Roxas
- "I could deal with a week [of summer vacation], maybe..."
- —Roxas, prophesying his own fate
Roxas is Sora's Nobody and a former member of Organization XIII, born when Sora took his own heart. Although Sora's heart was soon restored, Roxas continued to endure and exist, oblivious of Sora's existence for most of his life. Prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts II Roxas was Rank XIII within the Organization, and bore the title Key of Destiny (めぐりあう鍵 Meguriau Kagi, lit. Serendipitous Key) because of his ability to wield the Keyblade. He wields light, and uses it to direct rays that strike opponents with great power. He commands the Samurai Nobodies.
Roxas was also the mysterious hooded figure in "Another side, Another story..." as well as in Deep Dive. During the prologue of Kingdom Hearts II, the player controls Roxas until Sora is awakened. In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Roxas is the main character. This game focuses on the time period between Roxas's birth and his departure from the Organization, eventually leading to his capture at the hands of Riku and DiZ.
Journal Entries
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
No. XIII ROXAS
A boy, newly aware of himself. His light shines as bright and brief as the setting sun.
Weapon: Keyblade
Kingdom Hearts II
- Twilight Town Entry
A boy who lived in Twilight Town and saw Sora's memories in dreams.
His summer vacation has come to an end, and many of his thoughts and feelings with it.
- Character Link Entry
Organization XIII's Number XIII, a Keyblade wielder and denizen of darkness.
He vanished with a satisfied look after battling Sora -- but Sora was the only one who could see him in the first place.
Story
Kingdom Hearts
Birth
- "Do you remember your true name?"
- —Xemnas in the opening of Kingdom Hearts II.
According to the Secret Ansem Reports, Roxas was born when Sora stabbed himself with the Keyblade of People's Hearts forged from the hearts of six of the seven Princesses of Heart in order to free Kairi's heart at the cost of his own. However, Sora spent little time as a Heartless, as Kairi's light had fetched Sora's heart from the darkness, restoring him to his former self shortly after he first became a Heartless. Thus, Sora and Roxas co-existed, but Roxas was missing his memories, the memories of Sora, and the two were incomplete without one another. Still, Roxas' status as Sora's Nobody granted him the ability to use the Keyblade. This makes Roxas a very unusual Nobody, besides his capacity to experience actual human emotions, something that Nobodies are normally incapable of. However, as he wields a Keyblade, which serves as a homing beacon for the Heartless, he is constantly under risk of being attacked by them when not under the protection of other Organization members.
Roxas also appears to have a psychic link with Sora, as he begins to absorb Sora's memories as Naminé restores them and falls into a coma after he is placed in stasis.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Sora visits Twilight Town after Vexen gives him the world card. Sora doesn't recognize the world, but Donald and Goofy point out that he must, as it was created from his memories. Vexen tells Sora that it was made from the memories found on the other side of his heart. This references to Roxas as Vexen met Roxas before leaving for Castle Oblivion.
After finishing Riku's Story, there is a picture of Roxas that is shown after the credits.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Time in the Organization
- "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."
- —Roxas to Axel upon his departure from the Organization.
Roxas was born in Twilight Town and soon discovered by Xemnas, who gave him his name. Having nowhere else to go, Roxas joins the Organization in hopes of finding the answers he needs. On Roxas's fifth day, Xemnas places Roxas under Axel's watch, and the two soon become best friends. When he visits Twilight Town, sometimes he catches sight of three regular kids: Hayner, Pence and Olette, and wishes to befriend them.
When Axel is sent to Castle Oblivion to interfere in Marluxia and Larxene's plans to enslave Sora and overthrow Xemnas, Roxas is placed in charge of Xion, the newest member of the Organization and a girl about the same (physical) age as him. Though emotionally distant at first, Xion soon opens up to Roxas, revealing to him that she can wield a Keyblade, and the two become close friends after Roxas falls into a coma for several weeks, linked to Sora being placed in suspended animation by Naminé. After awakening, Roxas attempts to spend time with Axel and Xion, but he begins to react to the process of Sora's memory restoration, and begins to question why he wields the Keyblade and doubt the Organization's motives. At the time when he is at the Organization he begins a lot of missions involving visiting other worlds which cause Roxas to experience some of Sora's memories.
