Yozora

Yozora is a character who appears in Toy Box, a world based on Toy Story, as the protagonist of the in-series video game Verum Rex. The characters from Toy Box confuse Sora with Yozora due to their similarities. However, when Sora finds a promotional image of Verum Rex, Goofy claims that Yozora feels more similar to Riku than Sora.^[13] In the secret ending, Yozora appears in the same world as Sora and Riku.^[14]

In Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, the game's downloadable content episode, Yozora encounters Sora within the Final World, claiming that he was requested to save Sora, but questions his identity and battles him atop a building resembling the 109 building in Shibuya. If Sora wins, Yozora fades away before Sora returns to the Final World; if Sora loses, Yozora crystallizes him and goes to the Final World instead. Afterward, regardless of who wins, Yozora awakens in a car driven by a man who resembles Luxord, while a closing narration ensues in his and Sora's voices, with the battle's victor saying, "None of this makes sense to me."^[15]

Yozora reprises his role in the printed adaptation of Kingdom Hearts III, where he is the winner of the final fight between him and Sora.^[16]

Initial images of Yozora confused gaming journalists and left them to interpret him. Although he was first considered a gag character in Kingdom Hearts III due to a promotional scene of the game within the game Verum Rex, Yozora's appearance in the secret ending of the game surprised Polygon, who wondered if he would be a major character in future installments. Polygon also felt that Yozora might be a reference to Noctis Lucis Caelum, as Tetsuya Nomura had previously worked on his game Final Fantasy XV and their names have a similar meaning.^[17] GamesRadar explored the similarities between Yozora and Sora and whether or not it was Nomura's attempt to have his own take on Final Fantasy XV, most notably its early form, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, while highlighting that Yozora's scene appears to use a similar song from Final Fantasy XV's original soundtrack, "Somnus".^[18] Kotaku commented that Yozora shared several physical similarities with Noctis, most notably in his Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailers. Besides physical similarities with Noctis, Yozora shares connections with him, such as three allies similar to Noctis' friends and bodyguards and a young woman resembling Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's earlier persona Stella Nox Fleuret, who replaced her as heroine when Versus XIII became Final Fantasy XV under a new direction.^[19] In datamining the game to understand Yozora's connection with Final Fantasy XV, GamesRadar noticed that not only Yozora is similar to Noctis, his fighting abilities bear resemblance to those of Noctis; "Shift Break" is also the name of Noctis' Warp Strike ability in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XV, and both have a similar way of wielding weapons.^[20]

Screen Rant theorized that Yozora could be the Nobody of the original Noctis from Versus based on the similar appearance and having a chance to meet Sora again.^[21] Yozora sitting in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was noted by VG247 to be a nod from Tetsuya Nomura to the original scrapped Versus, as Nomura did not work on the installment once Square Enix turned it into Final Fantasy XV. However, rather than being seen as another fantasy character, the website wondered if Yozora could be a character from the real world as a result of the design used for his appearance in the ending.^[22] In an analysis of Yozora's identity and role in the story, Kotaku said that, while Nomura might have made "the most expensive joke in the history of forever" due to the comparisons with Noctis, Yozora instead might be his own character, but with similarities to both Sora and Riku.^[23]

Regarding Yozora's inclusion in the game's downloadable content as a boss character, Destructoid pointed out how overpowered he is in contrast to original Kingdom Hearts III characters and is also unique in gaming history.^[24] While also highlighting the difficulty of Yozora, drawing parallels between him and Dark Souls bosses, The Mary Sue noted that he was even more difficult than two already overpowered bosses from the series, and criticizing how the character does not feel bothered if Sora defeats him.^[25] Hobby Consolas also found Yozora challenging and recommended several tactics to beat him, stating that regular players would not be able to do it on their own.^[26] In "Kingdom Hearts 3: Who Is Yozora?", TheGamer noticed that Yozora can be the strongest character in the entire game, as even if Sora manages to defeat him, Yozora says that he was holding back. They also stated that he has made a major impact in the game despite only appearing in two scenes thanks to his enigmatic look.^[27] In "Will Kingdom Hearts 4 Feature a More Realistic Art Style?", Den of Geek expressed interest in Yozora appearing in Kingdom Hearts IV and stated that his appearance was a test for the more realistic art style of IV.^[28] In an academic study, Moisés Nieto Nogales said that Yozora's boss theme "Nachtflügel" ("Nightwings" in German) was among Yoko Shimomura's best themes in the franchise as it leaves fast arpeggiated passages that leave no room for respite, intensifying the player's sense of danger and unease.^[29]

Following the release of the first Kingdom Hearts IV trailer, IGN looked forward to the game to explore Yozora's character and his relationship with the new setting, Quadratum.^[30] Area Jugones also looked forward to Yozora's role in the future of the games, believing him to be the protagonist of a possible Verum Rex game.^[31] GameReactor believes that Yozora may be a new key figure in the new story arc of the franchise, as Kingdom Hearts III ended the arc of Xehanort and Yozora seems related to a new force.^[32] The Washington Post claimed that Yozora will be an antagonist in Kingdom Hearts IV based on how he wants Sora to stay in the seventh realm and wondered what was the mystery behind the lines he and Sora say in the end of Kingdom Hearts III, as they are the same said by Sora in the first game.^[33] GamesHub said that Yozora's true form was not fully explored yet based on his lines from Kingdom Hearts III and thus he could be a Lost Master in the next game.^[34] In "Kingdom Hearts' Future Seems to Rely on Yozora", Game Rant said that Yozora's character was filled with mysteries that might be explored in future Kingdom Hearts installments, noting similarities with both Sora and Riku and that he has the potential to be a new main character.^[35] Game Rant suggested that Yozora's inclusion in Kingdom Hearts IV could be that of a co-protagonist the player controls in parallel to Sora, citing previous Kingdom Hearts games like Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, which featured two playable characters in Sora and Riku. He further stated that Yozora is a foil to Sora's character, as "Sora acts on emotion and heart, while Yozora's world is one of realism, duty, and skepticism." This contrast between characterizations made the writer believe it was something a future game would be benefited by.^[36] Yozora's popularity also led fans to create a mod to play as him in Sora's place.^[37]