RIKU IS THE LIGHT!!!!!!! - Tumblr Posts
*paces around the room in a crazed state with bbs cutscenes on loop in my mind*. they could sense Riku's light from fucking outer space
Something, something, Riku is the light...
The Master of Masters
The Re:Mind trailer convinced me that there IS an alternate scenario after Riku’s sacrifice that went differently than the one we saw. Props to Sleeping Realm for calling that one right on the friggin dot, btw. Bravo. (Update: Nomura said the scenes from the trailer are in fact part of the main story)
I believe it’ll end with Riku’s true death, and that ties in with my Master of Masters theory.
The Master watches Master Xehanort with the Gazing Eye at the tip of No Name. Of all the keyblades that hold Gazing Eyes, Vanitas’s Void Gear is the only one that contains two located in the shaft.
If one eye sees, the Master would still need the other eye to see what it was seeing. Even though he implies that it’s literally his eye when he gives No Name to Luxu, it’s not really, it’s just one of the eyes from his keyblade.
Also on that topic, there is a shot of Sora in the KH3 intro I find super duper weird.
The pupil in Soras left eye is a slit for a moment, like the Gazing Eye. It’s just an illusion as a result of reflected light in his eye, but you can bet its intentional.
The Master’s study is also full of gears, which seems like it might be too obvious but hey, there it is.
The Unversed symbol is similar to that of the Dream Eaters, and I think ties into my belief that Riku made Sora’s heart. He saw it, and it then “became real”, so therefore Vanitas’s heart contains Sora’s darkness and Riku’s darkness also. Which is why it’s divided in three. The Master created the Chirithy. Sora and Riku created Spirits in DDD. Riku became a Dream Eater himself through his sheer desire to protect Sora.
Interesting side note: Unversed - not experienced, skilled in, or knowledgeable about.
The only Keyblade Sora has ever been able to wield that holds a Gazing Eye is End of Pain. Both he and Riku can wield it in DDD.
You can bet your butthole End of Pain represents Vanitas. All he wants, his sole driving purpose, is to end his existence of pain. This keyblade is a clue to Vanitas’s redemption, and it lies with Sora and Riku. But Sora has to accept Vanitas for what he is. Darkness. It’s shown in the Keyblade Graveyard that Sora doesnt understand this yet, since he tries to convince Vanitas to stand with the light. And while Ventus accepts Vanitas’s choice, Sora does not. This is something Riku understands though, he figured it out in DDD before he fought Ansem (the personification of Riku’s heart’s darkness, just as Vanitas is the personification of Sora’s): “I know the way. Consume the darkness, return it to light.” This is the purpose Sora was born for, to take the darkness within himself, and accept it into his compassionate heart. This is how he will stop darkness from consuming the worlds, and is really the only way, for darkness will always exist in the hearts of people. Riku is now immune to darkness from accepting Ansem’s darkness as a part of his heart, and it’s his destiny to be Sora’s guardian. This is the origin of his instinctive desire to protect Sora, that has been with him since he was a child, his desire “to protect what matters.” He made Sora after all. And if Kairi’s precious heart of pure light is safe within Sora’s heart in the ending like I think it is, Riku is protecting her also. How strange it would just work out that way.
It’s not like Vanitas died here. His replica body was destroyed, yes. But his heart, I assume, went back to the darkness. And if Sora was dragged down to the darkest abyss, like YMX warned him, and that’s where he is in the secret ending, Vanitas will be there, right beside him.
In Kairi’s grandmothers story, its stated that one day, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. Mickey tells Sora in his first dive to the heart that he is the one that will open the door. As he gets closer to Riku, he gets closer to Vanitas, but this is how it must be, its Sora’s destiny to reunite with him. This is what the last passage of Destati is referring to.
Eh? What? You do not want it!?
Still it belongs to you
What you have lost
Will become one!
The story also states the the return of the true light will connect all the worlds once again.
