Riku

> “*Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!*”
>
>

*- Riku*

Riku is a protagonist and a member of The New Action Squad.

## Character Information

### Personality

Mysterious, noble, serious, competitive, jealous at times, ill-tempered, brave, friendly, protective, cranky, humble, crafty, loyal, selfless, grouchy, tough

### Goal

To help Sora and his friends in any way he can/To protect the universe from evil

## **BIOGRAPHY**

Riku is first seen in Destiny Islands with Sora and Kairi when he accuses them both of being lazy instead of helping him build a raft that they planned to use to sail to other worlds. During the first day, Sora can challenge Riku to a friendly (though competitive) spar; at the day's end, Riku talks about how he was interested in seeing other worlds, wondering why they had ended up in the one they were at, and that Kairi's arrival was responsible for him thinking all of it up; it is clear that he strongly desires to visit other worlds. The following day, as they gather provisions for their trip, Riku proposes to name the raft Highwind, while Sora presents the option of Excalibur (or whatever the player decides). They race to figure it out, Riku adding to the stakes by saying that the winner can share a Paopu fruit with Kairi. Regardless of who wins, he reveals that he said this only as a joke. Late that night, a massive storm comes over the islands, prompting Sora to investigate, only to discover that the island is now infested with Heartless. Upon finding both of his friends' boats at the dock, he goes looking for them, finding Riku first. Riku states that the door has opened, enabling them to go to other worlds. He tells Sora that there may be no going back once they reach the other side, and they may never see their parents again, but then says that it may be their only chance, and that he's not afraid of the darkness. He offers a hand to Sora as the darkness begins to envelop him, and Sora tries to reach him, but ultimately proves unable. Riku is taken into the darkness alone and ends up at Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent finds him. But eventually he is restored to the light and becomes a hero.

Outside of his worlds, he is also a member of The New Action Squad. Although a few of the members don't trust him after the events of Kingdom Hearts.

## **APPEARANCE**

Riku has striking cyan eyes and silver hair that he tends to wear rather long.

In the prequel game *Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep*, Riku is barely more than a toddler at 5 years old; as such he is extremely short and small. He has shorter hair and wears a sleeveless yellow vest with a high collar (lined with blue), and black shorts. He wears large blue and white shoes, and two blue wristbands with a yellow line through the center, one on each arm.

In *Kingdom Hearts*, Riku is 15 years old. His hair reaches just above his shoulders. He is more muscular and taller than Sora and has paler skin. He wears a vest that is yellow in front and black on the back, and blue jeans under large blue wading pants, secured by black straps at the ankles. He wears stylistically large blue and grey shoes, with two straps, and yellow accents.

In *Kingdom Hearts II*, Riku is now 16 years old. He has grown up both mentally and physically, becoming much taller and more muscular. His hair has grown right past his shoulders; it is unkempt and in his eyes. He now wears a sleeveless unzipped beige vest with a white collar, over a sleeveless zipped black vest. He wears very baggy blue jeans with large pockets, secured by a black belt. He now wears more realistically sized grey shoes with two yellow straps. He reprises this look as a 17-year-old in *Dream Drop Distance* and *0.2*, though his hair is cut short.

As a Dream Eater in *Dream Drop Distance*, Riku's body reverts back to his 15-year-old body. He wears a white, black-trimmed zip-up vest with yellow lining on the sides, a black high collar, and a black Spirit Dream Eater sigil on the back. He also wears a pair of black wristbands, white-blue pants with a black belt with a silver buckle, and white shoes with black laces and a yellow lining on the bottom just above the black soles.

In *Kingdom Hearts III*, Riku wears a black, hooded jacket that he keeps unzipped, with short sleeves, gold buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem. Underneath, he wears a white shirt with a V-neck. He wears blue cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket, black gloves on each hand, and black high-top boots. His hair remains the same length as it was in *Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance*, though it appears more spiked up in the back.

## **PERSONALITY**

Riku's personality is as strong as the land for which he was named. He is extremely strong-willed and confident, at times being arrogant. He values his friends deeply and puts protecting them above all else.

Riku is extremely competitive and spent his childhood playing games, play-fighting, and racing with Sora. This competitiveness also made him easy to become jealous, especially during *Kingdom Hearts*, where he becomes very irked that Sora received the powers of the Keyblade while he did not, though he is not immediately vocal about it. This jealousy led him to behave aggressively to the people most important to him, and he began to act recklessly and harshly in an attempt to prove himself. He loses this childish jealousy streak entirely as he grows older.

He has had an intense curiosity about the world he lives in (and what lies beyond it) ever since he met the foreign Terra as a child. His desire to know more became to consume him somewhat negatively over time. He has no qualms with going through the unknown to earn this knowledge, willingly stepping into a dark portal with an unknown destination simply because he knew it may be his only chance to leave. After he does finally see other worlds, this desire subsides and he finds comfort in his once-restricting island homeworld.

After the events of *Kingdom Hearts*, Riku becomes more humble, learning from the reckless mistakes he had made and seeks to make amends. He becomes much more affable and mellows out. He has learned well from his mistakes in siding with darkness and becomes wise and well-versed enough to become a Keyblade Master that Yen Sid can rely on.

## **TRIVIA**

* His name is derived from the Japanese word for "land", as part of the name theme he shares with Sora and Kairi. Together, their names make up "Land, Sea, Sky".
* Riku is the first non-party assistance character to appear in the *Kingdom Hearts* universe as he helps Sora, Donald, and Goofy fight the Parasite Cage in Monstro the first battle. Riku was also the first party character that can be fought *against* in the same game he is fought *with*, followed by the Beast, Xion, and later Zack.
* In *Kingdom Hearts*, Riku wears a garment called "wading pants". These are used by people that walk in high water regularly, like fishermen, suggesting that Riku spent a lot of time walking in the ocean.
* Riku's cutting of his hair after the events of *Kingdom Hearts II* can represent a major change in his life, and is likely why he cut it. It can symbolize cutting away his mistakes and starting over, as his hair had grown very long while he was aligned with the darkness.
* It is revealed that Riku told Sora not to believe in Santa Clause.
* Riku appeared in Death Battle's Spin off One Minute Melee where he fought Sasuke from Naruto but lost due to being knocked out by Sasuke's Genjutsu attack.