Kingdom Hearts 4 Being the Beginning of the End is a Sad but Necessary Reality

Kingdom Hearts 4 is one of gaming’s most anticipated JRPG titles, as it begins a new saga in the long-running franchise. 2019’s Kingdom Hearts 3 brought the Dark Seeker Saga to a close, with Sora finally defeating Xehanort for good. While few details have been shared as to the overall narrative and gameplay of Kingdom Hearts 4, the title is set to begin a mysterious new saga called the Lost Master Arc.

This past week did see some surprising news arrive, with franchise co-creator and director Tetsuya Nomura announcing that Kingdom Hearts 4 is the beginning of the end for the series. With the title marking the series’ first major shift, fans likely anticipated the Lost Master Arc to follow in the Dark Seeker’s footsteps, delivering an expansive narrative across a variety of titles. However, the Dark Seeker’s decades-long legacy is precisely why Kingdom Hearts 4 being the beginning of the end is a sad but necessary reality.

Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature a bold new experience, with the events of Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind placing both Sora and the Master of Masters in Quadratum, a non-reality separated from that of the Dark Seeker Saga. Announced during the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event in April 2022, the title has been steeped in mystery for over two years. With Nomura’s reveal that Kingdom Hearts 4 acts as the beginning of the end, fans are left to make sense of the series’ future. While the news is likely disappointing to many, a variety of contributing factors make the early framing for Kingdom Hearts’ next era a necessary perspective for fans as they enter this new era.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is Going to Reset Much of the Franchise

This past week, Tetsuya Nomura was interviewed by Young Jump, a Japanese seinen manga magazine, about his work on the recent Final Fantasy Remake series and Kingdom Hearts franchise. Speaking on Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura revealed that he has had the move to Quadratum planned since the very first game, before moving on to discuss the series at large. Nomura shared that Kingdom Hearts 4 and the upcoming mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link will act as a reset for the series. He even created a new logo so that fans would visibly recognize the distinct shift.

Nomura shares that Kingdom Hearts’ reset acts as both a narrative and franchise jumping-on point, as it welcomes fans both old and new into an adventure separated from that of the Dark Seeker Saga. He shares that he wanted Kingdom Hearts 3 to mark the end of the series as fans know it, and to make this new era feel different he has appointed new writers to lead the way. However, this saga will seemingly end the Kingdom Hearts series, and Nomura wants fans to know that going in. While this news may come as bittersweet to fans who have invested decades into the Kingdom Hearts series, Nomura goes on to share why now is the time to wrap things up for good.

Kingdom Hearts’ Nomura is Looking to Retire Soon

During his discussion on Kingdom Hearts’ future, Nomura revealed that KH4’s beginning-of-the-end nature is partly due to his own future plans. Nomura, who has been a part of Square Enix since Final Fantasy 4, is eyeing retirement in the next few years. When discussing Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura shared with Young Jump that he had to decide whether to retire or finish the Kingdom Hearts series first. He ended up deciding that he wanted to see Kingdom Hearts end in a satisfactory way, and has therefore approached the creation of Kingdom Hearts 4 with the full intention of completing the series’ story.

The Kingdom Hearts series’ released 13 mainline titles across its 22 years of existence, all of which are leading to Kingdom Hearts 4‘s kickoff of the Lost Master Arc. While the title’s designation as the beginning of the end is sad, the time has come for both the series and its co-creator. Kingdom Hearts is among the most legendary and beloved gaming series in history, and its ending is in no way due to its lack of invention, quality, or potential. Rather, it is proof of just how enduring the series is. After decades of narrative, the franchise still has one last story to tell.

Kingdom Hearts 4 may be the beginning of the end, but it’s also a celebration of all that has come before. Nomura’s interview proves that the series has been building to this moment since the very beginning. While Kingdom Hearts 4 delivers a reset of sorts, the title will usher in a conclusion that the series, and its co-creator, have been working towards since day one, and Nomura is inviting fans old and new to join this final adventure.