The Truth about Rikus Sacrifice

[@Jiirah]

I'm a straight woman and immediately recognized this back as a teen, and was always torn between rooting for the original idea of Sora finally having a chance to get to be with Kairi, like he thought he wanted since the beginning, and rooting for Sora finally turning to Riku and realizing how much his dedication to finding Riku had turned into romantic love. As a 30something adult now, I just root for them to figure out a throuple situation unless Kairi straight up at some point says "nah, I'm good, I'm aro/ace." 😅

[@shepherdstar14]

I don’t think we’re ever going to get romance between them but I hope they at some point get to say “I love you”. Whether it’s Sora to Kairi, Riku to Sora, or Kairi to Sora and Riku. I’ve always had my suspicions about gay romance, I am a straight man but even when at a Christian camp I distinctly remember hearing that “there is nothing wrong with loving a man” as a man. Sexual attraction is always something I’ve wrestled with because I see now it’s nothing but an affirmation of lust, but romance is something more. It’s a beautiful thing and sometimes not always sexual.

[@CampingforCool41]

Also I disagree that Disney fucked up the ending of kh3 because of homophobia. I mean yes it purposely uses misdirection to distract the majority of the audience. But if you pay close attention and are aware of some of the stuff that was lost in translation, it’s clear that Sora has forgotten Riku’s sacrifice and /this is an important plot point/ that has been set up for kh4. They absolutely would not have him forget something so important just to never resolve it or address it. Sora recognizes Riku’s light in the first tunnel scene and then thinks it’s Kairi in the second one, that’s not an accident. It’s not an accident that Sora remembers only saving 6 hearts with the PoW instead of the 7 he saved. It’s not an accident that Remind replays every single moment of that keyblade graveyard scene EXCEPT Riku’s sacrifice. Its not an accident that Sora thinks to himself that the Nameless Star girl reeeeally reminds him of someone but he just can’t think of who, and then directly quotes what Riku just said before he died except uses a bizarre pronoun that confirms he doesn’t even remember who said those words. There’s a lot going on under the surface that’s a lot more interesting than the idea that Disney just forced Nomura to make Riku’s sacrifice meaningless. I mean yes the reason the story is taking this convoluted and hidden path to get to the real point is because for all these years they could never be direct about it, same reason CoM is Like That. But the fact is the set-up here is too significant to think it’s not intending to actually go somewhere now that showing gay characters in a Disni property IS possible.

[@nox_cadit]

Can you elaborate further? I didn't notice Sora forgot Riku's sacrifice

[@kiolilo0w0]

It’s so funny to see people getting mad and fuming about a possible relationship between two boys. Also “don’t ruin my favourite game” this kind of people are the ones ruining everything and trying to make everything straight. The facts are on our faces and it’s clear as a day that these bunch of dudebros straight people SK stans didn’t pay attention to the entire franchise. Go play everything again without being biased with straight romance 😒

[@MANJYOMETHUNDER111]

Riku is NOT considered gay by the majority of fans. I'm bi and I don't think he's gay either.

[@Volcanic_Eruption]

Not entirely true, I think a lot of people think Riku could go either way. People used to joke about Riku being gay for Sora...until DDD. People stopped joking when it looked like it was going to be an actual thing.

[@SearchingForSunrise]

this video genuinely made me cry i miss my best friends

[@KrappyKillz]

A fun idea but I think you're reading REALLY deep into a lot of these points. Was a fun watch nonetheless. Definitely can see the KH 2 scene being a bit romantic, but saying that the Fantasia world playing Dearly Beloved means that they are canonically in love is really stretching it.

[@CampingforCool41]

It’s not the WORLD playing it, it’s their hearts “singing in tune”. HOW is it a stretch to think that two hearts that are said to always be in harmony, singing a song called DEARLY BELOVED is romantic. Would you be calling it a stretch if that scene was between a boy and girl?

[@Hi-Rise]

Riku’s sacrifice could also have less to do with romance and more to do with his self actuality. Self love and meaning can offer a whole different approach to the themes of sacrifice. I’m sorry but even as a kid who shipped sora and kairi (who had obviously tender and fixated interests in each other in kh1) I never got so feral/inclined in seeing myself through the cast’s dynamics but more in their individual developments. I think romance is one of the most subjective developments and it takes a very variable amount of self discovery to know who or what you like. This isn’t a romance series, but an action rpg and while I’m all for romance, its themes on love are far more ubiquitous as we definitely see in the final world. It’s just not all about HOW riku and sora (even kairi) see each other but what the relationships exemplify through their choices and feats EVEN when ambiguous. I feel the game is that much more enjoyable when not seeking such sensual climaxes.

[@Vemercitwa]

People need to watch that 'Riku is Gay' video. Most of you in heavy ass denial about Riku being a homosexual.

[@4llister]

Lets gooo i'm hyped for the streams!

