Few video game creators have a legacy quite as impressive as Tetsuya Nomura, and the venerable storyteller is showing no signs of slowing down as he attended D23 this past weekend to reveal some exciting news about Kingdom Hearts IV.
In addition to dropping a new trailer and confirming the game's release window, it was announced that Disney and Square Enix would be partnering on an upcoming Kingdom Hearts anime for Disney+.
Following the panel, Nomura took to X/Twitter to drop a few more details about the exciting project.
"I imagine you're surprised by this sudden announcement. Some of you may be wondering, "What will it be about?,' said the Final Fantasy VII Remake director.
He continued, "We can't discuss all the details just yet, but I've been in close discussions with the scenario team, including myself, and when needed, we've also enlisted the art team's cooperation, even creating multiple new character designs specifically for this project."
"I can't say anything more right now, but the hint is in the single piece of key art that's been revealed. Please let your imaginations run wild while you await further updates."
That's quite the tease, as Kingdom Hearts fans aren't even sure if that's Sora on the poster.
There's a growing fan theory that the key art is a depiction of one of the keyblade weilders that came before Sora, either Terra or Ventus.
Another popular fan theory is that the key art is a depiction of Helgi, the main character from the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. That mobile game predates even Terra and Ventus, as it's a story set roughly 60 to 70 years before the original Kingdom Hearts game. Fans of Dark Road are keying in on the fact that Helgi has a fur mantle in the mobile game and that the key art could just be a more refined take on the mobile game's graphics.
The franchise has received manga and light novel tie-in before, but a television or film adaptation is something that the fandom has been dreaming of ever since the first game was released back in 2002.
An anime adaptation is a huge step, one that could very well lead to a live-action project.
In a press release for the Square and Disney+ collaboration, Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family, remarked, "Kingdom Hearts has captivated gamers everywhere with its unique blend of adventure and imagination. There’s something really exciting about taking a world fans have spent years exploring through the games and bringing it to life in a completely new way. And with a creative team that is working closely with the legendary Tetsuya Nomura, our new series will be unmistakably ‘Kingdom Hearts,’ while giving fans a whole new way to experience the world they love."