Xehanort

• Xehanort
• Young
• Gameplay
• Master
• Young
• No Heart
• Gallery
• Quotes

For other uses, see Xehanort (disambiguation).

Xehanort
Japanese	マスター・ゼアノート
Rōmaji	Masutā Zeanōto
Other names	Youth In Black (若者の黒, Wakamono no kuro)
Voice actors	(Ja:) Chikao Ōtsuka (Master, BbS, KH3D) Mamoru Miyano (Young, Bbs) Takanori Okuda (Young, KH3D, KHIII) Akio Ōtsuka (Master, KHIII) (En:) Leonard Nimoy (Master, BbS, KH3D) David Gallagher (Young, BbS) Benjamin Diskin (Young, BbS[KH I+II HD], KH3D, KHIII) Rutger Hauer (Master, KHIII) Christopher Lloyd (Master, KHIII Re Mind, MOM)
Homeworld	Scala ad Caelum Destiny Islands Land of Departure
Games	Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Kingdom Hearts III Kingdom Hearts Union χ Kingdom Hearts Dark Road Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
Variations • Young Xehanort • Terra-Xehanort • No Heart • Ansem, Seeker of Darkness • Xemnas
KHBBS tracks Character theme - Xehanort

Xehanort
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Master Xehanort One of the true Keyblade Masters and a longtime acquaintance of Master Eraqus. He is connected with the masked boy, and harbors a hidden agenda. Unlike Master Eraqus, Xehanort believes darkness need not be rejected if it can be controlled. (T)
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Master Xehanort A former Keyblade Master whose obsession with the Keyblade War led him to give his heart over to darkness. He tried to forge the χ-blade and trigger another Keyblade War, but three young Keyblade wielders put a stop to him. Now, he has revealed his ultimate goal: to create the real Organization XIII and infuse his heart into all its members.
Kingdom Hearts Union χ
Master Xehanort KINGDOM HEARTS BbS (2010) A Keyblade Master and an old friend of Master Eraqus.
Kingdom Hearts III
Master Xehanort The most powerful Keyblade Master of them all. Master Xehanort's pursuit of the World's true nature and obsession with the Keyblade War led him to give his heart over to darkness. He tried to forge the χ-blade and trigger another Keyblade War, but three young Keyblade wielders put a stop to him. Now, he has created a new Organization—the real Organization XIII—and intends to divide his heart among its other twelve members to create thirteen darknesses. The Boy in Black He and his best friend would often match wits playing chess between training sessions. Xehanort[KH III RM] During a training journey in preparation for his Mark of Mastery exam, a certain Keyblade wielder was given a coat that wards off darkness from a mysterious figure.

"Darkness cannot be destroyed. It can only be channeled."

—Master Xehanort to Terra

Xehanort, also known as Master Xehanort, is a major character in the Kingdom Hearts series and the central antagonist of the Dark Seeker Saga. Xehanort is the main playable character of Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, which takes place during his youth and explores his journey to becoming the Seeker of Darkness.

Xehanort is a Keyblade Master, a descendent of Ephemer, and a former teacher to Ventus. He believes that darkness and light should exist in perfect balance, and for this reason, he seeks to conquer Kingdom Hearts and recreate the worlds according to his wishes. Through his many different incarnations, including Terra-Xehanort, his Heartless Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, his Nobody Xemnas, and the time-travelling Young Xehanort, Xehanort is ultimately responsible for the series of events that repeatedly threaten the worlds with destruction, including the mass release of Heartless into the Realm of Light, the creation of the Nobodies and Organization XIII, and the formation of the real Organization XIII. He has brought tragedy to many that have crossed his path, including Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

Development

Master Xehanort first appeared in the teaser for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as the antagonist battling Terra, Aqua, and Ventus alongside Vanitas. Despite being the true main antagonist of the "Dark Seeker Saga", Xehanort did not appear until the series's sixth installment Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and did not meet Sora face to face until the series's seventh installment Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Prior to this, it was believed that Terra-Xehanort was the series's antagonist due to being the original persona of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas, until Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep revealed that the character was simply Terra possessed by the villain's original incarnation. Xehanort's origins and connection to Terra-Xehanort were hinted when it was revealed that he would be voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka, the father of Akio Ōtsuka, who voiced Terra-Xehanort and Ansem. On January 15, 2015, the elder Ōtsuka died of ischemic heart failure, and was replaced by his son for Kingdom Hearts III.

In the series's English version, Master Xehanort is voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was chosen specifically by Tetsuya Nomura because of the role as Mr. Spock from Star Trek and because Nomura himself is a huge fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars, two franchises he intended to pit against each other by additionally casting Mark Hamill as Master Eraqus (Xehanort's enemy). Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep was originally intended to be Nimoy's final performance before his retirement in 2010, but he came out of retirement and briefly reprised the role in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. On February 27, 2015, Nimoy died of chronic lung disease, and was replaced by Dutch actor Rutger Hauer for Kingdom Hearts III. Hauer died on July 19, 2019, of a short illness, making Kingdom Hearts III one of his final performances, and was replaced for Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind by veteran actor Christopher Lloyd.

From Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance onward, Young Xehanort has been voiced by Takanori Okuda in Japanese, and Benjamin Diskin in English. Prior to this, the character had a single line of dialogue in the opening scenes of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and was voiced Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and David Gallagher in English (who both play Riku in their respective languages).

