Editing Ansem the Wise

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{{cleanup|Cite inter-game synopsis to Secret Ansem Reports using storylink}}

|envan=<br>(''KHII'', ''Days'' (DS))

|enva2n=<br>(''Re:CoM'', ''Days'' (1.5), ''BbS'' through ''MoM'')

'''Ansem''', referred to as '''Ansem the Wise''', '''Master Ansem''', or '''His Lordship''' by his apprentices, is the sage-king of [[Radiant Garden]] during ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep]]''. In order to protect his people from the [[darkness]], he spent much of his time studying the [[heart]] with his apprentices, [[Braig]], [[Dilan]], [[Even]], [[Aeleus]], [[Ienzo]], and [[Terra-Xehanort|Xehanort]], but was eventually exiled to the [[Realm of Darkness]] when they were corrupted by that same darkness. He himself gained dark powers, renaming himself '''DiZ''', short for "Darkness in Zero", and setting out on a quest to avenge himself against his apprentices.

From a time before the [[Unversed]] began invading the [[Realm of Light]], Ansem was the king of Radiant Garden, the "city of light". He governed the Radiant Garden in peace and studied ways to make it safer with his five apprentices, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and the orphan Ienzo.

 

In the aftermath of the battle between [[Eraqus]]'s pupils and [[Xehanort]], Braig led Ansem and Dilan to an amnesiac young man who introduced himself as "Xehanort". Ansem took the young man in, as well as the [[Keyblade]] and armor lying next to him, and worked to help him regain his lost memories. Later, on a walk with Ienzo, Ansem spots Xehanort and Braig deep in conversation.

As the years went on, 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 simple psychological tests on Xehanort as a start. Ansem also hoped that this would unlock Xehanort's hidden memories, and his apprentice showed interest in the plan. However, the more he probed, the more he became worried about Xehanort's well-being and his possibly superhuman abilities. Even so, Ansem eventually constructed a large laboratory in the basement of his castle, encouraged by Ienzo.<ref>''''[[Secret Ansem Report]]:'''"Spured on by my youngest apprentice Ienzo, I constructed a massive laboratory in the basement of my castle."</ref> One of Ansem's experiment subjects was known as [[Subject X]], an imprisoned amnesiac girl who could only recall three facts of her life. Unknown to him, [[Braig]] secretly released Subject X,<ref>'''''Secret Reports''', '''[[Subject X]]:''' "One day, a man took me away from there. I could not see him in the darkness, except for he wore an eyepatch."</ref> making Ansem order all experiments cease, as he feared that they had caused her disappearance <ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]''', '''Ansem the Wise:''' "Her disappearance is ''why'' I stopped the experiments!"</ref> due to the experimentation snowballing out of control.<ref>''''Secret Ansem Reports:'''"What have I done? My experiments in researching the darkness in the heart, which started with simple psychological testing has snowballed out of control."</ref> Unknown to Ansem, Xehanort believed that he had hidden Subject X from him.<ref>''''Secret Reports''', '''[[Terra-Xehanort|Xehanort]]:''' "Had "wise" master Ansem hidden her away?"</ref> Still, Ansem sank into despair over his error in experimenting on Xehanort.

[[File:The King's Memory 02 KHII.png|thumb|Ansem discusses with Mickey the stability of the worlds.]]

[[Gummi Ship]] travel was now possible, thanks to Xehanort opening the door in Ansem's basement, and a ruler of another world, King [[Mickey Mouse]], soon arrived. The two rulers became great friends, conversing over many subjects, and their companionship began to heal Ansem's heart.{{storylink|Secret Ansem Report 2}} Around this time, Xehanort had continued the experiments in secret, accidentally creating [[Heartless]]{{storylink|Ansem's Report 3}} and presented his work in the hopes of praise. However, Ansem forbade an further experimentation with the Heartless as they threatened the stability of the worlds.<ref>''''' Kingdom Hearts II'', Ansem the Wise:''' "I forbid it! Forget this talk of doors and the hearts of worlds. That place must not be defiled."</ref> Ansem even accepted the boys [[Isa]] and [[Lea]] on as new apprentices.{{storylink|Secret Report 6}} 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.

