The "Mitrokhin Archive" is a collection of handwritten notes, primary sources and official documents which were secretly made, smuggled, and hidden by the KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin during the thirty years in which he served as a KGB archivist in the foreign intelligence service and the First Chief Directorate. When he defected to the United Kingdom in 1992, he brought the archive with him, in six full trunks. His defection was not officially announced until 1999.

The official historian of MI5, Christopher Andrew, wrote two books, The Sword and the Shield (1999) and The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World (2005), based on material in the archives. The books provide details about many of the Soviet Union's clandestine intelligence operations around the world. They also provide specifics about Guy Burgess, a British diplomat with a short career in MI6, said to be frequently under the influence of alcohol; the archive indicates that he gave the KGB at least 389 top secret documents in the first six months of 1945 along with a further 168 in December 1949.

In July 2014, the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College released Mitrokhin's edited Russian-language notes for public research. The original handwritten notes by Vasili Mitrokhin are still classified.

Origin of the notes
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin originally started his career with the First Chief Directorate of the KGB (Foreign Espionage) in Undercover operations. After Nikita Khrushchev's Secret Speech, Mitrokhin became critical of the existing KGB system and was transferred from Operations to the Archives. Over the years, Mitrokhin became increasingly disillusioned with the Soviet system, especially after the stories about the struggles of dissidents and the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, which led him to conclude that the Soviet system was un-reformable.

By the late 1960s, the KGB headquarters at the Lubyanka Building became increasingly overcrowded, and the Chairman of the KGB, Yuri Andropov, authorized the construction of a new building outside of Moscow in Yasenevo, which was to become the new headquarters of the First Chief Directorate and all Foreign Operations. Mitrokhin, who was by that time the head of the Archives department, was assigned by the director of the First Directorate, Vladimir Kryuchkov, with the task of cataloging the documents and overseeing their orderly transfer to the new headquarters. The transfer of the massive archive eventually took over 12 years, from 1972 to 1984.

Unbeknownst to Kryuchkov and the KGB, while cataloging the documents, Mitrokin secretly copied documents by hand, making immensely detailed notes, which he smuggled to his dacha and hid under the floorboards. Mitrokhin made no attempt to contact any Western intelligence service during the Soviet Era. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union (in 1992) he traveled to Latvia with copies of material from the archive and walked into the American embassy in Riga. Central Intelligence Agency officers there did not consider him to be credible, concluding that the copied documents could be faked. He then went to the British embassy and a young diplomat there saw his potential. After a further meeting one month later with representatives of MI6, operations followed to retrieve the 25,000 pages of files hidden in his house, covering operations from as far back as the 1930s.

Content of the notes
Notes in the Mitrokhin Archive claim that more than half of the Soviet Union's weapons are based on US designs, that the KGB tapped Henry Kissinger's telephone when he was US Secretary of State, and had spies in place in almost all US defense contractor facilities. The notes allege that some 35 senior politicians in France worked for the KGB during the Cold War. In West Germany, the KGB was said to have infiltrated the major political parties, the judiciary, and the police. Large-scale sabotage preparations were supposedly made against the US, Canada, and elsewhere in case of war, including hidden weapons caches; Mitrokhin's books claimed several have been removed or destroyed by police relying on Mitrokhin's information.

Prominent KGB spies named in the files
 Melita Norwood (1912–2005), codenamed HOLA, a British civil servant who had access to state secrets while working at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association which was involved in developing atomic weapons.
 John Symonds (1935-2017), codenamed SKOT, a former Detective Sergeant at New Scotland Yard, who had left the UK under suspicion of corruption in the early 1970s only to be recruited by KGB abroad.
 Raymond Fletcher (1921–1991), codenamed PETER, a British journalist and subsequently MP; also alleged to have been recruited by the Czech secret police StB and the Central Intelligence Agency.
 Iosif Grigulevich (1913–1988), an NKVD assassin who under a false identity served as ambassador of Costa Rica to both Italy and Yugoslavia from 1952 to 1954, and was put in charge of an aborted plan to assassinate the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito
 Robert Lipka (1945–2013), a former clerk at the National Security Agency who passed on classified documents to the KGB in the late 1960s. Lipka had denied his involvement until the last moments before his trial was to begin 30 years later, when prosecutors revealed that the prime witness against him was a former KGB archivist.
 Salaad Gabeyre Kediye (1933–1972), codenamed OPERATOR, member of Somalia's Supreme Revolutionary Council which took over the country following the 1969 coup d'état, officially styled as "Father of the Revolution" before ending up executed in the ensuing power struggle three years later.

Latin American leaders accused of being informants or agents of the KGB
Christopher Andrew states that in the Mitrokhin Archive there are several Latin American leaders or members of left wing parties accused of being KGB informants or agents. For example, FSLN leader Carlos Fonseca Amador was described as "a trusted agent" in KGB files. Nikolai Leonov was Sub-Director of the Latin American Department of the KGB between 1968 and 1972. In 1998 he gave a lecture where he made statements that contradicted these claims. For instance he said that the KGB was not allowed to recruit members from Communist or other left wing parties.

Daniel Ortega agreed to "unofficial meetings" with KGB officers. He gave Nikolai Leonov a secret program of the Sandinista movement (FSLN), which stated the FSLN's intent to lead class struggle in Central America, in alliance with Cuba and the Soviet bloc. However, Leonov stated that he became friends with many Latin Americans including some leaders, and that he and other Soviets supported the struggles of left wing groups. But he clarifies that he did not let people know that he was a KGB agent and that his relationships with them did not involve intelligence.

Middle Eastern figures accused of being informants or agents of the KGB
In September 2016, a work by two researchers (DR. I. Ginor and G. Remez) stated that Mahmoud Abbas (also known as 'Abu Mazen'), the President of the Palestinian National Authority, worked for the Soviet intelligence agency. According to a recently released document from the Mitrokhin Archive, entitled "KGB developments – Year 1983", Abbas apparently worked under the code name "Krotov", starting early 1980s.

Alleged KGB operations revealed in the files
 Blackmailing Tom Driberg (code-named Lepage), British MP and a member of the executive committee of the Labour Party in the 1950s. Driberg had spied on the Communist Party of Great Britain for MI5 in the 1930s. In 1956, while visiting Moscow to interview his old friend Guy Burgess for a biography, he was blackmailed by the KGB into removing references to Burgess' alcoholism, due to their having photos of him in a homosexual encounter.
 Attempts to increase racial hatred in the US by mailing forged hate letters to militant groups
 Bugging MI6 stations in the Middle East
 Bugging Henry Kissinger when he was serving as United States Secretary of State
 Obtaining documents from defense contractors including Boeing, Fairchild, General Dynamics, IBM, and Lockheed Corporation, providing the Soviets with detailed information about the Trident and Peacekeeper ballistic missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles
 Supporting the Sandinista movement. The leading role in this operation belonged to the General Intelligence Directorate of Communist Cuba.
KGBs direct link to Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi (code-named Vano). "Suitcases full of banknotes were said to be routinely taken to the Prime Minister's house. Former Syndicate member S. K. Patil is reported to have said that Mrs. Gandhi did not even return the suitcases". Systematic control of the Indian Media was also revealed- "According to KGB files, by 1973 it had ten Indian newspapers on its payroll (which cannot be identified for legal reasons) as well as a press agency under its control. During 1972 the KGB claimed to have planted 3,789 articles in Indian newspapers - probably more than in any other country in the non-Communist world. According to its files, the number fell to 2,760 in 1973 but rose to 4,486 in 1974 and 5,510 in 1975. In some major NATO countries, despite active-measures campaigns, the KGB was able to plant little more than 1 per cent of the articles which it placed in the Indian press"

Accused but unconfirmed
 Richard Clements, journalist and editor of the Tribune, and later an advisor to Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock as leaders of the British Labour Party. Clements was not named in Andrew and Mitrokhin's book in 1999, but an article in The Sunday Times made the allegation that he was the unidentified agent of influence codenamed DAN. According to the Mitrokhin Archive, DAN disseminated Soviet propaganda in his articles in the Tribune, from his recruitment in 1959 until he severed contact with the KGB in the 1970s. Clements denied the allegation, saying that it was an over-inflated claim and "complete nonsense", and that the allegation was not subsequently repeated. Those defending Clements against the charges included David Winnick and Andrew Roth.
 Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy and president of the European Commission. The allegations were evaluated by the Mitrokhin Commission, which was established in 2002 by the centre-right coalition majority. 2006 saw the publication of telephone interceptions between the chairman of the Mitrokhin Commission, Forza Italia senator Paolo Guzzanti, and Mario Scaramella. In the wiretaps, Guzzanti made it clear that the true intent of the Mitrokhin Commission was to support the hypothesis that Prodi would have been an agent financed or in any case manipulated by Moscow and the KGB. According to the opposition, which submitted its own minority report, this hypothesis was false, and the purpose of the commission was therefore to discredit him. In the wiretaps, Scaramella, who was later charged for calumny, had the task of collecting testimonies from some ex-agents of the Soviet secret service refugees in Europe to support these accusations; the Mitrokhin Commission was not able to prove any of the allegations and was closed and succeeded in 2006 by a new commission to determinate whether the allegations were politically motivated. In a December 2006 interview given to the television program La storia siamo noi, colonel ex-KGB agent Oleg Gordievsky, whom Scaramella claimed as his source, confirmed the accusations made against Scaramella regarding the production of false material relating to Prodi and other Italian politicians,  and underlined their lack of reliability.

Disinformation campaign against the United States
Andrew described the following active measures by the KGB against the United States:
 Promotion of false John F. Kennedy assassination theories, using writer Mark Lane. Lane denied this allegation and called it "an outright lie".
 Forged letter from Lee Harvey Oswald to E. Howard Hunt, attempting to incriminate Hunt in the Kennedy assassination.
 Discrediting the CIA using the ex-CIA case officer and defector Philip Agee.
 Spreading rumors that the FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was a homosexual.
 Attempts to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. by placing publications portraying him as an "Uncle Tom" who was secretly receiving government subsidies.
 Stirring up racial tensions in the United States by mailing bogus letters from the Ku Klux Klan, by placing an explosive package in "the Negro section of New York" (operation PANDORA), and by spreading conspiracy theories that the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. had been planned by the US government.
 Fabrication of the story that the AIDS virus was manufactured by US scientists at the US Army research station at Fort Detrick. The story was spread by Russian-born biologist Jakob Segal.

