Coming into 2025, there has not been any word about Kingdom Hearts 4 since its reveal back in 2022. Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link was delayed to an unannounced date back in November 2024, and while a 2025 release feels likely, it’s also up in the air. The Kingdom Hearts franchise having an unclear schedule is not a new phenomenon, though hopefully, Kingdom Hearts 4 won’t take the nearly six years that Kingdom Hearts 3 did to launch. Regardless, 2025 is another chance for Kingdom Hearts to show signs of life, and its fans will be eagerly waiting no matter what comes next.
A lot of information has yet to be revealed about Kingdom Hearts 4, but that passionate community is more than willing to fill any dead air with speculation. The teaser trailer for KH4, along with the secret ending for KH3 and the final scenes of Melody of Memory, have given them a lot to chew on, and like all Kingdom Hearts entries, there will surely be swerves and cameos that no one can predict. Guessing the Disney world selection for Kingdom Hearts 4 has been a common pastime, but one of the more exciting variants involves puzzling out the party members that those worlds can provide.
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The Ideal Party Members for Kingdom Hearts 4
Donald and Goofy
While moving on to the new is important, Kingdom Hearts has always been about paying homage to the classics, and few things are more classic within KH than the trio of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Sora is expected to stay apart from them for most of Kingdom Hearts 4‘s duration, but having a reunion near the end would make for a great moment. As always, Goofy can bring his considerable strength and endurance to bear, while Donald’s offensive and curative magic can benefit from KH4’s hopefully refined party AI. No matter what happens, fans have not seen the last of Donald and Goofy, and should be able to go on adventures with them again at some point in the series’ future.
Strelitzia
Hailing from the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross mobile game, Strelitzia, or a girl who looks just like her, appears in the mysterious unreality of Quadratum to greet Sora. What Strelitzia is doing in Kingdom Hearts 4 is unknown, but her appearance in Quadratum’s ambiguous afterlife will no doubt be explained at some point. To get there quicker, it would be ideal, and exciting for mobile fans, if Strelitzia actually ventures out alongside Sora as a party member. Having a girl join Sora as a permanent party member would be a first for Kingdom Hearts, even if many fans had preferred Kairi to land that role instead.
Riku
Still, the writing on the wall does indicate that Sora’s oldest friends will join him again before Kingdom Hearts is over for good, and Riku may be the first. As Melody of Memory revealed, he has begun using the Power of Waking to pursue Sora, Riku will no doubt show up in the worlds of unreality at some point. Whether that’s as a special party member like in Kingdom Hearts 2 again, or as a mid-game legacy addition to KH4’s team of newcomers, his presence would be welcomed by many fans hoping to see more Sora and Riku team-ups.
Yozora
Riku will turn up eventually, but there’s someone else already in Quadratum who could take his place. Yozora was introduced as a gag in Kingdom Hearts 3’s Toy Story world, but turned out to be very real and relevant in KH3’s secret ending and ReMind DLC. As shown in the trailer for his fictional video game Verum Rex, a Kingdom Hearts spin-off dedicated to Yozora could give him his own party, but it would be cool to see him lend his monstrously strong bonus boss abilities to Sora’s cause. Whether or not that happens, Yozora’s many mysteries need to be addressed.
Other Returning Keyblade Masters
Quadratum hasn’t been shown in detail yet, but it seems like the best place for Kingdom Hearts’ large cast of original characters to strut their stuff on the battlefield. The Wayfinder trio from Birth By Sleep and the Sea Salt trio from 358/2 Days are obvious fan favorites that should be playable again at some point, while King Mickey and Kairi could both use more time to shine. However, certain Keyblade wielders like Lauriam, Elrena, Ava, Skuld, and even Luxord’s Somebody would also get big pops if they appear as party members, and all hold some of Kingdom Hearts’ hanging story threads to boot. Even a reborn Young Xehanort isn’t out of the question.
Luke Skywalker
To some, however, the biggest question isn’t which original Kingdom Hearts characters will end up as companions, but rather which Disney ones will appear as world-exclusive allies. Among these, there’s little more enticing than the idea of Sora teaming up with Star Wars’ own Luke Skywalker. Even though it still isn’t confirmed whether Kingdom Hearts 4 will have a Star Wars world or not, no single character would line up for as many cool and interesting moments as the original trilogy’s young Luke, and KH4 can’t pass up the chance to make them happen.
New Disney and Square Enix Party Members
Of course, there’s going to be more than one crossover in Kingdom Hearts 4, and that means more opportunities for Disney and maybe even Square Enix party members. Franchises that Kingdom Hearts hasn’t visited before should take precedence in KH4, so some of the more exciting potential additions include:
- Moana — Moana and Maui
- Coco — Héctor
- The Incredibles — The Parr Family
- Marvel — Anyone, but especially Spider-Man
- Treasure Planet — Jim Hawkins
- Final Fantasy — Anyone new, but FF15’s Noctis would be a great meta-joke.
- NEO: The World Ends With You — Sho Minamimoto
- Dragon Quest — Anyone
Even if it can only grab a few highlight companions, Kingdom Hearts 4 could host some of the best KH team-ups yet.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.
- Franchise
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Kingdom Hearts
- Platform(s)
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PS5
, Xbox Series X|S - Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- ESRB
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e