Organization XIII

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The symbol of Organization XIII and Nobodies.

Organization XIII (XIII機関, Jūsan Kikan^?) is a fictional group of thirteen Nobodies created by Tetsuya Nomura, Daisuke Watanabe and Kazushige Nojima and featured in Square Enix and Buena Vista Games' PlayStation 2 role-playing game, Kingdom Hearts II. They were originally introduced in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix's secret ending video "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]", where the Japanese was translated as "the Thirteenth Order", then as the Organization (機関, Kikan^?) in the game Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. They seek to discover the mysteries that lie within the heart and use the power of Kingdom Hearts to become complete humans.^[1] As Nobodies, they lack emotion and morality, unable to feel guilt and remorse for their actions.^[2] Most members mask their true nature by pretending to have emotions, deceiving both themselves and those they meet. The game novels offer an alternative view, stating that they do have emotions, but feel incomplete.

[edit] Background

The first six members of Organization XIII are Nobodies of the apprentices of Ansem the Wise, participating in his experiments with the heart. The assistants and Ansem built an underground facility in the Radiant Garden where they conducted experiments with the heart, using various test subjects. After speaking with the off-worlder, King Mickey, Ansem saw the immorality of what he was doing and ceased his involvement. The assistants and their leader, Xehanort, did not share his moral compunction and continued their experiments. This eventually led to tragedy and the creation of Nobody versions of the assistants. Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort, became the "Superior" and founded Organization XIII in order to learn about the secrets of the heart and to recover their hearts and become complete beings again. To that end, they deliberately send Heartless into various worlds with the expectation of Sora killing them, releasing the hearts inside the creatures, which then bond with Kingdom Hearts, the "heart of all worlds" located in the World That Never Was, granting more usable power for the Organization.

Each member's name is an anagram of their original self's name with an X added as a mark of brotherhood. The origins and original names of members VII to XII are unknown.

[edit] Nobody

A "Dusk" Nobody.

Nobodies (ノーバディ, Nōbadi^?) are creatures without hearts. They are leftovers "born" in Twilight Town, existing as merely the body and soul of people who lost their hearts to darkness. ^[3] As they lack hearts to possess light or darkness, they are shunned by both;^[4] they are nothing, according to the cosmology of the Kingdom Hearts universe,^[5] but still exist. Unlike Heartless, Nobodies attack people with definite planning ^[6] and feel the need to be complete (finding and reuniting their bodies with their lost hearts, but they will do anything to obtain any heart in order to end their feelings of incompleteness). The members of Organization XIII, being the most powerful Nobodies because of the strong hearts they had when they were "whole," kept human form while weaker ones assumed malformed, inhuman forms that are able to alter their physical shapes via contortions and stretches.^[7] Most of the members of the Organization tend to control one type of Nobody, usually suited to their fighting style.^[8]

Dusk is the most common type of Nobody, along with Creeper. The "high-ranking" lesser Nobodies (Assassin, Berserker, Dancer, Dragoon, Gambler, Samurai, Sniper, and Sorcerer) are direct servants of the Organization member that they represent. Other types of Nobodies include Twilight Thorn and multiple kinds of Nobody ships.

[edit] Members

The members are presented by assigned number order; the numbers show seniority of the members with I being the most senior, and XIII being the newest member. They all also receive titles indicating their role in Organization XIII and their personality, unique elemental powers, and their own breed of lesser Nobodies.^[8]

[edit] I. Xemnas

No. 1 in the Organization: Xemnas, the leader of the Organization.

Xemnas (ゼムナス, Zemunasu^?) is the Nobody of Xehanort and the main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts II. His name is derived from an anagram of "Ansem" with an "X", due to Xehanort taking his mentor's name prior to the discarding of his body. His assigned Nobody is the Sorcerer.^[8] Xemnas is voiced by Paul St. Peter in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and by Norio Wakamoto in the Japanese version.

