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Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai discusses the development of Sora within Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in his latest development video on his Youtube channel. You can watch the video below.
 

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Red Switch 2 cover and blue and green joycons for Sora, Donald, and Goofy

In a recent interview with IGN, Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura discusses about her previous work not only in the Kingdom Hearts series, but with many other series including Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Live A Live, and more as she is the recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards. 

In addition, Shimomura has begun work on the soundtrack for Kingdom Hearts IV. You can read the entirity of the interview here.
UPDATE: IGN's story was updated to say the following:
Correction: A previous version of this story said Shimomura was working on several songs for Kingdom Hearts 4. That was a misunderstanding, and this article has been updated to reflect that Shimomura instead meant she's working on various tracks for several different games.

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The Japanese Kingdom Hearts Twitter account tweeted a new piece of artwork commemorating the launch of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. This artwork depicts Sora in Quadratum watching Sephiroth, who is wearing his Kingdom Hearts attire, on multiple screens, similar to the advertising Square Enix did in Shibuya over the past couple of days. You can view the artwork in the gallery below.
Congratuations on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on their release launch!

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It was nice. Very good getting water sprayed in you doing the hot Orlando days

Sega Plaza have announce a new Kingdom Hearts plush coming to Sega Plaza crane game. This plush is King Mickey wearing his iconic Kingdom Hearts II outfit. Kingdom Hearts II King Mickey will be available at the plaza starting March 15th.
 
 
 

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We are coming closer to solve the mystery of the Missing Link

GameStop has revealed a new store-exclusive Funko Pop! Kingdom Hearts Sora figure as part of their Collect Fest lineup. This 5-inch figure depicts Sora in his orginial Kingdom Hearts attaire standing the Kingdom Key up on his right side. The figure will also come with a background of the cover art for the first Kingdom Hearts game. 
You can view photos for the figure in the gallery below.
Pre-orders for the figure are being accepted at GameStop. You can pre-order by clicking the link here. The figure is set to release on June 6th, 2023 for a price of $19.99. 
Will you be adding this to your Funko POP! collection? Let us know in the comments below!

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I can carry out my dream of being Professor Layton

Former Kingdom Hearts Producer Shinji Hashimoto has retired from Square Enix after 27 years at the company. Hashimoto served as the producer for Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories as well as Executive Producer for every Kingdom Hearts game from 2009-2019 with the last game being Kingdom Hearts III. He also served as the Promotional Producer for the Final Fantasy series until May 2021 when he stepped down to become an Corportate Advisor for the company.
Hashimoto has also sent out a video message announcing his retirement. You can watch it below.
Hashimoto is an important figure within the development of the Kingdom Hearts video game series staring with a discussion with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi in 1996. Shortly after, he had a chance meeting with an Disney Execeutive in a office elevator when the offices of Square Enix (known back then as Squaresoft) and Disney were in the same building. 
Thank you Hashimoto-san for your vision, ideas, and hard work for the Kingdom Hearts series. Without you, this series may not have come into realization and we wouldn't be here as fans of this amazing series. Enjoy your retirement and May you Heart Be Your Guiding Key.
 

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Gilbert Gottfried, the English voice actor for Iago in the Kingdom Hearts series, has passed away on April 12th, 2022 in Manhatten due to complications with Type 2 myotonic dystrophy. He was 67 years old when he passed. 

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was born on February 28th, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York. He started his acting career in the early 1980's when he appeared in the 6th season of Saturday Night Live. In 1992, he took the role of Jafar's bird servant Iago in Aladdin, and continued to voice him in sequels, media, and video games until his passing. Gottfried voiced Iago in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II and had archived lines for Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories as well as Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX. 
Surviving are his wife Dara and 2 children, Max and Lily. He was preceded to death by his parents and a sister Arlene. 
Rest in Peace, Mr. Gottfried. Thank you for all the laughs (and saving Al in Kingdom Hearts II) and May your Heart Be your Guiding Key.

