Characters / Kingdom Hearts: Saïx

Kingdom Hearts Main Character Index
Destiny Islands Trio (Sora | Riku | Kairi) | Disney Castle Trio | Clock Tower Trio (Roxas | Axel | Xion) | Wayfinder Trio (Terra | Aqua | Ventus) | Party Members and Summons | Xehanort's Incarnations (Master Xehanort) | Organization XIII (Xigbar | Saïx | Vanitas) | Disney Villains (Maleficent's Council and Allies | Other Disney Villains) | Independent Villains | Enemy Creatures (Heartless) | Ansem and his Apprentices | Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Characters | Supporting Original Characters | Supporting Square Enix Characters | Supporting Disney Characters

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Saïx, The Luna Diviner (Original Name: Isa)

"Which would you rather suffer the loss of: Some make-believe friendship, or a real one?"

Voiced by: Ginpei Sato (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)

Appearances: II | 358/2 Days | Dream Drop Distance | III

"Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves."

Number VII in the Organization and Number VIII of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. Formerly second-in-command to Xemnas and responsible for overseeing every other members' missions. Underneath his stoic exterior is a raging berserker just waiting to be released. It was later revealed he came Back from the Dead and is Number VIII of Master Xehanort's Thirteen Seekers of Darkness.

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Tropes that apply to Saïx

• Achilles' Heel: While in his Berserk mode, your attacks do practically nothing. Grab one of the several claymores that Saïx flings around during his rampage, and you can blast him (and knock him out of his trance). His Berserker Nobodies suffer from the same weakness.
  • Downplayed since it doesn't deal increased damage but during any boss fight against him in III, if he pauses to charge up his Berserk meter, you can nail him with Blizzard magic to interrupt him and greatly decrease his Berserk gauge.
  • In III, while he can use five claymores in his second Berserk state, having them out all at once when he is getting damaged by the player character will decrease his Berserk meter faster. So while Sora can't use his own claymores against him in combat, his own claymores can still be used against him.
• All for Nothing: His decision to join the Organization and to prioritise getting into Xemnas's good graces not only bring him no closer to his original goal of locating Subject X, but contribute to his estrangement from his best friend Lea. His monologue after his defeat in III shows that he's well-aware of this fact, and not at all happy about it.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Dies in II, reaching for Kingdom Hearts while begging to get his heart back. Sora has a somber expression after this.
  Saïx: "Why... Kingdom Hearts... Where... is my heart?"
  • Much more pronounced in III, where it's revealed that he and Lea got involved in the Organization in the first place in order to rescue a girl they befriended who was being researched there. About 10 years had passed without any sort of success and by time we meet them in the present day, they've abandoned this plan and have clearly drifted apart as friends. Saïx also finally admits during his second death that he acted increasingly cruel and outright antagonistic to Lea, Roxas and Xion out of jealousy for the friendship they developed while he had nothing to show for all of his efforts. The trio are all saddened to see him in such a state.
  Lea: "See you, Isa."
  Saïx: "See you, Lea."
• Anti-Frustration Features: During the Data rematch, Sora is given the mercy of being invincible while holding one of Saïx's thrown claymores, which is not the case in his story match or when performing the nearly identical command against normal Berserkers. This is a necessity to make Data-Saïx beatable, as his Berserk gauge will no longer time out on its own and Saïx attacks much more quickly, with no breathers in which to hit him as in the original fight.
• Anti-Magic: In 358/2 Days, Moon elemental attacks inflict the "Silenced" status effect, temporarily disabling player's ability to use magic. Better not rely too much on cure magic during the boss fight against him. Naturally, as a playable character, he also has elemental resistance to being Silenced though his lower magic stat means he won't be getting much use out of it anyway.
• Arch-Enemy:
  • Served as this to Roxas. He holds a grudge against Saïx for the way he mistreated his friends, especially Xion.
  • To Lea as well. In III, Lea wants get Roxas back and unknowningly at the time, Xion, Lea even fights him in the Keyblade Graveyard before Roxas’ return and the memories of Xion come back.
• Arc Villain: One of the three main antagonists who is not an incarnation of Xehanort (the others being Marluxia from Chain of Memories and Data Sora’s Heartless from Coded). While his actions are done under Xemnas' orders, Xemnas doesn't have any actual direct effect on the events of the story, leaving Saïx to fill in the role as the main villain of the game. Fittingly, he's the Climax Boss in III for the 358/2 Days trio.
• The Atoner: In III. He's in no position to publicly help due to being one of 'the chosen', according to Vexen while chatting with Demyx. It helped that Saïx had visited Even while he was recovering to engineer his plan to save Roxas, Xion and Naminé from behind the scenes.
• Ax-Crazy: Normally, Saïx is stoic and blunt, but when he taps into his Berserker form in the presence of the moon, he becomes a feral berserker who thrashes his claymore around with nothing being able to hold him down.
