• Hello everybody! We have tons of new awards for the new year that can be requested through our Awards System thanks to Antifa Lockhart! Some are limited-time awards so go claim them before they are gone forever...

    CLICK HERE FOR AWARDS

Why do so many people want Riku to die in 3?



REGISTER TO REMOVE ADS
Status
Not open for further replies.

Veevee

Active member
Joined
Aug 1, 2017
Messages
905
Awards
10
Location
darkness within darkness
Hello folks,
Reading comments here and there, I've noticed that a lot of people claim Riku will be killed or even wish he'll be killed in 3 "because his arc is completed". I really don't understand where this notion is coming from for several reasons but I would like to know whether I maybe just didn't get a hint.
First of all, KH is a series where no one ever really dies. People come back, people live in other people, you are left uncertain about the alive or dead-state of a few characters (like Eraqus) but hardly anyone has clearly and undeniably died yet. Plus, Riku is a deutagonist and a really important character for the franchise, not only in-game, but also one of the most popular characters outside the context of the game. Third, why do people want him to do for a reason like "his character arc is complete" - like, can't he have another? Does every character with a finished arc has to die? Don't they have another right to be in the game / series as a person rather than an arc? Or is this another (strange, because, look at 0.2) cry from the fans that a game with Disney characters in it should be more dark, more brooding, more edgy? I really don't want to bash these fans but I'd love to know whether there is something I missed and maybe someone can explain this to me.
 

Sephiroth0812

Guardian of Light
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
10,531
Awards
37
Location
Germany
why do people want him to do for a reason like "his character arc is complete"

This thing isn't really exclusive to Riku though as people have used this as an argument ever since Blank Points to point out why they don't want Naminé, Roxas, Xion and Lea/Axel to return.

Their arcs/plots are finished, so they don't need to be in the picture thus seems to be a standard argument for "I don't want to see this character anymore" while the general wanting characters to die seems to be a thing about some people consistently wanting everything to be more dark, edgy and "mature" regardless of what work it is.

I dunno about what really causes this mindset nor do I know if it is something more prevalent in the western parts of the fandom, but it certainly isn't limited to just Riku as a character.
 

DarkosOverlord

Bronze Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
2,808
Awards
4
Age
29
Location
Rome, Italy
Third, why do people want him to do for a reason like "his character arc is complete" - like, can't he have another? Does every character with a finished arc has to die? Don't they have another right to be in the game / series as a person rather than an arc? Or is this another (strange, because, look at 0.2) cry from the fans that a game with Disney characters in it should be more dark, more brooding, more edgy? I really don't want to bash these fans but I'd love to know whether there is something I missed and maybe someone can explain this to me.

I think it's a mixture. Like, I keep seeing this type of request for Terra the most.
Terra is the one character I think has the most "death requests", and I suppose it comes from partly people who think this is the only way for a character to atone for his errors (and it's all more ridiculous when it's about Riku since his entire character arc was about redemption), and from those who just really want to fit a death here or there.

Personally I just hope none of these individuals gets ever called on jury duty.
 

Alpha Baymax

On a scale of α to ζ.
Joined
Sep 5, 2015
Messages
4,782
Awards
23
Age
28
Location
United Kingdom
Because they think Riku's only defining trait is to conquer his darkness.

It's such a ridiculous notion, Riku is the deuteragonist of Kingdom Hearts, and has been associated with Mickey like Sora's been associated with Donald and Goofy.

He has been in as many games as Sora (if not arguably more, as 358/2 Days did not directly feature Sora). When people think of Kingdom Hearts, they think of Sora and Riku. There's no way that Square Enix would kill off an integral character like Riku. He's been playable in two games.
 

Raz

i'm nobody
Staff member
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
9,223
Awards
8
Age
30
Location
Midwest
Killing off Riku because his plot is over re:darkness would show a lack of imagination over at Square. Like, maybe its time to give him something new to fight for/struggle with.

Anyways, I want Goofy to die. This time for real.
 

Recon

Art of War
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
5,496
Awards
18
It's just an assumption. Personally I hope no one dies.
 

FudgemintGuardian

Moist with roistering
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6,316
Awards
39
Some people think because a character's arc is resolved, that it means absolutely nothing else can possibly be done with them so they might as well just die.

I want to hit these people.


It's just an assumption. Personally I hope no one dies.
Same, pretty much. With someone like Terra, I can see him sacrificing himself, but I don't really want anyone to die.



Except Xehanort and Eraqus 'cause they're dumb and they smell.
 

the red monster

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
1,176
Awards
7
I want sora to die tbh, from all the original kingdom hearts characters he's the most boring one.
never gonna happen tho
 

kirabook

Bronze Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
1,669
Awards
4
Location
RoL
For a similar reason people complain there's no blood or guts in Kingdom Hearts. You don't need blood and guts to express pain and trauma just like you don't need death to conclude a character or end their story.

