Organization XIII

Organization XIII (XIII機関) is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called "Nobodies".

The Organization was originally introduced in the bonus trailer of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]", where their Japanese name was translated as the "Thirteenth Order". The group was later introduced as the "Organization" in the game Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, where they serve as the main antagonists, and returns in the same role in Kingdom Hearts II. Organization XIII is prominently featured in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as characters available for play, along with a new, female member named Xion. Several members, prior to becoming Nobodies, appear in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and return following their restoration in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

The group was moderately well received by reviewers. Comments focused on their difficulty as adversaries and mysterious nature which fueled expectations of future titles. Roxas specifically received press comments, focused on his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II.

Concept and creation
The Organization XIII characters were created by Tetsuya Nomura, director of the series, and other members of his development staff. The concept began with Xemnas as the first member and Roxas as the last. Each member's name is an anagram of their name prior to becoming a Nobody, with the letter "X" added to it. The emblem associated with the Nobodies and Organization XIII was designed to look like a splintered heart as a complement to the Heartless emblem. In terms of good and evil, Nomura tried to portray the characters ambiguously. Throughout the development of the games, Nomura has often left certain events related to and connections between the Organization XIII characters—along with the series' other characters—unexplained until the release of sequels; he feels that games should have room for fans to speculate and use their imagination.

In Chain of Memories, the staff had several of the Organization's members defeated as part of the plot. For Kingdom Hearts II, Nomura intended to allow players to fight these members again at the Coliseum. This idea, however, was dropped due to time constraints. Instead, the characters were included in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix along with the rest of the members as data-based versions in separate optional boss fights and in a new location. Since the battles were optional, the difficulty levels of the fights was increased and the Chain of Memories-exclusive characters were given previously unseen powers. After working with the first game, Nomura gained interest in mushroom Heartless, most of which served to gain rare items in the title. This interest continued during the development of Kingdom Hearts II. He intended to add new variants in the game, but was unable to do so due to time constraints. Consequently, they are featured in the Final Mix release as the "Mushroom XIII", thirteen Heartless wearing black cloaks that also mimic traits of the Organization XIII members. For 358/2 Days, the developers believed the Organization and its large number of characters was a good fit for the intended multiplayer gameplay. Once the group was decided to be a central part of the gameplay, the staff felt Roxas's role as a member would be a suitable theme for the plot. In Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it is revealed that the "X" that is added to their names is derived from the concept of the χ-blade, an extremely powerful Keyblade that has the ability to directly unlock Kingdom Hearts. Several members appear in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, having regained their hearts following the destruction of their Heartless and Nobodies. However, two of the restored members joined the new Organization XIII.

Members
Prior to the first game in the series, the six former disciples of Ansem the Wise became Heartless and their Nobodies created the Organization. Members are numbered in the order in which they joined, with Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort, numbered one as their leader. Each member is given a cloak made of a special material that allows them to pass through the Corridors of Darkness into other worlds safely without being attacked by the Heartless there. Members are given titles indicating both their role in Organization XIII and their personality, as well as their own breed of lesser Nobodies to control, usually suited to their fighting style and unique themed powers. As Nobodies, they lack emotion and morality, and are unable to feel guilt and remorse for their actions. However, most of the members' personalities are based from what memories they have of their original selves. About half of the members were introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, with the remaining members introduced in Kingdom Hearts II. In Chain of Memories, the series' protagonist Sora and his friends Donald Duck and Goofy are led to a mysterious fortress called Castle Oblivion by members of the Organization, who intend to turn Sora into their pawn by manipulating his memories. Sora's friend Riku also arrives at Castle Oblivion, but in the basement where he encounters other Organization members. Sora and Riku traverse the levels of the castle to reach the top, fighting and defeating several members along the way. By Kingdom Hearts II, the actions of Sora and Riku, along with Roxas' resignation, reduce the Organization to seven members, who seek to use the power of Kingdom Hearts to become complete beings.

