Kingdom Hearts has established an expansive world that fans enjoy for the gameplay and cut scenes and with Kingdom Hearts 4 on the horizon, fans have been speculating what major plot points will be revisited in the game. Kingdom Hearts can seem complicated for first-time players, and they may not want to devote themselves to a well-established series.
Still, a quick visit to the game's most pivotal moments will help new and veteran players immerse themselves in the fantasy world that is Kingdom Hearts 4. There is no release date for the game yet, so there is plenty of time to get acquainted with Sora's adventures.
Where It All Began
Sora, Donald, and Goofy don't start the game knowing each other. When Sora defends his home, he uses a Keyblade that transports him to a new world where he meets two of the Kingdom Hearts' most likable characters.
The trio travels new worlds together with their own motivations. The group battles the Heartless but eventually goes their separate ways when their goals no longer align but reunite, showing that friendship is more important than following orders. As a team, they can conquer even the most formidable opponents.
Organization XIII
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories introduced Organization XIII. The group's primary goal is to wield Keyblades and eliminate Heartless so they can make nobodies somebodies again. They want to form Kingdom Hearts.
Much of the initial stages of Organization XIII are confusing and don't seem to hold much importance; however, they become a persistent problem for Sora and his companions as they travel through Disney's best worlds and beyond. Organization XIII introduces the idea of clones in the game, giving players a sense that not everyone can be trusted.
Sora and Kairi's Hearts
There is a lot to understand about Kairi and Sora. This is one of the game's most complicated points as it not only goes against everything that the first game establishes about hearts and heartless but plays out over several installments of the franchise. Kairi's heart was living in Sora, but she can live without a heart because she has no darkness in her.
When Sora learns this, he sacrifices himself for Kairi. Kairi uses her powers to revive Sora to restore his heart, and she keeps her heart.
Maleficent and Disney Villians
The Disney villains in the game don't function as they do in the movies. Many cross-overs between Disney worlds allow villains to team up and create powerful factions. Organization XIII can team up with the villains as well.
Even though the villains come from different worlds, they all work in the name of allowing darkness to take over. The villains are the catalyst in Sora, Goofy, and Donald officially deciding to stop the Heartless. Even though they have been working together the whole time, they have never come together to banish all the Heartless explicitly.
Goofy's Sacrifice
Even though Kingdom Hearts is a non-violent game, there are some brutal deaths; Goofy is one of them. Goofy's death sets Mickey Mouse on a path of revenge that leads him back to Organization XIII.
This is a critical point in his character development that allows the story to continue and Organization XIII to be eliminated from the game as the main threat for the time being. Goofy isn't genuinely gone in true Disney fashion and is revived later in the game.
The Princesses of Heart
The Princesses of Heart control the light pieces of the original Keyblade. This makes them vital to both the villains' plans and the heroes. Kairi being one of the Princesses of Heart makes her one of the most influential people in the game.
It is important to the Princesses when playing any of the games, as many villains will try and capture them for their purposes. Several of the princesses' worlds appear in the game. One of the hardest bosses to defeat in Kingdom Hearts 3, Xehanort, wants the princesses so he can restore the original Keyblade and rule Kingdom Hearts.
Riku Being Possessed
Riku had his body taken over by Ansem, a villain in the game. Riku is taken over by darkness, leading him to battle his old friend Sora. Riku overcomes the darkness and becomes an ally to Sora and King Mickey Mouse. Riku understands the tactics and motivations of Organization XIII, which helps him aid King Mickey in later installments.
Riku will likely continue to help move the story along and provide another perspective on how the darkness can be defeated in Kingdom Hearts 4.
Riku and Mickey Team Up
Kingdom Hearts always has more than one storyline in play at a time. After proving he was not consumed by darkness Mickey and Riku form an alliance. Riku and Mickey work in the Dark World to aid Aqua.
The two appear in Kingdom Hearts 3 as they help Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the Heartless. Without this partnership, it would be nearly impossible for Sora to complete the mission. Even though the game does include time travel being in two places at once has yet to be included as a game feature.
The Secret Ending
In Kingdom Hearts: ReMind, players learned that there was a secret ending to the game. As this was DLC, not every player unlocked this central plot point. After an epic battle, Sora finds himself awakening in the streets of a world that resembles modern-day Tokyo.
The trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 reveals that Sora is still living in this strange new world, and it looks like the game will take place here, at least for a portion of it. Fans have speculated that Sora will have to escape this world to reunite with his pals.
The Conclusion of Kingdom Hearts III
Naturally, the end of the last game will play a considerable role in Kingdom Hearts 4. After everyone had seemed to find their happily ever after and that the series would no longer continue, Luxu (now Xigbar) was revealed as alive and having a plan that has yet to be revealed.
This reemergence of one of the Master of Master's apprentices could take Kingdom Hearts in a new direction. However, the epilogue shows Pete and Maleficent are side by side and are very interested in what Luxu has to say.