Editing Game:Ansem, Seeker of Darkness

  |image2=[[File:Ansem (with Dark Figure) (Sprite) KHCOM.png|Field sprite in ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'']]

|image3=[[File:Ansem (First Form) KH3D.png|350x400px]]

  |image4=[[File:Ansem, Seeker of Darkness 02 KHIII.png|350x400px]]

  |tab2=KHCOM

  |tab3=KH3D

  |tab4=KHIII

  |COMbattlename=The 13th Struggle

|COMbattlenamen=<ref>During the first battle in ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'' only. In ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'', Revenge of Chaos is played instead.</ref>

  |DDDbattlename=L'Eminenza Oscura I

During the fight, Ansem attacks with energy disks as he laughs, which can be blocked with [[Guard]]. He can also make the [[Dark Figure]] swipe at the party, or defend himself with it. However, with the right timing, Sora can just end up behind Ansem and deal damage to him. Special attacks like [[Ragnarok]] can pierce through the Dark Figure's defenses. When Sora is able to get past the Dark Figure and hit Ansem, he will have it turn around and swing at Sora from behind.

Ansem's most infamous attack is when he has the Dark Figure dash at Sora and swipe at him with a slight delay. He always yells, "Submit!" as he does this, so [[Dodge Roll]] at the right time to evade the Dark Figure, as Guard will not stop it. While the Dark Figure will always target Sora, there is a chance for Donald or Goofy to intercept the blow. If the Dark Figure's hit connects, it will possess its target, and Ansem will use a different attack where he surrounds himself with an energy barrier and tries to hit Sora with it, closing in.

If Sora is possessed by the Dark Figure, the Attack command will be occasionally replaced with "Freeze." Pressing it causes the Dark Figure to hold Sora in place for a brief moment leaving him open for Ansem's energy barrier to damage him; otherwise, the Dark Figure will damage Sora from within. While the Dark Figure will eventually be called back to Ansem's side, Sora can shorten the Dark Figure's hold on its target either with simple combos or with special attacks like Strike Raid.

In the second battle against Ansem, Sora fights solo, so remember to heal with [[Curaga]]. Ansem will now use his Rush attack, in which he shoots back and forth across the arena with a shield over his front side. This inflicts heavy damage if it connects, so try to [[High Jump]], [[Guard]] or cast [[Aeroga]].

When Ansem says "My strength returns!", the Dark Figure will dive into the ground, creating dark pools underneath Sora which shoot out of the ground. During this time, Ansem is invincible and the attack must be avoided, either by dodging or Guarding. Failing to evade this attack can be highly damaging or even fatal, depending on the amount of [[HP]] Sora has at the time. The attack ends with the Dark Figure striking the ground, creating a shockwave.

Like in the last battle, Ansem still has a habit of siccing the Dark Figure on Sora. However, he will do this much more frequently than in the first battle. Ansem is especially vulnerable when he calls the Dark Figure to return to him, so unleash combos at this time for massive damage.

|Only used in the second battle. Ansem is invincible during this attack. The four racing shockwaves are aimed according to the angle Ansem is facing, with one aimed in front of him.

{{Atk-c|kh1|note=During both fights, the Dark Figure may protect Ansem from attacks, with the exception of special attacks.}}

 

{{main|World of Chaos}}

The second time Ansem is fought is during the final battle of Riku's Story. This time around, he brings a new sleight, Dark Shadow, wher he sends the Dark Figure into the floor, creating pools of darkness that the Dark Figure rises out of, fist raised, that can deal chained up damage. It's best to use 0 cards to break Dark Shadow when he is preparing it, but it can be avoided by dodging with the right timing. There is one unorthodox strategy that involves losing all of Riku's cards (from Sleights) except one 0 card. If he gets left with one 0 card, immediately reload after (because Riku has instant reload, unlike Sora) and continue a combo. This works because the zero will always break Ansem's next card and if he breaks Riku's, reloading will give Riku a zero card.

