OPENING
W: Evil masterminds. The shadowy man behind the black curtain. The shadow secretly pulling the strings. And the toughest foe any hero has to eventually face. They are known as the greatest manipulators of darkness, they lead young promising heroes to their end, and their power is virtually unlimited. But who is the master above all?
B: And let me tell you, these two KNOW what power they have, and they aren't afraid to use it.
W: Darth Sidious, aka Emperor Palpatine, galactic emperor under the disguise of a noble politician and master of the Dark Side of the Force.
B: And Master Xehanort, the wisest Keyblade Master of the modern era and instigator of the last Keyblade War. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
W: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win a DEATH BATTLE!
FIGHTER 1: EMPEROR PALPATINE
W: The Sith. The mortal enemies of the Jedi. Masters of the Dark Side of the Force. Ages ago, they waged war on the Jedi and were ultimately defeated. But it was not just the Jedi that did them in.
B: One of the key things about being an evil space wizard is that you can only rely on yourself and not trust anyone else. That led to the Sith slicing and cutting the shit out of each other, leaving them vulnerable to be finished off.
W: To resolve their infighting and to ensure the survival of their order, the Sith Lord Darth Bane established the Rule of Two: a decree declaring no more than two Sith would be active at a time; a master and an apprentice. This allowed the Sith to live on in secret, as an apprentice would overthrow their master and take their place. And one apprentice would become the face of all evil and plague the galaxy for over a hundred years. And his name… was Palpatine.
Palpatine: Welcome, young Skywalker. I look forward to completing your training.
W: Born on the planet Naboo, Sheev Palpatine was strong in the Force, particularly in the dark side. This led him to become the master of Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, who had the ability to prevent death. Under his tutelage, Palpatine became an accomplished Sith and gave himself his new title: Darth Sidious.
B: And after learning all about his master's secrets for cheating death, Palps took in an apprentice of his own: a little spiky-head named Maul. Remembering the Rule of Two, Palpatine went back to his master, killed the dude while he slept and set to work on his master plan: a plan to destroy the Jedi, establish a new order, and rule the galaxy with UNLIMITED POWERRRRR!
W: He did this the best way he knew how: politics.
B: And I thought today's politicians were evil!
W: Climbing through the ranks throughout the Galactic Republic, Palpatine gathered allies wherever he could while keeping his Sith agenda a secret. He went from Senator of Naboo to the highest ranks on the ladder until he had one rung left to climb: Supreme Chancellor. All the while, he trained Darth Maul to be a ruthless Sith assassin until he could be revealed to the unsuspecting Jedi.
B: He then played chess by himself and manipulated the galaxy into the great conflict that would be known as the Clone Wars. Being granted emergency powers, he took control of the entire Republic and the Separatist Alliance, intending to keep the war going until the time was right.
W: He even took on a new Sith apprentice when Maul was supposedly killed by the Jedi: Count Dooku. And just as Palpatine planned, the Clone Wars raged across the galaxy while he had his eyes set on a new candidate strong in the dark side: Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.
B: Okay, can this guy just make up his mind on who he wants his apprentice to be? You're the Dark Lord of the Sith, for crying out loud!
W: Using the best tools he had, deceit and manipulation, Palpatine discovered Anakin's secret love for Senator Padme Amidala- who he considered a rival for publicly trying to end the Clone Wars- and his fear that his pregnant wife would die in childbirth. Feeding on Anakin's fear, Palpatine revealed he was a Sith and promised Anakin that only he had the power to save Padme.
B: Desperate to try anything at this point, Anakin was forced to agree to Palpatine's terms, kill Samuel L. Jackson, and become a Sith himself, taking up the name Darth Vader.
W: The stage was set. The Jedi still suspected nothing, even after a short few attempted to stop Palpatine. All the Sith Lord had to do to exact his order's revenge was contact clone commanders across the galaxy and say three simple words.
Palpatine: Execute Order Sixty-Six.
W: With those words, Palpatine's secret programming in the clones switched on, prompting the clones to turn on their Jedi generals and kill them with no remorse. Throughout the galaxy, the Jedi fell one by one and paved the way for Palpatine's domination. Ordering Darth Vader to kill his remaining pawns, the Seperatist leaders, and end the war, Palpatine publicly accused the Jedi of betraying the Republic and attempting to take control. With no one left to challenge him, and any surviving Jedi on the threat of being hunted, Palpatine was now unstoppable.
B: With the Jedi now all but extinct, Palpatine reformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with false promises of safety and security to the people of the galaxy. Declaring himself Emperor, Palpatine now ruled the galaxy with an iron fist.
W: As for Anakin Skywalker, that man was no more. Distraught at the death of his wife by his own hand, Anakin was left heartless and soulless, leaving only the anguished, suffering figure of Darth Vader, Palpatine's deadly enforcer.
B: To ensure his complete and total rule, Palpatine built a giant death station to blow up planets who showed the slightest sign of opposing him to spread fear across the galaxy. But one daring band of heroes had the bravery to stand against him and his Empire.
W: The Rebel Alliance successfully destroyed the Death Star and dealt a hard blow to Palpatine's rule. But this did not concern him, for he had his eyes on the one responsible for the deed. Anakin's surviving son, Luke Skywalker.
B: Now hoping to throw away Vader like a broken toy, Palpatine wanted to take Luke as an apprentice instead and turn him to the dark side. Come on, man, what is with you?
W: Meeting the Emperor face-to-face aboard the second Death Star, Luke refused to succumb to evil and resisted the Emperor. So, if Luke couldn't be turned, he would be destroyed. In what he believed to be his last moment, Luke begged his father to save him.
B: And Daddy did, realizing he was just as expendable as Sidious' last students and that his son truly loved him. Refusing to lose another family member, Anakin came back, picked up the old hag, and yeeted him down a hole. The end… until he came back as a zombie and was killed again by his Mary Sue granddaughter. Now it's the end.
W: Even death was not enough to stop Palpatine the first time. On the forbidden Sith world of Exegol, Palpatine formed a cult who worshipped him and the dark side: the Sith Eternal. There, he planned to regain his throne and continue his dark, tyrannical rule, even secretly puppeteering the military junta known as the First Order through Supreme Leader Snoke. On Exegol, Palpatine spent thirty years building a new army and fleet that would be the undoing of all that was good: the Final Order.
B: But… he seemingly died on the Death Star. And he came back. How the fuck did he even do that?
W: Well, he ordered artificial clones of his body for his consciousness to be transferred into. It was one of Darth Plagueis' teachings. Or, as he would put it…
Palpatine: The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be… unnatural.
W: But Rey, his secret granddaughter born from an artificial son, rose in the light side of the Force to put a stop to Darth Sidious' evil once and for all, and end the conflict between light and dark for good. Perhaps another evil will emerge, but that would not be for a long time.
B: Poorly-written characters aside, old Palps was the strongest Force-user in the galaxy. He single-handedly destroyed the Jedi Order, learned the secrets of immortality from his master, and defeated four Jedi Masters… at once! The only Jedi who could match his strength was Grandmaster Yoda, who could use the Force to block his lightning! And Palpatine still beat him! That's dedication right there.
W: Darth Sidious mainly fights with the common tool of Jedi and Sith alike: the lightsaber. (he ignites it and a red blade snaps into view) And he was considered to be the greatest duelist in galactic history, despite his frail appearance. Sidious used two lightsabers in combat hidden in his robes- although he usually uses one- and would strike the floor to intimidate his enemies. (swings the lightsaber as he speaks) He fought with brutal aggression, frightening speed and lethal precision. With these factors, he was able to take on both Maul and Savage Opress at the same time. (he accidentally slices Boomstick's beer can in half)
B: AAH! No! Why?!
W: Sorry, so sorry!
B: You're lucky that wasn't my arm!
W: (switches off the lightsaber) Anyway, while lightsabers are the standard weapon wielded by a Sith, Palpatine prefers to rely on an even powerful tool in battle: the Force.
B: Like your average evil space wizard, Palpatine can use the Force to lift people into the air, throw them about like ragdolls, and choke the ever-loving hell out of them. And as an exclusive dark side power, he can blast you with lightning or drain a Force-user's very life energy to heal himself. Talk about OP. And then there's that- (a howling wail echoes through the room) AAH! WHAT THE HELL?!
Popup: Palpatine's lightning has been his greatest strength and weakness, as he used it to disable an entire fleet of starships. However, the lightning can be deflected back at him with a lightsaber or any weapon capable of doing so.
W: (he holds up a sound box) Another useful dark side technique is utilizing the Force to generate a loud, amplified scream to further intimidate opponents and catch them off-guard. (he presses the button and the scream echoes again, making Boomstick cover his ears and shudder.)
B: Ah! Don't do that!
W: Palpatine has declared himself to be the embodiment of every Sith before him, and for good reason! The galaxy has lived in fear of this one man, who sought to destroy the Jedi and envelop the universe in pure darkness. The galaxy has never known a more sadistic, bloodthirsty, and cruel figure, and perhaps it may never know one again.
Palpatine: Now you will experience the full power of the dark side. (shoots Force Lightning)
FIGHTER 2: XEHANORT
W: The land of Kingdom Hearts. The world that connects all worlds. And the very heart of the Disney universe itself.
B: Heart is very important in this world, and you don't need the four elements to summon a defender of the planet.
W: To defend the universe from darkness, warriors of light known as Keyblade Masters harness the incredible power of magic itself and use a great variety of weapons. But like the balance of light and darkness itself, there are also some Masters doomed to fall. Some...like Master Xehanort.
B: There are a LOT of Xehanorts, cause Japanese games are crazy shit. We've got his younger self, his mind in the body of a possessed Terra, and that form's Heartless and Nobody! But to avoid confusion, we'll be looking at the real Xehanort, number one of the real Organization XIII.
W: Much like Sora, Riku, and Kairi, Xehanort hails from the Destiny Islands. As a boy, he left his home and found his way to Scala Ad Caelum, or Stairway to Heaven in Latin, where he would begin training as a Keyblade wielder alongside his brother-in-training Eraqus under Master Odin.
B: Training under the Norse God dad of Thor aside, Xehanort also has four other brothers-in-training. Urd, Vor, Hermod, and Bragi.
W: Xehanort and Eraqus were sent to investigate the disappearance of upperclassmen who were supposed to take the Mark of Mastery. Whatever happened is unknown but the mission apparently ended badly, with only Xehanort and Eraqus surviving.
B: Which meant Xehanort only had one bro to play chess with in-between classes, and he blamed himself for their deaths. But during those chess sessions, they talked about the Lost Masters that started the Keyblade War and theorized that the future was all but written by the Gazing Eye, though Eraqus was confident that a future that didn't happen yet could be changed.
W: Once he came of age, Xehanort began a training journey for his Mark of Mastery exam. While visiting many worlds, he returned to his homeworld, commenting that it was too small. Not long after, he was visited by a robed figure, who gifted him the power to travel through time, and instructed him to gather various hearts throughout time that had a strong connection to him and assemble them in the future; unbeknownst to Xehanort at the time, the figure he was talking to was his own future Heartless.
B: Once he did all that, he was sent back to the past having forgotten about the future. But those memories still dwindled in his heart, giving him a sense of direction for what he desired in the future.
W: After resuming his journey, Xehanort wrote down on his reports that he saw that light was much more prevalent than the darkness and saw that the people influenced by the darkness believed that they were doing good deeds. During this time, he met a hooded figure in a black coat, who gave Xehanort a black coat of his own. The two met at the Keyblade Graveyard, discussing Xehanort's thoughts for what he wishes for the world and those who are tainted by the darkness of their own self-ambitions. During their conversation, it comes to Xehanort that by controlling darkness rather than letting it control him, he could master the power of darkness, and by extension those who are consumed by it. At the end of their discussion, Xehanort questioned the hooded man on his identity, to which he reveals himself to be one of the Lost Masters. The figure soon walked away, muttering the old Keyblade mantra "may your heart be your guiding key" while leaving Xehanort baffled.
B: Well, anyway, X Man managed to ace his exam, and once he became a master, he began researching the ancient Keyblade War, desiring above all else to unlock all its secrets and understanding the process of the world's creation through such conflict and knowing the great darkness of the war was what made the worlds, Xehanort believed that another war would be the perfect way to recreate the universe into a more ideal one. Realizing the power unlocking the "heart of all worlds" would grant, Xehanort set his goal on finding a way to open the door to Kingdom Hearts and incite another Keyblade War to find the answers he had been looking for and recreate the worlds.
W: Luckily, there was a way: By rebuilding the X-Blade: a legendary Keyblade capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts and the cause of the Keyblade War.
B: Aka that one weapon with that goddamn confusing ass name! But when he told Square dude his plan, he said it was too dangerous. So Xehanort put an end to that little discussion by using dark powers to scar Eraqus' face.
W: By this time, Master Xehanort had grown old, and realized that he must transfer his essence and knowledge to a "new vessel" in order to survive to see his plans reach fruition. To accomplish this, he sought out an apprentice and found the boy Ventus, who he began training as a Keyblade wielder with the intent of pitting him against one of Master Eraqus's students of light, forging the χ-blade, and to eventually use him as his vessel.
B: Buuut he wasn't the best choice. Ventus refused to bring out his darkness to fight several Heartlesses, so Xehanort just ripped that darkness right out of him, creating Ventus' evil twin brother Vanitas. However, it left Ven himself in a coma, with the light in his heart fading out. So Xehanort decided to leave Ven to live out his last days peacefully in his old home, the Destiny Islands. To his master's surprise, Ventus's heart somehow survived and Xehanort realized the boy could still be of use. However, Ventus was still far too weak in comparison to Vanitas, for the two needed to be equal in power for the creation of the χ-blade.
W: Additionally, Xehanort realized that he could not train Ventus and Vanitas together, as Vanitas's darkness would eventually consume and completely destroy Ventus's light. Master Xehanort ultimately left Ventus in Eraqus's care, to let him train and grow stronger. Meanwhile, Xehanort turned his attention towards another possible vessel: Terra.
B: So he sabotaged his Mark of Mastery, causing Terra to get a failing grade. He then told the kid that if he were to become a true Keyblade Master, he would have to embrace the darkness in his heart and channel it rather than fight it. Shortly thereafter, Master Xehanort and Vanitas disappeared on an apparent quest to find the Princesses of Heart.
W: During his travels, Master Xehanort manipulated Master Eraqus's apprentices, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, who had been sent to find him and destroy the Unversed, a malicious species created as a side-effect of Vanitas's existence, and at the same time, comes into contact with and also manipulates the evil fairy Maleficent into beginning a quest to capture the seven Princesses as part of an elaborate fail-safe.
B: Later on, Xehanort put his manipulative skills to the test with Terra at the Keyblade Graveyard, explaining the reason for his actions: He was trying to safeguard the light from the "demon" he unleashed. He then lied and told Terra an altered version of Vanitas's origins: Supposedly, Vanitas was created when Ventus was overtaken by his darkness and Master Xehanort extracted Ventus's darkness in a desperate attempt to save him, severely damaging Ventus's heart in the process. Ashamed, Xehanort left Ventus in Master Eraqus's care. Yeah, REAL motivational and true right there.
W: Though he had attempted to keep Vanitas contained, the dark enigma escaped and began spreading the Unversed throughout the worlds. Master Xehanort then asked Terra to help him stop Vanitas and atone for his mistake. Terra agreed, and was instructed to search in the Radiant Garden, where Vanitas would undoubtedly strike next.
B: Once he got over there, Xehanort struck a bargain with Braig, who also wanted the X-Blade for himself. He then staged his own capture and had Terra fight Braig, who used his inner darkness to defeat the old man and make him lose an eye.
W: Xehanort told Terra that the darkness wasn't controlling him. Instead, HE was controlling IT. And thus, he offered Terra a place at his side as his apprentice. Naturally, Terra eventually accepted.
B: He then had Braig join him as part of Organization XIII to fill with fragments of Xehanort's heart for him to use them to combine with the seven princesses of pure light across the worlds to recreate the χ-blade. He also asked Braig to guide him in case using Terra as a vessel resulted in him losing his memory.
W: Next, to lure Ventus to the Keyblade Graveyard, Xehanort had Vanitas abduct the King of Disney Castle himself.
B: That one lovable Keyblade King we all know and love! There, Xehanort revealed to Ventus the truth about his past, and said that Master Eraqus knew about it the whole time. While Ven tracked down Eraqus, Xehanort told Terra that Ventus went to see Eraqus about his past, and is worried he may force the truth out of him. He also said that Eraqus had gone cuckoo, then had Terra fight and defeat his teacher before wussing out, so Xehanort dealt the final blow himself.
W: Master Xehanort then told Terra to go to the Keyblade Graveyard where he would see Aqua and Ventus for the last time before falling prey to the darkness. Afterwards, he covered the Land of Departure in darkness, completely destroying the world and leaving nothing but the castle's remains, telling Terra he would not need a home where he is going.
B: So he went there, where the three of them learned the truth and confronted the old man. He admitted that he sought to rebuild the X-Blade and unlock Kingdom Hearts itself, and he even reveals Vanitas' true origins. But despite all of Terra's rage, he ended up as the new vessel for Xehanort.
W: However, Terra himself still remained in his own armor. After fighting both it and later Aqua in the Radiant Gardens, Xehanort did indeed lose his memories, yet struggled between the conflict between the two hearts within him.
B: Not literal hearts, that'd be weird. And gross. But this whole thing gets complicated real fast. Xehanort later regains his memories, but also splits himself into two beings: A Heartless called Ansem, and a Nobody called Xemnas. But after they were destroyed, Xehanort was back in his old body, own heart and all. Terra, however, was left trapped in Xehanort's Dark Figure: A hollow vessel with no heart.
W: Using the opportunity to fill out more spots in the real Organization XIII, a version of Terra-Xehanort's heart was collected from the past by Xehanort and placed within Terra's present-day body, thus recreating Terra-Xehanort once again.
B: Goddammit, Xehanort! Why can't you just literally be yourself?!
W: Well, he WAS going to make Sora his final vessel, but he was foiled by Lea, Donald, and Goofy.
B: Oh. Well, at least Terra managed to get his body back. Finally.
W: During which the Seven Guardians of Light arrived at the Keyblade Graveyard for a final battle. Despite all odds, Xehanort is able to summon the X-Blade and open Kingdom Hearts, and he battles Sora, Donald, and Goofy in Scala Ad Caelum.
B: Where he gets a badass suit of armor and a more kickass boss theme!
W: After a long battle in which Xehanort attempts to drain Sora's Light, Master Xehanort is finally defeated. Expressing shock that he had lost, Xehanort nonetheless explained his belief that he could still carry out his plan of using Kingdom Hearts to start a 'purge', in which Kingdom Hearts would return the Worlds to how they were, with him to guide the hearts of the people to their destiny. Sora only told him that it's not his decision to make. At that moment, the other Guardians of Light arrived in Scala ad Caelum, and Terra spoke to Master Xehanort, using the words of Eraqus, whose heart still resided within him. Eraqus appeared before Xehanort and convinced him to surrender the χ-blade to Sora, stating that while it is too late for the two of them, it is not too late for Sora and the others. After surrendering the χ-blade, Xehanort faded away with Eraqus, briefly taking on their childhood forms before their Hearts flew away toward Kingdom Hearts.
B: And they all lived happily ever after. The End!
W: Still, despite his old age often causing opponents to underestimate him, Master Xehanort is truly an incredibly formidable foe to behold. An extremely skilled Keyblade Master, reputed to be the most powerful Keyblade Master of them all, Xehanort retains more than enough prowess and physical capability in his older days to quickly perform powerful, fast-paced combos with his weapon, although his old age made him rely more on his teleportation abilities to avoid before attacking and primarily used Magic. He can easily take on much younger and highly adept Keyblade wielders, as shown by how Terra was unable to defeat him until he gave in to the darkness, with Xehanort still lasting long enough for the χ-blade to be forged, and by how he easily repels Sora's furious attack after he struck Kairi down. His inhuman strength and reflexes is so beyond someone of his age that he was able to effortlessly react to a quick sneak attack from a fully-armored Ventus from the back of his head and lift him into the air with one hand. Another display of this great physical power is by his ability to surprise and pin down Terra potentially long enough to freeze him unless Terra struggled with all his might and can easily grab Sora by the head and throw him down to the ground with great force. He even easily dodged Kairi's fire spells with his hands behind his back, caught her Keyblade with his bare hands, and avoided most of her attacks before proceeding to summon his Keyblade and easily overpower her in a blade-lock. He can teleport in quick succession while in combat to avoid most attacks and quickly counter. After absorbing the twelve Replica Xehanorts, Xehanort gains a new Keyblade Armor and enhances the efficiency of his keyblade skills by empowering himself with darkness to increase the strength of his attacks and incorporating his teleportation to swiftly counter attacks. He can perform swift spinning moves to quickly cover distances and attack repeatedly without a chance of interruption and also can use a version of "Dark Aura" where he charges at his opponent from all directions at great speeds and deals heavy damage.
B: But for his weapon, he mostly carried No Name, aka The Gazing Eye, the very same weapon that wrote the future, and forged by the Master of Masters with one of his eyes. Ew…
W: With this weapon, Xehanort is able to see into the future and is capable of converting his Keyblade into an orb of dark energy, which is shot into the sky to summon Kingdom Hearts. Master Xehanort is able to wield his Keyblade with great skill despite his age, and enough of his strength has remained over the years that he is able to use it in fast-paced physical combos. His battle pose is similar to that of both Vanitas and Riku, but he mainly allows the Keyblade to hang loosely at his side as he walks slowly towards opponents. Master Xehanort also uses his Keyblade to unlock countless hearts, including his own.
B: But with the X-Blade, Xehanort is more of a threat. With this, he can call upon the Kingdom Hearts whenever he desires, which he uses to start the purge of worlds, and he can open keyholes as an instant form of teleportation. And he can even turn it into a whip for long-range attacks and also a long staff and can create cannons that fire beams of light or red energy as well as unleash razors of light.
W: His magical skills are the most advanced seen in the series so far, being highly proficient in the use of elemental magic, capable of creating massive rock formations and pillars on whim, firing multiple blocks of ice at once, striking down powerful overhead thunderbolts, encasing Ventus's body in ice and projecting a gust of wind powerful enough to send Ventus and Mickey flying from his hand. He was also able to use "Stopza" to ultimately overpower Mickey's "Ultima", with the spell notably reaching far enough to immobilize Riku, although the clash had greatly waned his strength. His telekinetic prowess is such that he can telekinetically control the Keyblades covering the Keyblade Graveyard without even needing to use hand gestures. In Kingdom Hearts III, when fighting Xehanort after he has absorbed the twelve Replica Xehanorts, he can raise gigantic pillars of flame, scatter balls of thunder, create an exploding orb of gravitational force and project a large ball of thunder that sucks in Sora before exploding. He also could place an orb around Sora to teleport him to his location. Armored Xehanort proved to be able to telekinetically use the replicas of his keyblade in battle, swinging them down and upwards like sharp wings and even spinning them for multiple attacks and could rain down meteors and balls of fire. When using the χ-blade, Xehanort can strike several bolts of blue lightning at once and empower the χ-blade with ice magic to freeze Sora before firing several large balls of fire.
B: And in his armored form, he could alter the gravity and make the whole world rotate in his battle with Sora, Donald, and Goofy!
W: Master Xehanort displays superb skill in manipulating darkness for both supplementary and offensive purposes. He easily defeated Eraqus with mere two blasts of dark energy, blinding one of his eyes, and repelled Braig's shot with barriers of dark energy without even needing to raise his hands. He was also able to easily gain the Orbs of Light used by Eraqus during Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery Exam and also nudge Terra's darkness to make him show visible signs of it with a mere slight gesture. He could open and travel with the Corridors of Darkness with ease, at one point generating a massive portal of darkness that sent Ventus to his home and Mickey to an unknown place, and was able to completely cloud over the Land of Departure with darkness. The χ-blade allowed Xehanort to rain down meteors of darkness and he could channel the Kingdom Hearts to fire a large beam of darkness that would have overwhelmed Sora had he not been empowered by his connection to his friends. He also gains power over Light at this point, able to steal Sora's light and trap it in the center of the arena, using it to create pillars of light and having it emit golden waves of energy.
B: But the capabilities of Xehanort at his prime could be seen with the No Heart, the data simulation of him when he was wearing his Keyblade Armor, where his agility and strength are noticeably sharper, able to quickly move through the terrain despite his heavy armor and execute strong blows that can quickly take out opponents, and could transform his Keyblade into multiple shapes. He also displays noticeable prowess in hand-to-hand combat with the gauntlets and graves he could transform his Keyblade into, able to quickly unleash either powerful combos. He also uses various potent dark-elemental attacks, creating large shockwaves, explosions, waves and projectiles of darkness, and could also open corridors of darkness able to pull in, damage and teleport the player to his Keyblade, as well as slow them down by either creating a pool or pillar of darkness. He can surround himself with a barrier of darkness and telekinetically control his Keyblade effortlessly to attack.
W: Master Xehanort shows a great deal of skill in utilizing the heart and its capabilities, able to create a living being, Vanitas, out of the darkness of Ventus's heart when he unlocks it and even able to direct his heart into Terra's body to possess it after his defeat in the Keyblade Graveyard. After his resurrection, he can somehow bestow others with fragments of his heart to give them the power to use the Keyblade and control darkness without needing to force his heart out, which is how he forged the True Organization XIII.
B: And after absorbing replicas of himself, Xehanort could summon those super tall chairs and shadowy versions of himself to also sit and look down menacingly at his foes, all while blasting purple-black lasers at them.
(Cut to Wiz and Boomstick with an image of Terra-Xehanort on the screen)
W: We're also looking at Xehanort himself, so even though he is even stronger in Terra's body, we'll just be ignoring that.
(Boomstick uses a remote to change the screen to static)
B: Yeah, no using other people's bodies! That's cheating!
W: His greatest asset, however, is his outstanding intelligence and skills at manipulation. For over eleven years, Xehanort's master plan has been going about, resulting in, among other things, the founding of the original Organization XIII and Riku's possession of the Seeker of Darkness, and he always has backup plans ready in the event his initial schemes fail.
B: Damn. All that power and will must REALLY make him unstoppable!
W: There's no denying that all this and more could truly make Xehanort the greatest Keyblade Master in his time, no, of all time.
Xehanort: They say ruin brings about creation. So, what then would another Keyblade War bring? When the darkness falls, will we be found worthy of the precious light the legend speaks of? I must have these answers. The χ-blade needs to be forged and with it, the door to the Keyblade War unlocked.
BATTLE:
W: Alright, the combatants are set! And we've run the data through all possibilities! Let's end this debate once and for all!
B: It's time for a DEATH BATTLLLLEEEEEEE!
…
(This Heartless Empire - Brandon Yates)
The scene opens at night near an old temple. Inside its walls, Xehanort and robed figures walk through the halls and examine statues with strange swords. Xehanort picks something up from an altar: a small red pyramid. Unbeknownst to him, this is a Sith Holocron.
Xehanort: The hearts of all these people were filled to the brim with darkness. I must know their secrets…
A rumbling sound gets his attention. He and his followers backtrack to the temple's entrance. Xehanort looks up to the sky… and sees a Star Destroyer emerge from hyperspace in the planet's atmosphere.
A few more Star Destroyers erupt into realspace, filling the sky with their ominous presence. Heartless creatures and Nobodies turn to look at the new arrival. From beneath the Star Destroyers, legions of TIE Fighters scream out from the hangars and rain down emerald laser fire. As the starfighters shriek across the sky, AT-STs and AT-ATs are deployed to assault the temple.
Imperial shuttles touch down and stormtroopers pour out onto the ground, opening fire on the Heartless and Nobodies with their blasters. Speeder bikes zoom by to support the ground troops.
Leading the Heartless and Nobodies against the forces of the Empire, Terra cuts down stormtrooper after stormtrooper with his Keyblade. After he cuts down a commander, he sees someone else approaching: someone in black armor, a flowing cape, and mechanical breathing.
Darth Vader ignites his lightsaber and advances towards Terra. The fallen Keyblade Master and the promising-Jedi-turned-Sith clash weapons. As lightsaber and Keyblade push against each other, Vader's breathing continues as he and Terra stare each other down.
Xehanort watches as a different shuttle touches down at the top of the staircase leading to the temple entrance. He summons his Keyblade and prepares for what comes out… but what he doesn't expect to see is an old man whose face is concealed by a hood.
Xehanort: What is this? A frail old man seeks to challenge me? This will be your greatest mista-
Before he can finish, he is telekinetically shoved back into the temple. He flies down the halls until he lands on his feet, skidding to a stop. Xehanort stands to face his opponent, who now walks into the temple.
Palpatine: It is you whose error shall be corrected. You desecrate the holy site of the Sith with your presence. Now, trespasser… you will die.
A lightsaber shoots out of Palpatine's sleeve and into his hand.
Xehanort: You believe you can frighten me? I am the greatest Keyblade Master to ever live. The secrets of this place- of this darkness- will be mine to discover.
Palpatine: You underestimate the power of the dark side…
He ignites his lightsaber, illuminating the halls of the temple with a red, blood-like glow.
DB Announcer: Fight!
Palpatine lets out a Force-amplified shriek and lunges forward, his lightsaber clashing with Xehanort's Gazing Eye. The two trade blows before they engage in a blade clash.
Xehanort: It is futile to resist. My apprentice will cut yours to the ground. I have foreseen it. And you shall shortly follow. The future is already set in stone.
Palpatine: It's treason, then.
He shoves Xehanort into a temple wall with the Force before lifting him up into the air.
Palpatine: (laughs) You know nothing of power, fool.
He then shoots out Force Lightning, with Xehanort countering it with a blast of darkness. The two energies clash fiercely, all while Xehanort smirks and Palpatine laughs.
Palpatine: This is TRUE power! UNLIMITED POWER!
Seeing an open move, and using the Gazing Eye, Xehanort is able to lose the clash on purpose and redirects the lightning back at Palpatine, who screams and stops the flow as soon as it hits him. Xehanort then floats down to the ground.
Xehanort: Even the king could easily best the green one. And he is far beyond your abilities. You are not ready for this one.
Palpatine throws his second lightsaber, which shatters the Gazing Eye.
Palpatine: Ironic. Even with those visions, you could not foresee this outcome.
Xehanort: Really?
He then summons a Corridor of Darkness and heads through it, with Palpatine following. They end up in the Keyblade Graveyard, with Xehanort overlooking Palpatine on a massive rock formation. All around him, the keyblades begin to emerge from their resting place and swarm around Xehanort, who only holds a hand at the ready while holding the X-Blade. He holds his hand out forwards, and the keyblades all fly towards Palpatine. He only laughs as he uses the Force to make them turn and focuses them all at Xehanort, who easily teleports off the rocky formation. He and the Sith Lord continue their duel, both with supernatural speed. While Xehanort strikes with the X-Blade, Palpatine uses both his lightsabers. Sidious backflips to avoid another strike, then uses the Force to throw boulders at Xehanort, who only conjures massive pillars of fire to destroy them.
Xehanort: Out of all the hearts I have seen, yours is much darker than any other. A pity you are unworthy of being my vessel.
Palpatine: And you hate that. Good. Use that anger. Let the hate flow through you. Strike me down and rise as the Sith's new apprentice!
Xehanort: Apprentice? (chuckles) It seems you fail to understand. I am the Master here.
Palpatine: So be it. Now you will experience the true power of the Dark Side.
Xehanort: Perhaps that is...if you survive that long.
Xehanort then conjures copies of all his other selves, as well as replicas of both Organizations. Laughing, Palpatine only easily cuts them all down. However, this buys Xehanort enough time to open Kingdom Hearts itself and warps them to Scala Ad Caelum with a star-filled night sky, where he absorbs his twelve replicas and dons his Keyblade Armor and begins distorting reality and manipulating the area's gravity. Palpatine is quick to adapt, and even uses the Force to rip off upside down buildings and throw them at Xehanort, who uses his incredible magic and power to easily destroy them. Palpatine even uses the Force to throw down an entire galaxy of stars, but Xehanort easily destroys them as well.
Palpatine: Yes… good… (laughs)
Their fight continues to the top of the main citadel, and Palpatine only laughs once more after he is wounded by his own lightning.
Xehanort: Why the amusement, old man? You are too weak.
Palpatine: Even death itself cannot hold me! The Force is strong in me. You say I have the darkest of hearts. Only because I am the Dark Side! I am all the Sith!
Xehanort: Interesting. But what are all warriors…
Xehanort then summons the chairs of Where Nothing Gathers and having shadowy versions of himself rise from them to fight for him. He fires dark beams of energy from them, which Palpatine dodges and easily kills the shadows. Xehanort then attacks him at blinding speeds, opening keyholes for instant transportation. Finally, the night sky reveals Kingdom Hearts.
Xehanort: To all worlds?
He then summons a massive horde of Heartless, and Palpatine, using the power of all Sith, easily begins to duel them. Xehanort then unleashes a powerful blast of magic from Kingdom Hearts itself, and with fully supercharged Force Lightning, Palpatine clashes with the immense magic blast. Smirking and visualizing an open move on a chessboard, Xehanort moves his final piece…
Xehanort: Checkmate.
And has the X-Blade itself redirect the supercharged Force Lightning back at Palpatine. The Sith Master yells out as he is consumed by both lightning and magic, both disfigured beyond recognition and disintegrated completely. Finally becoming one with the Force, all that is left of Palpatine are his Sith robes.
However, Xehanort is unfazed by hearing the laugh of Palpatine's Force Ghost echo throughout the area, and he teleports back to the Sith temple to see the Galactic Empire having been completely destroyed. Heartless and Nobodies roam the land, stormtrooper bodies, wrecked TIE Fighters, and Star Destroyers lie still on the ground (with some of the capital ships slowly sinking), and true to Xehanort's words, Terra has slain Darth Vader. His helmet lies motionless on the ground
Xehanort then turns back to the Sith Holocron.
Xehanort: Now...where were we?
RESULTS:
DB Announcer: KO!
B: That. Was. AWESOME! I don't know about you, Wiz, but I SURELY wasn't prepared!
W: Palpatine may have possessed immense Force powers, but Xehanort's mastery over magic and infusing said magic with the powers of darkness is a hard stop to Palpatine's greatest weapon, Force Lightning. Yes, he once used it to immobilize an entire fleet above Exogol, but that was a Dark Side hotspot that was fueling his power and lightning tends to be really, really effective on machinery, such as Starships. Honestly, if Xehanort busted out his Meteor Desperation Move, Palpatine could stop one or two of them for sure. But then he has the other dozen or so to deal with. And that's not even getting into if Xehanort pulls out the X-blade. With everything he can do with that, on top of his normal powers, which I must stress, short range teleportation is a specialty and Xehanort has used it to a devastating effect before.
B: And Palps is weak to his own lightning, so getting hit with a supercharged version of that would most certainly end him for good! Hell, even the sheer magic of Kingdom Hearts was too much for him to handle!
W: Palpatine might be the culmination of a millennia of planning and ambition, but the darkness is truly with Master Xehanort.
B: Sidious was slightly off by just a Palpa-teeny bit.
W: The winner is Master Xehanort.