Kingdom Hearts (universe)

The Kingdom Hearts universe (, Kingdom Hearts), stylized in-game as 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, namely, ', and '. Alongside Final Fantasy and, Kingdom Hearts is considered a flagship franchise for Square Enix.

Franchise description
The origins of Kingdom Hearts can be traced back to conversations between Squaresoft executive and  series creator  in the late 1990s. The developer 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. Final Fantasy character designer overheard these conversations and volunteered to create this project. By a stroke of luck, Square and Disney of Japan shared an office building at the time, and 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 title with Disney and Final Fantasy characters interacting with original characters, however contention arose when settling on the game's premise and direction. The lead protagonist was undecided between the two companies, with Disney wanting and Square wanting. Nomura decided to compromise by creating an original character, Sora, to serve as the protagonist instead, combining Disney's character design aspects with his own. Disney approved the concept on the condition that all original characters, settings, and assets would be fully owned by them. The storyline and narrative would be helmed by Nomura, marking his debut as a director and lead writer, and it was originally planned to be a simple narrative meant to appeal to Disney's core audience. However, after a meeting with Sakaguchi, Nomura elevated the storyline to better appeal to Final Fantasy fans. 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 both in Japan and internationally, eventually becoming the tenth best-selling game on the system. The game is considered a major factor in the financial recovery of Square, which allowed them to merge with Enix in 2003. The release outside of Japan is notable for having content that was not in the initial release due to time constraints. The game received a Director's Cut re-release 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. Due to the success of the first game’s sales, the real time aerial action RPG battle system of Kingdom Hearts became the main basis for some modern Final Fantasy games, particularly the arena fighting game spin-off series Dissidia Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy XV. Similar aerial combat scenes are also shown in the animated spin-off follow up movie to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children.

A sequel was immediately put into production. To tide fans over, an interquel was co-developed by Jupiter for the 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 re-released ever since.

Another side project 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 the events of 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 minigames. The site went defunct in 2013.

A proper console release came in 2009 with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (pronounced Three-Five-Eight Days Over Two). 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 minigame collection.

A prequel entry titled Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep released on PlayStation Portable in 2010. Based on the adventures of Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, the game is set ten years before the events of the first game and 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 released in 2012 as part of the series' 10th anniversary, and was the first game since Kingdom Hearts II to properly advance the story. The game was remastered as Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD in 2017.

In 2013, a web browser game titled Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] 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[Cross]. 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.

In addition to Kingdom Hearts χ, 2013 brought forth the beginning of compiling the series in HD remaster collections. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and remade cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days were compiled 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. That same year, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, an abbreviated cinematic adaptation of Kingdom Hearts χ titled Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover and an 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. The two collections were then placed into another collection for the PlayStation 4 as one called Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far.

All the way back in 2013, a teaser trailer revealed Kingdom Hearts III to be in development, with Nomura admitting the game was announced to the public far too early. Development progress was slow and steady, as Nomura was also directing Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Nomura ended up stepping down as director of Versus XIII due to him disagreeing with the direction the game was heading, which allowed him to focus more on the other two titles. Versus XIII eventually released in 2016, ten years after development started, as Final Fantasy XV.

Sporadic updates on Kingdom Hearts III occurred for many years after the initial reveal until it was finally released in early 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This game's story marked the end to the Dark Seeker Saga, which had been going on since the first game. Also in 2019, Kingdom Hearts VR Experience released exclusively on PlayStation VR as a walking simulator of various worlds. The series's first official piece of downloadable content was released roughly one year later as Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, which explains plot elements in the base game, reintroduces elements seen in Final Mixes, and opens the door to a brand new story arc for the franchise. Kingdom Hearts III would later be bundled with everything seen in the The Story So Far bundle and released as Kingdom Hearts All-In-One Package. A cloud version of this bundle with the edition of the Re Mind DLC, titled Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece, was revealed to be released on Nintendo Switch on October 5, 2021 during Sora's edition of Mr. Sakurai Presents, and was released on February 10, 2022.

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 Dream Drop Distance eight years prior.

On April 10, 2022, it was announced at the 20th Anniversary Event that Kingdom Hearts IV is in development, alongside a mobile midquel set between Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road called  Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, with a closed beta test set to release in 2022. The existence of Kingdom Hearts IV was previously leaked in November, 2021 as part of a list of games leaked from Nvidia, but was officially announced in this event.

