Plus an extended cut of the Coco trailer confirms Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey will be playable in Kingdom Hearts 4 for the first time.

Image credit: Disney / Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura has addressed the newly announced Kingdom Hearts anime series directly for the first time, though he's giving away very little.

In a message posted to X (via IGN, translated from Japanese), Nomura confirmed the series is officially in production, and that he's been in close consultation with its scenario team and, where needed, its art team – to the point of creating new character designs specifically for the project.

Beyond that, he's not saying much. "I cannot say anything more at this moment, but the single piece of key art released serves as a hint," he said. "Please let your imagination run wild as you await further updates."

KINGDOM HEARTS IV | D23 2026 Showcase Trailer.Watch on YouTube

It's a similar level of mystery to what Disney offered when the series was first revealed alongside Kingdom Hearts 4's Coco world and its late 2027 release window at Friday's D23 Entertainment Showcase. Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis confirmed the series is being developed closely with Nomura's team, but beyond a first-look teaser image and a "coming soon" tag for Disney+, no plot, cast or release window has been shared.

There was more concrete news for Kingdom Hearts 4 itself at Saturday's separate Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel, which marked the series' 25th anniversary. An extended cut of the Coco trailer confirmed Donald, Goofy and King Mickey will be playable for the first time in a mainline Kingdom Hearts game, and closed on a first proper look at an adult Riku, who appears to help Sora in Quadratum.

Nomura and Kingdom Hearts 4 co-director Tai Yasue also used the panel to reassure fans that the game's late 2027 window is "a 100% thing" – with no delay currently planned.

News of the anime series was announced on stage by actor Benjamin Bratt, who is also voicing Ernesto de la Cruz in Kingdom Hearts 4's Coco-inspired world.

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