In the grand scheme of things, I do prefer that if a series has death that the characters remains dead and don't randomly appear somewhere later out of plot convenience... but KH1 subverted this idea right away. Sora "died" and came right back with a hug from Kairi. "Death" is not necessarily final in this world, if death truly exists at all.

I believe Kingdom Hearts (the actual moon heart) has a very circular and repetitive nature and so does everything else in this world. Events sorta repeat themselves (The Keyblade War which probably happened multiple times). Similar people pop up throughout history (The reincarnation theory and if not that, TAV/SRK and a little RAX). Even Sora himself as different versions of beings has gone through the same events repetitively.

Worlds, people, objects... they're never truly gone. They all eventually circle back. In this case, they'll literally be coming right back (Xion, Roxas, and Terra probably). If not, they'll come back later in some other form.
 

Shogo-Kun

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2013
Messages
512
Awards
3
Location
Tacoma
Honestly, if death, blood and gore are the only things that make a story "darker" and "more mature", then they haven't consumed a whole lot of media. Take Steven Universe for example. Death is not an entire focal point in that show, but it's one of the more mature pieces of animation I've seen in a long time.
 

Absent

Nomura's Biggest Fan
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
3,342
Awards
17
Location
Outer Rim
Sometimes people don't know what they want. We may lack the imagination or context so we make brazen demands thinking it would better things. Death is the easiest and cheapest tool for getting rid of a character, so I can't fault people for resorting to that right away.
 

Launchpad

i remember the OLD khinsider
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4,048
Awards
21
Age
27
Location
xigbar's apartment
I don't want him to die, but I understand why some people desire that, on some level. Riku has changed in every positive way he can, but things can never really be the same. He can't go back to swordfighting on the island and gathering coconuts. Riku loves his friends, and he wants to help and protect, but he doesn't love everything about life the way Sora does. Sora can go back to the island and continue having fun swimming around and stealing seagull eggs, but Riku can't really go back to that now.

I think it'd be far more profound for Riku to leave the island behind, and go with Mickey to work on Keyblade master stuff. Sora would have a very hard time saying goodbye (even temporarily) to Riku and that'd make for a good scene and good drama. Sora and Kairi being happy together on an island is nice, but Sora and Kairi being somewhat melancholy about Riku leaving is even better, because then we can get an after credits scene where he returns.

Also, people just want some perma-death in KH3. Can't blame 'em, honestly. If a good guy dies forever, it shows that the same can happen to Xehanort, so we hypothetically don't have to worry about his return.
 

Ballad of Caius

Player 💀
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
7,270
Awards
9
Location
Shibuya
Personally, deaths to add depth to a story are overrated and can sometimes be cheap.

The KH fandom honesty just want someone to die in the universe of KH, to be honest.

Do I think anyone should die?
Yes, but just Xehanort. I can't imagine an universe of KH with him around. The Xehanort Saga should close with Xehanort long gone. Not just to give his arc closure, but because, from a narrative point of view, he's the series' cancer that needs to be ridden of.

Do I think Riku should die?
No. And from a Marketing point of view, Riku is a pretty popular character. Too popular to die.

And I pretty much concur with Launchpad's idea about Riku. To add more to it:

* Sora and Kairi should stay in the Islands, have a kid or two or three, and have them be the next in line to be Keyblade Wielders and Masters;

* Riku and Mickey become the overseers of the Universe of Kingdom Hearts. They are Yen Sid's eyes around the worlds;

* Terra, Aqua and Ventus return to the Land of Departure. Aqua deems Terra a Master, and they both start training Ven into the arts of a Master. They both take an apprentice, and promise they won't declare them Masters until either Ven turns into one, or he turns into one and gets his own trainee;

* Lea, Roxas and Xion get together with Hayner, Pence and Olette;

* Namine, well... I honestly don't know what can be done with her. Put her in Radiant Garden?
 

gosoxtim

Silver Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
4,516
Awards
1
Age
34
Location
Illinois
I don't want him to die, but I understand why some people desire that, on some level. Riku has changed in every positive way he can, but things can never really be the same. He can't go back to swordfighting on the island and gathering coconuts. Riku loves his friends, and he wants to help and protect, but he doesn't love everything about life the way Sora does. Sora can go back to the island and continue having fun swimming around and stealing seagull eggs, but Riku can't really go back to that now.

I think it'd be far more profound for Riku to leave the island behind, and go with Mickey to work on Keyblade master stuff. Sora would have a very hard time saying goodbye (even temporarily) to Riku and that'd make for a good scene and good drama. Sora and Kairi being happy together on an island is nice, but Sora and Kairi being somewhat melancholy about Riku leaving is even better, because then we can get an after credits scene where he returns.

