Ansem the Wise

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This article is about Ansem the Wise. You may be looking for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

Ansem the Wise
Japanese	賢者アンセム
Rōmaji	Kenja Ansemu
Other names	DiZ (ディズ, Dizu)
Voice actors	(Ja:) Genzō Wakayama (KHII through MoM) (En:) Christopher Lee (KHII, Days (DS)) Corey Burton (Re:CoM, Days (1.5), BbS through MoM)
Homeworld	Radiant Garden Twilight Town Realm of Darkness
Games	Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Kingdom Hearts III Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Ansem the Wise
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Truly an enigma. DiZ appeared before Riku in the guise of Ansem, presenting him with choices regarding the darkness within his heart. It is said he and the king have met.
Kingdom Hearts II
DiZ An entity shrouded in mystery. Ansem the Wise The man who called himself "DiZ" and dressed his face in bandages to conceal it, now revealed to be none other than Ansem the Wise. The true Ansem once studied hearts and the Heartless, but soon ceased his research for fear of disrupting the order of the worlds. But his apprentice Xehanort betrayed him, robbing Ansem of his discoveries and pride. Since that time, Ansem was driven by vengeance -- but when he saw Riku go so far as to give up his physical form to help Sora, he had a change of heart.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
HD 1.5 ReMIX A mysterious figure who waits with Naminé for Sora's memory to be restored. He despises Nobodies and pushes Naminé to complete restoring Sora's memories to achieve a certain goal.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
The wise man who once ruled over Radiant Garden. His apprentices stole his research into the heart and brought chaos to the worlds. The real Ansem expired while trying to thwart Organization XIII's dark plans. He has left some sort of "data" inside Sora's memories.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ
DiZ KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005) An entity shrouded in mystery. Ansem the Wise KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005) The real Ansem, betrayed by his apprentice Xehanort and robbed of his discoveries and pride.
Kingdom Hearts III
The sage king who once ruled over Radiant Garden. After his apprentices stole his research into the heart, he assumed a new name: DiZ, or "Darkness in Zero." Consumed by vengeance, he ruined more lives than one. In time, he saw the error of his ways, but in a last-ditch attempt to thwart the old Organization's plans, he was obliterated from the realm of light.

"I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart."

—Ansem, Ansem Report

Ansem, referred to as Ansem the Wise, Master Ansem, or His Lordship by his apprentices, is the sage-king of Radiant Garden during Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. In order to protect his people from the darkness, he spent much of his time studying the heart with his apprentices, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Xehanort, but was eventually exiled to the Realm of Darkness when they were corrupted by that same darkness. He himself gained dark powers, renaming himself DiZ, short for "Darkness in Zero", and setting out on a quest to avenge himself against his apprentices.

Story

Before Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

From a time before the Unversed began invading the Realm of Light, Ansem is the king of Radiant Garden, the "city of light". He governs Radiant Garden in peace and studies ways to make it safer with his apprentices, Braig, Dilan, Even, and Aeleus. After Ienzo's parents pass away, Ansem also takes him in and makes him one of his apprentices.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

"Can you speak? Tell me your name."

—Ansem to Terra-Xehanort

Ansem finds Xehanort.

As Dilan and Aeleus are about to leave their posts guarding the castle to follow Ventus, they are stopped by Even, who informs them that Ansem asked to see them.

Later, in the aftermath of the battle between Eraqus's pupils and Xehanort, Braig takes Ansem to an injured and amnesiac Terra-Xehanort in Central Square. Ansem takes Xehanort in, as well as the Keyblade and armor lying next to him, and works to restore him to health. Secret Ansem Report 1 Later, on a walk with Ienzo, Ansem spots Xehanort and Braig deep in conversation. Blank Points

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories

"I'm glad we have the opportunity to speak like this, my friend. I'm intrigued by your hypothesis... and I'm finding it difficult to stave off the urge to test it."

