History YMMV / KingdomHeartsIII

%% * HarsherInHindsight: Woody's verbal smackdown against Xehanort was an epic moment, right up until you've seen his backstory in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' in which [[spoiler:we see he was given away as a baby by his mother to a hooded figure who later dropped dead, making Woody's words of "no one's ever loved you before" sting horribly. ''Doubly'' so given he's a reincarnation of the protagonist]].

* ContestedSequel: This game is one compared to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. It's generally agreed that the scope, level design, combat, action scenes and emotional stakes are the best the series has ever had, but many fans still don't consider the game to be an EvenBetterSequel the same way they feel ''II'' (particularly its ''[[UpdatedRerelease Final Mix]]'' edition) was to ''I'', primarily due to the [[SequelDifficultyDrop easier difficulty]] with no Critical Mode at launch, a less cohesive and layered combat system than its predecessor, no Final Fantasy characters until the DLC (even then, they only show up for two scenes), less worlds than [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]], lack of battles against Disney Villains with most of the bosses of the worlds being giant Heartless, lack of post-game content (Before DLC), lack of a proper midgame like the second visits to Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion which makes the game feel less evenly paced, and the overall quality of the writing. Some people were also not too keen with the implementation of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' content in ''III'' due to the relative obscurity of the mobile game and its microtransaction-heavy nature, and also felt like this meant the game spent too much time promoting the next big saga of the series instead of bringing a satisfying close to the saga at hand. The ''Re:Mind'' DLC addressed some of these issues and added a very wide variety of {{superboss}}es, but even then the game's ranking in the series is still highly disputed.

** The entire Seven New Hearts plotline is one. It's only relevant in Corona and Arendelle, and gets promptly forgotten about afterwards with only half the roster filled. Riku and Mickey are sent to look for various missing Guardian candidates, so it would have been logical for Sora to take on the search for Princesses of Heart instead of being charged with the vague order of "somehow acquire the power of waking again on your own in a manner completely different from the first time".

** The entire Seven New Hearts plotline is one. It's only relevant in Corona and Arendelle, and gets promptly forgotten about afterwards with only half the roster filled. The quest for new Princesses of Heart would have provided a more interesting and relevant goal for Sora with a number of additional Disney worlds to explore for candidates. Considering that a number of potential guardians were MIA, having Yen Sid act to secure the Princesses before Xehanort would have been more logical.

*** The Melon Flan in San Fransokyo requires you to bounce on different Flans between buildings, which is made ''extremely'' difficult by the CameraScrew and forces the player to handle Sora's landings ''and'' wrestle with the camera at the same time... [[GuideDangIt unless you turn the camera setting from "Auto" to "Manual"]], at which point it becomes ''far'' easier and the only real problem is Sora going into freefall mode if he bounces too high. And because "Auto" is the default and this is the only section in the game where a top-down view is so crucial, many players will miss out on this unconventional EasyLevelTrick.

** And last but not least, [[spoiler: Yozora]]. Not just for topping [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII The Lingering Will]] as the strongest SecretBoss in the series but also for being the toughest boss in the history of the series so far. Go to any [=YouTube=] video of the [[spoiler: Yozora]] fight and most comments will be saying how strong he is.

* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/KingdomHearts "Kingdom Hearts! I call upon your true form! OPEN NOW, AND SHOW ME THE MEMES TO COME!!!"]]

** Vanitas [[spoiler: spends his final moments [[RedemptionRejection boasting about how he accepts his inhuman nature yet the game paints it as a sad moment with Sora and Ventus trying to plead the Sadist to stand alongside them.]]]]

*** While popular in some corners of the fanbase, vocal segments of the wider fandom have and continue to aggressively hate on the theory, its creators, and its supporters due to a variety of misconceptions about the document and its contents, from the idea that the document claims [[spoiler: that [=KH3=]’s plot is AllJustADream due the use of lore and mechanics from the [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Sleeping Worlds]] to explain how the loop is happening]] (an idea which the document explicitly rejects) to the belief that the document is an attempt to prove that Soriku is canon (the document uses love in the context of their bond but explicitly tells readers that it's up to their own interpretations whether that love is platonic, familial, or romantic)

** Wheel of Fate is one of the most popular melee-oriented Keyblades due to the versatility and power of its Formchanges. Wheel of Fate essentially gives Sora a BladeOnAStick armed with extensive strength, range, and speed, able to rack up damage on foes (especially bosses) extremely fast while being safer to use compared to most weapons.

*** While popular in some corners of the fanbase, vocal segments of the wider fandom have and continue to aggressively hate on the theory, its creators, and its supporters due to a variety of misconceptions about the document and its contents, from the idea that the document claims [[spoiler: that [=KH3=]’s plot is AllJustADream]] (which the document explicitly rejects) to the belief that the document is an attempt to prove that Soriku is canon (the document uses love in the context of their bond but explicitly tells readers that it's up to their own interpretations whether that love is platonic, familial, or romantic)

** There is [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/11d1TKd4ZKZd41pJKQ77bKz4YxJx8_Mojz2KMpNvTrvU a 350-page document]] detailing a theory that [[spoiler:the ''vast majority of the game'' is AllJustADream -- specifically, a redo of the original events up until the moment everyone falls at the Keyblade Graveyard]], as an attempt to explain the more {{Mind Screw}}y plot elements. This theory, while initially ''incredibly'' popular, became more and more controversial as it seemed to focus on downplaying Kairi's relevance in the story in favor of Riku. This caused many to write off the theory as a [[FanPreferredCouple Soriku]] fanfic written by a fan annoyed that their preferred ship had pretty much been sunk. Ultimately, both supplementary info from WordOfGod and the ''[=ReMind=]'' DLC {{Jossed}} the theory, and fans have mostly moved on from it.

