Editing Xehanort

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  |charworld1=Scala ad Caelum

  |charworld2=Destiny Islands

  |charworld3=Land of Departure

  |enva5n=(Master, ''KHIII Re Mind'',<ref>New cutscenes, and additionally rerecording repeated cutscenes.</ref> ''MOM'')

|journalKH3='''Master Xehanort'''<br>The most powerful Keyblade Master of them all.<br><br>Master Xehanort's pursuit of the World's true nature and obsession with the Keyblade War led him to give his heart over to darkness. He tried to forge the χ-blade and trigger another Keyblade War, but three young Keyblade wielders put a stop to him.<br><br>Now, he has created a new Organization—the real Organization XIII—and intends to divide his heart among its other twelve members to create thirteen darknesses.<br><br>'''The Boy in Black'''<br>He and his best friend would often match wits playing chess between training sessions.<br><br>'''Xehanort'''''{{RM}}''<br>During a training journey in preparation for his Mark of Mastery exam, a certain Keyblade wielder was given a coat that wards off darkness from a mysterious figure.

'''Xehanort''', also known as '''Master Xehanort''', is a major character in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series and the central antagonist of the [[Dark Seeker Saga]]. Xehanort is the main playable character of ''[[Kingdom Hearts Dark Road]]'', which takes place during his youth and explores his journey to becoming the [[Seeker of Darkness]].

Xehanort is a [[Keyblade Master]], a descendent of [[Ephemer]], and a former teacher to [[Ventus]]. He believes that darkness and light should exist in perfect balance, and for this reason, he seeks to conquer [[Kingdom Hearts]] and recreate the worlds according to his wishes. Through his many different incarnations, including [[Terra-Xehanort]], his Heartless [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]], his Nobody [[Xemnas]], and the time-travelling [[Young Xehanort]], Xehanort is ultimately responsible for the series of events that repeatedly threaten the worlds with destruction, including the mass release of [[Heartless]] into the [[Realm of Light]], the creation of the [[Nobody|Nobodies]] and [[Organization XIII]], and the formation of the [[real Organization XIII]]. He has brought tragedy to many that have crossed his path, including [[Sora]], [[Riku]], [[Kairi]], [[Terra]], Ventus, and [[Aqua]].

Master Xehanort first appeared in the teaser for ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' as the antagonist battling Terra, Aqua, and Ventus alongside Vanitas. Despite being the true main antagonist of the "Dark Seeker Saga", Xehanort did not appear until the series's sixth installment ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'', and did not meet Sora face to face until the series's seventh installment ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance''. Prior to this, it was believed that Terra-Xehanort was the series's antagonist due to being the original persona of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas, until ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' revealed that the character was simply Terra possessed by the villain's original incarnation. Xehanort's origins and connection to Terra-Xehanort were hinted when it was revealed that he would be voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka, the father of Akio Ōtsuka, who voiced Terra-Xehanort and Ansem. On January 15, 2015, the elder Ōtsuka died of ischemic heart failure,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150116183704/http://www.aoni.co.jp/ '''''AONI Production''', What's New'': "2015.01.16—Chikao Ohtsuka, an actor attached to our company, passed away January 15, 2015, in part due to ischemic heart disease."]</ref> and was replaced by his son for ''Kingdom Hearts III''.

In the series's English version, Master Xehanort is voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was chosen specifically by Tetsuya Nomura because of the role as Mr. Spock from ''Star Trek'' and because Nomura himself is a huge fan of both ''Star Trek'' and ''Star Wars'', two franchises he intended to pit against each other by additionally casting Mark Hamill as Master Eraqus (Xehanort's enemy). ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' was originally intended to be Nimoy's final performance before his retirement in 2010, but he came out of retirement and briefly reprised the role in ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance''. On February 27, 2015, Nimoy died of chronic lung disease,<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31662024 '''''BBC News''''', "Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Mr Spock, dies at 83"]</ref> and was replaced by Dutch actor Rutger Hauer for ''Kingdom Hearts III''. Hauer died on July 19, 2019, of a short illness, making ''Kingdom Hearts III'' one of his final performances, and was replaced for ''Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind'' by veteran actor Christopher Lloyd.

From ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'' onward, Young Xehanort has been voiced by Takanori Okuda in Japanese, and Benjamin Diskin in English. Prior to this, the character had a single line of dialogue in the opening scenes of ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' and was voiced Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and David Gallagher in English (who both play [[Riku]] in their respective languages).<!--The ''I.5 + II.5 ReMIX'' version of ''Birth by Sleep Final Mix'' replaces Gallagher’s recordings with Diskin’s.-->

 

Prior to the 5.0.1 update of ''Kingdom Hearts Dark Road'', Xehanort is referred to as the great-great-grandson of Ephemer, rather than his descendant.

===Before ''Kingdom Hearts Dark Road''===

 

 

Xehanort, while missing his mother, cared greatly about the cloaked figure, eventually seeing them as a mentor. The mentor raised Xehanort in the Seaside Shack on the island and taught him about darkness and light, constantly referring to Xehanort as the child of destiny and how he would be able to connect his hearts with others. Xehanort could sense the memories, thoughts and emotions that were contained within his mentor's heart from their previous life, being able to see their former friends and the battles they partook in throughout many worlds, and often had dreams centered around these individuals and events. However, by the time Xehanort aged into a young teenager, his mentor passed away, leaving Xehanort alone on the island, though he would go on to remember his mentor and many of their teachings for years to come.

