Editing Riku

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  |image=[[File:Riku KHII.png|350x400px]]

|katakana=リク

  |game5=Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

  |game6=Kingdom Hearts coded

|journalUX='''KH Riku/Illustrated Riku'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)<br>A childhood friend of Sora and Kairi.<br><br>'''KH II Black Coat Riku A/KH II Black Coat Riku B'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)<br>A childhood friend of Sora and Kairi who's fought Sora in the past.<br><br>'''KH II Riku'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005)<br>A childhood friend of Sora and Kairi. Reliable and inquisitive.<br><br>'''KH CoM Black Coat Riku'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS CoM (2004)<br>A childhood friend of Sora who struggles with the darkness inside.<br><br>'''Illustrated Riku B'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS CoM (2004)<br>A childhood friend of Sora and Kairi. He dreamed of going off to the outside world.<br><br>'''KH 3D Riku'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS 3D (2012)<br>A Keyblade-wielding boy who takes on the Mark of Mastery exam.<br><br>'''HD Riku'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS 3D (2012)<br>A young Keyblade wielder who attempts the Mark of Mastery exam to test his potential.<br><br>'''Sora & Riku & Kairi'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)<br>Three friends who live in Destiny Islands.<br><br>'''Sora & Riku & Meow Wow'''<br>KINGDOM HEARTS 3D (2012)<br>A Medal celebrating KH 2.8.

{{Q|If the world is made of light and darkness... We'll be the darkness.|Riku}}

'''Riku''' is one of the main characters in the ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|series}}'' series. He lives on [[Destiny Islands]] with his best friends, [[Sora]] and [[Kairi]], and all three of them dream of venturing from Destiny Islands to find out what worlds are out there.

Riku is five years old during ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'', fifteen during the events of ''Kingdom Hearts'' and ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'', sixteen during the events of ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II'', and seventeen during the events of ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance''<!--According to the journal entries of Ventus and Aqua in KH3D, over twelve years have passed since BBS; thus, Riku is seventeen in KH3D. Also, in the Blank Points cutscene in BBS, Ansem the Wise says "Tt's been a year now, perhaps more."-->.  

Riku's name is derived from the Japanese word for "land".

One night, there is a meteor shower and Kairi appears on the islands from [[Radiant Garden]], another world far off from Destiny Islands. Riku, Sora, and Kairi 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. While there, the two spot a mysterious door, though neither one can find a way to open it. The two decide to leave, but Riku manages to get a glimpse of Destiny Islands' Keyhole.

[[File:The Outside World 01 KH.png|thumb|right|200px||Riku with Sora and Kairi.]]

Riku, Sora, and Kairi continued to live on the Destiny Islands together. The three work together to construct a [[Highwind (raft)|raft]] and gather supplies so that they can set out and search for other outside worlds. While Riku and Sora continue their rivalry, Riku takes jabs at Sora over his relationship with Kairi, telling him that if Sora does not share a [[Paopu Fruit]] with Kairi soon, he will.

On the night before their journey. Riku opens the door in the secret place{{?}} and the [[Heartless]] invade the islands. Kairi and Sora each set out for the island to make sure their raft is safe. Sora finds Riku who remarks that the door has opened and this is likely their only chance to visit other worlds. Despite that they may never return to their island and see their parents again, Riku is motivated to not let fear stop him. Darkness surrounds the two, and while Riku disappears into it, Sora gains the [[Keyblade]].

During Sora and Aladdin's fight with Jafar in [[Agrabah]], Riku takes [[Jasmine]] to Hollow Bastion under Maleficent's orders. Maleficent reveals the whereabouts of Kairi's body. She claims that the only way to save Kairi, who appears to have lost her heart to the darkness, is to gain access to [[Kingdom Hearts]].

[[File:A Puppet 01 KH.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku kidnaps Pinocchio for Kairi's sake.]]

At Hollow Bastion, Sora again meets Riku, stopping him from taking down the wounded [[Beast]]. Riku and Sora briefly talk then forcibly summons the Keyblade away from him, telling him that he was "just the delivery boy" and that Riku is the true Keyblade master. After leaving Sora with the [[Wooden Sword|toy sword]] he used on Destiny Islands, he departs, and Donald and Goofy reluctantly follow him as per [[Mickey Mouse|The King]]'s orders.

