Sora and Riku in KH3

[Bobizzle]

So I had been thinking about this on a whim, and I wanted to see what other's takes were on the subject:

As we all know, Sora and Riku haven't spent much time together in the series, with the first game really being the only one where they had a lot of interaction. In KH2 they weren't together until endgame, and even in DDD they were mostly separate while taking their MoM.

so my question to everyone is: what would you prefer to see in KH3, should Sora and Riku be together for a lot of the game or should they stay separate for the majority of it until endgame or whatever? On one hand, I loves the bonding scenes between them in KH2 and 3D since they have good camaraderie, but on the other hand I don't necessarily want to see Riku become Sora's sidekick or vice versa. They should still maintain their own identities as individual heroes. To be clear I'm not talking about Riku becoming a permanent party member since that will probably always be Donald and Goofy, rather I just mean should Sora and Riku still travel to worlds together or at least cross paths most of time.

to add something extra to the discussion: Should Kairi be with Sora and/or Riku for the majority of the game, or should she branch off on her own?

 

[Sephiroth0812]

As far as the premise of the story tells us, they are not going to be together most of the time as apparently Mickey and Riku have a different task than Sora (which in reality may just be a plot device to shoo them out of the way and make them unavaiable as party members or even to interact with).

In fact, more interacting and bonding between the original characters (not just Sora and Riku alone) is something that could be positive for the series as a whole, especially Kairi needs some interaction with others to become truly a tangible character that fits into the entire group rather than just a bystander or the cliché trophy-girl always swooning over Sora.
Information is scarce so far, but as it stands now we're most likely stuck with the same, old combo of Sora, Donald and Goofy for the majority of the game (which comes of as rather boring because the dynamics and bonds between those three are already widely explored and known).

 

[Gram]

Like Sephiroth0812 said the interaction between the original trio would definitely help the characters I doubt we will see much of it given SDG & RM are going on separate tasks.

 

[Zettaflare]

I don't see why Riku and Sora couldn't cross paths for 2 or 3 worlds. While they do have two different goals, those goals could lead them to the same worlds every now and then. I'd hate to see them seperated until the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard. Kairi though, I can't see joining either Sora or Riku. She still has a lot of training to do(unless she speeds that up by entering the time chamber like Lea, LOL)

As far as the premise of the story tells us, they are not going to be together most of the time as apparently Mickey and Riku have a different task than Sora (which in reality may just be a plot device to shoo them out of the way and make them unavaiable as party members or even to interact with).

In fact, more interacting and bonding between the original characters (not just Sora and Riku alone) is something that could be positive for the series as a whole, especially Kairi needs some interaction with others to become truly a tangible character that fits into the entire group rather than just a bystander or the cliché trophy-girl always swooning over Sora.
Information is scarce so far, but as it stands now we're most likely stuck with the same, old combo of Sora, Donald and Goofy for the majority of the game (which comes of as rather boring because the dynamics and bonds between those three are already widely explored and known).

I disagree. I don't find the dynamic between SDG boring at all. Those three have great chemistry together and that was one of the few good things about KH2. I'd go so far as to say that SDG is a much better trio than SRK. I can't wait to see their interactions again in KH3.

 

[Bobizzle]

As far as the premise of the story tells us, they are not going to be together most of the time as apparently Mickey and Riku have a different task than Sora (which in reality may just be a plot device to shoo them out of the way and make them unavaiable as party members or even to interact with).

In fact, more interacting and bonding between the original characters (not just Sora and Riku alone) is something that could be positive for the series as a whole, especially Kairi needs some interaction with others to become truly a tangible character that fits into the entire group rather than just a bystander or the cliché trophy-girl always swooning over Sora.
Information is scarce so far, but as it stands now we're most likely stuck with the same, old combo of Sora, Donald and Goofy for the majority of the game (which comes of as rather boring because the dynamics and bonds between those three are already widely explored and known).

Yeah, separating the teams into SDG/RM/LK(?) definitely appears to be a plot device to keep SRK separate lol. If that does indeed stay the case, then maybe KH3's story mode will reflect BBS where you have to complete all three separate stories before you can play the finale, and then hopefully the groups would still cross paths in each other's stories...but of course it's also possible that SDG will be the only group we play as. Admittedly the former idea sounds more fun.

And SDG isn't boring per se-like you said it just feels like their bond is very strong while SRK hasn't had a chance to shine fully. I'm sure they will still have their moments in the game.