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Gilbert Gottfried, the English voice actor for Iago in the Kingdom Hearts series, has passed away on April 12th, 2022 in Manhatten due to complications with Type 2 myotonic dystrophy. He was 67 years old when he passed. 

Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was born on February 28th, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York. He started his acting career in the early 1980's when he appeared in the 6th season of Saturday Night Live. In 1992, he took the role of Jafar's bird servant Iago in Aladdin, and continued to voice him in sequels, media, and video games until his passing. Gottfried voiced Iago in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II and had archived lines for Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories as well as Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX. 
Surviving are his wife Dara and 2 children, Max and Lily. He was preceded to death by his parents and a sister Arlene. 
Rest in Peace, Mr. Gottfried. Thank you for all the laughs (and saving Al in Kingdom Hearts II) and May your Heart Be your Guiding Key.

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Just a few days ahead of the 20th Anniversary event, another show on Disney+ has placed in a subtle Kingdom Hearts reference in one of their episodes. This time it's a nod to the games themselves in the latest episode of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
In episode 8 titled "Home School", when Penny calls her friend KG asking for a favor to find her cell phone, we see him playing a version of the 1st Kingdom Hearts game where Sora was in Dive to the Heart. It is also shown on his gaming setup that the other two screens have backgroud depicting the paopu trees on the Destiny Islands. The reference can be seen around the 4:00 mark.
You can check out screenshots from the episode in the gallery below.
UPDATE: The Production Coorinator of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Breana Williams (@breanimator) has given some insight about this easter egg on their Twitter. In a series of tweets, they said that when the idea for the episode was being drafted, the director of the show Tara Nicole asked them about which video game(s) should the character KG be playing and Breana replied with Kingdom Hearts. 
This is the second show that references Kingdom Hearts in the past two weeks. The first one was the Kingdom Key D appearing in the Mickey Mouse special The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse.
Which show/movie do you think will reference Kingdom Hearts next? Let's know in the comments below!

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Chapter 21 for the Kingdom Hearts III manga is now available in English from Yen Press. Toy Box Part 2 can be bought as a digital download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Walker, ComiXology, Google Play, iBooks, and Kobo. The issue's price varies from $1.99 for the United States to $2.99 in Canada.

Chapter 21 was released in Japanese on Gangan Online back on July 8th. Chapter 22 is planned to release on Gangan Online on January 13th.
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 Part 1   Japanese   English Chapter 19 Twilight Town Part 2   Japanese   English Chapter 20 Tox Box Part 1   Japanese   English Chapter 21 Toy Box Part 2   Japanese In addition, Volume 2 of the manga is now available for Japan. The English version is scheduled to release on March 22nd.

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Keiko Nobumoto, the scenario supervisor for the orginial Kingdom Hearts game, has passed away on December 1st at the age of 57 after batting with esophageal cancer. She was 57 years old at the time of her passing.
Her other pieces of work include screenwriting for the anime series Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy, and the creator of Wolf Rain. 
Thank you for your contribution to the start of the franchaise known as Kingdom Hearts Keiko and rest in peace.

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Yen Press has announced a complete collection of the Kingdom Hearts novel series in a single omnibus book in the way of Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel. 
This book is part of a Collector's edition that also includes 13 envelopes with designs of the iconic stained glass artwork of the major Kingdom Hearts characters as well as a Keyblade keychain. 
Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel Collector's Edition will be available in November 2021. Pre-orders and pricing have yet to be announced. Keep up with KH13.com for the latest Kingdom Hearts news.
UPDATE (7/20/2021)
Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel Collector's Edition is available for pre-order on Right Stuf Anime's store for a discounted price of $149.99. The base price is $199.99 and will presumably be the standard price after the pre-order period concludes. 
Additionally, the package is stated to be releasing on November 16, 2021. 

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The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has begun with the opening ceremonies beginning on Friday. The opening ceremonies includes the Walk of Athletes, a period of the ceremonies where all the countries march into the stadium. Music for the Walk of Athletes includes music from various video games including Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dragon Quest, and yes, even Kingdom Hearts had made the list! 
Olympus Coliseum and Hero's Fanfare from the Kingdom Hearts series have been featured on the Walk of Athletes. You can listen Olympus Coliseum in the background in this clip. [Thanks to KH13.com Staff Member HaakonHawk for the clip!]
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The Summer Olympics, which was postponed from last year due to the pandemic will run until August 8th.