Riku, defeated, manages to escape, but he is confused as to why Sora was able to regain the Keyblade. A [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness|cloaked figure]] appears to him from the Darkness, telling him that only one with a stronger heart can claim the Keyblade, and Riku's was weaker than Sora. However, the figure tells him that plunging himself into darkness will make his heart stronger. Riku does so, and he is possessed by the dark figure.

The possessed Riku then comes before Maleficent, and warns her of the dangers of unlocking the [[Final Keyhole]]. When she claims not to be afraid, Riku shows a new, [[Keyblade of heart|dark Keyblade]] created with six of the seven princesses' hearts. However, it doesn't react to the Keyhole. Realizing it is still needing Kairi's heart to be complete, Maleficent heads off to handle Sora and company. After Maleficent is defeated by Sora, Riku appears with his Keyblade and explains that unlike Sora's Keyblade, this Keyblade possesses the ability to unlock a person's heart, and Riku demonstrates this by piercing Maleficent's chest, allowing the immense darkness that is attracted to her to overtake her heart, transforming her into a giant dragon. When Maleficent is defeated again, he reappears, commenting on how Maleficent was being used by the Heartless from the start before disappearing again.

[[File:Kairi's Heart Within Sora 01 KH.png|thumb|right|200px||Ansem possessing Riku's body.]]

[[Game:Riku|Riku]], declaring himself to be Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, confronts Sora in the Grand Hall and reveals that Sora has Kairi's heart in his body. While Donald and Goofy look on, Riku and Sora clash again, with Ansem's presence amplifying Riku's dark powers. He fades away when he is defeated, but after Sora impales himself with the Keyblade to release Kairi's heart and disappears, Ansem reveals himself and attacks Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. Riku uses the last of his strength to hold back his possessor, and yells to the others to run. After they leave, Riku and Ansem are pulled into the darkness coming from the Final Keyhole.

[[File:Kingdom Hearts is Light 05 KH.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku tells Sora to take care of Kairi before the Door to Darkness is closed.]]

After Ansem's defeat, Riku is restored in the Realm of Darkness, but is quickly targeted by a massive swarm of Heartless. Fortunately, Aqua and Mickey spot him, and Aqua uses her Keyblade to restrain the Heartless, unobserved by the boy, allowing Mickey and Riku to escape.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-}}

Riku awakens in the Realm of Darkness. An unseen presence gifts him a magic world card and asks him to choose between slipping back into slumber, or taking the card and making his way toward the truth. Riku decides that going back to sleep would be boring, and confidently takes the card.<!--KH3d seems to claim he wakes in the Realm Between: "Meanwhile, Riku had found his way out of the realm between light and darkness."-->

[[File:Ansem of the Dark 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|right|200px|Riku fights Ansem.]]

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 Ansem, who wants to take over Riku again. However, though Ansem is powerful, King Mickey comes to aid Riku with his light. Riku then manages to fend off Ansem for the time being. Before he departs, the Heartless leaves Riku with some world cards and the ability to wield his inner darkness as a weapon.

To further the trio's goals, Vexen independently appears before Riku and the latter wonders if Vexen is with "Ansem" (Xehanort's Heartless). Vexen cryptically responds that he is with "[[Xemnas|another Ansem]]". Still, Riku fights against Vexen, seeing him as an enemy. However, the battle only helps Vexen, who uses the data he gathered from the battle to create a [[Riku Replica|replica of Riku]]. The replica soon comes to battle Riku, mocking Riku's fear of the darkness while the replica embraces it. However, the real Riku proves victorious, and the replica runs off. Soon, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, appears again, saying that the replica is a model of what Riku should be, but Riku only reaffirms his desire to conquer his 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 defeats the Heartless as Zexion disguises himself as Sora. He tells him that it's finally time to face the light.

Riku sinks into the light as he begins to fade, but [[Naminé]] appears in the form of Kairi and tells him that he can't fade, because light can't destroy him, and neither can darkness, so he should accept both to drive away his fears. He awakens his dark powers again, admitting that it's a part of him and not evil, defeating Zexion. Zexion disappears, but is quickly eliminated by the Riku Replica with Axel.

[[File:The Last One-on-One 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku and Riku Replica in Twilight Town.]]

