It has been three years since Kingdom Hearts 3 was released, and though there has been no concrete news of what is in store for the future, fans are expecting more from this popular series. Square Enix has a lot to work with, too, as it can further explore characters both old and new. However, the series will definitely struggle to thrive as it once did if it does continue. One major reason for this is that Organization 13 will no longer be around.
The organization was introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, and they drove fans wild at the time. They were a found family of villains with unique personalities and complex relationships. Many fans cared about their stories more than the Sora, Riku, and Kairi. By the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, though, its obvious Organization 13 is done. Its story is over, and the series (if it continues) will suffer from the group's absence.
What Made Them So Popular With Fans
Giving the 13 members big and memorable personalities and unique quirks was necessary when they all wore the same outfit that hid their faces. This individuality and memorability were put into their battle strategies, their voice acting, favorite words, height differences, interactions, and even the way they moved. A fan could watch them all hooded but still know who is who because of how well their characters were fleshed out. Despite them being mostly villains, it was a comfort to know them so easily.
When they were introduced, the biggest audience for the Kingdom Hearts series was also preteen to teenage girls. That also helped with Organization 13s popularity, as all but two characters were men. A lot of players either had a crush on Axel or just adored the relationship between him and Saix and/or Roxas. They were characters fans loved to ship, cosplay, make fan art about, and fan fiction of, and to a way higher degree than the main characters. This was because the Organization characters were older and edgier than Sora, Riku, and Kairi, which left a lot more room for preteen and teenage fans to play around with mature themes. They also got a lot more screen time than Kairi ever did.
Not every Organization member was equal though, as the fan favorites like Axel and Demyx stood far up the ladder in popularity from members like Luxord and Xaldin. Fans loved the more effeminate members who were not serious all the time and were sometimes even lazy. Square Enix saw Axel's popularity and definitely gave fans what they wanted with him joining the good guys. By the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, the Organization is no more and all have either been defeated or joined the heroes; all except one.
Could Organization Members Be In Kingdom Hearts 4?
The Organization itself is finished, but members could be involved in another Kingdom Hearts game. The biggest possibility for this is Xigbar, who turned out to be far more than just a member of the Organization. He was actually a keyblade master and the apprentice of the Master of Masters a long time ago. He had a hidden agenda that was not fulfilled, so he may try to re-enact a Keyblade War again from the shadows or take a more upfront approach in future games. Saix, Axel, Xion, and Roxas taking a big role would be a popular choice for a future title, but the likelihood of that is very small since their stories have reaches such a neat and tidy conclusion.
Unfortunately, it was not exactly the individual members that caused such a craze back in the 2000s. The fans really loved the found family aspect of the Organization as a whole. It was like a narrative ecosystem fans really could play with outside the game. There were entire Youtube channels made by cosplayers acting as the characters, social media accounts dedicated to online roleplay, and so many edited music videos as well as goofy skits. The Organization really put Kingdom Hearts at its height, and without it, the series will be missing something special, even if some characters from it remain.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is not known to be in development.