Riku-Ansem

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• Riku-Ansem
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Riku-Ansem

Riku-Ansem is the form that Riku takes to capture Roxas, a mission requested by DiZ to help with Sora's awakening and restore his power. Roxas was overpowering Riku during their battle, but Riku was determined not to lose to the Nobody, so he removed his blindfold and revealed the dark power of Ansem that he had been hiding within him. He then succeeds in defeating Roxas and takes him to DiZ, and ultimately the Virtual Twilight Town.

Riku takes this form at the end of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and continues to remain in this form throughout most of Kingdom Hearts II. In this form, he appears identical to Ansem, other than his clothing, and even refers to himself as a pseudo-Ansem. However, those who truly know Riku can sense him behind the appearance, as witnessed when Sora recognizes him in The Land of Dragons. In The World That Never Was, Naminé reveals Riku's true identity to Kairi, who then tells it to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

After the Kingdom Hearts Encoder exploded while attempting to turn Kingdom Hearts into data, Riku was purged of Ansem's influence and he transformed back into his normal form.

Journal entries

Kingdom Hearts II

Ansem

Mysterious wielder of the darkness.

What could his true purpose be?

Riku

The form Sora's longtime friend Riku chose.

Though Xehanort tried to control Riku from within, Riku's heart proved stronger. But the only way to wield darkness fully was to become it.

Riku began calling himself "Ansem", perhaps as a sign of resolve. He would live in darkness if that's what it took to wake Sora.

Story

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

On Day 354, Riku temporarily appears as Ansem when he meets up with Mickey in the woods, before returning to his normal form. He warns Mickey that he might fall into darkness during his upcoming fight with a member of Organization XIII, and makes him promise to help Sora once he awakens and to not tell Sora of Riku's fate. As he anticipates, Riku is forced to draw on the power of darkness to subdue Roxas, and he takes the form of Ansem indefinitely. DiZ arrives to take custody of the unconscious Roxas, and from this time on, Riku deals with DiZ in the assumed persona of Ansem, although he keeps himself hooded.

Kingdom Hearts II

Riku-Ansem summons his Keyblade to fight off the Heartless.

Riku, still in the form of Ansem, helps DiZ with the process of merging Roxas with Sora. He occasionally appears before Roxas in the simulated Twilight Town, and on separate occasions steals the Munny Pouch and Crystal Orb, which he later gives to Mickey for Sora. He also interrupts Naminé's conversation with Roxas, and holds off the Nobodies on the sixth day when Roxas enters the Old Mansion. After Sora awakens, Riku allows Axel and Naminé to leave freely, despite DiZ's orders to eliminate Naminé.

At the end of the Battle of the 1000 Heartless, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are sent into a Corridor of Darkness by Maleficent. While they are there, Riku briefly appears, leaving a box containing sea-salt ice cream and a photo from the simulated Twilight Town, depicting Hayner, Pence, Olette and Roxas

He appears again in The Land of Dragons, where Mulan is investigating rumors of a spy in black. Sora, Donald, and Goofy accompany her to the summit, where they face a swarm of Rapid Thrusters. While Donald, Goofy, and Mulan go on ahead, the hooded Riku appears before Sora, and the two fight in the middle of the swarm. After a short battle, Riku runs off, but Sora begins to suspect who he really is. Riku travels to the Imperial Palace, where he subdues Li Shang before warning the Emperor of the Storm Rider. After snarkily commenting that "three wise guys" would take care of things, he leaves the world.

After Naminé helps Kairi escape her cell in the Castle That Never Was, they are confronted by Saïx and a pair of Berserkers. However, Riku appears and takes out the Berserkers with Way to the Dawn before driving off Saïx. Kairi realizes who he is when Naminé calls him by name, and she removes his hood to reveal Ansem's face. Riku takes Kairi to the upper level of the Hall of Empty Melodies, where Sora is facing a massive wave of Shadows. When Shadows attack Kairi, Riku dispatches them and hands Kairi the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade. He then summons his own Keyblade, and he and Kairi take on the Heartless. After Sora defeats Xigbar and makes his way to the upper level, he meets up with Kairi and Riku. At first Sora believes that Riku is Ansem, but Kairi helps him realize who Riku really is. After an emotional reunion, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald and Goofy continue on through the castle, encountering and defeating Luxord and Saïx. In Naught's Approach, Ansem the Wise's Kingdom Hearts Encoder explodes while attempting to turn Kingdom Hearts into data. The ensuing explosion causes Riku to return to his true form.

Abilities

Riku-Ansem can summon Xehanort's Guardian.

While in Riku-Ansem form, Riku gains complete control over the dark powers of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. He can levitate, summon the Guardian, teleport, and expel bursts of dark energy (though this is only shown when he actually transforms). He also gains his Dark Firaga ability from his Dark Mode, and a Dark Shield ability (which carries over to his normal form). He can also open and use Corridors of Darkness. In this form, he is easily able to defeat Roxas and Li Shang and overpower Saïx, forcing the latter to flee.

However, when the Kingdom Hearts Encoder exploded and he was reverted out of this form, his heart was no longer tainted with darkness, so he could no longer use many of the abilities of his Riku-Ansem mode (as revealed when they attempted to leave the World That Never Was and Riku failed to open a Corridor of Darkness).