Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
from Square Enix
's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts
. First revealed during the final scenes of the 2004 title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
, Roxas is a "Nobody", a being created when the series' main character Sora
briefly lost his heart during the first game of the series. Kingdom Hearts II
revealed that Roxas was a member of Organization XIII
, a group of Nobodies who needed Roxas as he could wield the Keyblade, a weapon that allows him to capture hearts. As a member of the organization, Roxas bore the title . He is also the protagonist
of the video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
, which revolves around his origins. In the Japanese games, Roxas is voiced by Kōki Uchiyama
, while Jesse McCartney
takes the role in the English versions.
Since his first cameo in the series, director Tetsuya Nomura
has stated that Roxas is an important character to the series, and that in order to explain his back story in more detail than done in Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was created. Since his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has received positive critical response from video game publications with most of them focusing on his development in 358/2 Days. Various types of merchandising have been released based on his character.
. In Kingdom Hearts II
, Roxas is introduced as a kid living in a digital replica
of a city called Twilight Town. Unaware of the virtual nature of the city, Roxas begins to dream about the adventures of Sora
, the series' protagonist. He later encounters Axel, a member of Organization XIII
who was given orders to either rescue or kill him, and Naminé, a special Nobody fighting against Organization XIII, who tells him he is Sora's other half. Eventually, Ansem the Wise, the creator of the virtual world, leads Roxas to an old mansion where he sees Sora's comrades, Donald Duck
and Goofy
, sleeping in suspended animation
. It is then revealed that Ansem had placed Roxas in the replica of Twilight Town, erased his memory, and implanted false ones to make Roxas unaware of his past and then make him merge with Sora. When he reaches the room where Sora is kept asleep, Roxas rejoins with Sora, allowing Sora to wake up. Sora later learns that Roxas is his Nobody, created during the first game. Xemnas brought Roxas to Organization XIII as he could wield the Keyblade, a weapon which would help them to capture hearts. Roxas later betrayed the organization, and encountered one of Sora's friends, Riku, who captured him to help Sora wake up. Roxas makes two appearances near the end of the game. The first is in a mental battle with Sora depicted as a cut-scene, and the second is with Naminé who has merged with her other self, Kairi. In the re-released version of the title (Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix), Roxas' fight against Sora was expanded, making him a boss character. The battle was meant to be interactive in Kingdom Hearts II, but time constraints imposed from creating fights for the other Organization XIII members prevented inclusion. With the opportunity to include the fight, Nomura's team worked hard to make it entertaining for players. Additional scenes regarding Roxas' past were added to the game to add to the mystery around him.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
, a prequel to Kingdom Hearts II, reveals Roxas' life with Organization XIII. Unlike the other Organization members, Roxas lacks memories of his previous life. During Roxas' time in the Organization, he is placed under Axel's watch, and the two eventually become friends. After Axel is sent to Castle Oblivion, Roxas is entrusted with Xion
, another Keyblade wielder, whom he befriends before he falls into a month-long coma at the same time Naminé begins to restore Sora's memory. Awakening and attempting to spend time with his friends, Roxas begins to react to Sora's memory restoration as he starts to question why he uses the Keyblade and doubt the Organization's motives. When he discovers that Xion is a replica of Sora created by Xemnas, Roxas feels betrayed by Axel hiding this from him, and is compelled to defect from Organization XIII to find answers and meet Sora. After doing so, he encounters Xion, who tries to attack and absorb him so that she would become the "real" Sora; however, Xion allows Roxas to kill her in battle. The death of his friend, coupled with full knowledge of how deranged Xemnas truly is, makes Roxas decide to defeat Xemnas and release the hearts he and Xion captured for the Organization. On his way, Roxas is confronted by Riku who knocks him unconscious in order to help Ansem and Naminé wake up Sora. A Pinocchio
's chapter in the story was intended to add a sad mission focusing on Roxas and Xion "looking for hope for themselves" but such story was not added due to system-constraints.
A virtual representation of Roxas appears as a boss character in the mobile phone game Kingdom Hearts coded
, in which he confronts a virtual representation of Sora. He makes a cameo appearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
, where he is shown with Xion and Axel eating sea-salt ice cream in Twilight Town. Roxas also appears in Shiro Amano
's manga
and Tomoko Kanemaki's novels, which reprise his role in the video games. The book Kingdom Hearts: Another Report includes a novel called Roxas–Somewhere in Time that retells Roxas' days in the Organization with the exception of his befriending Xion.
