Editing Riku Replica

{{Game|COM|REC|KH3}}
{{suite|Riku Replica}}
{{youmay|the form of the Replica of Riku in his normal timeline|[[Dark Riku|the form of him that was temporarily sent to the future and made a member of the real Organization XIII]]}}
{{Character
 |name=Riku Replica
 |katakana=リク＝レプリカ 
 |romaji=Riku=Repurika
 |fr=Néo Riku
 |de=Repliku
 |image=[[File:Riku Replica KHIII.png|350x400px]]
 |type=Replica
 |spec=NobodyBoss
 |charworld1=Castle Oblivion
 |enva=David Gallagher
 |java=Mamoru Miyano
 |game1=Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
 |game2=Kingdom Hearts III
 |journalSS=A replica of Riku created by Vexen from the real Riku's data.<br><br>Through Naminé's power he was infused with false memories and made to believe he was the real Riku.<br><br>The truth has wounded him deeply.
 |journalRR=A replica of Riku created by Vexen from the real Riku's data.<br><br>Unlike the real Riku, he wields darkness freely, but is burdened by the fact that he is an imitation.
 |journalUX=KINGDOM HEARTS CoM (2004)<br>A replica of Riku created from data by Vexen.
 |journalKH3=An experimental replica created by the former Organization XIII using combat data taken from Riku. He dueled the real Riku to prove his right to exist, but lost and was destroyed.<br><br>Riku Replica's heart wandered the realm of darkness, eventually taking refuge alongside Riku's heart after the two were reunited.
}}
{{Q|Fakes should be destroyed!!|Riku Replica to Sora}}
The '''Riku Replica'''<ref>The Riku Replica is known as "Repliku" in the German editions of ''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories''.</ref> is a [[replica]] of [[Riku]] created from the data [[Vexen]] had gathered. He appeared in ''[[Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories]]'' and acts as one of the main antagonists of the game. Though he almost always appears in [[Dark Mode]], the only time when he did not have this suit on is his debut in either storyline. Originally a subject to test the real Riku, the Replica was later exploited to become a puppet of [[Marluxia]] who attempted to use him to manipulate Sora and overthrow [[Organization XIII|the Organization]].

==Story==
===''Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories''===
[[File:Vexen and His Replica 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|200px|Vexen presents the Riku Replica to Zexion and Lexaeus.]]
The Riku Replica was created by Vexen in order to test Riku's strength, and hopefully cause Riku's heart to return to the [[Darkness]]. At first, Riku was shocked to see his counterpart; however, after the original heard the Riku Replica's taunts, a battle began. Due to the short time of Riku Replica's existence, he lacked experience and was quickly defeated by the original. Riku then attempted to destroy the replica, but failed when the Riku Replica utilized the power of darkness.

Riku Replica escapes, and eventually ends up in [[Organization XIII|the Organization]]'s chambers, where [[Larxene]] taunted Riku Replica over his loss. However, the replica denied any fault of this, saying that his powers had not grown enough, which resulted in her bashing him into the wall calling him "nothing but a mere toy". The Organization members later change their plans, hoping to turn Sora into their puppet and overthrow the Organization. Larxene suggested that Riku Replica's memories should be rewritten to be the same as the original's so he would become a much stronger and more useful tool. Riku Replica, upon hearing Larxene's idea, rejected it, saying that he did not need his original's pitiful memories, but all the members began to agree upon Larxene's plan. Fearing that he would lose his memory, Riku Replica assaulted Larxene. However, he was quickly knocked out and [[Naminé]] was ordered to rewrite the replica's memory.

[[File:Reunion with Riku 01 KHRECOM.png|right|thumb|200px|The Riku Replica confronts Sora.]]
After having his memory rewritten, Riku Replica swore to protect Naminé, and saw Sora as a threat, feeling already betrayed by him as he thought Sora didn't care for him and cared only for [[Kairi]]. At some point during the period in which he believed himself to be the true Riku, the Replica was retrieved by [[Young Xehanort]] and implanted with a fragment of Xehanort's heart, inducting him into the [[real Organization XIII]] as "[[Dark Riku]]".{{?}}<!--cite ultimania--> Once Dark Riku was defeated in the future, his heart returned to its proper place in time.{{?}}<!--cite YX's KH3D speech, RR's KH3 departure speech, or KH3 ultimania-->

Sora's first encounter with the replica confused the Keyblade master, as he believed that the replica was the real Riku. Sora managed to defeat the replica, who then escaped. Riku Replica later encountered Sora in Castle Oblivion's 8th floor, where he urged Sora to leave, as he would protect Naminé. Hoping to regain his friend, Sora offered to jog Riku Replica's memory, but nothing worked, and a fight ensued.

