Riku
Series	Kingdom Hearts
Gender	Male
Age	16
Species	Human
Sexuality	Straight
Manhattanite or Outsider?	Outsider
Journal	Halfdarkened
Player	Rebmakash

Appearance:

 

Riku is a tall young man noted for his long white silver hair that obscures his slanted aqua eyes. He apparently possesses X-ray vision, as one would think he would have trouble seeing through his grown-out bangs. He is fairly muscular, and as a teenager he is still developing the broad shoulders of a man. Of the Destiny Islands trio, his skin is the lightest.

 

Fashion-wise, Riku’s wardrobe is unimpressive. He wears a high-necked, sleeveless black shirt with a two-way zipper that’s unzipped so his navel shows. Over this he wears a yellow, blue and primarily white vest he always keeps unzipped and unbuttoned. His jeans are a few sizes too large and held up with a type of studded belt that can literally be found at Hot Topic. His black and white sneakers sport yellow-orange laces. He keeps a white band on his left arm that extends from mid-forearm to his knuckles. For all intensive purposes, it really just looks like a sock.

 

Personality:

 

The phrase “cool and collected” has been used to describe Riku canonically, and it fits him perfectly. Though he can most certainly be angered, Riku doesn’t have much of a temper and has never been known to panic. “We can’t let fear stop us.” He remains composed and determined in dangerous situations, and outwardly displays confidence. Riku’s outward pride was seen while giving orders to Captain Hook… while on his pirate ship! Riku also has a sarcastic sense of humor and may playfully mock those he feels comfortable around (like Sora) or insult enemies.

 

By nature, Riku is extremely curious about the world around him. He looks for deeper meaning in things. For instance, before the Destiny Islands were destroyed, he wanted to know why they ended up living on the Islands rather than another world, and hoped that these tiny islands were a part of something much greater. Riku opened the door to the heart of the Islands like Pandora opened the box. This curiosity drive is so strong Riku was willing to never see his parents again in order to explore other worlds.

 

However, there is a jealous, unsure side of Riku few but his closest friends get to see, and even then only in the last year or so. Riku in Kingdom Hearts II confessed to Sora he was jealous of him after defeating Xemnas, saying he wished he, too, could lead life by simply following his heart. He also admitted to and swallowed his pride, explaining he once thought he was better at everything than Sora. Riku proved his jealous nature even in the first game when Sora showed himself stronger and he was willing to do anything to be stronger, and opened his heart to darkness.

 

Riku’s strength is his weakness. He’s willing to do anything for those he deems as friends, but that “anything,” has few limits. Though he has morals, he may ignore them to reach his goal. For him, the ends justify the means. For instance, in an effort to find Kairi and restore her heart, Riku resorted to kidnapping (Jasmine and Pinocchio) and attacking a friend. It does, however, prove his loyalty to her. In Kingdom Hearts II he abducted Roxas, and though he felt sorry for him, Riku still worked with DiZ to alter the Nobody’s life in order to help revive Sora. Riku gave up his original appearance to gain the strength he needed to defeat Roxas for the same reason. (See “Weaknesses” regarding “moral ambiguity” and also “being seduced by power.”)

 

Somewhat pessimistic, Riku gave up hope when injured and trapped in the leftover Nothingess from battling Xemnas (to which Sora told him to think positive). Aside from this pessimism, Riku also displays a good amount of common sense and a healthy dose of suspicion. This is displayed by his skepticism when Maleficent claimed she only wanted him to be happy, and said he was like a son to her.

 

Riku still carries the guilt of betraying Sora and siding with the Heartless. It was he that opened the door to the heart of the Destiny Islands and ultimately resulted in their destruction, a fact that Zexion exploited in Chain of Memories. In Kingdom hearts II he felt that being trapped in the World of Darkness was perfect for him (especially if it had a beach), and was ready to accept it as retribution for his sins. (See “Weaknesses.”)

