#Nomura main story

[goldensunset]

when people refer to canon story-relevant kingdom hearts games as ‘spinoffs’ it makes me sad not only for the obvious reasons i always say but also bc like man i WISH this series had spinoffs. imagine what they could do if they had permission from nomura to truly go off the rails and ignore the greater canon for a second and just do some fun whimsical plotless thing in an alternate universe. imagine a fishing/boating game on destiny islands. kh fighting game. it is an injustice that we have been deprived of kingdom karts. can anyone hear me

[priceofreedom]

funny how everyone seemed to adore Zack until he started having more screentime...

[alphascorpiixx]

Please do spill the tea about how certain people are wrong about Xion's sacrifice no longer mattering after she was brought back

(Hi anon I'm so sorry it took me forever to answer this ask! I was trying to find that one interview from Nomura, couldn't find it, and then forgot about this ask 😅)

Thank you anon for giving me the opportunity to talk about Xion my beloved

I don't see what the issue is with Xion (plus Nami and Roxas) returning. I don't think I've ever seen anyone claim that the wayfinders shouldn't have come back, so why can't that extend to RNX? I explained in a previous post why it is so important for them to be considered their own people separate from Sora and Kairi. And this is far from the first time we've had a character sacrifice themself only for them to be brought back later

Goofy died Sora stabbed himself to free Kairi's heart from his but five minutes later he's returned to life because of the power of his dear friend:

Sora: "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard a voice—your voice. You brought me back."

And in KH3:

Sora: "It's all right! You can stop now! It's all right . . ."

Roxas: "Xion."

Both Sora and Xion were lost, but Kairi and Roxas called them back. Sora's sacrifice happened in the very first game. This isn't just fan wish fulfillment giving us beloved characters back. KH1 set the precedent: when we lose ourselves, our bonds with our friends can help us find the way again.

As for the memory loss: why are Xion, Roxas, and Naminé even characters anyway? Because Sora's sacrifice had consequences that were explored for several games. This wasn't just an immediate reversal where Sora dying was never brought up again. And similarly Xion's death isn't the only possible way a sacrifice can be explored, and Xion's return doesn't negate the fact that there were still consequences from her death.

The consequences from Xion's sacrifice have mostly been explored in—guess what—Re:Coded! The game everyone claimed was skippable before KH3 came out! Data Sora may not be regular Sora but we get to see how all these other hearts inside his are influencing the pain he feels. It's not a perfect exploration of Xion's pain and I wish that we could have had Xion actually appear and talk to Data Sora like Data Roxas did. DDD later showed glimpses of Xion and Sora again feeling hers and Roxas's pain. A character being returned to life doesn't just automatically erase the pain of that sacrifice. The parts of Recoded and DDD that show us her pain don't just become irrelevant now that Xion is back. (Just replay the KH2 prologue with the ending scene from Days in mind. Hurts so much more)

I think what some people don't like about Xion's return is that she's remembered, everything's been wrapped up neatly, it's like there are no consequences anymore. Once her name is said and her hood is off, Axel remembers her pretty instantly, and Roxas doesn't seem to have any memory issues when he shows up. Unfortunately KH3 had so many things to cover and not enough time to fully explore everything that Xion's return does feel a bit easy. And for future games, there so many other characters that are more connected to The Larger Plot that Xion's story might be pushed to the side right now. So while yes, the story absolutely could give more focus on the long term effects of being forgotten, there is rightful criticism to say that Xion's return happened too quickly at the very end of KH3 when everyone else also needed to return at the same time, which is just going to make everything feel rushed.

There is so much potential to explore and we've only had a brief bit of MOM and part of Remind that shows us what is happening after KH3. There is still opportunities to show how the consequences are still affecting Xion even after her return. Do Axel and Roxas remember her perfectly now? How does Xion feel about the natural memory loss that just happens with life? I think the reason why people say her sacrifice didn't matter is because so far the games released after KH3 have been prequels/midquels that fill in backstory before BBS and those questions haven't been answered (yet, hopefully)

But to say her sacrifice didn't matter isn't understanding that KH is a story where people get second chances. People who are lost can be found again.

(And its not like every single character ever gets returned to life. Repliku is probably not returning and Vanitas's fate is still up in the air imo (though personally I would not mind if they both returned). DR and UX also have loads of characters who died brutal deaths and probably aren't coming back if you want that angst. I understand that what makes Xion in particular so compelling is how much time is spent developing her character compared to DRUX's dead characters. But its something)

(and to anyone about to say "but that Nomura interview where he said he changed his mind about RNX returning" please link to the interview and I will be happy to discuss it)

(also I recognize kh3's flaws but this is NOT an invitation for anyone to rant on my post about how bad you think the game may be)

[water-writings]

What’s your role in the tragic play?

I was tagged by @nightwingshero to do this quiz. Thank you Jo! I’m sorry I’ve been absent on here! I do see your tags!! 

I’m tagging @loopally @oathofoaks @starsandstormyseas @witchofinterest @pen-in-hand @umfleur it’s been a while since I’ve been on here doing anything so I’m sorry if I didn’t tag anyone I normally tag. If you see this and want to do it please play along too!

I’m on a Tokyo Revengers and Mandalorian high so I’m using my two Tokyo Revengers OCs and Mandalorian OC. 

Maiko Kenamoto - Tokyo Revengers

bold protagonist

you're the star of the show, baby! and boy does that come with a lot of emotional turmoil. you have a seemingly endless supply of determination. whether you have a lot of goals, or one big one, you're constantly working towards it. you're pretty restless, and struggle with imposter syndrome and generally feeling like you should be doing more. your insecurity might not be immediately obvious to others, however, as you come across as very strong and bold. vulnerability is not your strong suit, and that's likely to be your downfall. if only you had just let people in, and asked for help... well, maybe this was always gonna be a tragedy.

Yoko Nomura - Tokyo Revengers

sweet supporting character

i wanna be your grandma so bad, please let me pinch your face and knit you a sweater. you're most likely the best friend of the protagonist, and there's some possible overlap between you and the narrator. you're sweet and try very hard to be selfless. you watch the ones you love descend into darkness, and make every effort to help them through it all. it's not enough. you keep trying to make it enough. you provide comic relief, a listening ear, a hug, advice── any method of support you can think of. your own personal tragedy isn't documented. sometimes you wish it was, even though you're the one who ensures it is not. you want people to care for you the way you do for others. but you refuse to ask for it, so you wait for others to read between the lines. they usually don't. at least you're the one who gets to survive the tragedy. no matter how many times you beg to trade places, it is always you at the end, sitting at someone else's grave.

