A recently circulated cinematic, thought to be the opening sequence of the now-canceled mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, may hold significant narrative implications for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts IV. Square Enix had previously indicated that characters from Missing-Link were slated to appear in Kingdom Hearts IV, suggesting the game's story was intended to be integrated into the broader Kingdom Hearts saga.
The complex lore of Kingdom Hearts is often pieced together across its various titles, and fans are now scrutinizing the leaked footage for potential story threads. The cinematic depicts a group of individuals in what appear to be astronaut or deep-sea diver-like Keyblade wielder suits engaged in combat with a large Heartless. This attire has led to speculation among fans that it represents a more science-fiction-oriented iteration of the Keyblade Armor seen in prior games, which typically features a more traditional fantasy knight aesthetic.
These specialized suits were apparently designed for traversing the "Lanes Between," perilous pathways where concentrated dark energy required enhanced protection. The appearance of these figures battling a Heartless in a seemingly isolated, dark environment aligns with this theory, suggesting a variation on the theme of protective gear for dangerous journeys. Given that Missing-Link was intended to follow early expeditions into the Astral Plane from Scala ad Caelum, the origin point of all Kingdom Hearts worlds, these suited individuals could represent those pioneering explorers.
Furthermore, the opening of the trailer includes a visual motif reminiscent of the "Dive to the Heart" sequences from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, where characters like Sora and Roxas fall through bodies of water. This has fueled speculation that Sora himself might have ties to Quadratum, the realistic, Tokyo-inspired world prominently featured in Kingdom Hearts IV's promotional materials and also visible in the Missing-Link video after the Heartless are defeated. While Sora's arrival in Quadratum seemed circumstantial, the divers in the Missing-Link cinematic are shown entering the water purposefully, suggesting a more deliberate approach to entering this realm for combat.
Although many characters in the leaked footage are obscured by their suits, two figures appear to be recognizable: Brain, a character introduced in Kingdom Hearts Union X, and Sigurd, an enigmatic figure previously seen in silhouette in the mobile game. The cinematic seemingly provides one of the first clear views of Sigurd's face, solidifying his role as one of the new characters to be featured in Kingdom Hearts IV's trailers.
Regardless of its ultimate fate, Missing-Link was clearly being developed to expand upon the narrative established in previous Kingdom Hearts mobile titles, which have become crucial for understanding the overarching story. Even without the game's release, Sigurd's intended role suggests that elements of its scrapped story could still influence Kingdom Hearts IV. How Square Enix plans to bridge the gap for players regarding a game that was never released remains unclear, but it is probable that Missing-Link's narrative contributions will be integrated into Kingdom Hearts IV when it launches for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and potentially the Nintendo Switch 2.