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During the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary trailer for the reveal of Kingdom Hearts IV, there are five shots of a forest reminiscent of California's Redwood National Park. What looks to be just a regular forest at first shows a small glimpse of what seems to be the foot of a vehicle from Star Wars. Seven years ago, Gamesbeat interviewed Tetsuya Nomura about the possibility of a Star Wars world in Kingdom Hearts III, and after some time, Nomura was allowed to discuss the topic. Nomura went on to say that both companies (Disney Interactive and Square Enix) would have to contact both Disney and Lucasfilm to request permission to use any of the characters and locations. While it seemed impossible at the time, it appears that a deal might have indeed been agreed upon with this small tease. The second shot of the forest clips shows a small set of three waterfalls. While these waterfalls were not featured in Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, they are featured in the video games Star Wars Battlefront (2015) and Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) Below are some comparison shots of the recent Kingdom Hearts IV reveal trailer and Star Wars Battlefront (2015): While not precisely the same, they are similar enough. At this point, you're probably thinking, "Well, two separate properties ARE allowed to use the Redwood National Park's likeness, you know." And while you may be right, this following point is where things get interesting. The third shot of the forest's clips pans up to reveal a metallic-looking object in the top right corner. Now, this blew past many heads because it blends in perfectly with the ground around it, but it's just clear enough to identify! For those who aren't familiar with Star Wars technology, this foot belongs to the Galactic Empire's All Terrain Scout Transport, or AT-ST for short. It's a two-man, lightweight, bipedal walker used by ground forces within their military. At first, this just sounds ridiculous until you put both of them side by side. Below are comparisons of the metallic object in the trailer and the foot of an Imperial AT-ST from an official plastic model based on the vehicle. Right away, you can tell they're the exact same. The backplate that allows the foot to bend, the half circles on either side, and the pieces that come out on either side of the foot are just about identical. While Square Enix hasn't officially confirmed Star Wars is in Kingdom Hearts IV, by the small tease of this foot, we can tell that Tetsuya Nomura has likely gotten permission from Disney and Lucasfilm to use their property. Do you believe these assumptions to be true, or is it just a mountain over a molehill? Let us know in the comments! View full article

https://www.creativebloq.com/news/kingdom-hearts-4 So many people are bashing it! Why!? This has been a dream of mine to see KH in these types of graphics! Also, I doubt it's permanent. Sora's look changes to fit whatever world he's in. In the trailer, he's in the "real world", so it makes sense he looks like that. People complain about everything, I swear. I feel bad for Nomura because he was probably so excited to put this trailer out thinking fans seeing Sora like this would excite them, and they're bashing him and his storyline again. It just annoys me. I love Sora's look, and I'm excited for this new adventure/story! These bashing articles are ridiculous.

