Way to the Dawn

The Way to the Dawn (ウェイトゥザドーン) is a Keychain for Riku's Keyblade that is found in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Like Sora's Keyblade, it is a Keyblade of the Realm of Light. Its design is partially based upon his Soul Eater, and its name and design reflect Riku's nature as a being halfway between both light and darkness.

The Way to the Dawn is first seen in Kingdom Hearts II, when Riku arrives at The World That Never Was in order to rescue Naminé and Kairi from Saïx. Despite being a separate weapon from the Soul Eater, Riku still refers to it by the previous name. If the Way to the Dawn is in fact a transformed Soul Eater, then Riku did not obtain it until after encountering Sora at The Land of Dragons.

Riku can equip this Keyblade within Mission Mode in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Design
The Way to the Dawn looks very much like Soul Eater, but the once curved wing is now straight, and the Keyblade's guard is composed of one angelic wing and one demonic wing. Also, a dark angelic wing has been added to the top of the original blade of the Soul Eater to act as the head of the key. Its token is the Heartless Emblem, but without the spiked bars crossing it. Its name is derived from the ending scene of Reverse/Rebirth, in which Riku declares that he is taking the "road to dawn".

Trivia

 * In "The Gathering", Ventus takes this Keyblade.
 * During the battle with Xemnas, Sora temporarily wields this Keyblade and holds it backwards, similar to how Ventus holds his Keyblade.