#Warning: This article contains spoilers from the previous games.

Before Kingdom Hearts III comes out, here is a brief synopsis of each game so far.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Aqua becomes Keyblade Master, but Terra is questioning his abilities.

Aqua and Ventus chase Terra across worlds, hoping to get him to see reason. Ventus learns on his journey that he and Vanitas, if they fight, would create the X-blade (pronounced KEY-blade) and start the second Keyblade War that Master Xehanort wants.

Xehanort isn’t done yet and uses Terra’s body as a vessel of darkness. Aqua, with Ventus’ heart in a deep sleep after fighting Vanitas, brings Ventus back to the now destroyed Land of Departure and seals it, with Ventus inside. Aqua meets Terranort and fights him, but falls to the darkness. Ventus’ heart is absorbed into a younger Sora’s body, where it is protected until Ventus awakens.

Terranort, calling himself Ansem, works on creating the Heartless and the Nobodies.

Kingdom Hearts

Sora, Riku, and Kairi plan on leaving Destiny Islands, using a raft they built. However, their journey becomes thwarted and the three friends are separated. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy are on the search for King Mickey, with Jiminy Cricket as their chronicler.

Sora meets Donald and Goofy at Traverse Town, where they first become friends. Together, the three go to many worlds, defeating the Heartless. With Sora as the chosen Keyblade wielder, he is able to defeat the Heartless and free the hearts they stole. They meet villains and defeat them on their journey, but Riku becomes an obstacle. Sora eventually finds Kairi and frees her heart, along with the Seven Princesses of Light, but ends up as a Heartless.

Only through Kairi is Sora restored to his human form and fights Ansem, Xehanort’s heartless. With Ansem defeated, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, along with help from Riku and King Mickey, close the Door to Darkness. The worlds are restored, but the search to find Riku and Mickey begins.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

After chasing Pluto to Castle Oblivion Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket enter the castle. As they travel, they begin to lose their memories. The Nobodies there play tricks on Sora and Sora starts remembering a girl named Namine. Upon finding Namine, she explains to Sora that she is a witch and gave him fake memories of their time together.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket agree to have the memories they gained at Castle Oblivion erased, but this is only accomplished if the three go to sleep for a year. Once Sora defeats the Nobody Marluxia, he and the others head into pods and sleep. Meanwhile, Riku escapes the Darkness with help from King Mickey.

After many trials and facing a replica version of himself, Riku meets Namine and finds out about Sora. Riku decides to travel on his own to stop Organization XIII. King Mickey goes with him.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Roxas, Sora’s Nobody, spends his days working for Organization XIII. While he defeats Heartless and frees hearts, Roxas learns that the organization’s real mission is to create Kingdom Hearts, so they can finally exist. He befriends Axel, another Nobody, and Number XIV Xion (pronounced SHE-ion).

In order to stop the Heartless, Roxas travels to many worlds through dark portals. Axel, and a couple members of Organization XIII, travels to Castle Oblivion where they meet Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Axel manages to escape, but Marluxia and a few others do not survive. Because Roxas and Xion are the Keyblade’s chosen wielder, they can free the hearts the Heartless take. Xion eventually finds out, with Riku’s help, what she is: a replica created by the organization to prevent Sora from waking up, and goes off on her own.

Roxas eventually finds out the truth about the organization and goes in search of Xion, only to discover she looks like Sora and ends up fighting him, hoping to absorb him. In the end, Xion dies, the memories of her erased, causing Roxas and others to forget she ever existed. Roxas leaves Organization XIII and is found by Riku, who gives into the darkness in order to capture Roxas. Roxas wakes up not remembering Organization XIII, but having the idea that summer is coming to a close.

Kingdom Hearts II

Six days remain before Sora awakens from his slumber. Roxas spends his days with Hayner, Pence, and Olette at the simulated Twilight Town. However, Dusk creatures attack him and Axel finds him, hoping to take him back to Organization XIII. Namine also shows up, letting Roxas know he wasn’t supposed to exist. On the last day, Roxas heads to the mansion where he finds Sora’s sleeping body.

Sora wakes up, as does Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket. None of them remember the previous year or their time fighting the organization. They head by train to the Mysterious Tower, where they meet Master Yen Sid; Sora gets a new outfit, thanks to the three good fairies, but also learns of the Nobodies: Dusks and Organization XIII.

Together Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket travel to many worlds and defeat Heartless. Along their journey, Sora becomes confused about defeating the Heartless and helping Organization XIII complete their goal to complete Kingdom Hearts. Back at the real Twilight Town, Sora learns that Kairi was kidnapped by Axel. Sora and his friends eventually find the simulated Twilight Town, leading to the World that Never Was, where the rest of the Organization members are. Sora finds Kairi and Riku, but also King Mickey and the real Ansem who destroys Kingdom Hearts. The real Ansem is gone, but Sora and his friends move on through the castle.

They fight Xemnas, Xehanort’s Nobody, and end up losing him. Sora and Kairi see Namine and Roxas for the last time, as Namine disappears into Kairi and Roxas into Sora, making Sora and Kairi whole. Sora and Riku fight and finally defeat Xemnas, but end up in the Darkness. The two find a message in a bottle from Kairi, which allows them to leave the Darkness and return to their home, Destiny Islands.

Kingdom Hearts: Coded

Jiminy Cricket wrote in two journals, but all that is written in the first journal is “Thank Namine”. Using their technology at the Disney Castle Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy go into Jiminy’s Journal to uncover and defeat the bugs, with help from Data-Sora who takes Sora’s place.

The Jiminy is in fact Data-Riku, who has been trying to uncover a message locked in the journal. During their time spent trying to fix the bugs Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pete end up in the journal itself. When Data-Sora defeats Anti-Sora, Sora’s Heartless, the journal is restored and Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pete return to the real world.

Mickey asks to return to the journal one last time to find Data-Sora and Namine. Namine sends Mickey a message to give to the real Sora, which Mickey promises. Mickey writes Sora a letter, informing him that he is still needed.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Sora and Riku take their Mark of Mastery exam. After finding out they are parallel to each other in the sleeping worlds, Sora and Riku seal the keyholes in order to awaken the worlds.

However, the organization has their plans and intercepts Sora, tiring him out and allowing his heart to sleep. They tell Sora Organization XIII was created to help build the Thirteen Hearts of Darkness, a vessel for Xehanort’s purpose. Before Xehanort has a chance to split Sora’s heart, Lea interferes and gets Sora out of the world Where Nothing Gathers. Back at the Mysterious Tower, Riku goes into Sora’s heart to free him, only to discover he is Sora’s Dream Eater. Once Riku has awakened Sora, Riku awakens from his own sleep to find Sora having a tea party with Donald and Goofy.

Master Yen Sid tells Riku that only he has passed his Mark of Mastery exam and is now a Keyblade Master. At the end of the Secret Ending after the credits, Riku brings Kairi to Master Yen Sid. Kairi is also a keyblade wielder.

Kingdom Hearts III

Kingdom Hearts III is rumored to come out next year or 2016. Until then, I hope these synopses of the previous games helps you better understand what’s to come!