#the ‘Riku talk to me’ line is better voiced but only because Sora’s voice actor is fucking pog at saying ‘Riku’

[blue-eli]

Ink October day six: Rattletrap

Any machine or vehicle that does not run smoothly.

#data riku #data sora #kingdom hearts coded #data soriku #kingdom hearts re:coded #kingdom hearts #kh #blue boi draws #ink October 2022 #ink October 2022 day 6 #I woke up and chose violence with this prompt<3 #data Sora and Jiminy’s journal my beloveds #I love this scene. most kingdom hearts scene ever. #it includes my favourite line ‘Mickey it’s Riku they put bugs in him.’ which is the most kingdom hearts bc #1. it’s fucking hilarious out of context 2.it’s fucking DEPRESSING in context!!! #also the delivery is… I mean it’s not good if that means anything #the ‘Riku talk to me’ line is better voiced but only because Sora’s voice actor is fucking pog at saying ‘Riku’ #in the most heartbroken voice #the bug blocks symbol is so hard to draw btw. like why every other icon thingy is a joy to draw in this series why are you different

[blasphemous-tiefling]

I wanna take a few steps back for a minute and talk about KHI Riku and the Destiny Islands Trio as whole.

We are given:

1. Main protag with spiky hair and happy-go-lucky attitude

2. Cute and plucky obvious love interest girl

3. Edgy older boy who’s cooler and tougher than main protag

The very first scene between these three sets up a very important image where Sora is much less serious than Riku, Riku has an affectionate yet playful friendship with Kairi, Kairi and Sora like to tease each other and are probably into one another, and Sora and Riku are very competitive with one another. When given the opportunity to one-up the other in a race, Riku sits down, they both act uninterested, and as soon as Kairi says go, they both hop up and bolt for it, probably silently hoping the other one wouldn’t get the jump on it and would have a late start.

In the next scene with the three of them, we once again see that Riku is mildly flirtatious with Kairi, and Sora is less than happy about this, presumably because he likes Kairi himself. We get more characterization of Riku as an adventurer, someone who wants more from life than what he has in front of him now. Sora and Kairi seem to share this desire, but not on the level that Riku does. They both even show minor hesitation when Sora asks, “But how far could a raft take us?” and Kairi asks, “You’ve been thinking a lot lately, haven’t you?” as if this is a newer, more forceful side to Riku that she’s not used to.

Immediately after, Riku introduces the player to the concept of a paopu fruit, teasing Sora saying, “C’mon, I know you wanna try it,” hinting that Riku is well aware that Sora likes Kairi. In fact, this is probably why Riku is a little flirtatious with her- to get under Sora’s skin and mess with him. It’s clear to us that Riku has a rivalry with Sora and that he likes to joke with him. This scene’s impact is extended when the race occurs and Riku says, “Winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi,” and Sora then hesitates, unsure if he can actually beat Riku and considering how high the stakes are.

The next major scene is between Sora and Kairi alone as they sit on the docks. It is made clear here that Kairi shares Sora’s romantic feelings, suggesting that Riku has changed and joking, “Let’s take the raft and go, just the two of us!”

So. We’ve established that Sora and Kairi like one another. Riku is like the jerk of an older brother who is better than Sora at everything and likes to tease Sora by flirting with Sora’s girl. BUT it is important to note that Kairi and Riku DO have a friendship all their own. Riku credits Kairi with giving him the ideas of exploration. Without her, he probably wouldn’t have been so inspired. He also has a different form of teasing her, remarking that she is just as lazy as Sora. For Kairi to suggest that Riku has changed implies that she knows Riku well enough to notice any change in his normal day-to-day behavior. This is a group of three friends, two of whom just happen to like one another romantically.

