Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive at the Underworld just in time for Hades to announce the official opening of the Underdrome and its newest tournament: the Hades Cup. Like before, he uses Megara to get what he wants: he threatens to get rid of her if Hercules refuses to participate. The trio, knowing that Herc has been out of sorts especially since the Hydra incident, decides to help him in the cup. They notice that Auron is also participating, and they wonder if they'll end up having to face him as well. They compete in a few rounds until they reach the finals, and of course Auron is going to be their opponent. They try to speak to him, but he seems to have forgotten who they are.
Sora and friends see Auron go into one of the Underworld caves, so they decide to follow him. Inside, they hear him talking to Hades. Auron says that his mere existence is a crime, and he intends to "atone" for it by killing Hercules in the tournament. Hades adds that he has to kill Herc's friends as well, but when Auron tries to protest, Hades pulls out a figurine of him and bends his will. After the trio tells Hercules, he suggests they go look for the statue. Hades reminds Sora that he has a match soon, but Herc offers to take his place to buy him time. Hades agrees to let Herc fight in his place on the condition that Sora and friends fight whoever wins, which he accepts.
While the trio goes into the Underworld, Hercules is holding his own against Auron, but Meg worries for him because she knows he can't go on forever. Sora and friends find the figurine, and when they touch it, they hear Auron's memories. Before they can leave, a bunch of Nobodies appear. They try to fend them off, but the numbers are too overwhelming. Suddenly, some Heartless show up and attack the Nobodies. They turn their attention to the Heartless and away from the trio, allowing them to slip away.
Back in the Underdrome, Auron nearly kills Hercules, but Sora shows up just in time to give the statue back to him, restoring his free will and causing him to stop. After he refuses to continue fighting, Hades grabs Meg and throws her into the River Styx, reminding Herc of what he said would happen if he didn't fight. Herc dives in after her, seemingly ending his life. The others try to fight Hades, but he's invulnerable just like before. The battle seems hopeless, but then Hercules emerges with the golden glow of a god and Meg in his hands. He says that thanks to his selfless act of sacrifice, he finally proved himself as a true hero, which restored his divinity. An infuriated Hades attacks them, but with Herc's newfound powers, they are able to hurt him. After weakening him, Hades teleports away, but he stumbles backwards and falls into the River Styx, ensuring he won't be a problem for a while.
After defeating Hades, Auron decides to leave on a journey of his own. He bids farewell to the others, and they all return to Olympus Coliseum. When Phil shows up, the trio asks him if they have become true heroes yet. Phil says that they can't be considered heroes based on the rules, but if it was his decision, he would gladly consider them heroes. Just then, they look up in the sky, where the stars form constellations based on the three of them. The constellations, which are a symbol of many ancient Greek mythical figures, serve as a recognition from the gods, implying that they did indeed become heroes despite what Phil said. With their deeds receiving divine approval, the three newly-christened heroes continue their journey...
- Arc Villain: Hades
- Developer's Foresight: If the player doesn't visit Olympus Coliseum between clearing Timeless River* and the Battle of the 1000 Heartless* , the cutscene that plays where Sora and his friends learn of the Underdrome's reopening opens this episode, with Hercules and Meg in the background.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Phil still refuses to promote SDG to "Hero" status even after they defeated Hades and saved Auron, citing them not being wise or seasoned enough. Zeus promotes them instead, with constellations as proof.
- Electric Torture: Auron's statue has a defense mechanism that painfully stuns anyone who touches it, as well as anyone touching the stunned individual.
- Fair-Play Villain: Despite his threat on Meg's life and turning Auron into his own lapdog, Hades does play by the rules. It's only after Auron is freed from his control when Hades snaps and cheats.
- Fighting Your Friend: As per the deal Hercules made with Hades for the one-on-one match, Sora and his friends must fight the winner in a death match. It's foiled before they could face either Herc or Auron, although the former is an Optional Boss in the Titan Cup unlocked after the episode's completion.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Hercules is still brooding over the Coliseum's destruction a month prior. SDG are less sympatheic, since theirs and Meg's lives are at stake by a sadistic demon, and he has become The Load. Granted, they just saw someone else nearly fall for a Despair Gambit.
- He's Back!: Hercules, teetering on a Despair Event Horizon, dives after Megara when Hades decides to cheat, saving her life and regaining his willpower and hope. Also, Auron regains his free will and empathy, reaffirms Hades that "This is my story", and rejoins the party.
- Mythology Gag: The lines from Auron's past that the party hear right before the Nobodies attack are lifted directly from Braska's Pilgrimage in Final Fantasy X.
- Near-Villain Victory: Hades nearly succeeds in killing Hercules using Auron as his puppet. Of course, Sora foils it by (mostly) defeating the Nobodies guarding Auron's statue, and making his way back to the Underdrome.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: For Hercules, it's either fight in the Hades Cup, or lose Meg.
- Rescued from the Underworld: The dilema of the episode. Hercules must participate in the Hades Cup and battle Auron (and Sora if he wins) in a death match, or lose Megara to the Underworld. Although Auron wins the battle, Herc survives, and Hades throws Meg into the Underworld in rage. Herc dives in and save her in an Act of True Love.
- Stellification: At the very end, constellations of Sora, Donald, and Goofy are added to the sky during the Close on Title. Phil seems to be embarrassed, although the trio are overjoyed. The constellations are in the shape of their official renders used to promote the game.
- The Unfettered: For Hades, that would be killing Hercules along with all of the universe's heroes, Sora included. He's not above enslaving Auron and taking away his free will for this dastardy goal, and is heavily implied to be working for Organization XIII.
- We Need a Distraction: Hercules offers a one-on-one battle against Auron to Hades if it means buying Sora enough time to grab the statue. Hades accepts, but on the condition that SDG fight whoever wins the battle, which Herc accepts. Of course, the statue had a defense mechanism, and was guarded by Nobodies under Hades' order, which made the theft more difficult.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Auron refuses to hurt Sora even when under Hades' control. The latter further alters his psyche to get rid of this standard, turning Auron into a Sociopathic Soldier.