[@strizzydoe]

I’m straight and I have guys that I look at as my brothers and really love I would sacrifice myself for them. So that’s all sora and Riki are just bros that really love each other

[@beniplays25]

straight guy here, you are so wrong, I could kiss you (loving the channel, anyone who can make sense of kh and make it hella gay is a good person)

[@Sketch89]

Great theory, however, your points about why it’s read as gay is the direct reason why straight men can’t express feelings with their male friends without being labeled. The term “bromance” is the prime real world example. Sora quite literally has the paopu fruit with Kairi when he coulda easily shared that moment with Riku. He also told Kairi that he felt strong with her. Which his words to Riku were more of an adoration sense. And vice versa. They both admire each other. Tbh I’d rather all of them to stay friends rather than dipping into romance. In Stranger Things, it’s very clear Will may be read as gay and has feelings for Mike. As evidence by him being annoyed that Will and crew were pulling away from DnD in preference for girls. He also had a drawing in which Mike was the subject. I don’t get those vibes with Riku.

[@KrazyStargazer]

Their are some moments in media where i think being a "gay" couple would be better than the straight alternate. Naruto x Sauske Poe x Fin But ultimately they end up being best buddies. Now i dont have a big stock in SoraxRiku, i didnt get to really engage with the games till i was older (though i kept up via comics and videos) If i hazard a guess Riku and Sora were supposed to just be rivals. I think it's pretty funny that rival charecters can have more intimate relationships than romantic ones. Now all that being said...do i think Riku or Sora will be a couple in the end? Maybe~ But i think it would be more so if the fans demand it and not so much because Nimora and Company planed this all yhe way back in the early 2000s... But i think nowdays...perhaps they might skew toward this direction~

[@user-JJJJJJJJJ]

Naminé: Am I a joke to you?

[@Mouges]

I love getting random kingdom hearts vids pop up like this because the comments are just filled with fans

[@garycurrier1037]

Im straight and have been watching your videos and I can totally see what you're saying but I can also see it as just a brother like friendship. The gay thing is not so farfetched though and I wouldn't mind if it was true.

[@CampingforCool41]

The character files confirmed that Sora and Riku do not see each other as being like brothers. Riku specifically says when he was little he attempted to play the role of big brother but it was unnatural/a poor imitation (the jp word specifically means “badly playacted”) and at some point he stopped even trying, and he wonders when exactly that was. Sora reveals he had never even considered Riku as being like a brother before when he notes the similarities between his relationship with Riku and Elsa/Anna’s relationship in that they both fought but then came back together and believe in each other- and then he wonders “But, is that really what siblings are?”. Meanwhile he has no trouble saying Goofy is like a big brother to him.

[@oaktutor1154]

Ya I don't see it being a Gay relationship either. Especially since Sora has shown critical interest in Kairi, not to mention there was no real talk about anything in terms of a romantic relationship between the two. Just rivalry and friendship

[@ladyweirdo6035]

Disney is going wherever the money is. I think it's possible that SoRiku could happen because some employee at Disney sees the KH fanbase, sees how many SoRiku shippers there are, and is just like "Let's make this a thing." There is also the case of Square Enix, and whether or not they'd want a game as big as KH to be outwardly LGBTQ. Both Square Enix and Disney have had LGBTQ characters. Disney has had Luz, Amity, That one guy from Andi Mack, and that one guy from Strange World. So they are open to the idea so long as it's in something that won't be a huge deal for them like the Disney Channel or a movie they didn't market. IDK the pattern of Square Enix, though. I'm unsure if KH is a niche enough property for Disney to be like "Yeah, go crazy with it." Nomura has on record said that Disney doesn't hinder much of the creative process, but there's always a chance he's lying. But then there's the big bieche. The huge bieche. Internationally audiences. The game could even be prevented from being sold in certain states here in the US (That'd do nothing unless they made a deal with PlayStation to location-block games, but who knows).

[@nox_cadit]

KH is ENTIRELY OWNED by Disney. Square Enix is just the producer and publisher.

[@Blaze_Nights]

Ok im gay but i never got this at all riku has never stood out as gay or closeted if it is true i have no issue at all but ive never noticed and Riku is ny favorite character so this is a pretty interesting case

[@Anthony-cj2ju]

I’m also gay and never understood why anyone would think Riku is. Most videos I’ve seen on the subject are using “examples” that are reading too much into a single sentence or are making things up. Until Nomura outright says Riku is gay or Riku directly confesses his love first another man, I remain skeptical.

[@Hi-Rise]

To be honest the theory stems more from the desires of the gay community itself. As a straight guy myself, I think this level of intimacy between straight friends is definitely possible. Infact if disney made the themes of miracles and sparkles reflect just about every meaningful connection, this series offers a theme of evolving unity that can be left easily to interpretation. I don’t want to ruin the hopes and dreams of these takes but to see any character overtly express their sexuality may not be in the cards until nomura and Disney decide. Id rather focus on the development of each relationship and the implications of separation from those bonds on sora’s own “power” since this is an action rpg following a hero’s journey (in a PG rating). Focusing on riku’s alleged attraction to sora makes the series head in a direction that may define the aspects of the relationship- that work better for this brand as ambiguous in my opinion.

[@CampingforCool41]

@@Anthony-cj2ju”making things up” like what?

