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Kingdom Hearts Anime Will Tell a Brand-New Story
Disney is expanding Kingdom Hearts beyond video games with a new original anime series planned for Disney+ and Disney Channel. Currently carrying the working title Kingdom Hearts, the project is being developed alongside series creator Tetsuya Nomura and the creative team at Square Enix.
Rather than adapting one of the existing games, Disney says the anime will tell a completely new story designed to expand the wider Kingdom Hearts universe. The announcement comes as Disney places greater emphasis on gaming franchises across its wider entertainment business.
The RPG series is now one of nine gaming properties in Disney’s portfolio to have generated more than US$1 billion in retail sales.
A Mysterious Character Appears in the First Kingdom Hearts Anime Artwork
Details about the story itself remain scarce, although Disney has released the first piece of key art alongside the announcement. The image features a mysterious character whose face is obscured, immediately leaving fans to speculate about their identity and connection to the existing cast.
Disney has only said that the series will celebrate the characters that have defined Kingdom Hearts while also taking the franchise somewhere new.
That makes the project particularly interesting for longtime players. Instead of retelling Sora’s already complicated journey across the games, the anime has room to explore another corner of the universe or introduce characters and events that could eventually connect back to the wider story.
Tetsuya Nomura Says the Key Art Contains a Clue
Nomura has also briefly discussed the project on the official social channels of the games. While he could not share much about the anime itself, he confirmed that he is heavily involved in its development and has been discussing the series with both the scenario and art teams.
Those discussions are expected to include new character designs created specifically for the anime. More intriguingly, Nomura has suggested that the first key art contains a clue about what fans can expect, encouraging players to examine it closely as they wait for more information.
Kingdom Hearts Is Expanding Ahead of Its Next Major Game
The anime announcement arrives alongside renewed activity around Kingdom Hearts IV, which recently resurfaced at D23 with an extended look at its Coco world and additional gameplay.
Disney and Square Enix are currently targeting a 2027 launch for the next mainline game, while the anime has yet to receive a release window. There is also no final title for the series yet, meaning Kingdom Hearts remains provisional for now.
Still, with a completely original story and Nomura directly involved, the anime could become more than a simple side project. For a franchise already famous for spreading important story details across multiple games, fans may want to keep a particularly close eye on what Disney and Square Enix are cooking up.
