Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 4

キングダム ハーツ [Kingdom Hearts] #4

by Shiro Amano

The saga comes to a close as Sora, Donald, and Goofy discover who is really behind the Heartless and the Darkness. They are forced to choose between duty and friendship. Our heroes must follow their hearts if they are to succeed and defeat the growing Heartless menace. But in the world of Kingdom Hearts, choices are never easy!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Video Games, Young Adult

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Shiro Amano (天野 シロ, born January 4, 1976) is a Japanese manga artist who has worked on several projects, including his adaptation on the popular Kingdom Hearts series.

Reviews

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got lost in a few parts of this volume and it definitely lacks a super strong climax, but I still enjoyed my time with this volume. I loved seeing the Beast and how protective he got over Belle. I also really liked how we see that there is a way to defeat the Darkness by thinking of those you love.

The bonus comic at the end was super cute and wholesome. I could read a whole volume focusing on Winnie the Pooh. The comic was just so perfect.

This series ends off on a massive cliffhanger, so hopefully I can get around to reading Kingdom Hearts II soon.

[Jim Ef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice but two things could make it much better
1st. Donald and Goofy
image:
I love Goofy!!! And here I didn’t see much Goofiness or much of Donald’s personality. It could be two other random characters in their place and it wouldn’t make a difference.
2nd. Colors, we talk about Disney here!! Our heroes visit so many great worlds and meet so many great characters ( Alice, Hercules, Peter Pan, etc) and it’s not the same without the colors. I know that this is a manga but it’s a mix with the Disney world and I think it should be colorful.

[Diego Alessandro Lopez Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do these exist???!?!?!?!?!???!?!!!?!?!

[Lesincele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bueno en España este sería el cuarto volumen en vez del tercero. El mundo de Tarzán no está por tema de derechos legales y la verdad es que se nota su falta. En general me ha gustado pero me hubiera gustado mucho más extenso ta que hay zonas que se quedan cortas.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this books would be satisfying if you haven't played the games. The plot feels so thin. I don't know -- without replaying -- if that's because the game was padded out a lot with sidequests and battling Heartless, but nonetheless, in a book it's really noticeable.

Still, like the other volumes, it's cute, and it's a good recap if you have played the game.

[Chibeh-chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh. The time when sora sort of suicides himself to save Kairi.. how he some how miracously survives from his suicide.. how kairi and sora are happy but then riku is sort of half deadishh... I LUV THIS BOOK

[asmaa☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's be honest, this was a little better than the game's storyline. This has been entertaining enough for me to continue with the series.

[Jared Suarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will continue reading this series forever cause it's so cute and awesome.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

sora is a good boy.

[Kayuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieser Band schließt natürlich nahtlos an die Geschehnisse des vorherigen Bandes an. Und beendet ähnlich kryptisch wie das Spiel die Reihe.

Da ich das Spiel gespielt habe, kann ich den Manga nicht komplett gelöst betrachten. Ich denke die Geschichte wird gut zusammen gefasst und ist ähnlich (un)verständlich wie die im Spiel. Offenes Ende inklusive. Was ich aber schade fand ist, das der Kampf am Ende nicht zur Geltung kam. Diese fehlte meiner Meinung nach komplett. Das fand ich schade.

Was gut ist, ist das der Manga mir grad Lust auf das Spiel gemacht hat.

[Yuki Ark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pongamos las cartas sobre la mesa: estos 4 tomos son para el disfrute de los fans del juego, cualquier otra persona lo considerará acelerada y mal contada, y razon no les falta. El este tomo en especifico tiene ese problema, si ubieran hecho un 5 tomo las cosas habrian sido diferentes pero aqui las cosas fueron demasiado rapidas, una lastima. Pero si eres fan del juego entonces puede que esto lo concideres menor y como colección es muy buena.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,6*

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of volumes 1-4 of Kingdom Hearts by Shiro Amano.

Oh, Kingdom Hearts. I have loved this franchise since I was 11 years old. I have extolled the virtues of this series on forums, created theories, analyzed videos, created timelines with major game sites, I have written about this series for years, met the creator multiple times to interview him...I feel as though I can no longer speak on Kingdom Hearts because I have said all of the words that can be said about it already.

