Originally appearing as a rather unassuming reference to a fake video game in Kingdom Hearts 3, Yozora seems to be taking center stage in the future of the series. Coming from Verum Rex, a sort of stand-in for Final Fantasy Versus 13, Yozora has broken into the lore of the game, even interacting with Sora and Riku.

There are a number of hints that Yozora may be a fixture in the future of the series, mostly coming from how he has interacted with Sora and Riku as well as his likely dive into the Dream Realm from Dream Drop Distance. However, from the few short lines he speaks, it's clear that Yozora is more than his connections to Final Fantasy Versus 13, and will likely have a lasting impact on the future of Kingdom Hearts and the new conflict with the Master of Masters.

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Yozora is not what he appears

Kingdom Hearts 3 Re Mind Yozora

To clear the air, it's fairly important to point out that Yozora is not who he appears to be in the Secret Episode of Re:Mind. The character even states outright that the Yozora players see in that scene and the following fight isn't actually what he looks like, leaving his true identity up in the air. Similarly, the character is referred to as 'Commander' in the secret ending that unlocks when the players win the boss battle at the end, giving players a glimpse at who he really is.

So from here on, whoever this 'Commander' character is, he isn't Yozora, which throws a bit of a wrench in that ending ReMIND cutscene of him waking up in the car. For now, we can assume that the depiction is intended to let the player know who is experiencing the scene, and there will likely be a recut version of it in the future with the character's real face pasted on later. However, for the sake of convenience, we will continue to refer to this mystery character as Yozora, since that is all the game really calls him aside from that 'Commander' title.

Where do Yozora and Sora meet?

yozora in car

So, looking back at a past game for a moment, there are a few key clues to where Sora and Yozora meet, and there are at least two other options aside from the Real World that Sora comes from. The options come down to the Realm of Sleep that first appears in Dream Drop Distance and the Datascape, first introduced in Coded/Re:Coded and continuing to be explored in the ongoing Union Cross/Unchained X/Chi online mobile title. However, one of many hidden details of Re:Mind implies that the Realm of Sleep is the correct option.

For one, after the fight on top of the 104 building, Yozora wakes up in the car, implying that he was dreaming of his fight with Sora. Secondly, when first meeting Yozora, he mentions that he had to go through some sort of trials in order to finally arrive in the Realm of Sleep's Final World location. When delivering this line, the character looks down at his palm, a clear connection to The World Ends with You's palm timer, which has only ever been connected to Kingdom Hearts in the past through the Realm of Sleep in Dream Drop Distance.

Riku sees Yozora

Riku DLC Apperance

Yozora's future in Kingdom Hearts has been set up very strongly in Kingdom Hearts 3 and his connections to the main characters of the series. After finishing the Limitcut Episode of Re:Mind, the game reveals that there is a connection between Riku and Yozora, as he is able to see him in his dreams. This further proves that Sora and Yozora are in the Realm of Sleep as well, considering that Riku only sees them in his dreams.

The connection may have more or less to do with Riku's connection with Sora, especially since he was Sora's Dream Eater the last time the two went into the Realm of Sleep. However, the game does work to build a connection between the two before Re:Mind released as well. When Yozora is first introduced in the Toy Box level, Donald and Goofy both claim that the he looks more like Riku than Sora.

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Sora as Yozora

kh3 glitch explore yozora boss arena

We've mentioned before that Sora's connections to Yozora are incredibly strong, both from the similarity in their names that leads Rex to confuse the two for each other, but also by the fact that Sora's toy form wears Yozora's clothes. This connection is fairly on the nose and has already been dissected repeatedly, however it may be pointing to something that could be coming in a future game in the series. Playing as Sora in Yozora's clothes could have possibly been a precursor to controlling the new character in a future spin-off game, likely for a new Kingdom Hearts mobile title, possibly one coming to the Switch.

Showing off Yozora's fighting style in the secret boss fight could also be an indication that he will be taking the spot as the playable character in a future game as well. Then there is also the minigame available in Kingdom Hearts 3 where players control the Gigas robots and complete an arena battle from Verum Rex. This is the game continuing to prime the players to take control of Yozora in a future game.

Yozora as the next main character

yozora with crossbow

There is a precedent for players to play as characters other than Sora in other Kingdom Hearts titles, especially in spin-off games. Both Kingdom Hearts 2 and 358/2 Days put players in control of Roxas, while Birth By Sleep stars Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. Additionally, that last character, Terra, was first introduced in the series as a secret final boss in Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, just like Yozora's fight at the end of Re:Mind.

All of this points to Yozora being the star of the next game which will kick off the start of the all new, post Xehanort, story that pulls from the Union Cross arc and the Master of Masters. Whether or not this means that Sora will be passing the torch for good after the end of the Xehanort arc, at least until Dark Road was announced, is still up in the air. Although, Yozora claiming to need to save Sora implies that the keyblade master's role in the story of Kingdom Hearts isn't completely finished yet.

Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind is available now for PS4, and releases February 25th, 2020 for Xbox One.

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