Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts’ Tetsuya Nomura revealed in a recent interview why he designs his characters to be attractive, and no, it’s not that deep. Read on to learn more about his rather unconventional philosophy in character design.

Why Tetsuya Nomura Designs His Heroes to Look Like They Just Stepped Off a RunwaySimple: ‘I Want to be Good-Looking in Games,’ Said Nomura

Tetsuya Nomura has a peculiar habit when it comes to designing his protagonists: They always look like supermodels trapped in a world of oversized swords and existential crises. But why? Why are all of Nomura’s protagonists conventionally attractive? No, it’s not because he believes beauty is a reflection of the soul. He’s not trying to be edgy either. There’s a frankly more relatable reason behind this aesthetic choice.

According to Nomura’s recent interview with Young Jump magazine, translated by AUTOMATON, Nomura’s design philosophy can be traced back to his high school days, when a classmate dropped a truth bomb that would shape the future of JRPGs: "Why do I have to be ugly in the game world too?" Apparently, that casual, offhand remark stuck with him. It hit like a limit break resonating with his belief that video games offer an escape.

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

This doesn’t seem to simply be about vanity, though. Nomura believes that players are more likely to connect with characters they find visually appealing. 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 distinct and hard to empathize with," Nomura explained.

Now, don’t get it twisted—Nomura doesn’t avoid eccentric designs altogether. He just saves those wild experiments for the villains. For him, it’s the bad guys who get to play with bold, outlandish 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 wild.

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

However, if you look back at Final Fantasy VII, it’s clear that in his younger days, Nomura wasn’t quite as restrained. He gleefully admitted that when he first designed the FFVII crew, it was a free-for-all of creativity. Red XIII, a lion-like creature with a flaming tail, and Cait Sith, a Scottish-speaking cat riding a stuffed moogle, weren’t exactly subtle choices. But this wild youthful recklessness worked in the game’s favor.

"At the time, I was still young… so I just decided to make all the characters distinctive," Nomura recalled. "I am very particular 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 short, the next time you’re playing a Nomura game and your hero looks like they could double as a model for some fashion show, you can thank a long-ago comment from a friend who simply wanted to look cool while saving the world. After all, as Nomura might say, why be a hero if you can’t look good doing it?

Tetsuya Nomura’s Retirement and the Future of Kingdom Hearts

In the same interview with Young Jump, Tetsuya Nomura hinted at his potential retirement in the coming years, as the Kingdom Hearts series nears its conclusion. He mentioned that he’s been bringing in new writers who have not been involved in Kingdom Hearts to introduce 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 reboot the series and set the stage for its grand finale, check out our article below!