'Kingdom Hearts 4' release date, details: Will 'Final Fantasy' characters make their appearance in upcoming game?

Square Enix surprised fans during the Kingdom Hearts 20th-anniversary event in Tokyo last April when it confirmed that "Kingdom Hearts 4" is in development. The reveal even included a brief trailer giving fans a glimpse of what the upcoming game would offer.

Since then, however, not many details about "Kingdom Hearts 4" have been revealed. For fans desperate for more info about the title, here's everything we know about the sequel.

Will there be Final Fantasy characters in 'Kingdom Hearts 4'?

Those who have the first two games in the series know that they feature cameos of Final Fantasy characters such as Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, Squall 'Leon' Leonheart, Aerith Gainsborough, Yuffie Kisaragi, and Cid Highwind to name a few. Unfortunately, no Final Fantasy characters were seen in "Kingdom Hearts 3" at all, GamesRadar noted.

Naturally, fans are now asking if Final Fantasy characters will be making their appearing in the upcoming game. Well, here's what series director Tetsuya Nomura has to say about why there were Final Fantasy characters in the first two games.

"When we released the first title, we had only a few original Kingdom Hearts characters. When they were interacting with really well-known, beloved Disney characters, I felt nobody really knew these new characters, so it was harder for them to stand their ground just yet," Nomura explained. His solution was to introduce more recognizable Final Fantasy characters to "lend a hand for everyone to get to know these [original Kingdom Hearts] characters better."

Nomura also revealed that they hadn't decided yet on whether to bring in some Final Fantasy characters in the coming title. "That's something we definitely are thinking about. But just with the sheer number of original characters that we have now, it's hard to say what the exact balance is going to be and how it will play out in Kingdom Hearts 4," he added.

'Kingdom Hearts 4' confirmed characters

As the franchise's main character, Sora will definitely be in "Kingdom Hearts 4," though he might look a bit different this time, as seen in the trailer. Sora's appearance has been updated to become more realistic as his hair is less tell while his clown shoes have been swapped for a more fitting pair.

The trailer also confirmed that Strelitzia would be making it to the upcoming title. Those who played "Kingdom Hearts Union X" will know who she is but for now, let's just say that she is a keyblade wielder. How she crossed paths with Sora will likely be revealed in the "Kingdom Hearts 4" storyline.

Of course, Donald and Goofy will be joining as well. But the trailer suggests that the two have been somehow separated from Sora as they were looking for him before they were attacked by Hades. It appears that Donald and Goofy are stuck in the Underworld and would need Sora to rescue them.

'Kingdom Hearts 4' release date

Square Enix has not yet made an announcement for the "Kingdom Hearts 4" release date at the moment, but many believe it won't arrive in 2022. Some pointed out that "Kingdom Hearts 3" was announced in 2013 but only came out over six years later.

This could mean that "Kingdom Hearts 4," which was only announced this year, won't be launched anytime soon. Hopefully, fans won't have to endure a six-year waiting period just like they did for "KH 3". Stay tuned for more updates.