Casali Purlan - The Mandalorian

sweet supporting character

i wanna be your grandma so bad, please let me pinch your face and knit you a sweater. you're most likely the best friend of the protagonist, and there's some possible overlap between you and the narrator. you're sweet and try very hard to be selfless. you watch the ones you love descend into darkness, and make every effort to help them through it all. it's not enough. you keep trying to make it enough. you provide comic relief, a listening ear, a hug, advice── any method of support you can think of. your own personal tragedy isn't documented. sometimes you wish it was, even though you're the one who ensures it is not. you want people to care for you the way you do for others. but you refuse to ask for it, so you wait for others to read between the lines. they usually don't. at least you're the one who gets to survive the tragedy. no matter how many times you beg to trade places, it is always you at the end, sitting at someone else's grave.

[cocotome]

New anime starring Hirarin has been announced, Tsuma, Shougakusei ni naru! I can't wait to watch this in October but until then I'll be reading the manga which has great reviews and seems to be super cute and wholesome~

[hollowwhisperings]

Kairi getting to know Ven through Aqua would ALSO allow the story to elaborate on how Princesses of Heart/Light "work": we never got to see how the original 7 Princesses (Alice, Jasmine, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Kairi) 'channeled' their lights as individuals working together rather than objects in Ansem SoD's Machine.

Each of these Princesses is individually powerful: each of their Lights/Hearts seems to function equivalently in KH like the sun to Earth. Kairi is one of these 'suns' while Riku is Sora's personal one (Sora being Riku's 'Moon').

The Seven Lights in the KH universe seem to have become integral to the post-Masters fabric of reality: we still have no idea what that means for Kairi, only able to extrapolate based on the abilities of Ven-as-split-from-Vanitas. Ven & Kairi have a LOT in common (amnesia, getting kidnapped by mad scientists, getting yeeted across space-time, being stuck in a role of 'distressed damsel' and 'eternal child').

I think one of the reasons why (some of) the original Lights have 'retired' is because, post KH1 & 2, their worlds stopped 'looping': none of the princesses who were in BBS seemed affected by the 10 years that passed for the Destiny Island trio. Maleficent, in KHUX and elsewhere, seems to be aware of her world (& others) 'looping': it's plausible that this was done TO those worlds in order to keep the Worlds at large on [life support]. After all, when Maleficent & Ansem SoD 'interrupted' this function of the Seven Lights... their universe at large started falling apart.

Kairi has never brought up what, exactly, the Princesses did nor how they did it: Kairi has, instead, attempted to mimic Sora (& thus Riku) verbatim. Kairi REMAINING a Princess of Heart despite (all of?) the others presumably 'returning to real time' alongside their Worlds... is because KAIRI has remained 'static' despite her home Worlds experiencing 'time'. Admittedly, even in 'moving' worlds, time is... weird. Donald's nephews are still kids; Mickey's relationships with his fellow Disney Towners is unphased by long periods of absense; Donald & Goofy have no issues with spending years with Sora despite having their own lives back home. It's possible that Disney Towners have much longer lifespans & thus different concepts of time; it could be different worlds experiencing time at different speeds, as in our own universe; it could be true of the ENTIRE KH universe, especially given the Enigma that is Kairi's Grandmother.

Sora and Riku seem unlikely to be much involved with the series' worldbuilding mysteries: Kairi is innately connected to these mysteries and will only become even more involved. She is uniquely qualified to explore these mysteries, which would require an entirely different approach than Sora's "Connections Make Me Strong Enough To Bash Heads With A Blunt Sword" or Riku's power of Gay Pining/Tea/Light&Darkness.

if we wanted to argue for Kairi to be 'strong' in the same way as her friends... THEORETICALLY, Kairi 'should' be as powerful in Light magic as Sora (through Riku) or Riku because they share that innate potential that comes from "hearts of strong light"... it's not that Kairi is 'lacking' but that Kairi's use of Riku & Sora's methodology must not work for her. Their methods work for THEM because their hearts & minds are in synch about what makes them 'strong': Sora makes Riku strong because [Gay Pining]; Sora has not, however, ever made KAIRI notably stronger. Which implies that... Kairi is not actually in love with Sora & her heart knows it, even if her mind believes otherwise.

Until Kairi understands herself as an individual, not just one part or a trio or 'someone who loves Sora'... Kairi will keep falling behind. Melody of Memory is the first time Kairi has taken agency over her own life: her story is her own, not one she'll face on the sidelines of the Main Games & their Soriku Focus.

False Start: Analyzing Kairi’s Arc After Melody of Memory

In October 2019, I did an analysis of Kairi’s character arc as of the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 and what I felt was being set up for her going forward.

My major point was that Kairi’s fear of change was holding her back from reaching her full potential and catching up to Sora and Riku, but that by the end of Kingdom Hearts III she had overcome that fear and was ready to move forward. 

In hindsight, I jumped the gun in assuming that the end of KH3 marked the definitive point where she got over her change and could truly move forward. While she had some good moments in Re:Mind, Limit Cut promptly put her to sleep for an entire year, trying to search the memories in her heart for a clue to Sora’s whereabouts. 

But then Melody of Memory happened. 

When Kairi faces the memory of Xehanort, she says in the original Japanese version that Sora and the others being hurt was the result of her strength not being enough. I’ll save the rant about how the English localization consistently removes Kairi’s moments of self-reflection throughout the series for another day, but my main point is that this sets the groundwork for her decision to remain behind while Riku goes to Quadratum. When she chose to increase her training under Aqua, I was thrilled because finally this was the sign I was looking for that Kairi was really, truly, ready to move forward. 

A lot of people were disappointed by this decision because they felt like Kairi needing more training was the whole point of her being brought to the Mysterious Tower at the end of Dream Drop Distance. But there are a few things that set this moment apart and explain why her training in Kingdom Hearts 3 did not amount to as much as fans were hoping. 

First, it’s that this time Kairi is exerting her own agency and making the choice herself. Her training in Kingdom Hearts 3 was never something we saw her actively choose. So Kairi making that choice on-screen has more weight than Riku bringing her to the Mysterious Tower for training on Yen Sid’s orders. 

Second, while the memory of Xehanort notes that she did improve in the brief time she was training, the way she was being trained wasn’t suited to her style. The description we get of her training in Kingdom Hearts 3 mostly seems to amount to her and Lea sparring each other repeatedly - which is exactly how Sora and Riku developed their sword fighting skills growing up. And when you look at her battle stance and the way she holds her Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts 3 compared to how she held it in previous games, her stance is an exact copy of Sora’s. It’s no wonder then why she changed into Sora during the final boss fight in Melody of Memory then when she was clearly trying to imitate him. 

