As fans wait in anticipation for the myth that is Kingdom Hearts 3, it’s time to look back at something awesome about the series currently, namely the game’s most misunderstood character: Riku. On numerous social media sites and forums, a lot of comments say that Riku is a hybrid of Aqua and Terra but that’s false. The reason why most people compare Riku to Terra and Aqua is because he shares a similar outward appearance to Aqua and intentional parallelism with Terra. Both Terra and Riku turn to the darkness and both have their bodies stolen. Riku is, debatably, the character with the most amount of depth in the series and the true hero. Sora will always be the flagship character of the Kingdom Hearts series and the one people see as the main protagonist but Riku makes a pretty compelling case. He’s done a lot and gone through so much character development that it’s hard not to see him as the true protagonist.
Riku represents the chosen hero who falls and then regains his path. The would-be-hero who repeated the failures of his predecessors but eventually found redemption. Players go from hating Riku in Kingdom Hearts to understanding him a bit more in Chain of Memories & 358/2 Days. From there, fans of the series begin to like him in Kingdom Hearts 2 and, finally, respect him in Dream Drop Distance. Riku has come a long way: he was an antagonist in the first game then transitioned into an anti-hero trying to fight the darkness within him and eventually came around to becoming a hero. Once he was able to own up to the choices he made and come to accept them, he not only found peace, he earned the Mark of Mastery thus becoming a full-fledged Keyblade Master.
Terra chooses Riku to become a Keyblade wielder in Birth by Sleep, when he’s impressed by Riku’s resolve and desire to protect what’s dear to him. Riku was immediately able to tell that Terra was from a different world, but from that moment on Riku became consumed by the idea of the infinite amount of worlds out there.
Desperate to leave his dull island life, Riku turned to something he didn’t fully understand: Darkness. When Riku’s heart was lost to the darkness, his ability to summon his Keyblade was hindered and Sora became its wielder instead. Desperate to save his childhood friend Kairi, Riku dove deeper and deeper into the darkness wanting more power and ended up having his body possessed by the dark being Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Ever the gullible one, Riku was manipulated into thinking Sora had abandoned him and Kairi which lead him down the path of darkness and eventually resulted in him losing himself both literally and figuratively.
After the events of Kingdom Hearts, Riku regained control over his body but decided to start repressing the darkness in his heart. He would travel up the lower levels of Castle Oblivion trying hard to never turn back to the darkness that he initially let in. All the while, the antagonists of Castle Oblivion - Organization 13 - would constantly tempt him to let the darkness in. It’s revealed that Ansem still has some presence within Riku’s heart and the dark stain on it would remain. It’s here where Riku makes a choice unlike any other: to freely wield the power of Darkness, to hone and master it while also using the power of Light. Riku would take the middle path, the twilight, the road to dawn. Sora was also in the higher levels of Castle Oblivion, had his memories stolen from him and had to sleep in order to regain them. Riku would do what he must in order to save his best friend thus starting Riku’s atonement for his past mistakes.
Riku, determined to restore Sora’s memories, goes off with King Mickey but even with Ansem sealed within him Riku’s struggle remains. He chooses to leave Mickey and go on his own journey to fight off the darkness and save Sora. He resorts to kidnapping, manipulating and violence on his quest to save him. At this point in the series, he’s more of an anti-hero because he’s doing bad things but doing them for good reasons. Faced with an enemy he was too weak to defeat in his current state, Riku lets the power of Darkness in and takes on the form of Ansem. He does this all for Sora’s sake. He then kidnaps the boy he defeated and helps put him in a fake, digital world.
Eventually, through manipulating this boy named Roxas, Riku finds his way to Sora effectively returning Sora’s lost memories and waking him up after a year of slumber. Riku spent the majority of Kingdom Hearts 2 behind the scenes helping Sora from the shadows, too ashamed to face his friend in his current form. After an explosion with a special device made to impede the main antagonist’s goal Riku’s true body is returned to him. Sora and Riku team up in order to defeat Xemnas, the leader of Organization 13. Riku, now back to his original form was able to freely use the power of Light and Darkness to fight alongside Sora. Riku took a mortal blow meant for Sora which gave him the opening needed to defeat Xemnas. Riku’s new found selflessness shines through.
Having rid himself of Ansem and reuniting with his friends back at his home, Sora and Riku are asked to take the Mark of Mastery. If they pass the test both Keyblade wielders would become masters. Riku feels unworthy of wielding the Keyblade and thinks this exam provides an opportunity to see if he’s changed. He’s egged on by a Dream World version of Ansem during the test and others to fall back to darkness but their efforts prove ineffectual. Riku becomes so firmly rooted in-between Light and Darkness that he won’t succumb to either, thus forcing the antagonists to use Sora instead. Riku saves Sora from having his heart stolen and passes the test while Sora fails, showing Sora’s incompetence. Riku, having proven to himself that he is worthy of wielding the Keyblade, is ready to face future danger as a Keyblade Master.
Riku starts off as a curious child, wondering if there was more to his life than the mundane one he had on his island. He grew up to be a bit of a cocky teenager. During his struggle with his dark self, Riku becomes a bit stricter with himself. He’s focused, blunt and more serious. Riku’s compassion for his friends and the state of the Worlds become more apparent after he saves Sora. Riku develops a real sense of pride, duty and finally accepts himself. Ergo, Riku’s character depth and progression throughout the series currently is phenomenal.
In conclusion, Riku, desiring freedom, spiraled down the wrong path but has learned a lot from his mistakes. He fought against his inner demons and emerged as the unlikely hero of the series. He’s compassionate opting to sacrifice himself for the various Worlds and his friends. Riku fully understands that what he did was wrong and doesn’t shy away from his mistakes. You could argue that Riku only saved Sora because it was his best friend, which is fair, but Riku also strongly believes Sora to be the hero that the world needs - more so than himself. Sora is seen as the soon-to-be savior for all of the Worlds and the one who will defeat Xehanort, once and for all. . However, without Riku, there is no Sora. Riku is the true hero of the series.