—Ansem to Mickey

Ansem becomes worried that the darkness of people's hearts will one day swallow Radiant Garden. In order to understand and counter it, Ansem begins conducting tests on Xehanort's heart in the hopes of unlocking Xehanort's lost memories. Secret Ansem Report 1 However, as he probes, he becomes concerned about Xehanort's possibly superhuman abilities and stops the experiments. Secret Report 3 Eventually, after being encouraged by Ienzo, Ansem constructs a large laboratory in the basement of his castle. Secret Ansem Report 2 One of Ansem's experimental subjects is an amnesiac girl dubbed Subject X. Secret Report 3 Unbeknownst to Ansem, his apprentices begin conducting their own secret experiments in the lab, and Braig secretly takes Subject X away. Secret Report 1 Upon discovering their experiments, and finding out about Subject X's disappearance, Ansem orders them to stop all their experiments, release their subjects, and destroy the results of their research. Secret Ansem Report 2 Xehanort mistakenly believes that Ansem hid Subject X during this process. Secret Report 4

Ansem discusses the stability of the worlds with Mickey.

Due to Xehanort opening the door in Ansem's basement, Mickey Mouse, the ruler of Disney Castle, is able to travel to Radiant Garden with a Gummi Ship. Mickey shares his knowledge with Ansem, and they become great friends through their conversations. During one such visit, Xehanort asks Ansem for permission to continue the dark experiments, but Ansem forbids it due to the danger they pose. On Mickey's advice, Ansem reviews the data from the experiments and discovers Xehanort's "Ansem's Reports", Secret Ansem Report 2 which reveal that Xehanort had been continuing the experiments in secret, leading to the creation of Heartless. Ansem's Report 3.

Ansem accepts Isa and Lea as new apprentices, and shortly afterward, the other apprentices, led by Xehanort, banish Ansem to the Realm of Darkness so they can continue their research without his interference. While trapped in the Realm of Darkness, Ansem learns that his apprentices have all been pulled into darkness and become Nobodies. Ansem discards his now-stolen name and rechristens himself "DiZ"—"Darkness in Zero", Secret Ansem Report 3 and swears revenge on his former apprentices, maintaining his sense of self through writing the Secret Ansem Report. Secret Ansem Report 4 Eventually, he is able to gain the power of darkness, and uses it to escape the Realm of Darkness through the Corridors of Darkness. Secret Ansem Report 6 He also changes his appearance to conceal his real identity with a mask made of red bandages. DiZ finds Twilight Town, and takes refuge in the abandoned Old Mansion. There, he begins researching the Nobodies and the Heartless, as well as watching Sora and Mickey's efforts to defeat Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, from the sidelines. He also learns his former apprentices have created Organization XIII. Secret Ansem Report 7

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories

DiZ appears before Riku as Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

DiZ infiltrates Organization XIII's second base, Castle Oblivion. There, he monitors Sora and encounters Naminé. DiZ magically speaks to Riku, waking him from his rest between realms, and leads him through the castle to assist Riku in his quest to defeat his darkness. All the while, he disguises himself as Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

Once Riku is reunited with Mickey, DiZ uses the memory-version of Twilight Town to separate them and appears to Riku in his disguise as Xehanort's Heartless. After Riku quickly uncovers the ruse, DiZ introduces himself and instructs Riku to meet Naminé to help decide his fate. Meanwhile, DiZ reunites with Mickey, but keeps his identity concealed, not wanting his old friend to dissuade him from revenge.

DiZ asks Riku which road he intends to take next.

After Riku decides not to lock his darkness away, DiZ provides him and Mickey with the black coats to keep them undetected from Organization XIII, as well as a card that will draw out Xehahort's Heartless. Using the card, Riku defeats Xehanort's Heartless, though a part of him still lingers in Riku's heart.

When Riku and Mickey set off from Castle Oblivion, DiZ appears to them at the crossroads in the grassy plain, and asks them to choose which path they will take: the road to light or the road to darkness. Riku chooses the middle road, which DiZ refers to as the "twilight road to nightfall". Riku corrects him, calling it the "road to dawn".

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

DiZ and Naminé discuss Sora's restoration.

"Those Nobodies had no business existing in the first place—as you know fully well, Naminé."

