Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
from Square Enix
's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts
. She was introduced in the 2009 game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
as the newest and fourteenth member from the group Organization XIII
which is composed of Nobodies, beings created from people who lost their heart. In her time working for Organization XIII, Xion befriends Roxas
, another new member from the organization, as well as Axel. In contrast to her comrades, Xion does not bear memories from her original self and instead starts receiving memories from other people. This leads her to learn about her true nature as a replica of Sora
, the series' protagonist and Roxas' original self, as well as what she should do. Xion's character has been voiced by Risa Uchida
in Japanese, and Alyson Stoner
in English.
Xion was conceptualized during development of the game Kingdom Hearts II
in which the staff wanted to explain the reason why Roxas left Organization XIII. Additionally, the staff wanted to create a new member from the cartel but having a different nature from all the other members. While scenario writer Tomoko Tanemaki came up with the idea for her character, director Tetsuya Nomura
designed her. Xion's character has been well-received by video game publications due to her role in 358/2 Days as well as her relation with Roxas and Axel.
Although Xion does not appear in Kingdom Hearts coded
, she is mentioned as one of the people that, while gone, is connected to Sora's heart. Xion makes a cameo appearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
with Roxas and Axel, the three of them eating ice cream at the Station Tower in Twilight Town. Xion's role in 358/2 Days is also repraised in Shiro Amano
's manga and Tomoko Kanemaki's light novels adaptations from the game.
. Another meaning from the name is the flower which can be translated to "I won't forget you" or "remembrance." Kanemaki came up with the idea of Xion being a replica when writing the novel adaptations of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
in which a replica from Riku was introduced and she wished to expand that concept.
The revelation of her being the fourteenth member of the organization was meant to cause stir and reflected it in 358/2 Days with the dialogues from the character Saïx. Ever since the start of her creation, the staff already decided would have a deep connection with Kairi, and so based Xion on her but with a different hair color. Xion's black hair was requested by Kanemaki as she wanted Nomura to design black haired female character. However, when they made a design of her, her hair was changed, giving it a different style from Kairi's. Although Nomura pointed that Xion, Kairi and Namine had the same 3D polygon model's faces and differing only in their hairs, he stated that the three had individual personalities. The staff also wanted to bring confusion to fans to make them wonder if Xion was Kairi's Nobody, sharing not only physical similarities and musical themes, but also the same Japanese voice actor, Risa Uchida
.
Additionally, since the staff started writing the 358/2 Days, they thought it would be boring that all characters from Organization XIII were Nobodies and wanted Xion to be exception. As another mean to bring confusion to gamers, the staff made Xion's hood appear and disappear depending on which characters would look at her. This caused various misunderstandings in the making of the game to the point debuggers often asked Nomura if that was bug. Yukari Ishida, another scenario writer, commented that the staff had to explain h.a.n.d. about the reasons for Xion's hood as well as how it should work in the game. Ishida also pointed that first part of the game revolved around Xion and wanted her to have a quicker realization about herself than Roxas in order to later influence Roxas, and thus, go to the events of Kingdom Hearts II. Nomura later explained he made Xion to be a calm and pure girl, and wanted Aqua
, another female character introduced later, to contrast her personality. After trailers of 358/2 Days were shown, Xion was first believed to have been Naminé, but Nomura later informed the press that it was a different character. Nomura still pointed she would a key character and reason for the Organization being not named XIV despite her being the fourteenth member would be explained in the game. A Pinocchio
's chapter in the story was intended to add a sad mission focusing on Xion and Roxas "looking for hope for themselves" but such story was not added due to system-constraints.
