168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Kingdom Hearts is a series widely renowned for its labyrinthine, often impenetrable plotting. Keeping up with the winding narrative that Tetsuya Nomura has woven requires hopping between games on the PS2, to the PSP, the DS, 3DS, GBA, Switch, smartphones and beyond – or at least, it did. With the adven🌱t of recent HD collections, newcomers have been able to consume all the Kingdom Hearts goodness they can handle in a single sitting. And boy, is there a lot.

An element that many players find particularly difficult to grasp is the exact nature, motive and timeline of the dastardly Xehanort's scheme. After all, what's a good story without a villain? A complex and austere figure, Xehanort's Dark Seeker plot spans numerous decades and has affected countless innocents, for both good and ill. With the Dark Seeker era of the franchise now having concluded, here's a complete explanation of his plan, and its ramifications on the wider KH universe. Spoilers abound!

Xehanort: The Mastermind

Where did Xehanort come from?

In order to comprehend Xehanort's plan, we must first gain a brief, but essential, understanding of the man himself. Born in the ancient city of Scala Ad Caelum, founded by a time-travelling Master Ephemer, Xehanort's mother gave him up for adoption to a mysterious cloaked figure.

Ephemer, incidentally, features in a series of Kingdom Hearts mobile games – where he and his friends become embroiled in a scheme set in motion by the enigmatic 'Master of Masters' in the distant past (the 'age of fairytales'.)

Ultimately, the Master's plan to seal away the burgeoning thirteen darknesses succeeds, the children's hometown is destroyed, and Ephemer and co. are forced to flee to different time periods via a series of special pods. This is important to know because, as it turns out, Xehanort is Ephemer's descendant. It isn't exactly clear how many generations removed the two are, but a brief cutscene depicts an older Ephemer watching over Xehanort in a baby cot, so the relation could be closer than you think. Either way, it's apparent where Xehanort got his determination from.

Where did Xehanort's ideals come from?

Xehanort grew up on the Destiny Islands — as everyone important in this series seems to do — watched over by the cloaked figure, who's heavily implied to be a reincarnation of the player character from the phone games. Eventually, he's whisked back to Scala Ad Caelum by the Heartless half of his future self, Ansem (further time-travelling shenanigans we'll get into later) where he attends the Keyblade academy. There, he meets Eraqus, who would become his lifelong friend and confidant.

A series of tragic events occur wherein one of the thirteen darknesses resurfaces in a student, Baldr, and goes on a killing spree. Witnessing his classmates struck down in cold blood, the first seeds of vengeance are sown in Xehanort's heart.

This is further compounded when the Master of Masters pops back up and pays Xehanort a visit, encouraging him to look into the hearts of people he meets and see what he finds. Having discovered that darkness exists in everyone, and believing that trying to deny that fact results only in 'false light', Xehanort tells the Master he thinks something ought to be done. That balance needs to be brought by someone. "Well, why not you?" suggests the Master. And thus, Xehanort's path is set.

Keyblade Wars And The Prophecy

Where did the prophecy come from?

Xehanort's plan to restore equilibrium to the world is driven almost entirely by a prophecy, recorded by the Master of Masters in the aptly-named 'Book of Prophecies'. This tome, written in the age of fairytales, was made possible by the actions of Luxu, one of the Master's apprentices. Luxu is tasked with carrying the Gazing Eye Keyblade and passing it down through the ages, its eye allowing the Master to see future events and note them down.

The Book's contents passed into legend, particularly the concerning final entry: "On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail and the light expire."

In their efforts 💖to prevent this Keyblade War, the people of the age of fairytales ironically started it; their growing tensions and pani🎀c kicked off a devastating battle. This, of course, was actually what the Master wanted all along, as the thirteen darknesses could only be sealed in hearts tainted with mistrust. In fact, the Master reveals this battle is only the latest in a long string of Keyblade Wars, a cycle doomed to repeat for as long as darkness persists.

What is the χ-blade?

In the first Keyblade War, long before any recorded history, the ultimate Keyblade, the χ-blade, was forged. (That's pronounced 'chi-blade', if you're curious.) The χ-blade has the ability to unlock Kingdom Hearts, the titular source of absolute power at the centre of the entire universe – but before it could do so, it was splintered into twenty spiritual pieces. Thirteen dark, ꦡand seven light.