** There is [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/11d1TKd4ZKZd41pJKQ77bKz4YxJx8_Mojz2KMpNvTrvU a 350-page document]] detailing a theory that [[spoiler:the ''vast majority of the game'' is AllJustADream -- specifically, a redo of the original events up until the moment everyone falls at the Keyblade Graveyard]], as an attempt to explain the more {{Mind Screw}}y plot elements. This theory, while initially ''incredibly'' popular, became more and more controversial as it seemed to focus on downplaying Kairi's relevance in the story in favor of Riku. This caused many to write off the theory as a [[FanPreferredCouple Soriku]] fanfic written by a fan annoyed that their preferred ship had pretty much been [[ShipSinking sunk]]. Ultimately, both supplementary info from WordOfGod and the ''[=ReMind=]'' DLC {{Jossed}} the theory, and fans have mostly moved on from it.

* BetterThanCanon: After the reveal of the official soundtrack’s track list, a number of fans, attached to the FanNickname’s they had coined and been using for nearly two years, felt underwhelmed by some of the official names of some tracks, and intend to ignore the official names. In particular, “Forza Finale”, the track for the penultimate boss fight, has had a mixed reception after being widely known by FanNickname “Oscurita di Xehanort”.

* WTHCastingAgency: Many fans were confused by the fact that Creator/MandyMoore isn't the voice of [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] in this game, as not only was she the voice of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Aerith]] back in the original ''Kingdom Hearts'', but this is the only piece of official Disney media featuring Rapunzel where Mandy ''doesn't'' voice her, with her reprising her role every other time.

** [[spoiler:Donald has become one after one-shotting Terranort with Zettaflare, a Flare spell normally reserved for {{Physical God}}s. For reference, Zettaflare has only ever been used before ''once'' in the ''Final Fantasy'' SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' by a god level entity in its SuperMode; Donald is just mortal and was receiving no magical assistance or powerup. This makes him the single most powerful mage in Square Enix's ''entire collective canon''.]]

** Dark Inferno is fairly tame for being the requisite secret boss. Previous bonus bosses in the series have demanded players be at a high level to win, and some of them are challenging even at Level 99. Dark Inferno, however, can be beaten in the Level 40-50 range if you know what you're doing, and can be crushed with the [[GameBreaker Ultima Weapon]], which can deplete two health bars with one combo. Add to that its generic design--basically an Invisible from the first game, but taller and [[DualWielding carrying two swords]]--and it's considered a huge letdown and nowhere near the challenge players have come to expect from the series' secret bosses. To put it one way, there are a number of players who beat him in their first few attempts (or even ''the'' first) without realizing it was meant to be a superboss. {{Justified|trope}}, as it's actually a BossInMookClothing,[[note]]Jiminy's Journal keeps track of the number of Dark Infernos defeated just like any regular non-boss Heartless and it's referred to as a species rather than a singular boss,[[/note]] and the ''actual'' {{Bonus Boss}}es are included with the ''Re Mind'' DLC.
** The endgame battles against the Seekers of Darkness are embarrassingly easy. [[WordOfGod Nomura himself]] expressed the fights were not representative of how powerful they actually are to appeal to casual audiences, and that the bonus battles added in ''Re Mind'' actually illustrate how they were meant to be and what the Guardians of Light faced off against.

** Players exasperated by the vanilla game saddling Kairi with the FauxActionGirl status [[spoiler:and her getting StuffedInAFridge by Master Xehanort]]—and the series as a whole making little use of her—can enjoy some sweet vengeance in ''Re Mind'' when given the option to fight and defeat Armored Xehanort as Kairi, playable for the first time ever.

** Kairi in the ''Re Mind'' DLC scenario recovers the fire within her that many felt was sorely missing from the original scenario of the game.

** Kairi too, perhaps even moreso than Sora. After all the terrible things that happened to both her and her friends in the previous games, all she wanted was to become stronger to help her friends in their time of need and to prove herself. She spends almost the entire game training to become stronger to help Sora...only to get killed at the Keyblade Graveyard along with the rest of her friends by the Heartless tornado. Luckily, she uses her power to help Sora rescue the Guardians Of Light, thus bringing them all back to life, including herself...but then, she gets kidnapped and killed ''again'' by the Xehanorts to “motivate” Sora. Sora at least had the entire game to prove how awesome he was by kicking heartless ass wherever he went to make up for all the crap he went through. Kairi, on the other hand, not so much. She only briefly participates in the Keyblade War and she doesn’t get a chance at the spotlight until the Re Mind DLC and even then, it’s only for one battle. And then, at the end of the game, to make it all worse, she has to watch as one of her best friends ([[ImpliedLoveInterest and possible love interest]]) [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices]] his own life for her sake. [[CosmicPlaything The universe is ''not'' kind to that poor girl]].

