- 8 minutes ago
Category
🎈
FunTranscript
00:00Hmm oh my gosh have we been shrunk and and look at us
00:05Welcome to mojo plays and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 things
00:10You didn't know about Kingdom Hearts is third mainline entry after more than a decade of
00:15Anticipation Kingdom Hearts 3 finally brought Sora's battle against Xehanort to a close while naturally creating approximately
00:2217 new mysteries in the process but behind those Disney World's Keyblade
00:27Transformations and incomprehensible discussions about hearts are some fascinating development stories cut ideas and tiny details
00:35Even dedicated fans may have missed
00:41Impressive is it not before we begin we publish new content all week long
00:46So be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos
00:52Face my fears
00:57Okay
01:00Skrillex and Kingdom Hearts sounds like an unexpected unholy combination
01:04But their collab song face my fears wasn't originally supposed to exist
01:09The initial plan was reportedly for Skrillex to create a remix of Hikaru Utada's don't think twice the game's primary
01:15ending theme
01:16However Skrillex already a huge Kingdom Hearts fan and personally acquainted with Utada ended up collaborating with her and producer
01:23Pube on an entirely new song instead
01:38The result became face my fears the energetic opening theme accompany in KHRE's wonderfully dramatic intro sequence
01:55The three voices of Xehanort
01:58Legend has it that darkness once covered the world
02:04We know so little about the keyblade war only that it was just the beginning
02:11Xehanort went through an extraordinary succession of English voice actors
02:15Leonard Nimoy originally defined the character's wonderfully gravelly voice in Birth by Sleep and later appearances before passing away in
02:232015
02:25Feckless Neophyte
02:28If I must I will extract the darkness from within you myself
02:33For Kingdom Hearts 3 the role went to another legendary performer
02:36Rutger Hauer star of Blade Runner
02:38You thought you could contain me here
02:41Knowing all that you do about connections
02:45Sadly Hauer passed away only months after KH3's release
02:49When Xehanort returned for the Remind expansion
02:51Square Enix recasts the character again
02:54This time with Christopher Lloyd
02:56Best known as Doc Brown from the Back to the Future series
02:58That's three extremely distinctive performers attached to one villain
03:03May your heart be your guiding key
03:06Where are the Final Fantasy characters?
03:10But if we still remember him
03:12Then he must still be with us
03:16Yes
03:17That would stand to reason
03:19One of KH3's strangest omissions was the near total absence of traditional Final Fantasy characters
03:25Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid and Cloud had all been prominent in previous games
03:29So fans naturally wondered where everyone went
03:32Nomura later explained that KH3 already had an enormous number of characters whose stories needed resolving
03:38Sid, you are a million times worse than a broken record
03:43With Organisation 13, multiple Keyblade wielders, Disneycast and the Guardians of Light competing for screen time
03:50There simply wasn't enough room
03:52Nomura also felt that the series had reached a point where it no longer required Final Fantasy characters to establish
03:58its identity
03:58Fan demand clearly mattered though
04:01As RuMind eventually brought back several familiar faces
04:04Oh, good idea
04:05Worth a shot
04:07Yeah
04:08Let's try
04:09Unreal Engine 4
04:15Got you
04:16Fine
04:19Kingdom Hearts 3 didn't spend its entire development cycle running on Unreal Engine 4
04:25Square Enix initially developed the game using its own technology
04:28Before making the decision to switch engines during production
04:31According to Nomura, the transition inevitably caused development setbacks
04:34Because portions of the project effectively needed to be rebuilt or adapted to function within Unreal Engine 4
04:40Which helps explain at least part of KH3's famously lengthy development process
04:52The Switch ultimately proved worthwhile, especially considering how dramatically the game shifts visual styles between locations like Toybox, Monstropolis and
05:01the Caribbean
05:07Luxur of the Caribbean
05:08of the Caribbean Luke said
05:09of the Caribbean Jack,
05:09don't you give this creep the time of day Come on
05:14now Are you
05:15really so unsophisticated that you chicnt list a gentlemanly conversation Apparently even
05:21Organization 13 members require costume changes when visiting Disney World's
05:26The Caribbean presented Square Enix with a unique challenge, because Pirates of the Caribbean uses realistic characters based on actual
05:33actors.