• Back from the Dead: Revealed near the end of Dream Drop Distance to be a member of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. He's finally back as Isa in III.
• Barbarian Longhair: If his unkempt mullet doesn't count normally it certainly does in his berserk mode where his hair savagely stands on end to give him a more beast-like silhouette.
• Battle Aura: When berserk, his body glows with white light, similar to moonlight.
• Becoming the Mask: He originally planned to overthrow Xemnas and became The Dragon to get in close enough, but ultimately became his most loyal follower and abandoned their original plans. Judging from his rather vacant expression in 3D, Isa did not become the mask out of his own free will.
• Beneath Notice: This is implied to be the reason he was able to engineer Vexen and Demyx's betrayal. The fact that he Became the Mask so thoroughly meant that Master Xehanort and Xemnas trusted him enough that they weren't keeping closer tabs on him. Vexen later states that Saïx couldn't participate more actively in the betrayal due to being one of the "chosen" and thus susceptible to Xehanort overriding him and reading his mind, so Saïx used the extra freedom to get Vexen in on the plan.
• The Berserker: Becomes outright psychotic under the light of the moon. In this state, Saïx usually cannot be flinched and attacks relentlessly, dealing high amounts of damage with each hit. It's also one of the more effective ways to play him in Days.
  • It's a reference to the Final Fantasy class called "Berserker", except with a BFS instead of an axe.
• Beta Test Baddie: He exemplifies this more than any other member of the Organization. It becomes very tragic in 3D when you realize that he would have grown a heart regardless of what happened, and exactly WHY he was so dead-set on getting HIS heart.
• BFS: His claymore, Lunatic. It doesn't really look like a claymore but it's still a very large, bladed weapon meant to be wielded with two hands.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: It's unknown when it happened, but he became a vessel for Xehanort with his Supernatural Gold Eyes being a sign of possession. It sadly explains his inability to understand good, his cruelty towards others, and why he seemed so ''different'' as a kid. It also explains why he wanted to betray Xemnas, as he wanted his own heart back, not Xehanort's.
• The Brute: Though he is neither unintelligent nor one of their more physically imposing members, he still has an extremely violent and savage fighting style compared to the other members of either Organization. Even Lexaeus will incorporate his earth elemental powers into his fighting style, whereas Saïx's combat skills start and stop at swinging and/or throwing his huge claymores at enemies for devastating effect.
  • He arguably fits this role best in the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. In the final confrontation with him in III, he manages to bring Sora, Kairi, and Lea to their knees with sheer brute strength and he doesn't say a single word in cutscenes until after he's been defeated though he's a tiny bit more talkative in the Re:Mind version of the confrontation.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Friendship example. As he's dying after his second defeat in III and admits that he's jealous of Axel/Lea's friendship with Roxas and Xion, Lea lampshades that Saïx was never able to admit it before. This is why he repeatedly treated Roxas and Xion horribly in Days without ever explaining why.
• Climax Boss: In Days, during the chapter where Roxas leaves the Organization. Saïx blocks Roxas's way and attacks him, intending to keep Roxas within the organization's reach. Saïx's defeat signals the end of his authority and control over Roxas as well as furthering his spite and jealousy towards Lea.
• Co-Dragons:
  • With Xigbar to Xemnas in the original Organization. He serves as the day-to-day manager of the Organization's work, handing out assignments to the lower members; he shares rank with Xigbar due to his veteran status having served the original Xehanort.
  • He occupies a position of power with Xigbar yet again in the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, this time to Master Xehanort. Re:Mind shows that before Ansem and Xemnas were truly brought back in new Replica bodies and before Young Xehanort brought forth the other time-traveling Seekers, he was once again the main administrator of the Seekers. This time, he keeps count of their ranks to ensure they will have the thirteen necessary, and fetches Vexen to produce more Replicas (as part of their secret plot). Once Ansem, Xemnas and Young Xehanort return, he and Xigbar are demoted to lesser members.
• The Comically Serious: He has his moments in the Days and II manga. Lampshaded in II.
  Saïx: If I had a heart, this would be where I die of laughter.
• Creepy Monotone: He could give the G-Man a run for his money. But like any good Xehanort, even he can't hold back the ham forever.
  • Ironically by the time of III, he's become noticeably more expressive in his interactions with Lea but he's much less of a Large Ham in combat.
• Critical Hit Class: In 358/2 Days, he boasts the best Critical Hit stats, having the best Critical % and Crit Bonus by a mile. With the right abilities such as Block-Counter and Aerial Payback which have guaranteed critical hits or any weapon or accessory that grants Critical Boost, he can tear through enemies with every attack.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: His fighting style implies that he can deal this out and his performance against Sora, Kairi and Axel in III support this. Not much later, he himself will inevitably suffer this at the hands of Roxas in III as he is incapable of even scratching him while taking mountains of damage in return.
