With the release of the ReMind expansion for Kingdom Hearts 3 finally out in the wild, fans were able to get some more answers to their remaining questions from Kingdom Hearts 3's ending. That being said, just like its predecessors, ReMind's finale and the Secret Episode have once again left players asking what's next for the franchise and what could be seen in the next Kingdom Hearts title.
First of all, it seems safe to say there will be a next Kingdom Hearts game. Tetsuya Nomura, the series' creative director, has previously confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 3 is only the conclusion of the "Dark Seeker Saga," meaning the end of Xehanort's reign of darkness. Nomura believes there are several other stories still waiting to be told in the world of Kingdom Hearts and doesn't want to settle with a clean ending in Kingdom Hearts 3.
It's understandably hard to tell where the series could possibly go next, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions left behind from Kingdom Hearts 3's base game as well as ReMind's conclusion, so we're not done yet. There are major plot SPOILERS for ReMind as well as Kingdom Hearts 3 ahead.
With the finale of ReMind now adding perspective to Kingdom Hearts 3's original ending, there's a few prevailing questions that still linger after Xehanort's defeat. What's in that black box that everyone is seeking, and what is its importance? Why are the foretellers back and what does Xigbar plan to do with them? Why does Luxord "feign ignorance" towards Xigbar's plans? These questions don't even come close to the most confusing aspect of ReMind, which is its Secret Episode: Who is Yozora really, and why does he need to "Save Sora"?
Who is Yozora?
Initially, Yozora was believed to be a nod to Nomura's original concept for Final Fantasy Versus 13, which laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Final Fantasy 15. Yozora is first seen in Kingdom Hearts 3 during the "Toy Box" world, where there is a trailer for the fictional "Verum Rex" video game. Outside of that little tidbit, Yozora was never to be seen again in the base game until the Secret Ending. Sora and Riku wake up in an ambiguous city where they are being watched by Yozora, and being followed by the Master of Masters. Many players just assumed this was a cute little nod to Nomura's previous Final Fantasy project before he went all-in on the development for Kingdom Hearts 3. All that changed when ReMind came out.
In a very unexpected twist, ReMind's Secret Episode reveals that Yozora is apparently also in the Final World with Sora after the events of ReMind. Sora recognizes him as the character from "Verum Rex," but Yozora doesn't immediately recognize Sora at all and asks how Sora can recognize him when he doesn't even look like himself. After Sora introduces himself, Yozora is taken abac, and asks why he's taken Sora's name. After some apprehension, Yozora believes they were fated to meet in the Final world, and he draws his weapon.
This is where things get even more confusing. The world briefly changes to Sora's Dive to the Heart, the dream-world mosaic that resembles someone's heart, and then phases into some kind of metropolitan city just ambiguous enough to make it impossible to pinpoint exactly where they are. Yozora then proceeds to tell Sora that he "accidentally wondered into this place and went through some trials," to which Yozora was then tasked to "Save Sora." Sora asks what he means, but Yozora doesn't answer and readies his weapon, which promptly begins the Secret Boss battle.
The kicker is after the Secret Boss battle, which has two endings for the Remind DLC, depending on if the player win or lose the fight. The "Good" Ending (if the boss fight is won) shows Yozora fading away, muttering to himself that his "powers are not needed yet," and Sora is returned to the Final World once again. The "Bad" Ending (if the boss fight is lost) shows Sora in defeat, crystallized into ice as Yozora tells him that he will save Sora. Whichever ending the player gets, both end in Yozora waking up in the backseat of a car exactly like how Noctis did in one of the first trailers for Final Fantasy Versus 13.
The Meaning Behind Kingdom Heart's Secret Ending
There are plenty of fan theories out there trying to interpret what's happening in this Secret Episode, and what it could possibly be teasing in Kingdom Hearts' future. Many are trying to connect the dots between the original Kingdom Hearts 3 Secret Ending as well as ReMind's Secret Ending. While many assumed that Kingdom Hearts 3's Secret Ending was more than just a slight nod to Final Fantasy Versus 13/15, ReMind's Secret Ending appears to confirm it's not just a reference. Yozora and the world of "Verum Rex" is now way more significant to Kingdom Hearts than just a fictional JRPG from the Toy Story world. There's plenty of nuance to ReMind's Secret Ending, but there's a ton of clues to pick apart.
Firstly, the vague city that's shown during both Secret Endings bears a slight resemblance to the fictionalized "Shibuya" from The World Ends with You, another Square Enix game Tetsuya Nomura worked on. For Kingdom Hearts, players should recognize The World Ends with You from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, where several of the main characters were in Traverse Town at the beginning of the game. It's also notable that Yozora mentions "Trials" brought him to this city, which could be in reference to the "Reaper's Game" that occurs throughout The World Ends with You and is also the game Neku and others are playing during Dream Drop Distance.
Going off of Dream Drop Distance, it could be possible that the city may be part of a dream world Sora is in. For players who remember, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance is all about awakening sleeping worlds, where different versions of worlds are in a dream state. Before the city materializes around them, Sora and Yozora go from the Final World to Sora's Dive into the Heart. These stained-glass mosaics symbolize a character's heart, but from the perspective of a dream. It could be possible that Sora's heart is asleep once again, and this city they are in could be another dream world, which is odd considering it's not a Disney world or a previously seen original world from Kingdom Hearts.
This leads into the last bit of information, which is the obvious nod to Final Fantasy Versus 13 at the end of the Secret Ending. Yozora wakes up in the back of a car, awoken by the driver yelling "Commander" at him. "Impressive, is it not?" the driver says, but if listening closely, he sounds very familiar. In fact, it's Luxord. The driver even bears a visual resemblance to Luxord, even though it's far too blurry to definitively say it's him.
At the beginning of ReMind, Luxord questions Xigbar and discovers that he's searching for the Black Box on his own accord, unknown to Xemnas, Ansem and even Xehanort. It's possible that Luxord is playing a part in Yozora's story that even Xigbar and others have yet to discover. More importantly, this could be hinting towards the first Final Fantasy world in Kingdom Hearts.
An Oath to Return
There are certainly threads between all of these clues, but it's hard to definitively say what to expect from the next Kingdom Hearts game. There's a clear focus on this dream-like city world from all sides of the story: Sora and Riku wake up in this dream world, Yozora watches over them from afar, and Xigbar is there with unclear intentions. If it turns out true, then Luxord is also there and seems to be under the command of Yozora or may be pretending with ulterior motives of his own.
It's possible that all of this information may be pointing to a larger focus on Final Fantasy influences in the next Kingdom Hearts game. Considering the direct nod that occurs in the car scene, it's absolutely a possibility. It also could mean Verum Rex is a dream world in Sora's conscience, which is why Sora need to be saved. Whatever happens, the world of Verum Rex appears to be far more important than just a cheesy fictional video game trailer, and it'll be fascinating to see what direction the next Kingdom Hearts goes in as a result.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is out now for PS4 and Xbox One.
