you might notice I color him closer to this art than in-game and that's because it's my favourite
(zem-nas)
The literally-heartless final boss of the 2005 video game Kingdom Hearts II is the embodiment of the word melodramatic. Xemnas is the leader of Organization XIII, the main antagonistic force in the game. He has promised his followers that the completion of Kingdom Hearts will give them their hearts back, but what he really wants is power - the power to create a new world.
| Original name: | Xehanort |
|---|---|
| Age-ish: | 30 |
| Rank: | I |
| Title: | The Superior of the In-Between |
| Attribute: | Nothingness |
| Weapon: | Ethereal Blades (Interdiction) |
| Lesser: | Sorcerers |
| Chain of Memories Enemy Card: |
Quick Barrier: When receiving consecutive attacks, guards beyond the second strike. |
he really just
•́ ‸ •̀
He's a pieced together man with a stolen body, a pilfered name, and a handful of fragmented memories. He's 11 or 30-ish or like 90 depending on how we're counting. The only person whose authority he respects is his own. He has blades and lasers and can throw skyscrapers at you AND he will roundhouse kick you in the face. He floats everywhere in KHDays' multiplayer, but you WILL sit through two minutes of him just walking.
On the surface he only uses the people around him as pawns (and he mostly does), but he still uses the apprentice's old names as passwords. He professes to only need anger and hate, but looks so regretful when asked if he remembers anything else. He uses the word "friend" like a mere formality in greeting, but then you hear his final speech.
His status as final boss and recurring villain in the series means Xemnas has several battle themes:
Xemnas's theme is also part of Forza Finale, the sick as hell composition used for the penultimate bosses of KH3. Listen to me. That started playing and I for sure thought I was going to meet a quick end.
There is also a track named Xemnus used in KHDays cutscenes (possibly named - typo'd - for his unseen but constant influence).
Have I played the end of KH2 Too Many times just to listen to Darkness of the Unknown? Have I been thinking about how lonely the violin sounds for years? Have you listened to Project Destati's version yet?
extra materials often have
trouble with his skin tone
He's a pathetic wet cat of a man but I will not deny his atrocities. That's what makes him so entertaining. Well, that and his voice.
On the Japanese side of the fandom, you'll see Xemnas associated with eggplants. This is due to how his name is pronounced: zemunasu → nasu (eggplant). I have also noticed he's connected to large cats, possibly because of his final form coat (tiger) and his hair (lion) and the fact he sleeps all day. He's linked to dragons to a lesser extent due to the dragon he creates during his final boss run.
My most particular version of Xemnas is from what I call the (Re)Completion AU, titled so because technically this is his first time as a complete person (compared to Isa's second-and-a-half go). He has Apprentice Xehanort's original brown eye color and a new outfit I designed back in 2020.
The jacket's double-breasted like the Radiant Garden guard uniforms, but white to recall the labcoats. It's got tails for the drama and lined in red also for the drama. The lining's zebra stripe pattern was chosen to bring to mind his final boss coat and to fit with the post-KH3 designs for Lea and Isa. The glove and wristband are stolen from Terra.