Xemnas first appears Kingdom Hearts Final Mix as an additional boss for that version. In this version, the player has the option of initiating a battle with "Unknown" (謎の男, Nazo no Otoko^?) in Hollow Bastion. Scenes before and after the battle serve as foreshadowing to later plot developments, including Roxas and "Unknown"'s identity.

In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Xemnas is referred to as the "Superior" by other members of the organization. Vexen quickly agrees to eliminate Sora when Marluxia makes the threat of reporting the failure of his Riku Replica to Xemnas.^[9]

In Kingdom Hearts II, Xemnas initially appears in Roxas's dreams, as Roxas struggles to remember what he is. Xemnas makes two later appearances at Hollow Bastion; in the second, his identity is clarified and face revealed. His plot is explained as increasing the power of Kingdom Hearts, the source of hearts and where free-roaming hearts return to, by Sora destroying Heartless and releasing the hearts inside.

Xemnas is confronted again in the World That Never Was when DiZ attempts to contain Kingdom Hearts' power. They speak, and Xemnas reveals that he is trying to build a new empire one heart at a time, and he thanks his former master for this, stating that Ansem the Wise is "the source of all Heartless." DiZ, however, claims that Xemnas has learned nothing, and that is why his plot will ultimately fail. DiZ's machine explodes, leaving a huge hole in Kingdom Hearts which triggers many of the hearts to rain down and become Heartless. Xemnas uses what is left of Kingdom Hearts' power, calling up the emotions of rage and hatred and taking on a new form to fight Sora and company. Though he was thought to be defeated, Xemnas manages to separate Sora and Riku from the others to fight them. His efforts fail, and the two defeat Xemnas, who then fades back into darkness. Throughout the battles, Xemnas uses energy blades called Aerial Blades, which extend from his palms or are used as projectiles, and the power of nothingness.

[edit] II. Xigbar

No. 2 in the Organization: Xigbar, the Freeshooter.

Xigbar, the "Freeshooter" (『魔弾の射手』シグバール, "Madan no Ite" Shigubāru^?, lit. "'Magic Bullet Shooter' Xigbar"), is a senior member of the Organization who appears in Kingdom Hearts II. His original self was Braig (ブライグ, Buraigu^?, mistranslated as Bleig in the North American version). Xigbar is voiced by James Patrick Stuart in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Hōchū Ōtsuka in the Japanese version.

Xigbar initially appears before Sora at Hollow Bastion near the beginning of the game to taunt Sora, though he never takes off his hood, and compares him to Roxas out of the glare he got from Sora. Xigbar transforms a Dragon in the Land of Dragons, a world based on Mulan, into a Heartless. Sora sees Xigbar and, due to his hooded appearance, confuses him with Riku, whom he had met earlier. Xigbar take his leave, but not before summoning his Sniper Nobodies that share the same affinity for sharpshooting as he does.^[8] . He confronts Sora again at the World That Never Was and calls him Roxas, confusing the Keyblade master. Xigbar fights Sora, using Gun Arrows and manipulating space to change the battlefield; teleport himself and his bullets; and levitate upside down. Defeated, Xigbar fades to darkness, refusing to clarify the mystery of "Roxas".

[edit] III. Xaldin

No. 3 in the Organization: Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer.

Xaldin, the "Whirlwind Lancer" (『旋風の六槍』ザルディン, "Senpū no Roku Yari" Zarudin^?, lit. "'Whirlwind of Six Lances' Xaldin"), appears in Kingdom Hearts II. His original self was Dilan (ディラン, Diran^?, mistranslated as Dilin in the North American version). Xaldin is voiced by David Dayan Fisher in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Yōsuke Akimoto in the Japanese version.

First appearing at Hollow Bastion, Xaldin confronts Sora in Beast's Castle when he manipulates the Beast's rage by various means so that a powerful Nobody and Heartless could be created from the Beast, forcing the Beast to turn on those he cares about. But Sora's interference with his plan forces Xaldin to steal the Beast's mystical rose to temper the Beast's rage. Despite Xaldin's lance-wielding Dragoon Nobodies,^[8] Sora and the Beast find him, and he reveals that the Organization needs Kingdom Hearts to become complete beings. He then kidnaps Belle, forcing the Beast to choose whether Belle or the rose is more important to him. The plan fails when Belle gets away with the rose and Xaldin falls against Sora and the Beast. With his powers, he uses wind to manipulate his six lances and shield himself. His lances can transform into a dragon to attack opponents with whirlwinds.