Xehanort, having been told of the Book's prophecy by his adoptive parent, believes that only by reigniting yet another Keyblade War can balance be achieved. The differentiating factor this time? Himself. He intends to assemble thirteen warriors of darkness and seven of light, have them clash, reforge the χ-blade to unlock Kingdom Hearts, and use it to reset everything in his image of perfection. Got all that? We certainly hope so.

Terra, Aqua, And Ventus: Pawns In The Game

How did Xehanort use Ventus?

Xehanort devoted a good chunk of his life to studying the relationship between light and darkness, as well as the nature of the heart and how it can be corrupted. So much of his life, in fact, that when we next see him chronologically, he's an old man. He's become Master Xehanort, and is voiced (at least initially) by Leonard Nimoy.

Xehanort eventually concludes that, rather than going to all the trouble of gathering up twenty warriors for his plan, he might be able to 'cheat the system', as it were, by simply having one pure light and one pure darkness clash. He gets his opportunity when he happens upon an unconscious young boy, Ventus. Ventus was another of Ephemer's friends who escaped from the past, and has wound up in the present time. Unbeknownst to all, he's harbouring one of the thirteen darknesses inside him – and on discovering this, Xehanort knows he's found his prime candidate.

Running Ventus through with his Keyblade, he releases the darkness, which quickly manifests as a living being, Vanitas. Everything seems to be coming up Xehanort, until it becomes clear Ventus' heart was so badly damaged in the process, he can't even walk, let alone battle.

Xehanort takes his body to the Destiny Islands, intending to dispose of it – but then a miracle happens. Ventus' heart reaches out, searching for another heart with which to connect and become whole again. Who answers the call? Little baby Sora. In that moment, Ventus' and Sora's destinies become inextricably linked, and Ventus is revived.

How do Aqua and Terra factor into the plan?

Ventus trains under Xehanort for a while, but it soon becomes apparent he doesn't have the chops for the whole 'forging the χ-blade' gig. Consequently, Xehanort drops him off at Eraqus' Keyblade academy in the Land of Departure, curious to see if better results might be forthcoming. Two of Eraqus' other pupils, headstrong Aqua and impressionable Terra, take Ven under their wing. The trio soon become firm friends.

The events of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep then occur. Conscious of his aging body, Xehanort eyes Terra as a replacement vessel for his soul. Manipulating the young man into believing Eraqus is purposely suppressing his true potential, he's able to open Terra's heart sufficiently to the darkness for his spirit to enter him. The result? Terra-Xehanort.

Things go downhill fast. Eraqus is killed, Vanitas seeks out Ventus and forces him into battle, and Aqua can do nothing but watch helplessly as the χ-blade is forged. Unfortunately for Xehanort, his attempted loophole doesn't take, and the χ-blade isn't stable enough. It explodes, rupturing Ventus' heart from his body fully, leaving him comatose. Aqua seals him away safely in the Land of Departure (which would come to be known as Castಌle Oblivion) and goes to confront Terra-Xehanort in the idyllic Radiant Garden.

After a grueling duel, Aqua is cast into the Realm of Darkness and Xehanort's left without his memories. Ventus' heart, meanwhile, finds refuge in a place it knows well: Sora's heart.

The Rise Of Xehanort And The Seekers Of Darkness

What happened to Xehanort under Ansem the Wise?

Xehanort, still in Terra's body, is discovered by Radiant Garden's resident scientist Ansem the Wise. Ansem nurses the amnesiac schemer back to health, and for a while he ekes out a tranquil existence, studying matters of the heart alongside Ansem's five other apprentices.

His dark ambitions never truly left him, however, and it isn't long before his memories start to return. Ansem notices his experiments becoming steadily more dangerous, and forbids him from continuing his research. In response, Xehanort betrays Ansem with the assistance of his similarly turncoat apprentices, banishing him into the Realm of Darkness.

The ultimate experiment then takes place. Xehanort unlocks his own heart with his Keyblade, as well as those of the apprentices, turning them into Nobodies. Nobodies, according to the series' lore, are the remnant husks of a being's body when they lose their heart, which itself becomes a Heartless. If you're strong-willed enough, you can retain more-or-less the same identity you had pre-heart loss as a Nobody.

Who was Xehanort's first half?