[@Volcanic_Eruption]

I'm Demisexual but pretty much cishet, and Riku clearly read as gay to me since I played KH2, and I'm pretty sure he is as of DDD. Riku's official character file confirms he no longer views Sora as a brother. He views him as something else. What that is hasn't been made entirely clear, but we're pretty certain he's viewing him romantically.

[@nox_cadit]

I'm gay, KH2 was my first game and when I played I thought to myself when Sora and Riku reunites "damn... Sora loves him so much", after seeing the ending I thought "well I guess they love each other and just don't say it out loud, cause there's definitely something going on here". KH2 was the game that helped me realize that I, myself, am gay. By DDD it's fuckin obvious that Riku feels more than friendship for Sora, and Sora for him.

[@Hernothim1992]

Honestly I think you’re over thinking this. They are best friends and sora has always loved kairi. Can’t watch the full video because honestly, the way you’re trying to force the two of them as they are gay. You are free to have your own opinion of course but please don’t try to ruin one of my favorite games and a beloved game. Write fan fiction if you want but please don’t put something there that’s isn’t.

[@CampingforCool41]

Why would Sora and/or Riku being gay “ruin” anything 😐

[@evaundertale2247]

I would say it'd make it better most games tend to hide it so to see their bond this way would just make their bond stronger and also the fact that there are so many good male friendship bonds in fiction. But to have a gay relationship not only developed nicely but not making it their whole being or branding is just ground breaking in my opinion.

[@Anthony-cj2ju]

Sora does not use the power of waking to get to the realm of darkness. The master defender keyblade holds that power. In KH3 Sora isn’t successful at using the power of waking until he releases Ventus from his heart and wakes him.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

Ventus directly tells Sora he never lost the Power of Waking, it is .. just unchained. The World's Hearts just reminded him about what he already knew. And the Guides (Ultimania) confirm Sora used the Power of Waking to jump to Riku's Heart.

[@Anthony-cj2ju]

The power of waking is the power to free a heart from slumber. So why would Sora need it to get to the realm of darkness? Also the master defender created a literal door to the dark realm. Therefore, not the power of waking. I also have the Ultimania and Character Files and it say nothing about sora using the power of waking. Character Files says Riku was unconsciously calling out to Sora.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@Anthony-cj2ju Where is Slumber? It is in the Dark Abyss. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness tells Riku this. Sleep sits in Darkness. And Hearts Generate Doors. See Kingdom Hearts of People's Hearts when Xemnas calls upon it. Furthermore, Riku pulls his Keyblade before using the The Power of Waking on Nameless Star. The Keyblade is just the conduit.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@Anthony-cj2ju And Riku is Sora's Dream Eater, calling Sora to use the Power of Waking to jump the Barriers of Reality, like how Riku's Dreams himself into Unreality across the Astral.

[@Anthony-cj2ju]

@@Fragmentsinfractals488 You’re reaching dude, but agree to disagree I guess.

[@jessea9744]

Maybe I am weird, but I have had many relationships like this, with my friends growing up. Straight boy with another straight boy. Nothing homosexual about it. Maybe it can be confused for gay by someone with feelings like that. True love has nothing to do with sex, as it's different like you say. However, there is nothing gay about being romantic with your close friends. It's the truest of love.

[@CampingforCool41]

“There’s nothing gay about being romantic with your close friends” uhh….what exactly do you consider romantic then? Because for most people if you say you are in a romantic relationship with someone they don’t think you mean a platonic friendship.

[@jessea9744]

@@CampingforCool41 Romantic implies idolization. Not sexual or eternal spirit bonding. And there is absolutely nothing gay about sharing feelings with friends.

[@CampingforCool41]

@@jessea9744 I mean yeah sharing feelings can be “romantic” but most people don’t use the term romance to talk about their platonic friends, it’s a very strange way to deny queer readings in fictional media. There are also asexual gay people who have romantic attraction to the same sex. In any case we aren’t talking about real life we are talking about a fictional story written with intention and awareness of romantic (not platonic) tropes. How many times do Sora and Riku gotta be blatantly paralleled to explicitly romantic (as in, kissy kissy romance) Disney couples to convince you it’s not just platonic….

[@jessea9744]

@CampingforCool41 @CampingforCool41 I used the term romantic because the video did. I wouldn't personally consider it romantic but instead more intimate. I'm not aware of any time they are compared to Disney relationships. I see more of the Disney stories highlighting their relationship, as well as the relationships of everyone else in the story. I'm not exactly sure as to why I need convenienced, as I don't need the validation. However, if I was to personally take it as a homosexul relationship, I would actually need to see it. Like how Sora and Kiari are.