05:34Normal Kingdom Hearts character models look noticeably too stylized standing behind Jack Sparrow and company.
05:39So Square created specialized, more realistic models for Sora, Donald and Goofy.
05:44You tell me all about that chest.
05:46Against what?
05:49I will get you whatever it is you want.
05:52But here's the particularly strange part.
05:54Luxord needed one too.
05:56Because the organization member appears extensively throughout the world, the developers created
06:01a Caribbean specific version of him with more realistic skin, hair and facial detail.
06:08Now, let us begin.
06:10All hands, prepare to make sale.
06:12If you're already having withdrawals before Kingdom Hearts 4 arrives, scan the QR code and
06:17head on over to Mojoplay's 24x7 livestream for more whimsical gaming content.
06:23Precisely.
06:24No purchase.
06:25No pay.
06:26You might have the makings of a pirate after all.
06:29The Flantastic Seven.
06:31These giant pudding heartless scattered across worlds nearly became victims of development
06:35cuts.
06:36The Flantastic Seven challenged players with bizarre minigames, involving everything from
06:40bouncing around Olympus to photographing increasingly aggressive desserts.
06:44During development, however, the team apparently reached a point where content needed trimming.
06:49Co-director Tai Yasue specifically pushed to keep the Flans in the finished game, rather
06:54than remove them or save them for later DLC.
06:56That means these ridiculous enemies survived, partly because somebody inside Square Enix was
07:02willing to fight for monstrous sentient pudding.
07:04Riku's new keyblade.
07:07Riku, be careful.
07:09Even the least threatening heartless are stronger in this realm.
07:13I got it.
07:14Riku's Braveheart keyblade looks noticeably different from most weapons in the series.
07:19There's a reason for that.
07:21Nomura explained that the design was inspired by modern house keys.
07:24Traditional Kingdom Hearts keyblades usually resemble oversized decorative skeleton keys.
07:29But modern real-world keys often have much straighter, more industrial designs.
07:34I guess we probably should have powered up our keyblades before we came in here, huh?
07:38That aesthetic influenced Braveheart, giving it the appearance of an enormous contemporary
07:43key, rather than something belonging to an ancient fantasy lot.
07:46It's surprisingly mundane inspiration for a weapon capable of fighting heartless, traveling
07:51between worlds, and potentially unlocking reality itself.
07:55Fire!
07:55How can this happen?
08:09The toy versions of Sora, Donald, and Goofy are among KH3's cutest transformations,
08:16but they almost looked completely different.
08:18One early concept reportedly involved transforming the trio into three-dimensional pixel-style characters
08:24when they entered the toy box.
08:25Instead, discussions with Pixar pushed Square Enix towards making them resemble actual manufactured
08:31toys, complete with visible joints, seams, and plastic textures.
08:34That was great!
08:36Great?
08:36Really?
08:37Would you say I was impressive?
08:39Very impressive, Rex.
08:41The finished design therefore looks like something Andy could plausibly own, rather than video game
08:46characters accidentally rendered with enormous pixels.
08:48It was absolutely the right decision.
08:51Not only does the transformation perfectly suit the world, but it also allows KH3's lighting
08:56and material effects to convincingly reproduce plastic.
08:59Said he wanted to prove to you you could trust Sora.
09:02He's up there by the video games!
09:06Well, here we go again.
09:09Dragon Sora
09:10Well, my name's Sully, and this is...
09:13Oh, we know.
09:14Mike Wazowski, right?
09:15When Sora enters Monstropolis, he gets fur, claws, horns, and a suitably monstrous makeover.
09:21Earlier versions apparently went much further.
09:24Nomura revealed that Sora's initial monster design was something more dragon-like, before
09:29the team gradually adjusted his body, facial features, and coloring.