Xehanort thus effectively became a man of two halves, both of whom struggled with their own individualism, while being subconsciously driven by their originator's goals. His Heartless took the name Ansem, in order to continue publishing research papers on the heart (knowing that they'd be more likely to be taken seriously under his old master's signature.)

This often creates much confusion, but there's an easy way to tell them apart. Ansem the Wise? (mostly) a good guy. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness? Bad guy.

Ansem was also 'assigned' a couple of tasks in service of the χ-blade plan. We haven't even mentioned a particularly juicy piece of Kingdom Hearts lore, so buckle up: if you give up your heart, you gain the ability to time travel. No real rationale from Nomura as to why and how, you just do – the only limitation being there has to be a version of yourself in the period you want to visit, as an 'anchor' of sorts.

Since young Xehanort grew up on Destiny Islands, then, Ansem is able to travel back to that point in time and send him on his way (as discussed earlier.) Ansem then sequestered himself away on Destiny Islands for many years, a♏waiting one particu🙈lar event: for Sora, as well as his mates Riku and Kairi, to come of age. It was then that he would make his move, his contribution towards gathering the seven lights.

The Seven Princesses

What does Ansem do next?

The events of the original Kingdom Hearts kick off. Ansem plunges the Destiny Islands into darkness and spirits away Kairi, as she's one of the seven Princesses of Heart – young maidens who are pure of soul, whether royalty or not. Conveniently, the remaining six are all Disney characters; and so Ansem, manipulating an insecure Riku all the while, set🐷s about kidnapping them all. Alice, ♋Jasmine, Belle... his shopping list goes on.

Things come to a head when Ansem fully possesses Riku, and makes to open the 'Door to Darkness,' a portal to the heart of all worlds that can only be unsealed by the seven princesses. Presumably this is a secondary goal driven by curiosity, as it doesn't directly benefit Xehanort's scheme &nd𝓡ash; although he has, of course, asseꦅmbled the seven lights.

How is Ansem defeated?

Sora expunges Ansem from Riku's heart and does battle with him, ultimately triumphing and sealing the Door before any damage can be done. With Ansem dead and ꧅the princesses freed, 🦩it seems the Keyblade War is scuppered for now.

It's worth noting that during this climax, Sora discovers Kairi's heart had been hiding inside of him for the entire game for safety, and therefore unlocks his own heart with Ansem's Keyblade to free it. To say this single moment opens a can of worms is an understatement. A veritable host of secondary characters are born because of this action: Roxas, Sora's Nobody; Namine, Kairi's Nobody; and, eventually, Xion, who we'll explain soon.

Suffice to say, these characters go on to star in a range of handheld titles that aren't explicitly relevant to Xehanort's scheme, but their existence is important to be aware of all the same.

Organization XIII

Who are Xemnas and Organization XIII?

Meanwhile, Xehanort's other half, his Nobody Xemnas, is preparing to enact his portion of the plan. While Ansem prepares the seven lights, he'll need to somehow muster up thirteen dark warriors – and what better way than to start your own cool secret club? Xemnas founds 'Organization XIII' and begins populating it, starting with Ansem the Wise's five apprentices, who you'll recall are now all Nobodies.

Adding to this list are Axel and Saix, two kids who just happened to wander into the lab while the experiment was going on, and Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene, a wacky band of characters all with their own quirks. Marluxia and Larxene were formerly Lauriam and Elrena, two more of Ephemer's time-displaced friends. Demyx and Luxord's backstories, however, remain unknown.

This brings Xemnas' total to 12. And then who should turn up desperately seeking an identity but Roxas, Sora's Nobody. A quick bit of indoctrination and a fancy black coat, and wham-bam: thirteen members. Xemnas strings the group along by telling them their evil deeds will ultimately grant them all a heart again, but this of course is a ruse designed to hide the Organization's true purpose.

What happens before Kingdom Hearts 2?

The time period between Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 is depicted in (deep breath) Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. Roxas grows disillusioned with the Organization; especially since Xemnas has Vexen, their resident engineer, create an artificial clone named Xion designed to suck up Sora's powers from Roxas. By the day, Roxas grows weaker and Xion experiences more existential crises, as she begins to form a personality of her own, a friendship with Roxas and Axel, and an appearance borne of Sora's memories of Kairi.