In the 2006 Characters Report Vol. 1 book, Tetsuya Nomura’s comments about Kairi in the early games identify the fear of growing apart from Sora and Riku as a major source of anxiety for her. The fact that her training and combat stance in Kingdom Hearts 3 imitate Sora so heavily indicates that Kairi is trying to catch up to Sora and Riku by trying to be exactly like them in that area as much as possible. With how much the series has focused on personal identity with regards to Roxas and Xion being their own people, it makes sense why Kairi doing that failed her in Kingdom Hearts 3. Because Sora and Riku’s style isn’t suited for her. 

Because she isn’t them. 

For Kairi to achieve her goal of catching up to Sora and Riku’s level, she needs to step out of their shadow and figure out how to be herself instead of trying to be Sora. And the best way for her to understand herself will be to understand her past. 

The Xehanort that Kairi faces in Melody of Memory is explicitly identified as a construct of her heart. He tells her that the answers she seeks “lie in memories that are long gone,” and tells her that there is nothing for her to find in her heart. However, that isn’t really true with what previous games have established about how memories work in this universe. Chain of Memories establishes that memories are stored in the heart, and that while the connections between them can be rearranged, they are never gone for good. 

So while Kairi may not consciously remember her childhood before arriving on Destiny Islands, the memories are still there deep in her heart. All she needs is something or someone to help her restore the connections between them. To rebuild the links in her Chain of Memories, so to speak. Kingdom Hearts 3 and Melody of Memory both specifically call attention to Kairi’s first meeting with Aqua in Birth by Sleep, as well as the fact that Kairi doesn’t remember it. From a narrative standpoint, the series has set up that remembering that first meeting will help Kairi regain the rest of her memories from Radiant Garden. 

But remembering her past is not the only arc the story has set up to help Kairi understand herself better. Training with Aqua also puts her in a position to interact with another teen who has a heart of pure light.

Who was also in a coma for a time while his heart rested in Sora’s body. 

It’s not a coincidence that Union X first revealed the existence of the entity known as Darkness just a few months after KH3 revealed that being a Princess of Heart was a mantle that could be passed on rather than a permanent state of being. Then Re:Mind revealed that Darkness is still hiding within Ventus’ heart in the present day. And following the release of Melody of Memory, the next Union X update revealed that Darkness had killed Streliztia because it saw her death as the best way to grant Ven’s desire for strength. The ability for Princesses of Heart to pass on their powers serves as set up for Kairi to do the same, opening herself up to struggling with darkness in her heart for the very first time. 

Kairi wants to become stronger in order to stand alongside Sora and Riku. But she has not struggled with her negative emotions the way that Riku has or that the narrative framework sets up Sora will be in the near future. But her decision to train alongside Aqua puts her in a position that has the potential to force her to go through that struggle herself should Darkness try to grant her desire for strength in ways that she doesn’t want. 

I know that I was wrong before about Kairi getting over her fear of change. But this time, I’m confident that Kairi’s character arc is finally picking up momentum. What Melody of Memory has that previous games didn’t is a clear sense of narrative direction. All Dream Drop Distance did was vaguely establish that she was going to start training. Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t give enough information to form concrete theories about the trajectory of her arc. 

But all the Kingdom Hearts content released in 2020 has set up foreshadowing for a very specific plotline in regards to Kairi’s character growth. And not only that, Xehanort’s monologue in the flashback to her childhood where he says “if you arrive in a world that is neither light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy” adds a significant connection between Kairi rediscovering her past and the mysteries of “unreality.” Especially because Xehanort acting like it was actually possible for her to end up there instead of Destiny Islands raises the question of whether she truly went straight to Destiny Islands after Xehanort sent her off. 

Kairi's connection to “unreality” makes her the lynchpin of all the major story arcs being set up for the other characters while Sora and Riku are in Quadratum. The parallels between them foreshadow Ventus regaining his memories of the Age of Fairy Tales just as Kairi is set up to regain her memories of Radiant Garden. Ventus regaining his memories of the past logically connects the Birth by Sleep trio to Lauriam and Elrena through his role in Strelitzia’s death, as well as to the Twilight Town crew considering that Subject X is heavily implied to be Skuld. Then of course there’s Luxu, who is directly responsible for Subject X’s disappearance, and the Foretellers, who are still with Luxu last we saw them.  

With Sora and Riku off in Quadratum with Yozora and the Master of Masters, Kairi is narratively set to step up and take charge in dealing with the major unresolved plotlines from Union X and KH3 that need dealing with. By the time Sora and Riku finally make it back, she’ll be a whole lot closer to their level.

TL;DR: I was too hasty in 2019 when I declared that Kairi had gotten over hear fear of change. I only had nebulous ideas of what would come next. But now I can pick out all the subtle foreshadowing that illuminates a concrete path forward, and I’m confident that now she’s finally on the right track.

[reflectionsofacreator]

Me, making my coworker’s coffee: —real problem is that Square Enix was relying on the brand name recognition for Versus XIII as “another game by the brilliant Tetsuya Nomura” and understandably Nomura couldn’t keep up with the demands of being expected to produce multiple Triple A games, and thus the game was taken away and given to a different director and rebranded as Final Fantasy XV. This caused several problems —do you want pumpkin?

Coworker: ooh pumpkin sounds good

Me: it’s best with brown sugar cold foam, lemme give you that too. Anyways a lot of the problems stemmed with being renamed/rebranded but the underlying concepts didn’t actually change and are divorced from their base ideas. This also wasn’t helped by 1) the new director straight up saying they couldn’t make a good story and instead focused on the game, and 2) the game was then rebranded as a ~multimedia experience~ with a feature length movie, a five episode OVA, two novels, multiple DLCs, backstory for the main character that only is available as a ps4 demo,

Coworker: a fucking demo? Also can I get a blueberry muffin?

Me: a motherfucking demo, yes. Do you want it warmed up? Cool. That made it impossible to actually experience the story coherently. On top of this, Tabata’s strengths as a director/storyteller do not lie in character interactions, which is something that Nomura excelled at. I’m not saying that Nomura’s version of Versus XIII would’ve been perfect, but it would’ve delivered on the character drama that was the main reason the trailers and game were enticing to begin with. Now we just have a weird backstory for Noctis getting mortally wounded as a child for…? Extremely flimsy? Reasons? In comparison to how originally that event served as a catalyst for Noctis and Stella to have a bond of fate around them as people who had near death experiences

Coworker: god I can’t imagine going this hard into a game like this. Are you like? Okay?

Me: absolutely not :)

[altocat]

Some old fans or casuals are really sleeping on a lot of Sephiroth's important traits and lore trauma. Just imo.

