It’s been 14 years (yep, 14 whole years) since Kingdom Hearts II was released to the world. The sequel to the smash hit that was Kingdom Hearts, Sora’s story became one of the most loved within the gaming community. A mixture of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy magic and Disney’s heroic charm, the unlikely duo hammered their way into our hearts.
Now in 2019, we’re finally getting the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III, a game 14 years in the making. No other game has taken this long to release while remaining this popular over such a long wait. I mean, Disney truly is magic!
In preparation for Kingdom Hearts III, we at TheGamer have put together the top of Sora’s world forms, including some of the new ones!
10 10. Monsters Inc.
We’ll start off with a new one because I don’t think there is a better designed world form out there except Halloween Town. In order to blend into the various worlds Sora, Donald, and Goofy visit, they usually transform themselves or their clothing. In Kingdom Hearts III, we’re getting a lot of new worlds, and Monsters Inc. has to be one of the most anticipated.
It’s a world of monsters, so a simple costume change won’t do. No, Sora and the gang completely transform into monster versions of themselves! In probably their most peculiar and best world form yet, the trio adopts monster-like changes to their body including fur, claws, and interesting eyes.
9 9. Halloween Town
A classic, recurring, and all-time favorite look, Halloween Town completely transforms the trio into spooky, tattered, and scary versions of themselves.
This world form has always been one of the best from the very beginning of the franchise, turning Sora into a pretty adorable little vampire. Donald transforms into a convincing duck-mummy (and yes, that is a gap between his upper body and lower body). And Goofy’s look is truly inventive, with a screw for a hat, some interesting dichromatism, and a cute little pumpkin nose. With these outfits, the trusty trio blend perfectly into Jack Skellington’s home.
8 8. Atlantica
Whilst the Monsters Inc. world form does transform Sora pretty drastically, physically it has nothing on Atlantica. Atlantica is underwater, so legs would be completely useless in this world. I’m pretty sure Sora would have a really hard time wielding his trusty keyblade if he can’t breathe or swim as efficiently as Ariel!
Therefore, in Atlantica, Sora becomes a merman! (Or is it merboy?) Anyway, Sora loses his legs and grows an impressive dolphin-like tail. Donald and Goofy undergo some extreme transformations, too. Donald also loses his lower half, replaced by tentacles. The only physical aspect Goofy retains is his head, as the rest of his body is completely transformed into a turtle.
7 7. Toy Story
Another new world we are yet to play but have already seen, Toy Story unsurprisingly turns the gang into toys. Whilst there are many different types of toys within Toy Story, I expected Sora’s world form to somewhat resemble Woody, with a smooth plastic head and fabric limbs. However, this isn’t the case.
Instead, all three of the gang have been similarly transformed into blocky wooden/plastic toy versions of themselves. The details within the hinge joints and tactile changes along their toy forms let them blend into the world of perfectly.
6 6. Pirates of the Caribbean
Whilst we had this world in Kingdom Hearts II, Sora did not change his look which was fairly disappointing considering the staple outfit changes of the franchise. However, in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III, we’ve had a sneak preview of the new outfits the trio have for the pirate world.
Taking fashion tips from Jack Sparrow himself, Sora wears a pirate hat and captain dregs in surprisingly high resolution! Donald and Goofy both take on a hardy sailor look with their worn crew clothing and stern faces. We may not know much about this look or world yet, but I am particularly interested to see how it turns out.
5 5. Timeless River
This look is a classic in the literal sense. It’s a throwback to old school Disney, and I mean very old school Disney. Timeless River reverts Sora, Donald, and Goofy to an animation style similar to that of the original Mickey Mouse.
A literal throwback in time, both in the game and in its look, Timeless River brings back black and white, cleverly injecting life into a colorless Kingdom Hearts world. The world forms do a brilliant job of remaining 3D whilst showing off a classic style of animation Disney is well known for.
4 4. Pride Lands
Similar to Atlantica, the world of the Pride Lands takes physical transformation to a new level. If the gang waltzed onto the Pride Lands in their usual forms, they’d stick out like a sore thumb. So instead, they transform into animals.
Sora becomes a lion cub similar to a young Simba with darker coloring and his signature mop on this head. Goofy—staying in his shell—becomes a tortoise similar to that of his turtle form in Atlantica. Donald becomes an exotic bird, with a slim bird-like figure and wide wings; he’s always hovering around the Pride Lands.
3 3. Christmas Town
Whilst technically a world within a world, Christmas Town has a notable outfit change, including for Jack Skellington himself. Christmas Town is technically within Halloween Town’s world and is part of the same world. So the new forms retain a somewhat ‘dark’ nature with the Christmas theme.
Jack Skellington is the most festive, dressed up as Santa, with a very long white beard. Sora dons a new Christmas jumper, hat, and gloves, with the necessary white fur linings. However, Sora’s outfit is entirely black, a fitting theme for The Nightmare Before Christmas. Donald becomes more recognizable, however, with a Christmas scarf and snowman like body, and Goofy becomes the orange nosed reindeer!
2 2. Space Paranoids
Space Paranoids brings the world of Tron to Kingdom Hearts, where Sora and the gang must enter a computer system in order to save Hollow Bastion. Sora’s outfit transforms into a Tron suit covered in neon blue markings reminiscent of a computer system. His helmet covers his forehead but leaves two tufts of hair on each side.
1 1. The Grid
The Grid is another Tron world from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a 2012 Nintendo 3DS game. While not part of the main franchise, I chose this outfit as it’s like a remastered version of the Space Paranoids outfit. Rather than all-blue, Sora retains his skin and hair color while wearing a sleeker version of the Tron suit. The small details on the suit also provide a more polished finish to this particular form.
NEXT: 29 Incredible Kingdom Hearts Cosplays That Are Better Than The Real Thing