Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games created and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. This collaboration between the two companies was developed by Square employees, Japanese game designers Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto. Nomura is the director of the series.
The games combine characters and stories from various Disney properties with an original fictional universe. The series follows the main character, Sora, as he travels and interacts with Disney characters, as well as characters from Square Enix games such as Final Fantasy, The World Ends with You, and Einhänder. Original characters and locations unique to the series are also included.
There are thirteen games in the series available on multiple platforms, with more games planned for the future. Most of the games have been well-received and sold successfully. As of March 2022, the Kingdom Hearts series has sold over 36 million copies worldwide. A variety of merchandise has been released alongside the games, including soundtracks, action figures, books, light novels, a collectible card game, and a manga series.
Media
Kingdom Hearts is the first game in the series. It was released in Japan on March 28, 2002, for PlayStation 2. Tetsuya Nomura was the game director, and this was his first time in that role. The game introduced the main characters (Sora, Kairi, and Riku) and set up the story’s main ideas, including hearts and dark creatures called Heartless. It also included appearances by characters from the Final Fantasy series. The game was released in North America on September 17, 2002, with extra content not in the Japanese version. Later, it was re-released in Japan as Kingdom Hearts Final Mix on December 26, 2002. This version included the North American content plus new enemies, scenes, and weapons.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a direct sequel to the first game. It was released for Game Boy Advance in Japan on November 11, 2004. The game acted as a bridge between the first PlayStation 2 game and the next one, introducing ideas that would appear later. The gameplay used a card system, where players built decks of cards to perform actions like attacking or using magic. A remake called Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories was made for PlayStation 2, using 3D graphics instead of the original’s 2D images. The remake was released in Japan as part of a collection with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix on March 29, 2007, and as a standalone game in North America on December 2, 2008.
Kingdom Hearts II takes place one year after Chain of Memories. It was released for PlayStation 2 in Japan on December 22, 2005. The game explored the idea of "hearts" further by introducing new enemies called Nobodies, which are empty shells of people who became Heartless. The gameplay was similar to the first game but added a feature called Reaction Command, which required quick reflexes in battle. A revised version called Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was released, including more scenes and bosses. This version came out with Re:Chain of Memories in a collection titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ on March 29, 2007, in Japan.
Kingdom Hearts Coded is a mobile game that starts right after Kingdom Hearts II. The first episode was released in Japan on November 18, 2008, and eight more episodes followed between June 3, 2009, and January 28, 2010. A remake called Kingdom Hearts Re:coded was made for Nintendo DS, combining gameplay from two later games, 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep. Unlike the original, Re:coded was released internationally: Japan on October 7, 2010; North America on January 11, 2011; and Europe on January 14, 2011.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released for Nintendo DS in Japan on May 30, 2009. It takes place between the first and second games, focusing on Roxas’s time in Organization XIII and his reasons for leaving. It was the first game in the series to include cooperative multiplayer, where players could team up with others instead of just using AI-controlled partners. The game used mission-based gameplay with optional goals that gave extra rewards. It also had a unique panel system for managing character abilities and weapons.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the series. It was released for PlayStation Portable in Japan on January 9, 2010, and in North America on September 7, 2010, with extra content. The game takes place ten years before the first Kingdom Hearts game and shows the origins of the villain, Xehanort. It has four scenarios, three of which follow the main characters: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. A revised version called Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix was released in Japan on January 20, 2011, including content from the English version and a fifth scenario.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance was released for Nintendo 3DS in Japan on March 29, 2012. The game follows Sora and Riku as they prepare for a test called the Mark of Mastery under Yen Sid, while facing enemies from their past. It includes systems from Birth by Sleep and introduces "Dream Eaters," which can be allies or enemies. Players can collect, breed, and train Dream Eaters to make them stronger. The English version was released in Europe on July 20, 2012, and in North America on July 31, 2012.