Ultimately, Xion disintegrates, causing everyone to forget about her. Roxas attempts to leave the Organization, and Axel is dispatched to retrieve him. Unfortunately, Roxas has already been nicked by Riku, who's now working for - drum roll please - Ansem the Wise, who has returned and is looking to ruin Xehanort's plans in retaliation.

What happens during Kingdom Hearts 2?

The events of Kingdom Hearts 2 now occur. Roxas is told he must re-merge with Sora, who has been in a deep slumber after the story of GBA title Chain of Memories – in which Namine was enlisted by the Organization to mess with Sora's mind. (Oh, and there's also an evil Replica Riku built during it. Remember him.) Reluctantly, Roxas does so, and Sora awakens, determined to set off and stop the Organization's plans. Cue Disneꦓ🎉y worlds, cue banter with Donald and Goofy for the next 20 hours.

The finale takes place in the Organization's home world. Ansem the Wise uses a digitizer device to destroy the Organization's false Kingdom Hearts, which they had been assembling using the wayward hearts from fallen Heartless. Sora, Riku and Kairi are again reunited, and a kickass bꩵoss 🃏fight against Xemnas goes down.

In the end, the Nobody, much like his Heartless counterpart, is killed, and everything seems to be absolutely rosy. No χ-blade is getting forged an♕ytime soon. Xehanort, however, is nothing if not a man with a backup plan.

The Real Organization XIII

What was Xehanort's contingency?

In defeating Ansem and Xemnas, Sora had unwittingly played directly into Xehanort's hand. For you see, when one's Heartless and Nobody are destroyed, their original form regenerates; and so here comes Leonard Nimoy Xehanort once again (Terra's body, presumably, is shoved in a broom closet somewhere.)

While that's going on, Sora and Riku train to become full Keyblade masters, and the events of Dream Drop Distance occur. This training takes place in the 'sleeping world', a limbo of sorts, and in order to reach it they must 'ride' a world into darkness as it's being consumed. Hence, Master Yen Sid timewarps them to the night Destiny Islands fell, so that they may access said realm. A fatal error – because Ansem's secondary purpose in hiding away on the island for so many years becomes clear.

What is the Real Organization XIII?

Ansem was waiting for Sora and Riku to arrive back on this night, and brands Sora with the Organization's 'χ' sigil, allowing Xehanort to track him through the sleeping world. Over the course of the game, it also transpires that, when Ansem first went back to send Young Xehanort off to school, he informed him of his future self's backup plan: to gather thirteen versions of himself from across time to act as the thirteen dark warriors.

Sounds ludicrous? Yep, but it sure works. By the power of time travel, Ansem, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, Master Xehanort and Terra-Xehanort all come together, making five. Marluxia, Larxene, Xigbar (formerly Braig, one of Xehanort's earliest accomplices), Luxord, Saix, Replica Riku and Vanitas are similarly gathered and volunteer to have a piece of Xehanort's heart put in them, making them count as members by sheer technicality. That's twelve.

They're now the 'Real Organization XIII', and they need but one more face in their ranks. Their intended target? Sora.

The poor lad is driven so far into the realm of sleep by Xehanort's machinations that his body essentially becomes an empty shell, ready to be given the final piece of Xehanort's heart. Luckily, Mickey, Riku and Axel — who's now a good guy — arrive in time to halt the 'Norting. As the heroes make off with Sora, Master Xehanort assures them they've only delayed the inevitable, and that they'll find a thirteenth somehow.

The Climax Of The Plan: Kingdom Hearts III

Who are the Seven Guardians of Light?

It's now a race against time. The good guys have no choice but to amass their seven to face the thirteen, reasoning that if they don't, the Organization will just go after the princesses again. There's no stopping the Book's inevitable prophecy, so might as well have a crack at defeating Xehanort, eh?

Sora, fresh off his attempted 'Norting, is the first. Riku, Axel and Mickey come next. A quick trip into the Realm of Darkness nets them Aqua; who Mickey, somewhat infuriatingly, had forgotten about until now. Luckily, she's none the worse for wear. Aqua pops over to the Land of Departure and recovers Ventus, whose heart returns to him from Sora, making a nice chunky six.

