Elon Musk’s affinity for the letter ‘X’ is shared by least one Kingdom Hearts character: Master Xehanort, the overarching villain of Square Enix’s popular trilogy and the leader of the Real Organization XIII.
The connection has led to Kingdom Hearts fans changing their profile pics en masse to those of the hooded Nobodies of Organization XIII. It’s just one in the massive wave of memes as fandoms across the board poke fun at Musk’s strange decision to do away with one of the world’s iconic brands.
It seemingly began with a user named Letryx who urged Kingdom Hearts fans to change their bio pic, writing, “KH fans, it’s time to rise up.”
everyone should change their twitter pfp to this since we’re gonna be called X now
KH fans, it’s time to rise up pic.twitter.com/S7CGrzl7FH
— Leytrx (@MasterLeytrx) July 23, 2023
The trend quickly caught on among Kingdom Hearts fans on the platform, many of whom posted scenes from the game as well.
Twitter after rebranding pic.twitter.com/pfStNsAQWW
— Xestalthcawl (@Stealthclaw96) July 24, 2023
I’m in. pic.twitter.com/0YPqUEHr3G
— Oryxalt @ The World that Never Was (@GohanSkywalker) July 24, 2023
Others came up with their own spin on the familiar cloaked figure.
In RΞZZ we trust. pic.twitter.com/HKV2Jt5xQm
— Rave Daddy Hollow 🔜 B??? (55%) (@TheHollowStone) July 24, 2023
Some fans opted to reference other games entirely.
Greetings, it is I, Bulborb Xehanort. pic.twitter.com/i44QUSESqh
— Cixahelm Machiel (@MichMach74) July 24, 2023
The trend is partly born out of the fandom’s ongoing passion for the Kingdom Hearts series, which famously melds Disney iconics like Donald Duck (who is no longer the most powerful mage ever) with familiar faces from Final Fantasy and other franchises. Kingdom Hearts’ twisting lore is a bit too complicated to recap here, but suffice it to say that it has managed to capture a large and dedicated fandom.
— Xolen, Seeker of Darnest #NoToX (@LeonSteamhawk) July 24, 2023
The last major Kingdom Hearts release was 2019’s Kingdom Hearts III, which wrapped a large chunk of the main arc. Development on Kingdom Hearts IV, which starts in a city resembling Tokyo, is currently underway.
In the meantime, the chaos continues amid Musk’s sudden and shocking Twitter rebrand. No doubt we’ll be seeing plenty more fandom’s getting in on the act very soon.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.