Ansem the Wise is over-dramatically vilified in the fandom and here’s why
hello. i return to tumblr with this [waves hands mysteriously] apparently HOT TAKE
SO HERE I AM TO GIVE YOU A QUICK GUIDE ON THIS MAN
First, a brief rundown of misinformation about him going around:
Ansem the Wise didn’t do any experiments. Let me repeat it: Ansem the Wise did NO EXPERIMENTS. Not on citizens, and not on X. The only - yes! ONLY! - experiment Ansem the Wise did was on Apprentice Xehanort, who volunteered.
“If I explore Xehanort’s heart with psychological tests, I may be able to recall the past locked away within. My apprentice Even has also shown great interest in Xehanort’s memories. But is he really the right subject? Xehanort does indeed exhibit extraordinary talents…Too extraordinary… Perhaps they are even superhuman.”
After, he immediately regretted it:
“I have made a grave mistake. My study of the “darkness of the heart” began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed.”
“….Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the “darkness of the heart.”
As stated in KH3, Ansem the Wise found out they were doing this - WITH X SPECIFICALLY - and stopped Xehanort from continuing the experiments. This is why Ansem SOD sought him out in KH3 - it was because he thought AtW took X away from him to completely stop the testing.
People get confused because Apprentice Xehanort wrote them under Ansem the Wise’s name, something which is quickly explained in Ansem the Wise’s secret reports if you read them.
Ansem the Wise did none of the horrific experiments. Xehanort did. If you want to hate someone for the awful things done to X/Skuld and the numerous innocent people who were tortured (so much so Xehanort plainly says they “mentally collapsed” and were FED TO HEARTLESS,) direct the hate to Xehanort, Xemnas, and Ansem.
Isa, Lea, and Ienzo WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO HATE HIM. HE DID NOT EXPERIMENT ON SKULD/X. HE SAVED HER. [B]LEASE. ENOUGH OF THIS.
But! Ansem the Wise was a huge jackass to Roxas and Namine! I hear you starting to type up your scathing reply! Maybe he didn’t do those awful experiments, but he was abusive and awful!
Yes. You’re absolutely right. After Xehanort and his apprentices banished him to the Realm of Darkness, stripped him of his identity and his research, and destroyed his home, Ansem (somewhat appropriately) grew mad with Darkness and sought revenge. Blinded by it, he sought to destroy all Nobodies, including ones which he had no personal grievances with (like Roxas and Namine,) instead using these as pawns for his personal gains.
DiZ was an abusive, horrible person. Yeah. I’m not an idiot, y’all. He was.
Hey! Y’know who else was? Master Xehanort. You know who else is? Xemnas. You know who else is? Ansem SoD.
Do I see even a QUARTER of the absolute HATE this fandom slings toward AtW directed toward those three?
“But what does it matter if other characters are awful? That doesn’t absolve -”
But you know what separates them?
Ansem realized his mistakes.
Ansem the Wise realized how terribly he treated Roxas and Namine. He apologizes to Roxas.
Then he sacrifices himself to destroy Kingdom Hearts so Xemnas can’t use it.
“It doesn’t make it okay even if he said sorry!!!” Nope. Maybe not. But even when he came back in KH3, he CONTINUES to try to atone… atonement being a HUGE theme in KH3, if you stan Saix/Isa, Vexen/Even, or whoever else, and hate Ansem the Wise because he doesn’t deserve redemption - bruh. Come on. You realize what you’re saying, right? hewwo??
The fact the only villainous character in the series who turns back to his old and better ways and truly and utterly seeks atonement is the one who is hated the most in this fandom is simply ………. buckwild.
Meanwhile, people don’t bat an eye at Xemnas lying and manipulating the entire OXIII, Ansem SoD possessing a literal child, or MX destroying 3 young lives. And if they do, they don’t do it on NEAR the level at they do at what AtW did.
AtW, the only one who tried to do better.
Yes. As a revenge-blinded DiZ, Ansem the Wise was a truly awful person: a true villain like Xehanort or Xemnas. You’re right.
Unlike Xehanort and his incarnations, however - none who ever showed a LICK of remorse about their awful actions - Ansem realized his mistakes and tried to atone, going so far as to give up his life.
Ansem the Wise put data in Sora to save not only Roxas, but XION AND NAMINE TOO. Yes! That’s fucking right, my man! You couldn’t have your Sea Salt Family back without Ansem the goddamn Wise! He is literally, like, the only reason Roxas and the others are back. Without him, Ienzo would have had NOTHING to go on in KH3 on how to get Roxas back.
AGAIN: Without AtW, Roxas, Xion, and Namine could never be restored. Though he loathed Nobodies as DiZ, he went out of his way to try to atone for his actions by figuring out a way to bring them back.
“But he blamed Ienzo when he reunited with him in Radiant Garden!!! He agreed Ienzo made a mistake even when he was just a kid!!!”
THIS TAKE IS WHAT REALLY GETS ME HEATED!!!!!!! Y’ALL!!!!!!
This is what he ACTUALLY SAYS:
“… I was just a boy. But I should have known better. I am truly, deeply sorry.”
“I think what matters most is you recognize the mistake. Peace, Ienzo. It was I who was consumed by hatred - who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me.”
Ansem respects Ienzo and accepts his apology, very gently and kindly. This is the man who was Ienzo’s master: he knows the kid, even though it’s been years.
HE KNOWS IENZO WANTS FORGIVENESS.
Have you ever done something awful that wasn’t really your fault, but you still feel like shit? Did someone ever say “no, it wasn’t your fault, don’t worry about it,” when you just wanted them to say something like: “it was a mistake, but it’s fine now.” You just want to be forgiven for it?
Ansem gave that to him. Look at his face! Fuck!
Then Ansem IMMEDIATELY swings it back to apologize TO IENZO. I’m gonna post it again.
“It was I who was consumed by hatred - who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me.”
He accepted Ienzo’s apology as a hand wave then blamed himself for what happened (even if it wasn’t his fucking fault) -
And I still see people saying shit like how AtW shouldn’t be near Ienzo? What about the OTHER apprentices, who Ienzo said LIED TO HIM about what happened to AtW?
“They told me you’d gone mad - that you’d betrayed us!”
So that means you think Even shouldn’t be around Ienzo either, huh? Or Dilan? Or Aeleus? That’s what you mean, right? Because Ienzo literally says they manipulated him into thinking his mentor went crazy.
Ansem the Wise did no experiments. He STOPPED the experiments, which the apprentices later continued behind his back.
AtW as DiZ is no worse than Xehanort in any of his incarnations. He was a villain and terrible. You’re right. But unlike Xehanort, he realized his mistakes and did everything he could (including near-death) to atone. If you unironically love Xehanort in any of his incarnations but hate AtW, you got some thinking to do.
Without AtW, Roxas, Namine, and Xion would not be here. Full stop.
If you think AtW doesn’t deserve forgiveness or redemption then apparently you don’t think Saix/Isa, Vexen/Even, Axel/Lea (you guys remember what he did in CoM and KH2, right?), Marluxia/Lauriam, Larxene/Elrena, ETC, FUCKIN ETC, do either. SORRY. THAT’S THE RULES. CAN’T PICK AND CHOOSE because you like one character more or another character was mean to your fave.
You don’t have to like Ansem the Wise. I get it. He was an asshole. But for fuck’s sake, read canon and analyze it logically. Fuck. Goddamn.
The fact one of the only “bad guys” (the only fucking bad guy to have an actual reason to be bad beyond “uhhh idk darkness lmfao”) to try to find redemption is the one hated the most is fucked up. End of story. Bye.
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