Riku represents the chosen hero who falls and then regains his path. The would-be-hero who repeated the failures of his predecessors but eventually found redemption. Players go from hating Riku in Kingdom Hearts to understanding him a bit more in Chain of Memories & 358/2 Days. From there, fans of the series begin to like him in Kingdom Hearts 2 and, finally, respect him in Dream Drop Distance. Riku has come a long way: he was an antagonist in the first game then transitioned into an anti-hero trying to fight the darkness within him and eventually came around to becoming a hero. Once he was able to own up to the choices he made and come to accept them, he not only found peace, he earned the Mark of Mastery thus becoming a full-fledged Keyblade Master.
Terra chooses Riku to become a Keyblade wielder in Birth by Sleep, when he’s impressed by Riku’s resolve and desire to protect what’s dear to him. Riku was immediately able to tell that Terra was from a different world, but from that moment on Riku became consumed by the idea of the infinite amount of worlds out there.
Desperate to leave his dull island life, Riku turned to something he didn’t fully understand: Darkness. When Riku’s heart was lost to the darkness, his ability to summon his Keyblade was hindered and Sora became its wielder instead. Desperate to save his childhood friend Kairi, Riku dove deeper and deeper into the darkness wanting more power and ended up having his body possessed by the dark being Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Ever the gullible one, Riku was manipulated into thinking Sora had abandoned him and Kairi which lead him down the path of darkness and eventually resulted in him losing himself both literally and figuratively.
After the events of Kingdom Hearts, Riku regained control over his body but decided to start repressing the darkness in his heart. He would travel up the lower levels of Castle Oblivion trying hard to never turn back to the darkness that he initially let in. All the while, the antagonists of Castle Oblivion - Organization 13 - would constantly tempt him to let the darkness in. It’s revealed that Ansem still has some presence within Riku’s heart and the dark stain on it would remain. It’s here where Riku makes a choice unlike any other: to freely wield the power of Darkness, to hone and master it while also using the power of Light. Riku would take the middle path, the twilight, the road to dawn. Sora was also in the higher levels of Castle Oblivion, had his memories stolen from him and had to sleep in order to regain them. Riku would do what he must in order to save his best friend thus starting Riku’s atonement for his past mistakes.
Riku, determined to restore Sora’s memories, goes off with King Mickey but even with Ansem sealed within him Riku’s struggle remains. He chooses to leave Mickey and go on his own journey to fight off the darkness and save Sora. He resorts to kidnapping, manipulating and violence on his quest to save him. At this point in the series, he’s more of an anti-hero because he’s doing bad things but doing them for good reasons. Faced with an enemy he was too weak to defeat in his current state, Riku lets the power of Darkness in and takes on the form of Ansem. He does this all for Sora’s sake. He then kidnaps the boy he defeated and helps put him in a fake, digital world.
Eventually, through manipulating this boy named Roxas, Riku finds his way to Sora effectively returning Sora’s lost memories and waking him up after a year of slumber. Riku spent the majority of Kingdom Hearts 2 behind the scenes helping Sora from the shadows, too ashamed to face his friend in his current form. After an explosion with a special device made to impede the main antagonist’s goal Riku’s true body is returned to him. Sora and Riku team up in order to defeat Xemnas, the leader of Organization 13. Riku, now back to his original form was able to freely use the power of Light and Darkness to fight alongside Sora. Riku took a mortal blow meant for Sora which gave him the opening needed to defeat Xemnas. Riku’s new found selflessness shines through.
Having rid himself of Ansem and reuniting with his friends back at his home, Sora and Riku are asked to take the Mark of Mastery. If they pass the test both Keyblade wielders would become masters. Riku feels unworthy of wielding the Keyblade and thinks this exam provides an opportunity to see if he’s changed. He’s egged on by a Dream World version of Ansem during the test and others to fall back to darkness but their efforts prove ineffectual. Riku becomes so firmly rooted in-between Light and Darkness that he won’t succumb to either, thus forcing the antagonists to use Sora instead. Riku saves Sora from having his heart stolen and passes the test while Sora fails, showing Sora’s incompetence. Riku, having proven to himself that he is worthy of wielding the Keyblade, is ready to face future danger as a Keyblade Master.
Riku starts off as a curious child, wondering if there was more to his life than the mundane one he had on his island. He grew up to be a bit of a cocky teenager. During his struggle with his dark self, Riku becomes a bit stricter with himself. He’s focused, blunt and more serious. Riku’s compassion for his friends and the state of the Worlds become more apparent after he saves Sora. Riku develops a real sense of pride, duty and finally accepts himself. Ergo, Riku’s character depth and progression throughout the series currently is phenomenal.
In conclusion, Riku, desiring freedom, spiraled down the wrong path but has learned a lot from his mistakes. He fought against his inner demons and emerged as the unlikely hero of the series. He’s compassionate opting to sacrifice himself for the various Worlds and his friends. Riku fully understands that what he did was wrong and doesn’t shy away from his mistakes. You could argue that Riku only saved Sora because it was his best friend, which is fair, but Riku also strongly believes Sora to be the hero that the world needs - more so than himself. Sora is seen as the soon-to-be savior for all of the Worlds and the one who will defeat Xehanort, once and for all. . However, without Riku, there is no Sora. Riku is the true hero of the series.
Written by: Nyamekye Hemmings, manga, comic book and video game enthusiast
Twitter Handle: @LolitaZenpie
Edited and proofread by: Jesse Daniel Cole and Alankar Negi
