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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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!!Tropes that apply to Axel]]
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!!Tropes that apply to Axel]]Axel
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) Sora]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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The [[BestFriend best of friends]], [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]], [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]], and [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]] were Organization XIII's number VIII, XIII, and XIV respectively. Roxas and Xion, who are amnesiac and curious about the world, would rather hang around Twilight Town and eat sea-salt ice cream than worry about the Organization's plans; Axel, though knowing about said plans, nonetheless treats the two as his friends, rather than as the Organization's tools. Things start to fall apart when Xion and Roxas begin to attempt to learn more about their pasts, while Axel tries to balance lies and the truth to keep them together.
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The [[BestFriend best of friends]], [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]], [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]], Axel, Roxas, and [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]] Xion were Organization XIII's number VIII, XIII, and XIV respectively. Roxas and Xion, who are amnesiac and curious about the world, would rather hang around Twilight Town and eat sea-salt ice cream than worry about the Organization's plans; Axel, though knowing about said plans, nonetheless treats the two as his friends, rather than as the Organization's tools. Things start to fall apart when Xion and Roxas begin to attempt to learn more about their pasts, while Axel tries to balance lies and the truth to keep them together.
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[[folder:General tropes]]
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[[folder:Roxas]]
!Roxas, The Key of Destiny
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roxas_khiii_0.png]]
''[[caption-width-right:350:[[QuestForIdentity "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Roxas in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/568_6star_casual_roxas_render.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KoukiUchiyama (Japanese), Music/{{Jesse McCartney}} (English)
!!!'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI I]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"What are you talking about? I am me! Nobody else!"''
\\
Organization XIII's 13th member. A mysterious Nobody able to wield the Keyblade, he defected when he realized that the Organization (sans Axel, though at the time Roxas doubted even that) cared nothing for him. He's revealed to be Sora's Nobody, born when Sora took his own heart in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. Roxas ultimately chose to merge back with Sora around the time his summer vacation ended but eventually accepted his fate as he could still exist inside of Sora's heart.
As time passed and attitudes changed, however, Sora ultimately resolved to give Roxas his own life autonomous from him, especially after learning Roxas had indeed developed his own heart during his life. These efforts came to fruition during the Second Keyblade War, in which Roxas's heart was placed inside a Replica which finally allowed Roxas to begin a life that was wholly his own - and one that reunited him with his best friends at last.
-----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: Roxas obtains the ability to [[DualWielding dual wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades]] during the first part of the last mission in ''358/2 Days''. His attacking speed and power increase dramatically, letting him quickly kill the Neoshadows that spawn with only one or two hits.
* AbsurdCuttingPower: His Keyblades are a lot sharper than giant keys have any right to be.
* AllegedLookalikes: As Sora's Nobody, he's often noted to have a strong resemblance to him... for some reason. Their faces ''are'' identical, but this is difficult to see when their usual facial expressions are so different, not to mention the different hair and voices. Other human/Nobody pairs ''are'' basically identical (compare Axel and Lea), and conspicuously, no one ever points out a resemblance between the similar Kairi and Naminé. Later games open up the possibility that Sora/Roxas were actually being compared to Vanitas/Ventus respectively (characters tend to omit ''who'' they're making a comparison to), but there are several occasions where that is obviously not the case.
* AnimeHair: His hair is spiky, as the front concentrates the spikes on the right side of his head as if windswept, while the back is smoother and more flaky.
* AntiHero: Roxas is short-tempered, aggressive, blunt, and stands his ground against his foes. He can be arrogant, confident, and cocky as proven in his battles. He can be rightfully selfish in certain intervals. However, Roxas is shown to be not be very ruthless and is merciful to his enemies, as he spares a severely weakened Saïx and tries, albeit harshly, to convince Riku that fighting him is pointless.
* AntiVillain: Even during his time in the Organization, he was never really "evil" and moreso just wanted to find out who he was. Once he vents his frustration in his fight with Sora, he's satisfied enough and drops all traces of villainy.
* ArtificialFamilyMember: ''III'' seems to imply that Sora considers Roxas his brother, as Hiro talking about how Tadashi, his own brother, still lives on inside the hearts of Hiro himself and the rest of Big Hero 6 causes Sora to briefly see the superhero team as the Twilight Town trio and Sora himself as Roxas.
* AsleepForDays: Roxas spends three weeks in a coma as a result of Sora's own coma in ''Days'', and is looked after by Xion.
* AssassinOutclassin: Roxas foiled every attempt by Organization XIII to terminate him.
* ATasteOfPower: His DualWielding is a thing to be feared against anything that tries to fight him. In ''Days'', the player blazes through hordes of some of the most fearsome Heartless without issue.
* AttackAttackAttack: In comparison to Sora, Roxas seems to have a far more aggressive style: he is constantly on the offensive, and abandons any defensive moves he had previously used, such as the Guard technique and magic, in favor of speed and strength. In their mental struggle in the Dive to the Heart, he briefly manages to overpower and disarm Sora with simple brute force. In this battle, he also has a more aggressive stance than he did when fighting Axel.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: In the manga, after taking a bite out of a mushroom in Wonderland, Roxas grows into a giant that towers over the forest and forces Luxord to ride in his ear.
* AwesomeButImpractical: His signature DualWielding style with the Oathkeeper and Oblivion keyblades is available for usage in the Mission Mode of ''358/2 Days'' by equipping 3 ability slots on Zero Gear while playing as him. Sadly, despite its high stats and being primarily based on his attacks from his boss fight, it's reliant on [[DeathOfAThousandCuts very long, elaborate combo strings with little individual damage with each swing.]] In a game, where the majority of enemies don't stagger to most attacks and limited windows of vulnerability, you're usually better off with a weapon with shorter combos but higher individual damage per hit.
** His unique DualWielding LimitBreak Magic Hour is also a lot more spotty compared to his more reliable [[BladeSpam Event Horizon]] Limit Break when wielding his other keyblades. He rains down beams randomly around him, usually in front of him and while strong, they're very much inaccurate and not too practical against smaller, quicker enemies. The Final Limit increases the beams' size, speed, and especially damage but there's still not much guarantee that you'll be landing hits with it unless you're fighting a large enemy or many enemies.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'' Roxas's physical body is restored by Vexen, Ienzo and Ansem the Wise through the Replica Program. The fact that Saïx had a hidden hand in it also helps, as he was also TheAtoner.
* BadassLongcoat: When in Organization XIII, Roxas wore the usual all-black uniform, with a number of small differences. His pants were different, looking more casual, and loose. He also did not tuck the legs of his pants into his boots like the other members did, though Roxas's "boots" more resembled black versions of his street shoes, and may not have been knee-high like the other members'. Roxas's cloak had a vague resemblance to the ones worn by Xigbar and Demyx, with slightly pointed shoulders and slightly close-fitting sleeves.
* BattleAura: In ''III'' when fighting Saix, he gets an aura of golden light which greatly reduces the damage and knockback he receives.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind:
** The very first boss in ''II'' is against the Twilight Thorn in the Station of Awakening, a location that is heavily implied to be a person's heart. The giant Nobody is trying to subdue Roxas so he can be returned to the Organization.
** Near the end of the game, Roxas senses Axel's sacrifice and wakes up in response, making his existence known to Sora. The two end up fighting within Sora's heart as Roxas tries for one last chance to be a real person.
* BerserkButton: He intensely dislikes being compared to Sora, because he would rather people see him as his own person, which [=DiZ=] notes with amusement in their encounter.
-->'''Riku''': So it's true. You really are his Nobody. Guess [=DiZ=] was right after all. \\
'''Roxas''': What are you talking about? I am me! Nobody else!
** Roxas also has little patience for people who seem to be bending his will or trying to confuse him.
** Seeing anyone mistreating Xion to the point of calling her an [[ItisDehumanizing "it"]] also gets him angry, specifically towards Saix.
** As seen the Re Mind scenario, Roxas also expresses genuine rage upon seeing Sora getting badly injured by Xemnas.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's hands down the nicest member of Organization XIII, showing a level of empathy unheard of among Nobodies, but he's also its most powerful after Xemnas. Hurting any of his closest friends will result in him unleashing hell on those who try to do so.
* BigDamnHeroes: As Xemnas is just about to kill Xion for refusing to kill Lea (who Xemnas himself had just beaten up pretty badly), Roxas comes shooting down out of the sky in the new replica body that Vexen, Ansem the Wise and Ienzo had prepared for him.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The blond to Axel's redhead and Xion's brunette.
* BossRemix: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU78E7S0fgs "The Other Promise"]], which is a remix of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BS8egSU3k his normal theme]]. Noteworthy for not being a fast-paced and energetic theme like most boss remixes.
* BoundAndGagged: Twice in the manga adaptation. First, when about to be executed by guillotine after being framed by the Cheshire Cat for throwing a hedgehog ball at the Queen of Hearts. Second, when captured by the Lost Boys after being mistaken as a pirate.
* BreakoutCharacter: Roxas fits in with this trope due appearing in almost every title of the series due to his massive popularity. Fans like him for being a [[TroubledButCute sympathetic]] badass who is capable of wielding two dual-wielding Keyblades. It's obvious that ''Days'' is an excuse for the game-makers to put him in the protagonist role. Even though his importance in the story mostly ends after Days, he is such an iconic character that even casual players not bothered to pay attention to the confusing story recognize him by name.
** It's funny to think that the [[ProlongedPrologue prologue]] of ''II'' was actually lambasted when it was first released because it took a long time to play as Sora again, a reception that is now long gone dead since the old days.
* BreakTheCutie: Out of all characters who suffer, Roxas has it the hardest. Starting off, he originally thought he was serving a greater cause by helping [[SpecificallyNumberedGroup Organization XIII]] form the artificial Kingdom Hearts. He also forms close bonds to Xion and Axel during his stay. However, when discovering that the Organization (including Axel) hid many things from him, Roxas realizes they've been using him as a [[UnwittingPawn replaceable tool]] this entire time. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Roxas chooses to leave the Organization, only to be forced into fighting and unintentionally killing Xion, who decides to [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice herself]] for Roxas' sake of living. This emotional weight crashes down on him, leaving him with nothing but feelings of despair and anger upon watching Xion die in front of him.
** Cut forward to ''II'', Roxas has his memories altered by DIZ and placed into a data Twilight Town. However, upon regaining his memories near the end of his story, Roxas feels great anger about his life being a huge lie. He then gets into conflict with his former friend Axel and learns about his status as Sora's Nobody from Naminé and later DIZ. Roxas' realization to the truth results in him breaking down emotionally to the point of brashly attacking the hologram DIZ. As of now, the current Roxas is more melancholic and serious about life but later grows to accept his role as Sora's Nobody in later games.
* CallForward: A rather powerful example towards who we all know is Naminé in ''KHII'' considering this is during his emotional fallout with Axel:
-->'''Roxas:''' Somebody knows where I came from. If I can't get answers here, I'll get them somewhere else. That'll be the person...I trust.
* CaptainObvious: His first recon mission with Vexen has him pointing out very obvious features of Twilight Town's infrastructure.
-->'''Roxas''': These tiles are different than the others... it's like a road... \\
'''Vexen''': Fascinating... And? \\
'''Roxas''': Um... \\
'''Vexen''': We'll never get anywhere if you just keep stating the obvious.
* CharacterDevelopment: A central component of ''Days'' is that Roxas has to learn to emote on his own since he has no memories of his life to tell him how to, and he begins the game as a lifeless dullard. By the end, things are... [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge different]]. In ''Kingdom Hearts II''[='s=] prologue, he emotes more or less normally, but the residual memories from ''Days'' have traumatized him, and once again the circumstances drive him to give in to rage before he finally resigns himself to merge back into Sora. In ''3D'', he maintains that his name isn't Roxas and that Sora is him, though Sora insists that Roxas has as much of a right to be his own person as anyone else. It's a far cry from how he reacted to the reveal of his true identity in ''II''.
* ClearMyName: A significantly less serious version than most opens ''II'', as Roxas has to clear his name over stealing a few photographs.
* CloneAngst: He's not exactly a "clone" of Sora, but nonetheless he fits the bill. Much angst ensues when he finds out that he's just Sora's Nobody and not really meant to exist, and it takes a lot of CharacterDevelopment (and a fight to the death with Sora) before he fully lets go of his anger and accepts his apparent fate. Ironically though, just as he comes to terms with being forever locked inside of Sora's heart, ''Sora'' becomes horrified at the idea and tries to find a way to give him his own life.
* CompositeCharacter: In-universe; he is Sora's Nobody but gets his appearance from Ventus, due to Ven's heart residing inside Sora. In this way he can be considered an AlternateSelf to both of them.
* CoolKey: Two of them: Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Being two of the more blade-like keyblades in the series, both double as a CoolSword.
* CosmicPlaything: Absolutely, especially in ''Days'', but with elements in ''II''. He's born as what amounts to a lifeless doll without any memories to call upon. He develops a personality after getting close to Axel and Xion, who become his two closest friends. But in the end, he's forced to fight Axel and kill Xion. After that, he has his memories wiped again and is brainwashed into living in a virtual town. He isn't even allowed his own life when he discovers the truth as he's strong-armed into fusing back into Sora to make him whole again. You can't help but feel sorry for Roxas.
* CradlingYourKill: He holds Xion in his arms until she fades away after he defeats her.
* CutsceneBoss: In ''II''. The UpdatedRerelease upgrades him to a full-fledged DuelBoss.
* DecoyProtagonist: ''II'' starts off with him as the PlayerCharacter, though the role switches to Sora after the prologue is completed.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: The next time we see Roxas in ''II'', he's much more willing to (fully) merge with Sora and become whole.
* DefectorFromDecadence: After the Organization's terrible treatment of him and Xion as well as him discovering all the secrets they -- including Axel -- [[LockedOutOfTheLoop have been keeping]] about who he is, Roxas decides he's had enough of them and leaves to find answers himself. Unfortunately, his independence is short-lived.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Hand-drawn artwork and FMV cutscenes tend to show his hair as a much lighter shade of blonde than his in-game models. Come ''Kingdom Hearts III'' he's noticeably blonder and more in line with official art.
* DeusExitMachina: Roxas when he gets his head on straight and also summons ''both'' his keyblades is easily one of the strongest protagonists in the series - which naturally means events conspire to prevent him from doing either very often. Only at the tail end of ''3'' does Roxas reappear in top form and as a party member, and it's worth the wait - he will ''demolish'' SuperMode Saix for you [[ZeroEffortBoss if you let him]].
* DisguisedInDrag: Once again, in the manga, Roxas attempts to disguise himself as the White Rabbit's maid, Marianne, by throwing on an apron from a FrenchMaidOutfit over his Black Coat. The Rabbit isn't fooled, so Roxas gets arrested.
* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: In a sense. The revelation of Lea having met and befriended Ventus in ''Birth by Sleep'' before Roxas ever existed seems to imply that their identical appearance is what led to Axel developing a bond with Roxas as quickly as he did. Downplayed in that Roxas and Ventus are completely different, albeit interlinked, people; Roxas just looks like Ventus because of Ventus's heart residing inside Sora at the time of Roxas's 'birth', and most likely staying with Sora's body and soul when his heart was released at the end of ''KHI'' (meaning Roxas took on Ventus's appearance due to unknowingly harboring Ventus's heart within ''him''[[note]]which is also probably why Roxas developed emotions much faster than other Nobodies[[/note]]).
-->'''Lea''': Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again--nearly forgot about him, too. Then, I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want him to go vanishing on me, too.
* DraggedIntoDrag: Roxas found himself in drag in the manga adaptation ''Days'', when he was forced to wear a FrenchMaidOutfit while trespassing the [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland White Rabbit's]] house when the Rabbit came home, trying to trick him into thinking he was his servant, Mary Ann. However, the Rabbit saw through the disguise, and Roxas was put onto trial.
* TheDreaded:
** His DualWielding gives him incredible fighting potential. The only thing that can put Roxas down is when the enemy receives a power up to overthrow him. It's bad enough Riku had to tap into the power of darkness to subdue and capture Roxas for the sake of saving Sora from his dormant state.
** When he makes his triumphant return in ''III'', Xemnas is uncharacteristically unnerved and off-guard. Given his [[PurposelyOverpowered strength within the next fight]], his alarm was well-founded.
* DualWielding: The ''first'' thing we learned about Roxas, way before we even knew his name or that he was Sora's Nobody, was that he could wield two Keyblades at once. Much later, we learned he could only do it briefly, as it was triggered when his anger at Xion's death unlocked Ven's Keyblade.
* DuelBoss: In ''II Final Mix'', he fights Sora 1v1 in Sora's [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Dive to the Heart]].
* DyingAlone: This is what Roxas implies will happen to him when he talks with Axel as he's leaving Organization XIII. When Axel tries to convince him not to leave, telling him the Organization will kill him, Roxas says indifferently that "no one would miss me". And in a way, he ''did'' sort of end up dying alone. Or, at least, having the majority of his personality go dormant inside of Sora, with no one being there with him at the time when he returned to Sora's body.
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Roxas' early design from the AnotherSideAnotherStory secret ending of ''I'' has straight hair covering his eyes, compared to his ShonenHair for his current design. He also appeared to have SupernaturalGoldEyes when he meets Xemnas instead of his usual blue eyes during that ending.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He's reunited with Xion and Lea at the end of ''III'', arriving just in time to save them from Xemnas and being able to finally live out his days in peace with them in Twilight Town the way he always wanted to.
* EndearinglyDorky: He's rather clumsy and a childish dork in the manga adaptation of ''358/2 Days'' who gleefully looks up to Axel, makes all kinds of silly faces, and frequently gets himself into all sorts of hijinks. He also displays this trait in the games whenever he isn't struggling with finding his true purpose in the Organization.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Downplayed, but the anti-heroic, more morally grey Roxas generally has a deeper, more mature voice than his original self Sora or his look-alike Ventus.
* EvilTwin: Is framed as Sora's on occasion, particularly in ''II'', because he is [[TheHero Sora's]] [[LiteralSplitPersonality Nobody]] and as a rule of thumb even humanoid Nobodies [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman are viewed as]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil inherently evil, emotionless shells]] by the heroes (and to be fair, most of the Organization doesn't give them reason to doubt it). Roxas is [[PolarOppositeTwins often more subdued and quick to anger compared to Sora's sunny personality]], is a member of the antagonistic Organization XIII Sora is trying to stop, [[CardCarryingVillain outright calls himself]] "someone from [[DarkIsEvil the dark]]" when Sora asks who he is, and introduces himself to Sora by [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge furiously attacking him after Axel died for Sora]]. Subverted in that Roxas is in general a pretty good kid and doesn't serve as an EvilCounterpart because he's already pulled a HeelFaceTurn by the time Sora meets him, with Roxas even teaming up with Sora by the time he returns in ''III''.
* FakeMemories: His memories got replaced while inside Diz's Fake Twilight Town. He didn't take it well once he found out.
* FightingYourFriend:
** Roxas fights Xigbar in the Olympus Coliseum about halfway through ''Days'', though it's a friendly match for the games meant to maintain a charade.
** On Day 352, Roxas and Xion are tricked into fighting each other without realizing it (they think the other is a Heartless due to an illusion) as part of Xemnas' plan, though they're quickly stopped by Axel. They fight again on Day 357, though this time Xion is forcing Roxas into it to get him to destroy her.
** Roxas ends up fighting his BestFriend, Axel, twice during the prologue of ''II''. Roxas can't remember who Axel is due to amnesia and doesn't want to rejoin the Organization, while Axel needs to bring Roxas back lest he be harshly punished for failure.
* FinalBoss: The data version of him serves as the last fight in ''coded''.
* FlashStep: He can move temporarily as fast as light and his best melee attack slashes right through an enemy with two blades at light speed. In ''III'' he ''literally'' turns into a beam of light to perform a dash attack.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: After Roxas's BigDamnHeroes moment in ''III'', Sora begins battle with Saïx with Roxas and Xion for backup. Sora and Xion being there is more a courtesy than a requisite: [[PurposelyOverpowered As a combat ally, Roxas is powerful enough to thrash Saïx all on his own]] - which, of course, is justified by how strong he is in the story.
* GirlOfMyDreams: Through a possible PsychicLink of sorts due to her power over Sora's memories, and by extension anyone connected to him, there are moments where Roxas in ''Days'' (like in Day 26) and ''KHII'' sees Naminé in his unconscious. It's unclear who's reaching who or if it just happens, but Naminé for her part can sense him and he [uselessly] tends to ask who she is.
* GrassIsGreener: Well, not really that he wanted to go to a different country or anything, but...Roxas became jealous of the visions he had of Sora and his friends. To the point where he actually betrayed and left Organization XIII because he wanted friends and love so badly. The result? He gets tricked by [=DiZ=] into merging with Sora. Not quite what he wanted.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Roxas' fighting style relying more on aggressive close-range swings.
* TheGift: One of the strongest Keyblade wielders shown, to the point he was the second strongest member of the Organization even at less then half his full strength. Exactly why he has so much power is unclear, but it likely has something to do with having started his existence with access to both Sora ''and'' Ven's power, both powerful Keyblade wielders themselves .
* HairTriggerTemper: Roxas is less impulsive than Sora, but far more quick to anger. He is short-tempered, aggressive, blunt, and stands his ground against his foes. When blinded with anger, he lets go of all reason and focuses on venting his anger, as seen when he continually hacks at [=DiZ=]'s computers and viciously attacks [=DiZ=]'s hologram. [=DiZ=] seems to think that Sora could actually benefit if he shared Roxas' bad temper.
-->'''[=DiZ=]''': You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good.
* HalfIdenticalTwins: Averted. Roxas and Naminé were born out of Sora's body due to Sora carrying both his and Kairi's heart, but Roxas was the one who inherited the body, literally, and Naminé has no body to speak of (her existence is more than likely lesser than that of a Nobody). She wasn't necessary for Sora to return and had nothing to return ''to'' him, 100% fully assimilating into Kairi, and was able to coexist with him, unlike when she came in contact with Kairi herself, wherein she began to fizzle out after freeing her in ''KHII''. They have similar hair and eye color, but they aren't literal twins and don't look like each other beyond being blue-eyed blond(e)s. [[invoked]][[WordofGod Word of God]] states in an interview that the reason for Naminé's look is because he wanted her to be "ethereal", like a ghost, and the decision was purely aesthetic. In the KHII novel, Naminé does note that them being born at the same time is similar to the concept of how twins are born at the same time.
* HeroicNeutral: He's more concerned with living life with his friends than dealing the schemes of the villains, going so far as to blindly follow the Organization's instructions. His only real heroic actions are prompted by an ultimately vain attempt at reuniting with Xion after she fades away.
* HesitantSacrifice: He doesn't ''want'' to be absorbed back into Sora, but by the end he realizes [[ButThouMust he has to]] and accepts it.
* IconicItem: Not the first Keyblade wielder, but he is the most associated with the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades thanks to being the first Keyblade dual wielder.
* IdentityAbsorption: At the start of ''II'', Roxas has to return to being part of TheHero Sora and clearly feels that this will happen to him. He is seen again a couple of times, when some particularly powerful psychic influence causes him to re-emerge briefly, but Roxas was basically correct to consider the merge to be his own death. Outside of those moments, the only trace of him that remained showed itself when Sora [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy found himself crying when he said goodbye]] to Roxas' friends, who he thought he'd only just met.
* ImprovisedWeapon: In Mission 31 of ''358/2 Days,'' as lampshaded by Xion. Roxas WAS still able to use magic with it, though.
-> '''Xion:''' "Roxas, that's a stick."
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: A variation. By the standards of the series, he should be a seething ball of darkness (and Nobodies already have an affinity for darkness by default). Despite this, he shows a strong alignment with the light element and only uses powerful light magic like Holy in battle, and otherwise has no evidence of dark powers aside from the Corridors of Darkness that just about everyone in interspace can utilize ''somehow''. This is because when Sora turned into a Heartless, he was pure darkness. The expelled light (combined with Kairi being part of it) would have created Roxas, a Nobody of pure light. His appearance also screams that [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Ventus]] is a crucial part of his makeup as well. Also Sora's Heartless was a SHADOW, the weakest kind of Heartless out there. Sora's heart had very little darkness in it to begin with.
* InnocentBlueEyes: He's a blank slate at first since he was created without Sora's memories. His bright blue eyes reflect how everything is new to him and he's almost as peppy as Sora at times. Then it's subverted when the weight of everything that happens to him makes him far more moody and cynical.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Another difference with Sora is their heroic status. Oftentimes, Roxas shows how he'd rather not have anything to do with the Keyblade, longing to be an ordinary life. This is something represented in Hayner, Pence, and Olette throughout the series, as he is shown a number of times watching them in wonder and interest.
* IShallTauntYou: Calls out "Over here!" or "Too slow!" every time he dashes away in ''III'', sometimes in bursts of two or three times in a row.
* ISurrenderSuckers: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Roxas "falls on his knees and begs", at a foe's request, getting him within reach of a weapon. The leisurely "pick a weapon" phase after it, however, defeats the point.
* IWillWaitForYou: Played with. Once he regains his memories he agrees to wait for Axel "in the next life" (once they've both become whole again), but while Lea retains Axel's memories (rendering them more or less the same person) the same can't be said for Sora, who sees Roxas as someone who deserves to be his own person anyway.
* {{Jerkass}}: Not the genuine article, but Data-Roxas in ''coded''. He is ''extremely'' resentful of everyone and spends the entirety of the Castle Oblivion level urging Data-Sora to break people's hearts because it'll be quicker to get his trials over with, and they're just hunks of data that no one else knows about and that Data-Sora will forget about immediately after, so who cares? This is because Data-Roxas is dealing with two different layers of WhatMeasureIsANonHuman. He's a Nobody and a data copy at that.
* JokeWeapon: An [[ParasolOfPain umbrella]] with the Casual Gear.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: When Xion's nature as a replica who can absorb beings becomes dangerous to Roxas, he ends up on the perpetrator's side of her SuicideByCop gambit.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: It's implied Diz replaced his memories with data, therefore Roxas forgot his time as a member of Organization XIII and thought himself to be a normal person.
** Also the case when he first came into being. Due to the unusual circumstances that led to his creation, he didn't inherit the memories of his original self like the other Organization members did. Which is part of the reason why his personality developed into one separate from Sora's.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Roxas is Sora's Nobody. In his debut game, this was a big part of the plot, serving as the major plot twist of the opening act of the game. In any and all games featuring him since, this fact is always brought to the front from the very beginning, and is considered one of the defining aspects of his character.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Roxas".
* LightEmUp: With skills like [[PillarOfLight Event Horizon and Magic Hour]], as well as in his BossBattle in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''.
* LightIsNotGood: It starts out that way, since's he's not exactly on Sora's side at first, but [[LightIsGood he gets better.]]
* LightningBruiser:
** As a boss, he's faster than Sora, hits just as hard, and can repel virtually any oncoming attack with his light shields.
** He's the most powerful companion in ''III'' as a result of this; unlike the other Keyblade wielders in Keyblade Graveyard, his attack AI has virtually ''no'' downtime, and he spends much of the battle either ''shredding'' Saïx with combos close up, teleporting around the battlefield to avoid attacks, firing projectiles from his Keyblades, or surging in as an explosive particle of light. About the only things that stop him from completely {{Stunlock}}ing Saïx to death are the boss' immunity frames, and his own AI's lack of an aerial combo to punish stuns. His AI's [[ArtificialBrilliance rather refreshing emphasis]] on dodging away from attacks, then teleporting back in during openings with a stun -- instead of just [[ArtificialStupidity blindly rushing into a]] DesperationAttack like other melee fighters -- gives him some of the highest uptime among party members to boot.
*** All of this before ''Re:Mind'', which makes him playable once more. Uniquely among the playable allies, his Dodge variant can be used multiple times in succession without pause, and can be immediately used mid-combo or followed up by ranged attacks or a gap-closer. [=KH2=]'s "Reversal" command also makes a return as part of his arsenal, so he can quickly get behind targets to set up a beatdown.
* LimitBreak: He has two.
** Event Horizon, one that he shares with Xion, It allows him to encase his Keyblade in light to slash at enemies with great strength. During the Final Limit, he summon four pillars of light around himself that quickly move away in straight paths to the ends of the field, dealing heavy damage to enemies in his way.
** When Dual-Wielding, he has Magic Hour, It consists of him jumping a few feet off the ground, then summoning the pillars of light to rain down randomly around him. The Final Limit increases the size, speed, and strength of the pillars, and also shields Roxas in a cloak of light.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: [[HotBlooded Hayner]], [[TheSmartGuy Pence]], and [[{{Tomboy}} Olette]] are this for Roxas.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: During his time with the Organization, Roxas has no idea what's actually going on with their plans, nor why the other members except for Axel treated Xion with indifference or even disdain. He has no idea who Sora is and that he's Sora's 'Nobody', and he also doesn't know that Xion is actually a replica who was created to duplicate his powers. Even as Axel and Xion themselves eventually realize the truth of what Xemnas has been planning for them, they independantly choose to keep Roxas in the dark due to their own uncertainty of what to make of it or what can be done. The secrecy gradually begins to wreak havoc on the trio's friendship, even as they all try to hold it together. Ultimately, this is the reason Roxas runs away from the Organization, because the secrets and lies pile up so bad that by the time Roxas realizes everyone's been hiding things from him, the frustration and betrayal runs so deep that he can't bear to stay there anymore.
* LonelyPianoPiece: His {{leitmotif}}, "Roxas", is largely done with a piano.
* MakingASplash: When playing as him in ''[=ReMind=]'', the only offensive spell he has access to is Waterga. Interestingly, this is the only element in ''III'' that he didn't have access to in ''Days''.
* MagicKnight: He is a self-trained swordsman and, with the right Panels equipped in ''Days'', also a decent mage. He displays less prowess in magic later on, as he relies more on his DualWielding attack style.
* MagicMissileStorm: His most dangerous attack during the boss fight against him involves blasting Sora with a torrent of orbs of Light energy. During his Data Rematch they're fast enough that it's impossible to dodge them without glide.
* ManipulativeBastard: Not the main article himself, but Data-Roxas seemed to have picked up a few tricks from Marluxia in ''coded''.
* MasterOfAll: He is one of the most destructive characters in the whole series, and has very high speed, good strength, high vitality, and strong magical powers. It's mainly his recklessness and temper that do him in most of the time rather than a lack of firepower.
* MoralityPet: To just about everyone in the Organization before his HeelFaceTurn, and Axel in particular.
* MultiDirectionalBarrage: His Event Horizon Limit in ''Days'' fires giant [[PillarOfLight pillars of light]] in all directions.
* MustMakeAmends: After [[KillTheCutie killing off]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Xion]], he tries his best to respect his dead friend's wish--by setting all the hearts that both he and she had collected free from Kingdom Hearts and foiling [[BigBad Xemnas's]] plan for gaining ultimate power. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge The way he goes about doing so]] wasn't really what Xion had intended him to do to begin with, and it was all because he wanted his life with Xion and Axel back. Riku stops him from going about his suicidal rampage to confront Xemnas, setting the stage for ''II''.
* MyEyesAreLeaking: Roxas, as a Nobody supposedly does not feel emotions. That doesn't stop him from crying in his dreams, however, and he writes about his confusion over this in his journal:
-->The dreams have gotten stranger. Now I wake up with water on my cheeks. I don't know how it got there, but I think there's something really wrong with me.
* NiceGuy: While Roxas is more short-tempered and blunt then Sora, he is still a happy, cheerful, kind, and carefree individual in good company, and like Sora cares deeply for his friends and is extremely protective of them.
* NoRespectGuy: Throughout all of ''Days'' he does a huge number of missions for the Organization, runs a number of side jobs for many members, and by the end of the game has become the second most powerful member according to [[invoked]][[WordOfGod the Ultimania]], which is seen when he utterly floors Saïx. And yet he's still treated like a do-nothing rookie. This is somewhat {{Justified}}, as the Organization developed Xion with the plan to eliminate Roxas anyway.
* NothingLeftToDoButDie: Downplayed, but once his data version has fulfilled his role he tells Sora that there's nothing left for him to do but go away.
* PercussiveTherapy: Towards the end of the ProlongedPrologue in ''II'', Roxas regains ([[RetGone some of]]) his memories of his time in Organization XIII, and realizes that he's spent the past six days living a fake life before he could be sacrificed to revive TheHero. Angry at the deception, Roxas attacks a nearby computer terminal to blow off some steam.
* PersonalityPowers: Zigzagged, though he can be cheerful, happy and heroic, he also spends a lot of time being moody, and wrestles with CloneAngst due to being Sora's Nobody. It's less of a subversion if you associate him with the light ''of sunset'', as the names of his attacks imply.
* PowerFloats: During his LimitBreak in his boss fight, he floats into the air before cascading orbs of Holy down upon Sora.
* ThePromise: In a deliberate echo in ''II'', Roxas makes a promise that he'll meet up again with his friends in Twilight Town. Sora fulfills it vicariously for him, and gets the Oathkeeper keyblade for doing so.
* PunchClockVillain: He doesn't have any idea what he's working towards for most of his life, and he doesn't really take any pleasure in his work.
* PurposelyOverpowered: In ''III'' he can absolutely destroy Saïx even [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing without Sora's help]]. Considering he defeated Saïx alone in ''358/2'' despite being drained to a fraction of his power, [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration it makes sense]].
* QuestForIdentity: Why he left the Organization in the first place. Roxas was sick of being in the dark, realizing just how little he really knew of himself. Since no one is willing to answer who he is and his connections to Sora, he decided to find the answers for himself. So he ditched Organization XIII to find out who he was before becoming a Nobody, or even if he ''was'' someone before that. At least, that was the idea; [[TheChessmaster DiZ]] had other plans for him.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: It's Axel's evasiveness about Xion and Roxas' natures that directly leads to Roxas' leaving the Organization. For the most part, Axel keeps the information under his hat because he believes it to be [[AwfulTruth something Roxas ''really'' doesn't need to know]]. That doesn't stop it from undermining Roxas' trust in him, though.
* RaisedAsAHost: Young Xehanort says as much about the Organization's true plans for Roxas towards the end of ''3D''. They needed thirteen vessels to fill with a piece of Master Xehanort's heart to form the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, and Young Xehanort says Roxas was deemed a prime candidate from the moment Xemnas found him. Unfortunately, Roxas grew his own mind and heart and thus was unsuited for the role.
* ReallyWasBornYesterday: In the game's first hours, Roxas is a "newborn" so to speak in ''Days''. He barely knows any words, doesn't know what friendship means and he is clueless about just everything. Later on, he develops more and grows a spine, gradually becoming the way he was in ''II''. it's justified because he is Sora's Nobody and born without any of his original self's memories.
* RebelliousSpirit: Roxas has a devil-may-care attitude in terms of recklessness, he can be rightfully selfish in certain intervals, but is selfless enough to return to Sora willingly. Roxas constantly rebels against what he's told is his "place" and is a strongly outspoken, independent individual.
* RecurringDreams: Roxas falls into a coma for several weeks. After awakening, he begins experiencing strange dreams and visions, due to Sora's memory restoration. As Naminé nears the completion of the task of restoring Sora's memories, Roxas soon begins seeing brief fleeting memories of Sora through a number of his dreams.
* RedBaron: The Key of Destiny.
* RedemptionDemotion: Though more because he has amnesia than because he left the Organization.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Struck with grief from Xion's death, Roxas returns to The World That Never Was, planning to "set Kingdom Hearts free", in compliance to Xion's last words. He also desires to save Xion from within him, hoping that freeing Kingdom Hearts would bring her back. Then, they could go back to Axel and all have ice cream together. Upon his arrival, Roxas is attacked at Memory's Skyscraper by countless Neoshadow Heartless, which surround him. Roxas draws out his Keyblades, ready to defend himself, However, even after slaying many Heartless, he realizes there are too many to fight alone. Luckily, Riku suddenly appears at the scene on top of the Skyscraper, and Roxas, influenced by Xion, throws his Oblivion Keyblade at him as he runs up. Riku manages to catch it, however, and they both defeat the Neoshadows once on the ground. After the dark remains clear, they immediately turn on each other.
** An implied one with his attempt to usurp control of their mutual body from Sora, seeing as it takes place shortly after his best friend died for Sora's sake. Roxas makes his move when Sora reaches Memory's Skyscraper, where he had once fought Riku. His Samurai appear and surround Sora as Roxas, cloaked, confronts Sora and pulls him to the Station of Serenity within their hearts. Sora is surprised by the cloaked, Keyblade-wielding figure, believing him to be Riku, but Roxas scoffs and demands to know why Sora was chosen to exist over Roxas. After looking at the Station and realizing that Sora's strength comes from the bonds he shares with others, Roxas makes one final attempt to conquer Sora, but Sora is able to assert his control over Roxas's Keyblades, taking them from the Nobody and dealing the finishing blow. Roxas falls to the ground, satisfied, and acknowledges Sora as a good "other".
* SanitySlippage: When Roxas is confronted by Riku after Xion dies, Roxas's unhinged dialogue indicates that he has somehow convinced himself that if he fulfills Xion's LastRequest to set Kingdom Hearts free, she'll come back and his life will with her and Axel will go back to the way it was.
** Roxas in the prologue of ''II'' definitely has trouble coping with Twilight Town's MindScrew, his dreams' MindScrew, and the Organization's MindScrew. He also has some weird emotional responses and zones out constantly. Reviewing the game after beating ''Days'' would seem to imply a kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder bleeding over.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Roxas finds out the truth of Xion's identity from Axel, learning that she is a Replica and not a true member of the Organization. Hurt that Axel had knowingly withheld her identity for so long, Roxas begs Axel to tell him his true identity, but Axel refuses. Angry and distrustful, Roxas follows Xion's example and flees the Organization himself. Saïx attempts to stop Roxas from exiting the castle. Roxas defeats him, and departs. On his way through Dark City, Roxas encounters Axel, who attempts to persuade him to stay, warning him that the Organization would destroy him for his betrayal. Roxas continues on his way, saying, "No one would miss me."
* ShipTease: With Naminé in ''II'' and Xion in ''Days''.
** With Naminé. They first cross paths in the prologue in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', and though they only interact a few times, the pair quickly build up a strong bond, with Naminé vowing that they will meet again one day, even if they initially aren't able to recognize each other. This is, of course, because they're the [[LiteralSplitPersonality Nobodies]] of [[OfficialCouple Sora and Kairi]]. There's even a scene before the final battle with Xemnas where, prior to their [[SplitPersonalityMerge complete]] [[FusionDance merger]], Kairi has Sora promise they'll spend every day together when Naminé expresses joy over the prospect of being reunited with Roxas. Sora mentions in ''III'' how Roxas is one of the people that will miss Naminé deeply if she doesn't come back, and like in the Big Hero Six world for Hayner, Pence, and Olette, he gets emotionally triggered from within Sora as he gazes at Naminé's room window once they reach the Twilight Town mansion, visually flashing over him. Xion's Character File in the [=KH3=] Ultimania implies Naminé lives with them in Twilight Town.
** With Xion. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. Along with their friendship with Axel, Roxas and Xion's relationship is the main focus of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', and her death in the climax includes them having an emotional conversation as he cradles her in his arms and she caresses his face. At the same time, Xion outright says she loves Roxas and Axel in one of the secret reports, but it's meant platonically with no differentiation between them that she notes. One of their mutual Keyblades is named after a poem dedicated to parting lovers, but Xion is basically a gender-bent version of him in Mission Mode and uses all the same Keyblades he has as a result, so it might be more thematic. During the ''Re:Mind'' DLC, they ''do'' get a new scene together with Roxas saving Xion from an attack of the Xehanort Replicas, but nothing romantic is implied in the short interaction afterwards other than a quick thanks and nod. His and Xion's entries in the Kingdom Hearts 3 Character Files book also state that Roxas only returned after Xion appeared in the keyblade graveyard, and Xion in turn only returned because Roxas called out to her from within Sora. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignatureMove: The series first Reaction Command, Reversal. You'll be using it a ''ton'' throughout the intro of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' as it's an extremely fast flanking dodge that warps you around the enemy who triggered it. The move is commonly associated with Roxas in numerous ways, such as being both the first Reaction Command Sora can pull off himself and seeing great use in the [[spoiler: battle against Roxas in ''II Final Mix''.]] It also makes a come back during the final battle against Xemnas, where it becomes massively upgrade and highly spammable so the player can dodge around Xemnas's thorny spikes of energy. [[spoiler: During the ''Re:Mind'' DLC for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', Roxas can use Reversal as a Situation Command to defeat Saix.]]
* SingleStrokeBattle: He can initiate a PressXToNotDie event like the Samurai Nobodies he's in charge of. Winning the duel against Roxas allows Sora to temporarily steal his Keyblades, while losing causes Sora to take a significant chunk of damage.
* SingleTear: He gets one after he kills Xion at the end of ''Days''.
* SkilledButNaive: Justified. He didn't have any memories at the first parts of ''Days'', but quickly learned how to fight thanks to the other members of Org XIII teaching him. As shown throughout the game, he didn't know many things that would be trivial to other people and kept asking Axel about it.
* SkywardScream: Roxas, upon discovering that all of his memories are fake, that he has no right to exist, and that to restore Sora's memories and wake him up, Roxas must be sacrificed. He attempts to attack [=DiZ=] for putting him through all of it, only to find out that he ''isn't even in the room'', just showing him a projection of himself. Roxas's anger, despair, and frustration reaches a boiling point there, and he just screams. Poor kid has gone through some serious sh*t.
* SmarterThanYouLook:
** Roxas seems have a certain degree of intelligence that Sora often lacks, as he is not as easily fooled by his enemies and is more likely to think his actions through unless angered.
** This is slightly changed when it came to ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'', because unlike his future self that had thorough knowledge of subjects in the fake Twilight Town, Roxas was born with no memories when taken in by the Organization. Hence, he had no information on the simplest topics or objects, making him comparable to a newborn who grows to learn them, and coming off slow and naive due to it, leading a few others, including himself, to refer to him as a "zombie". This is why Axel fulfills the role of enlightening him about his questions or thoughts, sometimes making Axel himself tongue tied on how to explain them.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: During his fight against Riku, he gets tricked into saying something only Sora would say to be thrown off his concentration.
-->'''Roxas:''' Why don't you quit?\\
'''Riku:''' Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that.\\
'''Roxas:''' Huh? Get real! Look which one of us is winning.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: With Sora (his original, whole being, twice as of ''Dream Drop Distance''), Xion (a clone of Sora's, and by extension Roxas himself), and possibly Ventus (whose heart is part of Sora's). ... It's complicated.
* StormOfBlades: His thirteen shape-shifting columns of light rush throughout the battlefield destroying anything in the way.
* SwordDrag: Does this with his Keyblades during a cutscene fight in ''II''.
** Does it again during his CombinationAttack with Lea and Xion in ''Re:Mind''.
* TearsOfRemorse: He cries after defeating Xion, even though by this point he can only remember her name via prompting and can't even remember it was ''him'' who did it.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: After all of the crap Roxas had to endure, he finally confronts [=DiZ=]. By this time, Roxas is pissed-off and exhausted, but what line does he deliver? "I hate you ''so'' much!" Justified, as this is coming from a 15 year old who had his best friend betray him and seemingly die by his hand, a girl who spoke with him just to be kind get taken away to God-Knows-Where by his tormentors, his happy life in Twilight Town revealed to be an illusion and on top of it all, has now just found out the hated foe that appears to stand before him is nothing more than a hologram and in the end, there is no escaping his fate. Really, at this point. what else ''is'' there to say?
* TokenGoodTeammate: He, alongside Axel and Xion, is this for Organization XIII.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Both in the end of ''Days'' about his connection to Xion, and in the prologue to ''Kingdom Hearts II'', when he is regaining his memory. At the end of the prologue, Roxas finds out that he's Sora's Nobody, his normal life in Twilight Town is a complete lie because he was living in a computer simulation with tampered memories to placate him, and he was the 13th member of Organization XIII. He has to give up his physical form in order to return to Sora so he can finally wake up from his slumber.
* TookALevelInBadass: For most of his existence, he wasn't all that impressive, mostly used as nothing more than a tool. However, when he quits the Organization, he's able to defeat [[TheDragon Saïx]], Xemnas's NumberTwo, when he's only at '''less than half''' his peak strength. He's not even tired afterwards, while Saïx is keeled over in pain. This level appears to stick for his later battles with Xion, Riku, Axel, and Sora, even though he loses two of those.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Sea-salt ice cream.
* TragicKeepsake: Roxas obtains the ability to wield the Oblivion keyblade after Xion disappears, essentially turning Oblivion into one for her. Oblivion also symbolizes 'the state of forgetting or having forgotten', which is linked to the fact that the memories Roxas had of Xion began to disappear at that time. Additionally, Oblivion's name in the original Japanese is "Passing Memories".
* TransferableMemory: In ''3D'', Roxas meets with Sora in a dream and transfers the memories of his life into Sora.
* TraumaCongaLine:
** The horrible stuff that happens to this guy could fill a book. The poor guy has no memories, all he knows is that he can use a Keyblade and it's important he kill Heartless. When he asks questions of his allies to try and figure out the things he ought to know but doesn't, they treat him like an idiot for that reason. At least Xion eventually figured out that the Organization was using both of them, Roxas doesn't clue in until practically the end of the game and thus spends most of his single year of life working for people who exploit his abilities and plan to kill him once they're done with him. The only ''really'' happy time in his life is the last week, when he's implanted with fake memories and is imprisoned in a virtual reality simulation - and he has to find out it was all a big lie in the worst way possible, and once that week is up, he is forced to merge back with Sora.
** In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Sora meets with Roxas in a dream and Roxas transfers his memories into him, meaning Sora experiences the ''entire TraumaCongaLine at once.''
* {{Tykebomb}}: After the Organization found Roxas newly spawned and with no memory, they indoctrinated him to serve their goals with the hope of him eventually replacing the original Sora entirely.
* UndyingLoyalty: Seems to have instilled this in his Samurai Nobodies, as they still serve him even after his defection (and possibly killing several of them on the way out of the Castle That Never Was). To say nothing of the first, lone Dusk who still called Roxas "my liege" weeks after that same leave.
* TheUnfought: In the World That Never Was, Roxas starts a battle with Sora before losing and finally [[SplitPersonalityMerge giving in]]. In the vanilla version of ''KHII'' this is just a cutscene, while ''Final Mix'' made it an actual gameplay battle.
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: In ''Days'', he gets access to Sora's Dodge Roll, which he can upgrade to different effects. Like Sora, his gives him a short period of invincibility.
* UnskilledButStrong: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]].
** As the first dual-Keyblade wielder introduced in the series - something which in of itself takes great finesse and technique to properly pull off in addition to nobody else doing so as frequently or even shown to have the ability to do so in the first place besides [[ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges Sora himself]] - Roxas demonstrates the utmost of skill with his Keyblades, with his sword style being fast paced, offensive, and graceful. However, Roxas doesn't know anything about using a Keyblade ''beyond'' it being a sword. Best seen in his fight with Sora, himself a self-taught Keyblade wielder: Roxas overpowers him with brute force, but Sora is able to catch him off guard and win by calling his Keyblade to his hand. Despite this being one of the more basic attributes of the Keyblade, Roxas appears completely surprised someone can do that.
** In a case of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, Roxas's fighting style and movements are also not quite as refined as Sora's in ''II''. Though, this can can be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact that he lost of his memories of training with the Organization during the prologue.
* VisualPun: Perhaps not intentional, but the "X" charm he wears as a zip-pull. In music, an X next to a note denotes a [[DualWielding Double Sharp]].
* VocalEvolution: Roxas was one of earliest roles in Creator/KoukiUchiyama's career and he was fifteen when Roxas first appeared in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. As such, Roxas in Japanese sounds vastly younger in his debut compared to how he sounds in later installments, a change which is especially noticeable when comparing Uchiyama's performances in the new cutscenes for the ''HD II.5 [=ReMIX=]'' rereleases to the original cutscenes from the 2005 release.
** Jesse [=McCartney's=] take on Roxas has been pretty consistent but his voice clips for Roxas' grunts and yells in combat in ''II'' are noticeably deeper and more mature than Roxas has ever sounded since. He generally sounds more youthful in combat in later games.
* WallRun: In the SequelHook movie of the first game's Final Mix, Roxas runs up a skyscraper as he and Riku fend off Neoshadows together.
* WeaponJr: Initially, he only carries around a "Struggle Bat" in his series debut, which has a shaft covered in some nerf-like foam material. It's alright for defending against bullies like Seifer or doing random odd jobs around town that involve smacking things. However against real threats like Heartless or Nobodies, it's completely ineffectual.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He gets confused when he sees how much Belle and the Beast love each other, and doesn't understand it even when Axel tries explaining it to him.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Roxas is kidnapped and forced by several heroic characters to merge with Sora, so that Sora could wake up and fight the dual threat of the Heartless and the Organization. The people trying to broker this merger refuse to acknowledge Roxas as an individual on the basis that he's technically Sora's zombified body. ''Dream Drop Distance'' shows that the merge was by no means perfect, and that Roxas still exists as a personality within Sora. At this point though, Roxas himself has come to peace with his situation; ''Sora'' is the one who objects. In fact, Sora objects to this so much that bringing Roxas back into existence becomes a major plot point of ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
* {{Workaholic}}: Can barely figure out what to do with a day off, and says he can maybe handle [[CallForward a week]]. It's actually sorta sad.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Is bar none THE greatest companion the players gets in ''III'' and possibly in any of the previous installments by virtue of being the only who ''doesn't'' need [[PlayerCharacter Sora's]] participation in the BossBattle to cause mountains amount of damage to said boss and is capable of defeating him all by himself without the player needing to lift a finger in the BossBattle.
* WorthyOpponent: Sees Sora as this after their confrontation.
--> '''Roxas''': "You make a good Other."
** A line from Saïx before his boss fight in ''II'' implies that he does respect Roxas as a warrior, however begrudgingly.
-->'''Saïx''': Only you could have made it this far, Roxas.
* YinYangBomb:
** While Roxas primarily uses Light-based attacks, he's the first character in the franchise to dual wield keyblades when he gains Oathkeeper and Oblivion, symbolizing Light and Darkness as well as Sora's bonds with Kairi and Riku, respectively.
** In ''III'', he weaponizes this with the Dual Shot attack that spins both weapons to fire bullets of light ''and'' darkness at Saïx.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He looks, sounds, and acts like a teenager due to being produced from a teenager's body, but in reality, he's really only about 2 years old by the events of ''Dream Drop Distance''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Axel]]
!!Axel, The Flurry of Dancing Flames (Original Name: Lea)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/axel_khmom.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My show now, Keyblade master! Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel. Got it memorized?"'']]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"What's your problem!? You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running! [[CallForward But I'll always be there to bring you back!]]"''
Organization XIII's 8th member and the only one to survive ''Chain of Memories''. ''Days'' reveals his Other's name to have been Lea, and then ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. He appears regularly in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', striving to bring Roxas out of the fake Twilight Town, and later pulling a HeelFaceTurn and helping Sora on his quest. However, he ends up pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save Sora at the end of the game. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is [[BackFromTheDead revived]] as Lea, his original self and helps Riku and Sora throughout the story. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade.
[[foldercontrol]]
-----
!!Tropes that apply to Axel]]
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the [=KH2=] manga and novels. An example being his final fight with Roxas, where he is still trying to get through to him in the manga and intends to burning the mansion down to be TogetherInDeath with him in the novels, while he is fully committed to straight-up killing him in the game.
** Another case is his kidnapping of Kairi, where they actually bond and begin to cooperate with each other before Saïx kidnaps her from him, and Axel becomes wounded trying to save her. In the game, this did not happen as Axel says Kairi "got away from him" before being caught by Saïx, and Kairi is initially wary of Axel when he comes back as Lea which shows no bond was ever developed between them and he never tried to rescue her.
* AdaptationalVillainy: A minor case. While he always expressed the intent to kill Namine to get to Marluxia in their confrontation, in the manga, he's more eager to do so and actually gets a successful attack on them.
* AffablyEvil: Although he initially he started off as FauxAffablyEvil as listed below he developed into this over time thanks to his friendship with Roxas and Xion.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but his is a particularly bad case. So much so that former [[WebVideo/GameGrumps Grump]] Barry Kramer cites it as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjiHufVEc7g&ab_channel=BarryKramer sole reason]] Axel survives Castle Oblivion.
* AntiVillain: Introduced as a ruthless and manipulative bastard in ''Chain of Memories'', but mellowed out in his subsequent appearances, as he becomes fast friends with Roxas and Xion. His sacrifice helps him complete the change to full-blown hero when he returns as Lea as of ''3D''.
* AscendedExtra: He got an extended role in ''II'' after his role in ''Chain of Memories'' was popularly received, though he still ended up dying in that game.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: While it's pretty obvious what powers he has based on his ElementalHairColors, that same spiky mass of wild, red hair combined with those inverted tear-drop markings below his eyes give him a vaguely clown-like appearance. Fitting for a guy who tends towards [[SadClown quips even in the most dire or tragic of circumstances.]]
* AwfulTruth: Axel became concerned enough about how often Xion fainted and how badly Saïx treated her that he started grilling Saïx for an explanation. Axel's inquiring eventually led him to discover what Xion really is, and the information weighed extremely heavy on his mind thereafter.
* AxCrazy: Like Larxene, he pretended to enjoy hurting others and also flashed a [[SlasherSmile wide grin]] at such moments. He carried out [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder a series of betrayals]] throughout the series and killed several of his allies ruthlessly for his own motives and sometimes just for his personal enjoyment.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: He finishes off Vexen and arranges Zexion's death at the hands of the Riku Replica.
