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[Sign]

If Nomura really wanted to debunk Riku/Namine, he should have redone the scene with the Gummi Ship parked in Radiant Garden and Namine walking out to it - no Riku to greet her.

I hope you're speaking in favor of a different person or persons greeting her then, rather than no one at all. For Namine, who was the last to be saved and awoke in this world with no friend by her side, it'd be pretty sad if none of the other passengers could be bothered to step out of the ship.

 

[pastel.goblin]

Even me as a Riku/Namine shipper didn't really make anything out of the end of KH3

You're in the minority then, the general consensus in a lot of places seems to think that one scene makes them canon.

he should have redone the scene with the Gummi Ship parked in Radiant Garden and Namine walking out to it - no Riku to greet her.

I mean he did make them significantly less happy to see each other (I'm sorry to those who ship them, but it was kinda hilarious). But I agree with @Sign in that no one being there at all would've been awful, the poor girl has been shafted badly enough already.

Besides, the whole point of it being Riku was to represent the sudden Repliku/Naminé connection

 

[*TwilightNight*]

The whole reason I even stated that Riku may find a female love interest in Quadratum was me trying to understand Nomura's choice to go out of his way to debunk/shut down Riku/Namine in the KH3/ReMIND ending. I wasn't saying that I want that to happen, I was just trying to understand why Nomura felt the need to definitively shut down Riku/Namine.

And you can make as many assumptions as you want about Riku/Namine's relationship off of the limited footage that we're shown in Days. That game's focus was on Roxas/Axel/Xion, NOT Riku or Namine. Obviously they will not focus on Riku or Namine's time, unless it's in regards to Roxas/Axel/Xion. No one can say for sure what happened with Riku and Namine pre-KH2 because no one knows. I just think it's way more plausible to think that Riku/Namine/Ansem The Wise spent time together since they had a joint mission, rather than thinking they all stayed far away from each other and only spoke for 5 minutes in regards to the mission/Sora and then avoided each other for a month or two.

Let me guide you through the actual dialogue of that one, single interaction we saw.

Naminè: So we meet again.
Riku: You made me a promise.
Naminè: I remember. It was to look after Sora. I'm sorry...I'm not sure I've kept that promise very well.
Riku: Can you tell me what's happening?

And then she goes to explain the situation with Roxas and Xion, because Riku and her got straight to business right away. I mean, hell, he doesn't even bother with casual conversation with the girl. Does that dialogue sound like people who have been seeing each other for days? Have kept in touch? Had been spending time together? If they had, then they wouldn't be having this meeting, because Riku would have been aware earlier. And I'm pretty certain this was on Day 225-250 something. That's more than six months and near to a year. Honestly, they barely sound like friends.

This isn't just something vague and that "we don't know about". I'm not pulling this out of a hat. It's literally within their conversation that they have not seen one another, hence, the "we meet again" and other points of note that show they got reacquainted.

And I don't see what's not to understand. Why would Nomura need to protect or refrain himself about the relationship of two characters who he sees as not romantic in nature? Granted, it was his dumb fault in the first place by portraying it the way he did and expecting that somehow the shoujo manga-esque scene had something to do with Riku Replica. But that was his intention, for it to be about Riku Replica...somehow. Some (not all, because not everyone had shipping goggles) understandably questioned it, and so he went out of his way to make things clear. Because Riku Replica matters now and so he matters to Naminè now after a bunch of games of not giving a shit about him. Hence, why I call it a horrible execution. However, it was his horrible execution and he wanted everyone to know it was about Riku Replica, not Riku.

Though I found it hilarious that he went as far as changing their expressions. Mans was serious about Repliku. Just not about female characters I guess .

I think there's enough basis off of the period Sora is asleep for Riku to be shipped with Namine or Xion (or Roxas for that matter).

You can say that about any character. Which is why we even had the Riku/Aqua discussion and why this thread exists.

Nearly all of Namine's actions revolve around Sora the same as Riku-

What's your case here?

and I disagree that Riku and Namine lack chemistry. I thought they had an interesting dynamic in their interactions at the end of CoM anyway. SoRiku will never happen in canon; I think there are much, much worse ships than Riku / Namine. I'd say I like the idea of that couple more than SoKai really. At this point, I feel like there's a greater likelihood Roxas would end up paired with Xion in canon if any character.