  • In the Days manga, he delivers one to Demyx at the Olympus Colosseum under the pretense of testing out how much Demyx's training has paid off. The reality is that he's taking revenge on him because Demyx had snuck into his room to use his personal computer and made several insulting comments about Saïx, not realizing that he was being video recorded. While initially Played for Laughs, it gradually evolve into a Kick the Dog moment when Roxas tells him that he was being too harsh and Saïx only responds that as Nobodies they are nothing more than tools to the Organization, and that they only live so long as they are still useful.
• The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: When they become Nobodies in the Organization, Axel helped him climb in the ranks to get closer to Xemnas to find out what happened to their missing female friend, the "Subject X". But after Axel befriended Roxas and Xion and spent more time with them than with him, Saïx is blinded by jealousy and starting to believe that Axel had abandoned him and their missing girl. He lost all sense of purpose to the point of thinking that maybe the girl he was trying to find was just a figment of his imagination and started to forget her afterwards.
• Deadpan Snarker: Similar to his original self, albeit a vastly more callous and acerbic in his sarcasm. His interactions with Lea near the end of III, however, show a return to his older and less malicious sense of humour.
• Despair Event Horizon: Implied to have skirted dangerously around this after being betrayed by Axel and seeing all his goals and hopes destroyed, if his quote about losing all sense of purpose is anything to go by.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: In III, he's disintegrated in Lea's arms whilst admitting to the fact that he was jealous of Roxas and Xion becoming friends with Lea back when he was Axel while Saïx was stuck having to serve as Xemnas's second-in-command as well as still trying to find and save a former friend of his and Lea's in the past.
• The Dog Bites Back: Saïx did not want to become a glorified sacrifice for Master Xehanort, and makes sure he pays for it by helping betray him to the heroes.
• The Dragon: He was Xemnas' second-in-command of the first incarnation of the Organization. He's the last member Sora faces before Xemnas himself, and is shown to be the one in charge of assigning missions during Days. He's also a dragon to Master Xehanort as well along with Xigbar, as revealed in Re:Mind.
• Dragon with an Agenda: In 358/2 Days, he originally planned on betraying Xemnas in order to reclaim a heart of his own until he gives up on it as he becomes more loyal to Xemnas. By the events of III he returns to a position of authority within the Seekers but once again has his own agenda, this time siding with the heroes for good and helping engineer their victory.
• The Dreaded: He's an elite member of an already dangerous group of individuals and the 2nd highest authority in the Organization. As a result, other Organization members seem to dread failing his missions if only because he personally answers to Xemnas though his treatment of Demyx in the manga implies he can mete out physical punishment on his own as well. In II, a post-desertion Axel panics at the appearance of Saïx despite the fact that they used to be friends.
• Dual Boss:
  • In III, he initially fights alongside the past version of Xion. This changes when she is replaced by her present-day self, who fights alongside the Guardians of Light, leaving Saïx to fight alone.
  • In Re:Mind, after Past!Xion is removed from the equation, Xemnas joins him for a while, but he leaves before you can defeat him. Saïx is ultimately defeated in the same way as in the base game.
• Easily Forgiven: After treating Roxas and Xion like shit throughout 358/2 Days, they're both sad for him upon his defeat in III and later welcome him on the clock tower. It's likely they understand his jealousy and it helps that he played a part in Roxas's, Xion's, and Naminé's return. That, and as he is no longer a Nobody, he's a different person, just like Lea is different from Axel. Not to mention the fact that he had been possessed by Xehanort against his will.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He doesn't understand why Axel and Roxas are concerned when Xion starts passing out — it won't affect their records, after all.
• Flying Weapon: By the time of III, he's improved on his fighting style and the way it involves throwing copies of his swords by turning them into these, letting him surround himself with four floating swords while he wields a fifth in his hands.
• Foil: He's one to Riku. Just like Riku, he had a male Childhood Friend (Lea). One day, he and Lea found and befriended a girl who wasn't from their homeworld. Just like Kairi, the girl didn't remember anything from her past and was experimented by Terra-Xehanort. When she's gone missing, the duo resolve to find her at all costs, to the point that when they lost their hearts, their strong will and resolve to find the girl allow them to live on as Nobodies. Just like how Riku became jealous when Sora made new friends (Donald and Goofy) and came to believe that Sora abandoned him and Kairi, Saïx became jealous when Axel made new friends (Roxas and Xion) and came to believe that Axel abandoned him and their missing girl. However, Riku's resolve for Kairi remains strong enough that he never truly lost his heart, made a new friend himself (Mickey), overcomes Xehanort's Heartless possession of him, and did everything to make up for his mistakes to Sora and his friends. On the other hand, Saïx never recovers from his feeling of abandonment from Axel that he seemingly forgot about the missing girl, never makes any new friends and only saw the other Organization members as tools, and continues hurting Axel's friends and being corrupted by Xehanort through his Nobody Xemnas. While Riku admits his mistake to Sora and apologizes to him and his friends and pretty much gets a second chance in his life, Saïx only admits everything and apologizes to Lea/Axel in his dying breath before his recompletion as Isa.
