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Last year, Yen Press announced that they will be releasing the final volume to the English Kingdom Hearts II manga series by Shiro Amano, Kingdom Hearts II Volume 4 on May 23, 2017. Thanks to Yen Press again, we now have a look at the front cover for this final volume. View the cover below:
 



 
The Kingdom Hearts II manga series finished in Japan in 2015, and now it is finally being finished in English as well. The Japanese Kingdom Hearts II manga series had ten volumes, but for the English series, they've decided to combine them all together to create four large volumes. Kingdom Hearts II Volume 4 contains volumes 8 - 10 of the original Japanese series.
 
You can pre-order Kingdom Hearts II Volume 4 from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and RightStuf.
 
UPDATE 1: The English Kingdom Hearts II Volume 4 manga has been delayed from May 23, 2017 to May 30, 2017.
 
UPDATE 2: The English Kingdom Hearts II Volume 4 manga has released today, on May 30, 2017! You can purchase it from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and RightStuf.
Today marks the 15h anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series. To celebrate this occasion, Square Enix has announced special Tsum Tsum events for the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] which will feature the following bonuses for these events.
 


Special login bonus avatar

 

People who log in during this event period, will receive a Tsum Tsum headband!






 

Login Period : April 14 - May 1


 


Raid boss event & The Union χ Multiplayer event

 

New raid event quest "The Heartless Tsum stack" will be featured during the event and players can collect Raid Coins and Cross Coins to exchange them for Tsum Tsum avatar items from the Multiplayer event.


 




 




 




 

Event Period : From April 17 - April 23


 


New 10 medal draws

 

New raid event quest "The Heartless Tsum stack" will be featured during the event and players can collect Raid Coins and Cross Coins to exchange them for Tsum Tsum avatar items from the Multiplayer event!
 
These 10 draws will offer 4 Tsum Tsum medals: each draw will give you a guaranteed Tsum Tsum medal. The first draw is free.


 




 

Event Period : April 16 - April 30


It is now the 28th of March, which means that the Kingdom Hearts franchise has officially turned 15 years old! KH13.com have comprised this article to commemorate this wonderful series that has brought us together today. Originally released in Japan on March 28th 2002, Kingdom Hearts is arguably one of the most bizarre video games ever released due to the unlikely collaboration between Disney and Square Soft (now Square Enix). Throughout the article we will be discussing the origins of the series and how it has brought many different people together.
 

The Concept

The very first idea that lead to the creation of Kingdom Hearts was a conversation between Shinji Hashimoto (now the series executive producer) and Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of Final Fantasy). The two wanted to create a game that rivalled Super Mario 64 in terms of the way players could move around in the game. The only characters as popular as Mario at the time were in fact Disney characters. Tetsuya Nomura, the lead character designer for Final Fantasy at the time, happened to hear the conversation and asked if he could direct such a project, which the two agreed to. Through pure chance, Disney and Square were working in the same building at the time and eventually Hashimoto encountered a Disney executive in an elevator. The pitch from Square Soft to Disney was somehow a success and hence, development for the first Kingdom Hearts began in February 2000.
 

The Development

Tetsuya Nomura strived for his own original concepts for a protagonist rather than using famous Disney characters. There was a time when Sora was envisioned as a hybrid of a lion and a young boy, who wielded a chainsaw blade. Disney even considered the idea of Donald Duck being the protagonist. There were even restrictions in what Square could do with the Disney properties at the time. Kingdom Hearts was extremely ambitious and in the eyes of many, a huge risk for the company due to its peculiar nature. Square did not want to create a product that would disrespect Disney and Tetsuya Nomura did not consider the idea of a sequel to Kingdom Hearts because of his doubt in the project.
 




Sora as a lion boy wielding his chainsaw blade.


 
 
Hironobu Sakaguchi (working as the executive producer) told Nomura that if Kingdom Hearts did not aim for the same level of quality as the Final Fantasy series, it would fail. Hence, the original Kingdom Hearts went through many drastic changes in its development cycle. Thanks to Sakaguchi’s advice, the story of Kingdom Hearts matured into something similar that you’d find in a Final Fantasy game. The main villain-Ansem Seeker Of Darkness did not appear until towards the end of the game which is similar to how villains appeared in retro Final Fantasy games. His personality is also similar to Sephiroth (FFVII). As a consequence of many of these drastic changes, there was a significant amount of cut content in the first Kingdom Hearts. Some of these include Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa Lockhart as an optional boss battle, Final Fantasy’s Bahamut as a summon and The Lion King as a playable world. However, due to time constraints and hardware limitations, these were not included in the first Kingdom Hearts game. One of the earliest trailers for Kingdom Hearts heavily implied the ability to control Donald and Goofy. Nomura eventually featured this mechanic of controlling party members in another game he would go on to direct-Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
 




Ansem, Seeker Of Darkness, drawn by Tetsuya Nomura.


