Is Strelitzia the Cloaked Figure?

This will be the last (for now) theory that deals with spoilers from the recent Japanese Kingdom Hearts Union χ update.

For the past two weeks, we’ve focused on Lauriam, but now we should take a look at the official artwork released to celebrate the game’s second anniversary.

This artwork shows the five new union leaders, together with Chirithy… and an unknown figure in a black coat.

Many fans believe this mysterious cloaked figure looks female, which has led to theories that she’s Larxene’s Somebody (since she and Marluxia end up as allies, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they knew each other as humans), but many fans also think she might be Strelitzia.

We saw Strelitzia struck down. We saw her heart float into the sky. But what if Strelitzia isn’t dead? What if she became a Nobody or otherwise returned and is the cloaked figure seen in the artwork?

Like Lauriam, she is holding a flower. To many people, it looks like a Clerodendrum thomsoniaem, also referred to as a bleeding-heart vine.

Some people have said this flower symbolizes “beautiful young women who died in a tragic way,” although I couldn’t find the original source for that information. If true, it sure hints at a connection to Strelitzia.

Now, there is one strong piece of evidence against Strelitzia being the cloaked figure (aside from her apparent death). When Nomura showed a sketch of the main scenario illustration in an interview, the interviewer noticed that Strelitzia wasn’t in the art and asked, “Among the other revealed 4 Union Leaders are… an unknown character and someone in a black hood. Is the one in the black hood the 5th Union Leader?”

Nomura replied, “Nope. And with that, please pay close attention to what will unfold in the next scenario.”

Of course, there are multiple ways to interpret this:

1. The hooded figure isn’t Strelitzia at all.
2. The hooded figure technically isn’t Strelitzia, but is her Nobody or a new identity.
3. The hooded figure is Strelitzia, but not “the 5th Union Leader,” because Lauriam took her place.

In short, his comment might have disproved the Strelitzia-is-the-hooded-figure theory, but maybe it didn’t.

What do you think? Is Strelitzia alive? Is she the person in the black coat? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments.

Tags: dandelions, strelitzia