History Characters / KingdomHeartsVanitas

[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxasAxelAndXion Clock Tower Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerra Terra]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVentus Ventus]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSaix Saïx]] | '''Vanitas''') | Disney Villains ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyVillainsMaleficentsCouncilAndAllies Maleficent's Council and Allies]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOtherDisneyVillains Other Disney Villains]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsIndependentVillains Independent Villains]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsEnemyCreatures Enemy Creatures]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsHeartless Heartless]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAnsemAndApprentices Ansem and his Apprentices]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXCharacters Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingOriginals Supporting Original Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingSquareEnix Supporting Square Enix Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingDisney Supporting Disney Characters]] -] ]]]]

[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vanitas_khiii.png]]
[[caption-width-right:285:''"So... why shouldn't you and I look exactly the same? You define me, Sora, the same way that Ventus does. We are brothers who, together, make a greater whole."'']]
[[caption-width-right:285:[[labelnote:Click here to see him unmasked.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/an_end_to_slumber_02_khiii_4.png]][[/labelnote]]

* EnemyWithout: To Ventus, spawned from the dark half of his heart. [[spoiler:''Re:Mind'' contradicts this, with Vanitas claiming that he was a preexisting being hidden inside Ven's heart until Xehanort extracted him. However, his dialogue after his defeat (which already exists in the base game) suggests that he still considers himself to be a part of Ven's heart in spite of that. His defeat quote in the Keyblade Graveyard also remains and suggests that he sees Ven as his missing part of himself.]] [[spoiler:''Union Cross'' implies that he may actually be the piece of Darkness that stowed away with Ventus when he escaped in the ark with "Dark Road" later confirming that he is indeed the Darkness that stowed away in his heart.]]

* EmotionEater: Using the power of scream energy in [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Monstropolis]], Vanitas is able to reconstruct his heart after travelling from the past.

* ManipulativeBastard: Though nowhere ''near'' Xehanort's level, he manages to coax Ventus out of the Land of Departure. He also [[EvilGloating boasts]] about having taken advantage of [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Randall]]'s desire for revenge to further his own schemes.

* WouldHitAGirl: He is a recurring boss fight for {{A|ctionGirl}}qua (the player fights him as Aqua five different times) and tries to outright kill her each time they fight, even cheap-shotting her in both ''BBS'' and ''III'' to try to [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown stab her while she's knocked out]].

* CastingAShadow: In III, Vanitas has some dark-based moves, which inlcudes turning into a shadow in the ground that follows Sora to strike him up, and in the Data fight, he'll attack with [[DoppergangerAttack Shadowy Clones of himself]] when using his DesperationAttack.

* ReWrite: It happens with Vanitas in ''Re:Mind''. [[spoiler:He is established in his debut game ''Birth By Sleep'' to be the living embodiment of Ven's darkness, extracted from his heart. Ten years later, in ''III'''s ''Re:Mind'' DLC, he suddenly reveals to Ven and Aqua in a new scene that he is actually a separate being who was merely hidden inside Ven's heart and ripped out by Xehanort (though the line from ''III'' referencing himself as a piece of Ven is still left in when he dies, suggesting that he still views himself as a part of Ven). Ven and Aqua don't care enough to get more information before he fades back into darkness. ''Union Cross'' supports this with the reveal that one of the 13 pieces of Darkness sealed itself inside Ven to escape on the ark.]]

* AdaptationExpansion: The ''BBS'' novels expand on Vanitas's life prior to the events of the game as well as his motivations. Namely, that killing the Unversed causes him physical pain and he seeks to reunite with Ventus so he can be free of his torment, having been convinced by Xehanort that the χ-blade is his salvation. However the canonical status of novels was never confirmed and later material would contradict this backstory [[spoiler: such as in the ''Re:Mind'' DLC and the two mobile games ''Union χ'' and ''Dark Road''.]]

'''Vanitas:''' [[BluntYes What I am is darkness.]]\\

* AdaptationExpansion: The ''BBS'' novels expand on Vanitas' life prior to the events of the game as well as his motivations. Namely, that killing the Unversed causes him physical pain and he seeks to reunite with Ventus so he can be free of his torment, having been convinced by Xehanort that the χ-blade is his salvation. However the canoncity of novels was never confirmed and later material would contradict this backstory [[spoiler: such as in the Remind DLC and the two mobile games Union Cross and Dark Road.]]

