Why, in the first KH, Riku thanked Kairi for making him realize the existence of other worlds?
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My personal take on it:
In Birth by Sleep Riku mentions knowledge of a "boy" who "left" the island. He says it rather vaguely, as if this is some legend and isn't an indisputable fact. However, he correctly guesses that Terra is from another world because he believes there are other worlds out there on top of not recognizing him from the mainland. So, yeah, Riku was aware of other worlds before he met Kairi, considering that these events would have been maybe roughly a year or so before Kairi made it to the island in the first place.
So we know that Riku knew about other worlds, vaguely at least, from what was essentially an urban legend, and from running into a guy once when he was a kid (and it isn't clear exactly if Riku actually remembers the event of meeting Terra at all but let's just assume he does).
Kairi arriving was very solid proof of the other worlds. Even if it isn't where he LEARNED about them, it definitely was solid confirmation. Confirmation beyond a one time meeting and a word of mouth story, anyway.
But more importantly, I don't think he was thanking her for teaching him about the outside world.
If we look at what he says in KH1
To me, this sounds like he is talking more about destiny and their place in the world as a whole. Even if he has confirmation of other worlds or not, he is wondering why their destiny was to be on that island. What brought them THERE as opposed to anywhere else? And what destiny do they play in the greater part of the universe. I think it's something that most people growing up question to themselves at some point or other.
I think the fact that Kairi, who he knows came from another world, came to THEIR island made him question what the reason behind that was. What was destiny playing at when it allowed her to hop worlds like that? He is thinking about all the "what ifs" in the world and its inspiring him to finally, finally find that way out of there to see what their destiny really is.
He is thanking Kairi, I think, because she inspired him to question destiny. Before meeting Kairi, I think he wanted to go to other worlds for the adventure more than anything else. Get stronger, protect his friends, have a good exciting time. But after meeting Kairi I think he started to question if there was some greater purpose in it.
In Birth by Sleep Riku mentions knowledge of a "boy" who "left" the island. He says it rather vaguely, as if this is some legend and isn't an indisputable fact. However, he correctly guesses that Terra is from another world because he believes there are other worlds out there on top of not recognizing him from the mainland. So, yeah, Riku was aware of other worlds before he met Kairi, considering that these events would have been maybe roughly a year or so before Kairi made it to the island in the first place.
So we know that Riku knew about other worlds, vaguely at least, from what was essentially an urban legend, and from running into a guy once when he was a kid (and it isn't clear exactly if Riku actually remembers the event of meeting Terra at all but let's just assume he does).
Kairi arriving was very solid proof of the other worlds. Even if it isn't where he LEARNED about them, it definitely was solid confirmation. Confirmation beyond a one time meeting and a word of mouth story, anyway.
But more importantly, I don't think he was thanking her for teaching him about the outside world.
If we look at what he says in KH1
To me, this sounds like he is talking more about destiny and their place in the world as a whole. Even if he has confirmation of other worlds or not, he is wondering why their destiny was to be on that island. What brought them THERE as opposed to anywhere else? And what destiny do they play in the greater part of the universe. I think it's something that most people growing up question to themselves at some point or other.
I think the fact that Kairi, who he knows came from another world, came to THEIR island made him question what the reason behind that was. What was destiny playing at when it allowed her to hop worlds like that? He is thinking about all the "what ifs" in the world and its inspiring him to finally, finally find that way out of there to see what their destiny really is.
He is thanking Kairi, I think, because she inspired him to question destiny. Before meeting Kairi, I think he wanted to go to other worlds for the adventure more than anything else. Get stronger, protect his friends, have a good exciting time. But after meeting Kairi I think he started to question if there was some greater purpose in it.
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Riku does indeed remember meeting Terra. In KHDDD, before the battle with Ansem SoD, Riku says to him: 'You know... when I look at you... there's this memory that flashes back. A secret I said I'd keep when I was little. The main reason I kept dreaming about seeing the outside world... was 'cause of him.' So Riku not only does remember Terra, he is aware that apprentice Xehanort's heartless looks similar to Terra. Nomura probably forgot that in KH1 Riku thanks Kairi for making he realize about other worlds...
If anyone is curious, I'm almost positive that the boy he is talking about in this scene is Xehanort as a young boy training to wield the keyblade. Sorry, I know this doesn't have much to do with anything, but I always thought it was a cool connection that Xehanort and SRK both happen to be islanders.
Yeah, that's it. Even in BbS, 5 years old Riku talks about that boy (oh shi wuddup) with Terra, so it wasn't Terra himself.
Onto the question:
So, either Riku not mentioning Terra was because he also forgot parts of that after all those years, or he was just keeping quiet and so, having to give out a reason about his interest for the outside world, he attributed that to Kairi as a front.
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Because when the first game was made they didn't have plans at the time of the future games and expanded lore/sequels, and certainly not of BBS. That's the actual answer.
It might technically be a retcon, but for me I actually prefer the Terra scene they added for being the first time Riku heard/became aware of other words; it's a more fitting way for him to have that be the birth of his obsession with finding other worlds. Having the keyblade passed down from a strange warrior to him as a 5 year old fits as a better precursor to his later borderline insanity as a teenager, rather than because a girl fell from the sky (it made his character much creepier to me in KH1 when they implied it was related to an obsession with Kairi imo).
But the "official" reason also fits nicely; that maybe Riku had thought he imagined the Terra meeting and put it at the back of his mind as only a soft confirmation, with Kairi coming to their world only a year later be the full confirmation and solid proof of other worlds. Two encounters of proof to fuel his obsession and longing to leave his home world.
It might technically be a retcon, but for me I actually prefer the Terra scene they added for being the first time Riku heard/became aware of other words; it's a more fitting way for him to have that be the birth of his obsession with finding other worlds. Having the keyblade passed down from a strange warrior to him as a 5 year old fits as a better precursor to his later borderline insanity as a teenager, rather than because a girl fell from the sky (it made his character much creepier to me in KH1 when they implied it was related to an obsession with Kairi imo).
But the "official" reason also fits nicely; that maybe Riku had thought he imagined the Terra meeting and put it at the back of his mind as only a soft confirmation, with Kairi coming to their world only a year later be the full confirmation and solid proof of other worlds. Two encounters of proof to fuel his obsession and longing to leave his home world.
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Even in KH1, it's shown that Riku wasn't being entirely truthful about his comment. We see a flashback of Sora and Riku as kids with Riku expressing his desire for leaving their world and all that. At the very end of the scene, Sora is the one who tells Riku about Kairi, meaning he already felt this way before even learning about her.
You shouldn't be almost positive, you should be 100% positive because that's how it is. Not so much "training", maybe, but he was definitely from the islands.
I just didn't mention it in my comment because at the time, obviously, Riku had no idea the "boy" referenced was Xehanort.
Thanks for pointing out that quote, didn't remember it.
And I still stand by what I said that maybe while he originally was "thanking" her or it could be seen that way, I think it was less of thanking her about giving him knowledge of other worlds and more-so thanking her for making him consider destiny and things of that nature.
*shrugs*
Or it is just something that was glossed over because they didn't plan Xehanort out when they wrote the script to KH1.
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