This past week has easily been among the busiest periods of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Between the 20th Anniversary Event releasing a lengthy 7-minute trailer, to the waves of information that came out afterward, fans have had an immense amount of news to parse; perhaps overwhelmingly so. This article aims to compile all of the recent news we have received the past week, with various hyperlinks to merchandise and more detailed avenues of coverage. Essentially, this article can be seen as a convenient hub for all of the recent 20th Anniversary information. I'll also be providing light speculations and breakdowns (though not quite Bio-Roxas level.) Kingdom Hearts Dark Road Kingdom Hearts Dark Road has been delayed yet again, this time to August 2022. This is the most detailed release window we've received since the previous September 2022 window, so hopefully that's indicative of the title being finalized at that time. The new trailer showcased a slew of new story scenes, primarily highlighting Xehanort's upperclassmen. We do not know any of their names, but there is one character who looks strikingly similar to Baldr, likely implying that she's the sister he has been searching for. Additionally, Odin's actions and words are somewhat suspicous. He tells one of the new characters to prioritize studying the darkness, and perhaps more damning, is him approaching Young Xehanort and Young Eraqus with what appears to be a cognizant Darkness entity behind him. These beings made themselves known near the end of Kingdom Hearts Union χ's finale and are pivotal to the overarching narrative going forward, so seeing at least 1 present here is already cause for concern. A common theory going around is that Odin is potentially Luxu, which is definitley probable. Master Xehanort is shown at the trailer's start in the Dwarf Woodlands, specifically in the Queen's chamber where the Magic Mirror resides. One has to wonder how long this experience will be if we'll be viewing the life of Xehanort in both his youthful and elderly days. Those aforementioned points are the entirety of the Dark Road updates we received. The title's full offline release state will have no microtransactions, though its state of playability is still up in the air. Regardless, we'll assuredly learn more as we approach August. Check out the Anniversary trailer's portion on Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. Moreover, new screenshots of this upcoming final Dark Road update were provided, viewable via our gallery below: Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link is the new upcoming mobile entry, taking place between the finale of Kingdom Hearts Union χ and the start of Dark Road. It utilizes Pokémon Go-esque systems with AR technology, but the specifics of how combat will work have not been specified yet. At the very least, it can be highly assumed that gacha elements will be returning in the form of amiibo-looking statues that will replace the medals seen in Union χ. General information about this game's systems were provided by Nomura at the 20th Anniversary event Q&A, and those points are viewable below (via our team's Ryuji) : Smartphone game, to be released for Android and iOS Promises to have action elements to be as faithful as possible to the main series Max of 6 players can play together. Screen orientation can be switched between portrait or landscape. The story, chronologically speaking, is between Union χ's finale and before Dark Road's start. "All of the mysteries we've had so far will be explained." Keywords: Scala Ad Caleum, Founding Father Ephemer, Keyblade Wielders of a Secret Society Closed Beta Test is scheduled for Fall of this year (Details on how to enter are still unknown, however) Two systems: A story mode where you progress through quests, and a mode where you walk around (Comparable to Pokémon Go, but with ways to play it even without having to walk around in real life) In this walking mode, you'll collect pieces and strengthen your Keyblades. As a minor note, the custom player character seems to be receiving orders from an earpiece in the trailer, possibly implying that they are part of the same organization that Sigurd reveals himself to be a part of in the Union χ finale. He also contacts other individuals via an earpiece when first meeting Brain. The following statement was provided via a press release: Those aforementioned points are all we currently know about Missing - Link, but considering how there's a planned Closed Beta Test this Fall, more news will undoubtedly arise soon. The game's Japanese website recently launched. Check out Missing - Link's specific 20th Anniversary trailer portion. Additionally, official screenshots and the logo were provided, viewable via our gallery below: Kingdom Hearts IV Kingdom Hearts IV was officially announced in the Anniversary trailer's final portion. After brief panning shots of a city-like landscape and a forest, the camera revealed Sora sleeping in an apartment. He looks dramatically different due to his presence in this new reality. Then, after being awoken by a doorbell and seeing the visitor to be Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union χ, she reveals that Sora has been asleep since he arrived in this city 1 week ago; here in Quadratum. This world, as stated by Strelitzia, can be perceived as an "afterworld" for both her and Sora, following their passings in their previous lives. Still, Sora committed a nature taboo, while Strelitzia's circumstances are more questionable when the final scenes of Union χ are taken into account. So, the ways in which denizens of the Kingdom Hearts reality enter Quadratum may differ rather than solely committing nature taboos. A gargantuan monster appears in the city's center, awfully akin to a Darkside except far more terrifying in visage. After some scripted combat sequences where Sora's keychain is highlighted to have a grappling hook, two black-robed figures are shown observing the batttle on top of a nearby building. The general consensus is that the right figure is the Master of Masters, though the one on the left is more up in the air. The most frequent predictions identify the left figure as Luxu/Xigbar, or perhaps Luxord. There are also theories going around about Star Wars being potentially incldued, which we discussed in a separate article, but aside from that, we'll have to look forward to more information. The game's Japanese website recently launched. Check out the Anniversary trailer's specific portion announcing Kingdom Hearts IV, and official screenshots and the logo are viewable via our gallery below: Tetsuya Nomura's 20-Head Anniversary Message Cipher At the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event venue, there was a displayed message by Tetsuya Nomura, which we translated. However, there was a secret hidden within the message that several fans figured out. Essentially, the cipher read that "The voice's identity is Sigurd. Pay close attention." Sigurd, a character introduced in the finale of Kingdom Hearts Union χ, is the narrator of the Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link and Kingdom Hearts IV trailers. The methodology of how this secret was uncovered can be viewed via our Twitter thread below: Tetsuya Nomura Interview with Famitsu Famitsu conducted an interview with series director Tetsuya Nomura about Kingdom Hearts IV, Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link, and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. The entire interview has been translated by our team's Ryuji and is viewable below. Further, a franchise canon timeline was included in this Weekly Famitsu issue and has been translated by our team's Corfidbizna, also below: Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event Proper Square Enix has stated that they intend on releasing a recording of the stage event, but if you want peeks at how the venue itself looked like, check out our dedicated event coverage where several attendees