 
 

The Reception

For many Kingdom Hearts fans, their first game in the franchise was the original Kingdom Hearts. With its first title released on March 28th 2002 for Japan, September 17th 2002 for North America and November 15th 2002 for Europe, the Kingdom Hearts series has now sold over 20 million copies worldwide as of October 2013. The first Kingdom Hearts was met with critical acclaim and high praise, receiving a 9.5 from GameInformer, a 36/40 from Famitsu and a 9/10 from IGN! Many critics praised the graphics of the CG opening and ending. Kingdom Hearts was released during a time when voice acting in video games was fairly new, and when compared to Square’s Final Fantasy X (released in 2001), the voice acting was a huge step forward. Yoko Shimomura’s musical score was also highly praised at the time, and the Kingdom Hearts series is now widely respected for its amazing soundtrack. Not all reception was positive of course, with complaints against the tediousness of the Gummi Ship missions, the poor platforming sections and bad camera angles. In spite of all of this, critical reception was still very positive, and this is reflected in the popularity of the series today.
 

The Games

Kingdom Hearts drew heavy inspiration from its older “brother”, Final Fantasy. The lighter themes of Final Fantasy games are drawn from things such as friendship, destiny and good versus evil. Tetsuya Nomura is also a huge fan of Star Wars, hence the themes of light and darkness may be considered as inspired by those films. To his delight, Mark Hamil was eventually cast to voice Master Eraqus in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep!
 
The story of the Kingdom Hearts series has evolved in a dramatic way that no one would have ever imagined. The original game was extremely straightforward and a tale of good versus evil; a young boy must find his friends and restore peace to the worlds. However, even the first game left a staggering number of questions at the end. Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II helped answer these questions, but also introduced the Organization XIII and the concepts of Nobodies, which to some were confusing. Since KH1, themes of time travel (Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance) and alternate dimensions (χ [Chi/Cross] series) have been introduced. Every Kingdom Hearts game has left fans wondering if their questions will be answered in the next instalment. As a result, Kingdom Hearts III is now one of the most anticipated video games of the decade.
 




A screenshot taken from the footage shown at Jump Festa 2016


 
 
Kingdom Hearts II was released in 2006, and since then, many handheld games and side projects have been released to fill in the story gaps as well as introduce new lore. In a sense, they have created and built up the story for Kingdom Hearts III.
 
Although there may be a lack of concrete plot details, and many things have been retconned, there are many emotional and character-driven moments that have caused fans to fall in love with the series. A small few include - Xion’s death (358/2 Days), the endings of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep, Riku’s redemption and the battle between Sora and Roxas (KHII). The confusing nature of the plot led to Square Enix slowly bringing every Kingdom Hearts game to home consoles, beginning with the HD ReMIXes on PS3 and ending with both collections being available on PS4 this week.
 
Kingdom Hearts as a series has managed to reach a very wide audience; for example, KH13’s own staff and forum members come from a variety of age groups, cultures and countries! The Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - in London had fans travelling from Germany, Italy, Greece and even Canada! This is because the story deals with a wide range of different emotions that any person can feel, such as empathy, hatred, sorrow and happiness, regardless of their personal backgrounds. Many different people can relate to having these feelings. We feel this diversity makes the fanbase one of the most interesting in the community of video gamers. The fact that such a incredible story can appeal to so many different people is very peculiar!
 





A photo taken from the KH13MeetUp at the London concert.


 
 

The Gameplay

In terms of its hack and slash combat, the series has seen many changes due to the switch in development teams after Kingdom Hearts II was released. Both KH and KHII focused on using the command menu, with more of a priority given to combo attacks. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Dream Drop Distance and Re:coded made use of a command deck, where players could stack a deck of abilities and would each recharge after being executed. Kingdom Hearts fans refer to the handhelds production team as the Osaka team, and the original team as the Tokyo team; with the Osaka team directing Kingdom Hearts III, many fans are anticipating how the game will feel after experiencing Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is highly respected by many speed runners due to its in depth game mechanics, and to many fans, it is the best Kingdom Hearts game.
 




