Riku confirmed as playable character in Kingdom Hearts III

[Leamax 746]

In the Final Battle trailer, it was confirmed that Riku will be playable. In a short clip, we see Riku facing the Demon Tide in the Realm of Darkness. 

Nomura hinted about a second playable character back in 2017 and now it looks like it will be Riku.

What do you think about Riku being the second playable character in Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below!

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[Lu Xun 2,069]

I wanted to play as Aqua again, but Riku will be fine as well

[Movies798 1,358]

In my opinion, I wanted Kairi to be a playable character. Hopefully Nomura surprises me that we have more than two playable characters. 

[ocean's rage 772]

its gonna be epic

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

Not a surprise here. Going to be sweet stuff.

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

I only hope leveling Him up to wont feel like an exhausting chore but I can Imagine that riku will have his very own storyline entirely focused on him

1 hour ago, KingdomHearts3 said:

Not a surprise here. Going to be sweet stuff.

agreed it seems like the only logical natural choice

Edited December 17, 2018 by Dustin Lübbers

[Tyranto Rex 277]

Was kinda hoping for a new character like Kairi or Lea or someone completely left field like Young Xehanort, since they were treating this like a surpise and Riku's....not really that surpising. Now I love Riku and I'm excited for whatever his story is gonna be, but I can't help but be a little disappointed, if he is the only other playble character.

[AwesomeKHfan 1,250]

I'm kind of disapointed don't take it the wrong way I like Riku I like playing as him but it was pretty predictable move from Nomura and Square Enix. We played as him in Kingdom Hearts 2 and he did appear in many trailers etc but I was expecting the second playable character to be either Mickey or Kairi because people have been begging for years to play as these two even during the reveal of KH3's existence to the public people asked if Mickey was playable infront of Nomura.

I don't exactly get the decision behind paying Riku again, It's not a decision I would've made as director but if Nomura thinks it works better story wise than sure.

[RikuFangirl2008 1,368]

HE'S PLAYABLE! *fangirling* 

[Tyranto Rex 277]

5 minutes ago, AwesomeKHfan said:

I'm kind of disapointed don't take it the wrong way I like Riku I like playing as him but it was pretty predictable move from Nomura and Square Enix. We played as him in Kingdom Hearts 2 and he did appear in many trailers etc but I was expecting the second playable character to be either Mickey or Kairi because people have been begging for years to play as these two even during the reveal of KH3's existence to the public people asked if Mickey was playable infront of Nomura.

I don't exactly get the decision behind paying Riku again, It's not a decision I would've made as director but if Nomura thinks it works better story wise than sure.

Mickey would be great to play as as well. Maybe there is another playable character and it's secret? Like, it feels like I'm being mean to Riku but I was super excited for a new character dang it.

[Awesome Sauce 634]

Looking at his command menu, I've got a feeling he'll be like Mickey in KH2, i.e only playable during certain boss fights or sections. I hope it's not the case, though.

[Movies798 1,358]

5 hours ago, AwesomeKHfan said:

I'm kind of disapointed don't take it the wrong way I like Riku I like playing as him but it was pretty predictable move from Nomura and Square Enix. We played as him in Kingdom Hearts 2 and he did appear in many trailers etc but I was expecting the second playable character to be either Mickey or Kairi because people have been begging for years to play as these two even during the reveal of KH3's existence to the public people asked if Mickey was playable infront of Nomura.

I don't exactly get the decision behind paying Riku again, It's not a decision I would've made as director but if Nomura thinks it works better story wise than sure.

Not just KH2 but Riku was a playable character in Dream Drop Distance.

[Kameron Smith 0]

Can we play as Roxas again to please Riku is cool and all but Roxas is my Favorite 

[Tails 6,690]

6 hours ago, Movies798 said:

Not just KH2 but Riku was a playable character in Dream Drop Distance.

Don't forget about Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days.

[RikuMickeyFan1997 9]

Yes!!! I accept!