When Ansem the Wise talks to Riku about the many hearts connected to Sora’s in DDD, he says:
“They can be saved.” But only if Sora follows his heart.
I think Anti Black Coat was a Nightmare of Vanitas before his face changed, and could even have been the Master himself, pushing Riku to become stronger. The Armored Ventus Nightmare was Ventus’s keyblade armor possessed not just by any darkness, but by Vanitas.
So after Riku’s true death, Sora’s grief and rage allow darkness to enter his heart, and he and Vanitas become one. Sora becomes the being he was meant to be, his heart finally complete, having regained its darkness that had entered Vanitas before Sora was born. The light in his heart however, dies with Riku, since it was his light. This is the origin of Rage Form, and the meaning behind the segment of the final battle when Xehanort steals Sora’s light, forcing him into Rage Form, and he must attack him to regain it.
Uniting with Sora does not end Vanitas’s pain, because he can feel Sora’s immense pain from losing Riku. His heart is still pure darkness. Sora-Vanitas realizes he screwed up royally, and hatches a crazy elaborate plan to fix it. He travels back in time to the Age of Fairy Tales. He’s able to do so because a past version of himself exists there: Ventus. He then sets his plan in motion and vanishes, I think, to the Realm of Darkness, for a century (or however long the timeframe is between Union X and when Xehanort was given No Name). When the Master told his apprentices he would “vanish” from the world, it’s the same thing that happened to Sora at the end of KH3. He just vanished.
I assume this is where the Coda becomes relevant, jumping through the timeline through dreams and darkness, sleep and death, like how the Coda tells one to skip ahead to the ending of a piece of music, and can be very complex. The time travel rules of KH state that once you arrive in the past, you have to wait for time to pass naturally, so this shouldn’t be possible. Time doesn’t seem to work the same way in dreams however, and it definitely doesn’t work the same way in the Realm of Darkness. Scala Ad Caelum is also most likely a huge part of this, since Xehanort said it was the nexus of all worlds, a place where all of his selves through time could be one. It’s name translates to Stairway to Heaven, and Sora’s name means not only ‘sky’, but also 'heaven’. Differing from Ventus, which means 'wind’.
“There is one sky, one destiny.”
“They say all the worlds are connected by one great big sky.”
He writes the Book of Prophecies based on what he already experienced in his past, but tells Luxu it was because he succeeded in his role. He does this to give Luxu confidence in himself for a seemingly impossible task, and apparently it worked. Luxu passing the No Name to Xehanort was still vital however, because it allows the Master to see what he wasnt previously aware of. He can now see Xehanort’s moves, and make counter moves. Like a game of chess. “The game’s not over until it’s over.”
Also, when he wrote the final passage, when he said that the light would expire, he was literally talking about Riku. “All for one and one for all.”
By the time the Epilogue happens, when Luxu is talking with the Foretellers, he definitely knows that Sora is their Master as a teenager. And he’s seen the results of Sora and Riku’s bond for himself. They changed the future through their love for each other, which should be impossible. You cannot change events that have already happened. But they did. He’s figured out his Master’s mysterious intentions. When they are revived after Riku’s sacrifice Xigbar even says “Gotta make sure you’re not blundering your way toward a second failure.” He’s not talking about the failure we had just witnessed. It’s disguised as a taunt, but it’s really a playful jab directed at Sora, his silly, beloved Master.
So it’s hilarious that Sora tells Xigbar he’s not worthy to wield a keyblade, when Sora himself was the one who bequeathed him.
This is what Xigbar was talking about in Olympus in 2.9. “Accept the power you’re given. Find the hearts joined to yours.”“At the end you’ll finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be right around the corner” he’s referring to Vanitas, who holds the missing piece of Sora’s heart, and Riku (his reward), and their destiny to protect the worlds, side by side. Together, not even death stops them anymore now that Sora has “awakened” to the truth. Their hearts are fundamentally connected and they are the KH equivalent of “Soul Mates”. This is the origin of and meaning behind the combined keyblade (I believe the CK’s name is Dearly Beloved, since I think this entire series has been about Sora and Riku from the get go, and dearly beloved really just means “very important person”, just how Riku referred to Sora in 2.9 in the original dialogue.)