The box art for the western version of Kingdom Hearts II, drawn by Tetsuya Nomura.


 
 
Many people have become fans of the series due to the Disney elements such as the various characters and worlds. Exploring worlds based on famous Disney films has always been a delight for players, with continuous discussions about which Disney worlds, characters and cameos should be featured in the next games! The games have always featured some form of treasure hunting: sticker collecting, collecting Ansem reports, finding the 101 Dalmatians and completing Jiminy Cricket’s journal. The platforming mechanics have improved over the last 15 years, with Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance allowing the player to use flowmotion and launch themselves off of walls. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- has a refined version of flowmotion that enables players to better interact with surroundings, something that has many times been addressed as one of the main developments in the gameplay of the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III. Many players have criticised the series for not including enough NPCs in the Disney worlds, which can make the worlds feel like hallways and rooms rather than actual worlds. Kingdom Hearts III is believed to be changing this aspect for the better! Throughout Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-, this feeling of emptiness is not present despite the player being alone in the Realm of Darkness, primarily because of the high level of detail in world design, enhanced by lighting and textures that the Unreal Engine 4 is using.
 




A screenshot from the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage- opening.


 
 
Allies in each Kingdom Hearts game can be interacted with in a very unique fashion and teamwork attacks. Kingdom Hearts did this through summons; Kingdom Hearts II through Drive Forms, Limit Breaks and summons; Re:COM allowed the player to call for Donald and Goofy’s help; Dream Drop Distance included Spirit Links; and D Links were a main feature in Birth by Sleep!
 
The gameplay in the Kingdom Hearts series has always varied from one instalment to another, and Kingdom Hearts III seems to be taking the best mechanics from each and implementing them in its own unique way. The game will feature Shotlocks, Drive Forms, Summons, the evolution of Magic, Flowmotion, Attraction Flow, Keyblade transformations and possibly other methods of defeating enemies that we are not yet aware of! Gameplay has always been something that fans of the series have loved because each instalment introduces a new feature.
 

The KH13.com Experience

During the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - opening night show in London, KH13.com had the pleasure to meet Miss Yoko Shimomura, the composer who has been making unforgettable and heart-wrenching music that reduced us to tears during the concert; music that made everyone in the concert hall rise up simultaneously for a loud standing ovation after the final performance!
 
The 15 years we individually spent adoring this series, the 8 years KH13.com dedicated to bring out the best in its fandom and the weeks we spent planning our
were rewarded in a single moment on Friday the 24th of March. Our “Thank You” booklet containing messages from fans, a KH13 exclusive journal and KH13 stickers were only a small token of our gratitude to her and those who made the World Tour a reality. Her delight when receiving our gift and briefly hearing about our meet-up was more than worth the wait! At that time it was past 1AM, but we persevered! 




KH13 social media team leader Andrew Hankinson with Kingdom Hearts series composer Yoko Shimomura.


 
 





The video of our KH13MeetUp for the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - in London.


 
 
During the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - Paris and London concerts, we put out constant live coverage of the two events, and are planning on doing the same for the future concerts to come. Check out our live coverage on the Paris concert here, and check out our live coverage on the London concert here.
 
KH13.com is now looking forward to meeting with the passionate fans of the Kingdom Hearts series at other events this year, such as E3 and the other Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - concerts!
 
If it weren’t for the amount of care, work, and trust Square Enix and Disney put into this series for the past 15 years, we would not be where we are now. The series has inspired countless people like KH13.com who dedicate their time to cover Kingdom Hearts news, discuss lore, make video skits, and produce amazing fan art, music covers, crafts, cosplay and more. The wait for Kingdom Hearts III has united Kingdom Hearts fans of all shapes and sizes. There is a light deep down that will never go out, and we would like to thank Tetsuya Nomura and everyone who has been involved in the process of making, distributing and promoting these games for bringing us all together under the same sky.
 




The crew from the first Kingdom Hearts, drawn by Tetsuya Nomura.


 

For future updates on all things Kingdom Hearts news and information, follow us on our social media below:



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The official Kingdom Hearts Twitter has announced that they will be livestreaming Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX on Twitch tomorrow. The times for the livestream are detailed below:

Each year Classic FM holds a "Hall of Fame" poll, where everyone globally may vote for their favorite classical music composers and pieces. The annual poll starts in January and ends around Easter (which falls on April 16th this year). This year's voting has nearly come to a close, but it isn't too late to vote for Yoko Shimomura, the wonderful music composer for Kingdom Hearts.
 