*** [[spoiler: The secret episode of ''Re Mind'' implies she might be the Stella-expy from ''Verum Rex''.]]

** There is [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/11d1TKd4ZKZd41pJKQ77bKz4YxJx8_Mojz2KMpNvTrvU a 350-page document]] detailing a theory that [[spoiler:the ''vast majority of the game'' is AllJustADream -- specifically, a redo of the original events up until the moment everyone falls at the Keyblade Graveyard]], as an attempt to explain the more {{Mind Screw}}y plot elements. This theory, while initially ''incredibly'' popular, became more and more controversial as it seemed to focus on downplaying Kairi's relevance in the story in favor of Riku. This caused many to write off the theory as a [[FanPreferredCouple Soriku]] fanfic written by a fan annoyed that their preferred ship had pretty much been [[ShipSinking sunk]]. Ultimately, both supplementary info from WordOfGod and the Re Mind DLC {{Jossed}} the theory, and fans have mostly moved on from it.

** One theory to tie BonusBoss Dark Inferno to the main story is that it is the Heartless of [[spoiler:Ephemer]], mostly due to sharing a ScarfOfAsskicking that no other Heartless has. ''Re Mind'' stoked the fires of this theory even further, as the player fights a PaletteSwap of Dark Inferno called "Dark Inferno χ" at the start of the DLC.

*** “A Glimmer Atop 104” or simply "[[spoiler:Yozora]]" for the TrueFinalBoss in ''Re Mind'', officially titled "Nachtflügel".

** Back in March 2019, Dylan Sprouse posted [[https://twitter.com/dylansprouse/status/1101538295622893569 a Photoshop of Sora fighting Mr. Moseby]] from ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', which Sprouse starred in. Come ''Re Mind'', [[spoiler:and the Secret Episode ending reveals that Dylan is the voice actor for Yozora!]]

* ItsHardSoItSucks: A few fans (particularly the EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame crowd) weren't happy about ''Re Mind'' being overly focused on the new {{Bonus Boss}}es, which are monumentally challenging compared to their predecessors, the Data Organization from ''Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix'', and are explicitly designed to punish wayward button mashing that you can usually get away with in most other fights in ''III''.

** When the game first released, a common criticism about Scala Ad Caelum was its ''incredibly'' short length. The game presents it as the last world, with beautiful scenery and environments to explore, not to mention the intriguing lore behind the place, except it's barely explorable at all and really just the battleground for the final battle against Xehanort. ''Re Mind'' does manage to fix this by actually having Sora fully explore the place outside of boss battles.
** Some players interested only in the ''Re Mind'' story portion of the DLC have complained about the price, as the majority of the gameplay time is contained within the Limit Cut section and its brutally difficult bonus bosses, the Secret Episode and its even more difficult TrueFinalBoss, and the new options for challenge runs provided by the new menu options. The ''Re Mind'' story on its own can be cleared in approximately three hours, while defeating all of the new superbosses can take dozens of hours.

* ItsTheSameSoItSucks: Both parts of the DLC can be criticized with this; Re Mind does feature new cutscenes, a huge new set piece battle sequence, a new area to explore, and the ability to play as different characters in certain fights, but it also has you replaying through almost the entirety of the base game's finale, with many cutscenes having only minimal or no alterations at all, and all the new boss fights are with pallet swaps or previously existing bosses used in a new context. Meanwhile, Limit Cut is the same Data Organization boss rush set up as used in [=KH=]2 Final Mix, with very minimal story content to boot. While the beefed up bosses are insanely challenging and feature new move-sets and abilities, it can't help but feel like a bit of an unoriginal set-up.

** Surprisingly, once the ''Re Mind'' DLC was released, Kairi became this. [[spoiler:In the final battle, players can have a choice between playing as her and Sora and her play style feels very strong for many people for someone who just got a Keyblade and some training and can kick Armored Xehanort's ass by herself. And even before this, she actually goes toe to toe with Xemnas in a cutscene to the point of ''breaking'' his energy sabers, which elicits visible concern on his face and he has to drain her energy with a Nothingness attack in order to survive. Some even joke that the reason she seemed useless in the past games was because Xehanort saw her as the biggest threat to his plans and did everything he could to prevent her from becoming stronger and facing him.]]

** Master Xehanort and Xion have also gotten this treatment. Due to their Data versions in ''Re Mind'' being the two strongest among the Data Seekers of Darkness and in two of the toughest [[BestBossEver and coolest]] bosses in the whole franchise

** Kairi was long considered to be an underwhelming fighter in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' (though [[AdaptationalBadass not in its manga adaptation]]), but this game was seen as the last straw for fans. [[spoiler: The fact that she is ''again'' only shown defeating basic shadow Heartless onscreen and the fact she gets captured easily by Xemnas after the only time you have her as a party member.]] People made jokes that the Keyblade training Merlin gave her had no effect. Zigzagged once ''Re Mind'' is released and she became a MemeticBadass.

