There are many reasons that people like video games. Some play for the gameplay, others for the story, and some for the graphics, Many fans of Kingdom Hearts play for the well-written characters. Both the heroes and the villains of the story have had great arcs. with one of the best being Riku's.
Looking back at the original installment of the franchise, Riku has changed a lot, having some of the best character development in gaming history. From being a misguided antagonist to a Guardian of Light, here are ten of the greatest changes he made, becoming the character that fans know and love him as today.
10 He Overcame His Jealousy
When Riku was first introduced, he was friends with Sora and Kairi, serving as a leader for their goal of traveling to different worlds. However, when the three were split up as the heartless invaded their home, Riku was led by Maleficent to believe that Sora replaced him with Donald and Goofy, and that he cared more about being a keyblade wielder than his friendship with Riku. He became one of the game's most iconic bosses until he realized that he was being used and regretted the actions he made, helping Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy close the Door to Darkness.
9 He Doesn't Feel The Same Way About Kairi
Though he never actually admitted it, many fans have come to the conclusion that Riku had romantic feelings for Kairi in the first game. Everything that he did was in order to save her after he found her in a comatose-like state. However, since the two of them have met again, he has only seemed to have platonic feelings towards her, knowing that she cares more about Sora.
8 He Cares A Lot More About Sora
Kairi isn't the only person that has cared more about Sora as the series progressed. While Riku may have been jealous of Sora at one point, the two of them are best friends now, and Riku cares more about him than anyone else. He's saved Sora multiple times, such as when he teamed up with Namine and Ansem the Wise to bring Sora's memories back after Chain of Memories.
He also saved Sora in Dream Drop Distance, along with some of their other friends when Xehanort almost turned Sora into Organization XIII's thirteenth member. As Sora always says, his friends are his power, with Riku giving Sora strength.
7 He Was Cloned
When Riku went to Castle Oblivion in Chain of Memories, he met Vexen, a scientist in the organization. Vexen created a clone of Riku, known as Riku Replica. Throughout the game, this clone fought against Sora multiple times due to their fake memories of Namine. After realizing that he was a clone, Riku Replica wanted to be his own person and fought Riku. However, the two eventually became friends in Kingdom Hearts 3 when Riku Replica became a part of the real one.
6 He Defeated Ansem
At the end of the original installment, Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated Ansem the Seeker of Darkness. However, due to a part of Xehanort's heartless still being inside of Riku after he possessed him, he was able to haunt the boy he manipulated. At the end of his story in Chain of Memories, Riku was able to fight Ansem himself. The two also fought each other in Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts 3, proving that Riku is stronger than darkness.
5 He Became Close Friends With Mickey
When the series first started, nobody would have expected Riku to become close friends with King Mickey. However, Mickey helped him out in Chain of Memories and the two started working together. These days, they are rarely apart as they've saved Aqua, fought members of Organization XIII together, and more. The most iconic friendship among the Disney characters would be Sora, Donald, and Goofy, but these two are a close second.
4 He Learned How To Control His Darkness
There are many characters in the series that have believed that darkness was automatically bad and light was automatically good, but Riku proves that this isn't always the case. In the earlier games, he was ashamed of his darkness and tried to not rely on it. However, in a battle against Roxas, he had no choice but to use his greatest weapon, giving him the appearance of Ansem the Seeker of Darkness.
Accepting that his darkness was part of who he is was a very big deal for Riku. Though it's not a part of him that he always embraces, he's at his best when he does.
3 He's More Optimistic And Eager
Riku's personality has changed a lot throughout the games. Rather than being obsessive, jealous, and edgy, he's much happier. In A Fragmentary Passage, when he learned that Mickey left Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, he was determined to save her as quickly as possible, despite barely knowing her. In the past, he wouldn't have cared about her at all. Kairi commented on this, saying that Riku has more in common with Sora these days.
2 His Sense Of Fashion Changed
Though it may not seem like a big deal, it's very rare for a Kingdom Hearts character to be seen wearing more than two or three outfits. When he lived in Destiny Islands, Riku would wear a lot of blue and yellow clothes. He would later go on to wear the outfit that Riku Replica is wearing in the image above. From there, he wore a cloak, similar to the ones that Organization XIII uses. At the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, he started dressing up the way he did at the beginning of the series, before receiving his most recent outfit, the one he is wearing above, from Master Yen Sid.
1 He Became A Keyblade Master
In Dream Drop Distance, Master Yen Sid had Riku and Sora take the Mark of Mastery exam, to see if they had what it takes to be keyblade masters. Riku passed the test for saving Sora after Xehanort almost turned him into his thirteenth vessel. Now that he's a keyblade master, fans see how far he's come since the keyblade he was supposed to wield decided to stay with Sora, and they can't wait to see what's next for him.