JRPGs are defined as Japanese role-playing games, otherwise known as one of the most common genres of video games developed in Japan and often sold and loved by the rest of the world. Today I will be introducing one of my favorite game designers, Tetsuya Nomura, who is mostly known for his creative character designs for Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts.
(Tetsuya Nomura, Photograph above)
Much of his creative origins started when he was little, since he was always fond of games and art. Life experiences that nourished his creativity included his father making him custom Sugoroku board games and drawings, so his young and unlimited mind could flourish. Nomura also gained an interest in computers and programming, and thus he could combine his passion for tech and art.
With this skill set, he was hired by Square Enix (formerly known as Square, which develops games such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and much more) as a debugger for Final Fantasy IV and his career climbed from there. He worked on the enemy and graphic design for the FF games here and there until his major debut with the character design for Final Fantasy VII, which is regarded as one of the most revolutionary JRPGs in gaming history. At the time, his designs were new and unprecedented which was super fitting for the tragic and industrial themes present in the game.
Throughout the years, Nomura admired designers such as Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Takahashi, Hiroyuki Ito, and Yoshitaka Amano, the latter two who were major influences on his creative works. For example, Ito was a mentor to Nomura, and gave him advice for his creative process. Using the vocabulary we learned in class, Ito essentially told Nomura to embrace divergent thinking and to not limit his character and game designs to existing concepts. Given that a lot of jrpg character designs were inspired from medieval European art, Nomura took a more modern approach and have his characters more stylistic and rough clothing. Amano was the main aesthetic designer for Final Fantasy before Nomura, in which he worked on the cover art and other designs. Amano was super influential to Nomura, given that he applied to Square once he saw a drawing by Amano!
Something particularly interesting about Nomura’s character designs too is that their outfits reflected their personality. For example, Tidus from Final Fantasy X has vibrant and bright colors which matches his childlike and friendly character traits. On the other hand, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII is a gloomy and a “to himself” character, so his design is what we would call “edgy” and “bleak”. I would argue that Cloud’s overall aura (clothing, personality, and the way he carries himself) was revolutionary to the gaming industry in creating the “dark and moody anime protagonist” cliché, which I think is an interesting concept.
Tidus (Left) and Cloud (Right)
Nomura’s designs can also be recognized by what some may say is the excessive use of belts and accessories such as pockets, straps, and leather. Since Cloud and the very popular release of FFVII, Nomura’s designs featured a more edgy look to his characters, and some could argue that many of his designs for the male characters were feminine, such as Noctis’s “pretty boy” look from Final Fantasy XV. Nomura’s signature aesthetic continued with the Kingdom Hearts series, which branches off Final Fantasy. The main difference is that the designs are more kid-friendly, given that it is aimed for a younger audience and includes Disney characters.
(Noctis 3D Character Model)
(Sora, 2D Art, Protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts Series)
Finally, every creative must take some level of critique, whether it be from themselves or the public. Some people may argue that while Nomura’s consistency in designs is getting old to the point where so many characters look the same, while others may argue that his style is beautiful and easily recognizable. In an interview, Nomura gives his own opinion on his characters: “All the characters I've created up until now... they're my kids! My children. I've obviously never thought about dropping or abandoning my kids!” (RPG Site, Donaldson) Clearly, Nomura knows that his famous characters have left a mark on the gaming industry, and he values his designs very much.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuya_Nomura
https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Tidus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Strife
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Sora
https://twinfinite.net/2020/04/final-fantasy-vii-remake-tetsuya-nomura-art/
While I do not play video games, I can always recognize characters from Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, so the signature style that Tetsuya Nomura has developed has definitely left its mark on the gaming world and general pop culture. It was very interesting to read about the man behind the designs and the inspiration that goes into it, great work!
ReplyDeleteThe Key Blade from kingdom hearts will always be one of my favorite sword designs in video games. It was interesting to read about the person behind a few of these iconic characters. Looking at the designs again after reading this, I can definitely see the inspiration with the abundant use of "pockets, straps, and leather." Great post!
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