Fast-forward a little bit to Traverse Town when Sora finds Riku (or the other way around) and Riku becomes jealous of Goofy, Donald, and the keyblade. Riku’s always been better than Sora, but this is the first time he sees that Sora is able to hold his own and probably starts to feel a little unnecessary. He falls into Maleficent’s lies that Sora does not want or need Riku anymore. He starts believing Sora has not only abandoned him, but that he’s abandoned Kairi as well. Riku takes on the responsibility of getting Kairi back and making sure she’s safe. Because she’s his FRIEND and that’s what friends do for one another. Guys, this is so important. There was a time when Riku and Kairi were FRIENDS. Riku goes through hella lot to make sure that Kairi gets her heart back. He screws over some people, feeling hurt and betrayed by Sora, desperately doing what he can to regain at least one friend. “Soon, Kairi. Soon,” was a line that Riku spoke after being granted some new dark powers. He wasn’t going along with Maleficent because he wanted cool new abilities and got all cocky acting like he was better than everyone else. He did it because he genuinely thought it was the right path to save Kairi. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Riku did some bad things in order to save her and ended up losing himself in the process.

Fast-forward even farther to The End of the World. Kairi has her heart back, and Sora has to go off on one last venture to try to get Riku back. When Riku is inside the Realm of Darkness, about to be cut off from the Realm of Light, he turns to Sora and says, “Take care of her.” THIS is Riku’s last comment to Sora, a sentiment that declares that Riku knows Sora can handle himself now. Sora doesn’t need Riku anymore. Kairi has Sora to take care of her. Sora and Kairi can be together. And Riku doesn’t hold a grudge about it. He just knows it’s the flow of how things worked out. He’s fading into darkness. There isn’t much he can do for his friends anymore. But he trusts Sora with the responsibility of taking care of Kairi and blesses him with the ability to do so unimpeded by any anger or frustration Riku may have had.

All I’m trying to say is that Riku and Kairi were friends. Riku loved both Kairi and Sora at one point. I don’t understand why the newer installments (namely KHIII) decided to act like they were never a trio, as if it was always just Sora and Kairi and then just Sora and Riku rather than Sora, Kairi, and Riku.

KHII, while it didn’t have very many scenes featuring the three together, still did its part to remember the trio. Kairi begging Riku not to leave, desperately calling out for both of them before the dark pathway closed off and Sora and Riku were left to fight Xemnas.

I’m gonna keep posting these things, man. This series has changed a lot. How I felt about the characters and their dynamics in KHI is not at all how I felt about them in KHIII. In KHI, I actually liked Kairi and wanted to see her in the spotlight. In KHIII, I want nothing more than for Xehanort to slash that gal in half and be rid of her forever. In KHI, I love Sora and Kairi’s relationship, the evidence that they like one another but neither one of them have the nerve to say it. In KHIII, I’m screaming, “GAAAAAAYYYYY!!!” any time Riku is on screen and I’m rewatching that scene with Dark Aqua and Sora and Riku’s reality shifts thinking about the Sleeping Realm Theory and how desperately I want Soriku to be confirmed. In KHI, I want the three of them to be together again, free to explore the worlds. In KHIII, I don’t see any reason for the three of them to even be in the same room at the same time. There is a distinct shift in their relationships. Maybe it’s because the series decided the push Kairi to the side for many installments and just focused on Sora and Riku. Maybe it’s because Kairi’s voice actor changed, and that has a huge affect on me. Maybe it’s because Kairi didn’t have the same drive she seemed to have in KHI and KHII. I always go back to the scene where she and Sora are in the tunnel in Traverse Town, and she just assumes she’s going with Sora to save Riku. And then in KHII when she jumps in Naminé’s dark pathway, without knowing what it is, because she’s decided that “waiting isn’t good enough.” And then again in KHII when Riku gives her a keyblade and she immediately hops in and starts killing some heartless. Where was this ready-to-fight, all-in Kairi in KHIII? Maybe it’s because Riku as a character has grown so stoic and cool-tempered. Like KHI Riku got smad and aggressive and sassy. KHIII Riku acts all Mr. Placid McBoring.

I’m all in for character development. But this doesn’t feel like development. In fact, it feels like the opposite. It’s like character regression where the characters slowly get more and more one-dimensional.

I think that’s about it. That’s all that I have to say today.

Edit: Okay, my bad. I can see where this would suggest that I don’t like Riku anymore. That is very much not the case. I still adore that boy. It’s just... different than how it used to be...