Ansem's Sleights tend to be reserved for later, and he initially just bothers with single card attacks. Once he loses 1.5-2 bars of HP he will start using his Sleights more regularly and attempt to break the player's. He will always start using his own card to hide his Sleight's value, but the [[Parasite Cage]] card can dispel this. A good idea is to use simple Sleights at the beginning to hit Ansem quick and for high damage all the while accumulating DP. Following this the player should have Dark Mode and Ansem will start using his own Sleights so having a few 0 cards nearby is advisable. Otherwise assaulting Ansem with Sleights like Dark Break or Dark Aura is helpful, esspecially the latter as it can prevent Ansem from using his cards during the assault, although special care should be placed during the execution as he can break it with a 0 card of his own so it is advisable (for the entire battle) to use these Sleights instantly after Ansem attempts to use his own cards to Card Break him, thus leaving him vulnerable to the attacks. The Jafar-Genie Card can be used to prevent card breaks, but only if Riku uses cards one after another.

|Has the Dark Figure attack with a dark-charged fist.

|Has the Dark Figure hurl shockwaves at Riku along the ground.

|Sends the Dark Figure to attack Riku from below several times. If the attack connects, he will get knocked into the air, taking continuous damage.

{{Atk-c|com|note=During the second fight, the Dark Figure may frequently protect Ansem from attacks for short periods of time.}}

Start with the [[Maleficent]] Dragon [[Enemy Card]] and attack Ansem with combos. Make a [[Card Break]] every time to gain Dark Points and after Riku transform into [[Dark Mode]], use the [[Jafar]]-Genie enemy card and use Sleights like [[Dark Break]], [[Dark Firaga]] and Dark Aura to inflict heavy damage. After taking three (or more) [[King Mickey]] [[Friend Card]]s, use the [[MM Miracle]] Lv. 2 or MM Miracle Lv. 3 sleights to recover HP, reload cards, and damage Ansem. Break Ansem's Sleights every time and continue the attacks. If Riku transforms into his normal form again, keep attacking and use the [[Item Card]] [[Hi-Potion]] to reload his [[Attack Card]]s. Win the Card Duels for heavy damage to Ansem. Never attack Ansem with the Dark Figure in front of him, and instead use that time to reload Riku's cards or use MM Miracle Lv. 3 to recover cards and HP. Use the [[Oogie Boogie]] Enemy Card to help keep up Riku's HP in the battle. Watch out for certain Sleights used by Ansem, as some can deal heavy damage to Riku. With a high level, deft dodging, and good use of the Enemy Cards, Ansem should fall eventually.

|Has the Dark Figure attack with a dark-charged fist.

|In the first fight, has the Dark Figure summon lightning shockwaves on the ground near Riku. In the second fight, the shockwaves are hurled at him, racing along the ground.

|Has the Dark Figure hurl razor-thin discs of energy at Riku. The attack lingers even once card broken.

|Surrounds himself in a dark aura, then charges at Riku five times, once for each time he hits the arena's bounds.

|Only used in second battle. The spikes around the arena can alter the timing of the charges drastically.

|Sends the Dark Figure to attack Riku from below several times. He finishes with a shockwave that launches racing shockwaves in three directions.

{{Atk-c|com|note=During the second fight, the Dark Figure may protect Ansem from attacks anytime.}}

Ansem's Shock Slash has been upgraded and now homes in on Riku, and he has a habit of chaining them together for combos. Riku may block it, but as he is floating, only [[Dark Barrier]] can allow him to. Whenever his attacks land a hit on Riku, there's a chance, depending on the difficulty, that Ansem responds with a taunt, leaving him vulnerable during a few seconds. His Rush is slightly different from other versions of the attack, and must be dodged. Riku can either just fly sideways when Ansem is about to charge at him or [[Air Slide]] either out of the way at each charge, or straight at him, taking advantage of its invincibility frames, in order to follow with [[Sonic Impact]] and [[Sliding Crescent]] once the enemy's attack is over.

