Kingdom Hearts is one of the major objects in the Kingdom Hearts universe. It is the heart of all worlds, and a source of great power and wisdom. It can be seen as the heart of everything.
Keyblade War
"Behold. These lifeless keys used to be full of power, united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged."
—Master Xehanort
The Keyblade War was a mysterious conflict in which many Keyblade wielders fought prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. According to Xehanort's research, the conflict arose when the Keyblade wielders of the Light and the Darkness clashed with each other to create the χ-blade and, with it, control Kingdom Hearts. The war itself was so massive in scope, that worlds that were not originally involved were drawn into the conflict. The war is what caused the Kingdom Hearts universe to be remade into what it is today. The failed attempts also resulted in the scarred remnants that would someday be known as the Keyblade Graveyard.
Organization XIII
Organization XIII is a group of thirteen powerful Nobodies who seek to reclaim their hearts and become whole again. Because all the members are Nobodies, they lack hearts, meaning they also have no emotions. The Organization yearns to discover the secrets of the heart and fill the empty void inside themselves by gathering hearts to form Kingdom Hearts so they can become full beings again. Each member is aware of their lack of emotions, and many of them pretend to have emotions, for example, Saïx's enraged battle style and Larxene's giggling and winking.
Organization XIII was formed by a group of scientists working under a man called Ansem the Wise, the ruler of Radiant Garden, and worked from Ansem's castle, Hollow Bastion. The head of this group was Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort, with the others being Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo. Ansem the Wise began initiating tests about the human heart, focusing mainly on Xehanort, with the hopes of recovering his lost memories. At the urging of Ienzo, he constructed a massive laboratory under the castle. However, Ansem the Wise soon ceased his experiments, for he feared that going too deep would have grave repercussions, also noting Xehanort's apparently-superhuman abilities.
Symbol of Organization XIII and the Nobodies
MarexlAdded by Marexl
However, his six apprentices, still seduced by the desire for knowledge, conducted their own dangerous experiments on countless subjects. Eventually, they discovered the beings called Heartless, those that are born from the darkness in a heart and seek others as well. Xehanort, having taken on Ansem's name and writing his findings under it, opened a door he discovered, breaking down the barriers between worlds and allowing travel between them. When a king named Mickey arrived, the six men's desire for knowledge eventually caused Xehanort to abandon his body, becoming a Heartless and his body became a Nobody, with the other five soon following. Thus, the first six members of Organization XIII were born, and they banished Ansem to a Realm of Darkness.
Ranks within the Organization have little to nothing to do with power. While Xehanort's Nobody, known as Xemnas, is the strongest as well as the leader, the rest fall in the order they joined. Thus, their numbered rank is not necessarily representative of their status and power within the Organization. As the group's name describes, one would assume that there are a total of thirteen members.
