It all came back full circle, it started with Mario kicking Yoshi, then ends with him shaking hands with Sora. Couldn’t have asked for a greater ending than that, Sakurai and the Dev Team outdid themselves. #ThankYouSakurai
The scene where it shows Link, Incineroar, Cloud and Mewtwo coming alive and looking back at the bright keyhole reminds me of the opening of Kingdom Hearts 3 where Riku, Axel, Roxas, Xion, Ven, Terra and Aqua seeing the door to light.
What I love about the Sora VS Sephiroth clip the most is beyond the fact they fought, the setting and KH2 outfit, the fight ITSELF was a reference to the KH2 boss as the specific attacks Sephiroth used parodied aspects from it, such as the reaction command, and the dark orbs.
Yeah though i am kinda sad they didn’t start the fight with sora parrying octo-slash to reference the first part of the battle where you have to quickly press triangle to block or get zantetsukened
If you follow the theory that Super Smash Bros. takes place in the imagination of a literal child, then the flaming Smash symbol going out could symbolize that child growing up and being forced to leave his imagination behind, this explaining why everyone turns back into trophies. Furthermore, Mario's face looks like he is about ready to accept that it's all over. However, the final ember could be what's left of said imagination, which Mario, despite being visibly hesitant, knows that he must make it count. In a sense, by summoning Sora, a child at heart, he's encouraging the child that grew up to imagine one last time by calling upon someone who brought so many happy childhood memories.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who thinks about the Smash Bros lore. Seeing the trophy forms again for the first time in Ultimate made me happy (they were also kind of in World of Light when Mario was being copied but it was stone instead of gold).
I don't really follow the lore, but this my friend is actually very plausible and it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. Honestly just reading this got me a little emotional
I honestly just think it was referencing the whole KH theme of light and darkness, and how the Smash ball’s light extinguishing darkened their hearts until Sora showed up with his own light from the giant Keyhole.
The fact Mario was even able to grasp the Keyblade at all and use it to create a path for Sora to use shows that he is both already worthy of using a Keyblade and possibly a master himself.
you missed one with Shulk fighting Sora on the city stage, that is suppose to be Sora fighting Yozora because both Shulk and yozora have lazer type weapons.
I was waiting for someone to comment this! That’s the first thing I thought when I saw Sora and Shulk fighting in the city stage. Shulk is basically already dressed like a Kingdom Hearts character anyway.
They’ve actually been teasing Sora since the beginning! The Lifelight lyrics were happening during Sora's trailer! Colours weave into a spire of flame (Smash Logo) Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed (Flames turn into a bonfire) Bear this torch against the cold of the night (Mario grabs the keyblade of fire) Search your soul and reawaken the undying light (Sora brings back light to Smash)
Actually, it may go even further than that... Lifelight fits KH3's opening to near perfection. It's actually kinda uncanny. Given that KH3 was in development during the same time that Smash Bros. Ultimate was, it is becoming more and more likely that Sakurai wanted the song to "lowkey" build up to Sora being in Smash Bros. since he'd already known about Sora being the top ballot pick before Ultimate started development. For all we know, Galeem and Dharkon are blatant stand-ins for the concepts of light and darkness from KH.
Fun Fact: When Sora was revealed on October 5th, and he will be out on the 18th. We have to wait *13* days till Sora comes out. Also, Yen Sid’s name spelled backwards is Dis-
@@HMK Although since Nomura created Sora he is technically a fan of him though. Also HMK thanks for being our captain on the #Sora4Smash train and hope to see each other on the other side! May your heart be your guiding key!
@@Kevo6492 It would probably still exist, but it would take time to reintroduce the US to the industry to invigorate interest. Primarily, it was the R.O.B unit that made people see Nintendo’s system as a “toy” rather than a computer system. Mario was popular in the US, but there many other more influential factors that halted the industry crash in the US…
@@UndertakerU2ber It’s why I said probably, but in all honesty we just don’t fully know. ROB got the NES in homes in NY which was the first market the NES was released in, but the word of mouth of games like Mario is what drove the NES to popularity.
Also that Legendary Elevator ride between a Square and Disney Executive. This is a big one too because how one thing you do in life can result in many things happening whether they are good or bad, sorry for thinking too deep about it. In other words do something great in life that future you will thank you for.
So, some things I think you missed: As the cinematic starts, a faint version of Lifelight can be heard. The lyrics are basically the plot of Kingdom Hearts itself. After the characters turn into trophies, we get a close up on two before it becomes a sweeping shot: Zelda and Shulk. Zelda could be a reference to Kairi since the two are very similar (one of seven maidens that hold the seal to something powerful and are powerful magic users aligned with light). Shulk is a reference to Sora himself (Shulk is a person chosen by a powerful sword and was also chosen to be a vessel for another person). Even on the third shot, Palutena is in the foreground, and she's the Goddess of Light. Sora fights to restore the Light. When Mario reaches into the fire and pulls out the Keyblade and opens the keyhole, this actually probably a reference to Super Mario World. In Super Mario World, various stages have hidden clear conditions by finding a Key and bringing it to a keyhole. When this is successful, the keyhole grows massive and swallows Mario, taking him on a different path. Remember how the final smash pass was announced? There were 5 letters, and then a bonus 6th. Mario found the secret exit for Smash! As someone else pointed out, Sora flying through the keyhole looks a lot like him flying through the sky toward Destiny Islands in the opening cinematic of KH2. His pose is also very similar to how he floats in the game over screen. The music that plays is Hikari, which is actually the credits song of Kingdom Hearts. Fitting, as this is basically the end of Smash Ultimate. He's also flying because where they all are is very similar to the final area of KH1 where Sora would use flight against the final boss. (He can fly because of Tinkerbell's pixie dust.) After the other trophies are restored, we see a shot of four fighters: Link, Cloud, Inceneroar, and Mewtwo. These characters are also references for Sora. Link is like Shulk, a warrior chosen by a legendary sword. I think the main reason BotW Link was chosen specifically is because BotW Link starts his game waking from slumber, just like Sora starts KH1 and KH2. Cloud is obvious, as they're both creations of Nomura. Inceneroar is weird until you realize: Inceneroar is from the Pokemon version of Hawaii, a collection of islands! Mewtwo is a bit of a stretch, but I can only imagine it's because Mewtwo is a clone of another, and Sora has a toooon of those.