Riku uses the card, and ends up in Twilight Town. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, appears again, but Riku tells him that he is not "Ansem", because his scent is not darkness—but rather something else. Riku also sees that this man is the voice that presented itself at the beginning of his journey. The voice finally appears and introduces himself as [[Ansem the Wise|DiZ]]. Riku asks him what he really wants from him, and DiZ tells him he wants him to choose between light and darkness, because he lies in-between. The decision will be decided with Naminé, whom Riku looks for. However, the Riku Replica manages to find him, and demands another fight to prove him "worthy". The replica intends to destroy Riku in order to become real, but fails. However, Riku comforts him by saying that the replica's heart will go to the same place as the real one's, before the replica vanishes out of existence.

[[File:Where the Road Leads 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku walking the road to dawn.]]

Riku and Mickey wait at the crossroads. Riku tells him that he can't go home yet, as Ansem's shadow still lingers in him, but Mickey says the darkness is a part of him. Riku, who now forms an equally strong bond to the King as Sora's friendship to Donald and Goofy, calls Mickey by his name at the King's request. They leave, taking Organization coats that DiZ gave them prior to confronting Ansem, and DiZ appears for one final question: if he shall take the "road to light" or the "road to darkness". Riku chooses neither; he instead chooses to take the middle road, "the road to dawn". Riku and Mickey eventually make it out of the plains and separate after Riku realized he couldn't completely rid himself of the darkness festering in him. Deciding to return to DiZ and offer his help, Riku dons a blindfold, so that "his eyes couldn't lie" about the darkness that he is preparing to use.

 

[[File:Xion's Defeat 01 KHD.png|thumb|right|200px|Riku defeats Xion, and begins to question her allegiance.]]

Riku faces off with Xion on the bridge in [[Beast's Castle]]. Knocking her out, Riku removes Xion's hood, curious about what she looks like. Moving his blindfold off one eye to get a good look at her, he becomes shocked by her appearance. Riku interrogates her as to her identity and use of the Keyblade, while Xion demands to know why he's dressed as a member of the Organization. Telling her it's to make sure Sora sleeps in peace, Riku tells Xion that her [[Keyblade]] is a sham. Angered, Xion attempts to retaliate, but Riku gives her a chop to the back of neck, knocking her down. Riku advises her to leave the faithless Organization. When Xion calls him a fake, Riku accepts the comment, denigrating himself for his own mistakes in accepting the darkness. He leaves Xion to scream in anger.

|In the [[Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (manga)|manga]], Riku sees Xion as Kairi.

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[[File:Snarl of Memories 01 KHD.png|thumb|left|200px|Xion transforms into a young Riku during her nightmare at Destiny Islands.]]

Soon after, Xion leaves the Organization and joins up with Riku. He takes her to Destiny Islands, where her confused memories give her an intense nightmare shared with Roxas involving Zexion and Riku's battle at Castle Oblivion's facsimile of Destiny Islands. While comforting her, Riku recalls a prior conversation with Naminé discussing what he needs to do to awaken Sora. After Xion wakes up on Destiny Islands, she inquires about Sora and the "girl he's always with", to which Riku explains that the girl is Kairi, a special friend of Sora's, and that the reason Sora is unable to wake up is that some of his memories are held within Xion. Despite needing Xion to reunite with Roxas and Sora, Riku gives her time to decide what she wants to do, with the advice that she should choose what is best for everyone.

Later, Riku and DiZ check up on Sora's progress, and DiZ commands Riku to resolve the Xion situation once and for all. In [[The Woods]], King Mickey runs across Riku-Ansem and prepares to attack, supposing him to be Xehanort's Heartless, but calms himself when Riku replaces his blindfold and returns to his normal form. Riku informs the King that he is leaving to fight a member of the Organization, and asks Mickey to protect Sora in the event that he does not return.

[[File:The Beginning of Everything 01 KHIIFM.png|thumb|right|200px|Riku gives in to his darkness in a last-ditch effort to take out Roxas.]]