[@CampingforCool41]

@@jessea9744 You would need to see what? Them sharing a paopu? The keychains on Nightmare’s End and Mirage Split turn into a single shared paopu on their giant rainbow heart combined keyblade. Them dancing together? I suppose their hearts singing Dearly Beloved in harmony as they watch the music from their hearts dance around each other doesn’t count huh. Them holding hands? They are holding hands in the kh2 opening. In the kh2 novel Sora is able to recognize Riku’s hand even in Ansem form because as it says, I quote “He knew that it was Riku’s hand he clasped. It was bigger than the one he’d held a thousand times before, but in his heart, Sora felt it. A knot of something he could barely define swelled in his chest. Clinging to that hand, to Riku’s hand, Sora fell to his knees.” Would Riku need to be Sora’s light? DDD, Riku is a light for Sora and nearly wakes Sora from his villain induced sleep (gee I wonder if there’s a sleeping beauty parallel here…oh wait what’s this? DDD references the oldest known version of sleeping beauty by having Riku free sleeping Sora from a suit of armor trapping him? Like Sigurd did to awaken Brunhilde?). In kh3 Dive to the Heart there is a shot for shot remake of the kh1 opening except this time there is a mysterious light in place of Riku…what could it mean???? After Riku’s sacrifice the second time Sora recognizes the light as Riku and it leads him straight to Riku’s heart (then suddenly in the second tunnel scene he thinks the light is Kairi….even though they are both following the same light…could there be a red herring?! Nahhhhh Nomura never does that!) Disney couple parallels: CoM- Belle and Beast play the role of Sora’s subconscious trying to rationalize why Riku (the replica Sora still thinks is Riku at that point) is treating him that way. Belle literally says the same things as Repliku (even more blatant in jp). Other romantic parallel in CoM: Aladdin and Jasmine (Aladdin realizes Sora is searching for someone precious to him like he was with Jasmine, aka Riku. This is before he started searching for Namine instead) Kh2: Belle and Beast again except this time Beast is the Riku parallel- Xaldin acting as his Ansem/Maleficent. Beast says “who could ever love a beast” looking at his hands, visually paralleled later when Riku in Ansem’s form tells Sora he didn’t want Sora to see him like this (for who could ever love a beast). Mulan and Shang: Sora cries when he sees them getting to be together at the end bc as it confirms in the novel, it reminded him of how much he missed Riku. Other romantic parallels I’m not gonna get into cuz we’d be here all day: Ariel and Eric, Hercules and Meg, Simba and Nala, Rapunzel and Flynn (Rapunzel also reminds Sora of Riku in the novel), Kristoff and Anna, Aurora and Philip- oh yeah and Nameless Star and Yozora (NS also reminding Sora of Riku in the novel).

[@CampingforCool41]

The funny thing is that the whole reason Repliku had a romantic thing for Namine in the first place is because she implanted a specific memory of Riku’s that was only between Riku and Sora, and she put herself in Sora’s place in that memory. That is why at the end of kh3, Riku- representing Repliku in that scene as Nomura said- does the iconic hand gesture holding out his hand to Namine like he does to Sora. Because Namine is Repliku’s Sora. That’s why it’s funny when people use that scene to argue that Namine and Riku are a thing afhHf completely missing the point

[@Vemercitwa]

Thank you omg.😭❤️

[@UnVelius]

i think Sora and Riku love each other as friends for sure, but Kairi seems more romantic since the Paopu scene. Good video though it was interesting to see a focus on Rikus character

[@AluraAlua]

Nomura said he debated whether or not to put the paupu fruit scene in since he worried people would read it as romantic, which wasn't the intention. They didn't share a fruit either, they exchanged them.

[@CampingforCool41]

Sora’s VA said the paopu scene wasn’t a confirmation of romance- which means he was never told there even was a romance between them. VA’s have to be told these things in order to be able to voice scenes correctly. So either Nomura is a terrible director and didn’t tell him there’s a romance there or there isn’t a romance there.

[@Volcanic_Eruption]

Kairi is barely present in the entire series, Sora and Kairi don't feel like lovers at all. They never shared the Paopu fruit with Sora, they each had their own fruit which is not how the sharing is supposed to go. They were supposed to share a single fruit. Also, when Kairi gave Sora the fruit, he looked at her like she was crazy.

[@SharksGamingCorner]

You are only halve right nomura did debate putting in the paopu scene BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF YOUR REASON. It was because(and I'll be quoting the VA of sora directly): "I think Mr. Nomura was also worried about to what extent (he wanted) to depict Sora and Kairi’s feelings" the definition of extent from a writing perspective is: "the amount to which something is or is believed to be the case."

[@ENDtredecim]

I'm straight, I however looked at them as being brothers. I have drawn my own parallels, but I never equated their relationship as being straight or gay. I understand Sora's relief in 2 when he has Kairi and knows Riku is alive and drops to his knees. One of my best friends, a brother to me whose mother sent me and our other buddy a message and called in fear cause she didn’t know if he was ok. We lived in the same home as him, when he opened the door we hugged him crying, knowing he was alright and not dead. The relationships in this game have always to me been pure relationships both the good ones and the bad ones. I didn’t attempt to put subtext cause it felt weird to do that to these characters who grow and are unapologetically them. Granted in 3 the connection with Sora and Kairi felt more natural as a couple than it did other characters at the end especially in the ReMind DLC. I do acknowledge the parallels and I'm happy those parallels help others who aren't me find common ground with this series, I'm happy my fav game series that has helped save me and given me something to feel like it grew with me is doing the same for others. This is just my own personal insight and not a denial of how others see it or feel on it.

