So, why did Ansem SoD take Ansem The Wise's name?

[Draxem]

And did he do it as the heartless or as the full apprentice? I thought it was clear that Ansem SoD could not wield a keyblade himself, however the scene in DDD, one version of Xehanort is clearly shown wielding his original (MX's) keyblade and using it to extract the heart of Braig. I've never really put a lot of thought into it but why did he actually take Ansems name in the first place anyway?

I can imagine someone has already asked this at some point as well so sorry if so! Also this may be in the wrong forum, I simply linked Ansem SoD with KH1.

 

[ajmrowland]

One of many remaining mysteries is the ever changing identities of Xehanort.

Or at least the names.

 

[Gram]

While I'm not sure why he took Ansems' name, we can see in the reports of kh1 that Apprentice Xehanort done so before becoming a heartless.
And yes that is correct that AnsemSoD cannot wield a keyblade on his own. The version wielding in DDD's opening is the Apprentice, meaning he regained some of MX's memories or had jumbled ones all along and just then decided to act.

 

[Ruran]

He did so with the intention if smugging his old master's name. AX held a grudge against him, basically, for not letting him do whatever he wanted in regards to experimenting with hearts and darkness because AtW recognized the dangers. Since AX/ASoD went around posing as AtW and even faking documents, for the longest time people blamed AtW for AX's/ASoD's crimes.

 

[SRKTAVRXAYGDM]

Classic Xehanort. Putting the blame on someone else, and at the same time, travelling as a well known scientist/scholor.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

One of many remaining mysteries is the ever changing identities of Xehanort.

Or at least the names.

It's not really that much of a mystery at all. He wanted to sully the name of his "Master" so the blame would not have been on him as an act of revenge against AtW. Like Ruran explains, for years people thought it was Ansem the Wise that was conducing those experiments on the heart, brought the Darkness to Radiant Garden, and was trying to bring the worlds to ruin.

Also, if Xehanort really did have more control of AX than we realized then he might have also taken AtW's name to insure people like Yen Sid and Mickey didn't catch on to his plans. If the name "Xehanort" spread throughout the worlds, it would have been a very obvious hint he was up to something again.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Also, if Xehanort really did have more control of AX than we realized then he might have also taken AtW's name to insure people like Yen Sid and Mickey didn't catch on to his plans. If the name "Xehanort" spread throughout the worlds, it would have been a very obvious hint he was up to something again.

That's really a good one and would be so like something Master Xehanort would cook up.
I guess Apprentice Xehanort first taking on the name "Xehanort" at all gives a hint towards the issue that at least at the very first weeks when AtW found Terra-Xehanort the Amnesia was at least partly genuine.
Because if Xehanort wanted to go completely undercover he would have taken a different name from the beginning. After all, when Mickey was discussing with Ansem the Wise in the flashback shown in KH 2 Apprentice Nort came in and Ansem called him by name, yet Mickey doesn't show any strong reaction, although the journal tells something about meeting Xehanort "disturbed the King somehow".

If I had to take a wild guess at to when Xehanort's memories resurfaced and MX assumed control again (without anyone noticing until he stabbed Braig) I would pinpoint it to Ansem the Wise's first series/set of experiments in which also Even was so strongly interested in. The experiments which used Xehanort himself as a test subject.

 

[Zettaflare]

it kind of bothered my that mickey didnt put two and two together when he met apprentice xehanort. the name and silver hair should have been a big clue. xehanort isnt a common name and im sure yen sid told mickey at some point what he looked like

 

[SRKTAVRXAYGDM]

it kind of bothered my that mickey didnt put two and two together when he met apprentice xehanort. the name and silver hair should have been a big clue. xehanort isnt a common name and im sure yen sid told mickey at some point what he looked like

Maybe Mickey didn't want to think the worst. AtW is a good friend of his, and might be insulted if he thought bad of his apprentice.

 

[Ruran]

It kind of bothered me that Mickey didn't put two and two together when he met Apprentice Xehanort. The name and silver hair should have been a big clue. "Xehanort" isn't a common name and I'm sure Yen Sid told Mickey at some point what he looked like

To be fair, to my recollection I don't think Mickey ever saw MX during BbS. The only time Mickey was in his presence he was unconscious, but up until 3D he had only heard of him. Even if Yen Sid told Mickey what he looked like, by the time he met AX, aside from the silver hair and dark skin, he would have looked very different.

Although the name thing IS iffy. I get using the "it's been a long time, so I didn't recognize him at first" excuse in KH2 when Mickey didn't realize the connection between AX and Xemnas, but Mickey forgetting Xehanort's name or not being to add things up was kind of weak.

Digressions aside, I think OP has their answers by this point.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

it kind of bothered my that mickey didnt put two and two together when he met apprentice xehanort. the name and silver hair should have been a big clue. xehanort isnt a common name and im sure yen sid told mickey at some point what he looked like

While it isn't common, it's also not said to be unique, and Mickey did see Master Xehanort in person when he went to the final battle in BBS, so he knows that he's an old geezer who is bald and has golden eyes. Apprentice Xehanort though is much younger, has silver hair and brown eyes, so while Mickey might have had some suspicions (as the journal in KH 2 does state meeting the apprentice somewhat disturbed the King) he didn't automatically assume the worst. He didn't even assume the worst with Ansem SoD, who blatantly wears MX's attire and clearly scolds himself in DDD for being "so blind" to not see the issues at hand.
Mickey did (and wanted to) believe that the sacrifices made by Terra, Aqua and Ventus put an end to the threat of Master Xehanort, so he might in part not even wanted to believe that this could be the same Xehanort, because it would also mean that all the suffering and sacrifice made by TAV would have been in vain.
It ultimatively was exactly like this, but like Ansem the Wise blinded by his thirst for vengeance refused to acknowledge that Nobodies could indeed grow hearts and that Roxas and Naminé had real feelings, Mickey in his grief about not being able to save TAV refused to acknowledge that Master Xehanort could be again behind everything.

This is also strengthened more by his reaction in the secret ending of Re: Coded when Yen Sid speaks about what Xehanort might plan next.
Mickey interjects that Xehanort should be gone since Riku and Sora defeated both Ansem and Xemnas in KH 1 and 2, indicating that despite being a Keyblade Master Mickey does not know that the destruction of a Heartless and corresponding Nobody results in the rebirth of the original persona until Yen Sid explains it in that very cutscene.

Maybe Mickey didn't want to think the worst. AtW is a good friend of his, and might be insulted if he thought bad of his apprentice.

That may be actually a factor too, Mickey isn't the type to be immediately suspicious of everything.

 

[Zettaflare]

i can understand mickey not recognizing that apprentice xehanort was the same as master xehanort through appearence, but as ruran said, the name thing is still kind of weak

 

[SRKTAVRXAYGDM]

i can understand mickey not recognizing that apprentice xehanort was the same as master xehanort through appearence, but as ruran said, the name thing is still kind of weak

Refresh my poor memory, did AtW ever actually say the name?

 

[Zettaflare]

Refresh my poor memory, did AtW ever actually say the name?

in front of mickey? yeah he did in a flashback in kh2