Riku returns the Oblivion to the unconscious Roxas and prepares to transport him, but is surprised when Roxas revives and once again attacks; in response, Riku jostles his sleeping memories by taunting Roxas as he once did Sora, inducing Roxas to respond as Sora would and confirming Riku's suspicions of Roxas: that he is Sora's Nobody. Even more enraged, Roxas slashes at Riku with the Oblivion and it passes on one final memory of Xion, which implore Riku to save Roxas by stopping him. Left with no other choice, Riku releases the darkness imprisoned in his heart and takes on Ansem's form permanently. Riku realizes that if he is to win in the Realm of Darkness, he must submerse himself in the same darkness. He quickly dispatches Roxas, then returns him to DiZ's base at the Old Mansion, where he introduces himself as "Ansem".

Riku continues to ally 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). Roxas's memory is erased by DiZ and he is placed into a [[Simulated 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's during some of his visits. With all these deeds done, Riku finally demands to know what DiZ's true objective is. Upon hearing that it is merely revenge (DiZ does not disclose against whom it is), Riku clenches his fist, shocked and disgusted at how DiZ is merely using him and Sora for his own selfish reasons.

[[File:The Man Who Stands on the Snowy Mountain 01 KHII.png|thumb|right|200px|A hooded Riku confronts Sora in The Land of Dragons.]]

Riku also arrives at [[The Land of Dragons]], trying to warn the Emperor of a Heartless dragon that [[Xigbar]] had created. However, he ends up meeting Sora, and Sora attacks him, thinking Riku to be an Organization member. When Sora sees that Riku is wielding the Soul Eater, he begins to suspect Riku's identity. Advancing forward, Riku still goes ahead with his mission and warns the Emperor, but had to defeat [[Li Shang]] in order to do so. When Sora talks to the Emperor, the wise ruler's description of the man further cemented Sora's idea that the man he fought was Riku; though unaware of why he is wearing the coat, Sora is nonetheless relieved to know that Riku is safe.

Upon learning that the Organization had kidnapped Kairi to force Sora to slay Heartless for them, Riku heads to [[The Castle That Never Was]] and protects Naminé and Kairi from [[Saïx]] after Naminé has freed Kairi from her prison. To Kairi's surprise, Naminé calls Riku by name, and disappears. Though Riku attempts to depart when Saïx escapes, he is stopped by Kairi and Pluto. Kairi, excited to see Riku, removes his hood, but is met with the face of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Though Riku felt ashamed to be seen in the form of their old enemy, Kairi took it in stride, as she could see the real Riku beneath the façade.

Kairi later is attacked by Heartless in her attempt to help Sora, and saved by Riku. He then gives Kairi the [[Destiny's Embrace]] Keyblade so that she may fight. After Sora defeats Xigbar, he and Kairi reunite. Riku tries to take his leave, but Kairi stops him. She then reveals Riku's identity, and with some concentration, Sora also sees Riku underneath his dark appearance. The revelation makes Sora overjoyed to the point of tears. Riku explains that he did not want to be found, thanks to his appearance, and confirms Sora's suspicions of the clues they found - namely, the ice cream and Roxas's photo. Afterwards, he and the others make their way up the castle, defeating the remaining Organization members save for Xemnas. During this time, Riku reveals the truth about Roxas to Sora, and realizes that he never had to fight him; Roxas had left Organization XIII because he had wanted to meet Sora in the first place, and would most likely have met him either way over time.

Near the top, Riku reunites with King Mickey and DiZ, who reveals himself to actually be Ansem the Wise. Ansem is using a machine to try and encode Kingdom Hearts into data, but Xemnas confronts him, and they trade bitter words. The machine then explodes, unable to handle Kingdom Hearts, sending Ansem the Wise to the Realm of Darkness while causing countless hearts Xemnas had collected into Kingdom Hearts to rain down on the world, creating a slew of Heartless. The explosion also cleanses Riku's heart and restores Riku to his original form, though he is still remorseful. After some encouragement, Riku traverses the rest of the castle alongside Sora, abandoning his cloak and blindfold. He and the others also encounter Maleficent and [[Pete]], who decide to hold off the hordes of Heartless that are overtaking the castle, but only so that they will eventually take the castle for their own.

[[File:To End Everything 01 KHII.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku and Sora prepare to battle Xemnas.]]

