Riku: Difference between revisions

{{InfoCharacter

|name=Riku

|game=[[Kingdom Hearts]]

|kana=リク (Riku)

|first=N/A

}}

'''Riku''' is the best friend and rival of [[Sora]], the main character of ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''. His name is derived from the Japanese word for 'land'. He is voiced by David Gallagher in the English versions and by Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese version.

==Story==

===''Kingdom Hearts''===

{{q|When we grow up, let’s get off this island. We’ll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!|Riku, setting his goal to explore the worlds during childhood}}

As revealed in ''Kingdom Hearts'', Riku's story began a number of years before the night of the heartless invasion on [[Destiny Islands]]. On an earlier night, there is a meteor shower and [[Kairi|a mysterious girl]] appears on the islands.  Apparently, Kairi is from another, far off world, and is now stuck on the Destiny Islands, with no way to return to her home.  The two and Sora, another resident of the Isles, quickly forge a powerful friendship.  Soon after Kairi's arrival, Riku and Sora go to the secret place, a small cave that they frequently explored. Sora finds it fascinating, but soon decides to take his leave.  Before leaving, Riku catches sight of an enigmatic door. From this day on Riku became obsessed with finding out what lies beyond the door, wondering if it could perhaps be a passageway to another world, such as Kairi's.

However, things take a drastic turn on the night before their journey. Riku, likely unable to leave the islands without knowing the truth, opens the door in the secret place and the [[Heartless]], beings of darkness, invade the islands, seeking out the world's heart. Both afraid that a storm would destroy the raft, Kairi and Sora also set out for the island.  Sora finds Riku first. However, while Sora is concerned for his friend's safety, Riku is only obsessed with finally escaping the island. Darkness surrounds the two, and Riku disappears into it, while Sora gains the [[Keyblade]].

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===Invitation to Darkness===

{{q|You see? It’s just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. You’re better off without that wretched boy. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I’ll help you find what you’re searching for...|[[Maleficent]], "comforting" Riku}}

Though Sora is significantly weakened, he makes his way to the foyer of the castle, with the help of Beast. Riku, having taken on a new appearance with the increasing strength of his dark powers, tells him to quit, but Sora refuses to leave without Kairi. Riku, intending to prove to Sora that he is the stronger of the two, attacks his old friend, only for Donald and Goofy to go to his aid. With the strength of his friends, Sora regains the Keyblade, becoming the true master, and drives Riku into retreat once more.

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===Becoming the Darkness itself===

{{q|Open your heart, surrender it to the Darkness, become Darkness itself!|Riku, upon stabbing Maleficent with the Dark Keyblade}}

[[Image:DarkRiku.jpg|right|153px]]

Eventually, Riku manages to escape, but is confused as to why Sora was able to regain the Keyblade. A [[Xehanort's Heartless|mysterious voice]] somehow contacts him from the Darkness, telling him that only one with a stronger heart can claim the Keyblade, and Riku himself was weaker than Sora.  However, the mysterious voice, now slowly taking a shape, presents Riku with an offer he can not resist, a Keyblade of his own.  Under the influence of jealousy and rage, Riku agrees to become one with the Darkness, only to become possessed by the mysterious voice itself.       

===''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]''===

{{q|Yeah, well... Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway.|Riku}}

[[Image:KHCoM-Riku.jpg|220px|left]]

Riku awakes in the lowest basement of [[Castle Oblivion]], being led there by his hearts resonance with Sora, who also happens to be in Castle Oblivion, though on the ground floor. A dark card and [[DiZ|a disembodied voice]] present themselves. The Voice offers Riku the chance to sleep and forget his troubles as well as the light, or take the card and take the first steps toward the truth. Riku takes the card confidently.

Riku leaves Hollow Bastion, only to see the true form of Castle Oblivion. The Voice again comes to Riku, but this time reveals himself to be Xehanort's Heartless, who wants to take over Riku again. However, though Xehanort's Heartless is powerful, King Mickey comes to aid Riku with his light. Riku then manages to fend off Xehanort's Heartless for the time being. But before he leaves, the Heartless leaves Riku with some world cards and the ability to wield his inner darkness as a weapon.

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===Meeting the Replica===

{{q|I bet it's not every day you meet your twin. Too shocked to speak? This should come as a relief, then: I'm a replica of you that Vexen made.|Riku Replica}}

Riku soon realizes that he has the power to detect the "smell" of darkness, and is discouraged by it, though King Mickey comforts him. However, King Mickey can only appear to Riku as a projection, for he is still in the Realm of Darkness. Still, with King Mickey's encouragement, Riku ascends the basements of Castle Oblivion in order to rid himself of his darkness. Meanwhile, as Riku travels through the lower levels of Castle Oblivion, Sora ascends the upper floors, being manipulated by [[Marluxia]], a member of the mysterious [[Organization XIII]] and the lord of Castle Oblivion. But three other Organization members, [[Vexen]], [[Lexaeus]], and [[Zexion]] work to counter Marluxia by using the dark-wielding Riku against the light-wielding Sora.

===Twilight===

{{q|You hated being an islander, cut off from other worlds. So you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. YOU did that! And now you belong to the darkness. Look at what you are!|[[Zexion]], exclaiming Riku's hypocrisy to Darkness}}  

In Destiny Islands, Riku meets all of his friends, but they are all silent and they eventually disappear, even Kairi. Zexion throws all of Riku's fears at him at once, telling him he's responsible for causing them to disappear, and that he belongs to the darkness now. He finally transforms an illusion of him into a Darkside Heartless, telling him this is what he has become. Riku beats back the Heartless as Zexion disguises himself as Sora. He tells him that it's finally time to face the light.

===Way to the Dawn===

[[Image:Blindfoldriku0.jpg|200px|right|Riku with a blindfold]]

===''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''===

He allies himself with DiZ, as they have a common goal: to help Sora awaken (though Riku finds his memories of Sora fading, being a side-effect of Naminé's toying with Sora's memories). Riku wants no part in DiZ's revenge. Nonetheless, DiZ asks Riku to kidnap [[Roxas]], the Nobody of Sora, who has been having trouble regaining his memories. If he and Roxas join, Sora should be able to reawaken. Riku enters the Realm of Darkness, and corners Roxas in [[The World That Never Was]], they seem to stalemate. Riku then realizes if he is to win in the Realm of Darkness, he must submerse himself in the same darkness. As a result, Riku unleashed his darkness, taking on the form of [[Xehanort's Heartless]] as a side effect. Riku easily knocked Roxas out, and returns him to DiZ's base underneath the abandoned mansion in [[Twilight Town]], introducing himself as "Ansem".  

Roxas' memory is erased by DiZ and he is placed into a [[Virtual Twilight Town]], to live out his days until the time comes for him to meet Sora. Meanwhile, Riku watches over Roxas, periodically entering the town in order to keep Roxas ignorant to the truth, including keeping Naminé from saying anything important to Roxas. He also takes some keepsakes of Roxas' during some of his visits.

Eventually, when the time comes for Roxas, Riku makes sure to prevent the Nobodies from flooding the town. Soon, the goal Riku had been searching for is finally reached: Roxas joins with Sora. Though DiZ ordered him to eliminate Namine, Riku handed her to the now-renegade [[Axel]] of Organization XIII before leaving DiZ.

Riku, after Roxas joins with Sora, comes into contact with King Mickey. Riku begs King Mickey not to reveal his whereabouts and condition to Sora, and the King reluctantly agrees. He then leaves the King the digital versions of Olette's munny pouch and Roxas' crystal orb that he had pilfered from Roxas earlier.