The last unit we covered was over clones, replicants, and similarly manufactured beings. We were given the task of creating our own arguments involving the topic. In my case, I chose to connect characters that aren’t discussed in this context much to characters that usually are. Three different clones from Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts: Riku Replica, strange double found in Castle Oblivion; Xion, Organization XIII’s 14th member, and Roxas, Sora’s Nobody. Their stories will be summarized here.
First on the list, the cliché, Replica Riku.
Known colloquially as Repliku, this character made his first appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, released in the west on the Gameboy Advance in November of 2004. At first glance, he looks and acts exactly like the Riku that we saw aid us in the climax of the first game. However, the more you run into him, the more his behavior seems to change, and show that this is not the same person. The aftermath of the last fight sees Repliku disabled completely, as shown in the clip below.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6hib0Z7hWWFYUDJUKe8e04NfL5WShE33
This event reveals the truth: this Riku isn’t the real deal. After a small amount of exposition, the Riku Replica finally admits to itself and the party that it is not the real deal. Then, after coming to terms with its false existence, it goes with the party during the endgame of Sora’s story.
This character is a fairly classic example of a clone. It is implanted with false memories, believes it is the real person, but acts in a way that doesn’t really reflect the original and this points out what it really is.
Second is a character no one expected to be impacted by, Xion.
She was a character introduced in the early-game of 358/2 Days, as the 14th member of Organization XIII. Xion was much like many a Nobody soon after forming, mute and seemingly emotionless, for a week of in-game time. Once that time was over, she seemed to come out of her mental shell, and she, Roxas, and Axel, the Organization’s number 8, became fast friends. Towards the end of the story, though, Xion’s origins came into light. She had been a replica from the same program that generated Repliku, just a more finished version towards the end of that program’s life. She also had the power to absorb Roxas’ powers with the Keyblade, and the goal with Xion was to make an obedient puppet for the Organization to use to their full benefit. To that end, Roxas and Xion only had one fate: either defeat the other, or be assimilated. Roxas won out in that case, and Xion returned to the memories she was created from. She would return in the third numbered entry as a member of the second Organization XIII.
This style of introducing a clone is something the series has original to it. Someone created from memories, made to take the power of another…this is a direction that was taken with this character and this character alone. The specific pieces have been used before, with characters that can absorb the strengths of others or are recreated from memories, but this specific blend is original to Xion.
Last on the list, we have Roxas.
Born during the events of the first game but never really revealed until the second, he is the Nobody of Sora. Created using the leftover husk when a person loses their heart, Nobodies don’t really exist. With Roxas, even though he seems to be his own person, he takes a lot of elements from Sora. Wields a Keyblade, is generally good-natured at heart, and so on and so forth. His whole story is pieced together through the events of 358/2 Days and the introduction of Kingdom Hearts II. Not long after creation, he is found by and recruited into Organization XIII, given his name in the process. After a few days of mindlessness, Roxas starts taking missions to collect hearts from Heartless for the Organization. The purpose of those collected hearts is to manufacture an artificial Kingdom Hearts, meant to grant the members of the Organization a heart and complete them. Said purpose was also not quite true, but this wouldn’t be revealed until much later down the road. Roxas’ missions continue for many weeks, making friends with Axel and Xion along the way. Once he and Xion fight, she requests him to set the hearts free and not let Xemnas, their leader, have his way with them. That request is his goal the following night, but stopped by a much older Riku at this point, he is subdued and placed in a digital town to help keep Sora’s restoration on track. At this point, Sora’s year-long sleep was almost up, and he wouldn’t be able to wake up without Roxas returned to Sora’s heart. At that point, the confused boy had a choice: leave Sora asleep, keep his existence, but leave the Organization free to continue their plans, or rejoin his other half, wake him up, and lose his own form in the process. It’s a struggle, but he realizes that Sora would be the better person to take the Organization on, and gives up his existence. At this point, Sora would journey out and start his journey over once more.
Roxas could be seen as a sort of tragic clone character. In the digital world he was placed in, he was just living life, hanging out with his friends, enjoying the last few days of his summer vacation. In the course of one day, he gets all of his suppressed memories from before being in the simulated town back, realizes who he is, and essentially has to choose whether he lives on or if his counterpart gets to wake up.
These three are the focus of my final report for this class. With how long I’ve spent in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, these characters feel like old friends, and talking about them comes naturally. Back in August, I had no idea of the many things that I would do over the school year, and it’s safe to say I’m happy with what I have achieved. It’s been a good semester, Professor Mintler. Thank you for teaching me.