Could Shulk just as easily be Riku who was supposed to be the original inheritor of the Keyblade and was possessed by Ansem Seeker of Darkness for a time?
The fight between Dark Pit and Male Byleth in Hollow Bastion looks a lot like it's alluding to Sora's fight with Maleficent and Riku. Maleficent being represented by Dark Pit's crow-like appearance and Riku being represented by Byleth, a dark-clothed, male swordfighter.
Sora should also have duck hunt (donald and goofy) as his allies for a lot of classic mode. Other fights: Zelda as maleficent? Some swordfighter as riku in hollow bastion
@@damonlopez2197 I think he's just gonna face off against the super bosses one after the other which would be the most fitting. 7 super bosses to match the 7 Willful Darknesses.
It also plays into the fact smash bros characters are toys, that come to life because of a kids imagination (master hand being the kids hands) The room is closed, the toys lifeless. but as the kid gets closer to his room door his imagination brings mario to life and finally the keyhole opening is the kid opening his room with his key finally bringing all his toys to life via his imagination
I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but if you listen to the World of Light vocal theme, the first four sentences represent Sora's trailer very nicely. Example: Colors weave into a spire of flame (Flame being the fiery Smash logo) Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed (Distant sparks being the flame that falls on the ground, while Sora being unnamed for 6 years of ballot poll) Bear this torch against the cold of the night (Mario bears the "Keyblade" fire as a torch and throws it into the darkness) Search your soul and re-awaken the undying light! (Keyblade appears and opens a path for Sora to enter and re-awaken everyone) Now, it might be a stretch since I like Sora so much, but it could also be that Sakurai big brained this trailer with the vocal theme in mind and decided to go full circle with the very first trailer, the theme song, and Sora's intro all together.
I think Sora and Mario shaking hands is more that just a representation of the relation between Disney and Nintendo. I really feel like it's a message of Sakurai himself (Mario) for the fans of all ages (Sora) by saying "Thank you for all these year" with all he has done since the creation of Ultimate behind them. The fact that's the last image of the direct make feel like all I said is real.
I believe the trophies are also a reference to the chess board and when Mario steps forward, is extremely reminiscent of the Toy Box scene where Sora and Woody are in the darkness saving Buzz.
Personally, I’ve taken the scene where Mario was hesitating on interacting with the spark of fire/light to line up with another quote in the series, one from the Olympus KH3 trailers: “Don’t assume your dreams are just fantasy, if you can imagine a world, believe in it and dive in.” It may be a stretch, but to me, it symbolizes Sakurai and Iwata (maybe even Nintendo as a whole) doing the nearly impossible task to get Sora into Smash. After all, Sora wasn’t invited, he was brought in by Mario.
Just to think Nomura wanted create a character to rival Mario and now Sora and Mario are shaking hands. No words could describe that screenshot, I still feel like I’m dreaming.
Honestly the whole reveal part of the trailer was closer to the plot of World of Light than Kingdom Hearts, especially including the lyrics to Lifelight. The two stories have a lot in common already, so he's a great fit regardless of how you interpret it
6:15 Actually, that was likely because the Water phase of Kalos has a hazard of waves pushing the cast and we see Sora ride the waves to surf it before casting a spell in Wisdom Form, the magic based form where you surf for the motion
It's been five months and I'm still shocked, this is something that was straight up not going to happen. Sakurai literally added the Smash Ballot winner at the very last minute during his free-time, what a God!
Stolen from the Smash Wiki but it’s too good of a coincidence not to share. “Coincidentally, the update Sora releases in, version 13.0.0, releases 13 days after his reveal, which includes 13 new spirits, and Sora is the 13th DLC fighter added in Ultimate (counting Pyra and Mythra as separate fighters). The "Mr. Sakurai Presents" that revealed Sora was itself announced in a Nintendo Direct 13 days before the presentation. The Kingdom Hearts series itself holds a strong connection to the number 13, primarily in the form of the recurring antagonist group Organization XIII. Furthermore, Sora is the 7th fighter in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 (again, counting Pyra and Mythra as separate fighters). A pivotal plot point established in Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts III is Xehanort's goal of uniting 7 "lights" and 13 "darknesses" to forge the legendary χ-blade.”
The funniest thing is that Mickey, Goof and Donald IS in Smash in a representative form of other character: Pichu and the Dog and Duck as Duck Hunt Duo. LMAO.
One reference I saw on twitter is the sequence leading up to Sora appearing references the opening theme song of Smash Ultimate. Colors weave into a spire of flame (The flaming Smash logo) Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed (The logo going out and Mario throwing the flame. Unamed means we didn't know it was Sora until then) Bear this torch against the cold of the night (The keyblade being the torch) Search your soul and reawaken the undying light (Sora being the undying light and Mario summons him)
i find it interesting that Ventus doesn't have any characters icon in his Dive of Heart. Is that hinting at the moment when Ventus was just a husk and unresponsive?
Probably, he has amnesia since he used the Ark and forgot all of his Dandilion friends (Lauriam, Skuld, ect...). Which might explain why the Bad Lands are on his Dive and not Daybreak Town : the world is as broken as he is.