09:33Oh, that's brilliant!
09:35Ah!
09:36Ah!
09:37Hang on!
09:38The final version sits somewhere between a cat, a demon, and somebody who accidentally got
09:43trapped inside an extremely elaborate Halloween costume, ultimately becoming someone who could
09:48exist alongside Sully and Mike.
09:50Albeit with a slight anime egg to it.
09:53We aren't complaining.
09:54Happy exterminating!
09:58Thank you!
10:00The Final World Connection
10:08The Final World is one of KH3's strangest locations.
10:12Sora arrives there after the disastrous battle at the Keyblade Graveyard.
10:16Finding an endless sky filled with reflective water and fragmented stars.
10:21Nomura explained that it exists near the boundary between sleep and death, serving as a destination
10:26for hearts that haven't completely passed on.
10:29My heart and body perished?
10:32Um, does that mean...
10:34Something is holding you here.
10:37Refusing to let you go.
10:39It also shares conceptual connections with the Station of Awakening, the mysterious stained glass
10:44realm that has appeared throughout the series.
10:45It makes Sora's visit far more significant than simply wandering through Kingdom Hearts Heaven.
10:50He's essentially standing somewhere between existence, dreams, and death.
10:55Which, by Kingdom Hearts standards, is surprisingly straightforward.
11:03May your heart be your guiding key.
11:06Shion nearly got cut.
11:13Useless puppet.
11:19The Limit Cut episode lets players fight extraordinarily difficult recreations of the real Organization XIII.
11:26But one member nearly didn't make the cut.
11:29Shion.
11:29Nomura reportedly reconsidered including her because the narrative implications felt... uncomfortable.
11:34After everything Shion endured, and everything players endured emotionally during 358 over 2 days,
11:41forcing Sora to repeatedly beat her senseless as optional endgame content is admittedly rather cruel.
11:56Ultimately, she remained part of the lineup, and anyone who actually fought Data Shion knows she certainly doesn't require sympathy.
12:03Her encounter is ferociously difficult, capable of reducing Sora's maximum HP while unleashing relentless Keyblade combinations and beams of light.
12:12Turns out the greater concern should have been Shion hurting us.
12:16Kairi will be alright.
12:19I can feel it.
12:22The Remind Data Bosses.
12:27I'll scatter you to the wind.
12:30Ready?
12:32Back at ya!
12:34The Limit Cut bosses aren't simply existing Organization encounters with massive health bars.
12:39Square Enix essentially redesigned all 13 battles.
12:43Each Data Organization member received new attack patterns, combinations, mechanics, and substantially more aggressive behavior, designed specifically for expert players.
12:52That's why bosses like Shion, Xemnas, and Xehanort feel radically different from their story mode counterparts.
13:06Rather than conventional DLC rematches, there are effectively 13 specialized Superbosses.
13:12The amount of work involved in such an undertaking also explains why Limit Cut became such a substantial part of
13:18Remind.
13:18And if those fights weren't enough, defeating all 13 unlocks Yozora.
13:23Because apparently, Square looked at players who survived 13 consecutive combat examinations and decided,
13:29these people clearly haven't suffered enough.
13:37Final Fantasy vs. 13
13:47The moment Yozora appeared, fans immediately noticed something.
13:51He looked suspiciously familiar.
13:53His appearance, Verem Rex imagery, and the Remind secret ending contain obvious similarities to Final Fantasy vs. 13.
14:01The cancelled project Nomura originally directed before it evolved into Final Fantasy 15.
14:06Impressive, is it not?
14:10Hmm.
14:11Nomura has acknowledged those parallels while stressing that Verem Rex and vs. 13 are not simply the same story.
14:18However, concepts from the Abandoned Project remained in his imagination, and clearly influenced Yozora's world.
14:24Then Remind takes things even further with locations and imagery strongly evocative of vs. 13.
14:30What started as a ridiculous, fake video game advertisement inside of Toybox, somehow became critically important to Kingdom Hearts lore.
