Vexen

Vexen, the Chilly Academic (いてつく学究 Itetsuku Gakkyū, lit. Freezing Scholar), is Rank IV within Organization XIII. He wields the element of Ice and uses it to command storms and blizzards while defending himself with his massive shield.

Vexen was the highest ranking member of the Organization inside Castle Oblivion, yet, ironically, he is the first Organization member to be eliminated. He created the Riku replica from the real Riku's data and uses the replica to carry out several experiments on Riku and Sora. Vexen appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix. He will be appearing in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as a playable character during multiplayer mode.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
A man absorbed in his dubious research in Castle Oblivion.

''Vexen tried to destroy Sora by controlling Riku and pitting the two against each other. When this plan failed, he confronted Sora personally.''


 * Reverse/Rebirth

No. 4 in the Organization.

He, Lexaeus, and Zexion have been in the group since its inception, and there is no love lost between them and neophytes like Marluxia.

After battling Riku, Vexen turned to events unfolding aboveground, but successive failures led to his termination by Axel.

Kingdom Hearts II
''Formerly Organization XIII's Number IV. He has been eliminated.''

''Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were among Organization XIII's founding members, and there was no love lost between them and neophytes like Marluxia. Vexen opposed Marluxia's plans to take over the Organization, and was consequently destroyed by Axel.''

Origins
Vexen is the Nobody of Even, who was one of the top apprentices of Ansem the Wise. He is mentioned in the Secret Ansem Reports as early as the first psychological tests on the head apprentice Xehanort as being particularly interested in memory. He helped found the core of the Organization, along with Xehanort, Ienzo, Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus. Unlike many of them, he retained his scientific nature, approaching many problems experimentally. He is a calculating and scientific character by nature, even able to use data from a fight to program the Riku replica for combat. This scientific brilliance and his power over ice earned him the title the Chilly Academic.

Role in Castle Oblivion
In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Vexen has parts in both Sora's and Riku's storylines. He aids Lexaeus and Zexion in their efforts to stop Marluxia (whom Vexen loathed) and Larxene (who he's not too fond of either) from overthrowing the Organization (Axel, the other Organization member residing in the castle, is deemed too unpredictable to be anything other than a liability). To do this, Vexen and his cohorts intend to use Riku's darkness to counteract Sora's light.

Vexen engages Riku in a cautious battle and uses the data he obtained from the fight to create a copy of Riku that lacks a heart. The replica is completely aware of his status as a fake, but unlike Riku, is not afraid to use the darkness. However, even with darkness on his side, the replica fails to defeat Riku.

Even with the failure, Vexen has other plans for the replica, and goes to Marluxia and Larxene. He offers the replica to test Sora, though first he would have to have his memories changed around. They then have Naminé manipulate the replica's memories until he thinks he is the real Riku. He also believes that he made a promise to Naminé like Sora had, and because of this conflict, the replica confronts Sora multiple times, saying that Naminé no longer needs Sora.

Involvement with Sora
However, the replica soon spirals out of control, and Marluxia deems Vexen's experiment a failure. Vexen is insulted, saying that a neophyte like Marluxia has no right to speak to an elder like Vexen. However, Marluxia makes the threat of reporting Vexen's failure to the Superior, and Vexen's fear of the Superior's power overrides his previous elitist attitude. Now with Vexen under his grip, Marluxia orders Vexen to eliminate Sora, much to his surprise.

Vexen then confronts Sora, saying that Sora is in debt to him for reuniting him with Riku. Sora is angered, and the two battle. However, as they fight, Vexen delves deep into Sora's heart, and creates a world card forged from the memories in the other side of his heart. Vexen tells Sora that if he wants to truly defeat him, then he must enter that world.

Meanwhile, Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel note that Vexen is jeopardizing their plans, for if Sora discovers the other side of his heart, then he will no longer be of any use to them. They then decide to have Axel eliminate Vexen before permanent damage can be done.

