Waifu Wednesday: Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)

Waifu Wednesday

I have a lot of love for the Kingdom Hearts series. It may be a jumbled mess of characters and plot holes, but its my mess and I am keeping it. The chaos keeps the games from being boring — but there is one character that keeps me coming back more than anything.

Aqua might not have gotten nearly as much screen time over the years, but she is hands down the best Keyblade wielder we’ve seen in action throughout the series. So today for Waifu Wednesday, we’re showing her some love.

Who is Aqua?

Kingdom Hearts Aqua

Aqua made her debut in Birth by Sleep, a game set before the events of the first Kingdom Hearts game. At the start, she is a Keyblade wielder in training under Master Eraquos, but she quickly earns the rank of Master. From there, she must travel to different Disney worlds, fighting Heartless and villains along the way, while trying to bring her friends Ventus and Terra back home.

Eventually, she convinces Terra that the obviously evil man he’s been following around might not have his best interests in mind and they take part in a battle in the Keyblade Graveyard. Terra is taken by Xehanort, the main baddie of the series, and Aqua gets locked in the Realm of Darkness until the events of Kingdom Hearts III.

Despite briefly falling into despair after spending over a decade in the not-so-scenic Realm of Darkness, Aqua never loses her faith in her friends. When she is finally freed and reunited with Ventus and Terra, she immediately joins the fight to stop Xahanort.

Why we love her

Aqua Kingdom Hearts

Among everyone who wields a Keyblade in the Kingdom Hearts series, Aqua is one of only three active characters to achieve the title of Master. Not even main protagonist Sora manages to reach that rank, mainly because he is dumb as a box of rocks. Her ability to seamlessly blend her magic with physical attacks makes her gameplay sections in Birth by Sleep some of the most fun in the series.

Aqua emits powerful Big Sister energy, doing whatever it takes to keep her friends safe. Terra spends the entirety of Birth by Sleep being an accomplice to Disney villains between conversations, forcing Aqua to chase him across the worlds and beat some sense into him. Ventus acts more like a lost puppy and has a tendency to just wander off, so he’s lost without Aqua to keep an eye on him.

Despite being forced into the role of Team Mom, she still cares for both her friends. She makes an entire castle to protect Ventus as he sleeps off the events of Birth by Sleep, and allows herself to be thrown into darkness to give Terra a chance to return from Xehanort’s mind-control.

Why you’ll love her

Aqua in Realm of Darkness

Aqua is the most competent character in the entire Kingdom Hearts series, and she stands out for all the right reasons. In a series driven almost entirely by the main character stumbling from one misadventure to the next, Aqua’s skill and ability to plan ahead are refreshing to see. Her story is one of the most tragic in the game, so we spend all of Kingdom Hearts III hoping she’ll get the reunion with her friends that she deserves.

If you’re like me and you love a woman who can kick your butt, Aqua is the waifu for you. You can catch up with all the Kingdom Hearts games by picking up the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection and Kingdom Hearts III for the PS4. Or you can snag the whole series on PC over on the Epic Games Store.

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