One of Riku's (lesser-noticed?) K.O. quotes

[Pisceanreve]

In KH2, if you die in battle, his last words (well, just word) will be "Kairi..."
and I'm wondering if he still loves her in that way like he did in the first game. I had thought that he only viewed her as a close friend after the events of the first game, but hearing that, I'm starting to wonder.
Any thoughts?

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

In KH2, if you die in battle, his last words (well, just word) will be "Kairi..."
and I'm wondering if he still loves her in that way like he did in the first game. I had thought that he only viewed her as a close friend after the events of the first game, but hearing that, I'm starting to wonder.
Any thoughts?

It's possible that he still has feelings for her. Only the future can tell, especially since he gave her keyblade and shielded her from Saix's attack.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

[video=youtube;t8rHzGYj5ic]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8rHzGYj5ic[/video]

Think about it, if he died while trying to save Sora his last thought would probably be something like "I failed Kairi" because Kairi would have been waiting for them and they would have died.

If that has anything to do with the small crush Riku had on Kairi in KH1, I guess it is possible. The series hasn't really expanded on Riku's feelings for Kairi in that capacity beyond the rivalry he had with Sora when it came to her affection...and I'm still not convinced he was doing that because he 100% had a thing for her. It seems more like a mix of his jealousy over Sora and some feelings for Kairi.

I would personally disagree, if only because Riku's very protective of his friends and usually takes on a lot of guilt for things that he can't control. Him saying "Kairi" seems like an extension of that guilt in the event he failed to protect Sora.

 

[Ruran]

Riku and and Kairi's relationship as a whole is pretty unexplored, all we really know about them is that they're, well, friends. It's even questionable in the first game how much he liked her since they dropped hints that the reason he was crushing on her was because she was "the girl from another world"; Riku being obsessed as he was to leave. While he no doubt cares about her, whether he had a legitimate crush on her or was more infatuated with the idea of her is up to speculation. Then as lycoris mentioned there's the whole rivalry thing. So the question is if he ever had real feeling for her to begin with.

 

[Rydgea]

That read also sounds like "Kairi... I'm sorry." Like lycoris said, it just sounds like he's expressing disappointment. In the end, he's just saying her name, and it can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, though there's really no basis to suggest there's some sort of underlying romance.

TAV and RAX all thought of eachother when facing crisis too.

 

[kupo1121]

I don't believe he has any feelings for her. If that came out of nowhere before KH5, it just wouldn't make sense since we have next to no explanation on their relationship.

As for the quote, I think it is because, if you fail to save Sora and die, clearly Sora is going to die, so the only one left is going to be Kairi so perhaps it is the guilt he feels that they both failed her.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

It's truly astounding how far some people go to implement/imply romantic subtext as if there are no other possible reasons in the whole universe. <__<

Makes one wonder why some people are always so hellbent to see romance in everything, even things like i.e. giving her a Keyblade or shielding her from Saix do not necessarily imply romanic interest as body language and affectionate actions can mean so much more diverse feelings behind it.
Sometimes I really get the impression western fans are utterly narrow-minded and can only think of one form of affection and love...

 

[Pisceanreve]

It's truly astounding how far some people go to implement/imply romantic subtext as if there are no other possible reasons in the whole universe. <__<

Makes one wonder why some people are always so hellbent to see romance in everything, even things like i.e. giving her a Keyblade or shielding her from Saix do not necessarily imply romanic interest as body language and affectionate actions can mean so much more diverse feelings behind it.
Sometimes I really get the impression western fans are utterly narrow-minded and can only think of one form of affection and love...

I don't think giving her the keyblade was out of anything but friendship, but I was saying that he had feelings for her in the first game so I was wondering if they carried over...don't be so accusatory :/

 

[Zettaflare]

While I think that riku may of had romantic feelings towards kairi in kh1, his feelings towards her now may be that of friendship and nothing more. This may have to do with riku not wanting to be in the way of sora and kairi, knowing full well how both of them feel towards each other.

 

[Moonlight Aqua]

I really there isn't any romantic reasons behind the "Kairi" thing. I heard it in my game, but I always thought maybe because he failed to help Sora or her. As for shipping... Idk if they'll even expand on the romance in these games. How many years passed and not even a single progress has been made between the supposedly Sora and Kairi shipping since KH2... (The hug) We mostly only seen very intense bro-mance in the recent games. But it would be nice to see something like that but the theme of these games are friendships, so I starting to doubt any romance. That's IMHO of course.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

I don't think giving her the keyblade was out of anything but friendship, but I was saying that he had feelings for her in the first game so I was wondering if they carried over...don't be so accusatory :/

If any of the feelings Riku had for Kairi in KH 1 were of the romantic sort or not is up to interpretation, as it was never confirmed that they were. So if there was anything to carry over in the first place is questionable.

