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Two weeks ago, Square Enix held a Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at the D23 Expo 2018 Japan. The event was not streamed live, and due to this, the public was not able to view the "Making of Kingdom Hearts" videos that were shown exclusively to the attendees. Nevertheless, many press outlets and attendees were able to recount the events of the experience; KH13 was able to collect these recalls and put together a chronological description of what happened and what was shown in the secret videos. The information can be sourced to Famitsu, DLove.jp, and attendees sora_donald and yuuna_kisaragi. Many thanks to our KH13 Staff NihonScribe, Katie Armstrong, soraspromise and Mio-chan, as well as Keytotruth, for the translations! We have divided the recap into five sections for your reading pleasure. Introduction <3 Kingdom Hearts III: Interview with Voice Actors <3 Making of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] <3 Kingdom Hearts III: Interview with Developers <3 Conclusion <3 <3 *Famitsu talked about the video showing ten worlds being worked on; it did not explicitly state the exact number of worlds, whether Disney-original or others, to appear in Kingdom Hearts III. Thank you for reading out Kingdom Hearts Fan Event recap! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Don't forget to check out our full coverage of Kingdom Hearts at the D23 Expo 2018 Japan!

Following the reveal of the Kingdom Hearts III Bring Arts Riku figure, Square Enix have also revealed the Kingdom Hearts II Halloween Town Sora and Christmas Town Sora Bring Arts figures! It is unknown when they will be released, or at what prices. You can see the pictures below. Keep up to date with KH13.com for future news on these products!

Square Enix have revealed a Kingdom Hearts III Bring Arts Riku figure. The figure stands at 6 inches tall, and includes Riku's brand new Keyblade. This figure will retail for 6,800 yen (approximately $64.00), and will release in July 2018. However, no further specifics have been given regarding a release date. Unfortunately, as of the writing of this article, pre-orders for this figure are not currently available. You can see pictures of this figure below. UPDATE (March 4, 2018): Kingdom Hearts III Bring Arts Riku will retail for 6,800 yen (approximately $64.00), and will release in July 2018. You can view more info on the figure below. (Thanks to Mio-chan for the translations) Keep up to date with KH13.com for future updates on this figure! Will you be picking up this figure? Let us know in the comments below!

Square Enix have released high quality images from the latest Kingdom Hearts III trailers via a press release, Gamespot, 4Gamer, and an additional screenshot outside of the trailer. They have also released character renders for Riku, King Mickey, Sulley, Mike, and the monster versions of Sora, Donald and Goofy. Riku's render shows his new Keyblade, and Sora's render shows off his Monsters, Inc. inspired Keyblade. You can view the images below. Watch the new Kingdom Hearts III trailers from D23 Expo Japan 2018 here, and don't forget to catch up with our coverage of the event here!

