With Tetsuya Nomura finally breaking a three-year silence to drop new Kingdom Hearts 4 details, what better time to revisit the series most iconic weapon? The Keyblade has long sparked debate — is it a sword? Should it be included in Cool Sword Day celebrations? Or is it simply a giant key-shaped billy club? Regardless of classification, the Keyblade stands as one of the most revolutionary one-handed fictional weapons, alongside the lightsaber — not just for its bold, genre-defying design, but for how deeply its woven into the lore, with each unique Keyblade symbolizing each wielders alignment with light or darkness.

While the Kingdom Key remains the franchises most recognizable blade, thanks largely to its constant presence in marketing, no Keyblade has captured fan devotion quite like Oblivion. Oathkeeper trails closely behind, earning a strong third place. The designers at Square Enix surely know the popularity of these Keyblades in the fandom, as all three appear in every major installment. But beyond their striking designs, its Oblivion and Oathkeeper that best embody Kingdom Hearts core theme: the eternal clash between light and dark. That makes them far more than just cool weapons; theyre narrative anchors.

In the original Kingdom Hearts, most new Keychains — items that transform the appearance and abilities of your Keyblade — are earned by completing Disney-themed worlds. These worlds have usually offered loose retellings of their respective films, often feeling like standalone adventures with minimal connection to the overarching storyline of Kingdom Hearts. However, Oathkeeper and Oblivion came from Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion, respectively, which are two original worlds — meaning, theyre not worlds based on Disney movies. Whats more, the  Keychains for each weapon have a strong significance for Kingdom Hearts protagonist Sora; one is deeply tied to Kairi, his love interest, and the other to his best frenemy, Riku. 

Image: Square Enix

Kairi gives Sora the Oathkeeper after he awakens her from her slumber and brings her to Traverse Town for safety. She offers him her “lucky charm” as a promise that theyll be reunited. The charm resembles a Paopu Fruit from their home, Destiny Island — a fruit said to bind the destinies of two people who share it, ensuring theyll always be connected, no matter what. Meanwhile, Oblivion is found in a chest in Hollow Bastion, mere feet away from Soras final confrontation with Riku — a confrontation that mirrors their playful sparring match at the beginning of the game.

Oathkeeper and Oblivion have always shared a yin-and-yang dynamic, reflected in everything from how theyre acquired to the two characters theyre tied to; thats even before we factor in their stark white and black color schemes. Oblivions in-game ability focuses on strength, while Oathkeeper prioritizes magic. Oathkeepers appearance emphasizes the elegance of a Keyblade, while Oblivion highlights the destruction. Theyre a terrific pair; they went together like lamb and tuna fish. 

What has truly cemented the importance of these two Keyblades is their prominent appearance in the games secret ending, Deep Dive / Another Side, Another Story. It features a hooded figure in an unknown location, dual-wielding both Oblivion and Oathkeeper in a fight with another mysterious silver-haired figure, who ends up taking and wielding Oblivion during the confrontation. Little did we know then that the hooded figure was Roxas, another version of Sora, and that Riku was the silver-haired man who took Oblivion for himself. At the time, fans couldnt fully grasp the implications of this final scene, but that moment instantly elevated the significance of both weapons. The secret ending was shrouded in mystery, yet the presence of Oathkeeper and Oblivion strongly hinted that the hooded figure had a deep connection to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

Its clear Nomura had grand plans for Oathkeeper and Oblivion, deliberately threading them deeper into the series overarching narrative than most other Keyblades. Still, he probably didnt expect them to eclipse the franchises default weapon: the iconic Kingdom Key. Despite its central role and compelling history as the light counterpart to King Mickeys Kingdom Key D, not to mention that it initially chose Riku before ultimately selecting Sora, its Oathkeeper and Oblivion that has came to embody the emotional core of the franchise, capturing the hearts (pun intended) of millions of fans along the way.