I think a lot of people have an idea of what Sephiroth is supposed to be and not what Sephiroth actually IS. Hence why no one really focuses on the person he was pre-madness. Sephiroth the villain is cool. REALLY cool. He's terrifying and occasionally funny and capable of doing some serious damage to Cloud and co. We want to see Cloud fight him and succeed. He's a malevolent force to ultimately be overcome.

That said, Sephiroth the human, the man, is also extremely interesting. So much so that he's almost a completely different character. Some people don't like CC. That's fine. But the people who created and conceptualized Sephiroth also made CC. This is their character and the direction they went with this character is their vision. Nomura, Nojima, etc. They know Sephiroth because they made him. And this was their intention.

Sane!Sephiroth is compelling. He's competent, but aloof. Incredibly strong, but insecure. He's prone to self destructive tendencies that are wholly motivated in his feelings for others. He's prone to poor mental health and even poorer ways of standing up for his own autonomy. He's just a piece in a larger, more fucked up game, doomed from conception. I've always argued that while Cloud's character arc exists within FFVII (and also AC as a kind of Epilogue), Sephiroth's character arc is arguably BEFORE the events of the main story even take place, culminating in Nibelheim. It's a downfall, the destruction of self, a literal anti coming of age story. It's a story about a monster that was born to BE a monster, tried NOT to be a monster, and ultimately EMBRACED being a monster because there was nothing left.

I think Sephiroth's story has a lot of nuance. First Soldier is really helping him feel like a fully realized character. He has a lot of layers which makes him a more complex and interesting villain. I hope more and more people appreciate it over time.

[milaisreading]

I love your manager requests if you can make one if you don't mind one where ness or I could say reader to ask ness out on a date in front of the guys and have the guys go see spy on her date with ness if it's What do you want and don't mind making my request?

Author: OmG I love that concept sm! Hope you are alright with this story and thank you for the request! Have a great day/night🩷

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open. I listened to Cupid by Fifty Fifty and may have gotten carried away a little

Pairings: Blue Lock x manager!reader (Ness x Reader)

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Ego expected a lot of chaos to come from training kids...teenagers who want to be always right and on top of everything. And while he enjoyed that part, it was really the main reason he started the Blue Lock project, he didn't necessarily like kids. And today was one of the days he remembered he didn't want any. Ego's day started off to begin with, he woke up without Anri and he didn't see her or (Y/n) in the cafeteria,  where they usually ate breakfast. During the day Anri kept texting back and fourth with someone, then tried to get him to agree on letting (Y/n) help out Noel instead of the Blue Lock team. He of course said no. And now, when he tried to calmly eat his lunch, (Y/n) decided to barge in while squealing.

"And?!" Anri yelled as the younger started giggling and nodding her head along.

"He said yes! We are going out tomorrow!"

Ego watched with a dumbfounded face as the two started speaking over each other.

"What are you two even squealing about?" Ego asked, causing the two to stop and look at the older man.

"Well..." (Y/n) started, getting shy as Ego stared her down.

20 minutes ago...

(Y/n) felt like her stomach was about to explode, the whole day yesterday and this morning Anri was practicing with (Y/n) how to approach Ness. Tomorrow was their day off so asking him out on a date now is the last chance for her.

'How should I approach him? Calm and collected?! Or should I just blurt everything out?! God help me.' She gulped as her face started getting redder.

'Also why is everyone so loud?' (Y/n) wondered, cringing when she heard Shidou yell something and Baro chiming in.

"Otoya! Karasu! Stop eating (Y/n)'s food!" Aryu scolded the duo, who by now had pulled (Y/n)'s tray closer to them.

"It's not like she is eating!"

"(Y/n) needs to eat and you idiots took all her food. Here, you can take my lunch, (Y/n)." Isagi offered, only to get ignored as the girl kept staring at the door.

'Those gorgeous, big eyes and that smile... And his voice! Ahh~ if only he will say yes!' (Y/n) prayed to herself.

"(Y/n)!" The girl jumped a little and looked over at Isagi in a daze.

"W-what?"

"You want my lunch. Those idiots ate yours." Isagi said, pointing at Karasu and Otoya.

"It's fine, you can eat yours Rin."

(Y/n) said absent-mindedly as the door opened, revealing Kaiser and Ness.

'There he is! Ahhh~ his hair looks so fluffy!'

"Rin?! (Y/n), that's Isagi." Aryu said as he pointed as the offended boy, but she ignored it and got up to walk towards Ness.

"Tha-Thanks Chigiri, I will check it out in a minute."

"Chigiri?! Rin?!" The table exclaimed as they observed the girl. Reo, Nagi and Bachira, who were sitting nearby looked over at the table and then watched as (Y/n) called for Ness.

"What is she doing?!" Reo exclaimed.

"I don't know... and thanks to them I can't hear anything." Nagi groaned, looking over at Rin, Baro and Shidou. Bachira's hands twitched under the table, knowing whatever it was, it won't end well.

"N-ness... h-how are you today?" (Y/n) said with red cheeks as the boy sent her his usual smile.

'I think I have diabetes from how sweet he looks!' The girl thought.

"It's been great. Noa has been giving us some crap over the defense, but all in all good. Kaiser and I came here to eat lunch, want to join?" Ness asked, pointing at the table where the blonde and some other players of his club were.

"A-ah no... I just wanted to ask you something."

Ness grew a little concerned at how red her face was.

'Maybe it's a flue.' He thought as he touched (Y/n)'s forehead.

'Ehh?!' The girl thought as she looked at the boy.

"You seem to be alright, but you face is completely red. You want me to bring you to the nurse?" Ness asked with a frown as (Y/n) shook her head.

"N-no need... I just wanted to ask you... to go on a date with me tomorrow." Although she finally said that, it was pretty silent and add to to the other 3 bickering Ness didn't understand anything.

"To what?"

"To go out with me." (Y/n) said it louder this time, but Ness still couldn't hear her and glared at Shidou, Baro and Rin, who were about to get scolded by Reo and Kunigami.

"I said..." (Y/n) took a deep breath.

'My heart is about to explode!'

"Will you 3 shut up?!" Reo yelled causing the other 3 to grow silent for a moment.

"Will you go out on a date with me tomorrow?!"

Kaiser spit out his drink as be looked at the two and there were light choking sounds coming from Chigiri.

'Ahhh! Why did they have to stop arguing now?!' (Y/n) thought in embarrassment and looked at Ness again, who had a red face matching hers.

"S-sure... when?" The boy stuttered out, feeling his heart explode.

'She looks kind of adorable with that face.'

"T-tomorrow?"

"Alright. I... we can make some plans at dinner then?" Ness suggested, both feeling awkward as the players stared at them.

"Great idea!" (Y/n) said back as she played with the hem of her shirt.

