Rikku

Rikku is an Al Bhed girl who is a playable character in both Final Fantasy X, and its direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2.

Before the events of Final Fantasy X, Rikku's mother died in an incident involving a faulty machina. Rikku's father is Cid, the leader of the Al Bhed faction, and she has an older brother named Brother. Cid's sister (Rikku's aunt) married summoner Braska, Yuna's father, thus making him Rikku's uncle. Rikku and Brother are Yuna's maternal cross cousins.

In Final Fantasy X, Rikku is the first friend Tidus makes in Spira, and she becomes Yuna's final guardian on her pilgrimage.

In Final Fantasy X-2, Rikku convinces Yuna to become a sphere hunter, and accompanies her on her personal quest that evolves into a bid to save Spira again.

Appearance
In Final Fantasy X, Rikku is fifteen years old and has medium-length blonde hair in a ponytail and braided pigtails with orange feathers. She has the Al Bhed trademark green eyes with swirled pupils, although in FMV cutscenes in X-2, Rikku's eyes have normal pupils instead.

When she is first met aboard the salvage ship, Rikku wears a full Al Bhed combat diving suit that conceals her identity. When she joins Yuna's pilgrimage and sheds the suit, she wears a pair of flared green short-shorts with an orange belt and an orange sleeveless tank-top with side straps and two long blue ribbons hanging from the back. She wears a pair of goggles around her neck, a pair of boots, a gauntlet and arm guard for her right arm and a large protective forearm mitt for her left. Around her right thigh she keeps a pouch for her alchemy materials and equipment. Rikku's nails are painted yellow. Despite carrying goggles around her neck and wearing them while salvaging and piloting machina, Rikku never wears her goggles again after she takes them off on the Moonflow.

Rikku's Final Fantasy X HD Remaster cutscene model lacks earrings.

In Final Fantasy X-2, the now 17-year-old Rikku wears her longer hair loose and braided, tied atop her head, adorned with colorful beads, and held by a blue bandanna. Rikku has unique outfits for each of the thirteen dresspheres used in combat with details that distinguish her from Paine and Yuna. Rikku's default look is the Thief dressphere, where she wears a yellow g-string bikini and an olive green mini-skirt, carrying two pouches at her waist and ruffle sleeves. A long yellow and red scarf hangs loosely around her neck. Wearing the Thief dressphere in combat, she wields two red dagger-like blades designed for rapid attacks.

In other dresspheres, she wields Yuna's Tiny Bee guns and summoning staves El Dorado and Spiked Rod, as well as Tidus's Crystal Sword, Auron's Katana blade and his Masamune katana. Her deck theme for the Lady Luck dressphere is clubs, and her Mascot dressphere is a Cait Sith.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Rikku's hairstyle remains unchanged and her default Thief dressphere has a minor changes: she wears a yellow tube top and an orange skirt with two yellow ribbons and white ruffle sleeves. Her long scarf is now red with an orange tint. She now wears white knee-high socks and her boots are white with blue folded sleeves.

Personality
In Final Fantasy X, Rikku is kind-hearted, spirited, happy-go-lucky, and energetic, which sometimes clashes with the more stoic group members. She looks up to Lulu as a role model, being impressed with her calm level-headed nature. Rikku tries to maintain a positive outlook but there is a stark contrast when she is upset, and despite her outwardly happy exterior, she carries some insecurities, particularly when it comes to her future and what she wants to be. Rikku is bilingual and skilled in chemistry and alchemy. She suffers from astraphobia, the fear of lightning, after a mishap involving Brother and a stray Thunder spell in her youth, but has overcome it by Final Fantasy X-2 by camping out in the Thunder Plains for a week. Rikku is also very loyal to Yuna—whom she affectionately calls "Yunie"—and is the most vocal opponent against the ongoing pilgrimage. She bonds with Tidus, perhaps because of their similar personalities and devotion to Yuna.

In Final Fantasy X-2, remaining loyal to her cousin Yuna, Rikku continues to care about her welfare while encouraging her to have more fun in life. She is now Yuna's role model as Yuna sometimes copies her erratic behavior and unique expressions, though Rikku sometimes reprimands Yuna for using foul language. Rikku remains the ever upbeat and somewhat reckless individual, occasionally causing trouble for her friends, and also remains insecure about her future.

Rikku fears snakes, sometimes shouting "Snake! Snake! Snaaaaaaake!" when entering battle against a snake-like enemy such as a Recoil.

In Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission, it's revealed that Rikku can't help herself when it comes to caring too much about other people, whether or not it's any of her business. She has some jealousy towards Yuna, for having a significant other in her life and that she's able to stay in one place and settle down. Rikku is still unsure about her future and when others think of it as strange for her to worry, she gets defensive as they make it sound as though she doesn't think about anything important.

Final Fantasy X
During Rikku's childhood, a machina went on a rampage and her mother was killed. Rikku was attacked by a fiend while playing on the beach and Brother aimed a Thunder spell at the fiend to fend it off, but the spell missed and hit Rikku instead, leaving her with a fear of thunder.

After Tidus is ambushed by a fiend in the Underwater Ruins, he is rescued by a group of Al Bhed led by Rikku. While the others believe him to be a fiend in human form, Rikku objects to killing Tidus and instead knocks him out so he can be taken to the Al Bhed Salvage Ship. As the bilingual member of the group, Rikku enlists Tidus in reactivating an underwater power plant to salvage a sunken airship. Striking up a friendship and surprised by his claims of hailing from Zanarkand, Rikku promises to take him to Luca so he can find someone he knows. The two are separated when Sin attacks the ship and Tidus is washed overboard.

Tidus drifts to Besaid and ends up joining Yuna on her pilgrimage. When Yuna's group crosses the Moonflow via Shoopuf, Rikku pilots an underwater machina to kidnap her and stop her pilgrimage, but Tidus and Wakka dive in after her and save Yuna by destroying Rikku's machina. Ejecting from the damaged machina, Rikku washes ashore and Tidus finds her. Rikku discards her Al Bhed uniform to move about incognito and joins Yuna's pilgrimage as her final guardian. While the others know of her heritage, Rikku's status as an Al Bhed is concealed from Wakka, who does not approve of the Al Bhed for personal reasons. Though she enjoys the hospitality at Guadosalam, Rikku stays out of the Farplane while the others go for a visit, saying that the images of the dead Farplane conjures for its visitors are mere memories, and she prefers keeping her memories to herself.

Rikku's astraphobia is revealed while the group cross the Thunder Plains, pleading with the others to rest at the nearby Rin's Travel Agency. Auron's harshness causes an upset Rikku to momentarily overcome her fear by the time they reach Macalania Woods. On the way to Macalania Temple, Rikku defends Yuna from her brother when he attempts to kidnap her. When she tells him she will protect Yuna using her native tongue, Rikku finds herself insulted by a shocked Wakka. She retorts by telling him to think for himself for once without Yevon's influence, and show proof of his claims that her people are to blame for Sin. If Tidus rides a machina sled with Rikku to Macalania Temple, she reveals she is Yuna's cousin and articulates in a roundabout way that Yuna will die if she continues her pilgrimage, but Tidus is oblivious.

At Macalania Temple, a guard, disbelieving an Al Bhed could be a guardian to a summoner, denies Rikku entry until Auron comes to her defense. After the group confront Seymour for his role in murdering his father, Jyscal Guado, which escalates into a battle that kills Seymour, they are pursued by the Guado and fall to the bottom of the frozen Lake Macalania, where they are whisked away by an encounter with Sin.

The party regroups on Bikanel Island but cannot find Yuna. Rikku leads the others to the Al Bhed Home that is under attack by the Guado. They locate Rikku's father, Cid, and Rikku reveals to an unaware Tidus that Yuna will die if she performs the Final Summoning. They escape on the airship the Al Bhed had restored from the salvage operation Tidus participated briefly in.

At Bevelle, the party drops in on Yuna's forced wedding ceremony to the now-unsent Seymour but are forced to watch it continue while held at gunpoint. After Yuna escapes on Valefor, Rikku tosses a flash bomb to blind Seymour and the warrior monks so that the group can retreat into Bevelle Temple. After Kinoc holds them up, Rikku tries to warn Tidus not to exit the Chamber of the Fayth with Yuna, but it is too late, and they are arrested and held on trial for treason.

Rikku is thrown into the Via Purifico with Tidus and Wakka but they escape from the dungeon's monster and reunite with Yuna and the others. On Bevelle's Highbridge, Seymour transforms into Seymour Natus and confronts the group. They defeat him and flee to the Macalania Woods where Rikku hopes Yuna would quit her pilgrimage now that they know the truth about Yevon's corrupt ways, and although Yuna is set on continuing Rikku and Tidus decide to come up with a way to save her. During the group's climb up Mt. Gagazet to the Zanarkand Ruins, Rikku becomes increasingly distraught over Yuna's impending fate and pleads with her not to go through with it. Yuna comforts Rikku and thanks her for her help, but Rikku refuses to accept Yuna's choice.