Prior to the 5.0.1 update of Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, Xehanort is referred to as the great-great-grandson of Ephemer, rather than his descendant.

Story

Before Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

He was referred to in a prophecy by Luxu, who knew that one day a chosen one who will reenact the Keyblade War will appear in the cycle of bequeathing that the No Name would go through.

Xehanort was born in Scala ad Caelum, and was a descendant of Ephemer, the town's founder. Xehanort was believed by the residents of Scala ad Caelum to be the prophesied child of destiny that would one day save the entire world from darkness and ultimately overwrite the grim future recorded on the final page of the Book of Prophecies. To this end, an infant Xehanort was seen being held by an unknown woman before she gives him away to a cloaked figure. The figure brought Xehanort to Destiny Islands, where he was raised, in order to be protected from darkness until the time when he was ready to journey throughout the worlds.

Xehanort, while missing his mother, cared greatly about the cloaked figure, eventually seeing them as a mentor. The mentor raised Xehanort in the Seaside Shack on the island and taught him about darkness and light, constantly referring to Xehanort as the child of destiny and how he would be able to connect his hearts with others. Xehanort could sense the memories, thoughts and emotions that were contained within his mentor's heart from their previous life, being able to see their former friends and the battles they partook in throughout many worlds, and often had dreams centered around these individuals and events. However, by the time Xehanort aged into a young teenager, his mentor passed away, leaving Xehanort alone on the island, though he would go on to remember his mentor and many of their teachings for years to come.

By this point in time, Xehanort had largely forgotten about his earlier life and sought to leave the islands, viewing them as small and uneventful, in order to see the greater world beyond, largely due to the continued recurring dreams that gave him glimpses of worlds and individuals he had never seen or met before.

Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

Shortly after the death of his mentor, Xehanort was paid a visit by his future self's Heartless, Ansem, offering Xehanort passage out of Destiny Islands to seek the answers to the dreams he kept having. Xehanort accepted and left through a dark corridor. Though his name was forgotten over time, Xehanort's exploit of managing to leave Destiny Islands would be remembered for years.

While traveling through the dark corridor, Xehanort experienced his first encounter with darkness; extreme, negative emotions that began to overwhelm and attach to his heart. Despite the horrifying and overpowering nature of the darkness, Xehanort was greatly fascinated by it and took some level of comfort in his heart's capacity to continue to feel emotion. As recounted in his reports years later, Xehanort believed even at this point that darkness could be channeled and even controlled by a strong enough heart.

The dark corridor eventually dropped Xehanort at Scala ad Caelum, where he was taken in by Keyblade Master Odin, who saw great potential in him, becoming his seventh apprentice, alongside Eraqus, Bragi, Vor, Urd, Hermod, and Baldr. During the course of his training, Xehanort eventually came to see his fellow pupil Eraqus as a brother. The two often spent their time playing Alba & Ater between training. The Master taught Xehanort and his fellow classmates the ways of the Keyblade, and that their role as Keyblade wielders was to protect the worlds of light from darkness. However, this answer was unsatisfactory to Xehanort, and he often visited other worlds without permission to learn more. Initially, Xehanort wore his Keyblade Armor during his travels, to protect himself from the darkness between worlds.

One day, Master Odin informed everyone that the upper classmen of Keyblade wielders had gone missing, and that his apprentices were to split into two groups to search the worlds. Xehanort traveled to Agrabah, realizing that the world was still being reborn from the destruction of the Keyblade War, as no humans were in the world. Xehanort visited Wonderland, but left pondering if slaying those controlled by darkness is also necessary to protect the world, and In Dwarf Woodlands, Xehanort find one of the wielders Vidar, who is embarking on a mission of his own.

Returning back to Scala ad Caelum, Xehanort and his classmates contemplate what to do next. Xehanort and Eraqus argue over the morality of Vidar's plans with Eraqus believing he has lost his path, while Xehanort believes that not everything is so black and white. Upon arriving in Agrabah, Jafar attempts to manipulate them into retrieving the magic lamp for him from the Cave of Wonders. Upon investigating the cave, the group run into Eraqus and Bragi. The group surmises that the upper classmen are after artifacts critical to the order of each world and the magic lamp is one such item. Vidar and Vor arrive and reveal that they are stealing the artifacts to upset the world order in hopes of identifying pure light that surfaces from the ensuing chaos.

Returning to Scala ad Caelum and discuss their findings with Odin, Odin informs them that Vidar is attempting to locate seven pure lights and thirteen darknesses in an effort to summon Kingdom Hearts and purge all worlds of True Darkness, the source of all darkness and the main instigators of the ancient Keyblade War. Believing that this is beyond the scope of the wielder's abilities, Odin asks them to cease their mission. In truth, Odin had actually manipulated Vidar to begin his mission to summon Kingdom Hearts, believing that this would facilitate the rise of the prophesized Seeker of Darkness.