You can submit your vote for the Classic FM Hall of Fame by visiting their website here. If you would like to vote for Yoko Shimomura you can simply type her name in the search bar, and in the results select "Kingdom Hearts (includes The Other Promise) by Yoko Shimomura." You may submit up to three votes for your favorite musical pieces and composers.
 
Kingdom Hearts and Yoko Shimomura have ranked considerably high out of the top 300 musical pieces in previous Classic FM Hall of Fames, including finishing at 31st place in 2016 and ranking 30th in 2015. Let's show our support and help Yoko Shimomura and Kingdom Hearts rank higher this year!
For those who haven't been able to pick up the paperback Kingdom Hearts publications that have been released in the past couple years, Yen Press has now conveniently begun releasing their English publications electronically via e-books. On March 21, 2017, Yen Press released Kingdom Hearts: The Novel electronically for $7.99 USD.
 
Furthermore, on April 18th, Yen Press will be releasing Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories: The Novel electronically for $7.99 USD.
 
With these electronic releases, Yen Press will also be releasing the newest publications Kingdom Hearts II Vol. 4 ($6,99 USD electronically) on May 23rd & Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Vol. 1 ($7.99 USD electronically) on June 20th, both available for the first time in English and for purchase electronically on day 1.
 
You can click on book titles to check the book page and find out where to buy each e-book.
Update: The fully-colored acrylic stands are now available for pre-order at the Square Enix (Japan) e-Store, releasing May 20, 2017. They are available at 1,850 yen each.
 
The Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue acrylic stands are now available for pre-order on the North American store. They cost $19.99 USD, and are in full color.
 
The acrylic stands 'COMING', 'AIR', and 'BOND' were available exclusively in Japan for some time as a pre-order bonus for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and also in limited stock at Amazon Japan. However, they were not in full color.
These acrylic stands are scheduled for a End of June 2017 release. You can check out pics of AIR, COMING, and BOND below!
 



Today is March 24th 2017, meaning the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - is taking place in the Central Hall Westminster in London! Welcome to KH13's coverage for the concert, which will include music from all titles throughout the series, and will serve as a 15th anniversary celebration since the first game, Kingdom Hearts, was released.
 
Some of the KH13 team members (including Andrew Hankinson and Fàtima Kàiyum) will be attending; they have planned a KH13 meet-up in London for you to come visit and/or attend the concert with us! We'll be collecting fan messages in a special "Thank You" booklet for Yoko Shimomura, as well as distributing exclusive KH13 stickers! You can RSVP to the event and get updates on our #KH13MeetUp on our Facebook event page.
 
There were quite a few reveals for the concerts in Japan and Paris, such as Union χ[Cross]'s reveal and the exclusive canon backstory from Kingdom Hearts III with Kairi and Xion's Japanese voice actress, Risa Uchida, and Aqua's Japanese voice actress, Megumi Toyoguchi. Tetsuya Nomura also stated that there is a possibility for new information regarding Kingdom Hearts III to be displayed at one of the concerts taking place this year.
 
Stay tuned to KH13.com for full live coverage of the event and don't forget to also stay tuned to our social media accounts for instant live updates!
 

Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Google+

 

Updates
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Day 0
(March 23, 2017 - 10:30 AM GMT) Series composer Yoko Shimomura has already arrived in London and has posted a picture of the orchestra rehearsing for the concert!
 
