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"Then I shall make you see...That your hopes are nothing. Nothing but a mere illusion!"

—Zexion to Riku

Zexion, theCloaked Schemer (影歩む策士, Kageayumu Sakushi^?, lit.Shadow-Walking Schemer), is theNobody ofIenzo and Rank VI in the originalOrganization XIII. He is also an antagonist inRiku's storyline inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. In battle, he weaves illusions to fight for him. Unlike the other Organization members, Zexion's weapon was originally unknown, and his talents were used only outside of normal combat. InKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Zexion's weapon was revealed to be a book called a Lexicon.

Zexion appeared inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories as a participant in the struggle within the Organization between the newer and veteran members. He is also central to the plot to use Riku as a puppet inCastle Oblivion. Zexion also appears inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, as one of the playable characters inMission Mode.

Story[edit]

BetweenKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]

Xigbar reveals some of Xemnas's secrets to Zexion.

"I think eavesdropping is intrusive. Why are you even here? You and Xaldin were tasked to recruit new members. Have you forgotten, or were you procrastinating?"

—Zexion to Xigbar

Some time shortly afterMarluxia is found byXigbar and inducted into the Organization,Vexen tromps down the stairs ofTwilight's View, calling out for Zexion and demanding to know of Xemnas's whereabouts. Zexion informs him that Xemnas is in theChamber of Repose, and though with complaint, Vexen decides to wait for Xemnas to return.

Xigbar, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, reveals his presence to Zexion, who scolds Xigbar and tells him that he should continue his mission withXaldin to recruit new members. After a short argument, Zexion is pleased with how Xigbar handled the job. As he prepares to leave, Xigbar stops him and asks to learn about Xemnas's secret. Reminiscing on the battle that took place ten years ago and how they found Xehanort, and how the Chamber of Repose came to be, Xigbar discloses that he had heard Xemnas conversing with someone in the underground laboratory, even though no one was supposed to be there besides Xemnas himself. Zexion chastises him for eavesdropping again, though Xigbar claims that he could not clearly hear Xemnas's words regardless. Uninterested, Zexion prepares to leave, feeling that it would be better for him to complete his work: help the Organization prepare their new stronghold inCastle Oblivion. When asked on Xemnas's intentions for their new facility by Xigbar, he states that everyone knew his intentions, as they were informed about them earlier. However, Xigbar reveals the truth on how the Chamber of Repose is connected to the Chamber of Waking, piquing Zexion's interest. Xigbar suspects that Xemnas is using Castle Oblivion to find the Chamber of Waking to locate his "other friend", leaving Zexion speechless.Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, prior toKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

"Kingdom Hearts will complete us. That's the Organization's goal."

—Zexion

Zexion is present whenXion joins Organization XIII. Zexion later teachesRoxas how to fill the mission gauge inTwilight Town before being sent away to Castle Oblivion. True to his personality, he was patient with theKeyblade wielder, carefully and calmly explaining the filling of the gauge in great detail.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

"The world of darkness and Ansem's shadow still nest within your heart. Do you plan to face Sora like that? Even after what you did to him? Are you not ashamed?"

—Zexion interrogating Riku

Zexion consults with Lexaeus and Vexen after Riku's entry.

AfterSora had been lured into Castle Oblivion, Zexion discovers two other scents deep in the dungeons of the castle. One of them belongs to aMaleficent formed from someone's memory, having been given life by Castle Oblivion's unique properties. Originally, he mistakes the other scent to be that of "The Superior". Eventually, however, Zexion and his cohorts determine that the scent belongs to Riku, who had appeared in the Castle by force of will after Sora's arrival. Vexen hypothesizes that thedarkness in Riku'sheart, "Ansem", caused Zexion to mistake him for "the Superior", calling the effect "fascinating." Specifically, Riku's heart is plagued by the presence of Ansem.