Now the battle is on a platform on Darkness's Call. Riku's Dream Eaters are back, and he may benefit from their active support. If he uses Vanish, or gets revived thanks to [[Auto-Life]], Ansem will aim at the first of the two Dream Eaters of Riku's party instead. The Dark Figure now serves as a lock-on target for the time it protects Ansem, and despite it having its own HP bar in the meantime, it cannot be depleted. He remains vulnerable to commands that circumvent the Dark Figure's protection like [[Balloon]] or [[Triple Plasma]] during that time, and [[Flowmotion]] may be used on the Dark Figure the same way as on wall, interrupting the protection, where Riku can attack Ansem with a [[Shock Dive]] attack.  

Once enough time has passed, he starts to use his old Racing Shockwave which now has the Dark Figure charge the attack before unleashing the powerful blasts that cannot be blocked. He will try to stay outside of the arena's bounds each time he is about to attack, making short-ranged commands almost useless. Each Racing Shockwave destroys a layer of the platform Riku stands on, but he may interrupt the process for a while if he manages to make Ansem flinch. Once Racing Shockwave has been used three times, the platform completely disappears, along with Riku's dream eaters, and the battle goes back to its initial state, with Ansem's Rush and Shock Slash and Riku's floating combat abilities. Until Ansem uses Rush at least once, he will remain hard to hit due to the fact he stayed outside of the arena's bounds while using Racing Shockwave.

On the 3DS version only, it was possible to either use a second Reality Shift or stunlock Ansem by repeatedly using the Attack command right after a successful first Reality Shift until his HP reaches 1, where then either using another Reality Shift if prompted or waiting for a few seconds and attacking him would finish him off. This strategy would fail if Ansem would immediatly get the Dark Figure to protect himself. If Riku ever triggers a Reality Shift while Ansem is facing downwards or upwards (by using Aerial Slam to knock him upwards and then having him use Rush for example), Ansem will get stuck facing one of these angles and his attacks are rendered ineffective if he faces downwards. The Dark Figure's protection may also send Ansem flying around the ceiling of the arena.<!--Source (apologies for the poor quality recording): https://youtu.be/tRx7ej1T8Vg -->

|Used with the [[Reality Shift]] platform on. While Ansem moves towards Riku to be within range, Ansem won't attack if Riku is airborne and will instead keep moving around his position and attack whenever he lands.  

|Used with the Reality Shift platform on.

|Used with the Reality Shift platform on, after enough time has passed. Each shockwave destroys one layer of the Reality Shift platform. Once three are destroyed, the platform disappears.

{{Atk-c|note=With the Reality Shift platforms on, the Dark Figure may protect Ansem from most attacks, with the exception of commands that bypass its protection. When it protects him, the Dark Figure serves as a target substitute, has a HP bar that cannot be depleted, and acts as a wall on which Flowmotion can be used.}}

Ansem merges with the Dark Figure as he transports both himself and Riku to the [[The World That Never Was#Darkest End|Darkest End]] area. Ansem is now sealed inside a massive organic sphere with his Dark Figure attached to the top. During this battle, the Lock-On range has been improved to reach Ansem from very far. Long-ranged commands are recommended in the case Ansem uses Dark Wave to back away, and as he will never use his Dark Rush attack if Riku is at a minimum of distance. Once More can make the use of Firaga Burst safe during the potentially lethal mult-hit blows of Dark Rush and Dark Shot. The repetitive use of Balloonra can also deal a lot of damage to Ansem as well. Just like the previous fight, Ansem may respond with a taunt once his attacks succeed.

After a while, Ansem starts Dark Matter, pushing Riku and his Spirits to the back of the arena.

 

Riku can pre-emptively use [[Firaga Burst]] (where the big fireball stays where it is) before Ansem starts pushing Riku back, and once at the back, finish with [[Ice Barrage]] to deal extra damage, with the [[Lock-On]] required. Once Riku is at the back of the arena, he can use [[Dark Splicer]], Dark Aura or [[Zantetsuken]], or the [[Ghost Drive]] [[Dual Style]], when he reaches the end of the pathway to warp right up to Ansem and deal damage. This is a risky tactic, as Riku can easily be captured by the Dark Web into the spheres of darkness, or get punched by Dark Rush. Dark Matter can get cancelled if Riku manages to make Ansem flinch.

