Ansem the Wise

Ansem the Wise, also known by his alias DiZ, was the ruler of Radiant Garden. He spent much of his time in his study, researching the mysteries of the heart. He first appears as DiZ in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and was revealed to be the infamous Ansem in Kingdom Hearts II.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories
Truly an enigma.

DiZ appeared before Riku in the guise of Ansem, presenting him with choices regarding the darkness within his heart.

It is said he and the king have met.

Kingdom Hearts II
The man who called himself "DiZ" and dressed his face in bandages to conceal it, now revealed to be none other than Ansem the Wise.

''The true Ansem once studied hearts and the Heartless, but soon ceased his research for fear of disrupting the order of the worlds. But his apprentice Xehanort betrayed him, robbing Ansem of his discoveries and pride.''

Since that time, Ansem was driven by vengeance -- but when he saw Riku go so far as to give up his physical form to help Sora, he had a change of heart.


 * DiZ

An entity shrouded in mystery.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Ansem adopted Ienzo after Ienzo's parents died. In the aftermath of a Keyblade conflict (the events of Birth by Sleep), Braig lead Ansem and Dilan to an amensiac young man introducing himself as "Xehanort". Ansem took in Xehanort in home to care for and help Xehanort regain his lost memories. As the ruler of the Radiant Garden and a prominent scientist, Ansem the the Wise was also the master of apprentice-scientists Xehanort, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo.

A Grave Mistake
However, as the years grew, Ansem the Wise became worried that the darkness of people's hearts would one day swallow his beloved home. In order to understand and counter it, Ansem began conducting tests on Xehanort's heart. Ansem also hoped to unlock Xehanort's hidden memories, with his apprentice also showing interest. However, the more he probed, the more he became worried about Xehanort's well being and his possibly superhuman abilities.

Still, Ansem eventually constructed a large laboratory in the basement of his castle, encouraged by adopted son Ienzo. However, Ansem's six apprentices used the laboratory in order to conduct inhumane experiments on the human heart and the darkness within it. Ansem immediately ordered his apprentices to cease their experiments and sealed the chamber. Still, Ansem sank into despair over his error in experimenting on Xehanort. Gummi Ship travel was now possible, thanks to Xehanort opening the door in Ansem's basement, and a king of another world, King Mickey arrived. The two rulers became great friends, conversing over many subjects, and their companionship began to heal Ansem's heart. King Mickey eventually advised Ansem the Wise to review the research data; Ansem discovered the Ansem Reports, penned under his name, but written by Xehanort. Ansem began to see that the damage he had done had become irreversible.

Eventually and unfortunately, the six apprentices dabbled too deep into the darkness behind his back. They were consumed by it, with Xehanort producing his Heartless and Nobody, while the other five apprentices also produced powerful Nobodies, making the elder members of Organization XIII. His mistakes had caught up to him when Ansem was plunged into the Realm of Nothingness by his apprentices, and became embittered at their betrayal.

A New Identity
For some time, Ansem remained in the empty realm, constantly writing in order to maintain his sanity. Here, he also discarded his old, stolen name, and became DiZ ("Darkness in Zero"). Eventually, he found a way to escape when he gained the power of darkness, though he did not intend to let himself be consumed by it like his apprentices. With his new found powers, DiZ also garbed himself in a red robe and a mask made of red bandages in order to fully conceal his real identity.

Using the Corridors of Darkness, DiZ found Twilight Town, and took refuge in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the town. There, he began researching the Nobodies and the Heartless, as well as watching Sora and King Mickey's efforts to defeat the Xehanort's Heartless from the sidelines.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
DiZ, hoping to gain revenge on the Organization, infiltrates the Organization's second base, Castle Oblivion. There, he monitors Sora and encounters Naminé. He also assists Riku in his quest to defeat his darkness, though not revealing his true identity for some time (instead, he took on the form of Xehanort's Heartless). DiZ also re-encounters King Mickey, but is privately saddened that he cannot talk to him like in the old days. Still, King Mickey begins to suspect DiZ's identity. Regardless of that, DiZ provides Riku and the King with Organization cloaks as well as the card that will draw out Xehanort's Heartless. Using it, Riku defeats Xehanort's Heartless, though a part of him still lingers in Riku's heart. He and King Mickey then set off, though DiZ appears to them at the crossroads in the grassy plain, asking which path they will take. Riku chooses the middle road, which DiZ refers to as the "twilight road to nightfall". However, Riku calls it the "road to dawn".

