Which Kingdom Hearts game introduced Dream Eaters?

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance introduced the Dream Eaters.

Dream Eaters are creatures associated with worlds trapped in sleep, which form the setting for Sora and Riku’s Mark of Mastery exam. The game divides them into two main kinds: hostile Nightmares, which consume good dreams and create bad ones, and friendly Spirits, which consume nightmares and help the heroes in battle.

This made Dream Eaters more than ordinary enemies. Players can create and customize Spirits using Dream Fragments and other items, care for them, and use them as party members. Their abilities and relationship systems became one of Dream Drop Distance’s defining features.

The distinction matters because earlier Kingdom Hearts games feature other signature enemy groups. Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed belong to previous entries, while Dream Eaters are specifically associated with the 2012 Nintendo 3DS game. They later appeared in additional Kingdom Hearts material, but their debut was Dream Drop Distance.