Present time...

"You both are yelling here over a date?" Ego asked in disbelief as (Y/n) nodded her head.

"It's cute, Ego-san! This place misses some romance and drama, in my opinion." Anri said, making the man facepalm.

"This is for football not some weird drama, TV show..."

"Alright! Do we have everything set?!" Kunigami yelled as they went over the plan for tomorrow.

"Yes, Reo, Nagi, Bachira and I will form a group and follow them." Baro said bitterly as Reo sulked while the other two looked like they were out for blood.

"Then you have Yukimiya, Chigiri, Rin and I." Isagi said, dreading to see (Y/n) all lovey-dovey with the German boy. Rin and Chigiri were cracking their knuckles while Yukimiya was taking some notes.

'Whatever he is doing...' Isagi thought, worried that they might end up in jail.

'But it's for (Y/n)'s safety.'

"Then you have Kurona, Hiori, Otoya and I. We will beat Ness up." Karasu said with a murderous glint as the other three nodded their heads.

"No beating up! For now..." Kunigami sighed.

"That leaves Niko, Gagamaru, Aryu and I. When did you hear the date was again?" Kunigami asked as he looked over at Bachira, who was clenching his fists.

"At 9 they will meet up. They will go to the nearby town for a few hours. Can we beat him up after?"

"Maybe. I still don't see what (Y/n) loves about that freak when I am over here." Aryu sulked.

"You all... do you think (Y/n) might pick to work for Bastard München after this?"

The guys turned to look at Gagamaru, who was on the verge of crying along with Niko.

"The hell are you even saying?! She won't leave me- US like this!" Rin yelled, clearly the most upset about the whole incident.

"Calm down, Rin! What makes you even say that, Gagamaru?" Otoya questioned the boy.

"You all do remember that she never turned down Noel-san's offer officially." Gagamaru reminded them.

"Oh... But still, she wouldn't leave us for Ness... right?" Isagi said, chuckling nervously.

"No, of course not. We are still her number 1 priority!" Reo said as Nagi groaned.

'Why that bastard of all people?! I was right there (Y/n)!' The boy thought.

The next day (Y/n) woke up bright and early, got herself ready and dressed in some clothes Anri helped her pick up, then went to meet up with Ness at the entrance.

'He looks so dreamy~ those eyes!' (Y/n) blushed as the boy glanced at her.

"Should we go and eat first? You didn't eat anything." Ness offered as they walked down the road. Clearing her throat, (Y/n) nodded her head.

"Sure! Where do you want to go? I heard they have so many good restaurants."

"Whatever you pick, I trust your instincts." Ness smiled, shyly offering his hand for her to hold.

'Ahh! It's happening!' (Y/n) thought and took it.

"I saw good reviews on a restaurant down the road. They serve some French pastries too."

"What does he mean by instincts? Is he calling her gluttonous?!" Rin whispered from behind the wall as he glared at Ness' head.

"Can we beat him up now?" Yukimiya questioned as Isagi and Chigiri shook their heads.

"Not yet, later. Chigiri go and call Kunigami and tell them where to go." Isagi said as Yukimiya pointed frantically at the duo.

"They are holding hands! Red alarm."

"Maybe we could beat him up now." Isagi said as a dark aura formed itself around Rin and him.

"It's so nice here, the food is good and even the music is right. That doesn't happen often." (Y/n) said as she ate her katsudon, enjoying the crunch of it.

"It's really nice. I need to eat it again when I visit Japan. You were right with the katsudon... was it?" Ness asked nervously as he took another bite.

"Aha~" the girl said as she happily took another bite.

'She seems to like food a lot... Hmm there are nice places in Munich I could bring her to once she visits again. So cute~' Ness sighed with a blush as he kept watching her eat, the facial expressions were adorable to him. Noticing that she nearly ate her fried meat and put some of his unto her bowl.

"Ha? Why aren't you eating it? Is it bad?" (Y/n) asked in panic, but the boy just shook his head, giving her another one of his smiles.

"I ate enough fried food for the time being... besides it seems to be your favorite part of the dish and I like how happy you look when eating it."

'Ahhh! I can't take it anymore!' (Y/n) thought as her face grew a bright red and stuttered out a quiet thank you. Then she looked down at her bowl to see what she could give him

"Are they sharing food now?" Niko asked in shock as the group observed them from a few tables away.

"I thought that was a thing she exclusively did with me..." Gagamaru said, sounding heartbroken as Niko added in.

"I feel so insulted... the two of us got closer thanks to food... and now she does the same with another dude."

"I still can't believe she never noticed us. Her eyes are completely glued to that Ness dude."  Aryu bit into his napkin, jealous of the heart eyes she was sending him the whole time.

"Calm down you all, I know this sucks and I rather we pull (Y/n) away from that dude, but we can't cause a scene." Kunigami warned, contemplating to go over there and pick the girl up from the seat.

The whole table then frowned as the two laughed at something.

"The shrine is pretty nice. And you are sure I can take pictures?" Ness wondered as he took out his phone. (Y/n) looked once more at the signs and nodded her head.

"Yep as long as nothing is disturbed it's fine to take pictures." She summarized what the writing said and Ness nodded his head. (Y/n) watched happily as he took pictures of the place.

"Thanks, Liebling."

'He looks so lovely... I hope I can take him to another shrine the next time he visits. He will love the ones in Osaka a lot.' (Y/n) thought, swooning a little as he smiled again.

"What is he doing? Why is he ignoring (Y/n) like that?" Nagi watched the scene in disbelief as Reo tsked in distaste.

"If I was him the only pictures I would take ar ethe ones with (Y/n) in it. He must be stupid to act like this." The purple-haired boy huffed and looked away.

"What's worse is that (Y/n) doesn't seem to realize her own worth if she let's this slide. Can I kick something at him?" Bachira wondered.

"Not now, I don't want toe hear Mr. Hero scolding us. But I do agree that he must be blind to ignore her like that." Baro crossed his arms as they continued torturing themselves with the duo.

'Why him?! Why does she look at him like that?!' The four thought.

"That was a really nice day, when is the bus arriving again?" Ness asked as he squeezed (Y/n)'s hand tighter.

"I think in about an hour or so. I really hope you liked today, it wasn't much but uh... maybe next time..." (Y/n) looked around the place nervously as Ness nodded his head.

"Next time we can plan something for Tokyo. I always wanted to visit Shibuya, Liebling."

The boy said as (Y/n) nodded her head.

'So there will be a next time!'

"Oh... I wanted to ask you what that means."

"What what means?" Ness raised an eyebrow.

"Lieb... Liebling?" (Y/n) repeated in broken German. Ness thought for a moment and then leaned down to whisper something to her.