Installation and support of communist governments
According to Mitrokhin's notes, Soviet security organizations played key roles in establishing puppet Communist governments in Eastern Europe and Afghanistan. Their strategy included mass political repressions and establishing subordinate secret police services at the occupied territories.

The KGB director Yuri Andropov took suppression of anti-Communist liberation movements personally. In 1954, he became the Soviet Ambassador to Hungary, and was present during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. After these events, Andropov had a "Hungarian complex":

Andropov played a key role in crushing the Hungarian Revolution. He convinced reluctant Nikita Khrushchev that military intervention was necessary. He convinced Imre Nagy and other Hungarian leaders that the Soviet government had not ordered an attack on Hungary while the attack was beginning. The Hungarian leaders were arrested and Nagy was executed.

During the Prague Spring events in Czechoslovakia, Andropov was a vigorous proponent of "extreme measures". He ordered the fabrication of false intelligence not only for public consumption, but also for the Soviet Politburo. "The KGB whipped up the fear that Czechoslovakia could fall victim to NATO aggression or to a coup." At that moment, Soviet intelligence officer Oleg Kalugin reported from Washington that he had gained access to "absolutely reliable documents proving that neither CIA nor any other agency was manipulating the Czechoslovak reform movement." But, Kalugin's messages were destroyed because they contradicted the conspiracy theory fabricated by Andropov. Andropov ordered many active measures, collectively known as operation PROGRESS, against Czechoslovak reformers.

Assassinations attempts and plots
 Attempted poisoning of the second President of Afghanistan Hafizullah Amin on 13 December 1979. Department 8 of KGB succeeded in infiltrating illegal agent Mitalin Talybov (codenamed SABIR) into the presidential palace as a chef. However, Amin switched his food and drink (as if he expected to be poisoned), and his son-in-law became seriously ill; he was flown to a hospital in Moscow. The poison was manufactured in the secret KGB laboratory which had prepared ricin for the attack on Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov in London in 1978.
 Preparations to assassinate Josip Broz Tito, the president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In the late 1940s, the same KGB laboratory manufactured a powdered plague for use by an assassin who had been vaccinated against plague. This assassination was prepared by the famous KGB agent Iosef Grigulevich, who had previously organized the assault on Leon Trotsky's villa in Mexico. However, Grigulevich was recalled at the last moment, due to the sudden death of Joseph Stalin.
 In 1962, plans to assassinate several "particularly dangerous traitors," including Anatoliy Golitsyn, Igor Gouzenko, Nikolay Khokhlov, and Bohdan Stashynsky were approved by the KGB head Vladimir Semichastny. Khoklov was poisoned by radioactive thallium, allegedly due to his refusal to work as a KGB assassin and kill George Okolovich, chairman of the National Alliance of Russian Solidarists.

Penetration of churches
The book describes establishing the "Moscow Patriarchate" on order from Stalin in 1943 as a front organization for the NKVD, and later, for the KGB. All key positions in the Church, including bishops, were approved by the Ideological Department of CPSU and by the KGB. The priests were used as agents of influence in the World Council of Churches and in front organizations such as World Peace Council, Christian Peace Conference, and the Rodina ("Motherland") Society founded by the KGB in 1975. The future Russian Patriarch Alexius II said that Rodina was created to "maintain spiritual ties with our compatriots" and to help organize them. According to the archive, Alexius worked for the KGB as agent DROZDOV, and received an honorary citation from the agency for a variety of services.

Support of militant organizations and terrorists

The Andrew and Mitrokhin publications briefly describe the history of the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, who established close collaboration with the Romanian Securitate service and the KGB in the early 1970s. The KGB provided secret training for PLO guerrillas. However, the main KGB activities and arms shipments were channeled through Wadie Haddad of the PFLP organization, who usually stayed in a KGB dacha BARVIKHA-1 during his visits to the Soviet Union. Led by Carlos the Jackal, a group of PFLP fighters carried out a spectacular raid on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries office in Vienna in 1975. Advance notice of this operation "was almost certainly" given to the KGB.

Many notable operations are alleged to have been conducted by the KGB to support international terrorists with weapons on the orders from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, including:
 Transfer of about one hundred machine-guns, automatic rifles, Walther pistols, and cartridges to the Marxist Official Irish Republican Army by the Soviet intelligence vessel Reduktor (operation SPLASH) in 1972, supposedly to fulfill a personal request for arms from Cathal Goulding, relayed through Irish Communist Party leader Michael O'Riordan. He has denied the allegations.
 Transfer of anti-tank grenade RPG-7 launchers, radio-controlled SNOP mines, pistols with silencers, machine guns, and other weaponry to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine through Wadi Haddad, who was recruited as a KGB agent in 1970 (operation VOSTOK, "East").
According to Peter-Michael Diestel, East Germany became "an Eldorado for terrorists". The KGB aided the Stasi in supporting the Red Army Faction, which perpetrated terrorist attacks such as the 1985 Rhein-Main Air Base bombing. Other Stasi contacts included the Provisional IRA, the Basque ETA, and previously mentioned "Carlos the Jackal".

Active measures in South Asia
In 1981 the Soviets had launched "Operation Kontakt", which was based on a forged document purporting to contain details of the weapons and money provided by the ISI to Sikh militants who wanted to create an independent country. In November 1982, Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party and leader of the Soviet Union, approved a proposal to fabricate Pakistani intelligence documents detailing ISI plans to foment religious disturbances in Punjab and promote the creation of Khalistan as an independent Sikh state. Indira Gandhi's decision to move troops into the Punjab was based on her taking seriously the information provided by the Soviets regarding secret CIA support for the Sikhs. The KGB role in facilitating Operation Bluestar was acknowledged by Subramanian Swamy who stated in 1992: "The 1984 Operation Bluestar became necessary because of the vast disinformation against Sant Bhindranwale by the KGB, and repeated inside Parliament by the Congress Party of India."

Preparations for large-scale sabotage
Notes in the archive describe extensive preparations for large-scale sabotage operations against the United States, Canada, and Europe in the event of war, although none was recorded as having been carried out, beyond creating weapons and explosives caches in assorted foreign countries. This information has been corroborated in general by GRU defectors, such as Victor Suvorov and Stanislav Lunev. The operations included the following:
 A plan for sabotage of Hungry Horse Dam in Montana.
 A detailed plan to destroy the port of New York (target GRANIT). The most vulnerable points of the port were determined and recorded on maps.
 Large arms caches were hidden in many countries to support the planned acts. Some were booby-trapped with "Lightning" explosive devices. One such cache, identified by Mitrokhin, was found by Swiss authorities in the woods near Fribourg. Several other caches in Europe were removed successfully. A KGB radio equipment cache was found in woods outside of Brussels in 1999.
 Disruption of the power supply across New York State by KGB sabotage teams, which were to be based along the Delaware River in Big Spring Park.
 An "immensely detailed" plan to destroy "oil refineries and oil and gas pipelines across Canada from British Columbia to Montreal" (operation "Cedar") was prepared; the work took twelve years to complete.

Reception

Academic reviews
In 1999, the historian Joseph Persico wrote that "several of the much-publicized revelations [from the book], however, hardly qualify as such. For instance, the authors tell how the K.G.B. forged a letter from Lee Harvey Oswald to E. Howard Hunt, the former C.I.A. officer and later Watergate conspirator, in order to implicate the C.I.A. in the Kennedy assassination. Actually, this story surfaced in Henry Hurt's Reasonable Doubt, written 13 years ago. Similarly, the story that the K.G.B. considered schemes for breaking the legs of the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev for defecting to the West was first reported in a book written six years ago." He added that "it does seem odd that a key K.G.B. archivist never had access to a copying machine, but had to copy thousands of pages in longhand. Still, the overall impact of this volume is convincing, though none of the material will send historians scurrying to rewrite their books."

In her 2000 review, scholar Amy Knight said: "While The Sword and the Shield contains new information ... none of it has much significance for broader interpretations of the Cold War. The main message the reader comes away with after plowing through almost a thousand pages is the same one gleaned from the earlier books: the Soviets were incredibly successful, albeit evil, spymasters, and none of the Western services could come close to matching their expertise. Bravo the KGB." That same year, Reg Whitaker, a professor of Political Science at York University in Toronto, gave a review at the Intelligence Forum about the book where he wrote that "The Mitrokhin Archive arrives from a cache under a Russian dacha floor, courtesy of the British intelligence community itself, and its chosen historian, Chris Andrew", and that the book "is remarkably restrained and reasonable in its handling of Westerners targeted by the KGB as agents or sources. The individuals outed by Mitrokhin appear to be what he says they were, but great care is generally taken to identify those who were unwitting dupes or, in many instances, uncooperative targets."

In 2001, The American Historical Review wrote that "Mitrokhin was a self-described loner with increasingly anti-Soviet views ... Maybe such a potentially dubious type (in KGB terms) really was able freely to transcribe thousands of documents, smuggle them out of KGB premises, hide them under his bed, transfer them to his country house, bury them in milk cans, make multiple visits to British embassies abroad, escape to Britain, and then return to Russia, and carry the voluminous work to the west, all without detection by the KGB ... It may all be true. But how do we know?" That same year, the Central European Review described Mitrokhin and Andrew's work as "fascinating reading for anyone interested in the craft of espionage, intelligence gathering and its overall role in 20th-century international relations", offering "a window on the Soviet worldview and, as the ongoing Hanssen case in the United States clearly indicates, how little Russia has relented from the terror-driven spy society it was during seven inglorious decades of Communism."

In 2002, David L. Ruffley, from the Department of International Programs, United States Air Force Academy, said that the material "provides the clearest picture to date of Soviet intelligence activity, fleshing out many previously obscure details, confirming or contradicting many allegations and raising a few new issues of its own", and "sheds new light on Soviet intelligence activity that, while perhaps not so spectacular as some expected, is nevertheless significantly illuminating."

