Top 10 KINGDOM HEARTS Shoes

They say clothes make the man, but in KINGDOM HEARTS, it’s shoes that make the man. You can’t talk about KINGDOM HEARTS without mentioning Sora’s famously huge shoes, but Sora’s aren’t the only shoes that stand out. KINGDOM HEARTS is full of shoes that are perfect for both battling the Heartless and walking the runway. These are the top 10 KINGDOM HEARTS shoes.

10. Organization XIII Boots (All of KINGDOM HEARTS)

The Organization boot is functional and fashionable. Its deceptively simple design provides amazing comfort, making it the perfect boot for long hours of reconnaissance, espionage, and general Organization business…

…unless you’re a woman. The women of Organization XIII have to do everything in heels. No wonder Larxene is always in a bad mood. She’s in constant pain.

For everybody else in Organization XIII, the boot is great. It’s the most commonly worn shoe in all of KINGDOM HEARTS. Even King Mickey wears the boot at one point. It gets around.

I was going to say that Final Xemnas has the best version of the boot because his whole outfit turns black and white, but then I realized his boots don’t change color.

What a missed opportunity.

9. Sora’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS)

I’ll admit that Sora’s original KINGDOM HEARTS shoes aren’t very fashionable, but they’re iconic. You have to respect the classics. They paved the way for all future KINGDOM HEARTS shoe designs. Nay, all future SQUARE ENIX shoe designs as a whole. 

Without Sora’s shoes, could Rhyme’s exist? Could Penelo’s? The answer is no. Sora’s shoes crawled so Hope’s could fly. We respect you, Sora’s shoes.

I just have one burning question that I know we’ve all had since we first laid eyes on Sora: are Sora’s feet actually that big or does he just like oversized shoes? Fortunately for us, KINGDOM HEARTS IV gives us a glimpse of the answer:

Sora’s feet are looking more proportional in KH4 than ever before. Did he grow into his huge feet or did he finally start buying the right shoe size? The world may never know the true answer.

8. Kairi’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS)

When I was a kid, I thought the shoes on display at the shoe store in Traverse Town were Kairi’s shoes. I would stand in front of the window and say things like, “Kairi…I miss you. I will find you.” I guess you could say I took the RPG aspect seriously and really tried to walk in Sora’s shoes.

Looking at those shoes now, they look nothing like Kairi’s shoes. They’re not the right color or even the right kind of shoe.

Kairi’s real shoes are cute little slip-ons, perfect for an islander who’s going to be playing on the beach a lot. I like the bright purple accents on the bottom and the little bead accessory in the middle. I don’t think the bead helps keep the shoe on, but it’s a nice decoration. It helps with the visual balance of the shoe.

Between Sora, Riku, and Kairi in KH1, Kairi’s shoes look the most realistic for life on an island, or life in general.

7. Olette’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS II)

Olette’s bright yellow shoes reflect her bright and bubbly personality. They kind of look like basketball shoes. Could Olette be an athlete? Is she the star player on the TTHS basketball team? Or does she just like having a comfortable pair of shoes to run around Twilight Town all day? Either way, I love her shoes. They coordinate perfectly with her hibiscus shirt. I want that shirt.

Seriously, I want that shirt. But this is Top 10 KINGDOM HEARTS Shoes, not Top 10 KINGDOM HEARTS Shirts, so we must move on.

6. Hayner’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS II)

Hayner’s shoes are the closest thing to Crocs that exists in the KINGDOM HEARTS universe. The only difference between the two is that Hayner’s shoes have random straps going across the front, but that’s to be expected. Crocs should totally do a Crocs × Nomura collaboration. I would buy those.

Hayner’s KINGDOM HEARTS II clothes and his KINGDOM HEARTS III clothes are exactly the same except with a different color palette. In fact, the same is true for all of the Twilight Town kids. I chose his KINGDOM HEARTS II shoe because I love the whole camo thing he has going on. I have nothing against all the plaid in KINGDOM HEARTS III. I just really love camo.

5. Cloud’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS II)

I wanted to include at least one FINAL FANTASY character on my list, so I went through every single FINAL FANTASY character in KINGDOM HEARTS and judged them by the shoes they wear. My reason for choosing Cloud might be a little unfair.

When you look at his shoes, they’re pretty average. They’re a sturdy pair of shoes that look like they give him a lot of support. That’s important for a guy who has to carry a giant sword around everywhere. I can believe that Cloud went to the store and chose these shoes to be his solemates.

It’s technically not even the shoes that caught my attention—it’s the straps holding up the hems of his pants. Who attaches straps to the end of their pants just to hold up the hems?

