- "I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time."
- —Isa to Lea
Isa is the human form of Saïx. In his youth, he was a close friend of Axel's human form, Lea.
Story
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
On their way to Ansem the Wise's castle, Isa and his friend Lea encounter a boy named Ventus. Isa tells Lea they do not have time to talk to Ventus, but Lea tells him to "lighten up" and proceeds to challenge Ventus to a duel. Isa watches as Ventus defeats Lea; he playfully insults Lea's performance and then shares a laugh with the two boys. Isa reminds Lea that they have to go; the two friends look towards Ansem's castle, ready to proceed with their plan.
Some time after Terra-Xehanort is defeated by Aqua, Isa and Lea are thrown out of Ansem the Wise's castle by Dilan as Aeleus looks on. Following this incident, Lea buys two bars of sea-salt ice cream from Scrooge McDuck and gives one to Isa. Isa and Lea then stare up into the sky.
Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
At an unknown point in time, Isa's heart is consumed by darkness. This turns him into a Heartless. Due to Isa's strong will, however, his body is able to live on in the form of a Nobody, Saïx. Saïx becomes Number VII in Organization XIII; he develops secret plans with Axel, Lea's Nobody, as well as the Organization's Number VIII.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Following the destruction of his Heartless and Saïx, Isa is restored to his human, adult form in Radiant Garden along with Lea and Ansem's apprentices, save for Terra-Xehanort. All of the resurrected humans are unconscious with the exception of Braig, who implies Isa is the "poor soul" he intends to take along with him as he carries out his agenda.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Isa's absence upon Lea's awakening in Radiant Garden prompts Lea to travel to other worlds and search for his childhood friend. In The World That Never Was, Lea is attacked by one of the revived Master Xehanort's thirteen dark vessels; this mysterious figure is revealed to be none other than Saïx, whom Lea calls "Isa."
Appearance
Isa wears a short-sleeved, navy blue jacket with a light blue stripe going along his shoulders to the ends of his sleeves. The jacket's collar is rather high and is sky blue in coloration, as are the ends of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the jacket. There is a yellow crescent moon symbol prominently displayed on the left breast of the jacket, referencing Saïx's attribute in Organization XIII.
Isa appears to wear a black undershirt, as well as white pants and black shoes with what appears to be a grayish trim on the bottom. He seems to be about the same age as Ventus. Isa's sky blue hair resembles his Nobody's in style, but it is shorter; Isa's hair is slightly longer than jaw-length. Isa's hair is spiked upward. He lacks Saïx's X-shaped scar, and he has sea green eyes, rather than yellow ones. His ears do not appear to be pointed like Saïx's, but he does have pierced ears.
Upon his revival in Radiant Garden as an adult, Isa appears is physically identical to Saïx and even wears the black coat of Organization XIII. Isa's face is not seen, however.
Personality
Like his Nobody, Saïx, Isa is mature and has no interest in siding with Lea on childish matters. However, Isa has much more tolerance towards Lea, as he smiles while Lea and Ventus squabble. Isa values his friendship with Lea, but he is rather sarcastic and does not hesitate to lightheartedly mock him after he loses his fight with Ventus. Isa jokingly claims that he has tried to forget about Lea and his antics on multiple occasions.
According to Saïx, Isa is fond of dogs. Surveillance
Trivia
- "Isa" is a name in both Sanskrit (ईश "Īśa"Saṃskṛtam, lit. "Lord") and Arabic (عيسى "Isa"Al-ʿarabīyah, lit. "God saves").