Reactions
In 1999, Jack Straw (then Home Secretary) stated to the British Parliament: "In 1992, after Mr. Mitrokhin had approached the UK for help, our Secret Intelligence Service made arrangements to bring Mr. Mitrokhin and his family to this country, together with his archive. As there were no original KGB documents or copies of original documents, the material itself was of no direct evidential value, but it was of huge value for intelligence and investigative purposes. Thousands of leads from Mr. Mitrokhin's material have been followed up worldwide. As a result, our intelligence and security agencies, in co-operation with allied Governments, have been able to put a stop to many security threats. Many unsolved investigations have been closed; many earlier suspicions confirmed; and some names and reputations have been cleared. Our intelligence and security agencies have assessed the value of Mr. Mitrokhin's material world wide as immense."

In 2001, the author Joseph Trento commented that "we know the Mitrokhin material is real because it fills in the gaps in Western files on major cases through 1985. Also, the operational material matches western electronic intercepts and agent reports. What MI6 got for a little kindness and a pension was the crown jewels of Russian intelligence."

Investigations after publication of the books
The publication of the books prompted parliamentary inquiries in the UK, Italy, and India.

UK inquiry
After the first book (Andrew and Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield, 1999) was published in the UK, an inquiry was held by the House of Commons' Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). Its findings, "The Mitrokhin Inquiry Report", were presented to Parliament in June 2000. The Committee expressed concern that the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) knew the names of some spies years before the publication of the book but took a decision, without informing the proper prosecuting authorities, not to prosecute them. The ISC believed that this decision was for the Law Officers to take, not the SIS. The ISC interviewed Mitrokhin, who was not content with the way the book was published. He told them that he felt he had not accomplished what he intended when writing the notes. He wished that he had retained "full control over the handling of his material". SIS stated that they were clearing the UK chapters with the Home Secretary and the Attorney General, as required before publication of the book; the Committee then found that they did not do so. In addition, ISC thought that "misleading stories were allowed to receive wide circulation", and the Committee found that SIS had handled neither the publication nor related media matters appropriately.

Italy inquiry
In Italy in 2002, Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition, the House of Freedoms, established the Mitrokhin Commission, presided over by Paolo Guzzanti (senator of Forza Italia) to investigate alleged KGB ties to figures in Italian politics. The commission was criticized as politically motivated as it was focused mainly on allegations against opposition figures. The commission was shut down in 2006 without having developed any new concrete evidence beyond the original information in the Mitrokhin Archive. Former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Alexander Litvinenko allegedly said that he had been informed by FSB deputy chief, General Anatoly Trofimov (who was shot dead in Moscow in 2005), that "Romano Prodi is our man [in Italy]". The allegations were rejected by Prodi. Litvinenko also said that "Trofimov did not exactly say that Prodi was a KGB agent, because the KGB avoids using that word." In April 2006, Gerard Batten of the UK Independence Party, at the time a British member of the European Parliament for London, demanded a new inquiry into the Italian and Prodi allegations. In November 2006, a new commission was established to investigate the Mitrokhin Commission for allegations that it was manipulated for political purposes.

India inquiry
In India, L. K. Advani, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, requested of the government a white paper on the role of foreign intelligence agencies and a judicial enquiry on the allegations in The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World. The spokesperson of the Indian National Congress referred to the book as "pure sensationalism not even remotely based on facts or records", and mentioned that the book is not based on official records from the Soviet Union. Advani was interested to the book because it discussed ex-prime minister Indira Gandhi's (Codenamed VANO) relations with the KGB.

Notes

Books

 Andrew, Christopher, Vasili Mitrokhin (1999) The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West. Allen Lane. .
 (google books)
 Andrew, Christopher, Vasili Mitrokhin (2000). The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB. Basic Books. .
 Vasiliy Mitrokhin (2002), KGB Lexicon: The Soviet Intelligence Officer's Handbook, Frank Cass & Co. Ltd, 451 pages,

 Andrew, Christopher, Vasili Mitrokhin (2005). The Mitrokhin Archive II: The KGB and the World. Allen Lane. .

External links
 Intelligence and Security Committee: The Mitrokhin Inquiry Report (Report of the British SIS to Parliament)
The Mitrokhin Archive from the Cold War International History Project, includes primary sources.
The Mitrokhin Archive - A Note on Sources from the Cold War International History Project
Spy Fever Strikes UK at Literature of Intelligence, Muskingum College - web.archive.org - 2006-05-04
Interview on Mitrokhin with Christopher Andrews on Charlie Rose

KGB
Cold War
Non-fiction books about espionage
1992 non-fiction books
2005 non-fiction books

Mitrokhin Archive


Defeat in detail, or divide and conquer, is a military tactic of bringing a large portion of one's own force to bear on small enemy units in sequence, rather than engaging the bulk of the enemy force all at once. This exposes one's own units to many small risks but allows for the eventual destruction of an entire enemy force.

Use
In military strategy and tactics, a recurring theme is that units are strengthened by proximity to supporting units. Nearby units can fire on an attacker's flank, lend indirect fire support such as artillery, or maneuver to counterattack. Defeat in detail is the tactic of exploiting failures of an enemy force to coordinate and support the various smaller units that make up the force. An overwhelming attack on one defending subunit minimizes casualties on the attacking side and can be repeated a number of times against the defending subunits until all are eliminated.

An attacker can successfully conduct the tactic of defeat in detail by exploiting the absolute weaknesses or comparative disadvantages in the deployment or structure of defending troops, as well as advantages such as maneuvering speed that the defender cannot match. In an asymmetric support structure, A can support B, but unit B cannot support unit A. For example, during World War I, when horse cavalry was still in use to some extent, aircraft could support cavalry, but cavalry had little or no ability to support aircraft.

Thus, if a unit is equally suited for use against cavalry and aircraft, using it to eliminate enemy aircraft would have benefits that would last well into future engagements against enemy cavalry units weakened by their lack of support. However, using it against enemy cavalry, while leaving the enemy aircraft intact for subsequent engagements, would bring benefits only during that specific engagement.

Weaknesses of defenders
 Dug-in units that are spread out over so wide a distance that the maximum effective range of their weapons is significantly shorter than the distance between units, which prevents those units from supporting the flanks of neighboring units.
 Defending units on opposite sides of physical barriers such as hills, forests or rivers (but see the "reverse slope defence", now rendered obsolete by crewed and uncrewed aircraft, for a historically attested deliberate tactic).
 Defending units whose artillery support is too far to the rear and so cannot effectively engage attackers.
 Defending units that have no effective communications with their command structure and so cannot request assistance.

Enabling methods
The following methods can enable the attacker to defeat the enemy in detail:
 Attacking one unit faster than other defending units can move to counter-attack.
 Attacking faster than the defending intelligence, communications, command or control systems can respond to (exploiting the OODA loop).
 Disabling or disrupting systems required for one defending unit to support another (as by attacking communications, command, or control systems with air strikes, artillery attacks, or radio jamming).

Examples

Strategic campaigns
 1796–1797: Napoleon Bonaparte's first campaign in Italy during the French Revolution, in which the French army of 37,000 men defeated 52,000 Piedmontese and Habsburg troops by rapid advances, which prevented the two nations' armies from combining.
 10–15 February 1814: the Six Days' Campaign was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon, as the Sixth Coalition armies closed in on Paris.
 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley campaign, in which Jackson defeated three Union commands (a total of 60,000 men) with his own command (of 17,000 men), by fighting each of the enemy columns in turn while the Union commands were separated from each other by impassable terrain or a significant distance.
 1912–1913: The Balkan League's victory over the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War.
 1914: The Battle of Tannenberg and the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, with the Germans exploiting the geography of the Masurian Lakes and the personal antipathy between the Russian commanders to defeat the Russian Second Army and later the Russian First Army.
 1941: Operation Compass, when the British defeated an Italian force more than four times larger in North Africa by exploiting the fact that the Italian defenses could not support each other.

Tactical examples
 The Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great used his Companion Cavalry to charge Darius III
 Gallic tribes tried and nearly succeeded in defeating Julius Caesar's army in detail at the Battle of the Sabis.
 In the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, an army of Germans under Arminius exterminated Legio XVII, Legio XVIII and Legio XIX, Roman legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus.
 The Battle of Sluys, a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France.
 The Battle of Pavia (1525), during the Italian War of 1521-1526
 The Battle of Pratapgarh in which Shivaji defeated the army of Afzal Khan
 The Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), in which George Armstrong Custer essentially orchestrated his own defeat by dividing his regiment in four portions, allowing the Sioux and Cheyenne to annihilate half of the 7th Cavalry
 The Battle of Raate Road, in Finland (1940)
 The Battle of Savo Island, a naval battle fought on 8-9 August 1942 in which Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa of the Imperial Japanese Navy was able to defeat Allied naval forces in detail, with only light damage to his own.

See also
 Horatii
 Big Wing
 Strategy of the central position
 Battle of annihilation
 Swarming (military)
 Lanchester's laws
 Battle of Cold Harbor

References

Military strategy
Military tactics

Defeat in detail


Whip It is a 2009 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Drew Barrymore in her directorial debut and written by Shauna Cross, based on her 2007 novel Derby Girl. The film is co-produced by Barrymore and Barry Mendel. It stars Elliot Page as a teenager from the fictional town of Bodeen, Texas, who joins a roller derby team. The film also stars Barrymore, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Carlo Alban, Landon Pigg, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig, Zoë Bell, Eve, Andrew Wilson, Juliette Lewis, and Ari Graynor.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2009 and was theatrically released on October 2, 2009 in the United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics but was a box office disappointment, grossing $16.6 million worldwide against its $15 million budget. It received two WIN Award nominations for Outstanding Actress, as well as Feature Film for Page and Barrymore, respectively. Whip It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2010 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Plot
Bliss Cavendar is a teenager in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. She has lost interest in the beauty pageants that her mother, former beauty queen Brooke, pressures her to win.

