Dark Mode (Dモード, D Mōdo^?, lit. "D Mode") is a special formRiku can enter inKingdom Hearts andKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. Riku initially receives the ability to enter Dark Mode fromMaleficent, and he uses it againstSora after he reclaims theKeyblade. Riku loses it after his body is taken byAnsem.

After enteringCastle Oblivion, Ansem manipulates thedarkness in Riku's heart, giving Riku the ability to use Dark Mode freely. In this form, Riku can use his darkness without the worry of being taken over by Ansem. Since Riku has a strong affinity to darkness, this form gives him a substantial advantage in battle, such as increased speed and feeding theSoul Eater's unique power-up ability with the power of darkness. TheRiku Replica can embrace the darkness willingly, thus he can also use and stay in Dark Mode.

Vanitas, one of the main antagonists ofKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, as well as theVanitas Remnant, wears a bodysuit similar to the one Riku wears while in Dark Mode. UnderVanitas's possession,Ventus also wears this suit.

Journal entry[edit]

Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Riku gained immense power through the forces of darkness. But ordinary humans are no match for the darkness, and it is gradually consuming his heart.

Story[edit]

Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Riku wielding the Keyblade of heart under Ansem's possession.

"The darkness will destroy you."

—Riku upon entering Dark Mode for the first time.

After coming into the service of Maleficent, Riku's heart began to be weakened by his continual use of the darkness, so the witch granted him power over it, allowing him to controlHeartless and enter Dark Mode. Riku used this power to subdue Sora onCaptain Hook's ship with his ownshadow and fight off theBeast when he arrived atHollow Bastion. When challenged later by Sora, he mocks him, entering Dark Mode for the first time. However, the strength of Sora's heart soared, his friendsDonald andGoofy, and his weapon returned to him, which defeated Riku.

Riku fled injured and severely weakened through aCorridor of Darkness back into the heart of the castle, where he reverted to his normal form. There, he met a hooded Ansem, who persuaded Riku to open his heart to darkness. The enigma possessed Riku, and used his body, now permanently in Dark Mode. In this mode, he created and wielded theKeyblade of heart, which he used to unlock Maleficent's true darkness. He waited and watched as Maleficent fell at Sora's hand, allowing Ansem to claimKingdom Hearts as his own. All he needed was the heart of the lastPrincess of Heart, which resided within Sora. He attacked the Keyblade wielder, but was defeated. Riku used the last of his strength to fend off Ansem as Sora released his own heart to freeKairi's heart.

Riku's heart and soul were forced into theRealm of Darkness, and Ansem took full control of his body. He entered theDoor to Darkness to theEnd of the World, awaiting Sora. There, he did away with the form of Riku's Dark Mode, revealing his true appearance. From this point forward, Dark Mode was lost to Riku.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

"I know who I am!"

—Riku in Dark Mode after battling Zexion, no longer fearing the darkness.

Riku Replica entering Dark Mode.

After his re-encounter with Ansem inCastle Oblivion, Ansem tempered Riku's darkness, activating Dark Mode once again. Riku would utilize this form as he struggled in the card worlds. He would change into Dark Mode sparingly, a massive fear of the darkness manifesting in the depths of his heart, much to Ansem's displeasure.

Later on,Vexen,Lexaeus, andZexion, members ofthe Organization, wished to use the boy and his dark powers to halt the plans of the traitorousMarluxia. When Vexen challenged Riku, it was his immense power that led to the creation of theRiku Replica, an aggressive replica of Riku created by Vexen from the boy's combat data. Ansem seized the replica as an opportunity to use it as a model for Riku, urging him not to fear the dark like the fake.

Eventually, Riku came before Lexaeus. A battle ensued between the two, Ansem possessing Riku's body in order to do away with theNobody. Riku's sudden recollection of Ansem's control almost allowed Ansem complete control over his body. Were it not forKing Mickey, Ansem's plan to get Riku back under his control would have succeeded.

After the failures of both Vexen and Lexaeus, Zexion was forced to take action and tormented Riku with illusions in theDestiny Islands card world, taking on the guise of Sora and swallowing Riku in the light. It was here thatNaminé appeared in the form of Kairi, teaching Riku not to fear the darkness and not to run from the light. Riku then regained himself, controlling and transforming into Dark Mode willingly in order to defeat Zexion. Riku no longer feared the darkness from this point forward.

In theTwilight Town card world, Riku was approached byDiZ, the bandage-faced man telling him to seek out Naminé. He battled his replica a final time, meeting up with Naminé at last. She offered to put him to sleep so she could lock his heart, freeing him from Ansem and the consequences Ansem had on Riku's heart. Riku refused, needing his power to finish Ansem for himself. It was then Riku headed towards his final battle in Castle Oblivion to face Ansem for the last time. Afterwards, Dark Mode is never used by Riku again.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Riku's Dark Mode was also shown inRoxas's dreams in the beginning of the game.

Kingdom Hearts coded[edit]

Data-Riku is shown to be able to use Dark Mode after he is infected by theBug Blox.

This section of the article is astub. You can help byexpanding it.

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

Riku Replica appears in Dark Mode whenever he appears to the real Riku. AlthoughDark Riku and Vanitas are initially seen wearing the same black coats as the other Seekers of Darkness, they don their Dark Mode bodysuits during their clashes against the Guardians of Light.

Design[edit]

Main article:Form:Riku

InKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, when Riku activates this form, a blue aura surrounds him, he jumps into the air and shouts, "Darkness!". A bright blue light shoots out of his chest, and in a flash of light, his clothes transform into the same suit he wore while possessed by Ansem inKingdom Hearts. This consists of a form-fitting suit that appears to be made of black muscle tissue.

