Kingdom Hearts 4 remains one of the most eagerly anticipated upcoming games in the industry. Announced with a short trailer back in 2022 as part of the franchise’s 20th-anniversary stream, Square Enix has gone extremely quiet on Kingdom Hearts 4 ever since. As a result, fans have taken to speculating where the publisher will go with the game’s new storyline, as this title will begin the “Lost Master” arc following the conclusion of the “Dark Seeker” saga in 2019’s Kingdom Hearts 3.
Perhaps one of the biggest sources of speculation about Kingdom Hearts 4 concerns what Disney-based worlds will be featured in the game. As the franchise has always been built as a crossover between the Final Fantasy franchise and the Disney brand, it’s always exciting to see what Disney films will appear throughout the series. With Kingdom Hearts 4, Square Enix has a chance to represent one very popular recent Walt Disney Animation Studios film: Zootopia.
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Zootopia Is Primed For An Appearance In Kingdom Hearts 4
Nomura’s Previous Kingdom Hearts 4 Teases Fit Well For Zootopia
The world of Zootopia fits perfectly for Kingdom Hearts 4 in how it’s a diverse and densely-populated city, while also maintaining an element of realism despite being entirely populated by animals. The city setting would also fit the game’s ambitions, as series director Tetsuya Nomura has noted that, in Kingdom Hearts 4, players will get to experience more of Sora’s normal day-to-day life. With this in mind, placing Sora in a city like Zootopia can allow the players to see some of his daily routines come into play, while also showing how he adjusts those routines to a city filled with animals.
To that end, placing Sora in the world of Zootopia would also allow the developers to turn him into an animal, thus bringing unique gameplay mechanics to this specific world. Sora has obviously turned into animals when he’s traveled to different Disney worlds in previous Kingdom Hearts games, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to do it again here. Given how big the population of Zootopia is, Square Enix has a lot of room to experiment with what kind of animal it would like Sora to be.
Zootopia’s Popularity Makes it Appropriate to Appear
It probably doesn’t hurt that Zootopia is an incredibly popular film, which increases its chances of being represented in Kingdom Hearts 4. After all, in its initial theatrical run, Zootopia grossed over $1 billion and became one of the most financially successful films in the storied Walt Disney Animation Studios canon. Of course, popularity doesn’t automatically mean a film earns a spot in Kingdom Hearts, but it certainly helps Zootopia’s case for inclusion.
Also worth pointing out is the fact that Zootopia is very popular in developer/publisher Square Enix’s home country, Japan. Outside of America, Japan was Zootopia’s second-biggest international market with $70.1 million thanks to tremendous holds following its opening weekend, along with a viral Japanese version of the film’s theme song “Try Everything.” As a result of the cultural phenomenon, Nomura and his team have to be very aware of Zootopia, and the film’s success in Japan no doubt increases the likeliness of it making a greater appearance in Kingdom Hearts 4.
Zootopia 2’s Arrival Only Benefits Kingdom Hearts 4
Square Enix also has the perfect opportunity to bring Zootopia to Kingdom Hearts 4, as Disney is set to officially release Zootopia 2 later this year. If Kingdom Hearts 4 is ready to go anytime close to the film’s release, Square and Disney can position it as a pseudo-tie-in to the movie. Plus, even if Kingdom Hearts 4 is still a few years away, the release of Zootopia 2 will give Square even more to work when building its world for the game.
Without question, Kingdom Hearts 4 is going to see some new Disney-based representation, as Square has plenty to play with between Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, or perhaps introducing Marvel and Star Wars to the fold. Putting it all together, though, Zootopia seems like the perfect film to integrate into Kingdom Heats 4 in the form of a world. With Zootopia 2 on the way later this year, here’s hoping Square Enix manages to “Try Everything” it can to team Sora, Donald, and Goofy with Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps in the world of Zootopia.
