And what would you have them do?
Just a fun prompt to think about 😊
Disneyland could be a lot of fun. I think Sora would be too excited to go but it feels like they might end up competing the whole time haha.
I’m also genuinely thinking about Destiny Islands. Maybe a simple relaxed night, properly stargazing.
One thing I’ve been wondering about is whether Sora and Riku’s decision to remain together in the Realm of Darkness evokes the Japanese literary trope of shinjū (心中).
I’m not saying KH2 is literally reenacting a shinjū story. Rather, it struck me because shinjū often centers on lovers who find that life itself has become incompatible with their relationship. Rather than accept separation, they choose to share the same fate.
Obviously, Sora and Riku don’t die. They eventually find a way home. But the choice itself is interesting. Everyone else is safe. Sora could have wanted to return immediately, especially if Kairi were his primary motivation. Instead, he calmly accepts remaining in the Realm of Darkness with Riku. If this is where they have to stay, then they’ll stay together.
The reason I even consider this is because Nomura has never been shy about drawing on Japanese cultural and religious imagery elsewhere in Kingdom Hearts.
The opening of KH2, for example, places the sleeping Sora inside a lotus-like pod before Roxas returns to him and Sora awakens, imagery that many people have connected to Buddhist symbolism surrounding rebirth and awakening. Whether or not every visual has one definitive meaning, it shows that Nomura is comfortable weaving these kinds of cultural motifs into his storytelling.
If that’s the case, then I don’t think it’s unreasonable to at least ask whether Japanese literary traditions surrounding romance might also influence how certain scenes are framed.
In the West, we certainly have stories where lovers die together, so the general idea isn’t foreign. But I don’t think it occupies quite the same cultural space. For many Western players, Sora deciding to stay with Riku can easily register as “that’s what heroes do for their best friend.” For a Japanese audience, that same choice may carry additional romantic resonance simply because of the literary tradition surrounding it.
In my humble opinion, it would be Mickey. I know he knows how Riku feels about Sora, but because he’s the Mouse himself, he has to water down the language every time. 😭
When he talks to Riku about finding the “strength to protect what matters,” I can’t help but think Mickey has spent enough time with him to understand exactly where Riku’s heart is. He knows how deeply Riku cares about Sora, and because he’s always been one of Riku’s biggest supporters, I fully believe he’d be rooting for them. And let’s not forget that he also met the Data versions of the boys and got to watch the Sora and Riku dynamic play out all over again through that simulation.
My next pick… and please hear me out…
Ansem the Wise.
The turning point for him was literally witnessing the depth of Riku’s devotion to Sora. It took seeing Riku willingly sacrifice his own body just to wake Sora up for Ansem to realize how wrong he’d been about his schemes.
Then you’ve got his data version, which was left inside Sora’s heart, casually giggling alongside Riku when Riku says, “What’ll I do with him?”
I’m sorry. Ansem the Wise is a Soriku truther. He’s seen too much. He knows.
EDIT: Some clarification! When I say “truther,” I mean a bit of a mix of they believe Soriku is real and naturally support/endorse it! Think of them like they’re a Soriku shipper.