As he spends more time with The Organization, Roxas grows increasingly impatient towards his unanswered questions. Meanwhile, he still works actively to help the Organization in their plan for Kingdom Hearts, using the Keyblade to release the Heartless' hearts. However, Xion, seeking answers to her own questions, departs the Organization to find herself. Roxas soon follows her example and defects from the Organization himself. On his way, he is intercepted by Axel, who attempts to persuade him to stay, warning him that the Organization would destroy him due to his betrayal. However, Roxas remains indifferent, saying "No one would miss me," and continues on his way.
At some point, Roxas, while searching Twilight Town, encounters Xion, who has discovered the truth behind her own birth (that she is not a Nobody, but an imperfect clone of Sora created from his leaked memories by Xemnas in the event that Sora turned out to be useless to his plans for Kingdom Hearts) and is reprogrammed by Xemnas. Roxas is shocked to discover that Xion has taken on the appearance of his past self, and even more so when he discovers that Xion desires to become the 'real' Sora, and wants to absorb Roxas stating it was the reason why she was created. This is shown to be nothing, but a ruse, in connection to her thoughts by her Secret Reports. She is aware that they cannot coexist, that Roxas was in danger if so, and decided to willingly to disappear, and not let Xemnas succeed: a fact that she states when she later dies. Knowing that Roxas would not be able to kill her, and Axel had admitted that he could not either in his own Secret Report, she forces Roxas to fight her instead. Xion then transforms into a giant armored monster at the ready. After a long and grueling battle, Roxas defeats Xion, who regains her original appearance. When done, he doesn't seem to recall who she is, though she says it's okay. She informs Roxas the true colors of the Organization, tells him that she is glad they were friends and pleads with him not to let Xemnas accomplish his deranged goals before dying peacefully in his arms, in which he remembers her. Saddened, Roxas holds Xion's essence and degenerating crystallized body until she is completely gone, leaving behind a seashell on the ground, as he spills tears.
This marks the start of where he gains his signature ability to dual-wield, as he inherits Xion's Keyblade after her demise. The first time he uses them, it shows two Kingdom Keys, his and Xion's, which later transform into the Oblivion and Oathkeeper.
Capture
- "'How many times do I have to beat you!?'"
- —Roxas, engaging Riku
The death of Xion, complete with the knowledge of Xemnas's true plans, only further strengthens Roxas's determination to find Sora and the answers that he seeks. Before that, however, Roxas returns to the World That Never Was, planning to "set Kingdom Hearts free", in compliance to Xion's last words. He also desires to save Xion from within him, hoping that freeing Kingdom Hearts would bring her back. Then, they could go back to Axel. Upon his arrival, Roxas is attacked at Memory's Skyscraper by countless Neoshadow Heartless, which surround him. Roxas draws out his Keyblades, ready to defend himself. However, after slaying many Heartless, he realizes there are too much to fight alone. Luckily, Riku suddenly appears at the scene on top of the Skyscraper, and Roxas tosses him his Oblivion Keyblade as he runs up, and they both defeat the Neoshadows after in the ground. However, both immediately turn on each other when done. Roxas beats Riku at first, but Riku willingly succumbs to his inner darkness and takes on the physical appearance of Xehanort's Heartless. The fight continues, and then comes to an end when Riku is overwhelmed by the darkness and the Guardian familiar emerges to help, knocking Roxas unconscious. DiZ then appears and opens up a portal to the old mansion in Twilight Town, where Roxas came into being and where DiZ resides. DiZ aims to join Sora and Roxas together in order to help Sora wake up faster after regaining his memories. However, he knows the Organization is hunting fervently for their missing member, so DiZ places him in a virtual Twilight Town. There, Roxas would be kept safely away from the Organization while he lived as a normal boy, unaware of his past. Even though Roxas begins to forget about Xion, she tells him that she'll always remember him and Axel. It showed that when Roxas began to forget, cutscenes including him, Axel, and Xion were changed by Xion being erased.
Kingdom Hearts II
Digital Twilight Town
- "Sora, you're lucky. Looks like my Summer vacation is...over.."
