The Real Organization XIII (真のXIII機関 Shin no Jūsan Kikan?), also known as the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness (13人の闇の探求者 Jūsannin no Yami no Tankyūsha?), or simply Organization XIII and the Organization, is a group consisting of thirteen different vessels of Master Xehanort's heart, assembled for the purpose of reforging the χ-blade and opening Kingdom Hearts.
Glossary
A new Organization under Master Xehanort's direct command. It comprises the thirteen pure darknesses he needs to reenact the Keyblade War.
Many members are recognizable from the old Organization. Despite regaining their humanity after their defeat, they chose to becomes Nobodies again. They now scour the worlds for candidates to complete their numbers.
Overview
The real Organization XIII was a part of the final plan Master Xehanort constructed to acquire the legendary χ-blade, which was shattered into twenty pieces during the Keyblade War; seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. To ensure the completion of this new Organization, Master Xehanort's Heartless counterpart Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, used his status as a Heartless to travel back in time to meet with Young Xehanort. Tasking him to seek out as many splintered versions of his heart as he could, Ansem bestowed Young Xehanort the power to manipulate time in order to fulfill this goal. While Young Xehanort traveled through time to collect hearts worthy enough to serve the new Organization, Ansem and Xemnas both attempted to access Kingdom Hearts through their own methods, though both failed and were subsequently destroyed, resulting in the recompletion of Terra and later Master Xehanort himself, who assumed control of the new Organization.
Story
Before Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, under the orders of Master Xehanort, traveled back in time to visit Young Xehanort while he was visiting the Destiny Islands during a training journey in preparation for his Mark of Mastery exam, and gave him "instructions" about the great projects he had in store. Thanks to Ansem's power of time travel, Young Xehanort traveled through different future periods to his own, and made contact with worthy hearts necessary to reform the real Organization XIII and serve as the dark pieces needed to reforge the χ-blade.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Not being able to carry his own physical body through the ages, Young Xehanort appeared as a corporeal heart wearing a black coat in his travels while searching for worthy vessels for the new Organization. Meanwhile, in Radiant Garden, Master Xehanort met Braig, a guard of Ansem the Wise, who unbeknownst to Xehanort, was in actuality Luxu, one of the Master of Masters's apprentices. Xehanort struck a deal with Braig; in exchange for helping him, he would be bequeathed his Keyblade, the Gazing Eye. Braig agrees, and together the two mount a plot to make Terra succumb to darkness, though the ploy causes Braig to lose his right eye and to become scarred. Despite this, Braig still agreed to cooperate with Xehanort, and in the process was given a fragment of Xehanort's heart, which would carry over to his Nobody self Xigbar.
In the meantime, Young Xehanort recruited Vanitas, whose heart of pure darkness was deemed "incomplete" without Ventus's heart of pure light, from an unknown point of time.
Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts
After Master Xehanort possessed Terra and became Terra-Xehanort, he would begin to develop amnesia after being defeated by the Lingering Will. After locking Terra's heart inside the Dark Figure during his clash with Aqua in Radiant Garden, Terra-Xehanort plunged into the Realm of Darkness, only to be saved by Aqua, who sacrificed herself in order to save Terra. While she succeed in saving Terra, Xehanort still remained in control of his body, although his amnesia caused him to forget everything, save for the name "Xehanort" when Ansem the Wise discovered him.
It was here that Ansem decided to recruit Xehanort as his apprentice, alongside Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus and Ienzo. But very quickly, Xehanort soon betrayed Ansem, even stealing his research and identity, and banishes him to the Realm of Darkness. With Ansem gone, Xehanort continued further with his experiments on the hearts, bringing him and his other colleagues, including Lea and Isa, to divide into Heartless and Nobodies. During the process, Xehanort split into Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, his Heartless who would go back in time to grant Young Xehanort the power to time travel, and Xemnas, his Nobody who remained in the present to form the first Organization XIII.
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
After Vexen, Axel, Larxene and Marluxia used Naminé's memory manipulation powers to make the Riku Replica believe he was the real Riku during the time Ansem, Seeker of Darkness had taken possession of his body, Young Xehanort arrived to recruit him into the real Organization under the alias of Dark Riku.
Between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II
When Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was possessing Riku with the goal of making him succumb to darkness to take possession of his body and recover all of his former powers, Young Xehanort arrived to recruit him.
Sometime before Xemnas gets eliminated by Sora and Riku, Young Xehanort arrived to recruit him, collecting his heart unknown to most and bringing it to the future.