 

 

Shortly after the death of his mentor, Xehanort was paid a visit by his future self's Heartless, Ansem, offering Xehanort passage out of Destiny Islands to seek the answers to the dreams he kept having. Xehanort accepted and left through a dark corridor. Though his name was forgotten over time, Xehanort's exploit of managing to leave Destiny Islands would be remembered for years.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep]]''''', '''Riku''': "I heard once there was a kid who left for good. So how did you get here, anyway?" / '''Terra''': "Is there some reason you're interested in the outside world?" / '''Riku''': "Yeah. I wanna be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world—I bet he's really strong now. I know it's out there somewhere—the strength that I need."</ref>

 

While traveling through the dark corridor, Xehanort experienced his first encounter with darkness; extreme, negative emotions that began to overwhelm and attach to his heart. Despite the horrifying and overpowering nature of the darkness, Xehanort was greatly fascinated by it and took some level of comfort in his heart's capacity to continue to feel emotion. As recounted in his reports years later, Xehanort believed even at this point that darkness could be channeled and even controlled by a strong enough heart.

 

The dark corridor eventually dropped Xehanort at Scala ad Caelum, where he was taken in by Keyblade Master [[Odin]], who saw great potential in him, becoming his seventh apprentice, alongside [[Eraqus]], [[Bragi]], [[Vor]], [[Urd]], [[Hermod]], and [[Baldr]]. During the course of his training, Xehanort eventually came to see his fellow pupil Eraqus as a brother. The two often spent their time playing [[Alba & Ater]] between training. The Master taught Xehanort and his fellow classmates the ways of the Keyblade, and that their role as Keyblade wielders was to protect the worlds of [[light]] from [[darkness]]. However, this answer was unsatisfactory to Xehanort, and he often visited other worlds without permission to learn more. Initially, Xehanort wore his [[Keyblade Armor]] during his travels, to protect himself from the darkness between worlds.

 

One day, Master Odin informed everyone that the upper classmen of Keyblade wielders had gone missing, and that his apprentices were to split into two groups to search the worlds. Xehanort traveled to [[Agrabah]], realizing that the world was still being reborn from the destruction of the [[Keyblade War]], as no humans were in the world. Xehanort visited [[Wonderland]], but left pondering if slaying those controlled by darkness is also necessary to protect the world, and In [[Dwarf Woodlands]], Xehanort find one of the wielders Vidar, who is embarking on a mission of his own.

 

Returning back to Scala ad Caelum, Xehanort and his classmates contemplate what to do next. Xehanort and Eraqus argue over the morality of Vidar's plans with Eraqus believing he has lost his path, while Xehanort believes that not everything is so black and white. Upon arriving in Agrabah, [[Jafar]] attempts to manipulate them into retrieving the magic lamp for him from the [[Cave of Wonders]]. Upon investigating the cave, the group run into Eraqus and Bragi. The group surmises that the upper classmen are after artifacts critical to the order of each world and the magic lamp is one such item. Vidar and Vor arrive and reveal that they are stealing the artifacts to upset the world order in hopes of identifying pure light that surfaces from the ensuing chaos.

 

 

Refusing to simply give up, the classmates meet outside to discuss their next move. During their discussion, Baldr show up and reveals the death of the  upper classmen. Revealing that he stumbled upon a world that contains an underworld of lost spirits, Baldr directs the group to search [[Olympus Coliseum]], in an attempt to make contact with the spirits of the slain wielders. Traveling to this world, the group encounters [[Hades]] and are transported to the Underworld. Once there, Xehanort, Eraqus, and Bragi encounter and fight [[Cerberus]], only to be saved by Baldr. Upon escaping, Xehanort begins to suspect that something simply isn't adding up, but does not let Eraqus know his suspicions on Baldr just yet. Xehanort and Eraqus encounter the souls of the four slain upperclassmen, who reveal their suspicions that something much more sinister was responsible for their deaths, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Imploring for Xehanort and Eraqus to find the truth, the four classmen finally depart. When Xehanort, Eraqus, Urd, and Hermod run into Hades again, he attempts to make them permanent residents of the Underworld, until a dark corridor suddenly opens and sucks the wielders in. Within the corridor, Urd and Hermod are suddenly slain by a figure cloaked in darkness. Xehanort and Eraqus almost fall victim to the same figure until Odin appears and rescues the pair, bringing them back to Scala ad Caelum.

