Editing Zexion

|journalUX='''Album'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS CoM (2004)<br>The 6th member of Organization XIII. A tactician who dislikes dirtying his own hands.<br><br>'''Boss'''<br>This Cloaked Shemer has abilities to lower your strength. Equip strength-boosting Medals to stay in the game!

'''Zexion''', the {{nihongo|''Cloaked Schemer''|影歩む策士|Kageayumu Sakushi|lit. ''Shadow-Walking Schemer''}}, is the [[Nobody]] of [[Ienzo]] and Rank VI in the original [[Organization XIII]]. He is also the tertiary antagonist in [[Riku]]'s storyline in ''[[Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories]]''. In battle, he weaves illusions to fight for him. Unlike the other Organization members, Zexion's weapon was originally unknown, and his talents were used only outside of normal combat. In ''[[Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories]]'', Zexion's weapon was revealed to be a book called a Lexicon.

Xigbar, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, reveals his presence to Zexion, who scolds Xigbar and tells him that he should continue his mission with Xaldin to recruit new members. After a short argument, Zexion is pleased with how Xigbar handled the job. As he prepares to leave, Xigbar stops him and asks to learn about [[Terra|Xemnas's secret]]. Reminiscing on [[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep|the battle that took place ten years ago]] and [[Final Episode|how they found Xehanort]], and how the Chamber of Repose came to be, Xigbar discloses that he had heard Xemnas conversing with [[Aqua|someone]] in the underground laboratory, even though no one was supposed to be there besides Xemnas himself. Zexion chastises him for eavesdropping again, though Xigbar claims that he could not clearly hear Xemnas's words regardless. Uninterested, Zexion prepares to leave, feeling that it would be better for him to complete his work: help the Organization prepare their new stronghold in [[Castle Oblivion]]. When asked on Xemnas's intentions for their new facility by Xigbar, he states that everyone knew his intentions, as they were informed about them earlier. However, Xigbar reveals the truth on how the Chamber of Repose is connected to the Chamber of Waking, piquing Zexion's interest. Xigbar suspects that Xemnas is using Castle Oblivion to find the Chamber of Waking to locate his "[[Ventus|other friend]]", leaving Zexion speechless.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix}}

===''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days''===

Zexion is present when [[Xion]] joins Organization XIII. Zexion later teaches [[Roxas]] how to fill the mission gauge in [[Twilight Town]] before being sent away to Castle Oblivion. True to his personality, he was patient with the Keyblade wielder, carefully and calmly explaining the filling of the gauge in great detail.

 

 

During Xion's nightmare on [[Destiny Islands]], Roxas stands on the beach of the island, missing his friend. He later sees the hooded Xion and approaches her. She removes her hood and turns out to be none other than Zexion, who proceeds to taunt a younger version of Riku as he did in ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories''. The scene then begins to fade, Xion (in the form of the shocked Roxas) undergoing a series of transformations until she finally takes [[Sora]]'s form for the first time.

[[File:The Other Hero 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|Zexion consults with Lexaeus and Vexen after Riku's entry.]]

After Sora had been lured into Castle Oblivion, Zexion discovers two other scents deep in the dungeons of the castle. One of them belongs to a Maleficent formed from someone's memory, having been given life by Castle Oblivion's unique properties. Originally, he mistakes the other scent to be that of "The [[Xemnas|Superior]]". Eventually, however, Zexion and his cohorts determine that the scent belongs to Riku, who had appeared in the Castle by force of will after Sora's arrival. Vexen hypothesizes that the darkness in Riku's heart, "[[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness|Ansem]]", caused Zexion to mistake him for "the Superior", calling the effect "fascinating." Specifically, Riku's heart is plagued by the presence of Ansem.

Zexion, as well as [[Lexaeus]] and Vexen, come to see that [[Marluxia]], keeper of Castle Oblivion, intends to take control of Organization XIII, with the help of [[Larxene]], by using Sora as their puppet. Though they see that they can use Riku to counter Sora, they decide to oppose Marluxia's plot by having Vexen investigate Marluxia under the guise of offering to help using the [[Riku Replica]] he creates with combat data from the real Riku. However, Vexen is eventually killed on Marluxia's orders by Axel, whom Zexion and Lexaeus had been unsure about trusting. Axel later tells them he had performed the deed only to gain Marluxia's trust, and continues to cooperate with Zexion in tracking Sora and Riku.

