Kingdom Hearts and Pokemon are two of the biggest RPG video game series in the world. While they don't have a lot in common when it comes to gameplay, the characters that can be found within each franchise surprisingly share some similarities, making them great counterparts to one another.
From playable characters to bosses and antagonists, the characters in each series share personality traits, roles, and minor details that reflect each other. Some Kingdom Hearts characters also have things in common with Pokemon heroes and villains outside of the video games.
Sora Has A Lot In Common With Ash
While Ash's story in Pokemon games is rarely told, he is the main character in the anime adaptation of the franchise and has a lot in common with Kingdom Hearts' protagonist, Sora. At the beginning of both of their stories, they have dreams of going on epic journeys and exploring the universe beyond the home that they had been sheltered by for the first decade of their life. They are both very quick to make friends and blindly believe in others until having a reason not to.
Some of their closest friends are animal-like creatures, with Ash becoming very close to his Pokemon, such as Pikachu, an electric mouse, while Sora formed deep bonds with Donald Duck and Goofy. Both characters are depicted as good-natured to the point that they can be gullible, as the Pokemon anime's Team Rocket often finds ways to trick Ash, and something similar happens to Sora in some Kingdom Hearts games.
Riku And Blue Have Similar Character Arcs
While Sora has a lot in common with the main character in the Pokemon anime, one of his closest friends and rivals, Riku, shares a lot of similarities to the legendary Pokemon trainer Blue, the rival that players face in Pokemon Red and Blue. When Riku and Blue are first introduced, they act superior to those around them and make attempts at getting underneath the protagonists' skin, making them unlikeable. However, both of them have a lot of development that has made them beloved characters in their respective franchises.
While Blue isn't seen in the Pokemon games that much beyond the Gen 1 titles, the manga version of Blue in Pokemon Adventures continues to be a main character beyond the first arc, so it's easier to compare that version of the character to Riku. This version of Blue ends up learning how to be a better person by understanding that he treated others poorly, a similar lesson that Riku came to realize by the end of the first Kingdom Hearts game. They would make amends for their mistakes and fight alongside their rivals, becoming good friends. Eventually, both Riku and Blue would become mentors for other characters, with Blue training Yellow and Riku becoming a keyblade master.
Vexen And Blaine Play Very Similar Roles In Their Stories
Vexen from Kingdom Hearts and Blaine from Pokemon are both scientists that worked for an antagonistic organization that they would eventually betray. Vexen was a member of Organization 13 who created replicas in order to increase their ranks. However, due to the harm that would come to the replicas, realizing that he had lost sight of himself in the pursuit of scientific discovery, and regretting how he treated others, Vexen betrayed Organization 13 in Kingdom Hearts 3 and used his intelligence to help the Guardians of Light.
Similar to Blue, the version of Blaine from Pokemon Adventures has the most in common with Kingdom Hearts' Vexen. A member of Team Rocket, Blaine used his intelligence to help create Mewtwo, an artificial Pokemon who went rogue. Upon realizing that he had created a monster and become someone he didn't want to be, Blaine betrayed Team Rocket and did everything in his power to help their enemies, including trying to tame Mewtwo. Despite doing bad things, Vexen and Blaine had very similar redemption arcs.
Ansem The Wise And Professor Oak Have A Lot In Common
Kingdom Hearts' Ansem the Wise and Pokemon's Professor Oak are both well respected and successful researchers that became huge idols before they were introduced. As the ruler of Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise had several apprentices who aspired to be as good of a scientist as him. He would also send people on various tasks, such as when Riku followed him in order to awaken and reunite with Sora in the events between Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2. Eventually, this would lead to fans shipping Riku and Sora in Kingdom Hearts 2 and the following games.
There were many Pokemon trainers who looked up to Professor Oak as a mentor, including Ash and Blue. Both of them went on their journeys to become Pokemon masters and complete the Pokedex because of Professor Oak, making both him and Ansem the Wise huge inspirations for many. Due to their fame, there have also been times when both Ansem the Wise and Pokémon's Professor Oak had to conceal their identities from those who knew them in order to achieve their goal, proving that they also use similar methods.
Ienzo And Max Are A Lot Alike
Ienzo and Max have a lot in common. Knowing a lot about Pokemon, Max joined his sister, May, on her journey with Ash and Brock in the Pokemon anime. As he was too young to be a Pokemon trainer, he took this time to learn a lot about Pokemon. Ienzo, like Max, wasn't around his parents, and instead was raised by scientists like Ansem the Wise and Vexen. Being raised by the researchers of Radiant Garden resulted in Ienzo being very knowledgeable about many things.
While Ienzo had been a member of Organization 13 at one point, he eventually betrayed them to help the Guardians of Light. While not being able to do much, he used his skills to play a small role in defeating Kingdom Heart's Xehanort and the Seekers of Darkness, similar to how Max accompanied his sister and friends, and helped them out however he could, despite not being able to do a lot. Kingdom Hearts and Pokemon characters have quite a bit in common, and it will be interesting to see what other parallels there might be in future installments.