Ansem's Reports

Kingdom Hearts Guide - Appendix

Ansem's Reports

Ansem was the wise ruler of Hollow Bastion. However, is curiousness lead him to start studying the darkness in peoples hearts.

Ansem's Reports were recorded by Ansem, and chronicle his journey into darkness. After Maleficent took over Hollow Bastion, most of his reports fell into her hands.

Reading them in order, they make more sense and cast a different light on Ansem then if you read them in the order you receive them.

Most of the reports are obtained by defeating bosses during the game. #8 is obtained by defeating Hades in the Hades Cup. Most of the even numbered reports (2, 4, 6, 10) are gotten by talking to Aerith in Hollow Bastion Library after defeating Maleficent.

In addition to the 10 we find in the original version, there is an additional 3 in Final Mix. They are obtained by defeating Kurt Zisa, Sephiroth, and Unknown (Final Mix Only), respectively. They, like the rest of Final Mix, set the stage a little better for Kingdom Hearts 2.

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Ansem's Reports
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--== Ansem's Report 1 ==--

Much of my life has been dedicated to 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.

--== Ansem's Report 2 ==--

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 subject's heart 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?

--== Ansem's Report 3 ==--

The shadows that crawl beneath the castle... Are they the people who
lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely
beyond my imagination?

All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is
that they are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will
unlock the mysteries of the heart. Fortunately, there is no shortage of
test samples.

They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They
still need a name.

Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless.

--== Ansem's Report 4 ==--

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?

--== Ansem's Report 5 ==--

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.

I 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?

--== Ansem's Report 6 ==--

A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless.
It may be the ultimate goal of the Heartless. But what is that energy?
I have devised a hypothesis, based upon my observations of the
Heartless.

The Heartless feed on other's hearts, and they yearn for that energy
core. That thing beyond the door must be a heart, too--the heart of
this world. There is no proof, but, having felt that immense energy, I
am certain. That was the heart of the world.

The Heartless are trying to take hearts not only from all living
creatures, but from the planet itself. But what do they mean to do with
the heart of the world?

--== Ansem's Report 7 ==--

I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful
night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic
to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily.

None of the records even mention such a substance. Was it introduced
to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such
materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I
could soar off and find out!

Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to
grow. But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now,
there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all
but prisoners of this tiny place.

--== Ansem's Report 8 ==--

There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the
people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and
the mysteries shrouding the heart. As a start, I have built a device
that artificially creates Heartless.

By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I
should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the
culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run
successfully created a Heartless. This may be a step toward creating a
heart from nothing.

The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly
identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of
the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.

--== Ansem's Report 9 ==--

Simple astonishing! Today I had a guest from another world. He is a
king, and his vessel is built of the material that composed the
meteors. He called the pieces "gummi blocks." It seemed that my opening
the door has opened a path to interworld travel.

We talked for countless hours, but one story in particular caught my
interest: that of a key called the "Keyblade." The Keyblade is said to
hold phenomenal power. One legend says its wielder saved the world,
while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it.

I must know what this Keyblade is. A key opens doors. It must be
connected to the door I have opened.

--== Ansem's Report 10 ==--

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 most do this.

I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness.
 

--== Ansem's Report 11 ==--

Upon opening the door of a world's heart, the wall around that world is broken down. This is seen as a shooting star. Through this, I have been able to understand the reason why the material known as Gummi Blocks has the ability to allow travel to other worlds.

A world's wall collapses because of the appearance of the Heartless, but finding a world's door takes time. And robbing a world of its heart is a similar case.

If the door has been closed by the Keyblade, one would probably be unable to reach that world's heart again. Before the Keyblade wielder appears in this world, I must take measures to do something.

Supposing that there is a close relationship between the Princesses and the Keyblade, it seems likely that they will resonate with each other...

I have chosen a special girl. I do not know if she possesses the power of the Princesses, but there is a chance, and this is an experiment. She may lead me to the place where the one holding the key is...

I shall send her off to the ocean of other worlds.

--== Ansem's Report 12 ==--

I have transcended to an existence of only the heart. I should have come back as a Heartless, but there is no sign of such a transformation.

My body has surely perished. However, I am different from the other Heartless, keeping the memories of before, and I have not taken on the form of a Heartless.

It is evident that there are still many things to be studied.

In order to cross over to the dark realm, which is not this world, you must go beyond the door of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds.

The core connected to the world's heart, the place that will take me to the world of darkness. (I will record the details in another report...)

There are still so many unknown worlds.

The Realm of the Present.. The Realm of darkness. The Realm of light.

And, The Realm of in-between.

In which one will I find sanctuary?

--== Ansem's Report 13 ==--

When the heart casts away the body, where does the body go?

Heart and soul are separate, and the soul remains in the body. But can we assume that the remaining body and soul perish?

Certainly when the heart changes into a Heartless, the body disappears.

Or does that apply solely to this realm? Could other beings similar to the Heartless exist in another realm?

If we take that to be the case, then there must be another form of oneself elsewhere.

An existence neither of darkness nor of light. An in-between existence. Cast off by the heart, a mere shell, one who begrudges both the darkness and the light.

This mystery cannot be easily resolved. The relationship between the heart and the body is a complex one.

But since we exist in this realm, our counterparts of another realm must not be existent.
Therefore I shall call them...

"The Nobodies."