Kingdom Hearts χ was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2012 as a browser game for PCs. It was playable only in Japan from July 2013 to September 2016. The game used 2D cartoon-style models and was a prequel to the series, showing events before the Keyblade War. An international version called Kingdom Hearts: Unchained χ was released for Android and iOS devices. It came out in Japan on September 3, 2015, North America on April 7, 2016, and Europe on June 16, 2016. In 2017, it was rebranded as Kingdom Hearts: Union χ with a new story. The game was later available on Amazon devices in 2019. In 2021, it was converted into a cutscene viewer and removed from stores in 2024. A mobile game called Kingdom Hearts Dark Road was released in 2020, set 70 years before Birth by Sleep, and explored Xehanort’s origins. It was developed by the same team as Union χ and became an offline game in 2022.
Kingdom Hearts III was announced in 2013 after years of delays. Tetsuya Nomura said his team was working on other projects like Final Fantasy XV and researching how to create high-definition graphics for next-generation consoles. The game was released on January 25, 2019, in Japan and January 29, 2019, worldwide. It follows Sora’s quest to regain his "Power of Waking" while Riku and Mickey search for Aqua, Terra, and Ventus to fight Xehanort. The game ends the "Dark Seeker Saga." A version called Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch in 2021 and 2024, including the Re Mind DLC. A cloud version for Switch was released in 2022 as part of the series’
Concept and design
Nomura wanted the hearts and the emotions and relationships connected to hearts to be a main idea in the games. Characters in the Kingdom Hearts series are made up of three parts: body, soul, and heart. The body serves as a container for the heart and soul, while the soul gives the body life. The heart stores memories and provides feelings, light, and darkness.
The Kingdom Hearts games are split into different levels called "worlds," which players explore. Each world looks different, usually based on a Disney movie or setting. The graphics of the worlds match the art style of the original Disney films, and the worlds are filled with characters from those films. For example, Hercules and Philoctetes appear in Olympus Coliseum from the movie Hercules, and Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie appear in Agrabah from the movie Aladdin. The game worlds include connected areas where battles and story events take place. Players move between worlds in different ways depending on the game, such as the "Gummi Ship" in the first Kingdom Hearts game, the "Keyblade glider" in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the "Corridors of Darkness" in 358/2 Days, and the "Sleeping Keyholes" in Dream Drop Distance. Some worlds created for the series look similar to other worlds and mostly feature characters from Square Enix games or original characters.
Although Disney allowed director Tetsuya Nomura to choose which characters and worlds to include in the games, he and his team tried to follow the established roles of characters and the settings of the worlds. Nomura found it difficult to keep all the worlds consistent. After deciding how many worlds to include in the game universe, Nomura selected ones he believed would fit the series' story. His choices were reviewed by his team and Disney representatives. He aimed to use the same number of worlds in each game and reduce similarities between the looks and settings of different worlds. To do this, he and his team grouped Disney worlds based on their appearance and setting. For example, a world based on The Jungle Book was not included in the first game because it looked too similar to Deep Jungle from Tarzan. They also considered worlds with Disney characters that would be interesting, such as a Mulan world for its unique atmosphere. The Tron world was designed to copy the look of an old computer game from the 1982 film. Nomura got the idea to include this world after seeing a Disney employee working on Tron 2.0. He believed the world’s unique appearance would make it enjoyable for players.
Common elements
Kingdom Hearts includes characters from Disney and Square Enix, as well as new characters created by Nomura. The game series features worlds from Disney movies, and Sora travels to these places to help protect them from enemies. His actions often follow the stories of the Disney films. The main characters avoid interfering with other worlds to keep the universe in balance. Final Fantasy characters, such as Moogles, also appear in the games. Moogles run a shop where players can create or buy items. Characters from The World Ends with You, like Neku Sakuraba and Joshua, appear in Dream Drop Distance. Kingdom Hearts III includes characters from Pixar films, such as Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., as well as Schwarzgeist from Einhänder. However, Disney sometimes limits the use of characters. For example, Nomura wanted to include Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Kingdom Hearts III, but Disney said it would be "too difficult" to use.
