Riku Harada

Riku Harada原田 梨紅
Profile
Age	14 15 (By series end)
Gender	Female
Occupation	Student
Relations
Risa Harada (Younger Twin Sister) Rika Harada (Grandmother) (Anime) Daisuke Niwa (Boyfriend)
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 1, Stage 1, Volume 1
Anime Debut	Episode 1, Dark Revived
Voice Actors
Japanese	Sara Nakayama
English	Hilary Haag

Riku Harada (原田 梨紅 Harada Riku) is one of the main characters of D.N. Angel.

She is a student in class 2-B, along with Daisuke Niwa, and Dark Mousy's original sacred maiden.

Appearance

Riku is a young woman who stands at average height and has an athletic build.

Her hair is styled as a chin length bob, and she's depicted with big brown eyes. (In the anime, she's shown to have auburn colored hair, whereas in the manga, it's depicted as brown)

Due to her and Risa being twins, her face is noted to be almost identical to the latter's.

When in school, Riku is usually seen wearing the short-sleeved version of the girl's uniform or the uniform she participates in the school's sports club, which could be lacrosse. But when she isn't at school, she usually wears practical clothes such as pants, overalls, and sport shoes.

It's also worth mentioning that Riku doesn't know how to style her own hair .

Personality

Riku is known to be tomboyish, outspoken, athletic, intelligent, serious, and down to earth.

She is also someone who cares for others' well-being. Despite not caring for fashion, she has a cute side and gets embarrassed easily when her feelings are exposed.

Her spontaneity can make her abrupt at times, but she also reacts responsibly when needed.

In the anime, Riku focuses on sports as she trains every day and is depicted actively participating in her school club. She nonetheless wants to become more feminine and admires Ayaka Hatori, a graceful student from her school. She easily becomes grumpy when Risa Harada calls her out on her feelings and the twins argue regularly.

History

Childhood

Born less than 10 minutes before Risa Harada, Riku shares an unbreakable bond with her sister despite living abroad with her father for two years during her childhood. The twins often switch place to trick their parents, but their mother always guesses who is who.

Riku and Risa as children with their toys.

Before Riku leaves Japan, her grandmother gives her a teddy bear whereas Risa receives a rabbit plush. The little girls return home hand in hand when a group of boys (Takeshi Saehara, Masahiro Sekimoto and Daisuke Niwa) accidentally hit Riku with their ball. The bear falls onto a gated property rumored to be a haunted house. A resident takes the bear in with no care for the child's cries. To comfort her tears, Risa gives her the rabbit, but Riku can't forget her bear. That night, she sneaks out of bed and runs to the haunted house. One of the boys from that day (Daisuke) jumps over the fence and brings her plush back.

When separated, the girls' bond doesn't falter, and Riku, weakened, faints at least once.

Both girls now live with their parents in a large house.

Rising Feelings

Riku Harada is an ordinary middle school student when Phantom Thief Dark resurfaces after 40 years. One evening at her window, she sees the thief, who's flying back from his first heist. Immediately mistaking him for a voyeur, she screams loudly, causing Risa to rush to her side.  It's only the beginning of a series of embarrassing encounters for both sides.

Riku's first kiss.

One day, Riku's class has a swimming lesson, and the girl sees her classmate Daisuke Niwa talking to a rabbit. She can't help but notice the boy's clumsiness, especially then he (or at least With, who took Daisuke's place) almost drowns despite knowing how to swim. As she is hurrying to call the nurse, she sees the voyeur again by the pool and shrieks.

Their paths meet again later at night: the thief enters her room and, despite her struggles, kisses her and spills liquid from a vial onto her face and bed. Before he leaves, she almost recognises Daisuke Niwa. However, the following day, when she hands Daisuke the vial that the man accidentally left in her room, he insists it doesn't belong to him. Riku is distressed her first kiss was stolen by the pervert.

Her feelings toward Daisuke Niwa become more and more complex. During a school excursion in the mountains, she cannot stand watching Risa beg the boy to save her hat, which was caught on a tree branch, to the point that she endangers both the boy and herself by trying to reach it. The two teenagers fall down the cliff, and Riku twists her ankle. Daisuke quickly guesses something is wrong and offers to carry her. Their long and painful walk back makes Riku realise how brave he is. She finally asks him to call her by her first name to distinguish her from Risa.