 

First and foremost, however, Riku IS NOT a mopey emo teenage boy with enough whiney angst to replace Mako energy as a fuel source to run Midgar. He is a complex, somewhat self-sacrificing individual with his share of justified worries and prides.

 

Abilities: (For superhuman powers/strength/abilities, describe how they will be limited)

 

In Kingdom Hearts II, Riku wore the guise of Ansem and had his powers as well. Since this is a late-in-the-game Riku, he’s lost both of these, along with the power to open dark portals. However, he still has the power of darkness, which allows him to create a brief defensive shield (Dark Shield) and shoot fireballs of dark energy that home in on their target (dark aura/firaga). During his struggle to help Sora, his weapon, the bat-wing-shaped Soul Eater, transformed into the Keyblade “Way to the Dawn.” 

 

In Daisychain, Riku can still cast Dark Shield. The spell is brief and hard to time correctly. (In actual gameplay it’s close to worthless). He can still cast Dark Aura, but it lacks the homing feature. Riku suddenly finds himself learning how to aim an unpredictable spell that could potentially do more harm than good. He can only cast this once or Dark Shield twice until he has sufficient time to rest. Casting both isn’t an option, so Riku has to choose carefully… Once he learns he now has this limit.

 

Riku still has “Way to the Dawn,” but not without a catch. Since the Keyblade changed from Soul Eater, the weapon has a tendency (but not certainty) to appear in this “devolved” state when first summoned. Riku would have to dismiss and resummon the weapon until the Keyblade appears. However, in either form, the weapon’s durability has diminished. The sword/Keyblade may break, and though this can be fixed by dismissing and resummoning the weapon, it still leaves him temporarily defenseless. 

 

Riku has some hacking skills thanks to his time spent with DiZ/Ansem the Wise and is very comfortable with computers.

 

Weaknesses: (In addition to the Daisychain-related ones.)

 

Riku is fairly strong and fast for his age, even if he doesn’t have a Keyblade. (Like Sora, his physical limits were heightened by the Keyblade.) However, he has taken pride in his abilities in the past, and may overestimate what he can do. 

 

Riku is morally ambiguous. He will do anything to help his friends, and short of murder, anything is a key word. In the past he has resorted to abduction/kidnapping (twice in KH and once technically in KH2), and entangling himself with the power of darkness. The D&D alignment term, “chaotic neutral (good)” would be appropriate.

 

In addition, his inward insecurities and jealousies may make him vulnerable to manipulation. Playing off of his uncertainty and envy it may be possible to make him betray some friends. Usually, however, this could only be achieved by making Riku think they’ve betrayed him. (Convincing him to betray Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Donald or Goofy will be difficult considering the events surrounding betraying Sora in the past.) Persuade Riku that someone is no longer his friend, and he may be inclined to do terrible things.

 

His guilt can also influence him. He had no plans on facing Kairi or especially Sora while he looked like Xehanort’s Heartless, a blatant reminder of his past wrongs. Although Sora cheered him up, he later didn’t know how he could go home and “face everyone.” Although now facing them is the least of his worries, he will still hold onto this shame until he feels he has gained forgiveness and righted his wrongs. Zexion almost defeated Riku by bringing up his role in the destruction of his home, which left Riku open to attack.

 

Though now probably much more aware of it, Riku has and perhaps still can be seduced by power. He stole the Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts from Sora to gain power (in the name of saving Kairi, which may have still been partially true at that point). After he lost it (and even called his own) he was frustrated at the fact his heart was weaker than Sora’s. In his jealousy he opened his heart to darkness to gain power (and ultimately lose his body). If Riku were to pursue power in this way again, he will be unable to summon the “Way to the Dawn” at all.

 

Manhattanite or outsider?