The Kingdom Hearts franchise also comprises several other media, including soundtracks, several different series of manga and light novels, Ultimania novels, and a cancelled television series, which had its archives recovered in October 2022.

Sora, along with the franchise, and barring Disney and Pixar-related content, would be revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on October 5, 2021 as the last purchasable DLC character for both Fighters Pass Vol. 2 and the game overall. The crossover happened after many years of fans showing their support to the then unthinkable event. During the last Mr. Sakurai Presents video, it was explained that Sora was the most requested character in the Super Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot back in 2015, contrarily to Bayonetta who was the most requested character and realizable to include in Super Smash Bros. 4. In an interview featuring Tetsuya Nomura for the upcoming game Kingdom Hearts IV, he has commented on Sora's inclusion in Ultimate, which reveals Disney were supportive of adding him and the franchise in this game. However, Nomura was hesitant on adding Sora in Ultimate as he thought it would be tough to do it between both the franchise's lore and the Disney worlds, and Masahiro Sakurai's Super Smash Bros. series.

Likewise for Sakurai, he thought it was impossible to see it happen at first. However, he met by chance a higher-up at Disney during an awards show, which let him have the chance to ask about adding the franchise in Ultimate. During production, Sakurai had to make the reveal trailer "The Last Key" with a set of rules given by supervisors from Disney and Square Enix, and by respecting Kingdom Hearts's lore.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Kingdom Hearts universe makes its highly-requested debut in Challenger Pack 11 as part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2, in the form of a fighter, a stage, 10 music tracks (1 being obtainable with save data for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory), and 13 spirits.

Fighter

 * 82. SoraIcon(SSBU).png (DLC): The highly-requested main character of the series was revealed as the sixth and final downloadable newcomer of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. He is the last character to be added in Ultimate overall and released along with Hollow Bastion, 10 music tracks, and several spirits on October 18th, 2021.

Stage

 * HollowBastionIconSSBU.pngHollow Bastion (DLC): Hollow Bastion released alongside Sora as part of the final Challenger Pack. When time, stocks or health are running low, it turns into Dive to the Heart. The layout is the same, but the background changes, featuring numerous artistic designs from the series.

Source Tracks

 *  (DLC): The first battle theme in ', sourced from '.
 *  (DLC): A recurring battle theme, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 *  (DLC): A recurring battle theme, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 *  (DLC): The battle theme used for, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 *  (DLC): The 's theme used for some routes in Kingdom Hearts, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 *  (DLC): The eponymous location's theme, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 *  (DLC): The battle theme that plays in Hollow Bastion, sourced from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.
 * ' (DLC): A battle theme used for two events in Kingdom Hearts''; first for, then for the Dive to the Heart scenes, sourced from '.
 *  (DLC): The opening theme for Kingdom Hearts's E3 2001 trailer.
 * ''' (DLC): An arrangement of one of the common themes in the franchise, "", from '. This track is unlocked for players that have save data from the aforementioned game.

Victory Theme

 * Victory! Sora (DLC): Sora's victory theme is an arrangement of Hand in Hand, arranged by the original composer Yoko Shimomura.

Other
Hikari -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-, an orchestral version of the theme song from the original Kingdom Hearts, appears in Sora's reveal trailer.

Media with elements appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series
The Kingdom Hearts universe has media represented throughout the Super Smash Bros. series with a total of 13 games and medias. The latest game represented in this universe is , released on November 11, 2020.


 * Playable characters:
 * Sora debuts in this game as the main playable character.
 * Sora's design for his default costume is sourced from this game.
 * 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.
 * Stage:
 * Hollow Bastion: The stage originates from this game.
 * Stage elements:
 * In the Dive to the Heart section,, , and appear as background characters.
 * Spirits:
 * Sora, Riku, and Kairi appear as spirits.
 * Music:
 * "": The original version of "" comes from this game.
 * "Hikari -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-": Plays during the opening credits. Used for Sora's reveal trailer on October 5, 2021, although it is not available in the game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game. Used in the opening scene.
 * "": A recurring song that first appears in this game.
 * "": A recurring song that first appears in this game.
 * "": A recurring boss theme that first appears in this game.
 * "": A recurring song that first appears in this game. Most commonly the battle theme for.
 * "Victory! Sora": An arrangement of "Hand in Hand".
 * "": Heard during the Gummi Ship routes between, , , , and in this game. It is used for Sora's credits theme.
 * "": The main theme for the eponymous location, which first appears in this game.
 * "": Most commonly the battle theme for Hollow Bastion.
 * "": First used as the battle theme for, but most commonly used for Dive to the Heart scenes. Was used in Sora's reveal trailer.
 * Misc:
 * Aerith's retranslated name is canonized in this game.
 * Kingdom Hearts's series symbol is taken from the three pointed crown, which first appeared in this game.