* BecomingTheMask: Reading the secret reports in ''Days'' reveal that Axel's initial promise of friendship to Roxas was a lie and that he didn't really feel anything toward him (even down to him initially hating sea-salt ice cream, as revealed in the opening scenes of ''Days'' in ''1.5''). But when he was getting ready to go to Castle Oblivion, he is surprised to realize that he's actually going to ''miss'' hanging out with Roxas, which makes him deeply curious in Sora's heart. After he comes back from the events at Castle Oblivion, he became a real friend to Roxas.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Roxas and Xion. He becomes very protective over the two of them after they form a friendship. This is also his driving motivation from the middle of ''358/2'' through ''KHII'', after he started essentially raising Roxas and acting as a surrogate parent. Of course, a lot of this has more to do with himself than with Roxas until toward the end.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Roxas, and a slightly lesser extent Xion. His influence is a major part of how their personalities developed (or how they gained them in the first place) and he helps them out with a lot of the problems they run into because "that's what friends do".
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Redhead to Roxas's blond and Xion's brunette.
* BoundAndGagged: In the manga adaptation, Axel is mistaken as a pirate by the Lost Boys and tied to a tree along with Roxas. They are both cleared by Tinker Bell, since they were with her.
* TheCaretaker: Axel fulfills this role toward Roxas in ''Days'' after he is assigned to mentor the younger Nobody who recently joined Organization XIII. After Roxas befriends Xion and starts hanging out with her, Axel also becomes her caretaker as well. Axel eventually becomes obsessed with keeping Roxas and Xion as his friends, he lies to them, does questionable stuff behind their backs, and if they try to leave the Organization of their own free will, he attempts to bring them back by force. Following Xion's death, Axel is the only member of the Organization to miss Roxas when the latter defects. And in ''II'', Axel's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying wish]] was to see Roxas again.
* ChangedMyMindKid: Axel reluctantly allowed Xion to flee the organization when it was becoming dangerous for her to be around Roxas. Later on however, Axel goes after Xion anyway. While it's technically because he's been ordered to do so, he also makes it a point to let Xion know that it's also because he doesn't want her to sacrifice her life, which is what she intends to do.
* CharacterCatchphrase: "Got it memorized?", originally translated in the original version of ''Chain of Memories'' as "Commit it to memory."
** He has another one, albeit less used, ''Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?''
* CharacterDevelopment: Its pathway is rocky, but Axel goes through quite a bit of character development. In ''Chain of Memories'' he was a callous, manipulative jerk, but after interacting with Sora it's noted in ''Days'' that his personality became more cheerful and friendly, and he also behaved a lot more genuinely too rather than putting on an act. Another example is his ability to see the humanity in others, something he himself takes note of: Axel didn't originally think of replica's as worthy of any compassion or consideration. Later on however, he realizes that learning that Xion is a replica after befriending her didn't change the fact he still saw her as a friend. A secret report shows that this also led Axel to look back, recognize, and feel guilt for how horribly he treated Riku-Replica, and how he could never treat Xion in such a manner. He relapses in his manipulative ways when he starts to fear he will lose Roxas and Xion, but in the end it's no question that his capacity to care has stuck, and ultimately he goes back to being genuine when he performs a HeroicSacrifice for Sora and [[BackFromTheDead his humanity is restored]].
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Despite some development as noted directly above, his characterization is still WILDLY inconsistent between ''Chain of Memories'' and all later entries. For someone who claims disgust with the fact he always got stuck doing the "icky jobs", he seemed all too content with murdering Vexen and Zexion, and had absolutely no qualms cutting down a little girl (Naminé) to get to Marluxia. Not to mention the fact he had a reputation of being a "Fixer" for the Organization inherently implies that he was ''very good'' at doing these "icky jobs" and didn't have qualms following them through. One possible explanation is via the eventual revelation that Nobodies will actually regrow their hearts over time, meaning that during the events of ''Chain of Memories'' he was essentially a sociopath. However, towards the end of that game he comments that he's actually enjoying himself, foreshadowing that he was starting to regain his heart. Continuing into ''Days'', Axel solidly begins regaining his humanity after befriending Roxas and Xion, so by the time Axel's ordered to retrieve Xion for the Organization's purposes, his capacity to feel has changed profoundly.
* TheChessmaster: He outwitted two scientists, two conspirators, and also the protagonists, and all that without breaking a single sweat.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Zig-zagged all over the place. Long story short, he goes from being co-conspirators with Saïx in the Organization to ditching that and the Organization itself to help out Sora. Beneath that, though, he's got layers upon layers of loyalties, in parts due to his assignment as TheMole during the Castle Oblivion and his own tendency to put his priorities before the Organization, with things getting even more complicated when different priorities of his begin to clash with one another (such as his friendship with Roxas and his own survival). In fact, he spends so much time flitting between different sides that he ends up breaking everyone's trust at one time or another to varying degrees, even his own friends.
* CombatPragmatist: Doesn't step in to take out Vexen as ordered until after he had just received a beatdown from Sora. In ''II,'' he kicks off his boss fight by setting the floor of the arena on fire and deal unavoidable damage, draining your health over time. The Overtaker and Clear Light Reaction Commands will remove the flaming floor, but after a while he'll just ignite it again.
* CompressedHair: How does ''that'' fit under his hood?
* ConflictingLoyalty: Although he apparently suffers from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and has no issues with being a DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent when necessary, he's shown some capacity to be conflicted in which side to stick with:
** In ''Days'', Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion conflicts with his orders by the Organization to [[LetsYouAndHimFight "let things run their natural course"]]. Even his friendship with the pair suffers from this trope, as he comes to realize that only one of them can survive, and one of them has to perish to ensure the survival of the other. He spends a large portion of the game perilously trying to balance his loyalties, switching back and forth between doing things that help or hinder Roxas, Xion, or the Organization. By the end of the game, Axel has decided his loyalties lie with Roxas ''and'' Xion, but it amounts to nothing since Roxas still runs away and Xion ceases to exist.
** In ''II'', his friendship with Roxas is again the driving factor of his Conflicting Loyalty. While he has no qualms with his orders to bring Roxas back, he starts to grow disgruntled with his superiors when he is tasked to eliminate Roxas. He eventually screws over the Organization, and starts working independently, leading to a [[invoked]]TearJerker when he dies at Sora's side, lamenting the fact that he never got to revive Roxas. Fortunately, by the events of ''III'', Roxas is revived by Sora and Vexen, and reunites with Axel.
* ContractOnTheHitman: Axel's primary role in the Organization was to kill off troublesome members. Saïx sent him to Castle Oblivion with the intention of him being the only member to leave, and Xemnas sends him after Roxas after he defected. Axel's failure leads to the rest of the Organization hunting him down.
* DeadpanSnarker: Heavy on both deadpan and full-on snark.
* DemotedToExtra: From ''Chain of Memories'' to ''II'', which is ironic considering what happened to him afterwards. According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, he was originally supposed to die at the end of Roxas's section of the game, so he would've been in even ''less'' if he hadn't turned out to be so popular with both fans ''and'' the development staff of the games. Thankfully, he was promoted back up to supporting character in ''358/2 Days''.
* {{Determinator}}: Once Roxas was absorbed back to Sora, Axel went through great lengths to try to bring him back. Even more so in the manga where he dragged his injured body after fighting Saïx to help Sora and friends find Kairi, sacrificing himself in the process.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the final boss in the prologue of II.
* DisneyDeath: Basically. The body that belonged to the being known as "Axel" dies for real, but he gets reborn with a new body as his original self (Lea) with all of his memories from his time as Axel intact, so he's essentially as good as new.
* DistinguishingMark: He sports a pair of tear-like marks under his eyes, which reflects his human form's tendency to cry when he was little.
* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: In a sense. The revelation of Lea having met and befriended Ventus in ''Birth by Sleep'' before Roxas ever existed seems to imply that their identical appearance is what led to Axel developing a bond with Roxas as quickly as he did. Downplayed in that Roxas and Ventus are completely different, albeit interlinked, people; Roxas just looks like Ventus because of Ventus's heart residing inside Sora at the time of Roxas's 'birth', and most likely staying with Sora's body and soul when his heart was released at the end of ''KHI'' (meaning Roxas took on Ventus's appearance due to unknowingly harboring Ventus's heart within ''him''[[note]]which is also probably why Roxas developed emotions much faster than other Nobodies[[/note]]).
-->'''Lea''': Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again--nearly forgot about him, too. Then, I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want him to go vanishing on me, too.
* DoubleAgent: Played straight, then subverted, then zigzagged, then does a loop-the-loop into an aversion. Axel wasn't actually a double agent -- he was a ''[[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent quintuple agent]].'' At one point, he pretended to join in with Marluxia's conspiracy, in order to get close enough to eliminate him as a traitor on Xemnas' orders, while really working with Saix so they can overthrow Xemnas themselves. At the same time, he helped both Sora and Namine, only partially because they would destroy Marluxia for him, and wiped out two Organization members who were still loyal to Xemnas to avoid anyone else using the knowledge of the Replica Project. In the end, of course, Axel's only real loyalty is to himself (though he tends to include his friends in that, whether they like it or not).
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: Especially in ''Chain of Memories'', though he has elements of it in ''II'' before his HeelFaceTurn.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: To ''another'' DragonWithAnAgenda, no less, and even telling the other one that his cooperation isn't always guaranteed.
-->'''Axel:''' I'll play it your way...for now.
* TheDreaded: Axel's primary role in the Organization is that of a "[[TheFixer fixer]]" (Saïx even refers to him as such) who keeps the other members in check and ''[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness removes]]'' them from the board when necessary. Considering that someone as immensely dangerous as Marluxia ''hides behind a human-shield'' when up against him, Axel is deserving of his reputation. Likewise, both Vexen and Zexion [[VillainousBSOD utterly lose their shit]] when they realize that they're next on Axel's list. He is not feared only by those more powerful than him - Xemnas and Saïx - and those who are too arrogant to be scared, like Xigbar and Larxene.
* DualWielding: Always fights with a Chakram in each hand. In ''Re:COM,'' he can summon up to four of them at a time as part of his Firetooth sleight before tossing them so they can bounce all around the arena.
* ElementalHairColors: Was anyone really surprised he turned out to use fire-elemental attacks?
* EnemyMine: When he helped Sora against the Nobodies in the Realm Between by blowing himself up and later used his last power to open a portal to the World That Never Was.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Axel does his share of villainous deeds in the series, but in ''Days'' he becomes increasingly intolerant of Saïx's dehumanizing treatment of Xion.
* EvilRedhead: Red haired and opposed to Sora, though for different reasons than the rest of Organization XIII.
* EvilVersusEvil: In ''Chain of Memories''.
* ExactWords: Invokes this on Marluxia. When being obliquely tasked with killing Vexen, Axel pretends not to get it, requiring Marluxia to directly order him to "Eliminate the traitor." Axel comments that he can't take that back later and goes off to do the deed. Later, when attacking Marluxia, Axel reminds him that he and Larxene are traitors themselves and cites Marluxia's own order as a justification to kill him.
* {{Expy}}: He's a deliberate one of Reno from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Nomura was once asked about their similarities and outright said that he made Axel in the image of Reno to try out a familiar character in a new universe and see how he developed. They even share voice actors in five languages ([[Creator/QuintonFlynn English]], [[Creator/KeijiFujiwara Japanese]], French, Spanish and German).
* FaceRealization: Of sorts. In the novels when Axel fights Xion for the last time, even though it's technically under orders, he admits that the things he's done and what he's now doing is for Roxas and Xion's sakes, not the Organization's, even if it means being labeled a traitor.
* FacialMarkings: Two reverse teardrop shapes as Axel. They disappear once he's Lea again.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Axel tries desperately to protect Roxas and Xion from the AwfulTruth of their existences, as well as from all the forces that desire their destruction. In the end he fails to keep them from finding out, fails to keep them safe, and their friendship is in shambles.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: He ''burns'' himself to death. It had to be toned down in the North American release.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Xaldin threatening him with a spear to the face doesn't faze Axel, but Xemnas preparing to turn him into a Dusk causes him to cave.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts like a FriendlyEnemy to Sora in ''Chain of Memories'' and it looks like he's [[BaitTheDog doing good by releasing Naminé]], but as the D-Report in Riku's story mode notes on his character bio, it's all a means of manipulating them. Fully subverted when he returns as Lea.
* FieryRedhead: A literal example.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: After freeing Naminé to go and save Sora he quickly notices how he was enjoying it, foreshadowing that his heart was beginning to return to him.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CharacterCatchphrase has gone up with each passing game. In his first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* {{Gaslighting}}:
** Axel repeatedly lies in response to or dismisses Roxas and Xion's questions about their pasts, hoping they'll forget about them and remain in ignorance. They don't.
** ''3D'' reveals that Axel himself, along with all of the rest of the Organization, were victims of this tactic in how they were told they didn't have hearts or emotions, when the truth was it was possible for Nobodies to start growing their own hearts. This is particularly detrimental to Axel since it's clear he started feeling emotions again around Roxas and Xion, but he constantly squashed them down or ignored them because he truly believed he wasn't supposed to be capable of feeling anything.
* HeelFaceTurn: Does a partial one. Axel goes from being a vicious, spiteful arse to being a kinder, more thoughtful person over the course of ''Days''. Due to traumatic events, he relapses at the end of that game continuing into ''II'', but he comes back around in the end.
* HeelRealization: After getting to know Xion and coming to care for her regardless of her being a Replica, he looks back on how he treated the Riku Replica with shame, thinking that he could never treat Xion in the same way.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: A platonic variation and inversion of this trope. Axel is so hung up over Roxas that he spends most of ''KHII'' trying to resurrect him.
* HeroicSacrifice: In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he pulls one when he puts all of his being into an attack (not that Nobodies have a being) to save Sora and company.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Develops this relationship with Roxas until the end of ''Days'', wherein his lies and Roxas being frustrated with not knowing what was happening nearly destroyed their friendship.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He usually kills most of his enemies mercilessly, but often also spares the lives of even high priority targets, when he feels like it though usually it is out of curiosity to see how their stories turn out hence forth or even a whim, rather than truly mercy. However, he was [[AssassinOutClassin truly moved]] by Roxas, his last target, to the point he betrayed his Organization and [[HeelFaceTurn turned against it]] and even sacrificed his life to destroy it. Granted, it helps that the two of them [[WeUsedToBeFriends were best friends]] in the Organization before its shadier aspects drove them apart.
* HotBlooded: Despite not having a heart, he has a [[{{Pun}} fiery]] personality.
* IHaveYourWife: Kidnaps Kairi in ''II'' to lure Sora out so he can turn Sora into a Heartless and get Roxas back in the process. Kairi gets away from him, and shortly afterward Axel abandons this plan.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: He's decades older than Xion or Roxas, but befriends them both quickly, and all they want is for him to come back and be friends with them again.
* {{Irony}}: Axel spends most of the second half of ''Days'' feeling conflicted and unsure of what to do, struggling with the idea that Roxas or Xion must die in order for the other to live. But by the time Axel finally decides that choosing between them is unacceptable, he loses them ''both'' soon after.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: He spends more or less all of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' being hunted down by Saïx, and both of them try to get Sora to sabotage the other one specifically. With later games revealing their past friendship and how they were originally planning on overthrowing Xemnas together, it turns out to be even more personal than it first appeared.
* IWillFindYou: He has orders to bring both Xion and Roxas back to the Organization at various points throughout ''Days'' and ''II'', but it becomes increasingly more personal after Roxas defects, as seen by how emotional he gets when trying to retrieve Xion following that. By II, he's willing to do ''anything'' to get Roxas back.
* KarmaHoudini: Survives the events of ''Chain of Memories'' with no repercussions.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: It all catches up to him in ''II'', although it is [[AlasPoorVillain really sad when it happens.]]
* KickTheDog: Most of his malicious actions in ''Chain of Memories'' are against AssholeVictims... except when he threatened to kill Naminé when Marluxia uses her as a shield, or when he pushed the Riku Replica [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope off the slippery slope]] for a few shits and giggles. Though in the Secret Reports in ''358/2 Days'' he admits that he did feel remorse for using the Riku Replica as it made him as bad as Saïx and Xemnas who were using Xion in a similar vain.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Towards Roxas, and later Xion. He raises the amnesiac Keyblade-wielding Nobodies, giving them advice, teaching them about the world, and sticking up for them... but he's also a really PsychoSupporter.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Axel is somewhat unique in the Organization, and to a lesser extent the entire series, in actually using his VillainTeleportation to duck out of losing battles.
* LackOfEmpathy: At the beginning of ''[=CoM=]'', Axel has a mysterious, stoic, and calm, as well as cold, unforgiving, and merciless demeanor on par with that of Marluxia. In ''[=Re:CoM=]'', he interrupts Vexen's cries for mercy with a cocky "goodbye" before incinerating him without any hesitation and seems to be amused by the deaths of his comrades as shown in the scene where he is making bets with Zexion. When Marluxia uses Naminé as a human shield against him, Axel confidently declares he would eliminate Naminé to get to Marluxia.
* LeanAndMean: The tight-fitting design of his BlackCloak emphasizes his tall, wiry frame more than any other Organization member and he was very much a malevolent antagonist in his debut in "Chain of Memories". Increasingly subverted, as his friendship with Roxas and Xion gradually sees him shed much of the meanness and he ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn in his last moments.
* LetsGetDangerous: "You really ''do'' remember me this time? I'M SO ''FLATTERED''."
* LimitBreak: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Explosion.]] He'll engulf his right chakram in flames and toss it at enemies to generate a large explosion. For his Final Limit he lights both chakrams on fire and tosses them both to create a highly damaging trio of huge pillar-shaped explosions.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Roxas and Xion become this for Axel, with his relationship to them eventually influencing his actions through the story of ''Days''. Axel befriending them causes him to rapidly abandon any plans he had with his longtime friend Saïx, since the latter's disdain for the teenagers drives a wedge between himself and Axel. Axel's behavior also becomes highly unpredictable as his priorities shift towards "protecting Roxas and Xion at all costs", even if it means obstructing or lying to Roxas and Xion themselves, or getting into trouble with his higher ups in the Organization. Axel is clearly pained by Roxas running away from the Organization, and he completely loses his composure when he realizes Xion has decided to 'return to Sora' and [[CessationOfExistence disappear]]. By the time ''II'' comes around, Axel has lost his memories of Xion due the nature of [[TransferableMemory what she was]], but he's become an unhinged mess whose only motivation is to see Roxas again.
** In ''3D'', this takes on a ''literal'' interpretation, since it's revealed that Nobody's can actually start to grow their own hearts overtime. Given that Axel writes in his Secret Reports that hanging out with Roxas and Xion make him remember "being human" or "what it was like to have friendship", one can deduce that they were the source of the first emotions he's had since becoming a Nobody. Since Nobody inherently desires to have hearts, it makes sense that Axel latched onto them like a drowning man.
* LovableTraitor: He and Saïx were planning on betraying Xemnas, which meant he also needed to get in good with Marluxia and Larxene and then betray them so that they wouldn't betray Xemnas first. Then he betrays Zexion. And he's just so ''cool'' in doing all this.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Downplayed example towards Roxas and Xion. It's zigzagged slightly in that his forming a relationship with Roxas and Xion actually made him become a kinder, more considerate person. However, his attachment to them also led him to become a PsychoSupporter who lies to them and makes them doubt their experiences, hoping it will keep them safe.
* LyingToProtectYourFeelings: Axel does this with increasing frequency over the course of 358/2 Days to both Roxas and Xion, especially once he discovers the truth about Xion's existence. The results are disastrous.
* MediumAwareness: Axel has an uncanny habit of LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** In III, he tells Xemnas that he's got tons of loads of people rooting for him, referencing his status among fans as an [[invoked]]EnsembleDarkhorse.
** Later on, after he meets up with Sora, he states the reason why he took so long is because he had a "couple of plot points that needed ironing out".
* NegateYourOwnSacrifice: Axel carried out his HeroicSacrifice fully believing he was going to cease to exist completely, not knowing that perishing as a Nobody would restore him to his completed self, Lea.
* NervesOfSteel: He can be surprisingly cool and collected when presented with a dangerous situation. Notably when Xaldin threatens to punish him if he doesn't obey orders and chucks a lance at Axel, narrowly missing his head but [[CloseCallHaircut shearing a few strands of hair,]] Axel doesn't even flinch and merely stares with a bored expression and his arms crossed. Presumably, lacking a heart makes it easier for one to maintain their composure in all situations.
* OutOfFocus: A major character in ''Chain of Memories'' and ''358/2 Days''; [[DemotedToExtra surprisingly inconsequential]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* ParentalSubstitute: Acts as a mix of this and BigBrotherMentor to Roxas and Xion, although being a Nobody, it's [[PsychoSupporter flawed.]] Realizing he is the closest thing Roxas had to a brother casts his desperation to protect him in ''II'' in [[PapaWolf a previously unconsidered light.]]
* PersonalityPowers: He's rather hot-headed, as fire users usually are.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
* PinocchioNose: Whenever Axel lies or is unsure of what he's saying, he'll break eye contact.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he dies in II, he tells Sora that he really loved Roxas and that spending time with him made him feel like he had a heart.
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: He tries to stop Roxas from leaving the Organization, invoking this, but ultimately fails. He does this again later with Xion in a more aggressive, unstable state of mind, and ends up taking her back by force, but Xion is taken from him later anyway.
* PreFinalBoss: In ''Chain of Memories'' he's the last boss Sora faces before Marluxia.
* PrecisionSwearStrike: He's the first character to swear in the series, telling Sora "It's about time you give me one hell of a show!" in ''Chain of Memories''. In Re:Com, however, [[GoshDangItToHeck the line was changed to omit the curse due to it being fully-voiced]].
* PsychoSupporter: His obsession with "helping" or "protecting" Roxas and Xion rarely corresponds with what both of them actually want. He genuinely cares about them, but he also clings to the idea of keeping their relationship in a status quo so the three of them can remain that way forever, and in doing so he ends up lying and withholding information from them to their detriment. Ultimately his actions end up pushing Roxas away from him and causing the events that lead to Xion pulling a SuicideByCop.
* RebelRelaxation: Leans against walls with his arms folded from time to time, notably when he talks to Roxas one last time after he deserts the Organization to try and find the truth of his existence on his own.
* RedBaron: The Flurry of Dancing Flames.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: His death scene in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Saïx's and Roxas's blue.
* RingsOfDeath: a pair of Chakrams, called Eternal Flames.
* SadClown: He definitely qualifies in ''II''. He seems the most laidback among the other Organization members and even makes jokes during meetings that can have other members tossing weapons at him. Nevermind the fact that, like the other Nobodies, he can't have feelings, what truly causes Axel's sadness is his best and only friend, Roxas's departure from the Organization and forgetting who Axel is. Deep down, Axel hates the other members and would join Roxas if it were up to him. Despite supposedly not having any feelings, Axel legitimately cries before both him and Roxas disappear from Twilight Town after Sora defeats Roxas in the Final Mix version. [[spoiler: This is because his friendship with Roxas and Xion caused him to begin to gain a heart.]]
** He was less of this in his debut in ''COM'' and gets softer in ''Days''.
* SecretKeeper: Axel keeps a multitude of secrets from his friends. He knows Roxas's true nature and later discovers Xion's, but keeps them to himself even if they are things they ought to know. In part, it's [[LyingToProtectYourFeelings to protect their feelings from being hurt]] but it's also because he desires to keep their friendship intact. This just ends up hurting all three of them ''badly''.
* SecretlySelfish: Axel goes out of his way to explain and do a lot of things for Roxas and Xion, despite him playing up an attitude that he doesn't like doing 'troublesome things'. However, he also starts going out of his way to keep them in the dark about their true natures, even though they both want to know. He ''does'' want to protect them, but he does so in a way that undermines their trust. In the novels, he is shown coming to the realization that more than anything else, what he was doing was because of his personal desire for them to stay with him.
* ShonenHair: The dude's hair is ''insane''. Maybe even moreso than Sora himself.
* SingleTear: Axel sheds a tear when he and Roxas say goodbye after Axel sacrifices himself and Sora fights Roxas.
* TheSociopath: Although Axel seems to hold Larxene and Zexion in good company to an extent by making friendly conversation with Larxene while Marluxia is not around and making bets with Zexion as to which member will be defeated next, this was shown to be nothing more than an act to earn their trust. Eventually, Axel betrays Larxene by letting Naminé escape, although he seems disappointed yet satisfied upon her elimination. Later on, he encourages Riku Replica to annihilate Zexion to ensure that his actions in Castle Oblivion go unnoticed by the rest of the Organization and to help Saïx keep his rank in the Organization.
* SoleSurvivor: Of all the Organization members sent to Castle Oblivion (consisting of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, Larxene, Lexeaus and Axel himself) in ''Chain of Memories'', Axel was the only one to come back alive, having orchestrated the others' deaths.
* StupidSacrifice: He casts a massive fire spell that destroys an army of Dusks in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', but the strain costs him his life. It was overall needless because a Dusk is the weakest form of Nobody that the player can encounter, and Sora didn't even look all that worn out. There's also some GameplayAndStorySegregation involved, since earlier in the story, [[TheWarSequence Sora fought one thousand mid-level Heartless]], ''alone'', and won.
* TakingYouWithMe: He dies in order to wipe out an entire army of Dusks.
* TermsOfEndangerment: In the original ''Chain of Memories'', he calls Zexion 'Zexy' right before he's killed by the Riku Replica (thanks to Axel's manipulation).
* TogetherInDeath: In the novels, he intended to burn down the mansion he and Roxas fought in so that the two of them would die together rather than be separated again, but he ultimately couldn't go through with it. [[AdaptationalHeroism This does not appear to be the case in the game.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Axel often acts cool and unflappable, but every time Roxas or Xion compliment him or call him out about caring about them he gets really flustered.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He was usually underestimated by both comrades and enemies. That was a very fatal mistake.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: For his friends, anyway. Axel drags Xion back to the organization to prevent her from basically committing suicide, but that just leaves her open to being taken and modified by Xemnas into going OneWingedAngel, and Roxas is forced to kill her. It was going to be a bad situation regardless, but it was made so much more heartbreaking.
** It could be said that Axel inadvertently set in motion how things played out regarding Roxas and Xion as far back as when he killed Vexen. Vexen created the replica program, and Axel killing him at Castle Oblivion was ''not'' part of the plan. Vexen's premature death meant that there wasn't anyone who could perform 'maintenence' when Xion began to leech more power and memories from Roxas than was intended. It was precisely because Xion and Axel realized that something was wrong with her that caused them to seek out answers, which in turn began the derailing of the trio's relatively peaceful existence in the Organization.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Grows out of the villainous part.
* VisualPun: His weapons are circular, wheel-like blades. He's literally an ''Axel'' between wheels.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Axel starts to have flashes of emotion around Roxas and Xion, and he repeatedly notes that being around them makes him remember his life as a human. It's something that greatly confuses and weirds him out because Nobodies aren't supposed to have emotions. Then ''3D'' reveals that Nobodies ''can'' grow their own hearts.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows to care deeply for Roxas and Xion without realizing what that feeling is, and reveals to Sora that he made him feel the same way they did.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His friendship with Saïx drifted apart as he became closer to Roxas and Xion. Not until Axel failed to secure Roxas from Diz did Saïx consider him his enemy and vice versa.
* WildCard: In the end, the only side Axel was on before his return as Lea was his own.
-->'''Lexaeus:''' And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking.
* WouldHurtAChild: Like everyone else in Organization XIII, Axel has zero qualms about fighting Sora when the latter was 14 years old. To add to that, Axel has fought, knocked out, and/or tried to [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Roxas, Xion, and Naminé at different times for different reasons, and while all three look like teenagers around Sora's age, in truth they each had [[YoungerThanTheyLook existed for under a year]] at the time Axel attacked them.
* {{Yandere}}: Of the friendship variety to Roxas in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. In the novels, it goes to the point where [[TogetherInDeath he wants to die along with him inside of a burning mansion]].
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: When it's apparent that Xion is on the verge of finding out the nature of her existence, Axel becomes extremely obstructive to her, telling her to stop trying to remember her past and begging her to turn back.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes that apply to Lea
!!Lea
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lea_khiii_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[LeaningOnTheFourthWall "You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin' for me!"]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Young Lea]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/544_6star_lea_render.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Lea in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3lea.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Axel? Please. The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"''
Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi. He eventually decides to reclaim the name Axel, deciding it will help Roxas whenever they manage to revive him. Axel joins the Second Keyblade War in earnest, getting some closure with Isa and reuniting with Roxas and Xion in the process.
-----
* AccidentalMisnaming: It's easier to count the times someone ''doesn't'' call him Axel. Eventually, he gives in and just lets people call him that. In fairness, the only people that ever met him as Lea were Isa and Ventus, as well as Dilan and Aeleus when they threw Isa and Lea out of the castle. In ''III'' he actually requests that Kairi call him Axel, the two having become close friends during training.
* AllThereInTheManual: His Keyblade, the Bond of the Blaze, is only named in ''Melody of Memory''.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but he is a particularly bad case.
* ApologizesALot: Apparently this is his behavior towards Kairi during their time training together, as her letter to Sora tells that Lea has repeatedly apologized to her for kidnapping her back when he was Axel, and he continues to do so even though she's told him that she's not bearing a grudge.
* AscendedExtra: Got a small role in ''Birth By Sleep'' before becoming a key player in ''3D''.
* AudienceSurrogate: In ''III''. He's just as confused and questioning of the series' plot points as the rest of us.
* BackFromTheDead: He reappears in ''Dream Drop Distance'' after being turned into a Heartless and Nobody. He returns with all of his memories intact from being both Axel ''and'' Lea, and his personality is a mix of Axel's sarcastic laziness and Lea's enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
* BigDamnHeroes: Several times in ''Dream Drop Distance''. He even lampshades it.
-->'''Lea''': "'Dark Rescue's my middle name."
* BlackCloak: Lea is the only human form of a Nobody that still wears the Organization XIII coat.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Tries to have some in ''Re:Mind'' but Aqua isn't having it.
-->'''Lea''': Not bad for an on-the-fly team, right?!\\
'''Aqua''': Don't talk, fight!\\
'''Lea''': Hmph, don't have to say it like ''that''...
* CharacterCatchphrase: "Got it memorized?", much like his Nobody. As he says in ''Birth by Sleep'', he frequently says this because he wants anyone he meets to remember him.
* CombinationAttack: During the fight with the Replica Xehanorts he gets one with Aqua, combining the spinning snowflake of her Spellweaver with the flaming chakram with Prominence.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Lea retains his darkness abilities from when he was a Nobody, with his ability to create Dark Corridors being particularly useful to the heroes.
* {{Determinator}}: We already knew he must be a strong-willed person to have retained his human shape when he became a Nobody, but he really shows it in ''III''. Even after having his Keyblade shattered by Xemnas and then bombarded by him from lasers coming from all directions, he still tries to stop him from killing Xion, even though he can't even stand at the moment. Taken to new levels in ''Re:Mind'' where after all that, he still fights Saïx and Xemnas alongside Roxas and Xion, '''and wins!''' [[MomentOfWeakness However, this leaves him without energy to finish off Saïx and has to let Sora, Roxas and Xion do the job]].
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu:
** Gives an ''epic'' one to [[TheChessmaster Master]] [[BigBad Xehanort]] during his BigDamnHeroes moment.
--->'''Lea''': "You had [[YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive your perfect, little script]], but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let's find out what happens!"
** Does it again to Xemnas in ''III''. However, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu this time ends a bit more badly for him]].
* DullSurprise: PlayedForLaughs when he calls his Keyblade for the first time, in contrast to the usual excellent performance of his voice actors.
--> '''Lea:''' Must be in the snap of the wrist or something. ''(Keyblade appears)'' Oh...
* EasilyForgiven: Ienzo surprisingly doesn't seem to begrudge Lea for causing his incredibly painful demise when they were Axel and Zexion. Given that his murder directly resulted in Ienzo being revived as a complete being once more, which is something he is very clearly happy with, perhaps he just decided to bury the hatchet.
** In ''0.2'' Kairi is a partial subversion as she's somewhat hesitant to accept he's to be her Keyblade training partner when she's told that he's formerly Axel. Makes sense, considering her two sole encounters with him were less-than-pleasant and endangered her till near the end of ''II''. She has to be assured by Mickey and Riku that he's completely changed his tune since becoming whole again and is now on their side.
** He had lied to and gaslit Roxas and Xion repeatedly as Axel to the point of driving Roxas to leave the Organisation, and the last time he saw either of them he was hunting them down to drag them back to the Organisation against their wishes. This eventually lead to Xion's suicide at the climax of "358/2 Days" and Roxas becoming part of Sora and "Kingdom Hearts II". Neither of them seem to have any issue being friends with him upon their reunion in "Kingdom Hearts III".
** As Axel, he replaced and abandoned Saïx, betrayed him by leaving the Organisation and consequently destroying any chance of their plan to get their hearts back, find Subject X and escape the Organisation succeeding in spite of everything they (especially Saïx, who sacrificed more for this over the decade than Axel ever had) did to achieve those goals, all in the name of his friendship with Roxas and Xion. As a result, Saïx was left alone and trapped in the Organisation as a brainwashed slave without a shred of hope or happiness and coming dangerously close to crossing the DespairEventHorizon until Axel's plan to get Roxas back and save Kairi lead to the destruction of both their Nobodies. When confronted with this, Lea claims to have not forgotten him and Isa is willing to let it go.
* FieryRedhead: As all fire users usually are.
* FlamingSword: On top of his Keyblade having a natural fiery glow, all of Lea's special attacks and ''regular combos'' deal fire damage.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CharactetCatchphrase has gone up with each passing game. In his Nobody's first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* FragileSpeedster: Lea's [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Raid-based]] fighting style gives him multi-hitting attacks on each swing of his combo. He doesn't get much opportunity to display it though, as he is quickly knocked out of the action ''twice'' in the Keyblade Graveyard -- first [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying]] in a [[SingleStrokeBattle single hit]] from Terra-Xehanort (even while [[ShieldsAreUseless attempting to block it!]]), then easily [[BarehandedBladeBlock caught]] and completely drained by Xemnas' MacrossMissileMassacre before the final fight with Saïx. Even while fighting alongside Sora, his habit of chasing down Saïx during the latter's [[InstantDeathRadius Berserk Dance]] and rather unique lack of [[HealingMagicIsTheHardest healing magic]] regularly flattens him out. When battling the Replica Xehanorts in ''Re:Mind'', he's one of the characters who uses [[HighSpeedMissileDodge Aerial Dodge]] instead of Block.
* GenderBlenderName: His name, Lea, is supposed to be pronounced "Leah" according to the katakana, but the English version pronounces it "Lee", presumably in an attempt to make it sound masculine. Downplayed in that Lea is a real English word that is pronounced like "Lee" and many Japanese pronunciation of English words do add an "ah" to the end of it.
* HotBlooded: Very much so.
* HowDoIShootWeb: Even though he can wield a Keyblade, he hasn't exactly gotten the hang of calling it out. As a result, he resorts to his good old fashioned chakrams when goes in to save Sora. It's only ''after'' the whole ordeal that he manages to summon it.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Kairi is Lea's partner in crime for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', and she is roughly half his height.
* HypocriticalHumor: Insults Ventus for playing with a wooden Keyblade, yet proudly shows his frisbees as his weapon of choice.
* IGotBigger: It's rather jarring to realize he used to be roughly the same height as Ventus and now he's nearly twice his size.
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: He ends up shedding tears when Kairi accidentally triggers a vague memory of Xion, although it's clear that he doesn't know exactly why.
* ImmortalityThroughMemory: ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that this belief is the origin behind his CharacterCatchphrase. Lea wants everyone he meets to remember who he is, as through those people's memories he'll be able to live forever.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon:
** Lea carries and swings his keyblade around from the chakram that makes up its handguard.
** In his youth, he uses a pair of frisbees to fight Ventus.
* InsistentTerminology: Him telling people to call him Lea, not Axel, is a RunningGag in ''3D''. In the end, he admits defeat and says that Axel works too. After he and Kairi become friends, he ''asks'' her to call him Axel[[note]]This immediately after she triggers a memory of Xion, and he discusses his intent to bring Roxas back[[/note]].
* {{Irony}}: When he was Axel, he was [[CharacterCatchphrase constantly]] telling people to memorize his name. Now he's Lea, and they keep calling him Axel despite his [[InsistentTerminology protests]]. In other words, they had it memorized. Which may be why he doesn't even bother correcting anyone during ''III''.
* LimitedWardrobe: A variant that's deliberately invoked. He ''is'' given a new outfit to wear fairly early in ''III'', but he doesn't actually wear it until the very end. So, when Kairi asks why he's still wearing the Organization coat, he just says that he's making himself easy to remember. The implication being that he's making it easy for Roxas to remember him, which may be why he doesn't bother correcting people when they call him Axel. Roxas never learned what his real name was.
* TheLoad: In ''III'' he spends most of his time being kicked around by Master Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness and only spends half of a battle as a party member before being too wounded to continue. This is especially ironic since his Keyblade training took place in a place without time so that he could grow strong at his own pace, but this didn't seem to do him any good in the end. This is {{averted|Trope}} in ''Re:Mind'', where not only does he help Roxas and Xion defeat [[TheBerserker Saïx]] and [[TheDragon Xemnas]], but he also fights alongside the other Guardians (minus Sora and Kairi) against the Xehanort replicas, even having a CombinationAttack with Aqua.
* MadeOfIron: While he wasn't able to shrug it off, the fact alone that he managed to ''survive'' Xemnas' BeamSpam in ''III'' is pretty damn impressive. Even more so after the cutscene in question was patched and modified so that Xemnas' shoots ''even more lasers'' at him than before.
* ManlyTears: He tearfully reunites with and embraces both Roxas and Xion after Saïx is dealt with in ''III''. According to Isa, Lea used to be (and still is) a crybaby. The reverse tears on his face, as Axel, were apparently a joke made by Isa when they were younger to stop him from crying. By their last battle, this is discussed when Isa thought that Lea outgrew those marks, but he still cries a lot, especially when Isa himself disappears as Saïx and in his reunion hug with Roxas and Xion. They are probably a metaphor to say that he doesn't mind crying anymore, now that he has his heart back.
* MetaGuy: Develops into this by ''III'', even going as far as to [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] his own popularity.
--> '''Lea:''' You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? [[BreakoutCharacter I got loads of people rootin' for me]].
** Another scene before the final battle has him lampshade [[Main/KudzuPlot the absurdly hard-to-follow Kudzu Plot the series is infamous for.]]
--> '''Lea:''' This is all very touching, guys, but where do I fit in? Ven looks just like Roxas - or is it Roxas looks just like Ven? ... And now I have to explain it all to him - which is in itself a crazy long story - and, apparently everybody already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!
* MorphWeapon: Unsurprisingly, he transforms his Keyblade into a pair of [[RingsOfDeath chakrams]] with his Firaga Raid attack.
* NiceGuy: Lea acts as cocky as his Nobody counterpart, but he cares deeply for his friends.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Is bequeathed the power of the Keyblade by either Yen Sid or Mickey, travels to the Secret Forest with Merlin and the Three Fairies to learn how to call it from his heart, and by the time we get to see it, he's clearly almost gotten the hang of it already. This makes him the only person in the room(including [[TheStoic Yen Sid]]) not to react with a big "WHOOOOAAAA!" when he finally summons it onscreen.
* PersonalityPowers: Fiery and useful in a pinch.
* ThePromise: Axel once told Xion that he'd always be there to bring her and Roxas back. Lea's first moment after he comes back is a dream where Roxas reminds him of that promise, and Lea later refers to it, indicating that he wants to fulfill it.
* RebelRelaxation: Just like Axel, he leans against a wall with his arms folded in Yen Sid's Tower while Yen sid judges the results of Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery Exam. He even first summons his keyblade for the first time while in this pose.
* ReverseGrip: A variation; he wields his Keyblade by its ''handguard'', in a manner akin to his old chakrams, and flourishes it to attack.
* SadClown: In ''III'', Lea makes quite a few jokes among the rest of the seven guardians of light that seem to poke fun of the franchise as a whole and his funny persona comes back with a fiery vengeance. However, the same goes for his sadness when he finds himself remembering Xion during his time with Kairi. Finally, when he successfully reunites with Roxas and a tearful Xion, he jokes that he should've brought the ice cream, right before he himself emotionally breaks down and hugs both of his best friends as the trio have the cry of their lives.
* ShaggyDogStory: Along with Isa, he lost his humanity and spent 10 years of his life working for the nefarious Xemnas as a result of a plan to save a girl who they no longer even had in their custody. While he was eventually able to be recompleted and make several new friends and allies, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
* SpectacularSpinning: Once he gets a Keyblade, he wields it in a style reminiscent of his old chakrams, involving flourishes that spin it completely and tossing it in Fire Raid style.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: With his Keyblade he fights almost exclusively by throwing it Fire Raid style in his basic combo and both of his Firaga Cutter and Firaga Slicer abilities.
* TookALevelInBadass: Young Lea didn't seem to be much more than an average teenager and the one time he tried to challenge a wooden keyblade-wielding Ventus to a fight, he got his ass handed to him. After spending roughly a decade as the [[HumanoidAbomination Nobody Axel,]] he's recompleted as an older Lea with all of his [[RingsOfDeath skills]] and [[PlayingWithFire abilities]] retained. Then he learns how to summon his own keyblade.
* TookALevelInKindness: As Axel, he was a sinister, cruel {{Jerkass}} and a serious PsychoSupporter to Roxas. As Lea, he's a funny and kind individual with none of the malice left over from his days as a Nobody.
* TrueCompanions: In ''Days'', Axel was the one who first declared that he, Roxas, and Xion, are best friends, and he told Xion that no matter her and Roxas's decisions, he will always be there to bring them back. With Lea recompleted, he carries this will on.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Not him, but his Keyblade. After it is broken by Xemnas he is shown to have it back before Sora's final confrontation with Xehanort, whereas when the same thing happened to Riku earlier in the game he had to leave the Realm of Darkness and return with an entirely new Keyblade.
** Made even more egregious in Re:Mind, where he proceeds to use it to fight Xemnas and Saix alongside Roxas and Xion immediately after Xemnas broke it.
* VagueAge: Was a teenager in ''Birth by Sleep,'' so he's likely in his twenties for most of the series. But specifically '' where'' in his twenties is just guesswork until we get [[invoked]]WordOfGod confirming it. Common guesses are that he was about 15/16 in ''Birth by Sleep'' making him about 27/28 in ''III''.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Averted on the villain bit, but still has his widow's peak.
* WellTrainedButInexperienced: While he actually does have plenty of battle-experience with his chakrhams, as a Keyblade wielder he's as green as Kairi, Xemnas trouncing him almost immediately.
* WistfulAmnesia: Kairi's letter reveals that when Lea looks at her face (which is also Xion's), he knows there is something he's forgotten and needs to remember.
* TheWorfBarrage: During the brief boss fight against Saïx and Xion, when Saïx fills up his second Berserk meter and powers up a second time, Lea will always rush in and wildly toss his old chakrams at him while yelling at him to stop. Saïx will have invincibility frames the whole time and will the proceed to incapacitate all the heroes in the ensuing cutscene.
* YearInsideHourOutside: Merlin, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all pitch in to warp time and space to reduce the amount of time it takes to make Lea worthy of a Keyblade.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Implied. He spends a decent amount of [[YearInsideHourOutside slowed down]] time trying to call a Keyblade before giving up due to other pressing matters. After things settle, he lazily gives it another shot and succeeds, surprising even himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xion]]
!!Xion
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xion_khiii_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Who am I? What am I... here for?"'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Xion in her Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3xion_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Risa Uchida (Japanese), Creator/AlysonStoner (''358/2 Days'', ''HD 1.5 [=ReMIX=]'', and ''III'', English), Creator/HaydenPanettiere (''Birth by Sleep'' and ''3D'', English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you. Oh...and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."''
Number XIV of the original Organization and Number XIII of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, introduced in ''358/2 Days''. A Keyblade wielder unable to remember her past like Roxas, she joins up shortly after him and they quickly become friends. It's later revealed that she's not a true member of Organization XIII or even a Nobody; she's a replica of Sora created from his escaped memories, and acts like a cage for the memories and a "backup" if Roxas or Sora were proved to be worthless to the Organization. Ultimately, Xion learns her existence threatens Roxas's and prevents Sora from waking up, and she decides to trick Roxas into killing her as a way of ruining Xemnas's plans, completely erasing her from all memories... or so it seemed.
----
* ActionGirl: Whenever she's feeling strong enough... which often comes at Roxas' expense.
* AffirmativeActionGirl: Xion debuts in ''Days'' as the Organization XIII's second female member.
* AntiVillain: To the point where she barely qualifies as a villain. When you get down to it, the biggest danger she poses against the protagonists' goals -- and even her ''own'' -- come from her nature as a replica absorbing more power than she wants and her desire to just exist.
* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel (and, presumably, most of the rest of the Organization), Riku, Naminé, and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi, and in the novel adaption, it's implied Riku sees her, very briefly, as Sora when he finds her at the Destiny Islands. [[note]]Riku also initially mistakes her for Sora when he dives into Sora's heart at the end of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''.[[/note]] Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
** By the time of ''III,'' when Sora (and by extension Roxas) identify her by name, restoring her memories, she takes the form of the black-haired girl when her hood falls off.
* ArtificialHuman: She's a Replica created by Vexen that was designed to absorb Sora's memories and give Xemnas another Keyblade user to control.
* AttackAttackAttack: Her data battle in ''III'' has her relentlessly charge after Sora with rapid close-up attacks, complemented with blue light beams which temporarily decrease Sora's max HP if they damage him.
* AxCrazy: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. When in her transformed final form, she appears to be this, but she's actually feigning it so that Roxas will destroy her and she can return to Sora.
* BadassAdorable: Kairi's looks plus Sora's skill. You do the math.
* BallOfLightTransformation: In her data bossfight in ''Re:Mind'' she will zip around the battlefield in the form of a mote of light before changing back to attack.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'', Xion is restored to become a member of the XIII Seekers of Darkness because the replica body had her heart from the past, though her heart from the present eventually went into the vessel after Roxas through Sora said her name.
* BattleAura: She gets a golden aura of light for her Data Battle in ''Re:Mind'', in this state she has a bar of armor that must be destroyed before she returns to her normal battle phase and will bombard Sora with giant shockwaves of light.
* TheBerserker: Her emotional instability and lack of finesse leads her to fighting like this. In her ''Re:Mind'' data rematch, she is constantly screaming and furiously trying to bash Sora relentlessly with her Keyblade.
* BerserkButton: Riku calling her Keyblade a sham provokes her to a furious rage. When she's unable to strike him down for the insult, she's reduced to screaming in impotent anger.
* BetaTestBaddie: Not only does she have the Nobodies' standard lack of a heart, she's a replica of Sora made of his memories, and thanks to having those memories, initially believed she lived Sora's life without knowing who Sora was. As the final boss, she makes it look like she plays this straight, even going as far as absorbing Roxas to complete herself, as she was created to do, but she's a subversion in reality -- she was acting.
* TheBlank: Her true, original appearance had no features (implied to be how all replicas start out). Eventually she develops the appearance of Kairi but with black hair, but some people, most notably Saïx, literally never come to see her as anything but a doll.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The brunette to Naminé's blonde and Kairi's redhead. Also to Roxas's blond and Axel's redhead.
* BossRemix: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3xFtfdQwoI "Vector to the Heavens"]], her final battle theme in ''Days,'' is a remix of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyYHDO1MpAY "Musique pour la tristesse de Xion"]], also with hints of "Dearly Beloved." Like "The Other Promise," this theme isn't as energetic as one would normally expect from a boss theme; the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJMWAM--ePM Limit Cut remix]] is more reminiscent of the intensity of a typical boss theme.
* BoyishShortHair: It's a warped version of Kairi's first hairstyle: black instead of red, and mirrored.
* BreakTheCutie: She spends ''Days'' growing from a blank shell that speaks in monosyllables to a kind, inquisitive, downright heroic kid in parallel with Roxas. Then come the revelations about what she is and what dangers she poses to her best friends and the worlds as a whole, and her personality takes a turn towards the darker until she feels like she has no choice but to go rogue from the Organization, and worse.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Able to fight and take out Heartless using [[ElementalPowers elemental magic]] even after temporarily losing the ability to wield her keyblade. Unfortunately for her, the hearts that Heartless release upon defeat cannot be collected unless a keyblade was used to beat them.
* CameBackStrong: When Roxas says her name, she ultimately reclaims her original identity and performs a HeelFaceTurn along with rejoining the Guardians of Light for good after the end of the battle with Saïx. She also seems to regain her old strength, as before this happens she was much weaker and mainly relied on copying Saïx's power, while still having difficulty against rookie Keyblade wielders Kairi and Lea.
* CameBackWrong: In ''III'', with the Seekers having brought her back to fill out their ranks but the replica body has Xion's heart from when she first joined the Organization, which explains why she doesn't fully remember who she was, along with being weaker than she used to be and mainly relying on copying Saïx's power to get by in battle. It takes Roxas through Sora calling her by her name to get her to snap out of it, and it visibly hurts her to do so.
* CessationOfExistence: Since she's made of memories and is basically bound to existence by them alone, returning to Sora means getting rid of her only tethers to reality. Remnants of her do exist in Sora's heart, though, and the memories of her aren't destroyed, but hidden in him. Ultimately undone in ''III'' when Roxas says her name, causing Lea to also remember her along with Roxas when he returns.
* ClimaxBoss: Big fight with multiple forms and phases? Wraps up a major story arc? Has a PostFinalBoss following her? Check, check, check.
* CloneAngst: Not just that she lacks individuality: lots of angst comes from her being not who or what she thought she was and being dangerous to her friends just by existing.
* CombatStilettos: Along with Larxene she's the only other one that has them.
* CurbStompBattle: Her fight against Riku is a painfully one sided affair, with it being implied Saïx sent her against him for that exact reason.
* TheCutie: Xion is a shy, soft spoken, and adorable sweetheart.
* CutenessProximity: In the manga, she absolutely melts at the sight of Pluto.
-->'''Xion:''' PUPPY! ''[Immediately begins to hug and start petting him]''
* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: She knows that if she continues to exist Roxas will fade, so she chooses to force him into killing her instead.
* DeathSeeker: At least her Data boss self in ''Re:Mind'' is, anyway. While the base game doesn't really make a big deal out of her predicament, in her Data battle, she sounds in constant pain even when she isn't being hit, and her quote at the end of the battle, regardless of the outcome, only cements it:
-->'''Xion:''' ''(if the player beats her)'' This is how... it's supposed to be...\\
'''Xion:''' ''(if the player loses)'' You're going where I belong...
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: She dies being held by Roxas.
* DisappearsIntoLight: When she dies she turns into crystals which then fade into particles of light.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Roxas, since she is the only other Organization XIII member who can wield the Keyblade.
* DittoFighter: Apparently, her nature as a replica who takes on traits of people near her extends to more than just Roxas or Sora. In ''III'' she imitates Saïx's weapon and moves, during the fight against them in the Keyblade Graveyard.
* DoomedByCanon: Xion is never seen or mentioned in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' despite her important role in Roxas's life with Organization XIII. Roxas has no flashbacks involving Xion, so that hints at Xion being Ret Gone. Explained in-game that as Xion's essence was reabsorbed into Roxas, there was nothing left to remember Xion with. Unlike Roxas and Naminé, she utterly ceases to exist.
* DualBoss: In ''III,'' the past version of her fights alongside Saïx until she is replaced by her present self, who helps the Guardians of Light.
* DualWielding: In her final boss form she wields two swords roughly shaped like the Nobody sigil.
* DyingAsYourself: Her appearance before Roxas's battle with her is as Sora, as she is aware, and then she transforms into what looks like armor reminiscent of Sora's appearance during the battle proper. When she dies, the armor is gone, her she's back to looking like black-haired Kairi.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After living out her first life essentially being TheChewToy and starting her second life as a tool, Xion ''finally'' gets her hard-earned happy ending in ''III'' when she reunites with Roxas and Lea. She is last seen playing with Naminé, clearly living the life of a normal girl.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When Naminé basically announces her death sentence before the climax of ''Days'', Xion seems to hold no fear of it, since it is for the greater good.
* FanservicePack: It's hardly the biggest example in the world, but her bust is slightly larger in ''III'' than in previous games, enough to be noticeable at least.
* FightingYourFriend: Seems to be a recurring thing for her in particular among the trio: in total she's forced to fight Roxas and Axel twice each:
** She and Roxas are first tricked by the Organization to see each other as Heartless to eliminate in order to test them and narrow down their shared power to one entity. The second time, Xion challenges Roxas in an attempt at SuicideByCop so that she can properly return the memories she's made of to Sora and stop putting Roxas in danger.
** She and Axel first fight when Axel is sent to retrieve Xion for the Organization after she's gone rogue looking for answers. The second time is during ''III'', where Axel, now back to his original self Lea, and Kairi fight her and Saïx during the Keyblade War, though neither of them seem to be able to recognize each other until Lea is put in mortal danger. In an egregious act of cruelty, Xemnas tries to order her to kill Lea ''precisely'' because he knows she and Axel were friends.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her {{Superboss}} incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's (both of them, being considerably more super powered than the others, only open after the other eleven data battles have been completed).