shared photos of the location. Moreover, various photos of the venue and stage event have been provided by 4Gamer and Game Watch, also viewable via our gallery below: Dengeki shared exclusive photos from their event coverage, viewable via our gallery below: During the stage event, a mini-concert was held, where five songs were selected from the series' many masterpieces, and were performed live in an arrangement for the 20th anniversary event (via Famitsu) : Dearly Beloved Sora's Theme Vector to the Heavens Nachtflügel Link to All After the performance, Risa Uchida, the Japanese voice actress of Kairi and Xion started hosting the event as the MC, and Yoko Shimomura, composer of the Kingdom Hearts series, took the stage. Regarding the live performance, Shimomura said that since this was a commemorative event for the 20th anniversary of the series, she personally took on the challenge of arranging chamber music (jargon for a small ensemble of musicians) for the first time. "For the songs chosen, I made sure that they were not only popular songs, but also that there was no bias toward any particular work." she stated. One of the main reasons "Nachtflügel" was chosen was that because it was a newer song that had never been performed live. Looking back on 20 years of Kingdom Hearts, Yoko said she had many memories of her times with songwriting and concerts. "There are many ideas that I still have in my mind, and I hope to have another concert sometime in the future." she stated. Further, Yoko Shimomura provided a new comment regarding these recent announcements, viewable below alongside a translation: Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Merchandise A vast variety of celebratory anniversary merchandise was announced, which we intricately covered. Links to our coverage of all of the merchandise announced following the event's conclusion are listed below. Store pages and officially provided images can be accessed via these avenues. SuperGroups announced 45 incoming Kingdom Hearts-themed accessories Sora, Kairi, and Riku Play Arts Kai figures Kingdom Hearts II Naminé & Roxas plushes Anniversary T-shirts & hoodie Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Plate Collection Blind Boxes Kingdom Hearts announces collab with Samantha Thavasa Kingdom Hearts Light-up Keyblade Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary glass sets, tea cups & bowl Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary jewelry and watches Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary bath towel & face towel Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Die-Cut Memo Pad Set Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Metal Keychain & Pin Badge Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Postcard Set Kingdom Hearts Art Can Badges Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Pin Badge Set Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Amnibus Hoodies Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Tetsuya Nomura Postcard Sets Kingdom Hearts Mini Glass Set Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Soba Set Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Chopsticks & Chopstick Rest Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Bean Plate Set Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Pin Boxes Vol. 1 & 2 Kingdom Hearts II King Mickey 20th Anniversary Plush The following merchandise was announced prior to the event, but is still celebratory for the 20th Anniversary: Sony Japan announces Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary walkman Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Tamagotchi Kingdom Hearts Organization XIII Necklaces Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary glasses, cases & cloths Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event Q&A A Q&A session was held during the Anniversary event, with our translations of specific questions and responses being viewable below: Q1. Does the finale of Dark Road imply that the Player's heart is now inside Xehanort's? A1: Play Dark Road and you will find out. Q2. This is the first time in KH that there is a story branch (the Yozora battle). What is the meaning behind this? A2: Since Yozora is so strong, I thought it would be better to put something in the game "if he loses". Q3. Was Ephemer aware of the player's true intentions in Union Cross' finale? A3: It was a pretty sad farewell, but there's more to Ephemer than meets the eye. A "Missing Link", if you will. All of the questions will be answered once you play Missing Link. Q4: When did Naminé and Ansem first meet? A4: In Castle Oblivion. Q5: Riku's hair was cut in Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. Who cut it for him? A5: Well, you all wanted his hair to be cut, so I answered your prayers... Q6: Please tell us about the return of Roxas and Xion. A6: There were some doubts on whether to bring them back or not, but everyone had such strong feelings for them, so we decided to bring them back. Audrey of Aitai Kuji has provided translations for information we did not personally cover, viewable below. This information is sourced from the coverage of Japanese publication, Gamer. Other Notable Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary News A Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary cafe was held in select locations throughout Japan. We provided translations for the menus. Merchandise was also on sale in the cafes', though they have also been made available for pre-order via digital storefronts which we listed 2 sections prior. Additionally, official images of the cafes' dishes can be viewed via our gallery below: The official Final Fantasy VII Remake Twitter account shared celebratory artwork for Kingdom Hearts' 20th Anniversary, viewable via our gallery below: While not specifically tied to the Anniversary event, Sora's English voice actor, Haley Joel Osment, was interviewed by Deadline in which he reflected on his time voicing the iconic protagonist. Utada Hikaru also sang "Simple and Clean" and "Face My Fears" at Coachella 2022. Further, these three following points are not tied to the Anniversary event, but they're remarkably coincidental. One of Mickey's Keyblades, Kingdom Key D, received a cameo in a recent Mickey Mouse short on Disney+. Sora's Dive to the Heart and Destiny Islands received highly detailed cameos in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder The Kingdom Key appeared in the official trailer for Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers. Tetsuya Nomura shared a gorgeous Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary illustration. Further, the official Kingdom Hearts media accounts have shared this new artwork in clean, high-quality, viewable via our gallery below: Kingdom Hearts series Brand Manager, Ichiro Hazama provided the following statement regarding the announcements of Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link and Kingdom Hearts IV, viewable below: Walt Disney Games Director, Nana Gadd, provided the following statement regarding the collective anniversary event, viewable below: Lastly, the Kingdom Hearts Memory Locker website launched, containing 15 quotes from several crucial members of the series staff. Unfortunately, the website's messages went offline following the Anniversary event's conclusion. They will be made viewable again at an unspecified date. However, we have provided translations for each Memory Locker message, accessible via our dedicated coverage. Did we miss anything from the Kingdom Hearts Anniversary event? Inform us! What were your favorite parts of the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary celebration, be it merchandise, game announcements, or more? Let us know in the comments below! Personally, I can't wait to see what the future of Kingdom Hearts has in store, and I'm sure the rest of the KH13 staff agrees. We have some incredible content to look forward to, so let's wait for the future and hype responsibly! View full article