** ''Re Mind'''s Data Greeting feature seems to have turned Master Xehanort into this. Some fans, particularly those dissatisfied with his fate in the base game, seem to love putting him in [[TheChewToy Chew Toy]] scenes.
** One of the side effects of playing as another character in ''Re Mind'' is that Sora gets controlled by the [[ArtificialStupidity party member AI]] like everyone else, restricting him to basic attacks and healing. As a result, he often gets portrayed during these segments as ineffectually cheering on whoever has the spotlight while he [[TheChewToy gets ragdolled]] by the boss they're fighting.

** When playing as Kairi in the ''Re Mind'' DLC the sound her Keyblade makes when it hits is this. It sounds like the soft ringing of bells and is absolutely perfect for the battle where you play as her [[spoiler: against Armored Xehanort.]]

** Kairi in ''Re Mind'', who does a 180 transformation from a disappointing FauxActionGirl and MemeticLoser to a certified ActionGirl and MemeticBadass.

** ''Re Mind'' addresses a lot of fan criticisms.

*** After many expressed annoyance at the removal of ''Final Fantasy'' characters, ''Re Mind'' features them in the Limitcut Episode where Riku goes to see them for help finding Sora.
*** Kairi's storyline was criticized for turning her into a FauxActionGirl, despite the buildup since ''Dream Drop Distance'' that she would [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]]. ''Re Mind'' not only gives a more justifiable reason for her kidnapping,[[note]]She had her energy drained by Xemnas after going toe-to-toe with him in battle[[/note]] and for Xehanort easily offing her,[[note]]Xehanort did so because he had the power to bring her back if he ended up losing the χ-blade; if this happened, he needed the Princesses of Heart to open Kingdom Hearts for him, and thus Kairi was a Plan B should Plan A go south[[/note]] but it finally makes her [[PromotedToPlayable a fully playable character]] in the battle against Armored Xehanort, pushing her into full ActionGirl territory and allowing her to avenge her own fridging. In fact, reactions to the DLC made her a MemeticBadass for how she was able to stand against Xehanort after such comparatively little training.

** A lot of characters end up sidelined with little, if anything, of importance to do. Aside from Sora, Donald, and Goofy, only Riku, Mickey, Aqua, Roxas, Xion and Terra get to actually do anything that helps progress the plot in some way, and even then they're often [[TheWorfEffect rendered useless]]. Kairi and Lea mostly just here to be party members for the final world's BossRush, and to hold up their Keyblades with the rest of the group for a couple of cutscenes. The appearance of [[spoiler:Naminé]] can be missed entirely, since her only appearance outside of the ending is in an optional scene gotten by talking to an NPC you can easily overlook, and the Lingering Will appears for a BigDamnHeroes moment and then [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse vanishes from the plot]]. Ventus manages to fare out slightly better than them due to his BigDamnHeroes when he saves Aqua from being killed by Vanitas, but not much aside from that. [[AuthorsSavingThrow Rectified]] in ''Re Mind'', which makes sure to give absolutely ''everyone'' their moment.

** Master Xehanort. [[spoiler:The ending reveals he really was a KnightTemplar after all, believing that because human hearts are almost always vulnerable to darkness, they are responsible for the realm of light being too full of darkness, and he thought the only way to restore balance was to use Kingdom Hearts to purge the universe and start it all over, and he will become the worlds' leader to ensure balance. Even though ''Re Mind'' expands upon this and successfully makes Xehanort's goal make more sense with how this [[{{Asspull}} characterization comes out of nowhere after you defeat him pre-DLC]], that still doesn't justify him betraying and murdering his best friend Master Eraqus, as well as him ruining the lives of Eraqus' pupils as well as the other main characters, and being the main cause of everything bad that has happened to the worlds regarding his heartless and his nobody, all of which he doesn't express even the slightest bit of regret for, let alone apologize for everything he's done to Sora and his friends, makes Xehanort not worthy of being forgiven or redeemed for his actions in the eyes of many fans and find it impossible to fathom why [[EasilyForgiven Eraqus would forgive him after everything he's done]].]]

** ''Re Mind'', despite being a paid expansion for the base game, helped turn around a lot of opinions on the game. The DLC addresses numerous complaints with the base game, such as patching up glaring {{Plot Hole}}s in the final arc, adding new playable characters with wholly unique and exciting playstyles, making Scala ad Caelum playable, and bringing back the ''Final Fantasy'' characters. The added combo modifiers and the return of the Oathkeeper/Oblivion Keyblades (which are free, no less) also brought back the quick and snappy gameplay that some fans felt were missing from the base game, and Limitcut introduces some of the most challenging [[BestBossEver yet satisfying]] fights in the series, with the secret boss being compared with the likes of Lingering Will in terms of difficulty. It gave a lot of hope for the fans that the Osaka team, who have been looked down upon for years due to their [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep previous]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance attempts]] being highly experimental and having shoddy balance and flow, is learning from their mistakes and is truly capable of producing a stellar ''Kingdom Hearts'' game.

