Kingdom Hearts remains as one of the most recognizable video game franchises ever. The Disney and Final Fantasy crossover has produced over a dozen games, each with their own intricate plot points. For this reason, among many others, the franchise has gained a reputation for its complex and sometimes unclear storytelling. What's certain, though, is that fans remain passionate about Kingdom Hearts and have high expectations for the fourth mainline entry. Kingdom Hearts 4 would consequently be a great opportunity to fulfill fans' wishes and include Kairi as a playable character.
Kairi has been around since the original Kingdom Hearts, and her role has always been essential to the story. Sora and his friends have been trying to either reunite with her or protect her for almost twenty years. Despite this, the only game where she's been the main character is Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, and players have only ever had one opportunity to actually play as her. With the series headed in a new direction, Kingdom Hearts 4 is now more than ever the perfect time to put Kairi front and center.
Kairi Was Meant to Be Playable
While it may seem odd to some members of the playerbase, the idea of playing as Kairi is something that Square Enix (Square Soft at the time) considered for the original game. According to a fan translation of Kingdom Hearts Ultimania - a series of Japan exclusive books that provide insight into each game's development - Nomura and the team considered featuring Kairi as a playable character. According to Nomura, "during development we floated the idea of having Kairi be playable, and I wanted to depict Kairi’s personality even more eg. against Sora, against Riku, and her past." This idea wouldn't come to fruition until some eighteen years later, of course. Kingdom Hearts Ultimania shedding more light on Kairi's involvement is important, as it goes to show the developers have already thought it through.
Fan Reactions to Re Mind Were Mixed
As previously mentioned, Kairi technically has made an appearance as a playable character. In the Re Mind DLC for Kingdom Hearts 3, players are given the choice to control either Sora or Kairi as they team up against an Armored Xehanort in one of the DLC's segements. This is where Kairi, for the first time in eighteen years, is provided an original moveset, and fan reactions were a mixed bag. Some players praised the way Kairi controlled while others criticized the difficulty and circumstantial nature of the encounter. The next Kingdom Hearts title could build on this progress by letting players use her to clear different Disney worlds.
The Series Needs a New Protagonist
Fans who have completed Kingdom Hearts 3 know that Sora's fate leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Suffice to say that Kingdom Hearts 4 may very well need a new protagonist. Riku is a strong contender for some, but players have already had the chance to play as him in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. As such, Kairi is the only one of the original trio who hasn't had her time to shine. She took on a bigger narrative role in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, but even there she wasn't a playable. What many fans hope is that she, like any other player-controlled character, is given customizable movesets and interchangeable keyblades in Kingdom Hearts 4.
The future of Kingdom Hearts is about as cut-and-dried as its plot. Melody of Memory, initially released at the end of 2020, revealed very little about where the plot may be moving besides an ongoing search for Sora. It looks as though Kairi is becoming more prevalent in the story, but it's too soon to tell if she'll be taking center stage or not. It's also possible that Kingdom Hearts 4 may do away with previous characters in favor of a new cast. Those who were featured in the fictional Verum Rex game like Yozora seem to be an obvious choice if that were to happen. Whichever Kingdom Hearts characters return, the story is sure to move in an unexpected direction.
Kingdom Hearts 4 has not been confirmed to be in development.