Here’s 6 Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds I think we’ll see following Coco’s official D23 reveal — including the one Tetsuya Nomura has ‘always’ wanted to include | Daily Reports Online

Over the weekend, we were treated to Disney’s annual D23 showcase, and while many will be soaking up the major Marvel Cinematic Universe reveals (including the X-Men cast announcement), I was far more interested in the brand-new Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer.

KINGDOM HEARTS IV – Extended D23 2026 Coco Trailer – YouTube

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Not only was the Late 2027 release date set in stone, but it revealed the arrival of Coco to the series and gave us plenty of juicy details about the wider story while still keeping plenty a secret — such as which other worlds we’ll be visiting.

However, I’ve gone through every detail of the trailers we have so far, as well as comments made by series creator Tetsuya Nomura during a D23 Kingdom Hearts Deep Dive panel, to pick out six worlds I believe are shoo-ins for Kingdom Hearts 4.

1. Onward

Onward - Oltre la magia — (Image credit: Onward – Oltre la magia)

Based on Coco’s inclusion and the plot details trailers have revealed so far, it is seemingly safe to assume that several Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds will have an afterlife or otherworldly theme. We also know that Donald and Goofy are on a quest to find and contact Sora — and a Disney Pixar film that combines both of these ideas is Onward.

The 2020 animated adventure follows brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot (played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively) as they set out on a mission to cast a visitation spell so they can speak to their deceased father one last time. A quest I’m sure Sora’s friends would want to join to talk to their lost friend.

It’s a fantastical setting with plenty of space for magic and combat to suit Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay, and based on its story alone, it makes perfect sense as a world for Sora’s friends to visit. Its release date would also fit well within KH4’s development timeline, which leads me to believe we’ll see Onward as a world in the next game.

2. Star Wars

Luke Skywalker grimacing as he holds his green lightsaber in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

According to fans, Star Wars has already been revealed in Kingdom Hearts 4’s very first teaser trailer. A forest scene looks exactly like a view from the forest moon of Endor, and there’s also an object that looks distinctly like an AT-ST foot at the edge of a shot. In the most recent trailer, Donald and Goofy are also briefly seen as blue projections that look a lot like Force ghosts.

I don’t think any more confirmation is needed, frankly. My question is, how does this world fit into Kingdom Hearts 4? Besides just being a cool inclusion fans have been begging for since Disney bought the franchise, that is. Well, I have two theories.

Perhaps after failing to bring Sora to them in Onward’s world, his friends instead try to reach out to him using the help of someone like Luke Skywalker or Yoda to project a manifestation of themselves to wherever their friend is.

Alternatively, perhaps knowing that Sora is stuck in Unreality — a realm beyond the regular universe — his friends may try venturing in the Gummi Ship far beyond anywhere they have traveled before; i.e., to a galaxy far, far away

Regardless of the reason why it appears, I think many safely assume Star Wars will feature in Kingdom Hearts, and I’ll be certain they’re on the money until I’m proven otherwise.

3. Moana

An animated girl holds up a paddle with a whale behind her — (Image credit: Disney)

There’s one other teaser fans have spotted in previous Kingdom Hearts 4 trailers, but the community is divided over whether it’s for Moana or Elemental. That’s because all we’ve seen is a Keyblade design blending fire/lava and water, which could fit with either of these stories.

I was previously on the Elemental side of the aisle, but I’m changing my tune. Admittedly, my actual belief is we’ll see both, but if it must be either/or, I’m now leaning towards Moana.

The driving factor is the theme of the underworld/afterlife. While one character does seemingly sacrifice themself in Elemental the afterlife isn’t a core part of the movie — but in Moana we do visit the underworld in the form of Lalotai.

It’s more a realm of monsters than a place of the undead, but it still makes sense as a place for Sora’s friends to look to find him, and the neon underwater fluorescence would be a beautiful environment to explore with interesting, unique Heartless designs to battle against.

Tamatoa would also be the perfect final boss.

Admittedly this theory butts up against the keyblade’s design as it would maybe look more like treasure from Tamatoa’s horde than of the fiery aspect of Te Fiti -– Te Kā — creating havoc for the watery world above, but as I said before I believe we’ll see both Elemental and Moana; Moana for its underworld, and Elemental as a palette cleanser that suits KH’s wider themes but isn’t directly associated with the otherworldliness we’re assuming will be present in most worlds.

(Image credit: Pixar/Disney)

4. Bambi

During D23’s Kingdom Hearts panel, series creator Tetsuya Nomura let slip that another Kingdom Hearts 4 world will be one he has always wanted to include. In fact, it was almost in Kingdom Hearts 3 but was cut because of development issues.

Now, the internet has pointed to Cars as this secret world. KH3 leaks from a few years ago seem to prove the Pixar franchise was in consideration for long enough to be referenced in a demo version of the game.

However, despite this evidence, I have a different pick based on Nomura’s “always” comment — if taken literally, it would need to be a Disney franchise older than 2002 (when KH1 was released), which 2006’s Cars isn’t.

But Bambi is.

(Image credit: Disney)

Besides its age, Bambi ticks a few boxes that make it a prime candidate for inclusion in the series, KH4 specifically. It’s a story about friendship (a core Kingdom Hearts theme), but also the loss of loved ones, which is a key aspect in this next installment of the Disney meets Square Enix franchise.

Bambi has also appeared in Kingdom Hearts before: as a Summon in the very first game. Clearly, the source material was on Nomura’s mind during development of the first title.

It’s also one of only two of those Summons to never appear again in Kingdom Hearts (ignoring remakes and Chain of Memories, which has you re-experience the first game’s events). All the others have since appeared in their own KH world except for Bambi and Dumbo — who may be tricky to add given his story’s reliance on racist stereotypes.

Given the other part of Nomura’s statement, a Bambi setting would also likely cause development issues. The team would need to create forest animal models for Sora (and his companions) to don in this space — and work out how Sora’s critter form would wield a Keyblade.

In the same panel, Nomura apparently said he likes to try and include curveball picks in his games, starting with The Nightmare Before Christmas all the way back in KH1. Perhaps I’m merely high on my own supply, but I don’t think anything would be more of a curveball than this.