[edit] IV. Vexen

No. 4 in the Organization: Vexen, the Chilly Academic.

Vexen, the "Chilly Academic" (『いてつく学究』ヴィクセン, "Itetsuku Gakkyū" Vikusen^?), is a stoic scientist who appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. His original self was Even (エヴェン, Even^?), and he was interested in studying Xehanort's memories. Vexen can control ice and carries a large shield in battle that blocks any frontal attacks made against him.^[8] Vexen is voiced by Tatsuya Kando in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Vexen sides with Zexion and Lexaeus, other high-ranked members occupying the castle's basements, to prevent Marluxia from using Sora to overthrow the Organization. He first battles Riku in order to gather data to create a replica of him. However, Vexen cares nothing for his "experiment" and allows Naminé to manipulate the Riku Replica's memories against his wishes. When he encounters Sora, Vexen says that he came to collect his "debt" and provokes Sora's anger by making him believe that he controlled Riku rather than created a replica. After their battle, Vexen gives Sora the card to Twilight Town with the intention of revealing Roxas's existence. Marluxia considers him a traitor as a result and sends Axel to kill him.

In Twilight Town, Vexen attempts to reveal to Sora why he feels as though he has been to Twilight Town despite being fairly certain that he had never been there. Sora and Vexen battle again after Vexen tells Sora to throw away his memories and listen to his heart. After being defeated, Vexen sees Sora as a true threat; even after being weakened by false memories, Sora remained very strong. As Vexen is about to reveal Marluxia's plot and Roxas's existence, Vexen is killed by Axel.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Vexen is portrayed as a buffoonish character, constantly upset with the lack of respect he receives from the younger members. He is in association with Lexaeus and Zexion in the underground of Castle Oblivion, all three switching mundane chores such as "cooking", "comms" and "patrol". He produces a set of Vexen Replicas that leave Castle Oblivion along with the Riku Replica in a humorous omake short.^[10][11]

[edit] V. Lexaeus

No. 5 in the Organization: Lexaeus, the Silent Hero.

Lexaeus, the "Silent Hero" (『静かなる豪傑』レクセウス, "Shizuka naru Gōketsu" Rekuseusu^?), is a well-built fighter in Organization XIII's ranks, one of the two members of the Organization in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories that appear in Riku's story only. His original self was Aeleus (エレウス, Ereusu^?, mistranslated as Eleus in the North American version). Lexaeus is voiced by Tatsuya Kando in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Lexaeus, along with Vexen and Zexion, are older members of the Organization who occupy the basement levels of Castle Oblivion. When they find Marluxia plans to overthrow the Organization by capturing and manipulating Sora, Lexaeus and Zexion decide to capture Riku and use him in the same fashion to counter Marluxia. When it became dangerously apparent that Sora might fall into Marluxia's grasp, Lexaeus confronts Riku directly, trying to convince him to open himself up to the power of the darkness in his heart. Riku refuses to give in and Lexaeus attacks him. He employs a large tomahawk and earth, throwing his tomahawk, breaking rocks and shaking the arena itself.^[8] Riku manages to defeat the warrior, but with his last bits of strength, Lexaeus releases all of the darkness within him in hopes of overwhelming and consuming Riku. However, King Mickey protects Riku from the part of Xehanort's Heartless in his heart.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Lexaeus is seen fiddling with puzzles and reading manga. He is in association with Vexen and Zexion in the underground of Castle Oblivion, all three switching mundane chores such as "cooking", "comms" and "patrol".^[10][11]

[edit] VI. Zexion

No. 6 in the Organization: Zexion, the Cloaked Schemer.