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Invoked quite sadly; after Roxas defeats her he can't even remember her name. After she fades away, he and everyone else loses every memory of her.
* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Sora, created from his leaked memories as a fail-safe for the Organization. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories at the time of her 'birth' were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl. This is by and large strictly limited to her debut appearance; Xion still roughly has the same physical appearance she's always had in ''III''.
* GhostMemory: During a chunk of ''Days'', she experiences a long period of coma and wakes up knowing Sora's experiences from the first game. TheReveal is that she had unwittingly absorbed Sora's memories that Naminé is trying to reconstruct, effectively halting Sora's memory restoration. The only way to resume it is for Xion to die, therefore transferring the memories back to Sora.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Twice-subverted. She initially resists such a proposition despite the pain she feels, until Xemnas interferes in an attempt to force her to absorb Roxas. Not that he actually succeeded - she's only [[ObfuscatingInsanity feigning insanity]] because she needed Roxas to destroy her artificial body so she could return to Sora, where she (quite lucidly) decided that she belonged.
* GoOutWithASmile: She's smiling at Roxas the whole time she's dying in his arms, and remains smiling as she DisappearsIntoLight, happy that she's able to return to Sora.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: The Organization's original plan is for Xion to become their Keyblade wielder backup in case something happens to Roxas. It works out fine. Then she absorbs much of Sora's memories, stopping his memory restoration. Even better; this way, they have one less adversary to deal with. But then Xion develops a distinct personality due to her interaction with her friends. Said personality eventually causes her to search for her origins, culminating in her meeting with Riku and Naminé, resulting in her choice to rejoin Sora rather than serving the Organization any further.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Xion's fighting style in her Data Rematch relying more on sending beams of light at Sora from all directions.
* HealingHands: She throws out Cures while fighting alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: In ''III'' she is able to reject the piece of Xehanort's heart that was put inside her out of love for Axel and Roxas and switches sides to fight alongside them.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: PlayedWith. [[TheCutie She's a good person]] who gets shuffled through [[GreyAndGrayMorality various plot threads]], some against her will. She begins as a member of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Organization XIII]], which makes her a heel. But when she and Roxas find out that they were ObliviouslyEvil, she defects to DIZ, who is an AntiHero. This makes her a face to the narrative, but she now must oppose Roxas. Then Axel forces her back to Organization XIII, where [[GreaterScopeVillain Xemnas, her heel boss]], powers her up to make her a killing machine. This makes her a heel again, but she instead chooses to commit SuicideByCop to return Roxas's power, dying in service of DIZ's goals and ending up RetGone. In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', she's back as a heel. But halfway through her battle with Sora, she defects once again, thus turning fully face as she's now aligned with both the heroes and her morals.
* HeelFaceTurn: Switches sides when she is manipulated into working for bad guys and then learns/remembers the truth. Would be a HighHeelFaceTurn if not for [[CardCarryingVillain Larxene]] also being one of the unrepentant bad guys each time.
** In ''Days'', she leaves the Organization and ultimately decides to sacrifice herself, to stop Xemnas and the Organization as well as to save Roxas and Sora.
** In ''III'', she is the only member of XIII Seekers of Darkness who defects partway through the final confrontation between them and the Guardians of Light, choosing instead to fight on the side of the Guardians after reuniting with her friends. She is also the only one of the Seekers to survive to the end... Aside from Xigbar, that is.
* HeroicBSOD: Not so much on the heroic part due to her allegiance, but she suffered this once she learned what her true nature is.
* HeroicSuicide: In order to stop herself from making Roxas disappear she fights Roxas [[SuicideByCop with the intent of being killed by him]] to save him. Earlier, she had come to the (reluctant) conclusion that she should "return to Sora" to give back the memories of his she'd accidentally been absorbing so he could wake up because it was the right thing for everyone, which would also require giving up her existence. Roxas killing her took care of both.
* HolyHandGrenade: In ''III'', she's able to cast Laser Rain, as a callback to her PillarOfLight attack from her final ''Days'' boss encounter.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Though they initially don't recognize her, her appearance in ''III'' subjects her to this once Sora comes into the picture, as Roxas within Sora is the first person to recognize Xion and reach out to her while she's fighting Sora, Lea and Kairi and under Xehanort's control. Though enough of her old self remains to defend Lea, she lashes out when Sora tries to sway her from the darkness, and it takes Roxas saying her name through him to snap her out of it.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: In a sense. She's always humanoid but because she's made up of memories, she looks different depending on who is looking at her. And even for those who typically see her a particular way most of the time, her appearance may involuntarily change if she is being overwhelmed by certain memories. She started out as a featureless doll, but gains the unique appearance of a black-haired Kairi. She once hallucinates herself as Roxas shifting into Riku shifting into Sora, and on two occasions completely takes on the appearance of Sora when she absorbs too many of his memories. Xigbar at one point sees her as Ventus.
* {{Irony}}: Saïx's infamous MyFriendsAndZoidberg line about her in ''Days'' takes on a bit of this come ''III''. Not only is Xion chosen as a Seeker over half of the original Organization and backups like Demyx and Vexen, but she even uses her nature as a replica, the very thing that made Saïx belittle her, to copy Saïx's own powers while fighting alongside him.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Referred to such by Saïx, who is among those who see her as TheBlank. Roxas and Axel do not take kindly to this.
* KillTheCutie: She dies in Roxas' arms in order to keep him from fading and return to Sora to give back the memories of his.
* KnightOfCerebus: Xion is a very rare ''non''-villainous example of this trope. Her presence in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', the attachment to her from Roxas and Axel as well as the player followed by the ''crushing despair'' upon her fate at the end of the game permanently sets the darker tone for the following games in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[GratuitousFrench Musique pour la tristesse de Xion]]".
* LethalChef: In the ''Days'' manga, she cooks food for Pluto that looks like it would melt your stomach.
* LightEmUp: As she was created to copy Roxas, she has the same abilities as him, including the use of light powers.
* LightIsGood: She sacrifices herself for what's right.
* LightIsNotGood: As an Organization member she started out this way.
* LimitBreak: Event Horizon, [[BladeSpam just like]] [[LightEmUp Roxas.]]
* LivingMemory: She is Roxas's clone made entirely of Sora's memories.
* LoopholeAbuse: This is how she's ultimately brought back from the dead. While everyone's memories of Xion faded, Vexen's records of No. I's creation still existed and could be used to recreate her.
* TheLostLenore: While Xion is doomed to be forgotten by the people who knew her, the memories don't completely disappear immediately after her death and Roxas mourns her ''terribly'', to the point of basically going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Organization and anyone who stands in his way while clinging onto the tendrils of memories that he still has of her. Despite her being 'forgotten', 3D has Sora shed a tear when he sees Xion's face in a dream. Early on in ''III'' it's shown that Lea will stare at Kairi because he feels like he's forgotten something important, signaling that the loss of Xion (who is facially identical to Kairi) is subconsciously felt by him, with the feelings at one point even bringing him to tears.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: She was created by Vexen and her standard appearance resembles a black-haired Kairi. Do the math.
* MagikarpPower: [[InvokedTrope Invoked.]] She's a fairly weak fighter at first and has to be supported a lot on missions. However, it turns out this is intentional, as Xion is designed to grow stronger through absorbing memories of Sora from Roxas, which in turn makes Roxas weaker. This is why in later missions she's more useful, but Roxas in turn is weaker.
* MaximumHPReduction: The main gimmick of her battle in ''Re:Mind'' is that her blue beams will reduce Sora's max HP which can only be restored with items or time.
* MeaningfulName: Nomura himself stated [[http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Xion#Trivia he liked the name instantly because of its many meanings.]] This means it has a ''shitload'' of meanings:
** She's named after a flower (''shion'') that symbolizes [[{{Irony}} remembrance]].
** The anagram of No. ''i'', an imaginary number, which gets {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Re:Mind''. No. ''i'' could also be seen as No. I (number one), demonstrating that she's Vexen's first (and faulty) experimental clone, or as "No I" (no one), referring to her lack of true identity and the Organization's view of her as merely a tool.
** "Xion" is pronounced as "Shion", which is a real name in Japanese and is in fact a unisex name, with Xion turning out to be an OppositeSexClone. ''Shio,'' Japanese for "tide," is a nod to the likes of [[ThemeNaming Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua]]. The aspect of the tide being pulled by the moon gains significance in ''III'', where not only does Xion fight alongside Saïx on the side of darkness while having copied his weapon and berserker abilities, Saïx is implied in the Secret Reports to have had a hand in helping bring Replica vessels to Nobodies on Sora's side, including Xion. ''Shi'' is also the normal Japanese pronunciation for "[[FourIsDeath Four]]", and she's the ''fourteenth'' member, essentially making her name {{Foreshadowing}} for her [[DoomedByCanon eventual outcome]] as well as also her connection to Vexen, Number IV of the Organization, who is revealed to be her creator.
** As an unofficial name still said in the canon, Xigbar frequently refers to Xion as "Poppet," cluing in to the fact that she is not so much a Nobody as she is a [[ArtificialHuman puppet]].
* MindScrew: The true nature of Xion is rather confusing, especially the validity of the aforementioned GenderBender.
* MixAndMatchMan: Xion is an imperfect replica whose identity was dictated by Sora's memories through Roxas, but due to the inconsistency of which memories they are, she's taken on traits of Sora ''and'' his friends. Her dominant appearance is nearly identical to Kairi due to the initial memories creating her were mainly Sora's memories of Kairi. She wields a Kingdom Key, the same as Sora, and physically turns into Sora if she absorbs too many of his memories. She turns into Riku in one of her nightmares, and when she vanishes back into Roxas, he gains the ability to wield Oblivion, which originally represented Sora's relationship with Riku. The Novelization of ''Days'' even implies that Xion had started to absorb fragments of Riku's memories during the time that she was getting advice from him. Then there's the fact that Xigbar uniquely sees Ventus when he looks at her, and in ''III'' she's [[DittoFighter able to take on the abilities]] of ''Saïx'' when fighting alongside him.
* MovesetClone: She has the exact same stats, {{Combos}}, LimitBreak (and Final Limit), and weapons as Roxas in ''358/2 Days''. The only gameplay difference between them is that she lacks the DualWielding mechanic. Similarly, her data boss fight in ''Re:Mind'' is based on Roxas's battle from ''Final Mix'', but she has a few of her moves from her boss battle in ''358/2 Days'' to mix it up.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms in the 3rd phase of her boss fight in ''358/2 Days'' with [[MultiWielding each limb holding a]] [[SinisterScimitar curved sword]] presumably as a result of Sora's memories of fighting Kurt Zisa in Agrabah.
* MultiStageBattle: For her fight, the first three stages all take place in locations of keyholes Sora locked in the first game until the final stage which is instead the front of the Clock Tower where Sora would later open the world's gate in ''II''.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: She's a rare, non-comedic example of this trope. As the story goes on, it's shown she's nothing more than a puppet for Xemnas, not even a real Nobody, and Saïx reveals that she was never even part of the Organization.
-->'''Saïx, to Roxas''': "A puppet couldn't be part of the Organization. Just count the seats here. We have and always will be thirteen."
* NiceGirl: Xion is without a doubt one of the most kindest and selfless chacters in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. She always puts her friends before her self, and has a strong sense of justice and generosity, willingly sacrificing herself to join with Sora. Like Aqua, Kairi, and Naminé, Xion fights passionately to protect those she has come to care for. Her love for her friends is ultimately what drives her as she wants nothing more then to spend the rest of her life with them, and if she can't have that she can at least make sure that they are able to live happly.. It is best summed up by her diary entry in the secret reports from ''Days''
-->'''Xion diary entry''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
* NoBiologicalSex: Being a Replica whose AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder, Xion does not have a gender in the physical sense, though constantly spending time with Roxas (who sees her as a black haired Kairi) causes her to identify as female.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: She appears to go berserk and tries to kill Roxas at the end of ''Days'', but this is an act so that Roxas will fight for his life and kill her instead.
* OneWingedAngel: When Xion fights Roxas at the end of 358/2 Days, she takes on a form that resembles Keyblade armor arranged in the shape of Sora's silhouette with Nobody motifs. There are four stages to this, each with its own set of weapons, and with her final form being [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever enormous]].
* OppositeSexClone: She's a replica created from Sora's memories, but typically manifests as Kairi because the latter made up Sora's strongest memories when Xion was first 'born'. During occasions where she gets overwhelmed by those memories her appearance turns into that of Sora himself.
* ParadoxPerson: She is an ArtificialHuman created from Sora's memories and is meant to be a clone and replacement of Sora's Nobody, Roxas. Because of her relationship with Roxas, she unwittingly absorbs Sora's memories, causing her to grow stronger and essentially [[BecomeARealBoy become a person]], but making both Sora and Roxas weaker. When she perishes, she is {{Ret Gone}}d. Or so we think. It turns out that replicas, like Nobodies and other intelligent beings who lack hearts, are capable of growing them given time. Xion did, so when the heart is returned to her, everyone remembers her again.
* TheParagon: For Roxas and Axel, though the latter wasn't very receptive. She's ultimately the most heroic of the trio.
* ParentalFavoritism: The Secret Reports in ''Days'' show that Xion (or No. i, at the time) was selected over the replica model that became Riku's replica by Vexen, who deemed No. i to be his greatest creation and can be seen grinning when Xemnas is introducing Xion to the rest of the Organization. Not that it matters much since Vexen perished soon after.
* PersonalityPowers: [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]]; much like Roxas, she's a bit more melancholic than you'd expect of a Light user, but she does have brighter aspects of her personality. Also, she (like Roxas) does seem to be one of the nicer members.
* PillarOfLight:
** She shares Roxas's Event Horizon LimitBreak in in ''Days'' where she will shoot radial pillars of light for the second stage of the limit.
** One of her most powerful attacks in her final battle in ''Days'' is raining down a series of light pillars over the battlefield, or summoning one massive column directly in the center. She gains a variant of the former as an attack spell when she fights alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
** Her data battle will have her summon pillars of light with nearly every attack in ''Re:Mind''.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When Xion makes the decision to sacrifice her existence to awaken Sora, she explicitly writes that she loves Roxas and Axel in her diary, declaring that she won't forget her time with them, even if they do.
* PowerCopying: She can wield a Keyblade as a result of copying Roxas's. Taken to an extreme in ''III'', as when fighting alongside Saïx she learns to clone his claymore to attack too, though she ditches it after her HeelFaceTurn. Additionally, her Keyblade is given its own identifier in this game as the 'Replica Kingdom Key'.
* PowerFloats: She just levitates in place in her final form.
* PowerParasite: She can absorb others as part of being a replica, with Roxas and Sora being the main victims. In her case, though, it's a passive effect and completely involuntary. This is a major factor in her decision to pull a SuicideByCop.
** Weaponizes this in her Data rematch in ''Re:Mind'' with light beams capable of [[MaximumHPReduction reducing your max HP.]]
* ReallyDeadMontage: Right at the end of ''Days'', when she disappears while [[RetGone everyone forgets her, and everything about her stops existing]], before Roxas forgets her, a brief flashback of her turning to him and smiling is shown. After a bit, one of his memories of her and the other protagonist (Axel) of eating ice cream shows up, the three of them having fun. Then the same scene appears again, while Xion fades away.
* RememberTheNewGuy: She shows up abruptly in ''358/2 Days'' where she is Number XIV in a group previously established in ''II'' to be named Organization '''XIII,''' becomes Roxas's and Axel's best friend when they don't mention her at all in ''II,'' and is revealed to be a Keyblade-wielder who looks like Kairi and whose appearance shocks Riku. Like Naminé in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Xion is a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction of this trope]], in this case with the reveal that we didn't hear about her from any of the characters in ''II'' because she died and was [[RetGone erased from everyone's memories]].
* ReplacementGoldfish:
** Xion was basically created to serve this purpose, as a potential backup or replacement for Roxas in the event the Organization couldn't control him. She also, along with Roxas, starts to be accused of being this to Axel by Saïx, who shows extreme disdain for them due to Axel developing a close friendship with them while Saïx's own relationship with Axel becomes increasingly strained. Xion bears the strongest brunt of this, however, as Saïx's literal inability to see her as anything but a featureless puppet (proof of his failure to acknowledge her as an individual) lead Saïx to scathingly refer to any emotions regarding Xion as 'make-believe'.
** Xion ends up serving this role again for the XIII Seekers of Darkness after [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance their plan to possess Sora failed.]] The ''Re:Mind'' DLC reveals that Saïx, who at this point [[TheAtoner is trying to atone for his mistakes]], suggests that they reconstruct No. ''i'' from Vexen's research data in order to fill out their ranks and fulfil their Sora requirement due to her relationship to him.
* RetGone: Subverted. Since she was ''made'' of memories, her death meant the death of her memory. When she was absorbed into Roxas, everyone forgot that she ever existed... for awhile. She begins making cameo appearances in ''Re:Coded'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'', with Riku and Sora both meeting her for long enough to get a good look at her face during the latter. Sora even seems to gain Roxas's memories of ''Days'' in full, including Xion, and it's implied that Lea has WistfulAmnesia about her when he looks at Kairi. When Xion returns in ''III'', Lea and Roxas end up remembering her.
* SailorEarth: Xion is introduced as Organization XIII's newest member Number XIV, continues the "three friends" pattern of the series by being best friends with Roxas and Axel, and is a Kairi-lookalike who has ShipTease with Sora's lookalike Roxas. On paper she sounds like she's a character straight out of an early 2000's fanfic, but it is revealed to be an intentional -- and very sinister -- example InUniverse: Xion is in fact ''not'' a true member of the Organization but a Replica created to drain the power and life out of Roxas so she could replace him as a more easily managed Keyblade-wielder Xemnas could reprogram as he wished. It's for this reason that she and Roxas are partnered up on the early missions that spark their friendship, to encourage her to latch onto him and begin copying his power. As a Replica, she was an outsider among the rest of the Organization, only viewed as a puppet by the higher-ups and never as a true member; because of this, she is never given a throne of her own in the Round Room, a RedBaron title, her own special type of Nobodies to control, or even her own Proof of Existence like all the other members do.
* ScreamingWarrior: During her Data Rematch in ''Limit Cut'', she'll actually start roaring during some of her more destructive attacks.
* SizeShifter: After donning the Sora-like armor, she becomes noticeably larger than Roxas and gets bigger with every next phase of the fight until she's as tall as the Twilight Town Clock Tower.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: The games explain her true form is her appearance as a black-haired Kairi while all of her other appearances are merely illusions caused by memory.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: An odd example: as a replica of Sora made to copy his powers, her various forms are all influenced by him one way or another. In her final boss form, this manifests as her taking the form of a Sora made of armor, and using all his signature abilities from prior games.
* SheCleansUpNicely: At the very end of ''III'' when the danger's finally passed, Xion's able to rid herself of the Organization coat and wears a black and white blouse and skirt that takes a few cues from Kairi and Naminé.
* ShipTease: With Roxas in ''Days''. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they can't feel anything due to being Nobodies and are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. It's worth noting they don't show anything overtly romantic between them in ''III'' and more focus is given instead to their [[PlatonicLifePartners friendship with each other and Axel]]. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignificantAnagram: Of "No. ''i''", her designation as part of the Replica Program.
* SomeoneHasToDie: With Roxas (and in conjunction, Sora). Both of them are unable to coexist stably because Xion is built to keep draining Roxas's power, which will eventually make him fade away.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Her actions ultimately bring about the end of the original Organization XIII. By choosing to die rather than continue serving the Organization, she not only prevents them from using her to collect hearts but also allows Naminé to resume restoring Sora's memories, enabling him to wake up. And by announcing her plans to Roxas -- even if he forgets her afterward -- it solidifies his defection from the Organization, leaving them with no Keyblade wielder they can control.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: A Replica of Roxas that ends up absorbing Sora's memories, Xion lets herself be absorbed into Roxas's heart when she dies, returning the power she'd accidentally taken from him, and then gets absorbed into Sora's heart alongside Roxas when the latter returns to him, returning Sora's memories back to their rightful owner. While Roxas was initially resistant to fusing with Sora and appeared more several times after the initial fusion, Xion [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepted her fate]] as necessary and apart from briefly telepathically communicating with Riku and Roxas at the end of ''Days'' she doesn't show up as an individual again until a dream version of her appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''.
* SuicideByCop: Her FinalBoss amounts to this, with the "Cop" being [[DefectorFromDecadence Roxas]].
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: As a Seeker of Darkness. [[https://imgur.com/vflxBck It's hard to tell since she spends all of her screentime as a vessel with her hood up, but she does have them.]] Regaining her present-day heart from Sora ejected Xehanort's heart as well as the past version of her heart, turning her eyes back to normal.
* SwordPlant: When in her light aura phase in ''Re:Mind'' she will attack almost exclusively by stabbing her keyblade into the ground, generating shockwaves of light magic.
* ThemeNaming: Her part in the "girls related to Kairi" group is ''shio'' for tide.
* ThereIsAnother: Invoked. Her whole purpose was to be a backup plan in case the Organization couldn't control Roxas. She gets hit with this again when the Seekers of Darkness need a thirteenth member and their plan to use Sora failed, so they opt to recreate Xion as an EmotionlessGirl and use her as a vessel for Xehanort's heart instead. Luckily this blows up in their faces when it leads to her friends remembering her again and her subsequently finding the strength to shake off Xehanort's influence and turn against the Seekers out of ThePowerOfFriendship.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: During her boss battle alongside Saïx, one of her primary attacks is to throw her Keyblade at you or Kairi. This attack is carried over as her most basic attack for her data rematch in ''Re:Mind''.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To the XIII Seekers in ''III'' as she is only serving them because the replica body has her heart from the time when she first joined the Organization.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: She dies in ''Days'' as the first member who openly tries to rebel against Xemnas. Subverted in ''III'' when the XIII Seekers of Darkness are able to bring her back to join them as a reluctant member, mainly because the replica body has her heart from the past.
* TookALevelInBadass: Begins working for the Organization with only a couple basic low-level elemental magic spells as her means of offense. She soon learns that she can wield the keyblade, granting her access to powerful light-based powers like Roxas and significantly increasing her utility to the Organization. Even after she temporarily loses the keyblade, she's using noticeably more powerful and varied magic spells than the last time Roxas fought alongside her.
** Eventually revealed to be a deconstruction since the only reason she's getting stronger fighting with the keyblade is because she's draining energy from Roxas. She's later personally altered by Xemnas himself to defeat Roxas and absorb him completely while aided by specially placed Organization devices in various worlds to enhance her strength, resulting in a climactic SequentialBossFight.
* TransferableMemory: She's ''made'' of them.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The girl to her two guy friends, Roxas and Axel.
* UnskilledButStrong: On her own terms, Xion has great power but noticably lacks finesse in her swordplay. One of her phase intervals in the ''Re:Mind'' rematch has her running at Sora in an UnstoppableRage wildly flailing around her Keyblade with one hand.
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything ''about'' her is just one big spoiler.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: She gets hit with this trope twice as hard as Roxas. She discovered in the middle of ''Days'' that she was a replica designed to copy Sora's powers through Roxas. Then she learned from Naminé her memories don't belong to her and that she's just a bunch of Sora's memories of Kairi. The treatment of the Organization members (who themselves angst over their technical non-human status) to her is downright dehumanizing, outright calling her a puppet (save Axel and Roxas, maybe Demyx and Luxord) and never considered her to be a part of them.
* WaterIsWomanly: Xion is the female of the Clock Tower Trio and a Replica who mostly takes after Kairi's persona. Her name is pronounced "shee-on"; shio in Japanese means "tide". A recurring dream that Xion experiences throughout the game is her drowning inside seawater.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She looks like a young teenager to most people, but really, she's just under a year old by the time of her death.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Roxas]]
!Roxas, The Key of Destiny
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roxas_khiii_0.png]]
''[[caption-width-right:350:[[QuestForIdentity "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Roxas in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/568_6star_casual_roxas_render.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KoukiUchiyama (Japanese), Music/{{Jesse McCartney}} (English)
!!!'''Appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI I]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"What are you talking about? I am me! Nobody else!"''
\\
Organization XIII's 13th member. A mysterious Nobody able to wield the Keyblade, he defected when he realized that the Organization (sans Axel, though at the time Roxas doubted even that) cared nothing for him. He's revealed to be Sora's Nobody, born when Sora took his own heart in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. Roxas ultimately chose to merge back with Sora around the time his summer vacation ended but eventually accepted his fate as he could still exist inside of Sora's heart.
As time passed and attitudes changed, however, Sora ultimately resolved to give Roxas his own life autonomous from him, especially after learning Roxas had indeed developed his own heart during his life. These efforts came to fruition during the Second Keyblade War, in which Roxas's heart was placed inside a Replica which finally allowed Roxas to begin a life that was wholly his own - and one that reunited him with his best friends at last.
-----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: Roxas obtains the ability to [[DualWielding dual wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades]] during the first part of the last mission in ''358/2 Days''. His attacking speed and power increase dramatically, letting him quickly kill the Neoshadows that spawn with only one or two hits.
* AbsurdCuttingPower: His Keyblades are a lot sharper than giant keys have any right to be.
* AllegedLookalikes: As Sora's Nobody, he's often noted to have a strong resemblance to him... for some reason. Their faces ''are'' identical, but this is difficult to see when their usual facial expressions are so different, not to mention the different hair and voices. Other human/Nobody pairs ''are'' basically identical (compare Axel and Lea), and conspicuously, no one ever points out a resemblance between the similar Kairi and Naminé. Later games open up the possibility that Sora/Roxas were actually being compared to Vanitas/Ventus respectively (characters tend to omit ''who'' they're making a comparison to), but there are several occasions where that is obviously not the case.
* AnimeHair: His hair is spiky, as the front concentrates the spikes on the right side of his head as if windswept, while the back is smoother and more flaky.
* AntiHero: Roxas is short-tempered, aggressive, blunt, and stands his ground against his foes. He can be arrogant, confident, and cocky as proven in his battles. He can be rightfully selfish in certain intervals. However, Roxas is shown to be not be very ruthless and is merciful to his enemies, as he spares a severely weakened Saïx and tries, albeit harshly, to convince Riku that fighting him is pointless.
* AntiVillain: Even during his time in the Organization, he was never really "evil" and moreso just wanted to find out who he was. Once he vents his frustration in his fight with Sora, he's satisfied enough and drops all traces of villainy.
* ArtificialFamilyMember: ''III'' seems to imply that Sora considers Roxas his brother, as Hiro talking about how Tadashi, his own brother, still lives on inside the hearts of Hiro himself and the rest of Big Hero 6 causes Sora to briefly see the superhero team as the Twilight Town trio and Sora himself as Roxas.
* AsleepForDays: Roxas spends three weeks in a coma as a result of Sora's own coma in ''Days'', and is looked after by Xion.
* AssassinOutclassin: Roxas foiled every attempt by Organization XIII to terminate him.
* ATasteOfPower: His DualWielding is a thing to be feared against anything that tries to fight him. In ''Days'', the player blazes through hordes of some of the most fearsome Heartless without issue.
* AttackAttackAttack: In comparison to Sora, Roxas seems to have a far more aggressive style: he is constantly on the offensive, and abandons any defensive moves he had previously used, such as the Guard technique and magic, in favor of speed and strength. In their mental struggle in the Dive to the Heart, he briefly manages to overpower and disarm Sora with simple brute force. In this battle, he also has a more aggressive stance than he did when fighting Axel.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: In the manga, after taking a bite out of a mushroom in Wonderland, Roxas grows into a giant that towers over the forest and forces Luxord to ride in his ear.
* AwesomeButImpractical: His signature DualWielding style with the Oathkeeper and Oblivion keyblades is available for usage in the Mission Mode of ''358/2 Days'' by equipping 3 ability slots on Zero Gear while playing as him. Sadly, despite its high stats and being primarily based on his attacks from his boss fight, it's reliant on [[DeathOfAThousandCuts very long, elaborate combo strings with little individual damage with each swing.]] In a game, where the majority of enemies don't stagger to most attacks and limited windows of vulnerability, you're usually better off with a weapon with shorter combos but higher individual damage per hit.
** His unique DualWielding LimitBreak Magic Hour is also a lot more spotty compared to his more reliable [[BladeSpam Event Horizon]] Limit Break when wielding his other keyblades. He rains down beams randomly around him, usually in front of him and while strong, they're very much inaccurate and not too practical against smaller, quicker enemies. The Final Limit increases the beams' size, speed, and especially damage but there's still not much guarantee that you'll be landing hits with it unless you're fighting a large enemy or many enemies.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'' Roxas's physical body is restored by Vexen, Ienzo and Ansem the Wise through the Replica Program. The fact that Saïx had a hidden hand in it also helps, as he was also TheAtoner.
* BadassLongcoat: When in Organization XIII, Roxas wore the usual all-black uniform, with a number of small differences. His pants were different, looking more casual, and loose. He also did not tuck the legs of his pants into his boots like the other members did, though Roxas's "boots" more resembled black versions of his street shoes, and may not have been knee-high like the other members'. Roxas's cloak had a vague resemblance to the ones worn by Xigbar and Demyx, with slightly pointed shoulders and slightly close-fitting sleeves.
* BattleAura: In ''III'' when fighting Saix, he gets an aura of golden light which greatly reduces the damage and knockback he receives.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind:
** The very first boss in ''II'' is against the Twilight Thorn in the Station of Awakening, a location that is heavily implied to be a person's heart. The giant Nobody is trying to subdue Roxas so he can be returned to the Organization.
** Near the end of the game, Roxas senses Axel's sacrifice and wakes up in response, making his existence known to Sora. The two end up fighting within Sora's heart as Roxas tries for one last chance to be a real person.
* BerserkButton: He intensely dislikes being compared to Sora, because he would rather people see him as his own person, which [=DiZ=] notes with amusement in their encounter.
-->'''Riku''': So it's true. You really are his Nobody. Guess [=DiZ=] was right after all. \\
'''Roxas''': What are you talking about? I am me! Nobody else!
** Roxas also has little patience for people who seem to be bending his will or trying to confuse him.
** Seeing anyone mistreating Xion to the point of calling her an [[ItisDehumanizing "it"]] also gets him angry, specifically towards Saix.
** As seen the Re Mind scenario, Roxas also expresses genuine rage upon seeing Sora getting badly injured by Xemnas.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's hands down the nicest member of Organization XIII, showing a level of empathy unheard of among Nobodies, but he's also its most powerful after Xemnas. Hurting any of his closest friends will result in him unleashing hell on those who try to do so.
* BigDamnHeroes: As Xemnas is just about to kill Xion for refusing to kill Lea (who Xemnas himself had just beaten up pretty badly), Roxas comes shooting down out of the sky in the new replica body that Vexen, Ansem the Wise and Ienzo had prepared for him.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The blond to Axel's redhead and Xion's brunette.
* BossRemix: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU78E7S0fgs "The Other Promise"]], which is a remix of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BS8egSU3k his normal theme]]. Noteworthy for not being a fast-paced and energetic theme like most boss remixes.
* BoundAndGagged: Twice in the manga adaptation. First, when about to be executed by guillotine after being framed by the Cheshire Cat for throwing a hedgehog ball at the Queen of Hearts. Second, when captured by the Lost Boys after being mistaken as a pirate.
* BreakoutCharacter: Roxas fits in with this trope due appearing in almost every title of the series due to his massive popularity. Fans like him for being a [[TroubledButCute sympathetic]] badass who is capable of wielding two dual-wielding Keyblades. It's obvious that ''Days'' is an excuse for the game-makers to put him in the protagonist role. Even though his importance in the story mostly ends after Days, he is such an iconic character that even casual players not bothered to pay attention to the confusing story recognize him by name.
** It's funny to think that the [[ProlongedPrologue prologue]] of ''II'' was actually lambasted when it was first released because it took a long time to play as Sora again, a reception that is now long gone dead since the old days.
* BreakTheCutie: Out of all characters who suffer, Roxas has it the hardest. Starting off, he originally thought he was serving a greater cause by helping [[SpecificallyNumberedGroup Organization XIII]] form the artificial Kingdom Hearts. He also forms close bonds to Xion and Axel during his stay. However, when discovering that the Organization (including Axel) hid many things from him, Roxas realizes they've been using him as a [[UnwittingPawn replaceable tool]] this entire time. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Roxas chooses to leave the Organization, only to be forced into fighting and unintentionally killing Xion, who decides to [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice herself]] for Roxas' sake of living. This emotional weight crashes down on him, leaving him with nothing but feelings of despair and anger upon watching Xion die in front of him.
** Cut forward to ''II'', Roxas has his memories altered by DIZ and placed into a data Twilight Town. However, upon regaining his memories near the end of his story, Roxas feels great anger about his life being a huge lie. He then gets into conflict with his former friend Axel and learns about his status as Sora's Nobody from Naminé and later DIZ. Roxas' realization to the truth results in him breaking down emotionally to the point of brashly attacking the hologram DIZ. As of now, the current Roxas is more melancholic and serious about life but later grows to accept his role as Sora's Nobody in later games.
* CallForward: A rather powerful example towards who we all know is Naminé in ''KHII'' considering this is during his emotional fallout with Axel:
-->'''Roxas:''' Somebody knows where I came from. If I can't get answers here, I'll get them somewhere else. That'll be the person...I trust.
* CaptainObvious: His first recon mission with Vexen has him pointing out very obvious features of Twilight Town's infrastructure.
-->'''Roxas''': These tiles are different than the others... it's like a road... \\
'''Vexen''': Fascinating... And? \\
'''Roxas''': Um... \\
'''Vexen''': We'll never get anywhere if you just keep stating the obvious.
* CharacterDevelopment: A central component of ''Days'' is that Roxas has to learn to emote on his own since he has no memories of his life to tell him how to, and he begins the game as a lifeless dullard. By the end, things are... [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge different]]. In ''Kingdom Hearts II''[='s=] prologue, he emotes more or less normally, but the residual memories from ''Days'' have traumatized him, and once again the circumstances drive him to give in to rage before he finally resigns himself to merge back into Sora. In ''3D'', he maintains that his name isn't Roxas and that Sora is him, though Sora insists that Roxas has as much of a right to be his own person as anyone else. It's a far cry from how he reacted to the reveal of his true identity in ''II''.
* ClearMyName: A significantly less serious version than most opens ''II'', as Roxas has to clear his name over stealing a few photographs.
* CloneAngst: He's not exactly a "clone" of Sora, but nonetheless he fits the bill. Much angst ensues when he finds out that he's just Sora's Nobody and not really meant to exist, and it takes a lot of CharacterDevelopment (and a fight to the death with Sora) before he fully lets go of his anger and accepts his apparent fate. Ironically though, just as he comes to terms with being forever locked inside of Sora's heart, ''Sora'' becomes horrified at the idea and tries to find a way to give him his own life.
* CompositeCharacter: In-universe; he is Sora's Nobody but gets his appearance from Ventus, due to Ven's heart residing inside Sora. In this way he can be considered an AlternateSelf to both of them.
* CoolKey: Two of them: Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Being two of the more blade-like keyblades in the series, both double as a CoolSword.
* CosmicPlaything: Absolutely, especially in ''Days'', but with elements in ''II''. He's born as what amounts to a lifeless doll without any memories to call upon. He develops a personality after getting close to Axel and Xion, who become his two closest friends. But in the end, he's forced to fight Axel and kill Xion. After that, he has his memories wiped again and is brainwashed into living in a virtual town. He isn't even allowed his own life when he discovers the truth as he's strong-armed into fusing back into Sora to make him whole again. You can't help but feel sorry for Roxas.
* CradlingYourKill: He holds Xion in his arms until she fades away after he defeats her.
* CutsceneBoss: In ''II''. The UpdatedRerelease upgrades him to a full-fledged DuelBoss.
* DecoyProtagonist: ''II'' starts off with him as the PlayerCharacter, though the role switches to Sora after the prologue is completed.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: The next time we see Roxas in ''II'', he's much more willing to (fully) merge with Sora and become whole.
* DefectorFromDecadence: After the Organization's terrible treatment of him and Xion as well as him discovering all the secrets they -- including Axel -- [[LockedOutOfTheLoop have been keeping]] about who he is, Roxas decides he's had enough of them and leaves to find answers himself. Unfortunately, his independence is short-lived.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Hand-drawn artwork and FMV cutscenes tend to show his hair as a much lighter shade of blonde than his in-game models. Come ''Kingdom Hearts III'' he's noticeably blonder and more in line with official art.
* DeusExitMachina: Roxas when he gets his head on straight and also summons ''both'' his keyblades is easily one of the strongest protagonists in the series - which naturally means events conspire to prevent him from doing either very often. Only at the tail end of ''3'' does Roxas reappear in top form and as a party member, and it's worth the wait - he will ''demolish'' SuperMode Saix for you [[ZeroEffortBoss if you let him]].
* DisguisedInDrag: Once again, in the manga, Roxas attempts to disguise himself as the White Rabbit's maid, Marianne, by throwing on an apron from a FrenchMaidOutfit over his Black Coat. The Rabbit isn't fooled, so Roxas gets arrested.
* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: In a sense. The revelation of Lea having met and befriended Ventus in ''Birth by Sleep'' before Roxas ever existed seems to imply that their identical appearance is what led to Axel developing a bond with Roxas as quickly as he did. Downplayed in that Roxas and Ventus are completely different, albeit interlinked, people; Roxas just looks like Ventus because of Ventus's heart residing inside Sora at the time of Roxas's 'birth', and most likely staying with Sora's body and soul when his heart was released at the end of ''KHI'' (meaning Roxas took on Ventus's appearance due to unknowingly harboring Ventus's heart within ''him''[[note]]which is also probably why Roxas developed emotions much faster than other Nobodies[[/note]]).
-->'''Lea''': Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again--nearly forgot about him, too. Then, I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want him to go vanishing on me, too.
* DraggedIntoDrag: Roxas found himself in drag in the manga adaptation ''Days'', when he was forced to wear a FrenchMaidOutfit while trespassing the [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland White Rabbit's]] house when the Rabbit came home, trying to trick him into thinking he was his servant, Mary Ann. However, the Rabbit saw through the disguise, and Roxas was put onto trial.
* TheDreaded:
** His DualWielding gives him incredible fighting potential. The only thing that can put Roxas down is when the enemy receives a power up to overthrow him. It's bad enough Riku had to tap into the power of darkness to subdue and capture Roxas for the sake of saving Sora from his dormant state.
** When he makes his triumphant return in ''III'', Xemnas is uncharacteristically unnerved and off-guard. Given his [[PurposelyOverpowered strength within the next fight]], his alarm was well-founded.
* DualWielding: The ''first'' thing we learned about Roxas, way before we even knew his name or that he was Sora's Nobody, was that he could wield two Keyblades at once. Much later, we learned he could only do it briefly, as it was triggered when his anger at Xion's death unlocked Ven's Keyblade.
* DuelBoss: In ''II Final Mix'', he fights Sora 1v1 in Sora's [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Dive to the Heart]].
* DyingAlone: This is what Roxas implies will happen to him when he talks with Axel as he's leaving Organization XIII. When Axel tries to convince him not to leave, telling him the Organization will kill him, Roxas says indifferently that "no one would miss me". And in a way, he ''did'' sort of end up dying alone. Or, at least, having the majority of his personality go dormant inside of Sora, with no one being there with him at the time when he returned to Sora's body.
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Roxas' early design from the AnotherSideAnotherStory secret ending of ''I'' has straight hair covering his eyes, compared to his ShonenHair for his current design. He also appeared to have SupernaturalGoldEyes when he meets Xemnas instead of his usual blue eyes during that ending.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He's reunited with Xion and Lea at the end of ''III'', arriving just in time to save them from Xemnas and being able to finally live out his days in peace with them in Twilight Town the way he always wanted to.
* EndearinglyDorky: He's rather clumsy and a childish dork in the manga adaptation of ''358/2 Days'' who gleefully looks up to Axel, makes all kinds of silly faces, and frequently gets himself into all sorts of hijinks. He also displays this trait in the games whenever he isn't struggling with finding his true purpose in the Organization.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Downplayed, but the anti-heroic, more morally grey Roxas generally has a deeper, more mature voice than his original self Sora or his look-alike Ventus.
* EvilTwin: Is framed as Sora's on occasion, particularly in ''II'', because he is [[TheHero Sora's]] [[LiteralSplitPersonality Nobody]] and as a rule of thumb even humanoid Nobodies [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman are viewed as]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil inherently evil, emotionless shells]] by the heroes (and to be fair, most of the Organization doesn't give them reason to doubt it). Roxas is [[PolarOppositeTwins often more subdued and quick to anger compared to Sora's sunny personality]], is a member of the antagonistic Organization XIII Sora is trying to stop, [[CardCarryingVillain outright calls himself]] "someone from [[DarkIsEvil the dark]]" when Sora asks who he is, and introduces himself to Sora by [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge furiously attacking him after Axel died for Sora]]. Subverted in that Roxas is in general a pretty good kid and doesn't serve as an EvilCounterpart because he's already pulled a HeelFaceTurn by the time Sora meets him, with Roxas even teaming up with Sora by the time he returns in ''III''.
* FakeMemories: His memories got replaced while inside Diz's Fake Twilight Town. He didn't take it well once he found out.
* FightingYourFriend:
** Roxas fights Xigbar in the Olympus Coliseum about halfway through ''Days'', though it's a friendly match for the games meant to maintain a charade.
** On Day 352, Roxas and Xion are tricked into fighting each other without realizing it (they think the other is a Heartless due to an illusion) as part of Xemnas' plan, though they're quickly stopped by Axel. They fight again on Day 357, though this time Xion is forcing Roxas into it to get him to destroy her.
** Roxas ends up fighting his BestFriend, Axel, twice during the prologue of ''II''. Roxas can't remember who Axel is due to amnesia and doesn't want to rejoin the Organization, while Axel needs to bring Roxas back lest he be harshly punished for failure.
* FinalBoss: The data version of him serves as the last fight in ''coded''.
* FlashStep: He can move temporarily as fast as light and his best melee attack slashes right through an enemy with two blades at light speed. In ''III'' he ''literally'' turns into a beam of light to perform a dash attack.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: After Roxas's BigDamnHeroes moment in ''III'', Sora begins battle with Saïx with Roxas and Xion for backup. Sora and Xion being there is more a courtesy than a requisite: [[PurposelyOverpowered As a combat ally, Roxas is powerful enough to thrash Saïx all on his own]] - which, of course, is justified by how strong he is in the story.
* GirlOfMyDreams: Through a possible PsychicLink of sorts due to her power over Sora's memories, and by extension anyone connected to him, there are moments where Roxas in ''Days'' (like in Day 26) and ''KHII'' sees Naminé in his unconscious. It's unclear who's reaching who or if it just happens, but Naminé for her part can sense him and he [uselessly] tends to ask who she is.
* GrassIsGreener: Well, not really that he wanted to go to a different country or anything, but...Roxas became jealous of the visions he had of Sora and his friends. To the point where he actually betrayed and left Organization XIII because he wanted friends and love so badly. The result? He gets tricked by [=DiZ=] into merging with Sora. Not quite what he wanted.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Roxas' fighting style relying more on aggressive close-range swings.
* TheGift: One of the strongest Keyblade wielders shown, to the point he was the second strongest member of the Organization even at less then half his full strength. Exactly why he has so much power is unclear, but it likely has something to do with having started his existence with access to both Sora ''and'' Ven's power, both powerful Keyblade wielders themselves .
* HairTriggerTemper: Roxas is less impulsive than Sora, but far more quick to anger. He is short-tempered, aggressive, blunt, and stands his ground against his foes. When blinded with anger, he lets go of all reason and focuses on venting his anger, as seen when he continually hacks at [=DiZ=]'s computers and viciously attacks [=DiZ=]'s hologram. [=DiZ=] seems to think that Sora could actually benefit if he shared Roxas' bad temper.
-->'''[=DiZ=]''': You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good.
* HalfIdenticalTwins: Averted. Roxas and Naminé were born out of Sora's body due to Sora carrying both his and Kairi's heart, but Roxas was the one who inherited the body, literally, and Naminé has no body to speak of (her existence is more than likely lesser than that of a Nobody). She wasn't necessary for Sora to return and had nothing to return ''to'' him, 100% fully assimilating into Kairi, and was able to coexist with him, unlike when she came in contact with Kairi herself, wherein she began to fizzle out after freeing her in ''KHII''. They have similar hair and eye color, but they aren't literal twins and don't look like each other beyond being blue-eyed blond(e)s. [[invoked]][[WordofGod Word of God]] states in an interview that the reason for Naminé's look is because he wanted her to be "ethereal", like a ghost, and the decision was purely aesthetic. In the KHII novel, Naminé does note that them being born at the same time is similar to the concept of how twins are born at the same time.
* HeroicNeutral: He's more concerned with living life with his friends than dealing the schemes of the villains, going so far as to blindly follow the Organization's instructions. His only real heroic actions are prompted by an ultimately vain attempt at reuniting with Xion after she fades away.
* HesitantSacrifice: He doesn't ''want'' to be absorbed back into Sora, but by the end he realizes [[ButThouMust he has to]] and accepts it.
* IconicItem: Not the first Keyblade wielder, but he is the most associated with the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades thanks to being the first Keyblade dual wielder.
* IdentityAbsorption: At the start of ''II'', Roxas has to return to being part of TheHero Sora and clearly feels that this will happen to him. He is seen again a couple of times, when some particularly powerful psychic influence causes him to re-emerge briefly, but Roxas was basically correct to consider the merge to be his own death. Outside of those moments, the only trace of him that remained showed itself when Sora [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy found himself crying when he said goodbye]] to Roxas' friends, who he thought he'd only just met.
* ImprovisedWeapon: In Mission 31 of ''358/2 Days,'' as lampshaded by Xion. Roxas WAS still able to use magic with it, though.
-> '''Xion:''' "Roxas, that's a stick."
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: A variation. By the standards of the series, he should be a seething ball of darkness (and Nobodies already have an affinity for darkness by default). Despite this, he shows a strong alignment with the light element and only uses powerful light magic like Holy in battle, and otherwise has no evidence of dark powers aside from the Corridors of Darkness that just about everyone in interspace can utilize ''somehow''. This is because when Sora turned into a Heartless, he was pure darkness. The expelled light (combined with Kairi being part of it) would have created Roxas, a Nobody of pure light. His appearance also screams that [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Ventus]] is a crucial part of his makeup as well. Also Sora's Heartless was a SHADOW, the weakest kind of Heartless out there. Sora's heart had very little darkness in it to begin with.
* InnocentBlueEyes: He's a blank slate at first since he was created without Sora's memories. His bright blue eyes reflect how everything is new to him and he's almost as peppy as Sora at times. Then it's subverted when the weight of everything that happens to him makes him far more moody and cynical.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Another difference with Sora is their heroic status. Oftentimes, Roxas shows how he'd rather not have anything to do with the Keyblade, longing to be an ordinary life. This is something represented in Hayner, Pence, and Olette throughout the series, as he is shown a number of times watching them in wonder and interest.
* IShallTauntYou: Calls out "Over here!" or "Too slow!" every time he dashes away in ''III'', sometimes in bursts of two or three times in a row.
* ISurrenderSuckers: In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Roxas "falls on his knees and begs", at a foe's request, getting him within reach of a weapon. The leisurely "pick a weapon" phase after it, however, defeats the point.
* IWillWaitForYou: Played with. Once he regains his memories he agrees to wait for Axel "in the next life" (once they've both become whole again), but while Lea retains Axel's memories (rendering them more or less the same person) the same can't be said for Sora, who sees Roxas as someone who deserves to be his own person anyway.
* {{Jerkass}}: Not the genuine article, but Data-Roxas in ''coded''. He is ''extremely'' resentful of everyone and spends the entirety of the Castle Oblivion level urging Data-Sora to break people's hearts because it'll be quicker to get his trials over with, and they're just hunks of data that no one else knows about and that Data-Sora will forget about immediately after, so who cares? This is because Data-Roxas is dealing with two different layers of WhatMeasureIsANonHuman. He's a Nobody and a data copy at that.
* JokeWeapon: An [[ParasolOfPain umbrella]] with the Casual Gear.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: When Xion's nature as a replica who can absorb beings becomes dangerous to Roxas, he ends up on the perpetrator's side of her SuicideByCop gambit.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: It's implied Diz replaced his memories with data, therefore Roxas forgot his time as a member of Organization XIII and thought himself to be a normal person.
** Also the case when he first came into being. Due to the unusual circumstances that led to his creation, he didn't inherit the memories of his original self like the other Organization members did. Which is part of the reason why his personality developed into one separate from Sora's.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Roxas is Sora's Nobody. In his debut game, this was a big part of the plot, serving as the major plot twist of the opening act of the game. In any and all games featuring him since, this fact is always brought to the front from the very beginning, and is considered one of the defining aspects of his character.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Roxas".
* LightEmUp: With skills like [[PillarOfLight Event Horizon and Magic Hour]], as well as in his BossBattle in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''.
* LightIsNotGood: It starts out that way, since's he's not exactly on Sora's side at first, but [[LightIsGood he gets better.]]
* LightningBruiser:
** As a boss, he's faster than Sora, hits just as hard, and can repel virtually any oncoming attack with his light shields.
** He's the most powerful companion in ''III'' as a result of this; unlike the other Keyblade wielders in Keyblade Graveyard, his attack AI has virtually ''no'' downtime, and he spends much of the battle either ''shredding'' Saïx with combos close up, teleporting around the battlefield to avoid attacks, firing projectiles from his Keyblades, or surging in as an explosive particle of light. About the only things that stop him from completely {{Stunlock}}ing Saïx to death are the boss' immunity frames, and his own AI's lack of an aerial combo to punish stuns. His AI's [[ArtificialBrilliance rather refreshing emphasis]] on dodging away from attacks, then teleporting back in during openings with a stun -- instead of just [[ArtificialStupidity blindly rushing into a]] DesperationAttack like other melee fighters -- gives him some of the highest uptime among party members to boot.
*** All of this before ''Re:Mind'', which makes him playable once more. Uniquely among the playable allies, his Dodge variant can be used multiple times in succession without pause, and can be immediately used mid-combo or followed up by ranged attacks or a gap-closer. [=KH2=]'s "Reversal" command also makes a return as part of his arsenal, so he can quickly get behind targets to set up a beatdown.
* LimitBreak: He has two.
** Event Horizon, one that he shares with Xion, It allows him to encase his Keyblade in light to slash at enemies with great strength. During the Final Limit, he summon four pillars of light around himself that quickly move away in straight paths to the ends of the field, dealing heavy damage to enemies in his way.
** When Dual-Wielding, he has Magic Hour, It consists of him jumping a few feet off the ground, then summoning the pillars of light to rain down randomly around him. The Final Limit increases the size, speed, and strength of the pillars, and also shields Roxas in a cloak of light.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: [[HotBlooded Hayner]], [[TheSmartGuy Pence]], and [[{{Tomboy}} Olette]] are this for Roxas.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: During his time with the Organization, Roxas has no idea what's actually going on with their plans, nor why the other members except for Axel treated Xion with indifference or even disdain. He has no idea who Sora is and that he's Sora's 'Nobody', and he also doesn't know that Xion is actually a replica who was created to duplicate his powers. Even as Axel and Xion themselves eventually realize the truth of what Xemnas has been planning for them, they independantly choose to keep Roxas in the dark due to their own uncertainty of what to make of it or what can be done. The secrecy gradually begins to wreak havoc on the trio's friendship, even as they all try to hold it together. Ultimately, this is the reason Roxas runs away from the Organization, because the secrets and lies pile up so bad that by the time Roxas realizes everyone's been hiding things from him, the frustration and betrayal runs so deep that he can't bear to stay there anymore.
* LonelyPianoPiece: His {{leitmotif}}, "Roxas", is largely done with a piano.
* MakingASplash: When playing as him in ''[=ReMind=]'', the only offensive spell he has access to is Waterga. Interestingly, this is the only element in ''III'' that he didn't have access to in ''Days''.
* MagicKnight: He is a self-trained swordsman and, with the right Panels equipped in ''Days'', also a decent mage. He displays less prowess in magic later on, as he relies more on his DualWielding attack style.
* MagicMissileStorm: His most dangerous attack during the boss fight against him involves blasting Sora with a torrent of orbs of Light energy. During his Data Rematch they're fast enough that it's impossible to dodge them without glide.
* ManipulativeBastard: Not the main article himself, but Data-Roxas seemed to have picked up a few tricks from Marluxia in ''coded''.
* MasterOfAll: He is one of the most destructive characters in the whole series, and has very high speed, good strength, high vitality, and strong magical powers. It's mainly his recklessness and temper that do him in most of the time rather than a lack of firepower.
* MoralityPet: To just about everyone in the Organization before his HeelFaceTurn, and Axel in particular.
* MultiDirectionalBarrage: His Event Horizon Limit in ''Days'' fires giant [[PillarOfLight pillars of light]] in all directions.
* MustMakeAmends: After [[KillTheCutie killing off]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Xion]], he tries his best to respect his dead friend's wish--by setting all the hearts that both he and she had collected free from Kingdom Hearts and foiling [[BigBad Xemnas's]] plan for gaining ultimate power. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge The way he goes about doing so]] wasn't really what Xion had intended him to do to begin with, and it was all because he wanted his life with Xion and Axel back. Riku stops him from going about his suicidal rampage to confront Xemnas, setting the stage for ''II''.
