The first thing to know about Roxas is that he is a Nobody, a being the Kingdom Hearts universe, who exists without a heart. Within Kingdom Hearts, the Heart rules all, particularly emotion, and so if one does not have a heart, one does not have emotion. Nobodies have to get by with the memories of the emotions they have in their previous life.
The interesting thing about Roxas is that when he first comes into being, he is a legitimate blank slate, with no memories of a previous life. His personality, as a result, is derived from his own experiences and discoveries, rather than based on who he used to be, which is the case with other nobodies.
Over the course of the games then, we see Roxas evolve from a blank slate, into a kind, dependable young man, who is devoted to his friends and has a questioning mind about the world around him, and his place in it.
In his blank slate state, Roxas is simply obedient, completing missions without a second thought, and doing things because he is told to without question. It is his relationship with Axel that allows Roxas to wake up, as it were, and start to develop an actual personality. He learns that it’s okay to relax after completing a mission, and comes to enjoy the moments where he and Axel can just sit and talk, usually with Roxas asking questions to make up for the fact that he is a blank slate. He is also shown to develop a cockiness in dealing with enemies, and a wry sense of humour. He teases and gets teased back and can laugh about it. This work ethic carries forward into the Digital World, where he’ll usually side with Olette in completing their task for the day, whether errands or homework, before going to the clocktower to eat ice cream.
Roxas is very loyal to his friends, and very protective as well. He’ll either charge forward to fight by their side, if not outright defend them. He takes their worries very seriously, trying his best to right the situation somehow, or find a way to make things better. He doesn’t like feeling powerless, and will try to find ways to be proactive, should a problem arise. For example, when Xion disappears, Roxas searches for her in order to make sure she’s okay. That being said, Roxas tends to internalize the things that are bothering him, and will act independently, rather than seeking out help from his friends. He doesn’t want to worry them, even if they are worried about him.
Within his group of friends, he is the logical one, unlikely to act impulsively, and willing to think things through, as long as they lead to action. He has a short temper, however, which can sometimes throw reason out the window. He tends to be blunt when he speaks, saying what’s on his mind without a lot of tact. He can also be rather selfish, but not enough that it prevents him from joining with Sora when the time comes.
Despite this, Roxas is a very kind individual. He likes to help people, particularly his friends, and wants to make sure they’re okay. Once Xion starts to break out of her shell, for example, Roxas immediately extends the same kindness that Axel did for him, inviting her for ice cream on the clock tower after their mission, and later, helping her out by sharing the keyblade on joint missions. The residents of the Digital world also seem to view him as a good, dependable kid who is always ready to help out when he can.
As his personality develops, Roxas moves beyond the obedient member of the Organization, and starts to have questions about the world around him. Particularly as he recovers memories of Sora, he wonders about his relationship to the other boy, why he has the keyblade, and if the Organization is really all that worth being part of. Again, being the type to take action, Roxas blazes ahead, even if the answers he receives end up changing his life considerably. For example, Roxas leaves the Organization in order to search for the answers to his questions himself, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with Axel, his closest friend. But he would rather have the answers than live in ignorance of them, even if it does provide a new set of questions to be answered, as well as a melancholy disposition. Again, he’s more inclined to go inward and think about the questions surrounding him, rather than reach out to someone else for help.
At the point at which he is entering the game, Roxas has come a long way. He has grown from being an obedient member of the Organization, to someone who can, and is determined to, stand on his own.
Additionally, I had hoped to add an ability before my app was processed but ran out of time, so please consider this an addendum:
Ability: Memory Absorption One of Roxas’s closest friends, Xion, was created as a replica to absorb Sora’s memories. The idea behind this was to create someone who could wield the keyblade and open Kingdom Hearts, without the Organization having to rely on Sora. With both Roxas and Xion, it was simply a matter of determining who was stronger, as the two both share Sora’s memories, Xion as a replica, and Roxas as Sora’s Nobody.
How the process works is never clearly defined in canon, but it comes into effect when the two are in close proximity of each other. There are missions that Xion can burn through, with Roxas feeling weaker or unable to use the keyblade, or the opposite can happen. While close proximity causes the problem, distance can usually fix it.
I have spoken with the applying Xion-mun, and we have agreed to the headcanon that this reaction between the two acts as a pendulum effect, with the absorption causing one to grow stronger and the other to weaken over time. How that is determined will be randomized.