Zexion, as well asLexaeus and Vexen, come to see thatMarluxia, keeper of Castle Oblivion, intends to take control of Organization XIII, with the help ofLarxene, by using Sora as their puppet. Though they see that they can use Riku to counter Sora, they decide to oppose Marluxia's plot by having Vexen investigate Marluxia under the guise of offering to help using theRiku Replica he creates with combat data from the real Riku. However, Vexen is eventually killed on Marluxia's orders byAxel, whom Zexion and Lexaeus had been unsure about trusting. Axel later tells them he had performed the deed only to gain Marluxia's trust, and continues to cooperate with Zexion in tracking Sora and Riku.

Seeing that Vexen's efforts to derail Marluxia's plan had failed, Zexion sends Lexaeus to sway Riku into joining them, but Riku refuses to allow darkness to control him and defeats Lexaeus in combat.

Zexion gives Riku the Destiny Islands card.

After Lexaeus dies in his failed attempt to subvert Riku's resistance to darkness, Zexion discusses the Organization's fate with Axel and learns that Larxene has been killed as well, bringing the number of Organization members eliminated to three. Axel tells him that he himself was defeated by Sora as well, and that Marluxia is almost certainly the next to go. Zexion decides that with the possibility of Marluxia dying soon, Riku is no longer needed, and heads off to intercept him.

Zexion appears before Riku while he is between floors of the castle, shortly after the death of Marluxia. As the force of Marluxia's death shakes the castle, Riku halts with surprise and comments how a very strong scent in the air has died. Zexion materializes in front of him and tells him that Sora has just defeated Marluxia. Riku is surprised to learn that Sora is also in the castle, but Zexion tells him he would never be able to face him after having such darkness in his heart. He gives Riku aWorld Card to Destiny Islands.

Zexion is struck down by Riku while disguised as Sora.

While he explores it, Zexion reappears, and continues to play on his guilt, telling him Sora will always oppose him as a host of the dark. Zexion vanishes and Riku winds up facing aDarksideHeartless. After he defeats it, Zexion disguises himself as Sora and accuses Riku of being corrupt. He envelops Riku inlight, rendering him unable to do anything. Instead of drowning Riku into helplessness, however, the predicament causesNaminé to come to his aid, in the guise ofKairi, telling him that he should stop rejecting the darkness within his heart, and instead tells him to draw on that power to free himself of the oppressing light and strike out. Riku strikes out at Zexion, whose disguise falters. Zexion is astounded by Riku's ability to control the darkness, and is also enraged at his perseverance. He decides to engage Riku in combat himself, but is eventually defeated.

Zexion is absorbed by the Riku Replica.

Zexion hastily retreats from Riku to the Organization's meeting room, where Axel and the Riku Replica are waiting. In a panic, Zexion initially mistakes the Replica for the real Riku, but feels reassured when he recognizes him as the Organization's Replica. However, Axel tempts the Replica by claiming that he can become whole by claiming power that the real Riku lacks, and suggests he should start by eliminating Zexion and stealing his power. Zexion is horrified by Axel's suggestion, but before he can do anything, the replica eliminates Zexion and takes his power; judging by Axel's line of Zexion finding out "way too much", Axel having purposefully set this up in order to move Saïx up within the ranks of the Organization.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, afterKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

Zexion appears in Xion's nightmare.

On his return from Castle Oblivion,Axel mentions toSaïx that he had eliminated Zexion. Sometime later, Axel admits that he doesn't mind "getting his hands dirty" to Saïx, and again comments on eliminating both Zexion and Vexen.

During Xion's nightmare onDestiny Islands, Roxas stands on the beach of the island, missing his friend. He later sees the hooded Xion and approaches her. She removes her hood and turns out to be none other than Zexion, who proceeds to taunt a younger version of Riku as he did inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. The scene then begins to fade, Xion (in the form of the shocked Roxas) undergoing a series of transformations until she finally takesSora's form for the first time.

Other appearances[edit]

Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross][edit]

Zexion appears as an enemy in the June 2018NEW XIII Event.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories manga[edit]

"That's right, Riku. Recognize where you stand. Because preparations for your reception are done!"