While shopping in Austin with her mother, Bliss is intrigued by three roller derby team members she encounters. She and her friend Pash attend a roller derby bout where they see the "Holy Rollers" defeat the "Hurl Scouts". Bliss lies about her age and tries out for the Hurl Scouts, who give her the derby name "Babe Ruthless," and she becomes friends with her teammates who include Maggie Mayhem, Bloody Holly, Rosa Sparks, and Smashley Simpson. The Hurl Scouts, while enthusiastic and close knit, rarely win, but chant, "We're number two!" after losing a match, to the frustration of their coach, Razor.

Iron Maven of the Holy Rollers resents Bliss's talent and youth. Bliss soon realizes she needs to be merciless in roller derby, which also changes other aspects of her life. She stands up to a bully at school and starts dating a lanky musician named Oliver, to whom she loses her virginity while underwater before he leaves on a tour, taking a T-shirt Bliss gave him to remember her by, in exchange for his jacket.

The Hurl Scouts continue to lose. Razor convinces them to change their ways after paying a rival team to use one of his plays during a bout against the Hurl Scouts, showing them how much better they could be. After the bout, Iron Maven comes to gloat about the Hurl Scout's failure. This leads to Rosa Sparks telling Bliss to forget what she had previously said about winning not mattering - Rosa wants to beat "that cocky bitch" (Iron Maven).

The team begins rising in the ranks, soon heading for a championship match against the Holy Rollers. The Hurl Scouts start to become more and more popular, with Babe Ruthless (Bliss) becoming the new poster girl for the town's roller derby, foisting Iron Maven off from the posters and website.

Bliss's parents discover her involvement in roller derby when Pash is arrested at the arena for an open container violation and underage drinking. Pash is furious with Bliss for leaving her by herself, simply so she could go and find Oliver, which led to her arrest. While searching for Oliver, Bliss is identified by a police officer, who notes that she is only seventeen and a long way from home. Iron Maven overhears the conversation, realizing that Bliss should not be playing for the Hurl Scouts. When she next sees Bliss at the track, Iron Maven tells her that she knows she is underage and that she should not bother lacing up her skates, implying that she will tell the rest of the Hurl Scouts, the Roller Derby league, and the police if Bliss continues skating.

When Bliss's parents demand she give up roller derby, she runs away from home and stays with Maggie, discovering she has a young son. To prevent Iron Maven from ruining her career with the Hurl Scouts, Bliss gathers Razor and her teammates together and tells them her real age. While they are all shocked, stressing about the various issues this could cause, Maggie says that she is still a Hurl Scout and could skate as long as she gets permission from a parent.

When dropping her at school the next day, Maggie gives Bliss perspective on the difficulties of being a parent, saying she should not be so hard on her own mother - just because she is wrong about roller derby, it does not mean she is wrong about everything.

Bliss sees a picture of Oliver on the band's website of him with another girl, who is wearing her t-shirt. Heartbroken, she goes home to her mother, who comforts her. Bliss gives up roller derby and resumes her pageant career so as not to hurt her family or friends any further, and reconciles with Pash.

On the day of the pageant, which is the same day as the roller derby championship, Bliss's father goes onto the roller derby website and, seeing Bliss as the new poster girl, tries to convince his wife to let Bliss abandon the pageant and go join the Hurl Scouts in their championship game. She refuses to agree to Bliss playing roller derby, but, as her father agrees, it means Bliss can skate in the championship match against the Holy Rollers.

The Hurl Scouts narrowly lose the championship match to the Holy Rollers, but they still happily come together and chant, "We're number two!" While at the match, she is approached by Oliver, who denies cheating on Bliss, but she dumps him anyway for never calling her during the month he was away. She and Iron Maven come to a mutual respect. Bliss's mother is still not entirely supportive of roller derby, but accepts that Bliss now knows what makes her happy and is charting her own course in life.

Cast
 Elliot Page as Bliss Cavendar (Babe Ruthless)
 Alia Shawkat as Pash
 Marcia Gay Harden as Brooke Cavendar
 Daniel Stern as Earl Cavendar
 Carlo Alban as Dwayne (Birdman)
 Landon Pigg as Oliver
 Jimmy Fallon as 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket
 Kristen Wiig as Maggie Mayhem
 Zoë Bell as Bloody Holly
 Eve as Rosa Sparks
 Drew Barrymore as Smashley Simpson
 Andrew Wilson as Razor
 Juliette Lewis as Iron Maven
 Ari Graynor as Eva Destruction
 Har Mar Superstar as Fight Attendants Coach

Production

Production and filming
Screenwriter Shauna Cross adapted her 2007 young adult novel Derby Girl for the screen and pitched the script to different production companies while simultaneously pitching its source material to various publishers. Once Barrymore got involved, she and Cross worked for months on script revisions, with Barrymore pushing her to "avoid her story's tidier prospects, to make things 'more raw and open-ended.'" The film project was initially to be handled by Warner Independent Pictures, but Mandate Pictures took over after it was put into a turnaround. Production began summer 2008 in Michigan; principal photography began on July 26, taking place in and around Detroit, Saline, Ypsilanti, Michigan and Birch Run. Real roller derby players were selected from local Michigan teams such as the Detroit Derby Girls, and the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls. Several scenes were also shot in Austin, Texas. Some scenes were also shot in Hamtramck, Michigan at Hamtramck High School as well as Ferndale, Michigan at Ferndale High School. Whip It was produced by Barry Mendel and Drew Barrymore; a co-production between Mandate Pictures and Barrymore's Flower Films. The film was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Casting
On August 12, 2007, it was announced that Elliot Page would play the lead role in the film, while Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern and Carlo Alban were in early talks to join the cast. On August 14, 2007, Landon Pigg, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig, Zoë Bell, Eve, Drew Barrymore and Andrew Wilson were also in final talks to join the film, Juliette Lewis was added to the cast, playing Iron Maven (a play on Iron Maiden) and on August 18, 2007, Ari Graynor and Har Mar Superstar joined the cast of the film, playing Eva Destruction (a play on Eve of Destruction) and the Fight Attendants Coach. Whip it is the feature-film debut of Pigg.

Music
The Section Quartet scored the music for the film and on its soundtrack. The soundtrack also contains "Knocked Up" performed by Kings Of Leon, "Pot Kettle Black" performed by Tilly and the Wall, "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" performed by Ramones, "What's the Altitude" performed by Cut Chemist and Hymnal, "Bang On" performed by The Breeders, "Dead Sound" performed by The Raveonettes, "Blue Turning Grey" performed by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "Your Arms Around Me" performed by Jens Lekman, "Learnalilgivinanlovin" performed by Gotye, "Boys Wanna Be Her" performed by Peaches, "Jolene" performed by Dolly Parton, "Caught Up in You" performed by 38 Special, "Never My Love" performed by Har Mar Superstar and Adam Green, "Black Gloves" performed by Goose, "Crown of Age" performed by The Ettes, "High Times" performed by Landon Pigg and Turbo Fruits, "Unattainable" performed by Little Joy, "Doing it Right" performed by The Go! Team, "Breeze" performed by Apollo Sunshine, "Kids" performed by MGMT, "Fun Dream Love Dream" performed by Turbo Fruits, "Know How" performed by Young MC, "The Road to Austin" performed by The Section Quartet, "No Surprises" performed by Radiohead, "Domingo no Parque" performed by Gilberto Gil, "Lollipop" performed by Squeak E. Clean and Desert Eagles and other songs performed by other song performers.

Release

Theatrical release
Whip It was theatrically released on October 2, 2009 in the United States. Fox Searchlight Pictures distributed the film to 1,721 screens in the United States.

Premiere

The world premiere of the film was held at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The majority of the film's main cast attended the premiere. As part of the festivities, members of local league Toronto Roller Derby held an exhibition bout at Yonge Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. Toronto Roller Derby skaters, like those in other cities with major roller derby leagues, also helped promote the film in advance of the screening by wearing costumes from the film and skating around town and performing stunts while handing out flyers and giveaway items. Toronto Roller Derby credits their luck in being able to skate at the festival for helping expand their fanbase as well as their skater rosters.

Home media
Whip It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2010 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Reception

Critical response

Critical reception for Whip It was generally positive. , the film holds an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 193 reviews with an average score of 7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "While made from overly familiar ingredients, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many clichés". Metacritic calculated an average score of 68, based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

A. O. Scott called the film "predictable", but said "You might, nonetheless, want to see this movie, even—or maybe especially—if you have seen Billy Elliot or Bend It Like Beckham. Familiarity is not always a bad thing, and if the script, by Shauna Cross, piles sports movie and coming-of-age touchstones into a veritable cairn of clichés, the cast shows enough agility and conviction to make them seem almost fresh." Roger Ebert said it's a "coming-together of two free spirits, Drew Barrymore and [Elliot] Page, and while it may not reflect the kind of female empowerment Gloria Steinem had in mind, it has guts, charm, and a black-and-blue sweetness." According to the Miami Herald, "Whip It is completely predictable from the first frame. It also is ridiculously, utterly entertaining. Drew Barrymore's smashing directorial debut harkens back to an era in which Hollywood studio pictures could still move and enthrall the audience while plying in hoary cliches."

Box office
Whip It was financially unsuccessful. Initial studio estimates showed Whip It in a tie for #6 in its opening weekend, tying with the widely released Capitalism: A Love Story, and it wound up taking sixth place with $4,650,812. The film grossed $13,043,363 in North America. It grossed $3,589,672 in foreign movie sales, for a grand total of $16,633,035 worldwide. Production cost of the film was $15 million.

Accolades

Soundtrack

The film has a 58-song playlist, with a wide range of styles and genres. Nineteen tracks appear on the CD of the soundtrack, with additional tracks at various MP3 stores. According to Allmusic, "The disc is a blend of familiar old standbys (including a glittering remix of the Chordettes' "Lollipop") and indie acts (among them Barrymore's ex-boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti's band Little Joy), achieving the kind of safely edgy balance that embodies the Fox Searchlight aesthetic (that is, it's quirky enough to appeal to the cool kids, but never strays too far from the mainstream)."