The seventh is where things get tricky. There's no guarantee that they'd be able to recover Terra anytime soon, given that his body is literally working for the other side in the form of Terra-Xehanort, so they need to improvise. It's Kairi's time to shine, at last. As one of the Princesses of Heart, she has the innate ability to wield a Keyblade. Problem solved. Game on, Xehanort.

What happens in Kingdom Hearts 3?

Sora spends a good deal of the threequel training to unlock not only his own potential, but also the 'power of waking' needed to resuscitate Ventus. As we've already mentioned, that works out pretty swell. With the seven amassed, and the Organization now boasting they've found a thirteenth, the Keyblade War is afoot.

Xehanort erects a gigantic labyrinth in the ancient Keyblade Graveyard, and challenges each of the seven to do battle with his comrades, one at a time. With every victory the heroes notch over the thirteen, they're ticking the χ-blade ever closer to completion – but they have no choice.

Eventually, it's revealed the Organization's final member is Xion, who they rebuilt sans her memories. The sight of Axel and Roxas, who's revived thanks to the efforts of the good guys, reignites her personality, and she sides with the guardians. Likewise, Aqua and Ventus are able to reach Terra's heart inside Terra-Xehanort, and he too is revived.

How does the χ-blade get forged?

It isn't enough, however. The χ-blade is now one final clash away from being forged, and there are only two warriors left who have yet to fight: Sora and Master Xehanort. Sora says he won't do it; screw the prophecy, he isn't dooming everyone.

Alas, Xehanort has insurance. Grabbing Kairi, he straight-up murders her. She's dead, cold, in the ground, bereft of life. And Sora snaps. With a single swipe of his Keyblade, he strikes Master Xehanort once, and the deal is done. The final piece of the χ-blade emerges, and Xehanort begins to unlock Kin🏅gdom Hearts. All seems lost.

How does Xehanort's scheme end?

Sora, Donald and Goofy are left with one route: take out Xehanort himself. Leaping into Kingdom Hearts — the inside of which manifests as somewhere relevant to the one who summoned it; for Xehanort it appears as Scala ad Caelum — a long, multi-stage final showdown ensues. While that's going on, the other guardians work from the outside to fend off Xehanort's remaining forces.

In the end, the power of friendship prevails, and Sora strikes a decisive blow against Xehanort. The elderly man is stubborn, though, and won't give up – until his old friend appears. The spirit of Eraqus, who had been resting inside Terra all this time, materialises and talks Xehanort down. It's time to call it quits, he says; though Xehanort's ambitions might have been in service of a 'greater good', all they did was bring strife and suffering to the younger generation they were meant to protect.

After a moment's reflection, Xehanort concedes, bequeathing the χ-blade to Sora and urging him to use it as he sees fit to shape a new world. Finally at peace, Xehanort passes on, his spirit joining with Eraqus' as they ascend. It's over.

The End And A New Beginning

How does the Dark Seeker Saga wrap up?

All our major players resume their lives, the ꦫthreat of Xehanort repelled. Terra, Aqua and Ventus head off to new horizons. Namine, Roxas and Xion come to live on the Destiny Islands, finally free to be their own selves. Ansem the Wise resumes his research with his old apprentices, who are human once again. Things are dandy.

But for Sora, there's still the matter of Kairi. She's... well, she's dead. And he can't have that. In spite of a prior warning from Young Xehanort that abusing time travel to save a life comes with a price, he does it anyway. Via the game's DLC campaign, he turns back the clock and reassembles Kairi's shattered heart, restoring her in the present. As a consequence, Sora fades slowly from existence, after one last sunset evening with Kairi – leading directly into Kingdom Hearts 4.

What is Xehanort's legacy?

Xehanort is often regarded as one of the finest villains in gaming fiction. His build-up is sublime. First you meet his Heartless, then his Nobody, then at last the man himself as his scheme finally clicks together. He's an encroaching, ever-present threat, and despite the convoluted writing of the series, if you pay attention his plan is extremely meticulously planned. Kingdom Hearts, against all odds, tells a captivating narrative.

He's also wonderfully charismatic. A series of legendary actors, including Nimoy, Christopher Lloyd and Rutger Hauer, have brought him to life over the years, making him that special concoction: a crook you love to hate, and hate yourself for loving. In other words? He's the perfect Disney villain. Time will tell if the antagonist of the Lost Masters Saga will measure up.

Next: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Ent✱ire Kingdom Hearts Timeline, Explained