Riku Dola


 * The hell? So you were real after all...Hey. Let's play another game. This time I'll show you that we can win. Schwi and I. --Riku to Tet

, being designated as “Spieler” (German for Player) by Ex-Machina after his demise, was an 18 years old Imanity who lived during the Great War on Disboard. He was one of the main protagonists in Tet's story. He encountered Shuvi while going on an expedition and brought her to his colony after having lost in a game against her (albeit willingly, as he judged that winning was impossible, so instead he changed the bets to his favor).

Appearance
Riku bears many similarities with Sora. He is tall and lean and has spiky white hair. His eyes are a lavender color and were described to "look like the abyss itself". His clothing is mostly sienna brown with a red scarf.

He usually wore a dust mask and fur armor to prevent him from coming into contact and inhaling Black Ash.

Personality
Ever since his home was destroyed and he took over as leader of his colony, he's had a somewhat split personality. When the figurative lock on his [heart] is locked, he appears emotionless, cold and calculating. When his heart is unlocked, the emotions he bottled up are released, often violently. His endeavors with Schwi have since lessened his split personality and he appears to be more open around her.

His cold personality is down to the point of being somewhat "ruthless", as he ordered 48 of his subordinates to death with a simple yet cruel command.

Strengths
Riku is a master strategist and manipulator, much like Sora. He is capable of duping even the matriarch of the Nilvalen family (known as the strongest and smartest Elf at the time) into giving out valuable information, albeit at the cost of his health. Through his efforts and skillful leadership, The 179 Ghosts were able to manipulate all the races into forming alliances with each other and drastically change the tide of the Great War, all while standing in the sidelines.

Despite the different circumstances he had felt, he was the most emotional of the cluster, proof of this is the declaration of the pledges and him sacrificing himself despite Rule 2, "You must let no one die". Becoming a fundamental drive for him to stop the war.

He is also literate on different languages and very observant of details that may seem insignificant. He knows some ancient elvish text and knows how to read the dwarf's language while also able to write on ancient-Imanitian. He also noticed how Schwi picked chess when they first met and analyzed it to be the same Ex-Machina that destroyed his hometown.

Weaknesses
As a 'human' (as they were yet to be baptized or renamed as 'Imanity' by Tet at that time), his body was weak, especially when compared to other those from other clans. like other humans, the elemental bones corrode or eat up his skin and organs when they come in contact. He, along with the other [Ghosts] had mutilated bodies(burned skin that never healed, amputated limbs, and damaged organs) since they applied elemental bones on themselves to hide their identities from the other clans, as elemental bones 'disrupt' magic, preventing identification through senses or the use of magic.

"Ghosts"
After having his people evacuated to their new home, which would be later become the Elchea Kingdom. He forms the "Ghost", create the phrase "Aschento" to replace the old one, and declared the Six Pledges, which would become their guidance. The Ghost, including him, uses the Elemental Bone to cover himself from magic, and went on their conquest. Later, he married with Shuvi.

Death
Despite having the Star Grail in his hand's reach, he started to succumb to his wounds while being caught in the impact, and his remaining arm(his right arm) disappeared as he was reaching for it. Deeming himself unworthy/too weak, he starts to call out to the God of Games, or to anyone who would put an end to the war, eventually, Tet shows up and claims the Star Grail, proclaiming, as Riku disintegrated, that one day, they will play another game.

Quotes
"It's time to open your eyes. This world doesn't have any more hope. Which is why we have to create it ourselves. In the end, this world is nothing but a game. -- So, we're gonna make our own rules on our own terms."

"We are the ghosts, we are but a phantom. We will guide the course of this war to its rightful end! That will be our victory, the day we will finally we see the end of this wretched war. But we must know nothing of this despite we win, because ghosts don't exist, they just vanish." "Yes, humans are fools. But it takes a great fool to know how to not let foolishness get them killed. We have lived in a world where life has no value. They are all fools, incredibly weak and vulnerable. Magnificently weak fools, deserving of respect"

"We are the singularity of the equation. We make every prediction, strategy, and calculation, come together exactly how we want it to.If we pull it off, it will be a -- miracle."

"Well, let me ask you this. What's the point of surviving when you live in a world like this? You just run as hard as fast as you can and you keep running, but what then? What else do you do? Just sit back and let yourself get obliterated like nothing? And if you don't like that idea, will you let 999 people die for the sake of 1001?! Will that change anything at all?!"

"It is what it is. We can try and cover it up with sweet words, but it won't change a thing. You can cry, or feel bad or promise to never do it again. But no matter your past, in the present you're with me. And in my future, I want you to stay. It's called forever."

Trivia

 * His name 'Riku' means earth or land in Japanese, in contrast to Sora's name which means sky.
 * It is implied that Riku is the first-ever living being on the world of Disboard to create the concept of 'cheating without getting caught'. He is also the one responsible for the allocation of the 16 Race Pieces.
 * He was still a virgin until his death at the end of the The Great War, as he said himself.
 * It is implied that he played a game with Tet when he was a boy.
 * Riku bears a great resemblance to Sora, the reason for this, according to the author himself is for readers to be able to get into the story easier.

Riku Dola Riku Riku Рику Дола 利库·多拉