 

Scala ad Caelum is then suddenly attacked by the forces of darkness. While Odin leaves to deal with the threat, Xehanort reveals that he suspected that Baldr had been corrupted by darkness following the death of his sister and is now picking off their fellow classmates. Baldr appears possessed by darkness and by the time Xehanort and Eraqus arrive at the tower, they are too late and witness Baldr unleash a Heartless to murder Vidar, Vali, Vala, and Vor. Tearfully saying goodbye to Vor, Xehanort and Eraqus confront Baldr at the top of the tower who reveals his true plans. The darkness controlling Baldr was manipulating Vidar to summon Kingdom Hearts so that it may restructure the world towards its own designs. While Xehanort is finally able to gain the upper hand on Baldr, the darkness clouds Xehanort's mind, revealing to him that it's not one of the ancient darknesses, but a new variant formed from the wielders. Revealing that darkness has been able to grow in this manner through others and that Xehanort himself would be a worthy vessel, the darkness is then shocked to find Baldr's sister's heart has taken residence in Xehanort's, in an attempt to get her brother free. While Baldr is temporary restored to his senses and restrained by Odin, Baldr reveals that he felt destined to darkness with so many light-obsessed wielders by his side. The darkness eventually overtakes him once again and snuffs out the remaining light of his sister's spirit.

 

Xehanort, rather than purge the darkness from Baldr, slays him to end the conflict for good, leaving Xehanort and Eraqus as the only students left alive. Over the next month, Xehanort and Eraqus often visited the graves of their fallen comrades and friends. Eventually reconnecting again, Xehanort and Eraqus resolved to continue their training and become Keyblade Masters, with Odin preparing to conduct their Mark of Mastery exams in the next several years.

 

Four years later, the time finally drew near when both Xehanort and Eraqus would take their Mark of Mastery exams. To prepare for the exam, Xehanort was tasked to tour the various worlds to broaden his horizons. By this point in time, Xehanort had come to see the power of darkness as a necessity to wield if he were to be seen as an equal to Eraqus. Before leaving, Xehanort visited the graves of his fallen comrades once more. Eraqus arrives and reminds him that their demise wasn't his fault. As Xehanort reveals his planned departure, Eraqus tells him to be back before the exam. This trip took Xehanort to [[Wonderland]], where time had barely passed since his first visit. Still seeing the Queen of Hearts being influenced by darkness, Xehanort willingly approached her.

 

{{Q|At the time, I did not yet know I was talking to myself. He cast his body aside to set me on the path. That is Xehanort reduced to just a heart; the being you and your friends called Ansem|Young Xehanort}}

As Xehanort continued his tour of the worlds, he once again comes into contact with his Heartless, Ansem, who grants him the power to traverse time and tasks him with gathering twelve other incarnations of himself from across time to form the [[Real Organization XIII]] for his future self's final plans to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts. After carrying out his duties in the future as "[[Young Xehanort]]," the youth eventually returns to his proper place in time and, while the rules of time travel prevent him from keeping his memories of his travels, the experiences he gained were engraved in his heart and would act as subconscious guidance for himself in the years to come<!--cite to xehanort report in ultimania and 3d script-->.<ref>'''''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'', Young Xehanort:''' "I will return to my own time, and grow into the man who becomes all these others. While I know this future now that I have lived it, returning to my own time will erase the memories and experiences I have gained here. Still, my appointed path is now etched in my heart, which will first lead me to seek the outside world."</ref>

Eventually, Xehanort attempted to overcome the darkness and control it in order to wield its power. To this end, Xehanort entered a corridor of darkness and forwent his armor and allowed darkness to seep into his heart. However, this eventually overwhelmed Xehanort and he passed out, only to be saved by [[The Master of Masters]]. The Master took Xehanort to the Badlands, where he gave him a [[black coat]] to use as an alternative method to ward off darkness and better observe the nature of the worlds, asking him to take a look at the hearts of others specifically as he continued his world tour.  

After seeing the darkness hidden within the worlds, Xehanort became disillusioned with the "false light" of the world that concealed the dark and decided to do what he could to change it, unaware that he was being driven by a subconscious memory of the future. Despite wishing to use the black coat, Xehanort was told by the Master that if he possessed true strength, the darkness would pose no threat to him; the Master then departed after revealing his true name. True to the Master's belief, Xehanort abandoned both his original Keyblade Armor and the black coat after feeling the darkness's power in the lanes between. Through his lack of fear of the darkness, Xehanort gained great power.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind}}

Finally completing his tour and with newfound purpose and ambitions, Xehanort returned to Scala ad Caelum and stated his beliefs to Eraqus that the world needed to be restructured and that it would take several lifetimes, wishing to extend his life to recreate the world and then experience it himself. Eventually, both Eraqus and Xehanort passed their exams and became [[Keyblade Master]]s, and Eraqus was chosen as the Master's successor of Scala ad Caelum and given the [[Master's Defender]]; Xehanort was chosen to inherit the [[No Name]]. The newly titled Master Xehanort was free to take on apprentices of his own to train, and travel the worlds freely. Xehanort decided to dedicate the remainder of his life to studying the Keyblade War and Kingdom Hearts in an effort to summon it once more in order to purge the worlds and remake them. This caused friction with Eraqus, who attempted to stop Xehanort while he was leaving Scala. Though the exact contents of the fight are unknown, Xehanort succeeded in leaving Scala and journeyed throughout the worlds for years in pursuit of knowledge and further power.

[[File:Flashback The Keyblade Masters 02 KHBBS.png|thumb|Xehanort leaving Eraqus scarred after a heated discussion concerning the future.]]