Outsider

 

History:

 

Riku grew up on the Destiny Islands with his best friend, Sora, and still remembers when Kairi appeared on the night of the meteor shower. (He was probably 6, then.) Since that night, he wondered about other worlds. He also began to compete with Sora for Kairi’s attention. At age 15, he persuaded the other two to build a raft to sail to new lands. That is, until he opened the door in the Secret Place, letting darkness rush into the heart of his world but open the door to interworld travel (via a corridor of darkness). He awoke in Hollow Bastion where he met Maleficent. She offered her help in return for his. Riku was allowed to travel to other worlds, and met up with Sora in Traverse Town, whom he learned the Keyblade had chosen. Maleficent showed Riku that Sora had made new friends, and used his envy to convince Riku that Sora had abandoned him and Kairi. Riku redoubled his efforts to find Kairi, doing anything Maleficent needed. That included abducting Jasmine. After reuniting with Kairi, he later tried to kidnap Pinocchio in hopes that studying him could explain how to get Kairi’s heart back and revive her. (Little did they know Kairi’s heart had been placed within Sora.) When Sora said what Riku wasn’t listening to his conscience, Riku felt Sora was being ridiculous. The two boys met again on Hook’s ship, but Riku imprisoned Sora and made sure he was kept away from Kairi. He even sent Sora’s own shadow after him. In Hollow Bastion, he fought Beast to keep him away from Belle, and when he confronted Sora, summoned the Keyblade into his own hands. “You don’t have what it takes to save Kairi.” With Sora deprived of the Keyblade, Donald and Goofy followed King Mickey’s orders to help the Key-bearer and left Sora. That is, until Riku attacked their friend, at which point Goofy, and then Donald, came to the younger boy’s aid. Riku’s heart wasn’t as strong as Sora’s, and he lost the Keyblade. After being defeated, Riku ran, and met with Xehanort’s Heartless. Willing to do anything for power, Riku opened himself to darkness and was possessed. His body no longer his own, he watched helplessly as a dark Keyblade was made from the hearts of the Princesses and his body savagely attacked Sora in order to try to extract Kairi’s heart from his. Only after Sora lost his heart did Riku manage to briefly overcome the Heartless, keeping him at bay long enough for Kairi, Donald and Goofy to run. As a result, Xehanort’s Heartless threw Riku’s heart into the World of Darkness, where he met with King Mickey. After Sora defeated Xehanort’s Heartless, Riku’s body was returned to him, and Riku appeared on the other side of the door to Kingdom Hearts. There Riku and King Mickey made the ultimate sacrifice. To make sure the door was sealed and preserve the worlds, they stayed on the other side of the door, remaining in darkness while Sora, Donald and Goofy helped them close the door from the other side. As the door closed, Riku told Sora, “Take care of her.”

 

In Chain of Memories, Riku awakens in twilight, led on by a mysterious voice, and chooses to leave the comfort of sleep. He finds himself in Castle Oblivion, facing demons of his past, and being told his heart is empty because he’s thrown away his friends for darkness, which he in turn has thrown away. Xehanort’s Heartless is still alive in Riku’s heart and either he (or the real Ansem in disguise, it isn’t clear) tempers the darkness in Riku’s heart, allowing him to wield darkness in a special form called “dark mode.” The boy finds that a replica was made of himself, but the replica embraces darkness and calls Riku a coward. Riku almost succumbs to the Xehanort’s Heartless a few times, but is saved by King Mickey, who’s sending his power over a distance. He defeats Lexeaus, and later confronts Zexion on the Destiny Islands. Zexion uses Riku’s guilt against him, blaming him for the destruction of the islands and shows Riku images of him becoming a Dark Side Heartless. Zexion disguises himself as Sora and attacks Riku, engulfing him in light. There Riku sees Kairi (Namine in disguise) who tells him his darkness is a part of him, just like his light, and that it should be equally embraced. Reassured, Riku sees through Zexion’s ploy and forces the Nobody to flee. He finds King Mickey, and encounters a strange man named DiZ, a man intent on watching Riku and his decisions. The boy runs into the replica again and defeats it. He watches as it fades and asks where its heart will go. Riku supposes it will go the same place his will. Riku later meets up with Namine and realizes it was her, not Kairi who came to him in the light. She offers to seal Xehanort’s heartless away, along with his memories, but Riku decides against it, saying he can’t yell at the sleeping Sora for not taking care of Kairi if he sleeps too. (Sora’s memories were being restored after being gradually lost in the castle.) Riku confronts Xehanort’s Heartless and wins, (with Mickey saving him from the engulfing darkness). He and Mickey leave Castle Oblivion, but Riku won’t go home until Xehanort’s Heartless is truly gone from his heart. DiZ asks if Riku will choose the road to light or darkness. Riku chooses the middle road, not the twilit road to oblivion, but “the road to dawn.” Re:COM reveals Xehanort’s Heartless is still bothering Riku.

