Summary
Tetsuya Nomura, the legendary co-creator behind the beloved RPG seriesKingdom Hearts, is thinking about retiring and wrapping up the lengthy storyline he helped begin back in 2002. The creator’s reputation speaks for itself, with Nomura originally hired by Square Enix as a debugger for 1991’sFinal Fantasy 4before becoming a monster designer forFinal Fantasy 5. He then helped Yoshitaka Amano as a character designer forFinal Fantasy 6before making the jump to lead character designer and story co-creator in the seminalFinal Fantasy 7,a game that would propel him to stardom alongside projects like theKingdom Heartsseries.
The originalKingdom Heartswas Tetsuya Nomura’s first director role, combining the worlds and characters of Disney properties and theFinal Fantasyseriesinto a dimension-crossing epic that told the story of a young boy named Sora as he journeyed to reunite with his friends and defeat the forces of darkness. This tale would be told acrosstwo mainlineKingdom Heartssequelsand multiple spin-offs, all with Nomura at the helm alongside fellow Square Enix alumni Shinji Hashimoto. Though 2019’sKingdom Hearts 3served as the finale to the “Dark Seeker Saga” that began in the first game, Sora’s saga is set to continue in the upcomingKingdom Hearts 4.
Kingdom Hearts 4might be the beginning of the end for not only Sora’s story, but Tetsuya Nomura’s illustrious career. In a recent interview with YoungJump (viaVGC), Nomura spoke about his plans for the future and said that he “only has a few years left” before he retires as the creator is set to turn 54 later this year. On this note, he explained that he is deciding whether he wants towrap up theKingdom Heartsstorylinebefore retirement, noting that he is makingKingdom Hearts 4“with the intention of it being a story that I will complete.”
Nomura’s recent statement seems to contradict some of Square Enix’s claims ofKingdom Hearts 4marking the start of a brand-new storyline dubbed the “Lost Master Arc,” though Nomura might pass the torch to someone else if he does decide to retire soon. On the other hand, Nomura is also working onthe ongoingFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeseries, which is getting its final chapter in the still-untitled sequel to this year’sFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
So far, not much has been revealed aboutKingdom Hearts 4since its initial unveiling at theKingdom Hearts20th-anniversary event in 2022, which featured a cryptic trailer of Sora waking up in Quadratum, a mysterious, modern-looking city that resembles Japan’s real-life Shibuya neighborhood in Tokyo. A leak from earlier this year suggested thatKingdom Hearts 4could be released in 2026, but nothing official has been verified as of this writing.
Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.