The events of the game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance reveal that the true purpose of Organization XIII's formation is for Master Xehanort, the true incarnation of Xemnas' human form, to place pieces of his own heart into the bodies of its other members, effectively transforming them into clones of Xehanort so he may use their hearts to recreate the χ-blade. They also reveal that Nobodies such as those in the Organization are capable of developing hearts of their own over time, but are deceived by Xemnas into thinking they lack hearts so they can cooperate with his plans. Though the agenda was not realized for various reasons, a new Organization XIII was founded by recruiting not only the original selves of previous Organization members (Isa and Braig) but also induct various incarnations of Xehanort himself like Xemnas and "Ansem".

Xemnas
Xemnas (ゼムナス) is the Nobody of Xehanort, also known as "The Superior of the In-Between" (狭間の指導者). The character's name is based on Xehanort's alias, "Ansem". Xemnas is the leader of the Organization and the primary villain of Kingdom Hearts II. He controls Sorcerer Nobodies, and fights with "ethereal blades"—beams of light he generates from his palms—called "Interdiction" (フォービドゥン). The character can manipulate nothingness to phase through solid matter and manifest energy-based shields and projectiles. The character first appeared in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix as an optional boss labeled "Unknown" (謎の男), testing Sora's abilities. Xemnas is voiced by Norio Wakamoto and Paul St. Peter in the Japanese and English releases of the series, respectively.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Xemnas initially appears in Roxas's recollection of meeting him on his sixth day as an Organization member. His plan is to increase the power of Kingdom Hearts by having Sora destroy Heartless, releasing the hearts inside them. At the World That Never Was, Xemnas waits for the completion of Kingdom Hearts until Ansem the Wise attempts to digitally contain its power. Other than his agenda of becoming one with Kingdom Hearts to transcend into a higher state of being, Xemnas has another goal—to reach the Chamber of Wakening for reasons none of the other Organization members know. However, Ansem's machine overloads and explodes, sending him into the Realm of Darkness and damaging Kingdom Hearts. After Sora refuses to aid him in restoring Kingdom Hearts, Xemnas uses what is left of Kingdom Hearts' power to take on a new form to fight Sora's party. Though Xemnas is thought to be defeated, he separates Sora and Riku from the others to attack them. However, the two defeat Xemnas and he fades into darkness, eventually reforming Master Xehanort. In Dream Drop Distance, Xemnas reappears as a member of the newly formed Organization XIII led by Master Xehanort. He reveals the original Organization's true purpose to Sora, as well as his manipulation of its other members into believing they do not have hearts to earn their cooperation.

Xigbar
Xigbar (シグバール), the "Freeshooter" (魔弾の射手), is the second member of Organization XIII. His original self was named Braig (ブライグ), a man with a profound interest for the Keyblade who allied himself with Master Xehanort. He has a scar on the left side of his face and an eyepatch over his right eye, receiving both during a battle against Terra shown in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Xigbar controls Sniper Nobodies, and attacks with a pair of rayguns, classified as "arrowguns", called Sharpshooter (シャープシューターShāpushūtā), which can be combined to form a sniper rifle. Xigbar can also manipulate space to teleport himself, warp his bullets, and levitate in battle. The character is voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka and James Patrick Stuart in Japanese and English respectively.

Xigbar confronts Sora various times during Kingdom Hearts II until he reaches the World That Never Was, where he confuses him by calling him Roxas and cryptically mentioning his three predecessors. Xigbar fights Sora's party and fades into darkness after they defeat him, refusing to clarify the mystery of "Roxas" to Sora. During Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Xigbar shows interest in Roxas and drops several hints about his true nature. He finds out about the Replica Project much sooner than most of the members, and takes it upon himself to monitor Xion, smirking over how she assumes the form of Ventus from his perspective as she leaves the Organization. In Birth by Sleep, Braig is familiar with the original Master Xehanort, joining forces with him. He is also one the first of Radiant Garden's residents to find Xehanort after he took over Terra's body and lost his memories. Because of this, he is the only Organization member who knows Xemnas' true intentions, but believes he will fail at becoming one with Kingdom Hearts. Xigbar's defeat led to the return of Braig in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, where he continued working for Master Xehanort by becoming a member of his new Organization. The events of Dream Drop Distance additionally reveal Xigbar to have been one of the few members of the Organization who is fully aware and accepting of the group's true purpose, including his original self's gradual transformation into a clone of Xehanort.