 

In Kingdom Hearts II, Riku worked with DiZ (Ansem) and Namine to help restore Sora’s memories. When the memories were slow to return, Riku set out to capture Roxas, Sora’s Nobody. Riku failed the first time, and to be sure he wouldn’t be defeated again, he surrendered partially to Xehanort’s Heartless, giving up his original form to assume the look and power of the Heartless. By this time Riku parted ways with Mickey for a while, but met up later. Riku made Mickey promise not to tell Sora what had happened to his form. He brought Roxas to DiZ, and encoded him to make rejoining him with Sora easier and keep him hidden from Organization XIII. He sympathized with Roxas, but for Sora’s sake still treated him poorly in the data world. He denied him the right to know what was truly going on and was not above stealing from Roxas to keep him away from the beach and better Sora’s chances.

 

During most of the game, Riku avoided Sora, only dropping a clue here and there to help his friend out. Only when he meets up with Kairi do things change, since Kairi insisted he meet Sora. Riku was ashamed of what he has become, but Sora accepted it, emphasizing that he was still Riku at heart. Meanwhile, DiZ attempted to encode Kingdom Hearts as data, but when the encoder exploded, Riku found all traces of Xehanort’s Heartless gone. At this time he willingly fought alongside Sora. After fighting Xemnas (the leader of Organization XIII and Xehanort’s Nobody) he was himself unable to open a dark portal back to the Islands, to which Mickey happily said, “You’re not a part of the dark realm, anymore, Riku.” Namine managed to create a portal, but before Sora and Riku could get through, the portal shut, and Xemnas returned. After a long battle, Riku was severely injured and Sora carried him through both the Nothingness Xemnas left and to the beach in the World of Darkness. During this time, Riku and Sora had a heart to heart and admired each other and their friendship. When Riku found a note in a bottle from Kairi, he handed it to Sora, whose heart then opened the Door to Light.

 

Like the game, Riku enters the world in the form of a falling star. However, in Daisychain, Riku is not so lucky to have a water-landing… 

 

RP History:

 

Unfortunately for Riku, his entrance into this world was in the form of a crash-landing into the front of a shop in Union Square.  Naturally, he was in terrible shape, complete with broken bones.  There Vincent was the first to find him and place his arm in a sling.  Vincent, exausted from other activities, ended up falling asleep, leaving Riku to wait for Sora to arrive.  Riku moved into the apartments Sora, Kairi and others were living at the time which came to be known as Keyblader’s Court.

 

Riku was never known to want to stay in one place, so he’s constantly explored the city.  Even the day after he arrived he was out and about, which is when he met Rosette Christopher.  Rosette got him to a doctor so his arm could be set until Sora regained his healing abilities.  They’ve been in contact since.

 

The young man has been involved in several escapades since, ranging from rescuing Naminé when she was bitten to attempting to apologize to Roxas for everything that he’s done, which resulted in flared tempers on both sides.  He also worked with Kairi to train her into a better fighter, an event that fully rekindled the old flame he had for her.

