Summary
Tetsuya Nomura, the co-creator ofKingdom Heartsand designer of numerousFinal Fantasycharacters, has explained why he avoids creating unattractive characters. Nomura is a prominent figure in the JRPG community, having worked atSquare Enixfor over three decades and contributing to many of the company’s vast library of games.
After over thirty years at Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura is now one of the most prominent figures at the Japanese company. He was the co-director ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,the creative director ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,and is still working on the third and final part of the remake, all while developingKingdom Hearts 4. Recently,Nomura mentioned that he’s considering retirementand that his last project would be to complete Sora’s storyline inKingdom Hearts.
Players have often taken note of Nomura’s tendency to design gorgeous characters. In a recent interview withYoung Jump, the designer explained the reason behind his beautiful creations, dating back to his high school days. According to Nomura, a classmate was playing a game in which the protagonist “wasn’t good-looking,” which led his friend to ask “why do I have to be ugly in the game world too?“Nomura explains that this left a strong impression on him, likely influencing his creation of some ofSquare Enix’s most attractive and iconic characters.
Tetsuya Nomura Avoids Creating Ugly Characters Because of a High School Friend’s Complaint
Nomura was responsible for designing several ofFinal Fantasy 7’s main characters, including Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Vincent Valentine. He also created Zack Fair and theworld-famous villain Sephirothbefore going on to design Squall, Tidus, and Noctis, among other well-knownFinal Fantasycharacters. InKingdom Hearts, the designer was behind characters like Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Aqua, utilizing his highly recognizable artistic style. Back in the PlayStation 1 era, Nomura also designed Aya Brea, the protagonist ofParasite Eve.
Over the years, Tetsuya Nomura has been the center of fan discussions for two main reasons. His character designs are easily identifiable, due to spiky-haired protagonists or the abundance of belts on a character’s costume. Fans also continue to discuss theKingdom Heartsstoryline at length, often calling it convoluted and confusing, something even Nomura has admitted being true. Because of this, many players mistakenly believe that he was responsible for thechanges inthe Final Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogywhen it was producer Yoshinori Kitase who pushed for the narrative shifts.
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.
