Credit: Reddit user u/NarudatsuA Kingdom Hearts Disney pin celebrating National Video Game Day 2023 is causing quite a stir online.
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts is a series of video games created by Japanese game designers Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto. There are 13 total games in the franchise, playable on consoles as old as the PSP and Game Boy Advance to modern technology like PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch.
“KINGDOM HEARTS III tells the story of the power of friendship as Sora and his friends embark on a perilous adventure,” the official video game description reads. “Set in a vast array of Disney and Pixar worlds, KINGDOM HEARTS follows the journey of Sora, a young boy and unknowing heir to a spectacular power. Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy to stop an evil force known as the Heartless from invading and overtaking the universe.”
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“New Disney / Pixar worlds included in-game – Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Hero 6 and more! Through the power of friendship, Sora, Donald and Goofy unite with iconic Disney-Pixar characters old and new to overcome tremendous challenges and persevere against the darkness threatening their worlds.”
National Video Game Day Pin
Available at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, and on shopDisney, the National Video Game Day 2023 Disney pin isn’t the first of its kind. But it is causing major conflict among the Kingdom Hearts fan community.
TikToker Ryan Burns (@ryespop) received thousands of views on his video about the trading pin. He argued that the official merchandise looked like a bootleg:
@ryespop Happy #VideogamesDay from Disney Parks with the Release of this Pin!🥸 . #KingdomHearts #KingdomHearts3 #SoraKingdomHearts #KingdomHeartsSora #NationalVideogameday #KH3 #KingdomHearts4 #KeybladeMaster #DisneyPin #DisneyPins #greenscreen
While he thought Donald Duck and Goofy looked great, Burns took issue with the Disney pin’s depiction of Sora – Kingdom Hearts’ main character.
“I just don’t have any words,” Burns said.
The poorly executed facial features weren’t the only issue. According to Burns, Sora is depicted in his Kingdom Hearts III outfit but is modeled off the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character render. This, the TikToker explained, makes his hairstyle completely inaccurate.
“Another big thing is, this Kingdom Hearts heart is huge,” Burns said. “It’s not supposed to be this wide. I get they’re fitting in Video Game Day, but… I don’t know.”
Fans overwhelmingly agreed with Burns.
“They always do Sora so dirty but they can get all of their other human characters right,” @nic_nack95 wrote.
“The designer learned from one of those How to Draw Anime books,” @yojeremyraps joked.
“Disney has so much money and they do Sora dirty like that?” @witchesstitchesatelier agreed.
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