Within the Zanarkand Dome, the party learns of the Final Summoning's true nature as a continuation of Sin, and Rikku is overjoyed when Yuna rejects it as a false rite. The party decides to fight Sin via other means and Rikku tells Shelinda to spread word of the plan to pacify Sin by using the "Hymn of the Fayth". They fly the airship into the calmed Sin and traverse its innards to reach the core. After Wakka makes his peace with her people, Rikku joins the others in defeating Jecht in his Final Aeon form to destroy Yu Yevon.

As Yuna sends her aeons, Auron dissolves into pyreflies and departs for the Farplane. With Yu Yevon no more, Sin, the fayth, the aeons, and Tidus begin to fade. The party returns to the airship and Tidus says his goodbyes to everyone, but Rikku does not accept his departure, saying they will meet again. Some time later, Rikku is present with Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri as Yuna delivers a speech in Luca Stadium to announce the onset of the Eternal Calm.

Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm
In the two years that have passed since Sin's destruction, Rikku has traveled all over Spira, salvaging machina and teaching people how to use them. She often takes the time to visit Yuna on Besaid. Rikku has even overcome her fear of thunder by camping out in the Thunder Plains for a week. She and Brother have fallen out with Cid and have founded the Gullwings, an Al Bhed sphere hunting group based on their airship, the Celsius, with the help of Brother's friends, Buddy and Shinra. They are eventually joined by a young woman named Paine.

One day, Rikku rushes to Besaid on an Al Bhed ship to show Yuna a sphere Kimahri found on Mt. Gagazet displaying an imprisoned man resembling Tidus. Rikku invites Yuna to accompany her to Kimahri to learn more about the sphere, but Wakka says Yuna is too busy with visitors. Rikku argues that Yuna should embrace her new lease on life and after Yuna decides to journey again, Rikku reveals she brought new clothes for her to go "incognito". At Yuna's insistence, they leave Besaid immediately and embark on a new adventure.

Final Fantasy X-2
The Gullwings gain a rivalry with the Leblanc Syndicate, another sphere hunting group, led by Leblanc. One day, Leblanc steals Yuna's Garment Grid and performs a concert in Luca while posing as Yuna. Rikku and Paine crash the concert while Yuna dons a moogle costume to keep a low profile. Rikku and Paine chase Leblanc out to the docks and Yuna joins the fray and reclaims her Garment Grid.

The Gullwings explore the recently discovered Floating Ruins at the peak of Mt. Gagazet and claim the treasure sphere that contains images of Zanarkand. At the Zanarkand Ruins they find half a sphere. The Gullwings travel throughout Spira and encounter many old and new friends, including the three most influential Spirans: Youth League leader Nooj, New Yevon Praetor Baralai, and Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction. Gippal, a ladies' man and an old friend of Rikku's, embarrasses her with a crack about the two of them having "made quite the couple". News spreads about an "awesome sphere" found in Kilika, which draws the attention of both the Youth League and New Yevon. The Gullwings seize the sphere whose footage displays the mysterious man who resembles Tidus standing before a large weapon, mentioning someone named Lenne.

The awesome sphere is returned to either the Youth League or New Yevon, and it is learned from Nooj or Baralai the colossal weapon is called Vegnagun. Leblanc broke into the airship and stole the Gullwings' broken sphere from the Zanarkand Ruins, and in Leblanc's headquarters, Chateau Leblanc, the girls discover Leblanc already had the other half and stole their half to make it whole. After watching the restored sphere it is learned Vegnagun lies hidden underneath Bevelle. Forming a truce with the Leblanc Syndicate, the sphere hunters enter the underground passage under Bevelle formed after the fayth's disappearance and find a secret complex filled with machina.

When YRP reach Vegnagun's lair, they face an antagonistic Bahamut and the girls are forced to fight it. Vegnagun is gone and a large hole is left in its place. Fiends pour out of the temples, and Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal go missing. After defeating a possessed Ixion in Djose Temple its surprise death blow attack sends Yuna falling down the hole in the former Chamber of the Fayth and into the Farplane. Rikku, Paine, and the others soon hear from Yuna again when she emerges in the Bevelle Underground.

Back on the Celsius, Yuna tells everyone about Shuyin and Lenne who lived during the times of the Machina War a thousand years ago, and Lenne's spirit coalesced into a sphere, which the Gullwings now use as the Songstress dressphere. After learning about Shuyin and Lenne from Maechen after Yuna's 1000 Words concert, Rikku pities Shuyin, as two years ago, she, too, went to great lengths to try and save Yuna from a tragic fate. Now knowing the holes in the temples lead to the Farplane, Yuna plans talking to Shuyin and tell him how Lenne felt.

