There are 7 magic types, each with 3 spell levels.
Magic descriptions can be viewed in Sora's customize menu.
Fire: Unleashes a small burst of flame.
Fira: Unleashes a potent burst of flame.
Firaga: Unleashes an incredible burst of flame.
Blizzard: Unleashes a gust of frost.
Blizzara: Unleashes a gust of frost. Longer range than Blizzard.
Blizzaga: Unleashes a gust of frost. Longest range.
Thunder: Calls bolts of lightning to the target area.
Thundara: Calls a powerful lightning storm to the target area.
Thundaga: Calls a great maelstrom of lightning to the target area.
Cure: Restores a little HP to one character.
Cura: Restores a lot of HP to one character.
Curaga: Restores a massive amount of HP to one character.
Gravity: Wrings a percentage of HP from the target. Effective against enemies with lots of HP.
Gravira: Wrings a percentage of HP from the target. Wider area of effect than Gravity.
Graviga: Wrings a percentage of HP from the target. Wider area of effect than Gravira.
Stop: Prevents target from taking action for a limited time.
Stopra: Prevents target from taking action for a limited time. Wide area of effect.
Stopga: Prevents target from taking action for a limited time. Widest area of effect.
Aero: Deploys a barrier that absorbs damage.
Aerora: Deploys a barrier that absorbs damage. Damages enemies on contact.
Aeroga: Deploys a barrier that absorbs damage. Deflects certain attacks.
Spell Locations:
To obtain new spells and upgrades, you must complete certain events.
These events are listed below according to magic type.
For each magic type: the 1st spell you obtain will always be the basic
spell. After clearing another event, your magic will be upgraded to
the 2nd level (-ra) spell. You receive the 3rd level (-ga) spell
upgrade after clearing all 3 events.
Fire magic:
- Traverse Town, defeat Guard Armor
- Agrabah, defeat Jafar (2nd time)
- Hollow Bastion, seal keyhole
Blizzard magic:
- Wonderland, collect 4 evidence or seal keyhole
- Agrabah, defeat Jafar (1st time)
- Olympus Coliseum, defeat Behemoth in Hades Cup
Thunder magic:
- Olympus Coliseum, complete barrel challenge
- Atlantica, defeat Ursula (2nd time)
- Olympus Coliseum, defeat Cerberus in Hades Cup
Cure magic:
- Deep Jungle, defeat Clayton
- Neverland, automatically obtained on ship deck
- Hollow Bastion, talk to Aerith in the Library
Gravity magic:
- Olympus Coliseum, win Phil Cup
- Halloween Town, seal keyhole
- Olympus Coliseum, defeat Hades in Hades Cup
Stop magic:
- Monstro, defeat Parasite Cage (2nd time)
- Hundred Acre Wood, complete Pooh's Swing mini game, Torn Page becomes spell upgrade
- Neverland, defeat Phantom
Aero magic:
- Traverse Town, defeat Opposite Armor
- Neverland, use yellow trinity and open the treasure chest on the shelf
- Traverse Town, rescue all 99 Dalmatian puppies and collect the spell upgrade from Pongo and Perdita
Collect all 7 first level spells and talk to Merlin to receive Sora's
Spellbinder key chain. Collect all 7 third level (-ga) spells to
receive Donald's Dream Rod.
MP Costs:
Using Fire and Blizzard magic decreases your yellow MP charge gauge
first. Using any other magic decreases your blue MP gauge.
Fire: 1 charge unit
Blizzard: 1 charge unit
Thunder: 1 MP
Cure: 1 MP
Gravity: 1 MP
Stop: 2 MP
Aero: 2 MP
Magic Power:
Magic power is based on your MP stat. This is similar to how the
strength of physical attacks is determined by your STR stat. The
greater Sora's MP stat is, the more powerful his magic is.
Sora's maximum possible MP is determined by the power he chooses at
the very beginning of the game. If he chooses to keep the Staff, he
will have 2 MP more by the end of the game.
Magic vs. Bosses:
Enemies can have different weaknesses and resistances to magic. In
general, bosses have a higher resistance to magic attacks than normal
enemies. Some bosses are completely immune to magic attacks.
Enemies that use magic usually cannot be hurt by magic attacks of the
same type. For example, Red Nocturnes absorb Fire magic.
After Hollow Bastion, almost all enemies have a greater resistance to
Gravity and Stop magic.
Cure's Restorative Power:
You can use these formulas to calculate how much HP Cure, Cura, and
Curaga spells will restore based on the magic-user's MP stat (MaxMP).
Cure = (MaxMP x 3) + 6
Cura = (MaxMP x 3) + 18
Curaga = (MaxMP x 3) + 30
Gravity's Power:
Before Hollow Bastion, you can use these formulas to calculate
Gravity magic's damage percentage.
Gravity = (MaxMP x 5) + 40 %
Gravira = (MaxMP x 5) + 55 %
Graviga = (MaxMP x 5) + 70 %
If Sora's MP stat is at least 9, then Gravira will kill most normal
enemies with one hit. To get Sora's MP stat up to 9, you can equip MP
boosting accessories or keyblade.
After Hollow Bastion, Gravity magic is less effective for most enemies,
so these formulas no longer apply. I've tested Graviga on various
enemies, and found that Sora's MP stat needs to be at least 11 to kill
enemies with one hit. For some stronger enemies, such as Defenders,
Sora's MP stat must be at least 13.
Stop Magic:
Before Hollow Bastion, Stop, Stopra, and Stopga spells will remain in
effect for (MaxMP + 2) seconds.
After Hollow Bastion, almost all enemies have a greater resistance to
Stop magic, so the effect time is less.
Aero Magic:
Aero, Aerora, and Aeroga spells last for (MaxMP + 18) seconds.
Aero barriers disappear when you call a summon into battle. They also
disappear when you leave the area.
Other Tips:
Fire magic can light fireplaces, lamps, and candles. It can also burn
away obstacles like cobwebs. Blizzard magic can extinguish fires and
freeze water bubbles. Thunder magic can start electricity. Gravity
magic can lower floating platforms and other high objects.