Revisions!
The first thing to know about Roxas is that he is a Nobody, a being the Kingdom Hearts universe, who exists without a heart. Within Kingdom Hearts, the Heart rules all, particularly emotion, and so if one does not have a heart, one does not have emotion. Nobodies have to get by with the memories of the emotions they have in their previous life.
The interesting thing about Roxas is that when he first comes into being, he is a legitimate blank slate, with no memories of a previous life. His personality, as a result, is derived from his own experiences and discoveries, rather than based on who he used to be, which is the case with other nobodies.
Over the course of the games then, we see Roxas evolve from a blank slate, into a kind, dependable young man, who is devoted to his friends and has a questioning mind about the world around him, and his place in it.
In his blank slate state, Roxas is simply obedient, completing missions without a second thought, and doing things because he is told to without question. It is his relationship with Axel that allows Roxas to wake up, as it were, and start to develop an actual personality. He learns that it’s okay to relax after completing a mission, and comes to enjoy the moments where he and Axel can just sit and talk, usually with Roxas asking questions to make up for the fact that he is a blank slate. He is also shown to develop a cockiness in dealing with enemies, and a wry sense of humour. He teases and gets teased back and can laugh about it. This work ethic carries forward into the Digital World, where he’ll usually side with Olette in completing their task for the day, whether errands or homework, before going to the clocktower to eat ice cream.
Roxas is very loyal to his friends, and very protective as well. He’ll either charge forward to fight by their side, if not outright defend them. He takes their worries very seriously, trying his best to right the situation somehow, or find a way to make things better. He doesn’t like feeling powerless, and will try to find ways to be proactive, should a problem arise. For example, when Xion disappears, Roxas searches for her in order to make sure she’s okay. That being said, Roxas tends to internalize the things that are bothering him, and will act independently, rather than seeking out help from his friends. He doesn’t want to worry them, even if they are worried about him.
Within his group of friends, he is the logical one, unlikely to act impulsively, and willing to think things through, as long as they lead to action. He has a short temper, however, which can sometimes throw reason out the window. He tends to be blunt when he speaks, saying what’s on his mind without a lot of tact. He can also be rather selfish, but not enough that it prevents him from joining with Sora when the time comes.
Despite this, Roxas is a very kind individual. He likes to help people, particularly his friends, and wants to make sure they’re okay. Once Xion starts to break out of her shell, for example, Roxas immediately extends the same kindness that Axel did for him, inviting her for ice cream on the clock tower after their mission, and later, helping her out by sharing the keyblade on joint missions. The residents of the Digital world also seem to view him as a good, dependable kid who is always ready to help out when he can.
As his personality develops, Roxas moves beyond the obedient member of the Organization, and starts to have questions about the world around him. Particularly as he recovers memories of Sora, he wonders about his relationship to the other boy, why he has the keyblade, and if the Organization is really all that worth being part of. Again, being the type to take action, Roxas blazes ahead, even if the answers he receives end up changing his life considerably. For example, Roxas leaves the Organization in order to search for the answers to his questions himself, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with Axel, his closest friend. But he would rather have the answers than live in ignorance of them, even if it does provide a new set of questions to be answered, as well as a melancholy disposition. Again, he’s more inclined to go inward and think about the questions surrounding him, rather than reach out to someone else for help.
At the point at which he is entering the game, Roxas has come a long way. He has grown from being an obedient member of the Organization, to someone who can, and is determined to, stand on his own.
Additionally, I had hoped to add an ability before my app was processed but ran out of time, so please consider this an addendum:
Ability: Memory Absorption
One of Roxas’s closest friends, Xion, was created as a replica to absorb Sora’s memories. The idea behind this was to create someone who could wield the keyblade and open Kingdom Hearts, without the Organization having to rely on Sora. With both Roxas and Xion, it was simply a matter of determining who was stronger, as the two both share Sora’s memories, Xion as a replica, and Roxas as Sora’s Nobody.
How the process works is never clearly defined in canon, but it comes into effect when the two are in close proximity of each other. There are missions that Xion can burn through, with Roxas feeling weaker or unable to use the keyblade, or the opposite can happen. While close proximity causes the problem, distance can usually fix it.
I have spoken with the applying Xion-mun, and we have agreed to the headcanon that this reaction between the two acts as a pendulum effect, with the absorption causing one to grow stronger and the other to weaken over time. How that is determined will be randomized.