—Zexion

In the manga adaption ofKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Zexion does not escape from Riku after being defeated in battle on the virtual Destiny Islands. Instead, Zexion appears to Riku and taunts him about being weaker than Sora because he rejects the Darkness. He transforms into Sora and rebukes him for embracing it, tricking Riku into thinking it is actually Sora accusing him instead of Zexion. Later, after changing back into himself, he further influences him by saying Sora would never want to see him again because he ran away from the light, but the Organization would welcome him with open arms. He consumes Riku in light, making him unable to do anything and attempts to show the pain of the light, but Riku, enraged, instead turns on Zexion and defeats him with a slash of hisSoul Eater. Zexion never fights with Riku Replica.Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories incorporates this into the game story somewhat, by having Riku fight and weaken Zexion before he is absorbed by the Riku Replica.

In the manga, Zexion visits the floor where Lexaeus was eliminated, and he never makes an alliance with Axel.

Design[edit]

Zexion is a young man with a slim build, bright aqua eyes, and steel-blue hair (appearing more grey inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories) with long, layered bangs that completely obscure the right side of his face, reaching about an inch or two past his chin. On his left side, his bangs, though still rather long, are shorter than on the right side, partially covering his ear. A few strands of hair fall over the exposed section of his face. The back of Zexion's hair is a bit shorter than the front. He wears the signature black Organization cloak, boots, and gloves, though his cloak's sleeves are slightly bell-shaped. As one of the youngest members of the Organization, his stature is shorter compared to the other members, though he is taller than Roxas.

Personality[edit]

Zexion is a calm and collected individual that shows little expression. He favors working behind the scenes rather than confronting problems directly, and keeps his plans close to his chest, not even explaining himself to allies. His speech is rather intelligent and formal, but he is also adept at hiding insults under layers of formality, such as inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, when he tells Axel that he assumed he would be next to die. The exception appears to be Vexen, who Zexion is willing to be particularly dry with. On the other side, despite his condescending and roundabout manner of speech, he is notably willing to give Roxas direct answers about Kingdom Hearts and Nobodies when asked.

Despite being the youngest member of the Organization before Roxas, Zexion appears to be highly ranked, even amongst the founders, as he is apparently aware of Xemnas's secret, and takes no issue with giving others directions. Additionally, it is implied that Saïx had Axel eliminate him in order to rise in the Organization's ranks. Zexion is uniquely invested in the state of the Organization as a group, calling its decline "deplorable" and lamenting the weakening bonds between members; both Lexaeus and Vexen consider this mindset unusual. He is also one of the most loyal Organization members, doing everything he can to support the group, and never once questioning Xemnas's will. He is distrustful of the newer members, and is willing to use any tool at his disposal to oppose them inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, even his own colleagues.

He has been shown to have high standards for both himself and others, such as inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, when he expects Roxas to continue working even after completing his mission objectives, and inKingdom Hearts II Final Mix, when he chastises Xigbar for slacking and then attempts to cut off the conversation to continue his own work.

Though he takes great lengths to avoid fighting, including running away upon defeat, he seems to enjoy inflicting his powers upon his opponents nonetheless, taunting and laughing as most Organization members do in combat. This flair for showmanship can also be seen when accusing Riku of being the one to destroy Destiny Islands.

Upon having his plans thwarted by Riku, Zexion reacts in uncharacteristic shock and rage, and when Axel goads the Riku Replica into killing him, he expresses sheer terror.

Abilities[edit]

Much like Riku, Zexion can identify the "scents" of others with great accuracy and at great distances. The "scent" he smells may be based on things other than mere odor and is affected by the presence ofDarkness in theheart, an entity's power in the castle, and other factors. Initially, Zexion was never seen in combat, and his weapon and attributes were a mystery. To keep Zexion's weapon unknown, his gravestone in theThe World That Never Was lay destroyed, as all the gravestones depicted the member's weapon of choice.Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories andKingdom Hearts II Final Mix revealed his weapon as the Lexicon. Zexion can use his Lexicon to mimic the attacks of his enemies inKingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories.

