Kingdom Hearts is a series renowned for having an utterly baffling story filled with dozens of characters, narrative arcs, and pieces of lore. Although Kingdom Hearts 4 represents a sort of new start for the franchise, the reveal trailer likely proved confusing for many viewers not totally up to date. From a brand new look for Sora to Donald and Goofy wandering through darkness, there’s plenty to dig into in terms of lore and new story details. With that, here are 5 details you absolutely can’t miss in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer.
The Lost Masters Arc
The trailer opens with the declaration that this is the beginning of the “Lost Masters Arc,” but what exactly does that mean? We don’t exactly know who the Lost Masters are, but it’s incredibly likely that a character named the “Master of Masters” is going to be absolutely key to the new saga. The Master of Masters is a mysterious figure that first appeared in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, and he essentially created the Foretellers as well as the Book of Prophecies.
Master of Masters appears briefly in Kingdom Hearts 3, where it’s revealed he essentially set Xehanort on the path of darkness. During one particular scene, Xehanort asks the Master his name, and when the Master whispers it in his ear Xehanort looks shocked. The Lost Masters could refer to the Master of Masters himself, or it could refer to an unknown group related to him. By all indications, the Master is the most powerful keyblade wielder to ever live, and Lost Masters likely refers to a new group of villains similar to Organization XIII.
This will all likely tie into one of the secret endings of Kingdom Hearts 3, which shows Xigbar recovering Xehanort’s keyblade, as well as the mysterious black box mentioned throughout the game. The scene reveals that the Foretellers, outside of Ava, are all alive and seem to be key to Xigbar’s plan.
Who is Strelitzia?
Strelitzia is one of the more mysterious elements of the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer, but this isn’t the first time she’s appeared. She was a major character in Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, and one of a handful of keyblade wielders chosen to lead a Union, and later replace the Foretellers. Strelitzia began to feel uncomfortable with the plan to replace the Foretellers, and through investigation, she learned some kind of massive secret. She sets up a meeting with the player character to reveal this secret, but she’s killed by a shadowy figure before she can do so. From there, it’s not clear how she’s ended up in Quadratum, but if it truly is an “afterlife” it would make sense.
Another interesting detail is that Strelitzia is the younger sister of Laurium, a keyblade wielder who fell to darkness, and whose Nobody is Marluxia of Organization XIII.
Sora and Quadratum
Quadratum is a strange location that is basically the equivalent of real-life Japan, but the real trip is that Quadratum doesn’t actually exist. The city is from the world of Verum Rex, which is “fiction” within the universe of Kingdom Hearts. Somehow, when Sora used the Power of Awakening at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, he was erased from existence and ended up in the unreality of Quadratum. In the trailer, Strelitzia describes the city as a kind of afterlife to Sora, but another detail could reveal how things play out in Quadratum.
Strelitzia mentions Sora has been asleep for seven days since he appeared in the city, which is the same amount of time both Roxas and Ventus were in a comatose state when they lost their memories. This means that Sora may have forgotten literally everything that has happened, finding himself in this new foreign world. Because of that, Strelitzia could end up fulfilling a similar role to Namine in Chain of Memories, helping rebuild Sora as a person.
The Two Hooded Figures
As Sora battles Darkside in Quadratum we see two hooded figures watching the battle. One of these figures is likely the Master of Masters, but the identity of the other one is still unknown. The most likely candidate is Xigbar, who fakes his death in Kingdom Hearts 3 and reveals that he’s actually the Master’s apprentice, Luxu. There are some potential other candidates as well, though. We still don’t know the true identity of Demyx, another member of Organization XIII that seems suspiciously important to the series’ story. The secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 also shows Riku in Quadratum, likely looking for Sora, and it wouldn’t be the first time Riku has worn an Organization cloak. Of course, the other person could be an entirely new character that we haven’t met as well.
What Are Donald and Goofy Doing?
The end of the reveal trailer shows Donald and Goofy roaming through the darkness in search of someone. Based on who surprises the pair it seems like they’re searching for Hades, or at least someone in the Underworld. Considering Hades is the lord of the dead, the pair could be looking to him for help in entering the “Afterlife,” or in other words Quadratum. They could also potentially be searching for Auron, the Final Fantasy X guest character from Kingdom Hearts 2. Auron died but was able to come back, which is something the group would need some expertise on in order to bring Sora back to life.
