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Rikku
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is a playable character in the console role-playing game Final Fantasy X, and a main character in its sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. She is a lively, kind-hearted young Al Bhed girl with blonde hair and spiral-shaped pupils, features that all Al Bhed share, and is highly skilled in mechanics, alchemy and thievery. She is the daughter of Al Bhed leader Cid, the younger sister of Brother, and younger cousin of Yuna.
Rikku was created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
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Encyclopedia
is a playable character in the console role-playing game Final Fantasy X, and a main character in its sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. She is a lively, kind-hearted young Al Bhed girl with blonde hair and spiral-shaped pupils, features that all Al Bhed share, and is highly skilled in mechanics, alchemy and thievery. She is the daughter of Al Bhed leader Cid, the younger sister of Brother, and younger cousin of Yuna.
Rikku was created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. Her English-language voice actor is Tara Strong, and her Japanese-language voice actor is Marika Matsumoto. Rikku has been well-received by reviewers and fans. She has won several awards, and has frequently been featured in GameFAQs' annual "character battles".
Concept and creation
Rikku was created and designed by Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2s character designer Tetsuya Nomura. He also drew Rikku's artwork. When creating the characters for Final Fantasy X, Nomura emphasized yellow as Rikku's image color because she had a bright personality.
Appearances
Final Fantasy X
Rikku first appears in Final Fantasy X to aid Tidus shortly after he first arrives in Spira. Her Al Bhed comrades wonder whether or not to kill him, but Rikku tells them to bring Tidus with them. He accompanies Rikku on a salvage operation to activate the power source of a sunken airship. After returning to the ship, Tidus tells Rikku that he came from Zanarkand, but she is reluctant to believe him as Zanarkand had been destroyed 1000 years previously. Rikku realizes that he is oblivious about Spira and that he had been affected by Sin's toxin. She promises to take him to Luca hoping he might find someone he knows, but Sin appears and washes Tidus off into the sea.
Rikku is next seen collapsed with exhaustion at a riverbank. She sees Tidus wander by and calls out to him. Rikku and the Al Bhed had previously attacked Tidus and the party he has joined. After explaining herself, she becomes the last member to join the summoner Yuna's guardians. After being transported to Sanubia Desert via Sin, Yuna is missing. Rikku suggests going to the Al Bhed base, Home, which is under attack by Guado forces, in hope of finding Yuna there with Rikku's father and Yuna's uncle, Cid. As the guardians make their way through Home, Rikku reveals to Tidus that Yuna's pilgrimage will eventually result in her death, which leads him to suffer an emotional meltdown.
Aboard Cid's airship, they discover that Yuna was at Bevelle, being forced to marry Seymour. The party stops the wedding ceremony, and decide to meet Yuna at Bevelle Temple. Rikku, Wakka, and Tidus are locked in the Via Purifico sewers, but they manage to escape. As the party makes their way to Zanarkand, they meet with the unsent Lady Yunalesca. Yuna refuses the Final Aeon, and the party defeats Sin themselves.
Final Fantasy X-2
Two years later, Rikku, now age 17, joins the Gullwings, a band of sphere hunters led by Brother. The only character from Final Fantasy X other than Yuna to be playable in Final Fantasy X-2, Rikku remains steadfastly loyal to Yuna, giving her support when she discusses her feelings concerning the loss of Tidus, and her hopes to find him once more. In the two years that passed between the two games, Rikku managed to overcome her astraphobia – by camping out on the Thunder Plains for a week. She also has a tendency to use odd expressions such as "disasteriffic" and "oh, poopie!" – expressions Yuna would sometimes pick up on (whether Rikku knew it or not, Yuna was now regarding her as something of a role model). She is the only main character in the game with no significant plot role.
Since the conclusion of Final Fantasy X, Brother and Rikku had a falling out with Cid. When the Gullwings look for a sphere among the Zanarkand ruins, they find that Cid and ex-summoner Isaaru had turned the once sacred place into a tourist attraction, which comes as a shock to Yuna and Rikku. When Cid asks whether they have a bone to pick and Yuna replies "You bet I do," Rikku tells him it's just like turning the ruins of Home into a theme park, causing him to retreat to the Thunder Plains to sulk.
