Riku (Earth-101001)

Riku (リク) is one of the main characters in the Kingdom Hearts anime 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.

Appearance
Riku is a teenage boy with silver hair with bangs, pale skin, bright blue-green eyes, and a slightly 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, his hair has grown longer until it reaches his upper back, 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.

Personality
Riku's personality is as strong as the land for which he was named. He is very strong-willed and confident, at times being arrogant. He values his friends deeply and puts protecting them above all else.

Riku is extremely competitive and spent his childhood playing games, play-fighting, and racing with Sora. This competitiveness also made him easy to become jealous, especially during season 1, where he becomes very irked that Sora received the powers of the Keyblade while he did not, though he is not immediately vocal about it. This jealousy led him to behave aggressively to the people most important to him, and he began to act recklessly and harshly in an attempt to prove himself. He loses this childish jealousy streak entirely as he grows older.

He has a had an intense curiosity about the world he lives in (and what lies beyond it) ever since he met the foreign Terra as a child. His desire to know more became to consume him somewhat negatively over time. He has no qualms with going through the unknown to earn this knowledge, willingly stepping into a dark portal with an unknown destination, simply because he knew it may be his only chance to leave. After he does finally see other worlds, this desire subsides, and he finds comfort in his once-restricting island homeworld.

After the events of season 1, Riku becomes more humble, learning from the reckless mistakes he had made and seeks to make amends. He becomes much more affable and mellows out. He has learned well from his mistakes in siding with darkness and becomes wise and well-versed enough to become a Keyblade Master that Yen Sid can rely on.

Childhood
When Terra visits Destiny Islands, he can already sense Riku's potential and asks why Riku wants to leave his island. Riku tells Terra that someone else left the island long ago, and visited other worlds. Riku states that he would like to leave his world too in order to become strong enough to protect his friends and everything else he holds dear. During their conversation, Terra sees a vision of a white-haired man who then transforms into Riku's future self. This convinces him to choose Riku as his successor and lets Riku hold his Keyblade to test his strength. He convinces Riku to keep their conversation a secret to preserve the world order.

He and Sora later encounter Aqua, who finds their friendship similar to that of hers, Terra's and Ven's, and asks Sora to protect Riku if he ever loses his path.

Sometime afterwards, Riku and Sora are resting on a beach under a starry sky at night. When they are ready to go home, Riku sees Sora's sudden tear of sadness and says that perhaps someone from another world is feeling sad somewhere and suggests that Sora try and reach out to him. After Sora reaches out to Ventus, they both look up at the starry sky.

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.

Kingdom Hearts
Riku, Sora, and Kairi continued to live on the Destiny Islands together. The three work together to construct a 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.

Riku eventually ends up in Hollow Bastion via the Corridor of Darkness, separated from his friends. There, he is found by Maleficent, and she offers him shelter and protection, giving him a bedroom with a desk and a bookshelf. In exchange for Riku's cooperation in gathering the Princesses of Heart, Maleficent agrees to find Kairi and bring her to him. During this time, Riku comes to possess a blade of darkness called Soul Eater.

Riku comes across Sora in Shibuya. He takes possession of Sora's Keyblade for a few moments before giving it back to Sora, much to Sora's surprise, and then he suddenly leaves. Watching Sora from a distance, Maleficent turns Riku against Sora, telling him that Sora has abandoned him and Kairi for traveling with the Ultimate Avengers. However, Riku is still highly suspicious of her motives, even after she claims she feels Riku is like a son to her and she only wants him to be happy.

During the Tenders and Aladdin's fight with Jafar in Rub' al Khali, 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.

Riku meets Sora again inside Monstro, intending to use Pinocchio to help him find a way to save Kairi's heart. However, Pinocchio is captured by the Parasite Cage, and Riku works together with Sora, Donald, and Goofy to save him. Afterwards, Riku kidnaps Pinocchio and is pursued by Sora, Donald, and Goofy into Monstro's stomach. Riku asks Sora to join him and help him rescue Kairi, but Sora refuses, knowing that Riku's methods are wrong. When the Parasite Cage returns, Riku vanishes into a Corridor of Darkness.

