- "More pain for you means more fun for me!"
- —Larxene
Larxene, the Savage Nymph (非情の妖姫 Hijō no Yōki, lit. Callous Vixen), is Rank XII within Organization XIII, and was originally thought to be the only female member until Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, with Xion joining as number XIV. However, in recent revelation, Xion was discovered not to be a true Nobody. Instead, she's an incomplete Sora clone made of his leaked memories by Xemnas, only resembling a female form because it took the appearance of Sora's strongest memory at the time: Kairi. Making her arguably either a male, or genderless. Because of this, Larxene still retains the title as the sole woman of the Organization in the end.
Furthermore, Larxene wields the element of Lightning, and uses her element to bombard opponents with rapid attacks while also attacking them with her weapons, electrified throwing knives.
She plays a large role in Sora's storyline during the events of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, appearing frequently to taunt Sora and taking delight in the rage and agony she spurs in him. She appears as a playable character in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days multiplayer mode.
Journal Entries
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
A member of the group that controls Castle Oblivion.
Larxene is unfeeling and loves nothing more than to bring other people down.
She is on good terms with Axel but still mocks everyone and trusts no one.
- Reverse/Rebirth
No. 12 in the Organization.
Larxene conspired with Marluxia to take over the group, and intended to pull Axel in as well.
However, her abrasive, unfeeling personality proved her downfall--provoking Sora's anger was a fatal error.
Kingdom Hearts II
Formerly Organization XIII's Number XII. She has been eliminated.
Larxene conspired with Marluxia to turn on the Organization.
Larxene was unfeeling and loved nothing more than to bring people down, but she met her demise when that malice came full circle.
Story
Sometime Before Chain of Memories
With the adaptions of the game in manga form, a novel had followed the release of the Kingdom Hearts II manga. The novel was written by Tomoko Kanemaki, while the art was once again done by Shiro Amano. The titles for the four novels are: Roxas- Seven Days, The Destruction of Hollow Bastion, Tears of Nobody, and Meet Again/Axel's Last Stand. The novels have been released in Japan, but not globally, and they hold extra scenes that were not seen in the original game. Fan translations have been done, so the reliability remains to be open until an official English translation is released. Some minor and few excerpts were placed in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, however.
In this, found by Xigbar, Larxene joined Organization XIII as its twelfth, and only, female member. Shortly afterwards, she spoke to and had a conversation with Axel, twirling around and asking him how her new Organization outfit looked on her quite randomly. Probably the first show of her teasing devices with him that we see in Chain of Memories. Axel didn't answer, and found the question a hassle, but did reveal in his thoughts that the uniforms are form-fitting: when worn, it transitions into your size. So it should fit perfectly. In a few more words of exchange, she asks him quite bluntly, and haughtily, whether it was unsatisfying to speak to her, as he listed off other people she could talk to that were "young" and not "old men" (this included Demyx, Marluxia, Zexion, and Saïx). This was a response to the explanation she gave as to why she was conversing with him in the first place, when he had asked why she was speaking to him politely. This was, for the most part, because he didn't understand what was her reason for starting up a discussion, that she changed her excuses for doing so, and that the topic itself was quite pointless. He did reply to her inquiry honestly, nonetheless, saying that it wasn't unsatisfying, but that it was just not anything. After a pause, she then changes the subject and complains quietly how the castle is boring, and while agreeing with her, Axel chose not to voice it out. Soon, with Larxene being described as a domineering woman, she suddenly bid her good bye, leaving a blank Axel behind. Much later, she met fellow newcomer, Marluxia, who she also went up to willingly first. While before with Axel she was not familiar with all the names of the members, by this point, she knew Marluxia's name without trouble, hinting that some time had passed between the two scenes. She questioned the man simply about how he got here, which he said wasn't that different from her. She then stated that she had nothing really to do here, yet he told her that she will be getting missions soon, he supposed. Once more, she complained that it was boring. He appeared to share this general dissent for the castle, and its dullness, the first signs of the future partnership they will soon find themselves in. They spoke of their job in collecting hearts, and how the Organization's goal was to be whole, something Larxene commented on briefly in a surprising in-depth statement before they walked off together.