"Basically it means Honey."

'Ahhh!! This isn'ta dream?!' (Y/n) thought to herself.

"What did he say?!" Otoya whisper-yelled as he glared at the boy as he moved away from (Y/n) a little.

"Karasu! Don't cause a scene! Hiori help me hold him back." Kurona told the blue-eyed boy, who reluctantly came to help.

"I say we let him get a beating. He is literally stealing my manager."

"Our manager, Hiori. And I just don't want to see (Y/n) sad."

"True... that would suck..."

"And?! How was it?! I want to hear all the details!!" Anri yelled excitedly as (Y/n) entered Ego's office.

"Do you two have to talk about it in my office?" The man groaned as Anri sent him a glare.

"Yes. Yes, we do. And?!" The woman said as she pulled (Y/n) to a corner. The girl blushed a little and hid her face with her hands.

"I think we will be having another date again."

Ego rolled his eyes as they kept on talking.

'Kids are a hassle.'

[sterkeyra]

Current Status of Voltage Titles

I decided to make an overview of the JP status of the Voltage titles of the Love365 / 100Koi apps and their console titles. A lot of the apps titles are currently nearing their end and I'm curious what they still have up their sleeve. I know i'm delusional but with all the ending titles they might have capacity to work on some of their Hiatus stories again?

Ending

Kissed by the Baddest Bidder: MS ended

Metro PD: Tennoji, Kirisawa, Nomura & Himuro final baby stories left

Destind: Towards the End? Just Yuri & Takane left i think

Irresistible Mistakes:

>Shunichiros MS ended after S9 (he officially has more seasons than Eisuke)

>Keita, Toma, Jun, Maki might get final stories.

>New Aki & Minoru (uncertain what's going to happen to them)

New

Can We Start over? : S2 announced for December in JP

Doting Marriage (TBA in EN)

Friends with Benefits (TBA in EN)

Ongoing

Her Love in the Force: All continue since JPs favorite. Maybe Shinonome, Soma or Namba update next?

Masquerade Kiss: Boss ended, the others continue

Oops I Said Yes: Ukyo concluding, with Eiji potentially afterwards as well, Kunihiros S5 is on the JP schedule in December

Romance MD: Sens and Hoshos S3 is releasing next in JP

PLUST: S2 not announced yet

Hiatus

Kings of Paradise: Hiatus; Tsubaki and Blood Moon have been cancelled, artist is currently working on a Kop Manga

Tokyo Love Hustle: Hiatus; only Suzumu and Taro have been released. The other 3 are nowhere in sight. Compared to KOP they haven't been removed of the title yet though and still show coming soon

Liar: Main Stories of S1 & S4 on JP & some S5. However, Liar was not popular on Koi100, so the effort of archiving it in the app might have come to a stop

Console

Voltage rebranded their console department to AmuLit.

Even if Tempest: DLC is being worked on

Red Bells Lament: Main Characters got revealed and will release early 2025

Neon Mafia: TBA

Kaleido Tower: TBA

[enniyart]

Trollhunter!Nomura AU (part 1)

This AU was made by me and @elegantjellyfishwerewolf (check her account to find more information about it).

Now I want to tell you the beginning of this story.

At this AU Strickler begin to date Barbara two months before the main events. Their relationship got started because of Jim's lack of sleep and lateness at school. As a result, Strickler and Barbara become very close to each other and Jim Jim begins to subconsciously perceive Strickler as his father.

//two months later//

After Kanjigar’s death Strickler gives an order to Nomura to check the canal and take the amulet before it will choose another trollhunter. As Nomura came to the canal the amulet calls out her name and she realizes that it’s not good to her. Because of fear that Bular and Janus Order will kill her as soon as she would open the bridge, she doesn’t go to Strickler.

Instead of it Nomura goes to hide in her apartments where Blinky and Aargh visit her and say that she is new trollhunter now. They quickly understand that she is changeling, Nomura runs from them at the panic and trolls go chasing her. At the same time Toby goes out from dentist and notices three running creatures at twilight. He feels a bit scared but at the same time curious and decides to follow them on a bike. After a “jogging” trolls and changeling come to a temporary truce because Blinky and Aargh realize that Nomura isn’t interested at opening the bridge and Nomura doesn’t see aggression towards herself in their behavior. Toby hears their entire conversation, but reveals his presence with some noise. Nomura notices him and is going to kill him as witness, but Blinky stops her from that and they let Domzalski go on the condition that he does not tell anyone what he saw.

At the same time at the Lake house Strickler proposed to Barbara to get married at dinner and she accepts it. Some later at the same evening he gets an information from goblins that the new trollhuner is Nomura now and it makes him nervous because she knows EVERYTHING about their plans. He sends an urgent order to send NotEnrique on the surface to replace by him Nomura’s place and go by himself to get Angor Rot from his prison because he isn’t sure in Bular’s powers. He wants to destroy the new trollhunter as soon as possible.Strickler brings Angor to Arcadia the very next day. As in canon, Angor doesn’t trust to changeling words that his soul will be free again and preparing a trap to him. At some critical moment Strickler barks at his slave saying something like “Do anything!” and at the next moment Angor cuts off part of left hand on which he was wearing Inferno Copula. Angor takes back his soul but let Strickler go.

Walter gets to the hospital and Barbara is very shocked at the way he looks like. After an attempt was made on Strickler's life while he was in the ward, the fact is that the Order of Janus, specifically Otto, found out about Walt's offer about marriage and decided that their leader had softened. There is an explosion in the hospital as a result of which Strickler survives, but Barbara....does not. At this time Angor decides to redeem himself and therefore comes to the Trollmarket to take on the duties of an absent trollhunter. At first, trolls don’t trust him and a bit afraid of killer, but Vendel because of rumors that the new trollhunter might be a human or changeling decides to accept Angor’s proposal. Draal initially perceives this decision of the elder negatively and challenges Angor to a duel during which he loses (the fight was not public, so Draal did not lose his honor), but Angor decides not to kill him and so they both begin to respond to the calls that were intended for the hunter.

While Nomura moves from her apartments to motel, Strickler replaces the missing part of his arm with a prosthesis (a metal prosthesis with hidden golden claws) and finds out who organized the attempt on him (it was Otto). He comes to the Order of Janus and demonstratively kills Otto (who has already managed to proclaim himself the new head) in front of other changelings, as if saying that he should not be discounted. The changelings recognize Strickler's power and he becomes the leader of the order again.

