VI

Player Information
Name: Birb / Jen
Age: 25+
Contact: Discord: birb#3793 Plurk: himboshido
Other Characters: N/A

Character Information
Name: Ienzo
Canon: Kingdom Hearts
Canon Point: post KH3 / around KH3 limitcut
Age: 17-21 (No canon age given. I personally place him at around 18-19)
History:

Wiki articles:
https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Ienzo
https://kingdomhearts.fandom.com/wiki/Zexion

KH Birth by Sleep: Ienzo appears briefly in KH Birth by Sleep as a young child. He is confronted by monsters known as the Unnversed and saved from harm by Ventus. Ienzo doesn’t say anything during this encounter, but he gives Ventus a lingering look before departing for home with Even. Ienzo appears later alongside Ansem the Wise, eating seasalt ice-cream and walking hand in hand together. Ienzo then pauses, casting a look to Braig and Terra-Xehanort as they walk pass, prompting Ansem to take pause and look after them.

Post Birth By Sleep / pre KH1: Ienzo persuades Ansem the Wise to build a laboratory in the basement of Radiant Gardens Castle in order to continue their research into the Heart. This research eventually leads to inhumane experimentation and the creation of monsters known as the Emblem Heartless. Ansem eventually decided to stop the experiments. However, his apprentices, influenced by Terra-Xehanort, betray him and cast him into the realm of darkness, leaving them to continue their work. Ienzo was left out of this ploy against Ansem, only being told that he’d “gone mad and abandoned them,”. Ienzo seems distressed by the mere memories of this event, being on the verge of tears as he speaks about them. Soon Terra-Xehanort betrays his fellow apprentices, stealing their hearts and turning them into Nobodies. Due to the strength of his heart, Ienzo does not turn into a simple husk and instead, retains his human form. He is renamed Zexion, becoming one of the six original members of Organisation XIII.

KH Chain of Memories: Zexion first appears here and is one of the members stationed at Castle Oblivion. He is a part of the three members taking residence in the Castles basement, alongside Vexen and Lexaeus. They come to blows with the other members stationed in the castle, Marluxia and Larxene, who have plans to overthrow Organisation XIII by using Sora as their puppet. Zexion makes plans with his two comrades to counter this attempt by using Riku. Eventually, Zexion decides to abandon this plan as Marluxia is destroyed by Sora. Zexion attempts to intercept and take out Riku, however he loses the fight and is forced to flee. Zexion is then surprised by Axel and the Riku Replica that Vexen had created earlier. Axel promptly uses this replica to kill Zexion, the replica draining Zexion’s remaining life-force until he fades to nothing.

KH 358/2 Days: Zexion makes a brief appearance in Days (being set before the events of Chain of Memories and KH2). He speaks to Roxas and goes on a mission with him, teaching him about certain facets of completing goals for Organisation XIII, specifically encouraging him to continue exploring worlds even after his mission goal is complete. Soon after Zexion is sent to Castle Oblivion where the events of Chain of Memories take place and he meets his demise.

KH Dream Drop Distance: As a result of Zexion’s defeat at Castle Oblivion (and with his Heartless having been defeated at some point) Ienzo reforms in the laboratory of Radiant Garden alongside Ansem the Wise’s other apprentices. He, along with Aeleus, recovers from the process quickly and begin searching the castle for information. Ienzo offers an explanation to Lea as to why two of their comrades, Isa and Braig, are still missing. Lea brushes off his attempted explanation, though Ienzo takes no offense.

KH3: Ienzo appears in KH3, rendering aid to Sora and the rest of the guardians of light in the form of technical support. He claims himself to be a student of the heart, having renounced his previous alignment to Xemnas and Xehanort’s intentions, claiming the latter gained his cooperation through deception and manipulation. Ienzo, based in Radiant Garden, works on decoding data left behind by Ansem the Wise, in order to bring Roxas back to life. He later hits a wall in his attempts, as he has no vessel in which to put the completed data.

However, through efforts by Vexen, Even’s nobody, a suitable vessel, a blank Replica, is brought to him by Demyx, along with Ansem the Wise. After a tearful reunion with his Master, Ienzo expresses remorse for his past actions, apologising to him. Ansem accepts his apology and makes peace with him, and they set to work completing the Replica. They then send the vessel, complete with Roxas’s data to the keyblade graveyard in order to aid the Guardians of Light.

Ienzo then appears after the final battle at Radiant Garden, alongside Ansem the Wise and a restored Even, putting the finishing touches on a second Replica which brings Namine back to life.

KH3: ReMind: Ienzo is mentioned and shown very briefly during the events of ReMind. He gave Demyx a Gummiphone and is later shown working with Ansem the Wise and Even as they work with a slumbering Kairi in order to find Sora.


Personality:

As a child Ienzo was very quiet, not speaking around anyone he wasn’t familiar with. This reluctance was perhaps due to the fact he was an orphan who recently lost his parents. He was also very observant and curious, the latter of which has ended up getting him into trouble on a few occasions. He once had to be saved by Ventus due to wandering away from his guardian Even, even though he’d been warned not to.