See i thought the “dreameaters” reference was a reference to the Winnie the Pooh minigame in KH3 (KH3 outfit), kirby’s color reference rabbit, pigley and the elephant (i cant remember which), and sora is throwing a beat, a flower and a banana. For the vegatables, the flowers and the fruits
@@patrikbengtsson3883 I was referring to the Classic costume for Dedede paying homage to 1928 Pete. Of course, there is a picture of Sora hitting Bowser in the main Smash website
@@broden4838 We don’t know that for sure. I figured it was just a reference to how the Timeless River costume looked similar to Dedede’s monochrome color scheme, but as for a Pete reference specifically, I think it’s pretty far fetched…
So I’ve noticed that you can hear that classic KH1 shimmer right as Mario reaches for the flame. But I can’t believe you didn’t bring up that Sora’s splash screen was directly referencing his main character artwork. Other than that I think ya got em all.
When Mario Steps off the trophy, the sparkles effect is the same effect from Kingdom Hearts, even has hints of the sound too. Small, but something I noticed
It’s not in his gameplay trailer, but it’s in his gameplay overview. When he’s shown doing a forward smash against falco’s side b, Sora hits him and then is put in his clank animation. His clank animation is almost, if not, identical to his animation when he swings his keyblade at a wall or performs a “tech” against an enemy. I thought it was a pretty cute reference
-Kingdom Hearts was created because Super Mario 64 -Kingdom Hearts and Mario Luigi RPG shared the same Composer -Mario awaken Sora,and shake hand We come in full circle
When the smash logo went out the first thing I thought of is hey its a realm of darkness now and then mario went and opened the door same way mickey did at the end of kh1. Mickey has a similar outfit to mario as well in kh1
Thank you for this. I've not really played the KH games, so it's good to know the references. I also have a separate (probably unintentional) interpretation from the beginning and end of the trailer: the fire going out on the Smash logo and everyone turning back into figurines represents the perception that Smash Ultimate is over now, with that last ember being the final character reveal being the final bit of the game. Upon it being revealed to be Sora, the most wanted and "impossible" character, life comes back to everyone (basically, it's not finishing with a whimper but a bang.) Then, the final shot showing Mario and Sora with everyone behind them and the Smash logo burning brighter than ever says that while the roster is now complete the game is not dead and never will be because it will always be a unique celebration of gaming history, as emphasised by the mascot of the game's company shaking hands with the "impossible" character, something we're probably never going to see again. Yeah, I overanalyse (apologies for the long post.)
2:22 The way Sora floats could be a reference to KH1 Secret Ending scene (at the end of the scene) and KH2 Opening (in KHCoM scene) where Sora also floats in this position.
Both Sora and Link fighting each other with two swords is a reference to Roxas, who frequently wields two Keyblades. The image specifically references their battle at the Station of Serenity.
Colors weave into a last spire of flame Distant sparks called to a last fighter still unnamed Mario bear this torch against the cold of the night Search your soul and reawaken Sora's undying light. Oh sh*t the Lifelight song is reference to Sora in the trailer and he's the Light this entire time!
You could also say Sora shaking Mario’s hand can reference - the end of KH2 with Kairi which thematically marked the end of a long journey(in regards to KH’s then ongoing narrative as well as SSBU’s DLC) - when Mickey frequently shakes Sora’s hand during Timeless River(this OC character shaking hands with one of the world’s most iconic characters in entertainment) Both have significant meanings.
- Sora has quite a few attacks that can be identified from the series, like Magic Flash (up smash), Finishing Leap (down smash), Sliding Dash (dash attack), and Blitz (forward throw). - Uh, the scene where Sora fought Sephiroth looks closer to Olympus Coliseum's dark arena, with a dark purple sky and orange-ish ground. KH2's Sephiroth fight had a bright dawn sky with blue ground.
I also think there is a reference of the KH3 opening. When Mario summons the keyhole and the light shines through and the other characters awaken and turn to the light. Like the scene in the KH3 opening where Sora opens and the light shines through and he awakens numerous characters, like the wayfinder trio, the seasalt trio, and Riku turn to the light.
13 days till Sora's release = 13 Seekers (Days) of Darkness (not part of the trailer, but just something I noticed when they announced how many days it would be until the release)
I don’t know a lot about Kingdom Hearts but these references are really cool! Sakurai never disappoints with the many references he puts in the trailers!
Mario and sora could also be shaking hands on disney and Nintendo coming to an agreement on sora being in smash bros as well as sora being given a handshake greeting from mario welcoming him to smash bros.
These are all so cool, there were a couple clever references you missed too! Sora facing Shulk in New Donk City is a reference to Roxas. The Monado's blue energy actually looks a lot like Roxas during his Limit Break "Event Horizon"! I thought this was so cool. Maybe just would've chosen Fourside for the stage, but I suppose New Donk's buildings match a bit more. I believe Sora vs Sephiroth is a reference to KH1 and 2. The stage looks just like Olympus during Platinum Match with the dark purple sky. He even starts the match with a slash very similar to in KH1. But, he also dashes through Sora like in KH2. Corrin could be a reference to facing Riku on Destiny Islands at the beginning of KH1. I think Sora facing Byleth and Dark Pit on Hollow Bastion references Ansem and Dark Riku also. I want to say when Sora does his Final Smash to Meta Knight and Toon Link, it's referencing them as a Darkball and Shadow. The only characters I'm lost on are Isabelle and Peach at the end of the trailer for 3D Sora, and Mewtwo and DK for KH1 Sora in the beginning. Mewtwo could be a heartless, but that's just a guess based on the stage.
The first clip of Hollow Bastion, a low shot from the bottom of Rising Falls looking up at the castle, reminds me pretty strongly of the camera shot you see when you arrive there in KH1 and it shows the title card.
I thought Sora feeding the kirbys references the minigame in KH3 with Winnie the Poo, since he's in his KH3 outfit and the background reminds me of the garden setting. I could see them being dream-eaters too though.
