History Characters / KingdomHeartsXehanort

'''Warning''': This page contains '''major''' unmarked spoilers for ''Kingdom Hearts [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI I]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]''.

Xehanort is [[BigBad the overall antagonist of the series]]. With the exceptions of Sora's story in ''Chain of Memories'' and ''coded'', a Xehanort is always the main enemy of the individual games. And if he doesn't fill the position, his actions are helping drive the plot ''somehow''. It is important to specify "a" Xehanort, because there are several Xehanorts in the series as well as various alternate incarnations of Xehanort that go by different names. However, they are ultimately all different aspects of the same being, and they all aspire to more or less the same goal: to claim the power of Kingdom Hearts and unravel the mysteries of the universe, even if they have to destroy that universe to find the answers they crave.

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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:General]]

* ArcVillain: Because WordOfGod states that ''Kingdom Hearts III'' will not be the end of the series, only the GrandFinale of the "Xehanort Saga," this is what Xehanort will ultimately end up.
* {{Badass}}: A LightningBruiser MagicKnight with [[CastingAShadow the powers of darkness]] who occasionally swaps out his [[CoolKey Keyblade]] for DualWielding {{Laser Blade}}s or a terrifying [[GuardianEntity Shadow Monster]]. In whatever incarnation he appears, Xehanort is always awesome.
* BadassBaritone: Always has a very deep voice. His incarnation in ''3D'' has a softer voice, but only in the Japanese version, the English voice plays the trope straight.
* BadassLongcoat: Variably wears a white, red and black trenchcoat, or a BlackCloak. Both look very cool on him.
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: According to the press release blurb for ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Xehanort(s) believes the scales are too tipped in light's favor, motivating his darkness-based plot.
* BigBad: Xehanort is the central antagonist of the series, and individual incarnations are frequently this trope for separate games.
* BlackMagic: Prefers using dark magic, though certain incarnations lean on it more heavily than others. [[spoiler:Averted only by Young Xehanort, who hasn't given into the darkness like his older incarnations.]]
* BodySurf: [[spoiler:Xehanort has transferred pieces of his heart into over a dozen different bodies, including Terra, most of the members of the True Organization XIII, and temporarily Riku. Also, he can surf between the bodies of the True Organization XIII at will, owing to the mechanics of TimeTravel.]]
* TheChessmaster: He's very good at setting up overarcing schemes.
* DarkIsEvil: While the series as a whole explains DarkIsNotEvil, Xehanort is a practitioner of dark powers, tempts others to darkness to weaken their hearts, and considers darkness a source of true power and knowledge.
* DarthVaderClone: Not as obvious as some, but its there. Young kid who wanted to leave his quiet little home to explore other worlds? Check. Delved too heavily into darkness and became a FallenHero? Check. Wears a black cloak and has a booming voice? Check. [[spoiler:There's also the blue Ethereal Blades wielded by Young Xehanort prior to his descent to villainy, while Xemnas's blades are red]]. Master Xehanort in turn takes some cues with Palpatine with his manipulations of Terra and masquerading as a harmless old man when he's really the villain behind everything.
* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Though Master Xehanort is calm and collected, his other incarnations are far more prone to fits of rage and total insanity.
* EvilMentor: If a Xehanort ''ever'' tries to help you or give advice, never, ''ever'', listen. Terra and Riku had to learn this lesson the hard way.
* EvilSorceror: Regularly uses both [[{{Magitek}} machines and magic]] to [[PlayingWithSyringes experiment on and learn to control people's hearts]]. Each incarnation leans more to one or the other on an individual basis, Master Xehanort being a pure sorceror while his alter-egos combine the two in their own ways.
* EvilSoundsDeep: As mentioned under Badass Baritone, all of the Xehanorts are given deep voices, with the exception of his ''3D'' incarnation's Japanese voice.
* EvilCounterpart: To both Sora and Riku, in different ways.
** Like Sora, Xehanort was a Keyblade wielder from [[SmallTownBoredom Destiny Islands]] who dreamed of seeing other worlds and in his travels has spawned [[AlternateSelf multiple incarnations]]. But while Xehanort works to create new incarnations to further his goals and corrupts others to darkness, Sora's incarnations come about as a result of his selfless altruism and he tries to help those he meets.
** Like Riku, Xehanort is a Keyblade wielder who lost himself in darkness in pursuit of his ambitions. Riku however pulled himself back and reformed, while Xehanort kept going deeper into the darkness and was lost for it. Ansem shifting to being Riku's ArchEnemy[=/=]EnemyWithout exemplifies this.
* EvilIsHammy: Even in a cast full of ''Disney'' villains, the Xehanorts stand out for how over-the-top they are. There's also an interesting inversion. [[spoiler:Young Xehanort is a younger Master Xehanort who has not yet turned evil and borders on PunchClockVillain. He's comparatively muted and calm, and in battle continues being very quiet, making him a case of AmbiguouslyEvil Is Not Hammy.]]
* EvilPlan: Always wants to get his hands on [[MacGuffin Kingdom Hearts]] by [[PoweredByAForsakenChild sacrificing a bunch of innocent people]].
* TheFaceless: His face is always hidden behind a hood or a turned back or a shadow the first time you see him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: His incarnations are all fairly polite and well-spoken, which makes their highly manipulative natures that much creepier. His new incarnation in ''3D'' particularly acts friendly and personable, even while [[spoiler:planning to make Sora the 13th vessel for Xehanort]].
* ForScience: The key trait of Xehanort is that he isn't interested in power and conquest just for the sake of power and conquest, he wants to understand the mysteries of life and the universe, even if his pursuit of these answers would cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. The Ansem Reports in the first game particularly emphasize this, being written in the form of a researcher conducting experiments, jotting down observations, and then forming hypotheses based on those observations. Eraqus sums it up well in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'':
-->'''Eraqus:''' "You would risk an apocalypse out of sheer curiosity?!"
* AGodAmI: Wants the power and knowledge of [[MacGuffin Kingdom Hearts]] to become a PhysicalGod and remake the universe [[InTheirOwnImage in his image of balance]].
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was initially just a boy on Destiny Islands with [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitions]] of exploring other worlds. He then became the universe's biggest threat since the [[WorldSundering Keyblade Wars]].
* HadesShaded: The Xehanorts all have dark skin as a result of their descent into darkness. Ansem and Xemnas, being the deepest divers as a Heartless and Nobody, are AmbiguouslyBrown in some depictions.
* HijackedByGanon: He rivals the trope namer for this. Pretty much every single game, either the villains are servants of or are being manipulated by Xehanort, or they ''are'' Xehanort in some way. The only exception is ''coded''; he has no hand in that one. ''Chain of Memories'' has the villains working to overthrow Xemnas, but they are still members of the Organization that Xemnas leads.
* IHaveManyNames: Xehanort, Master Xehanort, Xemnas, Ansem, No Heart, [[spoiler:Terra, Braig, Xigbar, and Saix]].
* InvincibleVillain: Despite appearing in numerous games in the series and always getting defeated when he does, Master Xehanort is so CrazyPrepared that his defeats never stick or just help him, and he always bounces back. His state as this trope is elevated due to {{Retcon}}s being required to ''explain'' why his defeat in the previous game was not permanent, making it seem like a case of JokerImmunity; no matter how many times players have defeated Xehanort, the developers refuse to just let him die.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Inevitably [[{{Infodump}} explains his entire plan to the heroes]]. Unfortunately for the heroes, this quirk has yet to work against him. He even starts exploiting this in later titles to MindRape and [[IShallTauntYou screw with]] his enemies.
* KnightOfCerebus: Whenever a Xehanort shows up, the current game tends to become much darker in tone. Master Xehanort naturally reigns as this within the Xehanorts, his arrival to the franchise in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' [[spoiler:beginning an ArcWelding that has tied the stories of the series together as a GambitRoulette of his to enact a plan more ambitious than any of his previous ones.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: Although this seems to have been augmented by [[TheDarkSide corruption by darkness]], all Xehanorts have issues empathizing with others. Ironically, the original Master Xehanort is the only one to show the slightest hints of compassion and caring; he thinks Eraqus was once as close to him as a brother, and pities Ven [[spoiler:nearly losing his heart]] and takes him to Destiny Islands so he can know peace [[spoiler:before he dies.]]
* LargeHam: Master Xehanort even provides [[LargeHam/VideoGames the page image]]. Every Xehanort is prone to grandiose, long-winded speeches, often complete with dramatic hand gestures, and in battle they spout over-the-top BossBanter at the top of their lungs. Choice topics for the two include the nature of darkness, power, hearts, nothingness, and [[MemeticMutation SUBMIT]] and similar commands. Here's a sampling of each of them.
-->'''Ansem:''' Darkness conquers all worlds! \\
'''Xemnas:''' Anger and hate are supreme! \\
'''Master Xehanort:''' You see how ''powerless'' you are to save them? Savor that rage and despair! Let it empower you! \\
'''[[spoiler:Terra-]]Xehanort:''' I will guide you to the depths of darkness!
* LegacyCharacter: The Xehanorts all share very similar appearances, outfits, personalities and goals, while fighting style varies but there are definitely repeated themes. Justified in that they're all the same person in various alternate incarnations.
* LetXBeTheUnknown: Uses X in his names and iconography, including the names given to the members of [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII the Organization XIII]]. This stems from Master Xehanort's obsession with the χ-blade. [[spoiler:They're also a "Recusant's Sigil" that marks the bearer as Xehanort's property and a potential vessel for his heart.]]
* MadScientist: His sole motivation for trying to unlock Kingdom Hearts is simply ForScience.
* MagicKnight: Every incarnation is very skilled with both melee weapons and magic.
* ManipulativeBastard: He is a master at getting other people to help him whether they know it or not.
* MesACrowd: In ''3D'', Sora and Riku encounter numerous Xehanort incarnations at once. [[spoiler:Through the use of TimeTravel, LiteralSplitPersonality, and GrandTheftMe, he apparently has enough to form a new Organization XIII composed entirely of himself in different forms]]. Xehanort's habit of turning characters into yet more of his incarnations is notorious enough that some parts of the fandom have come up with a term for it: "norting".
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: Many of the generic enemies (specific Emblem Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed) are either directly created by Xehanort, or exist because of something he did.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: Every time Xehanort speaks, he can never seem to ''keep his arms or hands still''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The name "Xehanort" is an anagram of "No Heart" with the letter 'X' thrown in (although a different, less sinister anagram is possible with "Another" + 'X').
* ObviouslyEvil: Between the [[WhiteHairBlackHeart silver hair]], [[SupernaturalGoldEyes yellow eyes]], and [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red clothing]], it's pretty clear he's a villain. Master Xehanort, in particular, takes this trope and not only runs with it, but goes ''Gummi Ship flying'' with it.
* OneSteveLimit: Played with back and forth. Early in the series there were several people with the name "Ansem" and "Xehanort", but it's now known that all of the latter are the same person in different forms, while with the former, a few people have just stolen the name as an alias and there is only one actual Ansem. This has lead to a few of them being given in-universe titles or {{Fan Nickname}}s to refer to them separately.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Has created and cultivated three separate races of monsters that have terrorized the universe, and has threatened an apocalypse on several occasions. Not to mention the personal tragedies he brings to the heroes....
* PointyEars: Every incarnation, [[EvilMakesYouUgly due to corruption by darkness]], [[spoiler:other than the uncorrupted Young Xehanort.]]
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Xehanort's plans to get [[MacGuffin Kingdom Hearts]] revolve around sacrificing others in horrible ways.
** Ansem uses the pure hearts of seven young women to try and create a portal to Kingdom Hearts.
** Xemnas makes a fake Kingdom Hearts by combining the hearts from thousands of Heartless.
** Master Xehanort tries to summon Kingdom Hearts by splitting a single person into [[EnemyWithout pure light and pure darkness]], and then making one consume the other.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Master Xehanort's black and red cloak, passed on to Ansem, and Xemnas's BlackCloak and red Etheral Blades.
* SatanicArchetype: He was once one of the many defenders of the Realm of Light, but fell victim to darkness and became its worst enemy. He often corrupts people to darkness and manipulates their emotions to turn them evil, uses DemonicPossession when mind games don't work, and wants to take over the universe. The symbolism is completed by his Keyblade Armor and Glider; his Armor is silver and white with feathers while his Glider is a set of wings that attached to his back. When he began using the powers of darkness, he cast away his armor and stopped using his glider because he didn't need them anymore, creating FallenAngel parallels.
* SeekerArchetype: A villainous example. All his incarnations seek to understand the true nature of their world, only to cross the MoralEventHorizon in search of it. [[spoiler:They even go by the moniker "the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness"]]
* SignificantAnagram: [[WordOfGod Nomura]] chose the name Xehanort because without the X it was an anagram of both "Another" and "No Heart", referring to Xehanort's many alter-egos and his lack of morality and empathy. [[spoiler:Although likely unintentional, there is also "No Earth", relating to his GrandTheftMe of Terra.]]
* TheSociopath: Ticks all the boxes. He's an excellent liar and manipulator, feels no shame or guilt about all the suffering he's caused, pursues his goals out of a need for scientific curiosity regardless of what the consequences to the universe and civilization might be, has a massive ego and only cares about himself and his desires, and pretty much nothing gets to him; even when his plans are foiled, he'll just come up with a new one.
* SoulJar: Every Xehanort holds some fragment of Master Xehanort's heart.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: His natural eye color, [[spoiler:which is also given to his assimilated hosts]].
* SuperiorSuccessor: What this incarnation of the Organization is supposed to be, made of 13 more suitable hosts for Xehanort, compared to the [[FlawedPrototype first version of Organization XIII]].
* TeleportSpam: Always makes use of FlashStep or [[OurWormholesAreDifferent dark portal]] teleport attacks.
* ThinkingUpPortals: All of Xehanort's incarnations have access to [[OurWormholesAreDifferent Corridors of Darkness]].
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: [[spoiler:His incarnations have been trying to form a group of thirteen of themselves for more than the past decade to have the "Darkness" half of the χ-Blade.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Because of {{Retcon}}s and his own memory shifting as he moves between forms, his [[EncyclopediaExposita reports]] are of questionable value in actual expository value.
* VisionaryVillain: He may have some roundabout and cruel methods, but everything Xehanort does is in the name of finding Kingdom Hearts and recreating the universe as he sees fit. [[spoiler:''3D'' reveals that even Ansem and Xemnas were just working on a very complex scheme laid out by Master Xehanort that ultimately leads back to this goal]].
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: If someone has silver hair, they either (a) have some relation to/contact with Xehanort, or (b) are Sephiroth. The only exception is Master Xehanort, as he's bald from age; even then, he still has a silver goatee.
* WouldHurtAChild: Has no qualms about physically or [[MindRape psychologically]] assaulting youngsters such as Ven or Sora (though to be fair, these are [[TheChosenOne Keyblade wielders]] and [[{{Badass}} not exactly helpless]]).
* XMakesAnythingCool: Xehanort's X is a recurring motif for him, passed on to the Organization.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Master Xehanort]]
!Master Xehanort
[[quoteright:235:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Master_Xehanort.png]]
[[caption-width-right:235: "Destiny is never left to chance."]]
->"We know so little about the Keyblade War -- only that it was just the beginning. Amidst that crisis a precious light was found. It is a curious tale -- and one worth exploring. They say ruin brings about creation. So what, then, would another Keyblade War bring? When the darkness falls, will we be found worthy of the precious light the legend speaks of? I must have these answers."