Refusing to simply give up, the classmates meet outside to discuss their next move. During their discussion, Baldr show up and reveals the death of the upper classmen. Revealing that he stumbled upon a world that contains an underworld of lost spirits, Baldr directs the group to search Olympus Coliseum, in an attempt to make contact with the spirits of the slain wielders. Traveling to this world, the group encounters Hades and are transported to the Underworld. Once there, Xehanort, Eraqus, and Bragi encounter and fight Cerberus, only to be saved by Baldr. Upon escaping, Xehanort begins to suspect that something simply isn't adding up, but does not let Eraqus know his suspicions on Baldr just yet. Xehanort and Eraqus encounter the souls of the four slain upperclassmen, who reveal their suspicions that something much more sinister was responsible for their deaths, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Imploring for Xehanort and Eraqus to find the truth, the four classmen finally depart. When Xehanort, Eraqus, Urd, and Hermod run into Hades again, he attempts to make them permanent residents of the Underworld, until a dark corridor suddenly opens and sucks the wielders in. Within the corridor, Urd and Hermod are suddenly slain by a figure cloaked in darkness. Xehanort and Eraqus almost fall victim to the same figure until Odin appears and rescues the pair, bringing them back to Scala ad Caelum.

Scala ad Caelum is then suddenly attacked by the forces of darkness. While Odin leaves to deal with the threat, Xehanort reveals that he suspected that Baldr had been corrupted by darkness following the death of his sister and is now picking off their fellow classmates. Baldr appears possessed by darkness and by the time Xehanort and Eraqus arrive at the tower, they are too late and witness Baldr unleash a Heartless to murder Vidar, Vali, Vala, and Vor. Tearfully saying goodbye to Vor, Xehanort and Eraqus confront Baldr at the top of the tower who reveals his true plans. The darkness controlling Baldr was manipulating Vidar to summon Kingdom Hearts so that it may restructure the world towards its own designs. While Xehanort is finally able to gain the upper hand on Baldr, the darkness clouds Xehanort's mind, revealing to him that it's not one of the ancient darknesses, but a new variant formed from the wielders. Revealing that darkness has been able to grow in this manner through others and that Xehanort himself would be a worthy vessel, the darkness is then shocked to find Baldr's sister's heart has taken residence in Xehanort's, in an attempt to get her brother free. While Baldr is temporary restored to his senses and restrained by Odin, Baldr reveals that he felt destined to darkness with so many light-obsessed wielders by his side. The darkness eventually overtakes him once again and snuffs out the remaining light of his sister's spirit.

Xehanort, rather than purge the darkness from Baldr, slays him to end the conflict for good, leaving Xehanort and Eraqus as the only students left alive. Over the next month, Xehanort and Eraqus often visited the graves of their fallen comrades and friends. Eventually reconnecting again, Xehanort and Eraqus resolved to continue their training and become Keyblade Masters, with Odin preparing to conduct their Mark of Mastery exams in the next several years.

Four years later, the time finally drew near when both Xehanort and Eraqus would take their Mark of Mastery exams. To prepare for the exam, Xehanort was tasked to tour the various worlds to broaden his horizons. By this point in time, Xehanort had come to see the power of darkness as a necessity to wield if he were to be seen as an equal to Eraqus. Before leaving, Xehanort visited the graves of his fallen comrades once more. Eraqus arrives and reminds him that their demise wasn't his fault. As Xehanort reveals his planned departure, Eraqus tells him to be back before the exam. This trip took Xehanort to Wonderland, where time had barely passed since his first visit. Still seeing the Queen of Hearts being influenced by darkness, Xehanort willingly approached her.

Between Kingdom Hearts Dark Road and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

"At the time, I did not yet know I was talking to myself. He cast his body aside to set me on the path. That is Xehanort reduced to just a heart; the being you and your friends called Ansem"

—Young Xehanort

Xehanort meets Ansem, his Heartless from the future.

As Xehanort continued his tour of the worlds, he once again comes into contact with his Heartless, Ansem, who grants him the power to traverse time and tasks him with gathering twelve other incarnations of himself from across time to form the Real Organization XIII for his future self's final plans to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts. After carrying out his duties in the future as "Young Xehanort," the youth eventually returns to his proper place in time and, while the rules of time travel prevent him from keeping his memories of his travels, the experiences he gained were engraved in his heart and would act as subconscious guidance for himself in the years to come.

Eventually, Xehanort attempted to overcome the darkness and control it in order to wield its power. To this end, Xehanort entered a corridor of darkness and forwent his armor and allowed darkness to seep into his heart. However, this eventually overwhelmed Xehanort and he passed out, only to be saved by The Master of Masters. The Master took Xehanort to the Badlands, where he gave him a black coat to use as an alternative method to ward off darkness and better observe the nature of the worlds, asking him to take a look at the hearts of others specifically as he continued his world tour.

After seeing the darkness hidden within the worlds, Xehanort became disillusioned with the "false light" of the world that concealed the dark and decided to do what he could to change it, unaware that he was being driven by a subconscious memory of the future. Despite wishing to use the black coat, Xehanort was told by the Master that if he possessed true strength, the darkness would pose no threat to him; the Master then departed after revealing his true name. True to the Master's belief, Xehanort abandoned both his original Keyblade Armor and the black coat after feeling the darkness's power in the lanes between. Through his lack of fear of the darkness, Xehanort gained great power. Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

Finally completing his tour and with newfound purpose and ambitions, Xehanort returned to Scala ad Caelum and stated his beliefs to Eraqus that the world needed to be restructured and that it would take several lifetimes, wishing to extend his life to recreate the world and then experience it himself. Eventually, both Eraqus and Xehanort passed their exams and became Keyblade Masters, and Eraqus was chosen as the Master's successor of Scala ad Caelum and given the Master's Defender; Xehanort was chosen to inherit the No Name. The newly titled Master Xehanort was free to take on apprentices of his own to train, and travel the worlds freely. Xehanort decided to dedicate the remainder of his life to studying the Keyblade War and Kingdom Hearts in an effort to summon it once more in order to purge the worlds and remake them. This caused friction with Eraqus, who attempted to stop Xehanort while he was leaving Scala. Though the exact contents of the fight are unknown, Xehanort succeeded in leaving Scala and journeyed throughout the worlds for years in pursuit of knowledge and further power.