Shaving his head as a demonstration of his resolve and now firmly associated with darkness, Xehanort journeyed and obtained vast knowledge concerning Keyblade lore, the Heartless, and the mysteries of the [[Keyblade War]], and Kingdom Hearts. He met other powerful individuals, including a fellow Keyblade Master, [[Yen Sid]], who became a close friend of Eraqus and was weary of Xehanort's ambitions for further knowledge and power. Over the years, Xehanort's beliefs that darkness and light were meant to be in balance were further reinforced, believing that the "tyranny" of light had destroyed much of the darkness and shifted that balance. He, therefore, resolved to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts so that he may create a World in balance. To that end, he sought to recreate the legendary [[χ-blade]] and begin a new Keyblade War. By this time, however, Xehanort had grown very old, and he devised a plan to use his Keyblade to extract his own heart and transfer it to a younger body to prolong his life until his ambitions were fulfilled. At one point, Xehanort discussed his ideas about the Keyblade War with Eraqus, who attempted to dissuade him from risking a new apocalypse for the sake of gaining knowledge. When Eraqus tried to stop him by force, Xehanort used his power of darkness to easily fend him off.

[[File:Flashback Vanitas's Making 02 KHBBS.png|thumb|left|Master Xehanort creating Vanitas.]]

Roughly a decade after his confrontation with Eraqus, Xehanort traveled to the Dwarf Woods to utilize the Magic Mirror's  abilities, asking it specifically where he can locate the Keyblade Wielders from his childhood dreams. The Mirror informed him that he would find one such wielder at the Keyblade Graveyard. Traveling to the Badlands, Xehanort found an unconscious Ventus, recognizing him as one of the ancient Keyblade Wielders from his childhood dreams and immediately took him on as a pupil, seeing potential in him as being a worthy vessel for his heart. However, after training Ventus for a year, Xehanort ultimately deemed him unsuitable as a vessel to transfer his heart to and decided to use the boy in his plan to create the χ-blade. After failing to stimulate Ventus's darkness during a training exercise in the Badlands, Xehanort forcibly extracted the darkness from his heart, creating [[Vanitas]].  

Ventus's heart was badly damaged in the process, and Xehanort brought him to the Destiny Islands, but Ventus showed signs of recovery after his heart. In order to strengthen Ventus's light and keep him separated from Vanitas, Xehanort brought him to Eraqus at the [[Land of Departure]] and requested that he take care of Ventus and train him as a Keyblade wielder. His hopes were that Eraqus's dedication to the light would nurture Ventus and make him equal in strength to Vanitas so that they could one day fight each other, forging the χ-blade. Eraqus readily accepts Xehanort's request, taking Ventus as an apprentice, to be trained along with Terra and Aqua. While there, Xehanort noticed Terra's desire for power, and he decided to make Terra his new vessel.

[[File:Another Road 02 KHBBS.png|thumb|Master Xehanort encouraging Terra to harness darkness.]]

Four years later, Master Eraqus invites Master Xehanort to the Land of Departure to witness Terra and Aqua becoming Keyblade Masters. Xehanort accepts, but he hints that Terra has the potential for darkness and suggests Eraqus administer a [[Mark of Mastery exam]] to the two apprentices. During the exam, Xehanort subtly uses darkness to affect the [[Orb of Light|Orbs of Light]] and nudge Terra's darkness during his spar with Aqua. At the end of the exam, Eraqus names Aqua as Master, telling Terra that he failed to keep his darkness in check. Meanwhile, Xehanort leaves the building, passing by Vanitas, who tells him that Terra is the key to luring Ventus away from home. Outside, Xehanort tells Terra that he should not fear his darkness, and that he should learn to channel it instead. He then leaves via a [[Corridor of Darkness]], making himself unavailable when Eraqus tries to contact him about the [[Unversed]] threat. Master Eraqus tasks Aqua and Terra with countering the Unversed and locating Master Xehanort, and Vanitas manipulates Ventus into following Terra.

[[File:What Darkness Can Do 01 KHBBS.png|thumb|left|Master Xehanort offers to take Terra as an apprentice.]]

After Terra leaves Radiant Garden, Braig attempts to gun Master Xehanort down, furious at being set up as "collateral damage", but Xehanort easily forces him to back down. When Braig remarks that a scarred face is better than a lost heart, Xehanort reveals that Terra is incapable of stealing a heart, implying that he himself was the one who stole [[Aurora]]'s heart.

Later, Master Xehanort has Vanitas abduct [[Mickey Mouse]] to lure Ventus to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he reveals to Ventus the truth about his past and his plans to create the χ-blade. He adds that Master Eraqus has kept Ventus from venturing away from the Land of Departure in order to prevent the creation of the χ-blade, and that he never trusted Ventus enough to tell him the truth. Xehanort summons a dark vortex that sends Ventus to the Land of Departure, expecting him to confront Eraqus. He then calls Terra to him, telling him that Ven went to confront Eraqus on his own, and that he fears for Ventus's safety. He sends Terra after Ventus, and Terra arrives in time to protect Ventus, throws him through a portal to safety, and defeats Eraqus in battle. Although Terra and Eraqus both regret their actions, Xehanort appears and delivers the final blow against Eraqus, who dissolves into light in Terra's arms. Revealing his true intentions to Terra, for him to succumb to darkness, Xehanort tells Terra to return to the Keyblade Graveyard, where he will see Ventus and Aqua meet their ends. He then summons his Keyblade and uses it to unleash darkness on the Land of Departure, completely destroying the world and leaving nothing but the castle's remains, before departing.