Zexion, the "Cloaked Schemer" (『影歩む策士』ゼクシオン, "Kage Ayumu Sakushi" Zekushion^?, lit. "'Shadow-walking Schemer' Zexion"), is a manipulator by nature. Appearing in Chain of Memories, his talents lie outside of battle. His original self was Ansem the Wise's youngest lab assistant, Ienzo (イエンツォ, Ientso^?), who convinced Ansem the Wise that they should build an underground lab for research.

Zexion has the ability to identify individuals by their scent and is able to sense when they die by noticing their scents fading, and seems to be able to do so from great distances. His power is over illusion, used to mimic others' weapons, disguise himself as others and create duplicates of himself.^[12] His natural weapon is a book; with it, he is able to send out a flurry of pages to attack the opponent and trap them within the pages. Before Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+, Zexion's weapon and powers were unknown, as Nomura wanted an air of mystery to surround them, to the point that the weapon panel for Zexion in the World That Never Was that would show what he utilizes is completely destroyed.

He is one of two Organization members who appear only in Riku's story. Zexion informs Vexen and Lexaeus that he senses a scent "exactly similar" to that of Xemnas and identified as Riku. Riku's actions are tracked until Vexen's death, when Zexion and Lexaeus decide to use Riku to counter Marluxia's plan to use Sora. After Marluxia is killed, Zexion sees Riku as unnecessary and attempts to destroy Riku himself. He does not plan to use brute force, because of personal preference and the fact that Riku was able to defeat the powerful Lexaeus. He leads Riku into a manifestation of Destiny Islands, Riku's home. There, Zexion tells Riku about how he threw away his friends and his home and opened the door to darkness, thus destroying the islands.

Following Riku's battle with a large Heartless, Zexion disguises himself as Sora and attacks Riku, telling him that he's become a pawn of the darkness. He engulfs Riku in light, but a vision of Kairi (who is actually Naminé in disguise) convinces Riku to accept darkness and light. With newfound confidence, Riku follows Zexion's scent through the light and strikes him; Zexion flees. Axel brings the Riku Replica to Zexion and convinces the replica that he can become "real" by gaining power that the real Riku does not have. The replica agrees, and as per Axel's suggestion, kills Zexion.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Zexion is frequently seen preparing foods. He is in association with Vexen and Lexaeus in the underground of Castle Oblivion, all three switching mundane chores such as "cooking", "comms" and "patrol", with Zexion taking on less work than the other two. Zexion is killed in his confrontation with Riku.^[10][11]

[edit] VII. Saïx

No. 7 in the Organization: Saïx, the Luna Diviner.

Saïx, the "Luna Diviner" (『月に舞う魔人』サイクス, "Gatsu ni Mau Maijin" Saikusu^?, lit. "'Demon Man Dancing in the Moon' Saix"), who is treated as second to Xemnas in the Organization, appears in Kingdom Hearts II. Saïx is voiced by Kirk Thornton in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Ginpei Sato in the Japanese version.

First appearing in Hollow Bastion and then in Twilight Town, Saïx, after Sora defeats his Berserker Nobodies, who wield weapons much like his own,^[8] warns Sora of Axel's intention to turn him into a Heartless. After Sora defeats the Heartless army at Hollow Bastion, Saïx appears and explains Sora's purpose in the Organization's plans and refuses Sora's request to meet Kairi, who Saïx kidnapped. After Saïx summons Heartless, Maleficent attempts to use her own Heartless to battle Saïx, but his Nobodies quickly dispatch them and overwhelm Maleficent.

Later, at the World That Never Was, when Naminé helps Kairi escape, Saïx appears to deal with the two, but is stopped by Riku in the guise of Xehanort's Heartless; Saïx fled. Once Kingdom Hearts neared completion, Xemnas gives him permission to destroy Sora and his friends, and Saïx appears quite happy to be allowed to do so. Despite appearing calm, Saïx shows his true beast-like nature when he fights Sora in the World That Never Was, going into a berserk state by absorbing the moonlight from Kingdom Hearts, attacking with a claymore^[8]. After Sora defeats him, he dies while pining for Kingdom Hearts to give him his heart.