Like Sephiroth0812 said the interaction between the original trio would definitely help the characters I doubt we will see much of it given SDG & RM are going on separate tasks.

Hopefully their paths will cross in the game. Id have to imagine SE wouldn't really keep them all separated until the final battle.

I don't see why Riku and Sora couldn't cross paths for 2 or 3 worlds. While they do have two different goals, those goals could lead them to the same worlds every now and then. I'd hate to see them seperated until the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard. Kairi though, I can't see joining either Sora or Riku. She still has a lot of training to do(unless she speeds that up by entering the time chamber like Lea, LOL)



I disagree. I don't find the dynamic between SDG boring at all. Those three have great chemistry together and that was one of the few good things about KH2. I'd go so far as to say that SDG is a much better trio than SRK. I can't wait to see their interactions again in KH3.

If I'm right and KH3 is split into three different stories, then yeah I imagine Kairi will be separate from Sora and Riku at least for a short while. It would be cool if her and Lea were indeed teammates in her storyline where they would both travel to worlds together to train, and you see them build a friendship and understanding of each other after seeing their KH2 interaction lol.

and yeah it probably wouldn't feel like a KH game if SDG weren't together. It'll be cool if Riku and Kairi are in Sora's party some, but if they were all the time that may not be a good thing.

 

[Gram]

Hopefully their paths will cross in the game. Id have to imagine SE wouldn't really keep them all separated until the final battle.

I highly doubt they'll stay separated. This is the end of Xehanort. Everyone that's he's wronged is gonna be gathering, whether they be his slaves or his enemies, so it's a given each and every person will come together throughout the story.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

I don't see why Riku and Sora couldn't cross paths for 2 or 3 worlds. While they do have two different goals, those goals could lead them to the same worlds every now and then. I'd hate to see them seperated until the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard. Kairi though, I can't see joining either Sora or Riku. She still has a lot of training to do(unless she speeds that up by entering the time chamber like Lea, LOL)

I disagree. I don't find the dynamic between SDG boring at all. Those three have great chemistry together and that was one of the few good things about KH2. I'd go so far as to say that SDG is a much better trio than SRK. I can't wait to see their interactions again in KH3.

Yea, and this crossing paths would then play out like TAV crossing paths in Radiant Garden? Like only for five minutes with a bit of dialogue thrown in. Based on the current information we have (which I admit isn't that much though), I fear that it will go down exactly like in KH II in that Mickey, Riku, Lea and Kairi as well will only act behind the scenes for 80 to 90% of the game and if we're lucky we get a small glimpse of them roughly at the middle of the storyline and then at the final world.

You misread my statement. I didn't say that the dynamics between SDG are boring, I did say that we already know the dynamics between them in and out (which isn't really suprising considering that in 3 of 7 games they take center stage) and therefore having again more than 90% focus on them would make watching the whole issue boring after a while because there is not much new to be brought to the table.
Heh, lol, no wonder that SDG is a much better trio than SRK when the former gets 99,9% of screentime and attention while the latter gets only 0,01%.
Even DDD (and Re: Coded) only develop one side of the trio because Kairi is absent so often.
The only trio that got nearly as much "coverage" as SDG is RAX in Days since TAV in BBS also aren't as covered as a "trio" as they could have been.

Yeah, separating the teams into SDG/RM/LK(?) definitely appears to be a plot device to keep SRK separate lol. If that does indeed stay the case, then maybe KH3's story mode will reflect BBS where you have to complete all three separate stories before you can play the finale, and then hopefully the groups would still cross paths in each other's stories...but of course it's also possible that SDG will be the only group we play as. Admittedly the former idea sounds more fun.

And SDG isn't boring per se-like you said it just feels like their bond is very strong while SRK hasn't had a chance to shine fully. I'm sure they will still have their moments in the game.

Hopefully their paths will cross in the game. Id have to imagine SE wouldn't really keep them all separated until the final battle.

If I'm right and KH3 is split into three different stories, then yeah I imagine Kairi will be separate from Sora and Riku at least for a short while. It would be cool if her and Lea were indeed teammates in her storyline where they would both travel to worlds together to train, and you see them build a friendship and understanding of each other after seeing their KH2 interaction lol.

I highly doubt that KH III will have a structure like BBS with different stories. The main playable character will most likely be Sora in just one continuous story. That's why the best bet to get some more and better interaction of him with his supposed "best friends" and also the others connected to him would be (aside from cutscenes) if you can get some of them as party members or guests into the party.
Being restricted to just SDG would be really trite when considering all the possibilities that there are.