Xehanort leaving Eraqus scarred after a heated discussion concerning the future.

Shaving his head as a demonstration of his resolve and now firmly associated with darkness, Xehanort journeyed and obtained vast knowledge concerning Keyblade lore, the Heartless, and the mysteries of the Keyblade War, and Kingdom Hearts. He met other powerful individuals, including a fellow Keyblade Master, Yen Sid, who became a close friend of Eraqus and was weary of Xehanort's ambitions for further knowledge and power. Over the years, Xehanort's beliefs that darkness and light were meant to be in balance were further reinforced, believing that the "tyranny" of light had destroyed much of the darkness and shifted that balance. He, therefore, resolved to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts so that he may create a World in balance. To that end, he sought to recreate the legendary χ-blade and begin a new Keyblade War. By this time, however, Xehanort had grown very old, and he devised a plan to use his Keyblade to extract his own heart and transfer it to a younger body to prolong his life until his ambitions were fulfilled. At one point, Xehanort discussed his ideas about the Keyblade War with Eraqus, who attempted to dissuade him from risking a new apocalypse for the sake of gaining knowledge. When Eraqus tried to stop him by force, Xehanort used his power of darkness to easily fend him off.

Master Xehanort creating Vanitas.

Roughly a decade after his confrontation with Eraqus, Xehanort travels to the Dwarf Woodlands to ask the Magic Mirror where he can find the "friends" from his childhood dreams. Following the Mirror's information, he finds an unconscious Ventus at the Keyblade Graveyard. Xehanort takes Ventus on as a pupil, believing Ventus has the potential to be a vessel for his heart. However, after training Ventus for a year, Xehanort ultimately deems him unsuitable as a vessel and decides to split Ventus into light and darkness to create the χ-blade. After failing to stimulate Ventus's darkness, Xehanort forcibly extracts the darkness from his heart, creating Vanitas and badly damaging Ventus's heart in the process. Xehanort initially brings the fading Ventus to the Destiny Islands, but when Ventus shows signs of recovery, Xehanort takes him to Eraqus at the Land of Departure, believing that Eraqus's dedication to the light will nurture Ventus into a strength equal to Vanitas so that they can one day fight each other, forging the χ-blade. Xehanort also encounters Eraqus's two current pupils, Terra and Aqua, and determines that Terra's desire for power will make him a suitable vessel for Xehanort's heart.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Master Xehanort encouraging Terra to harness darkness.

"Seek out the darkness that upsets the balance. Find Vanitas and put an end to him... Master Terra."

—Master Xehanort manipulates Terra.

Four years later, Eraqus invites Xehanort to witness Terra and Aqua officially become Keyblade Masters. While Xehanort accepts, he cautions Eraqus about Terra's potential for darkness and suggests Eraqus administer a Mark of Mastery exam before granting the titles. Based on intel from Vanitas, Xehanort plans to use Ventus's bond with Terra to lure Ventus away from home, and Vanitas secretly accompanies Xehanort to the Land of Departure. During the exam, Xehanort subtly uses darkness to affect the Orbs of Light and nudge Terra's darkness into flaring during his spar with Aqua, and, due to this, Eraqus names only Aqua as Master. Xehanort finds Terra alone and encourages him to channel his darkness instead of fearing it. He then leaves via a Corridor of Darkness, making himself unavailable when Eraqus tries to contact him about the Unversed which Vanitas has been secretly spreading, so Eraqus tasks Terra and Aqua with locating Xehanort along with countering the Unversed.

In Enchanted Dominion, Xehanort meets the evil fairy Maleficent and informs her of the existence of other worlds, the Princesses of Heart—which include Aurora, who resides in that world—and Kingdom Hearts, and warns her of the three Keyblade wielders that will follow him to her world. When Terra makes his way to Enchanted Dominion, Xehanort and Maleficent steal Aurora's heart while tricking Terra into believing he was responsible for the act instead.

Master Xehanort offers to take Terra as an apprentice.

Some time later, Xehanort summons Terra to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he reveals Vanitas's connection to the Unversed, and claims that he created Vanitas after Ventus succumbed to darkness in a training accident. He asks Terra to stop Vanitas for him and suggests that Vanitas may be drawn to Radiant Garden, the city of light.

In Radiant Garden, Xehanort strikes an alliance with Braig, and they stage Xehanort's kidnapping in order to provoke Terra into using the darkness. Braig faces Terra in battle, and Terra accidentally channels his darkness, scarring Braig's face and forcing him to flee. Xehanort consoles the distraught Terra by offering to take him under his wing, encouraging him to seek a balance of light and dark, and finally calling him "Master Terra". After Terra leaves Radiant Garden, Braig attempts to gun Xehanort down, furious at being set up as "collateral damage", but Xehanort easily forces him to back down.

