While surfing Tumblr, I came across a post appreciating Riku and his magnificent character arc, and about how the poster thought he should be the main character- and that got me thinking, what if he was supposed to be?
I'm talking strictly in-universe speculation, here.
He was the only one of the trio officially chosen to receive the keyblade, and just like TAV’s keys, the Kingdom Key matches with all of his color schemes on par with/better than it does with Sora’s(the main exceptions being the outfits he gains from other people- Xehanort's dark mode and the Org XIII cloak).
Plus it’s not just any keyblade. The Kingdom Key is somehow super significant to the KH universe as a whole. Aside from being easily the most simplistic in design, it’s the only keyblade with a confirmed Realm of Darkness counterpart (Lightseeker, AKA Kingdom Key D) and it visually makes up a large portion of the χ-Blade.
But, everything changed when the Heartless (nation) attacked. That night on the island, the strength of Riku’s heart wavered and the Kingdom Key moved down the line to Sora, setting Riku down a path to redemption made darker in the presence of Sora’s light. Eventually Riku got his own keyblade that more adequately portrayed his journey and struggles. But what if he hadn't been passed in the first place?
Assuming nothing else changed up until the Kingdom Key made its choice, we'd be faced with a severely different series. I can't say that Riku would make the same decisions as Sora, or even be in the same situations. But I do know his story of redemption and growth from keyblade-rejected pawn of darkness to the next Keyblade Master is very fitting of a universe saving hero.
And maybe that's how everything was meant to go down before Sora took control of the keyblade. In the popular Fortellers Reborn theory, Riku is one of the fated warriors returning to battle and it is Sora who is the unexpected hero who was not destined to help decide the fate of the universe but joins none the less (well, also Lea and Mickey, but I digress)
The point of these crazed ramblings is that
A: Riku, regardless of his past failings seems to have always been destined for greatness of some kind, and
B: There is something deeply special about the Kingdom Key and I refuse to believe it's just because it's the brand mascot
I'm talking strictly in-universe speculation, here.
He was the only one of the trio officially chosen to receive the keyblade, and just like TAV’s keys, the Kingdom Key matches with all of his color schemes on par with/better than it does with Sora’s(the main exceptions being the outfits he gains from other people- Xehanort's dark mode and the Org XIII cloak).
Spoiler Show
Plus it’s not just any keyblade. The Kingdom Key is somehow super significant to the KH universe as a whole. Aside from being easily the most simplistic in design, it’s the only keyblade with a confirmed Realm of Darkness counterpart (Lightseeker, AKA Kingdom Key D) and it visually makes up a large portion of the χ-Blade.
Spoiler Show
But, everything changed when the Heartless (nation) attacked. That night on the island, the strength of Riku’s heart wavered and the Kingdom Key moved down the line to Sora, setting Riku down a path to redemption made darker in the presence of Sora’s light. Eventually Riku got his own keyblade that more adequately portrayed his journey and struggles. But what if he hadn't been passed in the first place?
Assuming nothing else changed up until the Kingdom Key made its choice, we'd be faced with a severely different series. I can't say that Riku would make the same decisions as Sora, or even be in the same situations. But I do know his story of redemption and growth from keyblade-rejected pawn of darkness to the next Keyblade Master is very fitting of a universe saving hero.
And maybe that's how everything was meant to go down before Sora took control of the keyblade. In the popular Fortellers Reborn theory, Riku is one of the fated warriors returning to battle and it is Sora who is the unexpected hero who was not destined to help decide the fate of the universe but joins none the less (well, also Lea and Mickey, but I digress)
The point of these crazed ramblings is that
A: Riku, regardless of his past failings seems to have always been destined for greatness of some kind, and
B: There is something deeply special about the Kingdom Key and I refuse to believe it's just because it's the brand mascot