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tragicclownwrites · 7 months ago

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Ciri & Riku: A Comparison

Hello, all!

If you've seen my Reigisa x SquidBob masterpost, you'll realize I am no stranger to comparing characters from totally different franchises. (Yes, I am mentioning that post yet again thank you very much!)

And as the title suggests, that is exactly what I intend to do right here, right now!

I mean, how could I not compare these two? They've each got four letters in their names, for one. Hello!? 😝

No, but in all seriousness, I simply had no choice but to make this post because I would probably go insane otherwise. You may find this insightful, or you may find that I'm living up to my URL. Either way, give it a read below the cut. 🤡⬇️

⚠️WARNING: There will be spoilers in this post

Physical Appearance

While they wouldn't be mistaken as twins or anything, you may have already noticed some physical similarities between Ciri and Riku just from the banner.

Swords drawn, stony expressions, battle stances ready. But most of all... a rather unique hair color. 👩‍🦳

Often a mark of the character having mystical origins, I immediately found it interesting that - despite being somewhat different shades - the ashen/silver hair was a trait that these two characters happened to share.

God they are so pretty

In addition to the hair, they both just happen to have distinctly green eyes. Like their eyes could literally be any other color, but nooo. They both have eye colors that fall within the green spectrum.

Interesting... 🤔

Personality and Defining Characteristics

While I've clowned a bit about their similar physical appearances, the similarities do run much deeper than that. Otherwise, I doubt I'd have much to say in this post - and I do have quite a bit to say.

So, let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Even as children, both Ciri and Riku are shown to have a desire to break free from circumstance and not be restrained. Growing up, their situations seem pretty great. However, neither of them see it that way.

For Ciri, she is actually a princess (which she isn't thrilled about), so she grew up in a royal palace before crossing paths with Geralt. However, traveling along the path like a witcher is what she sees as her ticket to freedom. That's precisely why the Witcher Ciri ending is seen as the "Good" or "Best" ending in the game - and I agree! It truly is. 😊

As for Riku, he grew up on what seems like an island paradise. Yet, he feels trapped and wants to see what else is out there. Namely, he wants to leave the islands and explore other worlds (coincidentally something he and Ciri have done during their respective adventures), which drives his whole narrative arc throughout the Kingdom Hearts series.

Something both Ciri and Riku are known for is their resilience and courage, which is often shown by them risking their lives for those they love and care about. Finding the strength to protect what matters, if you will.

"This is my story, not yours. You must let me finish telling it." (Ciri to Geralt, right before confronting the White Frost)

All in all, they can be fiercely independent and protective, having no issue taking matters into their own hands and doing things alone if it means everyone else will be safe from harm.

Both of them must ultimately face the foe that has haunted them throughout the game(s) - for Ciri, that comes in the form of the White Frost, while Riku must consistently face the Darkness.

Although, while this is primarily an outside threat in Ciri's case, the battle is equally external as it as internal for Riku.

(Riku facing the Demon Tide, moments before sacrificing himself for Sora)

While these two can undoubtedly buckle down and get serious when the time calls for it, Ciri and Riku do have playful and even sassy sides to their personalities - which are often shown by them bantering with and affectionately teasing Geralt and Sora, respectively. Examples here and here.

Side note: Having the option for Ciri to come to Corvo Bianco almost makes me not want to romance Yennifer (sorry Triss x Geralt fans, I'm a Yen x Geralt believer). I just adore their father/daughter banter 🤗

Gameplay

As you can see, Ciri and Riku are both incredibly important characters within their respective games despite not being the main character.

So, while you will spend most of your time playing as Geralt or Sora, there are brief intervals where you actually do get to play as Ciri and Riku.

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there are various opportunities to play as Ciri. These often come in the form of the "Ciri's Story" main quests which detail her adventures as Geralt searches for her.

Meanwhile, you primarily play as Sora throughout the Kingdom Hearts numbered titles and spin-offs (with a few exceptions like 358/2 Days). Ironically enough, it's Kingdom Hearts 3 that enables you to play as Riku during certain story sequences in a similar fashion as Ciri.

Sure, there are other games like Dream Drop Distance and Chain of Memories where you can play as Riku much more extensively. However, the KH3 inclusion is notable as a main game and - technically - also being the third game, like Witcher 3.