#kingdom hearts rant #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #soriku #sokai #straight up not how to write a story #straight up not how to write characters #destiny islands trio #sora #riku #kairi #sora don't ever change #this time ill protect you #take care of her

[kaairi]

I'm a former Namiku shipper, and I hate that the only reason Namiku is canon is because "Oh, it's not because Namine loves Riku, it's because she 'loved' his Repliku and considers Riku to be a good replacement". Ignoring the fact that Namine shed no tears when Repliku tied in Reverse/Rebirth, and that his feelings for her are the result of memory manipulation, Riku and Repliku are distinct people with distinct hearts. That aside, replacement romances like that are NEVER happy.

i’m going to give my point, the unique way i can see it, okay?

this started in CoM, with Riku Replica having that false feelings of love. Naminé was for him what Kairi was for Sora although the memories were false, the feelings were real. I think this doesn’t have to be explained.

Riku met Naminé. Their first contact was Naminé in Kairi’s form (because she knew that Kairi was important to Riku, sly) guiding him to what will mark his destiny. She give him the answer, the solution.That is why Riku’s jp voice actor said that Naminé is a special person to Riku. They decided to take care of Sora doing a promise. They shared a year working together for the same objective, being the unique company of each other.  Riku was having a hard phase and same with Naminé, that was used as a tool, thinking that she shouldn’t have to exist, both blaming themselves for what had happened to Sora, both without anybody, being the unique support of each other, understanding easily each other condition and feelings. This off-creen is explained in the novels. The KH novels explain better the characters, their feelings, the situations… Not exactly with the same dialogues but with the same acts, adding the off-screen. It’s approved by Tetsuya Nomura too.

in the novels, they are constantly holding hands, they hug, doing promises, they are an emocional support, and Riku protects her from DiZ. She feels really bad when something happens to him… and so many things and details really cute. I invite you to find them.

Riku Replica is a replica starting with Riku’s exactly data. Riku Replica could know that Riku’s darkness have changed because “I am you.” Riku said too that Riku Replica’s heart >created because that memories and feelings with Naminé, because it’s the only thing he had and was his unique reason to live

In the novels there’s significant moments between him and Naminé, if you want to read them.

And we start with KH3, when Riku in the darkness found Riku Replica. (yes, that scene before his hair changes). he merges with him.

After, Riku leaves his keyblade “for the other me”. In the Destiny Islands, Kairi said to Sora that Riku said that he needed time to talk with himself. And he was talking to the Replica.

When Riku said “take the vessel”, in that moment we can see the end of his character development (a big development) He knew that with one Riku was enough “The world already has you.” From fight for his only existence to accept what he saw correct. It was his decision. He wanted that.

I don’t like say that they are the same person, because literally they are not. Riku Replica is a part of Riku. And both of them made it clear.

In the final world, Sora said to Naminé “Someone special I know won’t let you down”. The original line in japanese is “And the person who misses you the most, will surely come to you…” Nomura in the Ultimania confirmed that Sora was talking about Riku. Nomura said it from the point of ‘who Naminé misses the most’ too, so the feeling is mutual. He said too that Riku literally get the Replica’s feelings, precisely what we’ve talked before.

Ending, Nomura said that the Replica and her shared “an special bond”. So clear as day.

Sora affirming that who misses Naminé the most is Riku, made clear that Riku had to talk to him so much about her and what he felt.

I’ve read many foolishness to laugh. From “the special person was Xion!!!”(because it’s obvious, xion and naminé talked soooo much and of course sora knew about her) “it was DiZ!!” girl look😂. and when Nomura confirmed it the fandom is like:

are you kidding me

people is like really obsessed with this until the point of say whatever for deny it, when Nomura confirmed that it was Riku. Sora even doesn’t know what happened with Naminé in castle oblivion.

Riku has lost his friends again. Naminé suffered so much for loneliness. Now they only have each other again. She’s not alone anymore. And that’s very beautiful.

I think too that the fact that Riku was in love with Kairi when he was a kid (he clearly says it in the novels, and it’s seen in KH1) have influence. Naminé reminds him to Kairi. you and kairi smell the same ajsjhwsgdjhh

I have to name too the times when SE put RikuNami together with SoKai like in Union Cross with their clothes, the Orchestra (hey, by the way, there was a poster with flowers with the Riku-Naminé holding hands) when they put the Riku and Naminé scene with Hikari and Sora and Kairi’s with Chikai.

To be honest i didn’t understand it. Excepting Roxas, Naminé, Xemnas, Ansem, because they are special cases, the nobodies are the people they were. But a failed Replica? I never imagined he could be Riku. But if Nomura done it in that way i can’t say anything. 