Xaldin
Xaldin (ザルディン), the "Whirlwind Lancer" (旋風の六槍), is a Nobody that uses wind to manipulate his six lances, named Lindworm (竜牙閃), and to shield himself. Xaldin's lances can transform into a dragon-shaped contraption to attack opponents with whirlwinds. He controls the lance-wielding Dragoon Nobodies. Xaldin's original self was named Dilan (ディラン), a palace guard working under Ansem the Wise. Becoming a Nobody to be free of emotion, Xaldin understands the set backs of lacking a heart, but keeps a clear disdain towards people who follow their hearts, especially towards the Beast, who he becomes obsessed with as shown in 358/2 Days. Xaldin appears in Kingdom Hearts II where he primarily confronts Sora in the world Beast's Castle, where he attempts to manipulate the Beast's rage to create a powerful Nobody and Heartless. Sora's intervention forces him to steal the Beast's enchanted rose and kidnap Belle to stoke the Beast's rage. Prior to their final confrontation at the Beast's Castle, Xaldin clarifies that the Organization needs Kingdom Hearts to become complete beings. His plans fail when Belle escapes with the rose, and Xaldin is defeated by Sora and the Beast, fading to nothingness. As shown in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, his defeat results in the restoration of his human form. The character is voiced in Japanese by Yōsuke Akimoto and in English by David Dayan Fisher.

Vexen
Vexen (ヴィクセン) is a Nobody known as the "Chilly Academic" (いてつく学究). Vexen's original self is a scientist named Even (エヴェン), whose interest in studying Xehanort's memories results in him becoming a Nobody. Vexen can control ice and carries a large shield called Frozen Pride (フリーズプライド) in battle. The character first appeared in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, where Tatsuya Kando provided the voice for simple battle expressions. Vexen was included as an optional boss in the Japanese exclusive Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and was voiced by the late Nachi Nozawa. Nozawa also provided voice acting for dialogue in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. Vexen's English voice acting was done by Derek Stephen Prince.

As revealed in 358/2 Days, Vexen experiments with the creation of Replicas, the first of which is Xion. In Chain of Memories, Vexen occupies the basement of Castle Oblivion with Lexaeus and Zexion, who he sides with to prevent Marluxia's plan to overthrow the Organization, later being assigned to personally investigate Marluxia's intentions. He battles Riku in order to gather data to create a Replica of him, and allows Naminé to manipulate the Replica's memories to test Sora's worth. After the Replica fails to defeat Sora and Marluxia threatens to reveal the shortcoming to Xemnas, Vexen fights Sora himself and gives him a card to access Twilight Town in Castle Oblivion with the intention of revealing to Sora both Roxas' existence and Marluxia's plan. As a result, Marluxia declares Vexen a traitor and sends Axel to eliminate him, which Axel does by incinerating Vexen before he can reveal the truth to Sora, mainly to gain Marluxia's trust and prevent him from using Vexen's Replica research. Vexen's death, coupled with that of his unseen Heartless, leads to the restoration of Even as seen in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Lexaeus
Lexaeus (レクセウス) is one of the two members of the Organization in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories that only appears in Riku's story mode. He is also known as the "Silent Hero" (静かなる豪傑), and he employs a large axe-sword, Skysplitter (破天), which is able to break rocks and shake the area itself with his elemental power of earth and superhuman strength. Lexaeus' original form is a guard named Aeleus (エレウス), one of Ansem the Wise's assistants. The character was first voiced by Tatsuya Kando, who provided simple battle expressions for Chain of Memories. For the Japanese releases of Re:Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days, he was replaced by Fumihiko Tachiki, while Dave Boat voiced the character in the English releases.