Kingdom Hearts coded
With Ansem and Xemnas having been eliminated, Master Xehanort and Terra were both restored in their original forms. Unfortunately however, Terra's heart failed to return to his body, as it was still captured within the Dark Figure. With Terra's hollow body, Master Xehanort placed a piece of his heart within it, thus recreating Terra-Xehanort.
Young Xehanort later arrived at Ansem the Wise's laboratory in Radiant Garden, where Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, Isa, and Lea were restored but still unconscious. Braig, the first of them to regain consciousness, was then informed of Xehanort's plans to reform Organization XIII, and he agreed to reinstate it alongside Isa. In the end, Braig and Isa returned themselves to their Nobodies forms as Xigbar and Saïx.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Shortly after they were re-completed, Lauriam, Elrena and the original selves of Luxord and Demyx were invited to become Nobodies again to join the real Organization XIII, which even Lauriam and Elrena accepted, despite their internal rebellion as Marluxia and Larxene.
During Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam in the Sleeping Worlds, where the laws of time travel were more "flexible" than in the Realm of Light, Young Xehanort, with the aid of a few of his fellow Organization members, intervened to lure Sora to The World That Never Was, where they planned to turn him into their thirteenth vessel of pure darkness. When Young Xehanort, with the help of Xemnas and Xigbar, manage to knock Sora into their trap, the three of them take him to Where Nothing Gathers in the former Organization's fortress, and summon the remaining Organization members to welcome the return of Master Xehanort. However, Mickey arrives and stops time using Stopza, intending to use the moment to help Riku rescue Sora, though Young Xehanort recovers immediately and fights Riku. Despite losing, Young Xehanort's fight against Riku was not in vain, as the duration of the fight was long enough for Mickey's Stopza spell to end.
Once Master Xehanort appeared and announced his plans, he prepared to make Sora his final vessel, however, Riku and Mickey attempt to stop him, but are prevented by Xemnas and Ansem. Lea arrives just in the nick of time to successfully save Sora from the process, but is promptly countered by Saïx, much to Lea's shock. It wasn't until Donald and Goofy finally intervened that the twelve darknesses ran out of time and were to return to their original timelines, though Master Xehanort assured Mickey and the other guardians that both the thirteen darknesses and the seven lights will meet at "fated place", the Keyblade Graveyard.
Kingdom Hearts III
Shortly after Lea departed from Radiant Garden, Even regained consciousness and is met by Saïx to reprise his Nobody status as Vexen and revive the Replica Program. Even accepts, and through his work as Vexen he is able to create newer and improved replicas while refining some of his older models to serve as vessels for the few time-traveling hearts of the Organization, thus allowing them to remain anchored to the present. With worthy vessels, Young Xehanort deposits the time-traveling hearts, including his own, into the replicas for them to become real once more. Additionally, thirteen unused replicas remained; twelve were refined into replicas of each Organization member excluding Master Xehanort, and the final would be utilized to reconstruct their final member: Xion.
While Sora and company embarked around the worlds to learn the power of waking, Master Xehanort simultaneously dispatched members of his Organization to keep an eye on Sora to ensure he remained on track for their plans. Additionally, some members such as Young Xehanort and Dark Riku were tasked to conduct various heart-related experiments in search of ways to recreate Xion as their final vessel, while Marluxia and Larxene in particular began overwatching the New Seven Hearts, a collection of new pure lights who would be used instead of the guardians should the latter fail to assemble the rest of their ranks.
Once the Organization and the guardians of light had assembled their ranks, the two factions eventually confront each other at the Keyblade Graveyard, where Master Xehanort would create the Skein of Severance to serve as the battlegrounds of the Keyblade War. One by one, the members of the real Organization XIII would fall, with each of their battles, regardless of victory or defeat, creating a key that served as a physical representation of a dark piece of the shattered χ-blade. Once all thirteen keys were created, in addition to the brief demise of the guardians prior to the conflict, Master Xehanort was able to complete the χ-blade, and soon used it to open Kingdom Hearts.
However, thanks to some quick thinking, the guardians devised a plan to trap Xehanort in time, resulting in his "containment" in Scala ad Caelum. Sora, Donald and Goofy chase after him, but they are soon confronted by the Replica Xehanorts in town. After defeating them, Xehanort reveals himself and briefly explains the town's purpose before absorbing the fallen replicas to create a new Keyblade Armor, and soon battles the trio throughout the town. However, Xehanort is defeated, resulting in the destruction of his armor. Despite this, Xehanort retreats to the roof of the cathedral at the top of the town, and the trio chase after him. When they arrive, Xehanort summons the χ-blade and fights the heroes one last time, but despite summoning and using the power of Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort is ultimately defeated once and for all. Once the other guardians arrive, the heart of Master Eraqus emerges from Terra and convinces Xehanort to surrender the χ-blade to Sora. As Xehanort begins to die, he is caught by Eraqus, and together the two ascend to Kingdom Hearts in the afterlife, leaving the guardians to use the χ-blade to close Kingdom Hearts, ending the threat of Xehanort once and for all.