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Yen Press has announced a complete collection of the Kingdom Hearts novel series in a single omnibus book in the way of Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel. 
This book is part of a Collector's edition that also includes 13 envelopes with designs of the iconic stained glass artwork of the major Kingdom Hearts characters as well as a Keyblade keychain. 
Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel Collector's Edition will be available in November 2021. Pre-orders and pricing have yet to be announced. Keep up with KH13.com for the latest Kingdom Hearts news.
UPDATE (7/20/2021)
Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel Collector's Edition is available for pre-order on Right Stuf Anime's store for a discounted price of $149.99. The base price is $199.99 and will presumably be the standard price after the pre-order period concludes. 
Additionally, the package is stated to be releasing on November 16, 2021. 

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Gangan Online have posted Chapter 19 for the Kingdom Hearts III manga. You can check out the previews for the chapter in our gallery below. You can read the full chapter on their site by clicking here or on their online app.
Chapter 20 will be available on August 12th.
You can also check out the articles for the previous chapters by clicking on the links below!
Chapter 0 Prologue     Japanese   English Chapter 1 A New Journey     Japanese   English Chapter 2 Olympus Coliseum[1]      Japanese   English Chapter 3 Olympus Coliseum[2]      Japanese   English Chapter 4 Olympus Coliseum[3]      Japanese   English Chapter 5 Olympus Coliseum[4]      Japanese   English Chapter 6 Olympus Coliseum[5]      Japanese   English Chapter 7 Olympus Coliseum[6]      Japanese   English Chapter 8 Olympus Coliseum[7]      Japanese  English Chapter 9 World of Darkness    Japanese   English Chapter 10 Connected     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 In addition, Volume 2 of the manga is now available for Japan. The English version has yet to be announced.

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Chapter 18 for the Kingdom Hearts III manga is now available in English from Yen Press. Twilight Town can be bought as a digital download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Walker, ComiXology, Google Play, iBooks, and Kobo. The issue's price varies from $1.99 for the United States to $2.99 in Canada.

Chapter 18 was released in Japanese on Gangan Online back on June 9th. Chapter 17 is planned to release on Gangan Online on July 7th.
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 In addition, Volume 2 of the manga is now available for Japan. The English version has yet to be announced.

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Insomniac's newest entry in their highly successful Ratchet & Clank series, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, has a couple of Easter eggs from various titles from not only Insomniac but from other franchises as well. While most of them are from PlayStation exclusive franchises like Jak & Daxter and LittleBigPlanet, there is one that stands out from the rest: an Easter egg from Kingdom Hearts. It could be a subtle nod to the franchise as both series launched their first entry back in 2002 for the PlayStation 2.
If you want to see it, then you can check it out in the spoiler tag below. [DISCLAIMER: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!]
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will release on June 11th exclusively for the PlayStation 5. Are you going to be getting this game and finding the Easter egg? Let us know in the comments below!

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Kingdom Hearts manga artist Shiro Amano has tweeted out a preview for the cover of the next volume of the Kingdom Hearts III manga. The full cover has also been posted on Gangan Online. You can view both the preview and the cover in the gallery below. 
Kingdom Hearts III manga Vol. 2 is set to release in Japan on June 11th, 2021 and will cover the events in Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage starting at Chapter 9 and ending around Chapter 16. Pre-orders for the volume are available through Square Enix Japan E-Store, 7net, Rakuten Books, and Amazon Japan for ¥660 (around $6.00). 
Currently, the manga is at Chapter 17 in Japanese and English with Chapter 18 "Twilight Town" available on the Gangan Online app and will be on the site on June 11th. The English version of "Twilight Town" will be available later this month.
The English localization of Vol. 2 has yet to be announced from Yen Press.


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And now apparently, the update will be on Global on Thursday