Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Ice Cream Wasn’t a Kingdom Hearts Tribute

Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts have crossed over in the past, but a specific moment in Final Fantasy 7 that fans might attribute to Kingdom Hearts turns out not to be related at all.

Final Fantasy 7 is almost 30 years old. In recent years, that game has been reimagined and expanded into three brand new titles. The last of the trilogy is expected to be released next year. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there is a moment where Elena from the Turks is enjoying a sea salt ice cream similar to the one enjoyed by Roxas in the second mainline Kingdom Hearts title.

Final Fantasy 7 Director Debunks Kingdom Hearts Ice Cream Theory

During an interview with The Gamer, the trilogy’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi, was asked if the moment was a tribute to Kingdom Hearts. It is not. Rather, it is simply a play on a popular popsicle in Japan, which Hamaguchi says was referenced throughout the development process.

“It might be disappointing to hear this, but Elena’s ice cream isn’t a homage to Kingdom Hearts,” Hamaguchi laughs. “In Japan, there’s a very popular soda-flavored popsicle called Garigari-kun, which we’ve actually referenced quite a bit during development. As such, it’s closer to say we were envisioning a slightly nostalgic popsicle, reminiscent of the summer.”

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is set to release in the spring of 2027. Following that, Hamaguchi is excited to get to work on a new RPG. Read his comments about the future at this link.

How do you feel about this official confirmation that the ice cream featured in the Final Fantasy 7 remake was not a homage to Kingdom Hearts? Sound off about this story and all others in our official Discord server. 

For more Final Fantasy, check out the first HD-2D game that is coming. Final Fantasy Resonance was announced during the recent Nintendo Direct. Learn more about that here. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.