The Master’s favourite phrase, “May your heart be your guiding key”, comes from Sora hearing Yen Sid say it, and he adopted it as his motto, his Ninja Way lol.
When Ventus finally sees Sora’s face and realizes he’s Vanitas’s twin, he says “I get it. You were my second chance.” Ventus also gave Sora a second chance, a chance to fix his mistake by allowing him to go back in time that far in the first place. And Sora will end up being Vanitas’s second chance as well.
The traitor mentioned in the Lost Page is the Master himself. Xemnas tells Sora in DDD “As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known as that… of a recusant.” He oddly says Soras FLESH bears the sigil, even though it’s merely emblazoned on his shirt. Gula deduced in Back Cover that whomever strays from their role must be the traitor. Sora is the traitor. He strayed from his role, because he failed to protect Riku like Aqua told him to. “You make sure to stay with him, and keep him safe. That’s your job Sora.”
He let the light die.
Originally, Sora lost Riku. After Kairi is “killed”, Sora asks “Why her!? WHY!?” Because it HAD to be her. It’s the only way Riku, and therefore everyone else, including Kairi, could live.
This is the meaning of the name Re:Mind. Sora remembering how important Riku is to him, and to everyone else through Sora’s many connections. (Update: Nomura said in the interview the meanings are reminder, reconfirmation, and heart’s regeneration)
The Black Box contains the Master’s heart, Sora’s completed heart, but its light has been killed. In one of the Secret Reports, Ienzo writes that the hearts within Sora’s are each contained within their own “boxes”, and this is mentioned intentionally.
He intends to give the Black Box to Riku, so his light can heal his heart. He’s been waiting for countless years to save Riku’s life, and literally give him his heart. This is the end of pain.
So romantic I’m gonna die.
You are the key that connects – everything –
By the end of KH3 Sora has become aware of his “fate”. He says he knows that it will lead him “home”. YMX told Sora he was done, and his time in this world was over. We see in the secret ending that he is not home, and is, I think, in the “abyss.” Where no one should be able to find him. So why would the intro monologue suggest his mental state when he seems to be in a not great situation?
Sora’s home is Destiny Islands. I believe Sora, Kairi, and Riku and their name choices reflect the island itself, land in the middle of sea and sky. The island itself then, is Riku. Their home. So one of the intended meanings of this statement, I think, is that Sora now knows that what he feels for Riku is beyond friendship, or romance: it’s fate. He knows that they are fundamentally connected, and even though they are seperate they are a greater whole. They were destined to be by each others’ side. He shows that he kind of instinctively knows this in DDD, but he doesn’t yet understand the scope. But Joshua gets it.
Even though Sora is lost in the deepest darkness and no one should be able to find him, Riku does. They are seperated, but they aren’t. This is what the Power of Waking was intended for, traversing hearts to reach worlds. Riku was led by Sora’s heart. Sora also used the power correctly when he opened the door to the Realm of Darkness following Riku and Aqua’s hearts, and when he woke Ventus.
When they do their Mark of Mastery exam, which Sora only agrees to after hearing Riku question if he himself is still worthy to wield, it culminates in Riku literally unlocking Sora’s heart. Once Sora is freed from the Armored Ventus Nightmare [which I think was Vanitas possessing Ventus’s armor] he sinks deeper into his heart’s darkness. Riku picks up Sora’s dropped Kingdom Key, which was once his, to do this, instead of using Way to the Dawn. Keyblades could be said to be the key to ones heart, and he gave his to Sora. He then used it to unlock Sora’s heart, freeing him. This is literal and metaphorical, and I think this is why, in KH3, Sora can now Formchange instead of using Drive Forms. Drive Forms incurred a penalty for overuse in Anti Form. Formchanges do not, and I think this is Sora’s true power as a keyblade wielder, the ability to change the manifestations of his keyblade, and to be able to wield so fluidly. Which is why they no longer incur a penalty, because Sora is using his powers as a keyblade wielder properly for the first time. Final Form has been replaced with Ultimate Form, which is Sora’s true… ultimate form.