During the events of Chain of Memories, Lexaeus and Zexion discover Marluxia's plans to overthrow the Organization by capturing and manipulating Sora, and decide to capture Riku and use him in the same fashion to counter Marluxia. When they believe that Sora might fall into Marluxia's grasp, Lexaeus confronts Riku directly, trying to convince him to open himself up to the power of the darkness in his heart. After Riku defeats him in the original Chain of Memories, Lexaeus uses the last of his strength to release all of the darkness within him to consume Riku. In Re:Chain of Memories, however, Riku is knocked unconscious by Lexaeus, only to be possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, who swiftly cuts Lexaeus down, the dying warrior lamenting his decision to battle Riku. Lexaeus's demise leads to the revival of Aeleus, as seen in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Zexion
Zexion (ゼクシオン), also known as the "Cloaked Schemer" (影歩む策士), uses his power of illusion to mimic others' weapons, disguise himself as others, and create duplicates of himself. He uses a lexicon, the Book of Retribution (裁きの書), as his weapon. His original form is Ienzo (イエンツォ), a silent young orphan who is taken in by Ansem as one of Ansem's apprentices after his parents' deaths, and suggests the creation of an underground laboratory for their research on the heart. Prior to Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Zexion's weapon and powers were not revealed because Nomura was unsure if they would be revealed later. Nomura decided to keep them a secret, and the development team depicted the character's gravestone in the World That Never Was that would have shown his weapon as destroyed. The character's voice actors are Akira Ishida for the Japanese game releases and Vince Corazza for the English releases.

Zexion is one of two Organization members who only appear in Riku's story mode in Chain of Memories. Zexion initially plans to use Riku against Marluxia and his co-conspirators, but sees Riku to be of no use after Sora defeats Marluxia and attempts to destroy him. Using the card created by Axel from Sora's memories, Zexion draws Riku into a simulation of Destiny Islands where he torments the Riku with his guilt over the islands being destroyed. He then assumes the guise of Sora and attacks Riku, engulfing him in light. However, Naminé—disguised as Kairi—intervenes to convince Riku to accept both light and darkness. With newfound confidence, Riku overpowers Zexion, causing him to retreat. Afterward, Axel determines that Zexion "knows too much", and brings the Riku Replica to Zexion, convincing the Replica that he can become "real" by gaining power that the real Riku does not have, which he does by killing Zexion and taking his power as his own. His death leads to the revival of an adult Ienzo, as seen in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Saïx
Saïx (サイクス), also known as the "Luna Diviner" (月に舞う魔人), is a Nobody with an X-shaped facial scar who can assume a berserker state of mind by using moonlight. Wielding a claymore called Lunatic (ルナティック), he commands the Beserker Nobodies who wield weapons similar to his. His original self is named Isa (アイザ), a resident of Radiant Garden and a former friend of Lea's, Axel's original self. Saïx joins the Organization around the same time as Axel but, lacking the care-free personality and morals his original self had, uses Axel to become Xemnas' second in command, and feels betrayed when Axel befriends Roxas, putting his plan to get leverage over Xemnas on hold. Saïx appears completely void of emotion and completely embraces his status as a Nobody, yet continually reflects on previously having a heart. The character's Japanese voice actor is Ginpei Sato, while the English voice is provided by Kirk Thornton.

During Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, Saïx assigns missions to the other Organization members. He is also assigned by Xemnas to oversee the progress of Xion, and is the one to discover Marluxia's plans to betray the Organization with Larxene, sending Axel to eliminate them. Towards the end of the game, he attacks Roxas when he attempts to leave the Organization, only to lose to the younger Nobody. In Kingdom Hearts II, Saïx appears before Sora in Twilight Town to stir unrest in him by warning him of Axel's intention to turn him into a Heartless. He later appears after Sora defeats the Heartless army at Hollow Bastion, where he explains Sora's purpose in the Organization's plans, and reveals to him that the Organization are holding Kairi hostage, Saïx having kidnapped her from Axel earlier, to ensure Sora keeps destroying Heartless for them. Saïx fights Sora on the latter's climb through the Castle That Never Was, using the moonlight from Kingdom Hearts to assume a beserker state, but Sora defeats him and he fades into darkness while pining for Kingdom Hearts to give him his heart back. Saïx's defeat led to the return of Isa in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, where he becomes a member of Master Xehanort's new Organization.