Later, Xehanort has Vanitas abduct Mickey Mouse to lure Ventus to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he reveals to Ventus the truth about his past and his plans to create the χ-blade. He claims that Eraqus feared the power Ventus could hold and prevented him from leaving the Land of Departure because he didn't trust Ventus. Xehanort summons a dark vortex that sends Ventus to the Land of Departure, and suggests he should question Eraqus. He then calls Terra to him, and tells Terra that Ventus knows the truth and went to confront Eraqus on his own, and that he fears for Ventus's safety. Terra arrives at the Land of Departure to protect Ventus, throws him through a portal to safety, and defeats Eraqus in battle. As Terra and Eraqus express regret for their actions, Xehanort appears and delivers the final blow to Eraqus. Xehanort reveals his true intentions to Terra and tells him to return to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he will see Ventus and Aqua meet their ends, and will succumb to darkness. He then unleashes darkness on the Land of Departure, wrecking the world and destroying the castle, before departing.

Master Xehanort summoning Kingdom Hearts during his battle against Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

At the Keyblade Graveyard, Xehanort and Vanitas are confronted by Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. A fight ensues, and Xehanort uses his immense magic to alter the landscape, summoning giant cliffs and creating a whirling stream of abandoned Keyblades. During the fight, Xehanort freezes Ventus and throws him off the cliff, then launches magic into the clouds overhead, revealing Kingdom Hearts in the sky.

After the χ-blade's completion, Xehanort readies himself to take over Terra's body.

With Ventus and Aqua occupied, Terra faces off against Xehanort and Vanitas, but Xehanort soon sends Vanitas to fight Ventus, leaving Xehanort and Terra to fight one-on-one. Xehanort goads Terra into tapping into his darkness, and Terra successfully defeats him. In the background, Ventus and Vanitas's fight results in the χ-blade's forging, sending a beam of light into the sky. While Terra is distracted, Xehanort extracts his own heart and implants it into Terra, with his old body fading away in a shower of light. This union creates Terra-Xehanort, a form of Terra's body controlled by Xehanort. Internally, Terra fights for control, eventually provoking Xehanort to turn his keyblade on Terra-Xehanort's body and lock Terra's heart in the Dark Figure.

Blank Points

"You are just one of many roads that I might choose to take."

—Xehanort to Terra

Master Xehanort converses with Terra within Terra-Xehanort's heart.

Xehanort and Terra continue to dispute over internal dominance within Terra-Xehanort. Despite Xehanort's insistence that he will soon subsume Terra's heart into his own, Terra remains confident that he will win against and eventually expel Xehanort. Xehanort realizes that Terra is harboring the heart of Eraqus, which may allow him to resist his darkness for longer than he expected. However, Xehanort serenely points out that he has many other plans in the works should he lose control over Terra's body.

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

Anticipating that Ventus and Vanitas's union may fail to successfully create the χ-blade, Xehanort had arranged a number of back up plans: Braig takes the role of advisor and comrade for Terra-Xehanort, who loses all his memories save his name following his fight with Aqua in Radiant Garden and is taken in by Ansem the Wise. Terra-Xehanort, along with Ansem the Wise's other apprentices, begins conducting experiments into the nature of the heart and the darkness within, which eventually leads to the mass release of Heartless into the Realm of Light. Having banished Ansem the Wise to the Realm of Darkness and taken Ansem's name for himself, Terra-Xehanort and the other apprentices continue their experiments until they lose their hearts to darkness. Terra-Xehanort releases his own heart, creating his Heartless Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and his Nobody Xemnas.

Both halves take a different part of the plan to forge the χ-blade: Ansem manipulates Maleficent and her allies into collecting the Princesses of Heart, while Xemnas creates Organization XIII in order to infuse Nobodies with fragments of Xehanort's heart to create the thirteen darknesses. However, anticipating that the Organization members would prove unsuitable as vessels, Ansem travels back in time and approaches Xehanort in his youth, granting him the ability to move forward in time and tasking him with gathering many incarnations of himself from throughout time.

In the meantime, Ansem and Xemnas each attempt to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts. Ansem manipulates the Heartless into consuming the hearts of many worlds, which creates Kingdom Hearts in the End of the World's depths from the lost hearts, while Xemnas has hearts collected from Heartless using Roxas, Xion, and later Sora, which created Kingdom Hearts above The World That Never Was from people's hearts. However, both Ansem's and Xemnas's plans are thwarted by Sora and his friends, and both incarnations of Xehanort are destroyed.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

"A man like Xehanort will have left many roads open."

—Yen Sid to Mickey

Yen Sid explains to Mickey that the destruction of both Ansem and Xemnas will inevitably lead to Xehanort's resurrection and suggests that there may be more than one version of Xehanort to contend with. Yen Sid instructs Mickey to summon Sora and Riku to the tower to take the Mark of Mastery exam. Signs of What's Next

At the same time, Xehanort and Terra are both revived as separate entities once again. As Terra's heart is still trapped in the Dark Figure, Xehanort places Terra-Xehanort's heart from the past into Terra's empty body. Re Mind

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Master Xehanort's grand return as the real Organization XIII's leader.