—DiZ

DiZ soon returns to Naminé to aid her in the task of restoring Sora's memories. As Castle Oblivion is still under control of Organization XIII, DiZ convinces Naminé to move Sora, Donald, and Goofy to his lab in Twilight Town in order to better keep them safe. Secret Ansem Report 10

Several months pass, with DiZ noting Naminé is having trouble piecing together Sora's memory; Naminé explains this is due to the memories passing through Roxas, the Nobody of Sora, into an imperfect replica named Xion. 357 days after the Castle Oblivion incident, progress on Sora's memory stops due to his most precious memories of Kairi being missing. While Xion voluntarily decides to give her memory up, DiZ convinces Riku to retrieve Roxas in order to restore Sora's memory. Riku has no choice but to take on the form of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in order to defeat Roxas. Seeing the evidence of Riku's devotion to Sora, DiZ slowly begins to lose his lust for revenge, hiding his shame behind laughter. Still, DiZ continues with the plan, placing Roxas into The Other Twilight Town where he can live out his days under DiZ's observation and control until it is time for him to reunite with Sora.

Kingdom Hearts II

DiZ talks about his true goal.

"I am a servant of the world. And if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool, at best."

—DiZ to Roxas

A week later, DiZ, Riku, and Naminé continue to co-operate with each other to restore the memories of Sora, Goofy, and Donald, which becomes more pressing after the Organization discovers their location and attempts to break in. Despite DiZ's disapproval, Naminé begins reaching out towards Roxas. When Axel breaks in, DiZ appears to Roxas to tell him Axel is lying. With Sora nearing restoration, DiZ tasks Riku with disposing of Naminé, as DiZ believes she and Roxas both have no right to exist.

While studying Sora's heart, DiZ finds three other hearts within Sora, Secret Report 9 and hides his research data pertaining to this within Sora's heart as "Ansem's Code" sometime before Sora awakens. A Fragmentary Passage

DiZ guides Roxas to the Old Mansion, where Naminé once again attempts to talk to him, but DiZ carries her away. DiZ meets with Roxas at the Pod containing Sora, as Roxas finally fuses with Sora. DiZ and Riku part ways, though Riku does not dispose of Naminé as DiZ had wanted, while Sora goes off on his journey. Unfortunately, Sora does not act the way DiZ wanted or expected, and all of his plans fall apart. It becomes increasingly obvious to DiZ that the heart is something he cannot truly understand.

DiZ eventually infiltrates Organization XIII's home world, The World That Never Was. He takes it upon himself to stop Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas, by using his Kingdom Hearts Encoder to digitally encode Kingdom Hearts, which Xemnas had been feeding hearts so that he can eventually extract its power for himself. As Ansem ascends The Castle That Never Was, he is attacked by Nobodies and Heartless, but is saved by Mickey. DiZ finally unmasks and reveals himself as Ansem. Mickey asks Ansem why he didn't ask for assistance, but Ansem feels that it was his own responsibility to defeat Organization XIII as he was indirectly the cause of its making, and also consumed by his desire for revenge. He explains his part in causing Riku to take on his "Ansem" form, and the regrets he had concealed with his true identity. Ansem and Mickey then set off to seal away Kingdom Hearts.

Ansem with the Kingdom Hearts Encoder.

Finding a good spot, Ansem begins encoding Kingdom Hearts, but sees that the power of Kingdom Hearts is too great to be controlled. The machine begins to overload, and Ansem tells Mickey to run as it will self-destruct. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy, as well as Xemnas, arrive at Mickey and Ansem's location. Ansem tells Sora that the rest is up to him, and apologizes to Roxas for all that he had put him through, though he does not know if Roxas can hear him. Ansem and Xemnas have a bitter exchange, with Xemnas asserting that Ansem is ultimately the one responsible for the invasion of the Heartless. Ansem admits his errors and that both of them know nothing about the heart. As the machine goes critical, Ansem gives Mickey and Riku his final words. The machine then explodes, causing Ansem to vanish completely, but purifies Riku of the presence of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and undoes the majority of Organization XIII's work on Kingdom Hearts, releasing several hundred Heartless into the city below.

Blank Points

Ansem speaks to Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.

"So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me... and even you."

—Ansem to Aqua

Having been transported to the Realm of Darkness following the explosion, Ansem, dressed in his own black coat, is found by Aqua at the Dark Margin. Having lost his dark powers and much of his memory of the first time he was imprisoned, Ansem is just as trapped as Aqua. Reflecting on the memory he has left, Ansem explains his interactions with Sora to Aqua and reveals he has hidden his research data within Sora, and expresses his hope that Sora will one day use this to right Ansem's wrongs.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

Ansem is mentioned by Mickey as "a friend who said that the heart is so much more than any system."

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Ansem's data appears within the Destiny Islands of Sora's heart.