• Gender-Blender Name: His human name was Isa.
• Green-Eyed Monster: It first manifests in Days with his jealousy towards Roxas and Xion, due to the close and budding friendship they develop with Axel. It's how he treats them afterwards that ultimately drives him away from his former friend. Funnily enough, his natural eye color, like Isa, is green.
  • III reveals this to be even deeper than that. He, as Isa, and Lea befriended a girl (the "Subject X") who was imprisoned in the Radiant Garden dungeon. After the girl disappeared, they proposed to be Ansem the Wise's new apprentices. Long story short, they eventually lost their hearts along with Ansem the Wise's other apprentices. As Nobodies, Saïx and Axel apparently attempted to take over the Organization to track down their missing friend. Unfortunately, once Axel starts befriending Roxas and Xion, it seems that he forgot about his and Saïx's original goal to find the missing girl, leaving Saïx to feel bitter and abandoned. Not to mention that Lea was the one who came up with the idea of saving her in the first place. The sense of abandonment causes Saïx to apparently forget the missing girl, too, and instead decide to go onboard with Organization's goal which he thought to be retrieving their hearts.
  Lea: I thought this was all for her.
  Saïx: At first. I sacrificed everything to try and track her down. You're the one who went off and made other friends. Left her and me both in the dust. It infuriated me how you just exited our lives. I lost... all sense of purpose...
  Lea: I didn't forget you.
  Saïx: Yes, I know. You wouldn't do that. But, I was jealous.
  • Ultimately overcome upon his defeat in III and his return as Isa, where he hangs with the trio along with Hayner, Pence and Olette at the clock tower after buying them sea-salt ice cream.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: The thin X on his face. When Saïx is in his berserker state, it becomes wider and jagged. The scar itself marks Saïx as a target for Xehanort possession.
• Hair Flip: His hair is so long that, in order to have his hood up, he needs to tuck his hair into the collar of his cloak; the hair flip is him drawing it out of his collar.
• Hate Sink: In 358/2 Days, where he is the closest thing the story has to a Big Bad. He's viciously dismissive and condescending towards Xion, which strains his friendship with Axel and his enmity eventually branches out to Roxas as well, seeing Axel's friends as an attack on his friendship. He's also in Kingdom Hearts II to a lesser extent as Saïx is more generally dickish than straight-up revolting as seen with Axel's friends. After his backstory is revealed in III, this appears to be the result of his Green-Eyed Monster and Jumping Off the Slippery Slope, ultimately making him pitiable.
• The Heavy: As The Dragon, he carries out the will of Xemnas and is the member of the Organization that gets the most screentime verbally antagonizing the protagonists of II and 358/2 Days. It seems fitting that he would be the penultimate boss of II and the preceding boss to Xion in 358/2 Days
• Heävy Mëtal Ümlaut: The only member of the Organization to have a letter of his Significant Anagram name altered in this manner. Incidentally in Limit Cut, his Data Rematch Boss Remix of the standard Organization member boss theme, "The 13th Dilemma" prominently incorporates heavy metal.
• Heel–Face Reincarnation: Following his death in II, he returns back to life as his original self before becoming a Nobody again. This time around, however, Saïx is significantly less cruel and doesn't put on a mask of emotionlessness, even working behind the scenes to undermine Master Xehanort's efforts alongside Vexen and Demyx.
• Heel–Face Turn: Undergoes one following his defeat at the end of III, his subsequent reconciliation with Lea and recompletion as Isa to the point that he can see Xion for who she is and is better friends with her and Roxas, ultimately befriending Ventus by the game's end. The Secret Reports reveal that he was already on the path to this for quite some time, having become The Atoner alongside Vexen in order to give Vexen the resources necessary to restore Roxas and Xion.
• Hidden Depths: Was known throughout the fandom as Xemnas' "lapdog"... until later games revealed he was plotting to backstab Xemnas all along. Unlike Marluxia, he's actually good at hiding his intentions.
  • The "Days" manga also establishes that he harbours a fondness for dogs and enjoys poetry.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The most effective way to fight Saïx in II is to nab one of his claymores with a Reaction Command when one gets impaled into the ground and then turn it on Saïx himself. If he land a full combo with his own claymore while he's in Berserk Mode, it will knock him out of it and even drain his Berserk meter to 0.
• I Have Your Wife: In Kingdom Hearts II he kidnaps Kairi in order to lure Sora out and fuel his rage.
• Insistent Terminology: He consistently addresses Xion as "it" even in his Secret Reports. It really says something when even Xigbar of all people actually addresses Xion as "she", yet Saïx simply can't see Xion as anything more than a faceless puppet.