As part of Xehanort's plan to fill the thirteenth seat in his new Organization, his incarnations interfere with Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam to capture Sora. Once Sora is put to sleep under a Nightmare's guard, Xehanort calls the Organization together from throughout time while Mickey and Riku attempt to stop them. Mickey freezes the Organization with Stopza, but Xehanort possesses the body of Young Xehanort, allowing him to move and to summon a Keyblade, and he holds off Riku until Mickey's magic wears off.

Xehanort finally appears. He admits he was too impatient in his previous plan to forge the χ-blade, as the proper way is via a clash between thirteen darknesses and seven lights, as a reflection of the way the χ-blade was divided at the conclusion of the Keyblade War. After his previous failed attempts, Xehanort has brought about the creation of a new Organization XIII made up of himself, his other incarnations, and vessels that harbor pieces of his heart, which he intends to pit against the seven lights.

Master Xehanort speaks of the inevitable clash between light and darkness while fading away.

Xehanort moves to place a fragment of his heart inside Sora, but the arrival of Lea, Donald, and Goofy stalls the Organization long enough that they are forced to retreat, each member returning to their own time. As Xehanort fades, he tells his opponents that both the seven of light and the thirteen of darkness will have their numbers filled when the time comes.

Although Yen Sid and Mickey agree that they will be playing into Xehanort's hands, they resolve to gather seven Keyblade-wielding Guardians of Light, rather than endanger the Princesses of Heart.

Kingdom Hearts III

"Today, we join these other wielders and leave our mark on fate. I have waited patiently... But together, we shall unlock the Keyblade War's secrets. Now we forge it. The ultimate key...The χ-blade!"

—Master Xehanort to the guardians of light.

Master Xehanort discussing with Saïx and Xigbar the status of all the thirteen vessels.

After his failure to turn Sora into a vessel, Xehanort convenes at the Keyblade Graveyard with Saïx and Xigbar. After reminiscing about his meeting with the Master of Masters, Xehanort discusses with Xigbar and Saïx how they will fill their new Organization. Saïx explains that they will turn Vexen back into a Nobody to refine the Replicas that will house the time-traveling hearts, and recreate the lost replica No. i to take Sora's place, as it is connected to Sora's memories. Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

The thirteen seekers of darkness eventually gather at the Keyblade Graveyard to face the seven guardians of light. Xehanort appears alongside his Heartless Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, and Young Xehanort, and speaks about the Keyblade War and what may result from it. The group summons a massive horde of Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed to test the guardians, before departing.

Master Xehanort facing off against the guardians for their final showdown.

After the guardians of light defeat the horde, Xehanort and the rest of the real Organization XIII confront them. Xehanort creates a sprawling labyrinth called The Skein of Severance as the battleground for the final clash, signifying the beginning of the war. Xehanort himself remains on a larger pillar behind the labyrinth to observe the coming battles. With each clash with one of the thirteen darknesses, a key is formed, which take the form of No Name. During the fighting, Xemnas brings a captured Kairi to Xehanort.

After defeating nine of the thirteen darknesses, Sora, Riku, and Mickey arrive at the Tower of Endings at the end of the labyrinth, where they are confronted by Young Xehanort, Ansem, and Xemnas. The group fights while Xehanort frequently interferes via a storm of Keyblades, and eventually his three past selves are defeated, yielding three keys.

Master Xehanort repels Mickey's Ultima.

With only one more key remaining, Xehanort clears the clouds above him to reveal Kingdom Heart, and beckons Sora to battle him. When Sora initially refuses, Xehanort reveals Kairi and destroys her body to motivate Sora. Sora, Riku, and Mickey all attempt to attack Xehanort, forging the thirteenth key. Xehanort combines all thirteen keys, transforming No Name into the completed χ-blade. With the χ-blade finally in hand, Xehanort bids Kingdom Hearts to open and show him a new world. A ray of darkness emanates from the χ-blade and strikes Kingdom Hearts, consuming it with darkness.

Riku reasons that as Xehanort can travel through time, he acts as a portal. While Xehanort's back is turned, Sora opens the portal within him, transporting himself, Donald, Goofy, and Xehanort to a memory of Scala ad Caelum.

Unbeknownst to the guardians, Xehanort takes seven fragments of Kairi's heart and scatters five of them across Scala ad Caelum, having hidden the remaining two within the hearts of Riku and Mickey, all as a final resort to ensure Kingdom Hearts can be opened through the power of the Princesses of Heart. During this time, Xehanort encounters a future version of Sora, who has used the power of waking to travel from the past and restore Kairi's heart. The future Sora disappears as his present self arrives with Donald and Goofy. Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

Xehanort summoning Kingdom Hearts during his final battle against Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

Twelve Replica Xehanorts appear around the town, and after Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat them, Xehanort appears and reunites with his other selves that were in the Replicas. Xehanort dons his new Keyblade Armor, reshapes the world to trap Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and engages them in battle. After Xehanort's armor is destroyed, he escapes through a Corridor to the top of the citadel. Sora, Donald, and Goofy pursue him, and he uses the χ-blade summon Kingdom Hearts once again, and challenges the three to a final battle. Eventually, Xehanort uses the power of Kingdom Hearts and the χ-blade to strike Sora, but he, Donald, and Goofy use the power of friendship to break through Xehanort's attack and deal a blow that pierces Xehanort through the chest, mortally wounding him.

