Every Kingdom Hearts Opening Movie Ranked

Now that Kingdom Hearts III is released and finally in the hands of eager fans, it's time to rank the best part when starting any new Kingdom Hearts game - the cinematic opening movies. Since 2002, Utada Hikaru, Yoko Shimomura, and Square Enix have given us all of the feels from the mix of super catchy J-Pop music and cinematic scenes that don't make a whole lot of sense at first. It's a topic of discussion with every Kingdom Hearts game, so I couldn't resist ranking them all. Each ranking will list the game first, followed by the song that's featured. I'll also include the title screen openings, bringing the total amount in the series to thirteen... Nomura, you sly fox. Note: Spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III and the series.

13. Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories - 'Simple and Clean Remix'

Just like Luxord, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories' opening movie is arguably the most plain one of the thirteen. It's a simple retelling of the first game's events, and that's not bad. It's just not as good as the rest. Fun game though.

12. Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover - KHUX Dearly Beloved 

This one purely gets a spot above Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories because of the new version of everyone's favorite song to cry to, 'Dearly Beloved.' The song has a cute and more fast-paced tone that I like. While the opening itself isn't great, at least the featured scenes from the mobile game are nice to look at.

11. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded - 'Simple and Clean Remix' 

Fairly similar to Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories' opening movie, but Re:coded's cinematic has a few things that I really like. For one, the mashup of scenes just flows better with the song. Lastly, the song's literal final breath syncs so well with the visual transition from Kairi to Namine followed by the yellow and gold of the title fading in. That little touch stands out for me.

10. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - 'Simple and Clean Remix'

Introducing us to a new trio, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep's opening movie is fantastic. It shows us heart-pounding CG scenes with great lighting, smooth transitions, and includes parts of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix's epic secret ending. I particularly love the segment where Terra and Ventus are running through the corridors because it matches with the sort-of-melancholy part of the song. While the 'Simple and Clean Remix' pairs really well with what we see, I still stand by my opinion that Birth by Sleep deserved its own song, which is why this opening movie is pretty low on the list.

9. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Sanctuary

While this opening may not seem super special since it just goes down the list of Organization XIII members with 'Sanctuary' in the background, it does wins some points for these reasons:

- The opening movie beginning with a quote from Saix, then transitioning to Roxas and Axel's conversation before the song starts is a nice touch. It also ends with Roxas and Axel before fading to black to reveal the deep red, almost sunset-ish, color of the game's logo.

- A line in Xigbar's description reads "Traverses between realms", which [KINGDOM HEARTS III SPOILERS] is HEAVY foreshadowing for his reveal in Kingdom Hearts III's epilogue where it's revealed his real identity is Luxu, the ancient keyblade warrior.

8. Kingdom Hearts Title Screen Opening - Hikari instrumental 

'Hikari (Instrumental)' is a masterful piece of music. What other song can musically characterize the magic of Disney and themes of Kingdom Hearts? The opening movie itself is simple with cutscenes from the game included in a compilation, but fans can't help to leave the opening with a sense of adventure and feeling happy to be a part of the series.

7. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep ~ A Fragmentary Passage ~ - Simple and Clean [Ray of Hope Mix] 

The opening we never expected to get, but so happy that we did. 0.2's opening gives us a new version of 'Simple and Clean' that can be argued to be the best remix of the song yet. The opening cinematic also features fan-favorite Aqua in a gorgeously animated mini-movie filled with heart-wrenching moments like Terranort and Ventus-Vanitas fighting Aqua. The ending also tugs at the heart strings because fans want Aqua to be saved so bad, and we know Sora is the one that can save her.

6. Kingdom Hearts Opening Movie - Simple and Clean Remix 

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real, or not?"

The one that started it all. Kingdom Hearts' opening movie took players by complete surprise and left them equally confused and intrigued to what it all meant. 'Simple and Clean Remix' made its debut and was, arguably, what everyone loved the most about the opening. I've been listening to the same J-Pop song for seventeen years now (and more if you're reading this list past 2019) and it never gets old.

The shot with Riku reaching his hand out to Sora as a giant wave is about to crash on him . is just so iconic too.

5. Kingdom Hearts III Opening Movie - Face My Fears

"They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it's your fate... then every step forward will always be a step closer to home."