I apologize for my sharp choice of words nonetheless as they were not really well chosen.
There are parts of the fandom that need to romanticize every slight showing of affection and do pairing-stuff left and right, and in a series centered around friendship with the message that love doesn't need to be romantic to be powerful I do have to admit that ticks me off, but that doesn't mean one has to generalize things and get too aggressive. <__<

As for shipping... Idk if they'll even expand on the romance in these games. How many years passed and not even a single progress has been made between the supposedly Sora and Kairi shipping since KH2... (The hug) We mostly only seen very intense bro-mance in the recent games. But it would be nice to see something like that but the theme of these games are friendships, so I starting to doubt any romance. That's IMHO of course.

That's because any of the romantic stuff concerning the original characters in the series is meant to be ambigious and therefore not expanded.
All the shipping and pairings regardless of gender combination exist only in the minds of the fandom.

There are hints thrown out throughout the games that can be interpreted as indicators of romantic interest for various pairings with some (like Sora & Kairi) more obvious than others, but many of those can also be interpreted completely different.

 

[SoRikuIsCanon]

I really don't think that Riku has had or has any "romantic" feelings for Kairi.
If you really look into, it seems like Riku is jealous of Sora's "slighting" hinted at crush on Kairi...
(in which case the hinted at "crush" vibe in KH1 pretty disappeared in KH2... at least I think so. And the only real hint at Sora and Kairi liking each other was the drawings in the cave. But if you really thing about it... Sora may of drew the paopu star going to Kairi because he too was jealous of Riku's teasing him about Kairi possibly making Sora think Riku may like her when he actually didn't.)
But, no pairing is canon until said so by officials.
Sorry I went off topic just a wee bit there.

Anyways, it seems like to me Riku has a crush on his look time childhood, Sora. Not Kairi.
I mean he was pretty much using Kairi as bait for Sora in KH1.
Not to mention he seemed more or less unconcerned for her though of KH1.
The only time in KH1 that he seemed like he had any real concern for her was when he told Sora to keep her safe.
Because they both know that Kairi isn't strong like the two of them are.

In KH2 Riku and Kairi's friendship seemed a little bit better.
But, I don't think he's "in love" with her or ever was.
Everyone sees things differently, this is just how I personally see it.
Either way, ship what you like

 

[kupo1121]

Makes one wonder why some people are always so hellbent to see romance in everything, even things like i.e. giving her a Keyblade or shielding her from Saix do not necessarily imply romanic interest as body language and affectionate actions can mean so much more diverse feelings behind it.
Sometimes I really get the impression western fans are utterly narrow-minded and can only think of one form of affection and love...

Riku can't love Kairi...him and Mickey are totes getting together in KH3

I was saying that he had feelings for her in the first game so I was wondering if they carried over

Honestly, I never saw any romantic feelings towards Kairi in KH1 either like Sephy didn't. I mean, sure he joked with Sora about the papou fruit but in the end, I think that was just them being 2 really good friends and one making fun of the other for his crush. It happens between friends in school, kind of like this:

Just friends making each other uncomfortable haha

(in which case the hinted at "crush" vibe in KH1 pretty disappeared in KH2... at least I think so. And the only real hint at Sora and Kairi liking each other was the drawings in the cave. But if you really thing about it... Sora may of drew the paopu star going to Kairi because he too was jealous of Riku's teasing him about Kairi possibly making Sora think Riku may like her when he actually didn't.)

Well there was that whole Halloweentown moment in KH2 where Sora saw him and Kairi dancing together and wanted to get her a gift. However, because it is never explicitly stated that it is romantic, both the drawing and the dance segment can be interpreted as friendship but are the 2 harder moments of the series to deny romance.

 

[SoRikuIsCanon]

Well there was that whole Halloweentown moment in KH2 where Sora saw him and Kairi dancing together and wanted to get her a gift. However, because it is never explicitly stated that it is romantic, both the drawing and the dance segment can be interpreted as friendship but are the 2 harder moments of the series to deny romance.

Yes I know. But I mean, I can picture me and my friend/friends dancing and I want to give my friends gifts all the time.
Like you said, those segments can be interpreted as friendship. I think out of all the moments the drawing would be the hardest to deny because of the fruits rumored meaning.
However, it still remains the fact that it could simply just be a friendly act between the two friends. For example, I would want to be with my friends forever.
Who knows... maybe if there were a Riku drawing Sora would have drawn another star for him.

I think Sora is just so innocent he doesn't realize Riku or Kairi's feelings toward him. He's cute like that and not to mention, he's only 14 years old in KH1. My brother is almost 14 as well and there is no way he knows "romantic" kind of love for sure.
He's had tons of childhood girlfriends and all that and he has a girlfriend now that's broken with counts of times and then got back together again; over and over again, It's silly, It's obviously nothing to serious; because he's still a kid. I'm not saying some young kids/teens can't know romantic love... but not a lot do. In this case, I think Sora is just confused over his over all feelings in KH1.

