Have we gotten over our Kingdom Hearts III hangover yet? We ready to get into some super secret spoilers? If the answer is no, bookmark this and come back later, because this will be filled with spoilers ahoy. I won’t even apologize for it.
We good now? Okay, because hoo boy is there so much to say about the Kingdom Hearts III endings. Yes, I did say “endings,” because there is the Ending, the Epilogue, and the Secret Ending. The latter two warrant an incredible amount of discussion to say the least. So let’s dive directly into the heart, shall we?
Examining the Epilogue
Do you remember that movie included with Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue? It was called Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, which, to be fair, is a pretty forgettable name in a series of insane names. To recap, six Keyblade Masters from the past were tasked with forming Unions of Keyblade Wielders (aka the Kingdom Hearts Union χ mobile game) to prevent a prophecy regarding the end of the World. They end up fighting amongst themselves out of fear that someone is a traitor. It doesn’t help that their Master of Masters suddenly disappeared. During this in-fighting, one Master, Luxu, runs off with a Keyblade called “No Name” and a mysterious black box to the Keyblade Graveyard.
At the time, this seemed to be an odd attempt at bridging together the mobile game and the other games found in Kingdom Hearts 1.5, 2.5, and 2.8. Another way that Square Enix is shoehorning something else in there for it all to make sense, if you will. The developer has done it several times before, so why should this be any different?
Hahahaha, Square Enix laughs in your face. With its Epilogue.
It’s easy to forget (because it’s been awhile) that Xehanort’s Keyblade is the No Name Keyblade Luxu ran off with. I completely forgot until I saw Luxu with it in the Epilogue. Aaaaand what does he have there? A black box. Oh right, that thing Maleficent has been looking for, right? There she is, overlooking it all in the background. Evidently, Maleficent wants the No Name for the same reason Xehanort did. Will she get her hands on it? If she does, what happens next? Are we going to have to wait for a new game or, even worse, a spin-off exclusively for the Switch that tells this extra story? If not, why in the world were she and Pete present in this game in the first place?
Then again, we could ask that about a lot of characters.
But moving on, how about Luxu’s identity? I thought it was strange that Xigbar told Sora that he was worthy to wield a Keyblade. Even stranger, that Xehanort said he could have his. Xehanort never seemed like the giving type, so either he was tricking Xigbar or Xigbar was lying. Turns out it was neither. Xehanort did give him the Keyblade, albeit not entirely willingly. I always found Xigbar/Braig to be an interesting character, but I never could have predicted that. Knowing this now, I can see how the other games, especially Birth by Sleep, tie into his true identity.
Finally, any guesses as to what game young Eraqus was introducing to young Xehanort at the end of the Epilogue? Seven black pieces, each with the masks the six Lost Masters wear. The seventh must represent the missing Master of Masters. Then Eraqus slams down on piece of light that has Sora’s crown on it. Perhaps Sora will go up against the seven Lost Masters (including the Master of Masters) one day?
Speaking of what Sora may or may not be doing in the future…
Scrutinizing the Secret Ending
The Kingdom Hearts Secret Endings have always laid a foundation of sorts for future games. All signs suggest that Kingdom Hearts III is the last of Sora’s story with protecting Kingdom Hearts. Xehanort is gone, all of the Guardians of Light are back, and Sora may or may not have saved Kairi (How do you interpret the Ending?). But then this Secret Ending appears after the player collects Lucky Emblems, and everything is thrown out the window.
Sora and Riku wake up, separately, in different parts of Shibuya. My mind immediately went to The World Ends With You, especially with the great emphasis upon Sora staring at the 104 Building. He’s also standing directly in the famous Shibuya scramble crosswalk. We’ve already had TWEWY cross over with Kingdom Hearts in Dream Drop Distance, so why not have them cross over once more?
However, if you play this scene again from the title menu, you can’t help but notice that the title of the Secret Ending is “Yozora.” Yozora is the main character of the video game Verum Rex from the ToyBox world. If you remember, Rex believed Sora was short for Yozora and believed he was from that video game. Verum Rex also takes place in Shibuya. So is it possible that the entire trailer for Verum Rex in KH3 was more than just Nomura showing off his love for belt buckles? Is this going to be the next game with Sora?
But then, who is the guy in the Organization XIII cloak making a heart moon selfie pose? Is that the missing Master of Masters? Or is that Ava, who didn’t make the meeting with Xigbar/Luxu in the Keyblade Graveyard?
Oh Square Enix; you love answering questions with even more questions, don’t you? We could analyze this one for days and still not have the answers until the company makes a game announcement. Fan theories about past Secret Endings have always been wrong before, so it’s entirely plausible that Square Enix will provide the completely unexpected.
Or Square Enix could do nothing at all and leave us wondering for decades. Those creators would do it, too. Especially that Nomura fellow. He’s shifty.