-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka (Japanese), Creator/LeonardNimoy (English) (2010-2012)
-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:Coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]] ''

An elderly Keyblade Master, he was once a noble and wise man, if somewhat shifty. However, in his quest to unravel the mysteries of the Keyblade and its role in the fate of the worlds, he delved too deep into darkness and now seeks the power of Kingdom Hearts to cause an apocalypse ForScience. He's effectively the BigBad of the franchise, as his schemes and his various incarnations fuel the main conflicts behind almost every game.
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* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: Toward [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Ven]], his original apprentice; he acted as a SinkOrSwimMentor by pitting Ven against a dozen Heartless and watching them almost kill him. In the novelization he's also this to Vanitas, putting him through TrainingFromHell.]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: Xehanort's Heartless specializes in being TheCorrupter, normally lacking a body and acting primarily by influencing others to darkness, while his Nobody is a powerful direct physical threat and TheChessmaster. Xehanort himself demonstrates both the skill at influencing and corrupting others of his Heartless and the intellect of his Nobody, while the No Heart battle shows that at his prime he was a truly terrifying wielder of the Keyblade on the battlefield. Even in his old age he's a KungFuWizard.
* AnAxeToGrind: His Keyblade has a curved blade for the "teeth" part and a spiked shaft to give the impression of a Keyblade-axe. Impressive, considering his age and bodily weakness, though it works well to convey his evil and brutal nature.
* AncestralWeapon: ''Kingdom Hearts χ'' implies his Keyblade was one of the first Keyblades passed down since the first Keyblade War. [[spoiler:It likely belonged to the [[SixthRangerTraitor sixth]] servant of the Master of the Foretellers, as the Goat emblem over the hilt is similar to the AnimalMotifs present in the Keyblades of the other five.]]
* AnIcePerson: Has a preference for ice magic -- he freezes Ven, tosses out Blizzard attacks in battle, and ends his Keyblade combos in a blast of ice.
* AnimatedArmor: His armor, the BonusBoss No Heart, exists without anyone apparently wearing it.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Is reborn as a human in ''Dream Drop Distance'', after the destruction of his Heartless and Nobody in the previous games.]]
* BadassGrandpa: He's the oldest original character seen in the series so far, but he's still one of the most powerful characters seen in the series.
* BaldOfEvil: Has gone bald from age after descending into darkness.
* BeardOfEvil: His only hair left is a silver goatee.
* {{BFS}}: His [[http://www.khwiki.net/images/f/ff/Master_Xehanort%27s_Keyblade_KHBBS.png Keyblade]] is one of the larger ones.
* BigBad: Of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', and as the original Xehanort (sharing this position with [[spoiler:Young Xehanort]]), the franchise itself.
* BlowYouAway: His StormOfBlades in the Keyblade Graveyard in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' seems to be through the use of wind and the Keyblades littering the battlefield.
* BrokenPedestal: As a young boy, Riku idolized the legendary "boy who left the island", and planned to follow suit not only in leaving the island, but in becoming stronger as well. Boy did that pedestal break...
* CainAndAbel: He mentions several times in his writings that he considers Eraqus a brother. [[spoiler:And yet he murders Eraqus in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.]]
* TheChessmaster: Plays everyone in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' to his own ends. [[spoiler:Everything Ansem and Xemnas did was also part of his plan to create 13 avatars of darkness, combine them with the 7 Princess of Hearts' light, and start a second [[{{Gotterdammerung}} Keyblade War]]]].
* TheCorrupter: To Terra and Braig, [[spoiler: though Terra never falls completely until Xehanort possesses him]]. His armor, No Heart even uses this as a ''[[GameplayAndStoryIntegration gameplay mechanic]]'', with one move that slowly replaces your own commands with "Outflow of the Dark," which [[CastingAShadow launches a single dark projectile]] (even for Aqua and Ven, who normally can't use darkness), at the cost of having increasingly-severe StandardStatusEffects inflicted on you (cast it [[FourIsDeath four times]], and you're doomed -- [[TimeDelayedDeath literally]]).
* CrazyPrepared: Managed to plan for his various incarnations' defeats in ''every single game of the series''.
* TheDeterminator: He will do ''anything'' to obtain the power and knowledge of [[MacGuffin Kingdom Hearts]].
* DishingOutDirt: Can raise massive pillars of earth to launch opponents into the air or separate them from their allies.
* EvilCounterpart: To fellow Keyblade Master Eraqus, as well as Sora and Riku.
* EvilLaugh: As a battle quote and in cutscenes, both laughing out loud and chuckling evilly.
* EvilMentor: Toward [[spoiler: Ventus]] in the backstory, and toward Terra during the course of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.
* EvilOldFolks: The oldest character seen so far is one of the most sinister and evil.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: In both the Japanese and English versions of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance'', where he is voiced by Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka and Creator/LeonardNimoy, respectively.
* {{Expy}}: A seemingly harmless and gentle old man who turns out to be an incredibly devious and dangerous blade master with powers over the evil side of the primary supernatural force and propensity for turning people to the dark side. Are we talking about Xehanort or [[Film/StarWars Darth Sidious]]?
* FallenHero: He was once a great Keyblade Master, but he's become one of the most dangerous foes to the worlds that Keyblade Masters are supposed to protect.
* FauxAffablyEvil: In ''[=KH3D=]'', he acts very laid-back and rather friendly with Mickey and Riku (though this may be because he feels so self-assured that destiny will work his way no matter what). Despite this, he is far from being nice. His other incarnations hold various if not worse shades of this, too.
* FlashStep: Uses short range SuperSpeed for his form of TeleportSpam.
* ForTheEvulz: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] He ''pretends'' to act this way in the endgame of ''KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', but it's only to [[BerserkButton enrage]] Terra to get him to embrace his darkness. His actual personality largely averts this, generally being more of a VisionaryVillain.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Hard to believe that such a major threat to the entire universe started out as just a bored kid from Destiny Islands.
* GambitRoulette: [[spoiler:Everything Ansem and Xemnas did was planned out in advance by him. Further, Maleficent, Sora, Riku and most of Organization XIII were all {{Unwitting Pawn}}s in his plans.]]
* GeniusBruiser: One of the smartest people in KHVerse and a very capable combatant despite his old age.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Master Xehanort treats his failure in ''Birth By Sleep'' as a learning lesson, openly admitting he was "hasty" with his plans. He also took his failed attempt to gather the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness in ''3D'' fairly well. Of course, the fact that he plans on trying again helps.]]
* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Transfers his heart and mind into Terra's body at the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.]]
* GreaterScopeVillain: Of the earlier games, through his incarnations carrying out his plans while Master Xehanort exists in shadows, if he's mentioned at all.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Hates Eraqus's pro-light bias, and claims to want [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil Balance Between Light and Darkness]], but his own deeds show a clear pro-darkness bias.
* INeedYouStronger: Keeps forcing Terra to use the power of darkness [[spoiler:in order for it to corrode Terra's heart enough for Master Xehanort to [[GrandTheftMe take over his body]].]]
** HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Terra then uses ThePowerOfHate to turn into AnimatedArmor and kick the crap out of the new Terra-Xehanort]].
* InformedKindness: His Reports look like they were written by a genuinely AffablyEvil AntiVillain. His actual onscreen persona is a FauxAffablyEvil and ObviouslyEvil JerkAss (and his seeming PetTheDog moment with Ven in the flashback quickly turned into a YankTheDogsChain moment when Master simply decided to continue to abuse and exploit him after his survival). [[spoiler:But Master's morally ambiguous younger self may or may not finally subvert this, though he's technically considered a separate character due to his role in the True Organization XIII.]]
* IWasQuiteALooker: Despite being a pretty boy and TallDarkAndHandsome most of his life, he ends up a [[EvilOldFolks creepy]] old [[BaldOfEvil bald]] man.
