18 Years Ago, Everything Changed for Kingdom Hearts Fans

The secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 2 had fans on the edge of their seats for years, wondering what exactly was going on with the armored warriors and the keyblade graveyard surrounding them. While there would be other spin-offs in the series, it wouldn’t be until January 9, 2010, that the Japanese debut of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep would reveal their true identities and history.

A prequel to the prior entries in the series, Birth by Sleep introduces an entirely new generation of heroes to the universe, who have their own literal and thematic connections to the heroes of the series. It was a swerve that many fans weren’t expecting, but it was a crucial one for the larger franchise. On top of growing the lore and reinforcing the themes of the series, it was also an important step in proving Kingdom Hearts could be about more than just the characters in Sora’s orbit.

How Birth By Sleep Revealed The Cyclical Nature Of Kingdom Hearts

Debuting on the PlayStation Portable before being re-released as part of the Final Mix edition for various home consoles, Birth by Sleep breaks away from the primary Kingdom Hearts cast in a way that answered long-standing questions and laid the groundwork for the future. For years, fans were eager for the series to pay off the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 2, which teases three mysterious Keyblade warriors amid a ruined keyblade graveyard.

There were other spin-offs and re-releases between the second game and Birth By Sleep, meaning it several years before the characters of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua were formally introduced and revealed to be the armored warriors featured in the secret ending. The trio ended up being the focus of the prequel, set ten years before the main events of the games. By establishing this, the series was able to go increasingly backwards in the timeline across other games, revealing more about the earlier machinations of Xehanort and his intentions for Kingdom Hearts, the massive space that exists outside the regular universe.

More notably, the inclusion of Ventus, Terra, and Aqua ended up being crucial aspects of the franchise’s cyclical approach to storytelling. Whereas previous games had left it somewhat ambiguous how characters on Destiny Island could prove to be so important, Birth by Sleep explored the way their spirits and intentions could become reflected in other generations of heroes. Similar to the fates of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, the trio of Aqua, Terra, and Ventus are doomed to suffer at the ambitions of others who seek to control power no one person was meant to wield. While reincarnation and the bonds of friendship surviving beyond the cycles of life were already established themes in the series, the revelations surrounding Ventus’ connection to Sora and the way Terra became possessed in a manner similar to Riku made these connections feel more important than just thematic.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep was also quietly crucial, in a way even other Kingdom Hearts spin-offs weren’t. While the likes of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days illuminated unanswered questions about key characters, Birth by Sleep was a crucial chapter of the overarching saga. It even had a lot of importance within the plot of Kingdom Hearts III, which brought the story of the prior trio full circle by having Sora work to help rescue and restore them.

What Kingdom Hearts’ Prequel Says About The Franchise’s Future

Kingdom Hearts being willing to hop around perspectives has been a key element of the series since the second console-released entry in the franchise. Kingdom Hearts II opened with Roxas, with players only gradually realizing his full connection to the overarching lore and his importance in the life of Sora. Similarly, the prequel heroes of Birth By Sleep were a crucial way for the series to expand the history of the universe and lay the groundwork for deeper dives into the history of Xenahort and the Keyblade Masters.

It also means that it shouldn’t be surprising to see Kingdom Hearts games that come in the future. Kingdom Hearts 4‘s trailer teased that Sora would be set loose in a more realistic-looking world, with new characters to interact with. It could also build up to the new conflict teased at the conclusion of Kingdom Hearts III, which could erupt between Luxu and the mysterious Foretellers. This willingness to change might have been the key to the series being able to step outside those expected characters and do something different.

Kingdom Hearts‘ commitment to telling a larger epic instead of just remaining with Sora and the people in his direct orbit helped set up the series to go bigger and bolder with future entries. The thematic connections between characters give the games a connecting narrative thread even beyond the sometimes convoluted backstory of the games, ensuring that the themes of friendship and realizing one’s potential remain relevant to the experience. Without Birth by Sleep, the series might not have been as willing to dive into that broader future ahead.