Day 1
(March 24, 2017 - 2:45 PM GMT) The Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - in London will still occur as scheduled, though additional security will be enforced around the area.
(March 24, 2017 - 5:02 PM GMT) Zanda (@Door2Darkness_) is arriving to the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - in London!
(March 24, 2017 - 6:01 PM GMT) The KH13 Meet-up has begun. Andrew Hankinson and Aquaberry have arrived and have taken a group photo with everyone there!
(March 24, 2017 - 6:41 PM GMT) Zanda (@Door2Darkness_) shows us the pricing for some of the merchandise available at the concert!
(March 24, 2017 - 6:43 PM GMT) Yoko Shimomura gives us some shots from inside Central Hall Westminster.
(March 24, 2017 - 7:10 PM GMT) The doors are opening. Andrew and Aquaberry are heading in to take their seats for the performance.
(March 24, 2017 - 7:15 PM GMT) Zanda (@Door2Darkness_) gives us a fantastic view of the stage.
(March 24, 2017 - 7:35 PM GMT) Kai (@Kai_Drawings) has a closer view on the stage.
(March 24, 2017 - 7:48 PM GMT) A selfie of Andrew and Aquaberry has been added as they're about to enter the concert in five minutes!
(March 24, 2017 - 8:05 PM GMT) Aquaberry has meet up with Square Enix community manager Dan Seto!
(March 24, 2017 - 8:07 PM GMT) The concert is about to begin!
(March 24, 2017 - 8:30 PM GMT) The concert was delayed due to extra security in Westminster. The concert will begin shortly.
(March 24, 2017 - 8:44 PM GMT) The orchestra has now begun!
(March 24, 2017 - 9:03 PM GMT) Katie Gray (@hownottodraw) managed to get a photo of the orchestra on stage!
(March 24, 2017 - 9:50 PM GMT) The first half of the concert is over! The songs played were Hikari, Dearly Beloved (KH2 ver.), Destati, Organization XIII, Twinkle Twinkle Holidays, World of KINGDOM HEARTS, and Threats of the Land.
(March 24, 2017 - 9:54 PM GMT) Harry Milner (@SkyminHAZBOZ) shared his experiences leading up to the intermission, including text from Andrew's booklet!
(March 24, 2017 - 10:20 PM GMT) During the performance of many of the concert's songs, fans were treated to Japanese recordings of several characters' voices, including Xion, Kairi, and Aqua!
(March 24, 2017 - 11:00 PM GMT) The second half of the concert is over! The songs played were Heroes and Heroines, Lazy Afternoons/At Dusk I'll Think of You, Vector to the Heavens, Wave of Darkness, Daybreak Town -The Heart of χ-, The Other Promise, Let Darkness Assemble, and Passion. At the end of the concert, Yoko Shimomura went on stage and played piano for the final piece, Fantasia alla Marcia!
(March 24, 2017 - 11:30 PM GMT) Fans are waiting in queue for Yoko Shimomura's autograph!
(March 25, 2017 - 1:44 AM GMT) The event is over. Thanks to Aquaberry and Andrew Hankinson for helping put together the Meet Up and thanks to the people the showed up to help sign Yoko's card! Wishing another amazing experience to everyone attending tomorrow's concert!
 

Concert Gallery
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KH13 Meet-up Gallery
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In the English version of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX for the PS3, there was a bug that would cause the game to crash when you went into Limit Form during the first Xemnas fight and activated the first Reaction Command. View footage of this old glitch below:
 




 
Thanks to
on YouTube, who got the game early, we now know that this has been fixed for the English version of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX for the PS4. He streamed the game and tested it out. View him testing it out in the archived stream below:(The testing begins at around
.) 




 
Also, if you didn't catch it, Square Enix has announced that they will be offering a Day One patch for North American and European players for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX. It is stated that the patch is to resemble that of which was released in Japan.
 
Thanks to @Bizkit047 on Twitter for the tip!
Director of the cancelled Kingdom Hearts TV show, Seth Kearsley, recently pitched the idea of rebooting the pilot episode to Disney. In a series of tweets he has revealed that it will not go forward at this time. However, this does not rule out the possibility completely. You can view the tweets below. Be sure to check out KH13's exclusive interview with Seth here.
 
 



 
 



With the launch of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] in Japan, five new main story quests have been added. The newest story update introduces the concept of "Union Cross", and the characters within say that it would be good for the player character to do missions with their fellow Keyblade wielders. You can view an untranslated video of the new quests below, courtesy of Everglow. A translated version of this video will be available soon.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swtxuGBkPXY

 
UPDATE: The translated video of the new quests by Everglow is now out! Watch the video below:
 
 




 
Are you excited for the launch of the multiplayer update? Let us know in the comments below!
Square Enix has released a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX on March 23, 2017. It has been titled Fight the Darkness, and is available in an
dub with , , , and subtitles. 
You can watch the trailer in English below:
 




 
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX releases for the Playstation 4 on March 28, 2017 in North America, and on March 31, 2017 in Europe.
 
UPDATE: A new 60 second long version of the Fight the Darkness trailer has been released by the official Kingdom Hearts YouTube channel. View this 60 second trailer below:
 




 
At the same time as this 60 second long trailer's release, they also released a 60 second long version of the Familiar Faces and Places trailer as well. You can view that trailer here.

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