Rikku feels that people are always leaving her behind, but Yuna thanks her for 'kidnapping' her and letting her join the Gullwings. YRP descend into the depths of the Farplane in search of Shuyin and Vegnagun. After destroying Vegnagun and defeating Shuyin, Lenne's spirit puts Shuyin's hatred to rest and they return to the Farplane together. The Gullwings leave Spira's leaders at Luca and ride the Celsius to Besaid where Yuna reunites with a revived Tidus.

Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~
After Yuna and Tidus reunite on the Besaid shore, everyone returns to Besaid Village for a celebration. Rikku talks with Tidus and notes he hasn't changed a bit before introducing him to Paine. When Tidus's concentration begins to falter mid-conversation and he begins making glances for Yuna who is still busy at the temple, Rikku takes back her claim and says Tidus has changed. She notes that although he looks the same, he is not the same lighthearted Tidus he was two years ago.

Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission
Over the next three months, the Gullwings have gone their separate ways. Each girl receives a letter that calls the trio back together at Luca to explore the recently discovered Iutycyr Tower. With Buddy and Brother out shopping, Paine flies them to Iutycyr on the Celsius. Rikku says they can fly to the top, but Paine thinks they should obey the letter and climb the tower.

As they explore the ruins, they discuss what they had been doing since they had separated. Rikku has continued to salvage machina and works on missions and relays the status of their other friends throughout Spira. She is at constant odds with Yuna, claiming Yuna doesn't want to see her anymore and questions why Yuna stays on Besaid with Tidus instead of doing something exciting.

Rikku doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, and expresses jealousy towards Yuna for settling down, something Rikku feels she's unable to do. She says Yuna is wasting her life away, but Yuna says Rikku is only fooling herself by keeping busy. Paine breaks them up, but Rikku claims that Paine doesn't care about others, and Yuna says that Rikku cares about others too much. Paine questions the point of reuniting if they're only going to fight.

Paine reveals she sent the letters because she felt something was missing as she traveled Spira by herself after they split up. She had made up the part about something worth seeing at the top of the tower, but had wanted the girls to have another adventure like they did as the Gullwings. Yuna resolves to keep going regardless, but Rikku wonders what's going to become of them afterward. The girls learn that they have changed and fear growing further apart as long as they're together. Yuna believes they had gotten along before only because they had to work together.

Reaching the top, the group finds only a broken-down machina. Rikku expresses her disappointment, but Paine claims to see something. They realize they had become different people during their time apart. They decide to go their separate ways but to always cherish the memories of their time together. With their friendship renewed, the machina springs to life and their adventures continue.

Final Fantasy X
Rikku is a playable party member, who functions similar to both a Thief and a Chemist. She uses claws for weapons, and targes as armor. Her default abilities are Steal and Use. Her Sphere Grid path makes her agile, and gives decent HP and moderate Strength. Her Overdrive is Mix, which can combine items to many possible effects, potentially stronger than equivalent spells. Her Celestial Weapon is Godhand, which is unique due to its Gillionaire ability which doubles Gil earned. Rikku is also one of the three characters that can fight underwater, along with Tidus and Wakka.

Final Fantasy X-2
Rikku returns as a party member, having access to dresspheres, with her default sphere being Thief. Her special dressphere is the Machina Maw and her Mascot dressphere is the Cait Sith. As a Trainer her pet is a monkey called Ghiki. Rikku specializes in elemental and physical attacks and magic.

Rikku is fought as a possessed boss in the Den of Woe.

Rikku can be used in blitzball during chapter 5.

A Rikku Sphere Break coin is available, won from the Bevelle Core Sphere player in the Luca Stadium.

Voice
Rikku's Japanese voice actress is Marika Matsumoto. Rikku shares her Japanese voice actress with Mutsuki Chiharano from Final Fantasy Type-0.

She is voiced by Tara Strong in the English version. Tara Strong stated that she started voicing Rikku by first receiving the original recordings in Japanese, and that she received character's overall description to help her portray the character. Tara said Rikku was easy to portray and quite straightforward. In the Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster Rikku will occasionally say lines in Japanese during battle. These lines were done by her English voice actress, Tara Strong. This is because in the original Final Fantasy X-2: International + Last Mission Square got the English voice actresses to record the new English battle dialogue for the Festivalist and Psychic dresspheres, and recorded Japanese quotes one might hear any time during a battle. For Rikku these new quotes are Kono! (You little...!), Yossha! (Alright!), Choi choi tte kanji (Feeling good!) and Wasshooi! (Heave-ho!).