** Considering his default is bombastic, deep-voiced manly men, including Ansem and Terra-Xehanort, it is amazing to hear Creator/AkioOhtsuka almost perfectly replicate his late [[Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka father's]] iconic hammy and raspy voice. While there are some cracks where you can tell it is the younger Ohtsuka doing an impression of his father, for the most part, it's as if the elder Ohtsuka came back from the dead one last time for Master Xehanort's final hurrah.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Not too widespread, but some fans choose to ignore a certain twist toward the end of the game due to those fans thinking that the original implication was cooler. [[spoiler:The twist being that Dark Riku was actually the Riku Replica, rather than Riku himself from ''Kingdom Hearts I''. Dark Riku is treated as the real Riku from the past throughout the game by Goofy, present Riku, and even Dark Riku himself up until his defeat, when he starts stammering about wanting to be real in his dying words and then present Riku Replica confirming it. The reason for this preference is that there are already three Xehanorts from ''Chain of Memories'' without him (even if one of the three, Vexen, was benched) while without Dark Riku, there is only one from ''Kingdom Hearts I'' (Ansem). Dark Riku makes ''I'' a little more represented among the villains. Plus it's more interesting to see Riku literally fight his past mistakes rather than fight an old villain he already beat twice before (and who technically has never met him yet from that villain's perspective). The only point in Riku Replica's favor is that his sacrifice for Naminé was touching, but this sacrifice still could have happened almost exactly the same way even if it was the against the original Riku’s past self rather than his own. In fact, the present Riku Replica sacrificing himself to defeat possessed Riku from ''Kingdom Hearts I'' could have been a touching moment in its own right by showing that a replica like him ended up having more humanity than even the “real” Riku at one point in time.]]

* FanonDiscontinuity: Not too widespread, but some fans choose to ignore a certain twist toward the end of the game due to those fans thinking that the original implication was cooler. [[spoiler:The twist being that Dark Riku was actually the Riku Replica, rather than Riku himself from ''Kingdom Hearts I''. Dark Riku is treated as the real Riku from the past throughout the game by Goofy, present Riku, and even Dark Riku himself up until his defeat, when he starts stammering about wanting to be real in his dying words and then present Riku Replica confirming it. The reason for this preference is that there are already three Xehanorts from ''Chain of Memories'' without him (even if one of the three, Vexen, was benched) while without Dark Riku, there is only one from ''Kingdom Hearts I'' (Ansem). Dark Riku makes ''I'' a little more represented among the villains. Plus it's more interesting to see Riku literally fight his past mistakes rather than fight an old villain he already beat twice before (and who technically has never met him yet from that villain's perspective). The only point in Riku Replica's favor is that his sacrifice for Naminé was touching, but this sacrifice still could have happened almost exactly the same way even if it was the against the original Riku’s past self rather than his own.]]

* EndingFatigue: The finale goes on even longer than ''II'', and even for being a GrandFinale to the Xehanort saga of the series, it can take hours to play through. You reach [[spoiler:the Keyblade Graveyard for the final showdown, fight a massive horde of enemies...and then [[KillEmAll everyone dies.]] You then have to play through a sequence where Sora reforms his body, and fight a series of minibosses to revive the others. After this, you're ''back'' in the Keyblade Graveyard, face ''another'' massive horde of enemies, and then you're tossed into a labyrinth where you face a BossRush from Organization XIII. But even once they're all dead, you don't get to face Master Xehanort yet; in the final world, Scala ad Caelum, you take on manifestations of the Organization XIII members you just defeated, and then ''finally'' you fight Master Xehanort, who has two forms]]. The long gameplay sequences are not helped by numerous long cutscenes between them, several of which afflict the heroes with CutsceneIncompetence for the purposes of making their fight seem more hopeless and Xehanort look more powerful.

** While Aqua [[MsFanservice has always been good-looking]], aided by her build, more mature appearance compared to previous female leads, and [[SexyBacklessOutfit mildly]] [[ShesGotLegs revealing]] attire, her EvilMakeover, sporting [[WhiteHairBlackHeart white hair]] and [[SupernaturalGoldEyes gold eyes]], has led many a fan asking her to step on them.

** Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor's performance as Jack Sparrow in ''II'' was considered one of the weaker examples of TheOtherDarrin in the series. Here, Jack is performed by Jared Butler, who does a much better job replicating Creator/JohnnyDepp's performance.

** In the Caribbean, there is a BossBattle against the Kraken, called forth by Luxord, which is especially appreciated considering how [[KilledOffscreen the sea monster was dealt with in the films]].

