throwing him from a cliff, Terra already thrown from the same cliff and pierced by dozens of Keyblades. Aqua saved her younger friend just in time, keeping him safe. Braig, an accomplice of Master Xehanort, fought her, distracting her long enough to waste her time as Terra fought Master Xehanort. Vanitas jumped in just as Braig ran off, knocking Aqua unconscious so he could deal with Ven. When she awoke, he had possessed Ven, now wielding the X-blade. She fought him with the help of King Mickey, who had come to help, calling on the strength of Ven and Terra to help her, their promise, and she defeated him. Ven turned back to normal and she gripped him as the world exploded in light.
Awakening in Yen Sid's Tower, she found Ven to be unresponsive and sleeping, his heart gone. Yen Sid could not promise that he would awaken, but told her to have faith in him and their bond, and that Ven would follow his friendships back to his heart and back to consciousness. She took the boy back to Land of Departure, now half-destroyed by Xehanort. Taking Master Eraqus' Keyblade from the ground, she left Ven in the throne room to rest while she used the Keyblade on the heart of the world to change it. It transformed into Castle Oblivion, and she let Ven sleep in the chair he was put in, knowing he would be safe there (in the Room of Awakening), her magic sealing the doors so he would be protected. She went on to search for Terra, knowing he was still out there, and found him in Radiant Garden, his eyes golden and his hair silver. Xehanort had taken over his body and he was practically unresponsive at first. An internal war raged within him, and Xehanort eventually took control, fighting her. He called upon the darkness and the Guardian, a massively powerful Heartless, to help him defeat her. Time and again, she fought back, trying to reach Terra and bring him back. He eventually heard her, using the Keyblade on his heart to lock it away and attempt to prevent himself from hurting her anymore. He fell into darkness, and she went after him, saving him. She left him her Keyblade and armor, sending it back with him so he would remember and be kept safe, and she allowed herself to fall into the darkness instead.
Awakening in the Realm of Darkness, she continued striving to return to her friends, defeating any darkness in her way with Eraqus' Keyblade, the weapon she inherited once giving her own to Terra. After years of searching, she began to lose hope, but Terra and Ven's Keyblades saved her from being destroyed, and she reminded herself to keep going, and to keep smiling, because they would be together again one day. At the last, twelve years later and barely changed, she found herself on the Dark Beach where she met a man in a black cloak. He told her he had been there for a long time and that his memories were mostly gone. He told her of his past, of his sins, and of the worlds slowly being consumed by the darkness. He spoke of a boy with a strong heart and a Keyblade who was saving the worlds, but it was neither Ven nor Terra, but Sora, the boy she met at the islands twelve years prior. He expressed his faith that he would come and free them and all of the lost souls out there. With renewed faith, Aqua sat there to wait for Sora, knowing her days of wandering would soon be over.
Personality
Aqua is depicted as a calm, collected, and kind young woman, always being a balance between her friends. She, like Terra, is extremely responsible, shouldering burdens and expectations, always striving to better herself for the sake of her friends and for the worlds. She is respectful, to both strangers and her Master, treating them with a degree of polite distance until slowly warming up to them and their strong hearts. She treats her Master as both father and teacher, the latter more than the former, with both fond care and attentiveness. From him, she's learned one of her greatest assets; Aqua is a very studious and careful listener, directing all of her attention on those who need it.
While Terra's use of his power in the exam cost him his spot as "master", it's clear that Aqua deserves the position despite her unwillingness to alienate her friends and cause trouble. Due to how advanced her magic is, it's apparent that she is Master Eraqus' most diligent pupil, despite his more apparent bond with Terra. From Master Eraqus, she also developed her strong sense of justice - something she and the other two share - and a need to see the worlds at peace, light or not. She does not fully share her Master's drive to eliminate all darkness, instead opting to co-exist with it in balance, and keep the light strong. In fact, she accepts Terra's darkness more readily than the rest, mostly after she has time to resolve her own inner conflicts between duty and friendship, and which means most to her. She's found that there needs to be a balance of things, and that Terra's intentions have always been good, no matter how strong his darkness is.
Her friends mean more to her than anything else, which is why she made the star charms for them in the hopes that it would keep them all safe despite distance and any changes they should encounter on their journeys. They are her life and her world, and while it is not very apparent at first glance, it's easy to see how relaxed and at ease she is around them, holding no pretenses or passiveness towards them. Instead, she delights in their quirks and their kindness to her, despite any disagreements between them.