But I suppose I can spare a few words about the Tokyopop version of Shiro Amano's manga adaption. It's clear that back when Tokyopop was translating this, they were aiming to stay as true to the game as possible while still translating Amano's adaption accurately. Everything is clear and makes sense, and Amano's wacky humor comes through very well. The voices of each character is captured well, which is a compliment to both Amano's writing skill and also the translator's ability to understand the game and Amano's writing.

The artwork is fun and clear. The pages that utilize Amano's watercolor marker artwork also look stunning in black and white. It is really great that Tokyopop took on the license back in the day so Kingdom Hearts fans in the west could enjoy this series and develop a greater love for the franchise.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sora and the gang finally face exactly what they've been chasing after... and they find out that they've bargained along the way for a little more! Donald and Goofy must decide between their loyalty to their beloved King, or their loyalty to their new best friend, Sora. And as for Sora, he must make the choice of trying to save Riku, or giving up his own heart to awaken Kairi...!


Okay, I have to admit that this one was actually not too bad. It only pissed me off here and there, but I was reading it fast enough that I was able to start and finish the entire thing in about 30 or 40 minutes. It was mind numbing enough to where I was able to soak everything significant in... And the art style was cute, but nothing to behold. Everything in it that was heart touching to me from the game (when I was quite a bit younger), was just kind of "blah... this is cute, I guess" in the manga. And I don't know if it's just me and my odd and bad memory, but... It seems like there was a lot missing in here? Like, the game had a lot of stuff that was part of the story somewhat, that was not in the manga? Oh well. It doesn't matter that much to me anyway.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimately a simple and straightforward look at the story behind the first KH game. Cute, funny, and sometimes surprisingly poignant. Although the artist takes a Japanese-style "manga" aspect to this work, it's flipped to be read as an American comic. Not sure how I feel about that. Also, as a self-proclaimed "die hard" fan, there is more than one dialog between characters that is ripped straight from the game. I am sure that the developers okayed this, and it is probably fine in the minds of many fans, but as one searching for something more, a little bit more lore to the KH universe...it just comes off as lazy. I would have liked a little original character dialog and development. The times when the characters get wacky, offended, or even angry were my favorite parts, because it's something new. Still, a fun (re)visit of my favorite gaming series.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm still not completely sold on the manga style, I actually ended up really enjoying this story. I think I would like to watch all the video game cut-scenes, just because the story still probably works best in its original medium. But before reading this manga, I didn't really care about spending the time necessary to watch the cut-scenes, and now I do, so... yeah. I really liked the themes about the dark vs. the light in everyone's heart. It's a simple theme, but one that is handled deftly and, at times, even beautifully. It pairs perfectly beside Disney characters, and I actually enjoyed watching both Sora and Riku on their respective character journeys--particularly Riku, who took a turn toward darkness but found redemption. All in all, this was a great option for a non-gamer like me, and if you're curious about the world of Kingdom Hearts, I would definitely recommend it.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final confrontation at Hollow Bastion begins when Sora finds out the truth about Riku, Kairi, and the real mastermind behind the plot involving Kingdom Hearts. As I hoped, the plot got a lot more interesting in this volume. It was a little disillusioning that there was so little for Kairi to do, although she did have one beautiful moment where she saved Sora. Riku, on the other hand, went epic in this volume as far both development and his actions, plus Sora, Donald, and Goofy all found themselves challenged and rising to the occasion in a number of ways. In the end, the finale was worthy of an epic tale, involving the collision and separation of several Disney worlds and characters who’ve been integrated within them. For all of these qualities, I give this four stars.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defintetly the best one in the series. Today I have read the second, third and fourth, and yesterday I read the first.
This one, the fourht is my favorite so far. Very action packed and the Beauty in the Beast scene was very good. Liked the switching to the good side (I will not say any names) and the new (or old actually) characters. (again, no names)
The only thing I would change was that in this book, it says that all you need to live was a heart and a body.
Well, what about a soul? Dont you need that?
Anyways, I am glad to finally find out why the name of the series is Kingdom Hearts.
Ohh, I'm going to have nightmares about Ansem!!!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sora, Donald and Goofy are at Hollow Bastion to find Kairi. The three meet the Beast from Beauty and The Beast and he's trying to find Belle who was taken away from him. As they enter Hollow Bastion Sora finds Riku who takes away the keyblade with him leaving Sora with nothing. With some words from the Beast, he continues alongside him fighting with a wooden sword. As Sora finds Kairi, RIku appears again but as Ansem (who has taken over Riku's body). They both fight and Ansem dissapears. Kairi on the floor looking like a puppet, Sora decides to release his heart for Kairi to wake up. What happens to Sora? Answer: Read.