Sora urges Xehanort to admit defeat, but Xehanort states that it's too late. Xehanort reveals that Kingdom Hearts will trigger a purge, destroying all Worlds and returning them to their original state, giving them a new beginning where he may shepherd all those who would pollute the world with the darkness that sprouts endlessly within their hearts. Sora rebukes him, stating that a true leader would know that destiny cannot be controlled, reminding Xehanort of Eraqus.

Eraqus and Xehanort leaving for the afterlife together.

The rest of the guardians of light arrive, having followed their hearts to find Sora. Terra approaches Xehanort and reminds him that there's more to light than meets the eye, causing Xehanort to remember that Eraqus's heart has been with Terra all along. Eraqus's spirit emerges from within Terra and convinces Xehanort to admit defeat. Xehanort hands the χ-blade to Sora, and then finally succumbs to his injuries, but is supported by Eraqus before he collapses. The two briefly take on the appearances of their past selves, share one last laugh, then finally depart for the afterlife together.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

When Kairi finds herself in a memory of the Final World, she encounters a vision of Xehanort. As the two fight, Xehanort admits Kairi has grown as a Keyblade wielder but gloats that she will be unable to find clues to Sora's whereabouts in her current state. He overpowers her and nearly delivers the final blow, but Sora takes control of her body and defeats him, restoring the final fragment of her heart to her body. Before disappearing, Xehanort gives her a clue to Sora's whereabouts by recounting the words he, as Terra-Xehanort, had told her before sending her away from Radiant Garden.

Other appearances

The Gathering

Master Xehanort appears as a shadowy silhouette preparing to face off against Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.

A Fragmentary Passage

This information is based on alternate scenes or materials and is not considered canon within the overall plot of the series.
Xehanort on the beach of Destiny Islands. A young Xehanort stands on the beach at Destiny Islands, and as he turns around, images of Ansem, Xemnas, and the elderly Master Xehanort at the Keyblade Graveyard also appear.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Xehanort appears in the 8 o'clock Stations in the Dive to the Heart sections of the Hollow Bastion stage.

Design

According to Tetsuya Nomura, Young Xehanort is approximately 18 to 20 years old, while Master Xehanort is in his 80s.

Xehanort has tan skin, silver hair, and naturally silver eyes. In his youth on Destiny Islands, Xehanort's hair is swept back into spikes, with messy, spiky bangs, and he wears a high-collared, sleeveless black jacket with pointed coattails over a long, sleeveless white button-up shirt with two thin black belts around the midsection, baggy grey pants stuffed into black boots, and long black armbands. While training in Scala ad Caelum, he wears a sleeveless, form-fitting black shirt with a large grey "X" pattern, much shorter armbands, and a black belt with a silver Terra's Mark emblem at the front. He also wears a sleeveless, hooded black coat that reaches to his upper calves and has pinkish-brown trim and lining, with a dark grey belt around the middle and long, rectangular, gold-embroidered lapels pinned back with red cord.

As a young adult, his hair is longer and comes to a tapered end at his upper back, with slicked back spikes on the top of his head and four long bangs framing his face. This hairstyle bears a strong resemblance to Terra-Xehanort's.

Xehanort sometimes wears a black coat given to him by the Master of Masters, which is later also worn by Xemnas and the Organization members.

As an old man, Xehanort is bald and has a curved silver goatee, and has gold eyes and pointed ears. He has broad, hunched shoulders and a crooked back, and usually stands with his hands folded behind his back. He wears a long black-and-grey coat with a red inner lining and layered shoulder pads. He has a thick black strap over each shoulder with criss-crossing belts forming an "X" over his back and on each side at the front of his jacket. The skirt of the coat is grey and reaches to his lower calves, and is attached to the collar with belts. Underneath, he wears a white button-up shirt and belts like his childhood attire, black leather pants, and calf-high black boots, as well as long white buttoned gloves with black straps around the wrists. This outfit is nearly identical to that worn by his eventual Heartless, Ansem, although Ansem's coat has yellow trim and his shirt's buttons start much lower and expose his chest.

In Kingdom Hearts III, Xehanort has noticeable veins covering his skull.

Like the members of the original Organization XIII, Xehanort's name contains the letter "X", along with the anagrams "Another" and "No Heart".

Forms

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  Xehanort as a newborn.

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  Xehanort as a child.

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  Xehanort in his early teens before leaving Destiny Islands.

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  Xehanort in his early teens at Scala ad Caelum.

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  Xehanort as a young adult.

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  Xehanort's original Keyblade Armor.

• 

  Master Xehanort in his standard attire.

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  Master Xehanort in a black coat.

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  Master Xehanort's second Keyblade Armor.

Personality

Xehanort is shown to be a cunning, callous, and pragmatic being with the sole goal of merging with Kingdom Hearts and obtain ultimate knowledge, as the lives of innocent people and even those who care for him meaning absolutely nothing to him. To this end, he is willing to put whatever he pleases on the line or destroy anything in his way, demonstrated when he manipulated several characters such as Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Braig, and even Maleficent, created Vanitas, a sentient being born for the sole purpose of forwarding his evil plan, and slew his old friend Master Eraqus in cold blood after tricking Terra into defeating him in battle. He even shrugged off ruining Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's lives by telling Mickey and Riku that they were destined to fall, and went as far as to refer to Sora as a "dull, ordinary boy". Xehanort tends to have a series of back-up plans to occur whenever his previous scheme fails, and his skill for this has given him a reputation as a "devious tactician", as relayed to Mickey by Yen Sid.