Ansem was eventually usurped by Xehanort, who lead Braig, Dilan, Even and Aeleus in banishing him to the [[Dark World]], so they could continue their research without his interference. For some time, Ansem remained in the empty realm, constantly writing [[Secret Ansem Reports|his own reports]] 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 newfound 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 [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]], from the sidelines. He also learned of [[Organization XIII|the Organization]], whose membership consisted of the Nobodies of his former apprentices as its core members.

Once Riku is reunited with King Mickey, DiZ uses the memory-version of [[Twilight Town]] to briefly separate them. Riku then reveals that he's learned to tell the odor of darkness emanating from its users apart; DiZ does not smell like the real Heartless, which has a foul odor of darkness. His ruse revealed, DiZ introduces himself and instructs Riku to meet Naminé to help decide his fate. Meanwhile, DiZ reunites with Mickey, but keeps his identity concealed, not wanting his old friend to dissuade him from revenge.

[[File:Where the Road Leads 03 KHRECOM.png|thumb|DiZ asks Riku which road he intends to take next.]]

After Riku decides not to lock his darkness away, DiZ provides him and Mickey with the [[black coat]]s to keep them undetected from Organization XIII, as well as a card that will draw out Ansem. Using the card, Riku defeats the Heartless, though a part of him still lingers in Riku's heart.  

DiZ soon returns to Naminé to aid her in the task to restore Sora's memories, after they were broken apart in Castle Oblivion. Since the castle is still under control of Organization XIII, DiZ convinces Naminé to move Sora, [[Donald]], and [[Goofy]] to his lab in Twilight Town, in order to keep them safe. Thankfully, the task is easy to do; [[Axel]] having been busy looking for the hidden [[Chamber of Repose|Chamber]] under orders from [[Saix]].

Several months pass, with DiZ noting Naminé is having trouble piecing together Sora's memory; due to the memories passing through [[Roxas]], the Nobody of Sora, into an imperfect [[Replica]] named [[Xion]]. 357 days since the Castle Oblivion incident, Sora's memory stops; due to his most precious memories of [[Kairi]] being missing.

DiZ convinces Riku to retrieve [[Roxas]]; fusing Roxas back into Sora will fully restore his memory. Riku has no choice but to take on the form of [[Riku-Ansem|Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]] in order to defeat Roxas. Seeing the evidence of Riku's devotion to Sora, DiZ slowly begins to lose his lust for revenge, hiding his shame behind laughter. Still, DiZ continues with the plan, placing Roxas into [[The Other Twilight Town]] where he can live out his days under observation, until it is time for him to reunite with Sora.

[[File:The End is Near 01 KHII.png|thumb|DiZ talks about his true goal.]]

A week later, DiZ, Riku, and Naminé still co-operate with each other to restore the memories of Sora, Goofy, and Donald. 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. Sometime before Sora awakens, DiZ hides his research data on the hearts he found within Sora inside of Sora's heart as "Ansem's Code".{{storylink|A Fragmentary Passage}} 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.

DiZ eventually infiltrates Organization XIII's home world, [[The World That Never Was]]. He takes it upon himself to stop [[Xemnas]] by using his [[Kingdom Hearts Encoder|machine]] to digitally encode [[Kingdom Hearts]], which Xemnas had been feeding human hearts in order to cause it to mature, so that he could extract its power for himself. However, as Ansem ascends the Organization's castle, he is attacked by Nobodies and Heartless, but is then 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 as Ansem. 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 their leader Xemnas is the [[Nobody]] of his apprentice Xehanort. He also explains to King Mickey his part in causing Riku to take on his "Ansem" form, and the regrets he had concealed with his true identity. Ansem and King Mickey then set off to seal away Kingdom Hearts.