- —Roxas, upon reuniting with the slumbering Sora
For some time, Roxas lives a normal life in the digital Twilight Town, becoming best friends with three kids: Hayner, Pence, and Olette and even writing a diary of his time in town. It is this time in the digital Twilight Town that serves as the prologue to Kingdom Hearts II. However, Roxas has lost all memory of his life before entering the digital Twilight Town, and believes he is an ordinary boy in a quiet town in summer vacation. As Naminé completes the task of restoring Sora's memories, Roxas soon begins seeing brief fleeting memories through a number of his dreams. In addition, mysterious events start to occur around town. Strange white creatures, the Nobodies, begin invading the town, stealing photographs and attacking Roxas. These Nobodies had been sent along with Axel by the Organization, who had finally located their former member, in an attempt to capture him. However, in times of dire need, the Keyblade (a single Kingdom Key this time) inexplicably comes to aid Roxas, and disappears once the threat is gone.
Along with the Nobodies, Roxas comes into contact with Naminé several times, who seems to know things about Roxas that he himself doesn't. Also, as observed by DiZ, Naminé's contact with Roxas connected his heart with Kairi's, who Roxas remembered as a friend of Sora. He also meets a mysterious man in a Black Cloak, later revealed to be Riku, who at one point asks a cryptic question: "Can you feel Sora?" Roxas later meets another mysterious figure masked in red bandages, DiZ, who was responsible for his imprisonment. Though the intentions of these characters are enigmatic to Roxas, Axel soon appears with a more straightforward goal. Axel wants to bring Roxas back with him to the Organization's stronghold. However, Roxas remembers nothing of Axel, whose claims of his relation with Roxas only confuses Roxas. Axel is soon forced to attack the young boy to accomplish his goal. He battles Roxas in the midst of the Struggle tournament, but only DiZ's timely interruption spares Roxas from defeat. After the Struggle Tournament, Roxas falls off the Station Tower and somehow mentally attempts to contact Naminé, only to end up reaching Kairi, Naminé's true counterpart, instead. He recognizes her name from his dreams of Sora, and when Kairi inquires Sora's name, Sora himself, despite being asleep at that time, talks to Kairi through Roxas and gives her a hint of his name. (Starts with an "S"...)
In addition to these mysterious people, Roxas also begins to see strange anomalies due to the nature of Digital Twilight Town. Time often freezes, and only he and select people seem to be unaffected. He also sees strange "glitches" around town that he could not explain. For some time, Roxas continues to be befuddled by all these events.
That all changes when summer vacation comes to a close, and the truth is revealed: Naminé informs Roxas that he is a Nobody, and that he is supposed to meet with Sora, the one from his dreams, in order to complete him. Along with that, Roxas discovers that he is living in a digital Twilight Town, and that his friends aren't real, just data. He encounters Axel once again, who had been ordered to eliminate Roxas if he refused to return. DiZ, however, manages to freeze Axel in his tracks, along with the rest of the world, thus saving Roxas. DiZ then tells him to go to the abandoned mansion. He does so, and there he encounters Naminé. She reveals to him information on Organization XIII and states that reuniting with Sora would not cause him to disappear, but make him whole. However, she is interrupted by DiZ, but before she is taken away, she promises him that they would meet again, even if they won't recognize each other. Desiring to see Sora, Roxas makes his way through the mansion and begins to recall his former life. In doing so he realizes that he had been captured and placed into the digital world by DiZ and the mysterious cloaked man. Roxas then destroys DiZ's computer in anger, even though it was just a digital copy.
Roxas then meets with Axel one last time, but despite the fact that Roxas has regained his memories, Axel states that it is too late. The two battle once more, but this time Roxas is able to call on all of his dormant abilities, including summoning his two weapons: Oathkeeper and Oblivion, and soundly defeats his old friend, though with great regret. Roxas hopes that they will meet again, though Axel chuckles and responds that only Roxas has a next life. Axel then retreats into the darkness, failing in his mission to capture or kill Roxas. Roxas then enters the pod room where Sora is kept, but not before seeing Donald Duck and Goofy slumbering in their own pods. DiZ is there to greet him, revealing his intentions and fueling Roxas' rage with cutting remarks about Roxas' purpose and nature.
