Terra-Xehanort

Terra-Xehanort is the first of Master Xehanort's various vessels, created when his heart entered the body of Terra. Though introduced in the series as apprentice to Ansem the Wise, Terra-Xehnaort's origins are revealed in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

Kingdom Hearts II
The former apprentice of Ansem the Wise.

Even after becoming a Heartless, Xehanort persisted in his research of the doors and the heart of all worlds - all in the name of "Ansem", of course.

Meanwhile, his Nobody Xemnas had taken leadership of Organization XIII.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep


After Xehanort succeeded in obtaining Terra's body in the Keyblade Graveyard, the newly-born Terra-Xehanort finds himself facing resistance from his host. The first resistance in the form of Terra's mind taking occupancy within the animated Lingering Will as it creates a giant force field, known as the Will's Cage, to prevent Xehanort from escaping with his body. Though he lost to the Lingering Will, Terra-Xehanort was caught up in the explosion caused by the destruction of the unstable χ-blade, ending up in Radiant Garden as Terra's heart begins to fight back as well with Terra-Xehanort becoming confused and disorientated by the conflicting hearts.

Found by Aqua as was led to Radiant Garden by Terra's voice, Xehanort was able to reassert control as his vessel battles Aqua with his Keyblade and a Heartless-like symbiote. After the climactic battle, Terra begins to get the upper hand in his internal conflict with Xehanort, forcing Terra-Xehanort to force Terra's heart out with his Keyblade. However, this weakens Terra-Xehanort's mind he falls into the Realm of Darkness manifested behind him by his Guardian. Aqua dives in after him and sacrifices her armor and Keyblade to save Terra. However, as both hearts were still in Terra-Xehanort, realizing that his consumption of Terra would be prolonged, Xehanort reveals that taking the younger Keyblader user's body was only one of many paths he would take as part of a grand design.

At the time, Xehanort's follower Braig brings Ansem the Wise and Dilan to Terra-Xehanort, the now amnesiac Keyblade wielder lies unconscious with no memory at all. Upon Ansem's request for his name, Terra-Xehanort responds that his name is "Xehanort". On Ansem's order, the amnesiac young man is taken back to the castle by Braig while Dilan takes Aqua's armor and Keyblade.

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts
Following the loss of his memories, now going by the name "Xehanort", Terra-Xehanort's supernatural abilities allowed him to become one of Ansem's apprentices alongside Braig. Though at first thinking the amnesia was an act, Braig was intend to help his benefactor by aiding Terra-Xehanort in taking advantage of Ansem's research of darkness that lingered within the hearts of people.

Terra-Xehanort offered to use himself in the experiments, the first attempt unlocking some the memories relating to Xehanort as he and Braig manipulate the other apprentices into conducting his own experiments to go deeper into the research. To that end, they abducted countless people and locked them within the depths of the laboratory where they are subjected to the horrible experiments with the purpose of controlling the mind to force it to reject its sense of self. However, this led to the accidental the creation of the Heartless, christened by Terra-Xehanort, within the Realm of Light.

At this point, Terra-Xehanort had taken Ansem the Wise's name as his own and wrote his own report under this stolen name. Terra-Xehanort then began to observe the behavior of the Heartless, using a machine to artificially create Emblem Heartless and having them increase their numbers with living things while stepping himself in darkness to control them. Despite Ansem learned of his actions and ordered a halt to the experiments, Terra-Xehanort continued and eventually found the heart to Radiant Garden by chance.

That act led to collapse of the world's boundaries, which was seen in the form of a meteor shower. Soon after, King Mickey arrived on a Gummi Ship he constructed from out of materials from the meteors to investigate the worlds due to recent events. It was while making an attempt to convince Ansem to let him test an experiment of his design, refused and ordered to forget everything he learn thus far in his research, that Terra-Xehanort relearned the Keyblade and Princesses of Heart. Suspecting Xehanort, feeling they met before, Mickey advised Ansem to check his lab's data. Upon checking, Ansem learned from his Journal that Terra-Xehanort continued the research under his name.

Ansem ordered his apprentices to seal off the laboratory, only for Terra-Xehanort eventually banished Ansem to the Realm of Darkness and had both the seal on the laboratory to be broken and that a room that he called the "Chamber of Repose" be constructed. Once done, Terra-Xehanort often went in and spoke to the Aqua's Keyblade Armor as if to its owner in the room in hopes he would regained more of his past. Around this time, as the Heartless begin to surge out of Radiant Garden, Xehanort restored the MCP and Sark to its OS.

Terra-Xehanort made the final pages of his report, which outlined the intention he inherited from his previous incarnation: To seek Kingdom Hearts. To that end, Terra-Xehanort is able to summon his Keyblade once more and use on all the apprentices, including Braig whom he introduced himself to as "Ansem" when questioned if his memories as Xehanort returned. Learning of the Nobodies in the process of creating Heartless from the apprentices, Terra-Xehanort divided his being into the Heartless self-titled "Ansem" and Xemnas. With both components having the memories and personality traits of their original self, "Ansem" and Xemnas act on the goal to obtain Kingdom Hearts in their way as part of the grand scheme Xehanort had established.

