With Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind's secret ending, it seems Final Fantasy Versus 13 may vicariously live on through the next Kingdom Hearts project. With the conclusion of ReMind and the Secret Episode, a fusion of Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy Versus 13 appears to be on the way in one form or another.
That'd be a very unusual statement if made a year ago, but now the similarities between Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind and Final Fantasy Versus 13 are impossible to ignore. Originally thought to be an Easter Egg from the base game, ReMind shows fans that it's not just a reference and that there are several common threads between the two games.
ReMind's Secret Ending
Starting with the obvious scene that kicked off all the discussion and theory-crafting is Kingdom Hearts ReMind's Secret Episode. Regardless of whether the player gets the "good" or "bad" ending, in it a scene plays with Yozora waking up in the back of a car driving through a vague metro area. He's awoken by his driver, stating "it's impressive, is it not?" as they enter the city. This scene is very significant, as it's a shot-for-shot remake of one of the first trailers for Final Fantasy Versus 13.
Previously, Tetsuya Nomura had re-assured that Yozora and the world of Verum Rex were original creations, sharing only a few over-lapping concepts with Final Fantasy Versus 13. But if the Versus 13 trailer is compared directly to the ReMind Secret Ending, they both match one-to-one, even in the most subtle physical movements of the characters. Each moment is derived from it: Yozora waking up, the driver talking to Yozora, Yozora looking out the window. it's the exact same thing that Noctis does during that first Final Fantasy Versus 13 trailer. This moment is followed up by one of the most iconic lines in the Kingdom Hearts games: "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real or not?"
The cinematic matching exactly with the Versus 13 trailer, at least on its own, may seem like it's just a fun reference to Nomura's previous project. It's when taken into context with the Secret Ending of Kingdom Hearts 3's base game where things get interesting.
Kingdom Hearts 3's Secret Ending
ReMind was not the first time Yozora was seen outside of the pseudo game trailer in the Toy Story world. During Kingdom Hearts 3's Secret Ending, the player is met with Yozora once again, watching over Sora and Riku as they wake up in what looks like two worlds. Sora almost certainly wakes up in Shibuya, or some version of it, confirmed by the various signs he wakes up around him including the "104" tower where the ReMind Secret Boss fight takes place. The 104 tower is also in the city center of Shibuya from The World Ends with You world, sharing a likeness with the real Shibuya city center in Japan.
Riku, on the other hand, wakes up somewhere completely different. Whether that's in a different part of Shibuya or a different city entirely, the KH3 Secret Ending is too vague to tell. That being said, he wakes up a little ways away from a monolithic building with two towers upon which Yozora is sitting and watching. This building bears a strong resemblance to the same two-tower building shown in the trailers for Final Fantasy Versus 13. Not only that, as Riku approaches this building, the camera zooms to Yozora staring down at him while a piano theme starts playing in the background. Listen closely and one can hear the beginning of "Somnus," the main theme for Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Final Fantasy 15. The song eventually bleeds into a somber version of Kingdom Hearts' "Dearly Beloved," but the melding of the two songs together can't be a coincidence either.
One thing of note is Yozora's appearance as well. His attire is reminiscent of Riku, but darker in hue and similar to Noctis' all black clothing. A slight similarity, but most importantly his physique is similar to that of Riku and Noctis. He's got a similar short hair style to Noctis paired with Riku's silver hair color. The distinct difference is in the eyes, one is red and one is blue. Noctis' depiction in Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Final Fantasy 15 showed him having blue eyes as his standard eye color, but when he used his Armiger abilities, his eyes turned red. The significance of the two different colored eyes is yet to be seen for Yozora, but since eye color has been a significant character trait in Kingdom Hearts before, it could relate to some kind of magical duality in Yozora based on Noctis' powers from Versus 13.
Subtle Similarities
Beyond that, there are some subtle similarities as well that could very well be intended, but are much more ambiguous. For one thing, the meaning behind each character's name does stands out when comparing them together. Most importantly is the similarity between Yozora and Noctis: Yozora in Japanese symbolizes "night sky" or is closely related to it, while Noctis means "of night" in Latin. There's a key connection here between the meaning of their names, and while it's not inherently significant or means anything specific, it's yet another nod to Versus 13 that hammers down the point that this former Final Fantasy project is going to have a significant impact on the next Kingdom Hearts experience.
And lastly, there's a tiny reference to Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Fabula Nova Crystallis in general, specifically in the "bad" ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind. Should Sora be defeated in the secret boss fight, Yozora will crystallize Sora into a frozen form before returning him to The Final World. It's very similar to the concept in the original Final Fantasy 13, where if someone is cursed to be a l'Cie they must fulfill their Focus so they can be crystallized to gain eternal life. This is an interesting parallel to what Yozora says prior to the final battle, stating that he needs to "Save Sora" for some reason. It's a stretch, but it is possible he may be referring to the concept of a Focus and granting Sora eternal life.
Each individual tease by themselves doesn't amount to anything significant, but compile together the little clues sprinkled throughout and pair them together, and it's hard to ignore the definitive similarities between Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy Versus 13 and how they will influence each other moving forward.
Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind is available now on PS4 and will be available February 25 on Xbox One.