Kingdom Hearts 25th Anniversary: Kingdom Hearts IV's Coco World, a Disney+ Anime, and the Ichiban Kuji Collectors Should Know

Kingdom Hearts 25th Anniversary: Kingdom Hearts IV's Coco World, a Disney+ Anime, and the Ichiban Kuji Collectors Should Know

Kingdom Hearts is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Square Enix and Disney used the milestone to hand fans a stack of news at once. At the D23 fan event in mid-August 2026, the companies premiered a fresh Kingdom Hearts IV trailer, confirmed a new animated series, and Bandai launched a 25th Anniversary Ichiban Kuji. The franchise debuted on PlayStation 2 in March 2002 as an unlikely crossover between Disney worlds and Square Enix's role-playing craft, and a quarter-century later that mash-up is still expanding.

Kingdom Hearts IV heads to the Land of the Dead

The headline reveal was a new look at Kingdom Hearts IV, which is now targeting a late 2027 launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. The trailer introduced a world inspired by Pixar's Coco, sending series hero Sora into the vibrant Land of the Dead. Disney's core trio — Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy — are set to be playable this time, and Benjamin Bratt is reprising his Coco role of Ernesto de la Cruz. For long-time players, the appeal of Kingdom Hearts has always been seeing beloved Disney and Pixar settings rendered as explorable action-RPG stages, and Coco's marigold-lit afterworld looks tailor-made for that treatment.

Siliconera — 25th Anniversary Kingdom Hearts Kuji Includes Figures, Keychains
Image: Siliconera

A Kingdom Hearts anime is finally happening

Alongside the game, Square Enix and Disney announced an original animated series, currently under the working title Kingdom Hearts, headed to Disney Channel and Disney+. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura and the Square Enix creative team are involved in its development. It is the first time the games' sprawling, emotionally-charged storyline has been built for the screen rather than the controller — a notable move for a saga that Nintendo Life described as one uniting "Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix." Disney also confirmed the Kingdom Hearts game collection is arriving on Switch 2, bringing the numbered entries to a Nintendo platform.

CGMagazine — D23 2026: New Details About Kingdom Hearts IV, Release Date, And New Upcoming Anime
Image: CGMagazine

The 25th Anniversary Ichiban Kuji: Sora, Riku, and the Disney trio

Collectors have the most immediate reason to pay attention. Bandai's "Ichiban Kuji Kingdom Hearts -25th Anniversary-" launched in Japan on August 15, 2026 at 790 yen per draw, with the campaign running through November. According to Siliconera, the prizes pull from "characters, motifs, and worlds from lots of different games," tying the whole series together in one lineup. The top prizes are Sora and Riku figures — the Riku statue is set as the Last One prize — with both heroes sculpted in their Chain of Memories looks against stained-glass backdrops. Rounding out the assortment are desktop figures of King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, blankets and hand towels across eleven designs, seven world-logo charms, eight Keyblade charms, and art dishes that double as decor and dinnerware.

What this means for collectors

Anniversary years are when franchises put their most display-worthy pieces on shelves, and Kingdom Hearts is no exception. Ichiban Kuji figures are randomized and tied to Japanese retail windows, so desirable prizes like the Sora and Riku statues tend to sell out fast and move to the secondary market — which is where overseas fans usually track them down. With Kingdom Hearts IV and a Disney+ series both on the horizon, interest in Sora, the Keyblade, and the game's Disney co-stars is only going to climb through 2027.

Because Kingdom Hearts is a Disney and Square Enix collaboration, the easiest way to build a themed shelf right now is around its Disney side. Fans of the series often also collect Disney and Pixar figures — you can browse Disney collectibles at Akibato to pair Mickey, Donald, and Goofy with your Kingdom Hearts display, and check the Ichiban Kuji collection for the latest lottery-prize figures shipped worldwide from Japan.

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