[[File:A Card of Home 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|right|Zexion gives Riku the Destiny Islands card.]]

[[File:Yours Alone 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|Zexion is struck down by Riku while disguised as Sora.]]

While he explores it, Zexion reappears, and continues to play on his guilt, telling him Sora will always oppose him as a host of the dark. Zexion vanishes and Riku winds up facing a [[Darkside]] Heartless.  After he defeats it, Zexion disguises himself as Sora and accuses Riku of being corrupt. He envelops Riku in light, rendering him unable to do anything. Instead of drowning Riku into helplessness, however, the predicament causes [[Naminé]] to come to his aid, in the guise of [[Kairi]], telling him that he should stop rejecting the darkness within his heart, and instead tells him to draw on that power to free himself of the oppressing light and strike out. Riku strikes out at Zexion, whose disguise falters. Zexion is astounded by Riku's ability to control the darkness, and is also enraged at his perseverance. He decides to engage Riku in combat himself, but is eventually defeated.

 

[[File:The Tactician's End 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|right|Zexion is absorbed by the Riku Replica.]]

Zexion is a young man with a slim build, bright aqua-colored eyes and steel-blue hair (appearing more grey in ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'')  with long, layered bangs that completely obscures the right side of his face, reaching about an inch or two past his chin. On his left side, his bangs, though still rather long, are shorter than the right side, partially covering his ear. A few strands of hair fall over the exposed section of his face. The back of Zexion's hair is a bit shorter than the front. He wears the signature black Organization cloak, boots, and gloves, though his cloak's sleeves are slightly bell-shaped. As one of the youngest members of the Organization, his stature is shorter compared to the other members, though he is taller than Roxas.

As a Nobody, Zexion appears as a calm and collected individual that shows little emotions, although he is sometimes seen smirking or grinning. Unlike the other members, he conducts his tasks in a veil of secrecy, suggesting an enigmatic sort of persona. Zexion apparently also holds a fondness for literature and the humanities, which is noticed in the weapons he utilizes and his manner of speech when speaking to other members. It was most notable in ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'' when he had assisted Roxas in his tutorial mission, thoroughly explaining details in a polite fashion. During the same mission, he indicated that he strongly dislikes laziness, insisting that Roxas should continue even after his main mission objectives have been fulfilled.

Zexion stands out in ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'' as the mastermind behind the actions of those members who are actually loyal to the Organization. He is aware of the Organization's decline, calling it "deplorable". Of the three senior members (the other two being Lexaeus and Vexen) with the lowest thrones in their meeting chamber, named "Where Nothing Gathers", he seems to have the highest, while Vexen's is the lowest, indicating he might be the most competent of the three.

The fact that he acts as the mastermind behind Lexaeus and Vexen shows that his rank in the Organization may in fact be higher than his number would lead one to believe. In ''[[Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix]]'' where he is seen to have a conversation with [[Xigbar]], he reprimands Xigbar's habit of eavesdropping and even talks down to him, stating that he should get back to work. When Xigbar informs him that he was hoping to just have a "friendly chat" with him, Zexion tells him he has more work to attend to and finishes the conversation by telling Xigbar that if he is through working, then it would be in his best interest to get rest. In addition to this, Saïx had him eliminated so that he could rise in the ranks of Organization XIII.

Until his death, Zexion kept his calm and cool façade. When Axel encouraged the Riku Replica to kill him, Zexion's horrified reaction shows that he clearly does not want to die. He has an undying sense of duty to the Organization, and goes to almost any length to ensure the success of his missions. At times, he can also be humorous and jest with other members when the moment shows itself. A good example of this is in ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'' where it was shown that he and Axel are having a friendly gamble at which Organization member in the castle will be the next to die (something they've been apparently doing ever since Vexen got killed by Axel). Axel proves to win that particular round when he accurately predicts that Marluxia will be the next to die. Zexion is also particularly cheeky towards Vexen, giving dry and smart retorts when Vexen attempts to reprimand him with his superior ranking.