Riku Replica, defeated, felt even more anger when Sora offered his help so they could protect Naminé together. Hearing Sora say "together", Riku Replica is filled with sadness and rage and he screams his true feelings at Sora, telling him that he was always trying to worm his way into his heart and that it never mattered to him how he felt. After that, Riku Replica runs away, leaving Sora behind, confused.

Riku Replica's third encounter with Sora happens on the 11th floor, after his creator's demise, where he means to force Sora to leave. Sora, who has defeated Vexen, tells his friend that he is free, but the Riku Replica claimed that he was protecting Naminé from him, of his own free will. Riku Replica then tells Sora of the very same promise Sora made to Naminé when they were young. Sora claims that he was the one who made the promise and shows Riku Replica the lucky charm Naminé gave him as proof. In a rage, Riku Replica lashes out at Sora, and tells him that the Keyblade master's lucky charm was a fake, and the lucky charm he holds is the real thing. Sora and the replica fought, but the Riku Replica was once again defeated, and ran away.

Riku Replica's false memories come to an end on the 12th floor of Castle Oblivion. Meeting again with Sora, he insisted that he was the one destined to protect Naminé, but Sora's wrecked memories kept interfering. Sora defeated the replica again, however, and when Sora went to help him, the Replica retaliated, knocking Sora back.

Just as Riku Replica was about to deliver the ''coup de grâce'', a desperate Naminé shatters Riku Replica's false memories and his heart with them. Larxene later interferes, and explains Riku Replica's nature and creation. An angered Sora fought with the Organization member, successfully defeating her. Riku Replica was last seen in the top floor of Castle Oblivion, where he saved Naminé from Marluxia. Despite losing his memory, he remembered his oath to protect Naminé. He protected her throughout the battle between Sora and Marluxia. In the end, he leaves Sora and Naminé, saying a fake like him does not deserve to be together with them; Sora, however, comforts the replica. Feeling Sora's warm kindness, the replica smiles and leaves. He still has one more thing to do: defeat the real Riku.

[[File:The Last One-on-One 01 KHRECOM.png|thumb|left|200px|In the memory-based Twilight Town, Riku Replica fights Riku in hopes of becoming more than his "shadow".]]
After leaving Sora, Riku Replica joined [[Axel]], who would use him for enacting his (and [[Saïx]]'s) own plans. They seek out the wounded [[Zexion]], who is initially shocked to see them, believing Axel to be accompanied by "the real Riku". His relief does not last long, however, after Axel presents the replica with an idea, telling that if he gains power that the real Riku doesn't have, he could be something real, not someone's counterpart. Agreeing, Riku Replica approaches Zexion, and drains the life force out of him (initially giving him Zexion's powers). Riku Replica was later seen in a memory version of [[Twilight Town]], where he meets Riku in front of the [[Old Mansion]]. The replica remarks that Riku no longer feared the darkness, in which he earns the original's confusion in return. Riku Replica replies that he ''is'' Riku, and thus he would know everything about his counterpart. Feeling annoyed, Riku remarks that he is himself, and no one could possibly be him. Angered because of the fact that he is "a fake", the Riku Replica taps his dark powers, and states that in the end, he was still nothing but a replica, even after gaining new power.

Blinded by jealousy and rage, Riku Replica engaged the original, and the two had a fierce battle. In the end, despite Riku Replica's new found powers, he was defeated, and slowly faded back into the Darkness. With his dying breath, he asks Riku where a replica's heart like his would go. Riku comforts the replica, stating that it would go to the same place as his. The replica smiles, and remarks "''A faithful replica until the very end. That's... okay,''" before fading back into the darkness.

{{canon
|Riku Replica never fights the real Riku in the manga adaption. However, he encounters Riku, and tries to make himself look taller. He also takes a piece of meat, thinking Naminé had taken a bite of it (though it was actually Larxene), and puts a chain on it, pretending that it's a "new good luck charm" (referring to Naminé giving him the fake good luck charm). Also, Riku Replica only fights Sora once. The second time he is encountered by Sora, he simply grabs Sora's good luck charm and attempts to smash it before Naminé crushes his heart. In a short story called "[[The Strange Tale of the Riku Replica]]", he is revived and visits the grave of Vexen and asks him why he was made. Many replicas of Vexen appeared, stating "We are all failed replicas," and the Riku Replica picks up a hobo stick and leaves saying he needs to find himself, only to find that Vexen's replicas won't leave him be.
}}

===''Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days''===
Riku Replica is mentioned once when [[Xion]] is revealed as a replica and is also mentioned in the [[Replica Program]] as "a numberless replica". Axel mentions Riku Replica in his own Secret Reports, stating that he is the only one who understands that Riku Replica gained a sense of self. He also expresses regret at having used the replica as a tool.
{{section-stub}}
<!--this isn't events relevant to RR happening DURING Days, which is what should be under headers for a character synopsis. This is info that should be moved to pre-CoM or during-CoM *citing* the bits in Days, with possibly a statement like "RR's connection to the Replica Program would later be a recurring topic when Xion's Replica nature was discussed."-->

===''Kingdom Hearts II''===
Naminé illustrated Sora's memories of the Riku Replica in one of her drawings in the [[White Room]].