 

In other cases, Riku needs to go back to Ansem by rolling forwards, with [[Dark Roll]] helping him move faster, or using Flowmotion with the walls on the sides.

 

 

If Riku gets any closer, Ansem uses the Dark Webs that will drag Riku into the spheres. Beware if Ansem uses Dark Rain right before a Dark Web, as it can alter the timing of Riku's blocks, or worse, hit him while the Dark Webs are getting close, and those may catch him. Since they can't get Riku while in midair, he can use [[Flowmotion]] to evade this by staying airborne, as they last for quite a while; or use [[Firaga Burst]] with Doubleflight to stay in the air so he won't be able to drag Riku in. Then use Flowmotion with [[Sonic Impact]], if possible, to go back to the walls. Riku should avoid using Ice Barrage at this moment, even in midair, since it has him fall while using the command. If Dark Barrier is equipped, Riku can alternately repeatedly use it to block the Dark Web when close enough to Ansem, and use Counter Aura at the last moment each time. If Riku is too close though, Ansem might want to punch him using Dark Rush. Riku shouldn't stay on the sides of the arena and stay instead in the middle, as once Dark Matter is over, Riku may get caught off-guard and grabbed by the incoming moving spheres if he's in their way. In the case Riku gets caught by the Dark Webs or the spheres themselves, he will get immobilized in the sphere and struck by Planet Buster, but Planet Buster isn't a deadly attack and will put an end to Dark Matter once it is over. Willingly letting Riku get caught by the Dark Web to skip Dark Matter is a viable option if a Cure command is available for him to use afterwards.

 

Once Dark Matter is over, press LR or L3 to return the Spirits back to Riku's position (two times if LR unlocks the target) so they will be able to help, but not anytime sooner, as they may get caught by the Dark Webs, become unable to help, and get sent to the back along with the spheres.

 

 

In the 3DS version only, it was possible that if Riku pounds him with the Attack command right after his Reality Shift finishes, he can get Ansem to be stunlocked and Riku may repeat the same Attack combo on him until Ansem's HP reaches 1. After some time, while hitting him again and again, the Reality Shift prompt can reappear, so Riku will be able to finish him off with it. Otherwise, wait until Ansem reacts to the Reality Shift normally and defeat him with one final blow.<!--Source : https://youtu.be/jfYQ5MftS-g --><br>Additionally, it was also possible to trigger a glitch to alter the direction Ansem is facing by default by triggering the Reality Shift on the side, and hitting him from other angles. With Balloonga it is also possible to have Ansem face backwards. Once he recovers, the direction he sends Riku towards during Dark Matter and Dark Galaxy is altered as well, including the positions of the purple spheres and the angle of the black spheres he sends rolling, excluding those aimed at Riku.  Once Riku is captured by the Dark Web attack, it was also possible to get him to be out of bounds, but he will eventually warp back to the arena if he ever falls. Mind that Ansem will reset to his initial direction if he uses Dark Rush. <!--Source (apologies for the poor quality recording, again): https://youtu.be/K_uhv8Hm0zA -->

 

As soon as he has lost half of his HP (or two thirds on Critical Mode), Ansem starts using Dark Galaxy.  

The fact the torrents of darkness appear randomly across the arena and may also hit Riku multiple times if unlucky can make this attack become one of the most lethal attacks of the fight. One way to deal with it is to keep blocking the torrents while Ansem drags Riku in front of him, and, afterwards, to keep dodge rolling backwards.  

Once Ansem finishes this part of the attack, he sends Riku to the back of the arena akin to Dark Matter. The black spheres can easily defeat Riku if he gets hit even once as the others may follow up for chained up damage. He must then either carefully dodge or block these. Riku shouldn't try sliding towards the wall as Flowmotion cannot be activated on them during this attack, but he can still use dodge roll along them with no fear of activating it and return to Ansem rapidly. However it isn't recommended to permanently dodge roll, because he may get hit if the timing is wrong, meaning he must dodge roll only when a sphere gets near him while keeping running back.  