Members
Chosen
- I. Master Xehanort - Original incarnation of Xehanort, and the leader of the real Organization XIII. A Keyblade Master who masterminded all the chaos and destruction that has besieged the Realm of Light thus far, he seeks to forge the χ-blade and use the power of Kingdom Hearts to fulfill his master plan.
- Attribute: Darkness
- Weapon: Keyblade (The Gazing Eye) and the χ-blade
- II. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness - Master Xehanort's Heartless through Terra-Xehanort. His missions were to both enable Xehanort's younger self to travel through time and oversee Maleficent gather the seven Princesses of Heart. Though he possessed Riku to regain physical form to go after Kingdom Hearts, Sora put an end to his plans. His darkness lingered within Riku until the boy put an end to him. However, Young Xehanort was able to bring his heart from the past to the future, and used a replica body to allow him to remain.
- Attribute: Darkness
- Weapons: N/A
- III. Xemnas - Master Xehanort's Nobody through Terra-Xehanort. He founded the original Organization XIII, however Sora and Riku, as well as an internal strife, quickly reduced their numbers. Sora and Riku destroyed him, causing him to fade away into nothingness. However, Young Xehanort was able to bring his heart from the past to the future, and used a replica body to allow him to remain.
- Attribute: Nothingness
- Weapons: Ethereal Blades (Interdiction); controls the Sorcerers
- IV. Xigbar - Nobody of Braig, a mercenary hired by Master Xehanort to help speed Terra's descent into darkness. Xigbar was the second member of the original Organization XIII, however Sora put an end to him. Despite this, Braig reverted back into his Nobody self shortly after his recompletion. He reveals that he joined Xehanort so he could claim the power of the Keyblade as his own, although it is revealed later that he had another reason.
- Attribute: Space
- Weapons: Arrowguns (Sharpshooter); controls the Snipers
- V. Luxord - Tenth member of the old Organization and the Nobody of an unknown individual. His reasoning for joining the real Organization XIII is currently unknown, although it was hinted that he was reinstated because of an "ancient Keyblade legacy" that slumbers within him.
- VI. Larxene - Nobody of Elrena and twelfth member of the old Organization who tried to take it over alongside Marluxia. Her reasoning for joining the real Organization XIII was to follow Marluxia and because of an "ancient Keyblade legacy" that slumbers within her, even though she didn't enjoy being a vessel for Master Xehanort's heart.
- VII. Marluxia - Nobody of Lauriam and eleventh member of the old Organization who tried to take over it. His reasoning for joining the real Organization XIII is currently unknown, although it was hinted that he was reinstated because of an "ancient Keyblade legacy" that slumbers within him.
- Attribute: Flower
- Weapon: Scythe (Graceful Dahlia); controls the Reapers
- VIII. Saïx - Nobody of Isa, and the seventh member of the old Organization XIII. His reasoning for becoming a member of both Organization XIIIs was because he believed he could use his affiliations with Xehanort to find "Subject X", his friend from when him and Axel were human, although he soon became consumed by jealousy when Axel made new friends and seemingly abandoned him. However, he began to have a change of heart, and secretly assisted Vexen in his plans for atonement.
- Attribute: Moon
- Weapon: Claymore (Lunatic); controls the Berserkers
- IX. Terra-Xehanort - The result of Master Xehanort possessing Terra in order to acquire a new younger body. After he developed amnesia, he became an apprentice to Ansem the Wise simply under the name Xehanort, although he later betrays his master with the help of the other apprentices, and soon divides himself into his Heartless and Nobody counterparts. After the destruction of Ansem and Xemnas, both Master Xehanort and Terra were restored to their original forms, although Terra's heart failed to return to his body since it was captured inside Xehanort's Guardian. Master Xehanort then placed a fragment of his heart within Terra's hollow body, thus recreating Terra-Xehanort.
- Attributes: Earth and Darkness
- Weapon: Keyblade (The Gazing Eye) and the Dark Figure
- X. Dark Riku - The time-displaced heart of the Riku Replica when he was brainwashed in Castle Oblivion, now in a new replica body and given a fragment of Xehanort's heart.
