Master Xehanort

Lore & Background

Xehanort is established in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as an elderly Keyblade Master from the Destiny Islands. He acquired the means to transplant a piece of his heart into the bodies of others, which he uses to orchestrate the events up to Kingdom Hearts III to suit his agenda. Throughout the series, Xehanort is driven by an obsessive interest in the Keyblade War, a historic cataclysm that produced the universe's present, fragmented state. In Birth by Sleep, he attempts to use the hearts of his pupils Ventus and Vanitas to forge the χ-blade and unlock Kingdom Hearts to incite another war and create a new world where light and darkness exist in perfect balance.

He transfers his heart into Terra's body to prolong his own life, but Terra's resistance and the incomplete possession cause Xehanort to lose his memories. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Xehanort returns to his original form in the final cutscene, following the destruction of Ansem and Xemnas, who are revealed to have been created to re-enact his original plan. He also appears earlier in flashback scenes and the secret ending. He intends to gather seven "guardians of light" and thirteen "seekers of darkness" in the form of the new Organization XIII, respectively.

He uses time travel to assemble Ansem, Xemnas, and other versions of himself from across time into a new Organization. In Kingdom Hearts III, these past selves inhabit replica bodies to co-exist with their present selves. After he and his past selves are defeated, Xehanort surrenders and allows his heart to pass on together with his former friend Eraqus. Xehanort's first playable appearance is in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, which explores his time training with Eraqus in his youth and reveals him to be the descendant of Ephemer.

Reader's Guide

Master Xehanort's journey is one of tragedy and manipulation. His ultimate goal was to recreate Kingdom Hearts using the hearts of seven Keyblade Masters.

Did You Know?

• Xehanort was originally conceptualized by Tetsuya Nomura as a villain who would only appear in the first Kingdom Hearts game, but when a sequel was greenlit, Nomura put together an outline for the character.
• After Chikao Ōtsuka died during the development of Kingdom Hearts III, Akio Ōtsuka—who had previously voiced the younger Xehanort (Ansem) in earlier games—took over the role of the elder Xehanort for the final game.
• Xehanort was voiced in English by Leonard Nimoy in Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, an intentional casting call from Nomura, a fan of Star Trek and Star Wars.