* MyEyesAreLeaking: Roxas, as a Nobody supposedly does not feel emotions. That doesn't stop him from crying in his dreams, however, and he writes about his confusion over this in his journal:
-->The dreams have gotten stranger. Now I wake up with water on my cheeks. I don't know how it got there, but I think there's something really wrong with me.
* NiceGuy: While Roxas is more short-tempered and blunt then Sora, he is still a happy, cheerful, kind, and carefree individual in good company, and like Sora cares deeply for his friends and is extremely protective of them.
* NoRespectGuy: Throughout all of ''Days'' he does a huge number of missions for the Organization, runs a number of side jobs for many members, and by the end of the game has become the second most powerful member according to [[invoked]][[WordOfGod the Ultimania]], which is seen when he utterly floors Saïx. And yet he's still treated like a do-nothing rookie. This is somewhat {{Justified}}, as the Organization developed Xion with the plan to eliminate Roxas anyway.
* NothingLeftToDoButDie: Downplayed, but once his data version has fulfilled his role he tells Sora that there's nothing left for him to do but go away.
* PercussiveTherapy: Towards the end of the ProlongedPrologue in ''II'', Roxas regains ([[RetGone some of]]) his memories of his time in Organization XIII, and realizes that he's spent the past six days living a fake life before he could be sacrificed to revive TheHero. Angry at the deception, Roxas attacks a nearby computer terminal to blow off some steam.
* PersonalityPowers: Zigzagged, though he can be cheerful, happy and heroic, he also spends a lot of time being moody, and wrestles with CloneAngst due to being Sora's Nobody. It's less of a subversion if you associate him with the light ''of sunset'', as the names of his attacks imply.
* PowerFloats: During his LimitBreak in his boss fight, he floats into the air before cascading orbs of Holy down upon Sora.
* ThePromise: In a deliberate echo in ''II'', Roxas makes a promise that he'll meet up again with his friends in Twilight Town. Sora fulfills it vicariously for him, and gets the Oathkeeper keyblade for doing so.
* PunchClockVillain: He doesn't have any idea what he's working towards for most of his life, and he doesn't really take any pleasure in his work.
* PurposelyOverpowered: In ''III'' he can absolutely destroy Saïx even [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing without Sora's help]]. Considering he defeated Saïx alone in ''358/2'' despite being drained to a fraction of his power, [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration it makes sense]].
* QuestForIdentity: Why he left the Organization in the first place. Roxas was sick of being in the dark, realizing just how little he really knew of himself. Since no one is willing to answer who he is and his connections to Sora, he decided to find the answers for himself. So he ditched Organization XIII to find out who he was before becoming a Nobody, or even if he ''was'' someone before that. At least, that was the idea; [[TheChessmaster DiZ]] had other plans for him.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: It's Axel's evasiveness about Xion and Roxas' natures that directly leads to Roxas' leaving the Organization. For the most part, Axel keeps the information under his hat because he believes it to be [[AwfulTruth something Roxas ''really'' doesn't need to know]]. That doesn't stop it from undermining Roxas' trust in him, though.
* RaisedAsAHost: Young Xehanort says as much about the Organization's true plans for Roxas towards the end of ''3D''. They needed thirteen vessels to fill with a piece of Master Xehanort's heart to form the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, and Young Xehanort says Roxas was deemed a prime candidate from the moment Xemnas found him. Unfortunately, Roxas grew his own mind and heart and thus was unsuited for the role.
* ReallyWasBornYesterday: In the game's first hours, Roxas is a "newborn" so to speak in ''Days''. He barely knows any words, doesn't know what friendship means and he is clueless about just everything. Later on, he develops more and grows a spine, gradually becoming the way he was in ''II''. it's justified because he is Sora's Nobody and born without any of his original self's memories.
* RebelliousSpirit: Roxas has a devil-may-care attitude in terms of recklessness, he can be rightfully selfish in certain intervals, but is selfless enough to return to Sora willingly. Roxas constantly rebels against what he's told is his "place" and is a strongly outspoken, independent individual.
* RecurringDreams: Roxas falls into a coma for several weeks. After awakening, he begins experiencing strange dreams and visions, due to Sora's memory restoration. As Naminé nears the completion of the task of restoring Sora's memories, Roxas soon begins seeing brief fleeting memories of Sora through a number of his dreams.
* RedBaron: The Key of Destiny.
* RedemptionDemotion: Though more because he has amnesia than because he left the Organization.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Struck with grief from Xion's death, Roxas returns to The World That Never Was, planning to "set Kingdom Hearts free", in compliance to Xion's last words. He also desires to save Xion from within him, hoping that freeing Kingdom Hearts would bring her back. Then, they could go back to Axel and all have ice cream together. Upon his arrival, Roxas is attacked at Memory's Skyscraper by countless Neoshadow Heartless, which surround him. Roxas draws out his Keyblades, ready to defend himself, However, even after slaying many Heartless, he realizes there are too many to fight alone. Luckily, Riku suddenly appears at the scene on top of the Skyscraper, and Roxas, influenced by Xion, throws his Oblivion Keyblade at him as he runs up. Riku manages to catch it, however, and they both defeat the Neoshadows once on the ground. After the dark remains clear, they immediately turn on each other.
** An implied one with his attempt to usurp control of their mutual body from Sora, seeing as it takes place shortly after his best friend died for Sora's sake. Roxas makes his move when Sora reaches Memory's Skyscraper, where he had once fought Riku. His Samurai appear and surround Sora as Roxas, cloaked, confronts Sora and pulls him to the Station of Serenity within their hearts. Sora is surprised by the cloaked, Keyblade-wielding figure, believing him to be Riku, but Roxas scoffs and demands to know why Sora was chosen to exist over Roxas. After looking at the Station and realizing that Sora's strength comes from the bonds he shares with others, Roxas makes one final attempt to conquer Sora, but Sora is able to assert his control over Roxas's Keyblades, taking them from the Nobody and dealing the finishing blow. Roxas falls to the ground, satisfied, and acknowledges Sora as a good "other".
* SanitySlippage: When Roxas is confronted by Riku after Xion dies, Roxas's unhinged dialogue indicates that he has somehow convinced himself that if he fulfills Xion's LastRequest to set Kingdom Hearts free, she'll come back and his life will with her and Axel will go back to the way it was.
** Roxas in the prologue of ''II'' definitely has trouble coping with Twilight Town's MindScrew, his dreams' MindScrew, and the Organization's MindScrew. He also has some weird emotional responses and zones out constantly. Reviewing the game after beating ''Days'' would seem to imply a kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder bleeding over.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Roxas finds out the truth of Xion's identity from Axel, learning that she is a Replica and not a true member of the Organization. Hurt that Axel had knowingly withheld her identity for so long, Roxas begs Axel to tell him his true identity, but Axel refuses. Angry and distrustful, Roxas follows Xion's example and flees the Organization himself. Saïx attempts to stop Roxas from exiting the castle. Roxas defeats him, and departs. On his way through Dark City, Roxas encounters Axel, who attempts to persuade him to stay, warning him that the Organization would destroy him for his betrayal. Roxas continues on his way, saying, "No one would miss me."
* ShipTease: With Naminé in ''II'' and Xion in ''Days''.
** With Naminé. They first cross paths in the prologue in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', and though they only interact a few times, the pair quickly build up a strong bond, with Naminé vowing that they will meet again one day, even if they initially aren't able to recognize each other. This is, of course, because they're the [[LiteralSplitPersonality Nobodies]] of [[OfficialCouple Sora and Kairi]]. There's even a scene before the final battle with Xemnas where, prior to their [[SplitPersonalityMerge complete]] [[FusionDance merger]], Kairi has Sora promise they'll spend every day together when Naminé expresses joy over the prospect of being reunited with Roxas. Sora mentions in ''III'' how Roxas is one of the people that will miss Naminé deeply if she doesn't come back, and like in the Big Hero Six world for Hayner, Pence, and Olette, he gets emotionally triggered from within Sora as he gazes at Naminé's room window once they reach the Twilight Town mansion, visually flashing over him. Xion's Character File in the [=KH3=] Ultimania implies Naminé lives with them in Twilight Town.
** With Xion. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. Along with their friendship with Axel, Roxas and Xion's relationship is the main focus of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', and her death in the climax includes them having an emotional conversation as he cradles her in his arms and she caresses his face. At the same time, Xion outright says she loves Roxas and Axel in one of the secret reports, but it's meant platonically with no differentiation between them that she notes. One of their mutual Keyblades is named after a poem dedicated to parting lovers, but Xion is basically a gender-bent version of him in Mission Mode and uses all the same Keyblades he has as a result, so it might be more thematic. During the ''Re:Mind'' DLC, they ''do'' get a new scene together with Roxas saving Xion from an attack of the Xehanort Replicas, but nothing romantic is implied in the short interaction afterwards other than a quick thanks and nod. His and Xion's entries in the Kingdom Hearts 3 Character Files book also state that Roxas only returned after Xion appeared in the keyblade graveyard, and Xion in turn only returned because Roxas called out to her from within Sora. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignatureMove: The series first Reaction Command, Reversal. You'll be using it a ''ton'' throughout the intro of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' as it's an extremely fast flanking dodge that warps you around the enemy who triggered it. The move is commonly associated with Roxas in numerous ways, such as being both the first Reaction Command Sora can pull off himself and seeing great use in the [[spoiler: battle against Roxas in ''II Final Mix''.]] It also makes a come back during the final battle against Xemnas, where it becomes massively upgrade and highly spammable so the player can dodge around Xemnas's thorny spikes of energy. [[spoiler: During the ''Re:Mind'' DLC for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', Roxas can use Reversal as a Situation Command to defeat Saix.]]
* SingleStrokeBattle: He can initiate a PressXToNotDie event like the Samurai Nobodies he's in charge of. Winning the duel against Roxas allows Sora to temporarily steal his Keyblades, while losing causes Sora to take a significant chunk of damage.
* SingleTear: He gets one after he kills Xion at the end of ''Days''.
* SkilledButNaive: Justified. He didn't have any memories at the first parts of ''Days'', but quickly learned how to fight thanks to the other members of Org XIII teaching him. As shown throughout the game, he didn't know many things that would be trivial to other people and kept asking Axel about it.
* SkywardScream: Roxas, upon discovering that all of his memories are fake, that he has no right to exist, and that to restore Sora's memories and wake him up, Roxas must be sacrificed. He attempts to attack [=DiZ=] for putting him through all of it, only to find out that he ''isn't even in the room'', just showing him a projection of himself. Roxas's anger, despair, and frustration reaches a boiling point there, and he just screams. Poor kid has gone through some serious sh*t.
* SmarterThanYouLook:
** Roxas seems have a certain degree of intelligence that Sora often lacks, as he is not as easily fooled by his enemies and is more likely to think his actions through unless angered.
** This is slightly changed when it came to ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'', because unlike his future self that had thorough knowledge of subjects in the fake Twilight Town, Roxas was born with no memories when taken in by the Organization. Hence, he had no information on the simplest topics or objects, making him comparable to a newborn who grows to learn them, and coming off slow and naive due to it, leading a few others, including himself, to refer to him as a "zombie". This is why Axel fulfills the role of enlightening him about his questions or thoughts, sometimes making Axel himself tongue tied on how to explain them.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: During his fight against Riku, he gets tricked into saying something only Sora would say to be thrown off his concentration.
-->'''Roxas:''' Why don't you quit?\\
'''Riku:''' Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that.\\
'''Roxas:''' Huh? Get real! Look which one of us is winning.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: With Sora (his original, whole being, twice as of ''Dream Drop Distance''), Xion (a clone of Sora's, and by extension Roxas himself), and possibly Ventus (whose heart is part of Sora's). ... It's complicated.
* StormOfBlades: His thirteen shape-shifting columns of light rush throughout the battlefield destroying anything in the way.
* SwordDrag: Does this with his Keyblades during a cutscene fight in ''II''.
** Does it again during his CombinationAttack with Lea and Xion in ''Re:Mind''.
* TearsOfRemorse: He cries after defeating Xion, even though by this point he can only remember her name via prompting and can't even remember it was ''him'' who did it.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: After all of the crap Roxas had to endure, he finally confronts [=DiZ=]. By this time, Roxas is pissed-off and exhausted, but what line does he deliver? "I hate you ''so'' much!" Justified, as this is coming from a 15 year old who had his best friend betray him and seemingly die by his hand, a girl who spoke with him just to be kind get taken away to God-Knows-Where by his tormentors, his happy life in Twilight Town revealed to be an illusion and on top of it all, has now just found out the hated foe that appears to stand before him is nothing more than a hologram and in the end, there is no escaping his fate. Really, at this point. what else ''is'' there to say?
* TokenGoodTeammate: He, alongside Axel and Xion, is this for Organization XIII.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Both in the end of ''Days'' about his connection to Xion, and in the prologue to ''Kingdom Hearts II'', when he is regaining his memory. At the end of the prologue, Roxas finds out that he's Sora's Nobody, his normal life in Twilight Town is a complete lie because he was living in a computer simulation with tampered memories to placate him, and he was the 13th member of Organization XIII. He has to give up his physical form in order to return to Sora so he can finally wake up from his slumber.
* TookALevelInBadass: For most of his existence, he wasn't all that impressive, mostly used as nothing more than a tool. However, when he quits the Organization, he's able to defeat [[TheDragon Saïx]], Xemnas's NumberTwo, when he's only at '''less than half''' his peak strength. He's not even tired afterwards, while Saïx is keeled over in pain. This level appears to stick for his later battles with Xion, Riku, Axel, and Sora, even though he loses two of those.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Sea-salt ice cream.
* TragicKeepsake: Roxas obtains the ability to wield the Oblivion keyblade after Xion disappears, essentially turning Oblivion into one for her. Oblivion also symbolizes 'the state of forgetting or having forgotten', which is linked to the fact that the memories Roxas had of Xion began to disappear at that time. Additionally, Oblivion's name in the original Japanese is "Passing Memories".
* TransferableMemory: In ''3D'', Roxas meets with Sora in a dream and transfers the memories of his life into Sora.
* TraumaCongaLine:
** The horrible stuff that happens to this guy could fill a book. The poor guy has no memories, all he knows is that he can use a Keyblade and it's important he kill Heartless. When he asks questions of his allies to try and figure out the things he ought to know but doesn't, they treat him like an idiot for that reason. At least Xion eventually figured out that the Organization was using both of them, Roxas doesn't clue in until practically the end of the game and thus spends most of his single year of life working for people who exploit his abilities and plan to kill him once they're done with him. The only ''really'' happy time in his life is the last week, when he's implanted with fake memories and is imprisoned in a virtual reality simulation - and he has to find out it was all a big lie in the worst way possible, and once that week is up, he is forced to merge back with Sora.
** In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Sora meets with Roxas in a dream and Roxas transfers his memories into him, meaning Sora experiences the ''entire TraumaCongaLine at once.''
* {{Tykebomb}}: After the Organization found Roxas newly spawned and with no memory, they indoctrinated him to serve their goals with the hope of him eventually replacing the original Sora entirely.
* UndyingLoyalty: Seems to have instilled this in his Samurai Nobodies, as they still serve him even after his defection (and possibly killing several of them on the way out of the Castle That Never Was). To say nothing of the first, lone Dusk who still called Roxas "my liege" weeks after that same leave.
* TheUnfought: In the World That Never Was, Roxas starts a battle with Sora before losing and finally [[SplitPersonalityMerge giving in]]. In the vanilla version of ''KHII'' this is just a cutscene, while ''Final Mix'' made it an actual gameplay battle.
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: In ''Days'', he gets access to Sora's Dodge Roll, which he can upgrade to different effects. Like Sora, his gives him a short period of invincibility.
* UnskilledButStrong: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]].
** As the first dual-Keyblade wielder introduced in the series - something which in of itself takes great finesse and technique to properly pull off in addition to nobody else doing so as frequently or even shown to have the ability to do so in the first place besides [[ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges Sora himself]] - Roxas demonstrates the utmost of skill with his Keyblades, with his sword style being fast paced, offensive, and graceful. However, Roxas doesn't know anything about using a Keyblade ''beyond'' it being a sword. Best seen in his fight with Sora, himself a self-taught Keyblade wielder: Roxas overpowers him with brute force, but Sora is able to catch him off guard and win by calling his Keyblade to his hand. Despite this being one of the more basic attributes of the Keyblade, Roxas appears completely surprised someone can do that.
** In a case of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, Roxas's fighting style and movements are also not quite as refined as Sora's in ''II''. Though, this can can be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact that he lost of his memories of training with the Organization during the prologue.
* VisualPun: Perhaps not intentional, but the "X" charm he wears as a zip-pull. In music, an X next to a note denotes a [[DualWielding Double Sharp]].
* VocalEvolution: Roxas was one of earliest roles in Creator/KoukiUchiyama's career and he was fifteen when Roxas first appeared in ''Kingdom Hearts II''. As such, Roxas in Japanese sounds vastly younger in his debut compared to how he sounds in later installments, a change which is especially noticeable when comparing Uchiyama's performances in the new cutscenes for the ''HD II.5 [=ReMIX=]'' rereleases to the original cutscenes from the 2005 release.
** Jesse [=McCartney's=] take on Roxas has been pretty consistent but his voice clips for Roxas' grunts and yells in combat in ''II'' are noticeably deeper and more mature than Roxas has ever sounded since. He generally sounds more youthful in combat in later games.
* WallRun: In the SequelHook movie of the first game's Final Mix, Roxas runs up a skyscraper as he and Riku fend off Neoshadows together.
* WeaponJr: Initially, he only carries around a "Struggle Bat" in his series debut, which has a shaft covered in some nerf-like foam material. It's alright for defending against bullies like Seifer or doing random odd jobs around town that involve smacking things. However against real threats like Heartless or Nobodies, it's completely ineffectual.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He gets confused when he sees how much Belle and the Beast love each other, and doesn't understand it even when Axel tries explaining it to him.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Roxas is kidnapped and forced by several heroic characters to merge with Sora, so that Sora could wake up and fight the dual threat of the Heartless and the Organization. The people trying to broker this merger refuse to acknowledge Roxas as an individual on the basis that he's technically Sora's zombified body. ''Dream Drop Distance'' shows that the merge was by no means perfect, and that Roxas still exists as a personality within Sora. At this point though, Roxas himself has come to peace with his situation; ''Sora'' is the one who objects. In fact, Sora objects to this so much that bringing Roxas back into existence becomes a major plot point of ''Kingdom Hearts III''.
* {{Workaholic}}: Can barely figure out what to do with a day off, and says he can maybe handle [[CallForward a week]]. It's actually sorta sad.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Is bar none THE greatest companion the players gets in ''III'' and possibly in any of the previous installments by virtue of being the only who ''doesn't'' need [[PlayerCharacter Sora's]] participation in the BossBattle to cause mountains amount of damage to said boss and is capable of defeating him all by himself without the player needing to lift a finger in the BossBattle.
* WorthyOpponent: Sees Sora as this after their confrontation.
--> '''Roxas''': "You make a good Other."
** A line from Saïx before his boss fight in ''II'' implies that he does respect Roxas as a warrior, however begrudgingly.
-->'''Saïx''': Only you could have made it this far, Roxas.
* YinYangBomb:
** While Roxas primarily uses Light-based attacks, he's the first character in the franchise to dual wield keyblades when he gains Oathkeeper and Oblivion, symbolizing Light and Darkness as well as Sora's bonds with Kairi and Riku, respectively.
** In ''III'', he weaponizes this with the Dual Shot attack that spins both weapons to fire bullets of light ''and'' darkness at Saïx.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He looks, sounds, and acts like a teenager due to being produced from a teenager's body, but in reality, he's really only about 2 years old by the events of ''Dream Drop Distance''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Axel]]
!!Axel, The Flurry of Dancing Flames (Original Name: Lea)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/axel_khmom.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My show now, Keyblade master! Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel. Got it memorized?"'']]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"What's your problem!? You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running! [[CallForward But I'll always be there to bring you back!]]"''
Organization XIII's 8th member and the only one to survive ''Chain of Memories''. ''Days'' reveals his Other's name to have been Lea, and then ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. He appears regularly in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', striving to bring Roxas out of the fake Twilight Town, and later pulling a HeelFaceTurn and helping Sora on his quest. However, he ends up pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save Sora at the end of the game. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is [[BackFromTheDead revived]] as Lea, his original self and helps Riku and Sora throughout the story. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade.
[[foldercontrol]]
-----
!!Tropes that apply to Axel]]
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the [=KH2=] manga and novels. An example being his final fight with Roxas, where he is still trying to get through to him in the manga and intends to burning the mansion down to be TogetherInDeath with him in the novels, while he is fully committed to straight-up killing him in the game.
** Another case is his kidnapping of Kairi, where they actually bond and begin to cooperate with each other before Saïx kidnaps her from him, and Axel becomes wounded trying to save her. In the game, this did not happen as Axel says Kairi "got away from him" before being caught by Saïx, and Kairi is initially wary of Axel when he comes back as Lea which shows no bond was ever developed between them and he never tried to rescue her.
* AdaptationalVillainy: A minor case. While he always expressed the intent to kill Namine to get to Marluxia in their confrontation, in the manga, he's more eager to do so and actually gets a successful attack on them.
* AffablyEvil: Although he initially he started off as FauxAffablyEvil as listed below he developed into this over time thanks to his friendship with Roxas and Xion.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but his is a particularly bad case. So much so that former [[WebVideo/GameGrumps Grump]] Barry Kramer cites it as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjiHufVEc7g&ab_channel=BarryKramer sole reason]] Axel survives Castle Oblivion.
* AntiVillain: Introduced as a ruthless and manipulative bastard in ''Chain of Memories'', but mellowed out in his subsequent appearances, as he becomes fast friends with Roxas and Xion. His sacrifice helps him complete the change to full-blown hero when he returns as Lea as of ''3D''.
* AscendedExtra: He got an extended role in ''II'' after his role in ''Chain of Memories'' was popularly received, though he still ended up dying in that game.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: While it's pretty obvious what powers he has based on his ElementalHairColors, that same spiky mass of wild, red hair combined with those inverted tear-drop markings below his eyes give him a vaguely clown-like appearance. Fitting for a guy who tends towards [[SadClown quips even in the most dire or tragic of circumstances.]]
* AwfulTruth: Axel became concerned enough about how often Xion fainted and how badly Saïx treated her that he started grilling Saïx for an explanation. Axel's inquiring eventually led him to discover what Xion really is, and the information weighed extremely heavy on his mind thereafter.
* AxCrazy: Like Larxene, he pretended to enjoy hurting others and also flashed a [[SlasherSmile wide grin]] at such moments. He carried out [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder a series of betrayals]] throughout the series and killed several of his allies ruthlessly for his own motives and sometimes just for his personal enjoyment.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: He finishes off Vexen and arranges Zexion's death at the hands of the Riku Replica.
* BecomingTheMask: Reading the secret reports in ''Days'' reveal that Axel's initial promise of friendship to Roxas was a lie and that he didn't really feel anything toward him (even down to him initially hating sea-salt ice cream, as revealed in the opening scenes of ''Days'' in ''1.5''). But when he was getting ready to go to Castle Oblivion, he is surprised to realize that he's actually going to ''miss'' hanging out with Roxas, which makes him deeply curious in Sora's heart. After he comes back from the events at Castle Oblivion, he became a real friend to Roxas.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Roxas and Xion. He becomes very protective over the two of them after they form a friendship. This is also his driving motivation from the middle of ''358/2'' through ''KHII'', after he started essentially raising Roxas and acting as a surrogate parent. Of course, a lot of this has more to do with himself than with Roxas until toward the end.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Roxas, and a slightly lesser extent Xion. His influence is a major part of how their personalities developed (or how they gained them in the first place) and he helps them out with a lot of the problems they run into because "that's what friends do".
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Redhead to Roxas's blond and Xion's brunette.
* BoundAndGagged: In the manga adaptation, Axel is mistaken as a pirate by the Lost Boys and tied to a tree along with Roxas. They are both cleared by Tinker Bell, since they were with her.
* TheCaretaker: Axel fulfills this role toward Roxas in ''Days'' after he is assigned to mentor the younger Nobody who recently joined Organization XIII. After Roxas befriends Xion and starts hanging out with her, Axel also becomes her caretaker as well. Axel eventually becomes obsessed with keeping Roxas and Xion as his friends, he lies to them, does questionable stuff behind their backs, and if they try to leave the Organization of their own free will, he attempts to bring them back by force. Following Xion's death, Axel is the only member of the Organization to miss Roxas when the latter defects. And in ''II'', Axel's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying wish]] was to see Roxas again.
* ChangedMyMindKid: Axel reluctantly allowed Xion to flee the organization when it was becoming dangerous for her to be around Roxas. Later on however, Axel goes after Xion anyway. While it's technically because he's been ordered to do so, he also makes it a point to let Xion know that it's also because he doesn't want her to sacrifice her life, which is what she intends to do.
* CharacterCatchphrase: "Got it memorized?", originally translated in the original version of ''Chain of Memories'' as "Commit it to memory."
** He has another one, albeit less used, ''Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?''
* CharacterDevelopment: Its pathway is rocky, but Axel goes through quite a bit of character development. In ''Chain of Memories'' he was a callous, manipulative jerk, but after interacting with Sora it's noted in ''Days'' that his personality became more cheerful and friendly, and he also behaved a lot more genuinely too rather than putting on an act. Another example is his ability to see the humanity in others, something he himself takes note of: Axel didn't originally think of replica's as worthy of any compassion or consideration. Later on however, he realizes that learning that Xion is a replica after befriending her didn't change the fact he still saw her as a friend. A secret report shows that this also led Axel to look back, recognize, and feel guilt for how horribly he treated Riku-Replica, and how he could never treat Xion in such a manner. He relapses in his manipulative ways when he starts to fear he will lose Roxas and Xion, but in the end it's no question that his capacity to care has stuck, and ultimately he goes back to being genuine when he performs a HeroicSacrifice for Sora and [[BackFromTheDead his humanity is restored]].
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Despite some development as noted directly above, his characterization is still WILDLY inconsistent between ''Chain of Memories'' and all later entries. For someone who claims disgust with the fact he always got stuck doing the "icky jobs", he seemed all too content with murdering Vexen and Zexion, and had absolutely no qualms cutting down a little girl (Naminé) to get to Marluxia. Not to mention the fact he had a reputation of being a "Fixer" for the Organization inherently implies that he was ''very good'' at doing these "icky jobs" and didn't have qualms following them through. One possible explanation is via the eventual revelation that Nobodies will actually regrow their hearts over time, meaning that during the events of ''Chain of Memories'' he was essentially a sociopath. However, towards the end of that game he comments that he's actually enjoying himself, foreshadowing that he was starting to regain his heart. Continuing into ''Days'', Axel solidly begins regaining his humanity after befriending Roxas and Xion, so by the time Axel's ordered to retrieve Xion for the Organization's purposes, his capacity to feel has changed profoundly.
* TheChessmaster: He outwitted two scientists, two conspirators, and also the protagonists, and all that without breaking a single sweat.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Zig-zagged all over the place. Long story short, he goes from being co-conspirators with Saïx in the Organization to ditching that and the Organization itself to help out Sora. Beneath that, though, he's got layers upon layers of loyalties, in parts due to his assignment as TheMole during the Castle Oblivion and his own tendency to put his priorities before the Organization, with things getting even more complicated when different priorities of his begin to clash with one another (such as his friendship with Roxas and his own survival). In fact, he spends so much time flitting between different sides that he ends up breaking everyone's trust at one time or another to varying degrees, even his own friends.
* CombatPragmatist: Doesn't step in to take out Vexen as ordered until after he had just received a beatdown from Sora. In ''II,'' he kicks off his boss fight by setting the floor of the arena on fire and deal unavoidable damage, draining your health over time. The Overtaker and Clear Light Reaction Commands will remove the flaming floor, but after a while he'll just ignite it again.
* CompressedHair: How does ''that'' fit under his hood?
* ConflictingLoyalty: Although he apparently suffers from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and has no issues with being a DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent when necessary, he's shown some capacity to be conflicted in which side to stick with:
** In ''Days'', Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion conflicts with his orders by the Organization to [[LetsYouAndHimFight "let things run their natural course"]]. Even his friendship with the pair suffers from this trope, as he comes to realize that only one of them can survive, and one of them has to perish to ensure the survival of the other. He spends a large portion of the game perilously trying to balance his loyalties, switching back and forth between doing things that help or hinder Roxas, Xion, or the Organization. By the end of the game, Axel has decided his loyalties lie with Roxas ''and'' Xion, but it amounts to nothing since Roxas still runs away and Xion ceases to exist.
** In ''II'', his friendship with Roxas is again the driving factor of his Conflicting Loyalty. While he has no qualms with his orders to bring Roxas back, he starts to grow disgruntled with his superiors when he is tasked to eliminate Roxas. He eventually screws over the Organization, and starts working independently, leading to a [[invoked]]TearJerker when he dies at Sora's side, lamenting the fact that he never got to revive Roxas. Fortunately, by the events of ''III'', Roxas is revived by Sora and Vexen, and reunites with Axel.
* ContractOnTheHitman: Axel's primary role in the Organization was to kill off troublesome members. Saïx sent him to Castle Oblivion with the intention of him being the only member to leave, and Xemnas sends him after Roxas after he defected. Axel's failure leads to the rest of the Organization hunting him down.
* DeadpanSnarker: Heavy on both deadpan and full-on snark.
* DemotedToExtra: From ''Chain of Memories'' to ''II'', which is ironic considering what happened to him afterwards. According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, he was originally supposed to die at the end of Roxas's section of the game, so he would've been in even ''less'' if he hadn't turned out to be so popular with both fans ''and'' the development staff of the games. Thankfully, he was promoted back up to supporting character in ''358/2 Days''.
* {{Determinator}}: Once Roxas was absorbed back to Sora, Axel went through great lengths to try to bring him back. Even more so in the manga where he dragged his injured body after fighting Saïx to help Sora and friends find Kairi, sacrificing himself in the process.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the final boss in the prologue of II.
* DisneyDeath: Basically. The body that belonged to the being known as "Axel" dies for real, but he gets reborn with a new body as his original self (Lea) with all of his memories from his time as Axel intact, so he's essentially as good as new.
* DistinguishingMark: He sports a pair of tear-like marks under his eyes, which reflects his human form's tendency to cry when he was little.
* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: In a sense. The revelation of Lea having met and befriended Ventus in ''Birth by Sleep'' before Roxas ever existed seems to imply that their identical appearance is what led to Axel developing a bond with Roxas as quickly as he did. Downplayed in that Roxas and Ventus are completely different, albeit interlinked, people; Roxas just looks like Ventus because of Ventus's heart residing inside Sora at the time of Roxas's 'birth', and most likely staying with Sora's body and soul when his heart was released at the end of ''KHI'' (meaning Roxas took on Ventus's appearance due to unknowingly harboring Ventus's heart within ''him''[[note]]which is also probably why Roxas developed emotions much faster than other Nobodies[[/note]]).
-->'''Lea''': Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again--nearly forgot about him, too. Then, I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want him to go vanishing on me, too.
* DoubleAgent: Played straight, then subverted, then zigzagged, then does a loop-the-loop into an aversion. Axel wasn't actually a double agent -- he was a ''[[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent quintuple agent]].'' At one point, he pretended to join in with Marluxia's conspiracy, in order to get close enough to eliminate him as a traitor on Xemnas' orders, while really working with Saix so they can overthrow Xemnas themselves. At the same time, he helped both Sora and Namine, only partially because they would destroy Marluxia for him, and wiped out two Organization members who were still loyal to Xemnas to avoid anyone else using the knowledge of the Replica Project. In the end, of course, Axel's only real loyalty is to himself (though he tends to include his friends in that, whether they like it or not).
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: Especially in ''Chain of Memories'', though he has elements of it in ''II'' before his HeelFaceTurn.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: To ''another'' DragonWithAnAgenda, no less, and even telling the other one that his cooperation isn't always guaranteed.
-->'''Axel:''' I'll play it your way...for now.
* TheDreaded: Axel's primary role in the Organization is that of a "[[TheFixer fixer]]" (Saïx even refers to him as such) who keeps the other members in check and ''[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness removes]]'' them from the board when necessary. Considering that someone as immensely dangerous as Marluxia ''hides behind a human-shield'' when up against him, Axel is deserving of his reputation. Likewise, both Vexen and Zexion [[VillainousBSOD utterly lose their shit]] when they realize that they're next on Axel's list. He is not feared only by those more powerful than him - Xemnas and Saïx - and those who are too arrogant to be scared, like Xigbar and Larxene.
* DualWielding: Always fights with a Chakram in each hand. In ''Re:COM,'' he can summon up to four of them at a time as part of his Firetooth sleight before tossing them so they can bounce all around the arena.
* ElementalHairColors: Was anyone really surprised he turned out to use fire-elemental attacks?
* EnemyMine: When he helped Sora against the Nobodies in the Realm Between by blowing himself up and later used his last power to open a portal to the World That Never Was.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Axel does his share of villainous deeds in the series, but in ''Days'' he becomes increasingly intolerant of Saïx's dehumanizing treatment of Xion.
* EvilRedhead: Red haired and opposed to Sora, though for different reasons than the rest of Organization XIII.
* EvilVersusEvil: In ''Chain of Memories''.
* ExactWords: Invokes this on Marluxia. When being obliquely tasked with killing Vexen, Axel pretends not to get it, requiring Marluxia to directly order him to "Eliminate the traitor." Axel comments that he can't take that back later and goes off to do the deed. Later, when attacking Marluxia, Axel reminds him that he and Larxene are traitors themselves and cites Marluxia's own order as a justification to kill him.
* {{Expy}}: He's a deliberate one of Reno from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Nomura was once asked about their similarities and outright said that he made Axel in the image of Reno to try out a familiar character in a new universe and see how he developed. They even share voice actors in five languages ([[Creator/QuintonFlynn English]], [[Creator/KeijiFujiwara Japanese]], French, Spanish and German).
* FaceRealization: Of sorts. In the novels when Axel fights Xion for the last time, even though it's technically under orders, he admits that the things he's done and what he's now doing is for Roxas and Xion's sakes, not the Organization's, even if it means being labeled a traitor.
* FacialMarkings: Two reverse teardrop shapes as Axel. They disappear once he's Lea again.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Axel tries desperately to protect Roxas and Xion from the AwfulTruth of their existences, as well as from all the forces that desire their destruction. In the end he fails to keep them from finding out, fails to keep them safe, and their friendship is in shambles.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: He ''burns'' himself to death. It had to be toned down in the North American release.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Xaldin threatening him with a spear to the face doesn't faze Axel, but Xemnas preparing to turn him into a Dusk causes him to cave.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts like a FriendlyEnemy to Sora in ''Chain of Memories'' and it looks like he's [[BaitTheDog doing good by releasing Naminé]], but as the D-Report in Riku's story mode notes on his character bio, it's all a means of manipulating them. Fully subverted when he returns as Lea.
* FieryRedhead: A literal example.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: After freeing Naminé to go and save Sora he quickly notices how he was enjoying it, foreshadowing that his heart was beginning to return to him.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CharacterCatchphrase has gone up with each passing game. In his first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* {{Gaslighting}}:
** Axel repeatedly lies in response to or dismisses Roxas and Xion's questions about their pasts, hoping they'll forget about them and remain in ignorance. They don't.
** ''3D'' reveals that Axel himself, along with all of the rest of the Organization, were victims of this tactic in how they were told they didn't have hearts or emotions, when the truth was it was possible for Nobodies to start growing their own hearts. This is particularly detrimental to Axel since it's clear he started feeling emotions again around Roxas and Xion, but he constantly squashed them down or ignored them because he truly believed he wasn't supposed to be capable of feeling anything.
* HeelFaceTurn: Does a partial one. Axel goes from being a vicious, spiteful arse to being a kinder, more thoughtful person over the course of ''Days''. Due to traumatic events, he relapses at the end of that game continuing into ''II'', but he comes back around in the end.
* HeelRealization: After getting to know Xion and coming to care for her regardless of her being a Replica, he looks back on how he treated the Riku Replica with shame, thinking that he could never treat Xion in the same way.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: A platonic variation and inversion of this trope. Axel is so hung up over Roxas that he spends most of ''KHII'' trying to resurrect him.
* HeroicSacrifice: In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he pulls one when he puts all of his being into an attack (not that Nobodies have a being) to save Sora and company.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Develops this relationship with Roxas until the end of ''Days'', wherein his lies and Roxas being frustrated with not knowing what was happening nearly destroyed their friendship.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He usually kills most of his enemies mercilessly, but often also spares the lives of even high priority targets, when he feels like it though usually it is out of curiosity to see how their stories turn out hence forth or even a whim, rather than truly mercy. However, he was [[AssassinOutClassin truly moved]] by Roxas, his last target, to the point he betrayed his Organization and [[HeelFaceTurn turned against it]] and even sacrificed his life to destroy it. Granted, it helps that the two of them [[WeUsedToBeFriends were best friends]] in the Organization before its shadier aspects drove them apart.
* HotBlooded: Despite not having a heart, he has a [[{{Pun}} fiery]] personality.
* IHaveYourWife: Kidnaps Kairi in ''II'' to lure Sora out so he can turn Sora into a Heartless and get Roxas back in the process. Kairi gets away from him, and shortly afterward Axel abandons this plan.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: He's decades older than Xion or Roxas, but befriends them both quickly, and all they want is for him to come back and be friends with them again.
* {{Irony}}: Axel spends most of the second half of ''Days'' feeling conflicted and unsure of what to do, struggling with the idea that Roxas or Xion must die in order for the other to live. But by the time Axel finally decides that choosing between them is unacceptable, he loses them ''both'' soon after.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: He spends more or less all of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' being hunted down by Saïx, and both of them try to get Sora to sabotage the other one specifically. With later games revealing their past friendship and how they were originally planning on overthrowing Xemnas together, it turns out to be even more personal than it first appeared.
* IWillFindYou: He has orders to bring both Xion and Roxas back to the Organization at various points throughout ''Days'' and ''II'', but it becomes increasingly more personal after Roxas defects, as seen by how emotional he gets when trying to retrieve Xion following that. By II, he's willing to do ''anything'' to get Roxas back.
* KarmaHoudini: Survives the events of ''Chain of Memories'' with no repercussions.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: It all catches up to him in ''II'', although it is [[AlasPoorVillain really sad when it happens.]]
* KickTheDog: Most of his malicious actions in ''Chain of Memories'' are against AssholeVictims... except when he threatened to kill Naminé when Marluxia uses her as a shield, or when he pushed the Riku Replica [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope off the slippery slope]] for a few shits and giggles. Though in the Secret Reports in ''358/2 Days'' he admits that he did feel remorse for using the Riku Replica as it made him as bad as Saïx and Xemnas who were using Xion in a similar vain.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Towards Roxas, and later Xion. He raises the amnesiac Keyblade-wielding Nobodies, giving them advice, teaching them about the world, and sticking up for them... but he's also a really PsychoSupporter.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Axel is somewhat unique in the Organization, and to a lesser extent the entire series, in actually using his VillainTeleportation to duck out of losing battles.
* LackOfEmpathy: At the beginning of ''[=CoM=]'', Axel has a mysterious, stoic, and calm, as well as cold, unforgiving, and merciless demeanor on par with that of Marluxia. In ''[=Re:CoM=]'', he interrupts Vexen's cries for mercy with a cocky "goodbye" before incinerating him without any hesitation and seems to be amused by the deaths of his comrades as shown in the scene where he is making bets with Zexion. When Marluxia uses Naminé as a human shield against him, Axel confidently declares he would eliminate Naminé to get to Marluxia.
* LeanAndMean: The tight-fitting design of his BlackCloak emphasizes his tall, wiry frame more than any other Organization member and he was very much a malevolent antagonist in his debut in "Chain of Memories". Increasingly subverted, as his friendship with Roxas and Xion gradually sees him shed much of the meanness and he ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn in his last moments.
* LetsGetDangerous: "You really ''do'' remember me this time? I'M SO ''FLATTERED''."
* LimitBreak: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Explosion.]] He'll engulf his right chakram in flames and toss it at enemies to generate a large explosion. For his Final Limit he lights both chakrams on fire and tosses them both to create a highly damaging trio of huge pillar-shaped explosions.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Roxas and Xion become this for Axel, with his relationship to them eventually influencing his actions through the story of ''Days''. Axel befriending them causes him to rapidly abandon any plans he had with his longtime friend Saïx, since the latter's disdain for the teenagers drives a wedge between himself and Axel. Axel's behavior also becomes highly unpredictable as his priorities shift towards "protecting Roxas and Xion at all costs", even if it means obstructing or lying to Roxas and Xion themselves, or getting into trouble with his higher ups in the Organization. Axel is clearly pained by Roxas running away from the Organization, and he completely loses his composure when he realizes Xion has decided to 'return to Sora' and [[CessationOfExistence disappear]]. By the time ''II'' comes around, Axel has lost his memories of Xion due the nature of [[TransferableMemory what she was]], but he's become an unhinged mess whose only motivation is to see Roxas again.
** In ''3D'', this takes on a ''literal'' interpretation, since it's revealed that Nobody's can actually start to grow their own hearts overtime. Given that Axel writes in his Secret Reports that hanging out with Roxas and Xion make him remember "being human" or "what it was like to have friendship", one can deduce that they were the source of the first emotions he's had since becoming a Nobody. Since Nobody inherently desires to have hearts, it makes sense that Axel latched onto them like a drowning man.
* LovableTraitor: He and Saïx were planning on betraying Xemnas, which meant he also needed to get in good with Marluxia and Larxene and then betray them so that they wouldn't betray Xemnas first. Then he betrays Zexion. And he's just so ''cool'' in doing all this.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Downplayed example towards Roxas and Xion. It's zigzagged slightly in that his forming a relationship with Roxas and Xion actually made him become a kinder, more considerate person. However, his attachment to them also led him to become a PsychoSupporter who lies to them and makes them doubt their experiences, hoping it will keep them safe.
* LyingToProtectYourFeelings: Axel does this with increasing frequency over the course of 358/2 Days to both Roxas and Xion, especially once he discovers the truth about Xion's existence. The results are disastrous.
* MediumAwareness: Axel has an uncanny habit of LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** In III, he tells Xemnas that he's got tons of loads of people rooting for him, referencing his status among fans as an [[invoked]]EnsembleDarkhorse.
** Later on, after he meets up with Sora, he states the reason why he took so long is because he had a "couple of plot points that needed ironing out".
* NegateYourOwnSacrifice: Axel carried out his HeroicSacrifice fully believing he was going to cease to exist completely, not knowing that perishing as a Nobody would restore him to his completed self, Lea.
* NervesOfSteel: He can be surprisingly cool and collected when presented with a dangerous situation. Notably when Xaldin threatens to punish him if he doesn't obey orders and chucks a lance at Axel, narrowly missing his head but [[CloseCallHaircut shearing a few strands of hair,]] Axel doesn't even flinch and merely stares with a bored expression and his arms crossed. Presumably, lacking a heart makes it easier for one to maintain their composure in all situations.
* OutOfFocus: A major character in ''Chain of Memories'' and ''358/2 Days''; [[DemotedToExtra surprisingly inconsequential]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* ParentalSubstitute: Acts as a mix of this and BigBrotherMentor to Roxas and Xion, although being a Nobody, it's [[PsychoSupporter flawed.]] Realizing he is the closest thing Roxas had to a brother casts his desperation to protect him in ''II'' in [[PapaWolf a previously unconsidered light.]]
* PersonalityPowers: He's rather hot-headed, as fire users usually are.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
* PinocchioNose: Whenever Axel lies or is unsure of what he's saying, he'll break eye contact.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he dies in II, he tells Sora that he really loved Roxas and that spending time with him made him feel like he had a heart.
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: He tries to stop Roxas from leaving the Organization, invoking this, but ultimately fails. He does this again later with Xion in a more aggressive, unstable state of mind, and ends up taking her back by force, but Xion is taken from him later anyway.
* PreFinalBoss: In ''Chain of Memories'' he's the last boss Sora faces before Marluxia.
* PrecisionSwearStrike: He's the first character to swear in the series, telling Sora "It's about time you give me one hell of a show!" in ''Chain of Memories''. In Re:Com, however, [[GoshDangItToHeck the line was changed to omit the curse due to it being fully-voiced]].
* PsychoSupporter: His obsession with "helping" or "protecting" Roxas and Xion rarely corresponds with what both of them actually want. He genuinely cares about them, but he also clings to the idea of keeping their relationship in a status quo so the three of them can remain that way forever, and in doing so he ends up lying and withholding information from them to their detriment. Ultimately his actions end up pushing Roxas away from him and causing the events that lead to Xion pulling a SuicideByCop.
* RebelRelaxation: Leans against walls with his arms folded from time to time, notably when he talks to Roxas one last time after he deserts the Organization to try and find the truth of his existence on his own.
* RedBaron: The Flurry of Dancing Flames.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: His death scene in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Saïx's and Roxas's blue.
* RingsOfDeath: a pair of Chakrams, called Eternal Flames.
* SadClown: He definitely qualifies in ''II''. He seems the most laidback among the other Organization members and even makes jokes during meetings that can have other members tossing weapons at him. Nevermind the fact that, like the other Nobodies, he can't have feelings, what truly causes Axel's sadness is his best and only friend, Roxas's departure from the Organization and forgetting who Axel is. Deep down, Axel hates the other members and would join Roxas if it were up to him. Despite supposedly not having any feelings, Axel legitimately cries before both him and Roxas disappear from Twilight Town after Sora defeats Roxas in the Final Mix version. [[spoiler: This is because his friendship with Roxas and Xion caused him to begin to gain a heart.]]
** He was less of this in his debut in ''COM'' and gets softer in ''Days''.
* SecretKeeper: Axel keeps a multitude of secrets from his friends. He knows Roxas's true nature and later discovers Xion's, but keeps them to himself even if they are things they ought to know. In part, it's [[LyingToProtectYourFeelings to protect their feelings from being hurt]] but it's also because he desires to keep their friendship intact. This just ends up hurting all three of them ''badly''.
* SecretlySelfish: Axel goes out of his way to explain and do a lot of things for Roxas and Xion, despite him playing up an attitude that he doesn't like doing 'troublesome things'. However, he also starts going out of his way to keep them in the dark about their true natures, even though they both want to know. He ''does'' want to protect them, but he does so in a way that undermines their trust. In the novels, he is shown coming to the realization that more than anything else, what he was doing was because of his personal desire for them to stay with him.
* ShonenHair: The dude's hair is ''insane''. Maybe even moreso than Sora himself.
* SingleTear: Axel sheds a tear when he and Roxas say goodbye after Axel sacrifices himself and Sora fights Roxas.
* TheSociopath: Although Axel seems to hold Larxene and Zexion in good company to an extent by making friendly conversation with Larxene while Marluxia is not around and making bets with Zexion as to which member will be defeated next, this was shown to be nothing more than an act to earn their trust. Eventually, Axel betrays Larxene by letting Naminé escape, although he seems disappointed yet satisfied upon her elimination. Later on, he encourages Riku Replica to annihilate Zexion to ensure that his actions in Castle Oblivion go unnoticed by the rest of the Organization and to help Saïx keep his rank in the Organization.
* SoleSurvivor: Of all the Organization members sent to Castle Oblivion (consisting of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, Larxene, Lexeaus and Axel himself) in ''Chain of Memories'', Axel was the only one to come back alive, having orchestrated the others' deaths.
* StupidSacrifice: He casts a massive fire spell that destroys an army of Dusks in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', but the strain costs him his life. It was overall needless because a Dusk is the weakest form of Nobody that the player can encounter, and Sora didn't even look all that worn out. There's also some GameplayAndStorySegregation involved, since earlier in the story, [[TheWarSequence Sora fought one thousand mid-level Heartless]], ''alone'', and won.
* TakingYouWithMe: He dies in order to wipe out an entire army of Dusks.
* TermsOfEndangerment: In the original ''Chain of Memories'', he calls Zexion 'Zexy' right before he's killed by the Riku Replica (thanks to Axel's manipulation).
* TogetherInDeath: In the novels, he intended to burn down the mansion he and Roxas fought in so that the two of them would die together rather than be separated again, but he ultimately couldn't go through with it. [[AdaptationalHeroism This does not appear to be the case in the game.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Axel often acts cool and unflappable, but every time Roxas or Xion compliment him or call him out about caring about them he gets really flustered.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He was usually underestimated by both comrades and enemies. That was a very fatal mistake.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: For his friends, anyway. Axel drags Xion back to the organization to prevent her from basically committing suicide, but that just leaves her open to being taken and modified by Xemnas into going OneWingedAngel, and Roxas is forced to kill her. It was going to be a bad situation regardless, but it was made so much more heartbreaking.
** It could be said that Axel inadvertently set in motion how things played out regarding Roxas and Xion as far back as when he killed Vexen. Vexen created the replica program, and Axel killing him at Castle Oblivion was ''not'' part of the plan. Vexen's premature death meant that there wasn't anyone who could perform 'maintenence' when Xion began to leech more power and memories from Roxas than was intended. It was precisely because Xion and Axel realized that something was wrong with her that caused them to seek out answers, which in turn began the derailing of the trio's relatively peaceful existence in the Organization.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Grows out of the villainous part.
* VisualPun: His weapons are circular, wheel-like blades. He's literally an ''Axel'' between wheels.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Axel starts to have flashes of emotion around Roxas and Xion, and he repeatedly notes that being around them makes him remember his life as a human. It's something that greatly confuses and weirds him out because Nobodies aren't supposed to have emotions. Then ''3D'' reveals that Nobodies ''can'' grow their own hearts.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows to care deeply for Roxas and Xion without realizing what that feeling is, and reveals to Sora that he made him feel the same way they did.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His friendship with Saïx drifted apart as he became closer to Roxas and Xion. Not until Axel failed to secure Roxas from Diz did Saïx consider him his enemy and vice versa.
* WildCard: In the end, the only side Axel was on before his return as Lea was his own.
-->'''Lexaeus:''' And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking.
* WouldHurtAChild: Like everyone else in Organization XIII, Axel has zero qualms about fighting Sora when the latter was 14 years old. To add to that, Axel has fought, knocked out, and/or tried to [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Roxas, Xion, and Naminé at different times for different reasons, and while all three look like teenagers around Sora's age, in truth they each had [[YoungerThanTheyLook existed for under a year]] at the time Axel attacked them.
* {{Yandere}}: Of the friendship variety to Roxas in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. In the novels, it goes to the point where [[TogetherInDeath he wants to die along with him inside of a burning mansion]].
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: When it's apparent that Xion is on the verge of finding out the nature of her existence, Axel becomes extremely obstructive to her, telling her to stop trying to remember her past and begging her to turn back.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes that apply to Lea
!!Lea
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lea_khiii_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[LeaningOnTheFourthWall "You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin' for me!"]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Young Lea]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/544_6star_lea_render.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Lea in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3lea.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Axel? Please. The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"''
Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi. He eventually decides to reclaim the name Axel, deciding it will help Roxas whenever they manage to revive him. Axel joins the Second Keyblade War in earnest, getting some closure with Isa and reuniting with Roxas and Xion in the process.
-----
* AccidentalMisnaming: It's easier to count the times someone ''doesn't'' call him Axel. Eventually, he gives in and just lets people call him that. In fairness, the only people that ever met him as Lea were Isa and Ventus, as well as Dilan and Aeleus when they threw Isa and Lea out of the castle. In ''III'' he actually requests that Kairi call him Axel, the two having become close friends during training.
* AllThereInTheManual: His Keyblade, the Bond of the Blaze, is only named in ''Melody of Memory''.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but he is a particularly bad case.
* ApologizesALot: Apparently this is his behavior towards Kairi during their time training together, as her letter to Sora tells that Lea has repeatedly apologized to her for kidnapping her back when he was Axel, and he continues to do so even though she's told him that she's not bearing a grudge.
* AscendedExtra: Got a small role in ''Birth By Sleep'' before becoming a key player in ''3D''.
* AudienceSurrogate: In ''III''. He's just as confused and questioning of the series' plot points as the rest of us.
* BackFromTheDead: He reappears in ''Dream Drop Distance'' after being turned into a Heartless and Nobody. He returns with all of his memories intact from being both Axel ''and'' Lea, and his personality is a mix of Axel's sarcastic laziness and Lea's enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
* BigDamnHeroes: Several times in ''Dream Drop Distance''. He even lampshades it.
-->'''Lea''': "'Dark Rescue's my middle name."
* BlackCloak: Lea is the only human form of a Nobody that still wears the Organization XIII coat.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Tries to have some in ''Re:Mind'' but Aqua isn't having it.
-->'''Lea''': Not bad for an on-the-fly team, right?!\\
'''Aqua''': Don't talk, fight!\\
'''Lea''': Hmph, don't have to say it like ''that''...
* CharacterCatchphrase: "Got it memorized?", much like his Nobody. As he says in ''Birth by Sleep'', he frequently says this because he wants anyone he meets to remember him.
* CombinationAttack: During the fight with the Replica Xehanorts he gets one with Aqua, combining the spinning snowflake of her Spellweaver with the flaming chakram with Prominence.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Lea retains his darkness abilities from when he was a Nobody, with his ability to create Dark Corridors being particularly useful to the heroes.
* {{Determinator}}: We already knew he must be a strong-willed person to have retained his human shape when he became a Nobody, but he really shows it in ''III''. Even after having his Keyblade shattered by Xemnas and then bombarded by him from lasers coming from all directions, he still tries to stop him from killing Xion, even though he can't even stand at the moment. Taken to new levels in ''Re:Mind'' where after all that, he still fights Saïx and Xemnas alongside Roxas and Xion, '''and wins!''' [[MomentOfWeakness However, this leaves him without energy to finish off Saïx and has to let Sora, Roxas and Xion do the job]].
