Rumor: Kingdom Hearts 3 Almost Had Cars World

Rumor: Kingdom Hearts 3 Almost Had Cars World

Key Takeaways

  • Kingdom Hearts 3 almost had a Cars world, according to leaked data hinting at a potential crossover with Lightning McQueen and Mater.
  • Sora and friends from KH3 could’ve encountered Radiator Springs, but the concept likely didn’t make it far in development.
  • Unanswered questions linger around the unused Cars idea in KH3, sparking speculation for potential inclusion in Kingdom Hearts 4.

As a die-hard fan who has been following the Kingdom Hearts series since its inception, I can’t help but feel a tinge of nostalgia and disappointment upon learning about the almost-inclusion of a Cars world in Kingdom Hearts 3. If you remember, I was thrilled when they introduced worlds from Toy Story and Monsters Inc., so the idea of exploring Radiator Springs with Sora, Donald, and Goofy would have been nothing short of magical.


It’s been suggested, following a recent data leak, that Kingdom Hearts 3 could have incorporated a world inspired by the 2006 Pixar film Cars. The allure of Square Enix’s expansive Kingdom Hearts series lies in its seamless blend of Disney and Final Fantasy universes. The main character, Sora, along with his companions, encounter legendary figures such as Cloud Strife, Hercules, Squall Leonhart, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and numerous others, during their mission to preserve reality from the encroaching darkness. This epic journey reached its climax in 2019’s Kingdom Hearts 3, which served as the end of the “Dark Seeker Saga” narrative focusing on the villainous Xehanort and Organization 13.

In Kingdom Hearts 3, the series’ blend of worlds expanded further to incorporate settings from popular CGI movies by Pixar. On their latest journey, Sora and his crew ventured into Andy’s Room from Toy Story and Monsters Inc.’s factory, assuming new forms as toys and monsters respectively. A mini-game based on Ratatouille was also included, where Remy aided Sora in cooking by controlling him much like he did with Linguini in the film. Interestingly, Kingdom Hearts 3 almost featured another Pixar-themed world that had been showcased in other video games previously.

Recently, a team of explorers successfully gained access to the development files for Kingdom Hearts 3’s Premium Showcase. These files offer insights into how the game’s cutscenes evolved throughout different stages. Additionally, they discovered a list of worlds that were either included in Kingdom Hearts 3 or discarded during development. One intriguing entry, as pointed out by Twitter user ligero_miguel, is “カーズ(仮),” which translates to “Cars (Temporary).” This suggests the possibility that a world inspired by the movie Cars was once in consideration for the game.

Cars’ Radiator Springs Could Have Been a World in Kingdom Hearts 3

If Sora and his group were intended to encounter Lightning McQueen and Mater during their journey in Kingdom Hearts 3, it seems this plan didn’t progress very far in the development process, since ligero_miguel couldn’t locate any other related resources in the data leak. One Twitter user speculated that Riku’s Braveheart Keyblade may have initially been linked to the Cars world because its design somewhat resembles a car key. Another user noted that the Hot Rod Heartless from Kingdom Hearts 2 could have functioned effectively as enemies in this hypothetical Cars setting.

There remains a lot of curiosity about the unused ‘Cars’ concept in Kingdom Hearts 3, specifically which movie locations would have been included and if Sora, Donald, and Goofy would have transformed into new vehicles to blend with the local residents. It’s possible that Square Enix and Disney might revisit this idea for Kingdom Hearts 4, seeing as it’s currently in development.

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2024-08-26 21:23