Sora coming through the Keyhole mirrors how he's flying over the ocean in the opening of Kingdom Hearts 2 after Namine put him to sleep in the pod. I thought that was a cool little nod
Sora is the 7th character in Fighter Pass 2, And the 13th unique DLC character overall, considering the site counts Pyra and Mythra as unique. THE SEVEN WITHIN THE THIRTEEN.
Numbers 7 and mostly 13 sure did referenced very well with Sora as the final DLC fighter. He comes out in patch 13.0.0, releases in 13 days, he's the 13th DLC fighter as well as the 7th DLC fighter in FP2 (if you count Pyra & Mythra separately), the Sakurai presents was announced in the Nintendo Direct 13 days before the presentation and 13 Kingdom Hearts spirits.
The start, when Mario threw the keyblade, he instantly reminded me of when Mickey swung his keyblade in Re:Mind with like, that massive light beam towards the Xehanorts
Another unintended nod in the handshake is it's similar to Ryu shaking hands with Cyclopes in the first crossover fighting game, X-Men vs Street Fighter where at the end of the intro trailer/attention grabber Cyclopes and Ryu shake hands before the title is announced.
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 16 พฤศจิกายน 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wPd7VFfWHIA/mqdefault.jpg)
DID YOU SPOT THAT REFERENCE?! HAVE WITH THIS ONE PEEPS! BIG KH REFERENCES FOUND IN SMASH!
That day was a good day
Weird fact: Kingdom hearts was going to have an anime.
is it odd that one of the backgrounds dive to heart is not kairi?
cringe.
Of course yessss
Man, Mario and Sora shaking hands is just a tearjerker.
It all came back full circle, it started with Mario kicking Yoshi, then ends with him shaking hands with Sora. Couldn’t have asked for a greater ending than that, Sakurai and the Dev Team outdid themselves. #ThankYouSakurai
Iconic gaming moment
This is as close as we can get, as Mario is almost shaking hands with Mickey Mouse.
I've said it once and I'll say it again, Cloud and Sephiroth need to swap out some of their current costume slots for their KH1/KH2 counterparts.
agreed!
The scene where it shows Link, Incineroar, Cloud and Mewtwo coming alive and looking back at the bright keyhole reminds me of the opening of Kingdom Hearts 3 where Riku, Axel, Roxas, Xion, Ven, Terra and Aqua seeing the door to light.
THIS.
You're right! I'm amazed on how just a few people have noticed this
Mario and Sora shaking hands made it feel like Mario was saying "About time" I love it so much
“Welcome to Smash”
Nomura would be so proud!
"Glad to have ya kid!" kinda feeling
What I love about the Sora VS Sephiroth clip the most is beyond the fact they fought, the setting and KH2 outfit, the fight ITSELF was a reference to the KH2 boss as the specific attacks Sephiroth used parodied aspects from it, such as the reaction command, and the dark orbs.
Yeah though i am kinda sad they didn’t start the fight with sora parrying octo-slash to reference the first part of the battle where you have to quickly press triangle to block or get zantetsukened
@@tristianhansen1161 They did include it though. That was the attack Sora Shielded, as Reflega also works against it.
Still disappointed that they put a basic counter inside of reflega
If you follow the theory that Super Smash Bros. takes place in the imagination of a literal child, then the flaming Smash symbol going out could symbolize that child growing up and being forced to leave his imagination behind, this explaining why everyone turns back into trophies. Furthermore, Mario's face looks like he is about ready to accept that it's all over. However, the final ember could be what's left of said imagination, which Mario, despite being visibly hesitant, knows that he must make it count. In a sense, by summoning Sora, a child at heart, he's encouraging the child that grew up to imagine one last time by calling upon someone who brought so many happy childhood memories.
Yeah I agree. The beginning read to me like “this is the end of smash, but we still got one more thing to show you”
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who thinks about the Smash Bros lore. Seeing the trophy forms again for the first time in Ultimate made me happy (they were also kind of in World of Light when Mario was being copied but it was stone instead of gold).
I don't really follow the lore, but this my friend is actually very plausible and it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. Honestly just reading this got me a little emotional
That’s was beautiful. It brings me tears of joy
I honestly just think it was referencing the whole KH theme of light and darkness, and how the Smash ball’s light extinguishing darkened their hearts until Sora showed up with his own light from the giant Keyhole.
Dude, you forgot that when Mario threw that Keyblade on fire, that was a reference to the skill Strike Raid
Too bad, Sora wasn't a master, that would make Mario a possible Keyblade candidate.
@@mr.l3992 Terra wasn't a master, Riku still got the Keyblade from him.
also the camera angle that was shown when mario threw the keyblade, that was a reference when Roxas threw Oblivion at Riku.
The fact Mario was even able to grasp the Keyblade at all and use it to create a path for Sora to use shows that he is both already worthy of using a Keyblade and possibly a master himself.
Also not only that but it looked very similar to Axol and his weapons that spin and are engulfed by flame
I like that Sora seals the Smash Door in his Final Smash because he's the the last fighter, so no one else can get in.
Either that or it's just the Door to Darkness and Sora seals his opponents into the Realm of Darkness.
OMEGALUL
Sora: THAT'S IT! IM KICKING YOU OUT OF SMASH!
I would have loved a season 3 though. Sora is all I wanted but there are more characters who deserve a spot in the roaster.
He has manners, Riku told him to lock the door after he goes through it
I'm definitely going to finish world of light as Sora.
It's only right
Damn Straight me too brother And I put that in my Organization 13 bosses that I beat
Same
I used to main cloud but now I'm gonna main Sora
Once Sora releases I’m gonna replay World of Light for the final time, now with the complete roster.
I'm still smiling at videos of people's reactions dude. Sephiroth had the coolest trailer but Sora's trailer hits the heart.
Despite me being a Kingdom Hearts fan, I still screamed “THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!” with man tears. XD
you missed one with Shulk fighting Sora on the city stage, that is suppose to be Sora fighting Yozora because both Shulk and yozora have lazer type weapons.
