Highlights
- The tradition of having multiple playable characters in the Kingdom Hearts series is likely to continue in Kingdom Hearts 4, with Sora's allies playing a role in gameplay.
- Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union X appears to be making a return, which could mean she's playable in Kingdom Hearts 4.
- Riku and Yozora are contenders for the other playable slot in Kingdom Hearts 4, with Riku already confirmed to be involved and Yozora likely getting a significant role in the game's story.
Another year will soon end without further updates on Kingdom Hearts 4. While fans are hopeful that it won't have as lengthy a development cycle as Kingdom Hearts 3, there's still an expectation that news won't come until 2024 at the earliest. The little that's known paints Kingdom Hearts 4 as a major shift for the series, beginning the new Lost Master Arc in earnest and expanding Kingdom Hearts 3's massive Worlds even further. No one knows how this venture will turn out, but Kingdom Hearts' community has plenty of time to speculate along the way.
Series protagonist Sora is currently trapped in the mysterious city of Quadratum after sacrificing himself in Kingdom Hearts 3 to ensure his friends' safety. Joined by what appears to be Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union X, Sora will have to navigate this new setting while his old allies search for ways to get him back home. Kingdom Hearts' extended cast will still play a role in KH4's story despite its isolated setting, and that means a series tradition allowing them to help should be kept alive.
Kingdom Hearts Never Lets Sora Fight Alone
Since Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, almost every Kingdom Hearts title has included more than one playable character. The exact circumstances of this have varied, ranging from Riku's parallel campaign in Chain of Memories to Roxas' prologue at the start of Kingdom Hearts 2, but only a few games have dropped the trend at this point. Now that Kingdom Hearts 3 has gone out of its way to include sequences with other player characters and its DLC added even more, it's clear that Kingdom Hearts values its companions in gameplay as much as it does in story.
Since Kingdom Hearts' accessible combat template can easily transfer to other Keyblade wielders, Kingdom Hearts 4 should continue this trend. Sora may be in Quadratum, a remote part of Kingdom Hearts' multiverse, but familiar faces are already converging on the realm. The closest one is Strelitzia, though she could end up as mission control. It would be great to see her take up a Keyblade again as a party member, but she hasn't had enough screen time yet to predict her role. That leaves two other potentially playable protagonists, and it will be interesting to see how KH4 handles each of them.
Riku and Yozora Are Competing For Kingdom Hearts 4's Other Playable Slot
Donald and Goofy may not be able to accompany Sora like normal in Kingdom Hearts 4, but his other best friend is already on the way. As part of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory's ending, Riku used the Power of Waking to travel directly from the Final World to Quadratum. Coming back won't be as easy, but Kingdom Hearts' iconic rival should be able to reprise his old role as Sora's playable counterpart in the meantime. KH3's Secret Movie already teased Riku landing in Quadratum, so it's a question of when, not if, Riku will be relevant.
However, Riku isn't the only white-haired rival available. Yozora, the secret final boss of Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind foreshadowed by the base game, seems to be somewhere in or near Quadratum. With a significantly different fighting style, Yozora would be fascinating to control, and doing so may be likelier than playing as Riku again. Dialogue from himself and the Nameless Star has implied he's already been through a game's worth of intrigue, so a significant portion of the Lost Master Arc could be devoted to Yozora's story. Fans will have to see which of them takes point once Kingdom Hearts 4 resumes its marketing.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently in development.