Kingdom Hearts' cast of characters has grown massive over its long run as a franchise. Such a large cast can be difficult to keep up with, but the series has done its best to wrap up loose ends for each character's story. During each development cycle, fans share their hopes for their favorite characters to come back and take action.
However, now that Kingdom Hearts 3 has ended the Dark Seeker Saga and a new chapter is beginning, some characters may be left behind. Paying attention to the patterns of the series and how it has evolved, predictions can be made on who's less likely to show up in any significant way in the next game.
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Final Fantasy characters have been part of the crossover appeal of Kingdom Hearts for years, but they were almost completely absent from Kingdom Hearts 3. Cid, Aerith, Squall (or Leon), and Yuffie only appeared in the Re:Mind DLC in minor roles. Twilight Town characters like Vivi and Seifer were completely absent from the game, and Cloud and Sephiroth were also missing. There were no new FF crossover characters at all in KH3.
Considering the dwindling appearances of FF characters as the series progresses, it seems very unlikely that the existing characters will appear in any significant way in KH4. New crossover characters are even more improbable; the last new addition was Zack in Birth By Sleep.
Yozora and the Verum Rex world as a whole has been understood by fans to essentially be a stand-in for Final Fantasy 15, and considering all of the similarities between Yozora and Noctis, that conclusion makes sense. Nomura's new original characters will most likely take the spotlight over existing Final Fantasy characters.
Master Xehanort's story, the Dark Seeker Saga, was meant to end with Kingdom Hearts 3. Knowing the franchise's patterns, and Dark Road's relevance, it's possible that the youngest Xehanort may show up anyway. However, the other "Norts" are less likely to appear.
Xemnas and Ansem disappeared when defeated, and their sign-offs had an air of finality. Considering they were a Nobody and Heartless respectively, it's unlikely they'll reappear as themselves. They most likely went back into the original Master Xehanort, who died in the end. Even though they were interesting characters, the Xehanort saga has come to an end, so bringing them back may complicate things more than necessary.
Kairi and Aqua are, ostensibly, major characters in the Kingdom Hearts lore. However, at this point it's not likely that either character will play a major role in the next game. It seems that every installment of the franchise finds a new way to write Kairi out of an active role; her heart is stolen, broken, or she's off training.
As of Melody of Memory, Kairi has taken Aqua as a mentor for even more training. Considering that Melody of Memory was expected to be a Kairi-centric game and that turned out to be untrue, it can be expected that this training will mostly take place offscreen. As such, Aqua will likely also be mostly written out of the story. This doesn't mean they'll be completely absent – they're still relevant characters. But the franchise's patterns suggest that their screen time will be limited.
The series has a spotty track record when it comes to original female characters. They're low in number, and they rarely take on active roles. Namine's new life as an individual person shows some potential for a storyline, but the specifics of what that would be are unclear. Xion's story has been wrapped up as of KH3, so it's unlikely she will be brought back in a major way either.
In terms of who will come back, the end of Union X and the KH3 secret ending suggest that the foretellers and Daybreak Town characters will be significant for the upcoming story. Yozora and Verum Rex characters have been set up as important as well. Fans have debated over the plausibility of The World Ends With You characters becoming relevant again, and considering the Shibuya setting and TWEWY's recent resurgence in visibility, the theory does have some weight. For now, all fans can do is wait for more KH4 news.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is not confirmed to be in development.
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