 * Playable characters:
 * Sora's down air,, first originated in this title.


 * Stage elements:
 * In the Dive to the Heart section, appears as a background character.
 * Spirits:
 * appears as a spirit.


 * Playable characters:
 * Sora's design for his second costume is sourced from this game.
 * Sora's Timeless River, Valor, and Wisdom design for his fifth to seventh costumes respectively are sourced from this game.
 * Stage elements:
 * In the Dive to the Heart section, and  appear as background characters.
 * Spirits:
 * appears as a spirit.
 * Sora (Kingdom Hearts II) and Sora (Timeless River) use artwork from this game.


 * Spirits:
 * Terra, Ventus, and Aqua make their first appearances here.
 * Stage elements:
 * In the Dive to the Heart section, and, who made their first appearances here, appear as background characters.


 * Spirits:
 * appears as a spirit. Axel uses artwork from this game.


 * Stage elements:
 * In the Dive to the Heart section, and  appear as background characters.
 * Spirits:
 * ,, and appear as spirits.


 * Playable characters:
 * Some of Sora's voice clips originate from this game.


 * Playable characters:
 * Sora's design for his third costume is sourced from this game.
 * Many of Sora's voice clips originate from this game.
 * Spirits:
 * Sora (Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]) uses artwork from this game.


 * Spirits:
 * Sora, Riku, and Kairi use artwork from this game.
 * Music:
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.


 * Music:
 * "": Sourced directly from this game.

/

 * Playable characters:
 * Sora's design for his fourth costume is sourced from this game.
 * Sora's Ultimate form for his eighth costume is sourced from this game.
 * Stage elements:
 * The Stations of Awakening depicting Aqua, Terra, Roxas, and Riku are taken directly from Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, a DLC expansion for the game.
 * Spirits:
 * Sora (Kingdom Hearts III) uses artwork from this game.


 * Music:
 * "": The arranged version of "Dearly Beloved" is sourced from this game.

Trivia

 * Kingdom Hearts is the first crossover series to be primarily featured in a Super Smash Bros. title, itself being a crossover as well.
 * Though 's inclusion very much also represents, he primarily represents the series.
 * Kingdom Hearts is the third major universe to be owned by a foreign company, being owned by Disney, an American company. The first two, and, are both owned by Microsoft. Unlike the previous two, however, Kingdom Hearts is mainly developed in Japan.
 * Although characters from several Disney films play major parts in the Kingdom Hearts games, there are no references to these characters in Smash other than the keychain on Sora's Keyblade.
 * Kingdom Hearts is the third third-party universe in Smash to debut in the 21st century, following and Minecraft.
 * Kingdom Hearts is the only major universe primarily published by Square Enix to not have any Mii Fighter costumes in Smash.
 * ,, , and Kingdom Hearts are the only universes to not feature dubs other than English, in addition to , and who do not have English dubs, in the Super Smash Bros. series. In this case, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II introduced French, Spanish, and German dubs.
 * The Kingdom Hearts series holds a strong connection to the numbers seven and thirteen. A full list can be found here, but as an example, a pivotal plot point established in Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts III is 's goal of uniting seven "lights" and thirteen "darknesses" to forge the legendary, with the as the thirteen darknesses and the  as the seven lights. These numeric connections are heavily connected to and referenced in Sora's inclusion in Ultimate:
 * Sora was released in update 13.0.0, which was released thirteen days after his reveal, and included thirteen new spirits (five fighter spirits based on his various appearances, and eight from the rest of the Kingdom Hearts series).
 * When counting and  as separate fighters, Sora is the seventh fighter of Fighters Pass Vol. 2 and Ultimate's thirteenth DLC fighter overall.
 * Hollow Bastion features seven different stained glass character portraits known as Stations.