Maleficient
Kana: マレフィセント (Marefisento)
Weapon: Staff / Dark Magic
Home World: Enchanted Dominion
First Appeared In: Sleeping Beauty
Voiced By: Susan Blakeslee (English) / Toshiko Sawada (Japanese)

Kingdom Hearts

Not very much is known of Maleficent and her doings before Kingdom Hearts I, but this period of time will most likely have some light shed upon it coming with the release of the upcoming prequel, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. From nine years before the events of the original and earlier, Maleficent dwelled within the world in which Sleeping Beauty is set, no doubt spreading the blight of her wickedness throughout the land. However, nine years before Kingdom Hearts I, after the creation of the Heartless and the demolition of the worlds’ barriers, Maleficent proceeded to take control of the citadel of Hollow Bastion, formerly Radiant Garden, which had by that time been assailed by the Heartless. Because the barriers between worlds had been broken, she then commenced to enlist the allegiance of the other Disney villains, who were no longer beyond her grasp. And so the stage was set for the events that ensued in Kingdom Hearts I.

With the power of the Heartless now at her fingertips, Maleficent and her cohorts invaded the worlds in search of the seven Princesses of Heart, all of whom were required to unlock the Door to Darkness, granting the Disney villains vast power beyond their wildest dreams, or so they believed. During this universal invasion, Maleficent happens upon Riku, Sora’s lifelong friend from whom he had been separated during the Heartless raid upon Destiny Islands. She coerces him to the darkness, deluding him that Sora had abandoned him for new companions, and that Kairi’s only hope to be found rests in him, making a new addition to her entourage.

After a lengthy period of time, the villains’ goal to unlock the Door to Darkness had been achieved, at least, for the most part, for Kairi, turning out to be one of the seven Princesses, currently lacked her heart, thus rendering the keyhole unusable. Maleficent, however, was unaware of this, believing that her physical presence alone was enough to complete the keyhole. She is confronted by Sora and co. before being able to attempt to utilize the keyhole, however, and a battle ensues. She underestimated Sora’s ability however, and was sorely defeated, retreating deeper within the castle before our hero is able to terminate her permanently. She then encounters Riku, and asks for his aid; she receives it, but not in the way she expects. Using the heart-unlocker keyblade, Riku floods Maleficent’s heart with darkness, granting her immense power and metamorphosing her into a great black dragon, spewing green flame. But power comes with a cost; Maleficent’s heart could not with stand the effects of the darkness, and she perished. As it turns out, the preexistent darkness of her heart was already eating away at her; Riku’s actions only quickened the pace at which her heart decayed. And so, Maleficent’s foul presence was erased, and it remained so until her revival in Kingdom Hearts II.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

While she was technically deceased, Maleficent makes a small appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, in the form of Sora and Riku’s memories of the witch. Her memory’s encounter with Sora was relatively unimportant, seeming to be completely oblivious of her death, or any of the events that transpired within Sora’s first visit to Hollow Bastion. Riku’s experience, however, is of a different matter. Riku’s memory of Maleficent, because of their relationship and the fact that Riku was a being of darkness, seems to know all of the happenings inside the castle, including her demise. She taunts Riku, saying that they are two of a kind, both destined to forever exist in darkness, and that she is a reflection of the darkness within Riku. In fit of rage and denial, Riku slays the memory, continuing through the basements of the castle, only to meet more beings of darkness, attempting to bring them down the same paths they did.

Kingdom Hearts II

A year after her death, Maleficent is revived by the memories of the three fairies, also denizens of Sleeping Beauty, though not at her full strength. She seeks to resume with her scheme where it abruptly ended in Kingdom Hearts I, but found it a bit more difficult than she initially thought. In addition to the loss of a large margin of her former power, her entourage of Disney villains is no more, and she is left only with the bumbling Pete as a henchman.

She is also continually hampered by Organization XIII, who have somewhat stolen her spotlight as the main villain. Realizing that she first needs a base of operations to continue with her plans, she creates a relatively small fortress in Radiant Garden, exactly opposite from the castle, and uses it as a temporary base of operations until a more suitable location was discovered. At first, she attempted to regain her former fortifications at Hollow Bastion, but failed thanks to the combined efforts of its new denizens.

So, she turned her attention elsewhere, to the Organization’s hovering stronghold within the World that Never Was. However, before she can amass a force capable of accomplishing such a grandiose goal, the Kingdom Hearts created by Xemnas shatters, converting thousands of hearts into a heartless horde of epic proportions. Realizing that the only way she could hope to conquer the castle is if the Superior, Xemnas, is eliminated, and that the only way that would transpire is if Sora is given a chance, Maleficent (as well as Pete) charge headlong into the host of heartless, allowing Sora enough time to confront Xemnas. These actions prove that her lust for power overwhelms even her desires for revenge.