When do you think Kingdom Hearts IV will be released?

Famitsu recently published an early look at an interview they conducted with Tetsuya Nomura regarding Kingdom Hearts IV and Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link. Prominent community translator, Audrey, translated significant information from this interview pertaining to Kingdom Hearts IV, so immense credit to her. We will be updating this article when the information surrounding Missing - Link is translated, and when the full interview releases on April 28th, 2022. For now, the summations of Audrey's work are listed below: Quadratum is entirely unrelated to the Shibuya found in The World Ends with You. There are no connections to speak of. Further, this is a new world unrelated to any we've seen before. Sora's apartment is located in Aoyama, Tokyo, and it will act as the base/hub for the game's early stages. The Reaction Command mechanic from Kingdom Hearts II will be returning. The fourth option of the command menu says "Build," relating to the concept of the "Scrap and Rebuild system" that will be discussed more at a later date. Translator Xenosaga states this to be the concept of destruction and reconstruction. One of the central story ideas will be exploring how Sora's home realm is fictitious to Quadratum natives and vice versa. The message Nomura left at the Anniversary Event venue containing the "x" symbol has not been fully deciphered yet. Our team's Ryuji has translated the currently available Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link segment of the Famitsu interview, viewable below: UPDATE: The anniversary message riddle has been solved by user @kh_skrvat and several other Japanese fans. Our translator, Ryuji, provided the following image for visualization. This means that the narrator for the Kingdom Hearts IV and Kingdom Hearts Missing - Link trailers is Sigurd, a character introduced in the epilogue of Kingdom Hearts Union χ. The explanation for how this was solved is below, via our team's Ryuji. View full article