To each their own. But there's literally been nothing romantic between them. There hasn't been for 8+ games, he spoke to her like they were coworkers, he manhandled her while she tried to speak to Roxas, he allowed Diz to treat her the way he did, and only stepped up against him when he was ordered to kill her. He didn't mention or remember her in KHIII (unlike Sora, Kairi, and even Roxas), and she wasn't a priority to him until Riku Replica made her one.

I hope you're speaking in favor of a different person or persons greeting her then, rather than no one at all. For Namine, who was the last to be saved and awoke in this world with no friend by her side, it'd be pretty sad if none of the other passengers could be bothered to step out of the ship.

[sad noises]

Sucks you have to be in a trio to matter to people.

 

[Elysium]

You can say that about any character.

Yes, exactly... There's nothing romantic in canon involving -any- of the characters other than Sora and Kairi. I'm not sure why you're using the "lack of romance" as an excuse to say Riku / Namine is impossible, when that same fact applies to any ship really. Including Roxas / Namine.

 

[*TwilightNight*]

Yes, exactly... There's nothing romantic in canon involving -any- of the characters other than Sora and Kairi. I'm not sure why you're using the "lack of romance" as an excuse to say Riku / Namine is impossible, when that same fact applies to any ship really. Including Roxas / Namine.

When did I say that?

They simply don't have enough material, friendly conversations, and/or enough chemistry to assume they are romantic and/or will be romantic. Their interactions don't give off "future love interest" and Riku's priorities have never been her. This is after an entire saga.

 

[palizinhas]

There's something really funny about the fact this thread always turns into Naminé shipping discourse.

I don't think Riku/Naminé is going to a thing, but the fact that Naminé was the one who helped Riku see he could use the darkness for good just. Means a lot to me. So much of Riku's character is that he's able to do that, and Naminé was a huge part of him getting there.

Riku is the person Naminé touched the most without using her powers to do so - Sora and Repliku were both brainwashed by her, but Riku never was. Maybe they haven't interacted much, but in all honesty no relationships in kh have a lot of downtime, Days is the only game that really allowed for that.

At the end of the day though, Naminé-wise, I'd be more interested in seeing her grow through friendships with the rest of the cast over a romance, be it with Riku or anyone else. I think all the replica kids need to learn to live beyond their chains before romance gets in the equation.

 

[Face My Fears]

You're in the minority then, the general consensus in a lot of places seems to think that one scene makes them canon.


I mean he did make them significantly less happy to see each other (I'm sorry to those who ship them, but it was kinda hilarious). But I agree with @Sign in that no one being there at all would've been awful, the poor girl has been shafted badly enough already.

Besides, the whole point of it being Riku was to represent the sudden Repliku/Naminé connection

Well I thought it was interesting that they chose Riku to come out and greet her... IE building towards Riku/Namine. However, it didn't solidify the ship to me or confirm its existence. I was just using the Radiant Garden pick up scene as a reference for all of this Riku/Namine discussion.

Apparently:
Riku greeting Namine with slightly happy facial expressions was a concrete sign of Riku/Namine being confirmed.

Nomura got wind of this and goes out of his way to change the facial expressions to show barely any expressions whatsoever.

People still consider Riku being the one to greet Namine - regardless of facial expression - a sign of Riku/Namine being a thing.

So, if Nomura really wanted to nip Riku/Namine in the bud, he should have had Roxas/Xion greet Namine instead or Riku/Roxas/Xion greet her - NOT Riku alone.

And going back to my other point, where I simply suspected and/or theorized that a possible reason Nomura went out of his way to edit that scene so people weren't expecting Riku/Namine was that Nomura may have plans for Riku to have another love interest in Quadratum and didn't want fans to latch on to Riku/Namine. This is simply speculation that I have because it's just so strange and jarring to me to go out of your way to change mild facial expressions to "change the meaning of the scene", when the action itself - Riku greeting Namine - is what confirmed the Riku/Namine ship. If anything, it was kind of harsh to Namine to not see a smiling/happy face to greet her to take her to the party - regardless if it was Riku or not. Hence my reasoning - if Nomura wanted to cancel Riku/Namine shipping from that scene, he should have had someone else greet her OR a group of people greet her, but at least have them happy to see her and not retcon it to a nonchalant Riku.