He's also temporarily playable at one point during the battle with Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2, which kind of reminds me of the character-switching during Witcher 3's "Battle of Kaer Morhen" quest.

And if that wasn't curious enough, even some of their combat moves are similar. For example:

Riku's "Dark Aura" move is very similar to Ciri's "Blink" attack as they both use a teleportation mechanic to attack multiple enemies at once very quickly.

Ciri's "Charge" ability is similar to Riku's "Dark Roll," which allows them to dash out of harm's way in a flash.

As you can see, they both use a combination of magic and swordfighting techniques (or Keyblade, in Riku's case), making it fairly easy to draw comparisons between their fighting styles.

Role in the Story

As I mentioned above, Ciri and Riku aren't the main characters of their games, but they are still very important - both to the actual protagonist and the plot itself.

Essentially, they both have similarities that are woven deep within the story.

Let's dive a little deeper.

Relationship to Protagonist

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives... no matter what." (Riku telling Sora about the paopu fruit legend in Kingdom Hearts)

Upon looking at the text, it's clear that Ciri and Riku's destinies are intertwined with those of Geralt and Sora.

While Riku and Sora haven't explicitly shared a paopu fruit, as Riku's quote suggests (unless you count the Gayblade), that doesn't seem to matter as their stories consistently collide as the series progresses.

There have been sooo many analysis posts and videos on the implications of Sora and Riku's relationship - all of which are great!

But as an example, in Melody of Memory, it is Riku's dreams that are destined to lead him to Sora in Quadratum, where he went missing after abusing the Power of Waking.

In Dream Drop Distance, Yen Sid makes it explicitly clear that Riku "stands the better chance" of saving Sora from the darkness. Not Mickey, not Kairi, not anyone else - it has to be Riku.

In Kingdom Hearts, Riku's Keyblade comes to Sora's aid - which seems to be fairly unique to them as far as sharing Keyblades goes (i.e., no other character has done it).

Geralt and Ciri are also brought together by destiny.

Before Ciri's birth, Emhyr (known as "Duny" at the time) was under a curse. Geralt managed to cure him of his curse and when Duny asked what he wanted in return, Geralt invoked The Law of Surprise, which essentially states that he must give him "that which you possess, but do not yet know." Turns out, Pavetta was pregnant with Ciri and, thus, Ciri became Geralt's "Child of Surprise," binding their fates together.

"... Geralt and Ciri, however, are bound by something else. Something stronger than fate itself.” (excerpt from the Witcher series' second book, Sword of Destiny)

What makes this connection that much stronger is that while fate may have brought these characters together, it is ultimately their choice to continue down its path. Their respective love for each other and the bond they share transcends destiny by a long shot. And that is just beautiful. 🩵

I noted before that both Ciri and Riku can be headstrong and willing to face any danger for their friends' (particularly Geralt and Sora) sakes. But of course, they can't do this without their respective protagonists giving them the encouragement they need to persevere in the face of their hardships.

In fact, for Ciri, Geralt's actions towards her actually play a huge role in determining her fate at the end of the game. If Geralt is a bad dad, she can literally die as a result.

Riku's primarily goal throughout the series is to protect Sora - even at the latter's insistence that he doesn't have to do everything on his own. To Riku, "everything is for Sora."

Obviously, the relationships between Riku & Sora and Ciri & Geralt are vastly different in nature.

Ciri and Geralt have a relationship that closely resembles that of a daughter and father, and they sometimes even refer to each other as such and accept that as their relationship.

On the other hand, Riku and Sora are best friends. Oftentimes, their relationship borders on not-so-platonic, with the two of them not even feeling comfortable with defining their bond as brotherly, per the character files.

Despite these differences, it's evident that Ciri and Riku both consider Geralt and Sora to be the person who is most precious to them.

With that said, I do want to segue from our deuteragonists to focus on our main heroes for a sec.

While it would be somewhat humorous to try and compare Geralt and Sora, they do have a common goal: finding Ciri and Riku.

Geralt's primarily quest for much of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is finding Ciri and protecting her from the dark forces that are after her (will talk about more in the next sub-section).

In Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, Sora is dead-set on finding and rescuing Riku.

