Vexen
| Vexen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Japanese | ヴィクセン | ||
| Rōmaji | Vikusen | ||
| Type | Organization XIII | ||
| Title | Number IV, The Chilly Academic | ||
| Orig. name | Even | ||
| Attribute | Ice (氷, Kōri?) | ||
| Weapon | Shield (Frozen Pride) | ||
| Limit | Diamond Dust | ||
| Voice actors | (Ja:)Tatsuya Kando(COM only) Nachi Nozawa(Re:COM, KHIIFM, Days) Shigeru Chiba(KHIII) (En:)Derek Stephen Prince | ||
| Games | Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts Union χ Kingdom Hearts III | ||
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| Vexen |
|---|
| Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories |
| Sora's Story A man absorbed in his dubious research in Castle Oblivion. Vexen tried to destroy Sora by controlling Riku and pitting the two against each other. When this plan failed, he confronted Sora personally. Reverse/Rebirth No. 4 in the Organization. He, Lexaeus, and Zexion have been in the group since its inception, and there is no love lost between them and neophytes like Marluxia. After battling Riku, Vexen turned to events unfolding aboveground, but successive failures led to his termination by Axel. |
| Kingdom Hearts II |
| Formerly Organization XIII's Number IV. He has been eliminated. Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were among Organization XIII's founding members, and there was no love lost between them and neophytes like Marluxia. Vexen opposed Marluxia's plans to take over the Organization, and was consequently destroyed by Axel. |
| Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days |
| Opening No. IV VEXEN Founding member. A brilliant scientist with dominion overice...and a personality to match. HD 1.5 ReMIX A founding member of Organization XIII. A brilliant scientist who carries out research on various Organization projects. He was in charge of the Replica Program at Castle Oblivion, but someone disposed of him. |
| Kingdom Hearts Union χ |
| Album KINGDOM HEARTS CoM (2004) The 4th member of Organization XIII. He, Lexaeus, and Zexion have been in the group since its inception. Boss This Chilly Academic is a powerful opponent with the ability to weaken your defenses. |
| Kingdom Hearts III |
| A reserve member of the real Organization XIII. Despite being recompleted as a human, Vexen returned to the Organization willingly in order to pursue his research, which he values above all else. |
- "I'm a scientist. Experiments are what I do, yes."
- —Vexen
Vexen, theChilly Academic (いてつく学究, Itetsuku Gakkyū?), is theNobody ofEven, Rank IV within the originalOrganization XIII and a reserve member of thereal Organization XIII. He controls ice and uses it to command storms and blizzards, freezing his opponents solid, while defending himself with his massive shield.
InKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Vexen was the highest-ranking member of the Organization insideCastle Oblivion, but ironically he is the first Organization member to be eliminated. He creates theRiku Replica and uses the Replica to carry out several experiments onRiku andSora.
InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Vexen appears and he is also a playable character inMission Mode.
Story[edit]
BetweenKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]
During the course of experiments into the nature of thehearts and itsdarkness,Terra-Xehanort resolved to cast off hisbody and become aHeartless himself, choosing to bring the other former apprentices ofAnsem the Wise with him, includingEven. Having regained hisKeyblade, he steals their hearts.Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance This splits them into Heartless and Nobodies, and those Nobodies became the founding members ofOrganization XIII.Secret Ansem's Report 7 Even as a Nobody, Vexen only cared for his research, and was assigned to duplicate theKeyblade wielder's memories and powers via theReplica Program. Through this program, he created a Replica he namedXion, as well as an inferiorReplica of Riku.[1]
Some time before Marluxia's official recruitment, Vexen urgently questioned Zexion atTwilight's View about Xemnas's whereabouts, and was told that Xemnas was secluded at theChamber of Repose. Frustrated, Vexen walked off.Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, prior toKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]
On Day 7, Vexen is present at Xion's induction into the Organization.
On Day 9, he informs Saïx that Xion should be able to perform as expected in ten days. Afterward, he loiters in theGrey Area until Day 12, and expresses interest in Roxas's ability to wield the Keyblade.[2][3]
On Day 12, Vexen is assigned to train Roxas in reconnaissance atTwilight Town. Vexen asks Roxas to examine theTram Common and report on anything unusual. He is unamused with Roxas's initial lack of insight, and prods him to draw conclusions from his observations. If Roxas takes too long to inspect the area, he will mock the younger Nobody's guesses.[4] Disappointed in the results, Vexen gives Roxas permission toRTC, but the indignant Roxas asks for a second chance. Vexen allows it, and congratulates him on being able to identify a side lot as the area's tram yard. As they return to the castle, Vexen informs Roxas of the existence of other worlds, as well as that he will be tasked with performing more reconnaissance every time he is sent to a new world.
On Day 23, he files a report postulating that Replicas should be considered a type of Nobody and notes that Xion has proven to be a great success. Afterward, he takesRiku Replica with him toCastle Oblivion.
