Since the first game released in 2002, the Kingdom Hearts series has brought the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney together. In a series spanning three mainline games, half a dozen spin-offs, and a current mobile game tied directly to the mainline titles, the cast has really expanded over the last two decades.
Not including references to names or monster designs in Kingdom Hearts, there are twenty-five characters total from the Final Fantasy series who've appeared in the games so far. Some of these characters, like the Final Fantasy mascot moogles, have appeared in most mainline games. Recurring characters like Biggs and Wedge also make appearances, although they look nothing like the characters who've appeared in other FF titles. Still, moogles, Biggs, and Wedge are such icons in the series that they count toward the grand total.
Setzer from Final Fantasy 6 makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts 2, although he's the only one from the sixth entry to appear so far. The real cameos begin with Final Fantasy 7, where Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie all appear to aid Sora on his journey. Cloud also shows up as an Olympic Coliseum fight, and Tifa appears in KH2's Hollow Bastion. One of the most iconic villains in the entire series, Sephiroth, appears as an optional boss in the first two Kingdom Hearts games. Even Zack Fair, who had a minor role in the game but was featured in his own FF7 spin-off, Crisis Core, has an extended appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. Rounding out the cast from Final Fantasy VII puts the current tally at eleven.
Every Final Fantasy Character In Kingdom Hearts
Final Fantasy 7 may have the most representation, but quite a few characters from FF8 show up in Kingdom Hearts as well. Squall Leonhart has appeared in most of the games, most recently in the KH3 Re:Mind DLC, although he wants Sora to call him Leon instead. Selphie initially appears as a child with Sora and friends in the first game, and Seifer is in Kingdom Hearts 2. Seifer's lackeys, Raijin and Fujin, also appear in that game, but their names are shortened to Rai and Fuu. That brings the count up to sixteen characters so far.
Vivi is the only character from Final Fantasy 9 to appear so far, but several characters from FF10 show up. Tidus and Wakka (complete with blitzball) both appear on Destiny Islands as kids, while Auron shows up as a party member in Hades's Underworld in Kingdom Hearts 2. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine from FF X-2 appear in fairy form as the Gullwings, bringing the current total to twenty-three.
Oddly enough, the merchant Wantz also appears in Kingdom Hearts, and this kid version sells items to Sora. Wantz was a minor character in FF 10; however, because his character functions as a merchant in both series, it's likely Wantz is more than just a repeated name (like Jessie in Kingdom Hearts 2, who looks and acts nothing like the character from FF7, and thus isn't counting toward the total here). The final character is Lightning, who's referenced in Dream Drop Distance, but she actually appears in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Union χ. The hero from FF13, Lightning, brings us to the grand total of twenty-five characters who've appeared in Kingdom Hearts games so far. The final list looks like:
- Moogles
- Biggs
- Wedge
- Setzer
- Cid
- Aerith
- Yuffie
- Cloud
- Tifa
- Sephiroth
- Zack Fair
- Squall Leonhart
- Selphie
- Seifer
- Raijin
- Fujin
- Vivi
- Tidus
- Wakka
- Auron
- Yuna
- Rikku
- Paine
- Wantz
- Lightning
Since Kingdom Hearts is an ongoing series, this list will probably continue to grow. One of the biggest draws to the series is getting to interact and play alongside of Final Fantasy characters. Some new FF characters may even appear in the upcoming Melody of Memory, which releases in November.