{"id":2096346,"date":"2026-08-16T16:22:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T13:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2096346"},"modified":"2026-08-16T16:22:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T13:22:47","slug":"kingdom-hearts-creator-tetsuya-nomura-teases-his-role-in-the-new-anime-series-tells-fans-to-let-your-imagination-run-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2096346","title":{"rendered":"Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura teases his role in the new anime series, tells fans to &#8220;let your imagination run wild&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kingdom-hearts-4\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Kingdom Hearts IV<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura teases his role in the new anime series, tells fans to &#8220;let your imagination run wild&#8221;<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Plus an extended cut of the Coco trailer confirms Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey will be playable in Kingdom Hearts 4 for the first time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Screenshot-2026-08-15-at-11.52.30.png?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"An anime-style illustration of a character in profile, holding a large, metal key-shaped weapon with a chain.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Screenshot-2026-08-15-at-11.52.30.png\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"342\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Disney \/ Square Enix<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1533038852.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1533038852.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/vikki-blake\">Vikki Blake<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\n<p>Published on   <time datetime=\"2026-08-16T16:22:47+00:00\" data-auto-time-zone=\"true\" data-year=\"numeric\" data-month=\"short\" data-day=\"numeric\" data-hour=\"numeric\" data-minute=\"numeric\">Aug. 16, 2026, 4:22 p.m.<\/time>\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-nomura-anime-series-tease-d23?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          1 comment<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"e2fedf36-b13e-45be-9717-6093825aca0d\" data-name=\"Kingdom Hearts IV\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Kingdom Hearts IV\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Kingdom Hearts IV\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Kingdom Hearts IV\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Kingdom Hearts IV\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Kingdom Hearts IV\" title=\"Follow Kingdom Hearts IV\"><br \/>\n  Follow Kingdom Hearts IV<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kingdom-hearts\">Kingdom Hearts<\/a> creator Tetsuya Nomura has addressed the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-animated-series\"> newly announced Kingdom Hearts anime series<\/a> directly for the first time, though he&#8217;s giving away very little.<\/p>\n<p>In a message posted to X (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/tetsuya-nomura-teases-involvement-in-kingdom-hearts-anime-series-tells-fans-to-let-their-imagination-run-wild-d23-2026\">via IGN<\/a>, translated from Japanese), Nomura confirmed the series is officially in production, and that he&#8217;s been in close consultation with its scenario team and, where needed, its art team \u2013 to the point of creating new character designs specifically for the project.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, he&#8217;s not saying much. &#8220;I cannot say anything more at this moment, but the single piece of key art released serves as a hint,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Please let your imagination run wild as you await further updates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/54eFEhlnIjg?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/54eFEhlnIjg\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54eFEhlnIjg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s a similar level of mystery to what Disney offered when the series was first revealed alongside<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-4-coco-world\"> Kingdom Hearts 4&#8217;s Coco world<\/a> and its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-release-window-2027\"> late 2027 release window<\/a> at Friday&#8217;s D23 Entertainment Showcase. Disney Kids &amp; Family president Ayo Davis confirmed the series is being developed closely with Nomura&#8217;s team, but beyond a first-look teaser image and a &#8220;coming soon&#8221; tag for Disney+, no plot, cast or release window has been shared.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter_wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"ja\">\u300c\u30ad\u30f3\u30b0\u30c0\u30e0 \u30cf\u30fc\u30c4\u300d\u306e\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u30b7\u30ea\u30fc\u30ba\u306e\u5236\u4f5c\u304c\u6c7a\u5b9a\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<br \/>\u7a81\u7136\u306e\u767a\u8868\u306b\u9a5a\u304b\u308c\u305f\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u3069\u3093\u306a\u5185\u5bb9\u306b\u306a\u308b\u306e\uff1f\u3068\u6c17\u306b\u306a\u308b\u65b9\u3082\u3044\u3089\u3063\u3057\u3083\u308b\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u30ad\u30f3\u30b0\u30c0\u30e0 \u30cf\u30fc\u30c4 (@_KINGDOMHEARTS) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/_KINGDOMHEARTS\/status\/2088477176656277906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>There was more concrete news for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kingdom-hearts-4\">Kingdom Hearts 4<\/a> itself at Saturday&#8217;s separate Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel, which marked the series&#8217; 25th anniversary. An extended cut of the Coco trailer confirmed Donald, Goofy and King Mickey will be playable for the first time in a mainline Kingdom Hearts game, and closed on a first proper look at an adult Riku, who appears to help Sora in Quadratum.