• Irony: Throughout Days he's the one who vehemently insists that Xion is just a puppet or an "it". Not only are the two paired up for a boss fight in III, the very end of the game suggests the two may end up becoming friends.
• "It" Is Dehumanizing: Throughout Days, he has no qualms against repeatedly referring to Xion as "it" or "thing" to her face. This is partially because of Xion's appearance varies according to who is looking at her. While Axel and Roxas see her as a beautiful girl, Saïx sees her as a faceless puppet.
• Jerkass: He really isn't a nice person, to say the least. On a good day, Saïx is blunt and harsh in his comments and statements. On a bad day, he's rude, demeaning, and dismissive, prone to throwing out insults and breaking one's spirits if need be.
  • When he was once Isa, he came across as a snarky but relatively sweet person before losing his heart.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After learning his backstory concerning Subject X, he can be seen as this. It can be assumed that he was this to Axel, seeing as their completed selves were Best Friends. That changes once Roxas and Xion enter the picture, which changes Saïx for the worst.
• Joke Weapon: A banana... which even unpeels when he goes berserk.
  • And then there's the cutesy Bunny Moon... which somehow "draws forth his personality"?
• Kick the Dog: Along with generally treating Roxas like a tool, his absolutely horrendous treatment of Xion and how he forces Sora to "show" how important Kairi is to him (making him show he Ain't Too Proud to Beg) and then still not giving in solely to make him angry enough to fight more Heartless.
  • Since he had become a vessel for Master Xehanort according to The Reveal in 3D, these moments potentially belong to him.
    • He does have a Pet the Dog moment in the manga adaptation when he looks the other way over Xion's Cuteness Proximity towards Pluto because he himself loves dogs.
• King Mook: To the Berserker Nobodies. His moveset is a seriously beefed-up version of theirs.
• Kneel Before Zod: He tries to enforce this to Roxas in their boss fight in Days (but not Sora, that part was his idea). It doesn't work.
  • "GROVEL BEFORE ME!"
• Knight of Cerebus: Kingdom Hearts II gets noticeably darker once he shows up, being much more no-nonsense than Axel, playing a role in spreading the Organization's threat and attacks throughout other worlds and kidnapping Kairi to bait Sora into his trap. He's also willing to be a Hope Crusher if it means demoralizing his opponents and making himself look superior to them.
• Know When to Fold Them: Saïx's original plan with Axel involved not antagonizing Sora needlessly. Master Xehanort however, had other plans.
• Large Ham: In Berserk Mode, he may be the third largest in the series, next to both Master Xehanort and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Fitting as (by 3D, anyway) they're all incarnations of the same person. Downplayed in III as detailed under Tranquil Fury.
• Lightning Bruiser: In Berserk Mode, he's very durable, fast and uses a variety of strong, wide-reaching attacks. In 358/2 Days, he boasts similarly quick combos, decent Strength, and average Defenses with his only real weakness being Magic. Combined with having the best Critical stats in the game, he's one of the most effective characters to play as in Mission Mode.
• Limit Break: Berserk. Unique for being the only Limit Break to cause a physical change in the character with his hair turning wild, his eyes glowing yellow and his claymore changing shape. It's basically identical to his Desperation Attack used in every boss fight against him in the series where he'll rush forward while repeatedly slamming the ground to create shockwaves. Pressing the attack button in this state will cause him to leap and slash the air, dealing more damage to any nearby enemies. While it's difficult to control him, you can quickly change his direction by holding a direction and pressing the attack button so he'll leap in your desired direction. For his Final Limit, pressing the attack button will have him leap into the air and burst with very damaging blue energy.
• Lunacy: Powers his even MORE Xehanort-influenced dark side with moonlight in the form of a glowing blue energy that infuses his body, weapon, and attacks. Kingdom Hearts III: Re𝄌Mind also shows him using said energy outside of battle to project images.
• Magically Inept Fighter: Relies more on pure brute strength than any other Organization member. It's reflected in his stats in 358/2 Days, where his magic stat is pretty low.
• Manipulative Bastard: A subversion. Though he claims to be one, his only real method appears to be strategic dog kicking that makes people angry. He also tends to miss the point during interpersonal interactions. A good example comes at the end of the 1,000 Heartless battle. Axel, who was last seen kidnapping Kairi, is with Sora but flees after seeing Saïx. Sora tries to not let him go, but Saïx reassures him that the Organization will punish Axel. Sora has to tell Saïx he doesn't care about hurting Axel, what he wants is to ensure Kairi's safety. Saïx then deliberately yanks Sora's chain to make him angry so he'll rampage against the Heartless, but when he leaves Sora is far more concerned about the Organization stealing the released hearts than he is venting his anger.
• Mask of Sanity: He puts up a very convincing one throughout II, but the mask starts to slip near the end of the game once Xemnas confirms that with Kingdom Hearts nearly complete, he can "end the charade" and kill Sora; Saïx gives a Slasher Smile and outright states he's longed for him to say that. The mask falls off completely during his fight with Sora.
