The series is not a crossover

Stating the obvious but the series as a whole has become too Disney-oriented sure the plot to the actually Kingdom Hearts story is fine but all of the worlds are in fact Disney(except KH worlds), the only 2 keyblade users(who aren't from KH originally) are from Disney and they are both Masters(one is tired), and even the latest KH game to come out had no FF characters. Plus, with the lack of these characters the plot within the worlds just become too predictable and childlike.

 

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Then why would they announce it as a crossover?

 

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Actually, they helped during Rasiant Garden in KHII. Heck, the whole world was their plotting. Yes, it was based more on the Heartless's invasion, but Squall, Cloud, Yuffie, and even Tifa, Aerith, Yuna, Rikku, Paine and Sephiroth played a part in it. It's not supposed to focus on them, it's supposed to focus on Light vs Darkness with a few familiar faces thrown in.

 

It didn't contribute to the real plot whatsoever it could have been just "Deep Jungle" for all they care.

 

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Hollow Bastion is the place where the Heartless have the greatest numbers in KH. In KH2, Squall and the gang focus on getting rid of them, continuing the story from KH, which was restoring the world to pure light.

 

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In both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II (the flagship titles, from my view), the Final Fantasy characters were in your "home base," of sorts. In the first game, Traverse Town becomes your home away from home; it's where Sora first ends up, where you continuously return for help or guidance. Without meeting up with Leon and Yuffie, Sora wouldn't have learned more about the Keyblade; without Aerith, they'd have no idea to search for the Ansem Reports; without Cid, their Gummi Ship wouldn't bring them past Deep Jungle. They play a crucial role in the first game, going so far as to aid Sora in closing Hollow Bastion's Keyhole.

Later, in Kingdom Hearts II, Hollow Bastion (hereafter Radiant Garden), that world becomes your new "home base," becoming one of the two major shopping areas and the center of your Gummi map. The attack by the Organization midway through the game is a pivotal moment, where their motives are revealed, and Sora learns more about Riku and Kairi's whereabouts. The Final Fantasy characters play crucial roles in this. Additionally, they discover Ansem the Wise's hidden base at Radiant Garden, which offers the characters insight into him and the Organization when they were based at Radiant Garden.

The Final Fantasy characters may not show up all that often, but they serve as the second circle of characters. You have the main characters (Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Mickey), the secondary characters (Final Fantasy characters, Terra, Aqua, Ven, the Organization, etc.), and the tertiary characters (most of the Disney inhabitants, townies, etc.). They flesh out the Kingdom Hearts universe and help our heroes along the way. I don't believe they were ever really touted as holding an equal role to the Disney characters (though their inclusion is widely advertised). They're cameo characters; the Disney characters you participate in their world with. It's not an even playing field, but the Final Fantasy characters do have a larger stake in the overall story.

I'm sure it's a conscious decision. The target audience for the Kingdom Hearts series is children and young teens, because so much of the game is influenced by and rooted in Disney. The game started out with Mickey as the main character, after all. If you survey that audience, you'll find that most of them are more familiar with Disney than they are with Final Fantasy or Square-Enix.

So I wouldn't call them insignificant, or the series not a crossover. It borrows heavily from both companies, though Square in a more oblique manner (gameplay, character design, storyline, etc.).

 

The Final Fantasy characters didn't play a crucial role within Hollow Bastion or any other world or series. Which explains why there are even less Final Fantasy characters as the series progresses with the last one being Zack Fair. They only time they were useless was in the first game on Traverse Town when Squall explained the situation to them. When the characters came to Hollow Bastion all they did was fight and multiple uses for jargon that didn't contribute to the whole(real) plot of Kingdom Hearts. Plus, they had grouped all of the Final Fantasy characters(except Auron and the kids from Destiny Island who are still doing nothing) into one world because that was all they could do for them. Why couldn't they just reverse the task when it comes to Disney characters? Or at least have bring a another series to crossover with it that appeals to a younger audience.

This clear lack of settlement within the story just makes it clear that it was only for pure fan service or to get everyone hyped for obtaining something which relates to a popular gaming series. They game would have still been successful without these poorly thought-out wannabe characters from our favorite gaming series since the series itself is edging within its own direction further. Plus, Square-Enix has had plenty of time to integrate an FF character into the plot, who knows about other worlds/travels them, could have helped out Sora in any of his final battles(like Mickey, Donald, or Goofy), or they could have just added a recurring FF villain who follows Sora throughout the games(like Pete). Plus, they could have changed the butt-monkey of any FF game and turn them into a complete badass in this one( like with just about all of the other Disney characters). However in the end they were just here to bring the hype and nothing else. Soon comments like this may occur within the future if it keeps up.......

Maybe Noruma will bring some development to them in the future or..........not.

 

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