 

Riku was also one of the leaders in setting up the Keyblader’s Court Pool Party and was one of the people responsible for getting the pool clean.  (It was also the first documented case of Riku actively singing, something that came purely out of Giselle’s irrepresible influences rather than his own free will.)

 

Since Riku discovered, though Naminé’s hacking, that Dahlia Hawthorne was dangerous, he’d located an underground lab and began to fix it up as a place to imprison her should the need arise.  He inadvertantly ended up testing it himself several days after a leg injury during the Big ****ing Attack and was unable to get home.  When he was able to walk again, his world was plunged into dispair at the sight of his home and the fear that his friends were gone.

 

Homeless, Riku went to an internet cafe and discovered on Rosette’s journal that she’d been bitten.  The two end up helping each other to Madison Square Gardens to get medical help, and, in Riku’s case, to see if his friends were there hurt...  Or worse.  He found them alive and well, and it was an emotional reunion for all of them.  (Riku wasn’t crying like Sora.  Crying, yes, just like Sora, no.  And he’ll never admit it.)

 

After reuniting, the group moved into Bryant Park Hotel where Riku gave no hesitation to decorate things his way:

 

When Dahlia finally attempted to murder Mia Fey, Riku abducted the murderess at his first chance.  He locked her in Bio-Reference Laboratories on 19th Street, which he’d cleaned, placed minor decorations in, and fully stocked with food, supplies and emergency rations.  Unfortunately, her disappearance has been pinned on Wolf so far.

 

 

 

Relationships:

 

Sora

Riku’s best friend.  Sora was the first of his old friends that he saw when they initially reunited, and since things have been much like old times back on the Destiny Islands.  Between friendly competition and harmlessly teasing Sora, he feels at home.  Sora and Kairi mean the world to Riku, and he will do anything to help them and keep them safe.

 

Kairi

Kairi even stayed up to see Riku get home okay.  She’s given him a few surprises, like “adopting” Demyx, but things are much like they were.  When they were on the Islands, Riku was making strides to impress Kairi and poking fun at the concept in respect to Sora in order to make his rival wary.  After all he’d done, however, Riku left Kairi to Sora, and accepted he’d lost his chance.  When things became awkward while teaching Kairi to fight, Riku felt his old feelings rise up again.  It’s a source of pain for him right now.  Either way, he is fiercely protective of Kairi should any threat arise.

 

King Mickey

Mickey was in some ways literally a guiding light for Riku in the past, and his appearance now has relieved him immensely.

 

Goofy

The first of the two he’d met in Manhattan, seeing Goofy helped reassure him of his new surroundings, whether or not he’d admit it.

 

Donald Duck

Riku and Goofy once had to chip Donald off the door when a Blizzard spell backfired.  Though a good-hearted duck, he and Riku always have the potential to butt heads.

 

Naminé

As Kairi’s Nobody and the girl who cared for Sora for a year, Riku greatly cares about Naminé and holds a deep respect for her.  He also admires her artistic ability.  Due to her meek and fragile nature, Riku wants to protect her.  The closer Marluxia gets to her, the more he wants to make sure he can never hurt her again.

 

Riku Replica

The two rarely converse, with good reason.  Though it seems they have the ability to be civil to one another, it doesn't necessarily last long.

 

Rosette Christopher

Rosette is a good friend of Riku’s, and perhaps the first he confided in on Manhattan Island.  The two get after each other for getting hurt or disappearing, but it’s all in the spirit of worrying about each other.  Rosette is spirited, and thus plays well off of Riku.  [OOC: We ship this.] 

 

Aerith Gainsborough

A sweet girl in Riku’s eyes, he knows he’ll always have an ally in her. 

 

Axel

Though Riku doesn’t particularly like Axel, since he interfered when he and DiZ tried to restore Roxas to Sora, he understands why he did what he did.  Axel doesn’t comment much on the past, and neither does Riku.  An unspoken truce.  Brcaue he understood the bond between him and Roxas, he also worried for both of them when Axel was bitten.

