Kingdom Hearts II proves to be one of the longer games in the series. With both Heartless and Nobodies overrunning each world, Sora and his friends must put in twice as much effort in saving Kingdom Hearts.

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Of course, the game doesn't limit itself to just more story or Disney worlds. Sora himself gains access to a slew of new combat options, including new Keyblades. While most of these Keyblades are fairly balanced, some outshine the rest through a combination of stats and abilities. Regardless of playstyle, these have a ton of potential in helping Sora drive out the darkness.

10 Hero's Crest Is Basic, But Effective

Sora acquires this Keyblade after defeating the dreaded Hydra in Olympus Coliseum. This weapon's focus on physical attack is evident by its lack of any Magic boost. More specifically, it works wonders for aerial combos, as it deals a more powerful finishing move the longer the combo is.

Sora can wield the Hero's Crest normally to decent effect, but it pairs especially well with Master Form's aerial attacks. Despite it being available early on in the game, it remains useful throughout.

9 Oathkeeper Provides A Magic Boost

After hearing about Kairi's appearance in Twilight Town, Sora rushes back to look for her. While she gets kidnapped before the two have a chance to reunite, Sora does gain access to the Keyblade that represents her: Oathkeeper.

In this game, Oathkeeper retains its balance of physical and magical power. It also comes with the ability Form Boost, which increases the duration of Drive Forms. Thanks to its Magic boost, it serves well as a Keyblade to use in both Wisdom and Master Form.

8 Circle of Life Provides Extra Healing

As is evident by its name, Sora obtains the Circle of Life Keyblade while visiting the Pride Lands. After Simba talks with the ghost of his father, Mufasa, he eagerly joins Sora in confronting the evil Scar.

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The Keyblade itself is more physically oriented, but its ability MP Haste works to restore expended MP quickly. This is incredibly useful during battles against strong opponents, as it allows Sora to heal with Cure more often. Perhaps that's another reason why its name is "Circle of Life".

7 Guardian Soul Powers Up Reaction Commands

When Sora visits Olympus Coliseum a second time, he must rescue Auron from the clutches of Hades. Upon his success, players obtain the Guardian Soul Keyblade. It has slightly more power than Hero's Crest, the other Keyblade from this world.

The Guardian Soul's ability Reaction Boost increases the power of Reaction Commands. Because so many Heartless, Nobodies, and bosses utilize moves that prompt Reaction Commands, this Keyblade is essential for making the most out of them. Its cool design is an added bonus.

6 Rumbling Rose Allows For Multiple Finishing Moves

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Sora has a wider array of abilities in this game compared to the first, and among them are powerful finishers. These moves end the combo with a bang, sometimes quite literally. However, it might be difficult for some players to decide which one to equip.

Luckily, the Rumbling Rose is here to help. After knocking some sense into Beast during the second visit to Beast's Castle, Sora gets this wicked-looking weapon. Its mighty ability Finishing Plus allows for consecutive finishing moves to activate.

5 Sleeping Lion Balances Strength And Magic

This Keyblade serves as a stand-in for the Lionheart Keyblade from the first game. Similarly, Leon is the one who gives it to Sora after they decide to return to Tron's world to help their digital friend.

Sleeping Lion has a healthy balance of Strength and Magic, though it works better physically. It also has a powerful Combo Plus ability which extends ground-based combos by one hit. Paired with Valor form, this Keyblade racks up a lot of damage very quickly.

4 Oblivion Allows Quick Access To Drive Forms

Returning from the previous game is another iconic Keyblade. Like in the previous title, Oblivion focuses primarily on physical damage. The Drive Boost ability it carries also allows the Drive Gauge to fill faster while the MP meter charges up.

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Simply put, every attack done with this dark Keyblade during MP restoration will also fill the Drive Gauge, allowing Sora to access his Drive Forms more quickly. While Oblivion isn't available until the last parts of the game, it becomes a worthwhile weapon to equip.

3 Fenrir's Strength Is Highest Of All

Many of the Keyblades in Kingdom Hearts II unlock through story progression. Fenrir, however, is only available after defeating an optional boss. And oh boy, what an optional boss it is.

Much like in the first title, Sora can challenge Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth to an ultimate test of skill. Should players best this powerful opponent, they receive Fenrir as a reward. It reduces combo attacks by one hit, but has immense power and reach to compensate. In fact, its Strength stat is the highest among all Keyblades in the game.

2 Decisive Pumpkin Deals Massive Damage With Combo Plus

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The second visit to Halloween Town involves tracking down a mysterious present thief terrorizing Christmas Town. After defeating the culprit, Sora obtains the Decisive Pumpkin Keyblade.

What makes this Keyblade so great is its impressive Strength stat, alongside the fantastic Combo Boost ability. The longer Sora's grounded attack combo lasts, the more powerful the final hit becomes. With enough Combo Plus abilities stacked up, Decisive Pumpkin's finishing hit can deal more damage than some other setups in the game.

1 Ultima Weapon Stands Above The Rest

Naturally, the mighty Ultima Weapon stands out as the must-have weapon for many players. To obtain it, Sora must synthesize this Keyblade into existence with the help of some friendly Moogles.

The Ultima Weapon has impressive Strength and Magic stats, as well as the MP Hastega ability. This transcends the usual MP Haste to make a depleted MP gauge recharge even faster. No matter which Drive Form it's used in, Ultima Weapon lives up to its reputation as "the Keyblade above all others".

NEXT: 10 Things You Didn't Know Happened Between Kingdom Hearts 2 And Kingdom Hearts 3