Track listing
 Tilly and the Wall – "Pot Kettle Black"
 Ramones – "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"
 Cut Chemist featuring Hymnal – "What's the Altitude"
 The Breeders – "Bang On"
 The Raveonettes – "Dead Sound"
 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – "Blue Turning Grey"
 Jens Lekman – "Your Arms Around Me"
 Gotye – "Learnalilgivinanlovin"
 Peaches – "Boys Wanna Be Her"
 Dolly Parton – "Jolene"
 38 Special – "Caught Up in You"
 Har Mar Superstar featuring Adam Green – "Never My Love"
 Goose – "Black Gloves"
 The Ettes – "Crown of Age"
 Landon Pigg featuring Turbo Fruits – "High Times"
 Little Joy – "Unattainable"
 The Chordettes – "Lollipop (Squeak E. Clean & Desert Eagles remix)"
 The Go! Team – "Doing it Right"
 Apollo Sunshine – "Breeze"
 MGMT – "Kids"
 Turbo Fruits – "Fun Dream Love Dream" (Amazon MP3 version track)
 Young MC – "Know How" (iTunes version bonus track)
 The Section Quartet – "The Road to Austin" (iTunes version bonus track)
 Radiohead – "No Surprises"
 Gilberto Gil – "Domingo no Parque"

Notes

References

External links

2009 films
2000s buddy comedy-drama films
2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
2000s female buddy films
2000s sports comedy-drama films
2000s teen comedy-drama films
American buddy comedy-drama films
American coming-of-age comedy-drama films
American female buddy films
American sports comedy-drama films
American teen comedy-drama films
Films about beauty pageants
Dune Entertainment films
2000s English-language films
Films about dysfunctional families
Films about women's sports
Films based on American novels
Films based on young adult literature
Films directed by Drew Barrymore
Films produced by Barry Mendel
Films produced by Drew Barrymore
Films set in Austin, Texas
Films shot in Austin, Texas
Films shot in Detroit
Films shot in Michigan
Flower Films films
Fox Searchlight Pictures films
Mandate Pictures films
Roller derby films
Teen sports films
2009 directorial debut films
2000s American films

Whip It (film)


The Emilia-Romagna regional election of 1985 took place on 12 May 1985.

The Italian Communist Party was by far the largest party, with almost twice the votes of Christian Democracy. After the election Lanfranco Turci, the incumbent Communist President of the Region, formed a new government with the support of the Italian Socialist Party. Turci, elected senator, was replaced by Luciano Guerzoni in 1987.

Results

1985 elections in Italy
1985 regional election
1985
May 1985 events in Europe

1985 Emilia-Romagna regional election


Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to Kingdom Hearts, and like the original game, combines characters and settings from Disney films with those of Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. An expanded re-release of the game featuring new and additional content, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, was released exclusively in Japan in March 2007. The Final Mix version of the game was later remastered in high definition and released globally as a part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix collection for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch.

Kingdom Hearts II is the third game in the Kingdom Hearts series, and takes place one year after the events of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Sora, the protagonist of the first two games, returns to search for his lost friends while battling the sinister Organization XIII, a group of antagonists previously introduced in Chain of Memories. Like previous games, Kingdom Hearts II features a large cast of characters from Disney and Square Enix properties.

Concepts for Kingdom Hearts II began during the end of development of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, with the game entering full development in 2003 and being announced at Tokyo Game Show 2003. Most of the first game's development team returned, including director Tetsuya Nomura, with the game being developed concurrently with Chain of Memories. In developing Kingdom Hearts II, the development team sought to address user feedback from the first game, give the player more freedom and options in combat and present a deeper and more mature plot.

The game was received positively by critics and earned several awards upon release. Reviewers praised the visuals, soundtrack and voice acting, but assessments of the gameplay and narrative were mixed. In both Japan and North America, it shipped more than one million copies within weeks of its release, with over four million worldwide by April 2007.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Kingdom Hearts II is similar to the action RPG and hack and slash gameplay of the first Kingdom Hearts game, though developers made an effort to address some of the complaints of no map and camera bugs with the previous game. The player directly controls Sora from a third-person camera angle, though first-person perspective is available via Select button. Most of the gameplay occurs on interconnected field maps where battles take place. The game is driven by a linear progression from one story event to the next, usually told via cutscenes, though there are numerous side-quests available that provide bonuses to characters.

Like many traditional role-playing video games, Kingdom Hearts II features an experience point system which determines character development. As enemies are defeated, the player and allies gain experience to "level up", allowing them to grow stronger and gain access to new abilities.

Combat in Kingdom Hearts II takes place in real-time and involves hack and slash elements with button presses which initiate attacks by the on-screen character. A role-playing game menu on the screen's bottom left, similar to those found in Final Fantasy games, provides other combat options, such as using magic or items, summoning beings to assist in battle, or executing combination attacks with other party members. A new feature is the "Reaction Command", special enemy-specific attacks that are triggered when the player presses the triangle button at the correct time during battle. Reaction Commands can be used to defeat regular enemies or avoid damage, and are sometimes necessary to complete a boss battle. In addition to the main character, two party members are usually present who also participate in combat. Although these characters are computer-controlled, the player is allowed to customize their behavior to a certain extent through the menu screen, such as attacking the same enemy Sora targets.

In response to criticism, the "Gummi Ship" feature of the first game was re-imagined to be "more enjoyable". Although retaining its basic purpose of travel, the system was completely redone to resemble a combination of rail shooter and "Disney theme park ride". In the world map, the player now controls the Gummi Ship from a top-down view tp fly to the world they wish to enter. Worlds are no longer open from the beginning—the player must unlock the routes to them by entering a new level, controlling the ship from a third-person point of view, and battling enemy ships. After the route is opened, travel to the world is unimpeded, unless it is blocked again due to a plot-related event. The player may also gain new Gummi Ships from completing routes, which is also a new feature.

Drive Gauge
One of the new features is a meter known as the "Drive Gauge". which has two functions: to transform Sora into a "Drive Form" or to summon a special character. While in a Drive Form, Sora bonds with party members to become more powerful and acquire different attributes; all but two Forms also allow the use of two Keyblades. When a Drive is executed, Sora's combat statistics are heightened. Drive Forms also give Sora new abilities that can be used in normal form, called "Growth Abilities." Sora's first two Drive Forms only combine power with one party member; later-obtained Drive Forms require him to bond with both party members. When allies are used in a Drive, they are temporarily removed from battle for its duration. Unlike the HP and MP gauges, the Drive Gauge is not refilled at save points.

Like in the first game, Sora can summon a Disney character to aid him in battle. Summons will replace the two computer-controlled characters and fight alongside Sora for as long as the Drive Gauge allows, or until Sora's HP runs out. Instead of being limited to only one action, Summons now have a menu of their own and are capable of performing solo or cooperative actions with Sora, which are performed by pressing the triangle button. The Summon ability and each Drive Form are leveled up separately and by different criteria; obtaining higher levels allows for extended use and in the case of Drive Forms, access to new abilities.

Plot

Setting

Kingdom Hearts II begins one year after the events of Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories. The game's setting is a collection of various levels (referred to in-game as "worlds") that the player progresses through. As in the first game, the player can travel to various Disney-based locales, along with original worlds specifically created for the series. While Disney-based worlds were primarily derived from the Disney animated features canon in the first game, Kingdom Hearts II introduces worlds that are based on live-action franchises with one based on Pirates of the Caribbean. Each world varies in appearance and setting, depending on the Disney film on which it is based. The graphics of the world and characters are meant to resemble the artwork and style of the environments and characters from their respective Disney films. Each world is disconnected from the others and exists separately; with few exceptions, players travel from one world to another via a Gummi Ship.

Some worlds featured in the previous games reappear, but with new and expanded areas. New worlds are also introduced, including the Land of Dragons (Mulan), Beast's Castle (Beauty and the Beast), Timeless River (Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse), Port Royal (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), Pride Lands (The Lion King), and Space Paranoids (Tron). Twilight Town, an original world first seen in Chain of Memories, has a greater role as the introductory world. The World That Never Was is a new world that serves as the headquarters of Organization XIII.

Characters

The three protagonists of the game are Sora, a 15-year-old boy chosen as a wielder of the Keyblade, a mystical key-shaped weapon that can combat darkness; Donald Duck, the court magician of Disney Castle; and Goofy, the captain of the Disney Castle guards. Both Donald and Goofy are under orders from their missing king, Mickey Mouse, to accompany Sora and his Keyblade. Other original characters include Riku, who is briefly playable at the game's climax, and Kairi, who are Sora's friends from his home world of Destiny Islands; Roxas, a boy who can also wield the Keyblade and is playable in the game's beginning sequence; Naminé, a girl with the power to manipulate memories; and DiZ, a man who wears red robes and has a vendetta against Organization XIII, and is later revealed to be Ansem the Wise, the mentor of Xehanort.

As in the previous games, characters from both Disney and Square Enix works appear. While some make a return from Kingdom Hearts, new characters from Disney fiction are also introduced, such as Scrooge McDuck and several characters from Disney films in their home worlds. Pete appears as a persistent enemy who works with the resurrected Maleficent. Nearly twenty characters from Final Fantasy games appear, notably Auron of Final Fantasy X, Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, and the return of Squall Leonhart, Cloud, and Sephiroth. It was stated that although the first game strictly stuck to characters Tetsuya Nomura designed, this time they were going to "take some risks", implying that characters not directly designed by Nomura might appear. Other new characters to series are Vivi of Final Fantasy IX, Seifer Almasy of Final Fantasy VIII, and Setzer of Final Fantasy VI.

The various worlds that Sora explores often have an optional party character from the film which the world is based on. These party members include Fa Mulan, a woman who passes as a man to take her ailing father's place in the army; Jack Sparrow, a pirate who seeks to reclaim his ship, the Black Pearl; Simba, a self-exiled lion and the rightful king of the Pride Lands; and Tron, a security program in Hollow Bastion's computer network who seeks to end the dictatorship of the Master Control Program.

