Which Square Enix designer is credited as a creator of Kingdom Hearts?

Tetsuya Nomura is credited as a creator of Kingdom Hearts.

Nomura was a Square designer who became the game's director, main character designer, and a central creative force. The project grew from discussions between Square's Shinji Hashimoto and Disney, but Nomura helped turn the collaboration into the action role-playing game that became Kingdom Hearts.

Development began in February 2000. Nomura designed original characters including Sora, Riku, and Kairi, while also shaping the game's unusual blend of Disney worlds and Final Fantasy guest characters. Shinji Hashimoto is also credited as a co-creator, but Nomura is the designer named in the question.

A common mix-up is confusing Nomura with Yoshinori Kitase or Hironobu Sakaguchi, both major Square figures associated with other projects and with Kingdom Hearts' development history. Hajime Tabata later worked on other Square Enix games, but he is not the credited creator of Kingdom Hearts.