[@user-cn6ij1og5b]

Riku clearly has feelings for namine. We just don't see this cause Namine didn't exist since ReCoM This may stem from his connection to the replica after he set foot in his heart. This may also be some repressed feelings about Kairi. let us not forget riku's dream of seeing the outside world was both Terra AND Kairis arrival in destiny islands. In the first game Riku and Sora antagonised both in terms of strength to save Kairi. The scene in KH2 in the RoD means that both of them have some character development to do and are jealous of the qualities of the other. The same way an introvert is jealous of the social life of the extrovert and the extrovert is jealous of the depth of the relationships of the introvert. In DDD Sora did summon Riku as a dream eater and a guardian, however it makes sense. Riku is the one travelling to the past WITH Sora. As for the dearly beloved in Fantasia, I think it is a metaphor saying that once Sora and Riku and together, they are unstoppable and incredible things can happen. He is the person closest to Sora and the strongest one at that. It makes sense, stategywise, gamewise, lorewise. Sora in KH3 DOES mention that he loves Kairi. Riku did in fact sacrifice himself. However in was KAIRI that used her strength as a princess of heart keeping Sora's form in the final world. Other than that, Sora was always shown to pull miracles out of thin air simply by believing. Riku has seen that and entrusted the fate of the universe to Sora. And Sora came threw. That's all.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

Not Nomura removing Riku's smile in the Remind toward Namine because people got the wrong idea that the Real Riku had feelings for her. It is also implied Riku lied to Kairi about her being reason he wants to leave the island because she "fears change". The irony lies in the fact that Repliku's romantic feelings for Namine stem from a memory she implanted. This memory, originally shared between Riku and Sora, was altered by Namine to include herself in Sora's place. Consequently, at the end of KH3, Riku, who symbolizes Repliku as per Nomura, extends his hand to Namine in a gesture iconic to his bond with Sora, signifying that Namine is Repliku's Sora. Hence, it's humorous when this scene is misinterpreted as evidence of a romantic link between Namine and Riku, overlooking the actual narrative. And Riku is the Light Sora goes through to get to the Final World at all. Riku is put in the place of the Light at least 6 times. Some more interesting points. The Intro scene in Kh1 is shown in the actual game. During that scene, Riku's Darkness opens a Portal to take Riku and Riku holds out his hand for Sora. This causes Riku's Heart to Open. Sora reaches for Riku but gets pulled into Darkness. But then, Sora sees the Light. The Light gives him the Keyblade. It is revealed a Nomura's interview that Light is Riku's Light. The Light Terra saw, which is why Riku was bequeathed in the first place.

[@CampingforCool41]

“Riku clearly has feelings for Namine. We just don’t see this “ *lists all the ways Sora and Riku are perfect together and how their hearts sing Dearly Beloved together and how Riku becomes Sora’s knight in shining armor and sacrifices himself for Sora and believes in Sora completely* LOL Also Sora never mentions that he Loves Kairi in kh3 in fact there’s a whole short story that came out after Remind where Sora is lamenting how frustrated he is that he doesn’t understand romantic love ajfzjfz

[@user-cn6ij1og5b]

@@CampingforCool41 all I am saying is, that I don't see their relationship as a romantic one. I see it as a sibling love. Riku wants to protect Sora. Sora wants to help Riku. You can disagree. Nothing is confirmed either way. Also for the Kairi-Sora relationship, Sora became a heartless for Kairi. All of ReCoM was about severing the relationship between Sora and Kairi and showing that feelings transcend memories, proven by Namine's word to Larxene "Sora's feeling towards Kairi will only become stronger". In Kh2, in the end, Kairi says to Sora "You're home" a reference both to Destiny Islands and that his home is with HER. In Kh3, "I feel strong with you Kairi". He freaking got himself Ctrl Z out of reality to save her. If all that is not love, I don't know what is. And what is the name of that short story? I wanna see it

[@CampingforCool41]