• Misplaced Retribution: He never misses an opportunity to twist the knife when dealing with Sora in II, telling him how his actions are helping the Organization, denying him the opportunity to see Kairi even when Sora kneels before him, and even attempting to tell him that Kairi doesn't need him. Shortly before his boss fight, he makes it plain that this is a result of his hatred for Roxas, implicitly due to the rift he drove between him and Axel.
• Morph Weapon: A more subtle example than most in the series but whenever he's going Berserk, his claymore, changes shape slightly and gains a new spikier edge to its end. His other claymores in 358/2 Days undergo similar transformations whenever he uses his Limit Break, Berserk.
• Moveset Clone: During his Data Rematch in Re:Mind, one attack that he uses while in his first Berserk mode consists of the Eclipse and Magna Storm reaction commands used by Sora in II.
• Never My Fault: Played with. In III, he accused Lea of forgetting and abandoning him and their missing girl since he befriended Roxas. But Lea pointed out that he had helped Saïx climb in the ranks in the Organization to get closer to Xemnas to find out what happened to their missing friend and he even vows that he will find a way to bring her back. However, Saïx eventually admits in his dying breath that he knew Lea wouldn't abandon and forget them, but he was blinded by jealousy to Lea/Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion.
  • It should be noted that Axel did turn his back on Saïx and their goals, including the search for Subject X, when he defected from the Organization to get Roxas back and took all the wind out of the sails of their rebellion in the process. Not only would it be impossible for Axel to help Saïx if he were branded a traitor, it put both of their lives at risk. Everything Axel did to help Saïx climb the ranks meant nothing after that. Saïx may have made mistakes (and was willing to admit as much at the end of Kingdom Hearts III), but believing that Axel abandoned and betrayed him and Subject X, and ultimately chose Roxas and Xion over them, was not one of them.
• Never Say "Die": Nope. He wants to see Sora and Roxas die fighting.
• New Friend Envy: Much of his cruelty towards Axel, Roxas, and Xion is revealed to be the result of his jealousy of their friendship and his own feelings of being abandoned in spite of the past he and Lea share together. It took a massive effort for him to finally admit this in his final moments in III.
• Not Helping Your Case: He doesn't explain to Axel about Xion's nature and only told him that she isn't qualified. When Axel asked why, he simply responds "just look at her" because he only sees a faceless puppet in Xion while Axel doesn't see her that way. So, his mistreatment on Xion only alienates Axel further.
  Axel's Secret Report (Day 172): There has to be something to what Saïx said. Why isn't Xion qualified to be one of us? He said to just look at her, but at what? The fact that she looks like Naminé?
• Not So Stoic: "ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!"
  • The redone HD cutscenes for 358/2 Days also show subtle changes of expression in his cold disposition, hinting that he really isn't as stoic as he'd like to believe he is.
• Number Two: Played With Despite only being ranked Number VII, in day-to-day operations for the original Organization, Saïx would handle the administrative work for Xemnas, issuing out missions to the rest of the members.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: In combat he can hold his claymore with one hand rather easily.
• One-Hit Kill: Saïx has some of the highest raw attack power of any villain in every game he's fought in. In his Data rematch in Re:Mind, his thrown claymores can inflict Stun, making them one of the few attacks that can effectively nullify Sora's Last Chance Hit Point abilities.
• Pointy Ears: Courtesy of his possession by Xehanort.
• Perpetual Frowner: Outside of his berserk state, he rarely changes his dour expression. The only exceptions are scowling and a few rather unnerving grins that he gives off once or twice. This starts to change in ÍII wherein he's depicted with a vastly wider range of facial expressions, an indicator that he's come closer to regaining his humanity.
• Personality Powers: A two for one deal, arguably; he's usually calm and stoic, but he's also a berserker, which can both fit the moon.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Whenever he goes berserk, he'll spit a one-liner before unleashing a merciless barrage of attacks.
  Saïx (in II): Moon, shine down!
  Saïx (in III): I call on the moon's pale light!
• Pre-Final Boss: In Days, he's the final opponent that Roxas faces off against before Xion following his departure from the Organization.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Originally the very cold blue to Axel's red, but has since become this to Xemnas's red.
• Reverse Grip: Whenever he's standing, Saïx holds his claymore with a reverse grip. He flips it to face forward when taking a swing.
• Rugged Scar: A distinctive X-shaped scar across his face. When going berserk, his scar becomes wider and jagged.
• Screaming Warrior: Upon going berserk, Saïx roars and shouts constantly. It gets downplayed in III.
• Serial Escalation: In III, if his gauge fills a second time while he's in his Berserk state, he Berserks again.
• Simple, yet Awesome: In his Data Rematch in Limit Cut, he makes for a challenging boss by simply having a majority of his attacks be unblockable.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Along with Lea, 10 years of his life were spent working for the villainous 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 regain his humanity as Isa and possibly make new friends, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