*** Casting Creator/ChristopherLloyd to voice Master Xehanort after Creator/RutgerHauer passed away is also seen as this by many fans. Even though many fans considered him to be a great actor, Rutger Hauer felt like a miscast as Master Xehanort given how his ColdHam performance barely replicated the LargeHam performance of the late Creator/LeonardNimoy. Lloyd's performance was well-received for reviving Master Xehanort's status as a LargeHam and for not only being a worthy tribute to Nimoy’s performance, but also standing on its own. Lloyd had also been a top fan choice to play the character since Nimoy's death, adding to this.
*** The BossRush against Organization XIII got some criticism for being too easy, with many of them lacking their unique powers, and Master Xehanort was seen as an anticlimactic and unimpressive final boss. Here, with their difficulty ramped up and Sora fighting them one-on-one, the Data recreations of the Organization offer much more difficult fights that see them liberally reuse attacks and gimmicks they had in the past with new twists. Master Xehanort's data battle has him show a bigger range of powers with the Keyblade, utilizing its MorphWeapon capabilities to attack with it in many different ways to not only be more challenging, but more visually impressive too.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** One of the biggest complaints fans have had since ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is that the Disney worlds have largely been relegated to watered-down retellings of their source material, devoid of CharacterDevelopment and lacking any connection to the overarching plot. ''III'' still features several film adaptations (i.e., [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Corona]], [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Arendelle]], and [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd The Caribbean]]), but they have have stronger ties to the main plot and better character writing along the lines of Beast's Castle and Space Paranoids from ''II'', while other worlds (like [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 San Fransokyo]], [[Franchise/MonstersInc Monstropolis]] and the [[Franchise/ToyStory Toy Box]]) have completely original plots that transpire after the movies' stories. This was done well enough that some people have called the Disney characters' moments to shine (especially [[TookALevelInBadass Woody and Sully]]) some of the [[Awesome/KingdomHeartsIII best moments in the whole game]].
** The lack of [=NPCs=] wandering around the worlds (other than Traverse Town in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI I]]'' and Twilight Town in ''II'') made worlds feel much emptier than they should and created bizarre scenes like cheering coming from empty bleachers (''II'', ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep BBS]]'') or a raucous festival with no attendees (''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance 3D]]''). For ''III'', reasonable numbers of [=NPCs=] appear in Olympus, Kingdom of Corona and San Fransokyo, while Toy Box, Monstropolis and Arendelle have narrative and/or environmental justifications for a lack of [=NPCs=] that prevent such bizarre scenes from occurring.
** The prologues of ''I'' and ''II'' were divided for some fans, especially casual fans, as its detractors thought they were a SlowPacedBeginning that focused too much on original characters without very much focus on the Disney aspect and were bogged down by the player having to do many unrelated side-quests and mini-games before the actual plot of the respectives games started. ''III'' manages to compensate by immersing the player in a Disney world from the get-go and removing all of the filler that the prologues from the other two games had.
** With the return of the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' world, the graphics have been overhauled to have a more consistent look between the native characters and Sora's party, avoiding the uncanny effect the clashing aesthetics created in ''II''.
** Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor's performance as Jack Sparrow in ''II'' was considered one of the weaker examples of TheOtherDarrin in the series. Here, Jack is performed by Jared Butler, who does a much better job replicating Creator/JohnnyDepp's performance.
** Larxene reveals that there are new seven pure lights/hearts, implying they are the successors to the Princesses of Heart. Since not all of the [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI original seven Princesses of Heart]] were Disney Princesses and it seemed to lock out subsequent Disney Princesses, the concept came off as TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter and opened up a FandomSpecificPlot. Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel are some of these new hearts.
** Creator/{{Square|Enix}} hopes to [[JumpingOnPoint bring in a number of new players with this game]] by releasing ''Kingdom Hearts III'' on the Xbox One since a noticeable amount of the fanbase have migrated from Nintendo and [=PS2=] installations. Although this still means some of Xbox One audience is unfamiliar with the series. [[Creator/TetsuyaNomura Nomura]] has announced that he is working on a recap video to summarize the events of previous games. Additionally, ''III'' itself contains a number of cutscenes explaining the game's premise to criticisms of KudzuPlot and ContinuityLockout and do a better job of catching up newcomers than ''Dream Drop Distance''[='s=] text entries.
** Many consider ''Birth by Sleep'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'' to be clunky and "floaty". Most definitions point to either movement in general, which is clumsier and slower than in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', or how the player character is affected by gravity; they will fall slowly after aerial attacks, which can leave the player defenseless since you typically can't block in midair. Bosses follow highly erratic patterns that often include excessively powerful attacks, encouraging every player to carry [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome the same]] [[GameBreaker overpowered commands]] and predict possible events far in advance because a split-second reaction simply isn't enough. The highly lauded ''Kingdom Hearts II'' was basically the opposite--it always felt like you were in control of Sora and were capable of responding quickly, and bosses moved in predictable but punishing patterns with multiple strategies being viable--so ''Birth by Sleep'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'' felt like steps backwards. There were signs of the team following old habits in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage 0.2]]'' and the May 2018 Premiere Event demo, but both addressed the issues quickly. The bosses in ''0.2'' were patched to be easier to read in a matter of days, while the demo showcased at E3 2018 featured noticeably improved controls. The release build proved that the team had learned and was adapting quickly to fan expectations of the gameplay.