's Hirohiko Niizumi particularly based on the facts that her face could not be distinguished and that she wields a Keyblade. Jeff Haynes from IGN
pointed a physical similarity between her and Kairi, and found her introduction to the Organization to be very significant for gamers who have played Kingdom Hearts II. Before Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released, 1UP.com
featured Xion second in their "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days" feature, wondering why the Organization was still named Organization XIII despite her addition as the fourteenth member. Jeremy Parish from the same site wondered about her possible death in the game, considering that she did not appear in the sequel Kingdom Hearts II. Her introduction has also been labeled as the main intrigue of 358/2 Days by IGN's Ryan Clements. Amanda L. Kondolojy from Cheat Code Central
agreed with Clements commenting that "the mystery behind her appearance is intriguing to say the least" and finding various similarities between her and Roxas. RPGamer
cited Xion as an important character to the Kingdom Hearts series despite noting she was not introduced in the series until its sixth installment and wondered if she would appear in Birth by Sleep. While also finding Xion as an important character to 358/2 Days, Gaming Age writer Dustin Chadwell did not want to comment too much about her to avoid spoiling the story, but still found it as "[the] Roxas' game".
G4TV found that Xion had a "familiar face" and thought ever since her introduction, there was conspiracy regarding her character. In contrast to G4TV, GamesRadar
's AJ Glasser did not find any similarity between her and other Kingdom Hearts characters, but like other writers, found her important to the game's plot. Her missions with Roxas were also commented by Glasser finding the events in which she receives new memories as "serious drama" and stated that players would like to complete the game to know at what moment she dies. Glasser later joked about the repeated scenes of the trio eating ice cream and then about Xion's identity crisis, finding it strange in real life. PALGN
's Adam Ghiggino noted her relation with Roxas and Axel, liking the evolution of their friendship as the game continues despite finding most scenes repetitive like Glasser. A similar response was made by Game Informer
, who commented that although such scenes were "dull", the relation was appealing and the game's ending would make up for such moments. While RPGFan's Ashton Liu found that while game's story elaborated very well their relation, but as the game reached its climax, he was confused about their developments. He also found Xion and the other members from Organization XIII besides Axel and Roxas as unappealing in contrast to previous characters featured in the series. 1UP's Alice Liang was disappointed in the small amount of missions in which Roxas works with Xion, leading most of Roxas' solo missions to feel like "lonely, sad affairs." In the 2009 Nintendo Power
Awards, the magazine's readers voted Xion the "Best New Character" of the year.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
. She was introduced in the 2009 game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
as the newest and fourteenth member from the group Organization XIII
Organization XIII
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 NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
which is composed of Nobodies, beings created from people who lost their heart. In her time working for Organization XIII, Xion befriends Roxas
Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. First revealed during the final scenes of the 2004 title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Roxas is a "Nobody", a being created when the series' main character Sora briefly lost his heart during the first game of the...
, another new member from the organization, as well as Axel. In contrast to her comrades, Xion does not bear memories from her original self and instead starts receiving memories from other people. This leads her to learn about her true nature as a replica of Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
, the series' protagonist and Roxas' original self, as well as what she should do. Xion's character has been voiced by Risa Uchida
Risa Uchida
is a Japanese voice actress.She was the Japanese voice of Kairi and Xion from the Kingdom Hearts series of games developed by Disney and Square Enix...
in Japanese, and Alyson Stoner
Alyson Stoner
Alyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
in English.
Xion was conceptualized during development of the game Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
in which the staff wanted to explain the reason why Roxas left Organization XIII. Additionally, the staff wanted to create a new member from the cartel but having a different nature from all the other members. While scenario writer Tomoko Tanemaki came up with the idea for her character, director Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
designed her. Xion's character has been well-received by video game publications due to her role in 358/2 Days as well as her relation with Roxas and Axel.