Sora discovers that the new world is Twilight Town, which is strange because Sora has only visited places in his memories, and he has no memories of Twilight Town. Even so, Sora feels a sense of familiarity from this place. He explores the town until he arrives at the gates of a mansion. Vexen makes his appearance there, asking Sora if the familiarity of this place or his memories of Naminé is true. Sora doesn't understand what he means, and Vexen sees that he is but a slave of his memories, just like "my Riku". Sora is again angered, and battles Vexen one more time.

Vexen loses again, and seeing that Sora is too dangerous, plans to tell him of Marluxia's plan to manipulate him. This would reveal that Naminé is a Nobody manipulating Sora's memories, which would make him aware of the dark realm and eventually of Roxas. Before he can fully explain, however, he is struck by Axel, who embeds a chakram into Vexen's body. Vexen begs to be spared, but Axel tells him he can be "nothing instead of just being nobody" and snaps his fingers, detonating the chakram and incinerating Vexen, making him the first of the Organization XIII to die.

Involvement with Riku
Though Larxene and Axel also make brief appearances in the cutscenes of Reverse/Rebirth, Vexen is the only Organization member in Chain of Memories whom is fought as a boss in both Sora and Riku's stories. In Riku's story, Vexen confronts Riku on a mission to gain data on Riku without him noticing. When the battle is over, Vexen reveals his true objective and reminds Riku of the Darkness inside him. Vexen flees, taunting Riku. It is later revealed that the "data" Vexen received from this battle is what created the Riku Replica. Vexen is never seen again in Riku's story, but it is mentioned by Axel Lexaeus later on that he has indeed been slain.

COM Manga
In the manga, Vexen creates a set of Vexen Replicas and has a grave which the Riku Replica visits before leaving Castle Oblivion. A Vexen Replica - number 44 of his replicas, to be precise - is present in the manga adaption of Kingdom Hearts II and kills Xaldin.

Fighting Style
Vexen is one of the most prolific Organization members in battles, appearing as an opponent three times during Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. He fights with a large blue shield, which he uses to fend off frontal attacks, making it necessary to attack him from behind. He is also able to use the shield offensively, akin to Goofy, but further enhances the style with the spikes lining the edge of his shield. He can use his cryokinetic abilities to blast his enemy with ice from his hand, and can call forth large chunks of ice from the ground to freeze his opponent solid. He also has the power to create slippery ice patches on the ground, or summon icicles that rise from the ground and follow their target for several seconds. Finally, he can create an unavoidable blizzard that can be resisted only with a card break. In the remake, Vexen can conjure up a sword out of ice and whack his opponent several times with it before performing a final shockwave which destroys the sword and ends the sleight.

Like several other members of Organization XIII in Chain of Memories, Vexen moves by levitating, sometimes several feet into the air. Also, in the English Chain of Memories, Vexen has a high-pitched laugh similar of Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy VI while in battle, this is not heard in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories.

In Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, Vexen, as well as other members of the Organization that have already been eliminated, can be fought. Vexen's shield makes him completely invincible in this game, but the shield has an HP bar of its own and can be temporarily destroyed, allowing Sora to attack Vexen directly. Vexen has the additional power in this battle to create a shadowy copy of Sora to aid him in battle. Vexen still has his "freeze" attack when a blizzard freezes Sora, immobilizing Sora while Vexen gains data, but it can be stopped by a Reaction Command. He also has the icicle attack from before, but also returns with a new attack when he makes two spinning blades of ice and throws them at Sora. In the data battle against Vexen, he has a new attack when he throws giant chunks of ice at Sora.

It is also revealed that his shield is called the Freeze Pride.