[[File:Kingdom Hearts 06 KHBBS.png|thumb|200px|Master Xehanort summoning Kingdom Hearts during his battle against Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.]]

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus arrive at the Keyblade Graveyard, where Master Xehanort and Vanitas confront the three Keyblade wielders. Xehanort uses his immense magic to alter the landscape, summoning giant cliffs and creating a whirling stream of abandoned Keyblades that pursues the three friends. Terra is knocked onto the cliff where Xehanort stands, Ventus tries to attack him from behind, but Xehanort instantly moves behind Ventus and grabs him by the helmet of his Keyblade Armor. Terra is knocked off the cliff by the flying Keyblades while Xehanort flash-freezes Ventus and drops him off the cliff. Xehanort then creates an orb of magic which he launches into the clouds overhead, summoning Kingdom Hearts in the sky.

[[File:The Last Bastion of Free Will 04 KHBBS.png|thumb|left|After the χ-blade's completion, Xehanort readies himself to take over Terra's body.]]

Terra returns to the top of the cliff and faces off against Xehanort and Vanitas, but Xehanort soon sends Vanitas to fight Ventus, leaving Xehanort and Terra to fight one-on-one. Xehanort goads Terra into tapping into his darkness, and Terra successfully defeats the elderly Master. While the battle between Ventus and Vanitas climaxes in the χ-blade's [[Ventus-Vanitas|forging]], Xehanort uses his Keyblade to extract his own heart and implant it into Terra, declaring his vow to survive to see the results of the Keyblade War. Terra-Xehanort is converted from Terra's body, with his old body fading away in a shower of light with a triumphant smile.

[[File:Blank Points 06 KHBBS.png|thumb|Master Xehanort converses with Terra within Terra-Xehanort's heart.]]

Master Xehanort and Terra continue to dispute over internal dominance within Terra-Xehanort. Despite Xehanort's insistence that he will soon subsume Terra's heart into his own, Terra remains confident that he will win over and eventually expel Xehanort. Xehanort realizes that Terra is harboring the heart of Eraqus, which may allow him to resist his darkness for longer than he expected. However, Xehanort serenely points out that he has many other plans in the works should he lose control over Terra's body.

Anticipating that Ventus and Vanitas's union may fail to successfully create the χ-blade, Master Xehanort had arranged a number of back up plans: Braig took the role of advisor and comrade for Terra-Xehanort, who had lost his memories except for his name following his fight with Aqua in Radiant Garden. With Braig's guidance, who led Radiant Garden's ruler, [[Ansem the Wise]] into discovering Terra-Xehanort and taking him in as an apprentice researcher, he and the amnesiac Terra-Xehanort began conducting experiments into the nature of the heart and the darkness within, in the attempt to remove one's sense of self. The two recruited other apprentices to assist in their research, which eventually led to the mass release of Heartless into the Realm of Light, which Terra-Xehanort marked with an emblem. Having banished Ansem the Wise to the [[Realm of Darkness]] and taking Ansem's name for himself, Terra-Xehanort and the other apprentices continue their experiments until they lose their hearts to darkness. Terra-Xehanort, recovering the use of his Keyblade, takes Braig's heart himself, before giving his own heart, creating his Heartless Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and his Nobody Xemnas.

Both halves took a different part of the plan to forge the [[X-blade]]: Ansem manipulated [[Maleficent]] and her allies into collecting the [[Princesses of Heart]], while Xemans worked with Xigbar to create Organization XIII, so they could infuse Nobodies with fragments of Xehanort's heart to create the thirteen darknesses. However, anticipating that the Organization members would prove unsuitable as vessels, Ansem travels back in time due to lacking a body and approaches Xehanort in his youth, granting him the ability to move forward in time and tasks him with gathering many incarnations of himself from throughout time.

In the meantime, Ansem and Xemnas each attempt to obtain the power of Kingdom Hearts. Ansem manipulates the Heartless into consuming the hearts of many worlds which created Kingdom Hearts in the [[End of the World]]'s depths from the lost hearts, while Xemnas had [[Roxas]] and [[Xion]] collect hearts from Emblem Heartless and later manipulated Sora into doing the same which created Kingdom Hearts above [[The World That Never Was]]' sky from people's hearts. However, their plans are both thwarted by Sora and his friends, and both incarnations of Xehanort are destroyed.

