New Tetsuya Nomura artwork commemorating the Kingdom Hearts series revealed in the 600th issue of Dengeki PlayStation

What an odd assortment of characters, you got the Disney trio, than Sora and Riku, but then you get Aqua and that cat from Unchained in the mix, which most likely means the drawing is relating to 2.8.

Looking at it again, you also see that theres an odd focus of Aqua and Mickey in the section of the drawing, is this hinting that we might end up seeing Mickey in BBS Volume 2........nah.

Interesting details about KH3 may surface from the deep dark pits of Nomura's heart,

Awesome! New information from this magazine and more new stuff next month at D23 Expo Japan. Can't wait!

Guys, you do realise that this is probably the cover of 2.8, right (or at least a variation of this)?

Sora Riku and Aqua look like they're on drugs. Chirithy could go either way

What an odd assortment of characters, you got the Disney trio, than Sora and Riku, but then you get Aqua and that cat from Unchained in the mix, which most likely means the drawing is relating to 2.8.

Looking at it again, you also see that theres an odd focus of Aqua and Mickey in the section of the drawing, is this hinting that we might end up seeing Mickey in BBS Volume 2........nah.

Probably the characters we play as in KH3. Might be the two different groups. Imagine a group of Riku, Mickey and Aqua. Kinda unfair for Sora considering Donald and Goofy suck.

But yeah, this might be the cover to 2.8

Am I the only one who thought ''Is Aqua, Riku's Sister? ''

The way they put Riku and Aqua's faces next to each other, they look as if they are meant for each other.

(May the quoting begin )

Rock on!

Oh man, 4 lines in that crown. KH4 confirmed.

The way they put Riku and Aqua's faces next to each other, they look as if they are meant for each other. (May the quoting begin )Rock on!

Alright, that's tomorrow! I can't wait!

Also, is it just me or are Donald and Mickey just taken from already existing drawings that Nomura did? Cause it looks like Donald is in his same exact KH1 pose and Mickey is in his same exact Re:Coded pose. Not that I mind, I guess it just sort of stands out to me among the newer drawings of everyone else.

Alright, that's tomorrow! I can't wait!

 

Also, is it just me or are Donald and Mickey just taken from already existing drawings that Nomura did? Cause it looks like Donald is in his same exact KH1 pose and Mickey is in his same exact Re:Coded pose. Not that I mind, I guess it just sort of stands out to me among the newer drawings of everyone else.

tbf, this was done for a magazine cover so I wouldn't expect it to have as much effort as a game cover. I hope this is a sign towards what the 2.8 cover will look like, though. It's kind of funny how much Aqua and Riku look alike and their poses parallel each other.

tbf, this was done for a magazine cover so I wouldn't expect it to have as much effort as a game cover. I hope this is a sign towards what the 2.8 cover will look like, though. It's kind of funny how much Aqua and Riku look alike and their poses parallel each other.

The parallel is probably to symbolise that they are both Keyblade Masters.

tbf, this was done for a magazine cover so I wouldn't expect it to have as much effort as a game cover. I hope this is a sign towards what the 2.8 cover will look like, though. It's kind of funny how much Aqua and Riku look alike and their poses parallel each other.

And again, I think it was intentional to make Riku's hair look so close to Aqua's. It's especially noticeable when Riku is in his older appearance, it's practically the same cut, only a bit more symmetrical. I mean, if that scene with Sora sleeping in Yen Sid's Tower with Riku knelt next to him wasn't giving anyone Birth by Sleep deja vu, then the haircut definitely drove that idea home. Especially when Riku seems to act as a bit of an Aqua/Terra hybrid in terms of gameplay in 3D, while Sora seems to be a bit more of a Ven/himself hybrid. I wonder if that will have any meaning later on.

The parallel is probably to symbolise that they are both Keyblade Masters.

 

And again, I think it was intentional to make Riku's hair look so close to Aqua's. It's especially noticeable when Riku is in his older appearance, it's practically the same cut, only a bit more symmetrical. I mean, if that scene with Sora sleeping in Yen Sid's Tower with Riku knelt next to him wasn't giving anyone Birth by Sleep deja vu, then the haircut definitely drove that idea home. Especially when Riku seems to act as a bit of an Aqua/Terra hybrid in terms of gameplay in 3D, while Sora seems to be a bit more of a Ven/himself hybrid. I wonder if that will have any meaning later on.

 

There's a whoooooole lot more to the parallel than just that. I would say the fact that they both had to save a friend trapped in sleep is a better parallel than simply sharing the same title.

 

I agree, now that you mention it. I never really noticed it before, but it makes sense. Riku is, in effect, going through the same motions as Aqua had to with Ventus. Ventus/Sora are lost to darkness due to Xehanort, so Aqua/Riku have to take responsibility to save them. In Aqua's case, Ventus's fate was sealed so she had no choice but to leave him in Castle Oblivion. However, due to Sora having a connection to Ventus, he had a saving grace that allowed Riku to enter his nightmare and bring him back.