I was waiting for someone to comment this! That’s the first thing I thought when I saw Sora and Shulk fighting in the city stage. Shulk is basically already dressed like a Kingdom Hearts character anyway.
They’ve actually been teasing Sora since the beginning! The Lifelight lyrics were happening during Sora's trailer!
Colours weave into a spire of flame (Smash Logo)
Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed (Flames turn into a bonfire)
Bear this torch against the cold of the night (Mario grabs the keyblade of fire)
Search your soul and reawaken the undying light (Sora brings back light to Smash)
Actually, it may go even further than that... Lifelight fits KH3's opening to near perfection. It's actually kinda uncanny. Given that KH3 was in development during the same time that Smash Bros. Ultimate was, it is becoming more and more likely that Sakurai wanted the song to "lowkey" build up to Sora being in Smash Bros. since he'd already known about Sora being the top ballot pick before Ultimate started development. For all we know, Galeem and Dharkon are blatant stand-ins for the concepts of light and darkness from KH.
That's freaking clever!
@@WolfoTheNintendoSixtysaur My exact words!
@@LittleBabyBlue777 So, Ghaleem is MoM and Dharkon is the living Darkness?
@@WolfoTheNintendoSixtysaur Hell yeah!
Fun Fact: When Sora was revealed on October 5th, and he will be out on the 18th. We have to wait *13* days till Sora comes out. Also, Yen Sid’s name spelled backwards is Dis-
I really hope, Just A Pancake comes back.
Dis-nuts
pear
Soras also the 13th dlc fighter
14 days to wait in Europe though that could reference the fact that there's technically 14 members of Organisation XIII if you count Xion
I love how Sakurai is an actual Kingdom Hearts fan and did these references on purpose 💙
Don't you mean Sakurai?
@@srboden94 Right? I was like...WAIT something isn't right
Lol
@@srboden94 Omg oops I fixed it
@@HMK Although since Nomura created Sora he is technically a fan of him though. Also HMK thanks for being our captain on the #Sora4Smash train and hope to see each other on the other side! May your heart be your guiding key!
Sora is the most hype Smash reveal since Sonic in Brawl. Don’t @ me!
Agreed
That's actually super deep to think about
Without the success of Mario 64, or even the existence of Mario as a whole, we wouldn't have Sora 🤯
Without Mario, there probably wouldn’t be a gaming industry in America.
@@Kevo6492 deep the rabbit hole goes
@@Kevo6492
It would probably still exist, but it would take time to reintroduce the US to the industry to invigorate interest. Primarily, it was the R.O.B unit that made people see Nintendo’s system as a “toy” rather than a computer system. Mario was popular in the US, but there many other more influential factors that halted the industry crash in the US…
@@UndertakerU2ber It’s why I said probably, but in all honesty we just don’t fully know. ROB got the NES in homes in NY which was the first market the NES was released in, but the word of mouth of games like Mario is what drove the NES to popularity.
Also that Legendary Elevator ride between a Square and Disney Executive. This is a big one too because how one thing you do in life can result in many things happening whether they are good or bad, sorry for thinking too deep about it. In other words do something great in life that future you will thank you for.
The way Sora flies around with Hikari playing when he first appears immediately struck me as a reference to the opening cinematic of DDD.
i have not stopped watching KH content since the reveal KEEP EM COMING YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE
Seeing Mario and Sora shake hands made me shed a tear.
So, some things I think you missed:
As the cinematic starts, a faint version of Lifelight can be heard. The lyrics are basically the plot of Kingdom Hearts itself.
After the characters turn into trophies, we get a close up on two before it becomes a sweeping shot: Zelda and Shulk. Zelda could be a reference to Kairi since the two are very similar (one of seven maidens that hold the seal to something powerful and are powerful magic users aligned with light). Shulk is a reference to Sora himself (Shulk is a person chosen by a powerful sword and was also chosen to be a vessel for another person). Even on the third shot, Palutena is in the foreground, and she's the Goddess of Light. Sora fights to restore the Light.
When Mario reaches into the fire and pulls out the Keyblade and opens the keyhole, this actually probably a reference to Super Mario World. In Super Mario World, various stages have hidden clear conditions by finding a Key and bringing it to a keyhole. When this is successful, the keyhole grows massive and swallows Mario, taking him on a different path. Remember how the final smash pass was announced? There were 5 letters, and then a bonus 6th. Mario found the secret exit for Smash!
As someone else pointed out, Sora flying through the keyhole looks a lot like him flying through the sky toward Destiny Islands in the opening cinematic of KH2. His pose is also very similar to how he floats in the game over screen.
The music that plays is Hikari, which is actually the credits song of Kingdom Hearts. Fitting, as this is basically the end of Smash Ultimate. He's also flying because where they all are is very similar to the final area of KH1 where Sora would use flight against the final boss. (He can fly because of Tinkerbell's pixie dust.)
After the other trophies are restored, we see a shot of four fighters: Link, Cloud, Inceneroar, and Mewtwo. These characters are also references for Sora. Link is like Shulk, a warrior chosen by a legendary sword. I think the main reason BotW Link was chosen specifically is because BotW Link starts his game waking from slumber, just like Sora starts KH1 and KH2. Cloud is obvious, as they're both creations of Nomura. Inceneroar is weird until you realize: Inceneroar is from the Pokemon version of Hawaii, a collection of islands! Mewtwo is a bit of a stretch, but I can only imagine it's because Mewtwo is a clone of another, and Sora has a toooon of those.
Could Shulk just as easily be Riku who was supposed to be the original inheritor of the Keyblade and was possessed by Ansem Seeker of Darkness for a time?
@@Shantaq Also a possibility!
