CAN Riku use Darkness to its full extent, actually?

[palizinhas]

The games make a really big thing about Riku having Darkness powers and not being corrupted by them, but he uses... Very little Darkness actually.

He has his Dark Firaga and stuff, but like..... Is using Darkness just about augmenting his attacks?

In Chain of Memories Riku had dark mode, could use Dark Corridors, still had Soul Eater, and kept all his Ansem-Riku abilities.

And then Dark Mode was never seen again, Riku lost his ability to use Dark Corridors, and the destruction of his Keyblade - very clearly based on Soul Eater when it comes to design - means he doesn't even have a visually dark Keyblade anymore.

Even in DDD as a Dream Eater - creatures of Darkness - he used very little actual dark stuff.

Riku being some kind of Master At Using Darkness feels more of an informed trait than something actually true. He's RESISTANT to it, sure, but that's different from using it.

 

[Mexican Sora]

Riku does use Darkness to it's full extent BUT he doesn't use it recklessly like other dark magic users such as Xehanort, Maleficent and the Organization 13 members. If anything he's probably the only one efficient at using darkness without it corrupting him.

 

[Face My Fears]

The games make a really big thing about Riku having Darkness powers and not being corrupted by them, but he uses... Very little Darkness actually.

He has his Dark Firaga and stuff, but like..... Is using Darkness just about augmenting his attacks?

In Chain of Memories Riku had dark mode, could use Dark Corridors, still had Soul Eater, and kept all his Ansem-Riku abilities.

And then Dark Mode was never seen again, Riku lost his ability to use Dark Corridors, and the destruction of his Keyblade - very clearly based on Soul Eater when it comes to design - means he doesn't even have a visually dark Keyblade anymore.

Even in DDD as a Dream Eater - creatures of Darkness - he used very little actual dark stuff.

Riku being some kind of Master At Using Darkness feels more of an informed trait than something actually true. He's RESISTANT to it, sure, but that's different from using it.

I assumed "Dark Mode" was a result of the part of Ansem that was inside of him (during CoM). When he fully channeled the darkness in Days to defeat Roxas and became "Ansem", I think that's what caused the shift. When the real Ansem's machine malfunctioned, something must have happened there that cleansed Riku of the Ansem portion of his heart and took away some abilities.

I don't think Riku is ever referred to as a "master" of darkness, but more so that he is "immune" to darkness' influence on someone. The dark corridor thing was probably removed ASAP because it would have made things make no sense regarding Aqua. I think that's why everyone except Xehanort(s) can use dark corridors post KH2.

 

[KHRULER]

To answer the thread title, no. I don't think we have to look anywhere beyond DDD and KH2 to answer this:

Young Xehanort: [The Keyblade] was yours first, wasn't it? But you succumbed to the darkness you could not control.

...

Young Xehanort: I don't know how you did it, but you really have found a way to trap darkness inside your heart. And a boy who is immune to darkness is of no use to us.

And then in KH2 where Mickey says that Riku doesn't belong to the dark realm anymore so he couldn't open a dark corridor in TWTNW. Thus, I would say that Riku has conquered the darkness inside him and is able to use it in some of his abilities but he's not some agent of darkness or strongly affiliated it.

 

[TrinityXaos]

I agree with KHRULER.

To answer the thread title, no. I don't think we have to look anywhere beyond DDD and KH2 to answer this:




And then in KH2 where Mickey says that Riku doesn't belong to the dark realm anymore so he couldn't open a dark corridor in TWTNW. Thus, I would say that Riku has conquered the darkness inside him and is able to use it in some of his abilities but he's not some agent of darkness or strongly affiliated it.

I doubt that Riku can use the full power of darkness.
Maybe we will see a character who can without being evil.