In a blind rage, Roxas tries to cut down DiZ, but sees that this DiZ is only a hologram; even after this, Roxas continues to attack DiZ. It vanishes, and the pod in the center of the room opens. All his anger drains away when he sees Sora slumbering in the pod. Sadly smiling, he says to Sora "You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation...is over". With those words, Roxas respectfully accepts his fate and rejoins with his original self.
Resting and Hints
- "I wanted to see Roxas. He...was the only one I liked... He made me feel...like I had a heart."
- —Axel, during his last moments of existence
Right after the prologue ends, Sora hears Roxas call out to him, and wonders who it is before hearing Donald and Goofy do the same and waking up.
Though he does not actually appear to Sora throughout most of the game, Roxas is frequently mentioned. Most of the Organization members act as if Sora was Roxas and refer to him as such, which both frustrates and confuses Sora. Roxas himself manages to maintain a presence within Sora despite "resting". The first time this is hinted at is when Sora departs from Twilight Town for the first time, saying goodbye to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. To his surprise, a tear rolls down his cheek, expressing Roxas' own sadness in separating from his own friends, and feels strangely sad to be leaving Twilight Town. During the visit to Yen Sid's tower Sora remarks that he, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and King Mickey are all fighting, and includes Roxas instinctively in that list. Sora instinctively knows how to ride a skateboard, (a skill that was not touched upon in the first game) and is shown to be very skilled in doing so; presumably, this is an ability passed down from Roxas.
During the second visit to Twilight Town, Roxas' presence within Sora is again apparent. As Sora looks through the crystal orb and at the orange sun, he subconsciously feels Roxas truly within him, and briefly takes on Roxas' appearance as he does so (at least to the player). Then, during Sora, Donald, and Goofy's brief stay in a Realm of Darkness after the Battle of the 1000 Heartless, Riku leaves two clues for them, one of which is a picture from the digital Twilight Town which shows Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette standing in front of the abandoned mansion at Twilight Town. Despite Sora having never seen or met Roxas before, he immediately knows his name. When Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey enter the digital Twilight Town, Sora calls it "Roxas' Twilight Town", and we are then shown a flashback of Roxas destroying the computers. It is also made apparent that Axel is determined to transform Sora into a Heartless; if Sora became a Heartless, then Roxas would be reborn.
Finally, a dying Axel reveals his intent to Sora and his relation to Roxas before fading into nothingness from using all his energy. His death, as Xemnas said, was strong enough to finally, truly awaken Roxas at last. Only after the death of Saïx does Sora find out why the Organization thought that he and Roxas are one and the same.
Encounter with Sora
- "You make a good other..."
- —Roxas, upon having been defeated by Sora.
The hints of Roxas' presence within Sora come to a climax in the World That Never Was. At Memory's Skyscraper, two Samurai Nobodies arrive and block Sora from Donald and Goofy. Then, Roxas, shrouded in an Organization cloak, confronts Sora, summoning his Keyblades (much to Sora's surprise). The two are transported to the Station of Serenity, and they share an intense battle, which was originally depicted in a short cutscene, but became an actual boss battle in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix. During their fight, Roxas says that he is someone from the dark, and Sora wonders if he is Riku. His guess is incorrect, and Roxas says that he had defeated a Riku once. He also asks a strange question: "Tell me...Tell me why he picked you!", referring to the Keyblade (the confusion stems actually from a mistranslation in dialogue) and attacks Sora in a rage. At one point, Roxas floats from above, and sees the images of Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy next to Sora, and finally understands that Sora has the Keyblade because of the bond with his friends. Still, Roxas continues to attack, and is able to knock the Keyblade out of Sora's hands. Sora, however, recovers the Keyblade and swiftly cuts Roxas down. A wounded Roxas drops his weapons, remembers the events after his "birth", drops his hood, revealing his face, tells Sora, "You make a good other," and leaves with a satisfied look.
It is revealed that the encounter was actually a mental struggle between Roxas and Sora when Sora returns to the World That Never Was. He asks his companions about the mysterious Keyblade-wielding Nobody, but Donald and Goofy say that they saw no one other than themselves, and that Sora had just disappeared, leaving them to fight some Nobodies. Sora is confused, but continues on.