** In the Caribbean, there is a BossBattle against the Kraken, called forth by Luxord, which is especially appreciated considering how [[KilledOffscreen the sea monster was dealt with in the films]].
** Presumably, as a response to Donald infamously refusing to heal in gameplay, [[spoiler: they establish him as not only being primarily a Black Mage, but ''the'' Black Mage, by having him finish off Terra-Xehanort using a [=ZettaFlare=] (one of the most powerful spells ever, previously only used by {{Physical God}}s, and even then only once, and said god was in its super mode at the time), making him the single most powerful mage in Square Enix's collective canon]].
** [[ScrappyMechanic AntiForm]] has been replaced with the much more useful and ''optional'' Rage Form, while the new downside to form changes have a far shorter time limit than Drive Forms did. Many players consider this a far more fair drawback than the random chance of going into [=AntiForm=], which not only could screw the player over due to pure dumb luck but got multipliers to its chance of happening during boss fights (the Organization XIII ones especially) that could make Drive Forms AwesomeYetImpractical during them.
** Patch 1.05 added a NewGamePlus allowing players to import all Keyblades into a new game [[ThatOneSideQuest and remove the need to complete minigames]].
** Attractions are commonly seen as a ScrappyMechanic; their novelty wears off quickly early in the game and they are criticized for being too overpowered in the early game, too underpowered in the late game, taking up Situation Command slots, and simply breaking the flow of an otherwise strong combat system. Fans subsequently rejoiced when Critical Mode released with a new Ability [[HardModePerks exclusive to the new mode]] that allows you to disable Attractions in favor of the much cooler and vastly superior Formchanges.
*** The same update also significantly toned down the game's infamous [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper "assistance"]] concerning ingredients; Goofy and Donald will stop pointing out nearby ingredients as frequently after meeting Remy in Twilight Town.
** ''Coded'' was widely criticized for having Data-Sora's thanking Data-Naminé counting as the official "Thank Naminé". In his conversation with Naminé in the final world, Sora points out that the datascape didn't count and that the thanks would only count when they could actually talk face to face in the real world.
** ''Re Mind'' addresses a lot of fan criticisms, both in story and in gameplay.
*** One of the first scenes of the DLC outright addresses the mechanics of how the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness were able to assemble their ranks, particularly in how Xion managed to come back and answering why Terra didn't return after the destruction of Ansem and Xemnas. A later scene also shows the resolution of the Lingering Will's fight against Terra-Xehanort, whereas the former just disappears in the game proper.
*** Some fans felt a bit deflated after learning that [[spoiler:Saïx, pulling a HeelFaceTurn, removed some of the epic catharsis of the fight against him in the Keyblade War. The DLC adds an additional stage where Roxas, Xion, and Axel also fight Xemnas, who is decidedly less sympathetic than Saïx at this point of the game and was the one who ordered Saïx to be so cruel to the heroes, giving back some of the catharsis robbed by the reveal of Saïx's true nature. The fight against Saïx subsequently comes off more as a IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight with the intent of freeing him from Xehanort's control.]]
*** Many fans complained that Sora doesn't get to use either Oathkeeper or Oblivion, despite them being iconic Keyblades in the series. The 1.07 patch released at the same time as ''Re Mind'' adds them as rewards for completing the game after collecting all Lucky Emblems and after completing the game on Critical Mode respectively.
*** After many expressed annoyance at the removal of ''Final Fantasy'' characters, ''Re Mind'' features them in the Limitcut Episode where Riku goes to see them for help finding Sora.
*** Kairi's storyline was criticized for turning her into a FauxActionGirl, despite the buildup since ''Dream Drop Distance'' that she would [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]]. ''Re Mind'' not only gives a more justifiable reason for her kidnapping,[[note]]She had her energy drained by Xemnas after going toe-to-toe with him in battle[[/note]] and for Xehanort easily offing her,[[note]]Xehanort did so because he had the power to bring her back if he ended up losing the χ-blade; if this happened, he needed the Princesses of Heart to open Kingdom Hearts for him, and thus Kairi was a Plan B should Plan A go south[[/note]] but it finally makes her [[PromotedToPlayable a fully playable character]] in the battle against Armored Xehanort, pushing her into full ActionGirl territory and allowing her to avenge her own fridging. In fact, reactions to the DLC made her a MemeticBadass for how she was able to stand against Xehanort after such comparatively little training.
*** A new scene gives Naminé screentime in the game prior to the ending, and [[ShowDontTell she's shown doing her part to help, rather than the plot just saying that she helped]].
*** The reveal that Scala ad Caelum would become a fully-explorable world was certainly a surprise to fans who were disappointed they barely got a chance to explore it before the final battle. It’s also playable in the Data Greeting mode.
*** The real reason why Aqua just stood still while the giant Heartless tornado devoured everyone? It wasn't a case of CutsceneIncompetence, but rather a TraumaButton where upon seeing the massive mass of shadows, her trauma and despair from being in the Realm of Darkness for so long makes her see multiple copies of her Anti-Aqua self swarming her.
*** To answer the question of what everyone else was doing while Sora was fighting Master Xehanort and why they only showed up ''after'' the fight was over, we get a playable battle where, at the same time Master Xehanort acquires the χ-blade in Scala, the other Keyblade wielders are fighting the Replica Xehanorts in an area resembling the skies above Scala ad Caelum, showing that even if they weren't helping Sora personally, they were playing just as important a part in the final battle.
