- "As for how Traverse Town got split in two, I have a feeling you'll have to ask this guy."
- —Joshua to Sora about Young Xehanort.
Joshua is a character who appears in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. He appears in Traverse Town.[1]
Development
Joshua, along with Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme are the first characters to appear in the Kingdom Hearts series who originated from something other than Disney, Final Fantasy, or Kingdom Hearts fiction, although they are from another game that is property of Square Enix, as well as being designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
Story
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Joshua first meets Riku in the Third District of Twilight Town. He sits on top of the arch over the waterfall and informs Riku about what happens now around Traverse Town. When Riku rejects any assistance from him, Joshua tells him that he knows Sora and that he is in the same world with them, prompting Riku to question him about his whereabouts. After a little more persuading, Riku finally agrees to let Joshua be his guide around Traverse Town.
When Joshua and Riku reach the Second District, they are encountered by Beat who thought Riku as a Player of the Game at first glance. Joshua tries to tell Beat that Riku is not part of the Game at all but Beat persists on beating Riku so that he could get back to his own world with Rhyme, even going as far to send a Dream Eater at Riku. At the start of the fight, Joshua stands aside and watches the battle with amusement. He chuckles after Beat throws a short tantrum and apologizes to Riku, though he was unaware of Riku passing out. However, when Riku regained consciousness, Joshua had disappeared along with Beat.
After Sora defeats the Hakozaru in the Fifth District, Joshua appears before him and explains that he and Riku are in two seperate versions of Traverse Town, where Sora sees an illusion of Riku and not being able to contact him. Riku experiences this after he defeats the Hakozaru in his version, Riku sees an illusion of Sora but when he tries to talk to him, Sora gives no response. Beat tries to hold his sister Rhyme but being only an illusion of her, his hand slips right through her image.
Joshua is able to explain to Sora and Riku about the conditions of Traverse Town despite being them being in seperate worlds, telling them that the world seems entirely the same but also entirely different altogether. He also tells them about how they are able to see each other is because of their strong bonds and care for each other, using Neku and Shiki and Beat and Rhyme as examples. When Sora And Riku ask in unison if he has any friends with strong ties to him too, he just chuckles and says, "Maybe." At that word, ethereal angel wings sprout onto his back, surprising the pair and he flies up into the night sky and disappears into the night.
Appearance
Joshua is a lanky, fair-skinned teenager with scraggly ash blond hair and lavender-colored eyes. He wears a white button-down shirt, with a fairly exposed neck and collar. Joshua wears dark grey pants and plain white shoes with black laces. Joshua can also manifest shining blue, ethereal wings on his back.
Origin
Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu is a character from Square Enix's The World Ends with You. A sly and precocious boy with an incredibly deep view of the world around him, he is shrouded in mystery. Joshua partners with Neku in the beginning of Neku's second week of the Reaper's Game. Joshua is an illegal player, meaning he didn't die to enter the game, but joins it anyway since he claims he can see the dead and has watched the Game many times. During the week, Joshua looks for the "Shibuya River" with Neku, using a tracker Mr. Hanekoma installed in his and Neku's cellphones.