As Sora makes his way up the Organization's stronghold, the Organization members, before being cut down one by one, make more and more confusing remarks about Roxas. Upon Saïx's loss, Sora questions why the Organization calls him "Roxas", and Riku reveals that Roxas is his Nobody, which gave Roxas the power to use the Keyblade. Sora is taken aback by this at first, but then remembers his brief transformation into a Heartless while attempting to rescue Kairi. Riku also explains that Roxas left the Organization, and Riku tried to bring him to DiZ, but was defeated. Riku then took on the form of Xehanort's Heartless and used the darkness as a weapon. He managed to bring Roxas back so that he may join with Sora in order to awaken him from his sleep. However, Riku realized that Roxas had left in the first place because he really wanted to meet Sora, and thus Riku didn't have to fight him. Sora sadly expresses that he wants to meet Roxas as well, not knowing that he had already met him during their battle at Memory's Skyscraper. Riku then points out that Roxas rests within him. On their way to fight Xemnas, DiZ (now revealed to be the real Ansem) apologizes to Roxas for his mistreatment of him, though he didn't know whether or not he could hear him.
Reunion With Naminé
- "I see myself the way you remember me, and you see yourself the way I remember you"
- —Roxas, when reunited with Naminé, before joining with Sora once again
After Xemnas's seeming defeat and the demise of most of the organization members, Roxas and Naminé reunite, with Roxas projecting himself through Sora before Naminé joins with Kairi. They are happy that they met again, and say that unlike other Nobodies, they got to meet their original selves and become whole. Finally, Roxas and Naminé believe that as long as Sora and Kairi are together, they will be also, and accept their place within Sora and Kairi after being promised by their counterparts that they would always be together. With that, both Nobodies merge back with their original selves. Even though Roxas is gone at this point, he can be considered present when Sora and Riku go into the final boss battles against Xemnas, since Roxas and Sora are technically in the same body when Xemnas is killed.
Roxas and Naminé are seen one last time, when Sora and Riku return to Destiny Islands. As Sora and Kairi reunite, they smile at each other, while Roxas and Naminé do the same. With the death of Xemnas, Roxas could be considered the only surviving member of Organization XIII, if only an ex-member.
Appearance
When in Organization XIII, Roxas wore the usual all black uniform, though with a number of small differences. His pants were different, looking more casual, and loose. He also did not tuck the legs of his pants into his boots like the other members did, though Roxas' "boots" more resembled black versions of his street shoes, and may not have been knee-high like the other members'. Roxas' cloak had a vague resemblance to the ones worn by Xigbar and Demyx, with slightly pointed shoulders and slightly close-fitting sleeves.
As Sora's Nobody, Roxas's facial features closely resembles his, including his bright blue eyes, body build, and spiky hair. Though it is not difficult to set them apart in the actual game. In contrast to Sora's brown hair, Roxas's is a golden blond, and his hair style also separates them, as the front concentrates the spikes on the right side of his head as if windswept, and the back is more smoother and flaky. He also look very similar to Ventus in face and body.
While living in the false Twilight Town, Roxas wore much more casual clothes. He wore a black, high-collared jacket with a zipper resembling the Nobody symbol. Over this, he wore another jacket, this one unzipped and white, with several black block designs and a grey hem on the end of each sleeve. This jacket's collar was red and pleated and folded back.
Roxas also wore two-colored pants; the legs of his pants were light grey with several of what looked like buttons on the hem that appeared to attach the legs to the rest of the cloth, which were dark-colored. Roxas's shoes were colored in shades of grey and black and had red straps in place of laces. Finally, Roxas wore a wrist band with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern on his left wrist, as well as a plain black ring on his left index finger and a plain white ring on his left middle finger.
Personality
- "You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good."
- —DiZ, to Roxas
Roxas, unlike other Nobodies, seems to possess real emotions, stemming from the fact that he, like Naminé, is a special Nobody. Many ranges of feelings come from him depending on his situation. Being Sora's other half, his personality is similar to that of his counterpart, with some differences.