===''Kingdom Hearts Re:coded''===

When Mickey returns to the [[Mysterious Tower]], [[Yen Sid]] explains that the destruction of Ansem and Xemnas will inevitably lead to Xehanort's resurrection. Musing that Xehanort will have left himself many paths to take and cryptically suggesting that there may be more than one version of Xehanort to contend with, Yen Sid instructs Mickey to summon Sora and Riku to the tower to take the Mark of Mastery exam.{{storylink|Signs of What's Next}}

At the same time, Terra revives separately from Master Xehanort. Xehanort had Terra's heart moved to the [[Dark Figure]] and then [[Terra-Xehanort]]'s heart from the past infused into Terra's empty body. {{storylink|Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind|Re Mind}} Following this, Young Xehanort arrived in Radiant Garden to return Braig and another former member of the Organization to Nobody state.{{storylink|Destiny}}

[[File:Seven Lights, Thirteen Darknesses 05 KH3D.png|thumb|left|200px|Master Xehanort's grand return as the real Organization XIII's leader.]]

As part of Master Xehanort's plan to fill the thirteenth seat in his new Organization, his incarnations intefere with the Mark of Mastery Exam to capture either Sora or Riku. Once Sora is put to sleep under a [[Armored Ventus Nightmare|Nightmare]]'s guard, Master Xehanort calls the  Organization together. While he is materializing, Young Xehanort keeps Riku at bay. However, Mickey freezes the Organization with [[Stopza]]. Unfortunately, Master Xehanort possesses the body of his younger incarnation, allowing him to move and to summon a Keyblade, holding off Riku until Mickey's magic wore off.

Master Xehanort arrives, admitting using [[Ventus-Vanitas|only two hearts]] to create the χ-blade was too hasty. He reveals the χ-blade was divided at the conclusion of the Keyblade War into thirteen darknesses and seven lights. To gather the amount of hearts he needed, he tricked Maleficent into gathering [[Princesses of Heart|the seven pure lights]] and created the Organization to hold pieces of his heart to serve as the thirteen darknesses. Due to Sora and Riku's interference and the unforeseen independence or weakness of a number of Organization members, the two-part plan had failed. However, having given Young Xehanort the ability to travel through time, Xehanort has brought about the creation of a new Organization XIII made up of himself, his other incarnations, and vessels that harbor pieces of his heart, which he intends to pit against the "Seven Lights".

[[File:Seven Lights, Thirteen Darknesses 07 KH3D.png|thumb|200px|Master Xehanort speaks of the inevitable clash between light and darkness while fading away.]]

Xehanort moves in to place a fragment of his heart inside Sora, but the arrival of [[Lea]], [[Donald]], and [[Goofy]] stalls the Organization long enough that they are forced to retreat, each member returning to his own time. As Master Xehanort fades, he tells his opponents that both the seven of light and the thirteen of darkness will have their numbers filled when the time comes.

Although Yen Sid and Mickey agree that they will be playing into Xehanort's hands, they resolve to gather seven Keyblade-wielding [[Guardians of Light]], rather than endanger the Princesses of Heart.

{{Q|Today, we join these other wielders and leave our mark on fate. I have waited patiently... But together, we shall unlock the Keyblade War's secrets. Now we forge it. The ultimate key...The χ-blade!|Master Xehanort to the guardians of light.}}

[[File:The Plan 03 KHIIIRM.png|thumb|left|200px|Master Xehanort discussing with Saïx and Xigbar the status of all the thirteen vessels.]]

After Young Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, Dark Riku, and Vanitas vanished back into their respective pasts, Master Xehanort retreated to the Keyblade Graveyard with [[Saïx]] and Xigbar; Terra-Xehanort and [[Demyx]] were left on stand by, [[Luxord]] went looking for the Black Box, and [[Marluxia]] and [[Larxene]] went looking for the New Seven Hearts.

After reminiscing about his meeting with the Master of Masters, Xehanort discusses with Xigbar and Saïx how they would fill the second half of their new Organization. Saïx explains that they would turn [[Vexen]] back into a Nobody to refine the replicas for housing the time traveling hearts, and recreate the lost replica [[Xion|No i]] to take Sora's place, as it is connected to the Sora's memories.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind}} This resulted in Demyx and Vexen being treated as reserves alongside the [[Replica Xehanort]]s.

Once all the seven guardians have been found they travel to the Keyblade Graveyard where Xehanort waits. He appears alongside Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, and his younger self, giving a similar speech to the one he gave Eraqus many years ago. The group summons a massive horde of Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed to stall the guardians before departing.

[[File:The X-Blade 01 KHIII.png|thumb|200px|Master Xehanort facing off against the guardians for their final showdown.]]

Once the guardians make it back to the Keyblade Graveyard, Xehanort and the rest of the real Organization XIII confront them at the crossroads where he once confronted Terra, Aqua and Ventus. He states that the secrets of the Keyblade War will finally be unlocked, then summons [[No Name]] and creates a sprawling labyrinth known as [[The Skein of Severance]] as the battleground for the final clash, signifying the beginning of the war. Xehanort himself remains on a larger pillar behind the labyrinth to observe the coming battles.

After defeating nine of the thirteen darknesses, Sora, Riku, and King Mickey arrive at the Tower of Endings at the end of the labyrinth, where they are confronted by Young Xehanort, Ansem, and Xemnas. Xehanort informs them that the nine clashes beforehand have produced nine keys, taking the form of the No Name and that the remaining four will be forged with the final four battles, waving off the heroes' hopeful protestations. Young Xehanort, Ansem, and Xemnas then attack the group.