- Attribute: Darkness
- Weapon: Sword (Replica Soul Eater)
- XI. Vanitas - The embodiment of Ventus's darkness within his heart that was extracted by Master Xehanort. During Master Xehanort's original attempt to forge the χ-blade, Vanitas clashed against Ventus, and the result of their unison would forge an artificial χ-blade. However, due to multiple factors, the attempt failed and Vanitas was destroyed, leaving his heart to be fractured and lost. However, it was recovered by Young Xehanort, who used a replica body for him to remain.
- XII. Young Xehanort - The younger self of Master Xehanort, who was given the power to travel through time by Ansem as an insurance plan in case he and Xemnas failed on their own. It is due to him that the real Organization XIII was able to assemble. In order to remain in the present and help fulfill his future self's goal, his heart resides within a replica body.
- Attributes: Time and Darkness
- Weapons: Unnamed Keyblade and unnamed Etheareal Blades
- XIII. Xion - A female replica of Sora that was presented as the unofficial fourteenth member of the original Organization XIII, who was designed to act as a failsafe should Sora and/or Roxas prove to be no use to their goals. Though she was destroyed and erased from memory, records of her existence remained within Vexen's research, and she was subsequently reconstructed prior to her personality's formation to fill in the real Organization's last spot in place of Sora.
- Attribute: Light
- Weapon: Keyblade (Replica Kingdom Key)
Reserves
- Demyx - Ninth member of the old Organization and the Nobody of an unknown individual. He was originally a full member of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness before he was pushed to being a reserve once Vexen was able to perfect the Replica Program; his spot instead was taken by Dark Riku. His reasoning for joining the real Organization XIII initially was because he was "sweet-talked" into joining, although he too also possesses an "ancient Keyblade legacy" that slumbers within him.
- Vexen - Fourth member of the old Organization. He was requested to join the real Organization XIII by Saïx in order to complete his work on the Replica Program, which would result in the creation of nigh-perfect replicas that could become full-fledged humans. However, his real motives of joining was to use his work on the Replica Program to atone for the misdeeds in the past, and to supplement his replicas to those who truly deserve them. Secretly, Saïx was also assisting Vexen in this ploy as well.
- Attribute: Ice
- Weapon: Shield (Frozen Pride)
- Replica Xehanorts - A dozen replicas created from the chosen members of the real Organization XIII, except Master Xehanort.
- Attribute: Variable
- Weapon: Variable
Ultimate Fate
By the end of Kingdom Hearts III, the real Organization XIII became defunct, its members having been eliminated, restored to their original selves, or returned to their proper places in time. Additionally, both Vexen and Demyx defected from the Organization prior to the Keyblade War, and the twelve Replica Xehanorts were all destroyed. Of the thirteen core members, only Xigbar and Xion remain as the sole survivors.
While the order in which to fight some of the Organization is player-determined, the canonical order for their eliminations is as followed:
- X. Dark Riku - Dark Riku was defeated by Sora, Riku and Riku Replica, the final blow being carried by Riku Replica. It was discovered that Dark Riku was not the real Riku from the time when Ansem had taken possession of his body, but the Riku Replica from the time Naminé had reconstituted his memory so that he thinks he is the real Riku. With that, the heart of Dark Riku returned to its rightful place in the timeline, and his body went on to serve as a vessel for the heart of Naminé, making him the first member to be eliminated.
- IV. Xigbar - Xigbar was defeated by Sora and Riku. It was later discovered that he merely simulated his elimination, with the intent to recover the Gazing Eye, as well as the Black Box, and fulfill his role as Luxu. Despite this, Xigbar was the second member to be defeated.
- V. Luxord - Luxord was eliminated by Sora. Before disappearing, he rewards Sora a "wild card", which he claims could "turn the tables" in the future. After being promised another game by Sora, Luxord tells him he would enjoy that before fading out, making him the third member to be eliminated.
- VI. Larxene - Larxene was eliminated by Sora and Mickey. Prior to fading away, she reveals she wasn't all for becoming a vessel for Xehanort's heart, revealing she only joined "just for the ride". However, Sora asks who else she was going along with, though Larxene takes this secret with her before fading away completely, making her the fourth member to be eliminated.
- VII. Marluxia - Marluxia was eliminated by Sora and Mickey. As he began to fade away, he begins to remember his time as his original self Lauriam, thanking Sora for helping him before fading away, making him the fifth member to be eliminated.