For example, he is far more prone to anger than Sora; temperamental, aggressive, and stands his ground, characteristics that had mixed in his fighting style. He can be arrogant, confident, and determined as proven in his battles, more so when he engages Riku into a fight, proclaiming that he could not beat him no matter how many times he attempted to. His words have bite, and he isn't afraid to speak his mind. He even expressed some dislike for being compared to Sora early on due to their relation, which DiZ notes with amusement in their encounter. This type of main contrast between the boys is sometimes even portrayed in official art, with Roxas almost always having a dark, sort of fierce expression, while Sora's a bit more loose. With a devil-may-care attitude in terms of recklessness, he can be rightfully selfish in certain intervals, but not selfish enough to not, in the end, return back to Sora willingly in understanding. Throughout the game, Roxas is presented as the type to not just let things happen, to twiddle his thumbs and wait when there's something about himself he doesn't comprehend. He constantly rebels against what he's told is his "place" and is a strongly independent individual. On the other hand, Roxas tends to be ironically melancholy and stoic, solemn and distracted, especially as he comes to realize the truth about himself, and in other points when he's confused and lost. While he is also not as impulsive, like Sora, they both have little patience for people who seem to be bending their will or trying to confuse them. He doesn't have an extreme lust for life as well, not taking everything in with a bright outlook, but he does wish and desire one of his own with fervor. And despite their differences, the traits he and Sora share are shown in how they deeply care for their friends, along with some instances where Roxas is happy, cheerful, kind, at ease, and carefree in good company - even shown laughing.
Roxas also seems to be noted as the smarter half of Sora, as he is not as easily fooled by his enemies and is more likely to think his actions through unless angered. This is slightly changed when it came to 358/2 Days, because unlike his future self that had thorough knowledge of subjects in the fake Twilight Town, Roxas was born with no memories when taken in by the Organization. Hence, he had no information on the simplest topics or objects, making him comparable to a newborn who grows to learn them, and coming off slow and naive due to it. It is why Axel fulfills the role of enlightening him about his questions or thoughts, sometimes making Axel himself tongue tied on how to explain them. Roxas's attitude, nonetheless, was very apparent from the start, telling Axel after he accomplished a mission in the beginning that he could have done that blindfolded, and being easily annoyed when Xigbar calls him "kid" or "tiger".
Another difference with Sora is their heroic status. Often times, Roxas shows how he'd rather not have anything to do with the Keyblade, longing to be a normal kid, with a normal life, and normal friends. This is something represented in Hayner, Pence, and Olette throughout the series, as he is shown a number of times watching them in wonder and interest. On the other hand, Sora, despite that he was much or less the same, and was spurred on by the goal of finding his friends, took on the responsibility more passively without much hassle.
Instances of Roxas's emotional capacity are as follows:
- He screams and angrily attacks DiZ when the latter taunts him and continues to strike at the entity after realizing that it was just a digital image.
- Happily holds up the Champion Belt after winning the Struggle tournament.
- When he sees Hayner, Pence, and Olette hold up the Crystal Orbs he gave them, he looks sad after realizing he lost his, probably feeling left out.
- Beforehand, he tried to cheer Hayner up right after beating him.
- Respectfully accepts his fate and rejoins with Sora after seeing him despite initial refusal to do so.
- Continues to apologize to Hayner for disappointing the gang.
- Is truly sad when he hears that there were no survivors from Castle Oblivion.
- Yells in rage at Saïx when he calls Xion a 'creature' or 'it'.
- Yells "Stop!" in a horrified manner when Axel and Xion start fighting.
- He sheds tears after Xion's death.
- He is willing to postpone a mission with Luxord and check on Xion after she collapsed from her fight with Riku.
Fighting Style
When he attacks with his full power, Roxas dual wields Keyblades, the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion, and uses light, becoming a phenomenally dangerous foe. His style and level of power is somewhat like Sora's Final Form. He can glide at fast speeds, so fast in fact that he leaves behind a lens flare, and control thirteen sword-shaped shields of light energy which can connect to form a laser array. He can levitate his Keyblades in the air and whirl and spin them rapidly, showing a great deal of proficiency and skill with the blades, and can also counter any extended combo with a more powerful one of his own, even creating a ring of damage just by twirling them in a circle. His special attack involves him floating in the air and shooting his thirteen light shields around the arena, which then light it up in a thick twilight mist as Roxas begins shooting blue spheres of light at his opponent from energy gathered in his hands. He'll often attack rapidly from side-to-side, confusing the opponent, leaving a trail of light behind him. He can also perform the Duel Bout technique (similar to his Samurai Nobodies) where he rushes at his opponent and slashes at them quicker than the blink of an eye, causing intense damage if not repelled, the twist is that Sora can knock him into the air and briefly steal and use Roxas' Keyblades if he does repel the attack. However, when Sora steals Roxas' Keyblades, Roxas resorts to utilizing his light powers to full effect, before moving in to steal his Keyblades back from Sora.