'Face My Fears' is such a Kingdom Hearts-type of song. At first, I didn't know how to feel about it, but the more I played Kingdom Hearts III, the more I started to understand how the lyrics of the song connected to Sora and his journey to overcome doubt and fear. The song is a perfect companion to the opening movie and Kingdom Hearts III itself. Thanks to the huge leap in technology, Kingdom Hearts III's opening is jaw-dropping beautiful with details fans have never seen before, and it just adds so much to the music-visual experience. Kingdom Hearts III's opening also has masterful transitions that flow pretty well with the music, so it's more than obvious why it's pretty high on the list. While I was left with a "I'm about to play the most epic game ever" kind of vibe, the hype wasn't there as much as the openings who are ranked higher on this list. 

Some people say that the Kingdom Hearts III: Opening Movie Trailer has better music-visual syncing, but I also didn't watch every trailer for the game before I played it soooo... 🤷🏽‍♂️.

4. Kingdom Hearts III Title Screen Opening - Don't Think Twice (Instrumental)

I'll be honest; 'Don't Think Twice (Instrumental)' was the first new song in Kingdom Hearts III to make me cry. Kingdom Hearts III's title screen opening takes you through highlights of the series while seamlessly cutting to kid Xehanort and Eraqus playing a fancy game of what looks like chess every now and then. I enjoyed the symbolism that's being shown in this - for every move made by the two young keyblade apprentices in their board game is referencing moments from in the series that inevitably leads to the climax we've been teased since KH: Dream Drop Distance.

It's clever, but the true star in this opening is the instrumental rendition of 'Don't Think Twice.' Whether I'm humming to the melody during quiet moments at work or blasting the song on my car rides home, it easily became one of my early favorites when I started Kingdom Hearts III. The power in this opening fully weighs on the music that underscores it all. One thing is for certain: never EVER doubt what Yoko Shimomura can do for the music of Kingdom Hearts, let alone the instrumental versions of their respective lyrical theme songs.

3. Kingdom Hearts II Title Screen Opening - 'Passion (Instrumental)'

I'll never forget the surprise I felt when first staring at the title screen of Kingdom Hearts II, then having the screen fade to black to play the title screen opening.

I love how grand the beginning of the song is, almost as if it's demanding your attention and nudging you into its magical venture filled with anime and Disney. Then the core melody of the song plays that's immediately recognizable and gets emphasized throughout that leave you with goosebumps. The instrumental version of 'Passion', a.k.a. 'Sanctuary', is the driving force of the entire opening and will send chills down your spine until the very end.

2. Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance - 'Hikari (Instrumental)'

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance's opening movie is so damn good that it could have been Kingdom Hearts III's opening and I would have been okay with that. In a way, it sort of is.

DDD's opening uses the 'Hikari (Instrumental)' song, so many, many nostalgia feels are felt from beginning to end. On the animation side, we get to see some truly epic shots from past games in high definition CG like the 358/2 days trio on the clock tower, Sora and Riku's fight with Xemnas, and others. Out of all of the openings, Dream Drop Distance did the absolute best work of vaguely summarizing events of past games into an intense mini-adventure. To cap it off, we get a glimpse of what we all wanted to see - the final battle between our heroes, with fan favorites returning, about to face off with the big bad Xehanort. If I could, I would rank this opening 1.25 in the list, and you all know I could because it is Kingdom Hearts we're talking about here. 

1. Kingdom Hearts II Opening Movie - 'Sanctuary'

"A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream. A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory. I wanna line the pieces up - yours and mine."

Man, I LOVE these opening monologues from Sora. It's clear which cinematic has the best music-visual syncs and mood that just sets itself apart from the rest. Kingdom Hearts II's opening with 'Sanctuary' sets a somber, yet exciting tone for the beginning of the game. Compared to Kingdom Hearts 1, the opening feels like we're playing a different kind Kingdom Hearts game - one that's evolving the series into something we never expected.

The opening gives me chills every time I see it, and just listening to the song has me recall moments in the cinematic that goes hand in hand with the music. While my opinion varies on which opening is my favorite, there's no denying that Kingdom Hearts II has the best opening in the series.