Not to throw Kairi under the bus (I swear, I'm a Kairi supporter), but even when she gets captured, Sora doesn't really seem to waver on his goal to find Riku. Yes, he now wants to find both of his friends, but his priorities don't shift away from Riku, despite Kairi being in imminent danger.

And then, when the lost is finally found, there's the emotional reunion. 🥹

I'm just going to put the clips here because they speak for themselves.

youtube

I literally tear up every time I watch the scene between Ciri and Geralt here. The momentary despair turned into relief, the flashbacks, the music. Honestly, the buildup to this moment couldn't have been better, in my opinion. 👏

And the reunion between Sora and Riku (and Kairi) is probably the very scene that led me - and many others - to start seeing their relationship romantically. Even if Riku doesn't quite look like himself here, Sora can still see him for who he really is.

Therefore, these reunions are pivotal!

Speaking of which, something else I noticed was the presence of light or how Ciri/Riku are acting as Geralt/Sora's guiding light in the darkness.

I will just link the "Riku is the Light" masterpost by @blowingoffsteam2 for some additional reading, but this essentially details how, throughout the series, Riku has been just as much of a light for Sora as Sora has been for him.

How does this relate to Ciri and Geralt, you may ask?

Leading up to the scene I linked above, Geralt travels to the Isle of Mists to find Ciri, which is not a smooth journey by any means. It's foggy, dark, and generally impossible to navigate on one's own.

Except, Geralt is not alone.

Accompanying him to the Isle of Mists is a tiny ball of light. 🌟

As you may have noticed from the clip above, this ball of light turns out to be part of Ciri herself. Or, in Kingdom Hearts terms, this ball of light could be from her heart.

In Kingdom Hearts, it's heavily implied that Sora was given the Keyblade in the first place when he touched the light of Riku's heart before his fall to darkness.

We've seen very similar imagery of hearts rejoining with the body in Kingdom Hearts, waking the person and making them whole again.

Naturally, in the first game, it's the Disney Princesses getting their hearts back.

Ciri is technically a princess in her own right, but she is also being directly paralleled with Snow White - a Disney Princess and a "Princess of Heart" in KH. Like Snow White, she is trapped in a death slumber while being protected by 7 dwarves, only to be awakened by the power of true (fatherly) love.

(Cry with me 🥹😭)

With the Princess of Heart connection, I suppose this instance could be both a Riku and Kairi parallel. I'm open to that interpretation, but the fact that the light guided Geralt to Ciri (a.k.a. the person most precious to him) makes me primarily connect this with Riku's light guiding Sora, like in the KH3 example below.

(Not to mention the ample Disney Princess parallels between them as well)

Anyways, I hope Riku and Sora get an emotional reunion in Kingdom Hearts 4 that has me absolutely weeping. 🙏

Terra and Geralt

I've mentioned how the relationships between Ciri/Geralt and Riku/Sora differ in nature.

Geralt's connection with Ciri made it possible for her to learn the ways of a witcher and become one herself (sans mutations). Ciri sees Geralt as more of a father than her actual one.

But as it turns out, Riku has also had an older figure in his life that made it possible for him to learn the way of the Keyblade.

Enter Terra!

Terra, unfortunately, hasn't played nearly as big a role in Riku's journey as Geralt has for Ciri. Although, Terra being guided to Destiny Islands by Riku's light and bestowing him with the Keyblade plays a massive role in Riku's story from this point forward.

Now, I sincerely hope you didn't expect to go through this post without some clownery because I am here to deliver! 🤡

One of the reasons Terra didn't have a huge role in training Riku with the Keyblade was because he was overtaken by darkness, specifically Master Xehanort's darkness.

When Terra becomes possessed by Xehanort's heart, turning him into "Terranort," he undergoes a rather interesting transformation.

Yes, that's right. White hair and yellow eyes.

In Kingdom Hearts, these characteristics tend to be attributed to those who have been "Norted" or possessing fragments of Xehanort.

Coincidentally enough, it also seems to describe the appearance of a certain Geralt of Rivia, a witcher who has undergone advanced mutations that also gave him those traits.

*SCREAMING*

I warned you about the clownery here, but... are you kidding me with this!?