* {{Irony}}: Became the very imbalance between Light and Darkness he wanted to prevent.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He wants to [[spoiler: [[GrandTheftMe possess Terra]]]] so HE can live to see the results of his global machinations, the life of another be damned. While Master Xehanort is generally a VisionaryVillain, this act of evil is nothing but pure selfishness.
* {{Jerkass}}: His SmugSnake demeanor and [[spoiler:ButForMeItWasTuesday reaction to Terra's, Aqua's, and Ven's {{Senseless Sacrifice}}s]] cement him as this.
* KarmaHoudini: As of ''3D'', he still hasn't paid for his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' deeds. ''III'' should fix this, though.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Kills Eraqus and destroys the Land of Departure, then [[EvilGloating gloats]] about it to Terra.]]
* KungFuWizard: Even as an old man possesses SuperStrength and a vast array of [[BlackMagic dark magic]]. His AnimatedArmor, No Heart, relies on martial arts by attaching his Keyblade to his body as weapon or armor, rather than fighting with the Keyblade itself.
* LackOfEmpathy: Feels no remorse for all the evil he's done or lives he's destroyed. Case in point: when Mickey chews him out for what he did to Terra, Ven, and Aqua in ''3D'', he brushes it off as a case of BecauseDestinySaysSo and that he merely helped them reach their destinies that much quicker. [[SarcasmMode Rrrright...]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Xehanort".
* LivingLegend: As the one person who left the Destiny Islands for other worlds prior to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: [[spoiler:He created Vanitas, the source of all Unversed.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Knows ''exactly'' how to push Terra's buttons to lure him further into the darkness. Even when he finally reveals this to Terra and that he's EvilAllAlong, he's ''still'' pushing Terra toward the darkness--Terra just doesn't know it.
* MasterSwordsman: As shown when [[spoiler:he's a full-memory Terra-Xehanort in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', and when he performs a VillainOverride of his younger self in ''3D'']], he wasn't named a Keyblade Master on magical prowess alone.
* MeaningfulName: The "[[TheMaster Master]]" title, as the original version of Xehanort, a Keyblade Master and [[spoiler:leader of the True Organization XIII]].
* MorphWeapon: As seen with No Heart, he has greater mastery over this element of the Keyblade than the other characters. His Keyblade can become a floating shield, body armor that attaches to his arms or legs, and a set of wings. [[spoiler:As of Dream Drop Distance, it can even [[EvilCounterpart be used with different Keychains]] by different members of the True Organization XIII to have different Keyblade variants.]]
* MortonsFork: He and Vanitas invoke this on Terra and Ven, forcing them to go for the [[SchmuckBait obvious trap]] at the Keyblade Graveyard or else they will kill the other two members of the trio. [[PoorCommunicationKills They don't say anything to Aqua, but she comes as well to save Terra and Ven.]]
* NotHelpingYourCase: Certainly reinforces Eraqus's negative views about darkness.
* OldMaster: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' he's a SquishyWizard who prefers to attack with magic from afar. However, it's only because he's just held back by his old and feeble body. As shown by [[spoiler:Terra-Xehanort and Young Xehanort]], when he's at his full physical potential he has as much power and skill as you'd expect from a Keyblade Master with decades of experience.
* PetTheDog:
** His reports show he was a far cry from an evil mastermind even a few years before the events of ''BBS'', and that he seriously considered just quietly living out his final years in peace.
--->'''Report VIII:''' "Ordinarily, Keyblade Masters take pupils under their wings, malleable minds in which to impress the precepts of the Keyblade wielder and keep our profession alive for generations to come. Was my time drawing to an end, then, after all I had accomplished since casting away the place of my birth? Surely waiting for a quiet death would not do, not when there was still so much I needed to see for myself. Powers help me, I thought, [[{{Foreshadowing}} my body is so old...]]"
** [[spoiler:He also took Ven to Destiny Islands after the creation of Vanitas to let him live out his final days peacefully before falling into an eternal coma. However, when Ven survived, Xehanort proceeded to subvert this moment by continuing to manipulate and torment him, albeit now from behind the scenes.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The calm and calculating blue to Vanitas' AxCrazy red.
* ShockAndAwe: Calls down lightning strikes in battle.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] He acts this way during his tutelage of Ventus, and it's made perfectly clear that everything he is doing is completely and utterly evil and self-serving.
* SlouchOfVillainy: [[spoiler:Gets a magnificent one in ''Dream Drop Distance'', complete with propping his hand on his fist and folding his leg up onto his knee]].
* TheSociopath: Began as WellIntentionedExtremist, but suffered MotiveDecay till he became only interested in acquiring knowledge and power by whatever means, including restarting the Keyblade war.
** It is clear that while he himself [[LackOfEmpathy feels zero attachment to others]], he completely recognizes that others ''do'' feel empathy and deep friendship, as he exploits these feelings to further his plans.
* SquishyWizard: Being an old man, he's rather slow and prefers to use magic from afar while [[VillainTeleportation teleporting to avoid you]].
* StartOfDarkness: Xehanort would have been just another youth looking for an escape from his home [[EvilCounterpart much like Riku]] [[spoiler:if not for the intervention of his Heartless Ansem who had travelled back in time to facilitate his escape. Which means Xehanort was responsible for ''his own'' Start Of Darkness.]]
* TheStoic: In ''Dream Drop Distance'', anyway. [[spoiler: He says nothing nor changes the expression on his face when his plan to implant a part of his heart in Sora is foiled by Lea, and in the confrontation that ensues. This is in stark contrast to his other selves, such as Xigbar, who are far more upset.]]
* StormOfBlades: Can summon a barrage of keyblades to launch at opponents.
* SuperStrength: Despite being a SquishyWizard, he's strong enough to damage Ven's PowerArmor and hold off [[MightyGlacier Terra's]] attacks with one hand.
* ThanatosGambit: Xehanort lets Terra beat him into submission to [[spoiler:[[SecretTestOfCharacter see if Terra is now strong enough to be a worthy vessel]].]]
-->'''Xehanort''': Only now, have I truly won...
* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler: This is what separates him most from [[StarWars Palpatine]], who [[RuleOfTwo genuinely wanted a dark apprentice]]. Xehanort, on the other hand, is lying to Terra [[GrandTheftMe to steal his body.]]]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Despite the fact that Sora has personally thwarted more than one of his {{Evil Plan}}s, Xehanort openly dismisses him as a "dull, ordinary boy" in ''3D''.
** This is a played with trope, though. While Xehanort does dismiss Sora as dull and ordinary, he also notices how [[SpannerInTheWorks Sora]] tends to foil the plans of villains he encounters, [[spoiler: hence why he wants to use Sora as one of his vessels.]]
* TheUnfettered: Nothing and no one will stand in his way as he seeks the power of Kingdom Hearts. And those that try will be destroyed or turned into one of his vessels.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He once believed that the universe was too full of light and believed [[OrderVersusChaos a balance between light and darkness]] was the way for a perfect world to exist. His solution -- begin a Keyblade War to engulf the worlds in darkness, and when he wins and claims the power of Kingdom Hearts, he can remake it in his image of balance. However, he's since become DrunkOnTheDarkSide, and his only goal these days is power and knowledge for the sake of having them.
* WorthyOpponent: Considers [[BigGood Mickey Mouse]] this, instead of just another tool for him to use.
* XanatosGambit: If "Ansem" or Xemnas find the real Kingdom Hearts through their plans, they accomplish what he wants in the first place. If they're killed instead, he gets to come BackFromTheDead and finish the job himself.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Plays everyone and everything within his plans like a boss. He's virtually a god of it considering his incarnations are nearly if not [[CrazyPrepared on the same level of scheming]] he has.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xehanort/Terra-Xehanort]]
!Terra-Xehanort
[[quoteright:185:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/150px-XehanortKHII_1473.png]]
[[caption-width-right:230: "I will guide you to the depths of darkness!"]]
[[caption-width-right:230:Click [[labelnote:here]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Terra-Xehanort_1343.png[[/labelnote]] to see Xehanort as he appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' (spoiler warning)]]