14:39Of course it did.
14:40I've been...
14:42I've been having these...
14:44weird thoughts lately.
14:46The Nomura writing rabbit hole.
14:48Let's head back to Master Yen Sid.
14:50We can figure it out.
14:53No.
14:54I know what to do.
14:56Tetsuya Nomura isn't simply the guy drawing characters wearing implausible quantities of belts.
15:01His involvement in Kingdom Hearts' writing goes extremely deep.
15:05Nomura has explained that although other writers contribute scenario material,
15:09he personally handles and revises the final script and dialogue.
15:12For KH3, that involvement extended down to surprisingly tiny details.
15:17His heart and his mind are made up.
15:22Now believe in him.
15:23He even worked on things like item names and the social media style posts appearing during loading screens.
15:28Yep, those hashtags?
15:30All Nomura.
15:31That means the same person overseeing the Xehanort saga's complicated mythology was also deciding what Donald Duck should apparently post
15:38online between worlds.
15:39Considering KH3 has a sizeable cast spanning original characters and multiple Disney properties,
15:46personally refining that much dialogue sounds exhausting.
15:49Maybe that's why everybody keeps talking about hearts.
15:52Eventually you just run out of nouns.
15:55I could say no.
15:59No epilogue on launch disk.
16:02Yes dear.
16:03I'm sure there's something there that leads to Sora.
16:06Square Enix faced a massive problem before KH3 launched.
16:10Physical copies leaked early.
16:12Their solution for protecting the biggest story secrets was remarkably clever.
16:17The game's epilogue and secret movie weren't actually included on the disc.
16:21Instead, Square distributed them digitally after release to updates.
16:25That meant anyone obtaining an early retail copy could finish the main story,
16:29but couldn't immediately reveal everything waiting afterwards.
16:32No, this isn't the real world, and I am here.
16:35The epilogue introduced major developments involving the foretellers,
16:39while the secret ending took Sora and Riku somewhere considerably more mysterious.
16:43It was essentially spoiler protection built directly into the release strategy.
16:48Naturally, KH3 fans reacted by analysing every available frame the instant those scenes became accessible.
16:54After all, you can only delay the KH3 theorists.
16:57You cannot stop them.
16:58I guess that my powers aren't needed yet.
17:03Two years to finalise.
17:04What's this?
17:06Oh no!
17:07What did I do?
17:10Toybox wasn't created by Square Enix simply borrowing Woody and Buzz and writing whatever it wanted.
17:16Pixar remained closely involved.
17:18According to Nomura, developing and approving the Toy Story storyline took more than two years,
17:22because Square repeatedly collaborated with Pixar on the scenario, characters and world.
17:27Your tour is over, son.
17:29And it's alright.
17:31Our trusted allies will take over.
17:33That level of consultation explains why Toybox feels unusually confident about expanding the property beyond the films.
17:40It also became one of the earliest KH3 worlds developed, helping establish how the game would approach Pixar properties.
17:46Two years sounds like an absurd amount of time to fill in the details, but when it involves a kid
17:51with a giant key constantly talking about hearts,
17:53maybe Pixar had some reasonable follow-up questions.
17:56Leave the others out of this.
18:00You would say that, champion of light.
18:04A Big Hero 6 sequel.
18:06Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.
18:11Oh, wow, cool.
18:14Unlike several Kingdom Hearts Disney worlds, San Fransokyo doesn't simply retell the movie.
18:20KH3's Big Hero 6 storyline takes place right after the film.
18:24Hero, Gogo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred are already operating as Big Hero 6 when Sora arrives,
18:29allowing Square Enix to tell something much closer to an original sequel.
18:33The most interesting consequence is Dark Baymax.
18:37Baymax.
18:39Don't bother.
18:40This puppet has lost his heart.
18:42He won't wake up.
18:44The original Baymax body lost during the movie ends up becoming corrupted, forcing Hero to confront a twisted version of
18:50his former companion while his newer Baymax fights alongside him.
