Apprentice Xehanort Developed a Third Personality

Xehanort’s amnesia is a source of controversy. When he turned Ansem’s apprentices into Heartless, Braig demanded to know if he never lost his memories at all. However, there is more evidence to suggest he really did.

In fact, Ansem’s apprentice Xehanort might have developed a third personality independent of Master Xehanort and Terra during that time.

First, let’s consider his eyes.

Eye color is significant in Kingdom Hearts, especially when it comes to Xehanort. Xehanort has yellow eyes, and when he possessed Terra, his eye color went with him.

So why does Apprentice Xehanort have brown eyes?

Terra-Xehanort had yellow eyes. It isn’t a sign that Terra took control, either, because Terra has blue eyes. And Eraqus’s eyes are gray, so no heart in this mix should lead to brown eyes.

Now, in between yellow-eyed Terranort and brown-eyed Xehanort, he stabbed himself in the heart with his Keyblade again. This is most likely what led to his amnesia. In an attempt to get rid of Terra, Master Xehanort tried to lock his heart heart away and seemingly locked them both away.

But the change didn’t occur right away. Xehanort is found by Ansem in Radiant Garden with yellow eyes.

He was in bad shape, but he gave his name as Xehanort. However, by the time he recovers and speaks to Braig in the hallway of Ansem’s lab, he has lost both his yellow eyes and his memories.

If his eyes don’t belong to Xehanort or Terra or even Eraqus, in a series where eye color is connected to the person’s heart, this Apprentice Xehanort might be a separate individual.

So, amnesiac Xehanort became Ansem the Wise’s apprentice and everything went smoothly until Ansem decided to conduct an experiment on his heart.

If I explore Xehanort’s heart with psychological tests, I may be able to recall the past locked away within.

Xehanort volunteered to be the test subject, which again suggests he legitimately lost his memories. And apparently it worked, because then everything went wrong. After Ansem helped Xehanort regain his memories, the apprentices started conducting dangerous experiments and Xehanort recorded their progress in a series of reports written under Ansem’s name.

Did the experiment work?

The false “Ansem’s Reports” written by Xehanort sound like he was somewhere in between. Some of his original (Master Xehanort) personality had awoken, but he still didn’t remember everything.

Finally, there’s that strange scene with Braig to consider.

Xehanort’s behavior in this scene is extremely erratic. He’s staring up at the ceiling when it starts, which calls to mind Terra-Xehanort’s behavior when Aqua encountered him. Are his hearts in conflict again here?

Braig’s shout draws his attention, and he looks over at the bodies of Even and Ienzo. He’s clearly already attacked them. As Braig demands an explanation, Xehanort summons his Keyblade. But why didn’t he already have it out? Why did he put it away after striking down Even and Ienzo?

Braig questions whether he regained his memory or never lost it at all, but then comes the strangest part of the scene.

That’s not my name. I’m not Xehanort. My name… is Ansem.

He can summon Master Xehanort’s Keyblade, but he insists his name is Ansem, the name he stole from Ansem the Wise. Who is he at this point? He doesn’t seem like Xehanort, but he’s not Terra either.

Unfortunately, the entire scene is presented from a first-person perspective, so we can’t see his eyes. Nevertheless, his strange reaction is yet another sign that Apprentice Xehanort has an identity (and personality) separate from those of the hearts within him. In a series where Nobodies and even Replicas can develop independent identities, this might be important.

What do you think? Did Apprentice Xehanort really have amnesia? Did he regain Master Xehanort’s memories? Why does he call himself Ansem at the end? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags: apprentice xehanort, terra-xehanort, xehanort