So Sora did achieve the Power of Waking during his exam, and like Ventus said, he never lost it.
So then why the hell did Yen Sid only name Riku a Master if Sora achieved all this power? Why did he send Sora to find the Power of Waking when he already had it?
Because Riku discovered the source of true strength, which is what truly matters; true love. His motivation is Sora.
This is that “untold power and wisdom” Kingdom Hearts holds that people covet so much and start Keyblade Wars over. It’s just the power of true love. And it resides in every heart.
While Sora was affected by Riku unlocking his heart, Yen Sid knows that he hasn’t yet discovered what the source of his true strength is, his love for Riku. Which is why he sends him right on over to Hercules, so Herc can tell him about his act of sacrifice for Meg. Yen Sid knows what’s up, which makes me think he might have the Book of Prophecies and is aware of Sora and Riku’s ultimate importance.
While Sora derps around Olympus, Riku and Mickey talk about his newfound inner strength, his resolve, and how it comes from his desire to protect what matters. Sora. When Way to the Dawn breaks, this is reference to him completely overcoming the darkness within him, his jealousy, fear, doubt. It manifested from Soul Eater, which manifested from his heart’s darkness. His new keyblade is Braveheart. It has 9 notches, the 7 at the tip I believe representing the hearts of the 7 Princesses, the 7 Pure Lights. And the other 2 near the hilt representing himself and Sora. It also has a Mickey token, whereas Way to the Dawn did not. This is significant because the only other keyblades with Mickey tokens are the Kingdom Keys. So Braveheart is of the same nature as Kingdom Key, directly tied to Kingdom Hearts. And Riku and Sora’s combined keyblade, when complete, has a Hidden Mickey near the hilt.
It’s hard to tell when Sora actually realizes that’s hes meant to be with Riku. In the tunnel, after rescuing everyone’s heart but Kairi’s, when he finds her, he gives her all the credit for his surviving. So this to me implies that when he said this, he didn’t get it yet, since he doesnt mention Riku at all. And he says the light was her even though he instinctively called out Riku’s name when he first saw it, contradicting himself.
But right after that it shows scenes of Rapunzel and Eugene, and Anna and Elsa after their respective acts of sacrifice. Specifically, it shows the joyful embraces afterwards. In Arendelle that scene went like this:
This is when he realized what exactly Riku was saying to him through his act of self sacrifice. Which was, “I love you.” And I think he also realizes that love is what reversed death in both of these cases. Like Elsa says, “Of course. Love!”
And then upon arriving back, this happens.
When he reached for that light, I think he saw Riku reaching out to him [which has kind of become his… signature stance, reaching out his hand to Sora]. Even though Riku isn’t standing there when they arrive. Nobody is. Which is why he looks so flabbergasted that theres nothing there. Sweet Kairi then asks him if hes okay, and shes talking about on an emotional level. Kairi knows Sora had a profound realization through this ordeal. Kairi knows. So I think Sora also knows at this point, which would have been the turning point in the timeline. So in the first timeline that ended with Riku’s death, he apparently didn’t get the message for whatever reason. He never heard Riku’s “I love you.” Or, if he did, he did not take it seriously enough. [I’m now convinced one of the stars in the Final World was the Riku who died in the original timeline, and he showed Sora those visions. If it was, this would have been why Sora didn’t get the message originally. Because Riku wasn’t dead yet. So this Riku star is waiting in the Final World for HIS Sora, the Master of Masters. Who isn’t dead. Once the MoM gives his heart to the present Riku and is healed, I believe he will pass on like Repliku did, and join his Riku in death. He won’t need to exist, because the world already has Sora. Like what Repliku said to Riku.][Also, its heartbreaking that Riku had to die for Sora to realize how much he means to him. Keep in mind the meanings of the Re:Mind title Nomura gave: reminder, being reminded of something, reconfirmation, confirming it AGAIN, and hearts regeneration.]
