Character from Kingdom Hearts by Tetsuya Nomura / Square Enix & Disney
An artificial copy of Riku created by Vexen's Replica Program — he fought for an identity that was never his own and sacrificed himself seeking the dignity of a real existence.
The Riku Replica is one of Kingdom Hearts' most tragic figures. Created by Vexen as an experiment in Castle Oblivion, he was given false memories by Namine that made him believe he was the real Riku — complete with a fabricated childhood friendship with a girl named Namine that never existed. When the truth was revealed, the Replica did not collapse — he raged. If he was not the real Riku, then who was he? The question consumed him. He fought the real Riku multiple times, desperate to prove that copies could be equal to originals. He was manipulated by everyone — Vexen, Marluxia, Larxene — and discarded when his usefulness ended. His ultimate fate is redemptive. In Kingdom Hearts III, his heart lingered and chose to give his replica body to Namine so she could exist independently — an act of selfless love from a being who spent his entire existence being told he had no right to exist.
Physically identical to Riku in his Kingdom Hearts appearance — silver shoulder-length hair, aquamarine eyes, and the same yellow and blue vest. He wields a copy of the Soul Eater dark blade. Indistinguishable from the real Riku in appearance, which is both his greatest weapon and his deepest wound.
Also known as: Riku Replica, Dark Riku, Repliku