After a series of battles, the two of them are drawn into nothingness by Xemnas and face off in a final, exhausting battle. Towards the end of the battle, Sora is left open and Riku takes a blow intended to finish off his friend, giving Sora the opportunity to beat Xemnas into submission, after which Riku and Sora fire a beam of light from Sora's Keyblade which finishes off the Superior. After his defeat, Sora and Riku face an onslaught of Dusks ready to fulfill their master's final order to eliminate the Keyblade wielders, but Sora and Riku successfully destroy them and escape the realm, entering the Dark Meridian.

[[File:Ending 04 KHII.png|thumb|right|200px|Riku and King Mickey reunite at Destiny Islands.]]

Riku, severely exhausted and injured, asks Sora to sit with him on the shore. Having the time to finally talk, the two reconcile with each other. Riku then comes across a letter in a bottle, written by Kairi, and gives it to Sora, believing him to be the proper recipient. Sora then manages to open the Door to Light, which they walk through. Riku and Sora found themselves falling through the sky and into an ocean. Bewildered, they hear Kairi's voice calling out to them and are greeted by their friends from [[Disney Castle]]. While Sora shares a hug by Goofy and Donald, Riku happily reunites with Mickey.

[[File:Beneath the Hood 04 KHREC.png|thumb|left|200px|Jiminy's Journal taking Riku's form.]]

After the Dataspace simulation finishes, King Mickey goes to talk to Yen Sid, who advises him to summon Sora and Riku for a [[Mark of Mastery exam]]. Mickey writes a letter to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, which he sends in a bottle to Destiny Islands.{{storylink|Blank Points}} As they sit on the beach, Sora and Riku watch the waves and comment that Destiny Islands is a small world, but also part of a much bigger one, then jump to discussion about the Door to the Light. Kairi then appears with Mickey's letter, which the trio reads together.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts II}}

After reading Mickey's letter, Sora sits on the Paopu tree while holding it and staring off into the sunset. Riku walks up to him and asks if he has decided, and Sora says that he has. He later smiles at Sora's decision to venture out to find [[List of Glossary terms#Hearts Tied to Sora|those connected to him]].

[[File:Dream Eaters 01 KH3D.png|thumb|200px|Yen Sid prepares Sora and Riku for their Mark of Mastery exam.]]

Riku accompanies Sora to the [[Mysterious Tower]] in response to a call from [[Yen Sid]] to undertake the Mark of Mastery exam in order to prepare for the coming return of Master Xehanort. Once told of the threat Master Xehanort poses, Riku does not hesitate to take the exam, seeing it as an opportunity to see whether or not he is worthy of wielding the Keyblade, especially after his past with the darkness. For their exam, Riku and Sora are sent to the [[Sleeping Worlds]], where they are to awaken several worlds that were restored following the defeat of Ansem but remained in a state of deep sleep.

Riku and Sora's journey starts on Destiny Islands, but they soon move on, and end up in Traverse Town, where Riku ends up separated from Sora, but discovers his new attire and abilities. After meeting up with [[Joshua]] and his friends, who tutor him, Riku sets off on his journey alone, venturing across several worlds, meeting new friends and battling new villains. But along the way, Riku comes into conflict several times with a mysterious young man with ties to Master Xehanort, accompanied by Ansem himself, who remind Riku of his past experiences with the darkness and try to get him to succumb again, but Riku refuses, reminding Ansem that he walks the road to dawn.

However, once all the seven Keyholes in the Dreaming Realm are sealed, Sora ends up trapped in sleep in The World that Never Was, and Riku rushes to his rescue upon realizing this. He finds Sora in a comatose state inside the Castle, his heart having been damaged by Xemnas and the young man himself. The young man turns out to be an alternate timeline incarnation of Master Xehanort in his youth, who has been traveling to different periods in time to recruit several other incarnations of Xehanort together. Riku attempts to awaken Sora, but the darkness from Sora's nightmare turns into the [[Anti Black Coat]] that engages Riku. Riku manages to defeat the Anti Black Coat and carries on through the castle, eventually coming face to face with Ansem. Ansem reveals that Riku is actually a Dream Eater, and, over the course of the exam, has been purifying Sora's dreams of Nightmares. Ansem attempts to take over Riku's body again, but remembering his secret encounter with Terra, Riku resolves to make his inner darkness his own power for good and make Ansem become part of his light. Then the two battle each other once more. Ultimately, Riku prevails and eventually makes his way to Where Nothing Gathers, where he finds Sora on an Organization XIII throne. Young Xehanort blocks Riku's way, but Mickey comes to Riku's aid by casting a Stopza spell. Young Xehanort, however, is unaffected by the spell and knocks Mickey aside to battle Riku. After a fierce struggle, Riku defeats Young Xehanort. However, the victory is short-lived, as Master Xehanort is finally revived and joined by the rest of his new Organization, among them are Young Xehanort, Ansem, and Xemnas.