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
DiZ soon returned to Naminé to aid her in the task to restore Sora's memories after they were broken apart in Castle Oblivion. Since the castle was still under control of the Organization, DiZ convinced Naminé to move Sora, Donald, and Goofy to his lab in Twilight Town in order to keep them safe. However, Sora was taking too long to awaken, and DiZ soon noticed that Riku arrived with blindfold on, offering his aid to wake Sora. DiZ convinces a lone Riku to retrieve Roxas, Sora's Nobody. However, Riku had no choice but to take on the form of Xehanort's Heartless in order to fully utilize the power of darkness and defeat Roxas. DiZ, seeing Riku's (taking on the name "Ansem") devotion to Sora, slowly began to lose his lust for revenge, hiding it behind laughter. Still, DiZ continued with the plan, placing Roxas into a digital facsimile of Twilight Town where he could live out his days until it was time for him to reunite with Sora.

Kingdom Hearts II
A week later, DiZ, Riku, and Naminé still co-operate with each other to restore Sora. However, Naminé begins reaching out towards Roxas, to DiZ's annoyance, while Riku only intends to stick around until Sora awakens. Nonetheless, Roxas fuses with Sora eventually, though Riku does not dispose of Naminé as DiZ had wanted. The three go on their separate paths, while Sora goes off on his journey. Unfortunately, Sora does not function the way DiZ wanted, and all of his plans fall apart. It becomes increasingly obvious to the former ruler that the heart is something he cannot truly understand.

At this point in the story, DiZ has clearly established prejudices against Nobodies. He, unlike Riku, has no pity for Roxas when they abduct him ("It's the fate of a Nobody"). Later, when Roxas demands answers to his questions, stating that he has a right to know, DiZ coldly says, "A Nobody doesn't have a right to know, nor does it even have a right to be", and tells Riku that he doesn't care what happens to Roxas as long as Naminé succeeds in restoring Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Similarly, he does not care what becomes of Naminé, and only keeps her around due to her usefulness, telling Riku that he can dispose of her once Sora's memories are completely restored. This prejudice is likely due to his hatred of his former apprentices and the Nobodies that they have become. Apparently, he disregards the fact that Roxas and Naminé are special Nobodies who are truly capable of feeling human emotions. This prejudice is what leads Riku to dislike DiZ greatly, and serves as his reason for defying DiZ by deliberately letting Naminé go with Axel, and leaving DiZ once Sora has awoken. However, as the storyline progresses, he begins see the consequences of his actions, such as Riku willingly giving into the darkness in order to defeat Roxas. DiZ laughs at Riku going by the name "Ansem" at first, but later tells King Mickey in secret that his heart was aching greatly at the mere sight of Riku.

DiZ eventually infiltrates the Organization's home world, The World That Never Was. With Sora's strength of heart having obliterated DiZ's plans, he takes it upon himself to stop Xemnas by using a machine to digitally encode Kingdom Hearts, which Xemnas had been feeding human hearts in order to eventually extract its power to become whole. However, as he climbs the Nobody's headquarters, he is attacked by Nobodies, though he is saved by his old friend King Mickey. Mickey helps him to his feet, and, seeing no more reason to hide his identity, DiZ unmasks himself. King Mickey asks Ansem why he didn't come to him before the situation got as bad as it did, but Ansem feels that the task of defeating Organization XIII was his because Xemnas, their leader, is Xehanort's Nobody. He also explains to King Mickey his part in causing Riku to take on his Xehanort's heartless form, and the regrets he had concealed with his true identity. He and King Mickey then set off to seal away Kingdom Hearts.