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu:
** Gives an ''epic'' one to [[TheChessmaster Master]] [[BigBad Xehanort]] during his BigDamnHeroes moment.
--->'''Lea''': "You had [[YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive your perfect, little script]], but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let's find out what happens!"
** Does it again to Xemnas in ''III''. However, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu this time ends a bit more badly for him]].
* DullSurprise: PlayedForLaughs when he calls his Keyblade for the first time, in contrast to the usual excellent performance of his voice actors.
--> '''Lea:''' Must be in the snap of the wrist or something. ''(Keyblade appears)'' Oh...
* EasilyForgiven: Ienzo surprisingly doesn't seem to begrudge Lea for causing his incredibly painful demise when they were Axel and Zexion. Given that his murder directly resulted in Ienzo being revived as a complete being once more, which is something he is very clearly happy with, perhaps he just decided to bury the hatchet.
** In ''0.2'' Kairi is a partial subversion as she's somewhat hesitant to accept he's to be her Keyblade training partner when she's told that he's formerly Axel. Makes sense, considering her two sole encounters with him were less-than-pleasant and endangered her till near the end of ''II''. She has to be assured by Mickey and Riku that he's completely changed his tune since becoming whole again and is now on their side.
** He had lied to and gaslit Roxas and Xion repeatedly as Axel to the point of driving Roxas to leave the Organisation, and the last time he saw either of them he was hunting them down to drag them back to the Organisation against their wishes. This eventually lead to Xion's suicide at the climax of "358/2 Days" and Roxas becoming part of Sora and "Kingdom Hearts II". Neither of them seem to have any issue being friends with him upon their reunion in "Kingdom Hearts III".
** As Axel, he replaced and abandoned Saïx, betrayed him by leaving the Organisation and consequently destroying any chance of their plan to get their hearts back, find Subject X and escape the Organisation succeeding in spite of everything they (especially Saïx, who sacrificed more for this over the decade than Axel ever had) did to achieve those goals, all in the name of his friendship with Roxas and Xion. As a result, Saïx was left alone and trapped in the Organisation as a brainwashed slave without a shred of hope or happiness and coming dangerously close to crossing the DespairEventHorizon until Axel's plan to get Roxas back and save Kairi lead to the destruction of both their Nobodies. When confronted with this, Lea claims to have not forgotten him and Isa is willing to let it go.
* FieryRedhead: As all fire users usually are.
* FlamingSword: On top of his Keyblade having a natural fiery glow, all of Lea's special attacks and ''regular combos'' deal fire damage.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CharactetCatchphrase has gone up with each passing game. In his Nobody's first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* FragileSpeedster: Lea's [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Raid-based]] fighting style gives him multi-hitting attacks on each swing of his combo. He doesn't get much opportunity to display it though, as he is quickly knocked out of the action ''twice'' in the Keyblade Graveyard -- first [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying]] in a [[SingleStrokeBattle single hit]] from Terra-Xehanort (even while [[ShieldsAreUseless attempting to block it!]]), then easily [[BarehandedBladeBlock caught]] and completely drained by Xemnas' MacrossMissileMassacre before the final fight with Saïx. Even while fighting alongside Sora, his habit of chasing down Saïx during the latter's [[InstantDeathRadius Berserk Dance]] and rather unique lack of [[HealingMagicIsTheHardest healing magic]] regularly flattens him out. When battling the Replica Xehanorts in ''Re:Mind'', he's one of the characters who uses [[HighSpeedMissileDodge Aerial Dodge]] instead of Block.
* GenderBlenderName: His name, Lea, is supposed to be pronounced "Leah" according to the katakana, but the English version pronounces it "Lee", presumably in an attempt to make it sound masculine. Downplayed in that Lea is a real English word that is pronounced like "Lee" and many Japanese pronunciation of English words do add an "ah" to the end of it.
* HotBlooded: Very much so.
* HowDoIShootWeb: Even though he can wield a Keyblade, he hasn't exactly gotten the hang of calling it out. As a result, he resorts to his good old fashioned chakrams when goes in to save Sora. It's only ''after'' the whole ordeal that he manages to summon it.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Kairi is Lea's partner in crime for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', and she is roughly half his height.
* HypocriticalHumor: Insults Ventus for playing with a wooden Keyblade, yet proudly shows his frisbees as his weapon of choice.
* IGotBigger: It's rather jarring to realize he used to be roughly the same height as Ventus and now he's nearly twice his size.
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: He ends up shedding tears when Kairi accidentally triggers a vague memory of Xion, although it's clear that he doesn't know exactly why.
* ImmortalityThroughMemory: ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that this belief is the origin behind his CharacterCatchphrase. Lea wants everyone he meets to remember who he is, as through those people's memories he'll be able to live forever.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon:
** Lea carries and swings his keyblade around from the chakram that makes up its handguard.
** In his youth, he uses a pair of frisbees to fight Ventus.
* InsistentTerminology: Him telling people to call him Lea, not Axel, is a RunningGag in ''3D''. In the end, he admits defeat and says that Axel works too. After he and Kairi become friends, he ''asks'' her to call him Axel[[note]]This immediately after she triggers a memory of Xion, and he discusses his intent to bring Roxas back[[/note]].
* {{Irony}}: When he was Axel, he was [[CharacterCatchphrase constantly]] telling people to memorize his name. Now he's Lea, and they keep calling him Axel despite his [[InsistentTerminology protests]]. In other words, they had it memorized. Which may be why he doesn't even bother correcting anyone during ''III''.
* LimitedWardrobe: A variant that's deliberately invoked. He ''is'' given a new outfit to wear fairly early in ''III'', but he doesn't actually wear it until the very end. So, when Kairi asks why he's still wearing the Organization coat, he just says that he's making himself easy to remember. The implication being that he's making it easy for Roxas to remember him, which may be why he doesn't bother correcting people when they call him Axel. Roxas never learned what his real name was.
* TheLoad: In ''III'' he spends most of his time being kicked around by Master Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness and only spends half of a battle as a party member before being too wounded to continue. This is especially ironic since his Keyblade training took place in a place without time so that he could grow strong at his own pace, but this didn't seem to do him any good in the end. This is {{averted|Trope}} in ''Re:Mind'', where not only does he help Roxas and Xion defeat [[TheBerserker Saïx]] and [[TheDragon Xemnas]], but he also fights alongside the other Guardians (minus Sora and Kairi) against the Xehanort replicas, even having a CombinationAttack with Aqua.
* MadeOfIron: While he wasn't able to shrug it off, the fact alone that he managed to ''survive'' Xemnas' BeamSpam in ''III'' is pretty damn impressive. Even more so after the cutscene in question was patched and modified so that Xemnas' shoots ''even more lasers'' at him than before.
* ManlyTears: He tearfully reunites with and embraces both Roxas and Xion after Saïx is dealt with in ''III''. According to Isa, Lea used to be (and still is) a crybaby. The reverse tears on his face, as Axel, were apparently a joke made by Isa when they were younger to stop him from crying. By their last battle, this is discussed when Isa thought that Lea outgrew those marks, but he still cries a lot, especially when Isa himself disappears as Saïx and in his reunion hug with Roxas and Xion. They are probably a metaphor to say that he doesn't mind crying anymore, now that he has his heart back.
* MetaGuy: Develops into this by ''III'', even going as far as to [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] his own popularity.
--> '''Lea:''' You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? [[BreakoutCharacter I got loads of people rootin' for me]].
** Another scene before the final battle has him lampshade [[Main/KudzuPlot the absurdly hard-to-follow Kudzu Plot the series is infamous for.]]
--> '''Lea:''' This is all very touching, guys, but where do I fit in? Ven looks just like Roxas - or is it Roxas looks just like Ven? ... And now I have to explain it all to him - which is in itself a crazy long story - and, apparently everybody already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!
* MorphWeapon: Unsurprisingly, he transforms his Keyblade into a pair of [[RingsOfDeath chakrams]] with his Firaga Raid attack.
* NiceGuy: Lea acts as cocky as his Nobody counterpart, but he cares deeply for his friends.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Is bequeathed the power of the Keyblade by either Yen Sid or Mickey, travels to the Secret Forest with Merlin and the Three Fairies to learn how to call it from his heart, and by the time we get to see it, he's clearly almost gotten the hang of it already. This makes him the only person in the room(including [[TheStoic Yen Sid]]) not to react with a big "WHOOOOAAAA!" when he finally summons it onscreen.
* PersonalityPowers: Fiery and useful in a pinch.
* ThePromise: Axel once told Xion that he'd always be there to bring her and Roxas back. Lea's first moment after he comes back is a dream where Roxas reminds him of that promise, and Lea later refers to it, indicating that he wants to fulfill it.
* RebelRelaxation: Just like Axel, he leans against a wall with his arms folded in Yen Sid's Tower while Yen sid judges the results of Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery Exam. He even first summons his keyblade for the first time while in this pose.
* ReverseGrip: A variation; he wields his Keyblade by its ''handguard'', in a manner akin to his old chakrams, and flourishes it to attack.
* SadClown: In ''III'', Lea makes quite a few jokes among the rest of the seven guardians of light that seem to poke fun of the franchise as a whole and his funny persona comes back with a fiery vengeance. However, the same goes for his sadness when he finds himself remembering Xion during his time with Kairi. Finally, when he successfully reunites with Roxas and a tearful Xion, he jokes that he should've brought the ice cream, right before he himself emotionally breaks down and hugs both of his best friends as the trio have the cry of their lives.
* ShaggyDogStory: Along with Isa, he lost his humanity and spent 10 years of his life working for the nefarious Xemnas as a result of a plan to save a girl who they no longer even had in their custody. While he was eventually able to be recompleted and make several new friends and allies, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
* SpectacularSpinning: Once he gets a Keyblade, he wields it in a style reminiscent of his old chakrams, involving flourishes that spin it completely and tossing it in Fire Raid style.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: With his Keyblade he fights almost exclusively by throwing it Fire Raid style in his basic combo and both of his Firaga Cutter and Firaga Slicer abilities.
* TookALevelInBadass: Young Lea didn't seem to be much more than an average teenager and the one time he tried to challenge a wooden keyblade-wielding Ventus to a fight, he got his ass handed to him. After spending roughly a decade as the [[HumanoidAbomination Nobody Axel,]] he's recompleted as an older Lea with all of his [[RingsOfDeath skills]] and [[PlayingWithFire abilities]] retained. Then he learns how to summon his own keyblade.
* TookALevelInKindness: As Axel, he was a sinister, cruel {{Jerkass}} and a serious PsychoSupporter to Roxas. As Lea, he's a funny and kind individual with none of the malice left over from his days as a Nobody.
* TrueCompanions: In ''Days'', Axel was the one who first declared that he, Roxas, and Xion, are best friends, and he told Xion that no matter her and Roxas's decisions, he will always be there to bring them back. With Lea recompleted, he carries this will on.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Not him, but his Keyblade. After it is broken by Xemnas he is shown to have it back before Sora's final confrontation with Xehanort, whereas when the same thing happened to Riku earlier in the game he had to leave the Realm of Darkness and return with an entirely new Keyblade.
** Made even more egregious in Re:Mind, where he proceeds to use it to fight Xemnas and Saix alongside Roxas and Xion immediately after Xemnas broke it.
* VagueAge: Was a teenager in ''Birth by Sleep,'' so he's likely in his twenties for most of the series. But specifically '' where'' in his twenties is just guesswork until we get [[invoked]]WordOfGod confirming it. Common guesses are that he was about 15/16 in ''Birth by Sleep'' making him about 27/28 in ''III''.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Averted on the villain bit, but still has his widow's peak.
* WellTrainedButInexperienced: While he actually does have plenty of battle-experience with his chakrhams, as a Keyblade wielder he's as green as Kairi, Xemnas trouncing him almost immediately.
* WistfulAmnesia: Kairi's letter reveals that when Lea looks at her face (which is also Xion's), he knows there is something he's forgotten and needs to remember.
* TheWorfBarrage: During the brief boss fight against Saïx and Xion, when Saïx fills up his second Berserk meter and powers up a second time, Lea will always rush in and wildly toss his old chakrams at him while yelling at him to stop. Saïx will have invincibility frames the whole time and will the proceed to incapacitate all the heroes in the ensuing cutscene.
* YearInsideHourOutside: Merlin, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all pitch in to warp time and space to reduce the amount of time it takes to make Lea worthy of a Keyblade.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Implied. He spends a decent amount of [[YearInsideHourOutside slowed down]] time trying to call a Keyblade before giving up due to other pressing matters. After things settle, he lazily gives it another shot and succeeds, surprising even himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xion]]
!!Xion
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xion_khiii_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Who am I? What am I... here for?"'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Xion in her Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3xion_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Risa Uchida (Japanese), Creator/AlysonStoner (''358/2 Days'', ''HD 1.5 [=ReMIX=]'', and ''III'', English), Creator/HaydenPanettiere (''Birth by Sleep'' and ''3D'', English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsMelodyOfMemory Melody of Memory]]''
->''"Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you. Oh...and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."''
Number XIV of the original Organization and Number XIII of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, introduced in ''358/2 Days''. A Keyblade wielder unable to remember her past like Roxas, she joins up shortly after him and they quickly become friends. It's later revealed that she's not a true member of Organization XIII or even a Nobody; she's a replica of Sora created from his escaped memories, and acts like a cage for the memories and a "backup" if Roxas or Sora were proved to be worthless to the Organization. Ultimately, Xion learns her existence threatens Roxas's and prevents Sora from waking up, and she decides to trick Roxas into killing her as a way of ruining Xemnas's plans, completely erasing her from all memories... or so it seemed.
----
* ActionGirl: Whenever she's feeling strong enough... which often comes at Roxas' expense.
* AffirmativeActionGirl: Xion debuts in ''Days'' as the Organization XIII's second female member.
* AntiVillain: To the point where she barely qualifies as a villain. When you get down to it, the biggest danger she poses against the protagonists' goals -- and even her ''own'' -- come from her nature as a replica absorbing more power than she wants and her desire to just exist.
* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel (and, presumably, most of the rest of the Organization), Riku, Naminé, and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi, and in the novel adaption, it's implied Riku sees her, very briefly, as Sora when he finds her at the Destiny Islands. [[note]]Riku also initially mistakes her for Sora when he dives into Sora's heart at the end of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''.[[/note]] Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
** By the time of ''III,'' when Sora (and by extension Roxas) identify her by name, restoring her memories, she takes the form of the black-haired girl when her hood falls off.
* ArtificialHuman: She's a Replica created by Vexen that was designed to absorb Sora's memories and give Xemnas another Keyblade user to control.
* AttackAttackAttack: Her data battle in ''III'' has her relentlessly charge after Sora with rapid close-up attacks, complemented with blue light beams which temporarily decrease Sora's max HP if they damage him.
* AxCrazy: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. When in her transformed final form, she appears to be this, but she's actually feigning it so that Roxas will destroy her and she can return to Sora.
* BadassAdorable: Kairi's looks plus Sora's skill. You do the math.
* BallOfLightTransformation: In her data bossfight in ''Re:Mind'' she will zip around the battlefield in the form of a mote of light before changing back to attack.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'', Xion is restored to become a member of the XIII Seekers of Darkness because the replica body had her heart from the past, though her heart from the present eventually went into the vessel after Roxas through Sora said her name.
* BattleAura: She gets a golden aura of light for her Data Battle in ''Re:Mind'', in this state she has a bar of armor that must be destroyed before she returns to her normal battle phase and will bombard Sora with giant shockwaves of light.
* TheBerserker: Her emotional instability and lack of finesse leads her to fighting like this. In her ''Re:Mind'' data rematch, she is constantly screaming and furiously trying to bash Sora relentlessly with her Keyblade.
* BerserkButton: Riku calling her Keyblade a sham provokes her to a furious rage. When she's unable to strike him down for the insult, she's reduced to screaming in impotent anger.
* BetaTestBaddie: Not only does she have the Nobodies' standard lack of a heart, she's a replica of Sora made of his memories, and thanks to having those memories, initially believed she lived Sora's life without knowing who Sora was. As the final boss, she makes it look like she plays this straight, even going as far as absorbing Roxas to complete herself, as she was created to do, but she's a subversion in reality -- she was acting.
* TheBlank: Her true, original appearance had no features (implied to be how all replicas start out). Eventually she develops the appearance of Kairi but with black hair, but some people, most notably Saïx, literally never come to see her as anything but a doll.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The brunette to Naminé's blonde and Kairi's redhead. Also to Roxas's blond and Axel's redhead.
* BossRemix: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3xFtfdQwoI "Vector to the Heavens"]], her final battle theme in ''Days,'' is a remix of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyYHDO1MpAY "Musique pour la tristesse de Xion"]], also with hints of "Dearly Beloved." Like "The Other Promise," this theme isn't as energetic as one would normally expect from a boss theme; the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJMWAM--ePM Limit Cut remix]] is more reminiscent of the intensity of a typical boss theme.
* BoyishShortHair: It's a warped version of Kairi's first hairstyle: black instead of red, and mirrored.
* BreakTheCutie: She spends ''Days'' growing from a blank shell that speaks in monosyllables to a kind, inquisitive, downright heroic kid in parallel with Roxas. Then come the revelations about what she is and what dangers she poses to her best friends and the worlds as a whole, and her personality takes a turn towards the darker until she feels like she has no choice but to go rogue from the Organization, and worse.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Able to fight and take out Heartless using [[ElementalPowers elemental magic]] even after temporarily losing the ability to wield her keyblade. Unfortunately for her, the hearts that Heartless release upon defeat cannot be collected unless a keyblade was used to beat them.
* CameBackStrong: When Roxas says her name, she ultimately reclaims her original identity and performs a HeelFaceTurn along with rejoining the Guardians of Light for good after the end of the battle with Saïx. She also seems to regain her old strength, as before this happens she was much weaker and mainly relied on copying Saïx's power, while still having difficulty against rookie Keyblade wielders Kairi and Lea.
* CameBackWrong: In ''III'', with the Seekers having brought her back to fill out their ranks but the replica body has Xion's heart from when she first joined the Organization, which explains why she doesn't fully remember who she was, along with being weaker than she used to be and mainly relying on copying Saïx's power to get by in battle. It takes Roxas through Sora calling her by her name to get her to snap out of it, and it visibly hurts her to do so.
* CessationOfExistence: Since she's made of memories and is basically bound to existence by them alone, returning to Sora means getting rid of her only tethers to reality. Remnants of her do exist in Sora's heart, though, and the memories of her aren't destroyed, but hidden in him. Ultimately undone in ''III'' when Roxas says her name, causing Lea to also remember her along with Roxas when he returns.
* ClimaxBoss: Big fight with multiple forms and phases? Wraps up a major story arc? Has a PostFinalBoss following her? Check, check, check.
* CloneAngst: Not just that she lacks individuality: lots of angst comes from her being not who or what she thought she was and being dangerous to her friends just by existing.
* CombatStilettos: Along with Larxene she's the only other one that has them.
* CurbStompBattle: Her fight against Riku is a painfully one sided affair, with it being implied Saïx sent her against him for that exact reason.
* TheCutie: Xion is a shy, soft spoken, and adorable sweetheart.
* CutenessProximity: In the manga, she absolutely melts at the sight of Pluto.
-->'''Xion:''' PUPPY! ''[Immediately begins to hug and start petting him]''
* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: She knows that if she continues to exist Roxas will fade, so she chooses to force him into killing her instead.
* DeathSeeker: At least her Data boss self in ''Re:Mind'' is, anyway. While the base game doesn't really make a big deal out of her predicament, in her Data battle, she sounds in constant pain even when she isn't being hit, and her quote at the end of the battle, regardless of the outcome, only cements it:
-->'''Xion:''' ''(if the player beats her)'' This is how... it's supposed to be...\\
'''Xion:''' ''(if the player loses)'' You're going where I belong...
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: She dies being held by Roxas.
* DisappearsIntoLight: When she dies she turns into crystals which then fade into particles of light.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Roxas, since she is the only other Organization XIII member who can wield the Keyblade.
* DittoFighter: Apparently, her nature as a replica who takes on traits of people near her extends to more than just Roxas or Sora. In ''III'' she imitates Saïx's weapon and moves, during the fight against them in the Keyblade Graveyard.
* DoomedByCanon: Xion is never seen or mentioned in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' despite her important role in Roxas's life with Organization XIII. Roxas has no flashbacks involving Xion, so that hints at Xion being Ret Gone. Explained in-game that as Xion's essence was reabsorbed into Roxas, there was nothing left to remember Xion with. Unlike Roxas and Naminé, she utterly ceases to exist.
* DualBoss: In ''III,'' the past version of her fights alongside Saïx until she is replaced by her present self, who helps the Guardians of Light.
* DualWielding: In her final boss form she wields two swords roughly shaped like the Nobody sigil.
* DyingAsYourself: Her appearance before Roxas's battle with her is as Sora, as she is aware, and then she transforms into what looks like armor reminiscent of Sora's appearance during the battle proper. When she dies, the armor is gone, her she's back to looking like black-haired Kairi.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After living out her first life essentially being TheChewToy and starting her second life as a tool, Xion ''finally'' gets her hard-earned happy ending in ''III'' when she reunites with Roxas and Lea. She is last seen playing with Naminé, clearly living the life of a normal girl.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When Naminé basically announces her death sentence before the climax of ''Days'', Xion seems to hold no fear of it, since it is for the greater good.
* FanservicePack: It's hardly the biggest example in the world, but her bust is slightly larger in ''III'' than in previous games, enough to be noticeable at least.
* FightingYourFriend: Seems to be a recurring thing for her in particular among the trio: in total she's forced to fight Roxas and Axel twice each:
** She and Roxas are first tricked by the Organization to see each other as Heartless to eliminate in order to test them and narrow down their shared power to one entity. The second time, Xion challenges Roxas in an attempt at SuicideByCop so that she can properly return the memories she's made of to Sora and stop putting Roxas in danger.
** She and Axel first fight when Axel is sent to retrieve Xion for the Organization after she's gone rogue looking for answers. The second time is during ''III'', where Axel, now back to his original self Lea, and Kairi fight her and Saïx during the Keyblade War, though neither of them seem to be able to recognize each other until Lea is put in mortal danger. In an egregious act of cruelty, Xemnas tries to order her to kill Lea ''precisely'' because he knows she and Axel were friends.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her {{Superboss}} incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's (both of them, being considerably more super powered than the others, only open after the other eleven data battles have been completed).
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Invoked quite sadly; after Roxas defeats her he can't even remember her name. After she fades away, he and everyone else loses every memory of her.
* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Sora, created from his leaked memories as a fail-safe for the Organization. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories at the time of her 'birth' were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl. This is by and large strictly limited to her debut appearance; Xion still roughly has the same physical appearance she's always had in ''III''.
* GhostMemory: During a chunk of ''Days'', she experiences a long period of coma and wakes up knowing Sora's experiences from the first game. TheReveal is that she had unwittingly absorbed Sora's memories that Naminé is trying to reconstruct, effectively halting Sora's memory restoration. The only way to resume it is for Xion to die, therefore transferring the memories back to Sora.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Twice-subverted. She initially resists such a proposition despite the pain she feels, until Xemnas interferes in an attempt to force her to absorb Roxas. Not that he actually succeeded - she's only [[ObfuscatingInsanity feigning insanity]] because she needed Roxas to destroy her artificial body so she could return to Sora, where she (quite lucidly) decided that she belonged.
* GoOutWithASmile: She's smiling at Roxas the whole time she's dying in his arms, and remains smiling as she DisappearsIntoLight, happy that she's able to return to Sora.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: The Organization's original plan is for Xion to become their Keyblade wielder backup in case something happens to Roxas. It works out fine. Then she absorbs much of Sora's memories, stopping his memory restoration. Even better; this way, they have one less adversary to deal with. But then Xion develops a distinct personality due to her interaction with her friends. Said personality eventually causes her to search for her origins, culminating in her meeting with Riku and Naminé, resulting in her choice to rejoin Sora rather than serving the Organization any further.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Xion's fighting style in her Data Rematch relying more on sending beams of light at Sora from all directions.
* HealingHands: She throws out Cures while fighting alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: In ''III'' she is able to reject the piece of Xehanort's heart that was put inside her out of love for Axel and Roxas and switches sides to fight alongside them.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: PlayedWith. [[TheCutie She's a good person]] who gets shuffled through [[GreyAndGrayMorality various plot threads]], some against her will. She begins as a member of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Organization XIII]], which makes her a heel. But when she and Roxas find out that they were ObliviouslyEvil, she defects to DIZ, who is an AntiHero. This makes her a face to the narrative, but she now must oppose Roxas. Then Axel forces her back to Organization XIII, where [[GreaterScopeVillain Xemnas, her heel boss]], powers her up to make her a killing machine. This makes her a heel again, but she instead chooses to commit SuicideByCop to return Roxas's power, dying in service of DIZ's goals and ending up RetGone. In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', she's back as a heel. But halfway through her battle with Sora, she defects once again, thus turning fully face as she's now aligned with both the heroes and her morals.
* HeelFaceTurn: Switches sides when she is manipulated into working for bad guys and then learns/remembers the truth. Would be a HighHeelFaceTurn if not for [[CardCarryingVillain Larxene]] also being one of the unrepentant bad guys each time.
** In ''Days'', she leaves the Organization and ultimately decides to sacrifice herself, to stop Xemnas and the Organization as well as to save Roxas and Sora.
** In ''III'', she is the only member of XIII Seekers of Darkness who defects partway through the final confrontation between them and the Guardians of Light, choosing instead to fight on the side of the Guardians after reuniting with her friends. She is also the only one of the Seekers to survive to the end... Aside from Xigbar, that is.
* HeroicBSOD: Not so much on the heroic part due to her allegiance, but she suffered this once she learned what her true nature is.
* HeroicSuicide: In order to stop herself from making Roxas disappear she fights Roxas [[SuicideByCop with the intent of being killed by him]] to save him. Earlier, she had come to the (reluctant) conclusion that she should "return to Sora" to give back the memories of his she'd accidentally been absorbing so he could wake up because it was the right thing for everyone, which would also require giving up her existence. Roxas killing her took care of both.
* HolyHandGrenade: In ''III'', she's able to cast Laser Rain, as a callback to her PillarOfLight attack from her final ''Days'' boss encounter.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Though they initially don't recognize her, her appearance in ''III'' subjects her to this once Sora comes into the picture, as Roxas within Sora is the first person to recognize Xion and reach out to her while she's fighting Sora, Lea and Kairi and under Xehanort's control. Though enough of her old self remains to defend Lea, she lashes out when Sora tries to sway her from the darkness, and it takes Roxas saying her name through him to snap her out of it.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: In a sense. She's always humanoid but because she's made up of memories, she looks different depending on who is looking at her. And even for those who typically see her a particular way most of the time, her appearance may involuntarily change if she is being overwhelmed by certain memories. She started out as a featureless doll, but gains the unique appearance of a black-haired Kairi. She once hallucinates herself as Roxas shifting into Riku shifting into Sora, and on two occasions completely takes on the appearance of Sora when she absorbs too many of his memories. Xigbar at one point sees her as Ventus.
* {{Irony}}: Saïx's infamous MyFriendsAndZoidberg line about her in ''Days'' takes on a bit of this come ''III''. Not only is Xion chosen as a Seeker over half of the original Organization and backups like Demyx and Vexen, but she even uses her nature as a replica, the very thing that made Saïx belittle her, to copy Saïx's own powers while fighting alongside him.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Referred to such by Saïx, who is among those who see her as TheBlank. Roxas and Axel do not take kindly to this.
* KillTheCutie: She dies in Roxas' arms in order to keep him from fading and return to Sora to give back the memories of his.
* KnightOfCerebus: Xion is a very rare ''non''-villainous example of this trope. Her presence in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', the attachment to her from Roxas and Axel as well as the player followed by the ''crushing despair'' upon her fate at the end of the game permanently sets the darker tone for the following games in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[GratuitousFrench Musique pour la tristesse de Xion]]".
* LethalChef: In the ''Days'' manga, she cooks food for Pluto that looks like it would melt your stomach.
* LightEmUp: As she was created to copy Roxas, she has the same abilities as him, including the use of light powers.
* LightIsGood: She sacrifices herself for what's right.
* LightIsNotGood: As an Organization member she started out this way.
* LimitBreak: Event Horizon, [[BladeSpam just like]] [[LightEmUp Roxas.]]
* LivingMemory: She is Roxas's clone made entirely of Sora's memories.
* LoopholeAbuse: This is how she's ultimately brought back from the dead. While everyone's memories of Xion faded, Vexen's records of No. I's creation still existed and could be used to recreate her.
* TheLostLenore: While Xion is doomed to be forgotten by the people who knew her, the memories don't completely disappear immediately after her death and Roxas mourns her ''terribly'', to the point of basically going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Organization and anyone who stands in his way while clinging onto the tendrils of memories that he still has of her. Despite her being 'forgotten', 3D has Sora shed a tear when he sees Xion's face in a dream. Early on in ''III'' it's shown that Lea will stare at Kairi because he feels like he's forgotten something important, signaling that the loss of Xion (who is facially identical to Kairi) is subconsciously felt by him, with the feelings at one point even bringing him to tears.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: She was created by Vexen and her standard appearance resembles a black-haired Kairi. Do the math.
* MagikarpPower: [[InvokedTrope Invoked.]] She's a fairly weak fighter at first and has to be supported a lot on missions. However, it turns out this is intentional, as Xion is designed to grow stronger through absorbing memories of Sora from Roxas, which in turn makes Roxas weaker. This is why in later missions she's more useful, but Roxas in turn is weaker.
* MaximumHPReduction: The main gimmick of her battle in ''Re:Mind'' is that her blue beams will reduce Sora's max HP which can only be restored with items or time.
* MeaningfulName: Nomura himself stated [[http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Xion#Trivia he liked the name instantly because of its many meanings.]] This means it has a ''shitload'' of meanings:
** She's named after a flower (''shion'') that symbolizes [[{{Irony}} remembrance]].
** The anagram of No. ''i'', an imaginary number, which gets {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Re:Mind''. No. ''i'' could also be seen as No. I (number one), demonstrating that she's Vexen's first (and faulty) experimental clone, or as "No I" (no one), referring to her lack of true identity and the Organization's view of her as merely a tool.
** "Xion" is pronounced as "Shion", which is a real name in Japanese and is in fact a unisex name, with Xion turning out to be an OppositeSexClone. ''Shio,'' Japanese for "tide," is a nod to the likes of [[ThemeNaming Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua]]. The aspect of the tide being pulled by the moon gains significance in ''III'', where not only does Xion fight alongside Saïx on the side of darkness while having copied his weapon and berserker abilities, Saïx is implied in the Secret Reports to have had a hand in helping bring Replica vessels to Nobodies on Sora's side, including Xion. ''Shi'' is also the normal Japanese pronunciation for "[[FourIsDeath Four]]", and she's the ''fourteenth'' member, essentially making her name {{Foreshadowing}} for her [[DoomedByCanon eventual outcome]] as well as also her connection to Vexen, Number IV of the Organization, who is revealed to be her creator.
** As an unofficial name still said in the canon, Xigbar frequently refers to Xion as "Poppet," cluing in to the fact that she is not so much a Nobody as she is a [[ArtificialHuman puppet]].
* MindScrew: The true nature of Xion is rather confusing, especially the validity of the aforementioned GenderBender.
* MixAndMatchMan: Xion is an imperfect replica whose identity was dictated by Sora's memories through Roxas, but due to the inconsistency of which memories they are, she's taken on traits of Sora ''and'' his friends. Her dominant appearance is nearly identical to Kairi due to the initial memories creating her were mainly Sora's memories of Kairi. She wields a Kingdom Key, the same as Sora, and physically turns into Sora if she absorbs too many of his memories. She turns into Riku in one of her nightmares, and when she vanishes back into Roxas, he gains the ability to wield Oblivion, which originally represented Sora's relationship with Riku. The Novelization of ''Days'' even implies that Xion had started to absorb fragments of Riku's memories during the time that she was getting advice from him. Then there's the fact that Xigbar uniquely sees Ventus when he looks at her, and in ''III'' she's [[DittoFighter able to take on the abilities]] of ''Saïx'' when fighting alongside him.
* MovesetClone: She has the exact same stats, {{Combos}}, LimitBreak (and Final Limit), and weapons as Roxas in ''358/2 Days''. The only gameplay difference between them is that she lacks the DualWielding mechanic. Similarly, her data boss fight in ''Re:Mind'' is based on Roxas's battle from ''Final Mix'', but she has a few of her moves from her boss battle in ''358/2 Days'' to mix it up.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms in the 3rd phase of her boss fight in ''358/2 Days'' with [[MultiWielding each limb holding a]] [[SinisterScimitar curved sword]] presumably as a result of Sora's memories of fighting Kurt Zisa in Agrabah.
* MultiStageBattle: For her fight, the first three stages all take place in locations of keyholes Sora locked in the first game until the final stage which is instead the front of the Clock Tower where Sora would later open the world's gate in ''II''.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: She's a rare, non-comedic example of this trope. As the story goes on, it's shown she's nothing more than a puppet for Xemnas, not even a real Nobody, and Saïx reveals that she was never even part of the Organization.
-->'''Saïx, to Roxas''': "A puppet couldn't be part of the Organization. Just count the seats here. We have and always will be thirteen."
* NiceGirl: Xion is without a doubt one of the most kindest and selfless chacters in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. She always puts her friends before her self, and has a strong sense of justice and generosity, willingly sacrificing herself to join with Sora. Like Aqua, Kairi, and Naminé, Xion fights passionately to protect those she has come to care for. Her love for her friends is ultimately what drives her as she wants nothing more then to spend the rest of her life with them, and if she can't have that she can at least make sure that they are able to live happly.. It is best summed up by her diary entry in the secret reports from ''Days''
-->'''Xion diary entry''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
* NoBiologicalSex: Being a Replica whose AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder, Xion does not have a gender in the physical sense, though constantly spending time with Roxas (who sees her as a black haired Kairi) causes her to identify as female.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: She appears to go berserk and tries to kill Roxas at the end of ''Days'', but this is an act so that Roxas will fight for his life and kill her instead.
* OneWingedAngel: When Xion fights Roxas at the end of 358/2 Days, she takes on a form that resembles Keyblade armor arranged in the shape of Sora's silhouette with Nobody motifs. There are four stages to this, each with its own set of weapons, and with her final form being [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever enormous]].
* OppositeSexClone: She's a replica created from Sora's memories, but typically manifests as Kairi because the latter made up Sora's strongest memories when Xion was first 'born'. During occasions where she gets overwhelmed by those memories her appearance turns into that of Sora himself.
* ParadoxPerson: She is an ArtificialHuman created from Sora's memories and is meant to be a clone and replacement of Sora's Nobody, Roxas. Because of her relationship with Roxas, she unwittingly absorbs Sora's memories, causing her to grow stronger and essentially [[BecomeARealBoy become a person]], but making both Sora and Roxas weaker. When she perishes, she is {{Ret Gone}}d. Or so we think. It turns out that replicas, like Nobodies and other intelligent beings who lack hearts, are capable of growing them given time. Xion did, so when the heart is returned to her, everyone remembers her again.
* TheParagon: For Roxas and Axel, though the latter wasn't very receptive. She's ultimately the most heroic of the trio.
* ParentalFavoritism: The Secret Reports in ''Days'' show that Xion (or No. i, at the time) was selected over the replica model that became Riku's replica by Vexen, who deemed No. i to be his greatest creation and can be seen grinning when Xemnas is introducing Xion to the rest of the Organization. Not that it matters much since Vexen perished soon after.
* PersonalityPowers: [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]]; much like Roxas, she's a bit more melancholic than you'd expect of a Light user, but she does have brighter aspects of her personality. Also, she (like Roxas) does seem to be one of the nicer members.
* PillarOfLight:
** She shares Roxas's Event Horizon LimitBreak in in ''Days'' where she will shoot radial pillars of light for the second stage of the limit.
** One of her most powerful attacks in her final battle in ''Days'' is raining down a series of light pillars over the battlefield, or summoning one massive column directly in the center. She gains a variant of the former as an attack spell when she fights alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
** Her data battle will have her summon pillars of light with nearly every attack in ''Re:Mind''.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When Xion makes the decision to sacrifice her existence to awaken Sora, she explicitly writes that she loves Roxas and Axel in her diary, declaring that she won't forget her time with them, even if they do.
* PowerCopying: She can wield a Keyblade as a result of copying Roxas's. Taken to an extreme in ''III'', as when fighting alongside Saïx she learns to clone his claymore to attack too, though she ditches it after her HeelFaceTurn. Additionally, her Keyblade is given its own identifier in this game as the 'Replica Kingdom Key'.
* PowerFloats: She just levitates in place in her final form.
* PowerParasite: She can absorb others as part of being a replica, with Roxas and Sora being the main victims. In her case, though, it's a passive effect and completely involuntary. This is a major factor in her decision to pull a SuicideByCop.
** Weaponizes this in her Data rematch in ''Re:Mind'' with light beams capable of [[MaximumHPReduction reducing your max HP.]]
* ReallyDeadMontage: Right at the end of ''Days'', when she disappears while [[RetGone everyone forgets her, and everything about her stops existing]], before Roxas forgets her, a brief flashback of her turning to him and smiling is shown. After a bit, one of his memories of her and the other protagonist (Axel) of eating ice cream shows up, the three of them having fun. Then the same scene appears again, while Xion fades away.
* RememberTheNewGuy: She shows up abruptly in ''358/2 Days'' where she is Number XIV in a group previously established in ''II'' to be named Organization '''XIII,''' becomes Roxas's and Axel's best friend when they don't mention her at all in ''II,'' and is revealed to be a Keyblade-wielder who looks like Kairi and whose appearance shocks Riku. Like Naminé in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Xion is a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction of this trope]], in this case with the reveal that we didn't hear about her from any of the characters in ''II'' because she died and was [[RetGone erased from everyone's memories]].
* ReplacementGoldfish:
** Xion was basically created to serve this purpose, as a potential backup or replacement for Roxas in the event the Organization couldn't control him. She also, along with Roxas, starts to be accused of being this to Axel by Saïx, who shows extreme disdain for them due to Axel developing a close friendship with them while Saïx's own relationship with Axel becomes increasingly strained. Xion bears the strongest brunt of this, however, as Saïx's literal inability to see her as anything but a featureless puppet (proof of his failure to acknowledge her as an individual) lead Saïx to scathingly refer to any emotions regarding Xion as 'make-believe'.
** Xion ends up serving this role again for the XIII Seekers of Darkness after [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance their plan to possess Sora failed.]] The ''Re:Mind'' DLC reveals that Saïx, who at this point [[TheAtoner is trying to atone for his mistakes]], suggests that they reconstruct No. ''i'' from Vexen's research data in order to fill out their ranks and fulfil their Sora requirement due to her relationship to him.
* RetGone: Subverted. Since she was ''made'' of memories, her death meant the death of her memory. When she was absorbed into Roxas, everyone forgot that she ever existed... for awhile. She begins making cameo appearances in ''Re:Coded'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'', with Riku and Sora both meeting her for long enough to get a good look at her face during the latter. Sora even seems to gain Roxas's memories of ''Days'' in full, including Xion, and it's implied that Lea has WistfulAmnesia about her when he looks at Kairi. When Xion returns in ''III'', Lea and Roxas end up remembering her.
* SailorEarth: Xion is introduced as Organization XIII's newest member Number XIV, continues the "three friends" pattern of the series by being best friends with Roxas and Axel, and is a Kairi-lookalike who has ShipTease with Sora's lookalike Roxas. On paper she sounds like she's a character straight out of an early 2000's fanfic, but it is revealed to be an intentional -- and very sinister -- example InUniverse: Xion is in fact ''not'' a true member of the Organization but a Replica created to drain the power and life out of Roxas so she could replace him as a more easily managed Keyblade-wielder Xemnas could reprogram as he wished. It's for this reason that she and Roxas are partnered up on the early missions that spark their friendship, to encourage her to latch onto him and begin copying his power. As a Replica, she was an outsider among the rest of the Organization, only viewed as a puppet by the higher-ups and never as a true member; because of this, she is never given a throne of her own in the Round Room, a RedBaron title, her own special type of Nobodies to control, or even her own Proof of Existence like all the other members do.
* ScreamingWarrior: During her Data Rematch in ''Limit Cut'', she'll actually start roaring during some of her more destructive attacks.
* SizeShifter: After donning the Sora-like armor, she becomes noticeably larger than Roxas and gets bigger with every next phase of the fight until she's as tall as the Twilight Town Clock Tower.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: The games explain her true form is her appearance as a black-haired Kairi while all of her other appearances are merely illusions caused by memory.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: An odd example: as a replica of Sora made to copy his powers, her various forms are all influenced by him one way or another. In her final boss form, this manifests as her taking the form of a Sora made of armor, and using all his signature abilities from prior games.
* SheCleansUpNicely: At the very end of ''III'' when the danger's finally passed, Xion's able to rid herself of the Organization coat and wears a black and white blouse and skirt that takes a few cues from Kairi and Naminé.
* ShipTease: With Roxas in ''Days''. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they can't feel anything due to being Nobodies and are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. It's worth noting they don't show anything overtly romantic between them in ''III'' and more focus is given instead to their [[PlatonicLifePartners friendship with each other and Axel]]. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignificantAnagram: Of "No. ''i''", her designation as part of the Replica Program.
* SomeoneHasToDie: With Roxas (and in conjunction, Sora). Both of them are unable to coexist stably because Xion is built to keep draining Roxas's power, which will eventually make him fade away.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Her actions ultimately bring about the end of the original Organization XIII. By choosing to die rather than continue serving the Organization, she not only prevents them from using her to collect hearts but also allows Naminé to resume restoring Sora's memories, enabling him to wake up. And by announcing her plans to Roxas -- even if he forgets her afterward -- it solidifies his defection from the Organization, leaving them with no Keyblade wielder they can control.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: A Replica of Roxas that ends up absorbing Sora's memories, Xion lets herself be absorbed into Roxas's heart when she dies, returning the power she'd accidentally taken from him, and then gets absorbed into Sora's heart alongside Roxas when the latter returns to him, returning Sora's memories back to their rightful owner. While Roxas was initially resistant to fusing with Sora and appeared more several times after the initial fusion, Xion [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepted her fate]] as necessary and apart from briefly telepathically communicating with Riku and Roxas at the end of ''Days'' she doesn't show up as an individual again until a dream version of her appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''.
* SuicideByCop: Her FinalBoss amounts to this, with the "Cop" being [[DefectorFromDecadence Roxas]].
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: As a Seeker of Darkness. [[https://imgur.com/vflxBck It's hard to tell since she spends all of her screentime as a vessel with her hood up, but she does have them.]] Regaining her present-day heart from Sora ejected Xehanort's heart as well as the past version of her heart, turning her eyes back to normal.
* SwordPlant: When in her light aura phase in ''Re:Mind'' she will attack almost exclusively by stabbing her keyblade into the ground, generating shockwaves of light magic.
* ThemeNaming: Her part in the "girls related to Kairi" group is ''shio'' for tide.
* ThereIsAnother: Invoked. Her whole purpose was to be a backup plan in case the Organization couldn't control Roxas. She gets hit with this again when the Seekers of Darkness need a thirteenth member and their plan to use Sora failed, so they opt to recreate Xion as an EmotionlessGirl and use her as a vessel for Xehanort's heart instead. Luckily this blows up in their faces when it leads to her friends remembering her again and her subsequently finding the strength to shake off Xehanort's influence and turn against the Seekers out of ThePowerOfFriendship.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: During her boss battle alongside Saïx, one of her primary attacks is to throw her Keyblade at you or Kairi. This attack is carried over as her most basic attack for her data rematch in ''Re:Mind''.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To the XIII Seekers in ''III'' as she is only serving them because the replica body has her heart from the time when she first joined the Organization.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: She dies in ''Days'' as the first member who openly tries to rebel against Xemnas. Subverted in ''III'' when the XIII Seekers of Darkness are able to bring her back to join them as a reluctant member, mainly because the replica body has her heart from the past.
* TookALevelInBadass: Begins working for the Organization with only a couple basic low-level elemental magic spells as her means of offense. She soon learns that she can wield the keyblade, granting her access to powerful light-based powers like Roxas and significantly increasing her utility to the Organization. Even after she temporarily loses the keyblade, she's using noticeably more powerful and varied magic spells than the last time Roxas fought alongside her.
** Eventually revealed to be a deconstruction since the only reason she's getting stronger fighting with the keyblade is because she's draining energy from Roxas. She's later personally altered by Xemnas himself to defeat Roxas and absorb him completely while aided by specially placed Organization devices in various worlds to enhance her strength, resulting in a climactic SequentialBossFight.
* TransferableMemory: She's ''made'' of them.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The girl to her two guy friends, Roxas and Axel.
* UnskilledButStrong: On her own terms, Xion has great power but noticably lacks finesse in her swordplay. One of her phase intervals in the ''Re:Mind'' rematch has her running at Sora in an UnstoppableRage wildly flailing around her Keyblade with one hand.
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything ''about'' her is just one big spoiler.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: She gets hit with this trope twice as hard as Roxas. She discovered in the middle of ''Days'' that she was a replica designed to copy Sora's powers through Roxas. Then she learned from Naminé her memories don't belong to her and that she's just a bunch of Sora's memories of Kairi. The treatment of the Organization members (who themselves angst over their technical non-human status) to her is downright dehumanizing, outright calling her a puppet (save Axel and Roxas, maybe Demyx and Luxord) and never considered her to be a part of them.
* WaterIsWomanly: Xion is the female of the Clock Tower Trio and a Replica who mostly takes after Kairi's persona. Her name is pronounced "shee-on"; shio in Japanese means "tide". A recurring dream that Xion experiences throughout the game is her drowning inside seawater.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She looks like a young teenager to most people, but really, she's just under a year old by the time of her death.
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* ThreeAmigos: Roxas, Axel and Xion are the ''358/2 Days'' equivalent to Sora, Riku and Kairi from the main plot and Ventus, Terra and Aqua from ''Birth By Sleep'' respectively.
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* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Roxas is TheHero (possessing power over light and eventually turning against Organization XIII when he discovers their true goal), Axel as TheLancer (Roxas' snarker friend who eventually becomes his enemy) and Xion as TheChick that acts as both as TheHeart (her inclusion helping solidify Roxas and Axel's friendship) and TheLostLenore (her death causing it to dissolve).
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* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Roxas is TheHero (possessing power over light and eventually turning against Organization XIII when he discovers their true goal), Axel as TheLancer (Roxas' snarker friend who eventually becomes his enemy) and Xion as TheChick that acts as both as TheHeart (her inclusion helping solidify Roxas and Axel's friendship) and TheLostLenore (her death causing it to dissolve).
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas Vanitas]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyVillains Disney Villains]] 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]] -] ]]]]
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* TriumphantReprise: "Hearts as One" serves as one for both Roxas ''and'' Xion, given that it plays during Roxas' BigDamnHeroes moment against Saïx, and incorporates both "The Other Promise" (for Roxas) and "Vector to the Heavens" (for Xion), both of which were notable for being SadBattleMusic.
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* TriumphantReprise: In ''III'' "Hearts as One" serves as one for both Roxas ''and'' Xion, given that it plays during Roxas' BigDamnHeroes moment against Saïx, and incorporates both "The Other Promise" (for Roxas) and "Vector to the Heavens" (for Xion), both of which were notable for being SadBattleMusic.
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* TriumphantReprise: "Hearts as One" serves as one for both Roxas ''and'' Xion, given that it plays during Roxas' BigDamnHeroes moment against Saïx, and incorporates both "The Other Promise" (for Roxas) and "Vector to the Heavens" (for Xion), both of which were notable for being SadBattleMusic.
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''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]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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* TearsOfJoy: The three of them hug and break down crying and smiling ''III''.
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* TearsOfJoy: The three of them hug and break down crying and smiling ''III''.in ''III'', after finally being reunited.
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) ([[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/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]])) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
to:
[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]])) Xion]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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'''Beware of unmarked spoilers below!'''
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[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
to:
[[Characters/KingdomHeartsDestinyIslandsTrio Destiny Islands Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsSora Sora]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRiku Riku]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsKairi Kairi]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsDisneyCastleTrio Disney Castle Trio]] | '''Clock Tower Trio''' ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]]) Roxas]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]])) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsTerraAquaAndVentus Wayfinder Trio]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsAqua Aqua]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsPartyMembersAndSummons Party Members and Summons]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXehanortsIncarnations Xehanort's Incarnations]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsMasterXehanort Master Xehanort]]) | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]] ([[Characters/KingdomHeartsXigbar Xigbar]] | [[Characters/KingdomHeartsVanitas 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]] -] ]]]]
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The [[BestFriend best of friends]], Axel, Roxas, and Xion were Organization XIII's number VIII, XIII, and XIV respectively. Roxas and Xion, who are amnesiac and curious about the world, would rather hang around Twilight Town and eat sea-salt ice cream than worry about the Organization's plans; Axel, though knowing about said plans, nonetheless treats the two as his friends, rather than as the Organization's tools. Things start to fall apart when Xion and Roxas begin to attempt to learn more about their pasts, while Axel tries to balance lies and the truth to keep them together.
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The [[BestFriend best of friends]], Axel, Roxas, [[Characters/KingdomHeartsAxel Axel]], [[Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas Roxas]], and Xion [[Characters/KingdomHeartsXion Xion]] were Organization XIII's number VIII, XIII, and XIV respectively. Roxas and Xion, who are amnesiac and curious about the world, would rather hang around Twilight Town and eat sea-salt ice cream than worry about the Organization's plans; Axel, though knowing about said plans, nonetheless treats the two as his friends, rather than as the Organization's tools. Things start to fall apart when Xion and Roxas begin to attempt to learn more about their pasts, while Axel tries to balance lies and the truth to keep them together.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:All Three]]
[[folder:All Three]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Roxas]]
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Axel]]
!!Axel
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cutin_32236.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My show now, Keyblade master! Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel. Got it memorized?"'']]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''
->''"What's your problem!? You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running! [[CallForward But I'll always be there to bring you back!]]"''
Org XIII's 8th member and the only one to survive ''Chain of Memories''. ''Days'' reveals his Other's name to have been Lea, and then ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. He appears regularly in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', striving to bring Roxas out of the fake Twilight Town, and later pulling a HeelFaceTurn and helping Sora on his quest. However, he ends up pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save Sora at the end of the game. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is [[BackFromTheDead revived]] as Lea, his original self and helps Riku and Sora throughout the story. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade. For tropes specific to Lea, see Lea's folder on this page.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the [=KH2=] manga and novels. An example being his final fight with Roxas, where he is still trying to get through to him in the manga and intends to burning the mansion down to be TogetherInDeath with him in the novels, while he is fully committed to straight-up killing him in the game.
** Another case is his kidnapping of Kairi, where they actually bond and begin to cooperate with each other before Saïx kidnaps her from him, and Axel becomes wounded trying to save her. In the game, this did not happen as Axel says Kairi "got away from him" before being caught by Saïx, and Kairi is initially wary of Axel when he comes back as Lea which shows no bond was ever developed between them and he never tried to rescue her.
* AffablyEvil: Although he initially he started off as FauxAffablyEvil as listed below he developed into this over time thanks to his friendship with Roxas and Xion.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but his is a particularly bad case. So much so that former [[WebVideo/GameGrumps Grump]] Barry Kramer cites it as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjiHufVEc7g&ab_channel=BarryKramer sole reason]] Axel survives Castle Oblivion.
* AntiVillain: Introduced as a ruthless and manipulative bastard in ''Chain of Memories'', but mellowed out in his subsequent appearances, as he becomes fast friends with Roxas and Xion. His sacrifice helps him complete the change to full-blown hero when he returns as Lea as of ''3D''.
* AscendedExtra: He got an extended role in ''II'' after his role in ''Chain of Memories'' was popularly received, though he still ended up dying in that game.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: While it's pretty obvious what powers he has based on his ElementalHairColors, that same spiky mass of wild, red hair combined with those inverted tear-drop markings below his eyes give him a vaguely clown-like appearance. Fitting for a guy who tends towards [[SadClown quips even in the most dire or tragic of circumstances.]]
* AwfulTruth: Axel became concerned enough about how often Xion fainted and how badly Saïx treated her that he started grilling Saïx for an explanation. Axel's inquiring eventually led him to discover what Xion really is, and the information weighed extremely heavy on his mind thereafter.
* AxCrazy: Like Larxene, he pretended to enjoy hurting others and also flashed a [[SlasherSmile wide grin]] at such moments. He carried out [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder a series of betrayals]] throughout the series and killed several of his allies ruthlessly for his own motives and sometimes just for his personal enjoyment.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: He finishes off Vexen and arranges Zexion's death at the hands of the Riku Replica.