Kingdom Hearts II
While investigating Ansem the Wise's study within Radiant Garden, Sora, Donald and Goofy find a portrait of Terra-Xehanort, believing him to be Ansem, as it was removed by Tifa to reveal the password to the DTD. After running into King Mickey, he reveals the truth of "Ansem"'s identity as a Heartless of an impostor yet could not remember the name. However, during the battle of the 1000 Heartless Mickey remembers Xehanort's name upon seeing Xemnas. In the World That Never Was, King Mickey encounters Ansem the Wise and learns that his goal is to destroy Xemnas's artificial Kingdom Hearts and exact revenge on Terra-Xehanort for stealing his name and pride. Ansem repeatedly used the name "Xehanort" to insultingly refer to Xemnas.

Kingdom Hearts: Re: Coded and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
After the events of Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded, Mickey learns from Yen Sid that since both "Ansem" and Xemnas were defeated, their eventual reunion would mark the return of Xehanort as a complete being, who would once more be a threat to the fate of the worlds. Also, as Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Lea search through Radiant Garden's lab for Terra-Xehanort after it's restoration, Braig and Isa rehang the portrait in Ansem's Study. It would be after Master Xehanort's restoration that he reveals Terra's fate as his vessel and implied his association with the Thirteen Darknesses.

Personality
Upon his "birth" in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Terra-Xehanort appears to retain Master Xehanort's personality, including his knowledge of Darkness, thus being a mere younger incarnation of the elderly Keyblade Master's ruthlessness and cunning.

Shortly after Terra-Xehanort is defeated by the Lingering Will, and loses some of his memories, he ends up in Radiant Garden, and begins to question his existence upon meeting Aqua - by strangling her. By the time he is found by Braig, Dilan, and Ansem, he has lost all of his memories entirely—except for the name "Xehanort". As one of Ansem's apprentices, Terra-Xehanort appears to have had a very professional and no-nonsense attitude, shown by his determination in his studies. He appeared to be easily annoyed by Braig and was shown to be equally as interested in the darkness of hearts as his original incarnation. Terra-Xehanort appeared frustrated when Ansem forbade him from continuing his studies and experiments, and ultimately disobeyed his master. Ansem the Wise later refers to Terra-Xehanort as "foolish" and that any world of his "would be an empire of ignorance".

Appearance
Terra-Xehanort's appearance is almost identical to Terra's, only with Xehanort's silver hair, darker skin and yellow eyes.

After becoming Ansem's apprentice, Terra-Xehanort wore a white lab coat with rather loose sleeves that is partway zipped down. The coat also has pockets roughly where Terra-Xehanort's hips would be. He wears black boots, with a white/silver lining along the top and an indentation on the sides. Underneath his coat, Terra-Xehanort wears a grey vest overtop a white collar shirt, along with a purple ascot around his neck.

In addition his eyes have turned brown, Terra-Xehanort's hair is worn long, with two bangs framing his face. His hair also sports three backward-facing spikes, one at the top of his head, and one on either side, just above his ears.

Abilities
Terra-Xehanort, being a possessed version of Terra, is able to use many of Terra and Master Xehanort's old abilities. He wields Master Xehanort's Keyblade, and uses it to perform techniques like Ars Solum, a fast combo comprised of multiple hits. He can use Meteor and Quake as well, and is one of the few bosses that is able to heal with Curaga.

When in desperate need of power, Terra-Xehanort gains access to the Dark Impulse Command Style, as well as the Dark Volley and Ultima Cannon Shotlocks. Terra-Xehanort also appears to possess enhanced strength, able to effortlessly lift Aqua off the ground by the throat with one hand.

Xehanort also can call upon his "Guardian", a Pureblood Heartless-like symbiote that floats behind him and serves as both his main source of offense and defense. Its great power also makes it capable of slamming opponents with physical blows, possessing targets, and firing dark energy projectiles.

While Ansem, Seeker of Darkness can also use the Guardian in other installments, its first chronological appearance is during Terra-Xehanort's battle with Aqua in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

Weapon
After Master Xehanort possesses Terra towards the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Terra-Xehanort is able to wield Master Xehanort's Keyblade. The weapon has a spiky shaft, a gleaming eye found near the teeth, which look similar to a battle ax. It is black and silver in coloration, able to lock and unlock hearts, appearing similar to the Oblivion Keyblade. It also contains two demonic blue eyes; one above the handle and the other one on the head, similar to the Soul Eater, Way to the Dawn, and Void Gear.

Terra-Xehanort uses the weapon to perform long, powerful combo attacks, as well as use several powerful desperation attacks. After Terra-Xehanort lost his memories, he lost his ability to wield this weapon, but as Yen Sid later claims in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and more than one Xehanort has been revived as shown in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance where it is likely that Terra-Xehanort is one of them, and he likely has, regained his memories and ability to wield the Keyblade.

Trivia

 * The first few sentences that Terra-Xehanort says after coming into existence are a nearly word-for-word quote of what "Ansem" (Xehanort's Heartless) says to Sora in the original Kingdom Hearts.
 * In the Japanese version, Xehanort is voiced by Akio Ōtsuka, the son of Chikao Ōtsuka, the Japanese voice actor of Master Xehanort. Tetsuya Nomura cast Chikao for this particular reason.