Zexion

Zexion (ゼクシオン, Zekushion), the Cloaked Schemer (影歩む策士, Kageayumu Sakushi; lit. Shadow-Walking Schemer), is the Nobody of Ienzo and is Rank VI in Organization XIII and an antagonist in Riku's storyline in Chain of Memories. 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 Re:Chain of Memories, Zexion's weapon was revealed to be a book called a Lexicon.

Zexion appeared in Kingdom Keymasters: Chain of Memories as a participant in the struggle within the Organization between the newer and veteran members. He is also central to the plot to use Riku as a puppet in Castle Oblivion. Zexion also appears in 358/2 Days, as one of the playable characters in Mission Mode.

"Then I shall make you see... That your hopes are nothing. Nothing but a mere illusion!"
 * —Zexion to Riku.

Appearance

 * Voice actor: Vincent Corazza (English), Akira Ishida (Japanese), Not Known (French), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (German), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (Latin Spanish), Not Known (Dutch), Not Known (Portuguese), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (China), Not Known (Hong Kong), Not Known (Polish), Not Known (Russian), Not Known (Swedish), Not Known (Brazilian Portuguese)

Appearance
Despite being one of the Organization's founding members, Zexion physically appears to be among the younger members, and is certainly one of the smallest in stature (save for Roxas). He wears the signature black Organization cloak, boots, and gloves, though his cloak's sleeves are slightly bell-shaped. Zexion has bright aqua colored eyes, though only his left one is clearly visible, the right one being covered by his long, layered bangs.

His steel-blue hair (appearing more grey in the Gameboy version of Kingdom Keymasters: Chain of Memories) sports messy bangs that completely cover 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 quite a bit shorter than the front.


 * Hair Color: Steel-Blue/Gray
 * Skin Color: Not Known
 * Eye Color: Bright Aqua
 * Age: Not Known
 * Height: Not Known
 * Weight: Not Known

Personality
Easily the most enigmatic member of Organization XIII, Zexion is sometimes seen smirking or grinning, something he and Larxene share. Unlike the other members, he conducts his tasks in a veil of secrecy. Zexion also holds a fondness for literature, the arts, and 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 Keymasters 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. In addition, it can be noted that he is very loyal to the Organization and it is reflected in his work ethic and quality, as seen during some instances in 358/2 Days.

His weapon panel in the Proof of Existence is shattered in Kingdom Keymasters II, but it is revealed in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories that his weapon is, in fact, a Lexicon, which attacks through a flurry of pages and trapping people within it. 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.

Zexion stands out in Kingdom Keymasters: 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". Zexion also takes his missions seriously (In contrast to Demyx or Xigbar, who do not).

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, as he is the mastermind for the plot chronicled in the Reverse/Rebirth storyline, which only failed through Axel's betrayal of both sides; Axel's betrayal of Marluxia, by releasing Naminé, caused a chain reaction, as it was Naminé, in the guise of Kairi, who assisted Riku in breaking free of Zexion's trap in the Destiny Islands, which caught Zexion off-guard. Immediately after, Axel himself appeared and had the Riku Replica kill Zexion.

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. This is further reinforced by an additional scene in 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.

Zexion to some appears to be emotionally distant, but this is not completely true. This is observed in his death. Upon Axel's dialogue with the Riku Replica, 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 Keymasters Re:Chain of Memories where it's 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.

Zexion also prefers not to fight his opponents directly. As shown by his attempts to deceive Riku, Zexion prefers to use his powers of illusion to manipulate his enemies rather than directly fight them.

Abilities
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 Keymasters Re: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Keymasters II Final Mix revealed his weapon as the Lexicon. Zexion can use his Lexicon to mimic the attacks of his enemies in Kingdom Keymasters 358/2 Days and in Kingdom Keymasters Re:Chain of Memories.

He is also seen to be able to change how he appears to others. In Kingdom Keymasters Re: Chain of Memories, he takes the form of Sora to taunt Riku in Destiny Islands. He envelopes Riku in light, thinking that he would drown into helplessness. After freeing himself, Riku strikes Zexion, causing his disguise to fade and revealing himself.

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

In Kingdom Keymasters 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 drains his HP. 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 spreads out through the island encased in blue flames. Each of those 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 Keymasters II Final Mix, Zexion returns as an optional boss. Zexion's fighting style is totally different; however, in the islands, his Absent Silhouette's only attack is to seemingly ensnare his prey in his lexicon, through use of illusion, causing them to hallucinate and physically feel any damage they believe they are taking. Once they have fallen victim to the illusion, they begin to see an area where lexicons float around, being conducted by Zexion, who makes himself appear as a lexicon himself to hide.

Only the reaction command, Dispel, used on Zexion after depleting his fake HP frees them from the hallucination. 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 creating another illusion, which causes the victim to see a pitch black room, 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 Keymasters Re:Chain of Memories Reverse/Rebirth.

In Kingdom Keymasters 358/2 Days, Zexion has a Limit Break called Meteor Mirage. During Meteor Mirage, Zexion and his open lexicon are brought into the air. While in the air, Zexion summons many balls of dark indigo energy to bomb the field, dealing a large amount of damage to enemies hit by the barrage. During the bombardment, Zexion cannot move around to hit enemies that are further away with the meteors but, if you press B, you can cancel the limit to run to a better position and then press A to resume the attack.

During Zexion's Final Limit, Zexion exerts more power into his lexicon for the attack. The meteors that he summons are larger and more plentiful, and crash down faster.

Also in 358/2 Days, during Mission 03 Zexion displays use of the Fire and Blizzara Panels.

Weapons
Zexion uses a book called a Lexicon, the Greek term for a dictionary. Its main form is named the Book of Retribution. It is unclear exactly what the pages contain, but from what can be seen, it tells some sort of story and lacks a basic dictionary layout. The cover displays three interconnected Nobody symbols. The back bears the outline of another Nobody logo. The spine of the book displays a Roman number six (VI), along with the title "Hallucination—Another Side", superimposed over yet another Nobody symbol.

Zexion has the power to seemingly trap people within the pages themselves, sending them to a different dimension where he can hide from them and attack. Although it is quite possible this is just a hallucination that his foes experience after looking into the green light emitted from the lexicon. He can also hide himself in the pages through use of illusion to make it appear he is actually inside them.

An accessory based off the lexicon called the "Shade Archive" can be synthesized in Kingdom Keymasters II Final Mix.