Square Enix has announced that they are collaborating with Japanese 7-Elevens to sell exclusive Kingdom Hearts-related merchandise. Fans will be available to purchase these items physically from stores on July 15th, 2022, while digital pre-orders can be made now for pick-ups later.
Each item is described below, alongside provided store links and galleries.
The newly unveiled merchandise partially comprises 20th Anniversary eco-friendly bags by shop LOVELESS for ¥2,819, containing pouches depicting either Chain of Memories Dive to the Heart Sora or Sora and Mickey from Dream Drop Distance atop a Station of Awakening.
Moreover, Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary LOVELESS Coffee Cup Tumblers will be available for ¥2,409. The Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix title screen artwork is viewable on one Tumbler, while the other shares the iconic Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days clear art.
Lastly, a LOVELESS branded bifold wallet engraved with iconic Kingdom Hearts symbols will be purchaseable for ¥2,640.
Genesis would surely love these products.
Chapter 25 of the Kingdom Hearts III manga is now available on Gangan Online and from Yen Press. "Lea and Kairi" can be viewed in Japanese on Gangan Online or bought in English as a digital download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Walker, Google Play, iBooks, and Kobo. The issue's price varies from $1.99 for the United States to $2.99 in Canada.
You can check out preview scans of the chapter in the gallery below.
You can also check out the articles for the previous chapters by clicking on the links below!
Chapter 0 Prologue Japanese English
Chapter 1 The New Departure Japanese English
Chapter 2 Olympus Coliseum Part 1 Japanese English
Chapter 3 Olympus Coliseum Part 2 Japanese English
Chapter 4 Olympus Coliseum Part 3 Japanese English
Chapter 5 Olympus Coliseum Part 4 Japanese English
Chapter 6 Olympus Coliseum Part 5 Japanese English
Chapter 7 Olympus Coliseum Part 6 Japanese English
Chapter 8 Olympus Coliseum Part 7 Japanese English
Chapter 9 The Dark World Japanese English
Chapter 10 Unbreakable Connection Japanese English
Chapter 11 The Self inside the Mirror Japanese English
Chapter 12 Reunion Japanese English
Chapter 13 Warmth Japanese English
Chapter 14 Destiny Island Japanese English
Chapter 15 Remaining Light Japanese English
Chapter 16 Tracking the Bond Japanese English
Chapter 17 Following the Heart's Guidance Japanese English
Chapter 18 Twilight Town [1] Japanese English
Chapter 19 Twilight Town [2] Japanese English
Chapter 20 Tox Box [1] Japanese English
Chapter 21 Toy Box [2] Japanese English
Chapter 22 Toy Box [3] Japanese English
Chapter 23 Toy Box [4] Japanese English
Chapter 24 Toy Box [5] Japanese English
Square Enix has unveiled new Kingdom Hearts apparel via their Japanese digital storefront, comprising a hoodie themed around Roxas. This item is fully made out of cotton and costs ¥9,680, with an expected shipment date of October 8th, 2022. It certainly looks quite rad. Perhaps I'll consider purchasing it if it becomes listed on the North American storefront.
The hoodie is also available to pre-order from reliable retailer Aitai Kuji for ¥8,500.
You can view officially provided images of this upcoming product via our gallery below:
Retailer Sega Plaza has revealed new Kingdom Hearts merchandise. The first set of items is Kingdom Hearts Premium Cushions, which are... certainly something. Two pillows simply boast the series' traditional logo, while the other two share iconic key visuals. Additionally, there is a Stainless Steel Bottle depicting Sora in his Kingdom Hearts III attire.
These products are planned to be obtainable on July 15, 2022 via crane games.
You can view the Kingdom Hearts Premium Cushions and Stainless Steel Bottle via our galleries below:
Merchandise retailer U-Treasure has announced that celebratory Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary watches are available to pre-order via their digital storefront. Sora's iconic crown symbol is on the frontsides, while the backsides are engraved with the 20th Anniversary logo.
The watches are choosable in black and white varieties, costing ¥36,300, with shipments tentatively occurring on December 20, 2022. Additionally, the pre-order windows will close on August 15, 2022.
You can view officially provided images of these two watch color variations via our galleries below:
Square Enix has listed a new Kingdom Hearts plush, a Shadow Amigurumi. Amigurumi are essentially Japanese crocheted or knitted items, except crafted as 3D models.