Data-Namine said Sora had very painful memories that would be too much for him if he became aware of them, but they are not his memories. I believe there are memories in there related to the fact that he was going to have to choose between Riku and Kairi eventually. He originally sacrificed Riku to save Kairi and he lost everything. In chess, any piece except the king may be sacrificed.
Kairi’s sacrifice allowed Riku to live in this timeline. [I see people refer to what happened to Kairi as fridging, but really, it was a sacrifice that I believe she was aware had to happen. A noble act of true love, just like Riku’s act of self sacrifice] So to me this confirms my suspicion that Foreteller Ava is Kairi/Namine/Xion. Which is why she never appeared in the Epilogue. She carried out her role, which was to ensure the survival of the light. And she did. Riku survived through Kairi’s sacrifice [showing that Kairi holds immense love for both Sora and Riku]. This is why, when she questioned the Master about her given role, if she were the right person for it, he replied thusly:
The 7 hearts that must be saved not only referred to Sora’s friends after their death, but also to the hearts of the Master and his 6 Apprentices. Ava has been saved. She is safe, or the… many manifestations of her are. The others still have parts to play, and Sora is now following his heart to Riku, [his fate] and as long as he does that, they will be saved. I also find Ava to have the most devotion to, belief in, and trust in their Master than any of the others. I find this parallel to Kairi’s unwavering belief in Sora. Only Luxu may have equal devotion, weirdly enough. He went through quite alot at the will of his Master, and his face shows it.
Gula’s role was to find the traitor and stop them. I believe Gula must be Demyx. This just sounds dumb, since Gula is so cool and Demyx is a goon. But there is one Demyx moment everyone remembers because it was so very out of character for him.
While many Org members referred to Sora as traitor in reference to Roxas, I believe this is a hint to Demyx’s past, now that its confirmed that hes an ancient keyblade wielder. And like he says to Sora:
So Demyx/Gula will play a part in Sora and Vanitas’s reunion. If Vanitas’s heart is lost Sora will never be complete, so they must unite in order for Sora to become what he was destined to be, the Master of Masters. Along with Riku, the True King, they will be the World’s defenders, just what Kingdom Hearts made them for, and what their entire journey has led to. Everything happened exactly the way it had to for them to become what they are.
Almost like it was their fate or something.
Expanding a little on my previous post about the X-blade being the soul of the world. And some barely related MoM stuff at the end lol.
According to Xehanort, χ (Chi) is "a most ancient letter" that represents death and endings. As a symbol however, it can be seen many ways.
In Plato's Timaeus, it is said that the two bands that form the "world's soul" cross each other in the shape of an X.
As a result of its use in algebra, X is often used to represent unknowns.
Chi or X is often used to abbreviate the name of Christ, as in the holiday Christmas (Xmas)
In traditional Chinese culture, qi [ki], or chi, is believed to be a vital force forming part of any living entity. Qi translates as "air" and figuratively as "material energy", "life force", or "energy flow".
And this:
Gebo is the name for the g-rune ᚷ in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, meaning ‘gift’ or ‘generosity’. It is the rune of love, partnership, and sacrifice.
And get this: Gebo is rune number 7, and is the origin of the modern "lucky number 7" superstition. It's also commonly used as the symbol of a kiss-- a sign of affection. (xoxo)
Giving is an art form. "To bring it into consciousness is to gain greatly." When Sora's hope was crushed, Riku gave him a priceless gift through his sacrifice, restoring that hope. "It is estate and substance for those who have nothing else."
