Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts’ Tetsuya Nomura recently explained his character design choices, revealing a surprisingly straightforward rationale. Read on to learn more about his unique approach to character creation.

Why Tetsuya Nomura Designs His Heroes to Look StrikingSimple: ‘I Want to Look Good in Games,’ Said Nomura

Tetsuya Nomura’s protagonists consistently possess a striking, almost supermodel-like appearance within their fantastical settings. But why? It’s not a deep philosophical statement about beauty or edginess. The reason is more personal.

In a recent interview with Young Jump magazine, translated by AUTOMATON, Nomura attributes his design philosophy to a high school experience. A classmate's observation – "Why do I have to be ugly in the game world too?" – profoundly impacted him. This resonated with his view of video games as an escape.

He stated: "From that experience, I thought, ‘I want to look good in games,’ and that’s how I create my main characters."

This doesn’t seem to simply be about conceit, though. Nomura believes that players are more likely to connect with characters they find aesthetically pleasing. It’s about empathy. "If you go out of your way to make them unconventional, you will end up with a character who is too unique and hard to empathize with," Nomura explained.

Now, don’t get it twisted—Nomura doesn’t avoid quirky designs altogether. He just saves those daring experiments for the villains. For him, it’s the bad guys who get to sport bold, extravagant looks. Enter Sephiroth, the silver-haired antagonist from Final Fantasy VII who swings a sword that’s slightly taller than him and has a flair for melodrama. Sephiroth and other villainous characters like Kingdom Hearts’ Organization XIII are where Nomura’s creative energy runs rampant.

"Yes, I like Organization XIII," he said. "I don’t think the designs of Organization XIII would be that distinctive without their personalities. That’s because I feel that it’s only when their inner and outer appearances are unified that they become that kind of character."

However, if you look back at Final Fantasy VII, it’s clear that in his youth, Nomura wasn’t quite as controlled. He cheerfully admitted that when he first designed the FFVII cast, it was a creative free-for-all. Red XIII, a leonine creature with a flaming tail, and Cait Sith, a Scottish-speaking feline riding a stuffed moogle, weren’t exactly understated choices. But this exuberant youthful abandon worked in the game’s favor.

"At the time, I was still young… so I just decided to make all the characters unique," Nomura recalled. "I am very meticulous about the basis (for character designs) right down to the smallest details, like why this part is this color, and why this is a certain shape. These details become part of the character’s personality, which in the end become part of the game and its story."

In brief, the next time you’re playing a Nomura title and your protagonist appears as if they could also model in a fashion show, you can credit a past remark from a friend who desired to appear stylish while saving the world. After all, as Nomura might state, why be a hero if you can’t look good doing so?

Tetsuya Nomura’s Retirement and the Future of Kingdom Hearts

In the same interview with Young Jump, Tetsuya Nomura alluded to his potential retirement in the coming years, as the Kingdom Hearts series approaches its conclusion. He mentioned that he’s been onboarding new writers unfamiliar with Kingdom Hearts to foster new perspectives. Nomura shared, "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? However, I'm making Kingdom Hearts IV with the intention of it being a story that leads to the conclusion."

For more details on how Kingdom Hearts IV aims to revamp the series and set the stage for its grand finale, check out our article below!