Appearances
Xion appears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as the newest member from Organization XIII. During her time with the Organization, Xion befriends the member Roxas who, like her, has the ability to summon the weapon Keyblade in contrast to other members. This allows her to capture hearts for the Organization's ambition. In later days, Xion loses such ability and is able to recover it when helped by Roxas and Axel, the latter also becoming one of her friends. However, while tracking down Riku, a teenager labelled as an impostor for wearing the same outfit from the Organization, and losing to him, Xion eventually questions the nature of existence as she experiences more memory from Sora. Xion later learns she is a creation from Organization XIII meant to replicate Roxas' powers and Riku tells her that her memories belong to Sora who has been put to sleep in order to recover them. However, due to Xion's existence, Sora is unable to wake up and Xion starts wondering what she should do as she wishes to be with Roxas and Axel. After being captured by Axel, Xion learns that Sora's memories are making her stronger while weakening Roxas. As the Organization plans to kill Roxas due to his weakened state, Xion decides to escape from the group. Managing to escape during a mission with Axel and Xigbar, she meets the Nobody Naminé, who is in charge of restoring Sora's lost memories. Naminé tells her that giving back Sora's memories would not only kill her but also all memory of her existence as well. However, Axel tracks Xion and takes her back to the castle, unwilling to let her die. As Axel falls unconscious after battling and capturing Xion, Xemnas, the organization's leader, takes her. The next day, Xion approaches Roxas who has also left the Organization and attacks him, forcing Roxas to fight back by threatening to absorb him so she can become the "real Sora". During the battle, Roxas defeats Xion who reveals that Xemnas once again wanted to use her to kill him. She then asks Roxas to free the hearts both of them captured for the Organization before dying in his arms, fading away. However, though erased from everyone's memories, some hint of Xion resides in the memories of Riku and Roxas, the former being requested by her to stop Roxas from fighting Xemnas. After Roxas loses consciousness against Riku, Xion assures him that she now exists through both him and Sora while promising that their time together will never be forgotten.Although Xion does not appear in Kingdom Hearts coded
Kingdom Hearts coded
is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phones. It is the fourth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and is set after the events of the Kingdom Hearts II. The story focuses on a message written in...
, she is mentioned as one of the people that, while gone, is connected to Sora's heart. Xion makes a cameo appearance at the end of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and Disney for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on September 7, 2010 and in Europe on September...
with Roxas and Axel, the three of them eating ice cream at the Station Tower in Twilight Town. Xion's role in 358/2 Days is also repraised in Shiro Amano
Shiro Amano
is a Japanese manga artist who has worked on several projects, including his adaptation on the popular Kingdom Hearts series.-Manga:* Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories* Kingdom Hearts II* Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days* Legend of Mana...
's manga and Tomoko Kanemaki's light novels adaptations from the game.
Creation and development
The idea of Xion's character was made during development of Kingdom Hearts II, game in which the staff showed Roxas leaving Organization XIII. They thought that such action was due to the influence of someone close to him and chose a female character from his own age. Therefore, they started expanded such ideas in order to build the story of 358/2 Days. The staff started to make her character starting with the reason of her existence in the story. Scenario writer Tomoko Kanemaki had the idea of her name, which convinced Tetsuya Nomura due to the several meanings it brought as well as Kanemaki's knowledge of the Kingdom Hearts series, being the writer of its light novels. Kanemaki explained various of the meanings of such as that it corresponded with the character as well as the word and an anagram of "X" and "No.i", the latter being an imaginary numberImaginary unit
In mathematics, the imaginary unit allows the real number system ℝ to be extended to the complex number system ℂ, which in turn provides at least one root for every polynomial . The imaginary unit is denoted by , , or the Greek...
. Another meaning from the name is the flower which can be translated to "I won't forget you" or "remembrance." Kanemaki came up with the idea of Xion being a replica when writing the novel adaptations of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
in which a replica from Riku was introduced and she wished to expand that concept.
The revelation of her being the fourteenth member of the organization was meant to cause stir and reflected it in 358/2 Days with the dialogues from the character Saïx. Ever since the start of her creation, the staff already decided would have a deep connection with Kairi, and so based Xion on her but with a different hair color. Xion's black hair was requested by Kanemaki as she wanted Nomura to design black haired female character. However, when they made a design of her, her hair was changed, giving it a different style from Kairi's. Although Nomura pointed that Xion, Kairi and Namine had the same 3D polygon model's faces and differing only in their hairs, he stated that the three had individual personalities. The staff also wanted to bring confusion to fans to make them wonder if Xion was Kairi's Nobody, sharing not only physical similarities and musical themes, but also the same Japanese voice actor, Risa Uchida
Risa Uchida
is a Japanese voice actress.She was the Japanese voice of Kairi and Xion from the Kingdom Hearts series of games developed by Disney and Square Enix...
.
