However, as Square Enix prepares to step into a new era of the series with Kingdom Hearts 4, now might be a great time to show the connections between other characters by introducing further Combined Keyblades. One character in particular who needs to showcase their growth by this next title is Kairi, who has meandered for the last few games without reaching the same heights as her companions.
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Kairi’s Mastery of the Keyblade
The Kingdom Hearts series has consistently struggled with trying to include Kairi in the plot, often being little more than a damsel in distress. This led to the character’s strengths often coming out as deus ex machinas due to her ambiguous nature as a Princess of Light. However, with Kairi’s connection to the Keyblade being established as early as Kingdom Hearts 2, it is beyond time for her to finally come into her own with the iconic weapon.
Reintroducing the Combined Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts 4 could be a great way to show how far Kairi has come in training under Aqua, as was set up at the end of Melody of Memory. Giving Kairi a new variant of the Keyblade and allowing her to connect with either Sora’s or Riku’s could express that training has brought her to the same level as her friends. While the connection of Kairi’s Combined Keyblade doesn’t necessarily have to be with Sora or Riku, one of these matches could potentially be more meaningful.
Sora and Kairi’s Relationship Across Kingdom Hearts
The relationship between Sora and Kairi in Kingdom Hearts is at the heart of the narrative that has been spun across many mainline titles and spin-offs. Protecting Kairi has been the motivator that leads Sora through to the endgame of all three numbered titles, and their connection with each other has been the basis for both Namine’s mysterious powers and Xion’s very existence. The bond between the two is already well established by the time Kingdom Hearts 4 is preparing to set the series off into a new narrative arc.
This means that the bond between Sora and Kairi is already perfectly set to allow the two of them to link their abilities together and create a new Combined Keyblade. This could also lead to getting a new design for the Combined Keyblade that doesn’t follow the same darkness and light color scheme as Sora and Riku’s. Considering the Sea and Sky connection in their names, taking a more uniform color motif from the blues and whites that decorates the horizons of Destiny Islands and The Final World would fuse these concepts.
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Too Many Combined Keyblades Could Erase Important Representation
One major complication with introducing more Combined Keyblades into Kingdom Hearts 4 is that this particular weapon is a powerful symbol of Sora and Riku’s relationship, specifically for LGBTQIA+ fans. Giving Kairi a Combined Keyblade, especially having it pair with Sora, could diminish the meaning of the current weapon. Doing right by Kairi in this particular way could mean erasing much-needed representation for part of the Kingdom Hearts community.
If Square Enix is concerned about the risk of alienating these fans, it might be better to give Kairi a different way to have her Keyblade combine with others. Utilizing older forms of Keyblades thorughout Kingdom Hearts, Kairi could mark herself an equal to Sora and Riku by simply taking one of their own weapons and dual wielding them. Similarly, Kairi’s combination with Sora, Riku, or even Aqua could link at the chain, rather than along the rod, to differentiate her connections from the one that the current Combined Keyblade represents.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently in development.
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