Who said that Riku needs a love interest? I just said that a ship I would like to see is Riku/Namine. The KH3 ended was about Riku Replica/Namine, but that doesn't mean that Namine can't feel something for Riku. He is the character that she spent the most time with besides Ansem The Wise and the Organization.
Also, the way you responded makes it seem like Riku's been in endless relationships and that's all his character is about. The fact is that the KH series has NEVER had an actual romantic relationship confirmed for the original characters. It's one of very few franchises that I can think of that never had original character romances. Riku being in a relationship and NOT being obsessed with Sora endlessly might actually be an interesting progression for his character, especially after his whole darkness arc in the Dark Seeker Saga. Riku needs something fresh for his character, as was evident by how he didn't do much in KH3.
That's incredibly false as well and an inaccurate account based on assumption. 358/2 Days basically debunks this by showing us Day 255. Riku and Naminè legit just had a business meeting to update him as to what was going on and they greeted each other as if they have not seen each other for a while. It's pretty clear they weren't and never were attached at the hip and didn't interact with one another. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Riku to catch up with her personally. Working under Diz does not mean they spent a year in one another's company. He spent more time galloping off with Xion for...I forgot how many days. Not to mention the whole conversation with Naminè was
cordial and about Sora, which was what he cared about (
complete contrast to how she talked to and exchanged words with Roxas). Literally no chemistry. And suddenly for there to be any out of nowhere doesn't make any sense. Now Riku's off looking for Sora while Naminè is chilling in Twilight Town.
The comment was concerning your last sentence about Nomura maybe adding or keeping another girl in store for him in Quadratum(?). He does not need that. He doesn't have to have a female created for him to be a love interest. He can be happily single.
Both Kairi and Riku revolve around Sora. I always find it unfair that Kairi got flack for that. Yet Riku also had an individual arc about overcoming his guilt, mistakes, and darkness that had nothing to do with Sora specifically.
Naminé's "SPECIAL CONNECTION" to Repliku: never mentioning him a single time after CoM.
Guy didn't even get to be part of the "people who are hurt and need to be saved" in coded despite apparently being adrift in the Realm of Darkness the whole time.
Exactly! Lol. And now from left field it matters? What.
See the thing that bothers me so much about this is that Naminé still never actually says any of this herself. Sora kinda just tells her? (and he would know this.. how exactly??) and Nomura says it in an interview. The only characters Naminé herself has expressed any interest in being with/around are Sora, Roxas and (kinda) Kairi. Repliku/Naminé has always come across incredibly one-sided to me (he has a more heartfelt farewell with Sora in CoM ffs, I don't even recall him having a proper conversation with Naminé let alone an emotional goodbye to her) yet so many people just accept that it (and by extension Rikunami) is canon.
I think I spoke about this relentlessly in terms of Nomura and his sexism. I'll refrain from derailing the conversation, but people talk a lot about Kairi's mistreatment in KHIII -- Naminè is up there with her. Wasn't in the opening, didn't return until the very end, and when she
did, she was relegated to be a prop for closing Riku Replica's arc instead of her own with people she actually
did care about, like Sora, Kairi, and Roxas. No, it
had to be about Riku Replica. And Nomura had the
audacity to have Sora
speak for her without any basis or clue as to how he even got this information. What, is he a prophet now? He has clairvoyance? He just "magically" knows someone is going to pick her up later on? Dude doesn't even remember Repliku. Hell, Naminè was given no chance to express her sentiments about it at all. She was just "thanks Sora". Because it wasn't her that mattered, it was Riku Replica.
It was so badly done, it was so badly executed, and it's an example of the travesty of the character writing in this game. And Nomura simultaneously romanticized brainwashing. Oh look, how sweet, how cute, you can feel da speshful connection~ that was never mentioned once in the games between the victim and his brainwasher. Does Repliku even really
know Naminè? No. What matters is that it's "real" to him...as a result of being brainwashed.
It...it just boggles the mind.
Repliku legit got more effort than Naminè did, and he's an off side character. It's nearly an insult.