, the director of the series, Tetsuya Nomura
, was questioned about the character. However, he refrained from revealing too much detail about him and stated that he would become an important, playable character for the franchise. The developers wrote Roxas' story in Kingdom Hearts II to add mixed feelings to the game in a short time frame. After receiving a positive fan response regarding Roxas' sad scenario, Nomura concluded that it was well executed. He also stated that Roxas' merging with Sora in the game was one of his most memorable scenes from the series. Nomura later commented that Roxas was one of the first characters created for Organization XIII
, and was always intended to be the 13th member. The meaning of Roxas' name was meant to be revealed in a scene in Kingdom Hearts II that shows the letters in the word "Sora" rearranged with the "X" added to expand the connection between the characters. This scene, however, was omitted as Nomura found it difficult to implement time-wise. Since his debut in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has been voiced by Kōki Uchiyama
in Japanese and by Jesse McCartney
in the English versions.
After Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix was released, Nomura wanted to expand Roxas' role in the series to explain the events between his birth and his disappearance from Organization XIII. For Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the staff thought that Roxas' role as a member of the group would be a suitable theme for the plot. Roxas was chosen as the game's protagonist as the staff thought that having a main character besides Sora would help to introduce gamers to the series' first Nintendo DS
title. Co-director Tomohiro Hasegawa explained that Roxas' height was originally lower and as the game continued development, the staff decided to increase it. Nomura desired to portray Roxas' activities different from Sora's. In Sora's games, he is on a journey around the worlds, while Roxas always returns to Organization XIII after each mission. The staff constructed Roxas' interactions with the Disney characters to be different from Sora's as the Organization was meant to be secret in the game's story. Nomura told the writers that he wanted Roxas to learn something from each of his missions or just to have something to think about. Nomura later clarified that Roxas' personality was different from the one portrayed in Kingdom Hearts II as he does not actively attempt to come into contact with other characters. With Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Nomura wanted to reveal why Roxas left Organization XIII. Although Nomura found it to be a sad story it, he considered Zack Fair
's ending in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
more tragic. His last words in the game were also Nomura's most significant ones from the title as he wanted it to connect to Kingdom Hearts IIs first scene, which is actually the same scene. Uchiyama expressed sadness when the game ended development as he would not play the character for a long time.
Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mixs secret ending features a character named Ventus
that bears a striking resemblance to Roxas. Nomura commented that, despite how similar they are, Roxas and Ventus are not the same character. Additionally, he stated that by playing Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
, players will be able to distinguish Roxas from Ventus. In another interview, Nomura implied both characters are related, specifically to Sora, but he wanted fans to imagine reasons for such connection. The Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania
clarified the connection, stating that Roxas and Ventus look alike because Ventus' heart entered Sora's body and Roxas' birth allowed Ventus' heart to reside in Roxas. This also confirms the mystery about Roxas having a heart in contrast to other Nobodies which allows him to express emotions despite his lack of memories from a past, something that Nobodies use to show emotions.
Roxas' character has received a positive critical response from video game publications with his fighting sequences from the first game's secret ending labelled by GameSpy
as one of the best video game cinematic moments. While reviewing Kingdom Hearts II Jeff Haynes of IGN
said that Roxas was a "likable kid". Ron Fahey of Eurogamer
took a similar stance, calling him a "likeable enough young chap who just happens to be troubled by memories and visions of people he doesn't even know". His playable position in the game was regarded as a transitional arc, being used to introduce the gameplay to players that are new to the franchise. Cavin Smith from PSXextreme also called Roxas a likable character and stated that the revelation regarding his existence in Kingdom Hearts II is "a shocker of a revelation for any RPG!" The New York Times
liked the fact that the player controls Roxas in Kingdom Hearts IIs introduction instead of the protagonist Sora, avoiding the continuation of Sora's search for his friends. Additionally, he found the switch from Roxas' story to Sora's after a few hours "a little jarring". Andrew Reiner from Game Informer
emphasizes his role as a "troubled boy", calling his story arc "an amazing chain of events", particularly noting that the revelation of his nature as a Nobody creates a "devilish yet remarkable plot twist" which may impact the player in a way that he "may not want Sora back". On the other hand, UGO.com commented that due to the game's initial focus on Roxas, gamers would have to wait until playing as Sora to experience the most exciting parts of the title. During February 2010, Roxas was twenty-eighth in a Famitsu
poll featuring the most popular video game characters from Japan. In another poll, Roxas was voted as the second most popular Kingdom Hearts character with his fight against Sora ranked as the best scene from the series.