Organization XIII, a group of powerful Nobodies—the "empty shells" left over when a strong-hearted person becomes a Heartless—introduced in Chain of Memories, is established as the primary group of antagonists early on. Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII, serves as the main antagonist and final boss of the game. Villains unique to the worlds are prevalent, and are often presented as challenges that Sora's group must overcome.

Story
Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been asleep for the past year to regain their lost memories. Roxas, Sora's Nobody, is trapped in a virtual simulation of Twilight Town created by DiZ to merge him with his original self and restore Sora's power. DiZ's plans are threatened when Nobodies led by Axel, Roxas's former friend in Organization XIII, infiltrate the virtual town to extract Roxas. However, Roxas is able to repel the Nobodies and merge with Sora. Sora, Donald, and Goofy awaken in the real Twilight Town and meet King Mickey and Yen Sid, who send them on another journey to find Riku and uncover the Organization's plans. Afterward, Maleficent is resurrected and joins with Pete to continue her quest for power.

Sora travels to familiar and unfamiliar worlds and resolves problems caused by Organization XIII, the Heartless, and various local villains. During a visit to Hollow Bastion, they reunite with Mickey, who explains that the Heartless "Ansem" they defeated is an imposter named Xehanort, whose Nobody, Xemnas, is the Organization's leader. The Organization also reveal that they seek the power of Kingdom Hearts, seeking to create one from the hearts Sora has released from the Heartless with his Keyblade to regain their lost hearts; in addition, Sora discovers that the Organization is holding Kairi hostage to force him to comply. Sora revisits the worlds to solve lingering problems while seeking a path to Organization XIII's base of operations in the World That Never Was. Throughout his endeavors, Sora is secretly aided by a hooded figure whom he believes to be Riku.

Following a lead, Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter a passageway to the World That Never Was through Twilight Town, where Axel sacrifices himself to allow them to proceed. Sora finds Kairi and Riku, with the latter's appearance having been changed to that of Xehanort's Heartless after using his power to capture Roxas. Mickey encounters DiZ, who reveals himself to be the true Ansem, Xehanort's mentor. Ansem uses a device that dissipates some of Kingdom Hearts' power, but a system overload causes the device to self-destruct, engulfing Ansem and returning Riku to his original form. Atop the Castle That Never Was, Sora and company battle Xemnas, who uses what remains of Kingdom Hearts to fight them. After Sora and Riku destroy Xemnas, they become trapped in the realm of darkness. There, they discover a portal to the realm of light in a bottled letter sent by Kairi, allowing them to return to the Destiny Islands and reunite with their friends. In a post-credits scene, Sora, Kairi, and Riku receive and read a letter from Mickey, the contents of which are hidden from the player.

Development
Development plans for Kingdom Hearts II began around the completion of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, but specific details were undecided until July 2003. Nomura noted several obstacles to clear before development could begin on a sequel. One such obstacle was the development team's desire to showcase Mickey Mouse more, which required Disney's approval. The game was developed by Square Enix's Product Development Division-1, with most of the original staff from the first game. The game was originally supposed to have been released after Kingdom Hearts. Nomura had planned for the sequel to take place a year after the first and originally intended for the events of that year to be left unexplained. To bridge the gap between the two games, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was developed. To explain the loss of all the abilities from the first game at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II, Nomura had Sora's memories scrambled in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Many aspects of the gameplay were reworked for this sequel. Some changes were made due to user feedback and others were meant to be included in previous games but were omitted either because of time or technological constraints. The camera was switched to the right analog stick of the DualShock controller instead of the shoulder buttons and the Gummi Ship travel was reworked. The combat system was completely redone and did not use any animations from the first game. Because Sora had matured, Nomura wanted his fighting style to reflect that. Other changes included more integration between exploration and battles. The variations in combat styles associated with each Drive Form and the introduction of the Reaction Command were added to give players more choices in battles. The inclusion of worlds based on live-action Disney films was aided by technology that generated the character models from live-action pictures.

Audio

Musical score

Like the first game, Kingdom Hearts II features music by Yoko Shimomura and Hikaru Utada. The Original Soundtrack for Kingdom Hearts II was composed by Shimomura and released on January 25, 2006. The opening orchestration and ending credits theme were arranged and orchestrated by Kaoru Wada and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. The main vocal theme for the original Japanese release was "Passion", written and performed by Utada. The English version of "Passion", "Sanctuary", was used in the Western releases. Utada's involvement was announced on July 29, 2005. According to Nomura, the vocal theme ties in even more closely with the game's story than "Hikari" ("Simple and Clean") did with Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The CD single for "Passion" was released on December 14, 2005 and "Sanctuary" was first previewed on MTV's official website in early 2006.

Voice cast
Kingdom Hearts II features well-known voice actors for both the Japanese and English versions. Many of the original voice actors from the first Kingdom Hearts reprised their roles; Miyu Irino and Haley Joel Osment as Sora, Mamoru Miyano and David Gallagher as Riku, and Risa Uchida and Hayden Panettiere as Kairi. New voice actors included Kōki Uchiyama and Jesse McCartney as Roxas, Iku Nakahara and Brittany Snow as Naminé, and Genzō Wakayama and Christopher Lee as DiZ. A special effort was made to preserve the official voice actors from the Disney movies used in Kingdom Hearts II. Many actors reprised their Disney roles for the game, including Ming-Na Wen as Mulan, James Woods as Hades, Bruce Boxleitner as Tron, Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington and Zach Braff as Chicken Little. Some voice actors from the related television series or direct-to-video sequels were chosen over original voice actors where applicable, such as Robert Costanzo as Philoctetes rather than Danny DeVito or Cam Clarke as Simba instead of Matthew Broderick. Some characters were given new voice actors in the English version; Ansem, Aerith, Leon, Sephiroth and Hercules, who were originally voiced by Billy Zane, Mandy Moore, David Boreanaz, Lance Bass, and Sean Astin respectively in the first game, were voiced by Richard Epcar, Mena Suvari, Doug Erholtz, George Newbern, and Tate Donovan (Hercules' original voice actor), and newcomer Tifa was voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook.

Content editing

Besides English translation and localization, the international version of Kingdom Hearts II differs from the original Japanese version in the content of gameplay and several scenes. The Hydra boss in the Hercules-themed world Olympus Coliseum had its green blood from the original Japanese version (which was taken from the film) changed into black and purple smoke in the English version. In one cutscene, Hercules fights the Hydra and uses his sword on its head, which eventually releases green blood from its mouth in the Japanese version; this was later changed into drool in the English version. There is also a scene in Disney Castle where, after chasing Donald around for missing a date, Daisy Duck pounds him on the backside in the Japanese version, whereas she merely tells him off inaudibly in the English version.

Xigbar's telescopic sight was changed from a crosshair and black shading around the sides to three glowing circles. An attack animation was also altered; in the Japanese version, Xigbar combines his two hand-held guns to create a sniper rifle, which is used to shoot the player's party during the telescoping sight sequence. In the English version, Xigbar does not combine his guns, but twirls them around and shoots at Sora with a single gun.  The death of Organization XIII member Axel was slightly edited; in the original, he bursts into flames during his suicide attack, while in the English version he simply fades away after using up all of his power.

Port Royal, based on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, contains the most content edits. Cutscenes were edited to remove some of the violence, such as William Turner threatening to commit suicide while aiming a gun at his neck, as in the film. Unlike the Japanese version, the undead pirates do not catch fire when affected by Fire magic, and their muskets were modified to resemble crossbows, though the crossbows still fire with an audible musket shot sound effect.

Promotion
An unlockable trailer in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix hinted at the possibility of a sequel. Rumors for a sequel on the PlayStation 2 were spurred in Japan when the video game website Quiter stated that "an internal (and anonymous source) at Square Japan" confirmed that development of Kingdom Hearts II had begun. It was not until Kingdom Hearts II was announced, along with Chain of Memories, at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2003 that rumors were confirmed. Initial details were that it would take place some time after Chain of Memories, which takes place directly after the first game. Other details included the return of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, as well as new costumes. Information about Mickey Mouse's involvement was kept to a minimum.

At the 2004 Square Enix E3 Press conference, producer Shinji Hashimoto said that many mysteries of the first game would be answered. Square Enix launched the official Japanese website in May 2005, followed by the English website in December 2005. The websites featured videos and information regarding characters and worlds. Commercials were aired in Japan which highlighted the numerous Disney characters in the game. Although the game was announced in September 2003, a release date for the game was not set until two years later. Nomura admitted that the game was announced too early and information regarding the game was not released until a debut period was in sight.

Release
Within a week of its Japanese release, Kingdom Hearts II shipped one million copies, selling almost 730,000 copies. The NPD Group reported that Kingdom Hearts II was the highest-selling console game in North America during March 2006 with 614,000 copies. In the month after its release in North America, Kingdom Hearts II sold an estimated one million copies. GameStop listed the game as their best-selling title for the first quarter of 2006. The game was also on IGN's "Top 10 Sellers in 2006". By December 2006, over 3.5 million copies of Kingdom Hearts II had been shipped worldwide with 700,000 in PAL regions, 1.1 million in Japan, and 1.7 million in North America. By March 31, 2007, Square Enix had shipped over 4 million units worldwide.

Reception

Kingdom Hearts II was met with "generally positive" reviews upon release according to the review aggregator Metacritic.

Like its predecessors, the gameplay received mixed reviews. Carrie Gouskos of GameSpot and Jeff Haynes of IGN criticized the combat's decreased difficulty, with Haynes remarking that he completed the game without using any offensive magic, and observed that the large amount of health orbs released by enemies during battle rendered healing items redundant. However, Gouskos regarded the approach to be an improvement upon the original game, which she felt relied on "backtracking, tediousness, and confusion". Louis Bedigian of GameZone also concluded that the game would not be challenging to players experienced with action RPGs from the SNES and PlayStation eras. Patrick Gann of RPGFan deemed the partner artificial intelligence to be superior to the first game, whereas Haynes denounced it as "absolutely terrible", attributing this to the omitted ability to issue AI commands.