*** Many fans felt that Mickey had [[BadassDecay lost a lot of his mystique]] as the series went on, and as detailed under RonTheDeathEater he had also lost the respect of many. But now, at a point where you are able to play as him, he is given perhaps one of the most awesome moments in ''Kingdom Hearts'' history, where [[TheDeterminator even while grievously injured]] [[OneManArmy he stands alone against the Replica Xehanorts and WINS.]]
*** For those who felt that Xehanort's ultimate defeat in the original was anti-climactic, there is now a much more epic defeat of the merged replica of Xehanort at the hands of every Guardian of Light, which is implied to have an effect on the real Xehanort's power which helps lead to his own defeat at Sora, Donald and Goofy's hands.
*** Any assumption that Xehanort [[spoiler: was EasilyForgiven by everyone aside from just Eraqus simply because he [[WellIntentionedExtremist had good-intentioned motivations behind his evil actions]] is done away with in a scene where Sora from the future is confronted by Master Xehanort in past Scala ad Caelum, and it's clear that Sora, even after learning his true motives, still despises Xehanort for the horrible things he did; especially what he did to Kairi, which Sora is in the middle of trying to reverse. Sora shows nothing but contempt and animosity towards the old master when he taunts him about the inevitability of failing in his endeavor to save Kairi from the fate that ''he himself had given to her.'']]
*** Speaking of Xehanort, [[spoiler:the glaring inconsistency in his explanation for his motives was addressed, clarifying that his claims of darkness overtaking the light--which appear to contradict his earlier statements of the world being filled with too much light--were actually made out of disdain for those who hid their darkness behind "tainted/false light", while his path to embodying the darkness was slyly encouraged by the Master of Masters. Thanks to this, it can easily be surmised that he maintained the goal of balancing light and darkness the entire time, but his approach was twisted as he became DrunkOnTheDarkSide and then as he got a bit more lucid. While somewhat sympathetic and well-intentioned, it is made clear that Xehanort came to his conclusion and actions out of bitter pride, further destroying the notion that his many evil acts are being ignored to portray him as a misguided hero.]]
*** Casting Creator/ChristopherLloyd to voice Master Xehanort after Creator/RutgerHauer passed away is also seen as this by many fans. Even though many fans considered him to be a great actor, Rutger Hauer felt like a miscast as Master Xehanort given how his ColdHam performance barely replicated the LargeHam performance of the late Creator/LeonardNimoy. Lloyd's performance was well-received for reviving Master Xehanort's status as a LargeHam and for not only being a worthy tribute to Nimoy’s performance, but also standing on its own. Lloyd had also been a top fan choice to play the character since Nimoy's death, adding to this.
*** A large number of fans were disappointed at the lack of any major post-game content or optional secret-boss, Dark Inferno notwithstanding. ''Re Mind'' fixes this by adding in the inclusion of ''much'' harder solo battles against the Organization members as well as the secret boss, [[spoiler:Yozora]].
*** The 1.07, 1.08, and 1.09 updates released all at once for ''Re Mind'' rebalances Critical Mode to address the majority of complaints people had about the mode's balance. It scales the damage down for enemies so you don't die instantly, scales ''your'' damage up so you don't just do chip damage, fixes the lock-on feature so it can work on enemies off screen and switch to enemies off screen from other ones, and filling the arrows for situation commands and form changes now takes as many hits on enemies as other modes so it doesn't take as long.
*** Fans ''hated'' how Vanitas had been made incredibly [[EvilSoundsRaspy raspy]]. In the new cutscenes, his voice has returned to how it sounded in previous games.
*** The BossRush against Organization XIII got some criticism for being too easy, with many of them lacking their unique powers, and Master Xehanort was seen as an anticlimactic and unimpressive final boss. Here, with their difficulty ramped up and Sora fighting them one-on-one, the Data recreations of the Organization offer much more difficult fights that see them liberally reuse attacks and gimmicks they had in the past with new twists. Master Xehanort's data battle has him show a bigger range of powers with the Keyblade, utilizing its MorphWeapon capabilities to attack with it in many different ways to not only be more challenging, but more visually impressive too.
** While the combat system gets its fair share of praise, some players were turned off by some of the attack animations, many of which felt slow and "floaty" like some of the post-''II'' games and lacked flexibility in combos. The 1.09 update added six new attacks as well as the Light Mode, Dark Mode, and Double Mode Formchanges, which immediately welcomed praise for finding a good balance between the smoothness of ''III''[='s=] attack animations and the speed and impact of ''Kingdom Hearts II''-style attacks.
** The first numbered ''Kingdom Hearts'' game had a lengthy final boss gauntlet fighting no fewer than [[SequentialBoss four phases]] of Ansem, and ''Kingdom Hearts II'' [[SerialEscalation upped the length of the final boss gauntlet even further]] (including a phase that's an UnexpectedShmupLevel) to the point that, with failed attempts, it could take well over an hour to get through just the fights alone for some players. This game's FinalBoss gauntlet is much more reasonable with only three sequential fights, and the game's overall lowered difficulty means it's likely fewer attempts by the player will be needed to win compared to ''KHII'', though YMMV on [[ItsEasySoItSucks that last part]].
%% Critical Mode is not an example because it was a planned later addition, not an after the fact fix.
** In past games, most Keyblades had the problem of either being highly situation, or just plain better than other Keyblades. This is especially often the case with the early game Keyblades, which tend to have poor abilities and stats. The addition of Keyblade forging to allow you to upgrade Keyblades helps avert this and allow players to wield whichever Keyblade they wish without being penalty.