@@user-cn6ij1og5b 1- it is actually confirmed that Riku doesn’t see Sora as a brother in the same collection of short stories in the character files (written by someone Nomura has also chosen to write for the games). He reflects on how when he was little he attempted to play the role of a big brother but not only was he bad at it (the jp specifically uses a word that means “poorly play-acted”), he also notes that at some point he stopped trying to play that role. Sora also narrates a short story on Elsa and Anna which reveals it had never even occurred to him before to think of Riku as like a brother- he notes the similarities between his relationship with Riku and Elsa/Anna in that both fought with each other but then came back together and believe in each other. He ends this pondering by wondering, “But is that really what siblings are like?” So he never thought of Riku like that before, and now that he’s presented with the idea he ends up unsure. Yet he has no trouble saying Goofy is like a big brother in another story. Yes Sora has sacrificed himself for Kairi, just as he would for Riku and really anyone he cares about deeply. If you automatically think that it’s automatically a romantic gesture then why not the same when Riku does it for Sora? I don’t believe being self sacrificial is a confirmation of romance but it can certainly speak to how much a person cares for another and Sora cares deeply for Kairi. I’m not even gonna get into CoM because we’d be here all day. Suffice it to say the translation didn’t do any favors for the insane levels of subtext (for example Namine NEVER tells Sora Kairi is his light or his most precious person and the island kids teasing Sora about his crush on “”Her”” in English actually use a male leaning rough pronoun in jp that has baffled jp players because they absolutely would not use it for Kairi or Namine) It’s funny you bring up the “You’re home” line because in kh3 Pooh also says the same exact thing (same in jp too)when seeing Sora. Does that mean Pooh is Sora’s home? The parallel is 100% intentional by the way, and they explain what Pooh meant- that Sora is metaphorically in his heart. Even though Sora reassures Pooh that he’ll never be apart from Pooh in their hearts, he realizes to himself that his relationship with Pooh feels distant in a way it didn’t before, and doesn’t understand why. All of this is a parallel to his relationship with Kairi- Pooh tells Sora “I want us to be together forever”, Kairi (in jp) tells Sora the paopu is a good luck charm so they’ll never be separated. But Sora has grown somewhat distant from both Pooh and Kairi without even realizing it- why do you think he never bothers to talk to her on the gummiphone they both have, yet is excited to tell Riku about the places he’s visiting? Why do you think Kairi doesn’t feel comfortable sending Sora her letters to him even when offered? Why do you think Sora hesitates with a sad expression on his face when offered the paopu from Kairi until she reassures him it’s “just a good luck charm” for the final battle”? Remind literally has him give a speech at the end about how he remembered how important it is to spend time with friends- with Kairi, something he had neglected. Why do you think they used the kh2 pathway opening animation when he restored Kairi’s heart? Because it’s a direct parallel to what Merlin said to Sora about his disconnection with Pooh: “Whatever’s lost can be found again. There are always new pathways between hearts to discover and traverse.”- this in itself being a parallel to how Yen Sid explained the new pathways Sora had to unlock to travel between worlds in kh2. Hence the kh2 animation callback to restore Kairi’s heart. He literally had to reforge his connection to Kairi because it had been neglected. Obviously he cares deeply about Kairi, yet he realized he actually has to spend time with her if he wants to maintain their connection. This doesn’t sound like a romance, but rather a lesson about staying in touch with friends. The “I feel strong with you Kairi” line was a complete mistranslation and actually a damn shame because what Sora actually says there is “As I thought, you are strong Kairi.” Instead of complimenting her strength the mistranslation makes it about Sora’s feelings. The name of the short story in the character files is “Something There”, it’s the Beast’s Castle short story. If you read the others (they are really good and insightful btw) you will notice they all seem to take place near the end of kh3 or in some cases after the end of kh3. The character files themselves were released after Remind so we can assume Sora not understanding romantic love is still going to be relevant in kh4.

[@user-cn6ij1og5b]

@@CampingforCool41 Thanks, i will look into it. I wish they did a better job with the translations so there are no misunderstandings. We can argue that all of these dynamics come instinctively due to the age gap between the characters, but there is no point in theorizing. Anyway, i hope Sora doesn't turn out gay, as i ship Sora and Kairi, as you probably understand. What i understand about Sora , riku and kairi relationship with the gummiphone for example is habit. Riku has also traveled to many worlds, which Kairi hasn't. But that is all theory. For the neglect in their connection, I see it either as: first love drifting apart due to adulthood, or a crisis in sora and Kairi's relationship. Anyway, i won't spend anymore time theorizing about non-existent stuff, great convo. Take care!

[@luffymarra]

Nomura has actually said he doesn't want a romance for any of the main three. But subtext is an awesome thing, lol

[@westerfrost3701]

*Nomura

[@luffymarra]

@@westerfrost3701 I appreciate it!

[@westerfrost3701]

@@luffymarra You’re welcome.

[@hopewrld]

when did he say this?

[@CampingforCool41]

He never said that.

[@oaktutor1154]

Nah I disagree. KH2 has shown Sora being romantically interested in Kairi while searching for a dear best friend like Riku. That is all.

[@michaelcarlton1484]

Oof, a fudanshi video. Yeah, no. Riku isn't attracted to Sora or vice-versa. They are basically brothers. If anything, Riku is paired with Naminé for a lot of reasons. 1. Riku used to like Kairi. He and Sora used to fight over petty stuff involving her a lot. Riku backed off as Sora and Kairi grew closer. 2. Naminé has a lot of visual similarities to Kairi and even has the same familiar scent according to Riku. (A strong scent usually indicates that you are very familiar with someone.) 3. Replika Riku was given fake memories from Sora to create a bond with Naminé similar to how Sora feels towards Kairi, meaning that Naminé had Replika Riku develop feelings for her. Despite her meddling, Replika Riku basically says that his feelings grew to be genuine as his heart began to grow. 4. Replika Riku died, but his heart became part of Riku. Riku then spent a full year living alongside Naminé. During this time, he probably started to develop his own feelings towards her by working together, despite DiZ disapproving. 5. During KH3, Riku spends a lot of time connecting with the Replika within his own heart. When the Replika sacrifices himself, Riku promises to use the last vessel for Naminé. Riku even personally goes to pick her up to bring her to Destiny Islands, basically confirming that he had bonded with her. 6. There is a timeskip after KH3 that we don't know much about, but it's possible a lot of characters got more chances to interact.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