18:53He gave Kingdom Hearts an unusual opportunity to extend the film's story, rather than, say, simply stand awkwardly in the
19:01background while Disney characters recreate scenes we've already watched.
19:05Yep, looking at you, frozen.
19:09But...
19:10Are you sure?
19:11Yeah, dude.
19:12You don't need to go that far.
19:15Nomura's Wishlist.
19:16That's good thinking from you!
19:21What do you mean for me?
19:23Woody and Buzz joining Kingdom Hearts might have felt like a major KH3 innovation, but Nomura had been pursuing the
19:29idea for years.
19:30He said that Toy Story was one of the properties he wanted involved all the way back during the original
19:35Kingdom Hearts era.
19:37Square even prepared material to demonstrate what such a crossover might look like.
19:41However, permission wasn't granted at the time.
19:43Donald, I thought your magic decided how I look. Explain!
19:48Later games continued further experimentation, but it wasn't until KH3 that Pixar finally became fully integrated into the franchise.
19:56That means Toy Box represents the payoff to an ambition stretching back almost to the beginning of Kingdom Hearts itself.
20:03Sora may have spent years searching for Riku, but Nomura apparently spent even longer searching for permission to hang out
20:09with Woody.
20:11Hey, you were just looking out for your friends. No biggie.
20:15Built over Daybreak Town.
20:17Here I and my other selves can be one.
20:23United in Scala Ad Kylum.
20:27Scala Ad Kylum seemed completely new when Xehanort transported Sora there during KH3's finale. It wasn't.
20:34Players familiar with Union Cross noticed suspicious architecture beneath the surrounding water.
20:39Particularly something resembling Daybreak Town's iconic clock tower.
20:44That wasn't accidental.
20:46It sure is awful quiet here.
20:49Nomura eventually confirmed that Scala Ad Kylum was constructed over what remained of Daybreak Town.
20:54Suddenly, the beautiful city isn't merely another mysterious Keyblade location.
20:59It's literally built on top of one of the franchise's most important lost civilizations.
21:03The revelation connects KH3 directly to the increasingly important mobile game mythology involving the ancient Keyblade wielders, Master of Masters
21:12and Foretellers.
21:13In Kingdom Hearts, even urban planning contains lore.
21:23If you love games, be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game, Terrible Influence.
21:28Just launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com.
21:31Terrible Influence is a satirical board game about the dark side of fame from the writer of the most popular
21:36girls in school and us, WatchMojo.
21:38Boom. Burn.
21:39I can make an apology video.
21:41Oh, you so would.
21:42Click on the link in the description to check out the game and be the first to play Terrible Influence.
21:48Toy Box is canon. Ish.
21:50The latest reports placement town, sir, at Galaxy Toys.
21:55Then Galaxy Toys is where we're going.
21:58According to Nomura, the events of KH3's Toy Story World are intended to exist within Toy Story's actual chronology, taking
22:05place after Toy Story 2.
22:07That's why the game simply doesn't recreate one of the movies.
22:10Instead, young Xehanort has separated Woody, Buzz and several toys from Andy and the rest of their friends, creating an
22:16original adventure that could theoretically fit between established Pixar stories.
22:21Are they new?
22:24Wait!
22:26You look familiar!
22:28I know this!
22:29You're...
22:30You're...
22:30You're Zara!
22:33Huh?
22:33Pixar was heavily involved in approving the scenario, helping ensure the characters behaved appropriately.
22:39That means Woody roasting young Xehanort about having no friends isn't merely wonderful Kingdom Hearts dialogue.
22:45It is, according to the crossover's intended placement, part of Woody's adventures.
22:50Forget the Keyblade War.
22:52Woody verbally destroying an anime supervillain might be KH3's greatest contribution to canon.
22:57My guess is no one's ever loved you before.
23:03Because you know nothing about hearts and love.
23:07Do you agree with our picks?
23:09Which Kingdom Hearts 3 facts surprise you the most?
23:12Let us know in the comments below.
23:131
23:132
23:151
23:152
23:172