Heartless are creatures born from the darkness of people’s hearts. They lack a soul and try to take others’ hearts. When a Heartless is created, the body left behind becomes a Nobody. Nobodies usually look monstrous, but members of Organization XIII keep their human forms because they remember their original selves. If both a Heartless and its Nobody are defeated, the original person is brought back.
Unversed are creatures introduced in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. They are made from Vanitas’ emotions and feed on negativity. Vanitas uses them to fight Ventus as part of Xehanort’s plan to get the χ-blade. When defeated, the Unversed’s negativity returns to Vanitas, letting him recreate them. After Vanitas is destroyed in Kingdom Hearts III, the Unversed no longer exist.
Dream Eaters appear in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. They are dark beings that live in worlds separated from light and search for keyholes. There are two types: hostile "Nightmares," which destroy good dreams and act as enemies, and benevolent "Spirits," which players can summon to fight Nightmares. Cat-like Dream Eaters called Chirithy appear as NPCs in Kingdom Hearts χ and Kingdom Hearts III.
Heartless are born from the darkness in people’s hearts and lack a body or soul. They are the most common enemies in the series and try to take hearts from other worlds. Their name comes from the fact that they have no heart, even though they originated from people’s hearts. Before the first Kingdom Hearts, Heartless were mostly found in the realm of darkness, but strong-willed people could summon them to the realm of light. Later, Xehanort and his apprentices created artificial "Emblem" Heartless by corrupting living hearts. These Heartless have an insignia on their bodies and release hearts when defeated. If the Keyblade is not used to defeat them, the hearts go to the realm of darkness and become Heartless again. This, along with Maleficent’s quest to collect the seven Princesses of Heart, makes Heartless common in the realm of light.
Heartless usually act on instinct, but they obey those with strong wills. In worlds closer to darkness, they are more powerful and hard to control. They enter worlds through "corridors of darkness," which are unpredictable paths connecting different worlds.
When Heartless are created, the body and soul of people with strong hearts who lost their hearts to darkness become Nobodies. Nobodies lack hearts and are "nothing," but they still exist in the universe. Over time, they can gain new hearts. Nobodies usually look deformed, but Organization XIII members keep their human forms because they remember their original selves. Each member of the Organization controls a Nobody that matches their fighting style, like jobs in Final Fantasy.
Nobodies have an insignia—an upside-down, broken heart—that complements the Heartless emblem. When defeated, a Nobody disappears until its Heartless counterpart is destroyed, allowing the original being to return.
Two Nobodies, Roxas and Naminé, are special cases. Roxas was created when Sora used Xehanort’s Keyblade to release his heart, but he exists alongside Sora. Roxas resembles Ventus instead of Sora because he holds Ventus’s heart and lacks Sora’s memories. Naminé was born from Kairi’s heart through Sora’s body and can change the memories of Sora and others.
Unversed are creatures from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep that feed on negativity. Vanitas uses them to fight Ventus as part of Xehanort’s plan to get the χ-blade. When defeated, their negativity returns to Vanitas, letting him recreate them. After Vanitas is destroyed in Kingdom Hearts III, the Unversed no longer exist.
In Kingdom Hearts Coded, software bugs called "Bug Blox" or "Bugs" are the main antagonists. King Mickey investigates a message in Jiminy Cricket’s journal, which Naminé left, by digitizing the book. However, the message causes problems, leading to the Bugs’ appearance.