Before long, it is assumed the two neophytes begin plotting against the Organization in an attempt to take it over for themselves.
The first meetings with her and the two men seemed to be a nod to her relationship with them once in Castle Oblivion as well, as she was not shown interacting with others after.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
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Larxene has been shown in a small amount of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, very early in the game. She talks to Roxas in the Sandlot in Twilight Town, taking her turn teaching him certain information of what to do when in missions, along with other Organization XIII members from the events of Chain of Memories. This only lasts through the tutorial section, before she, with the rest, are all deployed to Castle Oblivion in due time.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
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Castle Oblivion
Larxene is assigned to Castle Oblivion to help conduct experiments on memories; within this castle is Naminé, a young girl and Nobody with the ability to manipulate memories. Sora is led to Castle Oblivion by Marluxia as part of his and Larxene's plan to obtain the power of the Keyblade with which they could take over the Organization. Joining in on this plot is fellow member Axel, one of Larxene's closer friends; however, unbeknownst to her or to Marluxia, this is all a ruse on Axel's end, as he is assigned by the Organization as a double agent to gather evidence of their plan and, if their suspicions proved true, eliminate them.
As soon as Sora enters Castle Oblivion, Naminé begin manipulating his memories as per Marluxia's orders; soon he begins to gain false memories of Naminé being a childhood friend until all he is unable to remember is her name. At that point, Larxene confronts Sora directly, revealing Naminé is being held hostage in the castle, and attacks him viciously, revealing a lucky charm Naminé had apparently given him years ago, motivating him into remembering her name. In reality, the charm is that of his friend Kairi, having changed shape by Naminé. Larxene fights Sora, taunting him and calling him heartless for "forgetting" about Naminé, before being defeated (something she would never admit) and escaping.
Larxene is later approached by senior member Vexen, who offers to help her, Axel and Marluxia evaluate Sora's power with a replica of Sora's best friend Riku. As per Larxene's suggestion, Vexen decides to have Naminé alter the replica's memory so that it would think it is the real Riku, much to the replica's chagrin. She even goes as far as beating up the replica to subdue it when it tries to resist. As a result, Sora clashes with the replica over protecting Naminé, thus motivating Sora into ascending further up Castle Oblivion.
Finally, Larxene and Marluxia goad Vexen into fighting Sora head on before having him killed by Axel so as to keep Vexen out of their way and to test Axel's loyalties. As soon as Axel is let in on their plot, which seems sure to come to fruition, Axel releases Naminé behind their backs, allowing her to explain her deception to Sora. Their plot having fallen apart, Larxene reveals the nature of Naminé and the Riku Replica to Sora before attacking him in a rage. Larxene is eventually defeated in a brutal battle against Sora, this time fatally, and fades back into darkness.
The manga of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories depicts, Larxene's death in an entirely different way. In this version, after she hits Naminé and Donald and Goofy save Sora, Donald casts a Fire spell to melt Sora's Blizzard spell while Goofy spins them around creating a sprinkler effect, getting Larxene wet. Then when Larxene tries to use her Lightning magic, the water electrifies her instead and she explodes.
Personality
- "The heart is a mysterious thing, Axel."
- — Larxene, in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Although Larxene is normally smiling and even winking at times in-game, she can be cold, ruthless, and uncaring, and appears to love nothing more than to bring other people down. However, in complete contrast, she has a undeniable sense of naivete, whose trust goes to others who share the same motives and whose thoughts correlate with hers. She displays childish behavior, laughing and giggling excessively, and has sharp wit and sarcasm, her jokes being those of ill-humor. She also appears to have a flirtatious attitude towards Axel, with reasons for doing so not addressed. Laidback, and almost passive to those she likes, or refers to as good company, Larxene expresses herself in a dramatized manner, constantly making outrageous expressions, and seems to be a woman of strong personality. She taunts Vexen incessantly after he is threatened with charges of treason and incompetence from Marluxia, though that could be connected to personal dislike of the man, and toys with Sora before fighting him the first time. In fact, she even leads Sora to believe that she is a nice person, just trying to help point him in the right direction: "The bad guys have her (Naminé) locked away. And you, as the hero, need to go save her!" She then smiles and attacks him, sending him flying with a powerful kick and informs him that she is a "bad guy", mocking his failure to remember Naminé. After she discovers Axel's betrayal and sees that Marluxia's and her plans have fallen apart, her friendly manner vanishes and she attacks Sora in a rage. Nevertheless, surprisingly in death, she sounds out a cry, and sadness as she is fading, showing a side of her that had yet to be seen before that compares to Saïx's own demise in the game. Which brings to question if she truly is what she has presented herself to be the whole time. In what may be a connection with this as well, in the novel when she meets Marluxia, the topic of the Organization's goal is spoken of. He repeats what Xemnas had once told him, that they were here to regain back their hearts. In contrast, Larxene went silent in thought, before saying that a heart was not really necessary. That it was painful, and she was fine with the way things were.