At the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at the D23 Expo Japan 2018, series director Tetsuya Nomura and series executive producer Shinji Hashimoto came on stage - along with a very eager King Mickey - to present exclusive Kingdom Hearts III content to the attendees. During their presentation, they disclosed some interesting information regarding the development of Kingdom Hearts III. Everyone in the Osaka studio is working on Kingdom Hearts III, with 100 additional employees from Tokyo. Kingdom Hearts III has a dedicated Lighting Team and Facial Animation Team The Background (BG) team alone has 80 members and even outsources to a foreign studio, making it the biggest BG team in Square Enix. Nomura explained the development process of Kingdom Hearts III by categorizing it into three parts: early, middle, and late development. There are around 3 worlds per section - but this does not mean there will be nine worlds in Kingdom Hearts III in total. The early stage worlds are 90% complete, and the middle stage worlds are 60-70% complete. The audience was not given a percentage completion for the last stage, but he said it was something incredible, "something he's always wanted to do and put into Kingdom Hearts, ever since the days of working on Final Fantasy. It is bound to surprise everyone." While he didn't disclose the contents of this last stage of development, he appeared to be very satisfied with it via using phrases such as "everything can be done" or "culmination of the past". According to the developers, "It seems like this Kingdom Hearts is in a whole new league." Great effort was put into each world and they incorporate their own mechanics and gameplay elements to the point that A wide variety of gameplay is to be expected. Minigames were showing during the "Making of Kingdom Hearts III" video inspired by Giantland, a Mickey Mouse short from 1933 inspired by "Jack and the Beanstalk". They showed Rumplewatt the Giant at the table trying to catch a little 2D Sora, who is then seen hiding from him behind a fruit bow. A little 2D Mickey can be seen as well, jumping from the lamps. Hollie Bennett from PlayStation commented that this minigame looked like the Game & Watch games from the 1980's. [unfortunately, due to copyright concerns we had to remove the photos. We apologize for the inconvenience.] When developing the game, the team write the story board, then develop the script and finally do the animation, unlike most game developers. There will be a special capture method for subduing rare Heartless. (For the regular Heartless, defeating them will be distinguished by striking them depending on what's on their head.) It was said that exclusive missions are being prepared. The "Making of Kingdom Hearts III" video also included a behind-the-scenes on how the Keyblade for the Monsters Inc. world was developed. The developers discussed the difficulty in designing a Keyblade that was true to the world, and showed a storyboard of images that helped influence it. They said they made several designs, shortlisted one or two, and selected the final design based on Nomura's preference. *In the , Hollie Bennett reports that Kingdom Hearts III has the biggest Background Music Team in Square Enix; IGN Japan reports that it is the biggest Background Team (in charge of city and field design). It is unclear which statement is true, or if both are true. Translations are courtesy of KH13 News Team Member @n_scribe13. Watch the new Kingdom Hearts III trailers from D23 Expo Japan 2018 here, and don't forget to catch up with our coverage of the event here!

The attendees of the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Expo Japan 2018 were able to watch exclusive media from Kingdom Hearts III, featuring Tangled, Baymax, and the Toy Story world. One such footage was a "Making of Kingdom Hearts III" video, which provided a glimpse into the Kingdom of Corona from Tangled. The castle town was shown; Rapunzel was seen walking, with her hair floating with the wind in a way that responded very well to the topography and physics of the world. There were many NPCs walking about, along with many elegant houses and shops, helping to portray the town in vivid detail comparable to the movie. A picture was taken which shows Rapunzel admiring her braid, with a few NPCs and buildings in the background to bring out the atmosphere of the Kingdom. IGN Japan reports the following: Thanks to KH13 Staff Mio-chan for the translations! Unfortunately, due to copyright concerns, we had to remove the gallery album from this article. We apologize for the inconvenience. Watch the new Kingdom Hearts III trailers from D23 Expo Japan 2018 here, and don't forget to catch up with our coverage of the event here!

The Kingdom Hearts watch from the ZOZOTOWN's Disney Lifestyle Collection is getting a third edition, this time featuring the Keyblade symbol. On its back side, it has a carved seal of a heart (and a serial number). Like the previous watches, it comes in a box with a silver-stamped Kingdom Hearts logo. You can see pictures of the watch below. The watch will be available for pre-order on Rendez-Vous on February 8th at 12am JST. Only 100 copies will be sold, not unlike the 1st edition watch, which sold out all 50 copies in only one minute. Pre-orders will close on February 28th at 11.59pm. The product will then be shipped in early March 2018. Find the product details below. Translations are courtesy of KH13 Staff Mio-chan.

D23 Expo Japan 2018 attendees will be able to use their My Disney smartphone app to collect various virtual stamps around the venue to exchange for prizes! The stamps are shown below. As you can see, one of them features Sora, Donald, and Goofy. You can also see a portrait photo frame featuring the trio, with Sora sporting his Kingdom Hearts III look. Attendees can use the AR camera in the My Disney app to take pictures with the Kingdom Hearts III frame at specific spots at the event. More information about the campaign can be found here. Below is a translations, courtesy of KH13 Staff Mio-chan. Furthermore, a commemorative auction for the D23 Expo Japan 2018 will be held from February 21, 2018, at 8am JST, to February 27, 2018, at 11.59pm JST (subject to change). One of the items listed for the auction is a Kingdom Hearts III Sora (Second Form ver.) Bring Arts figure signed by series director Tetsuya Nomura. More information on the auction can be found here. You can read more about the figure here.