Despite his overwhelming malice, Xehanort has been shown to have some slight sympathy for his victims, such as when he takes pity on Ventus, following the rupture of his heart, and decides to leave him to perish peacefully on the Destiny Islands. All of Xehanort's other seeming virtues are revealed to have sinister intentions behind them, demonstrated when he only took Ventus as an apprentice and cared for him solely with the intention of making the boy his vessel once he was strong enough, and when he only accepted Master Eraqus's invitation to witness the Mark of Mastery exam win back Eraqus's trust following their falling-out and sabotage the exam to put Terra on the path to darkness so as to make him his new vessel after deciding to instead use Ventus for the χ-blade. Like his other incarnations, Xehanort puts on a polite façade to make other people do what he desires. In his final moments, however, and ironically, he admits to Sora that his true intention was to create a world devoid of corruption and develops a newfound respect for Sora upon his defeat at the boy's hands, allowing him to close Kingdom Hearts and telling him "very well done".

As a youth, Xehanort was the most level headed of his classmates. He would face any situation with the calculated calmness that would define his elder years but with more snark. Xehanort was also very deductive and is capable of reading individuals well, such as being able to deduce Jafar's more sinister intentions in obtaining the magic lamp from the cave of wonders after the latter staged a conversation with Iago to obtain it for the benefit of Agrabah. Unlike Eraqus, he did not believe that light and darkness representing good and evil are absolutes and felt there was more to them than just being opposing forces. Despite his collected nature, he was not immune to sorrow and anger. Though he was told by Odin to expel the darkness from Baldr, Xehanort decided at the last second to execute him for destroying his classmates. After the fall of his comrades, Xehanort had become more despondent and had resigned himself to his quarters for a time and visited their graves often. These events and Baldr's final words would push him to explore the worlds to learn more about the nature of light and darkness, shaping him into the man who would do what ever it takes to achieve his goals even at the expense of others.

Overall, Xehanort is the true catalyst of all the events in the series so far, having been responsible (either directly or indirectly) for converting Terra into the first of his many vessels, arranging his younger self's quest through time, the Disney Villains' hunt for Kingdom Hearts, the creation of Vanitas, the Unversed, and the original Organization XIII, the release of the Emblem Heartless and Nobodies, and the plaguing of the Sleeping Worlds with the Nightmare Dream Eaters. Xehanort has a few unusual tendencies and quirks, however, such as turning away from the people he speaks to, or over-dramatizing his hand gestures when delivering a speech, even flexing his fingers in a peculiar grasping motion.

Upon noticing how Sora reminded him of Eraqus, Xehanort got a chance to speak with his old friend, who convinced him that they had finally reached "checkmate". For the first time, Xehanort admits defeat, seemingly reclaims his friendship with Eraqus and develops a respect for Sora.

Abilities

Master Xehanort is a powerful Keyblade Master and a skilled magic-user. Able to teleport if he is in danger, Master Xehanort strikes opponents with powerful, fast-paced combos. He also can bombard foes with Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, and Earth-based magic. His magic skills are some of the most advanced seen in the series so far, as he is able to create massive rock formations and pillars, encase Ventus's body in ice, project a gust of wind powerful enough to send Ventus and Mickey flying from his hand, block Braig's Arrowgun shots without raising his arms, and telekinetically control the Keyblades covering the Keyblade Graveyard to attack Terra and Aqua. Master Xehanort's magical prowess is shown when King Mickey tries to confront him in Kingdom Hearts III; Mickey attempted to wipe him out with an Ultima spell, but Xehanort countered with a Stopza spell so powerful, it reached far enough to immobilize Riku. He also possesses physical strength sufficient to grab a fully-armored Ventus by the back of the head and lift him into the air with one hand. His old age, however, somewhat hampers his mobility, forcing him to rely more on magic and cunning in battle, until he manages to possess Terra.

Master Xehanort shows a great deal of skill in utilizing the heart and its capabilities, able to draw who he calls Vanitas out of the darkness of Ventus's heart when he unlocks it, to direct his heart into Terra's body to possess it after his defeat in the Keyblade Graveyard, or to steal the light from Sora's heart. Master Xehanort's greatest asset, however, is his intellect and capacity for manipulation. For over a decade, he has, directly or indirectly, influenced many of the hardships and suffering the worlds have gone through, and always has backup plans ready in the event his initial schemes fail.

Within his Scala ad Caelum, Xehanort is able to manipulate the town's structure at will. Using the χ-blade, Xehanort could warp by using Keyholes and summon Kingdom Hearts in whatever world he wished.

Weapon

Master Xehanort is able to wield his No Name Keyblade with great skill despite his age, and enough of his strength has remained over the years that he is able to use it in fast-paced physical combos. His battle stance is similar to that of both Vanitas and Riku, but he mainly allows the Keyblade to hang loosely at his side as he walks slowly towards opponents. Master Xehanort also uses his Keyblade to unlock countless hearts, including his own. Upon forging the χ-blade, Xehanort discards his Keyblade in favor of the ancient weapon.

As an apprentice at Scala ad Caelum, Xehanort wielded the Keyblade, the same as his classmates.

• 

  Keyblade

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  Master Xehanort's Keyblade, No Name.

• 

  χ-blade

See also

• Xehanort's Report