A guy who’s really, really proud of his shoes, that’s who.

If you take a close look at Cloud’s pants, they’re a little too big for him, but they’re by no means unwearable. They’re not so long that he’d trip on them, but they are so long that they would cover up his shoes.

Cloud loves his shoes too much to let that happen. This man’s dedication to footwear has moved me. He’s gone above and beyond just to make sure his shoes get to be seen. It’s beautiful.

4. King Mickey’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS II)

If you have to respect the classics, then you have to respect the thing that inspired the classics. Supposedly Sora’s big yellow shoes are based on Mickey’s big yellow shoes. I couldn’t find an interview where Nomura confirms this, but if you look at their shoes, the inspiration is clear.

Nobody makes bright yellow shoes look better than Mikey Mouse, and no game makes Mickey’s bright yellow shoes look better than KINGDOM HEARTS II. His KH2 shoes are the perfect balance between the classic yellow shoes and Nomura’s crazy style.

In Chain of Memories and KINGDOM HEARTS III, Mickey’s shoes have a lot going on. The extra colors distract from that iconic yellow we all know and love.

The KINGDOM HEARTS II design is a lot cleaner, and the black accents support the overall look of the shoe instead of standing out too much. The straps on the front of the shoe are a little much, but Mickey manages to pull it off. He is King Mickey after all. If he wants to put random straps on the front of his shoes, no one is going to stop him.

I’d like to give a shout-out to Birth by Sleep Mickey. His shoes and his entire outfit are like a limited edition chrome version of his KINGDOM HEARTS II outfit.

3. Riku’s Shoes (KINGDOM HEARTS II)

I’ve always wanted Riku’s shoes from KINGDOM HEARTS II. Unlike some other KINGDOM HEARTS shoes, you could actually wear Riku’s shoes in our real world and it wouldn’t be weird at all. They’re just a nice pair of tennis shoes. A really, really cool nice pair of tennis shoes that I’ve wanted since I was a child.

I don’t have much else to say other than “they’re awesome” and “I want them.” I could talk about Riku’s KH2 shoes forever, but it would just be the same thing over and over again as I gush about how great they are, so I’ll spare you.

Speaking of Riku in KINGDOM HEARTS II, I always wondered where he got that new outfit. Maybe they’ll explain it someday like they explained Mickey’s shirtlessness. That I would actually like to see.

2. Naminé’s Sandals (Chain of Memories)

There are only five characters in all of KINGDOM HEARTS who wear sandals—Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, child Sora, and Naminé. That makes Naminé the only character not from Destiny Islands who wears sandals. She’s been wearing that same white dress and sandals since she was first introduced. That means she’s been wearing the same shoes for, like, two years. Maybe more.

Those aren’t a bad pair of sandals to have to wear for years on end. Their subtle beauty complements her simple white dress, and the yellow flowers on the straps add a subtle accent to an otherwise bare sandal. Everything about Naminé is subtle, and her sandals are an understated, elegant accessory to her character.

When she eventually gets a new outfit, I hope she gets a pair of shoes that lives up to the legacy of her old ones—a pair of shoes she could wear for years on end and never get tired of.

1. Riku’s Boots (KINGDOM HEARTS III)

Riku’s taste is impeccable. His boots are so stylish that this trailer couldn’t stop giving them a closeup for no apparent reason. The true reason? Riku’s boots are a paragon of fashion. They are the sleek and modern boot upon which all sleek and modern boots are judged.

It’s not just that his shoes are awesome. Everything surrounding his shoes is also awesome. Those pants are the perfect length to go with those boots. They’re not so long that they overlap with the boots, and the boots are just high enough to create the perfect window for the leg. His footwear and legwear exist in perfect balance. His ability to coordinate and accessorize knows no equal. I’ve never seen an outfit so perfectly coordinated!

In true Nomura fashion, Riku’s boots have useless straps that seemingly serve to hold them on, but upon further inspection serve no real purpose other than to be cool. Between the laces and the straps, those boots are never coming off by accident. I hope there’s never an emergency where he has to take his shoes off really fast.

Fortunately, despite being a possible safety hazard, the straps don’t detract from the overall design of Riku’s boots. They enhance the design. Every element of Riku’s boots coordinates to create a harmonious blend of sheer, raw style, and it all comes together in fashion perfection. Would that we were all so fashionable.

These are the ten shoes from KINGDOM HEARTS that are the greatest and most fashionable. Who do you think has the best shoes in Kingdom Hearts??

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