Axel
Axel (アクセル), the "Flurry of Dancing Flames" (おどる火の風), is a Nobody introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. His original self is named Lea (リア), and was originally friends with Isa before he became Saïx. Much like his original self, Axel wishes to achieve his own ideal of immortality by having everyone he comes in contact with remember him, saying the phrase "Got it memorized?" on multiple occasions. Entrusted to deal with Organization traitors, Axel controls the Assassin Nobodies, and fights with a pair of "chakrams" called "Eternal Flames" (エターナルフレイム) and fire manipulation. Axel is assigned to Castle Oblivion during the events of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, pretending to join with Larxene and Marluxia in their plan to seize control of the Organization. He kills Vexen to gain their trust, but finds himself confronting Sora while Marluxia uses Namine as a shield. Nomura designed Axel based on a similar concept as Reno from Final Fantasy VII; Nomura wanted to see what it would be like to have a similar character in a different role and world. The character is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara in the Japanese release of the games, while Quinton Flynn provided the voice for English releases.

During Kingdom Hearts II, Axel is ordered by the Organization to capture their lost member Roxas who was also his friend. Roxas refuses to return with him and ends defeating him before merging with Sora. Axel later begins acting on his own and kidnaps Kairi, but Saïx takes her under Xemnas's orders. Axel later finds Sora in a pathway to the World That Never Was and chooses to fight the Nobodies with him. Outnumbered, Axel performs a suicide attack to save Sora, and using the last of his strength to open the entrance to the World That Never Was. When asked what he was trying to do, Axel admits he wanted to see Roxas.

While acting as Roxas's mentor in the first half of 358/2 Days, he befriends the new Nobody as well as the other new member, Xion, eventually learning that Xion is an imperfect replica of Sora created by Xemnas. Upon learning the truth, Axel reluctantly hides it from Roxas while being forced in hunting down Xion when she attempts to leave the Organization. After Roxas abandons the Organization, Axel recaptures Xion, refusing to let her sacrifice herself.

Axel makes a cameo in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep on Twilight Town's clock tower along with Roxas and Xion. The scene is explored in Kingdom Hearts coded, revealing that Axel is connected to Sora's heart. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Axel's death is shown to have revived Lea, who spends the game searching for Braig and Isa. In doing so, he becomes an ally of Sora and his companions, rescuing Sora from the newly formed Organization. By the end of the game, Lea reveals himself to have become a Keyblade Wielder.

Demyx
Demyx (デミックス) is the Organization's reconnaissance agent who is also referred to as the "Melodious Nocturne" (夜想のしらべ). He is a slacker who would rather play his sitar "Arpeggio" (アルペジオ) than go on missions, especially those that require him to perform physical labor. He is a smooth liar as he tricks Roxas into working in his place every time they are sent on missions together. Though he admits he is not much of a fighter, Demyx has power over water, using it to create duplicates of himself. He also has control over the Dancer Nobodies. Demyx is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura and Ryan O'Donohue in the Japanese and English versions of the series, respectively.

Soon after appearing in Kingdom Hearts II at Hollow Bastion with the other Organization XIII members, he is assigned to look over Sora's progress in the Organization's plan, much to his chagrin. Demyx confronts Sora in the Underworld of Olympus Coliseum, stealing a medallion called the Olympus Stone to protect him from the Underworld's energy-reducing curse. After attempting to talk to Roxas through Sora, Demyx pits him against his water copies, and leaves after losing. Demyx later crosses paths with the protagonists again at Hollow Bastion, and battles them after they enrage him by mocking his nature as a Nobody, but is defeated and fades into darkness. In his first chronological appearance in 358/2 Days, Demyx reluctantly participates in the missions Saix assigns to him out of fear of what Xemnas could do to him.