The quick time events were a generally welcomed addition, with Luke Albiges of Eurogamer regarding their quality and impact to be on par with the knife fight scene in Resident Evil 4. Bedigian declared the game to be the first instance of quick time events being successfully implemented, and admired the resulting actions as "some of the most beautiful polygon sequences seen on PlayStation 2". While Russ Fischer of GameRevolution deemed their lenient mechanics compared to God of War to be a saving grace, he and Gann acknowledged that the lack of skill required for their execution may be a drawback for hardcore gamers. Bryan Intihar and Shane Bettenhausen of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) spoke positively of the boss fights, with Bettenhausen saying that the quick time events enhanced their dynamic feeling. Eric Bratcher of GamesRadar+ was also excited by most of the boss battles, though considered a few of them "straight-up lame". Gouskos described the bosses as interesting and well conceived, but observed that the strategies for defeating them hardly differed from that of regular enemies.

Reviewers complimented the camera's increased responsiveness, which Haynes attributed to the altered control method from the shoulder buttons to the right thumbstick. Contrariwise, Gerald Villoria of GameSpy and Gann did not see any improvement, with Villoria occasionally struggling with forced and awkward camera positions. James Mielke (writing for EGM) and Gann dismissed the first-person mode as unhelpful, with Mielke warning that the inability to see Sora's Keyblade was disorienting.

The RPG elements were described as light, with Haynes calling them a "casualty" of the increased emphasis on combat; he remarked that items were "practically useless" due to a lack of need to use them in certain places as in the first game. Although Albiges considered the quality of the locales to be consistently high (singling out Port Royal for praise), others lamented the decreased size and increased linearity of the worlds, with Haynes particularly describing Halloween Town and Atlantica as "shadows of their former selves". While the assortment of minigames in the Hundred Acre Wood was said to be improved from the first game, the transition of Atlantica from an action set-piece to a series of rhythm minigames was derided. Bratcher and Gann were relieved by the absence of the scavenger hunt-type quests from the first game.

The Gummi Ship segments were widely agreed to be an improvement over those of the first game. Comparisons were drawn to Star Fox, Panzer Dragoon, Gradius, R-Type, Einhänder, and the recent works of Cave. Although Gouskos and PALGNs Phil Larsen acknowledged the improved execution, they were still overall unimpressed, though Larsen singled out the battle against a giant pirate ship as a highlight. Villoria considered the ship-building interface to have been greatly improved, whereas Fischer and Gann still found it obtuse and confusing.

The visuals were lauded, with Mielke and Albiges considering them among the PlayStation 2's best, and Villoria putting them on par with Square's best productions. The environmental renderings were praised, with special mention going to the Space Paranoids, Timeless River and Port Royal worlds. The character models and animations were complimented; Villoria and Gann singled out the Pirates of the Caribbean characters for their realistic quality, and Gann declared the facial designs to be the best he had seen on the PlayStation 2. Haynes admired the main characters' changing appearance depending on the world they are visiting, and Villoria noted that the enemies were also visually adapted to their environments, which he said granted them personality. The full-motion videos were admired by Albiges, Gann, and Bedigian, and compared by Gann to those of Final Fantasy XII. Gann was also impressed by the special effects applied in the dream sequences during the prologue, and claimed to be impacted by the "artistic flair that combined the binary/data/static effect with the heartfelt scenes from the first title".

Reviewers praised the soundtrack, which Bedigian described as "An impeccable, unforgettable mixture of classic Disney tracks and new Square Enix themes". He added that despite the limited nostalgic value of the Disney tunes, they "never get tiring, slightly repetitive, or seem out of place". Gouskos remarked that the presence of some songs from The Little Mermaid were the redeeming quality of the Atlantica rhythm minigames, and she considered the music's infectiousness to be "a tribute to how well the music was adapted and integrated into the gameplay". Larsen only criticized some repetitiveness, but noted that the fast-paced action made this hardly noticeable. However, Villoria and Gann were less than impressed; Villoria felt that the soundtrack did not meet the high standard set by the first game, while Gann complained of the synth quality and recycled tracks from the first game. Gann considered the live orchestral and piano recordings to be the best tracks. Mielke (writing for 1Up.com) and Larsen spoke positively of the theme song "Sanctuary", with Mielke calling it "a sublime contribution that grows with each listen" and Larsen deeming it to "have been perfectly crafted to both set and build from the atmosphere of the game". Gann, however, faulted what he perceived to be a rushed localization from the equivalent Japanese track "Passion". He elaborated that "Full harmonic backup parts have been cut, and Utada's stand-alone melody sounds flat in English. She stretches syllables to make up for the bouncy melody of the very syllabic Japanese version".

The voice acting was generally commended for its quality and the prestige of its cast. Christopher Lee's presence in particular was singled out as commanding and show-stealing. Although Gouskos determined the overall voice acting quality to be excellent, she noted that the Square characters were not given an equal level of treatment to the Disney characters, and she identified "one or two bad apples among the bunch", describing Jasmine as "screechy". Larsen praised the voice actors' effort, but said that the cutscenes felt longer than they are due to the timing of the spoken dialogue. Haynes felt that many lines fell flat and the incorporation of film dialogue was awkward. Mielke and Bratcher respectively deemed Mena Suvari's performance as Aerith "pretty dry" and "all wrong". The absence of the actors from Pirates of the Caribbean was a source of disappointment, with EGM describing the sound-alike actor for Captain Jack Sparrow as "iffy at best".

Responses to the narrative were varied, with some reviewers cautioning that the plot would be confusing to those who had not played the previous games. Haynes, however, assured that the Journal feature provided sufficient context, and added that it had been improved from the first game. Proponents of the story include Intihar, Bedigian, and Gann, with Bedigian declaring that the game "should be the benchmark of RPG storytelling". Villoria and Gann said that the frequent cameos were well-handled, and pointed out that the inclusion of Square characters not created by Nomura was an interesting risk, though Mielke occasionally felt that the cameos were for their own sake. Gann considered the plot to be more cohesive than that of the first, as the Disney worlds held more relevance to the story. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer promised that the story would "give you shivers and make your heart leap" despite not being as powerful as the first game. Mielke complimented Nomura's "eye for epic drama" previously observed in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which he said "touches you where games like, say, God of War never will". Gouskos said that the interactions with the frequently changing cast of characters made up for the game's lack of challenge, and that the use of lines from the original Disney films enhanced the sense of immersion. However, she deplored the "aloof" dialogue for the Square characters, singling out an instance in which Final Fantasy VIII antagonist Seifer declares "We totally owned you lamers!". Bettenhausen faulted what he perceived to be a clumsy juxtaposition of the "overwrought" Square-style narrative and dialogue and the whimsical merrymaking of the Disney worlds. Larsen deemed several lines and scenes unnecessary, and noted a tendency of the characters' more serious speeches to take on an obscure "Matrix sequel-esque" quality. Fischer, likening the general plot to "a long episode of Quantum Leap with permanent guest stars Donald and Goofy", described the storyline as linear and somewhat nonsensical, but "endearing and twisty" enough to hold players' attention. Bettenhausen and GamePros Bones respectively dismissed the prologue as "woefully boring" and "sluggishly slow", though Reiner stated that "In a devilish yet remarkable plot twist, you may not want Sora back". Reiner and Fischer were disappointed by the amount of recycled Disney content from the first game; Reiner, describing most of the Disney-based conflicts as "tacked on" diversions, speculated that Disney "handcuffed Square Enix on being able to create new content".

Awards and accolades
The game received numerous awards, including a Satellite Award in 2006 for "Outstanding Game Based on Existing Medium". It tied with Resident Evil 4 as Famitsus "Game of the Year" 2005. Famitsus readers ranked the game 29th on their "All Time Top 100" feature, ten places below Kingdom Hearts. It was ranked number one on IGN's 2006 "Reader's Choice" for PlayStation 2 games. Eurogamer ranked it 34th on their "Top 50 Games of 2006" list. Video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it "Best Sequel" of 2006, and Game Informer listed it among the "Top 50 games of 2006". VideoGamer.com featured it 10th in their article "Top 10: Role playing games". GamePro named it the 25th best RPG title of all time. Kingdom Hearts II also received a near-perfect score, 39/40, from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. G4 awarded Kingdom Hearts II "Best Voice Over" and "Best Soundtrack" in their 2006 G-Phoria awards show.

The game was ranked the 16th greatest console video game of all time in a 2021 Japanese poll conducted by TV Asahi which surveyed over 50,000 respondents.

Versions and merchandise

Kingdom Hearts II has been released in four different versions. The first three are the normal regional releases in Japan, North America, and PAL regions, which only differ nominally in content editing and localization. The European and Australian PAL releases were reformatted to run at 50 Hz to fit the definition size of PAL encoding systems. The fourth version has additional content and was released under the title Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Like the previous titles, both Square and Disney released numerous types of merchandise before and after the game came out. Merchandise ranged from toys and figurines to clothing items and books. The game has also been adapted into both manga and novel series. Prior to the game's release, an Ultimania book titled Kingdom Hearts Series Ultimania α ~Introduction of Kingdom Hearts II~ came out. It provides extended information on the first two Kingdom Hearts games, as well as information on the unreleased Kingdom Hearts II. After the release of the game, Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania, which focuses on the game itself, came out. Another book, titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ Ultimania, was released after the Final Mix version came out. Released along with Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts -Another Report- was a hardback book which includes game information, visuals by Shiro Amano, and a director interview. In North America, BradyGames published two strategy guides—a standard guide and a limited edition version. The latter version was available in four different covers and included a copy of Jiminy's Journal along with 400 stickers.

Final Mix
Because the first game was re-released, there was speculation whether Tetsuya Nomura would do the same with Kingdom Hearts II. In a Weekly Shōnen Jump interview with Nomura, he expressed interest in a possible international version of Kingdom Hearts II, although there were no definite plans. He said that should a "Final Mix" version arise, he had a "trump card" in mind, with such features as the Mushroom Heartless found in the first Kingdom Hearts game. In September 2006, Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, featuring new scenes and gameplay elements. Like the first re-release, this version would combine English audio with Japanese text and also use the "Sanctuary" theme song instead of "Passion". New cutscenes, however, used Japanese voice acting, as they mostly featured Organization XIII members from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories who did not yet have English voice actors; these scenes were later re-dubbed into English for the HD 2.5 Remix release.