I can just see more evidence and hints for Riku/Sora then Sora/Kairi to begin with.
I mean some of those proof videos, written out proofs and essays out there for the pair. It's just, WOW!

Sorry to be slightly off of topic again. My thoughts on Riku/Kairi remain the same. Nothing more than friends...
they barely even have interaction in the games to have there be anything else. lol

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Riku can't love Kairi...him and Mickey are totes getting together in KH3

Oh you...*ggg*

Honestly, I never saw any romantic feelings towards Kairi in KH1 either like Sephy didn't. I mean, sure he joked with Sora about the papou fruit but in the end, I think that was just them being 2 really good friends and one making fun of the other for his crush. It happens between friends in school, kind of like this:

Just friends making each other uncomfortable haha

Yep, it's all a question of interpretation.

Well there was that whole Halloweentown moment in KH2 where Sora saw him and Kairi dancing together and wanted to get her a gift. However, because it is never explicitly stated that it is romantic, both the drawing and the dance segment can be interpreted as friendship but are the 2 harder moments of the series to deny romance.

Objectively spoken these are of course some of the situations that can be more easily interpreted as romantic interest or at least a form of crush, but that's again all about it. The paopu fruit itself is actually not a token of romance, that's only one interpretation of it (which comes mostly from Selphie in a typical teen swooning interpretation), as the general saying is only that sharing one intertwines the destinies of people who do so and makes them a part of each others lives. It is nowhere said that "sharing a paopu" has to happen only between two people, and TAV arguably even represent the other side of it, it's certainly not a marriage proposal or "I want to have babies with you"-type of ritual.

Yes I know. But I mean, I can picture me and my friend/friends dancing and I want to give my friends gifts all the time.
Like you said, those segments can be interpreted as friendship. I think out of all the moments the drawing would be the hardest to deny because of the fruits rumored meaning.
However, it still remains the fact that it could simply just be a friendly act between the two friends. For example, I would want to be with my friends forever.
Who knows... maybe if there were a Riku drawing Sora would have drawn another star for him.

Yeah, that's exactly why all these scenes are kept ambigious. As for the drawing I already said my two cents about the paopu fruit above.
Given Sora's tendency to not pick favorites but love everyone equally (it's even somewhat lampshaded by Ansem the Wise in DDD) this interpretation isn't that farfetched.
If there were drawings of Naminé, Donald, Goofy or any of the other main characters deeply connected to Sora I guess they would also receive a paopu share.

I can just see more evidence and hints for Riku/Sora then Sora/Kairi to begin with.
I mean some of those proof videos, written out proofs and essays out there for the pair. It's just, WOW!

Sorry to be slightly off of topic again. My thoughts on Riku/Kairi remain the same. Nothing more than friends...
they barely even have interact in the games to have there be anything else. lol

See again, ambigiousity and up to interpretation.
All those "proof"-videos, essays and stuff for that pairing are also only interpretations and have no more and also no less credibility than any Sora/Kairi-videos/essays and stuff that is out there.

Also, the "nothing more than friends"-statement is something that irks me in general, as the "more than" implies that love between friends is worth less than romanic love and romance being the "ultimate pinnacle" of love.
Love doesn't come in general tiers like "Romance > family love > friends > acquaintances" for everyone, it is entirely possible for people to give one form of love more preference over the others.

 

[SoRikuIsCanon]

Oh you...*ggg*

If there were drawings of Naminé, Donald, Goofy or any of the other main characters deeply connected to Sora I guess they would also receive a paopu share.

See again, ambigiousity and up to interpretation.
All those "proof"-videos, essays and stuff for that pairing are also only interpretations and have no more and also no less credibility than any Sora/Kairi-videos/essays and stuff that is out there.

Also, the "nothing more than friends"-statement is something that irks me in general, as the "more than" implies that love between friends is worth less than romantic love and romance being the "ultimate pinnacle" of love.
Love doesn't come in general tiers like "Romance > family love > friends > acquaintances" for everyone, it is entirely possible for people to give one form of love more preference over the others.

He probably would.

I agree everything is up to interpretation and not everyone is going see eye to eye on the pairing they prefer, because everyone views the pairings differently.
I wasn't implying that... by saying "nothing more than friends" I meant they do not have romantic feelings toward each other just the friendly kind of feelings.
That statement was in no one way, shape or form and insult to their friendship.
I agree all love should be viewed equally... however, I was just simply pointing out that I don't see Riku and Kairi having any kind of "romantic" love in their relationship.
"Nothing more than friends." is just a figure of speech, and is often used in conversion when friends are mistaken as a couple.