"The funny thing is that the whole reason Repliku had a romantic thing for Namine in the first place is because she implanted a specific memory of Riku’s that was only between Riku and Sora, and she put herself in Sora’s place in that memory. That is why at the end of kh3, Riku- representing Repliku in that scene as Nomura said- does the iconic hand gesture holding out his hand to Namine like he does to Sora. Because Namine is Repliku’s Sora. That’s why it’s funny when people use that scene to argue that Namine and Riku are a thing afhHf completely missing the point."- CampingforCool41 This.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

I am sorry , but in the direct Japanese to English translation, in Chain of Memories, Her is never used to describe the person. It is "that person" or "your precious person". Further, After Sora gets the Meteor promise, he starts calling Namine and this person, aitsu, which is a gender neutral but male leaning pronoun that it would be rude to call a girl. He also calls Riku Replica that. And that is why when Selphie says, " He's thinking about "Her"" it is actually "He's thinking about "that guy" /Aitsu". And Sora goes "Umm... I guess", because he is thinking of Riku who is imprinted on Namine. So, Sora is trying to figure out if he is looking for Riku or Namine. After all, when Sora came to the Castle, he was looking for Riku, and that is what Namine used to draw Sora there. She "called out to his Heart" and suddenly, Sora just knows Riku is in the Castle. Also, the place where Namine is standing, and Kairi appears when the Star reverts back to Oathkeeper is the same place Riku was standing before the Real Destiny Island fell to Darkness before Ansem, Seeker of Darkness sent him away. See Recoded. Also, Riku's Light gives Sora the Kingdom Key on that same night, the Sword to protect him. His Crown, so to speak. The insinuation during that scene is Riku wanted to take Sora through his Darkness and they both would have ended up where Sora and Namine are in the illusion of Destiny Islands in Chain of Memories, but on the Real Destroyed Islands. And Sora clasps Namine's hand like Riku wanted Sora to do in KH1. And all the things Sora says to Namine mirror Sora reuniting with Riku/"Ansem " in KH2 in both the games and the novels. And Namine herself explains she cannot create new Memories, just rearrange existing true ones. So, how do Riku Replica and Sora have the Memory of the Meteor promise? If the promise was between Sora and Kairi, how does Riku Replica have it? Further, that promise takes place before KH1 when Kairi gave Sora OathKeeper, and it is implied that Kairi was the meteor, and wasn't on the island yet. So, what... is happening?

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

Also, both Sora and Riku, in separate stories in the novels, describe themselves as 'not Brothers". Specifically, not.

[@michaelcarlton1484]

@@Fragmentsinfractals488 1. Naminé is only able to manipulate SORA'S memories. This is an established fact. The memory she uses is between Sora and Kairi. Saying that the memory was between Sora and Riku is straight-up lying since we literally see the flashback. The way the original memory went is that Sora made a promise to Kairi. Naminé manipulated that memory to replace Kairi with herself to make Sora bond with her. She then manipulated that memory further to replace Sora with the Riku Replika to make the Replika think he had made a promise to Naminé. Again, we see ALL of this happen. 2. Japan doesn't have pronouns, only honorifics which are VERY flexible. It's actually really common for women to use gender-neutral or even masculine honorifics. Same with guys using more 'girly' honorifics like -chan. Sora is a very casual person, so he's basically just calling Naminé 'dude', which is gender-neutral with a slight masculine lean, which again, most women are usually fine with. 3. Sora has the Keyblade because Riku fell into Darkness. Sora was the next capable person closest to the Keyblade as he had Ventus's heart and Kairi had separated her body and heart from each other. There was literally no one else the spare Keyblade could go to. 4. We later see Riku have the Keyblade which changes shape in his possession once he has it for a bit. The Kingdom Key is how it naturally looks for Sora which is seen during his fight with Riku where he summons his own Keyblade. Even later on, Riku's own Keyblades never look like the Kingdom Key. Plus Oblivion and Oathkeeper represent Sora's friendship with Riku and Kairi and Oblivion looks nothing like the Kingdom Key. Stop lying and face facts.

[@Fragmentsinfractals488]