• Sore Loser: The manga implies he took his defeat at Roxas's hands very personally and that he wants to kill Sora to take revenge on Roxas by proxy.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Though his death in II implies this, III outright confirms it following his defeat. Beneath Saïx's callous exterior is a deeply unhappy person plagued by an awareness of the fact that he lost everything despite all the personal sacrifices he made and fighting with all of his strength to prevent his worst fears from coming true.
• Spin Attack: Has a lot of these.
• Sword Beam: Ones that resembles a Faux Flame.
• Sword Plant: Often slams his claymore onto the ground to generate shockwaves. In II this will leave his claymore impaled in the ground, giving Sora an opportunity to snatch the claymore and use it against Saïx and even knock him out of his Berserk Mode.
• Spell My Name With An S: The umlaut doesn't appear in any Japanese media.
• The Starscream: Originally planned on overthrowing the Organization with Axel but after their friendship fell apart he resolved to becoming Xemnas' 2nd in command so as to regain his lost heart.
  • In the Secret Reports in III along with Even/Vexen he engineers the idea for saving Roxas, Xion, and Naminé, while Vexen gains assistance from Demyx for the physical recovery of the extra vessels after Demyx learns who the idea's really from.
• The Stoic: Along with Xemnas, Saïx appears to be one of the most "Nobody-like" of the Organization. Despite claiming to remember what possessing a heart was like, he behaves mostly as a cold, emotionless, and efficient operative, even in the direst of situations. He is very aware of how emotions are unreal to them, unlike other members who imitate their emotions.
• Storm of Blades: Will summon four additional claymores in III when his Berserker meter fills a second time, allowing him to chuck five claymores at Sora at once.
• Super Mode: His main gimmick in all games he appears in. Gathering enough moonlight allows Saïx to enter a berserker mode wherein he's essentially invulnerable and has far more powerful attacks, with Sora needing to either wait it out or use the Berserk Reaction Command to knock him out of it. In the Data rematch in II, his berserker gauge recharges itself and can no longer be waited out. In III, Saïx now has a second Berserk state on top of his first, with the second level adding an array of floating swords around him that multiply his attacks.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: As he was the first of Xehanort's vessels, he had them from 358/2 Days onwards, indicating he was fully possessed by him. The gold returns when he returns due to becoming a Nobody again, but disappear when he's recompleted.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Not so much in the games but in the manga he has this attitude towards his fellow nobodies.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Played with. He throws his swords a lot in combat, but he keeps a lot of spare swords. During his boss fight in "II", Sora can take the ones that miss and use them against him. He learns from this by "III", and the attacks are more dangerous as a result.
• Took a Level in Kindness: While having less screentime contributes to this, he's far less of a Jerkass in III, having regained some of his playful snarker tendencies from his human days. There's a reason for this.
• Tranquil Fury: In III, After he reaches his second Berserker state, his facial expressions in cutscenes as he successfully brings Sora, Kairi and Axel to their knees are remarkably calm and composed despite the Wild Hair and Glowing Eyes of Doom. Quite a few of his battle quotes while in this form are also delivered rather calmly in stark contrast to the ferocity of his attacks.
• Troll: He says several absolutely horrible things to and about Xion, often upsetting her and enraging Axel and Roxas.
  Saïx: Well, that didn't take long. Did [Xion] break again?
  • Many of his words to Sora have a similar effect, especially when Kairi is involved.
  • Birth By Sleep reveals that he always had playfully sarcastic tendecies but apparently they were never outright malicious until he lost his heart.
  • In III, he finally admits that he was jealous of the bond that Axel, Roxas and Xion had while he still felt empty and heartless and that his behavior was a response to that.
• Unblockable Attack: In his Data Rematch in Limit Cut, his shockwaves and thrown claymores are unblockable, indicated by their glowing purple instead of pale blue. This is especially troublesome, because they make a majority of his attacks,
• Undying Loyalty: Is clearly the most fanatically loyal of Xemnas' followers, which is mocked a few times by other members. It becomes less funny when it turns out this only came about because he became a host for Xehanort.
• Unstoppable Rage: Once he enters his berserk state.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: "Used to" being the operative words. In 3D we learn why.
• Vocal Evolution: His Creepy Monotone has faded noticeably during his time in the Seekers of Darkness and he generally has more inflection to his voice. When interacting with Lea, he sounds a lot like his old self Isa. Conversely as mentioned before, he's noticeably calmer and more subdued in the heat of battle.
• Visual Pun: As mentioned above his Casual Gear Joke Weapon is a giant banana. As The Berserker of the group, he really goes bananas whenever he fights.
• We Used to Be Friends: Isa and Lea slowly grew apart after they lost their hearts.
• Unskilled, but Strong: The epitome of this. He displays next to no finesse in his fighting style, but it comes with the territory of his powers.