She's always treated both Terra and Ven as equals, no matter their skill levels and differences in opinion. Their distinctions in training, in learning, and in personalities, it's easier for her to make friends with a variety of people on other worlds. While she isn't as fast as Ven to make friendships or to trust others, she is still very capable of forming long-lasting bonds, whether they be of camaraderie or something even deeper. Her heart goes out to the people she encounters and she becomes more than willing to help them and resolve their problems.
Abilities
Aqua may not be fast or strong, but she's the most skilled at magic of the trio. She's rather fast as well, and has her own ability that allows her to quickly move from one place to another. Her magic covers all forms, from ice to lightning and fire, and while she's the most versatile in this regard, she doesn't have the advantages Terra and Ven have in one set area of expertise. Considered the most well-rounded of the trio, by the end of the game, she is considered the most powerful, finally grown into the title of Master Aqua.
Like the others, she can wield a Keyblade expertly, but she can also summon her armor at the touch of a hand over the metallic piece on her arm. It not only protects her in battle, but allows her to transform her Keyblade into a glider she can use to go to other worlds. It also has a makeshift bow attached to the front, allowing her to attack enemies between worlds, or even in the air or on the ground, if summoned.
Major Spoilers (Highlight to Read) Aqua's story began in the world of Land of Departure, a world both bright and beautiful, and perfectly open to the sky and the many stars above. Brought under Master Eraqus' wing to train to become a Keyblade Master, she trained alongside a man named Terra for a long time. Growing accustomed to training beside him, it was a surprise to one day see another boy being brought under their wing. His name was Ventus, and while he seemed demure and lost, they soon realized it was because he had lost his memories and he was still fragile. Terra and Aqua took it upon themselves to nurse him back to health alongside their Master, soon becoming attached and forming a bond with the boy. They took to training him as well, Terra convincing him to join their goal to become Keyblade Masters.
Eventually, it became time for their Master Exam, their first attempt to prove themselves as Masters. Aqua and Terra trained long and hard for it, with Ven at their side, and as the day drew closer, they became aware that their lives were soon going to change forever. Aqua made them all star charms, each their own color, in the shape of the Paopu fruit in an attempt to bind them together like the old legend: "If you share one, your destinies become intertwined forever". Hopefully, they would stay close to each other in heart and spirit, if not physically, with these. At the Master Exam the following day, Master Xehanort, an old acquaintance of Master Eraqus, came to watch their test and lend his opinion on their skills. Unknown to them, Xehanort manipulated the test in order to better witness the darkness in Terra, and Ven's skills as well.
Because of this, Aqua was awarded the title of Master and not Terra, which proved only to upset her friend. Master Eraqus wasted no time in attempting to acclimate her to her new role, bringing her to a meeting she needed to hear; Master Xehanort had gone missing and a force known as the 'Unversed' were spotted in several worlds, causing havoc. Terra was summoned as well, and while Aqua was glad to hear Master Eraqus wanting to give the Master title to Terra as well, once he controlled his darkness, she soon was told that he was suspicious of the dark in Terra, and that she should keep an eye on him. Uncomfortable, she agreed, and when Ven tried to leave with Terra, she followed them to be sure the boy was okay.
She arrived first at Castle of Dreams, finding Terra there. He seemed neither bothered nor upset with her for receiving the title of Master, instead insisting that he needed to follow his dream to catch up to her, so all three of them could be Master together. Put at ease with his declaration, she went on to help Cinderella, the Princess of Heart of the world - women with hearts of pure light, and no darkness within them - to be free from her wicked step-family, and the Unverse in the world. She then travelled to the Dwarf Woodlands to help revive Snow White from her slumber, watching the power of a heart of pure light in a world as small as that one, as well as defeating the evil that put the girl to sleep.
Moving on to Enchanted Dominion, she came across Ven and Maleficent, the latter telling the boy that Terra was slowly falling into darkness, and that he should not be trusted. She told him not to listen to the witch, and tried to convince the boy to come back with her. He fled, and she was left to deal with Maleficent, reviving Princess Aurora from the cursed slumber Maleficent had put her in. With questions in her heart and uncertainty weighing heavy on her shoulders, she followed Ven's trail to Radiant Garden, the city of light, where the Unverse would probably be targeting next. There, she found both Terra and Ven, and together they defeated a massive Unverse, reuniting briefly. She revealed Master Eraqus' suspicions about the darkness in Terra's heart, and how he was slowly giving in to it. She expressed her own concerns on it, and how she didn't want to believe the stories she kept hearing about Terra. Terra rounded on her and left, Ven soon following, disappointed in what Aqua had become as a Master.
