Xemnas/Gameplay

Xemnas is fought as a boss in Kingdom Hearts II. Attacking Sora at the summit of the Castle That Never Was, he engages Sora alone in a shadowy version of Memory Skyscraper.

When the battle begins, Xemnas will ensnare Sora in a field of energy that will slowly drain his health, then teleport to the top of Memory Skyscraper. Sora must rush to the bottom of the building and use the Reaction Command "Facedown" to charge up after Xemnas. Xemnas will leap down to confront Sora as he nears the top. At this point, one of three Reaction Commands appear depending on how close Sora is to Xemnas. The first is "Clash", where they pass each other harmlessly. The second is "Breakthrough", where Sora attacks Xemnas with a single attack. At the last second, the command changes to "Finish", where Sora attacks Xemnas several times and hits him into the side of the skyscraper.

After the sequence ends, Xemnas will begin his normal attack pattern. He will teleport in an orb of darkness frequently, emerging to attack Sora rapidly with his aerial blades, spinning and flipping to attack from all side. These attacks can be blocked with Guard, or more easily, Reflect. Xemnas will also project a barrier, blocking Sora's attacks and knocking him back. He can be stunned, so Sora can easily connect combos. However, Xemnas tends to teleport away right afterwards, or if Sora attacks him too many times, he will teleport away in the middle of the combo.

Later in the fight, Xemnas will repeat the opening sequence involving Sora running up Memory Skyscraper. The Reaction Commands for the second time are the same as the first. As well, when weaker Xemnas teleports more often and quicker than before.

In Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, using the "Finish" command on Xemnas while facing him on Memory Skyscraper leaves him stunned at the bottom of the building with a single HP left, similar to the final battle. This does not happen in the English release.