Throughout the last two decades, the Square Enix and Disney collaboration has led to some eye-catching drip for Kingdom Hearts lead, Sora. He’s turned into a classic cartoon, a merman, a lion, and all manner of bizarre mish-mashes. In the spirit of Nomura’s eye for fantasy fashion, here are Sora’s best outfits, ranked.
10. Merman Sora (Atlantica)
Under The Sea, Sora transforms into a merman to paddle away alongside Ariel. The long blue tail is helpful while fighting against currents, and becomes especially powerful after gaining the Mermaid Kick ability in the OG Kingdom Hearts. He sports the look again in Kingdom Hearts 2 and definitely came out on top when you see what Goofy and Donald were saddled with.
9. Christmas Sora (Halloween Town)
Sora’s Christmas Town look in Kingdom Hearts 2 is quite memorable. He has a frilly outfit with big boots and a big Santa hat covering half his face. His eyes also have that smokey, raccoon thing going for them, just like his Halloween Town design. Square Enix also makes his arms super thin, replicating Tim Burton’s otherworldly art designs; it’s a neat little touch that makes the costume a little more intentional with its inspirations.
8. Lion Sora (Pride Lands)
Sora is somewhere between absolutely adorable and bizarre as a lion in Kingdom Hearts 2. He has a smaller frame than the other lions due to his age, but he still puts up a fight with keyblade-in-mouth tactics. The spikey hair works well enough as a scruffy, growing cat, and the whole level is pretty satisfying to run around in as Sora drifts across the floor with his paws. It’s another like his Little Mermaid look, combining the game’s Disney art inspirations with a thoughtful, unique approach to combat.
7. Straight-up OG Sora
It may be nostalgia talking, but I love Sora’s original design. The silly yellow clown shoes, the black and grey hoodie, the cool blue belt, his red garments, and his super spiky hair bring me back to my childhood. This was all of my teenage cosplay dreams, but I never got around to it, and I’m still not sure if that’s a regret or something to be thankful for. Yes, it’s a silly design, especially by today’s standards, but this is the Sora design I remember most fondly, huge clown shoes and all.
6. Classic Cartoon Sora (Timeless River)
The black-and-white Timeless River version of Sora brings him all the way back to the 1920s. His eyes look like they’re from that classic era of animation, and even the level’s voice acting and sound design get old-fashioned with a muffled effect. It also has a neat reference to his first outfit in the Kingdom Hearts series, and makes me want to watch Steamboat Willie.
5. Halloween Town Sora
No, this isn’t an excuse to get the same Sora costume on here twice, the Christmas and Halloween Town looks are different. Dressed like a little vampire with razor-sharp teeth and bat wings, Sora looks like a spookier version of his Christmas Town look. Just like the wintery look, there’s an eye-shadow-like effect on his face, making his eyes stand out. The little pumpkin perfects it, and if I could find a reason to put this in here a third and fourth time, I would.
4. Toy Sora (The Toybox)
Kingdom Hearts 3 merges its Toy Story inspirations and Sora in a pretty simple, creative way. It’s a little less obvious from a distance, or on characters like Donald, but close-up inspections of Sora show off he’s got the usual figure-like joints and square patterns found on your average kid’s toy, it makes sense that Woody and Buzz would want to hang out with the stranger. Also, his shorts ingeniously have a design based on Yozora, a future boss in the game, and perhaps a bit of a lore link between the two.
3. Pirate Sora (The Caribbean)
In Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora finally lives out his pirate dreams after a lackluster look in the second game. The striped pants are neat and all, but it’s the delightful seaworthy hat and yellow waistcoat that make this one a favorite. Bonus points for the dirt on his face; you would think he’d already have plenty of that given fight to save the world. It’s one that’s got me longing for more Tetsuya Nomura pirate designs, so let’s hope he goes sailing again in Kingdom Hearts 4.
2. Kingdom Hearts 3‘s plaid design
Sora keeps it fresh and sporty in Kingdom Hearts 3 with his simple, plaid outfit. It’s among the more simple of his looks, but sometimes less is more, and that’s especially the case here as he runs down the streets of Twilight Town and soars across the mountains of Arendelle. You may have to suspend your belief while exploring the frozen tundras, but Sephiroth and Mickey Mouse exist in the same universe here, so that’s not a big ask.
1. Sora’s second look
Sora’s Kingdom Hearts 2 look is timeless and remains a series best. It’s among the most Nomura-looking Nomura design of the series, with colorful belts, zips, and pockets that really pop. Outsiders might make fun of this outfit, but the puffy shorts and ridiculously large pockets will always be cool to me, no matter the time. His giant yellow boots may not outscale his shoe size in the first game, but I’ll forgive that thanks to the rest.
Published: Nov 20, 2023 03:08 pm