In the 1990s, Squaresoft managed to create worldwide interest in Japanese RPGs with Final Fantasy. While facing competition from other companies, Square developed a reputation for pushing the envelope in gaming. With that fame under their belt, one chance meeting led to a whole new franchise. Tetsuya Nomura, character and story designer for multiple FF games, met a Disney executive in an elevator. This would lead to the companies collaborating on a new franchise, Kingdom Hearts. While now its own juggernaut, Kingdom Hearts relied heavily on Final Fantasy to jumpstart its success.
A Disney JRPG
The core idea of the Kingdom Hearts games wasn’t something gamers would’ve expected. Squaresoft, soon to be Square Enix, was a JRPG titan. The common themes and qualities of a JRPG did not seem to mesh well with Disney properties. However, the two companies came together regardless. While Kingdom Hearts would include original characters, the initial premise had a different focus. The first advertisements would emphasize Disney characters with the appearance of FF characters as a surprise. People asked, “Why are Donald Duck and Sephiroth in this game?” This shocking idea alone was enough to generate interest and sales.
Disney and FF Intertwined
When gamers picked up Kingdom Hearts for the first time on PlayStation 2, they were blown away. The early story immediately introduced popular characters from FFVII and FFX. As the players advanced into the Disney worlds, however, they found more crossover. The character Cloud Strife from FFVII appeared in the Disney world based on Hercules. This was a great way to use people’s love of Final Fantasy to invest them in this new story. The mix of different kinds of characters in one place made Kingdom Hearts unique. The more people discussed the oddity of this combo, the more intrigued people got.
Growing Strong Together
By the early 2000s, Sony and Square had become inseparable. While Square would eventually develop for other systems, their primary focus seemed to be the PlayStation. They produced new Final Fantasy games and new Kingdom Hearts games for the system. As such, the franchises grew together and fed off each other. Fans of one would be encouraged to try the other. Kingdom Hearts II continued this trend by putting FF characters in the forefront again. New characters were added and old ones returned as well. There was even a design crossover with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to help spread that movie’s influence.
And Yet, Growing Apart
Final Fantasy characters would appear less and less as Kingdom Hearts grew into its own. By the time of KH III, there was hardly room for them. The main campaign of the long-awaited threequel would not include a single one. While they would return in the game’s DLC campaign by fan demand, they were barely a footnote. The reality was, Kingdom Hearts had grown so much that it now stood on its own. It was no longer a game about crossovers, but instead had its own intricate plot. Final Fantasy had done its job and given Square a new tentpole franchise. Tetsuya Nomura was spread thin, but the fans were excited for both franchises.
Separate But Together
It is unclear what future Final Fantasy characters will have in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The latter’s complexities often mean adding new characters is difficult. As new Disney Worlds are brought into play, Square wishes to abide by Disney’s wishes and do them justice. This often doesn’t leave room for adding in their own characters like before. Despite that, fans have hopes for the future. The inclusion of FF characters in KH III’s DLC was a welcome return. Additionally, the new setting of Quadratum seems rife for potential cameos. After all, “quad” means four, which naturally leads to “square,” as in Square Enix. We shall see what potential crossovers Square has in store for us in Kingdom Hearts IV.
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