Let me guide you through the actual dialogue of that one, single interaction we saw.

Naminè: So we meet again.
Riku: You made me a promise.
Naminè: I remember. It was to look after Sora. I'm sorry...I'm not sure I've kept that promise very well.
Riku: Can you tell me what's happening?

And then she goes to explain the situation with Roxas and Xion, because Riku and her got straight to business right away. I mean, hell, he doesn't even bother with casual conversation with the girl. Does that dialogue sound like people who have been seeing each other for days? Have kept in touch? Had been spending time together? If they had, then they wouldn't be having this meeting, because Riku would have been aware earlier. And I'm pretty certain this was on Day 225-250 something. That's more than six months and near to a year. Honestly, they barely sound like friends.

This isn't just something vague and that "we don't know about". I'm not pulling this out of a hat. It's literally within their conversation that they have not seen one another, hence, the "we meet again" and other points of note that show they got reacquainted.

And I don't see what's not to understand. Why would Nomura need to protect or refrain himself about the relationship of two characters who he sees as not romantic in nature? Granted, it was his dumb fault in the first place by portraying it the way he did and expecting that somehow the shoujo manga-esque scene had something to do with Riku Replica. But that was his intention, for it to be about Riku Replica...somehow. Some (not all, because not everyone had shipping goggles) understandably questioned it, and so he went out of his way to make things clear. Because Riku Replica matters now and so he matters to Naminè now after a bunch of games of not giving a shit about him. Hence, why I call it a horrible execution. However, it was his horrible execution and he wanted everyone to know it was about Riku Replica, not Riku.

Though I found it hilarious that he went as far as changing their expressions. Mans was serious about Repliku. Just not about female characters I guess .





You can say that about any character. Which is why we even had the Riku/Aqua discussion and why this thread exists.



What's your case here?



To each their own. But there's literally been nothing romantic between them. There hasn't been for 8+ games, he spoke to her like they were coworkers, he manhandled her while she tried to speak to Roxas, he allowed Diz to treat her the way he did, and only stepped up against him when he was ordered to kill her. He didn't mention or remember her in KHIII (unlike Sora, Kairi, and even Roxas), and she wasn't a priority to him until Riku Replica made her one.




[sad noises]

Sucks you have to be in a trio to matter to people.

Yes, I'm well aware of the actual dialogue of that scene. That's Day 200 and something, there's like 100+ days left in their timeline. Obviously, Nomura is only going to show what we need to see regarding Riku/Namine's interactions FOR THE STORY OF SAVING SORA. He's not going to show them eating dinner or cleaning their room. All we needed to know in Days was that Riku/Namine were working together. Yes, that scene confirms that they haven't seen each other in a while - which makes sense since Riku was going out on missions for DiZ.

I just don't know how you can say they barely sound like friends when the general premise of KH is friendship. Even without any interactions, we're supposed to assume all the "good guys" are friends or at least friendly. On top of that, if you factor in what actually happened between Riku/Namine, I would consider it a friendship - albeit rocky at time when their interests clashed (helping Roxas/Sora).

For someone always complaining that Namine never gets anything, you should actually be glad that she's constantly considered/mentioned when Riku's name is brought up. In KH, unless you're attached to Sora/Riku/Aqua, good luck on getting screentime. Whether it's romantic or not, Namine being associated with Riku at least gives her a chance of doing more things. It shouldn't be this way. However, I'm hoping Nomura takes notice and starts using characters for more than just "who they are in relation to Sora/Riku". At least Namine has things pending that somewhat guarantee her more scenes (like "thank you" from Sora) unlike Queen Xion who has probably the lowest chance of returning.

 

[WaltK]

Nomura got wind of this and goes out of his way to change the facial expressions to show barely any expressions whatsoever.