Xehanort claims its a symbol of death, but Chi is a symbol of love, and life, and what makes the light eternal. The X-blade is a symbol of partnership, which is why, even though Riku was made first to hold the X-blade, he saw Sora's heart, and Sora then became real.
We each have a part of ourselves that must be discovered before we can take control of our destiny. "To shirk this gift is to neglect the debt we have to Life for the life it has given us. It is a real debt, one whose weight we always feel within us."
They are the heart and soul of everything. Together they are the light that connects all the worlds.
Xehanort tells Sora the legend of the end of the world. He says "the light, the symbol of the world's hope, was devoured by shadow." The legend of the world falling to darkness, is really the story of MoM Sora's fall to darkness after Riku's death, when Riku's light was extinguished, permanently killing the light in MoM Sora and the 7 Pure Lights, so also Kairi. Even if the story is not literally referring to this, I believe it's meant to be foreshadowing at the very least from the way Xehanort words it.
Luxord's one clue about what's in the Black Box is that it contains "hope."
And what did Sora say again?
Sora's heart is the "symbol of the world's hope" that was devoured by shadow. [When Xehanort tells this part of the story, funnily enough the camera focuses on Sora] And Riku's death is what left nothing but ruin, and was an utter failure on Sora's part. I believe they're basically Kingdom Hearts and the X-blade personified, that which connects everything, and that which protects life.
Just like Kingdom Hearts and the X-blade, they are counterpart to each other, like the heart and soul, interconnected, and together, ONLY together, they literally create the harmony of the KH universe.
The World is Riku and Sora's kingdom.
Some Repliku, Riku, and SoRiku thoughts
Was reading through this article again, highly recommend: (8) Blowing Off Some Steam on Tumblr
And I realized I had some further analysis to contribute to this topic. Specifically with regards to how Repliku fits into all this.
I think it's interesting how Riku gives Way to the Dawn to Repliku. People already pointed out that it's like Riku doesn't need it anymore at this stage of his character arc (dawn has broke, he's embraced his right to exist in the Realm of Light), but Repliku still needed it. He still needed to reach his light in the dark. To reach his dawn. To help the person he knew he could never have a real relationship with, despite her meaning so much to him.
I think Riku empathized with that. I don't think it's a coincidence that both Riku and Repliku make very prominent self-sacrifices in this story.
(Notice the light-entwined-with-dark visual parallels here)
I also think it's very interesting how Riku instinctively knows why Repliku was sacrificing himself, and who for. Namine wasn't a topic Repliku and Riku discussed even once in any of their scenes together. That was always a Repliku/Sora discussion point. Yet Riku instinctively knows there's only one context in which he, the real Riku, would sacrifice himself like that, so he connects the dots almost immediately. Hence why Riku has the endgame scene where he picks up Namine. It's him honoring the last will and testament of his fellow hopeless romantic.
Also, and this might be me stretching a bit, but I feel like this final scene between Riku and Repliku can be read a very particular way. Repliku tells Riku someone else needs the vessel more, and that Riku knows what he means. Riku immediately connects the dots using his knowledge of his own heart and the person he cares about most to figure out what Repliku intended.
And finally, we get the last moment of this scene. Both boys are staring at each other, both are thinking about the person they love most and what they'd be willing to sacrifice for them. It's a long moment of silence, as there's nothing to be said. They understand each other completely. And then, as Repliku fades away, he gives one final sentiment.
You could say this is him saying good luck in the battles ahead, which would be valid, but given the context of this scene, and the long stretch of silent understanding that comes just before this line, I'm inclined to think he's talking about Riku's own love story. Repliku's reached the end of his tale and done all he can do for the one he loves, but Riku's story is yet unwritten. Knowing this, Repliku's parting words are to wish his Other good luck in the pursuit of his happily ever after.
That's my two cents on the topic, anyway.