As I pointed out already above, I do not imply SDG as a trio being boring, but an overabundance of focusing on them is because we already know their relationship and dynamics inside out.

Heh, heh, Square already did that in KH II remember? Naminé, Riku, Roxas etc. disappeared completely after the beginning of the game and didn't show up again until the final world. The only ones sometimes entering the stage were Axel and Mickey, and these also did only appear in original worlds and never in the (admittedly pointless) Disney worlds during the course of KH 2.

We do not even know what exactly Lea is up to at the moment or what he plans/got instructed by Yen Sid to do.
On Kairi I'm really worried because the writers have shown more than once that they apparently can't handle her effectively and the least thing I want is to have another tacked on "plot" for her that happens only to give her something to do and to have her present instead of truly integrating her into the narrative.

 

[anniinan]

I Hope that we get to play with SDG and Riku and Mickey, so the story would be split in two. Axels and Kairis part would be fine only as cutscenes. (Although it would be badass to play as Axel even if for a little while....)

If the story is split in two I hope the plot for both of them is just as long as they would be with only one playable group. I have waited this for SO LONG the game better be extra super long and full of all kind of content so I can make the ridiculously long wait be worth it and spend the next 8 years playing the game while waiting for KH4.

And please make all the characters interact and cross paths with each other more than in BBS, whether you can play with only one group or three groups

 

[kuraudoVII]

I personally want to have a scenario where Sora, Donald and Goofy will cross paths with Riku and Mickey and that they do so fairly often and for longer than in Birth by Sleep. That Radiant Garden section was one of the few parts of the visit(s) to that world that irked me. The trio really should have had more time together, but they didn't. I don't want that to be repeated again.

Also, I'm a tad bit iffy on Kairi since the writers usually have a hard time with her. While I'm not entirely sure how she should be incorporated, I firmly believe that she should at least featured prominently at the beginning at the game since she is at the Mysterious Tower with everyone else. I also want to see her training with some people who were prominently featured in her original homeworld of Radiant Garden (i.e.: Merlin teaching her magic, Scrooge doing whatever with his Pogo Cane or as Darkwing Duck, maybe a Final Fantasy character like Cloud or the Gullwings so long as they aren't tied down at Radiant Garden the way Squall most likely is).

Back to Sora and Riku, I still think that they can team up for whatever amount of time every couple of worlds so long as it isn't too short and it isn't too contrived. I'll admit, I'm probably asking a lot on that last one, but still.

 

[Elysium]

I disagree. I don't find the dynamic between SDG boring at all. Those three have great chemistry together and that was one of the few good things about KH2. I'd go so far as to say that SDG is a much better trio than SRK. I can't wait to see their interactions again in KH3.

I'd say they're still my favorite trio. Not boring at all.

The scenes with both Sora and Riku tend to be my favorites, but I don't mind that they might be separated for several chunks of KH3. I don't want it to be like KH2 or 3D though where they are separate for pretty much the entire game until the final world/scenes. To be honest, I haven't put much thought into what they'll do with Kairi. I hope they give her her own thing to do so she's offscreen for the most part...

 

[Ruran]

I want KH3 to be SDG focused, but have Riku and Mickey pop up often; more often than in BbS where we only had TAV or any number of combinations for a short time. Maybe even have them join your partly for a world were they both need to be. I definitely want more open communication between them. Xion used the Keyblade to communicate to Riku so maybe they can work something out. Sora and Riku can hack their Keyblades and use them as intergalactic communication devices. Or they can transform into cell phones. Yeah, sounds legit. :3

 

[kupo1121]

I think given we have stuck with SDG for the entire series thus far, we should at least end it with SDG and then in future sagas we can expand into other trios, but having SDG together for the whole series and then dropping them off in favor of other characters for the final battle just makes me feel bad for them.

However, given the very short synopsis we have, I expect SDG to be together as well as RM, with the addition of any guardians they might save. Personally, I'd love if the other episodes were available to play whether as short DLC episodes or in the game like BbS, but I'm betting on the DLC because having separate stories where we get to play around with Riku and Kairi is essentially just going to print money for SE.

I don't think it's too far fetched to think that SDG will cross paths with other characters during the game, if anything, I see it as necessary especially since they'll all culminate at the end for the final battle with the VoD. However, for those looking for "in-depth" SRK interactions, I would say be wary, since as Seph pointed out, the only time we really saw TAV together was for all of 5 minutes in RG and 1 battle (not including the ending at KG).