Before Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released, 1UP.com
featured Roxas at the top of their "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days" feature, calling him "The darling of fanfiction and doujinshi writers everywhere", and commenting on what he does during his only year within Organization XIII. Roxas' role as protagnist was labelled by G4TV as an attempt to "satiate the ravenous fanboy" due to the explanation from his background. While reviewing 358/2 Days, PALGN
's Adam Ghiggino praised Roxas' development during the title, expressing that even gamers who did not like his character in Kingdom Hearts II would care about him as "he evolves from a self-described 'zombie' to a strong-willed and interesting character". Ghiggino especially noted his relation with Xion and Axel, which he found charming despite the fact that they repeatedly meet at the top of a clock tower in a large number scenes. A similar response was made by Game Informer, who commented that although such scenes were "dull", Roxas' relation with Xion and Axel was appealing and the game's ending would make up for such moments. GamesRadar
also commented that Roxas "starts off like a zombie, but rapidly develops a personality" during the title and joked about the numerous times he eats ice cream. His growth in the game was also labelled as one of the most enjoyable elements from the title. IGN agreed, calling Roxas' friendship "heart-aching". On the other hand, 1UP.com mentioned that although Roxas' relationship with Xion and Axel is appealing, some of his first missions feel like "lonely, sad affairs". His maneuvers in the game were praised by GameSpot
for being easy to learn despite how complex they look, while IGN liked the variation between all of them.
Due to his resemblance with Ventus, video game publications initially thought that Roxas would be one of the protagonists from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. However, when it was revealed that the two were different, publications still discussed how similar they were and if there was a connection between them.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
. First revealed during the final scenes of the 2004 title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
, Roxas is a "Nobody", a being created when the series' main character Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
briefly lost his heart during the first game of the series. Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
revealed that Roxas was a member of Organization XIII
Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
, a group of Nobodies who needed Roxas as he could wield the Keyblade, a weapon that allows him to capture hearts. As a member of the organization, Roxas bore the title . He is also the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
, which revolves around his origins. In the Japanese games, Roxas is voiced by Kōki Uchiyama
Koki Uchiyama
is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Saitama Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Gekidan Himawari.Uchiyama mainly voices over young males, such as in the Kingdom Hearts series, and rarely makes public appearances in the media as a seiyū...
, while Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
takes the role in the English versions.
Since his first cameo in the series, director Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
has stated that Roxas is an important character to the series, and that in order to explain his back story in more detail than done in Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was created. Since his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has received positive critical response from video game publications with most of them focusing on his development in 358/2 Days. Various types of merchandising have been released based on his character.
Appearances
Roxas' first appearances were cameos in "Another Side, Another Story", a bonus trailer found in Kingdom Hearts, and in the ending of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of MemoriesKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
. In Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, Roxas is introduced as a kid living in a digital replica
Computer simulation
A computer simulation, a computer model, or a computational model is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system...
of a city called Twilight Town. Unaware of the virtual nature of the city, Roxas begins to dream about the adventures of Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
, the series' protagonist. He later encounters Axel, a member of Organization XIII
Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
who was given orders to either rescue or kill him, and Naminé, a special Nobody fighting against Organization XIII, who tells him he is Sora's other half. Eventually, Ansem the Wise, the creator of the virtual world, leads Roxas to an old mansion where he sees Sora's comrades, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
, sleeping in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
. It is then revealed that Ansem had placed Roxas in the replica of Twilight Town, erased his memory, and implanted false ones to make Roxas unaware of his past and then make him merge with Sora. When he reaches the room where Sora is kept asleep, Roxas rejoins with Sora, allowing Sora to wake up. Sora later learns that Roxas is his Nobody, created during the first game. Xemnas brought Roxas to Organization XIII as he could wield the Keyblade, a weapon which would help them to capture hearts. Roxas later betrayed the organization, and encountered one of Sora's friends, Riku, who captured him to help Sora wake up. Roxas makes two appearances near the end of the game. The first is in a mental battle with Sora depicted as a cut-scene, and the second is with Naminé who has merged with her other self, Kairi. In the re-released version of the title (Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix), Roxas' fight against Sora was expanded, making him a boss character. The battle was meant to be interactive in Kingdom Hearts II, but time constraints imposed from creating fights for the other Organization XIII members prevented inclusion. With the opportunity to include the fight, Nomura's team worked hard to make it entertaining for players. Additional scenes regarding Roxas' past were added to the game to add to the mystery around him.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
, a prequel to Kingdom Hearts II, reveals Roxas' life with Organization XIII. Unlike the other Organization members, Roxas lacks memories of his previous life. During Roxas' time in the Organization, he is placed under Axel's watch, and the two eventually become friends. After Axel is sent to Castle Oblivion, Roxas is entrusted with Xion
Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. She was introduced in the 2009 game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as the newest and fourteenth member from the group Organization XIII which is composed of Nobodies, beings created from people who lost their heart...