Maleficent bestows the power of darkness on Riku, giving him the power to command the Heartless. He then goes to Neverland, traveling on Captain Hook's ship, where Kairi's body is being kept. He appears before Sora, showing him Kairi's body. Sora warns Riku that the Heartless will eventually turn on him and devour his heart, but Riku refuses to listen and retreats after using his new powers to summon AntiSora. However, before he heads back to Hollow Bastion, he tells Captain Hook that the captured Emily is not a Princess of Heart. Riku takes Kairi and recklessly returns to Maleficent's castle via the Corridors of Darkness without a vessel, putting a strain on his heart. While he is drained from the trip, Maleficent unlocks the last of Riku's dark power.

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 toy sword he used on Destiny Islands, he departs, and Donald and Goofy reluctantly follow him as per The King's orders.

Sora makes his way to the foyer of the castle, with the help of Beast. Riku, taking on a new appearance with the increasing strength of his dark powers, tells him to quit, but Sora refuses to leave without Kairi. Riku, intending to prove to Sora that he is the strongest of the two, attacks his old friend, but Donald and Goofy go to Sora's aid, finding themselves unable to betray Sora after all that they had been through together. With the strength of his friends, Sora reclaims the Keyblade and drives Riku to fight him.

Riku, defeated, manages to escape, but he is confused as to why Sora was able to regain the Keyblade. A 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, 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.

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.

A newly restored Sora, along with Donald and Goofy, eventually make their way to the End of the World. There, in the remnants of Destiny Islands, they once again confront Ansem, who has full control of Riku's body and defeat him after a series of battles at the Door to Darkness.

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.

The pair makes it to the Door to Darkness, but are unable to cross through the door themselves, as they are not from the Realm of Darkness. They aid Sora in closing it to prevent a horde of Heartless from crossing through, but not before Riku tells Sora to take care of Kairi. This leaves the pair trapped in the Realm of Darkness, looking for another way out.

Kingdom Hearts: Next Generations
In three years, Riku then spends his time countering the Organization at every chance he gets, as well as keeping a watchful eye on Sora.

Riku also arrives at the Northern Wei (386–536), trying to warn the Emperor of Shan Yu and his army. 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.

Later, Axel tries to kidnap Kairi in an attempt to use her to turn Sora into a Heartless so Roxas would be reborn. However, Riku rescues Kairi by opening a Corridor of Darkness, and takes her to Twilight Town, where she meets Hayner, Pence, and Olette, but never reveals his identity. At the battle for Hollow Bastion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy end up in an empty realm, where Riku arrives. He says nothing to them, and only leaves the trio a box that contains sea-salt ice cream and a picture of Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette in front of the haunted mansion before immediately departing.

At some point following this encounter, Riku gained the ability to transform his Soul Eater into a true Keyblade. Its appearance reflected his nature of being between light and darkness, so he gave it an appropriate name: Way to the Dawn.

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.

Riku and the others then confront Xemnas, refusing his demand to gather more hearts. Xemnas then removes Sora from the area, fighting him one on one, with everyone else calling out to him. When Sora returns, they see that Xemnas has already reached Kingdom Hearts, and disappears into it. A door, constructed by the will of the worlds, appears, and the three wielders of the Keyblade open it up and follow Xemnas. After a tough battle, Naminé appears again, opening up a corridor of darkness that leads to Destiny Islands, as Riku can no longer use them since Ansem's darkness is no longer in his heart. However, Xemnas attacks, riding on a gigantic robotic dragon, and separates Sora and Riku from the others.

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.

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 with Goofy and Donald, Riku happily reunites with Mickey.

Blank Period
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. 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 a discussion about the Door to the Light. Kairi then appears with Mickey's letter, which the trio reads together.

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 those connected to him.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
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.

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 Ventus's Keyblade Armor, which has been corrupted by a 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 others 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.

As his first duty as a Keyblade Master, Yen Sid orders Riku to bring Kairi to him to undergo training with her Keyblade in order to counter Master Xehanort's new Organization.

Kingdom Hearts Guardians of Light
After bringing Kairi to be trained as a Keyblade wielder, Riku listens to Yen Sid's plans to protect the other Princesses of Heart and to bring back Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Mickey reveals to Riku that Aqua was with him back when they sealed the Door to Darkness, but she stayed behind to stop a swarm of Heartless which were chasing Riku.