Ansem the Wise, finding a good spot, begins encoding Kingdom Hearts, but sees that the power of Kingdom Hearts is too great to be controlled, adding insult to his realization of the heart's unpredictable true nature, something he had known, but denied, since Roxas and Kairi crossed paths. The machine begins to overload, and Ansem does his best to contain it, but his efforts become increasingly futile. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy, as well as Xemnas, all arrive at Ansem's location. Ansem throws bitter words and accusations at Xemnas, though Xemnas simply retorts that Ansem himself was the reason for the destruction wrought on the worlds. Ansem, though he knows his errors, says that both he and his former apprentices know as little about the heart as they did ten years ago. The machine then goes critical, only moments away from exploding.

Ansem takes the time to give King Mickey and Riku final words, tells Sora that the rest is up to him, and then sincerely apologizes to Roxas for all that he had put him through (though he does not know if Roxas could hear him). It is at this point that his prejudice against Nobodies has excluded Roxas (and possibly Naminé). Though Sora and company want to save him, they have no choice but to let him do as his heart commands; however, Sora attempts to save Ansem, and he is only stopped from saving him by being physically restrained by Riku and Kairi. The machine then explodes, apparently killing Ansem.

However, his sacrifice is not in vain, as the explosion completely purifies Riku of the presence of Xehanort's Heartless and undoes the majority of the Organization's work on Kingdom Hearts, while inadvertently bringing forth several hundred Heartless in the city below.

Reconnect. Kingdom Hearts
In reality, Ansem survives the explosion, but is transported to the Realm of Darkness with no apparent way to return. After more than a year has passed, Ansem (in an Organization-like coat) encounters Aqua at the Dark Meridian. She asks him about the worlds, and he tells her how Sora will save the worlds from being engulfed by darkness and recalls his experiences with this boy. He remembers how he inserted his research data into him while he slept, so as to open the door and help those who are "crippled".

Appearance
Ansem the Wise originally wore a periwinkle labcoat, identical to those worn by some of his apprentices (Even, Ienzo, and Xehanort), save for the color. Underneath this, he wore a dark grey vest, white collared shirt, and a violet ascot, as well as black pants and shoes. He also draped a red sweater or coat of some sort over his shoulders. Ansem's hair was blond and worn long and slicked back. He also sported a short mustache and goatee.

As DiZ, Ansem dons a much more complex outfit. His face is covered in red bandages, save for his right eye and mouth, and he tied two intersecting belts around his head, one passing over where his left eye should be. He wears a long, red cape with an odd, angular cut taken out at the chest, the edges of which are yellow. This cut exposes a similarly oblong white symbol on a pitch-black shirt. Overtop this shirt, DiZ wears what sems to be grey, segmented armor over his sides and abdomen. His legs are covered by a long, black cloth lined with yellow, which itself has several brown straps pinned onto the front, seemingly for no purpose other than to create yet another angular pattern.

On a yellow sash that hangs around DiZ's waist are three brown pouches, descending downward diagonally on his left hip. These puches are all identical, all sporting the same design on the top flap, and all closed by a darker brown strap that attatches to a silver button on the right ride, a grey tassel hanging from each button. Like Ansem and his coat, DiZ wears a dark colored scarf around his neck. He also has light colored sleeves.

Notably, as DiZ, Ansem's skin is much darker, and his beard is not present, despite his chin being clearly visible. When he removes the bandages, however, these changes disappear, suggesting that Ansem artificially changed his appearance to avoid detection. His eyes appear to be a much darker shade of amber orange when he is not in the DiZ persona, but this is likely an optical illusion caused by the extreme difference in skin color of Ansem and DiZ.

