Tetsuya Nomura has teased new character designs for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts anime, following the surprise announcement of the animated series at D23.
Nomura confirmed that he has been closely involved with the project’s development, including discussions with the scriptwriting team and collaboration with the art team on several new character designs created specifically for the anime.
“Production of an animated series for “Kingdom Hearts” has been confirmed,” Nomura said. “I’m sure this sudden announcement came as a surprise to many of you. I imagine some of you are wondering, “What will it be like?””
Nomura explained that he cannot reveal further details yet, but said he has been working closely with the writing team and has contributed to the creation of new designs for the project. He also suggested that the recently released key art contains a clue about what is planned.
“I can’t say anything more at this time, but the key art that’s been released offers a single clue. Please let your imagination run wild as you await further updates,” he added.
The Kingdom Hearts anime was announced during the D23 Disney Entertainment Showcase, with Disney confirming that the series is being developed in partnership with Nomura and Square Enix.
Disney has described the anime as a new story that will expand the Kingdom Hearts universe while celebrating its established characters. No release date or further story details have been announced.
The anime announcement comes as Square Enix prepares for the next major entry in the game series. Kingdom Hearts IV is currently scheduled to launch in late 2027, with Disney and Pixar’s Coco confirmed as the first announced Disney world.
The game will take Sora to the Land of the Dead from Coco as part of his new adventure in the mysterious reality of Quadratum. Kingdom Hearts IV is currently available to wishlist on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.
Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX and 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue are scheduled to launch on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 8, 2026.