Additionally, since the staff started writing the 358/2 Days, they thought it would be boring that all characters from Organization XIII were Nobodies and wanted Xion to be exception. As another mean to bring confusion to gamers, the staff made Xion's hood appear and disappear depending on which characters would look at her. This caused various misunderstandings in the making of the game to the point debuggers often asked Nomura if that was bug. Yukari Ishida, another scenario writer, commented that the staff had to explain h.a.n.d. about the reasons for Xion's hood as well as how it should work in the game. Ishida also pointed that first part of the game revolved around Xion and wanted her to have a quicker realization about herself than Roxas in order to later influence Roxas, and thus, go to the events of Kingdom Hearts II. Nomura later explained he made Xion to be a calm and pure girl, and wanted Aqua
Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameo appearances in the game Kingdom Hearts II, Aqua was introduced as one of the three main characters from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a prequel of the series released in 2010...
, another female character introduced later, to contrast her personality. After trailers of 358/2 Days were shown, Xion was first believed to have been Naminé, but Nomura later informed the press that it was a different character. Nomura still pointed she would a key character and reason for the Organization being not named XIV despite her being the fourteenth member would be explained in the game. A Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
's chapter in the story was intended to add a sad mission focusing on Xion and Roxas "looking for hope for themselves" but such story was not added due to system-constraints.
Reception
The introduction of Xion in trailers for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days created expectation, with GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Hirohiko Niizumi particularly based on the facts that her face could not be distinguished and that she wields a Keyblade. Jeff Haynes from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
pointed a physical similarity between her and Kairi, and found her introduction to the Organization to be very significant for gamers who have played Kingdom Hearts II. Before Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released, 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
featured Xion second in their "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days" feature, wondering why the Organization was still named Organization XIII despite her addition as the fourteenth member. Jeremy Parish from the same site wondered about her possible death in the game, considering that she did not appear in the sequel Kingdom Hearts II. Her introduction has also been labeled as the main intrigue of 358/2 Days by IGN's Ryan Clements. Amanda L. Kondolojy from Cheat Code Central
Cheat Code Central
Cheat Code Central is a video game website primarily known for its extensive list of cheat codes. Cheat Code Central, also known as CCC and CheatCC, offers previews, reviews, news, and various articles on the gaming industry...
agreed with Clements commenting that "the mystery behind her appearance is intriguing to say the least" and finding various similarities between her and Roxas. RPGamer
RPGamer
RPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
cited Xion as an important character to the Kingdom Hearts series despite noting she was not introduced in the series until its sixth installment and wondered if she would appear in Birth by Sleep. While also finding Xion as an important character to 358/2 Days, Gaming Age writer Dustin Chadwell did not want to comment too much about her to avoid spoiling the story, but still found it as "[the] Roxas' game".
G4TV found that Xion had a "familiar face" and thought ever since her introduction, there was conspiracy regarding her character. In contrast to G4TV, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's AJ Glasser did not find any similarity between her and other Kingdom Hearts characters, but like other writers, found her important to the game's plot. Her missions with Roxas were also commented by Glasser finding the events in which she receives new memories as "serious drama" and stated that players would like to complete the game to know at what moment she dies. Glasser later joked about the repeated scenes of the trio eating ice cream and then about Xion's identity crisis, finding it strange in real life. PALGN
PALGN
The PAL Gaming Network is an Australian based video game news and reviews website that focuses on the videogame industry and culture in PAL territories, particularly Australia and the UK. It was launched in 2003 by a group of PAL forum members on the IGN message boards who were disenfranchised by...
's Adam Ghiggino noted her relation with Roxas and Axel, liking the evolution of their friendship as the game continues despite finding most scenes repetitive like Glasser. A similar response was made by Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, who commented that although such scenes were "dull", the relation was appealing and the game's ending would make up for such moments. While RPGFan's Ashton Liu found that while game's story elaborated very well their relation, but as the game reached its climax, he was confused about their developments. He also found Xion and the other members from Organization XIII besides Axel and Roxas as unappealing in contrast to previous characters featured in the series. 1UP's Alice Liang was disappointed in the small amount of missions in which Roxas works with Xion, leading most of Roxas' solo missions to feel like "lonely, sad affairs." In the 2009 Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
Awards, the magazine's readers voted Xion the "Best New Character" of the year.