Leon convo 1: "This was once Ansem's castle. He was widely respected as a wise man. But darkness took him. He began experimenting with people's hearts. Heh, some wise man. So much suffering and ruin, and for what?"
Leon convo 2: "We thought this was Maleficent's doing. But she was just another puppet of the darkness. Just like Ansem. The darkness is our real enemy. But how to beat it?"
Aerith convos 1 and 2: "Ansem disappeared when this world fell to the darkness. It was believed he died defending people from the Heartless." "But Ansem was the one who brought them here. Read that report and you'll understand Ansem's intentions."
I love this mix of the true Ansem (the Wise) and the Ansem we've met in KH1 at this point, the imposter, Ansem Seeker of Darkness, in the restoration crew's perception.
We get to see that the smear campaign absolutely worked. As far as they know their once wise and benevolent ruler not only was responsible for the disappearances of their fellow citizens, but that he likely lied about trying to stop the Heartless he was creating.
Safe to say they're not going to go out looking for him, since they figure he's the Ansem (SoD) wreaking havoc now.
Especially since we don't learn anything solid about the imposter situation until the release of KH2 where the only actual report by Ansem the Wise was this first one:
"Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand. I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times. Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born? How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness."
We have no idea how many of the Ansem reports the restoration crew canonically read, since it's up to us as Sora to collect them, but we received reports 2, 4, 6, and 10 directly from Aerith. It feels safe to assume she read and shared them based on her saying it reveals "Ansem's intentions".
AR2: "It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:
Extract the darkness from a person's heart.
Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.
Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.
The experiments caused the test subjects' hearts to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle.Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?"
AR4: "The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace. I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves. Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them? It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?"
AR6: "To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence.It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?"
AR10: "Just as people have hearts, so do worlds. The same can be said of stars in the night sky. And deep within each world lies a door to its heart. The Heartless desire those hearts. Born out of darkness in people's hearts, they seek to return to a greater heart.Yes that's it. The Heartless come from people's hearts, as does the darkness. Is the core of the world's heart the world of the Heartless? I will pursue the answer there and become all knowing.My path is set. I shall seek out the wielder of the Keyblade, and the princesses. My body is too frail for such a journey, but I must do this. I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness."
So, I'm doing some reading on the Ansem Reports (just doing some research involving the new info from Melody of Memory),,,,
Does Terranort/Apprentice Xehanort taking Kairi happen almost around the same time everyone (well. Almost) in the Radiant Garden castle becomes nobodies?? (like even, ienzo, etc.)
I keep forgetting how much information the reports in KH1 & 2 provide, especially 2. For example, I think I was under the wrong impression that Namine was born when Kairi’s heart left Sora..but Ansem’s reports imply that Namine came to exist when Kairi lost her heart. I’m honestly not sure which is the case, but I’ve been over due to read these, there’s a lot of stuff I forgot about. It also came to a surprise to me that Ienzo/Zexion was the one to convince Ansem to build the labs (likely at the pressure of Braig and Terra-Xehanort.). This is what happens when I don’t investigate the plot details of games until long after I’ve actually played them and tried to look at everything.
Edit:
And then I keep reading and realize that I was wrong about thinking I was wrong about Namine. Alex come on keep consistent why don’t you, ya doofus.
I just unlocked "Gathering" in KH2FMHD, and I realized that all the Ansem Reports were in English. I mean, I already knew that ever since I first saw the video in, like, 2007, but I didn't realize the FM-exclusive Reports were also in there, completely in English.
And reading through them, I realized they're different than the ones we got "officially" in KHFMHD last year. Like, different translations altogether. So I guess the translaters just didn't realize that their job had already been done for them, and so they re-translated everything their own way.
Regardless of the reason though, these are the original translations of the extra Reports. And I really like them more than the "official" ones in the game.
ANSEM REPORT 10
When the door to a world's heart is opened, the walls that surround that world crumble and scatter. This spectacle is seen by the naked eye as a meteor shower. This clarifies the reason gummi blocks have the capacity to fly to worlds beyond. The coming of the Heartless causes the world-walls to crumble. However, finding the world's door requires time. The same can be said of stealing the world's heart.
If the world's door is locked with the Keyblade, the heart can be rendered unreachable. I must act before the Keyblade bearer visits this world. Assuming the Keyblade and Princesses are closely related, it's likely they resonate with each other...
I have chosen a special girl. I do not know if her abilities are the same as those of the named Princesses. However, the possibilities merit an experiment. Will she lead me to whoever holds the Key? I will send her into the great ocean beyond and see.
ANSEM REPORT 11
I exist as a heart. I have come full-circle and become a Heartless. Yet nothing has changed! True, my body is gone. But unlike other Heartless, my memories are intact, and I do not look like a Heartless. There are so many mysteries I have yet to solve...
To reach the dark side beyond this world, I must pass through the door to Kingdom Hearts, where the hearts of all worlds cross. There the world's hearts are connected, revealing the way to the realm of darkness. (I shall maintain this data in a separate record.)
So many worlds yet unknown... "The existent world. The realm of darkness, the realm of light." And the realm in between. In which will I find true paradise?
ANSEM REPORT 12
When the heart leaves its bodily prison, where does the body go? The heart and soul are separate, so the soul must remain with the body. Is it fair to consider this soul bearing vessel destroyed? Indeed, the body disappears when its heart returns to a Heartless state. But that is in this world's domain. Could the body not exist in some other world, taking on a new form as the Heartless do?
If so, then another "me" must exist somewhere. My other would be neither darkness nor light. He would live in between. He would be an outcast of the heart, an empty shell that begrudges both the light and the dark. Certainly this is not an enigma easily solved. The relationship between heart and body is complex. However, if I exist here -- if I am "existent" -- then the other cannot possibly be referred to as such.
Which leaves but one name:
"The Nonobody."