Quotes

 * "An ungainly effort."
 * "Pity to be so ignorant. As you're only able to see the surface of things, I should not expect you to appreciate my true might."
 * "How could you be humbled by someone of such limited significance? You shame the organization."
 * "You are half correct. Let us say that he is not the Ansem with which you are familiar. He is Ansem and he is not Ansem. Perhaps a 'Nobody' best conveys the idea."
 * "Oh ho! So it's a fight you want. Very good—I shall take you on!"
 * "What is going on here, Zexion? I want an explanation."
 * (When Vexen is about to die by Axel's flames) "No! Please don't---! I don't want to"
 * "Urrgh...you have such strength, even at the mercy of your memory——"
 * "If you remain bound by the chain of memories, and refuse to believe what is truly found..."
 * "If you continue to seek the girl, Naminé, the shackles will tighten, you'll lose your heart and end up becoming Marluxia's pawn!"
 * "I told you I would make good use of you, didn't I?"
 * "Valet? He's the product of pure research."
 * "It must be done."

Card
see:Vexen (Enemy Card)

Personality
Vexen approaches problems like a scientist, with a hypothesis and a method to test those hypotheses. He appears to view life as a grand experiment. More than any other member, save Xemnas, he considers his numerical rank a literal one and will often deride members with lower numerical rankings than his; he reminds Marluxia of his superior rank when Marluxia orders him not to "disappoint us" again and addresses Zexion by his inferior rank when Zexion lamented Vexen's impatience, but is often chastised by others for this behaviour. Although not explicit, given his attitude, he may not understand why Saïx, a member three ranks lower, is technically second-in-command and not Xigbar.

Vexen also displays a fear of Xemnas, immediately bowing to Marluxia's demand to destroy Sora when Marluxia threatened to tell Xemnas of the failure of the Riku replica. He also feared to approach Xemnas while the latter was in the Room of Sleep, and took Zexion's suggestion to approach Xemnas there as a joke.

Ironically, Vexen's throne is the lowest of the Organization in their meeting chamber known as Where Nothing Gathers. This is mostly due to his recurring incompetence and preference of not sullying his hands like Zexion, though the latter can easily hold his own in battle. This also reinforces the trait of cowardice in Vexen, displayed through his fear of Xemnas and his fear of death.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Vexen appears as a character who thinks that he doesn't get enough respect from the aboveground members. He is also met by Sora, Donald, and Goofy right after they confront the Riku Replica for the first time, while in the original game, they fought the Riku Replica twice before fighting Vexen two floors later.

Trivia

 * In the original version of Chain of Memories, Vexen was stabbed from behind by Axel and then struck down with another blow from his chakrams. In Re:Chain of Memories, Axel throws a flaming chakram, snaps his fingers and a large burst of fire sets him ablaze. Lexaeus' and Zexion's death were altered as well.
 * Vexen believes that an Organization member's number is equivalant to their rank in authority. The irony in this is that, while he was pushed around in Castle Oblivion, if what he beleives were true, he would have been the highest ranking member in the castle.
 * Also, the reason why Vexen encountered Sora was altered in Re:Chain of Memories. He wasn't directly ordered to defeat Sora by Marluxia. Vexen stated, that Marluxia "couldn't comprehend his power", who in return challenged Vexen to prove it, because he "didn't want to doubt a fellow members power". Vexen fell for it and was lured into a trap to encounter Sora by his own will, which finally led to his death.
 * It has long been believed that Vexen was the first member of the Organization to die, however this might be made false depending on what happens to Xion in the upcoming game.
 * Vexen is also one of two characters additional voice acting was done for in the English version of Chain of Memories (the other one being Larxene).
 * Vexen's shield is available as a weapon for Goofy in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+.
 * In Where Nothing Gathers, the room hosting the Organization's 'thrones', Vexen has the lowest of all thirteen seats. It is believed that the heights of the seats are determined by sucessful missions in 358/2 Days, however, his seat being the lowest may be a reference to how greatly (poorly) the others in the Organization think of him.
 * Vexen is one of only four Organization XIII members not killed by a Keyblade weilder, he was killed by Axel. The other three being Zexion, Lexaeus, and Axel himself.

Vexen