Rikku meets up with her old friend Gippal – now the leader of the Al Bhed Machine Faction – who, being quite the ladies' man, would tease Rikku with his flirtatious jokes, including one about them having "made quite the couple" – though it was unclear whether he was referring to romance, given his nature. Also, as Paine kept quiet about her past – and also that Gippal jumped a mile when he saw her, as well as the other faction leaders seeming to know her – Rikku would sometimes prod and poke her about it, only to succeed in annoying her. However, in their journey, Paine eventually tells them about her role as a sphere recorder for Crimson Squad, alongside Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj.
Upon meeting her young friend Calli on the Mi'ihen Highroad, Rikku and the Gullwings decide to help her catch a Chocobo. Later, during the Mi'ihen Highroad investigation sidequest, Rikku is one of the suspects when some machina malfunctioned after the Gullwings did this. If clues are arranged in a specific manner, Rikku is named the culprit and assigned clean-up service to make up for it.
In Final Fantasy X-2 International+Last Mission, Yuna, Rikku and Paine reunited after being disbanded three months after the game ended. While exploring the Yadonoki Tower, it was later found out that Rikku spends her time searching for sunken machina on the ocean floor. She shows a bit of annoyance to Yuna and Paine, but it was because she felt she was cut off from them, and reluctant to consider that they may have lost their friendship in the times (Yuna living with Tidus, Lulu and Wakka in Besaid, and Paine traveling independently). After realizing that they all share that sentiment, all three girls promised each other that they will write and keep in touch, ensuring that their friendship will never go away.
Despite the fact she spends the majority of Final Fantasy X-2 wearing a bikini as part of her attire, in the one story-sequence in the game that requires the character to wear a swimsuit she dons a different one-piece suit.
Other appearances
Rikku appears in Kingdom Hearts II along with her companions from the game, Yuna and Paine. The three appear as miniature fairy versions of themselves and wear modified versions of their Final Fantasy X-2 attire as the original designs contained clothing that was too revealing for younger players (the yellow bikini top is now a tanktop, though still showing her midriff, her skirt is longer and orange, and she wears thigh high white socks). Much like her Final Fantasy X-2 self, Rikku is a bit ditzy and good-natured as well as a treasure fanatic like her teammates. Her scarf acts more like wings for her to float off the ground, as all three levitate off the floor through various means (the scarf for Rikku, a hair-clip for Yuna, and demonic wings for Paine). The trio appear in Hollow Bastion to spy on Leon and company for Maleficent who offered them all the treasure they could want. In their first encounter, Rikku almost told Sora who they worked for, but Paine quickly stopped her from doing so. However, they eventually aid in the defense of Hollow Bastion, after Maleficent abandoned them and then being lied to by Donald that Leon would pay the trio for their help. Rikku and others did forgive Sora and his partners for the deception by giving Sora the keychain of the Gullwing Keyblade. She was originally intended to appear in the original Kingdom Hearts as a member of Leon's group, but was replaced by Yuffie to avoid confusion over her name, since the Kingdom Hearts series already has an important character named Riku; however, Yuffie's costume in the original Kingdom Hearts is the same one that was intended for Rikku in the game. In Kingdom Hearts II, her name is never spoken, perhaps to avoid this confusion; however, if the player talks to Paine before confronting Yuna after the Battle of Hollow Bastion, Paine addresses Rikku by her name, ordering her to stop singing before noticing Sora, Donald, and Goofy standing there.
Itadaki Street Special features a miniature Rikku in her Final Fantasy X-2 outfit, along with Yuna and Paine.
Reception
Rikku has been positively received by critics and fans alike. She won the award for "Hottest Character" in G4's 2004 G-Phoria awards show and the "Viewers' Choice: Baddest Good Girl" on G4's Video Game Vixens in 2005. Her voice actor, Tara Strong, won an award for "Outstanding Character Performance" at the Interactive Achievement Awards in 2004 for her portrayal of Rikku. In GameFAQs' annual "Character Battle" contest in 2005, Rikku entered the Dream Division against Ryu, but lost. She got to the division final in "Character Battle V" the following year, eventually being defeated by Samus Aran. In "Character Battle VI", she was featured, but did not advance to the first round.
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