Luxord
Luxord (ルクソード) is a Nobody also known as the "Gambler of Fate" (運命を賭す者). He controls the Gambler Nobodies, can transform Sora into a card or a die and uses a deck of cards called "Fair Game" (フェアゲーム) as offensive and defensive weapons. Luxord also has power over time, which he uses to force his opponents to play timed games. Luxord speaks formally and often suggests rhetorical questions. The character is voiced by Jouji Nakata in Japanese and Robin Atkin Downes in English.

His next appearance was in Kingdom Hearts II, where he reveals himself at Port Royal and revives the curse of the Aztec gold to create a Heartless, indirectly cursing Jack Sparrow in the process. Sora later frees Jack from the curse, but Luxord escapes without fighting Sora and his party. At the World That Never Was, Luxord traps Sora's companions in his cards, leaving Sora to fight alone in a game-like battle, but is defeated and fades into darkness, asking "Roxas" why he attacked him. Luxord appears 358/2 Days, where he assists Roxas in various missions on Wonderland. Like most of the surviving members, he does not know about the Replica Project and Xion's origin until late in the game. Shortly after, he laments his subordination to the Organization to Roxas.

Marluxia
Marluxia (マールーシャ) is lord of Castle Oblivion and the main antagonist of Sora's story in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Also known as the "Graceful Assassin" (優雅なる凶刃), he uses a scythe called Graceful Dahlia (優美なるダリア) and has control over rose petals to attack. Tatsuya Kando provided simple battle expressions in the Japanese and English releases of Chain of Memories. Shūichi Ikeda took over voice acting for the Japanese releases of Re:Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days. Keith Ferguson provided the voice in the English releases.

In Chain of Memories, Marluxia lures Sora to Castle Oblivion so Naminé can manipulate Sora's memories as part of his plan to take over the Organization, giving Sora a set of cards allowing him to proceed through the castle. Marluxia assigns Axel to eliminate Vexen to prevent him from revealing the conspiracy to Sora. After kidnapping Naminé in the aftermath of Larxene's death, Marluxia is confronted by Axel, who attempts to kill Marluxia for conspiring against the Organization. However, Marluxia uses Naminé to have Sora fight Axel for him. After Axel's defeat, Marluxia orders Naminé to erase Sora's memories so he can rebuild Sora into his pawn, but she refuses. Marluxia engages Sora using an illusion of himself, but Sora finds the real Marluxia fused to a massive cloaked Nobody and defeats him. Marluxia makes a minor appearance in 358/2 Days, training Roxas before he leaves for Castle Oblivion.

Larxene
Larxene (ラクシーヌ), also known as the "Savage Nymph" (非情の妖姫), was first introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories where she conspired with Marluxia to overthrow Organization XIII. Larxene wields a set of knives called Foudre (エクレール), the French word for lightning, and uses the power of electricity to fight. The character was first voiced by Rieko Katayama in Chain of Memories. Yuko Miyamura took over the role for the Japanese releases of Re:Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days, while Shanelle Workman provided her voice in the two titles' English releases.

She first meets Sora in Chain of Memories and helps manipulate his memories by causing him to remember Naminé's name. She then fights him and gives him new cards to access more areas of Castle Oblivion. After she discovers Axel's betrayal and sees that Marluxia's plans have fallen apart, she decides to reveal her and Marluxia's plans to Sora with the intention of killing him. However, Donald and Goofy arrive to assist Sora, and the three defeat Larxene, who fades into darkness. Larxene makes a minor appearance in 358/2 Days, reluctantly training Roxas before she leaves for Castle Oblivion.

Roxas
Roxas (ロクサス) is the Nobody of Sora. Xemnas finds him in Twilight Town and gives him the epithet, "Key of Destiny" (めぐりあう鍵), using him to gather hearts for the Organization. Roxas first appeared in "Another Side, Another Story", a bonus trailer found in Kingdom Hearts, and is mentioned in several cryptic comments made by other Organization members in Chain of Memories. Prior to the release of Kingdom Hearts II, screenshots and video showed Roxas without an Organization coat, in a black outfit with a white jacket and light brown pants. Roxas controls Samurai Nobodies and initially uses the Kingdom Key, the primary form of the Keyblade, in battle. He can manipulate the power of light to augment his physical attacks and create energy-based melee weapons and barriers. After Xion's sacrifice, Roxas gains the ability to wield two Keyblades, which the form of the Oblivion and Oathkeeper, symbolizing Sora's bond to Riku and Kairi. Roxas' time in Organization XIII is further explored in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, where he acts as the main protagonist and player character. The character's voice actors are Kōki Uchiyama and Jesse McCartney in Japanese and English respectively.