Left to her own thoughts, she soon found a small girl being attacked by Unverse, and went to save her with the help of King Mickey. The girl was called Kairi, and Aqua recognized the purity in her heart at first sight, glad she had helped her. With renewed strength in her cause, to save people like Kairi and rid the worlds of the Unverse, she decided she needed to have faith in Terra. She tried one last time to send Ven home before leaving as well, hurrying off to the next world. She found DisneyTown, the place Ven wanted to go for fun, and engaged in some of the games there, helping Queen Minnie and the others put on an enjoyable time for the rest of the citizens, and finding "Captain Justice" among the crowd, unsure of his motive. The next world she visited was the Olympus Coliseum, where she met Hercules and Zack, two young men both attempting to be heroes. While attempting to help them better themselves in training, she also lent a hand and defeated both Hades and the Ice Titan, the former telling her more about how Terra was giving himself to darkness. Zack soon taking a shine to her power and determination and promised to meet her again one day.
Taking leave of that world, she encountered a large spaceship and a small blue creature named Experiment 626, whom she saved and befriended, asking if she and her friends could become his as well, that they might be connected. She saved him from Gantu, convincing his captors that 626 was not a monster. They agreed to undergo a reevaluation of him, and she departed. Her path took her to NeverLand, where she met Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, who had met Ventus and had befriended him as well. They also seemed to have met Terra as well, briefly, and she was glad her friends were okay. It was here that she encountered Vanitas, a boy in a suit and helmet that seemed more than keen to help the Unverse in the world, and had been the one to plague Ventus on several other worlds. Smashing Ven's wooden Keyblade, once Terra's, angered her and she fought him, defeating him. The battle took a great deal out of her, and she passed out, Vanitas escaping. She dreamed of her friends, of their dream, and of how happy they were...and she made the decision there that she would strive to protect that dream, and to protect their happiness, for as long as she could.
As she left NeverLand, the light of another world sucked her in, dropping her out in Destiny Islands. She met two boys, Sora and Riku, who reminded her a great deal of Ven and Terra, respectively. Telling them to hold on to their dreams, she left, going to Yen Sid's Tower, a very stand-alone world where the old, retired Master resided. He informed her of Master Eraqus' death and that Terra was involved. Crushed, she refused to believe her friend would fall so low, and hurried on to the Keyblade Graveyard. Confronting him, Terra admitted that he was there, and that he had fallen right into Xehanort's hands, helping him kill Eraqus unintentionally. He vowed to destroy Xehanort, to which Aqua tried to convince him to let them help, so he wouldn't be alone and falling ever farther into the darkness. Ven came to their side, dismayed that Master Eraqus tried to kill him because he and Vanitas were connected, and that the two of them being brought together would allow the X-blade to form. He urged them to destroy him so that wouldn't happen, leaving them listless and unresponsive.
Xehanort and Vanitas appeared, prepared to take the X-blade, and Ven, by force. Attempting to defeat them, the trio attacked, but as separate forces they couldn't put a dent in their defenses. Vanitas easily pushed Ven and Aqua aside as Xehanort fought Terra, distracting him. Xehanort grabbed Ven as he tried to help and froze him solid, throwing him from a cliff, Terra already thrown from the same cliff and pierced by dozens of Keyblades. Aqua saved her younger friend just in time, keeping him safe. Braig, an accomplice of Master Xehanort, fought her, distracting her long enough to waste her time as Terra fought Master Xehanort. Vanitas jumped in just as Braig ran off, knocking Aqua unconscious so he could deal with Ven. When she awoke, he had possessed Ven, now wielding the X-blade. She fought him with the help of King Mickey, who had come to help, calling on the strength of Ven and Terra to help her, their promise, and she defeated him. Ven turned back to normal and she gripped him as the world exploded in light.
