The Destiny Trio and the Paopu Fruit. (Kingdom Hearts 1)
Hey everyone. This is gonna be my first rambling on Tumblr. So please, I am a little rusty with interacting/writing out my thoughts to others. Before I get into any of this, please keep an open-mind. I am not dissing any ships. I am not saying my analysis or my thoughts are better than yours. All I want to do first and foremost, is level with you on how I interpret the series.
I wanna talk about the Destiny Trio and the Paopu Fruit. Mostly focusing on Riku’s attitude towards Sora and Kairi’s budding romance. This might a little ship heavy- but I am also speaking through context that is given to me.
In the very beginning of Kingdom Hearts (2002), we are given a light explanation of what a Paopu Fruit is. A Paopu fruit (パオプの実 Paopu No Mi) is a star fruit exclusive to the world of Destiny Islands. This fruit is said to bind two people eternally- making their destinies intertwined. Destiny is a very prominent theme in almost every Kingdom Hearts game. Whether it is defying it- or ultimately following it, it is shown as a very powerful force.
The first introduction of this fruit- oddly enough- is through Riku of all people. Which I find rather fascinating- because he is the odd one out of his trio to not experience a shared item. Wayfinder has their lucky charms, Sea-Salt... well... has their ice cream, but Destiny has only the Paopu Fruit between two of its characters.
This is incredibly significant- and only intensifies over the course of the series. Sora and Kairi have a unique relationship- that separates them from the rest of the entire cast.
We see the Destiny Trio bond over some heavy words, on our first sunset with them. Sora questions Kairi’s origin and the safety of their trip. Kairi even asks what Riku could possibly do in another world. Riku stresses that it isn’t the point of what they do- but rather they need to just go out and experience it. Riku then thanks his friend for giving him the inspiration to begin with.
As the trio are preparing to leave- Kairi advances towards the beach, leaving Sora and Riku alone. Riku immediately tosses a Paopu Fruit towards Sora. This is when we get some light exposition on the myth of the Paopu Fruit’s power:
So to reiterate above, this Paopu Fruit intertwines two people’s destinies. In this case, with other characters such as Selphie, regard it as romantic. Intertwining fates? Even out loud it comes off very intimate- even having exclusivity of only two people. It’s quite fascinating and gives a lot of meaning to the fruit knowing that.
What does Riku think of the fruit? Well he kinda just brushes it off. However, the line he gives following, is rather peculiar:
Of course, you could interpret this scene to Riku just teasing Sora about the idea in itself. They are younger adults, only 14 and 15. It is the age of young adolescence- romance and growing up are teased and thought about. But, it is what follows this night- is the most interesting connection I drew.
On the second day of being on the islands; one of the items you collect is in The Secret Place. When picking up the mushroom, it triggers a cutscene. All of the bubbly, fun atmosphere made by “Destiny Islands” track comes suddenly to a halt. Sora seeing his cave drawing, reminiscences of his younger years.
What does Riku have to do with this? Well, I believe that Riku is aware of this cave drawing. The trio has been together for nearly years- and The Secret Place is spot acknowledged by other characters. As much as I want to brush off this light teasing, I can’t help but to stress the potential significance of it. Why wait till Kairi walks further away? Why take the effort to pluck a Paopu fruit, wait, and then tease your friend about it? Scene direction implies that there is more to it than just “teasing a friend”.
The scene shifts rather intimately and the tone softens. Sora alone with both the audience and to himself, caresses Kairi’s half of the drawing.
With a warm smile and softening eyes- “Treasured Memories” plays. The track sets the tone of the scene, showing Sora has feelings for Kairi. These feelings have spanned for years potentially- and Sora is expressing them. For just getting teased about it just the other night, Sora sits down, and draws himself sharing one with Kairi:
(Did your heart just skip a beat?)
Later on that same day, Sora and Riku race with the winner naming the ship. Before the race starts, Sora suggests making himself captain along with naming the ship, which Riku replies:
Aight. Kinda random but, with how the line is delivered it comes off serious. Maybe even passive aggressive.
It is odd that this plays out- in context to the one mentioned before. Riku purposely raises the stakes of the race to rile up Sora. Riku himself wants the exclusivity of sharing a Paopu Fruit with another. So much- that he would take it away from Sora if it truly meant it. Riku subtly harbors similar feelings to Kairi, as Sora does for her. The two share a sibling rivalry that is popular in shonen series- of course a love interest could be a point of competition. I am not painting Riku to be a bad friend- but let’s not forget that some people, like myself, have acted toxic once or twice in our younger years. In fact, most of Riku’s character arc in the first game- was making mistake after mistake. The resolution of it comes from facing humility and being brave.
Next time, I will be talking about Days. Catch you later!
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