Theory On Riku's Blindfold

[Boukyaku]

I was reading through the Secret Ansem Reports in KHII a few minutes ago, and in #3, I noticed something that may point to why Riku wore the blindfold.

"It appears my other five apprentices, believing it was for the sake of research, stared deep into the darkness and were pulled into it"

(Forgive me if that's a bit off.)

If that's to be taken literally, then Riku might have put the blindfold on so he wouldn't be pulled into the darkness and take Xehanort's Heartless's form. Then when he took it off while fighting Roxas, he was pulled into the darkness, and we know what happened after that.

Sorry if someone's already posted a theory like this, just sharing what I found.

 

[uLtIm4]

i always thought that he wuz tryin 2 hide his identity

 

[var1ables]

If that's to be taken literally, then Riku might have put the blindfold on so he wouldn't be pulled into the darkness and take Xehanort's Heartless's form.

Although that is true, there is also a very important quote from CoM, which pretty much defines riku's entire journey.

Riku: I'm...fading... Consumed by the light...
(Riku vanishes into the light.)
Kairi: You won't fade.
(Kairi appears in the white abyss.)
Kairi: You can't fade. No power can defeat you--not the light, not the dark. So don't run from the light--and don't fear the darkness. Both will make you stronger.
Riku: Darkness, too?
Kairi: Especially darkness. Because that power is yours alone. The darkness is your heart is vast and deep, but if you can stare into it unflinching, you'll never know fear again.
Riku: All this time I've been pushing the darkness away...
Kairi: Just be brave. Know that the darkness is there and don't give in. Do that, and you'll gain strength unlike any other. You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness--
Riku: --and I'll be able to see through the brightest light...
Kairi: Follow the darkness, Riku. It'll show you the way to the friends you miss.
Riku: But can I face them...
(Kairi holds her hands together behind her back.)
Kairi: You don't want to?
Riku: You know I do.
(Kairi fades from the abyss of light, replaced by the dark silhouette of Riku.)
Riku: And I will! The darkness--MY darkness--will show me the way!
(Riku returns in his full form.)
Riku: Darkness, awaken!

 

[Boukyaku]

Also, look at this:

Kairi: Know that the darkness is there and don't give in.

It could be that by taking Xehanort's Heartless's form, he would be giving in to the darkness. So he put on the blindfold so he wouldn't, unless it was absolutely nessesary to defeat Roxas. In another Secret Ansem Report, Ansem mentioned that with Roxas being from Organization XIII, he would be difficult to defeat. Riku probably knew this, and saved the transformation as a last resort, to do only if he had to.

 

[Nelo Angelo]

errr...i thought he wore the blindfold because it says something about how his eyes could not lie. so in order to hide the truth about him givin in to the darkness or somethin, he wore a blindfold.

 

[magus1230]

no, his eyes COULD LIE, so he used his heart and felt that it wasnot sora, but his nobody roxas

 

[Iiso]

No, it was because his "eyes couldn't lie" as stated above. They say this in the game. He couldn't lie to Sora and the others, so he hid his face... or something of the sort.

 

[Nelo Angelo]

i thought i was right, but since i hadn't played the game in a while, i thought i got it wrong.

 

[The Conquerer]

The Blindfold is not really anything special. As Riku started to use his darkness powers more, he also started to use some of Xehanort's heartless's power as well. Usually he was able to keep most of Xehanort's heartless's darkness trapped within his own heart. His eyes most likely resembled that of Xehanort's, so he hid them with a blindfold (his eyes could not lie).

While fighting Roxas, Riku was already getting pumpled, he took off his blindfold and released the darkness that was trapped within, he might as well have taken off the blindfold, he took Xehanort's hearltess's form anyway, so there would be no point in keeping blindfold on. It's as simple as that.

 

[Iiso]

YouTube - The World That Never Was - Part 6

2:20

He was "lying to himself". Probably because his eyes resembled Xehonart's, as Conquerer said.

 

[The betwixt mind]

Whoa that makes a lot of sense. Riku was lying to himself. I wonder if thats why he chose the road to dawn.

 

[Hikari713]

Mickey explains it in TWTNW.