[edit] VIII. Axel

No. 8 in the Organization: Axel, Flurry of Dancing Flames.

Axel, "Flurry of Dancing Flames" (『おどる火の風』アクセル, "Odoru Hi no Kaze" Akuseru^?), who utilizes a pair of chakram, as well as fire with the Assassin Nobodies under his control,^[8] appears in both Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II. Axel is a strong fighter, and can create walls of fire or throw his weapons. Axel is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara in both Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts II, while he is voiced by Quinton Flynn in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II.

In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Axel pretends to join with Larxene and Marluxia in their plan to seize control of the Organization using Sora. To gain their trust, he assassinates Vexen when ordered by Marluxia to rid them of "traitors". Afterwards, to derail Marluxia's plans, Axel sets Naminé free so that she can reveal to Sora the truth about how she manipulated his memory.

Eventually, Axel confronts Marluxia, prepared to destroy him. Marluxia uses Naminé as a shield to keep Axel at bay, though Axel resolves to go through anyone, even Naminé. When Sora makes a sudden appearance, Marluxia vanishes with Naminé, leaving Sora to fight Axel. Sora defeats Axel, after which he states the existence of their relation before vanishing, letting Sora believe him to be gone for good. After Marluxia is defeated by Sora, Axel enlists the aid of the Riku Replica that Vexen created to get rid of Zexion in Castle Oblivion's basement levels.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Axel attempts to rescue Roxas from DiZ's virtual Twilight Town. Despite Axel's efforts, Roxas merges with Sora. Later, acting separately from the Organization, Axel kidnaps Kairi to bait Sora to him. However, Saïx takes her away so the Organization can use her to fuel Sora's anger. During a visit to Twilight Town, Saïx warns Sora that Axel desires to turn him into a Heartless. Axel shows after the Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion to Sora, and informs him that Organization XIII has been using him to get hearts. He then apologizes for getting Kairi involved. Before he elaborates, Saїx appears and Axel promptly flees.

Axel finds Sora in a pathway to the World That Never Was and chooses to fight Nobodies with him. The numbers get overwhelming and Axel performs a kamikaze attack to save Sora. Fading away, Axel apologizes for what he did to Kairi and asks Sora to rescue her. When asked what he was trying to do, Axel admits he wanted to see Roxas, who made him feel like he had a heart. With the last of his strength, Axel opens an entrance to the World That Never Was.

[edit] IX. Demyx

No. 9 in the Organization: Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne.

A blond fighting musician from Kingdom Hearts II, Demyx, the "Melodious Nocturne" (『夜想のしらべ』デミックス, "Yasō no Shirabe" Demikkusu^?) does not enjoy fighting. Demyx is voiced by Ryan O'Donohue in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Kenichi Suzumura in the Japanese version.

First appearing in Hollow Bastion, Demyx appears in the Underworld from Hercules, where he is confronted by Sora for stealing the Olympus Stone, an object that protects the bearer from the restrictive effects of the Underworld. Demyx seems not to take his mission seriously at first, complaining that his superiors had mistakenly chosen him for the mission. He refers to Sora as Roxas, having been given orders by his superiors to "liberate" Sora's true disposition with aggression. He fights Sora with the use of his water abilities and sitar^[8] to create duplicates, giving the player a time limit to defeat them all and leaving after losing. The two cross paths again at Hollow Bastion during the Heartless attack. Upon being reminded that he is a Nobody, and therefore has no heart, thus little, if any, actual emotion, Demyx commands the "traitor" to be silent, and uses his duplicates, large water bubbles, and geysers; Demyx fades to darkness at the conclusion of the battle.

[edit] X. Luxord

No. 10 in the Organization: Luxord, the Gambler of Fate.

Luxord, the "Gambler of Fate" (『運命を賭す者』ルクソード, "Unmei o Tosu Mono" Rukusōdo^?), described by Jiminy Cricket as "a master of rhetoric", appears in Kingdom Hearts II. Luxord is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes with an English accent in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and by Jouji Nakata in the Japanese version.