->"The Heartless feed on other's hearts, and they yearn for that energy core. That thing beyond the door must be a heart, too—the heart of this world. There is no proof, but, having felt that immense energy, I am certain. That was the heart of the world."

-->'''Voiced by:''' AkioOhtsuka (Japanese), Creator/RichardEpcar (English)
-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]''

A young man that was found in Radiant Garden in the aftermath of a great battle between several Keyblade wielders, bearing no memories but his name. Ansem nursed him back to health and took him on as an apprentice, but he quickly became obsessed with TheHeartless and Kingdom Hearts, and cast Ansem into the Realm of Darkness and became a Heartless and Nobody to delve deeper into the powers of darkness than his human form would allow. His backstory was a mystery until ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', which explains it in full, revealing his connection to Master Xehanort and his true role in the larger story of the series.

----
* BadassArmfold: His pose when commanding [[GuardianEntity the Guardian]].
* {{BFG}}: Has a pretty big cannon construct to attack you with. Specifically, [[spoiler:Ultima Cannon]].
* {{BFS}}: Uses a big Keyblade. [[spoiler:Master Xehanort's, in fact]].
* BladeSpam: Uses long Keyblade combos, based on [[spoiler:Terra's Ars Solum and Dark Impulse]].
* ColonyDrop: His Meteor spell rains down comets. When fought later he swaps it out for the same Meteor command Terra uses, which brings down one large meteor.
* DashAttack: Rapidly dashes around the arena with [[spoiler:Dark Haze, which replaces Terra's Slide-Sonic Impact as his dodge technique.]]
* DeceptiveDisciple: Perverted the research of his mentor Ansem for evil purposes.
* DishingOutDirt: Can send a shockwave of stone at you. [[spoiler:Based on Terra's Rising Rock command style, though it also resembles Quake.]]
* EvilutionaryBiologist: His experiments on the TheHeartless helped turn them into an entire army of darkness.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:Master Xehanort's heart with Terra's body.]]
* GetBackHereBoss: He dashes around and become immune to damage after you use a special attack like magic or a shotlock. This makes him very hard to pin down without relying on physical attacks or a block-counter strategy. Aqua particularly has problems with this since her best attacks are spells.
* GuardianEntity: The Guardian, a Heartless born from the darkness in his heart.
* LargeHam: Given free reign [[spoiler:as Terra-Xehanort]], Creator/RichardEpcar chews, swallows and regurgitates all of the scenery around him, consumes the entirety of the pork provided for him to chew on and manages to make the impossible possible by outhaming LeonardNimoy.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Had his memories locked away [[spoiler:[[FightingFromTheInside by Terra at the end of]] VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep to prevent Master Xehanort from controlling his body]]. Unfortunately, the memories eventually start coming back. Also [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Braig.
-->'''Braig:''' Please tell me the amnesia was just a sick joke. Boy, this is some cliché."
* LightningBruiser: He moves very fast even without his teleportation, uses devastatingly powerful Keyblade combos, and has a lot of HP compounded by access to Curaga. [[spoiler:Makes perfect sense, since he has [[MightyGlacier Terra's]] power and vitality combined with [[OldMaster Master Xehanort's]] experience and training]].
* LiteralSplitPersonality: Was eventually split into "Ansem" and Xemnas. Xemnas kept his more hands-on combat style [[spoiler:and is hinted to retain some of Terra's devotion to Ven and Aqua]], while "Ansem" kept the Guardian and his magical prowess, [[spoiler:as well as Master Xehanort's outfit]]. Additionally, Ansem believes in the power of darkness while Xemnas believes in ThePowerOfHate, [[spoiler:also reflecting Master Xehanort and Terra.]]
* LivingShadow: His GuardianEntity manifests as a shadow projecting behind him.
* LossOfIdentity: Originally, he was said to be motivated to understand the nature of hearts by his own lack of memories of who he is. ''3D'' revealed that [[spoiler:he was actually just following the plans Master Xehanort had set in place in case he had to seal his heart.]]
* MagicKnight: Uses both Keyblade combos and magic with no preference for either, though his Keyblade strikes are stronger.
* MagicMissileStorm: Shoots out a flurry of dark energy bolts with [[spoiler:Dark Volley.]]
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: Created the crest Heartless and brought countless wild ones into the Realm of Light as well.
* MeaningfulRename: Changed his name to Ansem after banishing his former mentor and taking over his kingdom.
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: [[spoiler:Despite Master Xehanort using an entirely different style of fighting from Terra, once he takes over Terra's body he exclusively uses Terra's attacks, and even uses the same battle stance as Terra. May be due to him not having time to become accustomed to this new body so he goes with what's familiar to it. ([[LightningBruiser Not that it doesn't work]])]]
* MirrorBoss: All of his attacks are ones you have access to yourself: [[spoiler:Block-Counter Hammer, Curaga, Ars Solum, Dark Haze, Dark Volley, Ultima Cannon, the Dark Impulse combo, a tremor similar to Quake and Rising Rock, and variants of Meteor. It's entirely likely that you have some of the same attacks equipped come the end of the game, and save for him having both Dark Volley and Ultima Cannon, you could potentially have an identical moveset.]]
* MonsterSobStory: Became obsessed with the workings of the heart because of his lost memories, and it lead to him doing increasingly amoral experiments to try and understand them. [[spoiler:Subverted in ''Dream Drop Distance'', where it is revealed this was actually because Master Xehanort was slowly taking back over.]]
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: Turned himself into a Heartless and a Nobody so he could acquire more power and [[spoiler:[[AllAccordingToPlan further Master Xehanort's plan]]]].
* MysteriousPast: His past is unclear till ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' [[spoiler:where it's revealed he's [[FallenHero Terra]] after the original Xehanort [[GrandTheftMe took over his body]].]]
* NeckLift: Tries to choke Aqua to death at the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.
* NoCureForEvil: Averted, he has Curaga and is not shy about using it.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Right before Aqua begins to fight him, he teleports ''exactly'' behind Aqua, who immediately jumps away from him.
* OminousLatinChanting: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewhYdzHZ1Vo Dismiss]]", his second battle theme in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''. It's also a BossRemix that samples assorted character themes.
* TheSociopath: [[spoiler:After all, he is Master Xehanort.]]
* StartOfDarkness: ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' - though it's more detailed in the "Ansem Reports" of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts1''.
* SuperStrength: As shown in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', he's strong enough to effortlessly [[NeckLift bodily lift Aqua off of the ground by the neck with one hand]].
* ThatManIsDead: "[[spoiler:Terra's heart has been extinguished! Smothered by the darkness within him!]]"
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Inverted -- when it comes time to fight him, the music for the fight is your character's battle theme. [[spoiler:After seeing what Terra went through at Xehanort's hands before he transformed into the Lingering Will, you'll understand why the Will's battle theme is "[[TranquilFury Rage Awakened]]".]]
* TrueFinalBoss: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', he's the boss of the Final Episode after the three character stories are completed. Averted in ''Final Mix'' though, where the story continues after the fight and there's another boss waiting.
* VillainousBreakdown: The only time he loses his cool in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' is when [[spoiler:the Lingering Will forms]], prompting a snarl of protest. In the subsequent battle he begins by walking towards you slowly, taking the time to block and counter your attacks and attacking back carefully. As the battle continues he starts teleporting rapidly, attacks more aggressively, and breaks out Meteor as his DesperationAttack. Best summed up by this quote:
--> [[spoiler:"Your body submits. Your heart succumbs! So why does your mind ''resist?!''"]]
* VoicesAreMental: As covered under RelationshipVoiceActor, Xehanort is voiced by the son of Master Xehanort's voice actor in the Japanese version. The intended effect is presumably to be that the two characters have the same, but age-affected, voice.
* WalkingSpoiler: Talking about his presence in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' spoils TheReveal that [[spoiler:he's Terra under the control of Master Xehanort's heart.]]
* WalkingWasteland: His presence in Radiant Garden causes an aura of darkness around the world, and while it may just be the time of day there, it's also nighttime when the player investigates.
* WouldHitAGirl: Ask Aqua, who he wails on without mercy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:No Heart]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/932155d6a2f5f4faebd26e251e1fd74a.png]]
-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]''[[note]]the armor is used by Xemnas[[/note]] | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep: Final Mix]]''

