Destiny Islands

Lore & Background

Destiny Islands is the homeworld of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, where they lived as best friends before the events of the first Kingdom Hearts. Kairi is a former resident of Radiant Garden who was sent to Destiny Islands as part of experiments conducted by the antagonist Xehanort, in hopes of finding the one who possesses the Keyblade. The islands are destroyed by the Heartless, causing Kairi's body to fall into a coma while her heart takes refuge within Sora.

After Sora defeats one of Xehanort's incarnations, the worlds that had been destroyed by the Heartless are restored, including Destiny Islands. Kairi is left behind on the reforming Destiny Islands to await Sora's return from his journey, having realized his intimate feelings for her. In Kingdom Hearts II, after Sora and Riku defeat the Organization's leader, Xemnas, Kairi reunites with them on Destiny Islands. The islands serve as the setting for the post-credit scene where Kairi, Sora, and Riku read a letter from King Mickey Mouse, with their facial expressions deliberately left ambiguous by director Tetsuya Nomura.

Reader's Guide

Destiny Islands is introduced in the 2002 Japanese role-playing game Kingdom Hearts as the homeworld of Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Key locations include the beach where they build a raft, and the cave where Kairi's heart takes refuge within Sora after the islands are destroyed by the Heartless. The islands are later restored after Ansem's defeat, and Kairi remains there to await Sora's return. In Kingdom Hearts II, Kairi reunites with Sora and Riku on Destiny Islands after they defeat Xemnas. The islands also appear in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, set after the events of Kingdom Hearts II.