Shit, nice theory. Good job, dude 👍
The fight between Dark Pit and Male Byleth in Hollow Bastion looks a lot like it's alluding to Sora's fight with Maleficent and Riku. Maleficent being represented by Dark Pit's crow-like appearance and Riku being represented by Byleth, a dark-clothed, male swordfighter.
I think Isabel, Pikachu, Peach and the Inkling were oblique references to Goofy, Mickey, Disney Princesses and animators respectively
Ganondorf with his white hair alt should be Sora’s last boss in classic mode, as he could represent xehanort. Plus Ganon’s attacks are darkness based.
You know that they are gonna allude his classic mode to fighting the 7 big darknesses right?
Dracula is also a good last boss, being a creature of pure darkness and of the night
Sora should also have duck hunt (donald and goofy) as his allies for a lot of classic mode.
Other fights: Zelda as maleficent?
Some swordfighter as riku in hollow bastion
@@damonlopez2197 I think he's just gonna face off against the super bosses one after the other which would be the most fitting. 7 super bosses to match the 7 Willful Darknesses.
It will probably be the other white haired big boss sephiroth. They need to finish what they started!
The Meta Knight and Toon Link sealed behind the door in Sora's trailer are specifically versions of them from Dharkon's army/the World of Darkness.
It also plays into the fact smash bros characters are toys, that come to life because of a kids imagination (master hand being the kids hands) The room is closed, the toys lifeless. but as the kid gets closer to his room door his imagination brings mario to life and finally the keyhole opening is the kid opening his room with his key finally bringing all his toys to life via his imagination
Lifelight really hits different when you realize it was hinting at Sora being the last DLC fighter from the very start
I was really wondering what were all the kingdom heart references, thanks!
Sora Hoes Mad when? XD love your stuff
I've said it once and I'll say it again, Cloud and Sephiroth need to swap out some of their current costume slots for their KH1/KH2 counterparts.
yep!
I'm glad someone could give this to us
I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but if you listen to the World of Light vocal theme, the first four sentences represent Sora's trailer very nicely.
Example:
Colors weave into a spire of flame (Flame being the fiery Smash logo)
Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed (Distant sparks being the flame that falls on the ground, while Sora being unnamed for 6 years of ballot poll)
Bear this torch against the cold of the night (Mario bears the "Keyblade" fire as a torch and throws it into the darkness)
Search your soul and re-awaken the undying light! (Keyblade appears and opens a path for Sora to enter and re-awaken everyone)
Now, it might be a stretch since I like Sora so much, but it could also be that Sakurai big brained this trailer with the vocal theme in mind and decided to go full circle with the very first trailer, the theme song, and Sora's intro all together.
I think Sora and Mario shaking hands is more that just a representation of the relation between Disney and Nintendo. I really feel like it's a message of Sakurai himself (Mario) for the fans of all ages (Sora) by saying "Thank you for all these year" with all he has done since the creation of Ultimate behind them. The fact that's the last image of the direct make feel like all I said is real.
I believe the trophies are also a reference to the chess board and when Mario steps forward, is extremely reminiscent of the Toy Box scene where Sora and Woody are in the darkness saving Buzz.
Personally, I’ve taken the scene where Mario was hesitating on interacting with the spark of fire/light to line up with another quote in the series, one from the Olympus KH3 trailers:
“Don’t assume your dreams are just fantasy, if you can imagine a world, believe in it and dive in.”
It may be a stretch, but to me, it symbolizes Sakurai and Iwata (maybe even Nintendo as a whole) doing the nearly impossible task to get Sora into Smash.
After all, Sora wasn’t invited, he was brought in by Mario.
Just to think Nomura wanted create a character to rival Mario and now Sora and Mario are shaking hands. No words could describe that screenshot, I still feel like I’m dreaming.
Honestly the whole reveal part of the trailer was closer to the plot of World of Light than Kingdom Hearts, especially including the lyrics to Lifelight. The two stories have a lot in common already, so he's a great fit regardless of how you interpret it
the sephiroth fight reminds me more of the platinum match in KH1 since it has a similar darkened sky and arena color scheme
6:15 Actually, that was likely because the Water phase of Kalos has a hazard of waves pushing the cast and we see Sora ride the waves to surf it before casting a spell in Wisdom Form, the magic based form where you surf for the motion
That’s kinda what I thought honestly, but monstro could be a nice touch as well
So is Mario a wielder now? Does he have a piece of sora’s heart! Rixoma can now be a thing XD
It's been five months and I'm still shocked, this is something that was straight up not going to happen.
Sakurai literally added the Smash Ballot winner at the very last minute during his free-time, what a God!
Stolen from the Smash Wiki but it’s too good of a coincidence not to share.
“Coincidentally, the update Sora releases in, version 13.0.0, releases 13 days after his reveal, which includes 13 new spirits, and Sora is the 13th DLC fighter added in Ultimate (counting Pyra and Mythra as separate fighters). The "Mr. Sakurai Presents" that revealed Sora was itself announced in a Nintendo Direct 13 days before the presentation. The Kingdom Hearts series itself holds a strong connection to the number 13, primarily in the form of the recurring antagonist group Organization XIII.
Furthermore, Sora is the 7th fighter in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 (again, counting Pyra and Mythra as separate fighters). A pivotal plot point established in Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts III is Xehanort's goal of uniting 7 "lights" and 13 "darknesses" to forge the legendary χ-blade.”
I feel like the 13 characters thing wasn't intentional, the rest was for sure
The funniest thing is that Mickey, Goof and Donald IS in Smash in a representative form of other character: Pichu and the Dog and Duck as Duck Hunt Duo. LMAO.
plus you can also give duck hunt the star rod and backshield items too XD
@@jjgame1169 DAMN GOD!!! THIS IS TRUE !!!! LMAO
@@jjgame1169 DAMN GOD!!! THIS IS TRUE !!!! LMAO
One reference I saw on twitter is the sequence leading up to Sora appearing references the opening theme song of Smash Ultimate.