A suit of AnimatedArmor, apparently Master Xehanort's Keyblade Armor that he cast off. In ''Birth by Sleep Final Mix'', it is the final challenge of the Mirage Arena once the player has completed all other challenges to achieve an arena rank of 30.
----
* AllYourPowersCombined: Its attack patterns takes cues from every other Xehanort incarnation.
* AnimatedArmor: Apparently it's an empty suit of armor created by the Mirage Arena's simulation.
* BonusBoss: It's the ultimate challenge in ''Final Mix'', making even the other bonus bosses look like warm-ups for it.
* BraggingRightsReward: Defeating him earns the Royal Radiance, the most powerful Keyblade in the game bar-none. However, being that No Heart is the most difficult enemy in the game, getting that Keyblade means you clearly don't need it.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Since the ''2.5 HD'' release removed the multiplayer element, it was nerfed with slightly reduced HP to make it easier for players to challenge alone. It's still going to kick your ass.
* FlyingWeapon: For the first part of the fight with it, it creates a wall of darkness anchored by its floating Keyblade. You have to destroy the Keyblade to disperse the wall so No Heart itself will fight you.
* KungFuWizard: Surprisingly its prefers to turn its Keyblade into attachments for its armor and then beat you up with punch and kick combos, rather than use the Keyblade directly.
* {{Leitmotif}}: It's boss theme, ''Forze dell'Oscurità'', is a combination of both ''Forze del Male'' and ''Darkness of the Unknown'', boss themes for Ansem and Xemnas respectively.
* LightningBruiser: It moves ridiculously fast, has the most HP of any enemy in the game, is NighInvulnerable to most attacks, and can deplete your HP in one combo.
* MagicMissileStorm: It can fire Dark Volley shots in waves.
* MorphWeapon: It can transform its Keyblade into various different forms.
* MythologyGag: It's the same suit of armor Xemnas wore in ''II''.
* StormOfBlades: It continually assaults you with storms of darkness-imbued Keyblades.
* SNKBoss: It can do things no other enemy in the game can do, such as replace your deck commands with decoy darkness commands, create pillars to inflict Slow on you, deplete the recharge timer of all your deck commands, and is generally very fast and very powerful.
* TheVoiceless: It never says a word.
* WeaksauceWeakness: In ''2.5 HD'' it was given a heavy weakness to Shotlocks; a full charge can deplete a full HP bar and then some, and even a partial charge can do heavy damage. Thankfully for its sake, it rarely holds still long enough for a full charge.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:"Ansem"]]
!"Ansem", the Seeker of Darkness (Xehanort's Heartless)
[[quoteright:325:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/325px-Ansem_Render_Action_KHI_7462.png]]
[[caption-width-right:325:"So, you have come this far, and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!"]]
->"All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came."
-->'''Voiced by''': Creator/AkioOhtsuka (Japanese), Billy Zane (''I'' only, English), Creator/RichardEpcar (''II'' onward, English)
-->'''Appearances''': ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''

Xehanort's Heartless who kept the alias "Ansem" that Xehanort himself took. He was the driving force behind the Disney villains's search for the Princesses of Heart, and uses Riku as a vessel to try and obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts. Uniquely for a Heartless, he retains the memories, appearance, and personality of his original self, Xehanort.