Awakening in Yen Sid's Tower, she found Ven to be unresponsive and sleeping, his heart gone. Yen Sid could not promise that he would awaken, but told her to have faith in him and their bond, and that Ven would follow his friendships back to his heart and back to consciousness. She took the boy back to Land of Departure, now half-destroyed by Xehanort. Taking Master Eraqus' Keyblade from the ground, she left Ven in the throne room to rest while she used the Keyblade on the heart of the world to change it. It transformed into Castle Oblivion, and she let Ven sleep in the chair he was put in, knowing he would be safe there (in the Room of Awakening), her magic sealing the doors so he would be protected. She went on to search for Terra, knowing he was still out there, and found him in Radiant Garden, his eyes golden and his hair silver. Xehanort had taken over his body and he was practically unresponsive at first. An internal war raged within him, and Xehanort eventually took control, fighting her. He called upon the darkness and the Guardian, a massively powerful Heartless, to help him defeat her. Time and again, she fought back, trying to reach Terra and bring him back. He eventually heard her, using the Keyblade on his heart to lock it away and attempt to prevent himself from hurting her anymore. He fell into darkness, and she went after him, saving him. She left him her Keyblade and armor, sending it back with him so he would remember and be kept safe, and she allowed herself to fall into the darkness instead.
Awakening in the Realm of Darkness, she continued striving to return to her friends, defeating any darkness in her way with Eraqus' Keyblade, the weapon she inherited once giving her own to Terra. After years of searching, she began to lose hope, but Terra and Ven's Keyblades saved her from being destroyed, and she reminded herself to keep going, and to keep smiling, because they would be together again one day. At the last, twelve years later and barely changed, she found herself on the Dark Beach where she met a man in a black cloak. He told her he had been there for a long time and that his memories were mostly gone. He told her of his past, of his sins, and of the worlds slowly being consumed by the darkness. He spoke of a boy with a strong heart and a Keyblade who was saving the worlds, but it was neither Ven nor Terra, but Sora, the boy she met at the islands twelve years prior. He expressed his faith that he would come and free them and all of the lost souls out there. With renewed faith, Aqua sat there to wait for Sora, knowing her days of wandering would soon be over.
Personality
Aqua is depicted as a calm, collected, and kind young woman, always being a balance between her friends. She, like Terra, is extremely responsible, shouldering burdens and expectations, always striving to better herself for the sake of her friends and for the worlds. She is respectful, to both strangers and her Master, treating them with a degree of polite distance until slowly warming up to them and their strong hearts. She treats her Master as both father and teacher, the latter more than the former, with both fond care and attentiveness. From him, she's learned one of her greatest assets; Aqua is a very studious and careful listener, directing all of her attention on those who need it.
While Terra's use of his power in the exam cost him his spot as "master", it's clear that Aqua deserves the position despite her unwillingness to alienate her friends and cause trouble. Due to how advanced her magic is, it's apparent that she is Master Eraqus' most diligent pupil, despite his more apparent bond with Terra. From Master Eraqus, she also developed her strong sense of justice - something she and the other two share - and a need to see the worlds at peace, light or not. She does not fully share her Master's drive to eliminate all darkness, instead opting to co-exist with it in balance, and keep the light strong. In fact, she accepts Terra's darkness more readily than the rest, mostly after she has time to resolve her own inner conflicts between duty and friendship, and which means most to her. She's found that there needs to be a balance of things, and that Terra's intentions have always been good, no matter how strong his darkness is.
Her friends mean more to her than anything else, which is why she made the star charms for them in the hopes that it would keep them all safe despite distance and any changes they should encounter on their journeys. They are her life and her world, and while it is not very apparent at first glance, it's easy to see how relaxed and at ease she is around them, holding no pretenses or passiveness towards them. Instead, she delights in their quirks and their kindness to her, despite any disagreements between them.
She's always treated both Terra and Ven as equals, no matter their skill levels and differences in opinion. Their distinctions in training, in learning, and in personalities, it's easier for her to make friends with a variety of people on other worlds. While she isn't as fast as Ven to make friendships or to trust others, she is still very capable of forming long-lasting bonds, whether they be of camaraderie or something even deeper. Her heart goes out to the people she encounters and she becomes more than willing to help them and resolve their problems.
Abilities
Aqua may not be fast or strong, but she's the most skilled at magic of the trio. She's rather fast as well, and has her own ability that allows her to quickly move from one place to another. Her magic covers all forms, from ice to lightning and fire, and while she's the most versatile in this regard, she doesn't have the advantages Terra and Ven have in one set area of expertise. Considered the most well-rounded of the trio, by the end of the game, she is considered the most powerful, finally grown into the title of Master Aqua.
Like the others, she can wield a Keyblade expertly, but she can also summon her armor at the touch of a hand over the metallic piece on her arm. It not only protects her in battle, but allows her to transform her Keyblade into a glider she can use to go to other worlds. It also has a makeshift bow attached to the front, allowing her to attack enemies between worlds, or even in the air or on the ground, if summoned.