Diamon Select Toys have announced a Series 1.5 for its line of Kingdom Hearts figures, not too long after the figures of Final Form Sora, Shadow and Soldier, and Birth by Sleep Mickey from the series were listed by an independent seller on eBay, who claims to have found them at Walgreens last year. You can see the pictures of the Series 1.5 toys and their boxes below. Diamon Select Toys stated that the Series 1.5 includes: Final Form Sora (single pack) Birth by Sleep Mickey Mouse (single pack) Shadow/Soldier (two-pack) Diamond Select Toys have told us that the single packs are being sold exclusively at Walgreens stores, while the two-pack will be sold at Target. Previously, the Series 1 included the Shadow and Soldier figures sold alongside Axel, and different variants of Sora and Mickey. You can read more about recent DST releases for Kingdom Hearts figures here.

Diamond Select Toys is back with a new Kingdom Hearts figure from its Vinimates series! They have announced that a new King Mickey Vinimate, with his Birth by Sleep outfit, is available to purchase exclusively at GameStop stores. This figure was first shown off last year at the New York Comic Con. You can see the pictures of the Birth by Sleep King Mickey below figure below. Diamond Select Toys have also announced that the Series 1 Vinimates have released today! You can buy them at comic shops local to you, or order them online. You can take a look at the Kingdom Hearts Vinimates Series 1 figures below. Diamond Select Toys also have a Kingdom Hearts Vinimates Series 2 set to release in Spring 2018; the DST Amazon account is, however, listing the Space Paranoids Sora, Pete, and Organization Mickey Vinimates for release on August 29, 2018. Other sellers, such as AmiAmi and BigBadToyStore, are showing a provisional release for July 2018. Lastly, over the past couple of months, Diamond Select Toys have answered fans' questions regarding the future of the Kingdom Hearts DST collection. You can read them below. Other lines of Kingdom Hearts figures by Diamond Select include: Kingdom Hearts Minimates Series 1, releasing this year; Series 1 figures; Series 2 figures, planned to release this year.

Some fans have spotted Kingdom Hearts Disney Tsum Tsum collectible toys at stores in Japan. The collection includes Tsum Tsum versions of Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and the Shadow and Soldier Heartless. The packaging sports the D23 Expo Japan 2018 logo, where an exclusive Kingdom Hearts Fan Event will take place on February 10, 2018. According to @afuro36, the collection costs 5,400 yen before tax. You can view the pictures below, provided by @seiaueda, @duhkawaiipanda, @japandisneygoodspick, @mose138, and @afuro36. Last year, Sora and Riku were released for the Disney Tsum Tsum LINE Android and iOS game in Japan and internationally. And the Halloween Town versions of Sora, Donald, and Goofy were also released for the game later the same year. UPDATE [Jan 26, 2018]: Independent seller Aitai☆Kuji is now offering international pre-orders on the Kingdom Hearts Tsum Tsum Box Set for $68.00. They will start to ship the products on February 2018. This is also available through k23-japan on eBay through bidding. UPDATE [Jan 27, 2018]: Twitter user そらるど tweeted out some clarification from cast members of Disney Store Shibuya pertaining to the sale of Kingdom Hearts Tsum Tsums. You can read a translation of the tweet below. Translations are provided by KH13 News Team member NihonScribe. UPDATE [Jan 28, 2018]: Aitai☆Kuji reported that cast members said there will be subsequent sales of the Kingdom Hearts Disney Tsum Tsum. However, it is unknown whether they will be sold individually or in sets. This conflicts with previous reports. Keep an eye on this space for more updates! Let us know if you will be purchasing these for your collection as soon as they're available to you!

The Square Enix Store (North America) is releasing Kingdom Hearts silver ring in February 2018 for $119.99 USD. The same ring was released previously in Japan. You can view pictures of the ring below: It’s worth noting that the ring sizes are in Japanese; the conversion to US sizes is approximate. The Kingdom Hearts Silver Ring can be pre-ordered here. Will you be pre-ordering it? Let us know down in the comments!