Tropes that apply to Isa

Isa

^{Click here to see Isa post-III}

Voiced by: Ginpei Sato (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)

Appearances: Birth by Sleep | coded | Dream Drop Distance | III

"I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time."

Isa is the complete being of Saïx. He is best friends with Lea.

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• Back from the Dead: Twice. The first time happens sometime after II, but he decides to join the XIII Seekers of Darkness and release his heart, becoming a Nobody once more. After Saïx's second destruction in III, he reconciles with Lea and returns as Isa for real.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: It's unknown when it happened, or how aware of it he was, but he became a vessel for Xehanort with his Supernatural Gold Eyes being a sign of possession. It sadly explains his inability to understand good, his cruelty towards others, and why he seemed so ''different'' as a kid.
• Cosmic Motifs: Wears a moon on his jacket, in reference to his calmer, more withdrawn disposition reflecting the sunnier disposition of his friend Lea. Also doubles as a Call-Forward to his older Nobody Saïx who draws upon the moon's power for devastating attacks.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Wears mostly black and dark gray after reforming in the ending of III and retains that distinct X-shaped scar on his face.
• Deadpan Snarker: Mainly in Birth by Sleep when he's interacting with Lea.
• Eye Color Change: Isa's eyes are a teal-green color, whereas Saïx's are yellow. This change is very important. They go back to green once he returns at the end of III.
• The Gadfly: Almost every word out his mouth in Birth By Sleep is a somewhat cheerful verbal jab at Lea though he takes it in stride and they're still clearly good friends. As Saïx, these tendencies turn outright venomous.
• Gender-Blender Name: Although the pronunciation, "eye-za", goes a long way to distance it from the feminine "ee-sa".
• Heel–Face Turn: After Saïx is destroyed and Isa comes to be for the second time, he drops all pretenses of being a bad guy. The epilogue of III shows him watching the sunset atop Twilight Town's clock tower with Lea, Roxas, Xion, Hayner, Pence, and Olette and joining the Guardians of Light's get-together at Destiny Islands.
• I Got Bigger: Just like Lea, he towers over most of the heroes as an adult when he used to be much closer to Ventus' height roughly 10 years ago as a teenager.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Before losing his heart. He enjoyed making fun of Lea but was clearly a relatively sweet person on the whole.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Along with Lea, 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 recomplete and possibly make new friends, he's still no closer to saving that girl than he was a decade ago.
• Perpetual Frowner: He rarely changes his expression.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Lea's red.
• The Stoic: He was already on the reserved side before becoming a Nobody, though by no means emotionless.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: While somewhat aloof, the young Isa showed no signs of the cruelty that Saïx would be capable of. Given how he deeply cared for Lea, it's heartbreaking that to see Isa having his friendship with Lea broken and shattered in later games.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: The general impression that we get from his appearance in Birth By Sleep is that he and Lea were this before they became Nobodies. The two enjoy making quips at one another's expense, but it's clear that they were close.
• We Used to Be Friends: Isa and Lea are close friends but slowly grew apart after they lost their hearts. Thankfully III reverses this trope, as the two manage to reconcile and admit their mistakes to each other. The ending shows them bonding once again like the good old days of their youthful past.
• When He Smiles: Seeing him smile and enjoy himself with the others on the clock tower and the Destiny Islands beach at the end of III is heartwarming after years of his depiction as the cold-hearted Saïx.

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