This ability follows a trend where the Organization members bear abilities and skills mirroring those ofFinal Fantasy jobs (ex. Xaldin =Dragoon, Luxord =Gambler, etc.). In Zexion's case, his abilities mirror those of aBlue Mage, who can learn and mimic enemy attacks, or possibly aMime who can perfectly imitate the most recently used ability.

Zexion and his copies using the Soul Eater.

InKingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, he has a unique fighting style; he steals and hoards his foe's cards until he has enough to use it in his own deck. He has copies of his lexicon float around and attack the opponent. His standard attack steals Riku's attack cards, and his standard sleight creates a tornado of dark energy that drags Riku in, and then damages him while stealing his cards. When Zexion hoards enough cards, he copies the Soul Eater and copies himself, gaining the use of two new sleights. In one, Zexion's copies vanish while Zexion grabs Riku and continuously damages him. Zexion's other new sleight is a sleight in which he and his copies vanish and then reappear near the perimeter of the island and each fires an energy beam. The beams meet and slowly form a ball of energy as Zexion and his clones rotate around the island before the energy ball explodes over the entire island.

His standard attack now becomes a combo with each of the copies slashing once in turn. Meanwhile, the lexicons are spread out through the island encased in blue flames. Each of these lexicons supports and acts as the health of a clone. Destroying a lexicon causes a clone to disappear, and the destruction of the last copy frees all the stolen cards, and Zexion reverts to attacking with his lexicons until he hoards enough cards again. However, even if Riku manages to steal his cards back, Zexion occasionally prepares a countermeasure of sorts by planting a dummy Soul Eater card amongst the scattered pile for Riku to collect. The card is distinguished by the "wing" of the blade's design being orange instead of red, as well as the Soul Eater facing the opposite direction. If the card is collected and then used, it damages and stuns Riku momentarily, giving Zexion an opening to steal cards again.

InKingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Zexion returns as an optional boss. Zexion's fighting style is different in the islands, however—his Absent Silhouette's only attack is to trap his prey in his lexicon. However, once they have been captured, Zexion transports them to another dimension where lexicons float around, being conducted by Zexion, who can hide as a lexicon himself. Only the reaction command, Dispel, used on Zexion after depleting his fake HP frees them from the dimension. Meanwhile, they are either bombarded by lexicon copies and explosions, ensnared in life-draining lexicons or have their commands mixed up. However, if the right commands are selected, HP, MP, Munny balls, or experience points can appear, while another command temporarily removes all the decoy lexicons.

His greatest attack involves transporting his quarry into yet another dimension, one which is pitch black save for three spotlights, one of which will be blue. The blue light will rotate between the three lights thirteen times until it comes to a complete stop, after which the entire area will be bombarded by meteors, with Zexion's laughing heard. However, the spotlight where the blue light stops will be protected by a barrier. Zexion is also forced into the barricaded area, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

In both instances, he is shown to be a mighty opponent, noted by many to be more difficult than Ansem, Seeker of Darkness inKingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories Reverse/Rebirth.

InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Zexion has a Limit Break calledMeteor Mirage, where he ascends into the air to cause meteors of indigo energy to rain down from the sky.

Weapon[edit]

Zexion uses a book called aLexicon, the Greek term for a dictionary. Its main form is named theBook of Retribution. It is unclear exactly what the pages contain, but from what can be seen, it tells some sort of story and lacks a basic dictionary layout. The cover displays three interconnected Nobody symbols. The back bears the outline of another Nobody logo. The spine of the book displays the Roman numeral of six (VI), along with the title "Hallucination—Another Side", superimposed over yet another Nobody symbol. Zexion has the power to trap people within the pages themselves, sending them to a different dimension where he can hide from them and attack. He can also hide himself in the pages.

An accessory based on the lexicon called the "Shadow Archive" can be synthesized inKingdom Hearts II Final Mix.

• Organization XIII
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