How Terra Compares to Riku in Kingdom Hearts

gamerant.com:

The Kingdom Hearts series is known for drawing parallels between some of the more prominent characters introduced in spin-offs and numbered titles. This is most visible with the direct comparisons that can be drawn between Birth by Sleep's darker protagonist Terra and Riku from the original Kingdom Hearts titles.

At the surface level, many fans know that both Riku and Terra's names are similar, both generally equating to «land» or «earth» in Japanese and Latin respectively. However, looking at the paths these two take across the Kingdom Hearts series, there is a surprising amount of overlap in their narratives, both with the powers they rely on and the people who attempt to manipulate them.

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The most obvious place to start when it comes to comparing Riku and Terra is by looking at how both utilize the powers of both Light and Darkness throughout the series. In the case of the Kingdom Hearts series, Light and Dark are less moral ambiguities or sides of another power, but instead actual forces of magic that can be harnessed by characters like Riku and Terra. From the very start of the series, Riku is shown to have a certain affinity for the darkness, and the same is seen with the introduction of Terra from Birth by Sleep.

For Riku, he's originally presented as young and more than a little arrogant, always having to be better than main series protagonist Sora and having a need to prove himself — something that lures him to the power of Darkness. On the other end, Terra struggles to control the Darkness that naturally exists within his heart, only leaning on that power as he searches desperately for validation and the strength to defend his friends. Either way, this need