Re: Riku in KH3D
For me it boils down to this: Data Riku would be the most useful as he has knowledge of the data, but Repliku would make the most sense because he's asleep already. But I just can't wrap my head around the idea of a journal being asleep. If it's the data inside Sora then it wouldn't even be the Data Riku from Re:coded that y'all are obsessed with. That was the journal and the data in Sora is completely separate.
Okay, let me get a bit metaphorical on this.
You pick up a book resting on a bookshelf, right? You read it and it becomes alive in your mind. I'd compare that to the Journal being awake. When you are actively using the book–the journal, you are bringing it alive.
You finish the book and put it back into the bookshelf; the story is over and is just a memory now. I'd compare that to the Journal being asleep because the story is no longer playing out in your head as you read it. It is in rest.
I've probably said this a ton of times, but the premise of Re:coded was to awaken the hidden information sleeping inside of the Journal. Data Riku is the Journal itself. The journal was awake, then once Naminé delivered her message and Sora said his thanks, Mickey put it back to sleep.
Now, I'm not suggesting the data in Sora is Data Riku. I'm saying that Data Riku (and Data Sora) may play a part in revealing this information to Sora and Riku. Sora knows about the memories of those in pain inside of him, but he has no clue about the data inside of him. We also know some of Riku's memories leaked into Sora or the Journal would have not shown those memories to Mickey.
These are things that need to be expanded upon and in order to do that I can see the Datas appearing.
And I love the Data Sora and Riku relationship as much as the next guy, but it was digital, inside a computer, and it doesn't affect the real Sora and Riku at all. BTW Data Sora doesn't need to tell Sora anything because that was all passed along through the letter. I think all of this is being way too overthought, I'm guilty myself.
It does affect them. Data Sora and Data Riku were reflections of the real Sora and Riku. Naminé even says to Sora
"But when you pass my message on to the other Sora, just remember to tell him the things that you've seen...and that you've felt." Even if it was just data, those experiences were very real and important.
He couldn't have passed on Data Sora's journey in that one note. That seems like something Data Sora would only be able to express to the real Sora himself.
Data Sora and Data Riku learned important lessons from their adventures in the Datascape; Data Riku the most because he learned how to accept himself, which is something the real Riku seems to be having problems with in DDD. Of course, he knows he is accepted by Sora, but what Riku needs is somebody to tell him to accept himself. What better than Data Riku who had to learn the same lesson to do that?
Of course, it can still be Repliku but I just can't see him when we are trying to tie BBS, Days, and Re:coded together in DDD.