Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
| Riku | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom Hearts character | |
Riku as he appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, wielding the Soul Eater | |
| First appearance | Kingdom Hearts (2002) |
| Created by | Tetsuya Nomura |
| Designed by | Tetsuya Nomura |
| Voiced by | Japanese Mamoru Miyano Eiji Shima (young) English David Gallagher Ty Panitz (young) |
| In-universe information | |
| Weapon | Soul Eater Keyblade (Way to Dawn, Braveheart) |
| Home | Destiny Islands |
Riku (Japanese: リク) is a fictional character in the Square Enix video game series Kingdom Hearts. Debuting in the original Kingdom Hearts, Riku is introduced as a teenager who wishes to visit other worlds with his friends Sora and Kairi. After their home world of Destiny Islands is destroyed, Riku meets Maleficent, whose manipulation causes him to oppose Sora and fall into darkness, being possessed by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. However, he is freed by Sora and returns as a protagonist in subsequent games.
Riku was created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura, who wanted him to be a foil for Sora's character and his character arc to represent the series' main theme of being able to choose between light or darkness, with his design and story paralleling Terra. He is voiced by Mamoru Miyano and Eiji Shima in Japanese and David Gallagher and Ty Panitz in English.
Critical response to Riku has been widely acclaimed, particularly for his redemption arc and David Gallagher's performance.