He is voiced by Billy Zane in the first game, but replaced with Creator/RichardEpcar from ''Kingdom Hearts II'' onward. This led to more [[FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin Flashbacks With The Other Darrin]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. He is also the first major character of the series to be recast. Zane's performance was still retained for ''1.5''.
----
* AGodAmI: Wishes to access Kingdom Hearts to use as a source of ultimate knowledge and power.
* AirJousting: His Dark Rush Attack has him rush Riku to attack.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Like all the Xehanorts. However, Ansem has the darkest complexion of them all, no doubt due to actually being a Heartless as well as arguably the Xehanort who spends the most time in pure darkness.
* ArchEnemy: Is treated as Riku's after [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts the first game]].
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Ansem was able to remain alive due to his control of Riku, allowing him to continue to exist as long as Riku held darkness in his heart. [[spoiler:However, he was destroyed when [=DiZ=]'s machine at the end of ''II'' purified Riku's heart.]]
* BackFromTheDead: Almost to the point of JokerImmunity. Despite being destroyed two or three times, apparently Ansem is still out there in some form.
* BadassArmFold: His default posture while fighting with his Guardian is to float in the air with his arms cross.
* BadassLongcoat: The original example of the series, before all the Xehanorts began wearing them. Also qualifies as NoShirtLongJacket, his chest bared under the coat.
* BarrierWarrior: Uses both his Guardian and magical barriers offensively.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:He gets what he wants and obtains Kingdom Hearts's power in the end. Unfortunately for him, it turns out to be ''light'' power, not dark power like he thought it was, and he basically implodes as a result.]]
* BigBad: With Maleficent, one half of the BigBadDuumvirate of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', though Ansem is [[TheManBehindTheMan the bigger Bad.]] He's also the BigBad of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]''' "Reverse/Rebirth" mode.
* BishonenLine: The most powerful Heartless in the series (so far) appears completely human and is fully intelligent instead of being a creature of instinct.
* BlackCloak: After destroying Radiant Garden, he unlocked his own heart to traverse worlds and gain more knowledge. Until he possessed Riku, his Heartess could only appear as a hooded figure in a brown cloak with a creepy voice. [[spoiler: It turns out the journey also involved ''TimeTravel'', which required him to give up his "physical existence".]]
* CelestialBody: [[spoiler:His Guardian in his second form in ''[=3D=]'']].
* TheChessmaster: Masterminded the entire plot of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts''
* ChewingTheScenery: Good Lord, once he gains a body of his own, every scene he's in feels like it's being torn apart between his teeth, even the ones where he doesn't have a face!
--> '''"[[PunctuatedForEmphasis KINGDOM HEARTS! FILL ME... WITH THE POWER... OF DARKNESS]]!!!"'''
* CoDragons: [[spoiler:He and Xemnas seem to be this in Master Xehanort's True Organization XIII, being his left and right hand men. Also a case of DemotedToDragon.]]
* ContinuitySnarl: His IronicDeath doesn't mesh with what we learn in ''3D'' and many of his other actions in the original game are downright against Master Xehanort's master plan.
* TheCorrupter: Manages to not only be this to Riku for ''Kingdom Hearts'', but also to [[spoiler:Young Xehanort, through the use of TimeTravel to impose his own StartOfDarkness]].
* CreepyMonotone: Earlier in the game when he was wearing a brown cloak and wasn't wolfing down scenery.
* DeadlyDisc: Most of his battles involve shooting discs of dark energy at you.
* DemonicPossession: Of Riku in part of ''Kingdom Hearts'' and once in ''Chain of Memories''.
* DoubleWeapon: His final form uses a lance resembling two huge Soul Eaters fused together.
* DramaticIrony: The audience (and Riku) know that the main in the brown robe and Ansem are one and the same; however, it's not until towards the end of ''Dream Drop Distance'' that Sora learns this.
* EnemyWithin: To Riku from ''Chain of Memories'' through the explosion of the Kingdom Hearts encoder in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* EnemyWithout: Acts like this to Riku in ''Dream Drop Distance''.
* EnergyBall: Another common attack of his Guardian is to batter you with orbs of darkness. In ''3D'' he uses a very powerful version for his desperation attack.
* EldritchAbomination: Being a Heartless and all. However, he's more of a HumanoidAbomination than them, as he's the only intelligent, fully-sentient Heartless we've seen thus far, and the only one to maintain a human form.
* EvilVsEvil: Averted: both he and the Organization are operating independently during the time frame between ''Birth by Sleep'' and the end of ''Kingdom Hearts'', and never oppose each other, though Organization's members are aware of his existence and nature as Xemnas' Heartless counterpart. [[spoiler: Ansem and Xemnas never oppose each other because they're literally working for the same goal, Kingdom Hearts, and if one succeeds, great, Master Xehanort wins.]]
* EvilMentor: Always trying to advise Riku to give into the darkness, be it his or his original incarnation. In ''Dream Drop Distance'' he almost sounds FauxAffablyEvil when giving him a final lecture and offer on it. It backfires on him because Riku begins to weaponize darkness and use it against him.
* FightingSpirit: The guardian itself is invincible and more or less a this for Ansem.
* {{Flanderization}}: The first game presented Ansem as a misguided scientist that [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jumped Off the Slippery Slope]] when his curiosity went too far. His experiments, while horrifyingly amoral, were done in the name of genuine scientific curiosity, and lead him to believe that all beings are born from darkness and darkness is the source of all power and knowledge. He encouraged Riku and Sora to accept this and open their hearts to darkness to be stronger, and was disappointed when Sora refused to believe him, declaring him ignorant. However, with the {{Retcon}} that this Ansem is an impostor who delved into darkness knowingly and the kindly ruler of Hollow Bastion that Leon and Aerith spoke of was someone else, he is cast in a more villainous light, and subsequent appearances play him up as a CardCarryingVillain in contrast to Xemnas's TragicVillain and Master Xehanort's VisionaryVillain.
* FusionDance: With the Guardian for his final forms.
* FrickinLaserBeams: Summons {{Energy Ball}}s which fire them.
* GenreBlind: He thought darkness was the true source of all power and knowledge from which everyone and everything was created. ''In a '''Disney''' game''. The in-game Kingdom Hearts [[LightIsGood set him straight]].
* GlovedFistOfDoom: Even makes the usual pose with it a few times.
* GuardianEntity: "Come, Guardian!" His entire fighting style involves floating around letting the Guardian fight for him and defend him. His final form in the first game is the only time when Ansem himself fights.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** Kingdom Hearts, the so-called ultimate darkness he was searching for, turns out to be light, and ends up doing him in.
** He also tried to corrupt Riku with darkness, only for Riku to turn that darkness into a weapon and become immune to corruption from it.
* ItCanThink: Unlike all other Heartless, which are explicitly described as being mindless creatures who function on instinct, Ansem retains all of his intelligence and higher reasoning. The real Ansem theorizes that this is because Xehanort willingly became a Heartless.
* KneelBeforeZod: Declares this to Riku when trying to tempt him back to darkness.
--> "You are weak. You need darkness. Surrender. Bow to darkness. Bow to me."
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: He believed that the true essence of the heart is darkness. To his surprise, he was proven wrong when Kingdom Hearts, instead of granting him the power of supreme darkness, vanquished him with its light.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: With the exception of the first game's final battle, any battle theme involving him opens with a series of six [[OminousPipeOrgan organ chords]]. He's always got some variation or reprise of ''Forze del Male'' or ''Guardando nel Buio''.
* LargeHam: By far the largest within the entire series.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: The big reveal about him being Xehanort's Heartless was a major spoiler back in ''II'' that entirely cast the events of the first game in a new light. But by 2015, we've known this for about 10 years, so it's not even spoiler-marked anymore.
* LivingShadow: The Guardian, which in some renders is shown to literally extend from his feet like a shadow.
* TheMagnificent: Seeker of Darkness. [[BrickJoke This becomes far more relevant as the games go on.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Played both the villains and [[spoiler:Riku]] through their darkest desires.
* TheManBehindTheMan: To Maleficent, manipulating her to gather the Princesses of Heart.
* NoNameGiven: Sort of. This is the only Xehanort incarnation to not be given a proper name of his own, he's only ever referred to as Ansem or Xehanort's Heartless by other characters. His original title "the Seeker of Darkness" was discarded after the first game, but persisted in the fandom for the sake of differentiating him from the other "Ansems" including the real thing, and then became AscendedFanon as a title for Xehanort in general, to the point where an alternate title for "the Xehanort Saga" that WordOfGod has given is "The Dark Seeker Chronicle".
* OmnicidalManiac: He was out to use the Heartless and the Disney Villains to destroy the universe with darkness.
* OnlyMostlyDead: Even after being destroyed by ''Kingdom Hearts'', a small piece of himself was still alive in Riku. [[spoiler:It got purged in the sequel]].
* PowerFloats: He's always floating around in combat, and is usually only shown standing on the ground in cutscenes.
* RedBaron: The Seeker of Darkness. [[spoiler: Not exclusive to him.]]
* SequentialBoss: First you fight Ansem, then Ansem again, then a Darkside, then you fight Ansem attached to the World of Darkness before fighting the ship itself, then finally Ansem again.
* SignificantAnagram: Probably unintentional, but "nAmes" is surprisingly relevant to anyone with the name Ansem; they all have more than one name.
* SizeShifter: He's absolutely enormous for his final battle in the first game.
* ShirtlessScene: As the final boss of the first game. What a body.
* TheSociopath: Literally heartless, not to mention it comes with the territory as an incarnation of Xehanort.
* SphereOfPower: [[spoiler: In his new battle phase in ''3D'' his Guardian becomes one.]]
* SphereOfDestruction: [[spoiler:His new attack in ''3D'' is to trap you in one.]]
* SquishyWizard: Ansem almost never fights directly, relying on the Guardian to attack for him while he floats around, occasionally summoning it to defend him. He is also far and away the most magically-inclined of the Xehanorts.
* StarterVillain: For the entire franchise. [[spoiler: Though he does return in later entries as well, alongside other villains, and suffering no VillainDecay in the process.]]
* TheStoic: Prior to possessing Riku, after which all bets are off and [[ChewingTheScenery no scenery will be left unchewed]]
* StrawNihilist: "All things begin in darkness, and all so end." Yeah, Sora basically tells him this is complete bull, and guess who turns out to be right.
* TeleportSpam: Ansem does this with his Guardian for his Dark Shadow attack, sending him into a portal into the ground and rising and [[{{Shoryuken}} uppercutting the enemy]].
* TimeTravel: [[spoiler:''3D'' reveals this is why he lacks a body of his own, after he was spawned from Terra-Xehanort, he cast off his body to be able to travel through time.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Ansem was not a terribly difficult final boss in ''Kingdom Hearts''. For his return in [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]], on the other hand, he becomes ''far'' more powerful, both as a boss and in a case of CutscenePowerToTheMax, where he effortlessly subdues Riku, who not ten minutes before beat the snot out of him.
* TransformationOfThePossessed: After possessing Riku in the first game, he morphs Riku's body into one resembling a long-haired Young Xehanort wearing Master Xehanort's outfit.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Gets a rather subdued one in [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance KH3D]] when Riku [[WeCanRuleTogether rejects his offer]] to embrace [[TheDarkSide the darkness]]. This is what triggers the boss battle.]]
* VocalEvolution: Richard Epcar's voice acting improved a lot between ''[=KH2=]'' and ''Re:[=COM=]'', although it's more like the vocal director gave him some breathing room instead of forcing him to try and out-ham Billy Zane with unsuccessful results. [[spoiler:He's also significantly better in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'']]. Also, Akio Ohtsuka himself was actually over-the-top hammy to an annoying level in the original Japanese version of ''Kingdom Hearts'', but also sounded a lot better in ''Re: [=COM=]''.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: As of ''3D'', he was given a completely new face to better resemble his other incarnations.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: After Kairi completes the Final Keyhole Ansem says this to her, which unfortunately for him was [[MoralityPet the one thing Riku wasn't willing to do]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xemnas]]
!Xemnas
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Young Xehanort]]
!Young Xehanort
[[quoteright:236:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Unknown3D_4039.png]]
[[caption-width-right:236:"You haven't the slightest idea where you actually are."]]

->"I will be led wherever it is I am destined to go."

-->'''Voiced by''': Takanori Okuda (Japanese), David Gallagher (English, ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'') / Creator/BenDiskin (English, ''Dream Drop Distance'')
-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:Coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''

As the Unknown, this enigmatic figure first appeared in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' to challenge the heroes in the Land of Departure as a BonusBoss. Why he had shown up is also [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin completely unknown]] -- [[TheQuietOne he doesn't say a word]]; even the Keyblade he drops upon defeat is simply named "No Name". Despite the seemingly [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment random]] encounter, WordOfGod confirms that the battle with one of the trio is canon.

Later on he reappears in ''Dream Drop Distance'' as the main antagonist and is described as a being travelling worlds that causes beings of darkness to manifest in his wake. He was revealed to be another incarnation of Master Xehanort, and is working on another scheme to seize power. He is distinguished by somehow having the ability to manipulate time, which is a critical plot point.