[Master Keeper 687]

To be honest, playing as Master Riku was predictable because of his importance to the storyline. However, I still feel that we should play as many other characters like Master Aqua, Ventus, King Mickey, Roxas and Kairi, each one of them got their own styles of gameplay and would be enjoyable to play as. 

Perhaps they could divide them into different roles, for example playing as Kairi only in tutorials, Master Aqua and Roxas by the final phase of the game and freely afterwards, while Ventus and King Mickey to appear secretly in boss fights similar to Riku and King Mickey in KHII. 

With that we would get some fair distribution of different Trios and characters and enjoy the experience fully rather than focusing on Sora and Riku the whole time.

[Movies798 1,358]

6 hours ago, Tails said:

Don't forget about Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days.

Chain of Memories yes. But I don't count 358/2 Days because Riku wasn't playable during the game's story.

[2 quid is good 2,209]

I don't think this came as a shock to anyone, Riku is only second to Sora in the amount of games he's been playable in, with Roxas and Aqua joint third.

However I wouldn't be surprised at all if we controlled other characters during side scenes to the main plot, like Kairi or Lea during their training.

 

[HarLea Quinn 26,501]

Honestly although I enjoy playing as Riku it was predictable and we have already played as him.  It will be a completely wasted opportunity if it turns out no other characters are playable when we know Nomura could have worked in more characters and knows there's a hugely popular demand for them. I am still holding out that this is still the case and there are others playable as well. It could've been fit in the storyline and on the PS4/Xbox1 capabilities so really there's no excuse in my opinion.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

39 minutes ago, HarLea Quinn said:

Honestly although I enjoy playing as Riku it was predictable and we have already played as him.  It will be a completely wasted opportunity if it turns out no other characters are playable when we know Nomura could have worked in more characters and knows there's a hugely popular demand for them. I am still holding out that this is still the case and there are others playable as well. It could've been fit in the storyline and on the PS4/Xbox1 capabilities so really there's no excuse in my opinion.

I could not say this any better.  We have already played as Riku and it would be a shame to get fans all hyped for another playable character when it only turns out to be Riku again.  It would be nothing new.  What I am hoping is that we get to play Sora, Riku, and Kairi's adventure, sort of like BBS with Ven, Terra, and Aqua, but I am somewhat doubting this to be the case.

I'm going to say that we will get to play as Riku in addition to some other playable character, since I feel that this surely wasn't what Nomura was referring to.  If it is, though, I will be rather disappointed, even though Riku is perhaps my favorite character in the entire franchise.

[Tails 6,690]

6 hours ago, Movies798 said:

Chain of Memories yes. But I don't count 358/2 Days because Riku wasn't playable during the game's story.

True. But he was playable in the game's mission mode. So even though it had nothing to do with the game's story it was still a game where Riku was playable.

[Kittenz 4,281]

To be honest, i'm disappointed if this is all it turns out to be. Like others have said, Riku is the most predictable choice. I like Riku, and I am excited to see how he will play this time around, but I wonder if it will just feel like 0.2, and of course, playable Kairi has been my wish for a long time.  

The scenes of Kairi and Lea seem to take place over more than one day, so there's still a chance for a Kairi tutorial, but I'm losing hope. Seeing a bit of Roxas late game or Young Xehanort in the past would of been a nice surprise, too.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Kittenz

[ienzo628 548]

I wanted to play as Lea.  He's the only keyblade wielder that can wield two types of weapons: chakrams and now a keyblade.  I would love to see how his battle style is.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

This is so exciting, I'm so happy we'll get to play as Riku again! It's only fitting that we get to play as him as well for the final chapter in the Xehanort Saga! Thank you for sharing this with us, Leamax! :'D

When I saw that Riku was playable, I flipped! I'm pretty sure he's gonna have some insane abilities and skills to unlock that'll make him a beast on the battlefield!

[Ttimer¾ 0]

Would be awesome if they have a minigames or side missions like 358/ 2 days with many different playable characters, like Organization 13, and the different keyblade weilders. 

But I do want to play as Kiari, Lea, Aqua, and Ventus.i wonder if there will be an ability to switch between keyblade characters in the party (but won't be holding my breath)

Still pretty stocked!