Heart Stations (KH spec)
after realising how much Foreshadowing and Sneaky Plot Points were lurking about in KH3's "demo" section, i finally remembered that a LOT of KH3 is done in parallel with KH1: which means that ITS "demo" is ALSO subtly plotty!
The first thing I remembered about Sora's heart station in KH1 is it being able to connect DIRECTLY to the heart stations of Princesses.
despite Sora never having met these princesses before.
except... VENTUS has!
the heart stations that Sora visits in the first Heart Dive belong to Snow White, Cinderella & Aurora: the order of their stations is in the same order as Ven's meeting them in BBS. Ventus befriended Cinderella personally, becoming friendly enough with Snow White & Aurora to have [link] attacks based on them (mostly through his friendship to the dwarves & Aurora's non-evil fairy godmothers).
There is also, in KH1's tutorial, a heart station depicting the three "free" princesses: Alice, Jasmine & Kairi. I had forgotten about this one. It's... interesting that, despite SORA being best friends with Kairi, Sora's heart instead connects to the "idea" of these three princesses altogether rather than individually (if only in the background, given the lack of need for a player to have 7 stages in a tutorial rather than 5). Sora knows Kairi personally but only Ventus could have known Alice or Jasmine, even THEN, his meeting them would have been during KHUX (a time he does not remember in BBS but treasures enough to enable his reunion with Chirithy in KH3).
The last heart station Sora visits in KH1's tutorial heart dive is Belle's: Belle is the princess who Sora ultimately ends up reasonating with most, in his heart at least, and she notably takes on the role of "Riku" to Beast's "Sora" in CoM.
it is EXTREMELY odd that Sora, well before Riku's heart gave him Kingdom Key, was able to directly walk from his heart station to those of the Princesses of Heart: Ventus did not have this ability nor any personal connection with Kairi. There are two plausible explanations as to why Sora's heart was ALREADY connected to that of the Princesses, prior to personally meeting them: Ventus might have joined their hearts by his being an 'artificial' Princess of Light courtesy of Xehanort & Vanitas; RIKU was connected to the princesses and, when Riku gave his crown necklace to Sora, Sora inherited that connection.
Ventus: Artificial Princess of Heart?
this theory is technically canon, working with the definition of princesses as "beings whose hearts are made entirely of light". it seems unlikely that this technicality would result in a metaphysical stairway between Sora's heart station and those of the Prinxesses': if it was THAT easy, Xehanort would have noticed the connection while he had Ven all comatose. Ven's heart being sheltered in Sora's MIGHT, however, explain why the heart stations of Snow White & Cinderella & Aurora were so much closer than the other stations (though the Sleeper/Dreaming connection is a stronger factor shared by Sora & these three).
Riku as Kingmaker?
Sora's first keyblade, Kingdom Key, gets him specifically scouted as Special by Donald & Goofy: Kingdom Key has narrative significance to it, tying it to Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Key was also, originally, an existence dormant in RIKU'S heart: when Riku['s heart] was consumed by darkness in KH1, Sora was able to reach the light within Riku and receive its protection.
the ease with which Sora inherited Riku's keyblade betrays A Lot about Riku's Heart but it ALSO hints that this is not the ONLY example of Riku's Heart being considered interchangeable with Sora's. in later games, Riku and Sora are able to wield each other's keyblades without hesitation and are even capable of merging: other than SoRiku & Sora's Heart Roommates, Aqua is the only instance of someone summoning & wielding another's keyblade.
The keyblade of a deceased Eraqus came to Aqua in her time of need: this makes sense, the keyblade of a teacher coming to protect its student. Eraqus taught Aqua how to call and use a keyblade; Eraqus [knighted] Aqua with this keyblade; Eraqus died with this keyblade, died realising that he had failed his students and that original duty of protecting them.
Sora, meanwhile, began wielding a keyblade because Riku's Heart knew Sora could use it when Riku could not.
So what makes Riku so special, to keyblades and Princesses of Heart specifically?
