Kingdom Hearts IV (KH4) has officially been announced, and the reveal came alongside a lengthy trailer that gives players a glimpse at what they can expect when the game launches. New characters, locations, and abilities were on full display, and the series' protagonist, Sora, was once again at the heart of it all.
But Kingdom Hearts is a series notorious for its long-term, fairly convoluted storytelling, and KH4 promises to be no exception. There were a lot of questions left lingering at the end of Kingdom Hearts III, and the Lost Master Arc that begins with KH4 might just have the answers fans have been looking for. Here are a few questions that fans hope will finally get resolved.
9 What Is Luxu's Plan?
After a harrowing battle with the true Organization XIII and a compelling sacrifice from Sora, players were treated to a final cutscene at the very end of Kingdom Hearts 3 that revealed the true master behind the entire conflict. Xigbar, whose real name is Luxu, had been manipulating Xehanort and the rest of the modern-day Keyblade wielders for years, dutifully following his master's orders over the centuries.
Now free of his responsibility, Luxu summons four of his fellow Keyblade masters, who were once known as Foretellers. Gula, Aced, Invi, and Ira all join Luxu in the Keyblade Graveyard (Ava is noticeably absent), where he promises to tell them the long story of his role in the whole affair. It's clear that Luxu and his colleagues will play some role in the story to come, but his goal is still shrouded in mystery.
8 What Is Yozora's Significance?
Yozora is a strange character who vaguely resembles both Sora and Riku, while also bearing a passing resemblance to Noctis, the lead character of Final Fantasy XV. Yozora is the main character of the video game "Verum Rex," which exists within the Toy Box world in Kingdom Hearts 3.
What makes Yozora such an odd character, though, is that he's a real person who resides in another world that's connected to both Sora and Riku. He can be seen watching Sora in the final moments of Kingdom Hearts 3 and even battles him during the Re Mind DLC. But Yozora's true role and how he's connected to the Keyblade is still uncertain.
7 What Happened To Sora?
After the events of Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora is seemingly adrift, unable to return to his world and his friends but not so far gone that he can't be saved. He's able to reach out to Kairi during the events of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (MoM) and is now confirmed to be in an "afterworld" known as Quadratum.
But where was he between the end of KH3 and the events of Re Mind and MoM? A year passes between those two periods, and Sora's whereabouts and condition are still unaccounted for during that time. Hopefully, KH4 sheds some light on what happened to Sora and where he ended up.
6 Where's Riku?
Riku, unable to forgive himself for losing his friend, spent the year between KH3 and MoM searching for any way to find Sora and save him. The last time players see him, he's managed to create a portal to reach the world where Sora is, and he steps through, vanishing without a trace.
What's slightly confusing about this is that Riku can be seen in the same, Tokyo-like city as Sora at the end of KH3, which either suggests that this scene took place after MoM or Riku's portal has time travel properties. Or there's an entirely different solution! Gamers will have to wait until KH4 to find out where that portal took Riku and if he's able to reunite with Sora.
5 What is Quadratum?
Quadratum is the newest world revealed for KH4, but this fictional "afterworld" has been referenced in the series before, most frequently in the mobile games. In the new trailer, returning character Strelitzia refers to Quadratum as a world full of life, but that for both her and Sora, it's an afterworld, potentially hinting at the fact that it serves as an afterlife for people from their world.
But Sora's appearance in Quadratum is noticeably different from his usual look (his shoes are proportional now!), and Quadratum itself is eerily similar to the real city of Tokyo, down to specific buildings in its skyline. Whatever Quadratum ends up being, players will no doubt learn more about the world when KH4 does come out.
4 What Is The Master Of Masters Up To?
If Luxu was the one pulling Xehanort's strings during the entire Dark Seeker Saga, then the Master of Masters has been the one pulling Luxu's strings for even longer. The Master is an enigmatic figure who predates almost every established entity in the series, and he was MIA until the very end of KH3 when he could be seen standing atop a skyscraper in Quadratum.
The Master was the one who instructed Luxu to orchestrate another Keyblade War and to pass along his Keyblade so that he could keep an eye on the events of the future. He's essentially been behind every event that's happened in the series, either directly or indirectly, and it's only a matter of time before he makes his next move.
3 Where's Skuld?
Skuld is one of the Keyblade wielders who joined Master Ava's Dandelions before the events of the Keyblade War. She then goes on to become a Union Leader after the Dandelions attempt to start anew within the digital Daybreak Town. At the end of Union X, Skuld and Ephemer are the last two survivors to flee the crumbling Daybreak Town in the escape pods.
While every other survivor of Daybreak Town has cropped back up since then, Skuld has been conspicuously absent from the story since that fateful day. With the strong emphasis Square Enix has been placing on characters from Union X, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her return to the story in KH4.
2 Where Has Strelitzia Been?
Strelitzia was one of the biggest surprises from the Kingdom Hearts IV trailer, as she was a relatively minor character even in her previous appearances. Not only that, but she died shortly before the Keyblade War broke out between the five Unions. It's believed that Luxu recreated her using her data from the digital Daybreak Town before sending her into the future, referring to her as "a seed of light to be planted in the future."
Now she's in Quadratum, raising the question: how did she get there? Is this the Strelitzia that Luxu planted, born from a data backup? Or is Quadratum truly an afterlife, and this is the original Strelitzia who died during the events of Union X? Hopefully KH4 will have some answers.
1 What's The Deal With Luxord And Demyx?
Every member of the original Organization XIII has had their origin explained to some degree except for two: Luxord and Demyx. Both characters are presented as not being entirely invested in the Organization, and Demyx even defects to help the Keyblade warriors during the final conflict. But what's most perplexing is what Xemnas says to the two of them (along with Marluxia and Larxene) during KH3.
He states that all four of them were recruited to both Organizations because of their connection to an ancient Keyblade legacy. While Marluxia and Larxene have since been revealed as former Keyblade wielders, Luxord and Demyx still have no established backstory. Who were they? What is this ancient legacy? And how does it connect them to Lauriam and Elrena?
Kingdom Hearts IV is in early development, and no release window or platforms have been announced at this time.