I mean, c'mon!

Target of Dark Forces

I've talked a bit about how Ciri and Riku are fighting against the White Frost and the Darkness, respectively, at the climax of their narratives.

However, there are other dark forces in hot pursuit, hoping to use them for their own purposes.

For the majority of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ciri is on the run from the titular villains - a group of hostile Aen Elle elves known as the "Wild Hunt" or Dearg Ruadhri (Red Riders). This group is led by Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt.

I will discuss this more in-depth later, but Ciri's abilities come from a gene she possesses known as Elder Blood, which originated with the Aen Elle. Being part of this race, the Wild Hunt want to capture Ciri in order to reintroduce the gene back into their bloodline.

The Wild Hunt are frequently compared to phantoms and shadows, said to be omens of war. Also, they murder unicorns, so they're total dicks.

Sounds kind of like darkness, huh?

In the books, Ciri - albeit reluctantly - does concede and do what they want, before making her escape when it doesn't go according to plan.

During the events of Kingdom Hearts, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, plays a similar role in trying to compel Riku to the darkness with the goal of using him for his own means. He even goes as far as to take control over Riku's body towards the end of the game.

Unlike Ciri, Riku gives into Ansem's plans more willingly and acts more as an antagonist in this game as a result - a decision he later spends the rest of the series trying to atone for.

But it isn't just Eredin/the Wild Hunt and Ansem trying to get a piece of the Ciri and Riku pie. 🍰

Along Ciri's journey, she encounters a trio of creepy witch sisters known as The Crones. Or the Ladies of the Wood, if you're a naïve villager.

The Crones are... how do I put this?

Grotesque. Morbid. Evil.

(And yes, they eat people. Children, specifically.)

When they come across a weakened Ciri during her journey, they recognize that she possesses Elder Blood. They debate whether to turn her over to Eredin or eat her themselves.

While Ciri manages to escape them before they can turn her into stew (and kills them later on), they are highly calculating and manipulative, preying on the whims and desires of anyone who crosses their path.

"Manipulative," "calculating," and "preying" are words that could also be used to describe another evil witch who intends to use our gifted child for ill will.

Of course I'm referring to Maleficent. The Mistress of Evil, herself.

Throughout the first game, Maleficent preys on Riku's insecurities and the darkness forming in his heart.

Interestingly enough, both Maleficent and The Crones attempt to establish a sense of familiarity with Riku and Ciri. Maleficent uses terms like "dear child" and even refers to Riku as being "like a son" to her. During their encounter with Geralt, the Crones outright claim they cared for Ciri as if she were their own daughter.

As you've likely guessed, all four of these wicked witches have ulterior motives when it comes to our ashen/silver-haired heroes.

Their use of the affectionate "son" and "daughter" terminology is less meant to convey genuine concern over their well-being, but more so used as a guise of their true manipulative and predatory nature.

Both Maleficent and the Crones see Riku and Ciri as pawns to gaining ultimate power and control, and their "protection" of them is purely conditional and twisted.

Just Another INSANE Coincidence (to me)

Now this next comparison is going to be brief but absolutely mind-blowing. I literally could not believe this when I first realized it, it was just that crazy.

So, remember how I mentioned that Ciri is a princess? Her biological mother, Pavetta, was the princess of the kingdom of Cintra and her bio father, Emhyr var Emreis, is the emperor of Nilfgaard - an extremely powerful empire in the Continent.

As you can imagine, Emhyr is pretty set on having his reign continue and tasks Geralt with bringing Ciri back to him to be his successor (of course, if you're like me, you decide "fuck that" and let Ciri be happy).

This isn't shown in the game itself but at some point, Emhyr takes in and marries ew an orphaned girl and passes her off as Ciri. The girl looks similar to Ciri and even takes her name and titles, but she is ultimately still False Ciri.

So, we have a girl bearing a striking resemblance to Ciri, who is believed by everyone to be the real deal despite actually being a "fake."

Hmm. Very interesting.

Ciri has a lookalike.

Almost like... a replica?

I just --🤯

(This quote combined with the wack camera angle never gets old 😂)

The Child of Destiny

If you've made it to this point in the post, congrats!

Before I start headcanoning/theorizing, I want to talk a little bit more about Ciri, her powers, and what makes her generally special.