I honestly wasn’t aware of this.

 

[Elysium]

And going back to my other point, where I simply suspected and/or theorized that a possible reason Nomura went out of his way to edit that scene so people weren't expecting Riku/Namine was that Nomura may have plans for Riku to have another love interest in Quadratum and didn't want fans to latch on to Riku/Namine.

It's possible... I mean, everything about Riku design-wise was changed in III to make him more Noctis-like, and Noctis was intended to be in a romance... I don't like it.

 

[*TwilightNight*]

Yes, I'm well aware of the actual dialogue of that scene. That's Day 200 and something, there's like 100+ days left in their timeline. Obviously, Nomura is only going to show what we need to see regarding Riku/Namine's interactions FOR THE STORY OF SAVING SORA. He's not going to show them eating dinner or cleaning their room. All we needed to know in Days was that Riku/Namine were working together. Yes, that scene confirms that they haven't seen each other in a while - which makes sense since Riku was going out on missions for DiZ.

I just don't know how you can say they barely sound like friends when the general premise of KH is friendship. Even without any interactions, we're supposed to assume all the "good guys" are friends or at least friendly. On top of that, if you factor in what actually happened between Riku/Namine, I would consider it a friendship - albeit rocky at time when their interests clashed (helping Roxas/Sora).

For someone always complaining that Namine never gets anything, you should actually be glad that she's constantly considered/mentioned when Riku's name is brought up. In KH, unless you're attached to Sora/Riku/Aqua, good luck on getting screentime. Whether it's romantic or not, Namine being associated with Riku at least gives her a chance of doing more things. It shouldn't be this way. However, I'm hoping Nomura takes notice and starts using characters for more than just "who they are in relation to Sora/Riku". At least Namine has things pending that somewhat guarantee her more scenes (like "thank you" from Sora) unlike Queen Xion who has probably the lowest chance of returning.

Your initial statement said that Riku and Naminè we're spending most of that year together. Obviously they aren't, based on that scene. They haven't seen each other for more than a half year, and somehow I'm supposed to buy your assumption, or the assumption, that on the remaining 100+ days they changed this dynamic and routine because why...exactly. It's pretty clear Riku goes off doing his own thing and does minimal visitations. And he gets more involved with the Xion drama as the game progresses.

I can say they don't sound like friends because they barely sound like friends, even if they technically are, lol. It's in their interactions and how they talk to each other. Naminè helped him in realizing what he wants to do with his darkness, but aside from that, he mentions how she has the same "scent" as Kairi, tells her to take care of Sora, and goes away. Next scene we see is in 358/2 Days in which their conversation is nothing short of a business meeting after a long while of not seeing each other. Then in KHII we have him siding with Diz, if sympathetic to Nobodies, manhandling her, and defying the order to kill her because that's when the prejudice is too far for him. Nothing spells to me that he's talking to her and being with her because he wants to. He never asks her how she feels, how she's doing. They don't chill or hang out. Nothing. Then she's practically nonexistent to him in III. I mean.

Also, when is Naminè mentioned in conjunction to Riku? WHERE? When are they mentioned together? Like, what, lol.

Just because I complain about Naminè never getting anything, doesn't change the fact that this is how the series presents it. Not finding much depth in Riku and Naminè, let alone a solid relationship, doesn't mean that somehow Naminè is going to take a backseat due to it. Her importance doesn't rely on Riku, neither does she need Riku to be relevant, and her presence isn't going to disappear just because it isn't with Riku. She doesn't revolve around him and doesn't need to be stuck to him to have a role. That's an utterly ridiculous statement and more like shipping bias. What she really needs is a Keyblade, more than anything else, and a goal for an adventure. I don't care about your "Queen Xion". She hijacked a whole game to herself.

 

[Elysium]

She doesn't need to be connected to Riku to be relevant or get attention--technically. But considering how Nomura and this series works, the reality is that she probably won't get much attention on her own, because we have six or seven games now to prove she won't... I mean, would Kairi have got the level of fan outcry that she needs to be included more if she wasn't paired with Sora and the de facto love interest for the main character? No way. That level of outcry won't happen for a background female character, for better or for worse.