* DeathFromAbove: One of Vanitas' signature moves has him strike opponents from above, creating a pillar of ice upon impact. This is usually done as a counter attack. In his data rematch in ''III'', one of his attacks has him do this three times, the third hit breaking your guard.

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Despite his supposed loyalty to Master Xehanort, he's fine with disregarding his orders if he feels the need arises; for example, he attempts to eliminate Ventus after defeating him in their first battle despite knowing that Master Xehanort wanted Ventus alive for his plans, even openly stating that he is well aware he's going against Xehanort's orders but does not care at that moment. Later, before the start of the Keyblade War, he is willing to interfere with the Organization's plan to use the Seven Guardians of Light in order to retrieve Ventus's heart and restore himself, even though this will force the Organization to rely on the New Seven Hearts.[[spoiler:“Dark Road” reveals that the only reason he stays with Xehanort is due to the protection he offers him from the Light and that there realtionship is uneasy.]]

** ''III'' also shows Vanitas being incapable of accepting Sora and Ventus' role as a part of the Light. Vanitas instead resigns to his fate of being the shadow to both boys and accepts himself as Ventus' darkness.

** His closest counterpart is Ventus. Vanitas is literally the darkness to Ventus' light [[spoiler: (or so we thought). It's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in ''Re:Mind'' however, as Vanitas reveals that he isn't actually Ventus’ dark half, but rather a being that has existed inside of him for a long time before being extracted by Master Xehanort.]]

* HaveANiceDeath: Played straight most of the time in both ''III'' and its DLC but oddly averted for a specific moment during his Data Rematch. Should Sora die in the midst of his DesperationAttack from one of Vanitas' clones, you get Sora's generic death quotes rather than Vanitas taunting you.

* LiteralSplitPersonality: He is the personification of the darkness that Master Xehanort ripped out of Ventus's heart. [[spoiler:Though ''Re:Mind'' and ''Union X'' implies that he's one of the thirteen original darknesses that stowed away in Ventus' heart.]]

* NemesisWeapon: His Void Gear is this to Ventus' Wayward Wind. Ventus is part of an elemental theme with his peers and friends, Terra and Aqua, while Vanitas' Keyblade represents emptiness. Given that they both were once the same being and Ventus' belief in ThePowerOfFriendship, there is a definite connection there.

** In addition, the Unversed boss themes contain part of Vanitas' theme, hinting at the fact that that they all come from him.
** Vanitas' boss theme, Enter the Darkness, has a portion that's very reminiscent of Roxas' theme, and since there's an obvious visual connection between Roxas and Ventus, one can connect the dots between Ventus and Vanitas.

* VocalEvolution: In ''III'' his voice is notably more gravelly compared to his appearance in ''Birth by Sleep''. Due to fans disliking the change, Vanitas' new scenes for ''Re:Mind'' tone it down, making it closer to his voice in ''Birth by Sleep''.

* FinalBoss: Vanitas manages to serve this role to both Ven and Aqua's routes in ''BBS'' with Ventus [[BattleInTheCentreOfTheMind having an internal battle with Vanitas for control of their body]] while Aqua battles the [[FusionDance fused Ventus-Vanitas]] externally. Interestingly both fights seem to occur at the exact same time allowing Vanitas to fight both of the heroes by himself.

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Despite his supposed loyalty to Master Xehanort, he's fine with disregarding his orders if he feels the need arises; for example, he attempts to eliminate Ventus after defeating him in their first battle despite knowing that Master Xehanort wanted Ventus alive for his plans, even openly stating that he is well aware he's going against Xehanort's orders but does not care at that moment. Later, before the start of the Keyblade War, he is willing to interfere with the Organization's plan to use the Seven Guardians of Light in order to retrieve Ventus's heart and restore himself, even though this will force the Organization to rely on the New Seven Hearts.[[spoiler:“Dark Road” reveals that the only he stays with Xehanort is due to the protection he offers him from the Light and that there realtionship is uneasy.]]

* PersonOfMassDestruction: Is the source of the Unversed, who inhabit and terrorize the various Worlds.