The Shadow Amigurumi is available for pre-order from Square Enix Japan's digital storefront for ¥4,180, and shipments are expected to occur on October 29, 2022.
You can view officially provided images of this upcoming product via our gallery below:
UPDATE (6/24/2022): The plush, officially translated as Knitted Shadow, is now available for pre-order via Square Enix North America's digital storefront for $44.99 ahead of a February 2023 shipment.
Square Enix has unveiled the fourth Kingdom Hearts Acrylic Magnet Gallery Blind Box set. There are 10 different magnets depicting specific segments of box art throughout the franchise, though since it's a Blind Box, there's a likely chance that a customer won't receive all magnets with one purchase.
The collective merchandise is currently available to pre-order via Square Enix North America's digital storefront for $100.00, and an October 2022 shipment is expected.
You can view the Kingdom Hearts Acrylic Magnet Gallery Vol. 4 Blind Box set via our gallery below:
While this news isn't strictly Kingdom Hearts-related, we feel that it is significant enough to discuss. Recently, several interviews with Naoki Yoshida, the producer for the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI, were shared via countless outlets. Of those interviews, two stand out in correlation to Kingdom Hearts.
Firstly, Washington Post's interview with Yoshida shared the following statements:
Additionally, Japanese publication Game Watch conducted an interview providing a notable Kingdom Hearts-centric response:
Thanks to our team's Ryuji for translating the aforementioned passage.
This news is quite thrilling as Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind's boss design was phenomenal. The Limit Cut Data battles and Yozora fight are genuinely remarkable, and knowing that that talent is fueling Final Fantasy XVI can only be a stellar sign.
What are your thoughts on Naoki Yoshida's statements?
Square Enix has unveiled new merchandise on its Japanese digital storefront; this time comprising Kingdom Hearts Bright Arts figures of the Shadow Heartless and King Mickey. The former item costs ¥3,520 while the latter product costs ¥4,400, though they are both expected to ship on October 15th, 2022.
You can view images of these upcoming models via our galleries below:
Kingdom Hearts Bright Arts Gallery - Shadow
Kingdom Hearts II Bright Arts Gallery - King Mickey
UPDATE (6/26/2022) : Both products are now available to pre-order via Square Enix North America's digital storefront with an expected shipment window of February 2023. The King Mickey figure costs $44.99 and the Shadow Heartless figure costs $36.99.
Shinji Hashimoto, the former Kingdom Hearts producer who recently retired from Square Enix after 27 years, has announced that he has become a senior advisor at Sony Music Entertainment and a board member at their subsidiary, Forward Works.
In a recent message he posted via his Twitter account, Hashimoto stated that he wants to continue pursuing the creation of entertainment and that "it might be a bit of time before [he] can share exactly what [he is] working on in these roles."
Good luck! We're rooting for you!
You can view Hashimoto's new message below:
BPNavi has revealed each of the prizes available for the Kingdom Hearts ~20th Anniversary~ Ichiban Kuji lottery. For more details regarding the lottery, such as participation and pricing, view our prior coverage.
You can view the newly univeled items via our gallery below:
Game Informer recently interviewed Tetsuya Nomura regarding Kingdom Hearts IV, the series' future, and other related aspects.
Firstly, Nomura states how some of his favorite fan reactions are to the original Kingdom Hearts' ending, primarily due to how players at the time weren't sure if the story would continue beyond the first entry. The Luxu reveal reactions in Kingdom Hearts III are another of his collective favorites simply because of its severe implications.
Regarding Kingdom Hearts IV, Nomura states that the story is focused more on Sora's disappearance and that there's uncertainty about whether the team will be able to include more of the original cast, notably the Birth by Sleep and Days crews. Still, he desires to explore them more at later points.
Interestingly, Nomura states how he was the one being picky about Sora's recent inclusion into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, not Disney. The latter party was actually quite eager, while Nomura thought it would clash with the "established lore in Kingdom Hearts and the Disney worlds." The end result ended up being qualitative, though.
Moving on to antagonists, Nomura says he's quite happy with their handling of Xehanort's character, citing it as a slow burn that tackled each facet of his character with genuine depth. So now, the Foretellers will be the following antagonists, and Back Cover has already shown the types of characters they are. Moreover, "there will be more new characters as well," though specifics have not been mentioned yet.