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]
WhenMarluxia andLarxene begin manipulatingSora throughNaminé's ability, Vexen,Lexaeus, andZexion decide to try useRiku, who has appeared in the castle's basements, to counter Marluxia's plot. Vexen engages Riku in battle, hinting towards the nature of Nobodies and the existence ofXemnas and taunting Riku about his nature as a being between darkness andlight. Sensing formidable darkness growing within Riku, Vexen decides that he has gathered enough data and returns to program it into his second Replica. Once completed, theRiku Replica is sent to challenge the real Riku to test its powers. Despite freely using the darkness, the replica loses to the original Riku due to being recently finished and thus having less control over its abilities.
Even with the failure, Vexen decides that an obedient Riku is better than trying to gain control of the original. He decides to take him to the upper levels to help deal with Sora. He offers the replica's services in testing Sora toAxel and Larxene. However, they insist on changing his memories; Vexen rejects that idea, as he believes the replica would be strong enough to wipe out Sora even with different memories. They haveNaminé manipulate the replica into thinking he is the real Riku and that he made a promise to Naminé, something that Sora also remembers doing. The Riku Replica confronts Sora multiple times, but he is defeated each time.
After the replica loses twice to Sora and fails to confront him a third time, Vexen is taunted about his replica by Axel and Larxene. However, they are interrupted by Marluxia, who deems Vexen's experiment a failure. Vexen is insulted, but when Marluxia makes the threat of reporting Vexen's failure to "the Superior", Vexen reluctantly agrees to face Sora himself. He meets Sora at the entrance to the 11th floor and states that Sora is in debt to him for reuniting him with Riku. Sora is angered, and the two battle. Having been pulling his punches, Vexen instead gives Sora aworld card ofTwilight Town, claiming to have delved into Sora's heart and found the memories locked in the other side of it. Vexen tells Sora that if he wants to truly defeat him, then he must enter that world, before fleeing.
Meanwhile, Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel note that Vexen is jeopardizing their plans to overthrow the Organization; the scientist intends to reveal the existence of Roxas as well as Marluxia's plan to rewrite Sora's memories to turn him into his puppet. As a result, Axel is sent by Marluxia and Larxene to assassinate Vexen, not only to prevent Vexen from revealing their plan but also to gain their trust.
After exploring the memory-Twilight Town, Sora encounters Vexen at the gates to theOld Mansion, where Vexen inquires whether Sora's memories of Naminé or of the town feel more real. Vexen informs Sora that his familiarity with the town is because the "other side of his heart" remembers it, referencing Roxas. Sora again denies that his memories of Naminé are false, and when Vexen mocks the boy for falling for Marluxia's trick, the two fight.
Vexen is again defeated, surprised that Sora has such strength even with his memory confused. Upon being told to restore Riku to what he was before, Vexen tells Sora that the replica is fated to sink into the darkness and that Sora will share that fate if he continues to seek out Naminé. However, right before Vexen can give a proper warning about Marluxia messing with Sora's memories, Vexen is knocked down by Axel's chakram. Axel explains that he came to keep Vexen from talking too much by eliminating him, claiming that he can now be nothing instead of a Nobody. Despite Vexen's pleas for mercy, Axel snaps his fingers and incinerates Vexen.
Axel's Secret Reports in358/2 Days would later reveal that he killed Vexen to keep the Replica Program from falling into Marluxia's clutches.
| This information is based on alternate scenes or materials and is not considered canon within the overall plot of the series. |
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| In the manga, Vexen creates a set of Vexen Replicas (failed replicas, according to the replicas themselves) and has a grave, which the Riku Replica visits before leaving Castle Oblivion. |
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, afterKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]
On Day 51, the rest of the Organization XIII learns of the deaths at Castle Oblivion.
On Day 194, Axel finds Vexen's notes on Naminé hidden within the library at theCastle That Never Was.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance[edit]
After Vexen's destruction, Even's body andsoul were swallowed by darkness to await his heart.[5] At some point, Sora and his friends slew Even's Heartless,[?][6] allowing Even to be reborn at theHeartless Manufactory.[7]
Kingdom Hearts III[edit]
To Even's surprise,Saïx gives him the chance to return to being a Nobody to complete his research on theReplica Program. Seeing it as his chance to atone for all the harm he caused others in the past, Even accepts and becomes Vexen again, becoming a reserve member of thereal Organization XIII. At theKeyblade Graveyard, Saïx questions the scientist's decision to abandon his humanity a second time; he adds thatAxel gave him a second lease on life. Vexen lies that his research in completing the perfect vessel is all that matters to him. However, he does add that with some more time, they "will replace, not just replicate", becoming true people once hearts are given to them. Due to the factXehanort's younger incarnation,Heartless andNobody cannot coexist at the same time as the present-day version, Vexen had to make replicas to house their hearts in the present day, while also providing replicas for the hearts ofVanitas andRiku Replica. Along withDemyx, Vexen was designated a back-up member by Xehanort, leaving the group without thirteen members.