[[File:Kingdom Hearts 03 KHIII.png|thumb|left|200px|Master Xehanort repels Mickey's Ultima.]]

After a difficult battle, in which Master Xehanort frequently interferes via a storm of Keyblades, his three past selves are defeated, yielding three keys. He declares that only one more key is needed, uses No Name to summon Kingdom Hearts, and beckons Sora to battle him. While Sora initially refuses, Xehanort reveals [[Kairi]] and destroys her body to motivate Sora. Sora, Riku, and Mickey all attempt to attack Xehanort, but are easily repelled.

As the thirteenth key appears, Xehanort rises into the air and points No Name at Kingdom Hearts. The thirteen keys forged by the clashes combine, transforming No Name into the completed χ-blade. With the χ-blade finally in hand, Xehanort bids Kingdom Hearts to open and show him a new world. A ray of darkness emanates from the χ-blade and strikes Kingdom Hearts, consuming it with darkness.

Unbeknownst to the guardians, Xehanort takes seven fragments of Kairi's surviving heart and scatters five of them across Scala ad Caelum, having hidden the remaining two within the hearts of Riku and Mickey, all as a final resort to ensure Kingdom Hearts can be opened through the power of the [[Princesses of Heart]]. During this time, Xehanort encounters a future version of Sora, who has used the [[power of waking]] to travel from the past and restore Kairi's heart. Noticing that Sora is beginning to fade from existence as a consequence of his power, Xehanort taunts that Sora has nearly run out of time as his present counterpart arrives with Donald and Goofy. {{storylink|Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind}}

 

After Sora defeats the [[Replica Xehanort]]s, Xehanort appears again and explains that Scala ad Caelum used to be the seat of power for all Keyblade wielders, and that he and his other selves can reunite here. Xehanort proceeds to absorb the replicas, granting him a set of [[Keyblade Armor]]. Summoning No Name, he proceeds to reshape the world to trap Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and engages them in battle. After a grueling battle both within the town and under its waters, Xehanort's armor is destroyed, but he escapes through a Corridor to the peak of the town. Sora, Donald, and Goofy pursue him to the tower, where he summons the χ-blade, summons Kingdom Hearts once again, and challenges the three to a final battle. Eventually, Xehanort uses the power of both Kingdom Hearts and the χ-blade to nearly slay Sora, but he is called back by Donald and Goofy. Together, they use the Keyblade and the power of friendship to break through Xehanort's attack and deal a blow that pierces Xehanort through the chest, mortally wounding him.

Sora urges Xehanort to admit defeat, but Xehanort states that it's too late. Xehanort reveals that Kingdom Hearts will trigger a purge, destroying all Worlds and returning them to their original state, giving them a new beginning where he may shepherd all those who would pollute the world with the darkness that sprouts endlessly within their hearts. Sora rebukes him, stating that a true leader would know that destiny cannot be controlled, reminding Xehanort of Eraqus.

[[File:Checkmate 01 KHIII.png|thumb|left|200px|Eraqus and Xehanort leaving for the afterlife together.]]

|[[File:A Fragmentary Passage 02 KHBBSFM.png|thumb|200px|Xehanort on the beach of Destiny Islands.]]

As an old man, Xehanort is bald except for thin eyebrows and a curled, silver goatee. His ears are pointed and his eyes are amber. He has broad, hunched shoulders and a crooked back. He appears overall as a somewhat feeble old man, certainly deceiving given his immense power. His clothing is the same as that worn by his eventual Heartless Ansem. It is composed of a white and black coat with a red inner lining, which is worn over a white shirt with two thin black belts, as well as white gloves and calf-high black boots. The major difference between the two outfits is that Ansem wears the shirt unbuttoned, exposing the Heartless emblem on his chest. However, there are a few minor changes as well; Ansem's coat has a gold lining on its edges, where Xehanort's has black lining. He sometimes wears a [[black coat]], which would later be worn by Xemnas and the Organization members, over this outfit.

In ''Kingdom Hearts III'', Xehanort has noticeable veins covering the his skull, due to the lack of hair.

In his youth, Xehanort had mildly tanned skin, grey eyes, and silver hair which both slightly spikes and falls past his shoulders in the back; it is styled similar to Terra-Xehanort's, albeit with four bangs framing his face, the back two thicker than the front two, and the two backward spikes on the sides are absent, the topmost one slicked back. He wore the same style of white shirt, which only reaches to his thighs, a black vest with a high collar, long armbands which cover his forearms, and dark grey pants stuffed into his boots, similar to those worn by Organization XIII but without the silver lining on top, much like those worn by the guards of Radiant Garden. After meeting the Master of Masters he is given a black coat.

File:Xehanort 05 KHDR.png|Xehanort as a newborn.

File:Xehanort 02 KHDR.png|Xehanort in his early teens before leaving Destiny Islands.

File:The Boy in Black KHIII.png|Xehanort in his early teens at Scala ad Caelum.

File:Xehanort 03 KHDR.png|Xehanort as a young adult.

