Xemnas

Story and background

The Nobody created from Terra-Xehanort's body. Xemnas manipulates Roxas and other members into collecting hearts for an artificial Kingdom Hearts.

Events and connections in the series

The apprentice Xehanort betrayed his master, stole the name Ansem, and banished the real Ansem to darkness. Then, in experiments involving the release of hearts, Xehanort and other apprentices crossed a new threshold. When a heart is lost to darkness, a Heartless may be created; when a sufficiently strong person loses their heart, the empty body and soul may also continue as a Nobody. From Xehanort came two figures crucial to the saga: his Heartless, who called himself Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and his Nobody, Xemnas. Both carried his plans forward by very different routes.

The Heartless calling itself Ansem would pursue the hearts of worlds, the Princesses of Heart, and access to a great dark Kingdom Hearts. He would tempt Riku, study Sora, and ultimately be confronted at the End of the World. Xemnas, meanwhile, formed Organization Thirteen, an alliance of powerful Nobodies who believed that gathering released hearts could give them complete identities again. They built a headquarters in the World That Never Was and prepared an artificial Kingdom Hearts in its sky.

For a long time, the Organization appeared to be a group of people without hearts, desperate to obtain them. But Xemnas's larger purpose, and his willingness to turn followers into vessels for Xehanort, make that simple description deeply misleading. Its members were useful to the plan precisely because they could be controlled, manipulated, or broken. The Organization's apparent unity concealed personal grief, betrayal, and rival goals.

Historical context

Organization XIII repeatedly claims that Nobodies lack hearts, but the lives of Roxas, Axel and Xion complicate that claim. The struggle between assigned purpose and individual relationships is central to the Organization’s conflicts.

Connected characters

More in the lore

Explore the complete chronology for the surrounding events, relationships and consequences across the games.