Xion
Xion (シオン) is a new member introduced in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. She was first shown in trailers and demonstrations for 358/2 Days. She was first believed to have been Naminé, but Nomura later informed the press that it was a different character. Like Roxas, she wields the Keyblade in its Kingdom Key form, and uses a fighting style identical to Roxas'. She forges a friendship with Roxas and Axel during her time in the Organization. Later in the game, it is revealed that she is a replica created from Sora's memories, and is thus not technically a member of Organization XIII or even a real Nobody. Her name is derived from the name "No. i", where i represents an imaginary number, foreshadowing her non-existence in Organization XIII. The character's voice actors are Risa Uchida in Japanese and Alyson Stoner in English.

Reception
The obscure nature of the Organization's activities throughout Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II have led reviewers to describe them as an "ominous" group that "seems to be intent on guiding Sora and his friends to accomplish some dark purpose". Similarly, Rice Burner of GamePro emphasizes this plot when reviewing the group's debut, noting how the "strange inhabitants of the castle trap our heroes" and "force Sora on a ponderous journey into his own memories to face his subconscious thoughts and fears". This mysterious perception is furthered by the fact that some members of Organization XIII present themselves as dark silhouettes with their faces covered, acting as an "enigmatic robed and cowled figure speaking in riddles". These interrogatives surrounding the group have created expectation; Andrew Reiner of Game Informer included "What secret lies behind Organization XIII?" as one of the main questions that are answered and that serve as plot devices in Kingdom Hearts II, creating situations that "certainly give you shivers and make your heart leap". Visually, the artwork of Organization XIII's members is based more on the styles of Final Fantasy rather than those of Disney. Bethany Massimilla of GameSpot referred to their models as "very much cut from the Final Fantasy spiky-haired cloth".

While writing BradyGames' Kingdom Hearts II strategy guide, Beth Hollinger, Matt Berner, David Cassady and Grag Sepelak reviewed the role of Organization XIII's members as adversaries. Both Axel and Demyx were described as providing easier battles during their first encounters. The ones found later in the game were regarded as more difficult enemies, as is the case with Xaldin, Xigbar, and Saïx, the first of which were described as "tough" and "tricky" opponents respectively, while the ferocity of Saïx's "Berserk" attack was noted.<ref name=348-349 Luxord's battle was considered one that "brings something new to the table", mostly based on the unique use of a "Time" parameter instead of the common system based on "Health Points". The various battles against Xemnas gathered different points of interest; during the first one, the writer praises the "Facedown" Reaction Command, while the final battle’s focus is on its difficulty and the need of constantly using Reaction Commands to switch between Riku and Sora. GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd noted in a preview of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, that Xigbar's ranged magic proved helpful while fighting as an ally along Roxas.

Individually, the members of Organization XIII have received varied receptions. Jeff Haynes of IGN felt that Roxas was a "likable kid", Ron Fahey of Eurogamer concurred calling him a "likeable enough young chap who just happens to be troubled by memories and visions of people he doesn't even know". His playable involvement in the game was regarded as a transitional arc, being used to introduce the gameplay players that are new to the franchise. Fahey also considered it a good introduction, as it lets the player become familiar with the basic elements in a manner that "isn't a bad way at all of setting the scene for the game". However, Reiner emphasizes his role as a "troubled boy", calling his story arc "an amazing chain of events", particularly noting that the revelation of his nature as a Nobody creates a "devilish yet remarkable plot twist" which may impact the player in a way that he "may not want Sora back". The introduction of Xion in trailers for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, created expectation, particularly based on the facts that her face could not be distinguished and that she wields a keyblade. In the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards, the magazine's readers voted Xion the "Best New Character" of the year.