It seems increasingly likely that Riku is the "Child of Destiny" that Xehanort believed himself to be: Riku's resemblance to Ephemer makes it likely that, just like Xehanort, Riku is his descendant; additionally, the light of Riku's heart was strong enough to catch the attention of both Terra AND Aqua in BBS. Both Terra & Aqua had, by then, met three Princesses of Heart AND lived alongside the artificially-light Ventus: nevertheless, Terra and Aqua only note that Riku's light is "strong" but not in the same way as any heart they'd encountered before.
Riku also, just "incidentally", happens to have had a Crown since infancy (if we quote Sora in CoM but correctly attribute to Riku what he says of Naminé's charm)... that Riku GAVE to SORA, who now wears it as a necklace. A crown necklace that Sora subconsciously gestures to when speaking from "the heart". *insert Necklace Theory here*
so, even before receiving Kingdom Key, Sora had been given a kind of "kingdom's key" through Riku, in symbol & oath.
this leads me to conclude that the CROWN must have connected Sora's heart (which, in DDD, appears a hop skip & a jump away from Riku's) to the Seven Princesses of Heart, the Seven Lights.
which, in turn, leads me to believe that Riku's gift & oath to Sora was significant enough to be recognised as a form of "Coronation": Riku CROWNED Sora, even without knowing it, and did so while meaning it with "all his heart". Riku's Heart recognising & accepting Sora as its "[king?]" (partner? equivalent?) seems to have continued from that Fateful Meteor Shower, throughout Riku's Entire Villain Arc & Redemption, continuing past Sora's failing to exist: Riku has pulled at LEAST two True Love's Sacrifices for Sora, not counting repeats across timelines, just within DDD & KH3. Riku's sacrificing himself has never lasted long enough to learn any repurcussions beyond Sora.exe going offline. SORA'S nonexistence has not significantly affected the integrity of his universe at large, beyond Riku.exe presumably shortcircuiting, which leads me to believe that so long as ONE of the two has a heart where it should be, the potentially disaatrous ramifications of "oh, btw, this one kid's heart has direct access to our universe's suns? should we be worried about that" has been prevented.
(Riku launching himself OUT of said universe to follow Sora? UH. let's just hope Kairi's still in touch with the other Original 7 and can lead the New Lights when it potentially/inevitably becomes necessary?)
Speaking of Kairi...
interestingly, Kairi never really indicates feeling "connected" to Riku.
Kairi feels connected to SORA and HIS heart, something many characters share in common (often very literally). Another product of Riku (& thus Destiny) sharing his role with Sora, when not designating him [his] King absolutely?
Speaking of Kings...
Riku ends up manifesting ANOTHER keyblade, just casually, despite Sora's having Kingdom Key being a Big Deal.
we could dismiss Riku's having Soul Eater in KH1 as "that's Xehanort/Terra/Ansem SoD's heart at work"... but we can't dismiss Riku's STILL having a keyblade post-KH2, Sora wielding the original Kingdom Key while Riku so happens to summon a second keyblade from his heart without any fuss at all??
it is... interesting, that Donald & Goofy never ended up explaining [to the audience] why Kingdom Key SPECIFICALLY was something King Mickey was looking for in the first place.
if it was due to Mickey's searching for the Wayfinder Trio, Donald & Goofy would have been searching for multiple "keyblade WIELDERS" instead of one "KEYBLADE": we can only assume that Xehanort's repeated efforts at starting another ragnarok have sufficiently distracted everyone from Kingdom Key's origins.
I personally find it very heartwarming/plot-foreshadow-y that Kingdom Key has STAYED with Sora, even upon reuniting with a Riku whose heart is at peace again: consciously or otherwise, Riku's heart continues to choose "Sora".
(which, given how likely it is that Riku is the foretold Child of Destiny... means that RIKU'S choosing Sora makes DESTINY choose Sora... for better of for worse, right? plz just let them be married already, Disney: Nomura & Utada have Riku's vows all written and everything)