Rikku ends a lot of lines with "You know." This was decided to be her vocal tic because it was an easy way to end sentences in an environment where the lip animations matched the Japanese voice work, the characters often ending their lines with an open mouth.

Rikku, as well as her English voice actress; Tara Strong, has received several awards for her portrayal. In 2004, Tara Strong was the co-winner of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award for "Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance - Female" for her portrayal of Rikku in Final Fantasy X-2.

Musical themes
"Rikku's Theme" in Final Fantasy X is a variant of the theme of the Al Bhed, "Oui are Al Bhed", and plays when Tidus reunites with her on the northern bank of Moonflow. "Rikku's Theme" is arranged for piano on the Piano Collections: Final Fantasy X album.

Her themes in Final Fantasy X-2 are two fast, upbeat pop themes that have been vocalized on the Final Fantasy X-2: Vocal Collection - Rikku album. The vocal versions of the themes are sung by Rikku's Japanese voice actor, Marika Matsumoto.

Other appearances
Rikku has appeared in the following games in the Final Fantasy series:
 * Final Fantasy XIV as a Minion.
 * Final Fantasy Tactics S as a playable character.
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy as a cameo.
 * Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call as a playable character.
 * Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as a summonable Legend.
 * Final Fantasy Artniks as a series of cards.
 * Final Fantasy Record Keeper as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
 * Triple Triad as a card.

Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances
Rikku has made guest appearances in the following non-Final Fantasy games:
 * Kingdom Hearts series as a support character.
 * Itadaki Street series as a playable character.

Dead Fantasy

 * For more information, see Dead Fantasy Wiki: Rikku.

Rikku appears in the fan-made Dead Fantasy short films by Monty Oum in her Final Fantasy X-2 attire, along with Yuna, Rinoa,, Tifa, Cloud, and Dead or Alive characters. Monty had stated Rikku would be going through multiple dressphere changes in her battle against her main enemy, Ayane.

Throughout Dead Fantasy and Dead Fantasy II Rikku aids her cousin Yuna to fight the ninja half-siblings, Kasumi and Ayane, soon aided by Hitomi to fight them in a handicap. Rikku tries to sphere change during Dead Fantasy II, but is interrupted. Rikku is mostly seen fighting Ayane and being aided by Kairi. Rikku eventually knocks Ayane to one of the conjure portals that Rinoa had created. In both previews of Dead Fantasy VI, Rikku and Ayane clash weapons before she sphere changes multiple times in an underground cavern and its hidden laboratory. Later, she uses her special dressphere, the Machina Maw, against Ayane. Rikku's fighting style is based on Capoeira with added agility and proficiency with dual daggers. Her grunts are from Xianghua from Soul Calibur, voiced by Aya Hisakawa.

Rikku also appears in the Dead Fantasy - Gee music video in her Final Fantasy X attire. She plays the role of Lee Soonkyu, also known as "Sunny", one of the members of Girls Generation.

Trivia

 * Rikku makes a reference to the Metal Gear Solid series by shouting, "Snake! Snake?! Snaaaaaaake!!!" (some variation of this is generally said by other characters whenever Snake dies) when the party comes across Bandoleer-type enemies such as the Recoil.
 * Rikku has three different phobias throughout the two games: She has a fear of thunder (although she gets over it by camping in the Thunder Plains), needles, and snakes.
 * Despite being astraphobic (fear of thunder), Rikku does not take additional damage or run away when hit by a lightning attack. In Final Fantasy X she is the most audibly hurt when she gets hit by it, resulting in a yelp. In Final Fantasy X-2, Rikku no longer squeals when hit by a lightning-elemental spell, as she overcame her fear.
 * During the events of Final Fantasy X, she never demonstrates fear of snakes.
 * Rikku's Sphere Grid crosses into Lulu's. This could be a reference to when the party is under Lake Macalania and Rikku expresses her wish to be more like Lulu. While the party travels through the Thunder Plains, Lulu advises Rikku to learn some spells to help her overcome her fear of lightning.
 * In 2005, Rikku won the award for "Hottest Character" in G4's 2004 G-Phoria awards show. Also in 2005, Rikku won the "Viewers' Choice: Baddest Good Girl" on G4's Video Game Vixens.
 * Rikku was used in the production of Final Fantasy XIII to stand in for characters who hadn't been finished yet.
 * One of Rikku's battle quotes, "Booyaka!", is the catchphrase of Selphie Tilmitt from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * In Rikku's Final Fantasy X-2 promotional poster, the words "Under Another Sky" are written in Al Bhed script albeit the 'H' is missing from the word 'Another'. It is written in English, rather than Al Bhed.