Abilities
Ansem the Wise has no combat abilities to speak of, but since gaining the power of darkness during his banishment, he has been shown to be able to do at least three things. In one of his reports, Ansem stated that after he discovered his new-found powers, he gained the ability to use Corridors of Darkness for travel, though he admits that it was difficult to control initially. This was shown after Riku defeats Roxas; Ansem arrives shortly to take Roxas with him. To avoid being recognized, Ansem has also displayed the ability to change his outward appearance to conceal his identity. In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Re:Chain of Memories), he uses this ability to become Xehanort's Heartless to guide Riku. He also seems to be quite skilled at manipulating the darkness around himself and in other people's hearts. Both cases were shown when Ansem, as Xehanort's Heartless, easily deflects an attack from Riku with a shield of darkness and when he unlocks the darkness within Riku's heart to allow him to wield it as a weapon.

Ansem is also a technical genius, having created a near-perfect digital replica of Twilight Town. His facility in Twilight Town is a very high-tech laboratory, filled with computer screens, flashing lights, and several suspended animation pods.

Quotes
''
 * ''"That is correct. DiZ, or so I am known. You—I’ve watched you all along."
 * "It appears we've come to a standstill. This has gone on long enough. Riku... I think you know what needs to be done."

       
 * ''"It's been too long, my friend."
 * ''"Sora and Riku are together. We have no part to play here."
 * ''"I was... obsessed with thoughts of revenge. My apprentices stole everything precious to me --my research, and my pride."
 * ''"Riku was the victim of my revenge. ...Oh, how my heart ached. I could only laugh to hide my shame."
 * ''"I'm a fool. I've spent years studying the workings of the heart. Yet it seems like I still haven't learned a thing!"
 * ''"It's always the same. I try to wrap my mind around things my heart already knows, only to fail."
 * ''"I'm afraid that any world you try to create... Any world of yours... would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall!"
 * ''"King Mickey, my friend, forgive me! Farewell!"

Trivia

 * It is interesting to note that Ansem the Wise has a thick blonde beard that reaches his bottom lip, but in the close ups of DiZ in Kingdom Hearts II, his mouth and part of his chin are exposed under his bandages and there is no sign of a beard; his skin is actually a tan shade under his bandages, and his mouth along with his eyes make him similar in appearance to Xehanort's Heartless. When he removes his bandages, black smoke also comes off of Ansem's face, meaning that he may have used some sort of essence from the darkness to cover the rest of his facial traits and appear as a completely different, sinister being. For a while, this, along with his appearance in the game's trailers, led fans to believe that DiZ was actually the resurrected Xehanort's Heartless, disguised and waiting for the right moment to strike, until the release of Kingdom Hearts II proved otherwise, and that "Xehanort's Heartless" was actually Riku.
 * Ansem was thought to be the only friendly human character in the series to die on-screen, however the secret ending proved that he is still alive, conversing with Aqua about what has happened since Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep.
 * The name "Ansem" could interpreted from the Japanese katakana as the word anthem. This may be a coincidence, or it could possibly reference his devotion, patriotism and leadership of Radiant Garden. Confusion over "Ansem" versus "anthem" may also explain the otherwise nonsensical title of the fourth Kingdom Hearts II novel, Anthem―Meet Again/Axel Last Stand.
 * Also, Ansem the Wise's name could be an anagram as well. When the letters are rearranged, you get the word "names", perhaps hinting towards his connection with the name DiZ, or morever over, his connection of Xenmas ritual in which he names the Organization members with the "X" named anagrams. Another possible anagram of his name is mensa, the name of a society of intellectuals, referring to Ansem's 'wisdom'.
 * Prior to Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories's American release, Derek Stephen Prince confirmed on his blog that Sir Christopher Lee would reprise his role as DiZ, but Corey Burton replaced him on the release date. The reasons why Lee couldn't return are still unexplained, but he reprised the role in the English version of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
 * In both Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Riku is led by DiZ through the basement levels of Castle Oblivion. Up until Riku meets him face to face as DiZ, Riku calls him "Voice", as he has only heard a voice, and no face to go along with it.