In comparison to Sora, Roxas seems to have a far more aggressive style: he is constantly on the offensive, and abandons any defensive moves he had previously used, such as the Guard technique and magic, in favor of speed and strength. In their mental struggle in the World That Never Was, he briefly manages to overpower and disarm Sora with simple brute force.
Roxas' battle with Riku, as seen in Another Side, Another Story, involves him running up the side of Memory Skyscraper and passing by Riku as he leaps off. During the battle against Xemnas in the same location in Kingdom Hearts II, Sora can trigger a reaction command that mirrors this scene. Comparing the cutscene version to the Another Side, Another Story version, how Roxas runs past Riku after lending him Oblivion is different in the two. In the cutscene version, Roxas has nothing in his right hand, but in Another Side, Another Story, he has the Kingdom Key in his right hand as he's passing Riku.
Without the ability to dual-wield if not chosen, he uses the Kingdom Key. This appears to be his main form of fighting in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It is revealed that Roxas gained the power to dual-wield after Xion's death, in which her Keyblade got passed down unto him.
It is interesting to note that as well, when not dual-wielding, Roxas uses a fighting style similar to the one Sora used in the original Kingdom Hearts, since he is the Nobody of Sora.
In Roxas's character select screen (as well as Xion and Sora's) in 358/2 Days, his stats are all equal and in the middle.
Weapons
When in possession of his full power, Roxas dual-wields two Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion (which represent Sora's link to Kairi and Riku, respectively), although originally he could only wield a single Keyblade, which could take different forms through the use of Gears. However, during the short period in 358/2 Days between his attaining the ability to dual-wield and reaching his full power, he could dual-wield two Kingdom Keys. So far, Roxas is the first character in the series to be able to dual-wield Keyblades. Roxas controls light and the Samurai Nobodies. Although it would normally be impossible for a Nobody to wield a Keyblade, Roxas can because Sora can. Of course, as the Heartless use the Keyblades as a homing signal, he is constantly under attack by them when not under the protection of Organization XIII. However, as the Organization's goal is to gather as many hearts as possible by using the Keyblade to extract them from Heartless, this phenomenon is actually a boon for the Organization.
Playing as Roxas
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Roxas acts as a balanced fighter, having average stats. The true potential of having low, but even stats makes him the most versatile character in the game, able to specialize in any specific area. Via the Gear System, Roxas can be customized along with all other playable characters in the game, using various Keyblades to augment any specific combat area the player wishes. Roxas's Limit Break, Event Horizon, causes the Keyblade wielder to rapidly attack around the field while his Keyblade is enveloped in light, slashing away at enemies with great speed and strength. During Roxas's Final Limit, Roxas summons four thin pillars of light which quickly move in straight paths to ends of the field, dealing heavy damage to any enemies in their path. Roxas's Final Limit is identical to a desperation attack used by his Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix boss incarnation when Sora steals his Oblivion and Oathkeeper via a "Duelstance" event. Roxas uses a three-hit ground combo exactly identical to Sora's from Kingdom Hearts and both versions of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a forward slash followed by a lunge and finished with a spin-slash, when wielding only one Keyblade. His aerial combo involves simple strikes from his blade, followed by an aerial spin.
Kingdom Hearts II
Roxas' first actual gameplay appearance was in Kingdom Hearts II, during the beginning tutorials that took place in the Simulated Twilight Town (the First through Sixth Day). This appearance of the Key of Destiny was mainly in a non-combat setting. Again sharing the same aerial and ground combos as Sora, his full strength was accessed when Dual-Wielding in the second battle with Axel. Roxas had no access to spells in this gameplay incarnation, and was limited only to learning the following Abilities naturally:
- Guard (this resembles Sora's version of Guard, but instead of holding the blade downwards, he holds it upwards)
- Aerial Recovery
- Scan
Roxas could also be customized in this gameplay incarnation to a lesser degree than in 358/2 Days, his Strength, Magic, or Defense raising very slightly depending on which Struggle weapon the player chooses in the first battle with Seifer. He also would grow in HP and other stats for meeting certain criteria in jobs or by defeating bosses. The main reason for playing as the Nobody in Kingdom Hearts II was to establish a plot and set the abilities and controls for the actual storyline, in which Sora is playable.