However, Larxene's cruelty was ultimately proven to be her own undoing, as she ultimately pushes Sora too far and suffers his wrath after hurting Naminé.
Fighting Style
Larxene is an exceptionally capable fighter; both times she talks to Sora, she is able to kick and jab him repeatedly faster than he can retaliate, and the second time she does this, it nearly kills Sora, requiring Donald to heal him. She is also strong enough to hold the Riku Replica by the head, and easily toss it across the room with one hand. Her strength is clearly known by many of the characters, such as the Riku Replica who claims to fear nothing, yet cowers at Larxene.
Larxene's physical fighting skills resemble that of a ninja. She uses her knives between her fingers to act like claws, and is able to infuse them with electricity and throw them at Sora. She is also the most agile member of the Organization, often using quick kicks and jabs to produce extra pain to the opponent, and when she first met Sora she was even able to plant Naminé's fake charm on him while kicking him. Along with her manipulative nature, this sadism earned her the title "Savage Nymph".
With magic, Larxene is able to able to call down lightning upon the battlefield, as well as to perform levitation and local teleportation. Her sleights and special abilities all involve her uses of these abilities.
In Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, she can be battled as an Absent Silhouette and as data, but this time she uses totally different tactics. She can split herself into multiple copies that attack Sora individually or in concert, and her attacks focus more on physical strikes than magic. However, she still uses some thunder magic, the strongest of which is a revolving wall of ball lightning similar to Hades' wall of fire. By using the reaction command "Other Break," Sora can stun her by throwing her "back into herself".
Weapon
Larxene carries a set of eight throwing Knives between her fingers in battle. They are collectively called Éclair, meaning Lightning in French. Each knife appears as one of the Organization insignia's spikes in yellow and blue. Larxene will either throw these weapons at her opponent, or speed by them, slashing them with the knife still between her fingers. The knives that she carries can also be used in close quarters combat for finishing blows.
In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, all her weapon's name are french words.
Quotes
"You seem pretty intrigued by this Sora kid."
"Predictable response."
"I think what intrigues me more is what you see in him..."
"They lose their minds and feelings...They’re consumed by the darkness."
"It's the strength of his heart...That’s what intrigues you. Why the Keyblade chose Sora’s heart."
"Just as we intended."
"You had your fun on the first floor. So this time, it's my turn."
"I'm not just going to give it to him."
"Well, do I detect a soft spot? I'm not gonna break the toy. I'm not dumb."
"I know that you're in on it, too...But keep it under your hood, at least until the time is right."
Trivia
- All of Larxene's knives have French names, and, for the most part, these names are references to natural phenomena like wind and storms.
- Larxene is arguably the fastest member of Organization XIII, based on her Teleport Rush sleight in Chain of Memories, and her clone attacks in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix.
- Larxene was one of two characters that additional voice acting was done for in the original Chain of Memories (the other character being Vexen).
- Larxene is one of only five Organization members shown to be able to make full-body copies of themselves, the other four being Marluxia, Vexen, Zexion, and Xemnas.
- Though exclusive to multiplayer mode in 358/2 Days, Larxene will be the first playable female character in the series.
- Larxene bears a strong physical resemblance to Elena of the Final Fantasy VII Turks. Larxene's original name, an unknown anagram of L-A-R-E-N-E, could also be shifted to form "Elena" and an "R". However, their personalities are almost diametrically opposed.
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