 

[Gram]

I think given we have stuck with SDG for the entire series thus far, we should at least end it with SDG and then in future sagas we can expand into other trios, but having SDG together for the whole series and then dropping them off in favor of other characters for the final battle just makes me feel bad for them.

Can't help but agree with this. It'd feel just...wrong to drop D&G at the end of the saga that's carried them as a trio for so long.

 

[kuraudoVII]

I want KH3 to be SDG focused, but have Riku and Mickey pop up often; more often than in BbS where we only had TAV or any number of combinations for a short time. Maybe even have them join your partly for a world were they both need to be. I definitely want more open communication between them. Xion used the Keyblade to communicate to Riku so maybe they can work something out. Sora and Riku can hack their Keyblades and use them as intergalactic communication devices. Or they can transform into cell phones. Yeah, sounds legit. :3

Well, when we have someone like Terra who can transform his keyblade into a sword, a whip and a rocket launcher, I'm sure it's possible.

That being said, the cell phone idea is actually a pretty interesting idea now that I think about it for a little bit.

 

[Bobizzle]

Yea, and this crossing paths would then play out like TAV crossing paths in Radiant Garden? Like only for five minutes with a bit of dialogue thrown in. Based on the current information we have (which I admit isn't that much though), I fear that it will go down exactly like in KH II in that Mickey, Riku, Lea and Kairi as well will only act behind the scenes for 80 to 90% of the game and if we're lucky we get a small glimpse of them roughly at the middle of the storyline and then at the final world.

You misread my statement. I didn't say that the dynamics between SDG are boring, I did say that we already know the dynamics between them in and out (which isn't really suprising considering that in 3 of 7 games they take center stage) and therefore having again more than 90% focus on them would make watching the whole issue boring after a while because there is not much new to be brought to the table.
Heh, lol, no wonder that SDG is a much better trio than SRK when the former gets 99,9% of screentime and attention while the latter gets only 0,01%.
Even DDD (and Re: Coded) only develop one side of the trio because Kairi is absent so often.
The only trio that got nearly as much "coverage" as SDG is RAX in Days since TAV in BBS also aren't as covered as a "trio" as they could have been.



I highly doubt that KH III will have a structure like BBS with different stories. The main playable character will most likely be Sora in just one continuous story. That's why the best bet to get some more and better interaction of him with his supposed "best friends" and also the others connected to him would be (aside from cutscenes) if you can get some of them as party members or guests into the party.
Being restricted to just SDG would be really trite when considering all the possibilities that there are.

As I pointed out already above, I do not imply SDG as a trio being boring, but an overabundance of focusing on them is because we already know their relationship and dynamics inside out.

Heh, heh, Square already did that in KH II remember? Naminé, Riku, Roxas etc. disappeared completely after the beginning of the game and didn't show up again until the final world. The only ones sometimes entering the stage were Axel and Mickey, and these also did only appear in original worlds and never in the (admittedly pointless) Disney worlds during the course of KH 2.

We do not even know what exactly Lea is up to at the moment or what he plans/got instructed by Yen Sid to do.
On Kairi I'm really worried because the writers have shown more than once that they apparently can't handle her effectively and the least thing I want is to have another tacked on "plot" for her that happens only to give her something to do and to have her present instead of truly integrating her into the narrative.

Kairi's integration into the story is a concern for me as well, but I have to imagine the writing staff intends on making her more relevant now that she has a keyblade and is training. And while the structure probably won't be like BBS, I also bet there will be instances we still play as Riku/Kairi. And you may be right about Lea, I just think pairing him with Kairi could make for some humerous camaraderie.

I think given we have stuck with SDG for the entire series thus far, we should at least end it with SDG and then in future sagas we can expand into other trios, but having SDG together for the whole series and then dropping them off in favor of other characters for the final battle just makes me feel bad for them.

However, given the very short synopsis we have, I expect SDG to be together as well as RM, with the addition of any guardians they might save. Personally, I'd love if the other episodes were available to play whether as short DLC episodes or in the game like BbS, but I'm betting on the DLC because having separate stories where we get to play around with Riku and Kairi is essentially just going to print money for SE.