Dual-Wielding
While Roxas Dual-Wields the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades when fought as a boss in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, he can also use the blades during gameplay in both 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts II.
In 358/2 Days, Roxas only Dual-Wields in Story Mode at the end of the game. He shows superb strength capabilities as he tackles Neoshadows in the brief pre-boss gameplay, sacrificing the second Keyblade almost instantly before the final battle with Riku. Roxas only has the full ability to Dual-Wield during Mission Mode. While Dual-Wielding, Roxas uses a combo comprised of many hits, dealing a finisher exactly identical to that of his boss battle version. His aerial combo involves multiple strikes with his Keyblades, followed by an aerial attack similar to Strike Raid. Dual-Wielding Roxas also replaced his main form's Limit Break, Event Horizon, with one useable only by his alternate hooded form that matched his Final Mix boss incarnation's laser desperation attack, Magic Hour. Dual-Wielding Roxas is made playable by equipping a Zero Gear and three ability units to the normal Roxas, has access to spells and abilities via Gears, but is only allowed to wield Oathkeeper and Oblivion.
In Kingdom Hearts II, however, Dual-Wielding Roxas is toned down, Roxas only gaining access to his dual signature blades, wearing his Kingdom Hearts II attire, and having access to the following abilities:
- Scan
- Item Boost
- Defender
- Second Chance
- Once More
Each of these abilities are counted as Support Abilities, and are only used in the final battle with Axel, this form's only appearance. Dual-Wielding Roxas also has access to his own set of attacks for the final Axel face-off, which are the following:
- Cross Swing
- Horizontal Swing
- Consecutive Swing
- Aerial Thrust
- Aerial Upswing
- Spin Swing
Quotes
- "I can't...just look inside. But I figure...if there is something in there - inside us - then we'd feel it, wouldn't we?"
- "It's not like I have memories from before the Organization."
- "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."
- "It's weird. I feel like I'm forgetting something really important."
- "What are you talking about!? I am me! Nobody else!"
- "Tell me...Tell me why he picked you!"
- "No! My heart belongs to me!"
- "It's just, I think I've been running away from the one question I've been wanting to ask... What's gonna happen to me now? Just tell me that. Nothing else really matters anymore."
- "Sora ...You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is...over."
- "I think I understand. I see myself the way you remember me, and you see yourself the way I remember you."
Theme
| Kingdom Hearts II | |
| Theme - Roxas | |
Trivia
- Roxas's Limit Breaks both refer to light. The event horizon refers to the distance at which light can no longer escape from a black hole; the magic hour is a period during the sunset that has extremely favorable conditions for photography.
- Roxas is one of four Organization members to have their own battle theme; in his case, it's "The Other Promise." The other three members include Marluxia, Xemnas, and Xion.
- None of the enemies which Roxas defeats in the six days he is in the Simulated Twilight Town at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II are recorded in the journal when the player gains control of Sora, although the Twilight Thorn appears in the journal after the fight between Sora and Roxas.
| Nobodies |
|---|
| Organization XIII |
| I. Xemnas | II. Xigbar | III. Xaldin | IV. Vexen | V. Lexaeus | VI. Zexion | VII. Saïx | VIII. Axel | IX. Demyx | X. Luxord | XI. Marluxia | XII. Larxene | XIII. Roxas |
| Enemy Nobodies |
| Sorcerer - Sniper - Dragoon - Berserker - Assassin - Dancer - Gambler - Reaper - Ninja - Samurai Dusk - Creeper - Specter - Twilight Thorn - Fake Vivi |
| Special Nobodies |
| Naminé - Absent Silhouettes - Organization XIII's Replica Data - Anti-Saïx - Data-Roxas - Data-Naminé |