One other alternative, where he should have [[Second Chance]]/[[Once More]] equipped in order to survive, is where he can use Dark Splicer just as the ball bombs reach him to go near Ansem and deal some damage, while staying at his position. Dark Splicer lasts long enough until the end of Dark Galaxy; therefore, there shouldn't be any risks for Riku to be knocked back, but he should immediately heal after this.  

After this, just repeat the cycle of pounding Ansem and running back to him and he'll go down.

|The Dark Figure punches downwards three times, facing Riku.

|The Dark Figure fires six dark-charged projectiles that either circle around or directly aim at Riku, both curving and closing in on him if he is at least at medium range.

|The Dark Figure drops multitudes of dark orbs around Riku's location.

|△<ref>The waves may sometimes bypass Riku's Block. The parry remains guaranteed with Dark Barrier.</ref>

|Moves back and forth if at very close range while the Dark Figure sends six waves of darkness forwards that move upwards once they reach Riku.

|Hides in his core while the Dark Figure darkens the arena, summons dark pillars randomly across the floor and pulls the opponents in front of Ansem. Afterwards it pulls them to the back of the arena and finishes by sending several huge black spheres charged with lightning rolling through the arena, with most aimed forward on the left and right sides alternatively and some aimed at Riku, exploding upon impact.

|Only used during normal combat, and below half or two thirds (Critical Mode) of his HP. Reality Shift prompts cannot appear, Ansem cannot flinch, and Flowmotion cannot be used on the walls during this attack.

|Used during normal combat only. Starts being used after enough time has passed. New series of attacks listed below are used during the whole duration of the attack. The spheres disappear and the attack stops whenever Ansem flinches. Reality Shift prompts cannot appear and the arena darkens{{KHDDDHD}} while Ansem pulls the opponents backwards.

|Used during Dark Matter only, at medium range and in the distance. Although the hit animations and sounds tell otherwise, the lasers do not deal light-based damage. Each laser can only hit once.

|The Dark Figure uses Dark Firaga (Upper) on the spheres, which scatter a rain of poisonous water around Riku's location.

|Used once Riku is captured in a sphere. The sphere moves in front of Ansem, who has the Dark Figure release several dark projectiles into it which cause it to detonate. The explosion knocks the captured opponents back.   

|Used during Dark Matter and puts an end to it. The other sphere disappears when Riku gets captured, and he gets invulnerable to other attacks while in the sphere. Ansem always taunts afterwards, and doesn't act for around 5 seconds.

Each member will have a dark aura whenever they disappear and reappear, meaning that Sora will be their only target. Each time they reappear, they will use a specific attack with the one with the aura appearing last. For Ansem, Young Xehanort will use his whip-snaring attack followed by Xemnas launching energy balls and Ansem using his shockwave last. To avoid this, Sora should [[Dodge Roll]] or jump to avoid Young Xehanort's attack, block Xemnas's energy balls, and if Ansem hits Sora, time Aerial Recovery and then Payback Strike. Each time a member is defeated or if all three disappear after attacking with the dark aura, the cyclone sequence will repeat itself with each member using a specific attack. If Young Xehanort is defeated first, Ansem will launch spheres of light that will extend into beams, then will release the cage of claws which will launch Sora into the air followed by Xemnas's rolling attack. First jump to avoid the cage and block all the beams and finally Xemnas. If Xemnas falls first, Young Xehanort will launch missiles of ice that will freeze Sora, followed by Ansem's shockwave attack. If Ansem's the only one left, he'll release the spheres like with Xemnas and use his shockwave attack. Sora can either block the beams and use Payback Strike or Dodge Roll the beams and Glide away, but the timing of the spheres can be a little tricky to dodge.

{{atk|col=5|{{nihongo|'''Dark Laser'''|ダークレーザー|<br>Dāku Rēzā}}

|△{{note|Can be blocked from behind.}}

|Places 3–15 light orbs above an opponent's head; each light orb fires a laser immediately after glowing.

