A lot of fans of the Kingdom Hearts series will still hold that Kingdom Hearts 2 is the best game in the series, with titles like Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3 coming within striking distance, but never surpassing it. This isn't to say that the series has been downhill since its second numbered outing, although the series does have a clear peak, and one heartless has risen to be the symbol of the best moments in Kingdom Hearts.
The Armored Knights made their first appearance in Kingdom Hearts 2, and since that first appearance have now become synonymous with the series' peak, even when reappearing in newer titles. These seemingly unimportant upgrades of a previous heartless form became not only a more intimidating swarm to fight in future games, but powered the initially controversial reaction commands in one of it's best forms.
Natural Evolution of Soldiers
As the Kingdom Hearts series has continued forward, enemies have naturally evolved with new models, new textures, and sometimes new color schemes in the case of the 1.5 and 2.5 remasters. However, one extra way that these enemies have evolved is by creating new versions that act as a spiritual successor or upgrade to a previous heartless that the new one's take the place of. In the case of the Armored Knights, they essentially serve the role of Kingdom Hearts' Soldier Heartless, becoming and enhanced version of these classic enemies.
While both Soldiers and Armored Knights continued to appear in games after Kingdom Hearts 2, with both recently filling out the roster for much of Melody of Memory's songs, the two serve a similar purpose where they appear. Where the Soldiers are built up as a secondary enemy to join Shadows, Armored Knights appear as the cavalry to back up the Soldiers as both remain prevalent across multiple worlds. Considering how many worlds have their own specific Heartless, the consistency of the Armored Knights and others like it adds to the looming threat of the darkness in the series.
Rising Sun Reaction Command
The consistent presence of the Armored Knights also paves the way for one of the best reaction commands available in Kingdom Hearts 2, which even enhances one of the game's best moments. Reaction commands in general were a controversial addition to the second game in the series that some players thought made the game too easy, similar to Kingdom Hearts 3's criticism about the attraction summons. Regardless of whether or not they really were as overpowered as some players claim, the Armored Knight's reaction command Rising Sun is one of the best available in the game.
It can be argued that some of the rhythm based reaction commands like Rising Sun were the precursor to Memory of Melody's mechanics that rewards players for recognizing and following a beat. While the attack itself is powerful enough to wipe out waves of Heartless at once, it only works if players are able to stop button mashing for long enough to keep pace. The power of this attack becomes most noticeable in the most memorable event from Kingdom Hearts 2 and one of the highest points for both the series and the PS2 era in general.
1000 Heartless Fight
Armored Knights are easily the star of the show when it comes to Kingdom Hearts 2's incredible 1000 Heartless Encounter, one of the highest points that the series has risen to throughout the series. Similar fights have appeared since, such as Kingdom Hearts 3's Demon Tide or the initial landing at the Keyblade Graveyard that pits Sora against countless enemies. However, when the 1000 Heartless counter first appears in the HUD, it begins a whole new direction for Kingdom Hearts 2, where Sora transitions from regaining his strength to charging head first against the darkness.
Everything about this moment, from the fake-out Goofy death beforehand, the lead-up fight alongside each Final Fantasy character, and the looming threat on Hollow Bastion builds on the narrative as well. While early trailers hinted that other enemies might have lead the way on this encounter, the Armored Knights are the bulk of the battle in the final version. As a result, the Armored Knight class of Heartless have left a lasting result on the series as a whole, making their returning appearances in titles moving forward a welcome sight.
Kingdom Hearts: Memory of Melody is available now for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.