Kingdom Hearts (universe)

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Kingdom Hearts (universe)
Developer(s)	Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) Jupiter h.a.n.d. BitGroove Inc. Success indieszero
Publisher(s)	Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) Disney Interactive Studios
Designer(s)	Tetsuya Nomura Shinji Hashimoto
Genre(s)	Action role-playing Hack and slash Rhythm action
Console/platform of origin	PlayStation 2
First installment	Kingdom Hearts (2002)
Latest installment	Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (2020)
Article on Kingdom Hearts Wiki	Kingdom Hearts (universe)

The Kingdom Hearts universe (キングダム ハーツ, Kingdom Hearts) refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from the action role-playing game (ARPG) franchise created by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) in collaboration with Disney, the official owner of the franchise. The series primarily centers around the adventures of Sora, who travels across various worlds themed after properties owned by Disney and its subsidiaries while stopping schemes plotted by both original antagonists and Disney villains. Since the release of its first installment in 2002, the franchise has been one of the best-selling action RPG series in the world and is most notable for its crossing-over of Disney properties with various Square Enix properties, such as Final Fantasy. Alongside Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts is considered a flagship franchise for Square Enix.

Franchise description

The origins of Kingdom Hearts can be traced back to conversations between Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi in the late 1990s. Square was in a financially unstable position at the time and needed a blockbuster success to save them from going bankrupt. The two bemoaned about Square needing a game like Super Mario 64, but realizing only a company like Disney has characters that could rival the popularity of Mario. Tetsuya Nomura overheard these conversations and volunteered to create this project. By a stroke of luck, Square and Disney Japan shared an office building at the time. Hashimoto would have a chance encounter with a Disney executive in an elevator which allowed him to pitch the concept of using Disney properties in this game, which was eventually approved in 2000. It was eventually decided that the game would be a crossover game with Disney and Final Fantasy characters interacting with original characters. Disney approved the concept on the condition that all original characters, settings and assets would be fully owned by them. The game eventually morphed into Kingdom Hearts, which released for the PlayStation 2 on March 28, 2002.

The game was a critical and financial success in both Japan and internationally. The release outside of Japan is notable for having content that was not in the initial release due to time constraints. The game was rereleased in Japan with this new content along with more content made specifically for this version, titled Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix. this started a trend of games getting the Final Mix treatment, with most of them being exclusive to Japan for years.

A sequel was immediately put into production. To tide fans over, a spinoff entry was made for Game Boy Advance in 2004 titled Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. The game experimented by having a card-based combat system that has been referenced but never replicated. Unlike other side projects, Chain of Memories is integral to the overall plot and is directly referenced in future installments. The game was fully remade in 2007 for PlayStation 2, titled Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and this version has been rereleased ever since.

Another spinoff for Verizon mobile phones titled Kingdom Hearts V CAST released in 2004. It is not considered canon and is one of the few entries not developed by Square Enix. The game can no longer be legally purchased after the shut down of the Verizon V CAST in 2012.

The proper sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, released on PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game picks up right after Chain of Memories left off and received praise for improving on the first game in many ways. A Final Mix version was released in 2007 with new content.

Another mobile game was released in 2008 titled Kingdom Hearts coded. This game was released episodically over a year and exists to explain plot holes in Kingdom Hearts II. All episodes were later combined and released on Nintendo DS in 2011, titled Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. A web browser game tie in titled Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Gummiship Studio released as a studio to make a Gummi Ship. Around the same time, a mobile domain titled Kingdom Hearts Mobile was released and contained all episodes of coded as well as ringtones, wallpapers, and mini-games.

A proper console release came in 2009 with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. The game is based on the adventures of Roxas parallel to the events of Chain of Memories and explains plot holes in several games. A tie in web browser game titled Kingdom Hearts Magical Puzzle Clash released as a mini game collection.

A prequel entry titled Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep released on PlayStation Portable in 2010. Based on the adventures of Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, the game explains plot mysteries that have persisted since the beginning. This game received the Final Mix treatment in 2011.

An entry for Nintendo 3DS titled Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in 2012 and was the first game since Kingdom Hearts II to properly advance the story. The game was remastered on PlayStation 4 in 2017 titled Kingdom Hearts HD: Dream Drop Distance.

In 2013, a web browser game titled Kingdom Hearts χ was released as a prequel to every game released prior. The game was fully remade for mobile devices in 2015 titled Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, which was renamed in 2017 to Kingdom Hearts Union χ. A companion game was released in 2020, titled Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, that explains the origin of several characters. The games have since been shut down, but the cutscenes in theatre mode are still available to download.

