Destiny Islands from the Kingdom Hearts series is a location that is an immediate boost of nostalgia for many fans. It is the home of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and has appeared in most of the main games. It has become a symbol of beginnings and innocence in the series, and it's later revealed that even the main villain Xehanort originally came from Destiny Islands. Like Sora, Riku, and Kairi, he wanted to see other worlds, but that desire turned into a hunger for power and control.
There are a lot of little secrets to Destiny Islands that only hardcore players know about., from the name to hidden signs, geography, and some Easter eggs. For many fans, Destiny Islands is a favorite location. A lot of iconography from the island itself has become major in Kingdom Hearts' symbols, such as the paopu fruits. With such attention put on these islands, it's no wonder there are secrets to uncover.
What Destiny Islands' Name Means
The name "Destiny Islands" is actually an anagram for "It's Disneyland," which is pretty incredible given the name sounds so natural regardless of it being a Disney property. However, that's not the only detail to pull out of Destiny Islands, as the number of letters in its name also has significance.
The numbers seven and 13 hold a special place in Kindom Hearts. Seven appears frequently with the Seven Princesses of Heart, seven wonders of Twilight Town, seven worlds in many of the games, and the Seven Guardians of Light. There are even smaller instances of seven becoming relevant, like how many times Roxas hits DiZ's computer in Kingdom Hearts 2 and how many days he spent in the Twilight Town datascape. Each word in Destiny Islands is made up of seven letters, and it's hard to imagine this was just a coincidence when the number seven is already everywhere else.
Hidden Symbols and the Geography of Destiny Islands
A lot of hidden Easter eggs can be found in the Secret Place on the islands, where Sora and Kairi draw on the cave walls. Among their drawings include images of Donald, Goofy, a dragon, Disney Castle, and a Final Fantasy Chocobo. Fans generally believe a lot of the drawings are foreshadowing the events of the story, as they can be seen before Sora ever even meets Donald and Goofy. There are also some hidden Mickeys on the islands, one being on the floor of the cave and another in trees. This is a common idea repeated across Disney properties, and Disney theme parks are also known to have hidden Mickeys scattered around.
The geography of the islands has been long debated by fans, as the different games made their orientation ambiguous and confusing. There is a main island and a small island, and fans who pay attention have seen that the geography between the two landmasses has changed orientation across different games. One theory that the Kingdom Hearts fandom wiki proposes about the islands is that time moves faster than in other worlds, evidenced by the timing of Terra and Aqua's early visits and how old Sora and Riku are in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. If this theory is true, that may complicate the ages and experiences of different characters. That said, it is just a theory, but an interesting one to consider given the importance of Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts.