Voice actors make all the difference to a video game, and I want to point to a single moment demonstrating why the choice of voice actor for Master Xehanort was crucial to the experience of “Kingdom Hearts.” In “Birth by Sleep,” there is a single moment at the climax of the game when the three protagonists - Ventus, Terra, and Aqua - confront Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard Xehanort, by means of identifying Ventus with his destiny to become part of the χ-blade, points a single finger at him and barks out the words, “χ-blade!” This moment is at the same time riveting and almost a non sequitur: the player is jolted from the narrative to bear witness to the villain identifying one of their avatars as a mere plot object. Abrams’ Fringe, he played William Bell, who went to the ends of time and space to literally create his own universe.) And the voice of this charismatic, devious mastermind is Leonard Nimoy - but, one might ask, what difference does a voice actor make to a video game? After all, I analyzed “Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” for months, and “Zelda” games don’t even have traditional voice acting. (This also isn’t a unique occupation for Nimoy’s characters - in J.J. Ganondorf storms the Temple of Time to try to take over Hyrule Xehanort reformats time itself in order to create the ultimate χ-blade and multiply himself by XIII, ultimately aiming to open the door to the Keyblade War.
SCARLET NEXUS VOICE ACTOR FULL
This is not the time to begin a full analysis of the series, though that time will soon come suffice it for now to say that he is the archetypal villainous kingpin who rearranges the entire universe according to his machinations. Master Xehanort has only explicitly appeared in two of the “Kingdom Hearts” games - “Birth by Sleep” and “Dream Drop Distance” - and yet the architecture of the series’ entire plot line is, at this point, almost entirely his design. For among the many hats that Nimoy wore over his career, one of the most notable in my mind was that of peerless voice actor, and the voice of a character that has framed a franchise. Ultimately, I’ve decided to pay tribute to a man who has hugely impacted so many by offering a brief discourse about the value of voice actors. Yet given that this site is the home of video game analysis, I have been back and forth debating how, if at all, to express my sentiments about him in this space.
Personally, I’m at a loss to express my feelings about Leonard Nimoy leaving us today. “Darkness is a beginning, not an end.” -Master Xehanort, “Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep” A Comprehensive Theory of Majora’s Mask.
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