I loved RepliNami, i knew it was real, and i was very happy in KH3 seeing that Nomura didn’t forget it. I never thought RikuNami could be canon, but Nomura excuses it what the fact if ‘they are the same person’. It’s like, ok i guess. I personally like it because Riku Replica’s arc was closed very good (i always thought Nomura forgot him too) and now it‘s canon with Riku Replica gone. Riku and Naminé can be together.

I can understand if you don’t like it and the excuse and the end of the Replica is trash for you but it’s a fact now.

lmao this is too long

#anon #rikunami

[khremixed]

Part 6:  Traverse Town and Getting the Gang Together

We’ve finally gotten to our first real world and man is it a good one.

I’ve always loved the look of Traverse Town.  The cobblestone streets, Victorian buildings, and bright neon signs just combine into something amazing for me.  Each of the three districts has its own unique flavor, but they don’t feel disparate from one another.  Traverse Town also has the feeling of being inhabited, at least in the First District.  The Second and Third Districts are overrun by heartless, so it makes sense in story why no one seems out and about.  It might be my favorite world, so I’m fine that it’s the world we are going to be using as a home base for this game (and miss it dearly in the games it doesn’t appear in).

The transition here is good too.  Donald and Goofy arrive and Donald notices a star going out.  Then Pluto runs off and finds Sora knocked out in an alley.  Pluto wakes up Sora, hears some noise outside human hearing, and then runs off, not to be seen again until the closing cutscene.  Sora wanders off into a nearby store and you meet Cid of Final Fantasy VII fame.

Real talk, but I’ve never played Final Fantasy VII.  Actually, I’ve never beat a Final Fantasy game.  I find turn based combat tedious so the only one I really enjoyed was XII (you know, the one everyone else seems to hate).  I played VIII for a while because of my love of Leon/Squall (more on this in a bit), but the battle system there is broken as all hell.  But anyway, I’ve never played VII, so when I first played this game, I thought Cid was like 35.  Yeah, he’s clearly older than the rest of the gang in Traverse Town, but it didn’t seem like that big of a gap.  His hair is bright yellow and he doesn’t move in a way that reveals being that old.  It’s a jrpg so I assumed that we were going with the anime convention of any person over twenty being treated as a senior citizen.  It wasn’t until Kingdom Hearts 2, when Cid gets a voice actor, that I realized he’s way older (wiki says 42 but that’s ancient in anime/jrpg terms).

Cid’s great, though.  I mean, you are some random kid who just wandered into his store who tells you a tale he’s probably heard a million times over (world destroyed, everyone scattered) and he just immediately offers to help you.  No ulterior motive there.  He’s one of the good ones.  Cid tells Sora to look around town to see if maybe Riku and Kairi did end up here and to come back if they really didn’t.

Sora heads to the Second District.  Everything is nice except for that guy that runs out and immediately gets turned into a soldier heartless in front of you.  It’s genuinely disturbing.  This is the closest thing Kingdom Hearts gets to when it comes to depicting death.  Plus, for someone playing this the first time, you don’t really know what’s happening other than the fact that that dude is terrified and you see his heart literally leave his body to turn into a monster.  Sora then fights a bunch of other heartless and will continue to do so as you explore the various areas.  There is also a great running gag of when you go into one place, Donald and Goofy just miss you as they exit another place.

Heading back to the First District, which is now equally overrun, you go back to Cid, because really, who else does Sora know?  Cid gives a pep talk and Sora goes back outside and this is the moment I’ve been waiting for.  A voice tells Sora that he really has no clue what he has and wonders why it would ever choose a kid like Sora.  And this, my friends, is how we meet Leon.

I’ve had a crush on Leon since I was 12.  Hell, I’ve had a gunblade on my keys since 2007.  As I said before, I love him so much I tried to get through Final Fantasy VIII.  And Leon totally owns Sora in this battle.  Even if you win, which isn’t that difficult if you hide behind the pillars to block his fireballs and nets you an elixir from him down the line, Sora still faints.