Luxord appears at Port Royal from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where he revives the curse of the Aztec gold, and the cursed pirates along with it. Luxord makes use of the opportunity to scout the powerful Grim Reaper Heartless and the gold's curse to ascertain as to whether or not they would be useful to the Organization in terms of Sora's part in their plan and making Port Royal's people assist in it as Heartless. For amusement, he has his Gambler Nobodies^[8] steal four of the Aztec medallions while having Grim Reaper curse Jack Sparrow, resulting in a "scavenger hunt game" to get the medallions back. Sora defeats Grim Reaper in order to free Jack from his curse and Luxord collects the forthcoming heart before escaping without fighting Sora and his party himself. At the World That Never Was, Luxord traps Sora's companions in his cards, leaving Sora to fight alone in a battle where Luxord uses his time attribute to enforce a time limit. With luck games, Luxord transforms Sora into a card or a die; and uses his cards as weapons, defense or hiding places. Luxord fades back into darkness, unable to comprehend how "Roxas" could kill him.

[edit] XI. Marluxia

No. 11 in the Organization: Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin.

A relative newcomer to the Organization, Marluxia, the "Graceful Assassin" (『優雅なる凶刀』マールーシャ, "Yūga naru Kyōgatana" Mārūsha^?, lit. "'Graceful Assassin's Blade' Marluxia"), is lord of Castle Oblivion and the main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Marluxia is voiced by Tatsuya Kando in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Along with Larxene, Marluxia conspires to overthrow the Organization by using Naminé to manipulate Sora's memories. He is the first member of the Organization to battle with Sora in Castle Oblivion after luring Sora into his domain, though the fight is nothing more than a test of Sora's strength. He gives Sora his first set of world cards to proceed through the castle.

He declares Vexen's replica of Riku a failure and threatens to tell Xemnas about it. The intimidation tactic is effective and Vexen reluctantly agrees to Marluxia's order to kill Sora. Axel remarks that Vexen would kill Sora, thus rendering their plans useless, but Marluxia is confident Vexen will fail. He assigns Axel to eliminate Vexen when the latter fails to kill Sora and almost tells Sora about Roxas.

Upon Axel's return, Marluxia extends his trust to Axel as he has done with Larxene. However, Axel betrays them and convinces Naminé to do what she thinks is right. Larxene fails to kill Sora and was eliminated as well. Marluxia recaptures Naminé and is confronted by Axel, who accuses Marluxia and Larxene of being traitors for conspiring against the Organization. Axel attempts to kill Marluxia, however, Marluxia returns to the thirteenth floor with Naminé, tricking Sora into fighting Axel for him.

Seeing that Axel has been defeated, Marluxia anticipates Sora's arrival on the thirteenth floor. He orders Naminé to erase Sora's memories, but she refuses. When Marluxia implies that he will kill her for disobeying him, Sora demands that Naminé erase his memories for her safety, as his promise will remain and he can protect her. Marluxia says that Sora would become just like the Riku Replica, but the Riku Replica surprises Marluxia, who then engages Sora. The two fight, Marluxia using a scythe and a flower attribute to attack,^[8] only for Sora to realize he has been fighting a replica of Marluxia; he enters a door to a dark, starry realm to begin the final showdown. The real Marluxia, atop a machine that has some of his abilities, confronts Sora and the final battle ensues. Marluxia, like the other members of the Organization, is killed, and Sora seals the door with his Keyblade.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Marluxia is constantly surrounded with floating flower petals, and shows greater control over plants, possessing a rose garden that snares Naminé and traps Donald and Goofy in large Venus Flytraps in the climax of the plot. Sora defeats Marluxia without him resorting to a second form.^[10][11]

[edit] XII. Larxene

No. 12 in the Organization: Larxene, the Savage Nymph.

