Kingdom Hearts Is Getting an Original Anime Series on Disney+, With Nomura Involved

Disney used its D23 Entertainment Showcase panel to drop one of the stranger anime crossovers in recent memory: an original Kingdom Hearts anime series, headed for Disney Channel and Disney+, with series creator Tetsuya Nomura personally attached to the writing.

This is not a rumor floated by a leaker or a trademark filing someone dug up. Disney announced it directly, on stage, with Nomura himself speaking about his involvement. For a franchise that has spent over two decades as a video game curiosity, a Disney/Square Enix mashup that somehow works, this is the first time it is being adapted into a series with the word "anime" attached to it.

What was actually announced

The show is described as an original story that expands the Kingdom Hearts universe rather than retelling the plot of any specific game. That distinction matters, because Kingdom Hearts as a franchise is notoriously difficult to summarize. Between mainline entries, handheld spin-offs, mobile games, and cutscene compilations, the series has built a genuinely convoluted continuity around Sora, his friends, and a universe-hopping conflict between light and darkness. An anime that tells a new story instead of adapting an existing one sidesteps that problem entirely, while still letting the show live inside the same world.

New characters are being created specifically for the series. Nomura confirmed that character designs have already been produced for the show, separate from anything used in the games.

Nomura's role, in his own words

Nomura is not just a name attached for marketing purposes here. He stated he has been in close discussions with the scenario team throughout development, and that the art team has been brought in "when needed" to help realize the show's original characters. That is a meaningfully hands-on level of involvement from someone who is also currently juggling Kingdom Hearts IV and other Square Enix projects.

His public comments so far have been deliberately vague. Nomura told fans to "let your imagination run wild" while waiting for further details, and pointed to the single piece of key art revealed at the panel as containing a hint about the story. No plot synopsis, no character names beyond what is visible in that art, and no confirmation of which existing characters, if any, will appear.

What is still unknown

A release date has not been set. Neither has an animation studio, which is the detail most likely to shape how this actually looks and feels once more is revealed. Kingdom Hearts has a very specific visual identity built around Disney's classic animation style layered against Square Enix's more angular character designs, and whichever studio lands this project will need to reconcile both without the show reading as a compromise between two aesthetics.

There is also no word yet on whether the English voice cast from the games, including Haley Joel Osment as Sora, will be involved, or whether this will primarily target the Japanese dub audience the way most anime does before an English localization follows.

Why this makes sense for Disney right now

Kingdom Hearts has always occupied a strange position for Disney: a wildly successful franchise built almost entirely around characters and worlds Disney already owns, developed and driven creatively by a Japanese studio. An anime series lets Disney lean into that identity directly, placing the franchise on the same platform, and arguably the same shelf, as the growing slate of anime Disney has been building out on Disney+ in recent years.

It is also a low-risk way to keep the franchise's momentum alive between mainline game releases, which have historically arrived years apart. An anime does not require the enormous production cycle of a numbered Kingdom Hearts entry, and an original story means it does not need to wait on, or contradict, wherever the games' plot currently stands.

What to watch for next

The realistic next milestone is a studio announcement, which will tell fans far more about the show's likely tone and quality than anything said at D23. Until then, the key art and Nomura's comments are the only real clues available. Expect updates to trickle out gradually rather than all at once, which has been the pattern for most major Kingdom Hearts news over the life of the franchise.

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