With Kingdom Hearts IV having been officially announced, the time has come once again to start thinking about which stories Sora, Donald and Goofy will interject themselves into next. Of course, the smart money is on some more Disney worlds since they’ve more or less been at the center of the series since the beginning. Of course, Kingdom Hearts isn’t just a Disney game. In theory it’s a mix of both Disney and Final Fantasy, something that the more recent games seem to have forgotten. Considering the more realistic art style seen in the announcement trailer, however, it may be that Kingdom Hearts 4 will finally start paying proper attention to the series’ other half. If so, then these worlds should make it on the itinerary.

1. The World of Balance – Final Fantasy VI

Longtime fans may remember that Roxas actually had a brief run-in with a character from Final Fantasy VI. During the champion Struggle! Match, he faced-off against Setzer Gabbiani, who was more of a show-off than an actual contender. In Final Fantasy VI, Setzer is a gambler who join’s Terra’s group and transports them on his airship. He wouldn’t necessarily need to come back in Kingdom Hearts VI, but it would be funny to have Sora vaguely recognize him and have him react to that.

The real appeal of sending Sora and Co. to the World of Balance would be having him encounter Kefka. The mad clown would fit right into Kingdom Heart’s crazy plot, and any excuse to see more of his flamboyant antics would be excellent. Actually, considering Kingdom Heart’s inherent goofiness, he could probably get away with being even more over the top. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

2. Gaia – Final Fantasy VII

Aerith, Cloud, and Cid have been important minor characters since the very first Kingdom Hearts, so it only makes sense that Sora would eventually wind up doing something to help them at home. Indeed, they (and the other Final Fantasy characters) are all supposedly from Radiant Garden originally, but that leaves things like Cloud’s pursuit of Sephiroth kind of up in the air. If Sephiroth hasn’t actually done anything, then why is he the embodiment of Cloud's darkness? If Radiant Garden were to be reframed as an adopted home (kind of like Traverse Town), then the door could be opened to Midgar and the fight for Gaia's survival.

Not only would it be interesting to see the Donald and Goofy wandering around Midgar, but it would also be cool to see Sora take in the bleak world his friends are from. Beyond that, it would be beyond funny to see Barrett react to Donald. That moment alone would probably make the game worth it!

3. The World – Final Fantasy VIII

Squall Leonhart is arguably just as important to Kingdom Hearts as Cid and Aerith are, so a visit to his world wouldn’t be too out of the question. Roxas’ run-ins with the virtual versions of Seifer, Raijin and Fujin could also come into play. Sora fighting Ultimecia likely wouldn’t be as entertaining as an encounter with Kefka, but it would still be great to see Sora and Leon fighting side-by-side again. The question is if Sora does visit “The World,” what point of the story would accommodate his arrival the best?

4. Spira – Final Fantasy X

Now this one could be something special if everything goes right. Spira is the home of characters like Tidus, Wakka, and Auron. All of them are either friends of past comrades to Sora, but the former two are childhood friends from the Destiny Islands. Thus visiting what was potentially their original world could have some serious emotional weight for Sora.

The established in-universe origin for Wakka and Tidus could make it difficult to pull this off properly of course, but there are way around it. Perhaps Sora could meet characters who are different due to their absence or maybe he could meet alternate versions of the two, versions are very different people in some ways. Friendship and “the ties that bind” are major themes in Kingdom Hearts, so exploring the idea of never having formed such bonds could be quite compelling.

5. Eos – Final Fantasy XV

It’s been awhile since some fresh Final Fantasy faces were introduced into Kingdom Hearts, so why not have Sora bump into Noctis and his band of merry men? Seriously, these two games actually have a lot common: they both put friendship forward as a major theme, they both feature mystical weapons, they both have darkness vs. light kind of struggle and they both involve journeys to meet one’s destiny and reunite with loved ones.

Out of all the Final Fantasy games that could be inserted into the Kingdom Hearts universe, Final Fantasy XV is probably the most compatible. The writers wouldn’t even have to retcon anything in order to make it work. It also doesn’t hurt that Final Fantasy XV’s art style lends itself perfectly to the new, more realistic aesthetic they seem to be going for in Kingdom Hearts 4. There’s no reason not to do it, really.

Aside from Final Fantasy XV, Sora already has connections with characters from all of these games, so it probably wouldn’t take too much to bring him into their worlds. Folding Eos into the story would be tougher, but if Square Enix can send Sora to what looks like The World Ends With You’s version of Shibuya, then surely it can’t be too difficult to introduce him to Noctis and the boys. Regardless of what’s ultimately picked, more Final Fantasy would help keep things feeling fresh, don’t you think?