Kingdom Hearts Anime Series Announced for Disney+ at D23 With Tetsuya Nomura

Square Enix and Disney have officially unveiled an original Kingdom Hearts anime series at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026 in Anaheim, California. The series will air on Disney Channel and stream on Disney+, with franchise creator Tetsuya Nomura and the Kingdom Hearts IV development team involved in the production.

A Brand-New Story in the Kingdom Hearts Universe

Rather than adapting any existing game storyline, the anime will feature a completely original narrative set within the Kingdom Hearts universe. The series is co-produced by Disney Kids & Family and Square Enix, bringing together the two companies that have jointly shaped the franchise since its debut in 2002.

A first teaser visual was revealed alongside the announcement, depicting a boy wielding a Keyblade - the franchise's iconic weapon. While the visual confirmed the series will carry the unmistakable aesthetic identity of Kingdom Hearts, specific plot details, character names, and episode count remain under wraps.

Nomura, who has served as the creative architect of the franchise across its two-decade history, is directly contributing to the anime's development alongside the broader Square Enix creative team. His involvement signals that the series will maintain a close connection to the franchise's established lore and visual identity, even as it charts its own narrative course.

Disney's Growing Anime and Animation Slate

Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, framed the announcement as a natural evolution for the property. "There's something really exciting about taking a world fans have spent years exploring through the games and bringing it to life in a completely new way," Davis stated during the event.

The Kingdom Hearts anime joins Disney+'s expanding animated lineup, which already includes titles such as Dragon Striker, the revived Phineas and Ferb, and Big City Greens. The addition of Kingdom Hearts represents one of Disney's most significant moves into anime-adjacent content, leveraging a franchise that has sold over 38 million copies worldwide across its numerous game entries.

What This Means for the Franchise

The anime arrives at a pivotal moment for Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts III concluded the long-running Dark Seeker Saga, and Kingdom Hearts IV is set to begin an entirely new chapter in the series' mythology. Whether the anime will tie into the events of the upcoming fourth mainline game or explore an independent corner of the universe has not been confirmed.

No release window or animation studio has been announced for the series. The involvement of the KH4 team in production suggests that development is being carefully coordinated with the game side of the franchise, potentially to ensure narrative consistency across both mediums.

With the franchise spanning action RPGs, mobile games, and now an anime series, Kingdom Hearts continues to expand beyond its gaming origins. Further details on staff, story, and premiere timing are expected in the coming months as production progresses.