* BecomingTheMask: Reading the secret reports in ''Days'' reveal that Axel's initial promise of friendship to Roxas was a lie and that he didn't really feel anything toward him (even down to him initially hating sea-salt ice cream, as revealed in the opening scenes of ''Days'' in ''1.5''). But when he was getting ready to go to Castle Oblivion, he is surprised to realize that he's actually going to ''miss'' hanging out with Roxas, which makes him deeply curious in Sora's heart. After he comes back from the events at Castle Oblivion, he became a real friend to Roxas.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Roxas and Xion. He becomes very protective over the two of them after they form a friendship. This is also his driving motivation from the middle of ''358/2'' through ''KHII'', after he started essentially raising Roxas and acting as a surrogate parent. Of course, a lot of this has more to do with [[PoisonousFriend himself than with Roxas]] until toward the end.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Roxas, and a slightly lesser extent Xion. His influence is a major part of how their personalities developed (or how they gained them in the first place) and he helps them out with a lot of the problems they run into because "that's what friends do".
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Redhead to Roxas's blond and Xion's brunette.
* BoundAndGagged: In the manga adaptation, Axel is mistaken as a pirate by the Lost Boys and tied to a tree along with Roxas. They are both cleared by Tinker Bell, since they were with her.
* TheCaretaker: Axel fulfills this role toward Roxas in ''Days'' after he is assigned to mentor the younger Nobody who recently joined Organization XIII. After Roxas befriends Xion and starts hanging out with her, Axel also becomes her caretaker as well. Axel eventually turns into a PoisonousFriend when obsessed with keeping Roxas and Xion as his friends, he lies to them, does questionable stuff behind their backs, and if they try to leave the Organization of their own free will, he attempts to bring them back by force. Following Xion's death, Axel is the only member of the Organization to miss Roxas when the latter defects. And in ''II'', Axel's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying wish]] was to see Roxas again.
* CatchPhrase: "Got it memorized?", originally translated in the original version of ''Chain of Memories'' as "Commit it to memory."
** He has another one, albeit less used, ''Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?''
* ChangedMyMindKid: Axel reluctantly allowed Xion to flee the organization when it was becoming dangerous for her to be around Roxas. Later on however, Axel goes after Xion anyway. While it's technically because he's been ordered to do so, he also makes it a point to let Xion know that it's also because he doesn't want her to sacrifice her life, which is what she intends to do.
* CharacterDevelopment: Its pathway is rocky, but Axel goes through quite a bit of character development. In ''Chain of Memories'' he was a callous, manipulative jerk, but after interacting with Sora it's noted in ''Days'' that his personality became more cheerful and friendly, and he also behaved a lot more genuinely too rather than putting on an act. Another example is his ability to see the humanity in others, something he himself takes note of: Axel didn't originally think of replica's as worthy of any compassion or consideration. Later on however, he realizes that learning that Xion is a replica after befriending her didn't change the fact he still saw her as a friend. A secret report shows that this also led Axel to look back, recognize, and feel guilt for how horribly he treated Riku-Replica, and how he could never treat Xion in such a manner. He relapses in his manipulative ways when he starts to fear he will lose Roxas and Xion, but in the end it's no question that his capacity to care has stuck, and ultimately he goes back to being genuine when he performs a HeroicSacrifice for Sora and [[BackFromTheDead his humanity is restored]].
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Despite some development as noted directly above, his characterization is still WILDLY inconsistent between ''Chain of Memories'' and all later entries. For someone who claims disgust with the fact he always got stuck doing the "icky jobs", he seemed all too content with murdering Vexen and Zexion, and had absolutely no qualms cutting down a little girl (Naminé) to get to Marluxia. Not to mention the fact he had a reputation of being a "Fixer" for the Organization inherently implies that he was ''very good'' at doing these "icky jobs" and didn't have qualms following them through. One possible explanation is via the eventual revelation that Nobodies will actually regrow their hearts over time, meaning that during the events of ''Chain of Memories'' he was essentially a sociopath. However, towards the end of that game he comments that he's actually enjoying himself, foreshadowing that he was starting to regain his heart. Continuing into ''Days'', Axel solidly begins regaining his humanity after befriending Roxas and Xion, so by the time Axel's ordered to retrieve Xion for the Organization's purposes, his capacity to feel has changed profoundly.
* TheChessmaster: He outwitted two scientists, two conspirators, and also the protagonists, and all that without breaking a single sweat.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Zig-zagged all over the place. Long story short, he goes from being co-conspirators with Saïx in the Organization to ditching that and the Organization itself to help out Sora. Beneath that, though, he's got layers upon layers of loyalties, in parts due to his assignment as TheMole during the Castle Oblivion and his own tendency to put his priorities before the Organization, with things getting even more complicated when different priorities of his begin to clash with one another (such as his friendship with Roxas and his own survival.)
* CombatPragmatist: Doesn't step in to take out Vexen as ordered until after he had just received a beatdown from Sora. In ''II,'' he kicks off his boss fight by setting the floor of the arena on fire and deal unavoidable damage, draining your health over time. The Overtaker and Clear Light Reaction Commands will remove the flaming floor, but after a while he'll just ignite it again.
* CompressedHair: How does ''that'' fit under his hood?
* ConflictingLoyalty: Although he apparently suffers from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and has no issues with being a DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent when necessary, he's shown some capacity to be conflicted in which side to stick with:
** In ''Days'', Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion conflicts with his orders by the Organization to [[LetsYouAndHimFight "let things run their natural course"]]. Even his friendship with the pair suffers from this trope, as he comes to realize that only one of them can survive, and one of them has to perish to ensure the survival of the other. He spends a large portion of the game perilously trying to balance his loyalties, switching back and forth between doing things that help or hinder Roxas, Xion, or the Organization. By the end of the game, Axel has decided his loyalties lie with Roxas ''and'' Xion, but it amounts to nothing since Roxas still runs away and Xion ceases to exist.
** In ''II'', his friendship with Roxas is again the driving factor of his Conflicting Loyalty. While he has no qualms with his orders to bring Roxas back, he starts to grow disgruntled with his superiors when he is tasked to eliminate Roxas. He eventually screws over the Organization, and starts working independently, leading to a [[invoked]]TearJerker when he dies at Sora's side, lamenting the fact that he never got to revive Roxas. Fortunately, by the events of ''III'', Roxas is revived by Sora and Vexen, and reunites with Axel.
* ContractOnTheHitman: Axel's primary role in the Organization was to kill off troublesome members. Saïx sent him to Castle Oblivion with the intention of him being the only member to leave, and Xemnas sends him after Roxas after he defected. Axel's failure leads to the rest of the Organization hunting him down.
* DeadpanSnarker: Heavy on both deadpan and full-on snark.
* DemotedToExtra: From ''Chain of Memories'' to ''II'', which is ironic considering what happened to him afterwards. According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, he was originally supposed to die at the end of Roxas's section of the game, so he would've been in even ''less'' if he hadn't turned out to be so popular with both fans ''and'' the development staff of the games. Thankfully, he was promoted back up to supporting character in ''358/2 Days''.
* {{Determinator}}: Once Roxas was absorbed back to Sora, Axel went through great lengths to try to bring him back. Even more so in the manga where he dragged his injured body after fighting Saïx to help Sora and friends find Kairi, sacrificing himself in the process.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the final boss in the prologue of II.
* DisneyDeath: Basically. The body that belonged to the being known as "Axel" dies for real, but he gets reborn with a new body as his original self (Lea) with all of his memories from his time as Axel intact, so he's essentially as good as new.
* DoubleAgent: Played straight, then subverted, then zigzagged, then does a loop-the-loop into an aversion. Axel wasn't actually a double agent -- he was a ''[[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent quintuple agent]].'' At one point, he pretended to join in with Marluxia's conspiracy, in order to get close enough to eliminate him as a traitor on Xemnas' orders, while really working with Saix so they can overthrow Xemnas themselves. At the same time, he helped both Sora and Namine, only partially because they would destroy Marluxia for him, and wiped out two Organization members who were still loyal to Xemnas to avoid anyone else using the knowledge of the Replica Project. In the end, of course, Axel's only real loyalty is to himself (though he tends to include his friends in that, whether they like it or not).
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: Especially in ''Chain of Memories'', though he has elements of it in ''II'' before his HeelFaceTurn.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: To ''another'' DragonWithAnAgenda, no less, and even telling the other one that his cooperation isn't always guaranteed.
-->'''Axel:''' I'll play it your way...for now.
* TheDreaded: Axel's primary role in the Organization is that of a "[[TheFixer fixer]]" (Saïx even refers to him as such) who keeps the other members in check and ''[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness removes]]'' them from the board when necessary. Considering that someone as immensely dangerous as Marluxia ''hides behind a human-shield'' when up against him, Axel is deserving of his reputation. Likewise, both Vexen and Zexion [[VillainousBSOD utterly lose their shit]] when they realize that they're next on Axel's list. He is not feared only by those more powerful than him - Xemnas, Xaldin and Saïx - and those who are too arrogant to be scared, like Xigbar and Larxene.
* DualWielding: Always fights with a Chakram in each hand. In ''Re:COM,'' he can summon up to four of them at a time as part of his Firetooth sleight before tossing them so they can bounce all around the arena.
* ElementalHairColors: Was anyone really surprised he turned out to use fire-elemental attacks?
* EnemyMine: When he helped Sora against the Nobodies in the Realm Between by blowing himself up and later used his last power to open a portal to the World That Never Was.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Axel does his share of villainous deeds in the series, but in ''Days'' he becomes increasingly intolerant of Saïx's dehumanizing treatment of Xion.
* EvilRedhead: Red haired and opposed to Sora, though for different reasons than the rest of Organization XIII.
* EvilVersusEvil: In ''Chain of Memories''.
* ExactWords: Invokes this on Marluxia. When being obliquely tasked with killing Vexen, Axel pretends not to get it, requiring Marluxia to directly order him to "Eliminate the traitor." Axel comments that he can't take that back later and goes off to do the deed. Later, when attacking Marluxia, Axel reminds him that he and Larxene are traitors themselves and cites Marluxia's own order as a justification to kill him.
* {{Expy}}: He's a deliberate one of Reno from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Nomura was once asked about their similarities and outright said that he made Axel in the image of Reno to try out a familiar character in a new universe and see how he developed. They even share voice actors in five languages ([[Creator/QuintonFlynn English]], [[Creator/KeijiFujiwara Japanese]], French, Spanish and German).
* FaceRealization: Of sorts. In the novels when Axel fights Xion for the last time, even though it's technically under orders, he admits that the things he's done and what he's now doing is for Roxas and Xion's sakes, not the organizations, even if it means being labeled a traitor.
* FacialMarkings: Two reverse teardrop shapes as Axel. They disappear once he's Lea again.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Axel tries desperately to protect Roxas and Xion from the AwfulTruth of their existences, as well as from all the forces that desire their destruction. In the end he fails to keep them from finding out, fails to keep them safe, and their friendship is in shambles.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: He ''burns'' himself to death. It had to be toned down in the North American release.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Xaldin threatening him with a spear to the face doesn't faze Axel, but Xemnas preparing to turn him into a Dusk causes him to cave.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts like a FriendlyEnemy to Sora in ''Chain of Memories'' and it looks like he's [[PetTheDog doing good by releasing Naminé]], but as the D-Report in Riku's story mode notes on his character bio, it's all a means of manipulating them. Fully subverted when he returns as Lea.
* FieryRedhead: A literal example.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: After freeing Naminé to go and save Sora he quickly notices how he was enjoying it, foreshadowing that his heart was beginning to return to him.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CatchPhrase has gone up with each passing game. In his first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* {{Gaslighting}}:
** Axel repeatedly lies in response to or dismisses Roxas and Xion's questions about their pasts, hoping they'll forget about them and remain in ignorance. They don't.
** ''3D'' reveals that Axel himself, along with all of the rest of the Organization, were victims of this tactic in how they were told they didn't have hearts or emotions, when the truth was it was possible for Nobodies to start growing their own hearts. This is particularly detrimental to Axel since it's clear he started feeling emotions again around Roxas and Xion, but he constantly squashed them down or ignored them because he truly believed he wasn't supposed to be capable of feeling anything.
* GoshDangItToHeck: He's the first character to swear in the series, telling Sora "It's about time you give me one hell of a show!" in ''Chain of Memories''. In Re:Com, however, the line was changed to omit the curse due to it being fully-voiced.
* HeelFaceTurn: Does a partial one. Axel goes from being a vicious, spiteful arse to being a kinder, more thoughtful person over the course of ''Days''. Due to traumatic events, he relapses at the end of that game continuing into ''II'', but he comes back around in the end.
* HeelRealization: After getting to know Xion and coming to care for her regardless of her being a Replica, he looks back on how he treated the Riku Replica with shame, thinking that he could never treat Xion in the same way.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: A platonic variation and inversion of this trope. Axel is so hung up over Roxas that he spends most of ''KHII'' trying to resurrect him.
* HeroicSacrifice: In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he pulls one when he puts all of his being into an attack (not that Nobodies have a being) to save Sora and company.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Develops this relationship with Roxas until the end of ''Days'', wherein his lies and Roxas being frustrated with not knowing what was happening nearly destroyed their friendship.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He usually kills most of his enemies mercilessly, but often also spares the lives of even high priority targets, when he feels like it though usually it is out of curiosity to see how their stories turn out hence forth or even a whim, rather than truly mercy. However, he was [[AssassinOutClassin truly moved]] by Roxas, his last target, to the point he betrayed his Organization and [[HeelFaceTurn turned against it]] and even sacrificed his life to destroy it. Granted, it helps that the two of them [[WeUsedToBeFriends were best friends]] in the Organization before its shadier aspects drove them apart.
* HotBlooded: Despite not having a heart, he has a [[IncrediblyLamePun fiery]] personality.
* IHaveYourWife: Kidnaps Kairi in ''II'' to lure Sora out so he can turn Sora into a Heartless and get Roxas back in the process. Kairi gets away from him, and shortly afterward Axel abandons this plan.
* {{Irony}}: Axel spends most of the second half of ''Days'' feeling conflicted and unsure of what to do, struggling with the idea that Roxas or Xion must die in order for the other to live. But by the time Axel finally decides that choosing between them is unacceptable, he loses them ''both'' soon after.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: He spends more or less all of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' being hunted down by Saïx, and both of them try to get Sora to sabotage the other one specifically. With later games revealing their past friendship and how they were originally planning on overthrowing Xemnas together, it turns out to be even more personal than it first appeared.
* IWillFindYou: He has orders to bring both Xion and Roxas back to the Organization at various points throughout ''Days'' and ''II'', but it becomes increasingly more personal after Roxas defects, as seen by how emotional he gets when trying to retrieve Xion following that. By II, he's willing to do ''anything'' to get Roxas back.
* KarmaHoudini: Survives the events of ''Chain of Memories'' with no repercussions.
** KarmaHoudiniWarranty: It all catches up to him in ''II'', although it is [[AlasPoorVillain really sad when it happens.]]
* KickTheDog: Most of his malicious actions in ''Chain of Memories'' fall under KickTheSonOfABitch... except when he threatened to kill Naminé when Marluxia uses her as a shield, or when he pushed the [[CloningBlues Riku Replica]] [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope off the slippery slope]] for a few shits and giggles. Though in the Secret Reports in ''358/2 Days'' he admits that he did feel remorse for using the Riku Replica as it made him as bad as Saïx and Xemnas who were using Xion in a similar vain.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Towards Roxas, and later Xion. He raises the amnesiac Keyblade-wielding Nobodies, giving them advice, teaching them about the world, and sticking up for them... but he's also a really PoisonousFriend.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Axel is somewhat unique in the Organization, and to a lesser extent the entire series, in actually using his VillainTeleportation to duck out of losing battles.
* LackOfEmpathy: At the beginning of ''[=CoM=]'', Axel has a mysterious, stoic, and calm, as well as cold, unforgiving, and merciless demeanor on par with that of Marluxia. In ''[=Re:CoM=]'', he interrupts Vexen's cries for mercy with a cocky "goodbye" before incinerating him without any hesitation and seems to be amused by the deaths of his comrades as shown in the scene where he is making bets with Zexion. When Marluxia uses Naminé as a human shield against him, Axel confidently declares he would eliminate Naminé to get to Marluxia.
* LeanAndMean: The tight-fitting design of his BlackCloak emphasizes his tall, wiry frame more than any other Organization member and he was very much a malevolent antagonist in his debut in "Chain of Memories". Increasingly subverted, as his friendship with Roxas and Xion gradually sees him shed much of the meanness and he ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn in his last moments.
* LetsGetDangerous: "You really ''do'' remember me this time? I'M SO ''FLATTERED''."
* LimitBreak: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Explosion.]] He'll engulf his right chakram in flames and toss it at enemies to generate a large explosion. For his Final Limit he lights both chakrams on fire and tosses them both to create a highly damaging trio of huge pillar-shaped explosions.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Roxas and Xion become this for Axel, with his relationship to them eventually influencing his actions through the story of ''Days''. Axel befriending them causes him to rapidly abandon any plans he had with his longtime friend Saïx, since the latter's disdain for the teenagers drives a wedge between himself and Axel. Axel's behavior also becomes highly unpredictable as his priorities shift towards "protecting Roxas and Xion at all costs", even if it means obstructing or lying to Roxas and Xion themselves, or getting into trouble with his higher ups in the Organization. Axel is clearly pained by Roxas running away from the Organization, and he completely loses his composure when he realizes Xion has decided to 'return to Sora' and [[CessationOfExistence disappear]]. By the time ''II'' comes around, Axel has lost his memories of Xion due the nature of [[TransferableMemory what she was]], but he's become an unhinged mess whose only motivation is to see Roxas again.
** In ''3D'', this takes on a ''literal'' interpretation, since it's revealed that Nobody's can actually start to grow their own hearts overtime. Given that Axel writes in his Secret Reports that hanging out with Roxas and Xion make him remember "being human" or "what it was like to have friendship", one can deduce that they were the source of the first emotions he's had since becoming a Nobody. Since Nobody inherently desires to have hearts, it makes sense that Axel latched onto them like a drowning man.
* LovableTraitor: He and Saïx were planning on betraying Xemnas, which meant he also needed to get in good with Marluxia and Larxene and then betray them so that they wouldn't betray Xemnas first. Then he betrays Zexion. And he's just so ''cool'' in doing all this.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Downplayed example towards Roxas and Xion. It's zigzagged slightly in that his forming a relationship with Roxas and Xion actually made him become a kinder, more considerate person. However, his attachment to them also led him to become a PoisonousFriend who lies to them and makes them doubt their experiences, hoping it will keep them safe.
* LyingToProtectYourFeelings: Axel does this with increasing frequency over the course of 358/2 Days to both Roxas and Xion, especially once he discovers the truth about Xion's existence. The results are disastrous.
* MediumAwareness: Axel has an uncanny habit of BreakingTheFourthWall:
** In III, he tells Xemnas that he's got tons of loads of people rooting for him, referencing his status among fans as an [[invoked]]EnsembleDarkhorse.
** Later on, after he meets up with Sora, he states the reason why he took so long is because he had a "couple of plot points that needed ironing out".
* NervesOfSteel: He can be surprisingly cool and collected when presented with a dangerous situation. Notably when Xaldin threatens to punish him if he doesn't obey orders and chucks a lance at Axel, narrowly missing his head but [[CloseCallHaircut shearing a few strands of hair,]] Axel doesn't even flinch and merely stares with a bored expression and his arms crossed. Presumably, lacking a heart makes it easier for one to maintain their composure in all situations.
* OutOfFocus: A major character in ''Chain of Memories'' and ''358/2 Days''; [[DemotedToExtra surprisingly inconsequential]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* ParentalSubstitute: Acts as a mix of this and BigBrotherMentor to Roxas and Xion, although being a Nobody, it's [[PoisonousFriend flawed.]] Realizing he is the closest thing Roxas had to a brother casts his desperation to protect him in ''II'' in [[PapaWolf a previously unconsidered light.]]
* PersonalityPowers: He's rather hot-headed, as fire users usually are.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
* PinocchioNose: Whenever Axel lies or is unsure of what he's saying, he'll break eye contact.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he dies in II he tells Sora that he really loved Roxas and that spending time with him made him feel like he had a heart
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: He tries to stop Roxas from leaving the Organization, invoking this, but ultimately fails. He does this again later with Xion in a more aggressive, unstable state of mind, and ends up taking her back by force, but Xion is taken from him later anyway.
* PoisonousFriend: His obsession with "helping" or "protecting" Roxas and Xion rarely corresponds with what both of them actually want. He genuinely cares about them, but he also clings to the idea of keeping their relationship in a status quo so the three of them can remain that way forever, and in doing so he ends up lying and withholding information from them to their detriment. Ultimately his actions end up pushing Roxas away from him and causing the events that lead to Xion pulling a SuicideByCop.
* PreFinalBoss: In ''Chain of Memories'' he's the last boss Sora faces before Marluxia.
* RebelRelaxation: Leans against walls with his arms folded from time to time, notably when he talks to Roxas one last time after he deserts the Organization to try and find the truth of his existence on his own.
* RedBaron: The Flurry of Dancing Flames.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: His death scene in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Saïx's and Roxas's blue.
* RingsOfDeath: a pair of Chakrams, called Eternal Flames.
* SadClown: He definitely qualifies in ''II''. He seems the most laidback among the other Organization members and even makes jokes during meetings that can have other members tossing weapons at him. Nevermind the fact that, like the other Nobodies, he can't have feelings, what truly causes Axel's sadness is his best and only friend, Roxas's departure from the Organization and forgetting who Axel is. Deep down, Axel hates the other members and would join Roxas if it were up to him. Despite not having any feelings, Axel legitimately cries before both him and Roxas disappear from Twilight Town after Sora defeats Roxas in the Final Mix version.
** He was less of this in his debut in ''COM'' and gets softer in ''Days''.
* SecretKeeper: Axel keeps a multitude of secrets from his friends. He knows Roxas's true nature and later discovers Xion's, but keeps them to himself even if they are things they ought to know. In part, it's [[LyingToProtectYourFeelings to protect their feelings from being hurt]] but it's also because he desires to keep their friendship intact. This just ends up hurting all three of them ''badly''.
* SecretlySelfish: Axel goes out of his way to explain and do a lot of things for Roxas and Xion, despite him playing up an attitude that he doesn't like doing 'troublesome things'. However, he also starts going out of his way to keep them in the dark about their true natures, even though they both want to know. He ''does'' want to protect them, but he does so in a way that undermines their trust. In the novels, he is shown coming to the realization that more than anything else, what he was doing was because of his personal desire for them to stay with him.
* ShonenHair: The dude's hair is ''insane''. Maybe even moreso than Sora himself.
* SingleTear: Axel sheds a tear when he and Roxas say goodbye after Axel sacrifices himself and Sora fights Roxas.
* TheSociopath: Although Axel seems to hold Larxene and Zexion in good company to an extent by making friendly conversation with Larxene while Marluxia is not around and making bets with Zexion as to which member will be defeated next, this was shown to be nothing more than an act to earn their trust. Eventually, Axel betrays Larxene by letting Naminé escape, although he seems disappointed yet satisfied upon her elimination. Later on, he encourages Riku Replica to annihilate Zexion to ensure that his actions in Castle Oblivion go unnoticed by the rest of the Organization and to help Saïx keep his rank in the Organization.
* SoleSurvivor: Of all the Organization members sent to Castle Oblivion (consisting of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, Larxene, Lexeaus and Axel himself) in ''Chain of Memories'', Axel was the only one to come back alive, having orchestrated the others' deaths.
* TakingYouWithMe: He dies in order to wipe out an entire army of Dusks.
* TogetherInDeath: In the novels, he intended to burn down the mansion he and Roxas fought in so that the two of them would die together rather than be separated again, but he ultimately couldn't go through with it. [[AdaptationalHeroism This does not appear to be the case in the game.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Axel often acts cool and unflappable, but every time Roxas or Xion compliment him or call him out about caring about them he gets really flustered.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He was usually underestimated by both comrades and enemies. That was a very fatal mistake.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: For his friends, anyway. Axel drags Xion back to the organization to prevent her from basically committing suicide, but that just leaves her open to being taken and modified by Xemnas into going OneWingedAngel, and Roxas is forced to kill her. It was going to be a bad situation regardless, but it was made so much more heartbreaking.
** It could be said that Axel inadvertently set in motion how things played out regarding Roxas and Xion as far back as when he killed Vexen. Vexen created the replica program, and Axel killing him at Castle Oblivion was ''not'' part of the plan. Vexen's premature death meant that there wasn't anyone who could perform 'maintenence' when Xion began to leech more power and memories from Roxas than was intended. It was precisely because Xion and Axel realized that something was wrong with her that caused them to seek out answers, which in turn began the derailing of the trio's relatively peaceful existence in the Organization.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Grows out of the villainous part.
* VisualPun: His weapons are circular, wheel-like blades. He's literally an ''Axel'' between wheels.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Axel starts to have flashes of emotion around Roxas and Xion, and he repeatedly notes that being around them makes him remember his life as a human. It's something that greatly confuses and weirds him out because Nobodies aren't supposed to have emotions. Then ''3D'' reveals that Nobodies ''can'' grow their own hearts.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows to care deeply for Roxas and Xion without realizing what that feeling is, and reveals to Sora that he made him feel the same way they did.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His friendship with Saïx drifted apart as he became closer to Roxas and Xion. Not until Axel failed to secure Roxas from Diz did Saïx consider him his enemy and vice versa.
* WildCard: In the end, the only side Axel was on before his return as Lea was his own.
-->'''Lexaeus:''' And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking.
* WouldHitAGirl: He reveals he's perfectly willing to attack and [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Naminé in Castle Oblivion if that means getting at Marluxia, and twice knocks Xion out to bring her back to Organization XIII. At least he's consistent!
* WouldHurtAChild: Like everyone else in Organization XIII, Axel has zero qualms about fighting Sora when the latter is 14-15 years old, and in ''II'' is actively plotting to turn him into a Heartless to bring Roxas back (which would condemn Sora to a DeathOfPersonality at worse or AndIMustScream in a "best" case scenario) even if he doesn't get to try it onscreen because Kairi gets away from him. To add to that, Axel has fought, knocked out, and/or tried to [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Roxas, [[WouldHitAGirl Xion, and Naminé]] at different times for different reasons, and while all three look like teenagers around Sora's age, in truth they each had [[YoungerThanTheyLook existed for under a year]] at the time Axel attacked them.
* {{Yandere}}: Of the friendship variety to Roxas in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. In the novels, it goes to the point where [[TogetherInDeath he wants to die along with him inside of a burning mansion]].
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: When it's apparent that Xion is on the verge of finding out the nature of her existence, Axel becomes extremely obstructive to her, telling her to stop trying to remember her past and begging her to turn back.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lea]]
!!Lea
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lea_khiii_8.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin' for me!"'']]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Young Lea]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cutin_32306.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Lea in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3lea.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Axel? Please. The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"''
Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi. He eventually decides to reclaim the name Axel, deciding it will help Roxas whenever they manage to revive him. Axel joins the Second Keyblade War in earnest, getting some closure with Isa and reuniting with Roxas and Xion in the process.
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* AccidentalMisnaming: It's easier to count the times someone ''doesn't'' call him Axel. Eventually, he gives in and just lets people call him that. In fairness, the only people that ever met him as Lea were Isa and Ventus, as well as Dilan and Aeleus when they threw Isa and Lea out of the castle. In ''III'' he actually requests that Kairi call him Axel, the two having become close friends during training.
* AllThereInTheManual: His Keyblade, the Bond of the Blaze, is only named in ''Melody of Memory''.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but he is a particularly bad case.
* ApologizesALot: Apparently this is his behavior towards Kairi during their time training together, as her letter to Sora tells that Lea has repeatedly apologized to her for kidnapping her back when he was Axel, and he continues to do so even though she's told him that she's not bearing a grudge.
* AscendedExtra: Got a small role in ''Birth By Sleep'' before becoming a key player in ''3D''.
* AudienceSurrogate: In ''III''. He's just as confused and questioning of the series' plot points as the rest of us.
* BackFromTheDead: He reappears in ''Dream Drop Distance'' after being turned into a Heartless and Nobody. He returns with all of his memories intact from being both Axel ''and'' Lea, and his personality is a mix of Axel's sarcastic laziness and Lea's enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
* BigDamnHeroes: Several times in ''Dream Drop Distance''. He even lampshades it.
-->'''Lea''': "'Dark Rescue's my middle name."
* BlackCloak: Lea is the only human form of a Nobody that still wears the Organization XIII coat.
* CasualDangerDialog: Tries to have some in ''Re:Mind'' but Aqua isn't having it.
-->'''Lea''': Not bad for a on-the-fly team, right?!
-->'''Aqua''': Don't talk, fight!
-->'''Lea''': Heh, don't have to say it like that...
* CatchPhrase: "Got it memorized?", much like his Nobody. As he says in ''Birth by Sleep'', he frequently says this because he wants anyone he meets to remember him.
* CombinationAttack: During the fight with the Replica Xehanorts he gets one with Aqua, combining the spinning snowflake of her Spellweaver with the flaming chakram with Prominence.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Lea retains his darkness abilities from when he was a Nobody, with his ability to create Dark Corridors being particularly useful to the heroes.
* {{Determinator}}: We already knew he must be a strong-willed person to have retained his human shape when he became a Nobody, but he really shows it in ''III''. Even after having his Keyblade shattered by Xemnas and then bombarded by him from lasers coming from all directions, he still tries to stop him from killing Xion, even though he can't even stand at the moment. Taken to new levels in ''Re:Mind'' where after all that, he still fights Saïx and Xemnas alongside Roxas and Xion, '''and wins!''' [[MomentOfWeakness However, this leaves him without energy to finish off Saïx and has to let Sora, Roxas and Xion do the job]].
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Gives an ''epic'' one to [[TheChessmaster Master]] [[BigBad Xehanort]] during his BigDamnHeroes moment.
-->'''Lea''': "You had [[YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive your perfect, little script]], but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let's find out what happens!"
** Does it again to Xemnas in ''III''. However, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu this time ends a bit more badly for him]].
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: Soon afterward, Master Xehanort sends Saïx to attack Lea. Lea is shocked by the revelation but pulls Sora away quickly enough afterward.
* DullSurprise: PlayedForLaughs when he calls his Keyblade for the first time, in contrast to the usual excellent performance of his voice actors.
--> '''Lea:''' Must be in the snap of the wrist or something. ''(Keyblade appears)'' Oh...
* EasilyForgiven: Ienzo surprisingly doesn't seem to begrudge Lea for causing his incredibly painful demise when they were Axel and Zexion. Given that his murder directly resulted in Ienzo being revived as a complete being once more, which is something he is very clearly happy with, perhaps he just decided to bury the hatchet.
** In ''0.2'' Kairi is a partial subversion as she's somewhat hesitant to accept he's to be her Keyblade training partner when she's told that he's formerly Axel. Makes sense, considering her two sole encounters with him were less-than-pleasant and endangered her till near the end of ''II''. She has to be assured by Mickey and Riku that he's completely changed his tune since becoming whole again and is now on their side.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Once he gets a Keyblade, he wields it in a style reminiscent of his old chakrams, involving flourishes that spin it completely and tossing it in Fire Raid style.
* FieryRedhead: As all fire users usually are.
* FlamingSword: On top of his Keyblade having a natural fiery glow, all of Lea's special attacks and ''regular combos'' deal fire damage.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CatchPhrase has gone up with each passing game. In his Nobody's first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* FragileSpeedster: Lea's [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Raid-based]] fighting style gives him multi-hitting attacks on each swing of his combo. He doesn't get much opportunity to display it though, as he is quickly knocked out of the action ''twice'' in the Keyblade Graveyard -- first [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying]] in a [[SingleStrokeBattle single hit]] from Terra-Xehanort (even while [[ShieldsAreUseless attempting to block it!]]), then easily [[BarehandedBladeBlock caught]] and completely drained by Xemnas' MacrossMissileMassacre before the final fight with Saïx. Even while fighting alongside Sora, his habit of chasing down Saïx during the latter's [[InstantDeathRadius Berserk Dance]] and rather unique lack of [[HealingMagicIsTheHardest healing magic]] regularly flattens him out. When battling the Replica Xehanorts in ''Re:Mind'', he's one of the characters who uses [[HighSpeedMissileDodge Aerial Dodge]] instead of Block.
* GenderBlenderName: His name, Lea, is supposed to be pronounced "Leah" according to the katakana, but the English version pronounces it "Lee", presumably in an attempt to make it sound masculine. Downplayed in that Lea is a real English word that is pronounced like "Lee" and many Japanese pronunciation of English words do add an "ah" to the end of it.
* HotBlooded: Very much so.
* HowDoIShootWeb: Even though he can wield a Keyblade, he hasn't exactly gotten the hang of calling it out. As a result, he resorts to his good old fashioned chakrams when goes in to save Sora. It's only ''after'' the whole ordeal that he manages to summon it.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Kairi is Lea's partner in crime for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', and she is roughly half his height.
* HypocriticalHumor: Insults Ventus for playing with a wooden Keyblade, yet proudly shows his frisbees as his weapon of choice.
* IGotBigger: It's rather jarring to realize he used to be roughly the [[TeensAreShort same height as Ventus]] and now he's nearly twice his size.
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: He ends up shedding tears when Kairi accidentally triggers a vague memory of Xion, although it's clear that he doesn't know exactly why.
* ImmortalityThroughMemory: ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that this belief is the origin behind his CatchPhrase. Lea wants everyone he meets to remember who he is, as through those people's memories he'll be able to live forever.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon:
** Lea carries and swings his keyblade around from the chakram that makes up its handguard.
** In his youth, he uses a pair of frisbees to fight Ventus.
* InsistentTerminology: Him telling people to call him Lea, not Axel, is a RunningGag in ''3D''. In the end, he admits defeat and says that Axel works too. After he and Kairi become friends, he ''asks'' her to call him Axel[[note]]This immediately after she triggers a memory of Xion, and he discusses his intent to bring Roxas back[[/note]].
* {{Irony}}: When he was Axel, he was [[CatchPhrase constantly]] telling people to memorize his name. Now he's Lea, and they keep calling him Axel despite his [[InsistentTerminology protests]]. In other words, they had it memorized. Which may be why he doesn't even bother correcting anyone during ''III''.
* LimitedWardrobe: A variant that’s deliberately invoked. He ''is'' given a new outfit to wear fairly early in ''III'', but he doesn’t actually wear it until the very end. So, when Kairi asks why he’s still wearing the Organization coat, he just says that he’s making himself easy to remember. The implication being that he’s making it easy for Roxas to remember him, which may be why he doesn’t bother correcting people when they call him Axel. Roxas never learned what his real name was.
* TheLoad: In ''III'' he spends most of his time being kicked around by Master Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness and only spends half of a battle as a party member before being too wounded to continue. This is especially ironic since his Keyblade training took place in a place without time so that he could grow strong at his own pace, but this didn't seem to do him any good in the end. This is {{averted|Trope}} in ''Re:Mind'', where not only does he help Roxas and Xion defeat [[TheBerserker Saïx]] and [[TheDragon Xemnas]], but he also fights alongside the other Guardians (minus Sora and Kairi) against the Xehanort replicas, even having a CombinationAttack with Aqua.
* MadeOfIron: While he wasn't able to shrug it off, the fact alone that he managed to ''survive'' Xemnas' BeamSpam in ''III'' is pretty damn impressive. Even more so after the cutscene in question was patched and modified so that Xemnas' shoots ''even more lasers'' at him than before.
* ManlyTears: He tearfully reunites with and embraces both Roxas and Xion after Saïx is dealt with in ''III''. According to Isa, Lea used to be (and still is) a crybaby. The reverse tears on his face, as Axel, were apparently a joke made by Isa when they were younger to stop him from crying. By their last battle, this is discussed when Isa thought that Lea outgrew those marks, but he still cries a lot, especially when Isa himself disappears as Saïx and in his reunion hug with Roxas and Xion. They are probably a metaphor to say that he doesn't mind crying anymore, now that he has his heart back.
* MetaGuy: Develops into this by ''III'', even going as far as to [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] his own popularity.
--> '''Lea:''' You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? [[BreakoutCharacter I got loads of people rootin' for me]].
** Another scene before the final battle has him lampshade [[Main/KudzuPlot the absurdly hard-to-follow Kudzu Plot the series is infamous for.]]
--> '''Lea:''' This is all very touching, guys, but where do I fit in? Ven looks just like Roxas - or is it Roxas looks just like Ven? ... And now I have to explain it all to him - which is in itself a crazy long story - and, apparently everybody already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!
* MorphWeapon: Unsurprisingly, he transforms his Keyblade into a pair of [[RingsOfDeath chakrams]] with his Firaga Raid attack.
* NiceGuy: Lea acts as cocky as his Nobody counterpart, but he cares deeply for his friends, including Isa, despite everything he put Roxas and Xion through as Saïx.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Is bequeathed the power of the Keyblade by either Yen Sid or Mickey, travels to the Secret Forest with Merlin and the Three Fairies to learn how to call it from his heart, and by the time we get to see it, he’s clearly almost gotten the hang of it already. This makes him the only person in the room(including [[TheStoic Yen Sid]]) not to react with a big “WHOOOOAAAA!” when he finally summons it onscreen.
* PersonalityPowers: Fiery and useful in a pinch.
* ThePromise: Axel once told Xion that he'd always be there to bring her and Roxas back. Lea's first moment after he comes back is a dream where Roxas reminds him of that promise, and Lea later refers to it, indicating that he wants to fulfill it.
* RebelRelaxation: Just like Axel, he leans against a wall with his arms folded in Yen Sid's Tower while Yen sid judges the results of Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery Exam. He even first summons his keyblade for the first time while in this pose.
* ReverseGrip: A variation; he wields his Keyblade by its ''handguard'', in a manner akin to his old chakrams, and flourishes it to attack.
* SadClown: In ''III'', Lea makes quite a few jokes among the rest of the seven guardians of light that seem to poke fun of the franchise as a whole and his funny persona comes back with a fiery vengeance. However, the same goes for his sadness when he finds himself remembering Xion during his time with Kairi. Finally, when he successfully reunites with Roxas and a tearful Xion, he jokes that he should've brought the ice cream, right before he himself emotionally breaks down and hugs both of his best friends as the trio have the cry of their lives.
* ShaggyDogStory: Along with Isa, he lost his humanity and spent 10 years of his life working for the nefarious Xemnas as a result of a plan to save a girl who they no longer even had in their custody. While he was eventually able to be recompleted and make several new friends and allies, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Despite his CatchPhrase, he nearly forgot about Ventus until he met [[IdenticalStranger Roxas]]. They'd only met one time, and that was 10 years ago.
** His skill with the Keyblade really can't compare to the likes of Sora or Riku, having gotten in recently and trained in a presumably controlled environment. He ends up letting those with more experience like Roxas and Xion take over for him.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: With his Keyblade he fights almost exclusively by throwing it Fire Raid style in his basic combo and both of his Firaga Cutter and Firaga Slicer abilities.
* TookALevelInBadass: Young Lea didn't seem to be much more than an average teenager and the one time he tried to challenge a wooden keyblade-wielding Ventus to a fight, he got his ass handed to him. After spending roughly a decade as the [[HumanoidAbomination Nobody Axel,]] he's recompleted as an older Lea with all of his [[RingsOfDeath skills]] and [[PlayingWithFire abilities]] retained. Then he learns how to summon his own keyblade.
* TookALevelInKindness: As Axel, he was a sinister, cruel {{Jerkass}} and a serious PoisonousFriend to Roxas. As Lea, he's a funny and kind individual with none of the malice left over from his days as a Nobody.
* TrueCompanions: In ''Days'', Axel was the one who first declared that he, Roxas, and Xion, are best friends, and he told Xion that no matter her and Roxas's decisions, he will always be there to bring them back. With Lea recompleted, he carries this will on.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Not him, but his Keyblade. After it is broken by Xemnas he is shown to have it back before Sora's final confrontation with Xehanort, whereas when the same thing happened to Riku earlier in the game he had to leave the Realm of Darkness and return with an entirely new Keyblade.
** Made even more egregious in Re:Mind, where he proceeds to use it to fight Xemnas and Saix alongside Roxas and Xion immediately after Xemnas broke it.
* VagueAge: Was a teenager in ''Birth by Sleep,'' so he's likely in his twenties for most of the series. But specifically '' where'' in his twenties is just guesswork until we get [[invoked]]WordOfGod confirming it. Common guesses are that he was about 15/16 in ''Birth by Sleep'' making him about 27/28 in ''III''.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Averted on the villain bit, but still has his widow's peak.
* WeaponOfChoice: The Bond of the Blaze, a Keyblade with a guard shaped like one of Axel's old chakrams, and a blade made of translucent orange crystal complete with an inner fiery glow effect. It looks a lot like the combination of the guard of Sora's Bond Of Flame keyblade in ''II'' and the blade of Ventus' Frolic Flame keyblade in ''Birth By sleep''. Fitting since they're based on Axel and Lea respectively.
* WistfulAmnesia: Kairi's letter reveals that when Lea looks at her face (which is also Xion's), he knows there is something he's forgotten and needs to remember.
* TheWorfBarrage: During the brief boss fight against Saïx and Xion, when Saïx fills up his second Berserk meter and powers up a second time, Lea will always rush in and wildly toss his old chakrams at him while yelling at him to stop. Saïx will have invincibility frames the whole time and will the proceed to incapacitate all the heroes in the ensuing cutscene.
* YearInsideHourOutside: Merlin, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all pitch in to warp time and space to reduce the amount of time it takes to make Lea worthy of a Keyblade.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Implied. He spends a decent amount of [[YearInsideHourOutside slowed down]] time trying to call a Keyblade before giving up due to other pressing matters. After things settle, he lazily gives it another shot and succeeds, surprising even himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xion]]
!!Xion
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xion_khiii_3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:''"Who am I? What am I... here for?"'']]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see Xion in her Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3xion_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Risa Uchida (Japanese), Creator/AlysonStoner (''358/2 Days'', ''HD 1.5 [=ReMIX=]'', and ''III'', English), Creator/HaydenPanettiere (''Birth by Sleep'' and ''3D'', English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you. Oh...and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."''
Number XIV of the original Organization and Number XIII of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, introduced in ''358/2 Days''. A Keyblade wielder unable to remember her past like Roxas, she joins up shortly after him and they quickly become friends. It's later revealed that she's not a true member of Organization XIII or even a Nobody; she's a replica of Sora created from his escaped memories, and acts like a cage for the memories and a "backup" if Roxas or Sora were proved to be worthless to the Organization. Ultimately, Xion learns her existence threatens Roxas's and prevents Sora from waking up, and she decides to trick Roxas into killing her as a way of ruining Xemnas's plans.
Though erased from memory, she still lived on in a way in the hearts of Roxas, Axel, and Sora. When searching for a thirteenth member to fill their ranks, the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness found Vexen’s records on No. I, and brought her heart from her earliest days of life to the present to inhabit a Replica body, recreating Xion. During the Second Keyblade War, confronting Sora causes Xion to regain her memories and her friends to regain theirs of her, bringing Xion back to the side of good once again and reuniting her with Roxas and Axel.
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* ActionGirl: Whenever she's feeling strong enough... which often comes at Roxas' expense.
* AffirmativeActionGirl: Xion debuts in ''Days'' as the Organization XIII's second female member.
* AntiVillain: To the point where she barely qualifies as a villain. When you get down to it, the biggest danger she poses against the protagonists' goals -- and even her ''own'' -- come from her nature as a replica absorbing more power than she wants and her desire to just exist.
* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel (and, presumably, most of the rest of the Organization), Riku, Naminé and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi. Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
** By the time of ''III,'' when Sora (and by extension Roxas) identify her by name, restoring her memories, she takes the form of the black-haired girl when her hood falls off.
* ArtificialHuman: She's a Replica created by Vexen that was designed to absorb Sora's memories and give Xemnas another Keyblade user to control.
* AttackAttackAttack: Her data battle in ''III'' has her relentlessly charge after Sora with rapid close-up attacks, complemented with blue light beams which temporarily decrease Sora's max HP if they damage him.
* AxCrazy: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. When in her transformed final form, she appears to be this, but she's actually feigning it so that Roxas will destroy her and she can return to Sora.
* BadassAdorable: A Kairi look-alike that can fight? Yes please!
* BallOfLightTransformation: In her data bossfight in ''Re:Mind'' she will zip around the battlefield in the form of a mote of light before changing back to attack.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'', Xion is restored to become a member of the XIII Seekers of Darkness because the replica body had her heart from the past, though her heart from the present eventually went into the vessel after Roxas through Sora said her name.
* BattleAura: She gets a golden aura of light for her Data Battle in ''Re:Mind'', in this state she has a bar of armor that must be destroyed before she returns to her normal battle phase and will bombard Sora with giant shockwaves of light.
* TheBerserker: Her emotional instability and lack of finesse leads her to fighting like this. Taken UpToEleven in her ''Re:Mind'' data rematch, where she is constantly screaming and furiously trying to bash Sora relentlessly with her Keyblade.
* BerserkButton: Riku calling her Keyblade a sham provokes her to a furious rage. When she's unable to strike him down for the insult, she's reduced to screaming in impotent anger.
* BetaTestBaddie: Not only does she have the Nobodies' standard lack of a heart, she's a replica of Sora made of his memories, and thanks to having those memories, initially believed she lived Sora's life without knowing who Sora was. As the final boss, she makes it look like she plays this straight, even going as far as absorbing Roxas to complete herself, as she was created to do, but she's a subversion in reality -- she was acting.
* TheBlank: Her true, original appearance had no features (implied to be how all replicas start out). Eventually she develops the appearance of Kairi but with black hair, but some people, most notably Saïx, literally never come to see her as anything but a doll.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The brunette to Naminé's blonde and Kairi's redhead. Also to Roxas's blond and Axel's redhead.
* BoyishShortHair: It's a warped version of Kairi's first hairstyle: black instead of red, and mirrored.
* BreakTheCutie: She spends ''Days'' growing from a blank shell that speaks in monosyllables to a kind, inquisitive, downright heroic kid in parallel with Roxas. Then come the revelations about what she is and what dangers she poses to her best friends and the worlds as a whole, and her personality takes a turn towards the darker until she feels like she has no choice but to go rogue from the Organization, and worse.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Able to fight and take out Heartless using [[ElementalPowers elemental magic]] even after temporarily losing the ability to wield her keyblade. Unfortunately for her, the hearts that Heartless release upon defeat cannot be collected unless a keyblade was used to beat them.
* CameBackStrong: When Roxas says her name, she ultimately reclaims her original identity and performs a HeelFaceTurn along with rejoining the Guardians of Light for good after the end of the battle with Saïx. She also seems to regain her old strength, as before this happens she was much weaker and mainly relied on copying Saïx's power, while still having difficulty against rookie Keyblade wielders Kairi and Lea.
* CameBackWrong: In ''III'', with the Seekers having brought her back to fill out their ranks but the replica body has Xion's heart from when she first joined the Organization, which explains why she doesn't fully remember who she was, along with being weaker than she used to be and mainly relying on copying Saïx's power to get by in battle. It takes Roxas through Sora calling her by her name to get her to snap out of it, and it visibly hurts her to do so.
* CessationOfExistence: Since she's made of memories and is basically bound to existence by them alone, returning to Sora means getting rid of her only tethers to reality. Remnants of her do exist in Sora's heart, though, and the memories of her aren't destroyed, but hidden in him. Ultimately undone in ''III'' when Roxas says her name, causing Lea to also remember her along with Roxas when he returns.
%%* TheChick
* ClimaxBoss: Big fight with multiple forms and phases? Wraps up a major story arc? Has a PostFinalBoss following her? Check, check, check.
* CloningBlues: Not just that she lacks individuality: lots of angst comes from her being not who or what she thought she was and being dangerous to her friends just by existing.
* CombatStilettos: Along with Larxene she's the only other one that has them.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Compared to Kairi. It's minimal, but noticeable, especially in Risa Uchida's case.
* CryCute: After the boss fight against Saix in '''III''', she starts breaking down in tears upon realizing that she's finally reunited with Roxas and Axel. Cue her best friends doing the same in a matter of seconds.
* CurbStompBattle: Her fight against Riku is a painfully one sided affair, with it being implied Saïx sent her against him for that exact reason.
* TheCutie: Xion is a shy, soft spoken, and adorable sweetheart.
* CutenessProximity: In the manga, she absolutely melts at the sight of Pluto.
-->'''Xion:''' PUPPY! ''[Immediately begins to hug and start petting him]''
* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: She knows that if she continues to exist Roxas will fade, so she chooses to force him into killing her instead.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: She dies being held by Roxas.
* DisappearsIntoLight: When she dies she turns into crystals which then fade into particles of light.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Roxas, since she is the only other Organization XIII member who can wield the Keyblade. By the end of the game, we learn that she is [[OppositeSexClone literally]] Roxas's female counterpart.
* DittoFighter: Apparently, her nature as a replica who takes on traits of people near her extends to more than just Roxas or Sora. In ''III'' she imitates Saïx's weapon and moves, during the fight against them in the Keyblade Graveyard.
* DoomedByCanon: Xion is never seen or mentioned in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' despite her important role in Roxas's life with Organization XIII. Roxas has no flashbacks involving Xion, so that hints at Xion being Ret Gone. Explained in-game that as Xion's essence was reabsorbed into Roxas, there was nothing left to remember Xion with. Unlike Roxas and Naminé, she utterly ceases to exist.
* DualWielding: In her final boss form she wields two swords roughly shaped like the Nobody sigil.
* DyingAsYourself: Her appearance before Roxas's battle with her is as Sora, as she is aware, and then she transforms into what looks like armor reminiscent of Sora's appearance during the battle proper. When she dies, the armor is gone, her she's back to looking like black-haired Kairi.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After living out her first life essentially being TheChewToy and starting her second life as a tool, Xion ''finally'' gets her hard-earned happy ending in ''III'' when she reunites with Roxas and Lea. She is last seen playing with Naminé, clearly living the life of a normal girl.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When Naminé basically announces her death sentence before the climax of ''Days'', Xion seems to hold no fear of it, since it is for the greater good.
* FanservicePack: It's hardly the biggest example in the world, but her bust is slightly larger in ''III'' than in previous games, enough to be noticeable at least.
* FightingYourFriend: Seems to be a recurring thing for her in particular among the trio: in total she's forced to fight Roxas and Axel twice each:
** She and Roxas are first tricked by the Organization to see each other as Heartless to eliminate in order to test them and narrow down their shared power to one entity. The second time, Xion challenges Roxas in an attempt at SuicideByCop so that she can properly return the memories she's made of to Sora and stop putting Roxas in danger.
** She and Axel first fight when Axel is sent to retrieve Xion for the Organization after she's gone rogue looking for answers. The second time is during ''III'', where Axel, now back to his original self Lea, and Kairi fight her and Saïx during the Keyblade War, though neither of them seem to be able to recognize each other until Lea is put in mortal danger. In an egregious act of cruelty, Xemnas tries to order her to kill Lea ''precisely'' because he knows she and Axel were friends.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her BonusBoss incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's (both of them, being considerably more super powered than the others, only open after the other eleven data battles have been completed).
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Invoked quite sadly; after Roxas defeats her he can't even remember her name. After she fades away, he and everyone else loses every memory of her.
* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Roxas and by extension Sora. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl. This is by and large strictly limited to her debut appearance; Xion still roughly has the same physical appearance she's always had in ''III''.
* GhostMemory: During a chunk of ''Days'', she experiences a long period of coma and wakes up knowing Sora's experiences from the first game. TheReveal is that she had unwittingly absorbed Sora's memories that Naminé is trying to reconstruct, effectively halting Sora's memory restoration. The only way to resume it is for Xion to die, therefore transferring the memories back to Sora.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Twice-subverted. She initially resists such a proposition despite the pain she feels, until Xemnas interferes in an attempt to force her to absorb Roxas. Not that he actually succeeded - she's only [[ObfuscatingInsanity feigning insanity]] because she needed Roxas to destroy her artificial body so she could return to Sora, where she (quite lucidly) decided that she belonged.
* GoOutWithASmile: She's smiling at Roxas the whole time she's dying in his arms, and remains smiling as she DisappearsIntoLight, happy that she's able to return to Sora.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: The Organization's original plan is for Xion to become their Keyblade wielder backup in case something happens to Roxas. It works out fine. Then she absorbs much of Sora's memories, stopping his memory restoration. Even better; this way, they have one less adversary to deal with. But then Xion develops a distinct personality due to her interaction with her friends. Said personality eventually causes her to search for her origins, culminating in her meeting with Riku and Naminé, resulting in her choice to rejoin Sora rather than serving the Organization any further.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Xion's fighting style in her Data Rematch relying more on sending beams of light at Sora from all directions.
* HealingHands: She throws out Cures while fighting alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: In ''III'' she is able to reject the piece of Xehanort's heart that was put inside her out of love for Axel and Roxas and switches sides to fight alongside them.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: PlayedWith. [[TheCutie She's a good person]] who gets shuffled through [[GreyAndGrayMorality various plot threads]], some against her will. She begins as a member of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Organization XIII]], which makes her a heel. But when she and Roxas find out that they were ObliviouslyEvil, she defects to DIZ, who is an AntiHero. This makes her a face to the narrative, but she now must oppose Roxas. Then Axel forces her back to Organization XIII, where [[GreaterScopeVillain Xemnas, her heel boss]], powers her up to make her a killing machine. This makes her a heel again, but she instead chooses to commit SuicideByCop to return Roxas’s power, dying in service of DIZ’s goals and ending up RetGone. In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', she's back as a heel. But halfway through her battle with Sora, she defects once again, thus turning fully face as she's now aligned with both the heroes and her morals.