Colors weave into a spire of flame
(The flaming Smash logo)
Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed
(The logo going out and Mario throwing the flame. Unamed means we didn't know it was Sora until then)
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
(The keyblade being the torch)
Search your soul and reawaken the undying light
(Sora being the undying light and Mario summons him)
Sora's up smash is indeed magic flash, yet it has Ripple Drive's animation 🤔
I wish it had ripple drives animation. It didn’t look as fruity as his up smash does
I'm soooo hype to play Sora when he releases and this video just makes it greater.
My favorite part is the fact that Sora shakes Mario's hand.
i find it interesting that Ventus doesn't have any characters icon in his Dive of Heart. Is that hinting at the moment when Ventus was just a husk and unresponsive?
Probably, he has amnesia since he used the Ark and forgot all of his Dandilion friends (Lauriam, Skuld, ect...). Which might explain why the Bad Lands are on his Dive and not Daybreak Town : the world is as broken as he is.
It has always been weird. You'd think at least terra and aqua would be there. Even with the amnesia, they were still his important people.
Yo the Mario and Sora shaking hands part gave me chills all over again. Brilliant analysis HMK.
Sora was revealed 13 days before release
Smash will update to version 13.0.0 when he drops
It never ends
I swear to god, if they make me fight xehanort again as the classic mode boss, imma quit smash. He was annoying enough in KH3
The final smash is basically like Sora sealing the door preventing anymore fighters from joining
See i thought the “dreameaters” reference was a reference to the Winnie the Pooh minigame in KH3 (KH3 outfit), kirby’s color reference rabbit, pigley and the elephant (i cant remember which), and sora is throwing a beat, a flower and a banana. For the vegatables, the flowers and the fruits
That makes a lot more sense since he’s wearing his KH3 outfit in that segment. I think HMK was off base with that interpretation…
I think it's a dreameater reference. Especially since Kirby is known for eating and he lives in dreamland.
Sora taking to Mario.
Sora: so... Is Pikachu your dream eater friend?
Mario: 😐
I've already spotted them all and It truly does warm my heart.
Didn't know Dedede was paying homage to Pete in the trailer, zoi
Should it not be Bowser?
@@patrikbengtsson3883 I was referring to the Classic costume for Dedede paying homage to 1928 Pete. Of course, there is a picture of Sora hitting Bowser in the main Smash website
@@broden4838 Along with a picture of Sora with Duck Hunt.
@@broden4838
We don’t know that for sure. I figured it was just a reference to how the Timeless River costume looked similar to Dedede’s monochrome color scheme, but as for a Pete reference specifically, I think it’s pretty far fetched…
Seeing it now it does make sense since we don't see kirby who also has the monochrome skin
So I’ve noticed that you can hear that classic KH1 shimmer right as Mario reaches for the flame. But I can’t believe you didn’t bring up that Sora’s splash screen was directly referencing his main character artwork. Other than that I think ya got em all.
The part with shulk was a yozora reference
Kinda ignored that Mario summoning Sora and shaking hands with him also references King Mickey.
Sora’s facial expression in his smash pose is the same exact as his health bar from KH1, am I the only one who noticed that?
When Mario Steps off the trophy, the sparkles effect is the same effect from Kingdom Hearts, even has hints of the sound too. Small, but something I noticed
It’s not in his gameplay trailer, but it’s in his gameplay overview. When he’s shown doing a forward smash against falco’s side b, Sora hits him and then is put in his clank animation. His clank animation is almost, if not, identical to his animation when he swings his keyblade at a wall or performs a “tech” against an enemy. I thought it was a pretty cute reference
I still can't believe that Sora got in smash.I kinda wish he some more songs and maybe Ars Arcanum but besides that he's literally perfect.
-Kingdom Hearts was created because Super Mario 64
-Kingdom Hearts and Mario Luigi RPG shared the same Composer
-Mario awaken Sora,and shake hand
We come in full circle
When the smash logo went out the first thing I thought of is hey its a realm of darkness now and then mario went and opened the door same way mickey did at the end of kh1. Mickey has a similar outfit to mario as well in kh1
Thank you for this. I've not really played the KH games, so it's good to know the references. I also have a separate (probably unintentional) interpretation from the beginning and end of the trailer: the fire going out on the Smash logo and everyone turning back into figurines represents the perception that Smash Ultimate is over now, with that last ember being the final character reveal being the final bit of the game. Upon it being revealed to be Sora, the most wanted and "impossible" character, life comes back to everyone (basically, it's not finishing with a whimper but a bang.) Then, the final shot showing Mario and Sora with everyone behind them and the Smash logo burning brighter than ever says that while the roster is now complete the game is not dead and never will be because it will always be a unique celebration of gaming history, as emphasised by the mascot of the game's company shaking hands with the "impossible" character, something we're probably never going to see again. Yeah, I overanalyse (apologies for the long post.)
2:22 The way Sora floats could be a reference to
KH1 Secret Ending scene (at the end of the scene) and KH2 Opening (in KHCoM scene)
where Sora also floats in this position.
Sakurai: This was not my decision!
Both Sora and Link fighting each other with two swords is a reference to Roxas, who frequently wields two Keyblades. The image specifically references their battle at the Station of Serenity.
Colors weave into a last spire of flame
Distant sparks called to a last fighter still unnamed
Mario bear this torch against the cold of the night
Search your soul and reawaken Sora's undying light.
Oh sh*t the Lifelight song is reference to Sora in the trailer and he's the Light this entire time!
The moment I realized the lyrics was foreshadowing Sora as the last fighter since 2018-
Ever since World of Light, Sora was gonna be in Smash no matter what!
The handshake at the end is like Sora coming full circle, he was created to rival Mario and now their standing side by side.
Those references gave me goosebumps ! Still can't believe he finally made it in ! I'm so happy !
