Assassin

The Assassin is a Nobody from Kingdom Hearts II. It is first found in the 6th day of Twilight Town. Assassins usually move slowly and within the ground, much like Shadows do. They will jump out of the ground or flail their arms to attack. The reaction command, Fail-Safe, allows Sora to grab one of the Assassin's arms and plunge the Assassin into the ground before it explodes. It seems Axel mostly controls these Nobodies as well as Dusks. The self-destruct attack used by Assassins could be a reference to Axel's death, as Axel also sacrificed himself in battle. Its name may also be a reference to Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories where Axel assassinated Vexen and attempted to assassinate Marluxia. It may also be a reference to the Dark Knight Job in Final Fantasy, which used self-destruct attacks as well. After Axel's death, Assassins become an incredibly rare enemy, the only area where they are found being the Hall of Empty Melodies (upper tier) in the Castle That Never Was. They are found in Olympus Coliseum cups, but they don't drop anything.

Strategy
Assassins spend a lot of time in the ground. When they attack by slicing wildly, parry, then attack.

If you can use the Reaction Command Fail-Safe, use it. This will make the Assassin explode, cause you no damage and still give you Experience.

If you want to fight powerful Assassins the upper part of the Hall of Empty Melodies is the only good place (however, in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, you have the option of fighting even harder Assassins in the Cavern of Remembrance).

Kingdom Hearts II
''An assassin. A high-ranking Nobody. It hides in the ground and attacks quietly from behind.''

''It cannot be attacked while it is in the ground. Parry its attacks to get it to surface.''

''When it starts running around, look out! It'll begin to unleash powerful attacks. Don't miss any chances to use the reaction commands to defeat as many as possible at once!''

Appearances

 * Betwixt and Between
 * Twilight Town
 * Olympus Coliseum
 * The World That Never Was