===''Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance''===
Upon encountering Dark Riku, Riku mentions the "imitation that was copied" from his darkness.
{{section-stub}}<!--this is more about Dark Riku, move it to that page-->
{{-}}

===''Kingdom Hearts III''===
It would later turn out that Riku Replica's heart had simply gone to the [[Realm of Darkness]] after the loss of his physical body. Wandering the endless realm for over a year, the replica was about to give up holding on to existence and fade away, until he saw the original Riku being attacked by a [[Demon Tower]]. After Riku was swallowed into its darkness, Riku Replica asked Riku if he wanted help, his voice heavily muffled. When Riku asked who he was, the replica revealed his indentity and helped free Riku from the swarm of [[Shadow]]s. However, this had broken the top half of [[Way to the Dawn]] off in the process. Riku left the broken Keyblade behind for Riku Replica to pick up while he and [[the King]] returned to [[Mysterious Tower]] for stronger armaments against the Heartless.

When Riku and the King returned, they were attacked by a [[Demon Tide]] controlled by [[Anti-Aqua]]. The replica entered Riku's heart and asked if he wanted his old Keyblade back, having repaired Way to the Dawn in his absence. Riku thanked him for the offer, but told him he had [[Braveheart|his own Keyblade]].

When the [[Seven Guardians of Light|Guardians of Light]] took a night to rest before the [[Keyblade War]], Riku sat alone on the beach. He was joined by Riku Replica, whom he knew had taken sanctuary in his heart since their last fight. The replica told Riku that there was one last thing he needed to do, which is why he held on this long.

At the Keyblade Graveyard, [[Dark Riku]] is defeated, yelling that he is the real Riku to the original's confusion; they had assumed Dark Riku was the version of himself back when [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness|Ansem]] possessed him. Riku Replica appeared before Riku in a golden aura, explaining that Dark Riku was actually HIS past self, not Riku's. The replica plunged his fist into Dark Riku, knocking him out of [[Dark Mode]]. Realising his past heart was about to vanish, the replica merged with the vessel and pulled out his past heart. Riku yelled for him to use the vessel for himself. However, he told Riku that the world already had the original; he had no place in it. The empty [[Replica]] deserved to go to somebody else. Riku realized that Riku Replica had been keeping his promise to protect [[Naminé]]. With those final words between them, the replica accepted his fate and faded away with his past heart.

==Design==
The Riku Replica is physically identical to Riku as he appears in ''Kingdom Hearts'', sporting the same skin tone, bright blue eyes, and shoulder-length silver hair. He initially appears in Riku's standard outfit, but quickly shifts into his [[Dark Mode]] form, and remains in the latter outfit for the remainder of his appearance.

==Personality==
The Replica was more aggressive and protective than Riku, which is exactly what Xehanort's Heartless was looking for. A key difference between the two is that while Riku fears the darkness in his heart, the replica embraces his and wields it effectively. He was also more stubborn, which made him more of an enemy in the game. Another factor is how he searched for his existence nonstop. He seems to (like Sora) get very angry when he's confused, as shown when the Organization members such as Larxene try to trick him. At the end of his life, the replica became much more like the original, becoming sullen and mellow. He often lashed out at anyone who talked back to him, even if they overpowered him. He seemed to be as powerful as Riku was at Hollow Bastion, when Riku was under Ansem's possession.

The replica clearly seemed to possess true emotions, as he seemed to harbor a close friendship or even outright affection for Naminé, though his belief in it was merely part of the illusion Naminé had created by tampering with Sora's memories while at Castle Oblivion.

==Fighting style==
{{main|Game:Riku Replica}}
The Riku Replica fights with the same style as the real Riku, but his sleights take less power than Riku's. For example, Riku can only use [[Dark Aura]] with three 9's, a total of 27. However, the replica can use any three cards, granted the right types of cards are used, such as 4, 7, and 8, to perform Dark Aura. He never uses the Dark Break Sleight. Instead he substitutes it for a sleight called Helm Split. He is also more aggressive, which leads to some open moments during his battles.

The Riku Replica primarily wields [[Soul Eater]]. In ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'', after [[Way to the Dawn]] is snapped in half Riku leaves it in the realm of darkness and the Riku Replica later obtains it. He wields the repaired Way to the Dawn when appearing beside Riku during Riku's battle with [[Anti-Aqua]].

<center><gallery>
File:Soul Eater KH.png|[[Soul Eater]]
File:Way to the Dawn KHII.png|[[Way to the Dawn]]
</gallery></center>

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
{{COM}}
{{KH3}}
{{NobodyDirectory}}
[[Category:Neutral characters]]
[[Category:Keyblade Wielders]]