Enrique is substituted, but NotEnrique verysoon reveals his essence to Claire and she threatens the changeling and asks him to take her to her brother, but Neenrique decides to bring her to the entrance to the Trollmarket in the hope that by penetrating there she will be eaten and he will get rid of the witness. Claire enters the Trollmarket and getting found by Angor. Nunez, impressed by the magic of Angor Rot, asks him to start training her to prepare before going to the Darklands and saving her brother. Angor initially refuses, but Claire is too persistent and determined in her desire to save her brother, so Angor reluctantly agrees, hoping that she will leave after a couple of grueling training sessions or die in the course of training.Nomura understands that the influence of Janus order is growing and it would be better for her to go to Trollmarket, but she also understands that the trolls most likely will not accept her until she proves that she can be trusted. Therefore, she, along with Blinky, Aaarrgh and Toby, who has followed them, come up with a plan to kill Bular. Everything is going according to plan and Nomura, along with Bular's head, goes to the troll market to finally take her place as a trollhunter.

Part 2 here

[goldensunset]

i do think it’s kinda funny how nomura was like ‘hee hoo let’s make a kingdom hearts mmo! it can just be a fun little browser/phone thing on the side not connected to the story hehe’ and now a decade later there is literally an entirely new branch of the timeline that’s like close to as long as all the ‘main’ games combined and a small yet significant and completely rabid group of fans on the internet dedicated to its insane deep lore and worldbuilding

[cloudofash]

Nomura climbed out of his cave to tell us that not only is he possibly retiring in a few years, but that he will either finish the series before he retires or retire and let someone else finish the series. What a bombshell today has turned out to be.

If he retires and decides to finish the series, KH4 will ultimately be the last Kingdom Hearts game.

Meaning our last Kingdom Hearts game is Dream Drop Distance 2.0

Take a minute to let that soak in.

Sora and Riku clawing through the streets and alleys of Quadratum, Riku desperately searching for Sora and Sora (not knowing Riku was coming to save him) searching for a way back home, the two finally reunite after Yozora (possibly) turns Sora into a popsicle and Riku thaws him out (with his love), then Sora realizes Riku is the one who is always saving and protecting him and realizes that Riku is his Light. The two then fight their way through the Lost Masters and Master of Masters who is possibly responsible for Yozora's body being swapped and make their way home holding hands with fingers intertwined (and with Strelitzia in tow). The rest of the cast celebrate their return, Strelitzia returns to her brother. Cue end credits.

Something like that (but with much more detail, addressing many more story plots and maaaybe not as romantic lol) would pretty much be Dream Drop Distance Soriku the Game all over again.

If the entire series wraps up in a single game, there's no way to fit everyone else into the story. They will probably all show up in between cutscenes here and there and then return once more at the end when Riku brings Sora home. The main focus, the final focus, would be on Sora and Riku. Endgame would be Soriku. There would be little way to fit SK into the current scenario given that K is all the way in the Kingdom Hearts realm training under Aqua and won't be a major part of Quadratum at least for the first half. Unless they complete her training mid-game and shoehorn her in to save Sora at the last second then I guess that ship would sail, but I simply don't see it happening. Nomura just hasn't been the one to use K that way, at all. Ever. He has yet to shoehorn any character anywhere, he always makes sure the characters fit in with purpose. The only time would be the FF7 cast in the Limit Cut episode and that was only after huge demand from fans asking for the FF7 crew. If Nomura has no intentions of making use of characters then he simply doesn't use them and he makes it very clear.

Plus if KH4 is the last and they confirm Soriku, then they don't have to care about fan backlash because the series would just be over. There would be nothing left to lose with no future titles to worry about tanking. It would work all around.

Of course, if he retires and decides NOT to end the series then anything could happen. Literally anything. Even a SK endgame if the new writers or director are fans of SK. I hope Nomura finishes what he started, for the sake of everything that has been built up towards this game. Or we're going to have to hope the new team follow Nomura's notes and don't diverge.

Okay that's enough brainrot for me, goodnight all

Adding in that I think they'll squeeze in a final game, KH5 (or Kh4 Part 2.7292728 w/e tf Nomura decides to name it), but I really don't see too many additional games since they take like 8 years to develop. 2 more games alone will tack on 15-16 years.

[kairithemang0]

thinking about that fucking nomura interview again bcs it's all we've gotten in literal months and 2 years for kh4

with nomura retiring in the upcoming years, and disney and square probably wanting to keep kingdom hearts going because it makes a lot of money, i really hope they just end sora's story with nomura. i mean, of course it wouldn't be the same, but idk i can't see his story not going on without nomura being the director. for new main characters, i could see yozora being it. idk i feel like they're setting him up to be it with him repeating sora's first lines from kh1. i wouldn't mind it, especially if he's an interesting character in kh4. if he's compelling, i'd like to see him be the main character. however, he's definitely not the sora type. sora is happy and positive and yozora just. isn't.

although, maybe not having the new protagonist be a copy of sora is a good thing. no one can be the next sora, can encapsulate his energy and heart the way he has for us for over 20 years. Sora, as a protagonist, is perfect. He's this perfect player insert, he's this cheerful kid at first and as the original audience for kh grows, so does he. The way Sora has evolved is fascinating, but at his core he's always the kid who just wants to protect his friends. That's what matters to him. And no one can truly replace him, so you need to make someone completely new.

[the-east-art]

You said you had a rant about Kairi?

Okay okay okay this will be all over the place.

Kairi is my girl and I’m obsessed with her. But she is done so dirty by the series. There’s a lot of factors that go into this, but Kairi is a character that at the end of the day is always getting the short of the stick. She is the damsel, or off on the sidelines, or not even the main character in a game that is ostensibly about her. When she DOES try to take a stand the game punishes her by killing her or getting Sora killed. She had powers and abilities and a personality but they all bend to make her helpless when the story needs her to be helpless.

From a meta standpoint part of my frustration with this is in the fandom. I’m ace and I think on the aro spectrum so shipping isn’t really my thing but it is BIG in the fandom, and frequently I see Kairi brushed aside in favor of other ships. Which I mean the guys get more lines and dialogue and Things To Do so it makes sense but it’s sad that she sometimes doesn’t even have a presence in the fandom.

I feel like Kairi herself if Nomura ever wanted to use her or dove into her would have such an interesting story. She starts out the series as a kind more bull headed Tom boy girl, and then seems to fall into the waiting damsel role. She is constantly shunted off while the boys do things that I feel like she would have this disconnect from them. A guilt at getting them involved in this stuff in the first place and then not even able to help them deal with it. All she seems to be able to do is make things worse.

I think Kairi is honestly a very lonely character, lonelier than even Riku at times.

I think it would be great to explore her guilt, her sorrow, her loneliness, and the work that needs to be done for her friendship with the boys to be healthy again. I think it has fallen weak due to all three of them.