Like Riku, Zexion has the ability to identify the "scents" of others with great accuracy and at great distances. The "scent" he smells may be based off other things than mere odor, and is affected by presence of [[darkness]] in the [[heart]], an entity's power in the castle, and other factors. Initially, Zexion was never seen in combat, and his weapon and attribute were a mystery. In an effort to keep Zexion's weapon unknown, his gravestone in the [[The World That Never Was]] laid destroyed, as all the gravestones depicted the member's weapon of choice. ''Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix'' revealed his weapon as the Lexicon. Zexion can use his Lexicon to mimic the attacks of his enemies in ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories''.  

This ability follows a trend where the Organization members bear abilities and skills mirroring those of ''Final Fantasy'' jobs (ex. Xaldin = {{ff|Dragoon}}, Luxord = {{ff|Gambler}}, etc.). In Zexion's case, his abilities mirror those of a {{ff|Blue Mage}}, who can learn and mimic enemy attacks, or possibly a {{ff|Mime}} who can perfectly imitate the most recently used ability.

[[File:Zexion Battle 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|right|Zexion and his copies using the Soul Eater.]]

In ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'', he has a unique fighting style; he steals and hoards his foe's cards until he has enough to use it in his own deck. He has copies of his lexicon float around and attack the opponent. His standard attack steals Riku's attack cards, and his standard sleight creates a tornado of dark energy that drags Riku in, and then damages him while stealing his cards. When Zexion hoards enough cards, he copies the Soul Eater and copies himself, gaining the uses of two new sleights. In one, Zexion's copies vanish while Zexion grabs Riku and continuously damages him. Zexion's other new sleight is a sleight in which he and his copies vanish and then reappear near the perimeter of the island and each fire an energy beam. The beams meet and slowly form a ball of energy as Zexion and his clones rotate around the island before the energy ball explodes over the entire island.  

His standard attack now becomes a combo with each of the copies slashing once in turn. Meanwhile, the lexicons are spread out through the island encased in blue flames. Each of these lexicons support and act as the health of a clone. Destroying a lexicon causes a clone to disappear, and the destruction of the last copy frees all the stolen cards, and Zexion reverts to attacking with his lexicons until he hoards enough cards again. However, even if Riku manages to steal his cards back, Zexion occasionally prepares a countermeasure of sorts by planting a dummy Soul Eater card amongst the scattered pile for Riku to collect. The card is distinguished by the "wing" of the blade's design being orange instead of red, as well as the Soul Eater facing the opposite direction. If the card is collected then used, it damages and stuns Riku momentarily, giving Zexion an opening to steal cards again.

In ''Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix'', Zexion returns as an optional boss. Zexion's fighting style is totally different in the islands, however—his Absent Silhouette's only attack is to ensnare his prey in his lexicon. However, once they have been captured, Zexion transports them to another dimension where lexicons float around, being conducted by Zexion, who can hide as a lexicon himself. Only the reaction command, Dispel, used on Zexion after depleting his fake HP frees them from the dimension. Meanwhile, they are either bombarded by lexicon copies and explosions, ensnared in life-draining lexicons, or have their commands mixed up. However, if the right commands are selected, HP, MP, Munny balls, or experience points can appear, while another command temporarily removes all the decoy lexicons.  

His greatest attack involves transporting his quarry into yet another dimension, one which is pitch black save for three spotlights, one of which will be blue. The blue light will rotate between the three lights thirteen times until it comes to a complete stop, after which the entire area will be bombarded by meteors, with Zexion's laughing heard. However, the spotlight where the blue light stops on will be protected by a barrier. Zexion is also forced into the barricaded area, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

In both instances, he is shown to be a particularly powerful opponent, noted by many to be more difficult than Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'' Reverse/Rebirth.

An accessory based off the lexicon called the "[[Shadow Archive]]" can be synthesized in ''Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix''.