Kingdom Hearts creator explains why Sora looks so ‘normal’ in Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura offered fresh insight into the world of his next game, Kingdom Hearts 4, in an interview with Japan’s Famitsu, explaining how the Tokyo-like game world of Quadratum is connected to other worlds in the series and why protagonist Sora looks much more realistic than fans are used to. Nomura also confirmed that, yes, Sora’s fancy new apartment, his base of operations in Kingdom Hearts 4, is located in Tokyo’s swish Aoyama neighborhood.

In the interview, which was translated by Kingdom Hearts superfan and streamer Audrey (aka aitaikimochi), Nomura says that Kingdom Hearts 4 will explore the “contrast” of the real world known as Quadratum and the fictional worlds of Kingdom Hearts.

“From Sora’s perspective, Quadratum is a world that exists in the background, a fictional world that is different from his reality,” Nomura told Famitsu. “However, for the people living in Quadratum, the world that Sora and the others live in is a world that exists in the background, a fictional world for them. [In Kingdom Hearts 4], we will explore the theme of the contrast between the two perspectives.”

Nomura said that Donald and Goofy are looking for clues to Sora’s whereabouts in “the normal world” in Kingdom Hearts 4’s debut trailer. “Sora also looks more realistic due to him being in that world,” Nomura said. “However, if he were to return to his own world, his appearance would look similar to [how he would look with] the shaders used for Donald and Goofy.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Nomura teased that a series character will be voiced — he’s heard in the trailers for both Kingdom Hearts 4 and Missing Link — for the first time in Kingdom Hearts 4.

Square Enix has not revealed a release window or platforms for Kingdom Hearts 4, but based on previous entries in the franchise, fans shouldn’t expect it to arrive any time soon.