Ansem's Report

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Ansem's Report is a collection of writings that can be collected in Kingdom Hearts. The reports give further insight into Ansem's research that led to the rise of the Heartless during Sora's journey.

Story

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts

Ansem the Wise wrote Report 1 about nine to ten years before Sora's first journey. The remainder of the report was written by his apprentice, Xehanort, and by Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem. The report details Xehanort's experiments on the heart and his discovery of the Heartless, as well as his decision to use Kairi to find the Keyblade wielder and prevent said wielder from halting his investigations. Additionally, the report includes a summary of King Mickey's visit with Ansem the Wise, written from Ansem the Wise's perspective, but by Xehanort.

Ansem the Wise, advised by King Mickey, reviewed the data obtained from the experiments in his lab and found Reports 1 through 9, with 2-9 penned in his name by Xehanort. Despite demanding the experiments cease, he was thereafter banished from the realm of light by Xehanort and the other five apprentices.

Sometime after Ansem the Wise's banishment, the report was completed, and thereafter scattered to many worlds.

Kingdom Hearts

Aerith tells Donald and Goofy about the report in Traverse Town. She explains that it contains Ansem's findings on the Heartless, but that its pages were scattered to many worlds. Both she and Goofy conclude that King Mickey must have gone to search for the report.

Report

Ansem's Report 1

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.

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.

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?

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 now 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

Simply 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 must do this.

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

Ansem's Report 11

Opening the door to a world's heart causes its walls to crumble.

These fragments are seen as shooting stars

This explains why these "gummi blocks" can travel freely to other worlds.

I know the catalyst of this collapse—the appearance of the Heartless. However, it will take time search out the worlds' doors and to retrieve each heart.

Furthermore, the doors can be locked using a Keyblade, making the heart forever unattainable. I must take action before the wielder of the key appears in this world.

If the princesses and the Keyblade are connected, they should resonate.

I've chosen a girl. I don't know if she holds the princesses' powers, but I will find out. She may lead me to the key bearer.

I shall set her free and observe.

Ansem's Report 12

The body is gone; the heart should have returned to the Heartless. And yet, nothing.

This one is unlike any other. Its memories remain and it has yet to take the form of a Heartless.

A close eye must be kept on the situation. Much is still unknown.

To get to the realm of Darkness, one must go through the doors of Kingdom Hearts, the place where the world's hearts connect.

Beyond this world is a place in which darkness reigns. (Details shall be archived in a separate report.)

There are many worlds in existence, some of which we know nothing about.

The world in which we live. The realm of Darkness. The realm of Light.

And the world in between.

Wherein lies true nirvana?

Ansem's Report 13

Where does the body go when it separates from the heart? If the soul remains within the body, is it still considered to be deceased?

When the heart returns to the Heartless, the physical form disappears. But that is merely true in this world. Perhaps the body exists in another form in another world.

If that is the case, then it is possible for one to exist in two worlds.

A being that is neither darkness nor light; belonging nowhere; abandoned by its heart; a mere shell of its former self.

The relation between the heart and body is complex. However, I am certain that if your self exists here, then by definition, the other cannot truly "exist."

The other, the one which does not exist, shall be dubbed, "Nobody."

Gameplay

Ansem's Report works as a series of collectible items in the game. Each part is located in various parts throughout the worlds and can be collected by progressing the story and searching through the various worlds. Ansem's Report serves to expand the lore of the game by explaining the origin of the Heartless and Ansem's actions leading up to the Heartless invasion at the beginning of Sora's journey.

There is no additional in-game reward for collecting all the parts of Ansem's Report.

No.	World	Map	Obtained	Author
1	Agrabah	Core	Defeat Jafar (Genie)	Ansem the Wise
2	Hollow Bastion	Library (disambiguation)	Speak to Aerith	Terra-Xehanort
3	Atlantica	Open Ocean	Defeat Ursula a second time	Terra-Xehanort
4	Hollow Bastion	Library (disambiguation)	Speak to Aerith	Terra-Xehanort
5	Hollow Bastion	Castle Chapel	Defeat Maleficent	Terra-Xehanort
6	Hollow Bastion	Library (disambiguation)	Speak to Aerith	Terra-Xehanort
7	Halloween Town	Torture Chamber	Defeat Oogie Boogie	Terra-Xehanort
8	Olympus Coliseum	The Coliseum	Defeat Hades	Terra-Xehanort
9	Neverland	Neverland	Defeat Captain Hook	Terra-Xehanort
10	Hollow Bastion	Library (disambiguation)	Speak to Aerith	Terra-Xehanort
11	Agrabah	Desert	Defeat Kurt Zisa	Terra-Xehanort
12	Olympus Coliseum	The Coliseum	Defeat Sephiroth	Ansem
13	Hollow Bastion	Castle Chapel	Defeat the Unknown	Ansem

Development

Kingdom Hearts features ten parts to Ansem's Report scattered in various locations throughout the worlds. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix adds Report 11 through 13. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and its subsequent re-releases reward the player with the Searcher trophy in the PlayStation Network, Xbox Network, and Epic Games Store achievement systems.