That handshake between Mario and Sora almost felt like a reference to Xmen vs Street Fighter title screen where Cyclops and Ryu shake hands 🤔
It took 7,131 days or 19 years, 6 months, 7 days excluding the end date.
For Sora in smash
You could also say Sora shaking Mario’s hand can reference
- the end of KH2 with Kairi which thematically marked the end of a long journey(in regards to KH’s then ongoing narrative as well as SSBU’s DLC)
- when Mickey frequently shakes Sora’s hand during Timeless River(this OC character shaking hands with one of the world’s most iconic characters in entertainment)
Both have significant meanings.
Hype as hell for sora to come out!!!! It still feels like I'm dreaming!!
This might be my favorite Sora video of yours yet. I missed a good chunk of these and kept going “oh yeah!” watching you point them all out.
- Sora has quite a few attacks that can be identified from the series, like Magic Flash (up smash), Finishing Leap (down smash), Sliding Dash (dash attack), and Blitz (forward throw).
- Uh, the scene where Sora fought Sephiroth looks closer to Olympus Coliseum's dark arena, with a dark purple sky and orange-ish ground. KH2's Sephiroth fight had a bright dawn sky with blue ground.
Can't wait for the next KH sequence to play in Pokemon world
The Handshake also felt symbolic like the first (Number 1) of the Roster and the final one (Number 82) greeting another
I also think (even though this is a stretch) Sora facing Shulk in New Donk City could be a reference of his fight with Yozura in Quadratum. Thoughts?
This is amazing ^^ I am so happy that Sora in smash
The Legend of the keyblade master is here in smash bros ultimate
When it shows sora doing sonic blade after reuniting with cloud, that references cloud teaching him that move
6:18
A direct reference to a Disney character!
I also think there is a reference of the KH3 opening. When Mario summons the keyhole and the light shines through and the other characters awaken and turn to the light. Like the scene in the KH3 opening where Sora opens and the light shines through and he awakens numerous characters, like the wayfinder trio, the seasalt trio, and Riku turn to the light.
Sora in the Sky looking at various stages is just everything really channels the vibe Of Sora Being a visitor of worlds
When the smash ball goes out, it gives the image that all the characters are staring into a sky full of stars.
13 days till Sora's release = 13 Seekers (Days) of Darkness
(not part of the trailer, but just something I noticed when they announced how many days it would be until the release)
Oh my god…🤣 the double yokes - double Pichu moment…😆 never even crossed my mind. 😂
I don’t know a lot about Kingdom Hearts but these references are really cool! Sakurai never disappoints with the many references he puts in the trailers!
Mario and sora could also be shaking hands on disney and Nintendo coming to an agreement on sora being in smash bros as well as sora being given a handshake greeting from mario welcoming him to smash bros.
Isn't sora flying artound referencing the pixie dust from the peter pan world london?
These are all so cool, there were a couple clever references you missed too!
Sora facing Shulk in New Donk City is a reference to Roxas. The Monado's blue energy actually looks a lot like Roxas during his Limit Break "Event Horizon"! I thought this was so cool. Maybe just would've chosen Fourside for the stage, but I suppose New Donk's buildings match a bit more.
I believe Sora vs Sephiroth is a reference to KH1 and 2. The stage looks just like Olympus during Platinum Match with the dark purple sky. He even starts the match with a slash very similar to in KH1. But, he also dashes through Sora like in KH2.
Corrin could be a reference to facing Riku on Destiny Islands at the beginning of KH1. I think Sora facing Byleth and Dark Pit on Hollow Bastion references Ansem and Dark Riku also.
I want to say when Sora does his Final Smash to Meta Knight and Toon Link, it's referencing them as a Darkball and Shadow. The only characters I'm lost on are Isabelle and Peach at the end of the trailer for 3D Sora, and Mewtwo and DK for KH1 Sora in the beginning. Mewtwo could be a heartless, but that's just a guess based on the stage.
The first clip of Hollow Bastion, a low shot from the bottom of Rising Falls looking up at the castle, reminds me pretty strongly of the camera shot you see when you arrive there in KH1 and it shows the title card.
What if i told you, That isn't Sora?
The Handshake could also be a reference to X-Men vs. Street Fighter where in the intro, Ryu of Street Fighter and Cyclops of X-Men shook hands.
I thought Sora feeding the kirbys references the minigame in KH3 with Winnie the Poo, since he's in his KH3 outfit and the background reminds me of the garden setting. I could see them being dream-eaters too though.
Sora coming through the Keyhole mirrors how he's flying over the ocean in the opening of Kingdom Hearts 2 after Namine put him to sleep in the pod. I thought that was a cool little nod
I honestly almost cried. I'm like damn I'm really getting emotional over sora. That theme always does it.
Sora fighting Shulk on New Donk City is a reference to the Yozora boss fight at the end Kingdom Hearts III's Re Mind DLC
Sora is the 7th character in Fighter Pass 2,
And the 13th unique DLC character overall, considering the site counts Pyra and Mythra as unique.
THE SEVEN WITHIN THE THIRTEEN.
Numbers 7 and mostly 13 sure did referenced very well with Sora as the final DLC fighter. He comes out in patch 13.0.0, releases in 13 days, he's the 13th DLC fighter as well as the 7th DLC fighter in FP2 (if you count Pyra & Mythra separately), the Sakurai presents was announced in the Nintendo Direct 13 days before the presentation and 13 Kingdom Hearts spirits.
The start, when Mario threw the keyblade, he instantly reminded me of when Mickey swung his keyblade in Re:Mind with like, that massive light beam towards the Xehanorts
Who else seen the trailer and ppl reactions at least 13 THOUSAND TIMES LMAO
Another unintended nod in the handshake is it's similar to Ryu shaking hands with Cyclopes in the first crossover fighting game, X-Men vs Street Fighter where at the end of the intro trailer/attention grabber Cyclopes and Ryu shake hands before the title is announced.