The black fades to red around the wrists and comes with purple gloves that are tucked under the suit. The suit has a purple-blue color on the chest and part of the torso with the Heartless emblem on the chest, but without the spiked bars crossing it. It has purple feet and shins that fade into black legs. It has a dark purple belt and a cloth around his waist, opening in the front. The cloth is an off-white color that fades into dark purple and is ripped all around at the bottom.

InKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Vanitas's suit is colored in various shades of blacks and reds rather than blacks and violets, a distorted version of the Unversed insignia appearing on Vanitas's chest rather than the Heartless insignia-like emblem that appears on Riku's while in Dark Mode. The Vanitas Remnant uses the same suit, but it is black and white instead of black and red.

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  Dark Mode in Halloween Town

• 

  Vanitas's suit

• 

  Ventus-Vanitas's suit

• 

  Vanitas Remnant's suit

Abilities[edit]

InKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Riku has a specific moveset while in Dark Mode, along with additional sleights.

Mechanics[edit]

Riku can enter Dark Mode by accumulating DP (Dark Points). He gains DP by breaking enemies' cards, equal to the difference between the value of Riku's card or sleight and the card broken, up to 9 DP. InKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, quickly breaking the enemy's card after it is played results in a Rapid Break, rewarding Riku with an additional 5 DP. InKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Riku also gains 1 DP when taking damage. Riku can lose DP by getting his card broken, with the amount of DP lost equal to the difference in value between the enemy's card and Riku's, up to 9 DP. Once Riku has a total of 30 DP, the next card or sleight played will instead trigger his Dark Mode tranformation. When triggering in the air, Riku will quickly drop to the ground before transforming.

Upon entering Dark Mode, Riku's cards will get automatically reloaded (counting as 1 reload for an Enemy Card with a reload duration in use), and any Item cards in his deck are removed until the next reload after he reverts to normal. Riku will remain in Dark Mode for as long as he has DP left, with the initial amount of DP depending on the Dark Point stat. Riku loses DP when his card gets broken, equal to the difference in values between the enemy's card or sleight and Riku's card or sleight, up to 9 DP. When taking damage, Riku loses 5 DP per hit. Once his DP reaches 0, Riku will revert to his normal form. InKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, if Riku's DP drop to 0 during an enemy's combo, he must wait until the combo ends to revert, and is unable to play any cards until he does. During the fight againstZexion inKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Riku is permanently in Dark Mode, and cannot lose DP.

While in Dark Mode, Riku deals more damage with attack cards, his main combos have increased speed, and he can utilize additional Sleights. The second hit of his ground combo can stun enemies, he possesses an aerial spin-slash that can triggerWarp Break inKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, is able toDouble Jump behind an enemy and perform a downward slash with the next attack, and hisHigh-Speed Step becomes a dash that covers more distance; however, it grants no invincibility.

Attack sleights[edit]

Sleight	Description	Card Combination
Dark Break (ダークブレイク, Dāku Bureiku?)	Leap into the air and attack enemies from above. Only available in Dark Mode.[KH CoM] Leap into the air and attack enemies up to six times from above. Only available in Dark Mode.[KH Re:CoM]	++ (5-15)
	Press when it flashes on-screen to add an attack. Pressing when it isn't on-screen will cancel the sleight.
Dark Firaga (ダークファイガ, Dāku Figa?, lit. "Dark Figa")	Expel dark energy in a searing blast. Only available in Dark Mode.	++ (16-25)
Dark Aura (ダークオーラ, Dāku Ōra?)	Rush enemies repeatedly with blade in hand. Only available in Dark Mode.[KH CoM] Rush enemies repeatedly with blade in hand. Finish off by stabbing Soul Eater into the ground for a column of light that confuses the enemy. Only available in Dark Mode.[KH Re:CoM]	++ (27)

Friend sleights[edit]

Sleight	Description	Card Combination
Inverse Burst[KH Re:CoM] (インヴァースバースト, Invāsu Bāsuto?)	Multiple shots with your back against the king's. Enemies become confused when hit. Only available in Dark Mode.	++
	Use the left stick to control the direction of the tornado.

Duel sleights[edit]

As a Boss[edit]

Main articles:Game:Riku, Game:Riku Replica, and Game:Dark Riku

During the first battle with Riku's Dark Mode inKingdom Hearts, he uses supreme agility to jump far distances, either away from or towards Sora's location. While Sora is in close range, Riku will attempt a powerful spin-slash. He can also perform a single slash before following it up with a rushing slash, and he is also able to deal immense damage. Magic has no effect on Riku, so the player must rely solely on the Keyblade. Jars can be found on the sides of the battlefield which contain HP Orbs and Hi-Potions.

When tackling a possessed Riku, who wields Dark Mode to its maximum potential via Ansem, one must take extreme caution. Riku will dodge almost every hit, attacking with just as much speed. Guard and retaliate immediately afterwards. Depending on what attack is blocked, a certain number of Tech Points may be earned. As his HP dwindles, Riku will begin to empower himself further with Darkhand state, gaining new abilities and adding additional properties to his old abilities. His dash attack fires Shock Slashes that can be blocked back to him, and he can use Helm Split to perform a jump attack that fires bursts of darkness from the ground and ends Darkhand state. Eventually, he will also gain the ability to use Dark Aura, and when he reaches his final HP bar, he will stay in Darkhand state permanently. Again, magic has no effect, the Keyblade and its abilities the player's only chance of survival.

When fighting the Riku Replica inKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, he attacks in a fashion comprised of a two-hit combo that stuns on the second hit. He also uses a jump-attack that causes flames to burst from the Soul Eater. Over the series of four battles, the Riku Replica gains access to Sleights, each very powerful and threatening to the player's HP Bar.

See also[edit]

• Vanitas
• Vanitas Remnant
• TCG:Dark Riku

• Forms

• Articles with section stubs