So I haven’t posted here in quite some time. I did take a break from Music for about a year but I am back and I decided to make a new arrangement! So here is my latest work! I really loved what Yoko did for Yozora’s theme and i thought i could blend it well with Dearly Beloved as well as Somnus from FFVersus13/15. I thought the Parallels in each theme would make a good mix. https://youtu.be/oGUqLzcFjqI

So just watched some videos on xigbar and I watched a part where he talks to zexion. Zexion states that xigbar is supposed to be recruiting new members. Xigbar says I just got one new one name mar or something. This is implying that xigbar and has recruited marluxia. Now this makes so much sense as how these people were brought into the future as we know xigbar is also the numbers of the are the last of the group. Just like big boi nort nort just put a little of his juices in them and they now can travel in time to their xigbar time period. This could explain the as well. Now with Ventus and sub X I believe this process was done the same and I also think he willing went back to give sub x to ansem. My reasoning for this is because he wants ansem to learn all about the heart and replicas so he can use them for the return of Mom or something of this sort. I’m almost certain that xigbar brought Ventus to the future as he looks at xion and sees Ventus. From what I remember xigbar never fought or seen Ventus like this. So maybe Ventus put up a fight before luxu aids in the corruption of daybreak being this virus. Or he tries to protect marluxia from being taken while larxene is in the mix. This could possibly give ven a motive to time travel. Points that I don’t yet know or need help with. Why does Ventus have darkness? How does Ventus get to the future as he’s the only real confirmed Union. Is this darkness because of the the corruption or brain/virus? Does brain get possessed by luxu or becomes the apprentice of luxu? If my theory holds true why does he need the new union leader?? Last thing a food for thought completely off subject. It’s never stated in the end game what this new game is going to be. Notice the chess pieces, cool we get it foretellers with the master of master makes 7 nothing special. Other side we have sora. Well what if it’s sora and the new union leaders. That would give us 6 and I’m keeping the 7 vs 13 as it’s how kh works (even though it’s 7 L and 13 D I have a theory for this too). Alright we now have 7 light because I’m adding marlys sister. Next the ancient org so that’s now 10. My last 3 are kairi Riku and Mickey by default making 13. Now I think that this will tie in with everything as a bridge game. Siax and the sea salt trio are finding sub X (skuld if true). Marly and the ancient org are trying to get his sister back. Ventus terra and aqua look for ephemer. Riku looks for sora. Sora looks for kairi (if she’s not back) then sora riku and kairi look for Brian (if not evil) if evil I think he’ll be replaced with a new original character. If this does happen it will clear up a lot of story behind each person and the event to come. Anyways tell me what you think and I’m extremely excited to hear.

So I was watching a YouTube vid and I noticed this in the the video on the chalk board. So what do ya think! Also what does this symbol mean, maybe an enemy to come?!

(If it were a possibility) Which Star Wars world would you want in Kingdom Hearts 4?

Kingdom Hearts III Ultimania (the official companion book for Kingdom Hearts III) has released today in Japan. Details from the book, and particularly the important interviews contained within, are starting to appear online. These details give hints towards the future of the series. One thing said is that there will be at least one Kingdom Hearts title that releases before a Kingdom Hearts 4. They also stated that they can't talk about the next title yet, but that "concepts for various works" that come up in the interview. This follows series director Tetsuya Nomura's comments about the future of the series made yesterday. Thanks go to @aibo_ac7 and @khunion for these details and interview translation. View full article