Although no sign of it has emerged since its 2022 reveal,Kingdom Hearts 4continues marching toward its inevitable release. Hearing something about it before 2025 passes is possible, especially ifKingdom Hearts: Missing Linkaccompanies it, but all that can be done for now is more waiting and theory formulating.Kingdom Hearts 3and itsReMindDLC concluded the series’ Dark Seeker Saga, andKingdom Hearts 4will officially mark the Lost Master Arc’s start, so fans have plenty of old information and lingering questions to mull over in the meantime.
Not only will the Lost Master Arc mark the first major narrative transition inKingdom Hearts, it will also take a large step towards the series' end. It’s too soon to say if Sora and company’s final battle will take place in the unreality of Quadratum or across time and space likeXehanort’s final showdown inKH3, but a mixture of old and new major players will need to start moving into place for the finale. Sora andKH Union Cross’s Strelitzia have been confirmed as two ofKH4’s returning heroes, but there should be more familiar faces dropping in as the game moves on.
Donald and Goofy
The first teaser trailer forKingdom Hearts 4only contained two other characters of substance, and those would be Donald and Goofy. By the looks of things, they appear to be paying Hades a visit to ask about something, potentially Quadratum’s existence as an alternate afterlife. PerKingdom Heartstradition, other series regulars like King Mickey, Yen Sid, and Kairi will probably appear in cutaway cutscenes acrossKH4, but Sora’s oldest party members have the best shot at actually dropping in on the action. Even thoughKingdom Hearts 4could develop a new party, the classics can’t be beat.
Riku
Sora’s oldest friend is a close runner-up, however, and Riku has a good shot at appearing inKingdom Hearts 4.Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memoryends with Riku using the Power of Waking in the Final World to try and reach Sora, and odds are he’ll succeed sooner or later. Like Donald and Goofy,Riku’s appearance inKingdom Hearts’ futureis basically a given, and the bigger question is how much of the spotlight he’ll have to share with any newcomers. Kairi should also return to complete the Destiny Island trio, but she and the Wayfinder trio may need to wait for another game.
Xehanort
Kingdom Hearts 4has a lot of loose threads to pull on, like Skuld’s whereabouts, the Nameless Star’s body, what’s in the Black Box, and so on, but this is also not a series that’s afraid of drawing on its old ideas. As Strelitzia shows, characters once thought dead or part of seemingly resolved storylines canreturn inKingdom Hearts 4, including Xehanort himself. Thanks to some Tetsuya Nomura artwork, a young iteration of Xehanort has been theorized to be returning on Sora’s side, and it’s hard to denyKingdom Hearts’ first main villain a chance to stick around until the series’ real finale.
Luxord
Quadratum, and the Lost Master Arc itself, have already begun building a stable of related characters that should appear inKingdom Hearts 4. The Master of Masters, Luxu, and the Foretellers should be stepping in as the new antagonist faction, whileKH3: ReMind’s Yozora should be around to serve as a parallel protagonist to Sora. However, Luxord’s Somebody is also implied to be a Quadratum inhabitant inReMind, and a suspicious amount ofattention was also drawn to Luxord acrossKH3and its DLC. Even among other Organization XIII members observed to have Keyblade wielder heritage, Luxord has the best shot at beating the odds and slipping intoKingdom Hearts 4.