Development and history
The idea for Kingdom Hearts started when Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi talked about Super Mario 64. They wanted to create a game with movement in three dimensions like Super Mario 64 but thought only characters as popular as Disney’s could compete with a Mario game. Tetsuya Nomura, who heard their conversation, offered to lead the project, and the two agreed. Later, Hashimoto met a Disney executive in an elevator (Square and Disney shared the same building in Japan at the time) and pitched the idea directly to Disney. Development began in February 2000, with Nomura as director and Hashimoto as producer. Though Nomura had worked on the Final Fantasy series as a monster designer and graphic director, he became widely known after designing characters for Final Fantasy VII. Kingdom Hearts marked his first role as a game director, even though he also designed the game’s characters. Kazushige Nojima, who wrote stories for Square from Final Fantasy VII until 2003, provided the game’s scenarios. At first, the development focused on gameplay with a simple story to appeal to Disney’s target age group. After Hironobu Sakaguchi, the game’s executive producer, told Nomura the game would fail if it did not match the quality of the Final Fantasy series, he worked to improve the story. In June 2013, Nomura explained the game’s name came from thinking about Disney Theme Parks, especially Animal Kingdom. Since he could not use just “Kingdom” for the title, the team added “heart” to create “Kingdom Hearts.”
Nomura included a secret trailer in Kingdom Hearts to encourage fans to want a sequel. He was unsure if fans would want a sequel and planned to leave some events unexplained if they did not. After Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was completed, development for Kingdom Hearts II began. Before starting the sequel, the team faced challenges, including wanting to include Mickey Mouse more prominently, as his role in the first game was limited. Nomura originally planned for the sequel to take place a year after the first game and intended to leave that year’s events unexplained. To connect the two games, the team developed Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Nomura was hesitant to make a Game Boy Advance game because he thought the original game’s 3D graphics would not work well in 2D. He changed his mind after learning children wanted to play the game on a handheld system.
Although Disney allowed Nomura to use characters and worlds from its properties, he and his team tried to stay within the established roles of characters and the boundaries of the worlds. Nomura said that even though Disney characters are usually not dark or serious, they fit the story well and kept their personalities. He also found it difficult to manage multiple worlds. When choosing which worlds to include, the team focused on interesting Disney characters and tried to avoid making the worlds look too similar.
The inclusion of Final Fantasy characters was based on fan and staff opinions. Another factor was whether the characters would fit the story and the Kingdom Hearts universe. At first, Nomura was hesitant to use characters he did not design because he was unfamiliar with their backgrounds. For Kingdom Hearts II, he changed his mind after pressure from his team. Throughout the games’ development, Nomura often left events and character connections unexplained until future games. He does this to allow fans to imagine and speculate, believing that even old games can remain enjoyable through fan ideas.
Promotion and marketing
The first Kingdom Hearts game was announced at E3 in May 2001. It was a partnership between Square and Disney Interactive. The game would include worlds created by both companies and feature Disney characters. New characters, designed by Nomura, included Sora, Riku, Kairi, and the Heartless. On May 14, 2002, an official statement listed the English voice actors for the game. The actors named were Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher, and Hayden Panettiere, who voiced the three new characters. It was also announced that Disney characters would be voiced by actors from their original Disney films.
A secret trailer in the first Kingdom Hearts and its Final Mix version suggested the possibility of a sequel. Rumors about a sequel on the PlayStation 2 began in Japan when a website called Quiter reported that an unnamed source at Square Japan confirmed development of Kingdom Hearts II had started. These rumors were confirmed in September 2003 when Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories were officially announced at the Tokyo Game Show. Details stated that Kingdom Hearts II would take place after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which happens directly after the first game. Other details included the return of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, as well as new costumes. At the 2004 Square Enix E3 press conference, the producer, Shinji Hashimoto, said many mysteries from the first game would be explained.
To promote the games, websites were created for each game, and demos were shown at gaming events. Each main series game was re-released in Japan with extra content and updated versions considered official. This additional content hinted at future story elements. These re-releases added the term "Final Mix" to the titles. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Coded were re-released as Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, respectively. These versions were released on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS with 3D graphics, voiceovers in some scenes, and new game content.
Square Enix and Disney have created many Kingdom Hearts products, including toys, figurines, clothing, and jewelry. Soundtracks for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II were released with the games. Later, a nine-CD collection included both soundtracks and unreleased songs. Kingdom Hearts was also adapted into a trading card game by Tomy Corporation in Japan. An English version of the card game was released in November 2007 by Fantasy Flight Games. The video games have also been turned into manga and novel series.