 

[Keybladeizzy]

I ship
Riku and Namine
Sora and Kairi
Terra and Aqua
Roxas and Xion

 

[*TwilightNight*]

She doesn't need to be connected to Riku to be relevant or get attention--technically. But considering how Nomura and this series works, the reality is that she probably won't get much attention on her own, because we have six or seven games now to prove she won't... I mean, would Kairi have got the level of fan outcry that she needs to be included more if she wasn't paired with Sora and the de facto love interest for the main character? No way. That level of outcry won't happen for a background female character, for better or for worse.

The reality is that without a weapon or a trio you get jack shit in this series. Apparently. Nomura is incapable of handling anything else. Which means that getting a weapon will open doors for her as is. It's only just a matter if the director actually puts the effort on his female characters for that. She can easily have a connection to Ava, for example.

And yes, Kairi would have gotten the same level of outcry. The criticism is fans wanting her to get away from being so Sora-centered and have the chance to be her own character without being bogged by his existence. That, and to get some respect. If you start the game with a group of three and only two continously get attention, revelance, and an arc, then it's going to ruffle feathers. Especially if this was mistreatment throughout the entire saga. People would still have gotten tired, especially when we witnessed her get fridged.

So for Naminè to be tied to a male character, in this case, you two want it to be Riku, does not do her any favors when she already exists and had a role without needing a love interest or a man. One can make an argument with Sora, and Roxas, but Sora's the main character and he inspires others. Not to mention Riku is, again, out doing his own thing.

 

[Face My Fears]

Your initial statement said that Riku and Naminè we're spending most of that year together. Obviously they aren't, based on that scene. They haven't seen each other for more than a half year, and somehow I'm supposed to buy your assumption, or the assumption, that on the remaining 100+ days they changed this dynamic and routine because why...exactly. It's pretty clear Riku goes off doing his own thing and does minimal visitations. And he gets more involved with the Xion drama as the game progresses.

I can say they don't sound like friends because they barely sound like friends, even if they technically are, lol. It's in their interactions and how they talk to each other. Naminè helped him in realizing what he wants to do with his darkness, but aside from that, he mentions how she has the same "scent" as Kairi, tells her to take care of Sora, and goes away. Next scene we see is in 358/2 Days in which their conversation is nothing short of a business meeting after a long while of not seeing each other. Then in KHII we have him siding with Diz, if sympathetic to Nobodies, manhandling her, and defying the order to kill her because that's when the prejudice is too far for him. Nothing spells to me that he's talking to her and being with her because he wants to. He never asks her how she feels, how she's doing. They don't chill or hang out. Nothing. Then she's practically nonexistent to him in III. I mean.

Also, when is Naminè mentioned in conjunction to Riku? WHERE? When are they mentioned together? Like, what, lol.

Just because I complain about Naminè never getting anything, doesn't change the fact that this is how the series presents it. Not finding much depth in Riku and Naminè, let alone a solid relationship, doesn't mean that somehow Naminè is going to take a backseat due to it. Her importance doesn't rely on Riku, neither does she need Riku to be relevant, and her presence isn't going to disappear just because it isn't with Riku. She doesn't revolve around him and doesn't need to be stuck to him to have a role. That's an utterly ridiculous statement and more like shipping bias. What she really needs is a Keyblade, more than anything else, and a goal for an adventure. I don't care about your "Queen Xion". She hijacked a whole game to herself.

You're asking for impeccable story telling and expression of friendship between Riku and Namine - especially in games NOT ABOUT THEM - and using the lack of video showing us their friendship to prove that they are not friends... yet, we actually have video evidence of Sora not being a good friend to Kairi, yet we are supposed to buy them as the main romantic ship of the series? You can assume and misinterpret all of the ways that Riku was never friendly to Namine, but what do you call it when Sora goes on a whole adventure and doesn't care about Kairi, is more concerned about Riku than Kairi, doesn't ask Kairi how she is, barely reacts when he gets reunited with her etc. Cleary the series does NOT do well exploring relationships like that, so your expectations for Riku/Namine having a "valid" relationship is something that you can't really argue or justify given the way the only real romantic relationship in this game is portrayed.