 

Demyx

“Kairi’s puppy.”  While he was injured, Kairi surprised him one “early” morning by telling Riku Demyx was staying with them.  Riku views Demyx as harmless and an “annoying talent.”  He may be good, but Riku hated how he had to practice while he’s trying to sleep when he was the apartment below him at Keyblader’s Court.

 

Roxas

Though Riku didn’t expect his apology to be accepted, he didn’t expect Roxas to outright insult Ansem the Wise, who literally died apologizing and protecting both the Nobody and his other.  As a result, Riku holds little respect for Roxas and cares about the Nobody mostly as far as Sora is concerned.   However, he's more likely to react to Roxas's comments than initiate any quarrels himself.  The two don’t often interact, and his journal is one of the few Riku has few qualms in hacking if the security is low enough.  Riku only monitors Roxas’s journal and has only replied once.   On some level he wants Roxas’s forgiveness, but he doesn't know how to achieve it.  Riku also feels he won't have a chance of getting it it Roxas can't even forgive Ansem.

 

Marluxia

Riku wants a weed whacker.  He seriously despises the Nobody, and wants him kept as far away from Naminé as possible.  Riku fears what he might do to Naminé, and hates how he manipulates her.

 

Larxene

Though Riku hasn’t met her outright, he knows she’s almost as bad as Marluxia and even more cruel.  Another Nobody he could do without.

 

Dahlia Hawthorn

Riku likes her about as much as a head wound.  Willing to do anything to protect his friends, he kidnapped and imprisoned Dahlia to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone, especially those he cares most about.

 

Vincent Valentine

Riku isn’t entirely sure what to make of Vincent (especially on learning from Zack that he may well be Sephiroth’s father), but he is grateful for the help he received when he crash-landed in Manhattan.  He doesn’t really know Cloud personally, but he knows they’re friends.

 

Zack Fair

Though they just met on the journals, they seem to be developing a respect, as well as a somewhat morbid curiosity about one another.

 

Loz

Riku feels comfortable around Loz because he knows he’d do anything to keep Naminé safe.  They don’t talk much, but he considers him an ally.

 

Sephiroth

Though it seems he’s changed, Riku can’t let go of what the Sephiroth he’s heard about has done.  He will always be wary.

 

 

Zetta

A foul-mouthed book Rosette showed Riku when he didn’t believe her.  

 

Orlando

Not quite sure what to do with a talking cat, Riku was unsure and reasonably polite.  As a result, the prim and proper cat took a liking to him, and the two are casual friends.

 

Mia Fey 

Riku knows she’s Sora’s friend and an excellent leader, and acted when Dahlia tried to kill her.

 

Godot

Again, Riku knows he’s Sora’s friend and a true character around these parts.

 

Harry Dresden

Though he doesn’t know Harry well, they met when they rescued Naminé.  He respects his personality and abilities.

 

Giselle

Riku has no clue how anyone could be so cheerful.  Giselle seems to bring out the best in people, including Riku, and even commented that he had a good singing voice.

 

Aang

When Aang first arrived, Riku commented in his journal.  After conversing, the two became friends, and Aang reminded Riku a lot of Sora.  [After a different player came in] Riku found himself bothered that Aang doesn’t seem to recognize him, and attributes it to the strange events taking place.

 

Toph Bei-Fong

Riku met Toph while rescuing Naminé.  He feels relaxed enough to tease her similarly to how he does other friends, such as Sora, he doesn’t quite know his bounds with her yet and has at least once overstepped them.  They seem to admire each others abilities and enjoy a good snark.

 

Wolf

Riku doesn’t really know Wolf, but he doesn’t want to blame him for what he’s been up to, either.  While considering what to do next, Riku supports Wolf as best he can with occasional journal posts.