, another Keyblade wielder, whom he befriends before he falls into a month-long coma at the same time Naminé begins to restore Sora's memory. Awakening and attempting to spend time with his friends, Roxas begins to react to Sora's memory restoration as he starts to question why he uses the Keyblade and doubt the Organization's motives. When he discovers that Xion is a replica of Sora created by Xemnas, Roxas feels betrayed by Axel hiding this from him, and is compelled to defect from Organization XIII to find answers and meet Sora. After doing so, he encounters Xion, who tries to attack and absorb him so that she would become the "real" Sora; however, Xion allows Roxas to kill her in battle. The death of his friend, coupled with full knowledge of how deranged Xemnas truly is, makes Roxas decide to defeat Xemnas and release the hearts he and Xion captured for the Organization. On his way, Roxas is confronted by Riku who knocks him unconscious in order to help Ansem and Naminé wake up Sora. A Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
's chapter in the story was intended to add a sad mission focusing on Roxas and Xion "looking for hope for themselves" but such story was not added due to system-constraints.
A virtual representation of Roxas appears as a boss character in the mobile phone game Kingdom Hearts coded
Kingdom Hearts coded
is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phones. It is the fourth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and is set after the events of the Kingdom Hearts II. The story focuses on a message written in...
, in which he confronts a virtual representation of Sora. He makes a cameo appearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and Disney for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on September 7, 2010 and in Europe on September...
, where he is shown with Xion and Axel eating sea-salt ice cream in Twilight Town. Roxas also appears in Shiro Amano
Shiro Amano
is a Japanese manga artist who has worked on several projects, including his adaptation on the popular Kingdom Hearts series.-Manga:* Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories* Kingdom Hearts II* Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days* Legend of Mana...
's manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and Tomoko Kanemaki's novels, which reprise his role in the video games. The book Kingdom Hearts: Another Report includes a novel called Roxas–Somewhere in Time that retells Roxas' days in the Organization with the exception of his befriending Xion.
Creation and development
After Roxas first made a cameo at the end of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of MemoriesKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
, the director of the series, Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
, was questioned about the character. However, he refrained from revealing too much detail about him and stated that he would become an important, playable character for the franchise. The developers wrote Roxas' story in Kingdom Hearts II to add mixed feelings to the game in a short time frame. After receiving a positive fan response regarding Roxas' sad scenario, Nomura concluded that it was well executed. He also stated that Roxas' merging with Sora in the game was one of his most memorable scenes from the series. Nomura later commented that Roxas was one of the first characters created for Organization XIII
Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
, and was always intended to be the 13th member. The meaning of Roxas' name was meant to be revealed in a scene in Kingdom Hearts II that shows the letters in the word "Sora" rearranged with the "X" added to expand the connection between the characters. This scene, however, was omitted as Nomura found it difficult to implement time-wise. Since his debut in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has been voiced by Kōki Uchiyama
Koki Uchiyama
is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Saitama Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Gekidan Himawari.Uchiyama mainly voices over young males, such as in the Kingdom Hearts series, and rarely makes public appearances in the media as a seiyū...
in Japanese and by Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
in the English versions.
After Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix was released, Nomura wanted to expand Roxas' role in the series to explain the events between his birth and his disappearance from Organization XIII. For Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the staff thought that Roxas' role as a member of the group would be a suitable theme for the plot. Roxas was chosen as the game's protagonist as the staff thought that having a main character besides Sora would help to introduce gamers to the series' first Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
title. Co-director Tomohiro Hasegawa explained that Roxas' height was originally lower and as the game continued development, the staff decided to increase it. Nomura desired to portray Roxas' activities different from Sora's. In Sora's games, he is on a journey around the worlds, while Roxas always returns to Organization XIII after each mission. The staff constructed Roxas' interactions with the Disney characters to be different from Sora's as the Organization was meant to be secret in the game's story. Nomura told the writers that he wanted Roxas to learn something from each of his missions or just to have something to think about. Nomura later clarified that Roxas' personality was different from the one portrayed in Kingdom Hearts II as he does not actively attempt to come into contact with other characters. With Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Nomura wanted to reveal why Roxas left Organization XIII. Although Nomura found it to be a sad story it, he considered Zack Fair
Zack Fair
is a fictional character from the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix. He first appeared as a non-player character in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. In the story, Zack is a late member from the paramilitary organization SOLDIER developed by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company...
's ending in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...
more tragic. His last words in the game were also Nomura's most significant ones from the title as he wanted it to connect to Kingdom Hearts IIs first scene, which is actually the same scene. Uchiyama expressed sadness when the game ended development as he would not play the character for a long time.
Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mixs secret ending features a character named Ventus
Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameos in Kingdom Hearts II and other related titles, Ventus was introduced in the 2010 prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as one of the three main characters...
that bears a striking resemblance to Roxas. Nomura commented that, despite how similar they are, Roxas and Ventus are not the same character. Additionally, he stated that by playing Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and Disney for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on September 7, 2010 and in Europe on September...
, players will be able to distinguish Roxas from Ventus. In another interview, Nomura implied both characters are related, specifically to Sora, but he wanted fans to imagine reasons for such connection. The Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania
Ultimania
This is a list of companion books relating to games developed and published by Square Enix. Starting with Final Fantasy III, Square began publishing guide books for its games which traditionally include additional content such as developer interviews and expanded plot and setting information...
clarified the connection, stating that Roxas and Ventus look alike because Ventus' heart entered Sora's body and Roxas' birth allowed Ventus' heart to reside in Roxas. This also confirms the mystery about Roxas having a heart in contrast to other Nobodies which allows him to express emotions despite his lack of memories from a past, something that Nobodies use to show emotions.
Reception
Roxas has been featured in various types of merchandising published by Square Enix. An action figure was released as part of the Play Arts action figures series. Other items sold include plush, keychains and replicas of his necklace.Roxas' character has received a positive critical response from video game publications with his fighting sequences from the first game's secret ending labelled by GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
as one of the best video game cinematic moments. While reviewing Kingdom Hearts II Jeff Haynes of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that Roxas was a "likable kid". Ron Fahey of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
took a similar stance, calling him a "likeable enough young chap who just happens to be troubled by memories and visions of people he doesn't even know". His playable position in the game was regarded as a transitional arc, being used to introduce the gameplay to players that are new to the franchise. Cavin Smith from PSXextreme also called Roxas a likable character and stated that the revelation regarding his existence in Kingdom Hearts II is "a shocker of a revelation for any RPG!" The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
liked the fact that the player controls Roxas in Kingdom Hearts IIs introduction instead of the protagonist Sora, avoiding the continuation of Sora's search for his friends. Additionally, he found the switch from Roxas' story to Sora's after a few hours "a little jarring". Andrew Reiner from Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
emphasizes his role as a "troubled boy", calling his story arc "an amazing chain of events", particularly noting that the revelation of his nature as a Nobody creates a "devilish yet remarkable plot twist" which may impact the player in a way that he "may not want Sora back". On the other hand, UGO.com commented that due to the game's initial focus on Roxas, gamers would have to wait until playing as Sora to experience the most exciting parts of the title. During February 2010, Roxas was twenty-eighth in a Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
poll featuring the most popular video game characters from Japan. In another poll, Roxas was voted as the second most popular Kingdom Hearts character with his fight against Sora ranked as the best scene from the series.
Before Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released, 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
featured Roxas at the top of their "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days" feature, calling him "The darling of fanfiction and doujinshi writers everywhere", and commenting on what he does during his only year within Organization XIII. Roxas' role as protagnist was labelled by G4TV as an attempt to "satiate the ravenous fanboy" due to the explanation from his background. While reviewing 358/2 Days, PALGN
PALGN
The PAL Gaming Network is an Australian based video game news and reviews website that focuses on the videogame industry and culture in PAL territories, particularly Australia and the UK. It was launched in 2003 by a group of PAL forum members on the IGN message boards who were disenfranchised by...
's Adam Ghiggino praised Roxas' development during the title, expressing that even gamers who did not like his character in Kingdom Hearts II would care about him as "he evolves from a self-described 'zombie' to a strong-willed and interesting character". Ghiggino especially noted his relation with Xion and Axel, which he found charming despite the fact that they repeatedly meet at the top of a clock tower in a large number scenes. A similar response was made by Game Informer, who commented that although such scenes were "dull", Roxas' relation with Xion and Axel was appealing and the game's ending would make up for such moments. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
also commented that Roxas "starts off like a zombie, but rapidly develops a personality" during the title and joked about the numerous times he eats ice cream. His growth in the game was also labelled as one of the most enjoyable elements from the title. IGN agreed, calling Roxas' friendship "heart-aching". On the other hand, 1UP.com mentioned that although Roxas' relationship with Xion and Axel is appealing, some of his first missions feel like "lonely, sad affairs". His maneuvers in the game were praised by GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
for being easy to learn despite how complex they look, while IGN liked the variation between all of them.
Due to his resemblance with Ventus, video game publications initially thought that Roxas would be one of the protagonists from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. However, when it was revealed that the two were different, publications still discussed how similar they were and if there was a connection between them.