I hate that ‘training’ has become an excuse. They’re like ‘she’s not just the girl, she’s the fighter! She just needs training!’ But how many games can you give her a training montage in before you admit you’re just sidelining her. She should have gone after sora with or without Riku at the end of melody and we all know it.

Idk ramble ramble rant. I love Kairi and she’s so underutilized that thinking about her drives me insane.

[passive-t-u-m-b-l-r-user]

I hate this horrible game of telephone people are playing with Nomura's Interview.

Read it yourself. Stop freaking out and misinterpreting.

...

Young Jump Interview Page 3

(Translated by Liodin on KHInsider)

Q1: The Kingdom Hearts series has many intricate settings and characters. How do you consolidate these and communicate them to the team?

TN: I don't think the team fully understands everything. For example, during recordings, sometimes the staff explaining the settings or characters to the voice actors will ask me, “This is correct, right?” and I might respond, “No, not quite.” This kind of back-and-forth happens (laughs). However, it’s understandable because I’m the only one who knows the parts of the characters that haven't been depicted yet. I personally navigate through the complex storylines, constantly swaying between different directions. On the other hand, I encourage the team to question or point out anything to me.

Q2: Do you have a sort of "bible" or documentation for the settings?

TN: I do have personal notes to ensure I don't forget things. These include the footsteps of important characters, events that haven't been depicted yet, and future developments.

Q3: So, these aren’t shared with the team?

TN: No, I keep them a secret (laughs). But when necessary, I sometimes write sudden bursts of detailed settings into the script to make sure the staff understands.

Q4: In Kingdom Hearts, you seem to lay out foreshadowing that spans multiple installments. How do you keep track of everything?

TN: A lot of it is written in my notes, but I also rely on the staff to remember things. Since I enjoy watching videos, I sometimes check gameplay footage and fan theories on YouTube. Rather than relying on my notes, I often ask the staff how things played out in previous titles.

Q5: Do you watch fan theory videos? Do you ever think, “They’ve figured it out, so I’ll change it,” or “They don’t get it at all”?

TN: I find them genuinely interesting to watch. Often, I think, “It’s not as complicated as people think.” I’m frequently impressed by how deeply people analyze things. For instance, some people try to connect Kingdom Hearts to the Final Fantasy series, but the writers for each are different, and even though I’m involved with both, there’s no connection between the titles.

Q6: At the time of the first Kingdom Hearts, I assume you didn’t have the entire current storyline planned. As the series progresses and more settings and characters are introduced, does it become increasingly difficult to maintain coherence? Do you mostly make things up as you go?

TN: I had a general direction from the first game. As I mentioned earlier, I do take notes on future developments. When things don’t quite align with the planned direction, I make adjustments on the fly. While the details weren’t fully fleshed out at the time of Kingdom Hearts I (released in 2002), I had thought about the next few installments ahead of time. So, while we were working on Kingdom Hearts III (released in 2019), I already had Kingdom Hearts IV and beyond in mind and worked toward that.

Q7: This year, Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, a mobile app, is also set for release. With important story elements being released on mobile or handheld devices, are you concerned that some players may lose track of the storyline?

TN: Yes, that is a concern (laughs). That’s why Missing-Link takes place in a much earlier timeline than the main Kingdom Hearts series. However, as fans often joke, “Even though Kingdom Hearts IV is coming out, it’s really more like Kingdom Hearts XIII�� since the non-numbered titles are obviously connected. Still, I believe it allows for a deeper enjoyment of the Kingdom Hearts universe. That said, both Missing-Link and Kingdom Hearts IV are being designed with a strong emphasis on being standalone titles rather than just sequels. For instance, a new approach in the scenario writing is that I’ve had staff members who haven’t been involved in Kingdom Hearts before join the writing process. Of course, I’ll make final adjustments, but the base script was written by people unfamiliar with the series, which is why I don’t think these projects will feel like obligatory follow-ups. With Missing-Link, we’re addressing “the lost history,” so the expectation is that not knowing everything is part of the experience. If you know the lore, it’s more enjoyable, but it’s not a prerequisite.

Q8: Much like how starting a long-running manga series can be daunting, the large number of Kingdom Hearts titles poses a similar challenge. How do you plan to attract new users?

TN: I’d love to know the answer to that (laughs). As I mentioned earlier, Missing-Link and Kingdom Hearts IV are kind of reset points for me. I felt like Kingdom Hearts III was a natural conclusion of sorts, so we’re resetting things by bringing in new writers and even redesigning the logo to make the series more accessible.

Q9: So, that’s why the logo changed.

TN: If you’ve seen the ending of Kingdom Hearts III, you’ll understand, but the way Sora’s story ended was a way to reset things, so Kingdom Hearts IV should be more accessible than previous titles. Of course, longtime fans will recognize the familiar feel of the series, but we’re designing it to be approachable for newcomers as well.

Q10: In a past interview, you mentioned that players would spend a lot of time in “Quadratum” (a field resembling Shibuya) in Kingdom Hearts IV. Why bring in a more realistic setting to a world that was previously pure fantasy?

TN: There are a few reasons, but I personally like settings that are slightly removed from reality rather than being completely fantastical. It’s the same with films—I find it harder to get immersed in worlds that are entirely fictional with no connection to reality. That’s why Quadratum is based on Shibuya but isn’t the real Shibuya. I’m fascinated by the idea of a slightly off-kilter version of reality, rather than a pure fantasy world.

Q11: Manga like Tokyo Ghoul, set in Tokyo, and Jujutsu Kaisen, with its Shibuya arc, are similar in that they use real-world locations. Perhaps fans of both manga and games enjoy these grounded yet fantastical settings.

TN: That might be true. It’s easier to relate to. Additionally, I’ve always thought there were plenty of creators already doing medieval high fantasy, so I didn’t need to. In 2007, we released The World Ends with You, which was also set in Shibuya, but now many works use Shibuya as a setting. It feels like everyone has come to Shibuya (laughs).

Q12: It does seem like more works are set in Japan these days. Speaking of the mix between reality and fantasy, at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, there’s a monologue where Sora says, “I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately… Like, is any of this for real or not?” Did you already have Quadratum in mind back then?

TN: The name “Quadratum” didn’t exist at that time, but I had the concept in mind. It was a long-term plan that I knew we would eventually reach (laughs).

Q13: So it’s a 20-year-long payoff for that foreshadowing. Lastly, do you see the ending of the Kingdom Hearts series in the future?

TN: To give you a realistic answer, I’m approaching retirement age, so it’s becoming a race between retirement and finishing the series (laughs). However, I am creating Kingdom Hearts IV with the intent of leading toward the series’ conclusion.

https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/when-are-we-expecting-news.238707/post-6668282