Atlantica
First Appearance: KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)
Origin: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Atlantica, an underwater metropolis where mermaids and fish live in harmony. Such a place is ruled by the mighty King Triton. Sora, Donald, and Goofy have visited this city underneath the sea before, but instead of changing forms they are surprised to see that they can still remain in their normal form. Beginning to grow suspicious of whether they are truly underwater, Donald notes Ariel, the youngest of King Triton's seven daughters, swimming their way. In her hands is a very familiar item to the trio. They find it odd how Ariel won't say why she is concealing such an item or even why she has it in the first place. With such questions arising, their adventure within this world begins...
Upon arriving at King Triton's throne, they stumble upon a very upset Sebastian. When Sora asks what the problem is, they are quick to learn that the king's trident has been stolen! As if to add insult to injury, Sebastian informs the trio that Ariel has disappeared as well which leaves the king in terrible worry causing him to stay within his chambers. As Sora consults his friends, the pieces begin to fall into place. They soon speculate that Ariel has run off with her father's trident for reasons that are currently unknown to them. Noting Sebastian's overwhelming concern, Sora and co. decide that it is best that they get to the bottom of this on their own accord.
After working their way through several rooms filled with heartless, Sora, Donald, and Goofy find Ariel within her grotto confronting a very familiar villain. To their displeasure, they find Ursula, the sea witch, making a bargain with the young mermaid princess. It doesn't take long for the trio to discover why Ariel stole the trident. Flounder, Ariel's dearest friend, had been "taken away" from the sea to the human world. Ursula continues to tell Ariel that all will be well if she hurries along and hands the trident over to her slimy hands. Clearly conflicted, the young red-haired mermaid begins to question whether or not to trust Ursula and thus she says she needs "more time to think" things over. Once Ursula finally leaves, Sora decides to step in and give his two cents on the subject. He is quick to tell Ariel that she shouldn't "lend" the trident to Ursula. Although Ariel agrees with him, she states that Ursula is the only one who can help her find Flounder. It is then that Sora tells the mermaid that he and his friends can help her, and that he knows what it's like to search after missing friends. After this scene, Ariel becomes an ally as her card is now available in Sora's deck.
Battling several more heartless, the foursome find their way to Ursula's lair. Ariel soon calls out Ursula saying that she must prove that she can save Flounder. Confident in herself, the sea witch summons Flounder in just a quick flick of the wrist. Keeping to her deal, Ariel reluctantly hands over her father's trident to Ursula. With this newfound power, Ursula grows in size and power. It's now up to Sora to stop her before things get out of hand!
Following Ursula's defeat, Sora gains her enemy card which will help him as he continues on within Castle Oblivion. Once being reunited with Flounder, Ariel decides to come clean about her errors as Sebastian approaches the group. Bidding adieu, Sora, Donald, and Goofy leave this world with new experiences and memories as they approach the next floor of this curious castle.
Although Sora, Donald, and Goofy are gone from Atlantica, this doesn't mean the underwater adventure ends there! During his journey, Riku stumbles upon the underwater metropolis of Atlantica. Less than thrilled, the silver haired teen slashes through the waves of heartless he encounters within each room. As he is close to reaching the end of this world, he encounters an angry and enlarged Ursula just as Sora had. Despite Ursula's spiteful remarks, Riku defeats her without complaint. He continues on to venture through several more rooms stocked with heartless. Climbing up the large ladder to the door of this world, Riku exits Atlantica ready to take on the next challenge that awaits him.