[[File:Goodbye, King Mickey 01 KHII.png|thumb|left|Ansem with the Kingdom Hearts Encoder.]]

[[File:Blank Points 02 KHBBS.png|thumb|Ansem speaks to Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.]]

Having been transported to the Realm of Darkness following the explosion, Ansem, dressed in his own black coat, is found shortly afterwards by [[Aqua]] at the Dark Margin. <!--In Kingdom Hearts III, Ansem retains full memory of his life; however, it seems the Encoder explosion purged him of his dark powers and his memory of how he gained them-->Having lost his dark powers and much of his memory of the first time he was imprisoned, Ansem is just as a trapped as the lost [[Keyblade Master]]. Reflecting back on his actions and his former grudge, Ansem begins explaining his past deeds, and mentions that a boy with a Keyblade has always saved the world from darkness. She asks him about the worlds, and he tells her how Sora twice saved the worlds from being engulfed by darkness, and recalls his experiences with the boy. He also adds to Aqua that he has hidden his research data within Sora while the boy was regaining his memories, and hopes that Sora will one day use this to open the door and save him and those connected to his heart.

[[File:Ansem the Wise's Legacy 01 KH3D.png|thumb|left|Ansem's data appears within the Destiny Islands of Sora's heart.]]

After Riku frees Sora's heart from Ventus's possessed [[Keyblade Armor]], he ends up on a projection of [[Destiny Islands]] within his heart. There, after meeting projections of Roxas, Ventus, and Xion and finding a bottle in the surf, Riku encounters a data projection of Ansem. He tells Riku about [[Ansem's Code]], research data contained in the bottle that he had hid inside Sora while he was asleep. He muses on Sora's ability to connect with others' hearts, and how it may be able to bring back those that have been lost or no longer exist.

==Design==

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. The beard he usually has as Ansem is made invisible under those bandages. He wears a long, red cape with a quadrate cross 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. Over-top this shirt, DiZ wears what seems 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 pouches are all identical, all sporting the same design on the top flap, and all closed by a darker brown strap that attaches 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.

By the end of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and ''Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'', Ansem seems to have reverted to his selfless ways and willingly sacrifices himself to stop Xemnas from succeeding with his artificial Kingdom Hearts. He apologizes to Roxas via Sora, and expresses to Aqua his remorse for everything he put Sora, Roxas, and Riku through while they are in the Dark Margin, openly hoping that Sora will ultimately open the Door to Light and right all of his own wrongdoings during his quest for revenge. He ultimately feels remorse for not respecting Roxas and Naminé's right to exist, as they became different people from Sora and Kairi due to lacking their memories.

In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', Ansem remains deeply remorseful over the sacrifices that were made for his research, such as the numerous children who became his victims, and remains determined to atone for his mistakes. Ansem shows he was unwilling to let others suffer in his defense as he complied with Xehanort's Heartless to come quietly if he spared Aqua. Ansem was further able to put his past grievances with his apprentices behind and make peace with them, rekindling the bond they once shared.

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 is 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'' and ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'', he uses this ability to become Xehanort's Heartless to guide Riku.  

Ansem also shows the ability to use darkness to repel would-be attackers; while testing Riku in his disguise as Xehanort's Heartless, he merely had to raise a hand to create a small force to push back Riku. He also demonstrated the ability to craft World Cards from Riku's memory, although altered to only show the [[Villains]] and [[Heartless]] i.e. "dark beings". While disguised as Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem could also use a copy of the [[Dark Figure]] to test Riku's abilities. After his Encoder explosion sent him to the Dark Margin, Ansem lost his dark powers, or at least the memory of how to use them.

Ansem is also a technical genius, having created a functioning digital replica of Twilight Town, as well as a facility there. His facility in Twilight Town is a very high-tech laboratory, filled with computer screens and several suspended-animation pods. He also created the Kingdom Hearts Encoder, designed to undo Kingdom Hearts.