Master Xehanort fills Riku and Mickey in on his past attempt to create the [[χ-blade]] by pitting Ventus and [[Vanitas]] against each other. The plan failed, but he had a backup: Master Xehanort had Young Xehanort create a new Organization XIII made of Master Xehanort himself and twelve vessels to harbor a piece of his heart in order to create thirteen darknesses to battle seven lights and recreate the χ-blade. The thirteenth vessel was intended to be Riku but he became unfit as he built a resistance to darkness. The Organization then sought to use Roxas but he became too self-aware and returned to Sora, so now Sora has been chosen to be the last vessel. Riku and Mickey attempt to save Sora from Master Xehanort but are restrained by Ansem and Xemnas before [[Lea]] arrives and saves Sora. Ansem summons his Guardian, who grabs Riku and Mickey, but the Guardian is defeated by Donald and Goofy, who arrive via Mickey's old Star Shard. His plans temporarily derailed, Master Xehanort retreats with his Organization.

[[File:Armor Clad in Darkness 02 KH3D.png|thumb|left|200px|Riku fights Sora, trapped inside the Keyblade Armor.]]

Riku brings Sora's comatose body back to the Mysterious Tower and dives into Sora's body to mend his fractured heart. In the process, he is forced to battle Sora, clad in Ven's Keyblade Armor, which has been corrupted by a [[Armored Ventus Nightmare|Nightmare]]. Riku defeats the Nightmare and uses Sora's Keyblade to enter a memory of the Destiny Islands, deep inside Sora's heart. Here he meets projections of Roxas, Ventus, and Xion, who each ask a question before disappearing. After answering the three questions, Riku finds a bottle in the surf, and a data projection of Ansem the Wise approaches him. Ansem tells Riku about the research data he hid inside Sora while he was asleep, the contents of the bottle, and he talks about Sora's ability to connect with others' hearts, and how it may be able to bring back those that have been lost. He tells Riku that by defeating the Nightmare and answering the three questions, he has successfully awakened Sora. Riku returns to the real world, reuniting with Sora and the others, and Yen Sid names Riku as a Keyblade Master. Riku and the other are shocked when Lea vows to catch up with him, reveals his plan of becoming a Keyblade Master, and successfully — albeit accidentally —  summons his Keyblade.

===''Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage-''===

[[File:2.9 - The First Volume 03 KH0.2.png|thumb|right|200px|Riku demands to know why Aqua's sacrifice was kept secret from him.]]  

==Appearance==

Riku is a young teenage boy with silver hair with bangs, pale skin, bright blue-green eyes, and a muscular build. Since he is a year older than Sora and Kairi, Riku is the tallest of the trio. Riku's hair was originally shoulder-length, but in ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II'', his hair has grown longer until it reaches his upper back. Some time before ''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance'', he cut it short to the length it was when he was a child. Much like Sora, while his general appearance does not change much throughout the series, Riku receives several costumes and form changes during the course of his adventures.

Riku (partly thanks to Maleficent) became thoroughly jealous of Sora after learning about his possession of the Keyblade and of his new friends. He even openly accused Sora of forgetting about him and Kairi since he was not also actively looking for a way to retrieve Kairi's heart. That envy eventually corrupted his perspective of their friendship into a rivalry, much to Sora's confusion, and resulted in his battles with Sora and his eventual possession by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

While his traits weren't very heroic for most of the first game, Riku becomes much more noble by the end. Since Riku had done everything he had out of care for Kairi, when Ansem was about to use him to use her along with the other six Princesses of Heart to open the Final Keyhole, he finally broke free and held off Ansem long enough for Donald, Goofy and Kairi to escape. When Riku finds himself in the endless abyss near the Door to Darkness, he is on his knees, overwhelmed with guilt for what he has done.

In ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories'', Riku makes many self-realizations, one of which is that he had let his heart become weak, and some time after that, he would shy away from the darkness within it. Through his battles in Castle Oblivion, he makes another big realization: he can't get rid of the darkness in his heart, and decides to use it without turning away from the light like before, declaring his path down the "road to dawn," also signifying his effort for redemption. Additionally, he forms a strong bond with Mickey during their time together in Castle Oblivion, and later begins to address him familiarly throughout the rest of the series.  

In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he shows a great amount of loyalty and protectiveness for his friends. He never wanted Sora and Kairi to find out about his time spent in the darkness, and did everything he could to bring Roxas to DiZ to make Sora whole again, even going as far as giving up his physical form and assuming Ansem's. As Sora journeyed through the worlds, Riku left him valuable clues, such as the sea-salt ice cream and the picture of the Twilight Town gang, and almost died to protect him from Xemnas' attacks, which left him greatly injured after the battle. When he is finally found in the World That Never Was, he repeatedly shows signs immense regret for his previous behavior. He could not understand how Sora is so willing to forgive him, telling him that he didn't actually want to be found, and almost refusing to come back to Destiny Islands because of his shame for his wrongdoings. Though Riku humbles significantly over the course of the series, he still retains a lighthearted and jokingly arrogant side, referring to Sora, Donald and Goofy as "wise guys" to [[the Emperor]], cracking a joke about Donald and Goofy's intelligence, and calling Sora a "total sap" before joining forces to confront Xemnas.

When he was young, Riku had been curious with everything that is outside of his world. Over time, his curiosity became obsession, and he eventually opened his heart up to darkness in order to escape his "prison surrounded by water," as phrased by Ansem. This obsession completely vanishes throughout the year of Sora's slumber, most likely because of all the trouble it brought into his formerly simple life and how foolish he ended up acting once his curiosity was sated. When he returns to Destiny Islands in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', he still comments on how small a world it is, but agrees with Sora's remark that it is part of one much bigger. This shows that Riku has a much better view of his homeworld than before, making him all the more content.

Like Sora and Roxas, Riku can wield the Keyblade, though he can wield both his own and others since Terra chose Riku to inherit the Keyblade in ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep''.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts Ultimania|Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania]]''''' "To use a Keyblade you must have been chosen to inherit as well as been chosen by the Keyblade itself. In ''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'' you could see that Terra performed the ceremony with Riku, and that is why Riku was able to take the Keyblade that Sora used."</ref> In comparison to Sora's two-handed style and Roxas's dual-weaponry, Riku attacks with a fast one-handed style with his Soul Eater/Way to the Dawn, where he has a rather unique and signature fighting stance, where Riku holds his weapon above himself at his following side/arm (being his right arm) and puts his leading left hand out with its open palm being shown.

Riku's Soul Eater changes into Way to the Dawn sometime between the second visit to Land of Dragons and [[The World That Never Was]]. When he turned into his "true form" in the end of ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'', his powers of light increased dramatically while his powers of darkness decreased. As a party member, Riku possesses various abilities that combine his dark powers with Sora's light powers. Riku can use a new Dark Aura that fires Dark Firaga orbs that inflict a [[Stop]] effect whenever Sora completes a combo, Dark Shield to project a barrier of darkness, as well as to numerous other powers. In his Limit with Sora, Eternal Session, Riku is able to project waves of dark energy from his Keyblade in addition to unleashing fast combos and Dark Firaga barrages.

At the end, Sora and Riku toss their Keyblades together to act as a super-damaging magnet. It should be noted, though, that despite the fact that Riku is a wielder of the Keyblade, he can't use any of Sora's [[keychains]] while he is in the party. Also, Riku is one of the three only characters shown being able to summon [[Synch Blade|more than one Keyblade]] at once, the other two being Roxas and [[Sora]].

File:Soul Eater KH.png|Soul Eater

File:Kingdom Key KH.png|Sora's Kingdom Key

File:Keyblade of heart KH.png|The Keyblade of heart

File:Oblivion KH.png|Roxas's Oblivion

File:Way to the Dawn KHII.png|Way to the Dawn

As a playable character, Riku has limited options in term of abilities as his default form only allows the use of his [[Soul Eater]] card. This form of attack is slow and sluggish however it deals a heavy amount of damage, especially when combos are used. Riku can stock attack cards together but this creates a slightly quicker combo instead of a [[sleight]]. With the help of [[Mickey]]'s friend card, Riku has healing capabilities that can be empowered by stocking multiple Mickey cards together to form the [[MM Miracle]] sleights. Combining a Mickey card with Riku's Soul Eaters creates an offensive sleight, [[Holy Burst]], that joins Riku's and Mickey's power together. Other perks Riku has access to include [[Potion]]s, [[Hi-Potion]]s, and [[enemy card]]s. In terms of athletic ability, Riku is sluggish as he performs a tumble in place of a [[Dodge Roll]].