Also in 2013, HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and remade cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days were collected on PlayStation 3 as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. In 2014, HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Final Mix, and remade cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded were also collected on PlayStation 3 as Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. In 2017, both collections were remastered again and combined on PlayStation 4 as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX. Also in 2017, Kingdom Hearts HD: Dream Drop Distance, an abbreviated cinematic adaptation of Kingdom Hearts χ titled ''Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover and the original entry titled Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- were collected on PlayStation 4 as Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

All the way back in 2013, a teaser trailer for Kingdom Hearts III was revealed with no release dates. Sporadic updates occurred for many years afterward until it was finally released in 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While the game received generally great reviews and good sales, the weight of its own legacy and buildup ultimately made it a disappointment for many. Also in 2019, Kingdom Hearts VR Experience released exclusively on PlayStation VR as a walking simulator of various worlds. The series first official downloadable content was released in 2020 titled Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, which expands on plot elements in the base game.

A rhythm game released in 2020 titled Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory. It is also the first game in the series to appear on a Nintendo console since Re:coded nine years prior.

The Kingdom Hearts franchise also comprises several other mediums, including soundtracks, several different series of manga and light novels, Ultimania novels, a canceled television series, and a series currently rumored to be in development for Disney+.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Fighter

• 82. Sora (DLC): The main protagonist and main playable character of Kingdom Hearts, Sora was revealed as a playable character on October 5th, 2021 as the last character of Fighter Pass Vol. 2 and the last character to be added in Ultimate overall. He is set to release on October 18th, 2021.

Stage

• Hollow Bastion (DLC):

Music

Source Tracks

• Night of Fate (DLC)
• Destiny's Force (DLC)
• Shrouding Dark Cloud (DLC)
• Hand in Hand (DLC)
• Blast Away! -Gummi Ship II- (DLC)
• Hollow Bastion (DLC)
• Scherzo di Notte (DLC)
• Fragments of Sorrow (DLC)
• Destati (DLC)

Additionally, players with save data from Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory will unlock the track Dearly Beloved - Swing Version.

Victory Theme

• Victory! Sora (DLC):

Games with elements appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series

Kingdom Hearts

• Playable Character:
  • Sora debuts in this game as the main playable character.
  • Sora's design in this game is his P1 costume.
  • Takahiro Sakurai, Cloud's Japanese voice actor, reprises his role in all regions of Smash 4 and Ultimate.
  • Although derived from the title of his battle theme in Final Fantasy VII, "One-Winged Angel", Sephiroth's one wing debuted in this game.
  • Shadow Flare is based on the Kingdom Hearts incarnation.
• Other:
  • Aerith's retranslated name is canonized in this game.

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix

• Playable Character
  • Sora's down air, Hurricane Blast, first originated in this title.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

• Spirits
  • Axel and Roxas first appeared in this game.

Kingdom Hearts II

• Playable Character:
  • Sora's design in this game is his P2 costume.
  • Sora's Timeless River design in this game is his P5 costume.
  • Sora's Valor form from this game is his P6 costume.
  • Sora's Wisdom form from this game is his P7 costume.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

• Spirits:
  • Xion first appeared in this game.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep

• Spirits:
  • Ventus, Aqua and Terra are the protagonists of that game.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

• Playable Character:
  • Sora's design in this game is his P3 costume.

Kingdom Hearts III

• Playable Character:
  • Sora's design in this game is his P4 costume.
  • Sora's Ultimate form from this game is his P8 costume.

Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

• Stage elements:
  • The Stations of Awakening depicting Aqua, Terra, Roxas and Riku are taken directly from this game.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

• Music:
  • The track "Dearly Beloved - Swing Version" orignated in this game.

Trivia

• Kingdom Hearts is the third major universe to be owned by a foreign company, being owned by The Walt Disney Company, an American company. The first two, Banjo-Kazooie and Minecraft, are both owned by Microsoft. Unlike the previous two, however, the series is mainly developed in Japan.
• Kingdom Hearts is the first universe to debut as a dependent universe and later become a major one.
  • By extension, it is the second universe to debut as a minor universe and later become a major one, after Tekken.
  • Before turning into a major universe, it was the first dependent universe that was dependent of the Final Fantasy franchise due to Japanese voice actor Takahiro Sakurai voicing Cloud in Smash 4, followed with both Square Enix's Chocobo sub-series and Spike Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon franchise with the Chocobo Mii costume.

External links

• Article on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki.
• Article on the Disney Wiki.