The Keyblade
The single most important, and distinguishing feature of any Keybearer is the Keyblade they weild. And as such, deserves a more thourough analysis than most people are willing to give it.
The Keyblade is powered not by the strength of the Keybearers body, but by thier spirit. The Keyblade in the hands of a six year old who is absolute in her knowledge of right and wrong is a far more potent weapon than a Keyblade in the hands of a trained swordsman who doesn't know what to beleive anymore. For this reason among others, the average age of a recently awakened Keybearer is young.
For each Keybearer, the Keyblade never changes. However, Keychains can be affixed to the Keyblade. It is the keychain that focuses the combat potential of the Keyblade, and gives it a new form at the same time. The inital Keyblade acquired by the Keybearer will the Kingdom Key. No exceptions. The Kingdom Key is the most basic and truest form of the Keyblade. The Keyblade equipment list shows the effects that various keychains have upon the Keyblade. In these alternate forms, the Keyblade is an exotic looking weapon by any measure, often reflecting the source nature of the Keychain, and any one who knows the nature of the Keyblade can recognize one.
Now, an understanding of what the Keyblade actually is. The physical nature of the Keyblade is difficult to determine based upon the observable effects that we currently have. We know that is has shape and size, wholy dependent upon the attached Keychain, the preferences of the Keybearer and even upon the intended purpose of the Keyblade. This confuses the issue at hand, as any given answer can be countered with an equally valid answer.
And without this firm definition, we must fall back to less measurable sources and reasons to determine the Keyblade's nature. We can observe that despite the apparent shape and size of the Keyblade, all wielders, no matter what thier pysical stature, have no problems wielding the Keyblade. This lends support to the theory that the Keyblade has no innate mass, just a perceivable volume. However, this cannot be completely true as Keyblades have been shown to have effects like it has mass, such as persons being moved by the 'mass' of the Keyblade. Perhaps this 'mass' is nothing more than the applied force of the will of the Keybearer?
Perhaps the Keychain is the answer, or rather, an answer. All true Keyblades have an attached Keychain. (No, Ansem / Riku's statement that their weapon is a Keyblade cannot yet be substantiated, despite thier claim, and effect on Maleficent's Heart. For the purposes of this discussion, they shall be ignored, however, they shall get their own discussion later on.) As has been stated elsewhere in this worlbook, the Keychain is the focus of the power of the Keylade, giving it form, shape and possibly substance. The nature of the Keychain is simple, a small token that can be attached to the base of the Keyblade, altering its form and power. The Keychain itself can be anything from a small metal symbol (on the Kingdom Key), to an Ebony and Ivory Ying/Yang for the Dark Dawn Keyblade. But no matter the Keychain, the primary effects remain the same, and as such this seems to be a false lead.
One last ability of the Keyblade deserves explanation, that being the 'Recall' ability. In quick explanation, a Keyblade that is seperated from its chosen bearer can and will spontaneouly dematerialize, and re-manifest in the hands of its chosen. It is this capacity that that makes the Strike Raid ability possible. But while the evidence that it works is clear, the reasoning behind it is less clear. Many Keybearers attribute a sense of purpse to their Keyblade, one that can make some choices on behalf of the Keybearer, such as returning, or sealing a Keyhole. But without further evidence of the process of creating a Keblade, we cannot be sure of anything.
It would appear that the nature of the Keyblade defies explanation with the evidence at hand, and any further discussion will need to be saved for later.
Keyblades can be described as 'Master Keys to the Multiverse'. The prmary purpose of this is to seal the lock that is the Keyhole that locks the Heart of the world. If no Heartless are near, a Keybearer can lock the Keyhole, and prevent the world from being devoured by the Heartless. This is one of the objectives of the Keybearer, to Lock as many worlds as possible. Of note is that this can be applied on a lesser scale to any lock. A simple double tap with the Keyblade can unlock almost anything. Of course, this is very specific. If the 'lock' is actually sealed, or stuck, or simply a false lock, nothing happens. Only a Keyblade can reverse the effects of another Keyblade.