 

In ''Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories'', Riku has the ability to use Dual sleights, which are triggered after winning a card duel. Depending on the enemy, Riku will use one of three sleights: [[Impulse]], [[Maelstrom]], or [[Barrage]]. The former deals damage to multiple enemies while the other two are concentrated on one enemy. When Riku is in Dark Mode, he uses more powerful, upgraded versions of the default Dual sleights: [[Dark Impulse]], [[Dark Maelstrom]], and [[Dark Barrage]].

 

Riku is unlocked as a playable character in [[Mission Mode]], after being promoted to "Agent" rank on Day 172. He wields his [[Soul Eater]] and [[Way to the Dawn]] Keyblades, which are labelled in-game as a "Sword" weapon category. Riku's combo attacks contain quick and powerful strikes and his combo finishers usually hit more than one enemy, making him decent in crowd control. Riku's stats rate him above average, with decent strength and HP. Riku excels in the Critical area, with high Critical chance and bonus. However, his magic leaves something to be desired. Riku's Limit Break, [[Darkstrom]], causes him to dart around the field and attack enemies. In the Final Limit, Riku's weapon is enveloped in light, which he uses to swing at enemies, similar to Roxas's and Xion's [[Event Horizon]] Limit Break, although Riku's swings are noticeably slower.

As a party member, Riku is very similar to Beast from ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|game}}'', in the sense that he is the game's final party member, as well as the strongest. He has high strength, magic, and above-average defense.  He has two armor slots, one accessory slot, and six item slots. He has great flexibility in that he can deal high amounts of damage and he has the capacity to heal and block attacks.

Riku's main action abilities are executed as reaction commands that become available after certain situations. After Sora finishes a combo, Riku can use [[Dark Aura]] to fire multiple dark orbs that stun enemies. When Sora takes damage, Riku can cast [[Dark Shield]] to protect him. Riku can also use one non-reaction command ability, [[Cure Potion]], which restores the party to maximum health.

His limit, [[Eternal Session]], unleashes a joint attack between Sora and Riku that expels high amounts of damage.

He has access to some of the most useful support abilities, such as [[MP Hastega]], [[Second Chance]], and [[Once More]], in addition to ones with more miscellaneous effects, such as [[Item Boost]], [[Defender]], [[Auto Limit]], and [[Hyper Healing]].

By the time his Mark of Mastery exam was near its end, Xehanort's younger-self had revealed that Riku's long-time exposure to darkness made him immune to its corrupting qualities, which prevented him from becoming one of Master Xehanort's new vessels, along with the power he gained from accepting himself.<ref>'''''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance]]''''', '''Young Xehanort''': "Yes. We originally had our sights set on you. But, you developed a certain... resistance to darkness."</ref>

==Trivia==

*Roxas's battle with Riku, as seen in ''Another Side, Another Story'', involves him running up the side of Memory Skyscraper and passing by Riku as he leaps off. A similar scene occurs when Sora and Xemnas later battle in the same area.

*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.  

*It is stated in [[Director's Secret Report XIII|The Director's Secret Report XIII]] that one of the four untold stories is "the period of Riku's absence" though that has not been further delved into. The other three were about "the period of the King's absence" (''Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-''), Roxas's time with the Organization (''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days''), and Xehanort's past (''Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep'').<!--NOMURA SAID THAT HE WAS REFERRING TO MICKEY IN THE REALM OF DARKNESS-->

*An interesting note is that Riku wields Soul Eater, the Kingdom Key, and the Keyblade of heart on the opposite side of the handle, with the blade facing down when he is in his battle stance, except as a playable character in ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days''. Even in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and when he is playable in ''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'', he holds Way to the Dawn on the opposite side, though the blade faces a bit to the side.

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