@@michaelcarlton1484 !. Namine is able to rearrange Sora's Memories and those Connected to him. (Riku is connected to Sora, Obviously) It is Stated directly. It is why Donald and Goofy also forgot. Now this is analysis from @Fannintendociccio1 to make it easier for me . alright so, oh boy, there is so much to talk about. Things escalates as we go to the Destiny Islandsislands. Sora has been pretty thoroughfully lobotomized by naminè by this point, and can't basically remember anything that isn't standing right in front of him. The FF kids approach him, and they drop the next and most overt mistranslation of the game. In English they start teasing Sora very directly about Sora having a crush on "her", to which Sora is, weirdly for us, confused about what they are talking about. Things get actually clearer in Japanese, when it's not a "her" they are talking about. It's Aitsu. "I know... You're thinking about Aitsu again!" "He's a total zombie when Aitsu is on his mind!" "Go find Aitsu, cowboy!" if you go re-read their dialogue again, you can see very easily how they very deliberately keep repeating Aitsu to make it clear, over and over, since it could have been glossed over previously, that this IS NOT a girl that's been talked about (it's even capitalized in japanese to make it stand out even more). Especially because a girl like selphie calling another girl Aitsu is apparently very offensive from what I've been told (basically calling her bitch). This is perfectly demonstrated by every Japanese player I've seen react to this moment where they immediately realize that something more is going on about this. i would send pictures of this, because this scene's original intended effect for japanese readers is to be a slap to the face and make you go "wait, did i read that right? aitsu?? who are they talking about? it can't be naminè or kairi. is it... riku? sora has a crush on riku?" i can't show you the japanese reactions i have around, but i can do one thing better! in the novel we actually see sora's mental thoughts as this is going on, and they basically are the same as these reactions i would have sent you otherwise. here it is! "Aitsu? I wonder who aitsu is... Aitsu is... Perhaps?" (and after the FF kids teasing) "Aitsu... Aitsu aitsu aitsu! Riku? ...Or... Naminè?" i will talk later on in my big summary of all these discoveries about what this means exactly, but do keep in mind what we have confirmed in all the previous disney worlds! the characters created by the floors are influenced by sora's heart and suibconscious, which includes both the ff kids and the next character sora is going to meet. so this aitsu business is related to that as well. This takes a step for the even more confusing when Sora actually finds Riku, and he himself repeats and mentions how Sora is the one that needs to protect Aitsu! So wait, what's going on, is Aitsu not Riku then? As Sora also thinks : "Aitsu... Aitsu is? " Sora actually in the game tries to ask Riku about who this aitsu is, but as soon as the word aitsu comes out of his dialogue box, the islands collapse. Once the voiced scene starts, it becomes almost comical. Sora decided in his head to try and make sense of the contradicting information he has been given and goes all out on associating Naminè and Aitsu together, even if it's completely wrong and inappropriate, and starts saying out loud "I've gotta protect aitsu.. aitsu! Naminè, where are you!" essentially. Again, it's akin to English's "I've gotta protect that guy... Him! Naminè, where are you!" This is technically unrelated, but the way Sora finds and meets Naminè here, especially in the novel, is set up as a mirror image to how his reunion with Riku goes in kh2! In the novel, he thinks some extremely similar lines to the ones he says to Riku out loud in kh2! Neat! Naminè reveals how she has tempered with his memories, and how "she isn't supposed to be in this picture". Because someone else should be here, on the collapsing island, Riku should be here, he was here in kh1. there are now two naminè around, and in case you havent realized yet, the solid naminè is the implanted memory of naminè, who is mostly controlled by the real naminè who is outside the floor at the moment. the transparent naminè is the real naminè, showing up as an hologram/mental projection to talk to sora directly and fix the situation before it's too late. the real Naminè tries to reason with sora and asks him about who is the person most important to you, the one your heart has tried to remind you of in all the floors through Disney characters, the one you yourself were sure was in the castle, the entire reason you are actually here in the castle in the first place. just from her words alone we know this can literally only be riku, but we can go a step further and see what sora says to try and reject that his ideas are wrong. sora tries to explain all their story to prove to both of them that what he did was the right thing, they were always together, but they were separated, so he came all the way here to see her again. in japanese, every one of this example is him quoting once again unconsciously to previous floors, lines related to him and riku. Sora: "Back then, weren't we always together?!" "You're right. We were always together... me and Riku and..." "But we were separated..." Geppetto: "Once being separated, nothing can make you happier than reuniting again with your precious person “But we were separated… Because of that, I came all the way here since I wanted to see you!” ”I came all the way here looking for you, Riku!" and again, naminè calls out to both sora and us the players that if she really was the person he was looking for at the start of the game, and she wasn't. it was riku. so, after the whole game where we have kept mentioning about the concept of sora's precious person at every angle and sora being warned not to lose sight of it, naminè desperately tells sora to think well about who is sora's most precious person, that is supposed to be here instead of her, as she says in japanese "Try calling to that fragment of faint memory which has been shining all the way down in the depths of your heart/chest." Amnesiac Sora says it's Naminè obviously, but before Naminè can properly explain herself he takes out the charm to prove he's right. Unfortunately for us and Sora, the charm and the fake Naminè memory connect in that moment. this is something naminè isnt controlling, as when the fake naminè speaks up, the real naminè even tells sora to stop listening to her. the fake naminè however is still reacting, because she simply stops speaking, turns around, and clasps her hands behind her back, which is the pose kairi was used to doing in kh1. this is something that is revealed later in the game, that because of naminè's true nature and her connection to kairi, any fake memory of naminè she would try to put in sora, they would make sora remember back kairi eventually. so when he took out the charm, when he was still arguing, the fake memories were falling apart by themselves and kairi was naturally coming back to his mind. the problem is that it happened at the absolute worst moment ever, because just as naminè was asking him to think about this person who she knows it's riku and not kairi, sora was focusing on kairi's charm and the illusion broke right in that moment, materializing a glimpse of kairi for a moment. this is the wake up call sora needed to understand that he was being manipulated with, but it gives him the wrong impression of what naminè was trying to tell him versus what he happened to see in that moment, and starts to think the person naminè was referring to was kairi.