I don't think it's too far fetched to think that SDG will cross paths with other characters during the game, if anything, I see it as necessary especially since they'll all culminate at the end for the final battle with the VoD. However, for those looking for "in-depth" SRK interactions, I would say be wary, since as Seph pointed out, the only time we really saw TAV together was for all of 5 minutes in RG and 1 battle (not including the ending at KG).

if we get story based DLC, that will probably be the draw-playing through Riku and Mickey's story for like 9.99.

But yeah, it's possible SRK may not have much in depth interaction until the end. Which would be disappointing especially for those hoping for a Sora Kairi romance lol.

 

[Ruran]

Kairi's integration into the story is a concern for me as well, but I have to imagine the writing staff intends on making her more relevant now that she has a keyblade and is training. And while the structure probably won't be like BBS, I also bet there will be instances we still play as Riku/Kairi. And you may be right about Lea, I just think pairing him with Kairi could make for some humerous camaraderie.



if we get story based DLC, that will probably be the draw-playing through Riku and Mickey's story for like 9.99.

But yeah, it's possible SRK may not have much in depth interaction until the end. Which would be disappointing especially for those hoping for a Sora Kairi romance lol.

Imo, Kairi's relevance isn't much of a concern, it's the execution. No matter what they usually default her to "Sora's most important person". Nomura was asked if other characters would be playable, including Kairi, which he's taking into consideration so who knows.

As far as Sora and Kairi are concerned, and I think this may sound weird, but I think it would actually be better for them to stay apart for a while, especially for Kairi's character. Like I mentioned before an issue with Kairi is that they keep defaulting her to "Sora's most important person". Considering what we know about Kairi up to this point this may actually be the first game where Kairi is concerned about something other than Sora. Which is a good thing. She's normally kept in the dark about everything and all she knows is that Sora is in some sort of trouble. This will, or should, be the first game where she actually knows what's going on and is given hands on responsibility, ones that don't directly tie to Sora.

Although, if any of the SRK trio needs to spend any time together it definitely has to be Kairi and Riku. Despite being bestest friends forever their trio is really broken. I'd be fine if the groups where split off into SDG and RMK. The latter probably won't happen but I have my dreams. :[

 

[Bobizzle]

Imo, Kairi's relevance isn't much of a concern, it's the execution. No matter what they usually default her to "Sora's most important person". Nomura was asked if other characters would be playable, including Kairi, which he's taking into consideration so who knows.

As far as Sora and Kairi are concerned, and I think this may sound weird, but I think it would actually be better for them to stay apart for a while, especially for Kairi's character. Like I mentioned before an issue with Kairi is that they keep defaulting her to "Sora's most important person". Considering what we know about Kairi up to this point this may actually be the first game where Kairi is concerned about something other than Sora. Which is a good thing. She's normally kept in the dark about everything and all she knows is that Sora is in some sort of trouble. This will, or should, be the first game where she actually knows what's going on and is given hands on responsibility, ones that don't directly tie to Sora.

Although, if any of the SRK trio needs to spend any time together it definitely has to be Kairi and Riku. Despite being bestest friends forever their trio is really broken. I'd be fine if the groups where split off into SDG and RMK. The latter probably won't happen but I have my dreams. :[

I agree with both points. Because yes we get that Sora and Kairi are very special to each other(whether if it's truly romantic of not), but they can't always be about each other. That is where Sora has changed in the games-Kairi may still be the most important person to her but he has also placed a great deal of importance on everyone else as well. Sora would lay down his life for all of his friends, whereas Kairi would probably sacrifice all of them if it meant keeping Sora safe. Which isn't exactly a good thing lol.

and yeah-it would be nice to see how strong the friendship is between Riku and Kairi. Because right now it doesn't appear like they care about each other all that well. It's basically like when you're friends with two people, and they are only friends because of you-they don't hang out with each other or talk to each other unless you're around. And it seems like that's how it is between SRK, Sora is the only glue that keeps them together. I think Riku does care about Kairi, he may have even had a crush on her once in KH when him and Sora were competing. But it's also quite obvious that Riku definitely cares more for Sora, and that's why he doesn't pursue Kairi even if he did crush on her because me knows how her and Sora feel about each other.

And as for Kairi, she hardly seems like she cares for Riku at all. She sees him as a protective big brother or something, but you can tell she definitely cares way more for Sora. In KH2 she didn't seem to even acknowledge Riku being gone, just kept thinking about Sora even though she couldn't remember his name lol. So yeah, Riku and Kairi could stand to show more affection for each other. Because even though Sora would give his life for either of them, both would probably only do so for Sora and not for each other-and that makes SRK look ungenuine.