Although Square Enix recently revealed Kingdom Hearts 4, it’ll likely be some time before fans learn more. No release window was given, and knowing how long Kingdom Hearts 3 was in development (though KH4 shouldn’t take as long), it’s likely a few years away at the very least.
Sora appears to be in a completely different universe, as the girl he awakens to in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer refers to it as an afterlife of sorts for their kind. What all this means will indubitably be revealed throughout the story, while Donald and Goofy seemingly search for a way to get to Sora (perhaps approaching Hades in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer). The trio will no doubt be reunited, and when they are, the game should embrace Donald Duck’s raw magical power.
Kingdom Hearts 4: Donald Duck is an Uber-Powerful Magic User
Donald Duck may not look like much, but he is one of the most powerful magic users in Square Enix history. He can cast a spell called Zettaflare, which across ALL Square Enix titles, had only been used twice before: once in Bravely Default and once in Final Fantasy 14.
In Bravely Default, several alternate realities were destroyed, while Bahamut's Terraflare in Final Fantasy 14 (a major step-down from Zettaflare) was still powerful enough to create a calamity and essentially reboot a video game. Zettaflare is used later, and while not as dramatic, it is theoretically more powerful.
Therefore, Donald Duck is one of Square Enix’s most powerful mages. He is the third user of Zettaflare, used during a battle with Terranort in Kingdom Hearts 3 to completely obliterate him. The fact that the latter survives speaks to his power, not the power of the spell, as Donald and Goofy urged Donald to not use that spell. Now, this doesn’t mean that Donald should go around, dropping Zettaflares left and right. Even using one in Kingdom Hearts 4 might be a little too soon and might pull away from the direness of that moment/the power of the spell.
But if Donald can cast Zettaflare, then he probably has tons of secrets hidden up his sleeve. Mickey and Donald seem to understand his power, and Square Enix would do well to push this more to the forefront in Kingdom Hearts 4’s story, lore tidbits, actions, and more. Sora and the gang are facing a new threat, and while the sheer presence of that threat has yet to manifest, Donald Duck is a powerful mage who could bend realities, defend his friends with a massive library of epic spells, and play a more serious role (while maintaining his unique brand of humor) in the upcoming game.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.