After Riku frees Sora's heart from Ventus's possessed Keyblade Armor, he ends up on a projection of Destiny Islands within his heart. There, after meeting projections of Roxas, Ventus, and Xion and finding a bottle in the surf, Riku encounters a data projection of Ansem. He tells Riku about Ansem's Code, which is contained in the bottle. He muses on Sora's ability to connect with others' hearts, and how it may be able to bring back those that have been lost or no longer exist.

Kingdom Hearts III

In the Realm of Darkness, Ansem seems to have regained his memories, but his and Aqua's peace is interrupted by Xehanort's Heartless—now revived as part of the real Organization XIII—who demands to know the location of Subject X. Ansem denies knowing her whereabouts, so Xehanort's Heartless attempts to take him by force. Aqua comes to his defense despite being weaponless, and, not wanting any further harm to come to her, Ansem agrees to leave with Xehanort's Heartless, but Aqua is tossed into the dark ocean anyway before the two leave.

Xehanort's Heartless demands to know the location of Subject X.

Ansem is brought to the Old Mansion so he can reveal the data on his computer. He begs Xehanort's Heartless to stop, as he does not wish for more victims. Xehanort's Heartless reminds him of the children sacrificed in their research; even his mistreatment of Roxas and Naminé. Ansem states he wishes to make amends for not respecting their right to exist. Suddenly, Pence, Hayner, and Olette appear and attempt to help Ansem escape, and are unexpectedly assisted by Dusks.

A safe distance away, Ansem recognizes the trio as Roxas' friends. They are surprised by Vexen, who had sent the Dusks to rescue them. Vexen reveals he wishes to atone for his past crimes as well and is sabotaging the Organization from within.

Vexen convinces Demyx to assist them, who safely chauffeurs Ansem back into his old lab along with a blank replica, where Ansem is reunited with Ienzo, Dilan, and Aeleus. Ansem makes amends with Ienzo over the apprentices' betrayal and Ansem's failure to protect them. Demyx interrupts the reunion to remind Ansem of the replica. Ansem and Ienzo transfer Roxas's data into the replica to leave it ready for Roxas's heart to inhabit it.

Ansem works with Ienzo and Even to revive Naminé.

Through Demyx, Riku later provides Ansem with the now-blank replica that once held Dark Riku's heart. Ansem, along with Ienzo and the re-completed Even, input Naminé's data into the replica, allowing her lost heart to reside in it, restoring her.

Some time later, Ansem, Ienzo, and Even study Kairi's memories after she offers to be put into a sleep so they can look for clues to Sora's whereabouts.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Ansem, Ienzo, and Even continue to search Kairi's heart for clues. Eventually, Kairi awakens with a clue from her memories of Terra-Xehanort about a world of neither light nor darkness. Ansem surmises that the clue points to Sora being in a world of "unreality, or fiction".

Design

Ansem the Wise is an older man with blond hair worn long and slicked back. He also sports a short mustache and goatee. His eyes are bright orange, and he has slightly pointy ears.

Ansem originally wears a white lab coat over a dark grey vest, white collared shirt, and a violet ascot, as well as black pants and shoes. This uniform is identical to those worn by his apprentices Even, Ienzo, and Xehanort. Ansem also drapes a red shawl or scarf over his shoulders.

As DiZ, Ansem dons a much more complex outfit. His face is covered in red bandages, save for his right eye and mouth, and two black belts are wrapped around his head and intersecting each other, with one passing over where his left eye should be. The beard he usually has as Ansem is not visible under the bandages. He wears a long red cape which is shorter in the front and has a quadrate cross cut taken out at the chest, the edges of which are yellow. This cut exposes a similarly oblong white geometric symbol on a pitch-black shirt. Over-top this shirt, DiZ wears what seems to be grey, segmented armor over his sides and abdomen. This armor is covered by a long black skirt with a cut-out in the front, with edges lined with yellow. Several brown straps are pinned onto the front, crossing the cut-out, and form another angular pattern. DiZ also has wide beige sleeves and black gloves. A yellow sash hangs diagonally over DiZ's waist. Attached to the left side of the sash are three identical brown pouches with a green-and-yellow design on the top flap, which are held closed by a tasseled silver button on the right side. Similarly to his outfit as Ansem, DiZ wears a dark grey scarf around his neck.