{{atk|col=5|{{nihongo|'''Barrier Laser'''|バリアレーザー|Baria Rēzā}}

{{atk|col=5|{{nihongo|'''True Dark Bite'''|真ダークバイト|<br>Ma Dāku Baito}}

{{atk|col=5|{{nihongo|'''True Dark Mine'''|真ダークマイン|<br>Ma Dāku Main}}

{{atk-m|col=5|{{nihongo|'''Darkness Ruler'''|ダークネスルーラー|<br>Dākunesu Rūrā}}

|Only used in the Tower of Endings.

;Techniques used by all enemies in the Tower of Endings

{{atk|col=5|{{nihongo|'''Annihilation'''|アナイアレイション|<br>Anaiareishon}}

|△{{note|Can be blocked from behind.}}

|Master Xehanort summons a storm of Keyblades that temporarily removes Riku and Mickey and surrounds the battlefield. Bundles of Keyblades will fly around Sora one-by-one (the last four bundles directly target him). Afterward, remaining enemies attack in succession; techniques used depend on those remaining.

{{Atk-c|note=

{{nihongo|'''Leader Cooperation'''|リーダー連携|Rīdā Renkei}} has one enemy designated as the leader. The non-leaders attack first, then the leader after them; the order depends on those remaining. When Leader Cooperation is used, one enemy is designated the "leader"; the leader is surrounded by an aura and targets Sora until the next use of Leader Cooperation. The initial leader is the one with the lowest maximum HP in terms of percentage, and they rotate between each other. When only one enemy remains, they automatically become the leader and use of Leader Cooperation is discontinued.}}

Ansem starts by summoning several laser orbs that float around Sora, then he summons a line of dark crests, and he'll follow up with firing sets of four projectiles and two projectiles shortly after that, four times. Once the first orbs start glowing, guard to block the lasers, then cast [[Thundaga]] to stun Ansem, airstep to him and attack to skip the projectiles. Additionally, wait until he fires the projectiles and airstep to him to attack. However, the timing is more strict this time as he might fire the second set, or the first set might still hit Sora. When his HP gets lower, he'll fire the projectiles immediately upon summoning the crests, giving no time to stun him with Thundaga.

Ansem frequently summons a circle of lasers around himself and chases Sora. This attack can easily be dodged or blocked consecutively. You can use a reprisal near the end to deal minor damage to Ansem, but don't follow up with a combo, as he'll immediately start the next attack.

Ansem retains his old Dark Rush ability. He will rush Sora twice, then charge up and perform a more powerful dash. Block the first two dashes, then quickly airstep and immediately block without attacking. The third rush breaks Sora's guard, so use [[Risk Dodge]] to counter before landing a combo.

After losing some HP, Ansem will perform his ultimate move, where he covers the entire arena in darkness and summons two giant orbs of darkness. The orbs will fire shots that will inflict the {{c|Burn|status}}, {{c|Freeze|status}}, {{c|Cloud|status}} or {{c|Sneeze|status}} status. Ansem can also trap Sora with the orbs, dealing heavy damage and inflicting the {{c|Cloud|status}} status effect. When activating his ultimate move, Ansem will first move sideways in front of Sora. Once one of the orbs starts shaking, guard to block the shots. After blocking four times, airstep to Ansem and attack him. Next, he'll warp further away and the orbs will be at your side. Wait for one of them to move away slightly before blocking. After doing this three times, Ansem will try to trap Sora with the orbs. [[Dodge Roll]] forwards to dodge the orbs, then airstep to Ansem to counter.

Once his HP gets low, he'll perform a variation of his ultimate move. Once again, he'll cover the arena in darkness and summons the giant orbs. However, once this starts, quickly dodge away as he'll try to trap Sora right away. After this, he'll place the orbs behind one another. After a short pause, the front orb will fire a barrage of shots that can inflict [[Sneeze]] before shooting itself forwards to trap Sora. Guard repeatedly to block the shots, then Dodge Roll through the orb. Repeat this with the second orb, and after Dodge Rolling though that, airstep to Ansem and attack. Next, he'll stand in the center, firing striped orb projectiles. These can't be blocked, so dodge them. He'll continue with the other attack afterwards, so block, dodge and attack until he falls.

If Sora is having trouble blocking and dodging his ultimate move, try to equip armor to protect against the status effects it causes.