<\/p>\n<p>Nomura and Kingdom Hearts 4 co-director Tai Yasue also used the panel to reassure fans that the game&#8217;s late 2027 window is &#8220;a 100% thing&#8221; \u2013 with no delay currently planned.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-animated-series\">News of the anime series was announced on stage by actor Benjamin Bratt<\/a>, who is also voicing Ernesto de la Cruz in Kingdom Hearts 4&#8217;s Coco-inspired world.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kingdom-hearts\">Kingdom Hearts<\/a> creator Tetsuya Nomura has addressed the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-animated-series\"> newly announced Kingdom Hearts anime series<\/a> directly for the first time, though he&#8217;s giving away very little.<\/p>\n<p>In a message posted to X (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/tetsuya-nomura-teases-involvement-in-kingdom-hearts-anime-series-tells-fans-to-let-their-imagination-run-wild-d23-2026\">via IGN<\/a>, translated from Japanese), Nomura confirmed the series is officially in production, and that he&#8217;s been in close consultation with its scenario team and, where needed, its art team \u2013 to the point of creating new character designs specifically for the project.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, he&#8217;s not saying much. &#8220;I cannot say anything more at this moment, but the single piece of key art released serves as a hint,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Please let your imagination run wild as you await further updates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/54eFEhlnIjg?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/54eFEhlnIjg\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54eFEhlnIjg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s a similar level of mystery to what Disney offered when the series was first revealed alongside<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-4-coco-world\"> Kingdom Hearts 4&#8217;s Coco world<\/a> and its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-release-window-2027\"> late 2027 release window<\/a> at Friday&#8217;s D23 Entertainment Showcase. Disney Kids &amp; Family president Ayo Davis confirmed the series is being developed closely with Nomura&#8217;s team, but beyond a first-look teaser image and a &#8220;coming soon&#8221; tag for Disney+, no plot, cast or release window has been shared.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter_wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"ja\">\u300c\u30ad\u30f3\u30b0\u30c0\u30e0 \u30cf\u30fc\u30c4\u300d\u306e\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u30b7\u30ea\u30fc\u30ba\u306e\u5236\u4f5c\u304c\u6c7a\u5b9a\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<br \/>\u7a81\u7136\u306e\u767a\u8868\u306b\u9a5a\u304b\u308c\u305f\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u3069\u3093\u306a\u5185\u5bb9\u306b\u306a\u308b\u306e\uff1f\u3068\u6c17\u306b\u306a\u308b\u65b9\u3082\u3044\u3089\u3063\u3057\u3083\u308b\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u30ad\u30f3\u30b0\u30c0\u30e0 \u30cf\u30fc\u30c4 (@_KINGDOMHEARTS) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/_KINGDOMHEARTS\/status\/2088477176656277906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>There was more concrete news for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/kingdom-hearts-4\">Kingdom Hearts 4<\/a> itself at Saturday&#8217;s separate Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel, which marked the series&#8217; 25th anniversary. An extended cut of the Coco trailer confirmed Donald, Goofy and King Mickey will be playable for the first time in a mainline Kingdom Hearts game, and closed on a first proper look at an adult Riku, who appears to help Sora in Quadratum.<\/p>\n<p>Nomura and Kingdom Hearts 4 co-director Tai Yasue also used the panel to reassure fans that the game&#8217;s late 2027 window is &#8220;a 100% thing&#8221; \u2013 with no delay currently planned.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kingdom-hearts-animated-series\">News of the anime series was announced on stage by actor Benjamin Bratt<\/a>, who is also voicing Ernesto de la Cruz in Kingdom Hearts 4&#8217;s Coco-inspired world.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Kingdom Hearts IV Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura teases his role in the new anime series, tells fans to &#8220;let your imagination run wild&#8221; Plus an extended cut of the Coco trailer confirms Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey will be playable in Kingdom Hearts 4 for the first time. Image credit: Disney \/ [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2096346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2096346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2096346\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2096346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2096346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2096346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}