The first "Unknown" is a BonusBoss in ''Kingdom Hearts Final Mix'', and was [[ChekhovsGunman eventually revealed]] to be Xemnas.
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* AmbiguouslyEvil: His moral standing is [[AmbiguousSituation rather unclear]] - mostly because he doesn't fully understand what he's doing, and he believes he wouldn't have any control over his actions even if he did. Creator/BenDiskin [[http://www.khinsider.com/news/Exclusive-KHInsider-Interviews-Ben-Diskin-3022 has mentioned that]] he was deliberately instructed to ''not'' make the character sound stereotypically evil.
* AnIcePerson: In ''3D'' he can fire ice shards at Riku.
* TheAssimilator: [[spoiler:His goal is to travel to different time periods to gather appropriate vessels to become Xehanort clones.]]
* BadassBaritone: In the English version, at least compared to his very youthful Japanese voice.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: [[spoiler:Not even Xehanort himself is above his manipulations -- Young Xehanort says that although he'll forget what he's learned of the future when he returns to his own time, the knowledge will remain in his heart and he will inevitably live out the life he is meant to lead to bring everything to this point. He also comments that a rule of time travel is that you cannot change events that are meant to happen, implying this to be in effect for the entire series.]]
* BerserkButton: In his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep fight'', trying to attack him while he's in the middle of his BeamSpam is a ''bad'' idea. He usually stands there and lets his beams do the work, but try and attack him and he decides to start attacking you again while the beams are still firing, and this will likely get you killed.
** And then in ''Dream Drop Distance'', the only time he breaks his CreepyMonotone is when [[spoiler:Riku tries to rescue Sora before he can be made the 13th Xehanort vessel]]. However, WordOfGod reveals that this may be more a BerserkButton of [[spoiler:Master Xehanort, who imposed VillainOverride on him and caused the personality change and enhanced power set]].
* {{BFS}}: The keyblade associated with him, No Name, is pretty big. [[spoiler:His variation of the No Name in ''3D'' is even larger]].
* BifurcatedWeapon: His laser blades can connect into a DoubleWeapon, but he usually wields them separately, only connecting them during his combos.
* {{Bishonen}}: While Ansem and Xemnas also apply, this one has the youthful face to go with it.
* BlackCloak: His only attire, as a throw-back to Xemnas's BonusBoss appearance.
* BlowYouAway: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' he can use Whirlwind to the Void and knock away your commands.
* BonusBoss: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.
* BroughtDownToBadass: The ''Final Mix'' version of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' (and by extension the ''2.5 HD'' port) allows players to escape from his Collision Magnet attack by dashing away in midair, and as it's his most infamous and deadly attack, it's a welcome relief. He's at full power everywhere else, however, and is still a very powerful opponent.
* CallBack: In ''[=3D=]'', as he attempts to rewind time, you will be bombarded with attacks from his ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' battle.
* ChekhovsGunman: First appears as a BonusBoss in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''; his next appearance in ''Dream Drop Distance'' sees him as TheHeavy.
* CoolKey: The No Name is a LaserBlade Keyblade with a clock motif. [[spoiler:And his variant of it in ''3D'' adds demonic faces to the mix.]]
* CreepyMonotone: He never raises his voice or shows much any emotion outside of facial expressions. Justified, as [[spoiler:he's taking part in events he's going to forget about once he's done, is doing things he's meant to do anyway, and probably doesn't fully understand what he's been told]] -- his emotional investment in things isn't much.
* CrosshairAware: Try to charge up your Shotlock and he teleports to avoid your targeting cursor.
* DoppelgangerAttack: Summons four copies of himself in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' to attack you all at once. The clones vanish in one attack, if you can manage to get one in, because they're all going to attack at once and will not let up. The second phase of the fight in ''3D'' is a Doppelganger ''Battle'' -- [[spoiler:you can't actually damage Young Xehanort himself, you have to attack the clock emblem, which is producing a constant stream of clones to attack]].
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: This is Xehanort from before he was chosen by the Keyblade and ''long'' before he gained dark powers as Master Xehanort. Lacking a Keyblade does not keep him from putting up a fight against full-fledged Masters or near-Masters like Aqua and Terra. The "Empowered" comes in because he was taught how to control time from his later incarnations, and thus he probably didn't have that power at first.
* TheFatalist: His attitude regarding the BecauseDestinySaysSo entry above.
* FinalBoss: In ''3D''. The story hits its climax with his battle, the boss after is just a PostFinalBoss to tie up a final loose end, and is much easier to defeat while this guy is still up to ''BBS'' levels of power.
* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:He ends up getting possessed by his original incarnation, Master Xehanort, in his boss battle in ''3D''. Which in turn, grants him brief control over a variation of his standard Keyblade and to initially break free of Mickey's Stopza spell]].
* TheHeavy: In ''Dream Drop Distance''. He's not the main antagonist, but he's the one driving the plot in their stead.
* HelpYourselfInTheFuture: [[spoiler:This is essentially what he's doing, helping his future self form the new Organization XIII advance his MesACrowd plot.]]
* InterfaceScrew:
** He can actually knock commands off of his opponent, who is forced to scramble to pick them up off the ground ''while dodging his attacks''.
** It's a bit unclear if it's actually intentional on the developers' part, but in ''[=3D=]'' his TeleportSpam is too fast for the camera to track at times, so if you're locked on it can seriously screw with your dodging.
* {{Invisibility}}: Has a penchant for going invisible and pulling out an instant KO combo.
* LaserBlade: Dual wields two laser blades as his weapons. The Keyblade you get from him, No Name, is a LaserBlade [[CoolKey Keyblade]]. [[spoiler:And then in ''3D'' he wields a variation of it over his laser blades for the first part of the battle with him.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: His character them is [[spoiler:"Xehanort -The Early Years-"]]. He also has two battle themes exclusive to him, "Dark Impetus" and "[[GratuitousItalian L'Impeto Oscuro]]."
* LightningBruiser: He moves and teleports rapidly and hits with combos powerful enough to drain you from full health to critical.
* MagicMissileStorm: Can shoot barrages of darkness that will afflict you with Slow.
* MindOverMatter: He force-pushes both Riku and Mickey at different points.
* MindRape: [[spoiler:Subjects poor Sora to this.]]
* MirrorBoss: Has many of the same commands as you such as [[ColonyDrop Meteor]], [[PlayingWithFire Raging Storm, Mega Flare]], Collision Magnet, Restore Barrier, Sonic Blade, Vanitas's X-shaped SwordBeam, Marluxia's Doom and Whirlwind to the Void, {{Laser Blade}}s like Xemnas, can clone himself like Xemnas, and in ''Dream Drop Distance'' he even [[spoiler:wields a Keyblade]]. ''Dream Drop Distance'' also justifies how he can do this, [[spoiler:since he's a young Xehanort that has visited multiple time periods to gather alter-egos of his future self. Notice most of those attacks can be used by people Xehanort has corrupted, so presumably this Xehanort is privy to AllYourPowersCombined.]]
* MorphWeapon: Combines his separate blades into one, throws them out as orbs of light to shoot out like projectiles, elongates them to stab forward, and can fling them through the air like a whip. [[spoiler:Also does many of the same tricks with his Keyblade in ''3D'']].
* MythologyGag: He's a thematic retraux of the Unknown BonusBoss from ''Kingdom Hearts Final Mix'', wielding similar weapons and appearing in a similar fashion, and like it foreshadowing the BigBad of the next game.
* TheQuietOne: He's very soft-spoken and calm, especially compared to [[LargeHam your typical Xehanort]]. Even in battle, he doesn't use attack calls like most bosses and only lets out the occasional grunt with a handful of actual dialogue. The one time he raises his voice is when [[spoiler:Master Xehanort performs VillainOverride and takes over his body, but then that's not even Young Xehanort doing it.]]
* PaintingTheMedium: He can knock the commands out of your menu, when he reverses time the music goes backwards too, and he teleports to avoid your targeting sensor when you try to use a Shotlock. And then in ''3D'' he can replay cutscenes.
* PlayingWithFire: Can use Mega Flare and Raging Storm in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', and in ''3D'' he can use a fiery variation of Whirlwind to the Void in the second phase of his battle.
* PunchClockVillain: In a certain sense of the word -- as far as he's concerned he's just doing what's destined to be done, and while such acts are evil, there's no malice in his demeanor. [[spoiler:And given that this is a teenaged Xehanort from before he [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jumped Off The Slippery Slope]], how evil he was before Ansem told him about what he's going to end up becoming is up for discussion]].
* ReverseGrip: Holds his laser blades like this. [[spoiler:Not his Keyblade, however.]]
* ShoutOut: During his Desperation move, he yells out [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure "TOKI WO TOMARE!"]]
** In addition to this, he has an attack where he conjures a bunch of ice shards around him that, after a sudden flash of light, are inexplicably surrounding and about to converge on Riku.
* SNKBoss: He can clone himself, with all five clones able to attack individually, his "Colision Magnet" attack stuns you so the follow-up attack ''doesn't'' trigger Second Chance, can blow your command cards across the arena forcing you to pick them up, and any time you land a hit on him he may decide to rewind time to undo the damage and recover from the blow. This is in addition to his lightning-fast, powerful attacks. Then he gets weak, when he turns invisible, preventing you from targeting him, and begins to use multiple attacks at once, in addition to all of the previous.
* SpeedEchoes: During his battle in ''3D'' he'll teleport just as you initiate an attack, leaving an afterimage.
* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:It's implied he became able to move through the worlds and leave Destiny Islands because of Ansem, and though his memories of what he's learned regarding what his other incarnations will do will be erased when he returns to his own time, the knowledge of the events will remain embedded in his heart and draw him to live them out]].
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:His meeting with Ansem [=SoD=] sent him forward through time to help himself, ingraining his destined path into his heart.]]
* SwordBeam: Can fire them in ''3D''.
* ThemeSongReveal: According to WordOfGod, his theme "Dark Impetus" contains a clue to his identity. It seems to take elements from [[spoiler: "Rage Awakened" (Terra's Lingering Sentiment), "Darkness of the Unknown" (Xemnas' final battle theme in ''Kingdom Hearts II''), and "Lord of the Castle" (Marluxia's final battle theme in ''Re:Chain of Memories'').]] Which mostly all fits together when you learn he's [[spoiler:a younger Xehanort that orchestrates the re-creation of Organization XIII]].
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Does this during one of his combos.
* TimeMaster: He can avert NoCureForEvil by rewinding time to before you hit him. It even makes the background music go in reverse for a few seconds. [[spoiler:His desperation move in ''3D'' is this on a larger scale -- he rewinds the battle to the start of the fight, even replaying the intro cutscene over again to complete the illusion, but he only recovers two bars of health]]. He's also able to resist Mickey's fourth-level Stopza spell, which even Ansem and Xemnas are halted by - although this may have something to do with [[spoiler:Master Xehanort taking control of his body, given the fact that it's shortly after this that his Keyblade appears.]]
* TimeTravel: [[spoiler:Is a younger Master Xehanort traveled forward in time from the past.]]
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: It's not much of a spoiler listing him here in the Xehanort section, since the trailers for ''Dream Drop Distance'' spoiled his status as yet another Xehanort by simply showing [[SupernaturalGoldEyes what]] [[WhiteHairBlackHeart he]] [[BlackCloak looks]] [[LegacyCharacter like]] -- it's just a matter of figuring out in what way. [[WordOfGod Tetsuya Nomura]] also spoiled a major plot twist near the end of the game by confirming outright that the white-haired figure in the black cloak was the ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' BonusBoss.
* {{Troll}}: Most of his appearances throughout ''3D'' are him just appearing to taunt Sora and occasionally Riku before vanishing. [[spoiler:Turns out this is precisely the idea, since he's luring Sora deeper into his dream world in order to MindRape him.]] Also acts as this to the player, [[spoiler:constantly rewinding time to reset the battle with him and keep the fight going on longer and longer.]]
* TurnsRed: When low on health in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' he'll turn invisible and will begin using multiple attacks at once. And then in ''3D'', he gets faster, teleports more often, and his attacks are harder to avoid.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:He was very similar to Riku in his youth - just a boy tired of being stuck on Destiny Islands and wanting to see the world.]]
* VillainOverride: [[spoiler:[[AllThereInTheManual According to the Ultimania for]] ''3D'', Master Xehanort did this to him for the battle with Riku in Where Nothing Gathers so as to be able to override the Stopza imposed by Mickey.]]
* WhipSword: Can extend and lash his weapons out to ensnare opponents.
* YouCantFightFate: In a conversation with a young Eraqus in ''III'', Xehanort says he believes that the future has "already been written", likely due to him subconsciously remembering his time travel in ''3D''.
-->'''Eraqus:''' Who's to say I can't change it? And maybe light will prevail. There is more to light than meets the eye. You might be surprised.\\
'''Xehanort:''' Oh, I hope so.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Braig]]
!Braig/Xigbar

