An interesting interview with Tetsuya Nomura in Famitsu Magazine reveals that Sora was originally designed to be "somewhat like a mix of a lion and human" also wielding a chainsaw instead of a keyblade because nothing says Disney like a chainsaw-wielding furry. :P

Here, Nomura shared a surprising secret about Sora's birth. The character's original design was more beast-like -- somewhat like a mix of a lion and human. He had a tail and beast-like ears. Instead of his keyblade weapon, he used a chainsaw. These beast-like features were implemented in order to make the character match the Disney characters.

In the end, the tail was removed because Final Fantasy IX's Zidane character already had a tail. After consulting with Disney's staff, the character was further modified. One example of the changes is the "overly straight" part of the character's designs being given more curvature. The shoes and pants are the most notable examples of this, says Nomura. The final form of Sora was made after a night's work.

ThreeTwoFiveSix via andriasang.com »