- XI. Vanitas - Vanitas was defeated by Sora, Ventus and Aqua. Vanitas declared himself content with the role he had played as a shadow cast by the light of his "brothers", saying that he decided his path as an entity of darkness before fading away with a satisfied grin. With that, his heart returned to its proper place in time, making him the sixth member to be eliminated.
- IX. Terra-Xehanort - Terra-Xehanort briefly fainted after losing his fight against Sora, Ventus and Aqua, only to use this as a ploy to trap them all in an entanglement of dark chains. However, the Dark Figure appears and saves the three guardians before personally subduing Terra-Xehanort, revealing itself to be a container for Terra's heart. After Sora stuns Terra-Xehanort, the Dark Figure ejects Terra's heart and launches it into Terra-Xehanort, causing the fragment of Xehanort's heart possessing Terra's body to be obliterated and allowing Terra's heart to reclaim his body. As a result, Terra-Xehanort was the seventh member to be eliminated.
- XIII. Xion - Once Xemnas prepares to kill Lea after assaulting him, Xion stops the attack, only to be ordered by Xemnas to carry out the task herself. Before she can do so, she is stopped by Sora; overwhelmed, Xion attacks Sora, who stops her again before uttering her name, a result of Roxas briefly taking control of his body. As she becomes overwhelmed by her lost memories returning to her, she is kicked down by Xemnas, who prepares to kill her for her disobedience, though the tables are turned once Roxas emerges from Sora's heart and obtains a replica body. Reunited with her two friends, Xion becomes an additional guardian of light, though her brief fight against Sora prior results in her becoming the eighth member to be defeated.
- VIII. Saïx - Saïx was eliminated by Sora, Roxas and Xion. Prior to fading away and being recompleted as Isa, Saïx admits he had succumbed to jealously as a result of Lea seemingly abandoning him and the friend they sought to find together in exchange for Roxas and Xion, though he and Lea soon rekindle their friendship as Saïx fades away completely, making him the ninth member to be eliminated.
- II. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness - Ansem was defeated by Sora, Riku and Mickey. He recognizes Riku's true strength over the power of darkness and as a Keyblade Master, and encourages Sora to move on prior to fading away, his heart returning to the past whence it came as he becomes the tenth member to be eliminated.
- III. Xemnas - Xemnas was defeated by Sora, Riku, and Mickey. Filled with emotions for the first time, he reflects on the painful loneliness of the loss of his former comrades, but ends up recognizing, thanks to Sora, that pain serves to remind humans that they are living. Saying that it must take incredible strength to harbor such emotions, Xemnas's replica body fades away as his heart returns to its proper place in time, making him the eleventh member to be eliminated.
- XII. Young Xehanort - Young Xehanort was defeated by Sora, Riku and Mickey. Merely laughing after his defeat, Young Xehanort tells Sora that there was a high price to pay for misusing the power of waking, saying that while he will go back to his time to live out his life, Sora's journey has reached its end. While taunting Sora one last time, he is cut off mid-sentence as his replica body fades away and his heart is returned to its proper place in time, making him the twelve and penultimate member to be eliminated.
- I. Master Xehanort - Master Xehanort was defeated by Sora, Donald and Goofy. Xehanort explains that his motives for everything was to reset the world with the light of Kingdom Hearts, as the darkness within the hearts of the weak polluted the world, devouring what was left of the light. He also reveals that while he himself used darkness, he was only using it to fulfill his goals, and that the world needs someone to lead and dictate their destinies. Nevertheless, the old Keyblade Master finally accepts his defeat thanks to Master Eraqus, whose heart emerges as a spirit from Terra's heart. Xehanort then hands over the χ-blade to Sora and finally joins Kingdom Hearts alongside Eraqus in the afterlife, making him the thirteenth and final member to be eliminated.
Gallery
- Chosen
_KHIII.png "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness (Black Coat) KHIII.png (1.31 MB)")
_KHIII.png "Vanitas (Black Coat) KHIII.png (1.27 MB)")
_KHIII.png "Xion (Hooded) KHIII.png (541 KB)")
- Reserves
Trivia
- Of the members of the real Organization XIII, five of its members originate from the past: Ansem, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, Vanitas, and Dark Riku.
- As revealed in the Kingdom Hearts III Ultimania, the members of the real Organization XIII were original meant to have ranks like the original Organization XIII, but was changed in order to help avoid confusion with characters that had previous ranks in the original Organization.[1] However, this was later changed with the release of Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind.
- Interestingly, the cards used by the Gambler Nobodies still use the original rankings for Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene.
See also