The Kingdom Hearts franchise is known for combining JRPG elements with beloved Disney properties.
When it comes to the series protagonist Sora, creator Tetsuya Nomura wanted to make sure he was a non-Disney character.
In a 2003 interview uncovered by Shumplations, Nomura details the creation of characters in Kingdom Hearts. The interviewer points out how Sora's design was inspired by Mickey Mouse, which Nomura admits.
After working for over a decade at Square Enix, including various roles on six Final Fantasy games, Kingdom Hearts was Nomura's first time directing a game. He also served as the game's main character designer, having designed characters in Final Fantasy VI, Parasite Eve, and Final Fantasy VIII.
Tetsuya Nomura Was Adamant That The Game Did Not Have A Disney Protagonist
In the interview, Nomura details his plans to combine elements from the JRPGs he worked on previously with elements from beloved Disney movies and characters. He talks about how he wanted the game to do something impossible within the framework of a normal Disney story. One example of that is the game's protagonist.
Nomura also wanted to create a world players would get lost in. One way he does that is to deliver...