 

[Boukyaku]

Let me go into greater detail:

Namine told Riku not to give into the darkness, but to use the powers of both light and darkness. I would like to point out something in the Reverse/Rebirth Re: Chain of Memories credits. Note that when Riku and Mickey are shown walking, and Riku falls, they are in Hollow Bastion. I believe that Mickey took Riku there to tell him the truth about Ansem and Xehanort, like he had told Sora (if you notice, in KHII, Riku seems to know about Xehanort). It could be that that scene happened after Mickey told Riku, and Xehanort's Heartless began troubling Riku even more (causing Riku to fall in the scene). Mickey told Ansem the Wise that "Riku left, well, because Xehanort's Heartless was still inside his heart, troubling him". Nomura has said that Riku put the blindfold on when he left Mickey. I believe that Riku put the blindfold on then so he wouldn't give into the darkness, like Namine told him. But Ansem the Wise said himself: "He must have realized then; to fight in the Realm of Darkness, he would have to immerse himself in that same darkness. And when he did, you saw what became of him". Riku, by taking off the blindfold and 'staring' into the darkness, gave into it. He says it later, after the first part of the final battles; "I had given into the darkness"; and he also comes back onto something else Namine told him; "How am I gonna face everyone?". Namine had mentioned that it would "Show you the way to the friends you miss.", with Riku saying "But can I face them?".

Sorry if that confused you, but I hope it helps explain why I came up with this a bit better.

Also, on the whole 'he wore it to cover his orange eyes' thing, after Mickey says Riku's eyes 'couldn't lie', Riku says he was trying to fool himself. No offence, but I really don't think covering his eyes to hide their color is fooling himself, but everyone else.

 

[var1ables]

Riku, by taking off the blindfold and 'staring' into the darkness, gave into it.

He just had remarkable control over it.If he had "given in" to the darkness, he would lose his sentience and become a heartless no?(Organization members as my basis) No such transformation, excluding his changing form to "ansem", happed. And even in that form, he had complete control and kept his state of mind.

"I had given into the darkness"

get me a video of that, because if i remember correctly, he said that to basically stated why he doesn't feel fit to fight beside sora, a uncorrupted person.

No offence, but I really don't think covering his eyes to hide their color is fooling himself, but everyone else.

Just the game said he did.

 

[Boukyaku]

Go to KH-Vids and click on the link there, should be The World That Never Was Part 2.

Sora: You're coming back with us, right?
Riku: I had given in to the darkness.
Sora: Riku!
Riku: How am I gonna face everyone?
Sora: Like this! *funny face*

And on the 'eyes couldn't lie' thing:

Sora: What was that?
Mickey: His eyes couldn't lie.
Sora: Lie? And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huuuuuuuh?
Riku: Myself.

 

[var1ables]

I've explained this before: riku hasn't ever truly given into the darkness, he always had a part of him that wished to remain in the light, or that had a good purpose. He always had some handle on the darkness, always had a part of him remain sane and sentient. That's why he's never given into the darkness, unlike ansem or any other person in KH, he remain sane as well as sentient.

The first one is him basically saying "i don't deserve to go to destiny islands or fight xenmas with you," as he had given into the darkness before. He has this inferiority complex, one that isn't like others; he blames himself for all the strife in the world, he blames himself for kairi losing her heart, for destiny islands being destroyed, for the org gaining strength, for ansem getting so close to kingdom hearts, for basically everything. He feel that, as a 'person of the darkness,' that he must never go back to the light. He didn't want to be found for that very reason, he feels that he is the darkness. He thinks of himself tragically, as a person whose sins could never be forgiven. That's why he doesn't want to go back to destiny islands, or kill any org member; he thinks that it is out of his place to do so.

 

[Boukyaku]

While I agree with you on him being a bit hard on himself, I don't quite see where you're getting other stuff. He had to give in to the darkness to beat Roxas. Ansem the Wise says so himself. While it may not have made him go insane or anything, he did it.

 

[var1ables]

Giving in denotes it has control over him, whereas embracing it is quite different. I believe riku embraced the darkness, rather than gave into it. THe last of ansem's other reports confirms this belief:

Yes, Riku.
There was weakness in his heart that was exploited by the darkness, but he
defeated it with the hope that he discovered at the extremities of his
suffering, and even retained the darkness of the heart of his enemy as his own
power.

 

[scarced]

When he worked for ansem he ws trying to get back to his body but he made riku go int oansems body.But i think there was a huge clash or light.

 

[Zesty]

king mickey tells u wh y before ansem the wise dies
he said "his eyes could lie"
he was tryin to fool the org, sora, and himself so he could help sora witout him being found out