Kingdom Hearts II was re-released in Japan on March 29, 2007 as a 2-disc set titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. The first disc contains Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix with a new secret movie and additional battles and items. The second disc contains Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, a 3D PlayStation 2 remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories with extra scenes and voice acting. The battle system maintains the card gameplay, with the addition of Reaction Commands from Kingdom Hearts II. Like the first game's Final Mix, the two games serve as a canonical update to the series. The book Kingdom Hearts -Another Report- was included along with the game for those who reserved a copy. Based on Amazon.com figures, Final Mix+ was the number one PlayStation 2 game in sales during the week of its release in Japan. Nomura cited the presence of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories to explain why Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ was so popular. Nevertheless, in a Famitsu poll in July 2011, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was voted the most popular entry so far.

It was released for the first time outside Japan as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix.

Printed adaptations
A manga series based on the game started its serialization in the June 2006 issue of the magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan, published by Square Enix. The artist is Shiro Amano, who also did the Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories manga series. The first volume was released in Japan in December 2006. As a result of Amano working in the Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days manga, the series has been on hiatus and resumed publication in October 2012. Tokyopop licensed the manga and released volume one in North America on July 3, 2007. The second volume was released the following year.

The game has also been novelized by Tomoco Kanemaki and illustrated by Shiro Amano. The first volume, titled "Roxas—Seven Days", was released on April 22, 2006 and covers Roxas' story to when Sora wakes up and leaves Twilight Town. The novel depicts extra scenes that were added in the Final Mix version, such as interaction between Organization XIII members and between Axel, Naminé and Riku. The second book, "The Destruction of Hollow Bastion", was released on July 16, 2006, the third book, "Tears of Nobody," revolving around Roxas' past, was released on September 29, 2006, and the fourth book, "Anthem—Meet Again/Axel Last Stand," came out in February 2007.

HD 2.5 Remix

In the credits of HD 1.5 Remix, clips of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix were shown, hinting at its inclusion in another collection. On October 14, 2013, Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix, a second compilation exclusively for the PlayStation 3 after HD 1.5 Remix, that includes both Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix in HD and trophy support. Additionally, the collection includes HD cinematic scenes from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and was released in Japan on October 2, 2014, North America on December 2, 2014, Australia on December 4, 2014, and Europe on December 5, 2014.

See also
 List of Disney video games

Notes

References

External links

 Kingdom Hearts II official website
 Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ official website

2005 video games
Action role-playing video games
Crossover role-playing video games
Disney video games
Japanese role-playing video games
Kingdom Hearts
Mickey Mouse video games
Pirates of the Caribbean video games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 2-only games
Single-player video games
Square Enix games
Theft in fiction
Video game sequels
Video games scored by Yoko Shimomura
Video games developed in Japan
Video games set in abandoned buildings and structures
Video games set in Africa
Video games set in ancient Greece
Video games set in China
Video games set in France
Video games set in Jamaica
Video games set in the Middle East
Video games directed by Tetsuya Nomura
Video games with alternative versions

Kingdom Hearts II


Head-On (, literally Against the Wall; ) is a 2004 German-Turkish drama film written and directed by Fatih Akın. It stars Birol Ünel as a Turkish-born, alcoholic German widower who enters into a marriage of convenience with a young woman of Turkish descent. She is desperate to escape her restrictive and abusive male relatives.

The film won the Golden Bear at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot
Cahit Tomruk is a Turkish German in his 40s. He has given up on life after the death of his wife and seeks solace in cocaine and alcohol. One night, he intentionally drives his car head-on into a wall and barely survives.

At the psychiatric clinic where he is treated, a young woman named Sibel Güner approaches him, recognizing him as being Turkish-German. She asks Cahit to marry her, but he rudely declines. Cahit later realizes she is at the hospital after also trying to commit suicide. He sees her interacting with her conservative family who condemn her behaviour and threaten her. Offering him a beer, she confides that her brother broke her nose when he saw her holding hands with a man, and she is desperate to escape her family and needs to marry a fellow Turk to do so.

When Cahit again declines to marry her, she stabs herself in the wrists with a broken bottle. The incident shakes him up, and Cahit agrees to marry Sibel after all on the basis that it is a sham, enabling her to leave her family home and live a sexually free life. He goes to her family pretending he saw her at the hospital where her injuries were treated and seeking their approval to marry her. Despite the age disparity and not knowing much about him, Sibel's family agrees to the marriage.

They live separate private lives but eventually fall in love. After Cahit accidentally kills one of Sibel's former lovers when the lover insults her in public, Cahit is sent to prison and Sibel, her infidelity exposed, is disowned by her family.

While Cahit is in prison, Sibel tells him that she will wait for him and, with nowhere else to stay, goes to Istanbul to her cousin Selma, a single career woman who manages a hotel. Sibel takes a job as a maid in Selma's hotel and stays with her, but finding her new life to be restrictive and conventional, leaves Selma's apartment to live with a bartender who offers her drugs and alcohol. Eventually, he rapes her when she passes out and throws her out. Roaming the streets that night, she is accosted by three men who eventually beat her up. One of them stabs her and they leave her for dead.

Several years later, Cahit travels to Istanbul upon his release from prison, hoping to find Sibel. Selma tells him that Sibel is in a relationship and has a daughter. Cahit waits in a hotel for Sibel's call. It eventually comes, and they meet and make love for a weekend while her boyfriend is on a business trip. After their tryst, Cahit asks Sibel to take her daughter and run away with him. She agrees but, while packing at home, she hears her husband talking on the phone to her delighted daughter. Cahit waits at the bus stop but she never shows up. The film ends with Cahit on a bus, presumably traveling to Mersin, the city where he was born.

Cast
 Birol Ünel as Cahit Tomruk
 Sibel Kekilli as Sibel Güner
  as Maren
 Güven Kiraç as Seref
 Meltem Cumbul as Selma
 Hermann Lause: Psychotherapist Dr. Schiller
 Demir Gökgöl: Yunus Güner
 Cem Akın: Yilmaz Güner
 Mona Mur: Customer Zoe Bar
 Adam Bousdoukos: Barman 1
 Mehmet Kurtuluş: Barman 2
 Tim Seyfi: Taxidriver
 Fanfare Ciocărlia: Musicians
 Stefan Gebelhoff as Nico
 Francesco Fiannaca as Mann am Tresen

Reception
Head-On received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "certified fresh" rating of 91%, based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 7.35/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A raw, provocative drama about star-crossed love and the lives of immigrants caught between the traditional and modern." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The film has been cited as a favorite by filmmaker John Waters, who presented it as his annual selection for the 2006 Maryland Film Festival.

Accolades

 "Best Film" and the "Audience Award" at the 2004 European Film Awards on 11 December in Barcelona, Spain.
 The Golden Bear for Best Film at 54th Berlin International Film Festival on 14 February 2004.
 The Golden Prize for Best Actress at the Deutscher Filmpreis on 18 June 2004.
 The Quadriga Prize on 3 October 2004 in Berlin.
 The Silver Mirror Award for the Best Movie from the South at the Oslo Film Festival on 16 October 2004.
 The Audience Prize at the 9th Festival de Cine on 6–13 November in Sevilla, Spain.
 The Golden Bambi for the best shooting star at the 56th Bambi-Verleihung on 19 November in Hamburg, Germany
 The Golden Gilde prize for the best German film of 2003-2004 at the Leipzig Film Fair.
 The Goya Award for Best European Film of 2004, on 30 January 2005 in Madrid, Spain.

References

External links

2004 films
German romantic drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s German-language films
2000s Turkish-language films
English-language German films
English-language Turkish films
Films directed by Fatih Akin
European Film Awards winners (films)
Films set in Germany
Films set in Hamburg
Films set in Istanbul
Films set in Turkey
Films shot in Germany
2004 multilingual films
German multilingual films
Turkish multilingual films
Golden Bear winners
2004 romantic drama films
Films about immigration
Turkish romantic drama films
2000s German films

Head-On (film)


Nikolajs Štelbaums or Nikolay Shtelbaums () (13 October 1933 Užava parish, Latvia – 3 April 2008 Omsk, Russia) was a Soviet speedskater. As a child he was forced to move to Siberia along with his family in 1949, in connection with the Soviet mass deportation project Operation Priboi of more than 90,000 Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians. During his skating career he lived in Omsk, skating for Burevestnik.

In 1952, Norwegian skater Hjalmar Andersen set a legendary world record on the 10,000-m, with a time of 16:32.6. This record withstood several close attacks over the following seasons. The first skater to better the Andersen time was Štelbaums, who did 16:31.4 in Chelyabinsk on 4 February 1959. His result was not officially recognised by the International Skating Union, however, and therefore does not feature on the official world record lists.

On 31 January 1960 at Medeo, both Štelbaums (16:18.9) and Vladimir Shilykovskij (16:13.1) skated below Andersen's record time, at the traditional "Prize of the Soviet Ministry of the Kazakh Republic" competition; but again these world record times were not officially ratified by the ISU. At the 1960 Winter Olympics four weeks later, first Kjell Bäckman (16:14.2) and then Knut Johannesen (15:46.6) finally lowered the official Andersen world record, while Štelbaums was disqualified in this race.

Štelbaums participated in each of the Soviet-Russian allround championships from 1958 to 1963, with a 6th place from 1959 at Vologda his best result; on that occasion he also won the 10,000-m and bronze on the 5,000-m. He won silver on the 10,000-m twice, in 1958 at Sverdlovsk and in 1961 at Gorky. He was however never selected for international representation at allround championships.

His wife Vera Shtelbaums is a professional and merited Master of Sports coach of rhythmic gymnastics.

References

External links
 Nikolay Shtelbaums at SkateResults.com
 Soviet-Russian allround championships
 Personal bests at speedskatingnews.info

1933 births
2008 deaths
Russian male speed skaters
Soviet male speed skaters
Olympic speed skaters for the Soviet Union
Speed skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics

Nikolajs Štelbaums