"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
—Kairi to Sora
Kairi is one of several original characters appearing in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II, and also one of the main characters in the series. She is the complete being of Naminé. Kairi was born in Radiant Garden and currently lives on Destiny Islands along with her two best friends, Sora and Riku. She is four during Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, fourteen at the start of Kingdom Hearts, and fifteen during Kingdom Hearts II. Kairi's name is derived from the Japanese word for "Sea."
Kairi was born in the Radiant Garden, where she was living with her grandmother. One day, she is chased by a group of Unversed and encounters Aqua and King Mickey, both of whom can sense a pure light in her heart, proving that she is a Princess of Heart. Frightened, Kairi touched Aqua's Keyblade, unintentionally performing a Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony. When she is about to become captured by the enemy, Aqua and King Mickey combine their forces to protect her. After the Unversed were defeated, King Mickey gets called away. Kairi then gives Aqua the flowers she picked before the Unversed appeared, which become the Destiny Place Keyblade, which Aqua returns by putting a protection charm on her necklace, and then she returns to her grandmother, who begins to tell her the story of the light and the darkness. Aqua believes their meeting may not have been a coincidence.
During the ending credits, she is seen picking flowers in a large garden. She looks up to the bright sky, looking as if she sensed something.