[Miguel Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. Overall, I'm highly confused as to whats happened in these last 4 volumes. It's kinda hard to comprehend if you haven't played the games and sometimes the artwork was too dark to see what was happening. The ending where Sora travels into Winnie the Pooh's world was cute and that alone was worth 4 stars.

Update:everything in this series happens so fast; sometimes hard to follow and makes the battles with the big baddies totally anti-climactic and boring. Nice art, but I hope this series improves.

[Hannah Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going through the entire series and then comparing it to the game, there are little differences, but that are crucial to understanding the journey Sora and his friends are taking. If you are more of a reader and not a gamer, I do recommend you read this! The only thing that you are really missing is the "humor," which I missed in the reading. It all depends on your "sense of journey:" reader, gamer, or both? There are worlds in here that aren't shown as they are in the game. You are also missing different Disney characters of various different movies.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this series because a friend of mine suggested I play the game, which I didn't really care for as there are way too many cut scenes and if you're not well versed in Disney characters or video games in general, it's kind of boring. The books are ok, not great by any means, but if like me, you want to find out how the story ended without wasting obscene amounts of time playing the game, the Kingdom Hearts books are worth checking out.

[Diana Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a side piece to the games, it's a fun and funny little addition. Unfortunately, if you haven't played the games, it's way too simple and straight forward to even get a good glimpse at the beauty the game possesses. I recommend only as an add on to fans and not as a stand alone series simply because by just reading the books and not playing the games, you are jipping yourself of the amazing FULL story you deserve from this.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh...Hi, anti-climax. I guess I should be happy I never owned this one. I don't know if it's because the original game pads the ending out more or what, but some things have to be seen and heard as opposed to read about. Because the ending in the game just feels epic and magical and overwhelmingly optimistic. This is just...an ending. I was enjoying the rest of this too, but as I've learned from other books, a rushed ending can just ruin everything.

[Hilary Fudge · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love the Kingdom Hearts video game series - they are very confusing to follow along with. The manga hasn’t really make it less difficult to understanding, but thankfully the first video game and set of manga weren’t too bad in this sense. I’m hoping as I continue reading the series some things that weren’t explained during the main 3 video games will make the whole series easier to understand. Overall I think they are good - just not everyone’s cup of tea

[GrainneS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth volume of four in the "Kingdom Hearts" series. These books are a lovely retelling of the first Kingdom Hearts game. I've been told that these Manga adaptations are not as expansive as the game (boyfriend has played), but its wholesome and cute, and had some good humor within it's pages. There is some character development, but the stories are very well blended together. A very enjoyable read. I would read again.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Final Volume of the 1st Kingdom Hearts Graphic Novel series Sora and Company travel to Hollow Bastion where they have to defeat Malificent and a suprising enemy, Sora's childhood friend. Riku. Sora saves the princesses and his other childhood friend, Kairi. He then has to surender to save her frome dissapearing.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these books. I liked the twist in this one, though I am kind of surprised to see how little a part Maleficent played. I feel like she wasn't really doing much in this series, just being a kind of figurehead almost. However how that came around in the book was done well enough. I cannot wait to start more Kingdom Hearts books.

[Lluvia Almanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the whole series and read it on the bus during a band trip in high school. This one is probably my favorite. This is the most active in the series. If you played the game, it was fun to see the major moments in manga style. (If you get what I"m saying. My only problem with the series is that it is too short. Why not make it longer? I highly recommend this, if you're a fan.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maleficent and the truth behind the Heartless lay in Hollow Bastion, and Sora, Donald and Goofy are forced to fight against friend and foe if they hope to finally end the destruction of the realms - even if it means facing a powerful figure of the shadows! The "Kingdom Hearts" manga comes to a merry and fulfilling close with this epic finale!