Xehanort is shown to be a cunning, callous, and pragmatic being with the sole goal of merging with Kingdom Hearts and obtain ultimate knowledge, as the lives of innocent people and even those who care for him meaning absolutely nothing to him. To this end, he is willing to put whatever he pleases on the line or destroy anything in his way, demonstrated when he manipulated several characters such as Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Braig, and even Maleficent, created Vanitas, a sentient being born for the sole purpose of forwarding his evil plan, and slew his old friend Master Eraqus in cold blood after tricking Terra into defeating him in battle. He even shrugged off ruining Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's lives by telling Mickey and Riku that they were destined to fall, and went as far as to refer to Sora as a "dull, ordinary boy". Xehanort tends to have a series of back-up plans to occur whenever his previous scheme fails, and his skill for this has given him a reputation as a "devious tactician", as relayed to Mickey by Yen Sid.

Despite his overwhelming malice, Xehanort has been shown to have some slight sympathy for his victims, such as when he takes pity on Ventus, following the rupture of his heart, and decides to leave him to perish peacefully on the Destiny Islands. All of Xehanort's other seeming virtues are revealed to have sinister intentions behind them, demonstrated when he only took Ventus as an apprentice and cared for him solely with the intention of making the boy his vessel once he was strong enough, and when he only accepted Master Eraqus's invitation to witness the Mark of Mastery exam win back Eraqus's trust following their falling-out and sabotage the exam to put Terra on the path to darkness so as to make him his new vessel after deciding to instead use Ventus for the χ-blade. Like his other incarnations, Xehanort puts on a polite façade to make other people do what he desires. In his final moments, however, and ironically, he admits to Sora that his true intention was to create a world devoid of corruption and develops a newfound respect for Sora upon his defeat at the boy's hands, allowing him to close Kingdom Hearts and telling him "very well done".

As a youth, Xehanort was the most level headed of his classmates. He would face any situation with the calculated calmness that would define his elder years but with more snark. Xehanort was also very deductive and is capable of reading individuals well, such as being able to deduce Jafar's more sinister intentions in obtaining the magic lamp from the cave of wonders after the latter staged a conversation with Iago to obtain it for the benefit of Agrabah. Unlike Eraqus, he did not believe that light and darkness representing good and evil are absolutes and felt there was more to them than just being opposing forces. Despite his collected nature, he was not immune to sorrow and anger. Though he was told by Odin to expel the darkness from Baldr, Xehanort decided at the last second to execute him for destroying his classmates. After the fall of his comrades, Xehanort had become more despondent and had resigned himself to his quarters for a time and visited their graves often. These events and Baldr's final words would push him to explore the worlds to learn more about the nature of light and darkness, shaping him into the man who would do what ever it takes to achieve his goals even at the expense of others.  

Overall, Xehanort is the true catalyst of all the events in the series so far, having been responsible (either directly or indirectly) for converting Terra into the first of his many vessels, arranging his younger self's quest through time, the Disney Villains' hunt for Kingdom Hearts, the creation of Vanitas, the Unversed, and the original [[Organization XIII]], the release of the Emblem Heartless and Nobodies, and the plaguing of the Sleeping Worlds with the Nightmare Dream Eaters. Xehanort has a few unusual tendencies and quirks, however, such as turning away from the people he speaks to, or over-dramatizing his hand gestures when delivering a speech, even flexing his fingers in a peculiar grasping motion.

Upon noticing how Sora reminded him of Eraqus, Xehanort got a chance to speak with his old friend, who convinced him that they had finally reached "checkmate". For the first time, Xehanort admits defeat, seemingly reclaims his friendship with Eraqus and develops a respect for Sora.

{{main|Game:Master Xehanort}}

Master Xehanort is a powerful Keyblade Master and a skilled magic-user. Able to teleport if he is in danger, Master Xehanort strikes opponents with powerful, fast-paced combos. He also can bombard foes with Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, and Earth-based magic. His magic skills are some of the most advanced seen in the series so far, as he is able to create massive rock formations and pillars, encase Ventus's body in ice, project a gust of wind powerful enough to send Ventus and Mickey flying from his hand, block Braig's Arrowgun shots without raising his arms, and telekinetically control the Keyblades covering the Keyblade Graveyard to attack Terra and Aqua. Master Xehanort's magical prowess is shown when King Mickey tries to confront him in ''Kingdom Hearts III''; Mickey attempted to wipe him out with an [[Ultima]] spell, but Xehanort countered with a [[Stopza]] spell so powerful, it reached far enough to immobilize Riku. He also possesses physical strength sufficient to grab a fully-armored Ventus by the back of the head and lift him into the air with one hand. His old age, however, somewhat hampers his mobility, forcing him to rely more on magic and cunning in battle, until he manages to [[Terra-Xehanort|possess Terra]].

Master Xehanort shows a great deal of skill in utilizing the heart and its capabilities, able to draw who he calls Vanitas out of the darkness of Ventus's heart when he unlocks it, to direct his heart into Terra's body to possess it after his defeat in the Keyblade Graveyard, or to steal the light from Sora's heart. Master Xehanort's greatest asset, however, is his intellect and capacity for manipulation. For over a decade, he has, directly or indirectly, influenced many of the hardships and suffering the worlds have gone through, and always has backup plans ready in the event his initial schemes fail.

File:No Name KH0.2.png|Master Xehanort's Keyblade, [[No Name]].