Outraged by the story, Riku demands to know why Mickey kept this secret, but Yen Sid explains that because no one was capable of entering the Realm of Darkness and saving Aqua at the time, he forbade Mickey from ever telling anyone about Aqua as precaution against reckless rescue attempts; while Riku would have understood the danger of such an action, Sora would have cast caution to the wind and jumped at the chance to help. However, now they are both strong enough to mount a successful attempt, and when Kairi teases Riku for his eagerness, he explains how he is learning to follow his heart like Sora. When Kairi shows anxiety at training with Lea, Axel's human form, Mickey and Riku reassure her that he is trustworthy and he even saved Sora. Yen Sid provides Mickey and Riku new clothes from Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather which will shield them from the dark realm's darkness, so Riku and Mickey head off to save Aqua, with their new gear in tow.

In order to gather the seven guardians of light, Riku and King Mickey enter the Dark World in search of Aqua. They follow her trail to the Dark Margin, but when they arrive, they find no trace of her, her trail having gone cold deeper into darkness. A group of Shadows appear and form a Demon Tower, which quickly overwhelms them. Riku finds himself consumed by the darkness, nearly drowning in it, until he is saved by his replica's disembodied heart. He blacks out and wakes on the beach, finding his Keyblade destroyed from the battle. Though Riku insists on staying to save Aqua from the same fear and loneliness he once felt in the Dark World, Mickey convinces him to retreat back to Yen Sid 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 that as Aqua visited many worlds during her own journey, it may be prudent for Riku and Mickey to follow her footsteps to gain clues to her current whereabouts. He provides new garments for Kairi and Lea and requests that Riku and Mickey deliver them when they visit Merlin to gain new Keyblades. Now armed with the Braveheart, Riku travels with Mickey to Radiant Garden, the last place Aqua was seen in the Realm of Light. They discuss the path of Xehanort's heart through time and vessels, and the realization that the Xehanort that served Ansem the Wise was, in fact, a possessed Terra. After a phone call from Sora, they head into the castle to discuss the replica project with Ienzo.

Without any new leads to her location, Riku and Mickey travel back to the Dark Margin to pick up Aqua's trail. Again they are assaulted by the Demon Tower and again are overwhelmed by it. This time, however, Mickey is disarmed and trapped within it, and Anti-Aqua reveals herself from its depths. She claims Mickey's Keyblade, planning to use it to return to the Realm of Light, leaving Riku and Mickey trapped behind as she was. Riku connects with his replica's heart and uses their combined strength to confront Aqua and the Demon Tower. The fight takes its toll on Riku and, faltering, he speaks Sora's name. This connection allows Sora to enter the realm of darkness, where he defends Riku and defeats Aqua, freeing her from the Darkness. Riku is by her side as she awakens in the Realm of Light.

With all seven guardians finally assembled, they meet at the Mysterious Tower, where Riku thanks Aqua for saving him during his first visit to the Realm of Darkness. Yen Sid tells them all to spend the day recuperating before meeting at the Keyblade Graveyard. Riku accompanies Sora and Kairi to the Destiny Islands but spends the evening on the beach alone so he may speak to 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 he helps battle the horde of Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed summoned by the real Organization XIII and passes through the fissure ahead of Sora.

Powers and Abilities
When Terra approached Riku during Riku's childhood, Terra gave Riku the ability to use the Keyblade. Before leaving Destiny Islands, he has trained himself, along with Sora, to use a weapon, more specifically a sword. As the island was being engulfed in shadows, Riku was about to receive the Keyblade. However, he left too soon, and it came into the possession of Sora. Before the two crossed paths again, Riku gained the ability to manifest a sword called the Soul Eater.

Through Maleficent, Riku possessed the ability to control and create Heartless. This was demonstrated when Riku made a Heartless replica of Sora in Neverland. In Hollow Bastion, Maleficent gave Riku the ability to use the darkness within him, further weakening his heart after he teleported to Hollow Bastion using the darkness. After losing to Sora and being possessed by the Seeker of Darkness, he saw the error of his ways and swore off his dark powers. He struggled with the darkness within him for a time, but with encouragement from Naminé, he regained control and was able to wield the darkness along with the light. Late in the events of season 2, his Soul Eater evolved in form to the Way to the Dawn Keyblade.

Trivia

 * Riku's name is derived from the Japanese word for "land", as part of the name theme he shares with Sora and Kairi. Together, their names make up "Land, Sea, Sky".