The only female member, Larxene, the "Savage Nymph" (『非情の妖姫』ラクシーヌ, "Hijō no Yōki" Rakushīnu^?) conspires with Marluxia to overthrow Organization XIII by using Sora to achieve their ends. Larxene uses thunder to fight and wields knives held between her fingers and thrown as her weapons.^[8] Larxene is agile and can call forth bolts of lightning in battle. Larxene is voiced by Rieko Katayama in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

In her first encounter with Sora, she kicks Marluxia's plans into high gear when she attacks Sora, causing him to see his lucky charm, which Naminé has turned into a shape of a star different from Kairi's. After the battle, Larxene mocks Sora, claiming he's trying to "play" the hero. The trust Marluxia and Larxene place in Axel proves to be a mistake when he derails their plans by setting Naminé free. Naminé reveals to Sora that the Organization has been using him since he stepped into Castle Oblivion. Larxene appears to Sora, after he fought the Riku Replica for the fourth time, planning to destroy them all. Again, Larxene mocks Sora for "chaining" himself to false memories of Naminé and the "promise" he made to her. She abuses Naminé by violently pushing her to the ground, knocking her out. This proves fatal, as her taunting delays her destroying Sora long enough for Donald and Goofy to return to Sora's aid, and, with Sora's anger aroused, the three of them fight and kill Larxene, leaving only Marluxia to contend with.

In the Chain of Memories manga, Larxene is first seen reading a book entitled Marquis de Sade, presumably about the infamous French writer, who was the namesake of sadism. Her death is the result of getting wet from Blizzard spells being melted by Fire spells, causing her to explode.^[10][11]

[edit] XIII. Roxas

No. 13 in the Organization: Roxas, the Key of Destiny.

The youngest and newest member of the Organization, Roxas, the "Key of Destiny" (『めぐりあう鍵』ロクサス, "Meguriau Kagi" Rokusasu^?), is "born" when Sora becomes a Heartless in Kingdom Hearts. His name is an anagram of "Sora" with an "x" added. He is voiced by Jesse McCartney in the English version of Kingdom Hearts II and Koki Uchiyama in the Japanese version.

Roxas's first appearance is in the Special Secret Movie "Another side, Another story…" that is seen if the player accomplishes certain tasks in Kingdom Hearts; he was the first Organization member to be revealed. He later appears in an additional video, "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]", for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. When pre-release screenshots and video showed this character without an Organization coat, he was featured prominently, emphasizing his importance to the future game's plot. He is referred to as Misterious Boy [sic] (謎の少年, Nazo no Shōnen^?) in Kingdom Hearts Series α Ultimania ~Introduction of Kingdom Hearts II~.

Roxas after being placed in the Twilight Town simulation.

During Roxas's time in the Organization, he and Axel became friends, but because Roxas had none of Sora's memories, due to Sora's short time as a Heartless, and thus did not know why he had the Keyblade, Roxas left to find answers.

Riku, to help Sora regain his memories and awaken, confronted Roxas in the World that Never Was. Roxas was victorious in the first encounter; after Riku used the power of darkness, Roxas was defeated. Riku took him to DiZ who placed Roxas in a virtual Twilight Town created within Sora's memories without any memory of the Organization and with a fabricated identity to throw off his pursuers. While Naminé restores Sora's memories as DiZ wishes, Roxas is affected by seeing his other self's memories in dreams. Roxas lived an apparently normal life in the simulated Twilight Town until Axel infiltrated the town to save him.

Despite Axel's attempts to stop him and gaining back his memories of the Organization, Roxas merges with Sora in the beginning of the game. Roxas appears two more times near the end of the game in the World That Never Was. The first is a battle with Sora, with Roxas's Samurai Nobodies^[8] holding off Goofy and Donald. The fight, where Roxas uses his Keyblades and the power of light,^[8] is never fully explained and is left open for interpretation. Roxas appears once again with Naminé before Kairi enters the corridor of darkness back to Destiny Islands. He and Naminé imply that they will not fade but live on within Sora and Kairi as a part of them and as individuals, as seen in the ending cinematic when they smile at each other through their other selves.

[edit] References