Also, people just want some perma-death in KH3. Can't blame 'em, honestly. If a good guy dies forever, it shows that the same can happen to Xehanort, so we hypothetically don't have to worry about his return.
this thank you so much launchpad for saying this
 

redcrown

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
1,005
Awards
6
If Riku actually died permanently in this series I would never pick up any future titles or games of KH ever again. That might sound extreme but his character is the only one I have any interest and investment for at this point. No one else has had a character arc with nearly as much depth or has been as compelling as his, in my opinion. In fact I'm actually so disillusioned with all the other characters and plots that the only games I plan to buy in the future are ones that will have him in a substantial role, and preferably if he's the focus.

Certain fans wanting him to die I think just have a lack of imagination on what other growth or arcs he can possibly have. Just because his arc feels "complete" somehow means to some people that he has no more use to being in the series or can't be explored any further, which is totally wrong.

And this might only be just me, but from this fan desire I have the vibe that there is some sort of resentment they have towards his character; that his amount of focus and growth has somehow "taken away" possible well written arcs for other characters in this series that haven't had anywhere near the same amount of depth or attention. And that somehow killing him off will "make more room" for other characters to shine, as if there is some limit on how many characters can actually be written well with the same amount of definable characterization and meaning. Which, if you are a good writer, shouldn't be the case at all.
 
Last edited:

Launchpad

i remember the OLD khinsider
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4,048
Awards
21
Age
27
Location
xigbar's apartment
If Riku actually died permanently in this series I would never pick up any future titles or games of KH ever again. That might sound extreme but his character is the only one I have any interest and investment for at this point. No one else has had a character arc with nearly as much depth or has been as compelling as his, in my opinion. In fact I'm actually so disillusioned with all the other characters and plots that the only games I plan to buy in the future are ones that will have him in a substantial role, and preferably if he's the focus.

Certain fans wanting him to die I think just have a lack of imagination on what other growth or arcs he can possibly have. Just because his arc feels "complete" somehow means to some people that he has no more use to being in the series or can't be explored any further, which is totally wrong.

And this might only be just me, but from this fan desire I have the vibe that there is some sort of resentment they have towards his character; that his amount of focus and growth has somehow "taken away" possible well written arcs for other characters in this series that haven't had anywhere near the same amount of depth or attention. And that somehow killing him off will "make more room" for other characters to shine, as if there is some limit on how many characters can actually been written well with the same amount of definable characterization and meaning. Which, if you are a good writer, shouldn't be the case at all.

I don't think this desire comes from a place of contempt for the character, I think a lot of people truly have no idea what they could possibly do next for Riku. Naively, some might assume death is the next logical step, when in fact we could just use Riku's maturity as a diving board for a story about friends growing up and growing apart in certain ways.

In terms of Riku stealing development from other characters, well, we have a little problem with cast bloat. If Nomura + team have an easier time writing stories for Riku, they should just do that and tell the other guys to go punt. I'd rather have a smaller well developed cast, where every character has a unique relationship with one another, than a series of isolated 'trios'. I know that might make a lot of people very sad, but it's my opinion that KH has way too many characters for everyone to get equal time, and if that means some of them need to take a backseat or get written out in the future, that is perfectly fine by me.

Riku's development was obviously WORK for the KH crew, and they should feel rewarded by having an interesting character besides Sora to work with, not looking to write him out now that he's 'done'. At the end of the day, if SE and Disney want Kingdom Hearts to be a long lasting franchise, they need to look at the current pool of characters they've got and decide which ones are interesting and entertaining, and which ones are boring and derivative. This leads me to the KH3 box art.

Please, PLEASE someone correct me or interject if you disagree, but I doubt ANYONE who looks at the KH3 cover art is looking at 13 individual characters that they like and care about. I UNDERSTAND that it's the end of the story as told so far, but I could honestly Thanos half of those characters out of existence and I'd miss none of them. The fact that we have Roxas and Ventus looking exactly the same and being asked to accept them as two different characters is just RIDICULOUS and I will die on this hill. If we want more characters who are well written as Riku, or pliable and effortlessly entertaining as Sora, then these games have got to majorly zero in on a smaller cast.
 

Zettaflare

Shibuya
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
11,819
Awards
5
Location
California
I'm certain the scene with Sora and Kairi sitting on a tree and Riku on the beach happens at the end of the game so I'm not to concerned with him dying. Though I agree with Launchpad in that he might part ways with Sora and Kairi to forge his own path. Nomura did say as the Destiny trio got older changes would happen in their lives
 

Pokie

New member
Joined
May 22, 2017
Messages
437
It's just an assumption. Personally I hope no one dies.

I think that somebody is going to die, maybe two of them. Look in the background of this chess foreshadowing picture. Way in the back two "good people " chess pieces have fallen over, while the rest are still standing.

tumblr_peutcaBqu71uxmlowo1_540.jpg


Also, it looks like Sora may sacrifice himself so his friends can be safe or something. The kid has done it before.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top