Tetsuya Nomura comments on the past and future of the Kingdom Hearts series in interview with Young Jump

Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Young Jump. In the interview, Nomura was asked mostly about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth but did answer a couple of questions pertaining to the Kingdom Hearts series, including keeping managing lore in his team, what we may expect in Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV, and when he may retire.

You can read the Kingdom Hearts portion of the article below. Special thanks to KH13 translator Ryuji for the translations.

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- "Many of your works have complex settings, but how do you manage to bring them all together for when you have to record the voice lines?"

Nomura: Honestly, I don't think they understand everything either on the day of recording. When the staff other than myself explain the settings and characters to the voice actors during recording, they sometimes ask me to confirm if it’s okay to do it like that, and there are times when I have to say “no, it's not okay” (laughs).

But there's no way around it, because I'm the only one who understands the parts of the characters that haven't been drawn, so I'm the only one who can think about the complex story in all the different directions it could go. On the other hand, I also actively encourage the staff to question and point things out to me.

- "Is there something like a setting reference book?"

Nomura: I have some things that I personally write down to remember. Including periods that are not depicted, I write down the footsteps of important people and future developments.

- "So you don't share that information?"

Nomura: Of course not, I keep that to myself. (laughs). However, I do make sure that the staff know what they need to know by writing setting explanations all at once in the middle of the scenario.

- "In the Kingdom Hearts series, there are many foreshadowing elements that span the series, so how do you keep track of those?"

Nomura: As I’ve mentioned previously, I write a lot in my notes, but I also make sure the staff remember, and I like watching videos, so I watch playthrough videos and reviews on YouTube. Basically, rather than looking back at my notes, I make sure the staff remembers what happened in past titles.*

(*Translator note: The way he phrases this almost sounds like he quizzes the staff on what happened, but that’s just how I read it, haha.)

- "This year, Kingdom Hearts Missing Link is also scheduled for release on mobile devices. Do you have any concerns that by developing important stories for apps and portable game consoles, you will end up with more players who can't keep up with the story?"

Nomura: Honestly, I do. (laughs) That's why we're developing a story that takes place in a time frame that's much earlier than the Kingdom Hearts timeline on consoles. However, as people say, “The newly announced Kingdom Hearts IV is really more like Kingdom Hearts XIII**”, as there are natural connections, even with non-numbered titles, and I think that will allow people to enjoy the series even more deeply.

(**Translator note: I presume he means that Kingdom Hearts IV is the 13th game in the series, counting spin-off titles such as 358/2 Days, Re:Coded, etc.)

However, this time, both Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV have been created with a stronger focus on being new titles rather than sequels. For example, as a new experiment, we have had staff who have not been involved in the Kingdom Hearts series before participate in writing the scenario. Of course, I will be editing it in the end, but I don't think it will be positioned as a work that needs to be done in the sense that the writer who has never been involved in the 'Kingdom Hearts' series is creating a new base.

After all, Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link is better described as a blank history***, so it is also based on the premise that there are things missing. If you know about it, you can enjoy it more deeply.

(***Translator note : The word used here is 空白の歴史 (kuuhaku no rekishi), which literally means “blank history, interregnum, or blank period”...not sure which one fits here.)

- "Just as it is difficult to catch up with a long-running manga series from the very first title, the Kingdom Hearts series has so many titles that it seems to have the same problem. What are your thoughts in regards to new fans that might try playing these series?"

Nomura: That’s what I'd like to know (laughs). As I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking of Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV as a kind of reset. I felt like I'd finished with Kingdom Hearts III and wanted to start again, so I've brought in new writers and even changed the logo to make it easier for new people to get involved.

- "Ah, so that's what the change of logo was about."

Nomura: If you remember how the ending of Kingdom Hearts III goes, you'll understand that Sora ends up like that because he's “resetting” the story in a way, so Kingdom Hearts IV should be easier to get into than before. I think that if you like the series, you'll feel like 'this is it', but I'm also hoping that as many new players as possible will play it.

- "At the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, there is a monologue that goes: "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like...is any of this real, or not?" What does that mean?"

Nomura: The name “Quadratum” didn't exist at that time, but the idea was there. It was a long preparation for the day when I would reach this point (laughs).

-" So it was actually a foreshadowing that took 20 years!? Then, do you see a future where the Kingdom Hearts series will be completed?"

Nomura: If this isn't a dream, then I only have a few years left until I retire, and it's looking like: will I retire or will I finish the series first? (laughs) However, I'm making Kingdom Hearts IV with the intention of it being a story that leads to the conclusion.