After Xehanort's failure to turnSora into the thirteenth vessel, Vexen created a new replica, which Young Xehanort gave the past heart ofXion. In secret, Vexen also began work on additional blank replicas for housing the hearts of those who truly needed them.
Hearing of theBlack Box and rumors ofDavy Jones being able to exist without a heart, Vexen accompaniesLuxord toThe Caribbean to find out how this is possible along with whether or not the Dead Man's Chest is the box they are looking for. However, Vexen is disappointed when he finally sees inside the chest, and learns that it contains a physical organ, not a metaphysicalHeart.
Upon hearing thatAnsem, Seeker of Darkness went to search for his former master,Ansem the Wise, Vexen follows them toTwilight Town. He usesDusks to saveHayner,Pence, andOlette from Ansem's wrath. Finding them in the underground tunnel, Vexen appears before his former master and bows in respect, telling him that he became a Nobody again to make amends and thwart Xehanort's plans from within his group. Later, Vexen meets with Demyx atRadiant Garden and manages to convince him to take a blank replica and Ansem the Wise toIenzo, so they could prepare it to house Roxas's heart.
Vexen is later recompleted as a human again, and as Even he helps Ienzo and Ansem the Wise restore Naminé using Dark Riku's blank replica body as a vessel that was emptied by the Riku Replica.
Other appearances[edit]
Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross][edit]
Vexen appears as an enemy in the April 2018 "NEW XIII Event".
Design[edit]
Vexen is a tall man with sharp cheekbones, a pointy chin, and green eyes. He often wears an expression with one eyebrow raised, making his eyes appear lopsided. He has long platinum-blond hair which reaches to his shoulder blades in the back, with slightly shorter portions framing his face in the front, and awidow's peak. InChain of Memories, his hair appears more yellow. Vexen wears the standard Organization uniform of ablack coat, boots, and gloves, though his coat is longer and has slightly longer sleeves. InKingdom Hearts III, as a vessel for Xehanort's heart, he has gold eyes and pointy ears.
Personality[edit]
As a scientist, Vexen approaches problems like an intellectual, with a hypothesis and a method to test those hypotheses. Appearing very much like a stereotypical "mad scientist", Vexen views life as a grand experiment. More than any other member, saveXemnas, he considers his numerical rank a literal one and often derides members with lower numerical rankings than his, such as when he reminds Marluxia of his superior rank when Marluxia orders him not to "disappoint us" again, and laterZexion when he laments Vexen's impatience. Vexen is often chastised by others for this behavior. Ironically, Vexen's throne is the lowest of the Organization in their meeting chamber known asWhere Nothing Gathers. This is mostly due to his recurring incompetence and preference of not sullying his hands, like Zexion, though the latter can easily hold his own in battle.
Vexen is also very cowardly and displays a fear of Xemnas, immediately bowing to Marluxia's demand to destroy Sora when Marluxia threatens to tell Xemnas of the failure of the Riku Replica. He also fears approaching Xemnas in theChamber of Repose, dismissing Zexion's suggestion thereof as a joke. In theKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories manga, Vexen is portrayed as a character who thinks that he doesn't get enough respect from the higher-ranked members.
InKingdom Hearts III, Vexen appears the same as he did inChain of Memories, devious and obsessed with his Replica research. He even declared that he did not require his humanity to complete his research nor does he care about how others may use his research, only that he sees it to fruition. In reality, this is a ruse Vexen made towards the Organization, as he actually regrets his previous actions and truly seeks to atone. Vexen came to the realization that as a scientist, mistakes are made toward the path of knowledge and wishes to ensure his research does some good, so that he may achieve a measure of forgiveness. To achieve this, he works behind the backs of the real Organization XIII to aid those fighting against Master Xehanort, such as aiding his former teacher Ansem the Wise and providing replicas for those who truly needed them, such as Roxas and Naminé.
Abilities[edit]
Vexen is one of the most prolific Organization members in battles, appearing as an opponent three times duringChain of Memories. He fights with a large blue shield, which he uses to fend off frontal attacks, making it necessary to attack him from behind. He is also able to use the shield offensively, akin toGoofy, but further enhances the style with the spikes lining the edge of his shield. He can use his cryokinetic abilities to blast his enemy with ice from his hand and can call forth large chunks of ice from the ground to freeze his opponent solid. He also has the power to create slippery ice patches on the ground, or summon icicles that rise from the ground and follow their target for several seconds. Finally, he can create an unavoidable blizzard that can be resisted only with acard break. In the remake, Vexen can conjure up a sword out of ice and whack his opponent several times with it before performing a final shockwave which destroys the sword and ends the sleight. Like several other members of Organization XIII inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Vexen moves by levitating, sometimes several feet into the air.
InKingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Vexen, as well as other members of the Organization that have already been eliminated, can be fought. Vexen's shield makes him completely invincible in this game, but the shield has anHP bar of its own and can be temporarily destroyed, allowing Sora to attack Vexen directly. Vexen has the additional power in this battle to create a copy of Sora'sAntiForm to aid him in battle. Vexen still has his "freeze" attack when a blizzard freezes Sora, immobilizing Sora while Vexen gains data, but it can be stopped by aReaction Command. He also has the icicle attack from before, but also returns with a new attack when he makes two spinning blades of ice and throws them at Sora. In the data battle against Vexen, he has a new attack when he throws giant chunks of ice at Sora.
Vexen also has the ability to collect and manipulate data. This ability allows Vexen to create Replicas, such as the Riku Replica, and his numerous Vexen Replicas. Not much else is known about this ability. It can be assumed that he uses his shield, Frozen Pride, to absorb attacks, and collect data simultaneously.
InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Vexen has a Limit Break calledDiamond Dust, which causes ice glaciers to protrude from the ground.
Initially appearing as a powerful foe to Sora, Vexen is revealed to be one of the weaker members of Organization XIII alongsideDemyx. This is indicated by the fact that no one in the Organization seems to show Vexen any respect despite his high rank. Marluxia and Larxene seem to frequently poke fun at him with jokes and sneers, with Larxene going as far as to call him a "half-baked good for nothing". Vexen is also easily eliminated by Axel, who fought evenly with Marluxia. In Riku's story, Vexen seems to be below Zexion and Lexaeus in terms of authority as he is the one doing all of the work while the other two hide in the basement and direct him.
Weapon[edit]
Vexen, like Goofy, carries a shield into battle. His shieldFrozen Pride is pointed and is colored blue and silver. He can use it to block attacks, but it is also used to slash foes. If turned upside down, the shield has the vague shape of the Nobody symbol. InKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories it can be changed during the sleight "Slide Break," where he freezes ice onto the shield to form a gigantic ice sword that he wildly slashes with before smashing the blade onto the foe. However, his Absent Silhouette does not use it to attack, instead of relying on his data replicas and ice magic for his offense, and uses his shield to block any attacks during battle. However, the Silhouette's shield has its own small health bar, and breaks after a while, and leaves him vulnerable until another shield is summoned. InKingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Goofy can obtain a similar shield through synthesis.
Vexen's signature shield, the Frozen Pride.
Notes and references[edit]
- ^Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Xemnas: "The goal was to duplicate the Keyblade wielder's memories, and through them, his powers—thus making them our own. Vexen oversaw the project at Castle Oblivion. However, our efforts were severely derailed by his unexpected demise. And this particular Replica—the one we called Xion—came to form an identity of her own."
- ^Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Vexen: "A Keyblade wielder... This could prove quite enlightening."
- ^Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Vexen: "Hee hee...Interesting...So much to inspect...To dissect..."
- ^Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Roxas: "Business seems to be booming?" /Vexen: "What, because you saw a couple of shops?"
- ^Director's Secret Report XIII, p. 29;Tetsuya Nomura: "When a Nobody is defeated, it's a little complicated. If the heart has been released they will return to their original form as mentioned above, but if the heart is still dispossessed by a Heartless, the Nobody will be swallowed by darkness. If their heart, wherever it is in the realm, could be taken back perhaps they could return to their original human form." Translation via Goldpanner.
- ^Famitsu Weekly: "Nomura Interview on KH3D",Interviewer: "So their Heartless, you're saying they were defeated somewhere along the line?" /Tetsuya Nomura: "Well Sora has defeated many Heartless before now, hasn't he? To say that they returned to being human, their Heartless was probably included among those, huh? Even when Sora became a Heartless, he was a normal Shadow type. The details of their Heartless aren't really that important."
- ^Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance,Ienzo: " When someone who's lost their heart is recompleted, they should return to the place where it happened."
| Nobodies |
|---|
| Organization XIII |
| I.Xemnas | II.Xigbar | III.Xaldin | IV.Vexen | V.Lexaeus | VI.Zexion | VII.Saïx | VIII.Axel | IX.Demyx | X.Luxord | XI.Marluxia | XII.Larxene | XIII.Roxas |
| Enemy Nobodies |
| Sorcerer -Sniper -Dragoon -Berserker -Assassin -Dancer -Gambler -Reaper -Ninja -Samurai Dusk -Creeper -Twilight Thorn -Fake Vivi |
| Special Nobodies |
| Naminé -Absent Silhouettes -Organization XIII's Replica Data -Anti-Saïx -Data-Roxas -Data-Naminé |