Like the Final Fantasy games, "Ultimania" books were released in Japan for many Kingdom Hearts games. These books include game guides, interviews, and developer notes. Kingdom Hearts -Another Report- was released with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ and includes game details, artwork by Shiro Amano, and a director interview. In North America, Brady Games published strategy guides for each game. For Kingdom Hearts II, two versions were released: a standard version and a limited-edition version. The limited edition had four different covers and included a copy of Jiminy's Journal and 400 stickers.
Reception
The Kingdom Hearts series has been very successful in both sales and reviews. As of March 2014, the series sold more than 20 million copies around the world. The three main games in the series sold well when they were first released. In the first two months after the North American release of Kingdom Hearts, it was one of the top three best-selling video games. Chain of Memories sold 104,000 units in 48 hours in Japan, which was a record for a Game Boy Advance game at the time. It ranked first on sales charts in Japan. In its first month in North America, it was ranked 1st on GameSpot's ChartSpot for portable systems and 6th for all consoles. Within three days of the release of Kingdom Hearts II in Japan, it shipped 1 million copies and sold out within a month. By March 2006, the NPD Group reported that Kingdom Hearts II was the highest-selling console game in North America, with 614,000 copies sold. In the first month of its North American release, it sold an estimated 1 million copies. As of February 2019, the series sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. This number reached over 35 million copies by October 2021. On April 11, 2022, it was reported that Kingdom Hearts III sold 6.7 million copies by September 2021, surpassing the previous best-selling title in the series, which had sold 6 million copies. As of March 2022, the series sold more than 36 million copies worldwide.
The games received high scores and positive comments from reviewers. All main games in the series scored 36 out of 40 or higher from Famitsu, a Japanese gaming magazine known for its strict scoring system. All six games were praised for their visuals. Game Informer listed the series as one of the top 11 must-play PlayStation 2 series. The individual games won several awards. GameSpot noted that combining the serious elements of Final Fantasy with the lighter elements of Disney seemed difficult but was done well. Because of this, they named Kingdom Hearts "Best Crossover Since Capcom vs. SNK" in their 2002 awards. IGN named Kingdom Hearts "Best Art Style/Direction" in their 2003 list of best-looking PS2 games. G4 awarded it "Best Story" at their 2003 G-Phoria awards. Electronic Gaming Monthly named Kingdom Hearts II "Best Sequel" of 2006. It tied with Resident Evil 4 as Famitsu's Game of the Year 2005. The manga series was also well received, with several volumes listed on USA Today's "Top 150 Best Sellers." The highest-ranked volume, Kingdom Hearts volume 4, reached #73. Every listed volume stayed on the list for at least two weeks; volume 4 stayed the longest at four weeks.
The series' setting received mostly positive reviews from critics. After the first game's announcement, some publications were unsure about its success. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer said the combination of Final Fantasy and Disney elements worked well with new content. Another Game Informer reviewer, Matt Miller, called the concept a "hard sell" but believed the franchise's formula was successful. The graphics were praised for their similarity to the source material. IGN said the game's worlds looked like their movie versions. Japanese site Gpara.com also praised the game's visuals. GameSpot called the worlds "wonderfully rich familiar environments," and GamePro described them as "spot-on with the original movies."
After the first game's release, the Disney settings were well received. Scott Marriott of Allgame said the Disney settings were the most attractive feature and praised the level designs for including familiar elements from Disney films. He noted that even though the stages were small, interacting with beloved characters and exploring familiar settings was enjoyable. Maura Sutton of Computer and Video Games said the Disney elements helped create the game's "astounding worlds" and called it a "delightful mixture of two enchanted worlds." Critics of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories were disappointed by the limited number of new worlds. Bryan Intihar of 1UP.com praised the environments in Kingdom Hearts II, calling them appealing and an improvement over the first game. He described the level designs as "impeccable" and noted that changes to previous worlds made them feel fresh. In contrast, Reiner described the Disney elements in Kingdom Hearts II as "tacked on."