As I mentioned before, Ciri possesses a magical gift - Elder Blood or Hen Ichaer. This power is also known as the "Lara gene" as it originates with the Aen Elle, specifically their princess - Lara Dorren.

Lara Dorren was a powerful elven sorceress and sage who fell in love with a human mage known as Cregennan of Lod. Tragically, their love was star-crossed, and they both died, leaving their daughter, Riannon, orphaned. Adopted by the Queen and King of Cintra, Riannon then introduced the Elder Blood to the humans, where it eventually reached Ciri.

Therefore, the Elder Blood is very unique, and not many people possess the gene.

As such, Ciri is part of a prophecy, which states that the "Child of the Elder Blood" will save the world from being destroyed by the White Frost.

After Kingdom Hearts Dark Road came out, along with all the theories surrounding it, the prophecy and "Child of the Elder Blood" got me thinking.

Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts Union X introduces the Book of Prophecies, which enables Player (because you can have your own character) to harness powers from the future.

With this in mind, it's clear to me now that the Player is paralleling Ithlinne here, who was the prophetess who first spoke of Ciri's prophecy.

The reason I say that is because the Player later takes the form of the "Blue-Cloaked Figure" in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road.

In this game, the Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure arrives on Destiny Islands, where they encounter a little Xehanort. The figure is overjoyed upon finding - who they believe is - the "Child of Destiny."

With this proclamation, the Player fortells of a prophecy in which the "Child of Destiny" (or a child reigning from Destiny Islands) would save the world from being overcome by darkness using the power of light.

The Player also reveals Xehanort as a supposed descendent of Ephemer, which introduces the concept of a special bloodline.

The reason I use the word "supposed" is because, unlike Ithlinne, I think the Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure was completely wrong about Xehanort here.

Obviously, Xehanort does not grow up to save the world from darkness. Rather, he is the villain using the Darkness for his own gain. Therefore, I've seen people say he was the "failed" Child of Destiny or that he somehow lost his destiny when he was tempted by the Darkness.

As for me, I seriously have my doubts that he was ever the Child of Destiny to begin with, and I question if he's even a descendent of Ephemer at all. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Like many people, I - unsurprisingly - believe that Riku (and Sora) is the true Child of Destiny. I don't think I need to repeat what others have said, but this idea certainly makes all the Xehanort and Riku parallels that much more telling.

And honestly? I can't really say I blame the Player for making this mistake.

Xehanort does become a Keyblade Master, he posesses great potential in his heart, and he just so happened to be a kid on Destiny Islands (at the time). He also has white hair, which may not have much to do with the prophecy itself, but could link him to Ephemer, who coincidentally also had silver/white hair.

@violethowler has a great video series breaking down this and other theories, particularly as it pertains to Riku and Sora - here's season one! @andrewwtca also explores this in their essay (on Tumblr and AO3). Also reco reading the Necklace Theory as well, just for funsies.

Like others have said as well, I also don't think it's far-fetched to believe that Riku is actually the one descended from Ephemer. I mean, you certainly don't have to squint as hard to see the physical resemblance. (Not to mention Avallac'h's sketches of Lara, whom Geralt immediately assumed was Ciri.)

TL;DR

The Player/Blue-Cloaked Figure made an oopsie when it came to who the prophecy was about

Xehanort is not the true Child of Destiny and is likely not a descendant of Ephemer either

Riku is most likely the real Child of Destiny and descendant of Ephemer

Sora is also a Child of Destiny due to his strong connection to others, particularly Riku.

And while the exact phrasing of "Child of Destiny" may not always appear in regard to Ciri, the implication is definitely there as well.

Conclusion

Whew, we made it! This post is already super long, so I'll cut to the chase.

Ciri and Riku may not be carbon copies of each other - nor was that my expectation going into the games and creating this post - but they do share very distinct similarities that make for some really thought-provoking parallels between them.

I definitely went ham on the photos/gifs haha it got to the point where Tumblr was all, "okay, you need to stop," and wouldn't let me add more.

Also, sorry to make yet another Riku post but *shakes fist* he's just so damn interesting! I love all of these characters so much!

That all being said, I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings.

♥️ Tragic🤡