Square Enix recently updated their Japanese online store with Kingdom Hearts Silver earrings. The earrings feature either Sora’s crown or Roxas’ cross symbols; they come as an individual earring rather than a pair. They were originally sold back in 2011, and are now being sold at 9,720 yen (approx. $87.58 USD) with pre-orders currently being accepted. Both earrings will release on May 27, 2018. You can view pictures of the earrings below: Thanks to @aibo_ac7 on Twitter for the tip, and Katie Armstrong for the translations!

Hot Topic is now selling Kingdom Hearts crew socks at a currently discounted price of $6.93 USD, with an original price of $9.90 USD. You can view pictures of the socks below: The description follows: These are not the only sets of Kingdom Hearts socks available at Hot Topic. Most recently, this set of Kingdom Hearts Characters no-show socks have been re-added to the listing, and this set has only just arrived in stores.

Today’s the day! We have finally published KH13’s 2017 Kingdom Hearts Re:CAP, a video summarising all the Kingdom Hearts highlights of 2017! We hope you enjoy this film as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! Please share with the hashtag #KH13ReCAP, and let us know what you think. Please note: This video may contain spoilers for those who are not up to date with the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ. To avoid these spoilers, skip the following times: 31:23 to 32:47. It also shows the two screenshots from the recent Kingdom Hearts III leak; however, there is a spoiler warning within the video before these are shown. 42:30 to 42:44 - We mentioned the 10th of February for the D23 Expo Japan Kingdom Hearts Event, but visually we accidentally wrote the "15th" when it's really the 10th. <3 Credits: Written & created by Andrew Hankinson Co-written by Charriii5 & Toominator Narrated by Toominator! New theme music created by Project Destati Animations by Andrew Hankinson Footage sourced by faemarch, Leamax, WakelessDream & Everglow Trailer reactions by: TheGamersJoint SkywardWing VoltEditzz Athens THID Ndukauba Mat4yo Aquaberry Music provided by: Project Destati Blue.Nocturne Hollow Riku ViolinGamer Narutee JulianSwegL0rd The Team Players Brandon Skelton Brian Noel ThatViolaKid Brent Shredz <3 Follow KH13.com on social media for Kingdom Hearts news! Facebook | Google+ | Tumblr | Twitter

BoxLunch has updated its Kingdom Hearts listing with a Kingdom Hearts Heartless Shadow keychain and a Heartless Emblem keychain. The keychains are at a discounted price of $6.23 USD each for a limited time, with an original price of $8.90 USD each. You can view pictures of the keychains below: You can find BoxLunch's full Kingdom Hearts listing here, including the recently added Sora and Riku Funko Pop! Vinyls.

You can keep your feet warm this winter with Hot Topic's new no-show Kingdom Hearts socks, currently discounted to $10.43 USD from its original price of $14.90 USD. The socks are sold as a set of five pairs with different designs. You can view a picture below: Hot Topic has many more Kingdom Hearts items in its listing, including recent arrivals such as a rubber LED watch, a girl's T-shirt, a pocket watch, Riku and Kairi Funko Pop! Vinyls, and more. Check out Hot Topic's full Kingdom Hearts listing here.

According to the recent update on Tamashii Web, the Kingdom Hearts King Mickey S.H.Figuarts figure will release January 26, 2018 for 4,536 yen (approx. $40.26 USD). You can view pictures of the figure below: This figure was first shown during the the Tokyo Toy Show 2017 along with other Kingdom Hearts figures from the same series. Since then, the Sora S.H.Figuarts has released; the Donald Duck S.H.Figuarts has been announced to release in March, 2018; and the Goofy S.H.Figuarts is set to release in April 2018. You can pre-order the King Mickey S.H.Figuarts after release from a number of international retailers. Some are listed below for your convenience: AF Galleria Bandai Toy Online Shop eBay [various sellers] HobbyLink Japan HobbySearch ImageAnime Japan World JToys Nin-Nin-Game.com Rakuten Toy Trove Xavier Cal