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Despite his supposed loyalty to Master Xehanort, he's fine with disregarding his orders if he feels the need arises; for example, he attempts to eliminate Ventus after defeating him in their first battle despite knowing that Master Xehanort wanted Ventus alive for his plans, even openly stating that he is well aware he's going against Xehanort's orders but does not care at that moment. Later, before the start of the Keyblade War, he is willing to interfere with the Organization's plan to use the Seven Guardians of Light in order to retrieve Ventus's heart and restore himself, even though this will force the Organization to rely on the New Seven Hearts.[[spoiler “Dark Road” reveals that the only he stays with Xehanort is due to the protection he offers him from the Light and that there realtionship is uneasy.]]

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Despite his loyalty to Master Xehanort, he's fine with disregarding his orders if he feels the need arises; for example, he attempts to eliminate Ventus after defeating him in their first battle despite knowing that Master Xehanort wanted Ventus alive for his plans, even openly stating that he is well aware he's going against Xehanort's orders but does not care at that moment. Later, before the start of the Keyblade War, he is willing to interfere with the Organization's plan to use the Seven Guardians of Light in order to retrieve Ventus's heart and restore himself, even though this will force the Organization to rely on the New Seven Hearts.

* EnemyWithout: To Ventus, spawned from the dark half of his heart. [[spoiler:''Re:Mind'' contradicts this, with Vanitas claiming that he was a preexisting being hidden inside Ven's heart until Xehanort extracted him. However, his dialogue after his defeat (which already exists in the base game) suggests that he still considers himself to be a part of Ven's heart in spite of that. His defeat quote in the Keyblade Graveyard also remains and suggests that he sees Ven as his missing part of himself.]] [[spoiler:''Union Cross'' implies that he may actually be the piece of Darkness that stowed away with Ventus when he escaped in the ark.]]

* AdaptationExpansion: The ''BBS'' novels expand on Vanitas' life prior to the events of the game as well as his motivations. Namely, that killing the Unversed causes him physical pain and he seeks to reunite with Ventus so he can be free of his torment, having been convinced by Xehanort that the χ-blade is his salvation. However the canoncity of novels was never confirmed and later material would contradict this backstory [[Spoiler: such as in the Remind DLC and the two mobile games Union Cross and Dark Road]]

* AdaptationExpansion: The ''BBS'' novels expand on Vanitas' life prior to the events of the game as well as his motivations. Namely, that killing the Unversed causes him physical pain and he seeks to reunite with Ventus so he can be free of his torment, having been convinced by Xehanort that the χ-blade is his salvation.

[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxasAxelAndXion Clock Tower Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerra Terra]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVentus Ventus]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSaix Saïx]] | '''Vanitas''') | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyVillains Disney Villains]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsIndependentVillains Independent Villains]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsEnemyCreatures Enemy Creatures]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsHeartless Heartless]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAnsemAndApprentices Ansem and his Apprentices]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXCharacters Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingOriginals Supporting Original Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingSquareEnix Supporting Square Enix Characters]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingDisney Supporting Disney Characters]] -] ]]]]

* OffModel: Originally, in his appearance as Ventus-Vanitas in the ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage 0.2]]'' intro, he still had the outline of his mask and Ventus's blue eyes, even though Ventus-Vanitas has Vanitas's eyes and has ditched the mask. This was since patched out.

* EvilIsNotAToy: At the end of ''Birth By Sleep'', he possesses an unlimited army of [[TheHeartless evil underlings]] and a [[InfinityPlusOneSword near all-powerful weapon]] capable of bending reality and plunging the worlds into never-ending war. This is especially distressing because 1) he's a [[AxCrazy maniac]] and 2) earlier in the game he's shown to be willing to disobey Master Xehanort's express orders. In all likelihood, he would have just killed his "master" and wreaked havoc all over the worlds had Aqua and Ventus not stopped him.

* EvilIsNotAToy: At the end of ''Birth By Sleep'', he possesses an unlimited army of [[TheHeartless evil underlings]] and a [[InfinityPlusOneSword nigh-omnipotent weapon]] capable of bending reality and plunging the worlds into never-ending war. This is especially distressing because 1) he's a [[AxCrazy maniac]] and 2) earlier in the game he's shown to be willing to disobey Master Xehanort's express orders. In all likelihood, he would have just killed his "master" and wreaked havoc all over the worlds had Aqua and Ventus not stopped him.