Notably, Ansem's skin is darker when in his "DiZ" disguise, and his beard is not present, despite his chin being mostly visible. When he removes the bandages, however, these changes disappear in a dark vapor, suggesting that Ansem used his dark magic to artificially change his appearance. His eyes appear to be a much darker shade of amber orange before the DiZ persona, but this is likely an optical illusion caused by the difference in skin color of Ansem and DiZ. In fact, his skin and eye color while disguised as DiZ are very similar to those of "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness".

Forms

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  Ansem the Wise in his lab attire.

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  Ansem as DiZ.

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  Ansem unmasked.

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  Ansem wearing a black coat.

Personality

Upon his first appearance in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Ansem is disguised as "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness", and thus shares many personality traits with the Heartless while harboring his hidden agenda of destroying Xehanort and Organization XIII. Once he reveals himself as DiZ, he becomes much less sinister, and appears to be genuinely interested in helping Riku and Sora.

As himself, Ansem the Wise, true to his name, is a wise sage-king, even though he has been overthrown. It is revealed that his betrayal by Xehanort was what turned him from a selfless man to a lonely, bitter and rather self-serving individual bent on revenge on Xehanort and apparently caring nothing for the fate of the universe. One notable personality trait that he exhibits in Kingdom Hearts II is his clear dislike of Nobodies in general, likely due to his rage at his former apprentices and the Nobodies which they have become. His prejudice is so deep that he orders Riku to eliminate Naminé once they are finished with her, despite everything she had done for their noble cause (although Riku refuses). His attitude, however, begins to change when he witnesses Riku's transformation into "Ansem" in order to wake Sora up: he first laughs at Riku and mocks him for using the name "Ansem", but later confides to Mickey that his heart was aching greatly at the mere sight of Riku and he began to lose his desire for revenge.

By the end of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Ansem seems to have reverted to his selfless ways and willingly sacrifices himself to stop Xemnas from succeeding with his artificial Kingdom Hearts. He apologizes to Roxas via Sora, and expresses to Aqua his remorse for everything he put Sora, Roxas, and Riku through while they are in the Dark Margin, openly hoping that Sora will ultimately open the Door to Light and right all of his own wrongdoings during his quest for revenge. He ultimately feels remorse for not respecting Roxas and Naminé's right to exist, as they became different people from Sora and Kairi due to lacking their memories.

In Kingdom Hearts III, Ansem remains deeply remorseful over the sacrifices that were made for his research, such as the numerous children who became his victims, and remains determined to atone for his mistakes. Ansem shows he was unwilling to let others suffer in his defense as he complied with Xehanort's Heartless to come quietly if he spared Aqua. Ansem was further able to put his past grievances with his apprentices behind and make peace with them, rekindling the bond they once shared.

Ansem is very fond of sea-salt ice cream, even using it as the password to his secondary computer.

Abilities

Ansem the Wise has no combat abilities to speak of, but since gaining the power of darkness during his banishment, he has been shown to be able to do at least three things. In one of his reports, Ansem stated that after he discovered his new-found powers, he gained the ability to use Corridors of Darkness for travel, though he admits that it was difficult to control initially. This is shown after Riku defeats Roxas; Ansem arrives shortly to take Roxas with him. To avoid being recognized, Ansem has also displayed the ability to change his outward appearance to conceal his identity. In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, he uses this ability to become Xehanort's Heartless to guide Riku.

Ansem also shows the ability to use darkness to repel would-be attackers; while testing Riku in his disguise as Xehanort's Heartless, he merely had to raise a hand to create a small force to push back Riku. He can also temper and manipulate the darkness in a person's heart as he did with Riku so the latter could use Dark Mode freely without worry of being taken over by Xehanort's Heartless. Ansem also demonstrated the ability to craft World Cards from Riku's memory, although altered to only show the Villains and Heartless i.e. "dark beings". While disguised as Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem could also use a copy of the Dark Figure to test Riku's abilities. After his Encoder explosion sent him to the Dark Margin, Ansem lost his dark powers, or at least the memory of how to use them.

Ansem is also a technical genius, having created a functioning digital replica of Twilight Town, as well as a facility there. His facility in Twilight Town is a very high-tech laboratory, filled with computer screens and several suspended-animation pods. He also created the Kingdom Hearts Encoder, designed to undo Kingdom Hearts.

See also

• Ansem's Reports