Later on, his curiosity fueled his pursuit of academia and knowledge. Ienzo claims he is a scholar and many of his actions support this. As a child Ienzo is said to have persuaded his adoptive teacher, Ansem the Wise, to build a laboratory to further facilitate their research into the nature of the Heart. This implies Ienzo is very intelligent, driven and mature for his age, enough so that his teacher would take his suggestions seriously. It should also be noted however, that while Ienzo was clearly interested in learning and knowledge, he was also surrounded by people who wanted to use the lab for their own agendas. These individuals could have used Ienzo’s close relationship with Ansem to their advantage, as well as Ienzo’s interest in academia, into using him to facilitate the labs creation.

The lab was a catalyst for a number of terrible events, including Ienzo and his adoptive family to losing their hearts. After which Ienzo spends a number of years in the form of a Nobody called Zexion. Zexion was calm, calculating and very manipulative. Zexion only entered battle as a last resort, likely due to having no formal battle training and being the youngest of Ansem’s apprentices. He instead used schemes and deception to achieve his goals. It’s likely he remembered the actions of his fellow apprentices from his time as Ienzo, learning these tactics from them. He once formulated a plan and used illusions in an attempt to gain control over Riku. He preyed on Riku’s sense of guilt, speaking words seemed to echo Ienzo’s own fall into the darkness. This hints at a sense of shame and self awareness towards the events that lead to him becoming Zexion. Zexion also displays a sardonic, almost haughty attitude in some situations, such as when he scolded Lexaeus for not greeting him. And when he spoke down to Xigbar, his senior, after he was accosted by him. This further supports his sense of maturity, even implying he wants to be seen as such. Again due to being the youngest of Ansem’s apprentices.

Upon returning to his true self, Ienzo undergoes a notable change in his personality. He is almost the exact opposite of Zexion and even his child self; being cheerful, friendly, talkative and very positive. At the very least, Ienzo appears extremely grateful to have regained his heart and emotions, though some of his new persona could also be an attempt to make up for his past behaviour and actions. Ienzo is very genuine in his redemption, which is clear in how he interacts with his former enemies. He holds no grudges whatsoever, treating Lea, Riku and Sora very politely, offering all he knows in order to help them. He also accepts doubts from Sora about his reformation without being defensive, simply saying his joining Organisation XIII was due to being deceived and manipulated by Xehanort and Xemnas. Ienzo states that “A true scholar finds clues to the future in the mistakes of his past.” further supporting his intention to better himself.

Ienzo rarely displays any negative emotions. He doesn’t acknowledge the tragic nature of the events that befell him, only focusing on the present and future. The only exception to this is when he is finally reunited with Ansem the Wise. Upon seeing him, Ienzo is overcome with emotion, barely able to stop himself from crying. He apologises to his teacher, claiming he was lied to about his exile. Ienzo states that while he was only a boy, he should’ve known better than to believe Ansem would abandon them. This indicates that Ienzo has very high standards and expectations of himself and that he doesn’t consider the fact he was a child as an excuse for what he feels is his accountability in Ansem’s banishment.

In summary, Ienzo is mature, intelligent and cheerful. He is supportive and friendly to those around him and places high expectations upon himself. He is cheerful, perhaps to a fault, being determined to distance himself from his past as Zexion vs actually accepting it. He is also very close with his adoptive guardian Ansem, following in his steps as a scholar and considering it a large part of his identity.


Abilities & Skills:

Intellect: Ienzo’s greatest strength is his intelligence. He is shown being a competent strategist and problem solver. He knows technology well enough to guide someone else in setting up a network across two worlds, and is shown singlehandedly decoding data left behind by his teacher. Ienzo is also well versed in the nature of Hearts and is able to explain numerous concepts connected to them in detail, sometimes to the point of rambling. Though he is also able to break things down into easier terms for anyone to understand.

Magic: Ienzo is capable of using magic standard to his homeworld. Blizzaga, Firaga, Thundaga, Curaga and Aeroga are the highest level spells he can cast.

Illusions: Ienzo has an affinity for the element of illusions, using them combined with his intelligence to avoid battle as much as he can. He is able to disguise his appearance and voice in order to deceive others. Even if drawn into combat Ienzo tries to avoid direct confrontation, using decoys to conceal himself and only striking when his opponents are distracted. It is possible to locate him when he’s hidden and attacking him will reveal his shape before he’s able to conceal himself again.

Book of Retribution: His weapon is a large lexicon. This book can snare foes in its pages, where they will be thrown into a small pocket dimension and confounded by tricks and bombarded with explosive waves of magic. Ienzo can also create numerous decoys of this book, throwing them at opponents and concealing himself amongst them.

Scent: Ienzo is noted to have a sensitive sense of smell. He’s able to detect the scent of darkness, including its intensity which allows him to recognise particular individuals.


Inventory/Companions:

Inventory
Book of Retribution
White Lab Coat
A spare cravat
Small well sealed plastic container of pickled fish
A gummiphone


Choice: Monster - Puca
Reason: The Puca and its powers would be familiar and conflicting to Ienzo. Its nature would bring out traits similar to those of his other self Zexion, who he has attempted to distance himself from, while also potentially affecting his ability to think in a pinch (the freeze or flee instincts). This would generate an internal struggle for him and challenge him into accepting his own flaws.


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