!Braig
[[quoteright:211:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Braig_5039.png]]

-->"For a Keyblade Master, you're not very—what's the word—good?"

-->'''Voiced by''': HochuOtsuka (Japanese), James Patrick Stuart (English)
-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''

Braig was one of Ansem the Wise's six apprentices. He also appears in ''Birth by Sleep'' as a recurring foe, and turns out to be a lot more important than anyone suspected. For his Nobody who was part of Organization XIII, and is one of the XIII Seekers of Darkness see [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII here]].

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* AccentAdaptation: His surfer-dude accent in the English version of ''KHII'' is the Japanese version of a similar accent to reflect his laid-back attitude. It gets downplayed in later appearances, though.
* AffablyEvil: He's quite friendly and jovial for a major villain.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: In ''3D'', as Xigbar, despite the destruction of his Heartless and Nobody meaning that it should've been Braig who came back. It is possible that he's simply being ''called'' Xigbar, or prefers that identity. The ''2.5 Remix'' release makes it clear that Braig did come back as he was before becoming a Nobody showing that both him and his time traveling Nobody are in the true Organization XIII.]]
* BastardUnderstudy: [[spoiler: As Braig to Master Xehanort. The secret ending of ''Birth by Sleep'' even shows that every event that transpires in the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' onwards is attributed to him carrying out Master Xehanort's plans.]]
* BifurcatedWeapon: He can combine his arrowguns to make a SniperRifle.
* BreakoutVillain: Similar to Axel/Lea, Braig's and his Nobody Xigbar's roles in the series has greatly expanded with each release.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He's a powerful Nobody and useful ally for Xehanort, but he's rather eccentric compared to most of the non-Disney villains.
* CatchPhrase: "As if!"
* ChekhovsGunman: His Nobody first appears in ''Kingdom Hearts 2'', where his role in the Organization is secondary to Xemnas, Saix, and Axel. [[spoiler: By ''Birth By Sleep'' it turns out every major event that transpires over the course of the series happens because he planted the ideas in Xehanort's head.]].
* CoDragons: With Vanitas to Master Xehanort in ''BBS''. [[spoiler:He, as Braig, probably served as TheCorrupter for Terra-Xehanort, given that he's been at least partially possessed by Xehanort since the events of ''Birth by Sleep'', to make sure that Xehanort's plan weren't laid to waste.]]
* DarkChick: [[spoiler: He is this in the true Organization, being Xehanort's most chatty and least serious vessel.]]
* DeceptiveDisciple: He was scheming to betray Ansem before any of the other apprentices even had the thought.
* DeadpanSnarker: He's got a very dry and cynical wit.
* EvilMakeover: [[spoiler:Braig started out with brown eyes and normal ears. By the end of the game, his remaining eye is yellow and his ears are pointed, a sign of Xehanort's possession over him.]]
* EyepatchOfPower: He begins wearing one after Terra scars him with a Dark Volley shot. See next trope.
* EyeScream: ''Birth by Sleep'' shows that Braig lost his right eye by being hit in the face with a ball of darkness fired by Terra's Keyblade.
* FamilyFriendlyFirearms: Though less so in ''Dream Drop Distance''.
* FriendlySniper: Though he was definitely an AffablyEvil Sniper as Braig.
* GrandTheftMe: In ''Dream Drop Distance'', his Nobody reveals that [[spoiler:he's been influenced/partially possessed by Xehanort since ''Birth by Sleep'']].
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Take a wild guess which. Like with his eye, Xigbar received this as Braig by having a ball of dark energy from Terra's Keyblade graze his face when it was launched to free Master Xehanort from the chains that bound him to a pillar.
* GravityMaster: Uses this to move along walls and ceilings.
* GunsAkimbo: Dual-wields two Arrowguns.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: It's implied that Braig is envious of the Keyblade wielders and joined Xehanort in the first place in hopes of becoming one himself.
** BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler: Of course, being turned into a copy of Xehanort himself isn't necessarily the best way to go about getting your own Keyblade... Possibly subverted in that Braig willingly went along with the Nortification process aware of the trade-off.]]
* JapanesePronouns: "Ore."
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a selfish jerk and troll who doesn't even really respect Master Xehanort, the guy he's working for.
* LampshadeHanging: As Braig in ''Birth by Sleep'', notes about Terra's Keyblade "seems like these days everybody's got one of those", and remarks on Xehanort's amnesia "boy, this is some cliché."
* LaughablyEvil: He's evil but he's got a decent sense of humor, especially among the normally serious Xehanorts.
* TheNicknamer: Tends to give nicknames to the heroes he meets.
* NotWhatISignedOnFor: After losing his eye and getting a facial scar from Terra, Braig furiously attacks Master Xehanort, who had apparently said he wouldn't get hurt.
-->'''Braig''': I didn't sign up to be collateral damage!
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He's probably one of the smarter members of Ansem the Wise's six apprentices, particularly in regards to Xehanort's plans and the Keyblade.
* MoreThanMeetsTheEye: When he's not interacting with others and is talking to Xehanort, Braig shows a very different side to him.
* ParanoiaFuel: At the end of ''Birth by Sleep'', [[spoiler:Xehanort]] acts as an in-universe example of this for him. [[spoiler:Braig isn't 100% sure that it's not really Terra under there, and given that Terra was the one who scarred Braig's face, his uneasiness is almost palpable.]] [[spoiler:Given that he's at least partially Xehanort at the time, he's probably fearing that Terra's memories would resurface and their plans getting laid to waste.]]
* PersonalityPowers: He plays with people and with gravity, it fits.
* PointyEars: [[spoiler: Courtesy of partial Xehanort possession.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Often derisively calls Master Xehanort an "old coot," even to his face.
* SpaceMaster: With some overlap with GravityMaster. He is able to completely change the makeup of his boss arena at will when fought in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', as well as having more control over Corridors of Darkness to attack from multiple angles at once.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The North American release of ''KHII'' misinterpreted his name as Bleig; the PAL release and all subsequent games rectified this.
* {{Supernatural Gold Eye|s}}: [[spoiler:Braig's remaining eye becomes yellow after he accepts Xehanort's gradual possession of him.]]
* SurferDude: His English speech patterns are modeled after this.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: Thanks to his space attribute, he can teleport at will.
* TallDarkAndSnarky: When he's Braig, [[spoiler:before he gets his scars from Terra.]]

!Xigbar
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Isa]]
!Isa/Saix
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII for Saix.''
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsSupportingOriginals for Isa.''
[[/folder]]

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-->'''Voiced by''': AkioOhtsuka (Japanese), Billy Zane[=/=]Creator/RichardEpcar (English)
-->'''Appearances''': ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:Coded]] | [[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''

-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] [[note]]the armor is used by Xemnas[[/note]] |[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep: Final Mix]]''

A suit of AnimatedArmor, apparently Master Xehanort's Keyblade Armor that he cast off. It is the final challenge of the Mirage Arena once the player has completed all other challenges to achieve an arena rank of 30.

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[[folder:Xehanort]]
![[spoiler:Terra-]]Xehanort

-->'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]''

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