• Way to the Dawn
• TCG

Kingdom Hearts II Way to the Dawn
"Deals various attacks."
Token
Japanese	ウェイトゥザドーン
Rōmaji	Wei tu za Dōn
Stats
Strength		Magic
+3		+0
Obtained
Riku's default weapon.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Way to the Dawn
"Riku's Keyblade. Boasts superior Strength and Magic."
Token
Japanese		ウェイトゥザドーン
Rōmaji		Wei tu za Dōn
Stats
Strength				Magic
Base	Unit	Ultima		Base	Unit
+124	+4	+15		+30	+4
Defense		Crit Rate		Crit Bonus
Base	Unit	Base	Unit	Base	Unit
+0	+4	+10	+4	+19	+4
Attack Speed		Approach Speed
		Ground		Air
1.0		1.13		1.13
Abilities
1:Vitality Surge 2:Vitality Barrier 3:Alive 'n' Kicking
Obtained
Zero Gear (Riku)

Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Way to the Dawn
"The Keyblade Riku began his journey with. It provides a balanced boost in Strength and Magic."
Token
Japanese	ウェイトゥザドーン
Rōmaji	Wei tu za Dōn
Stats
Strength	Magic		Length
5	4		85
Critical Rate		Reality Shift Rate
10%		5%
Obtained
Riku's default weapon

Kingdom Hearts III Way to the Dawn
Japanese			ウェイトゥザドーン
Rōmaji			Wei tu za Dōn
Stats
Strength						Magic
+5						+5
Obtained
Only available during the first fight againstDemon Tower.

TheWay to the Dawn is the default form ofRiku's first Keyblade, and appears inKingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, andKingdom Hearts III. LikeSora's Keyblade, it is a Keyblade of the Realm of Light.^[1] Its form is based upon theSoul Eater, which it uses as an intermediary, and its name and design reflect Riku's nature as a being halfway between bothlight anddarkness.

The Way to the Dawn is first seen inKingdom Hearts II, when Riku arrives atThe World That Never Was in order to rescueNaminé andKairi fromSaïx. Though it is technically a different weapon from the Soul Eater, Riku still refers to it by its previous name.^[2][3]

Riku can equip this Keyblade withinMission Mode inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Story[edit]

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

The Way to the Dawn appears first when Riku arrives inThe World That Never Was to save Kairi and Naminé and battles Saïx. Riku then continues to wield the Way to the Dawn instead of his Soul Eater as he and Kairi battle Heartless together and ultimately reconnect with Sora, and leading into his and Sora's battle against Xemnas.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance[edit]

Riku demonstrates the ability to summon the original form of Soul Eater prior to and during the start of the Mark of Mastery exam. He summons Way to the Dawn after defeatingUrsula at the Destiny Islands, and continues to use it throughout the exam and into the initial confrontation with thereal Organization XIII.

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

When Riku and Mickey venture into the Realm of Darkness in order to saveAqua, they encounter theDemon Tower. After a vicious battle in which Riku is swallowed by the Demon Tower, the Way to the Dawn's blade is snapped in half. Riku leaves the broken Way to the Dawn on the shore of theEnd of Sea forthe other version of him, seeking a replacement Keyblade fromYen Sid in the form ofBraveheart thereafter.

The Riku Replica later wields a repaired Way to the Dawn when he appears beside Riku during Riku's battle againstAnti-Aqua.

Design[edit]

The Way to the Dawn greatly resembles the Soul Eater, but the once curved wing is now straight, and the Keyblade's guard is composed of one angelic wing and one demonic wing, similar to the guards of Sora'sOathkeeper andOblivion keychains, respectively. A dark angelic wing has also been added to the top of the original blade of the Soul Eater to act as the teeth of the key. Its token is the Heartless Emblem, but without the spiked bars crossing it. In its appearances inKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and onwards, the token's design also integrates elements of therecurring Heart symbol, curling the tips of the Heartless Emblem's red outline inward at the top. Its name is derived from the ending scene ofReverse/Rebirth, in which Riku declares that he is taking the "road to dawn".

The code for the Japanese release ofKingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX contains text referring to the Keychain as the "Way to the Daylight".^[4] Its respectiveKingdom Hearts key ring erroneously labels it as the "Wait the Dawn".^[5]

Gameplay[edit]

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]

Riku can equip this weapon inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days mission mode by equipping theZero Gear. There are two ground combos of this weapon. They both begin with a spinning slash, but if the player lets the combo end with an upward slash, from there Riku jumps into the air and performs two diagonal upward slashes, one from each leg. If the player continues to tap, then Riku will repeat the spinning slash three times and finish the combo with the upward slash. If is pressed before the third slash during the ground combo, a dashing thrust will be performed instead. The aerial combo consists of a upward slash from the left leg, followed by an upward slash from the right leg, another diagonal upward slash from the left, and ends with Riku slamming the sword straight down.

Combos
Ground Attack Power Critical? Flinch? Counter? Attack Power Critical? Flinch? Counter? (Ground) Drill Rush Rising Swing Hit 1 0.75 ◯ X X Hit 2 0.75 ◯ ◯ X Hit 3 1.0 ◯ ◯ X (Ground) Drill Rush Rising Swing Hit 1 0.75 ◯ X X Hit 2 0.75 ◯ ◯ X (Ground) Rush Thrust Hit 3 1.0 ◯ ◯ X Hit 1 1.5 ◯ ◯ X (Ground) Drill Rush Rising Swing Hit 1 0.75 ◯ X ◯ Hit 2 0.75 ◯ ◯ ◯ Hit 3 1.0 ◯ ◯ ◯		Air Attack Power Critical? Flinch? Counter? Attack Power Critical? Flinch? Counter? (Air) Right Left Upswing Hit 1 0.75 X X X Hit 2 1.0 X X X (Air) Left Upswing Hit 1 0.75 X X X (Air) Right Left Upswing Hit 1 0.75 X X X Hit 2 1.0 X X X (Air) Swooping Down Thrust Hit 1 1.5 ◯ ◯ ◯ Hit 2 1.0 ◯ ◯ ◯

Other appearances[edit]

The Way to the Dawn also appears in the secret video "The Gathering", whereVentus pulls it from the ground at theKeyblade Graveyard.

On the Japanese version of theKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance website, the Way to the Dawn acts as a cursor for Riku's version of the website.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper[edit]

InFinal Fantasy Record Keeper, the "Way to the Dawn (KH)" appears as a 6★ Keyblade. It grants Riku theDark Firaga Soul Break.

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Concept art of the Way to the Dawn.

Trivia[edit]

• During the battle withXemnas, Sora temporarily wields this Keyblade with a reverse grip, similar to how Ventus holds his Keyblade. During the battle against Xemnas's Dragon Form, Riku also holds this Keyblade in a reversed manner while driving.

Notes and references[edit]

See also[edit]

• Destiny's Embrace

• Kingdom Hearts II weapons
• Keyblades (Riku)
• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Keyblades
• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days weapons
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Keyblades
• Kingdom Hearts III Keyblades