I don't know about you, but whenever I see discussions about Riku online, Namine is mentioned often (like this thread). Probably because she was a key part of his growth as a character - something that a *gasp* friend would be. Unfortunately, Namine's importance DOES rely on Riku - as per Nomura's writing. It's not right, but it is what it is. Almost everything that Namine had in KH3 was related to Riku/Repliku. If she weren't connected to Riku, the only thing that she would have gotten was the optional/missable cutscene where she appears as a star, not even in her own body. All I was saying is that - with Nomura - to be used in KH, you have to be linked to Sora/Riku and thankfully Namine is.

Namine doesn't need a keyblade, she needs to get her own storyline and be put to better use.

And what do you mean Xion hijacked a game to herself? Xion was very important in Days and key to that game. Don't come at me just because Namine never got a game.

 

[phoenixmiko]

Seeing as the thread title says sharing ship fanart is okay but I don't see any here, I'm going to drop off some of the RikuShi Data Greetings I made and back away slowly. This rare ship is one of my favourites and I wish there were more fan creations for it. Thank goodness for Data Greeting.

 

[pastel.goblin]

Riku greeting Namine with slightly happy facial expressions was a concrete sign of Riku/Namine being confirmed.

Nomura got wind of this and goes out of his way to change the facial expressions to show barely any expressions whatsoever.

People still consider Riku being the one to greet Namine - regardless of facial expression - a sign of Riku/Namine being a thing.

So, if Nomura really wanted to nip Riku/Namine in the bud, he should have had Roxas/Xion greet Namine instead or Riku/Roxas/Xion greet her - NOT Riku alone.

I'm not going to pretend to understand Nomura's thought process lol, but again, pretty sure it's safe to assume Riku is the one to pick her up because of the Repliku thing, which Nomura decided is randomly important again. Personally I would've loved if Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Riku were all there to greet her, but we got what we got instead

And shippers see what they want to see, myself included lol. For quite a few Riku and Naminé touching hands apparently means canon, whereas y'all can pry KHII's ending and the 2.8 credits from my cold dead hands haha

 

[*TwilightNight*]

You're asking for impeccable story telling and expression of friendship between Riku and Namine - especially in games NOT ABOUT THEM - and using the lack of video showing us their friendship to prove that they are not friends... yet, we actually have video evidence of Sora not being a good friend to Kairi, yet we are supposed to buy them as the main romantic ship of the series? You can assume and misinterpret all of the ways that Riku was never friendly to Namine, but what do you call it when Sora goes on a whole adventure and doesn't care about Kairi, is more concerned about Riku than Kairi, doesn't ask Kairi how she is, barely reacts when he gets reunited with her etc. Cleary the series does NOT do well exploring relationships like that, so your expectations for Riku/Namine having a "valid" relationship is something that you can't really argue or justify given the way the only real romantic relationship in this game is portrayed.

I'm not expecting "impeccable storytelling" and grandiose "expressions of friendship" between Riku and Naminè, what, lmao. It isn't that hard to change dialogue and actions in the minimal scenes they are in together to present them in a more positive light with some concern and/or compassion. It's so basic that to phrase it as something that needs to be so in depth as you claim is so beyond exaggeration. They simply are not presented well.

On top of that, while I'm not a SoKai stan, this isn't room to mix up canon with your own personal, subjective interpretations. I get that SoKai is fun to hate on and dismiss, but Sora has shown to think of her and mention her and care for her and imagined himself dancing with her. On top of a lot of other examples, like, you know, stabbing himself to release her heart from his body. There has never been a case where Sora isn't a good friend to Kairi (not to mention, out of character for him). The execution may be debatable, but Sora focusing and caring for Kairi isn't a point of question or contention. He does. I don't even know why SoKai is brought up to compare Riku/Naminè to when, aside from making inaccurate depictions of SoKai and undermining them to excuse Riku's and Naminè's lack of viable relationship, Riku and Naminè aren't written to be a romance in the series.

