Riku’s life is perhaps best described as one giant fiasco. That is, if he were allowed to describe it himself. From a very young age he wanted to be free of the confines of his world, the small archipelago he and Sora grew up in. As a powerful heartless once said, a prison surrounded by water.

When Riku and Sora were still small, they found a door in a cave they had claimed as their secret place. The door did not open no matter what they tried, but it seemed a sign there was something more out there. When a girl named Kairi appeared during a meteor shower, which looked to the boys like many shooting stars, they had to consider again. The appearance of this girl only served to spark the idea that indeed there were places far beyond their small, limited reality.

It was that freedom that Riku began to crave, to have something more, something different from where he felt so trapped. Perhaps it was his home life he never spoke of, or perhaps he wanted an adventure, but whatever the reason, he aspired to finding other worlds. This may have been the chink in his armor, his true weakness.

The reason darkness was able to tempt and claim him.

Although once destined to be the hero chosen by the keyblade, Riku instead turned to darkness to meet his goals. Neither menaced nor afraid, he allowed this darkness to grow within him, even as he, Sora, and Kairi were busily crafting a raft with which to sail to other worlds.

One fateful night when Riku was fifteen, the heartless attacked and his world was destroyed. He was separated from both Sora and Kairi, awakening in a strange world where water fell up and a dismal castle loomed far away. It was there that he met a witch named Maleficent, who saw his insecurities and jealousy over his best friend and not only filled the boy with more darkness but turned him against one of the people he cared for most.

After seeing Sora with his new friends and feeling that he was replaced as Maleficent had claimed, Riku did the witch’s bidding with the promise that she would help him find Kairi. But when at last he recovered the girl she was empty as a doll; unresponsive and blank. Riku set out to restore her, all while darkness slowly consumed him.

By the time Riku found out just how much of a tool he was, he’d lost at the hands of Sora, proving the differences between them. The next time he would challenge his best friend was not far off, but the person that Sora encountered at the top of the castle in Hollow Bastion wasn’t Riku. Instead he faced Ansem, who had taken over Riku’s body.

It was then that Riku saw his folly, and with what limited power remained to him he did his best to help his friends. When Ansem was defeated by Sora, Riku saw him once more and helped him close the door they believed was to Kingdom Hearts before more heartless could escape.

Riku was left to wander the heartless infested realm with King Mickey but it wasn’t long before they were separated – and the boy arrived in a place called Castle Oblivion.

In the Castle, Riku found a dual purpose: he had to fight the darkness within himself and the fear that came with it, while trying to catch up to his best friend Sora who was wandering the upper levels. Along the way he met not only Organization members but an enigmatic fellow by the name of DiZ.

Ultimately, Riku overcame the members of the Organization that he encountered, specifically Lexaeus and Zexion. Another member in charge of the basement levels the silver-haired boy traveled was Vexen, a scientist who created a Replica, one that was bent on proving himself better than the original, Riku. As he battled through the basement levels and tried to reach Sora he had to fight this copy as well, and in the end one of them had to perish.

When Riku finally reached Sora, the other boy was asleep in a strange apparatus that looked like a closed flower. Wanting answers he demanded them of Namine, the girl who was standing watch over his best friend, and she explained the situation.

Namine also offered Riku a choice – she could seal the darkness away inside him, so deep down that it would never escape, but he would have to forget his memories of Castle Oblivion just like Sora. He turned the offer down, choosing to fight that darkness inside him on his own, and left the Castle along with Mickey.

DiZ appeared and asked Riku what path he would travel, and he replied that he’d walk the road to dawn.

During the year Sora was asleep, Riku worked with Namine and Diz. The latter was more or less in charge, the only one who truly understood everything, it seemed. DiZ charged Riku with various tasks, the most important of which was to collect Sora’s Nobody, Roxas.

This was no easy task, and Riku was easily overpowered by Roxas the first time he challenged the Nobody. However the next time he picked a fight with the other half of his best friend, he was prepared to do whatever it took to accomplish his goal, determined to make sure Sora would wake up.

Although Riku managed to get Roxas down, for some reason he hesitated. He had an opening but didn’t take it, only watching the other boy for moments and allowing him to recover. And, for some reason, Riku made the choice to unleash the darkness inside him, to change, and so the task of taking Roxas back to DiZ was with the face of Ansem.

And when DiZ asked him who he was, that was the name he supplied.

Having retrieved Roxas, the Nobody was to be placed in a virtual world and await the time he’d be returned to Sora. While Riku expressed a concern over the fate of the Nobody he didn’t object and as he had not long ago simply did as told, monitoring Roxas as he lived a fictitious life for months.

After Sora was awakened – whole, no less – Riku made himself scarce, unable to face his best friend. As Sora returned to the task of saving worlds and sought to find him, Riku helped his friend along but kept his distance and didn’t reveal himself directly. He helped in what ways he could, the truth about him known only to Namine, DiZ, and King Mickey.

It was when he came to the abducted Kairi’s aid in The World that Never Was that Riku was finally found out by the Princess of Heart. She knew him instantly and because of her, he didn’t run away. The two met up with Sora after fighting off heartless and while he wasn’t recognized at first, Kairi revealed who he really was. Once again Riku failed to flee from his friends, and met with acceptance he didn’t expect, he stopped trying to run and banded together with Kairi and Sora.

They eventually caught up with DiZ – otherwise known as Ansem the Wise – and King Mickey, after getting past Luxord and Saix. Ansem the Wise was using a machine to try and stall Xemnas’ plans and as it overloaded he gave his parting words just before the machine exploded.

Riku moved to protect his friends and then everything was washed away by a blinding light.

Player: Ren