It's inherently a different story (there's no variable in DDD that accounts for Terra) but the parallels between Sora/Ventus and Riku/Aqua are pretty much exact, right down to the both of them earning the title of Keyblade Master. Another major difference there is Terra blamed himself for failing to attain the title whereas Sora was just happy for his friend. I doubt that the haircut itself is supposed to be a tribute to Aqua, but it makes sense why you'd think that.

Everytime I see a new KH artwork from Nomura, I just think " Greatness! He can't surprise me anymore." and then he always does it again.

Beautifu art.

Kairi got shafted again, rip

I agree, now that you mention it. I never really noticed it before, but it makes sense. Riku is, in effect, going through the same motions as Aqua had to with Ventus. Ventus/Sora are lost to darkness due to Xehanort, so Aqua/Riku have to take responsibility to save them. In Aqua's case, Ventus's fate was sealed so she had no choice but to leave him in Castle Oblivion. However, due to Sora having a connection to Ventus, he had a saving grace that allowed Riku to enter his nightmare and bring him back.

 

It's inherently a different story (there's no variable in DDD that accounts for Terra) but the parallels between Sora/Ventus and Riku/Aqua are pretty much exact, right down to the both of them earning the title of Keyblade Master. Another major difference there is Terra blamed himself for failing to attain the title whereas Sora was just happy for his friend. I doubt that the haircut itself is supposed to be a tribute to Aqua, but it makes sense why you'd think that.

Wow, this is has made me think of something really interesting...

Sora = Ventus+Terra

Riku = Terra+Aqua

Kairi = Aqua+Ventus

Let me elaborate here

Sora: We know that he harbors Ventus' heart in order to let it recover. It's the reason why Roxas looks like Ventus, because, his formation was due to both Ventus and Sora. However, take Vens heart, Vanitas and the similarity of speediness away and Sora is a parallel to Terra. I know, I'll get back lash because "Sora wasn't as guillable as Terra?!" well, KH3D my counter. Dream Drop Distance is Sora's first journey without the aid of Donald and Goofy. They were Sora's moral compass in terms of alliances. Terra never had something like that during his journey. Plus, both Sora and Terra are trying to do what they believe is for the greater good of everybody. Both Sora and Terra have been manipulated, but in their minds, they thought what they believed was heroic. Sora's denseness in KH3D couldn't be a mere fluke. Alongside this, both Sora and Terra struggle to control their darkness and their darkness are both ironically manipulated by Xehanort.

Riku: We know that Terra bequeathed Riku his Keyblade and that he was the inspiration to visit worlds outside Destiny Islands. Of course, the biggest parallel is that Riku and Terra are both wielders of the darkness, they've been taken over by Xehanort and that they were under the influence of Maleficent but that's where the similarities stop. Riku's parallels with Aqua has already been stated by Hero of Light so I'm not gonna paraphrase for the sake of paraphrasing.

Kairi: Her and Aqua are the females of the trio and they both create respected symbols to keep the heroes together. However, Kairi and Ventus have a lot more parallels that people may have not come to realise. Ventus and Kairi are both important individuals of a high status. Ventus was originally the key for Master Xehanort for the "X-Blade" and Kairi is a Princess of Light who has the key to restoring light. Both Ventus and Kairi created bi-product beings. Ventus created Vanitas and Kairi created Namine, and funnily enough, they were both through Sora. Also, both Ventus and Kairi are of pure light. That is a similarity that should be notified.

I agree, now that you mention it. I never really noticed it before, but it makes sense. Riku is, in effect, going through the same motions as Aqua had to with Ventus. Ventus/Sora are lost to darkness due to Xehanort, so Aqua/Riku have to take responsibility to save them. In Aqua's case, Ventus's fate was sealed so she had no choice but to leave him in Castle Oblivion. However, due to Sora having a connection to Ventus, he had a saving grace that allowed Riku to enter his nightmare and bring him back.

 

It's inherently a different story (there's no variable in DDD that accounts for Terra) but the parallels between Sora/Ventus and Riku/Aqua are pretty much exact, right down to the both of them earning the title of Keyblade Master. Another major difference there is Terra blamed himself for failing to attain the title whereas Sora was just happy for his friend. I doubt that the haircut itself is supposed to be a tribute to Aqua, but it makes sense why you'd think that.

Well his haircut when he's in his older appearance is just giving me so many Aqua vibes, what with the more organized length from mid on the front towards the long length on the back, the textured spikes towards the back, and event he blueish tone it takes sometimes. I realize that it might be a coincidence, but it somehow fits too perfectly into the parallels they were hinting at.

Nice!  

Oh my God, the artwork for the Dengeki article is frackin gorgeous!  Nomura is an amazing artist, and I always love his amazing drawings, and this one did not disappoint!  All the characters look amazing, especially Aqua!

AND OMG, WE'LL BE GETTING THE ARTICLE ON KINGDOM HEARTS 2.8 AND KINGDOM HEARTS III TOMORROW!!!  SO MUCH HYPE!!!

Beautiful artwork, like seriously. 

What I would like to know at some point is if they'll be able to get Utada to sing just one more new song for KH3. It's a big title so it deserves at least the same treatment the other two major titles got and have a new song that defines it. If she sang just one more new song for KH3 and then never returned for any games after that, then I would be content.