* HeelFaceTurn: Switches sides when she is manipulated into working for bad guys and then learns/remembers the truth. Would be a HighHeelFaceTurn if not for [[CardCarryingVillain Larxene]] also being one of the unrepentant bad guys each time.
** In ''Days'', she leaves the Organization and ultimately decides to sacrifice herself, to stop Xemnas and the Organization as well as to save Roxas and Sora.
** In ''III'', she is the only member of XIII Seekers of Darkness who defects partway through the final confrontation between them and the Guardians of Light, choosing instead to fight on the side of the Guardians after reuniting with her friends. She is also the only one of the Seekers to survive to the end... Aside from Xigbar, that is.
* HeroicBSOD: Not so much on the heroic part due to her allegiance, but she suffered this once she learned what her true nature is.
* HeroicSuicide: In order to stop herself from making Roxas disappear she fights Roxas [[SuicideByCop with the intent of being killed by him]] to save him. Earlier, she had come to the (reluctant) conclusion that she should "return to Sora" to give back the memories of his she'd accidentally been absorbing so he could wake up because it was the right thing for everyone, which would also require giving up her existence. Roxas killing her took care of both.
* HolyHandGrenade: In ''III'', she's able to cast Laser Rain, as a callback to her PillarOfLight attack from her final ''Days'' boss encounter.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Though they initially don't recognize her, her appearance in ''III'' subjects her to this once Sora comes into the picture, as Roxas within Sora is the first person to recognize Xion and reach out to her while she's fighting Sora, Lea and Kairi and under Xehanort's control. Though enough of her old self remains to defend Lea, she lashes out when Sora tries to sway her from the darkness, and it takes Roxas saying her name through him to snap her out of it.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: In a sense. She's always humanoid but because she's made up of memories, she looks different depending on who is looking at her. And even for those who typically see her a particular way most of the time, her appearance may involuntarily change if she is being overwhelmed by certain memories. She started out as a featureless doll, but gains the unique appearance of a black-haired Kairi. She once hallucinates herself as Roxas shifting into Riku shifting into Sora, and on two occasions completely takes on the appearance of Sora when she absorbs too many of his memories. Xigbar at one point sees her as Ventus.
* {{Irony}}: Saïx's infamous MyFriendsAndZoidberg line about her in ''Days'' takes on a bit of this come ''III''. Not only is Xion chosen as a Seeker over half of the original Organization and backups like Demyx and Vexen, but she even uses her nature as a replica, the very thing that made Saïx belittle her, to copy Saïx's own powers while fighting alongside him.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Referred to such by Saïx, who is among those who see her as TheBlank. Roxas and Axel do not take kindly to this.
* KillTheCutie: She dies in Roxas' arms in order to keep him from fading and return to Sora to give back the memories of his.
* KnightOfCerebus: Xion is a very rare ''non''-villainous example of this trope. Her presence in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', the attachment to her from Roxas and Axel as well as the player followed by the ''crushing despair'' upon her fate at the end of the game permanently sets the darker tone for the following games in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[GratuitousFrench Musique pour la tristesse de Xion]]".
* LethalChef: In the ''Days'' manga, she cooks food for Pluto that looks like it would melt your stomach.
* LightEmUp: As she was created to copy Roxas, she has the same abilities as him, including the use of light powers.
* LightIsGood: She sacrifices herself for what's right.
* LightIsNotGood: As an Organization member she started out this way.
* LimitBreak: Event Horizon, [[BladeSpam just like]] [[LightEmUp Roxas.]]
* LivingMemory: She is Roxas's clone made entirely of Sora's memories.
* LoopholeAbuse: This is how she’s ultimately brought back from the dead. While everyone’s memories of Xion faded, Vexen’s records of No. I’s creation still existed and could be used to recreate her.
* TheLostLenore: While Xion is doomed to be forgotten by the people who knew her, the memories don't completely disappear immediately after her death and Roxas mourns her ''terribly'', to the point of basically going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Organization and anyone who stands in his way while clinging onto the tendrils of memories that he still has of her. Despite her being 'forgotten', 3D has Sora shed a tear when he sees Xion's face in a dream. Early on in ''III'' it's shown that Lea will stare at Kairi because he feels like he's forgotten something important, signaling that the loss of Xion (who is facially identical to Kairi) is subconsciously felt by him, with the feelings at one point even bringing him to tears.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: She was created by Vexen and her standard appearance resembles a black-haired Kairi. Do the math.
* MagikarpPower: [[InvokedTrope Invoked.]] She's a fairly weak fighter at first and has to be supported a lot on missions. However, it turns out this is intentional, as Xion is designed to grow stronger through absorbing memories of Sora from Roxas, which in turn makes Roxas weaker. This is why in later missions she's more useful, but Roxas in turn is weaker.
* MaximumHPReduction: The main gimmick of her battle in ''Re:Mind'' is that her blue beams will reduce Sora's max HP which can only be restored with items or time.
* MeaningfulName: Nomura himself stated [[http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Xion#Trivia he liked the name instantly because of its many meanings.]] This means it has a ''shitload'' of meanings:
** She's named after a flower (''shion'') that symbolizes [[{{Irony}} remembrance]].
** The anagram of No. ''i'', an imaginary number, which gets {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Re:Mind''. No. ''i'' could also be seen as No. I (number one), demonstrating that she's Vexen's first (and faulty) experimental clone, or as "No I" (no one), referring to her lack of true identity and the Organization's view of her as merely a tool.
** "Xion" is pronounced as "Shion", which is a real name in Japanese and is in fact a unisex name, with Xion turning out to be an OppositeSexClone. ''Shio,'' Japanese for "tide," is a nod to the likes of [[ThemeNaming Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua]]. The aspect of the tide being pulled by the moon gains significance in ''III'', where not only does Xion fight alongside Saïx on the side of darkness while having copied his weapon and berserker abilities, Saïx is implied in the Secret Reports to have had a hand in helping bring Replica vessels to Nobodies on Sora's side, including Xion. ''Shi'' is also the normal Japanese pronunciation for "[[FourIsDeath Four]]", and she's the ''fourteenth'' member, essentially making her name {{Foreshadowing}} for her [[DoomedByCanon eventual outcome]] as well as also her connection to Vexen, Number IV of the Organization, who is revealed to be her creator.
** As an unofficial name still said in the canon, Xigbar frequently refers to Xion as "Poppet," cluing in to the fact that she is not so much a Nobody as she is a [[ArtificialHuman puppet]].
* MindScrew: The true nature of Xion is rather confusing, especially the validity of the aforementioned GenderBender.
* MixAndMatchMan: Xion is an imperfect replica whose identity was dictated by Sora's memories through Roxas, but due to the inconsistency of which memories they are, she's taken on traits of Sora ''and'' his friends. Her dominant appearance is nearly identical to Kairi due to the initial memories creating her were mainly Sora's memories of Kairi. She wields a Kingdom Key, the same as Sora, and physically turns into Sora if she absorbs too many of his memories. She turns into Riku in one of her nightmares, and when she vanishes back into Roxas, he gains the ability to wield Oblivion, which originally represented Sora's relationship with Riku. The Novelization of ''Days'' even implies that Xion had started to absorb fragments of Riku's memories during the time that she was getting advice from him. Then there's the fact that Xigbar uniquely sees Ventus when he looks at her, and in ''III'' she's [[DittoFighter able to take on the abilities]] of ''Saïx'' when fighting alongside him.
* MovesetClone: She has the exact same stats, {{Combos}}, LimitBreak (and Final Limit), and weapons as Roxas in ''358/2 Days''. The only gameplay difference between them is that she lacks the DualWielding mechanic. Similarly, her data boss fight in ''Re:Mind'' is based on Roxas's battle from ''Final Mix'', but she has a few of her moves from her boss battle in ''358/2 Days'' to mix it up.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms in the 3rd phase of her boss fight in ''358/2 Days'' with [[MultiWielding each limb holding a]] [[SinisterScimitar curved sword]] presumably as a result of Sora's memories of fighting Kurt Zisa in Agrabah.
* MultiStageBattle: For her fight, the first three stages all take place in locations of keyholes Sora locked in the first game until the final stage which is instead the front of the Clock Tower where Sora would later open the world's gate in ''II''.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: She's a rare, non-comedic example of this trope. As the story goes on, it's shown she's nothing more than a puppet for Xemnas, not even a real Nobody, and Saïx reveals that she was never even part of the Organization.
-->'''Saïx, to Roxas''': "A puppet couldn't be part of the Organization. Just count the seats here. We have and always will be thirteen."
* NiceGirl: Xion is without a doubt one of the most kindest and selfless chacters in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. She always puts her friends before her self, and has a strong sense of justice and generosity, willingly sacrificing herself to join with Sora. Like Aqua, Kairi, and Naminé, Xion fights passionately to protect those she has come to care for. Her love for her friends is ultimately what drives her as she wants nothing more then to spend the rest of her life with them, and if she can't have that she can at least make sure that they are able to live happly.. It is best summed up by her diary entry in the secret reports from ''Days''
-->'''Xion diary entry''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
* NoBiologicalSex: Being a Replica whose AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder, Xion does not have a gender in the physical sense, though constantly spending time with Roxas (who sees her as a black haired Kairi) causes her to identify as female.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: She appears to go berserk and tries to kill Roxas at the end of ''Days'', but this is an act so that Roxas will fight for his life and kill her instead.
* OneWingedAngel: When Xion fights Roxas at the end of 358/2 Days, she takes on a form that resembles Keyblade armor arranged in the shape of Sora's silhouette with Nobody motifs. There are four stages to this, each with its own set of weapons, and with her final form being [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever enormous]].
* OppositeSexClone: She's a Replica of Roxas, but typically manifests as Kairi because the latter makes up Sora's strongest memories. During occasions where she gets overwhelmed by those memories her appearance turns into that of Sora himself.
* ParadoxPerson: She is an ArtificialHuman created from Sora's memories and is meant to be a clone and replacement of Sora's Nobody, Roxas. Because of her relationship with Roxas, she unwittingly absorbs Sora's memories, causing her to grow stronger and essentially [[BecomeARealBoy becoming a person]], but making both Sora and Roxas weaker. When she perishes, she is {{Ret Gone}}d. Or so we think. It turns out that replicas, like Nobodies and other intelligent beings who lack hearts, are capable of growing them given time. Xion did, so when the heart is returned to her, everyone remembers her again.
* TheParagon: For Roxas and Axel, though the latter wasn't very receptive. She's ultimately the most heroic of the trio.
* ParentalFavoritism: The Secret Reports in ''Days'' show that Xion (or No. i, at the time) was selected over the replica model that became Riku's replica by Vexen, who deemed No. i to be his greatest creation and can be seen grinning when Xemnas is introducing Xion to the rest of the Organization. Not that it matters much since Vexen perished soon after.
* PersonalityPowers: [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]]; much like Roxas, she's a bit more melancholic than you'd expect of a Light user, but she does have brighter aspects of her personality. Also, she (like Roxas) does seem to be one of the nicer members.
* PillarOfLight:
** She shares Roxas's Event Horizon LimitBreak in in ''Days'' where she will shoot radial pillars of light for the second stage of the limit.
** One of her most powerful attacks in her final battle in ''Days'' is raining down a series of light pillars over the battlefield, or summoning one massive column directly in the center. She gains a variant of the former as an attack spell when she fights alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
** Her data battle will have her summon pillars of light with nearly every attack in ''Re:Mind''.
* PinocchioSyndrome: Once she learns she's a Replica, not an actual Nobody. It's clear that she wishes she were like the others.
--> '''Xion:''' What would it take for me to be like you?
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When Xion makes the decision to sacrifice her existence to awaken Sora, she explicitly writes that she loves Roxas and Axel in her diary, declaring that she won't forget her time with them, even if they do.
* PowerCopying: She can wield a Keyblade as a result of copying Roxas's. Taken to an extreme in ''III'', as when fighting alongside Saïx she learns to clone his claymore to attack too, though she ditches it after her HeelFaceTurn. Additionally, her Keyblade is given its own identifier in this game as the 'Replica Kingdom Key'.
* PowerFloats: She just levitates in place in her final form.
* PowerParasite: She can absorb others as part of being a replica, with Roxas and Sora being the main victims. In her case, though, it's a passive effect and completely involuntary. This is a major factor in her decision to pull a SuicideByCop.
** Weaponizes this in her Data rematch in ''Re:Mind'' with light beams capable of [[MaximumHPReduction reducing your max HP.]]
* ReallyDeadMontage: Right at the end of ''Days'', when she disappears while [[RetGone everyone forgets her, and everything about her stops existing]], before Roxas forgets her, a brief flashback of her turning to him and smiling is shown. After a bit, one of his memories of her and the other protagonist (Axel) of eating ice cream shows up, the three of them having fun. Then the same scene appears again, while Xion fades away.
* RememberTheNewGuy: She shows up abruptly in ''358/2 Days'' where she is Number XIV in a group previously established in ''II'' to be named Organization '''XIII,''' becomes Roxas's and Axel's best friend when they don't mention her at all in ''II,'' and is revealed to be a Keyblade-wielder who looks like Kairi and whose appearance shocks Riku. Like Naminé in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Xion is a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction of this trope]], in this case with the reveal that we didn't hear about her from any of the characters in ''II'' because she died and was [[RetGone erased from everyone's memories]].
* ReplacementGoldfish:
** Xion was basically created to serve this purpose, as a potential backup or replacement for Roxas in the event the Organization couldn't control him. She also, along with Roxas, starts to be accused of being this to Axel by Saïx, who shows extreme disdain for them due to Axel developing a close friendship with them while Saïx's own relationship with Axel becomes increasingly strained. Xion bears the strongest brunt of this, however, as Saïx's literal inability to see her as anything but a featureless puppet (proof of his failure to acknowledge her as an individual) lead Saïx to scathingly refer to any emotions regarding Xion as 'make-believe'.
** Xion ends up serving this role again for the XIII Seekers of Darkness after [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance their plan to possess Sora failed.]] The ''Re:Mind'' DLC reveals that Saïx, who at this point [[TheAtoner is trying to atone for his mistakes]], suggests that they reconstruct No. ''i'' from Vexen's research data in order to fill out their ranks and fulfil their Sora requirement due to her relationship to him.
* RetGone: Subverted. Since she was ''made'' of memories, her death meant the death of her memory. When she was absorbed into Roxas, everyone forgot that she ever existed... for awhile. She begins making cameo appearances in ''Re:Coded'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'', with Riku and Sora both meeting her for long enough to get a good look at her face during the latter. Sora even seems to gain Roxas's memories of ''Days'' in full, including Xion, and it's implied that Lea has WistfulAmnesia about her when he looks at Kairi. When Xion returns in ''III'', Lea and Roxas end up remembering her.
* SailorEarth: Xion is introduced as Organization XIII's newest member Number XIV, continues the ThreeAmigos pattern of the series by being best friends with Roxas and Axel, and is a Kairi-lookalike who has ShipTease with Sora's lookalike Roxas. On paper she sounds like she's a character straight out of an early 2000's fanfic, but it is revealed to be an intentional -- and very sinister -- example InUniverse: Xion is in fact ''not'' a true member of the Organization but a Replica created to drain the power and life out of Roxas so she could replace him as a more easily managed Keyblade-wielder Xemnas could reprogram as he wished. It's for this reason that she and Roxas are partnered up on the early missions that spark their friendship, to encourage her to latch onto him and begin copying his power. As a Replica, she was an outsider among the rest of the Organization, only viewed as a puppet by the higher-ups and never as a true member; because of this, she is never given a throne of her own in the Round Room, a RedBaron title, her own special type of Nobodies to control, or even her own Proof of Existence like all the other members do.
* ScreamingWarrior: During her Data Rematch in ''Limit Cut'', she'll actually start roaring during some of her more destructive attacks.
* SizeShifter: After donning the Sora-like armor, she becomes noticeably larger than Roxas and gets bigger with every next phase of the fight until she's as tall as the Twilight Town Clock Tower.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: The games explain her true form is her appearance as a black-haired Kairi while all of her other appearances are merely illusions caused by memory.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: An odd example: as a replica of Sora made to copy his powers, her various forms are all influenced by him one way or another. In her final boss form, this manifests as her taking the form of a Sora made of armor, and using all his signature abilities from prior games.
* SheCleansUpNicely: At the very end of ''III'' when the danger's finally passed, Xion's able to rid herself of the Organization coat and wears a black and white blouse and skirt that takes a few cues from Kairi and Naminé.
* ShipTease: With Roxas in ''Days''. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they can't feel anything due to being Nobodies and are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. It's worth noting they don't show anything overtly romantic between them in ''III'' and more focus is given instead to their [[PlatonicLifePartners friendship with each other and Axel]]. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignificantAnagram: Of "No. ''i''", her designation as part of the Replica Program.
* SomeoneHasToDie: With Roxas (and in conjunction, Sora). Both of them are unable to coexist stably because Xion is built to keep draining Roxas's power, which will eventually make him fade away.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Her actions ultimately bring about the end of the original Organization XIII. By choosing to die rather than continue serving the Organization, she not only prevents them from using her to collect hearts but also allows Naminé to resume restoring Sora's memories, enabling him to wake up. And by announcing her plans to Roxas -- even if he forgets her afterward -- it solidifies his defection from the Organization, leaving them with no Keyblade wielder they can control.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: A Replica of Roxas that ends up absorbing Sora's memories, Xion lets herself be absorbed into Roxas's heart when she dies, returning the power she'd accidentally taken from him, and then gets absorbed into Sora's heart alongside Roxas when the latter returns to him, returning Sora's memories back to their rightful owner. While Roxas was initially resistant to fusing with Sora and appeared more several times after the initial fusion, Xion [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepted her fate]] as necessary and apart from briefly telepathically communicating with Riku and Roxas at the end of ''Days'' she doesn't show up as an individual again until a dream version of her appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''.
* SuicideByCop: Her FinalBoss amounts to this, with the "Cop" being [[DefectorFromDecadence Roxas]].
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: As a Seeker of Darkness. [[https://imgur.com/vflxBck It's hard to tell since she spends all of her screentime as a vessel with her hood up, but she does have them.]] Regaining her present-day heart from Sora ejected Xehanort's heart as well as the past version of her heart, turning her eyes back to normal.
* SwordPlant: When in her light aura phase in ''Re:Mind'' she will attack almost exclusively by stabbing her keyblade into the ground, generating shockwaves of light magic.
* TeensAreShort: She's about the same size as Roxas. Axel jokes about adding two half-pints together to get a whole.
* ThemeNaming: Her part in the "girls related to Kairi" group is ''shio'' for tide.
* ThereIsAnother: Invoked. Her whole purpose was to be a backup plan in case the Organization couldn't control Roxas. She gets hit with this again when the Seekers of Darkness need a thirteenth member and their plan to use Sora failed, so they opt to recreate Xion as an EmotionlessGirl and use her as a vessel for Xehanort's heart instead. Luckily this blows up in their faces when it leads to her friends remembering her again and her subsequently finding the strength to shake off Xehanort's influence and turn against the Seekers out of ThePowerOfFriendship.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: During her boss battle alongside Saïx, one of her primary attacks is to throw her Keyblade at you or Kairi. This attack is carried over as her most basic attack for her data rematch in ''Re:Mind''.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To the XIII Seekers in ''III'' as she is only serving them because the replica body has her heart from the time when she first joined the Organization.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: She dies in ''Days'' as the first member who openly tries to rebel against Xemnas. Subverted in ''III'' when the XIII Seekers of Darkness are able to bring her back to join them as a reluctant member, mainly because the replica body has her heart from the past.
* TookALevelInBadass: Begins working for the Organization with only a couple basic low-level elemental magic spells as her means of offense. She soon learns that she can wield the keyblade, granting her access to powerful light-based powers like Roxas and significantly increasing her utility to the Organization. Even after she temporarily loses the keyblade, she's using noticeably more powerful and varied magic spells than the last time Roxas fought alongside her.
** Eventually revealed to be a deconstruction since the only reason she's getting stronger fighting with the keyblade is because she's draining energy from Roxas. She's later personally altered by Xemnas himself to defeat Roxas and absorb him completely while aided by specially placed Organization devices in various worlds to enhance her strength, resulting in a climactic SequentialBossFight.
* TransferableMemory: She's ''made'' of them.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The girl to her two guy friends, Roxas and Axel.
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything ''about'' her is just one big spoiler.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: She gets hit with this trope twice as hard as Roxas. She discovered in the middle of ''Days'' that she was a replica designed to copy Sora's powers through Roxas. Then she learned from Naminé her memories don't belong to her and that she's just a bunch of Sora's memories of Kairi. The treatment of the Organization members (who themselves angst over their technical non-human status) to her is downright dehumanizing, outright calling her a puppet (save Axel and Roxas, maybe Demyx and Luxord) and never considered her to be a part of them.
* UnskilledButStrong: On her own terms, Xion has great power but noticably lacks finesse in her swordplay. One of her phase intervals in the ''Re:Mind'' rematch has her running at Sora in an UnstoppableRage wildly flailing around her Keyblade with one hand.
* WaterIsWomanly: Xion is the female of the Clock Tower Trio and a Replica who mostly takes after Kairi's persona. Her name is pronounced "shee-on"; shio in Japanese means "tide". A recurring dream that Xion experiences throughout the game is her drowning inside seawater.
%%* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Becomes this by the end of ''Days''.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She looks like a young teenager to most people, but really, she's just under a year old by the time of her death.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Roxas]]
->''See Characters/KingdomHeartsRoxas''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Axel]]
!!Axel
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cutin_32236.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My show now, Keyblade master! Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel. Got it memorized?"'']]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''
->''"What's your problem!? You both... think you can do whatever you want. Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running! [[CallForward But I'll always be there to bring you back!]]"''
Org XIII's 8th member and the only one to survive ''Chain of Memories''. ''Days'' reveals his Other's name to have been Lea, and then ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. He appears regularly in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', striving to bring Roxas out of the fake Twilight Town, and later pulling a HeelFaceTurn and helping Sora on his quest. However, he ends up pulling a HeroicSacrifice to save Sora at the end of the game. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is [[BackFromTheDead revived]] as Lea, his original self and helps Riku and Sora throughout the story. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade. For tropes specific to Lea, see Lea's folder on this page.
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the [=KH2=] manga and novels. An example being his final fight with Roxas, where he is still trying to get through to him in the manga and intends to burning the mansion down to be TogetherInDeath with him in the novels, while he is fully committed to straight-up killing him in the game.
** Another case is his kidnapping of Kairi, where they actually bond and begin to cooperate with each other before Saïx kidnaps her from him, and Axel becomes wounded trying to save her. In the game, this did not happen as Axel says Kairi "got away from him" before being caught by Saïx, and Kairi is initially wary of Axel when he comes back as Lea which shows no bond was ever developed between them and he never tried to rescue her.
* AffablyEvil: Although he initially he started off as FauxAffablyEvil as listed below he developed into this over time thanks to his friendship with Roxas and Xion.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but his is a particularly bad case. So much so that former [[WebVideo/GameGrumps Grump]] Barry Kramer cites it as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjiHufVEc7g&ab_channel=BarryKramer sole reason]] Axel survives Castle Oblivion.
* AntiVillain: Introduced as a ruthless and manipulative bastard in ''Chain of Memories'', but mellowed out in his subsequent appearances, as he becomes fast friends with Roxas and Xion. His sacrifice helps him complete the change to full-blown hero when he returns as Lea as of ''3D''.
* AscendedExtra: He got an extended role in ''II'' after his role in ''Chain of Memories'' was popularly received, though he still ended up dying in that game.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: While it's pretty obvious what powers he has based on his ElementalHairColors, that same spiky mass of wild, red hair combined with those inverted tear-drop markings below his eyes give him a vaguely clown-like appearance. Fitting for a guy who tends towards [[SadClown quips even in the most dire or tragic of circumstances.]]
* AwfulTruth: Axel became concerned enough about how often Xion fainted and how badly Saïx treated her that he started grilling Saïx for an explanation. Axel's inquiring eventually led him to discover what Xion really is, and the information weighed extremely heavy on his mind thereafter.
* AxCrazy: Like Larxene, he pretended to enjoy hurting others and also flashed a [[SlasherSmile wide grin]] at such moments. He carried out [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder a series of betrayals]] throughout the series and killed several of his allies ruthlessly for his own motives and sometimes just for his personal enjoyment.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: He finishes off Vexen and arranges Zexion's death at the hands of the Riku Replica.
* BecomingTheMask: Reading the secret reports in ''Days'' reveal that Axel's initial promise of friendship to Roxas was a lie and that he didn't really feel anything toward him (even down to him initially hating sea-salt ice cream, as revealed in the opening scenes of ''Days'' in ''1.5''). But when he was getting ready to go to Castle Oblivion, he is surprised to realize that he's actually going to ''miss'' hanging out with Roxas, which makes him deeply curious in Sora's heart. After he comes back from the events at Castle Oblivion, he became a real friend to Roxas.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Roxas and Xion. He becomes very protective over the two of them after they form a friendship. This is also his driving motivation from the middle of ''358/2'' through ''KHII'', after he started essentially raising Roxas and acting as a surrogate parent. Of course, a lot of this has more to do with [[PoisonousFriend himself than with Roxas]] until toward the end.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Roxas, and a slightly lesser extent Xion. His influence is a major part of how their personalities developed (or how they gained them in the first place) and he helps them out with a lot of the problems they run into because "that's what friends do".
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Redhead to Roxas's blond and Xion's brunette.
* BoundAndGagged: In the manga adaptation, Axel is mistaken as a pirate by the Lost Boys and tied to a tree along with Roxas. They are both cleared by Tinker Bell, since they were with her.
* TheCaretaker: Axel fulfills this role toward Roxas in ''Days'' after he is assigned to mentor the younger Nobody who recently joined Organization XIII. After Roxas befriends Xion and starts hanging out with her, Axel also becomes her caretaker as well. Axel eventually turns into a PoisonousFriend when obsessed with keeping Roxas and Xion as his friends, he lies to them, does questionable stuff behind their backs, and if they try to leave the Organization of their own free will, he attempts to bring them back by force. Following Xion's death, Axel is the only member of the Organization to miss Roxas when the latter defects. And in ''II'', Axel's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying wish]] was to see Roxas again.
* CatchPhrase: "Got it memorized?", originally translated in the original version of ''Chain of Memories'' as "Commit it to memory."
** He has another one, albeit less used, ''Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?''
* ChangedMyMindKid: Axel reluctantly allowed Xion to flee the organization when it was becoming dangerous for her to be around Roxas. Later on however, Axel goes after Xion anyway. While it's technically because he's been ordered to do so, he also makes it a point to let Xion know that it's also because he doesn't want her to sacrifice her life, which is what she intends to do.
* CharacterDevelopment: Its pathway is rocky, but Axel goes through quite a bit of character development. In ''Chain of Memories'' he was a callous, manipulative jerk, but after interacting with Sora it's noted in ''Days'' that his personality became more cheerful and friendly, and he also behaved a lot more genuinely too rather than putting on an act. Another example is his ability to see the humanity in others, something he himself takes note of: Axel didn't originally think of replica's as worthy of any compassion or consideration. Later on however, he realizes that learning that Xion is a replica after befriending her didn't change the fact he still saw her as a friend. A secret report shows that this also led Axel to look back, recognize, and feel guilt for how horribly he treated Riku-Replica, and how he could never treat Xion in such a manner. He relapses in his manipulative ways when he starts to fear he will lose Roxas and Xion, but in the end it's no question that his capacity to care has stuck, and ultimately he goes back to being genuine when he performs a HeroicSacrifice for Sora and [[BackFromTheDead his humanity is restored]].
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Despite some development as noted directly above, his characterization is still WILDLY inconsistent between ''Chain of Memories'' and all later entries. For someone who claims disgust with the fact he always got stuck doing the "icky jobs", he seemed all too content with murdering Vexen and Zexion, and had absolutely no qualms cutting down a little girl (Naminé) to get to Marluxia. Not to mention the fact he had a reputation of being a "Fixer" for the Organization inherently implies that he was ''very good'' at doing these "icky jobs" and didn't have qualms following them through. One possible explanation is via the eventual revelation that Nobodies will actually regrow their hearts over time, meaning that during the events of ''Chain of Memories'' he was essentially a sociopath. However, towards the end of that game he comments that he's actually enjoying himself, foreshadowing that he was starting to regain his heart. Continuing into ''Days'', Axel solidly begins regaining his humanity after befriending Roxas and Xion, so by the time Axel's ordered to retrieve Xion for the Organization's purposes, his capacity to feel has changed profoundly.
* TheChessmaster: He outwitted two scientists, two conspirators, and also the protagonists, and all that without breaking a single sweat.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Zig-zagged all over the place. Long story short, he goes from being co-conspirators with Saïx in the Organization to ditching that and the Organization itself to help out Sora. Beneath that, though, he's got layers upon layers of loyalties, in parts due to his assignment as TheMole during the Castle Oblivion and his own tendency to put his priorities before the Organization, with things getting even more complicated when different priorities of his begin to clash with one another (such as his friendship with Roxas and his own survival.)
* CombatPragmatist: Doesn't step in to take out Vexen as ordered until after he had just received a beatdown from Sora. In ''II,'' he kicks off his boss fight by setting the floor of the arena on fire and deal unavoidable damage, draining your health over time. The Overtaker and Clear Light Reaction Commands will remove the flaming floor, but after a while he'll just ignite it again.
* CompressedHair: How does ''that'' fit under his hood?
* ConflictingLoyalty: Although he apparently suffers from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and has no issues with being a DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent when necessary, he's shown some capacity to be conflicted in which side to stick with:
** In ''Days'', Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion conflicts with his orders by the Organization to [[LetsYouAndHimFight "let things run their natural course"]]. Even his friendship with the pair suffers from this trope, as he comes to realize that only one of them can survive, and one of them has to perish to ensure the survival of the other. He spends a large portion of the game perilously trying to balance his loyalties, switching back and forth between doing things that help or hinder Roxas, Xion, or the Organization. By the end of the game, Axel has decided his loyalties lie with Roxas ''and'' Xion, but it amounts to nothing since Roxas still runs away and Xion ceases to exist.
** In ''II'', his friendship with Roxas is again the driving factor of his Conflicting Loyalty. While he has no qualms with his orders to bring Roxas back, he starts to grow disgruntled with his superiors when he is tasked to eliminate Roxas. He eventually screws over the Organization, and starts working independently, leading to a [[invoked]]TearJerker when he dies at Sora's side, lamenting the fact that he never got to revive Roxas. Fortunately, by the events of ''III'', Roxas is revived by Sora and Vexen, and reunites with Axel.
* ContractOnTheHitman: Axel's primary role in the Organization was to kill off troublesome members. Saïx sent him to Castle Oblivion with the intention of him being the only member to leave, and Xemnas sends him after Roxas after he defected. Axel's failure leads to the rest of the Organization hunting him down.
* DeadpanSnarker: Heavy on both deadpan and full-on snark.
* DemotedToExtra: From ''Chain of Memories'' to ''II'', which is ironic considering what happened to him afterwards. According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, he was originally supposed to die at the end of Roxas's section of the game, so he would've been in even ''less'' if he hadn't turned out to be so popular with both fans ''and'' the development staff of the games. Thankfully, he was promoted back up to supporting character in ''358/2 Days''.
* {{Determinator}}: Once Roxas was absorbed back to Sora, Axel went through great lengths to try to bring him back. Even more so in the manga where he dragged his injured body after fighting Saïx to help Sora and friends find Kairi, sacrificing himself in the process.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the final boss in the prologue of II.
* DisneyDeath: Basically. The body that belonged to the being known as "Axel" dies for real, but he gets reborn with a new body as his original self (Lea) with all of his memories from his time as Axel intact, so he's essentially as good as new.
* DoubleAgent: Played straight, then subverted, then zigzagged, then does a loop-the-loop into an aversion. Axel wasn't actually a double agent -- he was a ''[[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent quintuple agent]].'' At one point, he pretended to join in with Marluxia's conspiracy, in order to get close enough to eliminate him as a traitor on Xemnas' orders, while really working with Saix so they can overthrow Xemnas themselves. At the same time, he helped both Sora and Namine, only partially because they would destroy Marluxia for him, and wiped out two Organization members who were still loyal to Xemnas to avoid anyone else using the knowledge of the Replica Project. In the end, of course, Axel's only real loyalty is to himself (though he tends to include his friends in that, whether they like it or not).
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: Especially in ''Chain of Memories'', though he has elements of it in ''II'' before his HeelFaceTurn.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: To ''another'' DragonWithAnAgenda, no less, and even telling the other one that his cooperation isn't always guaranteed.
-->'''Axel:''' I'll play it your way...for now.
* TheDreaded: Axel's primary role in the Organization is that of a "[[TheFixer fixer]]" (Saïx even refers to him as such) who keeps the other members in check and ''[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness removes]]'' them from the board when necessary. Considering that someone as immensely dangerous as Marluxia ''hides behind a human-shield'' when up against him, Axel is deserving of his reputation. Likewise, both Vexen and Zexion [[VillainousBSOD utterly lose their shit]] when they realize that they're next on Axel's list. He is not feared only by those more powerful than him - Xemnas, Xaldin and Saïx - and those who are too arrogant to be scared, like Xigbar and Larxene.
* DualWielding: Always fights with a Chakram in each hand. In ''Re:COM,'' he can summon up to four of them at a time as part of his Firetooth sleight before tossing them so they can bounce all around the arena.
* ElementalHairColors: Was anyone really surprised he turned out to use fire-elemental attacks?
* EnemyMine: When he helped Sora against the Nobodies in the Realm Between by blowing himself up and later used his last power to open a portal to the World That Never Was.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Axel does his share of villainous deeds in the series, but in ''Days'' he becomes increasingly intolerant of Saïx's dehumanizing treatment of Xion.
* EvilRedhead: Red haired and opposed to Sora, though for different reasons than the rest of Organization XIII.
* EvilVersusEvil: In ''Chain of Memories''.
* ExactWords: Invokes this on Marluxia. When being obliquely tasked with killing Vexen, Axel pretends not to get it, requiring Marluxia to directly order him to "Eliminate the traitor." Axel comments that he can't take that back later and goes off to do the deed. Later, when attacking Marluxia, Axel reminds him that he and Larxene are traitors themselves and cites Marluxia's own order as a justification to kill him.
* {{Expy}}: He's a deliberate one of Reno from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Nomura was once asked about their similarities and outright said that he made Axel in the image of Reno to try out a familiar character in a new universe and see how he developed. They even share voice actors in five languages ([[Creator/QuintonFlynn English]], [[Creator/KeijiFujiwara Japanese]], French, Spanish and German).
* FaceRealization: Of sorts. In the novels when Axel fights Xion for the last time, even though it's technically under orders, he admits that the things he's done and what he's now doing is for Roxas and Xion's sakes, not the organizations, even if it means being labeled a traitor.
* FacialMarkings: Two reverse teardrop shapes as Axel. They disappear once he's Lea again.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Axel tries desperately to protect Roxas and Xion from the AwfulTruth of their existences, as well as from all the forces that desire their destruction. In the end he fails to keep them from finding out, fails to keep them safe, and their friendship is in shambles.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: He ''burns'' himself to death. It had to be toned down in the North American release.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Xaldin threatening him with a spear to the face doesn't faze Axel, but Xemnas preparing to turn him into a Dusk causes him to cave.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts like a FriendlyEnemy to Sora in ''Chain of Memories'' and it looks like he's [[PetTheDog doing good by releasing Naminé]], but as the D-Report in Riku's story mode notes on his character bio, it's all a means of manipulating them. Fully subverted when he returns as Lea.
* FieryRedhead: A literal example.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: After freeing Naminé to go and save Sora he quickly notices how he was enjoying it, foreshadowing that his heart was beginning to return to him.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CatchPhrase has gone up with each passing game. In his first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* {{Gaslighting}}:
** Axel repeatedly lies in response to or dismisses Roxas and Xion's questions about their pasts, hoping they'll forget about them and remain in ignorance. They don't.
** ''3D'' reveals that Axel himself, along with all of the rest of the Organization, were victims of this tactic in how they were told they didn't have hearts or emotions, when the truth was it was possible for Nobodies to start growing their own hearts. This is particularly detrimental to Axel since it's clear he started feeling emotions again around Roxas and Xion, but he constantly squashed them down or ignored them because he truly believed he wasn't supposed to be capable of feeling anything.
* GoshDangItToHeck: He's the first character to swear in the series, telling Sora "It's about time you give me one hell of a show!" in ''Chain of Memories''. In Re:Com, however, the line was changed to omit the curse due to it being fully-voiced.
* HeelFaceTurn: Does a partial one. Axel goes from being a vicious, spiteful arse to being a kinder, more thoughtful person over the course of ''Days''. Due to traumatic events, he relapses at the end of that game continuing into ''II'', but he comes back around in the end.
* HeelRealization: After getting to know Xion and coming to care for her regardless of her being a Replica, he looks back on how he treated the Riku Replica with shame, thinking that he could never treat Xion in the same way.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: A platonic variation and inversion of this trope. Axel is so hung up over Roxas that he spends most of ''KHII'' trying to resurrect him.
* HeroicSacrifice: In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he pulls one when he puts all of his being into an attack (not that Nobodies have a being) to save Sora and company.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Develops this relationship with Roxas until the end of ''Days'', wherein his lies and Roxas being frustrated with not knowing what was happening nearly destroyed their friendship.
* HitmanWithAHeart: He usually kills most of his enemies mercilessly, but often also spares the lives of even high priority targets, when he feels like it though usually it is out of curiosity to see how their stories turn out hence forth or even a whim, rather than truly mercy. However, he was [[AssassinOutClassin truly moved]] by Roxas, his last target, to the point he betrayed his Organization and [[HeelFaceTurn turned against it]] and even sacrificed his life to destroy it. Granted, it helps that the two of them [[WeUsedToBeFriends were best friends]] in the Organization before its shadier aspects drove them apart.
* HotBlooded: Despite not having a heart, he has a [[IncrediblyLamePun fiery]] personality.
* IHaveYourWife: Kidnaps Kairi in ''II'' to lure Sora out so he can turn Sora into a Heartless and get Roxas back in the process. Kairi gets away from him, and shortly afterward Axel abandons this plan.
* {{Irony}}: Axel spends most of the second half of ''Days'' feeling conflicted and unsure of what to do, struggling with the idea that Roxas or Xion must die in order for the other to live. But by the time Axel finally decides that choosing between them is unacceptable, he loses them ''both'' soon after.
* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: He spends more or less all of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' being hunted down by Saïx, and both of them try to get Sora to sabotage the other one specifically. With later games revealing their past friendship and how they were originally planning on overthrowing Xemnas together, it turns out to be even more personal than it first appeared.
* IWillFindYou: He has orders to bring both Xion and Roxas back to the Organization at various points throughout ''Days'' and ''II'', but it becomes increasingly more personal after Roxas defects, as seen by how emotional he gets when trying to retrieve Xion following that. By II, he's willing to do ''anything'' to get Roxas back.
* KarmaHoudini: Survives the events of ''Chain of Memories'' with no repercussions.
** KarmaHoudiniWarranty: It all catches up to him in ''II'', although it is [[AlasPoorVillain really sad when it happens.]]
* KickTheDog: Most of his malicious actions in ''Chain of Memories'' fall under KickTheSonOfABitch... except when he threatened to kill Naminé when Marluxia uses her as a shield, or when he pushed the [[CloningBlues Riku Replica]] [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope off the slippery slope]] for a few shits and giggles. Though in the Secret Reports in ''358/2 Days'' he admits that he did feel remorse for using the Riku Replica as it made him as bad as Saïx and Xemnas who were using Xion in a similar vain.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Towards Roxas, and later Xion. He raises the amnesiac Keyblade-wielding Nobodies, giving them advice, teaching them about the world, and sticking up for them... but he's also a really PoisonousFriend.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Axel is somewhat unique in the Organization, and to a lesser extent the entire series, in actually using his VillainTeleportation to duck out of losing battles.
* LackOfEmpathy: At the beginning of ''[=CoM=]'', Axel has a mysterious, stoic, and calm, as well as cold, unforgiving, and merciless demeanor on par with that of Marluxia. In ''[=Re:CoM=]'', he interrupts Vexen's cries for mercy with a cocky "goodbye" before incinerating him without any hesitation and seems to be amused by the deaths of his comrades as shown in the scene where he is making bets with Zexion. When Marluxia uses Naminé as a human shield against him, Axel confidently declares he would eliminate Naminé to get to Marluxia.
* LeanAndMean: The tight-fitting design of his BlackCloak emphasizes his tall, wiry frame more than any other Organization member and he was very much a malevolent antagonist in his debut in "Chain of Memories". Increasingly subverted, as his friendship with Roxas and Xion gradually sees him shed much of the meanness and he ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn in his last moments.
* LetsGetDangerous: "You really ''do'' remember me this time? I'M SO ''FLATTERED''."
* LimitBreak: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Explosion.]] He'll engulf his right chakram in flames and toss it at enemies to generate a large explosion. For his Final Limit he lights both chakrams on fire and tosses them both to create a highly damaging trio of huge pillar-shaped explosions.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Roxas and Xion become this for Axel, with his relationship to them eventually influencing his actions through the story of ''Days''. Axel befriending them causes him to rapidly abandon any plans he had with his longtime friend Saïx, since the latter's disdain for the teenagers drives a wedge between himself and Axel. Axel's behavior also becomes highly unpredictable as his priorities shift towards "protecting Roxas and Xion at all costs", even if it means obstructing or lying to Roxas and Xion themselves, or getting into trouble with his higher ups in the Organization. Axel is clearly pained by Roxas running away from the Organization, and he completely loses his composure when he realizes Xion has decided to 'return to Sora' and [[CessationOfExistence disappear]]. By the time ''II'' comes around, Axel has lost his memories of Xion due the nature of [[TransferableMemory what she was]], but he's become an unhinged mess whose only motivation is to see Roxas again.
** In ''3D'', this takes on a ''literal'' interpretation, since it's revealed that Nobody's can actually start to grow their own hearts overtime. Given that Axel writes in his Secret Reports that hanging out with Roxas and Xion make him remember "being human" or "what it was like to have friendship", one can deduce that they were the source of the first emotions he's had since becoming a Nobody. Since Nobody inherently desires to have hearts, it makes sense that Axel latched onto them like a drowning man.
* LovableTraitor: He and Saïx were planning on betraying Xemnas, which meant he also needed to get in good with Marluxia and Larxene and then betray them so that they wouldn't betray Xemnas first. Then he betrays Zexion. And he's just so ''cool'' in doing all this.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Downplayed example towards Roxas and Xion. It's zigzagged slightly in that his forming a relationship with Roxas and Xion actually made him become a kinder, more considerate person. However, his attachment to them also led him to become a PoisonousFriend who lies to them and makes them doubt their experiences, hoping it will keep them safe.
* LyingToProtectYourFeelings: Axel does this with increasing frequency over the course of 358/2 Days to both Roxas and Xion, especially once he discovers the truth about Xion's existence. The results are disastrous.
* MediumAwareness: Axel has an uncanny habit of BreakingTheFourthWall:
** In III, he tells Xemnas that he's got tons of loads of people rooting for him, referencing his status among fans as an [[invoked]]EnsembleDarkhorse.
** Later on, after he meets up with Sora, he states the reason why he took so long is because he had a "couple of plot points that needed ironing out".
* NervesOfSteel: He can be surprisingly cool and collected when presented with a dangerous situation. Notably when Xaldin threatens to punish him if he doesn't obey orders and chucks a lance at Axel, narrowly missing his head but [[CloseCallHaircut shearing a few strands of hair,]] Axel doesn't even flinch and merely stares with a bored expression and his arms crossed. Presumably, lacking a heart makes it easier for one to maintain their composure in all situations.
* OutOfFocus: A major character in ''Chain of Memories'' and ''358/2 Days''; [[DemotedToExtra surprisingly inconsequential]] in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* ParentalSubstitute: Acts as a mix of this and BigBrotherMentor to Roxas and Xion, although being a Nobody, it's [[PoisonousFriend flawed.]] Realizing he is the closest thing Roxas had to a brother casts his desperation to protect him in ''II'' in [[PapaWolf a previously unconsidered light.]]
* PersonalityPowers: He's rather hot-headed, as fire users usually are.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
* PinocchioNose: Whenever Axel lies or is unsure of what he's saying, he'll break eye contact.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he dies in II he tells Sora that he really loved Roxas and that spending time with him made him feel like he had a heart
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: He tries to stop Roxas from leaving the Organization, invoking this, but ultimately fails. He does this again later with Xion in a more aggressive, unstable state of mind, and ends up taking her back by force, but Xion is taken from him later anyway.
* PoisonousFriend: His obsession with "helping" or "protecting" Roxas and Xion rarely corresponds with what both of them actually want. He genuinely cares about them, but he also clings to the idea of keeping their relationship in a status quo so the three of them can remain that way forever, and in doing so he ends up lying and withholding information from them to their detriment. Ultimately his actions end up pushing Roxas away from him and causing the events that lead to Xion pulling a SuicideByCop.
* PreFinalBoss: In ''Chain of Memories'' he's the last boss Sora faces before Marluxia.
* RebelRelaxation: Leans against walls with his arms folded from time to time, notably when he talks to Roxas one last time after he deserts the Organization to try and find the truth of his existence on his own.
* RedBaron: The Flurry of Dancing Flames.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: His death scene in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Saïx's and Roxas's blue.
* RingsOfDeath: a pair of Chakrams, called Eternal Flames.
* SadClown: He definitely qualifies in ''II''. He seems the most laidback among the other Organization members and even makes jokes during meetings that can have other members tossing weapons at him. Nevermind the fact that, like the other Nobodies, he can't have feelings, what truly causes Axel's sadness is his best and only friend, Roxas's departure from the Organization and forgetting who Axel is. Deep down, Axel hates the other members and would join Roxas if it were up to him. Despite not having any feelings, Axel legitimately cries before both him and Roxas disappear from Twilight Town after Sora defeats Roxas in the Final Mix version.
** He was less of this in his debut in ''COM'' and gets softer in ''Days''.
* SecretKeeper: Axel keeps a multitude of secrets from his friends. He knows Roxas's true nature and later discovers Xion's, but keeps them to himself even if they are things they ought to know. In part, it's [[LyingToProtectYourFeelings to protect their feelings from being hurt]] but it's also because he desires to keep their friendship intact. This just ends up hurting all three of them ''badly''.
* SecretlySelfish: Axel goes out of his way to explain and do a lot of things for Roxas and Xion, despite him playing up an attitude that he doesn't like doing 'troublesome things'. However, he also starts going out of his way to keep them in the dark about their true natures, even though they both want to know. He ''does'' want to protect them, but he does so in a way that undermines their trust. In the novels, he is shown coming to the realization that more than anything else, what he was doing was because of his personal desire for them to stay with him.
* ShonenHair: The dude's hair is ''insane''. Maybe even moreso than Sora himself.
* SingleTear: Axel sheds a tear when he and Roxas say goodbye after Axel sacrifices himself and Sora fights Roxas.
* TheSociopath: Although Axel seems to hold Larxene and Zexion in good company to an extent by making friendly conversation with Larxene while Marluxia is not around and making bets with Zexion as to which member will be defeated next, this was shown to be nothing more than an act to earn their trust. Eventually, Axel betrays Larxene by letting Naminé escape, although he seems disappointed yet satisfied upon her elimination. Later on, he encourages Riku Replica to annihilate Zexion to ensure that his actions in Castle Oblivion go unnoticed by the rest of the Organization and to help Saïx keep his rank in the Organization.
* SoleSurvivor: Of all the Organization members sent to Castle Oblivion (consisting of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, Larxene, Lexeaus and Axel himself) in ''Chain of Memories'', Axel was the only one to come back alive, having orchestrated the others' deaths.
* TakingYouWithMe: He dies in order to wipe out an entire army of Dusks.
* TogetherInDeath: In the novels, he intended to burn down the mansion he and Roxas fought in so that the two of them would die together rather than be separated again, but he ultimately couldn't go through with it. [[AdaptationalHeroism This does not appear to be the case in the game.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Axel often acts cool and unflappable, but every time Roxas or Xion compliment him or call him out about caring about them he gets really flustered.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He was usually underestimated by both comrades and enemies. That was a very fatal mistake.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: For his friends, anyway. Axel drags Xion back to the organization to prevent her from basically committing suicide, but that just leaves her open to being taken and modified by Xemnas into going OneWingedAngel, and Roxas is forced to kill her. It was going to be a bad situation regardless, but it was made so much more heartbreaking.
** It could be said that Axel inadvertently set in motion how things played out regarding Roxas and Xion as far back as when he killed Vexen. Vexen created the replica program, and Axel killing him at Castle Oblivion was ''not'' part of the plan. Vexen's premature death meant that there wasn't anyone who could perform 'maintenence' when Xion began to leech more power and memories from Roxas than was intended. It was precisely because Xion and Axel realized that something was wrong with her that caused them to seek out answers, which in turn began the derailing of the trio's relatively peaceful existence in the Organization.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Grows out of the villainous part.
* VisualPun: His weapons are circular, wheel-like blades. He's literally an ''Axel'' between wheels.
* WhatIsThisFeeling: Axel starts to have flashes of emotion around Roxas and Xion, and he repeatedly notes that being around them makes him remember his life as a human. It's something that greatly confuses and weirds him out because Nobodies aren't supposed to have emotions. Then ''3D'' reveals that Nobodies ''can'' grow their own hearts.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows to care deeply for Roxas and Xion without realizing what that feeling is, and reveals to Sora that he made him feel the same way they did.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His friendship with Saïx drifted apart as he became closer to Roxas and Xion. Not until Axel failed to secure Roxas from Diz did Saïx consider him his enemy and vice versa.
* WildCard: In the end, the only side Axel was on before his return as Lea was his own.
-->'''Lexaeus:''' And then there is Axel. Who knows what that one is thinking.
* WouldHitAGirl: He reveals he's perfectly willing to attack and [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Naminé in Castle Oblivion if that means getting at Marluxia, and twice knocks Xion out to bring her back to Organization XIII. At least he's consistent!
* WouldHurtAChild: Like everyone else in Organization XIII, Axel has zero qualms about fighting Sora when the latter is 14-15 years old, and in ''II'' is actively plotting to turn him into a Heartless to bring Roxas back (which would condemn Sora to a DeathOfPersonality at worse or AndIMustScream in a "best" case scenario) even if he doesn't get to try it onscreen because Kairi gets away from him. To add to that, Axel has fought, knocked out, and/or tried to [[NeverSayDie destroy]] Roxas, [[WouldHitAGirl Xion, and Naminé]] at different times for different reasons, and while all three look like teenagers around Sora's age, in truth they each had [[YoungerThanTheyLook existed for under a year]] at the time Axel attacked them.
* {{Yandere}}: Of the friendship variety to Roxas in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. In the novels, it goes to the point where [[TogetherInDeath he wants to die along with him inside of a burning mansion]].
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: When it's apparent that Xion is on the verge of finding out the nature of her existence, Axel becomes extremely obstructive to her, telling her to stop trying to remember her past and begging her to turn back.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lea]]
!!Lea
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lea_khiii_8.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin' for me!"'']]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Young Lea]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cutin_32306.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Lea in his Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3lea.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KeijiFujiwara (Japanese), Creator/QuintonFlynn (English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]] | [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Axel? Please. The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"''
Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi. He eventually decides to reclaim the name Axel, deciding it will help Roxas whenever they manage to revive him. Axel joins the Second Keyblade War in earnest, getting some closure with Isa and reuniting with Roxas and Xion in the process.
-----
* AccidentalMisnaming: It's easier to count the times someone ''doesn't'' call him Axel. Eventually, he gives in and just lets people call him that. In fairness, the only people that ever met him as Lea were Isa and Ventus, as well as Dilan and Aeleus when they threw Isa and Lea out of the castle. In ''III'' he actually requests that Kairi call him Axel, the two having become close friends during training.
* AllThereInTheManual: His Keyblade, the Bond of the Blaze, is only named in ''Melody of Memory''.
* AnimeHair: Usual for the series, but he is a particularly bad case.
* ApologizesALot: Apparently this is his behavior towards Kairi during their time training together, as her letter to Sora tells that Lea has repeatedly apologized to her for kidnapping her back when he was Axel, and he continues to do so even though she's told him that she's not bearing a grudge.
* AscendedExtra: Got a small role in ''Birth By Sleep'' before becoming a key player in ''3D''.
* AudienceSurrogate: In ''III''. He's just as confused and questioning of the series' plot points as the rest of us.
* BackFromTheDead: He reappears in ''Dream Drop Distance'' after being turned into a Heartless and Nobody. He returns with all of his memories intact from being both Axel ''and'' Lea, and his personality is a mix of Axel's sarcastic laziness and Lea's enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
* BigDamnHeroes: Several times in ''Dream Drop Distance''. He even lampshades it.
-->'''Lea''': "'Dark Rescue's my middle name."
* BlackCloak: Lea is the only human form of a Nobody that still wears the Organization XIII coat.
* CasualDangerDialog: Tries to have some in ''Re:Mind'' but Aqua isn't having it.
-->'''Lea''': Not bad for a on-the-fly team, right?!
-->'''Aqua''': Don't talk, fight!
-->'''Lea''': Heh, don't have to say it like that...
* CatchPhrase: "Got it memorized?", much like his Nobody. As he says in ''Birth by Sleep'', he frequently says this because he wants anyone he meets to remember him.
