Despite featuring some of Disney’s most iconic fairytale couples,Kingdom Heartsdoesn’t explore love and romance very much. Sora never really mentions or comments on ‘love’, either. That is, until Kingdom Hearts 3.
In the Pirates of the Caribbean world, Davy Jones sees Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan, and moments later says, “Ah… love. A dreadful bond. And yet, so easily severed.” Sora jumps in and responds, “That’s not true! I may still have a lot to learn about love, but I know what it means to share my heart with others.” At this point in the series, Sora has metalotof Disney couples- Belle and the Beast, Ariel and Eric, Aladdin and Jasmine… the list goes on.
And yet, for some reason, Sora still has “a lot to learn about love”. Going by the most common fan interpretation of the series, he should, at the very least, have a fully-fledged crush on Kairi by this point. So why are wenowbringing up the fact that Sora doesn’t know a lot about love?
Sora is aged 15 in KH3, so of course he’s not going to be an expert in all things love and romance, but in fiction, everything is written with purpose. You don’t have a main character exclaim they “still have a lot to learn about love” without that serving some sort of narrative purpose.
Something There
Sora’s confusion about love is continued in a short story in the Kingdom Hearts Character Files book, where he has an internal monologue after having watched Belle and the Beast dance.
The short stories in the Character Files are set sometime towards the end of KH3, as Sora reflects on the series’ events so far.
Thinking back on Cogsworth saying Belle and the Beast are in love, Sora asks himself, “What the heck is ‘true love,’ anyway? What even is ‘love’ to begin with?” Belle and the Beast are pretty much the epitome of a fairytale romance. They’re a man and a woman; they’re in love with each other. What else is theretoget here? That’s what our heteronormative society wants everyone to think, but that’s not always the case.
Growing up as a deeply closeted lesbian who didn’t even really know gay people existed until I was in my teens, not knowing what ‘love’ is or what it should ‘feel’ like is something I have all too much experience with. I watched a lot of animated Disney movies growing up. Just like Sora, I saw these couples fall in love. But something just wasn’t clicking when I watched them. I could never see myself in the position of Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora, or any of the princesses who fell in love with a prince. ‘Love’ just felt alien to me.
Sora’s Confusion About Love Might Be Because Of Compulsory Heterosexuality
As an adult, I know now I was experiencing ‘compulsory heterosexuality’ - an unconscious societal pressure to conform to heterosexual norms - which is what led me to feel isolated, confused, and like something was missing when I looked at a heterosexual couple, but I had no idea what that missing ‘thing’ was.
Sora’s confusion continues throughout the short story in the Character Files: “I get that Belle and the Beast love each other. In the end, though, I still don’t get what ‘love’ is.” When you’re unknowingly in the throes of compulsory heterosexuality, you get what love isin theory, but that’s as far as it goes. You see it happening for others around you, or in movies, books, and games, but it feels like something that’s off the cards for you, something you’ll just never get.
You even feel the need to try to conform to it yourself, despite not understanding it. I ‘chose’ crushes on boys based on inane things. I was tall for my age, so if there was a boy taller than me, I’d think, “Thatmustmean I have to like him, right?” All while denying that, deep down, the idea of spending my life (or even just five minutes) with a man made me feel physically sick.
Looking at Kingdom Hearts through a queer lens, this could be what Sora is experiencing. He’s surrounded by what society deems as the very definition of true love; as the main protagonist, he naturally fulfills the role of the male hero/prince, so the next thing on the listmustbe a female love interest… right?
Sora tries to fit that mould, but interestingly, it’s rarely by his own volition. In KH1, it’s Riku who suggests Sora should share the paopu fruit with Kairi. In Chain of Memories, Donald and Goofy claim that Sora always acts differently around girls, despite Sora never actually doing so in their presence. It’s always something external pushing him in that direction, rather than Sora taking the reins himself.
The Paopu Fruit Scene
Eventually, Kairidoesshare the paopu fruit with Sora, and yet he still doesn’t understand what ‘love’ is supposed to be. Sora and Kairi are finally spending some time together, butthe first thing Sora asks is about Riku.“Hey, why’s Riku all alone?”Not exactly what should be on your mind when you’re spending time with the girl you’re supposed to be in love with.
When Kairi presents the paopu fruit to him, Sora physically recoils, and Kairi has to explain that she wants to share it so they won’t be separated in the final battle before Sora relaxes and finally accepts. After all this build up, something that Sora perceives as romantic is finally happening between him and Kairi, and all he can do is… look visibly uncomfortable?
Sora was fine daydreaming about telling Kairi he was able to fly in KH1 and imagining dancing with her in KH2, but when it comes toactuallyspending time with her? It’s a completely different story. He has all the pieces for a heterosexual romance right in front of him, but something still isn’t clicking into place. Perhaps because he doesn’t have any examples of what love could look like, other than Disney’s cookie-cutter heterosexuality.
Sora only starts to feel comfortable around Kairi again in ReMind,afterthey share the paopu fruit and Kairi clears up her expectations behind it.
Sora’s behaviour in this scene reminds me exactly of myself when I was 15. I could daydream and picture the heterosexual life that I thought I was supposed to lead, but the mere possibility of anything happening beyond that? Absolutely not. The pressure of compulsory heterosexuality affected a lot of my interactions with my peers, even without me knowing it, and it seems to be the same for Sora.
As the series stands right now, I have no idea whether Sora’s misunderstanding of love is intentionally mirroring compulsory heterosexuality or not, but I know I’m not the only one seeing my experience reflected in his journey.
Pride Month 2025
TheGamer’s Pride Month coverage is all about highlighting the games, films, shows, or any piece of media that pushes forward queer representation, and exploring how much that means to us.
