With Kingdom Hearts 3 tying up a lot of Sora's and Xehanort's story, many fans are wondering what is in store next for the series. The series has gained a history of having long pauses between games, so it will likely be awhile before Square Enix releases any concrete information about Kingdom Hearts 4. What is likely is that the future of the story will be about the Master of Master's plans and will have a mostly new cast of characters, like Yozora from the secret episode of Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind.
However, it is quite likely Sora will still be around and play a vital role if he is not still the main protagonist. He is the face of the series and still has a lot of growing up to do. In fact, those that played the original Kingdom Hearts game are now adults, and the series would definitely benefit from Sora growing up more with the audience. Growing up is more than just updating his design, but also how he handles situations, thinks about the world, and treats relationships. In fact, Sora maturing is a special topic, as he actually lost a lot of his teenage years to sleep.
What Fans Want From A Grown-Up Sora
By Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora is about 15-years-old. Fans do not exactly want to see him as a big adult, but a young one perhaps in his early 20s. They also do not want him to lose his childish personality. In fact, his childish personality can shine all the more as a 20-year-old than a teenager. He could have a knack for talking to younger characters, empathizing with others, and keeping a level of innocence that a lot of young adults lose. Since people change a lot from teenager to adult, so seeing Sora keep what makes him loved would be quite charming to see.
One detail many fans noticed is that while Sora did mature a little between games, Kairi and Riku have greatly outpaced him in terms of growing up. This does have an in-story reason, which is that Sora has slept a very long time and missed a lot of time. Sora, Riku, and Kairi have grown up in very different ways, and it would be interesting to see how these differences play out in their ideas and relationships in future titles. Compared to Sora and Riku, Kairi has had a very normal life. Compared to Sora, Riku has developed and changed way more out of necessity. A more grown-up Sora may realize more about these differences, coming to peace with them rather than being angsty like a teenager would.
How Sora's Body Grew Up Without Him And Could Continue To Do So
Sora was asleep for years and woke up with a bigger body in Kingdom Hearts 2, and a lot of fans have not really stopped to think about how dire this situation really would be for someone since so much is already happening in the series. There has not been time to stop and think about Sora's age in correlation with his maturity. If Sora does indeed get to grow up in Kingdom Hearts 4, that is the perfect opportunity to actually explore Sora's heart in terms of the time he lost and how that has affected him. Kairi and Riku have grown more mature, and while they love Sora, they may feel like they still need to protect him due to his immaturity. A grown-up Sora can challenge that and prove to them that he can be an adult, but just in his own way.
Another great way for Sora to grow up without losing what makes his character so great is to take on the role of being a mentor to someone else. He could teach other characters what he has learned through his battles against Organization 13 and Xehanort. In fact, he would likely be an amazing teacher with an understanding of what it is like to be in over one's head.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is not known to be in development.