While Yuffie helps Leon collect Sora, Aerith finds Donald and Goofy.  Also, between these two scenes, we get our next big Final Mix addition.  Riku wakes up on Hallow Bastion (we don’t know the location yet, but it is) and calls for Sora and Kairi.  Watching him from afar is Maleficent.  At first, I really liked this bit.  It’s fun to see new stuff and I’ve always kind of wondered how Riku ended up with Maleficent.  But the more I think about it, the more I wish it wasn’t there.  Like Sora, the player originally had no clue what had happened to Riku for several hours of gameplay.  The reveal later that Maleficent is manipulating Riku was great and this new scene is detrimental to that reveal.

Anyway, Sora wakes up and has his first hallucination of Kairi, who then turns into a concerned Yuffie.  Since this is the first one, the player can assume that Yuffie’s theory that Leon gave the poor kid a concussion is probably accurate.  Donald and Goofy are in the adjoining room and whole explanation about the heartless is given to everyone by cutting back and forth between the two groups.  It’s a pretty dynamic way to get all the exposition.  This is also the first time we hear about Ansem and his report on the heartless.  I’m sure that that won’t be a reoccurring thing that will reveal previously unknown horrific facts!  I’m sure the whole mess that is Ansem the Wise/Xemnas/Xehanort won’t cause me to start screaming obscenities at the tv screen again!  (Sidenote:  but I totally forgot that we don’t find out that Ansem the Wise was the leader of their home world here or even that his title is “the Wise”).

On a character note, but I’d forgotten just how much of an apathetic asshole Leon is.  He just cannot be bothered to care about Sora’s friends or even feelings.

This is all interrupted by a heartless appearing and Leon and Sora go off to fight.  And this scene is bullshit.  Yuffie getting Leon’s attention, fine.  Her not attacking but instead running?  The hell.  And Leon is the one who tells her to run!  Why?  It isn’t to go protect the healer in the next room because Yuffie just blows past Aerith.  What is with this game and women not getting to do anything but get kidnapped unless they are evil or mermaids?  KH2 does have Yuffie fighting, but still.

Our gang still doesn’t hook up though.  You have to make your way to the Third District, where Donald and Goofy literally crash into Sora.  Cue boss fight!

The boss battle is pretty fun.  And in another change for the Final Mix, but they recolored the armor.  Don’t know why.  (Actually, the further in I get, the more I wonder how many of the heartless were recolored for this and I just can’t remember everyone’s original look so I’ve missed some.)  You have to kill each piece of the armor separately and they will attack independently of each other.  Nothing outstanding, but still fun.

Donald and Goofy try to convince Sora to come with them.  Unlike with Cid, who just wanted to help because he’s a standup guy, Donald is an asshole who straight up lies to Sora about the likelihood of finding Riku and Kairi (Goofy is a standup dude though).  Leon also says he thinks that Sora should go, but is more like Eeyore about it.  Goofy hugs everyone and says “One for all and all for one”.  Now that I’ve played KH3D and know that he was a musketeer with Donald and Mickey, I think that’s rather sweet in retrospect.

Oh, and also, Donald and Goofy tell Sora that if he’s going to join up, then he’s going to have to smile and have no sad faces.  Fuck them.  Sora just lost literally everyone he ever knew and loved and they want him to swallow those feelings.  That’s messed up, y’all.

You also get some stuff, the most important of which is the ability to dodge roll.  I love dodge roll!  I’m always mad when you don’t get it in other games.  There is literally only one ability I like more and that is the high jump (glide is close too).

Before taking off, you can go open up the secret passage to Merlin’s place.  Before Merlin shows up we get another Kairi hallucination.  She thinks that the room is like the secret place on Destiny Islands, but she’s a hallucination, she’s allowed to be wrong.  There Merlin arrives!  I always found his help sort of useless (the Fairy Godmother was more helpful in turning stones into summons but I think in all my years I’ve only ever used a summon once).  Also, feminist aside, but why does the Fairy Godmother hang out as an inanimate mini-carriage when not doing stuff?  Is it so they don’t imply anything going on between her and Merlin when you aren’t around?

When you leave you get the villain conference table scene where they discuss the unlikelihood of Sora winning.  It’s a good introduction of the villains, but I can’t tell if the Final Mix version changed the animation or if I’m just on a better tv because you can now see the silhouettes of all the villains rather than just hearing their voices with extremely shadowed shapes.

#kingdom hearts #traverse town #kingdom hearts 1