Riku: Difference between revisions

{{Q|Sora. You don't believe that. I know you don't.|Riku encourages his friend}}

Riku and King Mickey enter the [[Dark World]] in search of Aqua, losing her trail at the Dark Margin. A [[Demon Tower]] attacks and swallows Riku. Nearly drowning in its darkness, Riku is saved by his replica's disembodied heart; however, his Keyblade destroyed from the battle. Mickey convinces him to regroup and resupply. Before leaving, Riku plants his broken Keyblade on the beach for the Riku Replica to collect.

At the Mysterious Tower, Yen Sid suggests to visit worlds Aqua had been to for clues. He requests Riku and Mickey deliver new garments for Kairi and Lea when they visit Merlin for new Keyblades. Now armed with the [[Braveheart]], Riku travels with Mickey to [[Radiant Garden]], the last place Aqua visited. They discuss Xehanort's plans, realizing that when Aqua saved Terra, he was possessed by Xehanort. After a phone call from Sora, they head into the castle to discuss the replica project with [[Ienzo]]; Riku concludes the Organization is planning to use replicas, as the one who can create them, [[Even]] has gone missing.

With no new leads, Riku and Mickey travel back to the Dark Margin. Attacked again by a Demon Tower, Mickey is disarmed and trapped within it. [[Anti-Aqua]] reveals herself and takes his [[Star Cluster|Keyblade]], planning to use it to the escape. Riku declines his replica's offer to return [[Way to the Dawn|his Keyblade]], facing Aqua and the Heartless. Faltering, he speaks Sora's name. This connection allows Sora to enter the Dark World, where he defends Riku and frees Aqua from the Darkness.

With all the [[Guardians of Light]] finally assembled, they meet at Yen Sid's tower, where Riku thanks Aqua for saving him. Yen Sid tells everyone to spend the day recuperating before the final battle. Riku accompanies Sora and Kairi to [[Destiny Islands]], but spends the evening on the beach alone with the replica in his heart. The replica admits he would rather exist within Riku's heart than fade into darkness, and states he has "one last thing to do".

The next day, Riku joins the other guardians in the [[Keyblade Graveyard]], where [[Terra-Xehanort]] attacks, before being ejected from the battlefield. A massive [[Demon Tide]] soon appears, devouring all the guardians, except Sora and Riku. When Sora breaks down in despair, Riku sacrifices himself for Sora's sake, putting his faith in Sora to save all of their friends.

Sora is then able to recover himself in [[the Final World]] and track down his friends hearts using the power of waking. Riku's heart makes its way to [[Olympus]], where it is captured by a [[Lich]]. Sora manages to catch the Lich and free Riku's heart, sending it back to the Keyblade Graveyard. When Sora frees all of his friends' hearts, they reappear together, moments before Terra-Xehanort first appeared.

This time, they are rescued by the [[Lingering Will]], allowing Riku and the others to fight off the incoming Heartless while Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the Demon Tide. Finally, they advance to face the organization within the Skein of Severance. Riku battles [[Dark Riku]], [[Xigbar]], and Ansem alone. When Sora joins the battle, Ansem leaves. Upon Dark Riku's defeat, the Riku Replica reveals Dark Riku is his past self and removes Dark Riku's heart from his body, leaving the vessel behind for Naminé. After Xigbar's defeat, Sora leaves to assist the other guardians, and Demyx arrives to retrieve Dark Riku's vessel on Ienzo's orders while Riku tells him to handle it with great care.  

Riku then meets Sora and Mickey again after nine seekers of darkness have been defeated. Ansem, Xemnas, Master Xehanort, and his younger self remain, and Master Xehanort reveals that their four clashes would forge the final keys he needed to form the [[χ-blade]]. Riku claims that even if Master Xehanort manages to open Kingdom Hearts, they would simply close it again. The two groups clash, and all but Master Xehanort are eliminated. As Ansem fades away, he speaks to Riku, reminiscing on the journey they shared.

With one key left to forge, Xehanort reveals the kidnapped Kairi and slays her in front of them. Riku and Mickey are then frozen by a Stopza spell, and Xehanort summons Kingdom Hearts. The other guardians arrive as the spell wears off, and Riku presents the idea of using Xehanort as a portal and trapping him in it long enough to finish him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy volunteer to go instead, so that the other Keyblade wielders could hold back the power of Kingdom Hearts.

Some time later, Riku takes Sora's [[gummi ship]] to Radiant Garden to collect Naminé, and returns with her to Destiny Islands along with all the guardians and their friends. He runs a race with Terra and Roxas before looking toward the paopu tree where Kairi sits with the fading image of Sora.

Since Sora vanished, Riku and all his allies have been searching wherever they can think of; lasting well over a year with no results. After seeing Terra, Aqua, and Ventus leave to search the [[Dark World]], Riku visits the [[Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee|Radiant Garden Restoration Comittee]] in the hopes they have any clues. Informing them that [[the King]]'s group has had no luck in searching past worlds Sora's been to and that Ansem the Wise has not been able to find a lead in Kairi's dreams, Riku gains a sliver of hope in data on the Organization [[Cid]] compiled on his computer.  

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