Discussing the Recent Kingdom Hearts 3 Leak

I planned to talk about Young Xehanort this week, but let’s save that for next week and instead discuss the recent Kingdom Hearts III images that are either leaked screenshots or well-done fakes.

Two images have surfaced, after they were shared on Discord.

These images appear to show a Monsters, Inc. world, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy transformed into monster forms similar to their transformations in worlds like the Pride Lands. Their UI portraits haven’t changed to match their new appearances, but that most likely wouldn’t be worked on until much later in development.

Apparently the Japanese character beneath the portraits marks them as placeholders.

Next, while it doesn’t look as polished as the Toy Story footage, we must keep in mind that what we saw there was a polished trailer intended to excite audiences, while these screenshots wouldn’t be shown to the public. Fans who have worked with Unreal Engine 4 have also said the development screenshot looks legitimate.

So this could be an elaborate fake, but there’s a good chance that it’s real. And with that in mind, these screenshots are important to a past theory we discussed, because Sora is fighting Unversed.

The Unversed come from Vanitas. If there really are Unversed in Kingdom Hearts III, that all but confirms Vanitas returning.

They also fit well thematically into a Monsters, Inc. world. In Monsters, Inc., the monsters use emotions for power. What better place for the Unversed, monsters created from emotions, to appear? For me, Kingdom Hearts Disney worlds are at their finest when the world’s story matches up with the role it plays in the main story, so this could be great!

What do you think? Are the Monsters, Inc. screenshots legitimate? If so, does this confirm Vanitas’s return, and will the Unversed fit thematically into the Monsters, Inc. world? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags: leak, vanitas