Sora is reiterated as the only possible main character for the franchise, to the extent that the numbered entries would conclude if he were to stop being the protagonist. Moreover, there will be a "few Disney worlds," so fans won't have to worry about them potentially being absent, even if their inclusion has "slightly" differed from previous entries.
Reaction Commands' return was reiterated due to fan demand after their removal in Kingdom Hearts III. They were initially taken out because Nomura didn't find the mechanic's debut reception in Kingdom Hearts II particularly positive.
Quadratum is reiterated as the game's initial base, with players returning there as the narrative progresses. Sora's daily life will be approached more, such as seeing him go in and out of his room. Realism is a challenging factor the team has been pursuing to see just how far they can take it.
Final Fantasy characters' lacking presence was discussed next, with Nomura stating that their inclusion is not at the core of Kingdom Hearts' identity. Their presence in the first game was a collective device for players to get to know the at-the-time limited original cast. Now, it's difficult to continually include Final Fantasy characters because of how vast the original cast is. There is no word on how Final Fantasy balance incorporation will work in Kingdom Hearts IV.
Finally, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link is brought up as an entry fans should look forward to, as it sheds light on several mysteries throughout the series. It will even have hints and new information pertaining to Kingdom Hearts IV.
UPDATE: Notable quotes from Nomura; "As far as the graphic qualities ... since with each new title, the specs have been really increasing and there's so much more we can do in terms of graphics, it kind of limits the number of worlds that we can create in a sense."
"Also, some figures that appear in Missing-Link are tied to Kingdom Hearts IV."
You can read the full interview via Game Informer's website.
You can also read the full interview below:
View our Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Recap & Breakdown article.
Square Enix Japan has revealed more celebratory Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary merchandise; a chic gray and black Monogram Icon Folding Umbrella housing iconic symbols from the series, including the 20th Anniversary logo.
You can view officially provided images of this product via our gallery below:
You can pre-order the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Folding Umbrella via Square Enix Japan's digital storefront for ¥3,860 ahead of its September 24th, 2022 shipment date.
Do you find yourself purchasing this stylish umbrella? It could potentially be in Quadratum fashion. Well, that'd be kind of weird now that I think about it.
Hikaru Utada's official website has announced that the singer's online concert, "Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios," will be made available via Netflix worldwide on June 9th, 2022. This performance initially occurred on January 19th, 2022, with the physical release being made part of a bundle back on February 23rd, 2022.
Additionally, the concert's audio is also making its way to streaming services (Apple Music and the iTunes store are currently listed) on June 9th, 2022, including the Japanese version of "Face My Fears."
The complete track list for "Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios" is provided below:
"BAD MODE"
"One Last Kiss"
"Kimini Muchuu"
"Darenimo Iwanai"
"Find Love"
"Time"
"PINK BLOOD"
"Face My Fears" (English Version）
"Hotel Lobby"
"Beautiful World" (Da Capo Version）
"About Me"
"Face My Fears" (Japanese Version) * for music streaming and download
Credit to prominent Kingdom Hearts community member Churro for sharing this notable news.
UPDATE (6/8/2022): The performance is now available on Netflix worldwide (56 minutes long) and several audio services (Amazon Music, Spotify, Youtube Music, Apple Music, and the iTunes Store).
Yoshitaka Suzuki, an additional composer for Kingdom Hearts III who composed the cutscene tracks for the confrontation with Davy Jones at the end of The Caribbean, shared a few comments on Twitter after a fan (@Titan_Trainer) highlighted the songs.
"Hearts of Courage," "The Victorious," and a track unavailable in the official soundtrack were all crafted with a unique motif correlating to Davy Jones since the original song from the film could not be used. Suzuki also noted how Hans Zimmer, a composer for the Pirates of the Caribbean films, including At World's End, was a vital source of inspiration for him as well as being one of his favorite composers.
Further, following a fan inquiry, Suzuki explained that while he received instruction from the music director, he essentially had compositional freedom. Tetsuya Nomura had no role in determining the track's production either.
You can view Yoshitaka Suzuki's initial tweet and replies elaborating upon his role with the tracks he composed for The Caribbean in Kingdom Hearts III below:
Additionally, the fan tweet that initiated Suzuki providing insight is viewable below:
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