I don't know about you, but whenever I see discussions about Riku online, Namine is mentioned often (like this thread). Probably because she was a key part of his growth as a character - something that a *gasp* friend would be. Unfortunately, Namine's importance DOES rely on Riku - as per Nomura's writing. It's not right, but it is what it is. Almost everything that Namine had in KH3 was related to Riku/Repliku. If she weren't connected to Riku, the only thing that she would have gotten was the optional/missable cutscene where she appears as a star, not even in her own body. All I was saying is that - with Nomura - to be used in KH, you have to be linked to Sora/Riku and thankfully Namine is.

Online? I thought you meant in the game, like what happened in KHIII with Roxas' and Naminè's names usually mentioned side by side (i.e. the reports), for instance. Like, what does that matter online? It's only because people are still misinterpreting that ending. Which gives Nomura more incentive to have done what he did.

Your intense need to tie Naminè to Riku is quite drastic. KHIII wasn't about Naminè's importance to Riku, it was about Riku Replica's connection with Naminè and her importance to said replica (as ridiculous as it was, but I digress). Nomura emphasized it himself too in that Ultimania interview. Riku acted on his behalf to make true of the promise he made to him, and that was seen through by the end of III. Now Riku's off on his next adventure. Meaning, the job is done, and there's nothing chaining him to or about Naminè. Just because Riku Replica is a clone of Riku, does not make it about Riku himself. Repliku is his own character, separate from his original, and should be treated as such. He was the one that cared about Naminè, as misguided as it was in my opinion. What you're saying is like me saying that Naminè's importance and only way to be important is her needing to be with Roxas and Sora, who she had a bond with. She's more than that.

Oh, I don't recall the one other time we saw Naminè in KHIII was all about Riku and Riku Replica. Or did Re:Mind not have an entire scene of her in a heart Station about a situation that had nothing to do with either of them where her full model was used?

Namine doesn't need a keyblade, she needs to get her own storyline and be put to better use.

She needs both.

There would be no need for a weapon if she was handled by a better, capable director, but that's not the case.

And what do you mean Xion hijacked a game to herself? Xion was very important in Days and key to that game. Don't come at me just because Namine never got a game.

Roxas was a main character that didn't feel like one because they got Xion to do the things he should have done in his own game. Which he was capable of going by KHII. Point is, Xion's fine where she's at. Go desire her if you wish though.

Seeing as the thread title says sharing ship fanart is okay but I don't see any here, I'm going to drop off some of the RikuShi Data Greetings I made and back away slowly. This rare ship is one of my favourites and I wish there were more fan creations for it. Thank goodness for Data Greeting.

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This is actually pretty cute. The replicas especially. I think they should have interacted in some way, being of similar origin. Solidarity.

Oh, welcome!

 

[MATGSY]

And what do you mean Xion hijacked a game to herself? Xion was very important in Days and key to that game. Don't come at me just because Namine never got a game.

Yeah see that's the thing, people thought Days was gonna be about the organization on a whole, instead of being the Roxas & the fanfic-self-insert-Mary-Sue show. There wasn't even a hint of Xion's existence in KH2 & it never felt like Roxas ordeal had anything to do with her at the time.

 

[*TwilightNight*]

There's something really funny about the fact this thread always turns into Naminé shipping discourse.

The only discourse is because others are triggered [for some reason] that I don't find Riku's and Naminè's relationship/friendship convincing based on their scenes, there's nothing weird about Nomura debunking them, and neither does she need to be tied to Riku to be relevant. Go figure. We don't need female characters to revolve around men to be of use, although for Nomura, that sort of sentiment is like seeing a pink, glittery unicorn--they don't exist.

But Naminè is best girl who is a free agent, so she's shippable.

 

[Elysium]

I think it's because any other ship that Namine's involved with inevitably draws the ire of Roxas/Namine shippers. I mean, I understand, 2 made it seem like they were going to be the thing, especially with how much they mirrored SoKai, and then Xion comes out of nowhere in Days and smashes the chances of that ship to pieces. It's harder for het shippers because they're much more used to their ships becoming canon than slash shippers, so when it doesn't happen, well... Perhaps that explains some of the extreme hatred the fandom has for Xion, too.