Riku realises how brave Daisuke is.

These feelings turn into love, but Riku is aware of Daisuke’s feelings Risa. She won't interfere in their love story despite her envy and won't talk about it to anyone, including her sister.

When Risa comes to her asking for advice about her friendship with the boy, she refuses to help but still follows her in town to see how the discussion between them goes. She later accidentally meets Daisuke (who is in fact With in disguise) who innocently confesses to her by mistakenly saying "daisuki" ("I like you") instead of the name “Daisuke”. Furious, Riku slaps him and runs away. The following days, she keeps thinking about Daisuke's unexpected confession and finally wonders if she hasn't been mistaken for her twin sister.

On St. White's Day, Riku runs errands to prepare the celebration when Urakawa, a senpai she dislikes, forcefully confesses to her after convincing himself that she liked him. In actuality, she had been staring at Daisuke, who sat near him, but Riku refuses to admit that. Daisuke (who is Dark in control of the boy's body) rescues her and gives her a white ribbon, which Riku remembers Risa calling a symbol of love on this special day. However, "Daisuke" runs away before kissing her.

The following day, "Daisuke" faints and Hiwatari brings him to the infirmary. Troubled by the boy's behaviour on St. White's Day, Riku fakes a stomachache to join her classmates and surprises Hiwatari during a strange monologue. The latter quickly leaves them alone. Riku stares at Daisuke, admiring his sleepy face and unwillingly wondering if he'll become handsome like Dark in the future. She sits beside him and softly confesses her love for the unconscious boy... who wakes up at this exact moment.

Riku, afraid of rejection, flees the room, but Daisuke chases after her. When he finally catches her in the schoolyard, he asks her if they can walk together after school. The two flustered teenagers can't even discuss this further as Daisuke is kidnapped by men in suits. Riku is told to pretend Daisuke came back home normally, and even her teacher seems aware of what's happening, leaving the girl confused.

The following day is the state's foundation anniversary. Dark has announced he will steal the Moonlight Mask and Risa leaves the house to meet with him. Riku tries to find her and, as she's walking down a street, sees Daisuke jumping over a roof. Her call makes him fall... and she notices Dark (With in disguise) right behind him. She screams, recognising the pervert, and Daisuke grabs her wrists and runs to protect her from the crowd that rushes in their direction.

When they finally reach a safe place, Riku laughs, realising the famous Dark is some kind of voyeur. She tells Daisuke about her first encounter with the thief and how she believed it was him at first. The boy seriously asks her how she would react if he was Dark, and says something else which the sudden fireworks hide. He runs away before she can ask him to repeat himself.

Riku is moved to tears by Daisuke's confession.

The following day, Riku sees the two boys leading the mysterious kidnappers in suits. They introduce themselves as new students, Funabashi and Saga. The latter gives her a disc, which she listens to as soon as the boys leave. She recognizes with embarrassment that it’s the audio of her discussion with Daisuke the previous day, and she can finally hear what he said when the fireworks interrupted him: the one he loves is now Riku. Moved to tears, she admits her feelings to Daisuke who arrived in the meantime, but their classmate Takeshi Saehara comes to tease them. Riku's feelings toward Dark remain antagonistic.

The School Trip

Riku and her class go on a school trip that will last for six days. The students are supposed to spend two days on an island, and the teacher tells them to be careful about the forest behind the hotel as there are bears. Daisuke promises Riku he'll search for her if she ever gets lost.

In her hotel bedroom, Risa questions Daisuke about his feelings toward Riku, but, to her surprise, Riku finds them in an accidental but compromising position on a bed. Shocked, Riku accuses Daisuke of liking her only because she looks like her twin sister and leaves. However, Daisuke's expression immediately makes her realise she misunderstood, and the rest of her day is filled with regret and anxiety.

Riku sees Daisuke and Risa together again.

When she returns to the room she shares with Risa and their friend Ritsuko Fukuda, Riku immediately goes to bed. Risa, who stays with her, clears up the misunderstanding.

Riku awakens at night and notices her sister isn't in bed anymore. She searches for her until she sees her on the beach holding Daisuke, mistaking him for Dark. Upset to always arrive at the wrong moment, