Who is Yozora in Kingdom Hearts 3?
Yozora Overview
Yozora is a mysterious character whose origins are unknown. He bears a strong resemblance to Riku, featuring silver hair, heterochromia, and a darker outfit. Possessing immense strength and unique abilities, he stands out as the most powerful boss in Kingdom Hearts III, potentially capable of defeating Sora.
Combat Abilities
- Yozora showcases a unique combat style using a futuristic sword and crossbow.
- He executes powerful energy attacks and teleportation, alongside creating holograms and utilizing telekinetic powers.
- His attacks can significantly damage Sora, demonstrating his prowess on the battlefield.
In-Game Appearance
In Kingdom Hearts III, Yozora is prominently featured in ments for Verum Rex, a video game within the Toy Box world. He meets Sora in a night version of The Final World, where they discuss their identities before engaging in a challenging battle. This confrontation embodies several stock Kingdom Hearts fanfiction tropes, referencing past adventures and his accidental arrival in this world.
Character Design and Influence
Yozora’s name translates to ‘night sky’ in Japanese, and his design is heavily influenced by Tetsuya Nomura’s original vision for Final Fantasy XV. He shares similarities with Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, reflecting a blend of designs and abilities, including weapons and combat style. His attire resembles a darker version of the jacket-vest-shorts combo, making him feel like he just walked off the set of a Kingdom Hearts fan film.
Narrative Significance
The cutscene where Yozora and Sora clash is titled ‘Falsus Rex’— Latin for ‘Deceived King.’ This scene is pivotal; Sora initially thinks he is still the protagonist, but by its conclusion, it’s clear that it’s Yozora’s story. The narrative even raises doubts about whether the figure we control is truly Sora, as Yozora seems to question his identity (‘Why are you using Sora’s name?’).
Conceptual Background
Yozora, having awoken from the dream of his encounter with Sora, finds himself in an environment echoing the trailers for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, a project that remained unfinished. While Noctis’ story culminated in Final Fantasy XV, its final product diverges vastly from what Versus XIII was supposed to be. Yozora represents a narrative waiting to be written—yet the question lingers: does it have to be crafted by Nomura?
Final Thoughts
Long story short, Yozora appears as an alternate reality version of Sora; they are essentially the same character, yet in polar opposites. He is first seen as a fictional character in Verum Rex, later confronting Sora in the Quadratum. With each encounter, Yozora proves to be an immensely strong and skilled warrior, showcasing his various powerful capabilities.
What is the significance of Yozora’s character design?
Significance of Yozora’s Character Design
Yozora’s character design is notable for several distinct features. He has heterochromia iridum, with his left eye being red and his right eye blue. His short silver hair, which has dark roots and spikes backwards, complements his black, hooded jacket that is worn unzipped. The jacket features an asymmetrical amount of gold buttons on its plaid-pattern lapels, short sleeves, and a striking combination of red studs adorned with an emblem of a skull, crown, and crossed keys. Underneath this, he wears a black sleeveless shirt with a red V-neck, black cropped tros with checkered hems, and black glovelettes. His outfit is completed with black high-top boots.
Furthermore, Yozora has been noted to resemble both Sora and Riku. Sora himself acknowledges the similarities between his outfit and Yozora’s, particularly their predominantly black clothing style. Additionally, Yozora has been compared to Riku because of his color scheme and hairstyle.
Yozora’s name is derived from the Japanese word for “night sky” (夜空Yozora), which aligns with his darker, more mysterious aesthetic. He claims that his appearance from Verum Rex is not his true form, suggesting a complexity to his identity.
Moreover, Yozora is heavily based on Tetsuya Nomura’s original vision for Final Fantasy XV and embodies characteristics of Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, whose name also translates to “night sky.” The presence of similar friends and a love interest further ties Yozora to the themes of loyalty and connection found in both narratives.
Interestingly, Yozora is featured prominently in ments for Verum Rex, a video game within the world of Toy Box. During the characters’ arrival in Toy Box, Sora is mistakenly identified by Rex as a toy modeled after Yozora, showcasing Yozora’s significance within the franchise’s universe.
In conclusion, Yozora represents an alternate reality version of Sora, sharing core characteristics but existing in vastly different universes that have impacted their personalities and designs.
How does Yozora connect to Noctis and Verum Rex?
If it wasn’t already obvious, Yozora is basically Noctis.
Yozora, the toughest boss in Kingdom Hearts 3, shares a lot of commonalities with Final Fantasy 15’s Noctis. A fan’s datamine reveals that they originally had even more similarities. At one point during the sequel’s development, Yozora was supposed to have an ability called ‘Shift Break’ – which is reportedly what Noctis’ Warp Strike ability is called in Japanese.
Moreover, Kingdom Hearts director and frequent Final Fantasy developer, Tetsuya Nomura, has made it clear that Yozora, along with the crew from the fictional game Verum Rex, references the developer’s original vision for Final Fantasy 15, also known as Final Fantasy Versus 13.
The main takeaway from this narrative is that Tetsuya Nomura will always strive to create connections. Thus, we should accept that:
- Yozora is Noctis,
- Noctis is in Verum Rex,
- Verum Rex is essentially Final Fantasy Versus 13.
Furthermore, Yozora is a prominent character in the fictional game Verum Rex, featured in the Toy Box of Kingdom Hearts III. In an early prototype of the ‘Commercial Break’ cutscene, Noctis Lucis Caelum’s model was used as a placeholder for Yozora.
Finally, Yozora’s resemblance to Noctis is accentuated by his secret ability called ‘Shift Break’, reminiscent of Noctis’s Warp Strike move in Final Fantasy 15. This connection suggests that Yozora may fulfill a similar narrative role originally intended for Noctis in the Versus XIII storyline.