* CombinationAttack: During the fight with the Replica Xehanorts he gets one with Aqua, combining the spinning snowflake of her Spellweaver with the flaming chakram with Prominence.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Lea retains his darkness abilities from when he was a Nobody, with his ability to create Dark Corridors being particularly useful to the heroes.
* {{Determinator}}: We already knew he must be a strong-willed person to have retained his human shape when he became a Nobody, but he really shows it in ''III''. Even after having his Keyblade shattered by Xemnas and then bombarded by him from lasers coming from all directions, he still tries to stop him from killing Xion, even though he can't even stand at the moment. Taken to new levels in ''Re:Mind'' where after all that, he still fights Saïx and Xemnas alongside Roxas and Xion, '''and wins!''' [[MomentOfWeakness However, this leaves him without energy to finish off Saïx and has to let Sora, Roxas and Xion do the job]].
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Gives an ''epic'' one to [[TheChessmaster Master]] [[BigBad Xehanort]] during his BigDamnHeroes moment.
-->'''Lea''': "You had [[YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive your perfect, little script]], but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let's find out what happens!"
** Does it again to Xemnas in ''III''. However, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu this time ends a bit more badly for him]].
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: Soon afterward, Master Xehanort sends Saïx to attack Lea. Lea is shocked by the revelation but pulls Sora away quickly enough afterward.
* DullSurprise: PlayedForLaughs when he calls his Keyblade for the first time, in contrast to the usual excellent performance of his voice actors.
--> '''Lea:''' Must be in the snap of the wrist or something. ''(Keyblade appears)'' Oh...
* EasilyForgiven: Ienzo surprisingly doesn't seem to begrudge Lea for causing his incredibly painful demise when they were Axel and Zexion. Given that his murder directly resulted in Ienzo being revived as a complete being once more, which is something he is very clearly happy with, perhaps he just decided to bury the hatchet.
** In ''0.2'' Kairi is a partial subversion as she's somewhat hesitant to accept he's to be her Keyblade training partner when she's told that he's formerly Axel. Makes sense, considering her two sole encounters with him were less-than-pleasant and endangered her till near the end of ''II''. She has to be assured by Mickey and Riku that he's completely changed his tune since becoming whole again and is now on their side.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Once he gets a Keyblade, he wields it in a style reminiscent of his old chakrams, involving flourishes that spin it completely and tossing it in Fire Raid style.
* FieryRedhead: As all fire users usually are.
* FlamingSword: On top of his Keyblade having a natural fiery glow, all of Lea's special attacks and ''regular combos'' deal fire damage.
* {{Flanderization}}: The use of his CatchPhrase has gone up with each passing game. In his Nobody's first appearance, ''Chain of Memories'', he only said it ''once''.
* FragileSpeedster: Lea's [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Raid-based]] fighting style gives him multi-hitting attacks on each swing of his combo. He doesn't get much opportunity to display it though, as he is quickly knocked out of the action ''twice'' in the Keyblade Graveyard -- first [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying]] in a [[SingleStrokeBattle single hit]] from Terra-Xehanort (even while [[ShieldsAreUseless attempting to block it!]]), then easily [[BarehandedBladeBlock caught]] and completely drained by Xemnas' MacrossMissileMassacre before the final fight with Saïx. Even while fighting alongside Sora, his habit of chasing down Saïx during the latter's [[InstantDeathRadius Berserk Dance]] and rather unique lack of [[HealingMagicIsTheHardest healing magic]] regularly flattens him out. When battling the Replica Xehanorts in ''Re:Mind'', he's one of the characters who uses [[HighSpeedMissileDodge Aerial Dodge]] instead of Block.
* GenderBlenderName: His name, Lea, is supposed to be pronounced "Leah" according to the katakana, but the English version pronounces it "Lee", presumably in an attempt to make it sound masculine. Downplayed in that Lea is a real English word that is pronounced like "Lee" and many Japanese pronunciation of English words do add an "ah" to the end of it.
* HotBlooded: Very much so.
* HowDoIShootWeb: Even though he can wield a Keyblade, he hasn't exactly gotten the hang of calling it out. As a result, he resorts to his good old fashioned chakrams when goes in to save Sora. It's only ''after'' the whole ordeal that he manages to summon it.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Kairi is Lea's partner in crime for ''Kingdom Hearts III'', and she is roughly half his height.
* HypocriticalHumor: Insults Ventus for playing with a wooden Keyblade, yet proudly shows his frisbees as his weapon of choice.
* IGotBigger: It's rather jarring to realize he used to be roughly the [[TeensAreShort same height as Ventus]] and now he's nearly twice his size.
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: He ends up shedding tears when Kairi accidentally triggers a vague memory of Xion, although it's clear that he doesn't know exactly why.
* ImmortalityThroughMemory: ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that this belief is the origin behind his CatchPhrase. Lea wants everyone he meets to remember who he is, as through those people's memories he'll be able to live forever.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon:
** Lea carries and swings his keyblade around from the chakram that makes up its handguard.
** In his youth, he uses a pair of frisbees to fight Ventus.
* InsistentTerminology: Him telling people to call him Lea, not Axel, is a RunningGag in ''3D''. In the end, he admits defeat and says that Axel works too. After he and Kairi become friends, he ''asks'' her to call him Axel[[note]]This immediately after she triggers a memory of Xion, and he discusses his intent to bring Roxas back[[/note]].
* {{Irony}}: When he was Axel, he was [[CatchPhrase constantly]] telling people to memorize his name. Now he's Lea, and they keep calling him Axel despite his [[InsistentTerminology protests]]. In other words, they had it memorized. Which may be why he doesn't even bother correcting anyone during ''III''.
* LimitedWardrobe: A variant that’s deliberately invoked. He ''is'' given a new outfit to wear fairly early in ''III'', but he doesn’t actually wear it until the very end. So, when Kairi asks why he’s still wearing the Organization coat, he just says that he’s making himself easy to remember. The implication being that he’s making it easy for Roxas to remember him, which may be why he doesn’t bother correcting people when they call him Axel. Roxas never learned what his real name was.
* TheLoad: In ''III'' he spends most of his time being kicked around by Master Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness and only spends half of a battle as a party member before being too wounded to continue. This is especially ironic since his Keyblade training took place in a place without time so that he could grow strong at his own pace, but this didn't seem to do him any good in the end. This is {{averted|Trope}} in ''Re:Mind'', where not only does he help Roxas and Xion defeat [[TheBerserker Saïx]] and [[TheDragon Xemnas]], but he also fights alongside the other Guardians (minus Sora and Kairi) against the Xehanort replicas, even having a CombinationAttack with Aqua.
* MadeOfIron: While he wasn't able to shrug it off, the fact alone that he managed to ''survive'' Xemnas' BeamSpam in ''III'' is pretty damn impressive. Even more so after the cutscene in question was patched and modified so that Xemnas' shoots ''even more lasers'' at him than before.
* ManlyTears: He tearfully reunites with and embraces both Roxas and Xion after Saïx is dealt with in ''III''. According to Isa, Lea used to be (and still is) a crybaby. The reverse tears on his face, as Axel, were apparently a joke made by Isa when they were younger to stop him from crying. By their last battle, this is discussed when Isa thought that Lea outgrew those marks, but he still cries a lot, especially when Isa himself disappears as Saïx and in his reunion hug with Roxas and Xion. They are probably a metaphor to say that he doesn't mind crying anymore, now that he has his heart back.
* MetaGuy: Develops into this by ''III'', even going as far as to [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] his own popularity.
--> '''Lea:''' You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? [[BreakoutCharacter I got loads of people rootin' for me]].
** Another scene before the final battle has him lampshade [[Main/KudzuPlot the absurdly hard-to-follow Kudzu Plot the series is infamous for.]]
--> '''Lea:''' This is all very touching, guys, but where do I fit in? Ven looks just like Roxas - or is it Roxas looks just like Ven? ... And now I have to explain it all to him - which is in itself a crazy long story - and, apparently everybody already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!
* MorphWeapon: Unsurprisingly, he transforms his Keyblade into a pair of [[RingsOfDeath chakrams]] with his Firaga Raid attack.
* NiceGuy: Lea acts as cocky as his Nobody counterpart, but he cares deeply for his friends, including Isa, despite everything he put Roxas and Xion through as Saïx.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Is bequeathed the power of the Keyblade by either Yen Sid or Mickey, travels to the Secret Forest with Merlin and the Three Fairies to learn how to call it from his heart, and by the time we get to see it, he’s clearly almost gotten the hang of it already. This makes him the only person in the room(including [[TheStoic Yen Sid]]) not to react with a big “WHOOOOAAAA!” when he finally summons it onscreen.
* PersonalityPowers: Fiery and useful in a pinch.
* ThePromise: Axel once told Xion that he'd always be there to bring her and Roxas back. Lea's first moment after he comes back is a dream where Roxas reminds him of that promise, and Lea later refers to it, indicating that he wants to fulfill it.
* RebelRelaxation: Just like Axel, he leans against a wall with his arms folded in Yen Sid's Tower while Yen sid judges the results of Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery Exam. He even first summons his keyblade for the first time while in this pose.
* ReverseGrip: A variation; he wields his Keyblade by its ''handguard'', in a manner akin to his old chakrams, and flourishes it to attack.
* SadClown: In ''III'', Lea makes quite a few jokes among the rest of the seven guardians of light that seem to poke fun of the franchise as a whole and his funny persona comes back with a fiery vengeance. However, the same goes for his sadness when he finds himself remembering Xion during his time with Kairi. Finally, when he successfully reunites with Roxas and a tearful Xion, he jokes that he should've brought the ice cream, right before he himself emotionally breaks down and hugs both of his best friends as the trio have the cry of their lives.
* ShaggyDogStory: Along with Isa, he lost his humanity and spent 10 years of his life working for the nefarious Xemnas as a result of a plan to save a girl who they no longer even had in their custody. While he was eventually able to be recompleted and make several new friends and allies, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Despite his CatchPhrase, he nearly forgot about Ventus until he met [[IdenticalStranger Roxas]]. They'd only met one time, and that was 10 years ago.
** His skill with the Keyblade really can't compare to the likes of Sora or Riku, having gotten in recently and trained in a presumably controlled environment. He ends up letting those with more experience like Roxas and Xion take over for him.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: With his Keyblade he fights almost exclusively by throwing it Fire Raid style in his basic combo and both of his Firaga Cutter and Firaga Slicer abilities.
* TookALevelInBadass: Young Lea didn't seem to be much more than an average teenager and the one time he tried to challenge a wooden keyblade-wielding Ventus to a fight, he got his ass handed to him. After spending roughly a decade as the [[HumanoidAbomination Nobody Axel,]] he's recompleted as an older Lea with all of his [[RingsOfDeath skills]] and [[PlayingWithFire abilities]] retained. Then he learns how to summon his own keyblade.
* TookALevelInKindness: As Axel, he was a sinister, cruel {{Jerkass}} and a serious PoisonousFriend to Roxas. As Lea, he's a funny and kind individual with none of the malice left over from his days as a Nobody.
* TrueCompanions: In ''Days'', Axel was the one who first declared that he, Roxas, and Xion, are best friends, and he told Xion that no matter her and Roxas's decisions, he will always be there to bring them back. With Lea recompleted, he carries this will on.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Not him, but his Keyblade. After it is broken by Xemnas he is shown to have it back before Sora's final confrontation with Xehanort, whereas when the same thing happened to Riku earlier in the game he had to leave the Realm of Darkness and return with an entirely new Keyblade.
** Made even more egregious in Re:Mind, where he proceeds to use it to fight Xemnas and Saix alongside Roxas and Xion immediately after Xemnas broke it.
* VagueAge: Was a teenager in ''Birth by Sleep,'' so he's likely in his twenties for most of the series. But specifically '' where'' in his twenties is just guesswork until we get [[invoked]]WordOfGod confirming it. Common guesses are that he was about 15/16 in ''Birth by Sleep'' making him about 27/28 in ''III''.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Averted on the villain bit, but still has his widow's peak.
* WeaponOfChoice: The Bond of the Blaze, a Keyblade with a guard shaped like one of Axel's old chakrams, and a blade made of translucent orange crystal complete with an inner fiery glow effect. It looks a lot like the combination of the guard of Sora's Bond Of Flame keyblade in ''II'' and the blade of Ventus' Frolic Flame keyblade in ''Birth By sleep''. Fitting since they're based on Axel and Lea respectively.
* WistfulAmnesia: Kairi's letter reveals that when Lea looks at her face (which is also Xion's), he knows there is something he's forgotten and needs to remember.
* TheWorfBarrage: During the brief boss fight against Saïx and Xion, when Saïx fills up his second Berserk meter and powers up a second time, Lea will always rush in and wildly toss his old chakrams at him while yelling at him to stop. Saïx will have invincibility frames the whole time and will the proceed to incapacitate all the heroes in the ensuing cutscene.
* YearInsideHourOutside: Merlin, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all pitch in to warp time and space to reduce the amount of time it takes to make Lea worthy of a Keyblade.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Implied. He spends a decent amount of [[YearInsideHourOutside slowed down]] time trying to call a Keyblade before giving up due to other pressing matters. After things settle, he lazily gives it another shot and succeeds, surprising even himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xion]]
!!Xion
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xion_khiii_3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:290:''"Who am I? What am I... here for?"'']]
[[caption-width-right:290:[[labelnote:Click here to see Xion in her Twilight Town attire]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh3xion_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Risa Uchida (Japanese), Creator/AlysonStoner (''358/2 Days'', ''HD 1.5 [=ReMIX=]'', and ''III'', English), Creator/HaydenPanettiere (''Birth by Sleep'' and ''3D'', English)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' | ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]''
->''"Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you. Oh...and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."''
Number XIV of the original Organization and Number XIII of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, introduced in ''358/2 Days''. A Keyblade wielder unable to remember her past like Roxas, she joins up shortly after him and they quickly become friends. It's later revealed that she's not a true member of Organization XIII or even a Nobody; she's a replica of Sora created from his escaped memories, and acts like a cage for the memories and a "backup" if Roxas or Sora were proved to be worthless to the Organization. Ultimately, Xion learns her existence threatens Roxas's and prevents Sora from waking up, and she decides to trick Roxas into killing her as a way of ruining Xemnas's plans.
Though erased from memory, she still lived on in a way in the hearts of Roxas, Axel, and Sora. When searching for a thirteenth member to fill their ranks, the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness found Vexen’s records on No. I, and brought her heart from her earliest days of life to the present to inhabit a Replica body, recreating Xion. During the Second Keyblade War, confronting Sora causes Xion to regain her memories and her friends to regain theirs of her, bringing Xion back to the side of good once again and reuniting her with Roxas and Axel.
----
* ActionGirl: Whenever she's feeling strong enough... which often comes at Roxas' expense.
* AffirmativeActionGirl: Xion debuts in ''Days'' as the Organization XIII's second female member.
* AntiVillain: To the point where she barely qualifies as a villain. When you get down to it, the biggest danger she poses against the protagonists' goals -- and even her ''own'' -- come from her nature as a replica absorbing more power than she wants and her desire to just exist.
* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel (and, presumably, most of the rest of the Organization), Riku, Naminé and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi. Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
** By the time of ''III,'' when Sora (and by extension Roxas) identify her by name, restoring her memories, she takes the form of the black-haired girl when her hood falls off.
* ArtificialHuman: She's a Replica created by Vexen that was designed to absorb Sora's memories and give Xemnas another Keyblade user to control.
* AttackAttackAttack: Her data battle in ''III'' has her relentlessly charge after Sora with rapid close-up attacks, complemented with blue light beams which temporarily decrease Sora's max HP if they damage him.
* AxCrazy: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. When in her transformed final form, she appears to be this, but she's actually feigning it so that Roxas will destroy her and she can return to Sora.
* BadassAdorable: A Kairi look-alike that can fight? Yes please!
* BallOfLightTransformation: In her data bossfight in ''Re:Mind'' she will zip around the battlefield in the form of a mote of light before changing back to attack.
* BackFromTheDead: In ''III'', Xion is restored to become a member of the XIII Seekers of Darkness because the replica body had her heart from the past, though her heart from the present eventually went into the vessel after Roxas through Sora said her name.
* BattleAura: She gets a golden aura of light for her Data Battle in ''Re:Mind'', in this state she has a bar of armor that must be destroyed before she returns to her normal battle phase and will bombard Sora with giant shockwaves of light.
* TheBerserker: Her emotional instability and lack of finesse leads her to fighting like this. Taken UpToEleven in her ''Re:Mind'' data rematch, where she is constantly screaming and furiously trying to bash Sora relentlessly with her Keyblade.
* BerserkButton: Riku calling her Keyblade a sham provokes her to a furious rage. When she's unable to strike him down for the insult, she's reduced to screaming in impotent anger.
* BetaTestBaddie: Not only does she have the Nobodies' standard lack of a heart, she's a replica of Sora made of his memories, and thanks to having those memories, initially believed she lived Sora's life without knowing who Sora was. As the final boss, she makes it look like she plays this straight, even going as far as absorbing Roxas to complete herself, as she was created to do, but she's a subversion in reality -- she was acting.
* TheBlank: Her true, original appearance had no features (implied to be how all replicas start out). Eventually she develops the appearance of Kairi but with black hair, but some people, most notably Saïx, literally never come to see her as anything but a doll.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The brunette to Naminé's blonde and Kairi's redhead. Also to Roxas's blond and Axel's redhead.
* BoyishShortHair: It's a warped version of Kairi's first hairstyle: black instead of red, and mirrored.
* BreakTheCutie: She spends ''Days'' growing from a blank shell that speaks in monosyllables to a kind, inquisitive, downright heroic kid in parallel with Roxas. Then come the revelations about what she is and what dangers she poses to her best friends and the worlds as a whole, and her personality takes a turn towards the darker until she feels like she has no choice but to go rogue from the Organization, and worse.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Able to fight and take out Heartless using [[ElementalPowers elemental magic]] even after temporarily losing the ability to wield her keyblade. Unfortunately for her, the hearts that Heartless release upon defeat cannot be collected unless a keyblade was used to beat them.
* CameBackStrong: When Roxas says her name, she ultimately reclaims her original identity and performs a HeelFaceTurn along with rejoining the Guardians of Light for good after the end of the battle with Saïx. She also seems to regain her old strength, as before this happens she was much weaker and mainly relied on copying Saïx's power, while still having difficulty against rookie Keyblade wielders Kairi and Lea.
* CameBackWrong: In ''III'', with the Seekers having brought her back to fill out their ranks but the replica body has Xion's heart from when she first joined the Organization, which explains why she doesn't fully remember who she was, along with being weaker than she used to be and mainly relying on copying Saïx's power to get by in battle. It takes Roxas through Sora calling her by her name to get her to snap out of it, and it visibly hurts her to do so.
* CessationOfExistence: Since she's made of memories and is basically bound to existence by them alone, returning to Sora means getting rid of her only tethers to reality. Remnants of her do exist in Sora's heart, though, and the memories of her aren't destroyed, but hidden in him. Ultimately undone in ''III'' when Roxas says her name, causing Lea to also remember her along with Roxas when he returns.
%%* TheChick
* ClimaxBoss: Big fight with multiple forms and phases? Wraps up a major story arc? Has a PostFinalBoss following her? Check, check, check.
* CloningBlues: Not just that she lacks individuality: lots of angst comes from her being not who or what she thought she was and being dangerous to her friends just by existing.
* CombatStilettos: Along with Larxene she's the only other one that has them.
* ContraltoOfDanger: Compared to Kairi. It's minimal, but noticeable, especially in Risa Uchida's case.
* CryCute: After the boss fight against Saix in '''III''', she starts breaking down in tears upon realizing that she's finally reunited with Roxas and Axel. Cue her best friends doing the same in a matter of seconds.
* CurbStompBattle: Her fight against Riku is a painfully one sided affair, with it being implied Saïx sent her against him for that exact reason.
* TheCutie: Xion is a shy, soft spoken, and adorable sweetheart.
* CutenessProximity: In the manga, she absolutely melts at the sight of Pluto.
-->'''Xion:''' PUPPY! ''[Immediately begins to hug and start petting him]''
* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: She knows that if she continues to exist Roxas will fade, so she chooses to force him into killing her instead.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: She dies being held by Roxas.
* DisappearsIntoLight: When she dies she turns into crystals which then fade into particles of light.
* DistaffCounterpart: To Roxas, since she is the only other Organization XIII member who can wield the Keyblade. By the end of the game, we learn that she is [[OppositeSexClone literally]] Roxas's female counterpart.
* DittoFighter: Apparently, her nature as a replica who takes on traits of people near her extends to more than just Roxas or Sora. In ''III'' she imitates Saïx's weapon and moves, during the fight against them in the Keyblade Graveyard.
* DoomedByCanon: Xion is never seen or mentioned in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' despite her important role in Roxas's life with Organization XIII. Roxas has no flashbacks involving Xion, so that hints at Xion being Ret Gone. Explained in-game that as Xion's essence was reabsorbed into Roxas, there was nothing left to remember Xion with. Unlike Roxas and Naminé, she utterly ceases to exist.
* DualWielding: In her final boss form she wields two swords roughly shaped like the Nobody sigil.
* DyingAsYourself: Her appearance before Roxas's battle with her is as Sora, as she is aware, and then she transforms into what looks like armor reminiscent of Sora's appearance during the battle proper. When she dies, the armor is gone, her she's back to looking like black-haired Kairi.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After living out her first life essentially being TheChewToy and starting her second life as a tool, Xion ''finally'' gets her hard-earned happy ending in ''III'' when she reunites with Roxas and Lea. She is last seen playing with Naminé, clearly living the life of a normal girl.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When Naminé basically announces her death sentence before the climax of ''Days'', Xion seems to hold no fear of it, since it is for the greater good.
* FanservicePack: It's hardly the biggest example in the world, but her bust is slightly larger in ''III'' than in previous games, enough to be noticeable at least.
* FightingYourFriend: Seems to be a recurring thing for her in particular among the trio: in total she's forced to fight Roxas and Axel twice each:
** She and Roxas are first tricked by the Organization to see each other as Heartless to eliminate in order to test them and narrow down their shared power to one entity. The second time, Xion challenges Roxas in an attempt at SuicideByCop so that she can properly return the memories she's made of to Sora and stop putting Roxas in danger.
** She and Axel first fight when Axel is sent to retrieve Xion for the Organization after she's gone rogue looking for answers. The second time is during ''III'', where Axel, now back to his original self Lea, and Kairi fight her and Saïx during the Keyblade War, though neither of them seem to be able to recognize each other until Lea is put in mortal danger. In an egregious act of cruelty, Xemnas tries to order her to kill Lea ''precisely'' because he knows she and Axel were friends.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her BonusBoss incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's (both of them, being considerably more super powered than the others, only open after the other eleven data battles have been completed).
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Invoked quite sadly; after Roxas defeats her he can't even remember her name. After she fades away, he and everyone else loses every memory of her.
* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Roxas and by extension Sora. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl. This is by and large strictly limited to her debut appearance; Xion still roughly has the same physical appearance she's always had in ''III''.
* GhostMemory: During a chunk of ''Days'', she experiences a long period of coma and wakes up knowing Sora's experiences from the first game. TheReveal is that she had unwittingly absorbed Sora's memories that Naminé is trying to reconstruct, effectively halting Sora's memory restoration. The only way to resume it is for Xion to die, therefore transferring the memories back to Sora.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Twice-subverted. She initially resists such a proposition despite the pain she feels, until Xemnas interferes in an attempt to force her to absorb Roxas. Not that he actually succeeded - she's only [[ObfuscatingInsanity feigning insanity]] because she needed Roxas to destroy her artificial body so she could return to Sora, where she (quite lucidly) decided that she belonged.
* GoOutWithASmile: She's smiling at Roxas the whole time she's dying in his arms, and remains smiling as she DisappearsIntoLight, happy that she's able to return to Sora.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: The Organization's original plan is for Xion to become their Keyblade wielder backup in case something happens to Roxas. It works out fine. Then she absorbs much of Sora's memories, stopping his memory restoration. Even better; this way, they have one less adversary to deal with. But then Xion develops a distinct personality due to her interaction with her friends. Said personality eventually causes her to search for her origins, culminating in her meeting with Riku and Naminé, resulting in her choice to rejoin Sora rather than serving the Organization any further.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: For most of the missions Roxas has with Xion, she doesn't have access to her keyblade, forcing her to rely on magic to fight heartless. Aside from those moments, they're usually a heavily downplayed example with both being capable warriors of the keyblade at all ranges with Xion's fighting style in her Data Rematch relying more on sending beams of light at Sora from all directions.
* HealingHands: She throws out Cures while fighting alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: In ''III'' she is able to reject the piece of Xehanort's heart that was put inside her out of love for Axel and Roxas and switches sides to fight alongside them.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: PlayedWith. [[TheCutie She's a good person]] who gets shuffled through [[GreyAndGrayMorality various plot threads]], some against her will. She begins as a member of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Organization XIII]], which makes her a heel. But when she and Roxas find out that they were ObliviouslyEvil, she defects to DIZ, who is an AntiHero. This makes her a face to the narrative, but she now must oppose Roxas. Then Axel forces her back to Organization XIII, where [[GreaterScopeVillain Xemnas, her heel boss]], powers her up to make her a killing machine. This makes her a heel again, but she instead chooses to commit SuicideByCop to return Roxas’s power, dying in service of DIZ’s goals and ending up RetGone. In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', she's back as a heel. But halfway through her battle with Sora, she defects once again, thus turning fully face as she's now aligned with both the heroes and her morals.
* HeelFaceTurn: Switches sides when she is manipulated into working for bad guys and then learns/remembers the truth. Would be a HighHeelFaceTurn if not for [[CardCarryingVillain Larxene]] also being one of the unrepentant bad guys each time.
** In ''Days'', she leaves the Organization and ultimately decides to sacrifice herself, to stop Xemnas and the Organization as well as to save Roxas and Sora.
** In ''III'', she is the only member of XIII Seekers of Darkness who defects partway through the final confrontation between them and the Guardians of Light, choosing instead to fight on the side of the Guardians after reuniting with her friends. She is also the only one of the Seekers to survive to the end... Aside from Xigbar, that is.
* HeroicBSOD: Not so much on the heroic part due to her allegiance, but she suffered this once she learned what her true nature is.
* HeroicSuicide: In order to stop herself from making Roxas disappear she fights Roxas [[SuicideByCop with the intent of being killed by him]] to save him. Earlier, she had come to the (reluctant) conclusion that she should "return to Sora" to give back the memories of his she'd accidentally been absorbing so he could wake up because it was the right thing for everyone, which would also require giving up her existence. Roxas killing her took care of both.
* HolyHandGrenade: In ''III'', she's able to cast Laser Rain, as a callback to her PillarOfLight attack from her final ''Days'' boss encounter.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Though they initially don't recognize her, her appearance in ''III'' subjects her to this once Sora comes into the picture, as Roxas within Sora is the first person to recognize Xion and reach out to her while she's fighting Sora, Lea and Kairi and under Xehanort's control. Though enough of her old self remains to defend Lea, she lashes out when Sora tries to sway her from the darkness, and it takes Roxas saying her name through him to snap her out of it.
* InvoluntaryShapeshifter: In a sense. She's always humanoid but because she's made up of memories, she looks different depending on who is looking at her. And even for those who typically see her a particular way most of the time, her appearance may involuntarily change if she is being overwhelmed by certain memories. She started out as a featureless doll, but gains the unique appearance of a black-haired Kairi. She once hallucinates herself as Roxas shifting into Riku shifting into Sora, and on two occasions completely takes on the appearance of Sora when she absorbs too many of his memories. Xigbar at one point sees her as Ventus.
* {{Irony}}: Saïx's infamous MyFriendsAndZoidberg line about her in ''Days'' takes on a bit of this come ''III''. Not only is Xion chosen as a Seeker over half of the original Organization and backups like Demyx and Vexen, but she even uses her nature as a replica, the very thing that made Saïx belittle her, to copy Saïx's own powers while fighting alongside him.
* ItIsDehumanizing: Referred to such by Saïx, who is among those who see her as TheBlank. Roxas and Axel do not take kindly to this.
* KillTheCutie: She dies in Roxas' arms in order to keep him from fading and return to Sora to give back the memories of his.
* KnightOfCerebus: Xion is a very rare ''non''-villainous example of this trope. Her presence in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', the attachment to her from Roxas and Axel as well as the player followed by the ''crushing despair'' upon her fate at the end of the game permanently sets the darker tone for the following games in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[GratuitousFrench Musique pour la tristesse de Xion]]".
* LethalChef: In the ''Days'' manga, she cooks food for Pluto that looks like it would melt your stomach.
* LightEmUp: As she was created to copy Roxas, she has the same abilities as him, including the use of light powers.
* LightIsGood: She sacrifices herself for what's right.
* LightIsNotGood: As an Organization member she started out this way.
* LimitBreak: Event Horizon, [[BladeSpam just like]] [[LightEmUp Roxas.]]
* LivingMemory: She is Roxas's clone made entirely of Sora's memories.
* LoopholeAbuse: This is how she’s ultimately brought back from the dead. While everyone’s memories of Xion faded, Vexen’s records of No. I’s creation still existed and could be used to recreate her.
* TheLostLenore: While Xion is doomed to be forgotten by the people who knew her, the memories don't completely disappear immediately after her death and Roxas mourns her ''terribly'', to the point of basically going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the Organization and anyone who stands in his way while clinging onto the tendrils of memories that he still has of her. Despite her being 'forgotten', 3D has Sora shed a tear when he sees Xion's face in a dream. Early on in ''III'' it's shown that Lea will stare at Kairi because he feels like he's forgotten something important, signaling that the loss of Xion (who is facially identical to Kairi) is subconsciously felt by him, with the feelings at one point even bringing him to tears.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: She was created by Vexen and her standard appearance resembles a black-haired Kairi. Do the math.
* MagikarpPower: [[InvokedTrope Invoked.]] She's a fairly weak fighter at first and has to be supported a lot on missions. However, it turns out this is intentional, as Xion is designed to grow stronger through absorbing memories of Sora from Roxas, which in turn makes Roxas weaker. This is why in later missions she's more useful, but Roxas in turn is weaker.
* MaximumHPReduction: The main gimmick of her battle in ''Re:Mind'' is that her blue beams will reduce Sora's max HP which can only be restored with items or time.
* MeaningfulName: Nomura himself stated [[http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Xion#Trivia he liked the name instantly because of its many meanings.]] This means it has a ''shitload'' of meanings:
** She's named after a flower (''shion'') that symbolizes [[{{Irony}} remembrance]].
** The anagram of No. ''i'', an imaginary number, which gets {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Re:Mind''. No. ''i'' could also be seen as No. I (number one), demonstrating that she's Vexen's first (and faulty) experimental clone, or as "No I" (no one), referring to her lack of true identity and the Organization's view of her as merely a tool.
** "Xion" is pronounced as "Shion", which is a real name in Japanese and is in fact a unisex name, with Xion turning out to be an OppositeSexClone. ''Shio,'' Japanese for "tide," is a nod to the likes of [[ThemeNaming Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua]]. The aspect of the tide being pulled by the moon gains significance in ''III'', where not only does Xion fight alongside Saïx on the side of darkness while having copied his weapon and berserker abilities, Saïx is implied in the Secret Reports to have had a hand in helping bring Replica vessels to Nobodies on Sora's side, including Xion. ''Shi'' is also the normal Japanese pronunciation for "[[FourIsDeath Four]]", and she's the ''fourteenth'' member, essentially making her name {{Foreshadowing}} for her [[DoomedByCanon eventual outcome]] as well as also her connection to Vexen, Number IV of the Organization, who is revealed to be her creator.
** As an unofficial name still said in the canon, Xigbar frequently refers to Xion as "Poppet," cluing in to the fact that she is not so much a Nobody as she is a [[ArtificialHuman puppet]].
* MindScrew: The true nature of Xion is rather confusing, especially the validity of the aforementioned GenderBender.
* MixAndMatchMan: Xion is an imperfect replica whose identity was dictated by Sora's memories through Roxas, but due to the inconsistency of which memories they are, she's taken on traits of Sora ''and'' his friends. Her dominant appearance is nearly identical to Kairi due to the initial memories creating her were mainly Sora's memories of Kairi. She wields a Kingdom Key, the same as Sora, and physically turns into Sora if she absorbs too many of his memories. She turns into Riku in one of her nightmares, and when she vanishes back into Roxas, he gains the ability to wield Oblivion, which originally represented Sora's relationship with Riku. The Novelization of ''Days'' even implies that Xion had started to absorb fragments of Riku's memories during the time that she was getting advice from him. Then there's the fact that Xigbar uniquely sees Ventus when he looks at her, and in ''III'' she's [[DittoFighter able to take on the abilities]] of ''Saïx'' when fighting alongside him.
* MovesetClone: She has the exact same stats, {{Combos}}, LimitBreak (and Final Limit), and weapons as Roxas in ''358/2 Days''. The only gameplay difference between them is that she lacks the DualWielding mechanic. Similarly, her data boss fight in ''Re:Mind'' is based on Roxas's battle from ''Final Mix'', but she has a few of her moves from her boss battle in ''358/2 Days'' to mix it up.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms in the 3rd phase of her boss fight in ''358/2 Days'' with [[MultiWielding each limb holding a]] [[SinisterScimitar curved sword]] presumably as a result of Sora's memories of fighting Kurt Zisa in Agrabah.
* MultiStageBattle: For her fight, the first three stages all take place in locations of keyholes Sora locked in the first game until the final stage which is instead the front of the Clock Tower where Sora would later open the world's gate in ''II''.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: She's a rare, non-comedic example of this trope. As the story goes on, it's shown she's nothing more than a puppet for Xemnas, not even a real Nobody, and Saïx reveals that she was never even part of the Organization.
-->'''Saïx, to Roxas''': "A puppet couldn't be part of the Organization. Just count the seats here. We have and always will be thirteen."
* NiceGirl: Xion is without a doubt one of the most kindest and selfless chacters in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. She always puts her friends before her self, and has a strong sense of justice and generosity, willingly sacrificing herself to join with Sora. Like Aqua, Kairi, and Naminé, Xion fights passionately to protect those she has come to care for. Her love for her friends is ultimately what drives her as she wants nothing more then to spend the rest of her life with them, and if she can't have that she can at least make sure that they are able to live happly.. It is best summed up by her diary entry in the secret reports from ''Days''
-->'''Xion diary entry''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
* NoBiologicalSex: Being a Replica whose AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder, Xion does not have a gender in the physical sense, though constantly spending time with Roxas (who sees her as a black haired Kairi) causes her to identify as female.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: She appears to go berserk and tries to kill Roxas at the end of ''Days'', but this is an act so that Roxas will fight for his life and kill her instead.
* OneWingedAngel: When Xion fights Roxas at the end of 358/2 Days, she takes on a form that resembles Keyblade armor arranged in the shape of Sora's silhouette with Nobody motifs. There are four stages to this, each with its own set of weapons, and with her final form being [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever enormous]].
* OppositeSexClone: She's a Replica of Roxas, but typically manifests as Kairi because the latter makes up Sora's strongest memories. During occasions where she gets overwhelmed by those memories her appearance turns into that of Sora himself.
* ParadoxPerson: She is an ArtificialHuman created from Sora's memories and is meant to be a clone and replacement of Sora's Nobody, Roxas. Because of her relationship with Roxas, she unwittingly absorbs Sora's memories, causing her to grow stronger and essentially [[BecomeARealBoy becoming a person]], but making both Sora and Roxas weaker. When she perishes, she is {{Ret Gone}}d. Or so we think. It turns out that replicas, like Nobodies and other intelligent beings who lack hearts, are capable of growing them given time. Xion did, so when the heart is returned to her, everyone remembers her again.
* TheParagon: For Roxas and Axel, though the latter wasn't very receptive. She's ultimately the most heroic of the trio.
* ParentalFavoritism: The Secret Reports in ''Days'' show that Xion (or No. i, at the time) was selected over the replica model that became Riku's replica by Vexen, who deemed No. i to be his greatest creation and can be seen grinning when Xemnas is introducing Xion to the rest of the Organization. Not that it matters much since Vexen perished soon after.
* PersonalityPowers: [[DoubleSubversion Double subverted]]; much like Roxas, she's a bit more melancholic than you'd expect of a Light user, but she does have brighter aspects of her personality. Also, she (like Roxas) does seem to be one of the nicer members.
* PillarOfLight:
** She shares Roxas's Event Horizon LimitBreak in in ''Days'' where she will shoot radial pillars of light for the second stage of the limit.
** One of her most powerful attacks in her final battle in ''Days'' is raining down a series of light pillars over the battlefield, or summoning one massive column directly in the center. She gains a variant of the former as an attack spell when she fights alongside Sora and Roxas in ''III''.
** Her data battle will have her summon pillars of light with nearly every attack in ''Re:Mind''.
* PinocchioSyndrome: Once she learns she's a Replica, not an actual Nobody. It's clear that she wishes she were like the others.
--> '''Xion:''' What would it take for me to be like you?
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When Xion makes the decision to sacrifice her existence to awaken Sora, she explicitly writes that she loves Roxas and Axel in her diary, declaring that she won't forget her time with them, even if they do.
* PowerCopying: She can wield a Keyblade as a result of copying Roxas's. Taken to an extreme in ''III'', as when fighting alongside Saïx she learns to clone his claymore to attack too, though she ditches it after her HeelFaceTurn. Additionally, her Keyblade is given its own identifier in this game as the 'Replica Kingdom Key'.
* PowerFloats: She just levitates in place in her final form.
* PowerParasite: She can absorb others as part of being a replica, with Roxas and Sora being the main victims. In her case, though, it's a passive effect and completely involuntary. This is a major factor in her decision to pull a SuicideByCop.
** Weaponizes this in her Data rematch in ''Re:Mind'' with light beams capable of [[MaximumHPReduction reducing your max HP.]]
* ReallyDeadMontage: Right at the end of ''Days'', when she disappears while [[RetGone everyone forgets her, and everything about her stops existing]], before Roxas forgets her, a brief flashback of her turning to him and smiling is shown. After a bit, one of his memories of her and the other protagonist (Axel) of eating ice cream shows up, the three of them having fun. Then the same scene appears again, while Xion fades away.
* RememberTheNewGuy: She shows up abruptly in ''358/2 Days'' where she is Number XIV in a group previously established in ''II'' to be named Organization '''XIII,''' becomes Roxas's and Axel's best friend when they don't mention her at all in ''II,'' and is revealed to be a Keyblade-wielder who looks like Kairi and whose appearance shocks Riku. Like Naminé in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Xion is a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction of this trope]], in this case with the reveal that we didn't hear about her from any of the characters in ''II'' because she died and was [[RetGone erased from everyone's memories]].
* ReplacementGoldfish:
** Xion was basically created to serve this purpose, as a potential backup or replacement for Roxas in the event the Organization couldn't control him. She also, along with Roxas, starts to be accused of being this to Axel by Saïx, who shows extreme disdain for them due to Axel developing a close friendship with them while Saïx's own relationship with Axel becomes increasingly strained. Xion bears the strongest brunt of this, however, as Saïx's literal inability to see her as anything but a featureless puppet (proof of his failure to acknowledge her as an individual) lead Saïx to scathingly refer to any emotions regarding Xion as 'make-believe'.
** Xion ends up serving this role again for the XIII Seekers of Darkness after [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance their plan to possess Sora failed.]] The ''Re:Mind'' DLC reveals that Saïx, who at this point [[TheAtoner is trying to atone for his mistakes]], suggests that they reconstruct No. ''i'' from Vexen's research data in order to fill out their ranks and fulfil their Sora requirement due to her relationship to him.
* RetGone: Subverted. Since she was ''made'' of memories, her death meant the death of her memory. When she was absorbed into Roxas, everyone forgot that she ever existed... for awhile. She begins making cameo appearances in ''Re:Coded'' and ''Dream Drop Distance'', with Riku and Sora both meeting her for long enough to get a good look at her face during the latter. Sora even seems to gain Roxas's memories of ''Days'' in full, including Xion, and it's implied that Lea has WistfulAmnesia about her when he looks at Kairi. When Xion returns in ''III'', Lea and Roxas end up remembering her.
* SailorEarth: Xion is introduced as Organization XIII's newest member Number XIV, continues the ThreeAmigos pattern of the series by being best friends with Roxas and Axel, and is a Kairi-lookalike who has ShipTease with Sora's lookalike Roxas. On paper she sounds like she's a character straight out of an early 2000's fanfic, but it is revealed to be an intentional -- and very sinister -- example InUniverse: Xion is in fact ''not'' a true member of the Organization but a Replica created to drain the power and life out of Roxas so she could replace him as a more easily managed Keyblade-wielder Xemnas could reprogram as he wished. It's for this reason that she and Roxas are partnered up on the early missions that spark their friendship, to encourage her to latch onto him and begin copying his power. As a Replica, she was an outsider among the rest of the Organization, only viewed as a puppet by the higher-ups and never as a true member; because of this, she is never given a throne of her own in the Round Room, a RedBaron title, her own special type of Nobodies to control, or even her own Proof of Existence like all the other members do.
* ScreamingWarrior: During her Data Rematch in ''Limit Cut'', she'll actually start roaring during some of her more destructive attacks.
* SizeShifter: After donning the Sora-like armor, she becomes noticeably larger than Roxas and gets bigger with every next phase of the fight until she's as tall as the Twilight Town Clock Tower.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: The games explain her true form is her appearance as a black-haired Kairi while all of her other appearances are merely illusions caused by memory.
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: An odd example: as a replica of Sora made to copy his powers, her various forms are all influenced by him one way or another. In her final boss form, this manifests as her taking the form of a Sora made of armor, and using all his signature abilities from prior games.
* SheCleansUpNicely: At the very end of ''III'' when the danger's finally passed, Xion's able to rid herself of the Organization coat and wears a black and white blouse and skirt that takes a few cues from Kairi and Naminé.
* ShipTease: With Roxas in ''Days''. She fulfills pretty much every aspect that would make her look like Roxas's love interest in any other work, but because they can't feel anything due to being Nobodies and are way too innocent to even know what love is, it's unclear if their friendship is supposed to involve the start of romantic feelings or [[TheNotLoveInterest not]]. It's worth noting they don't show anything overtly romantic between them in ''III'' and more focus is given instead to their [[PlatonicLifePartners friendship with each other and Axel]]. It's really connecting outside materials (whose canonicity is questionable) that takes the subtext further. In the manga, for example, Xion says holding Roxas' Keyblade feels like she's holding his hand and one of the two saying can you imagine us doing anything other than eat ice cream - cue both of them giving each other awkward stares. The ''Days'' novel has Roxas saying Xion is "the girl he treasures" and the narration says his bond with Xion ended up being the same bond Sora has with Kairi.
* SignificantAnagram: Of "No. ''i''", her designation as part of the Replica Program.
* SomeoneHasToDie: With Roxas (and in conjunction, Sora). Both of them are unable to coexist stably because Xion is built to keep draining Roxas's power, which will eventually make him fade away.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Her actions ultimately bring about the end of the original Organization XIII. By choosing to die rather than continue serving the Organization, she not only prevents them from using her to collect hearts but also allows Naminé to resume restoring Sora's memories, enabling him to wake up. And by announcing her plans to Roxas -- even if he forgets her afterward -- it solidifies his defection from the Organization, leaving them with no Keyblade wielder they can control.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: A Replica of Roxas that ends up absorbing Sora's memories, Xion lets herself be absorbed into Roxas's heart when she dies, returning the power she'd accidentally taken from him, and then gets absorbed into Sora's heart alongside Roxas when the latter returns to him, returning Sora's memories back to their rightful owner. While Roxas was initially resistant to fusing with Sora and appeared more several times after the initial fusion, Xion [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepted her fate]] as necessary and apart from briefly telepathically communicating with Riku and Roxas at the end of ''Days'' she doesn't show up as an individual again until a dream version of her appears in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''.
* SuicideByCop: Her FinalBoss amounts to this, with the "Cop" being [[DefectorFromDecadence Roxas]].
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: As a Seeker of Darkness. [[https://imgur.com/vflxBck It's hard to tell since she spends all of her screentime as a vessel with her hood up, but she does have them.]] Regaining her present-day heart from Sora ejected Xehanort's heart as well as the past version of her heart, turning her eyes back to normal.
* SwordPlant: When in her light aura phase in ''Re:Mind'' she will attack almost exclusively by stabbing her keyblade into the ground, generating shockwaves of light magic.
* TeensAreShort: She's about the same size as Roxas. Axel jokes about adding two half-pints together to get a whole.
* ThemeNaming: Her part in the "girls related to Kairi" group is ''shio'' for tide.
* ThereIsAnother: Invoked. Her whole purpose was to be a backup plan in case the Organization couldn't control Roxas. She gets hit with this again when the Seekers of Darkness need a thirteenth member and their plan to use Sora failed, so they opt to recreate Xion as an EmotionlessGirl and use her as a vessel for Xehanort's heart instead. Luckily this blows up in their faces when it leads to her friends remembering her again and her subsequently finding the strength to shake off Xehanort's influence and turn against the Seekers out of ThePowerOfFriendship.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: During her boss battle alongside Saïx, one of her primary attacks is to throw her Keyblade at you or Kairi. This attack is carried over as her most basic attack for her data rematch in ''Re:Mind''.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To the XIII Seekers in ''III'' as she is only serving them because the replica body has her heart from the time when she first joined the Organization.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: She dies in ''Days'' as the first member who openly tries to rebel against Xemnas. Subverted in ''III'' when the XIII Seekers of Darkness are able to bring her back to join them as a reluctant member, mainly because the replica body has her heart from the past.
* TookALevelInBadass: Begins working for the Organization with only a couple basic low-level elemental magic spells as her means of offense. She soon learns that she can wield the keyblade, granting her access to powerful light-based powers like Roxas and significantly increasing her utility to the Organization. Even after she temporarily loses the keyblade, she's using noticeably more powerful and varied magic spells than the last time Roxas fought alongside her.
** Eventually revealed to be a deconstruction since the only reason she's getting stronger fighting with the keyblade is because she's draining energy from Roxas. She's later personally altered by Xemnas himself to defeat Roxas and absorb him completely while aided by specially placed Organization devices in various worlds to enhance her strength, resulting in a climactic SequentialBossFight.
* TransferableMemory: She's ''made'' of them.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The girl to her two guy friends, Roxas and Axel.
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything ''about'' her is just one big spoiler.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: She gets hit with this trope twice as hard as Roxas. She discovered in the middle of ''Days'' that she was a replica designed to copy Sora's powers through Roxas. Then she learned from Naminé her memories don't belong to her and that she's just a bunch of Sora's memories of Kairi. The treatment of the Organization members (who themselves angst over their technical non-human status) to her is downright dehumanizing, outright calling her a puppet (save Axel and Roxas, maybe Demyx and Luxord) and never considered her to be a part of them.
* UnskilledButStrong: On her own terms, Xion has great power but noticably lacks finesse in her swordplay. One of her phase intervals in the ''Re:Mind'' rematch has her running at Sora in an UnstoppableRage wildly flailing around her Keyblade with one hand.
* WaterIsWomanly: Xion is the female of the Clock Tower Trio and a Replica who mostly takes after Kairi's persona. Her name is pronounced "shee-on"; shio in Japanese means "tide". A recurring dream that Xion experiences throughout the game is her drowning inside seawater.
%%* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Becomes this by the end of ''Days''.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She looks like a young teenager to most people, but really, she's just under a year old by the time of her death.
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* CryIntoChest: Roxas and Xion emotionally break down sobbing into Lea's chest in ''III'', after many months of being separated and nearly losing their friendship, it's hard to blame them for this reaction.
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* CryIntoChest: Roxas and Xion emotionally break down sobbing into Lea's chest in ''III'', after ''III''. After many months of being separated and nearly losing their friendship, it's hard to blame them for this reaction.
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* SoleSurvivor: Of all the Organization members sent to Castle Oblivion (consisting of Marluxia, Zexion, Vexen, Larxene, Lexeaus and Axel himself) in ''Chain of Memories'', Axel was the only one to come back alive, having orchestrated the others' deaths.
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Authors Saving Throw is YMMV.
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** AuthorsSavingThrow in ''Days'': The relation between Axel and Roxas (and Xion) is shown to be more of a BigBrotherInstinct of Axel's towards his younger cohorts, who are both only a few days old at the beginning of the game. That said, by the end of the game, Axel's role as the "big brother" of the gang starts to [[PoisonousFriend get]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder rather]] [[ConflictingLoyalty murky]] ...
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* TokenGoodTeammate: The three are probably the least evil Organization XIII members. Roxas and Xion [[AntiVillain don't know any better]] and don't do anything actively malicious during their time with the group. Axel is a downplayed variant in that he starts off just as vicious and evil as the rest of them, but eventually softens up (thanks to [[PositiveFriendInfluence Roxas and Xion's influence]] to become a nicer, more heroic figure. Eventually, all three pull a HeelFaceTurn and abandon Organization XIII outright.
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* TokenGoodTeammate: The three are probably the least evil Organization XIII members. Roxas and Xion [[AntiVillain don't know any better]] and don't do anything actively malicious during their time with the group. Axel is a downplayed variant in that he starts off just as vicious and evil as the rest of them, but eventually softens up (thanks to [[PositiveFriendInfluence Roxas and Xion's influence]] influence]]) to become a nicer, more heroic figure. Eventually, all three pull a HeelFaceTurn and abandon Organization XIII outright.
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* TokenGoodTeammate: The three are probably the least evil Organization XIII members. Roxas and Xion [[AntiVillain don't know any better]] and don't do anything actively malicious during their time with the group. Axel is a downplayed variant in that he starts off just as vicious and evil as the rest of them, but eventually softens up (thanks to [[PositiveFriendInfluence Roxas and Xion's influence]] to become a nicer, more heroic figure. Eventually, all three pull a HeelFaceTurn and abandon Organization XIII outright.
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Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi.
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Lea is the complete being of Axel. ''Birth by Sleep'' reveals that Lea was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. In ''Dream Drop Distance'', Axel is back as Lea, his true self. Towards the end, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade, and will thus undergo training alongside Kairi. He eventually decides to reclaim the name Axel, deciding it will help Roxas whenever they manage to revive him. Axel joins the Second Keyblade War in earnest, getting some closure with Isa and reuniting with Roxas and Xion in the process.
Though erased from memory, she still lived on in a way in the hearts of Roxas, Axel, and Sora. When searching for a thirteenth member to fill their ranks, the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness found Vexen’s records on No. I, and brought her heart from her earliest days of life to the present to inhabit a Replica body, recreating Xion. During the Second Keyblade War, confronting Sora causes Xion to regain her memories and her friends to regain theirs of her, bringing Xion back to the side of good once again and reuniting her with Roxas and Axel.
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* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her BonusBoss incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's.
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* FinalBoss: Of ''Days''. While there is one more fight with Riku afterwards, it's far simpler and is only there to lead directly into the prologue of ''II''. Her BonusBoss incarnation in ''III'' is also one of two potential final bosses for the Limitcut DLC episode, alongside Master Xehanort's.Xehanort's (both of them, being considerably more super powered than the others, only open after the other eleven data battles have been completed).
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* LoopholeAbuse: This is how she’s ultimately brought back from the dead. While everyone’s memories of Xion faded, Vexen’s records of No. I’s creation still existed and could be used to recreate her.
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-->'''Xion diary enrty''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
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-->'''Xion diary enrty''': entry''': "I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget."
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Foe Yay has been cut.
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* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in an amazing amount of [[invoked]]FoeYay between them, and many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
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* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Axel is initially a bit ''too'' keen on becoming best friends forever with Roxas (who is only 15- or rather, his soul is 15, Roxas himself is only less than a year old). After Roxas left, Axel goes into this trope full throttle, resulting in an amazing amount of [[invoked]]FoeYay between them, and many many scenes where it looks like Axel is unhealthily obsessed with defeating and taking Roxas back.
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* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Roxas and by extension Sora. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl.
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* GenderBender: Xion identifies as female and for the most part looks it, but she's actually supposed to be a Replica of Roxas and by extension Sora. Her entire being is constructed from Sora's memories and it's explained that her appearance came from the fact the strongest of those memories were those Sora had of Kairi, but when she has memory flashbacks she sees them from Sora's point of view. In a dream where she's standing on Destiny Islands with Roxas and Axel, in a scene that's arranged the same way as one with Kairi Sora and Riku, Xion is sitting in ''Sora's'' place (with Roxas in Kairi's and Axel in Riku's). She sometimes turns into Sora, Roxas, or Riku in her nightmares, and when enough of Sora's memories make it into Xion's body, her appearance physically changes into that of Sora. Her choice of words after this is revealed make it clear that despite her {{o|ppositeSexClone}}rigins and this transformation, she still identifies as a girl. This is by and large strictly limited to her debut appearance; Xion still roughly has the same physical appearance she's always had in ''III''.
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* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel, Riku, Naminé and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi. Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
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* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: She literally looks different to different people, based on both the memories she's comprised of and the memories of the people looking at her. She appears to have her hood up for anyone when they're first meeting her, even if it appears down for someone else. Roxas, Axel, Axel (and, presumably, most of the rest of the Organization), Riku, Naminé and Xion herself all see her black-haired appearance, although it's implied that Axel at first saw her as Naminé. In the manga, Riku and Naminé also occasionally see her as Kairi. Xigbar sees [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Ventus]], Xemnas sees Sora, and Saïx sees a faceless puppet.
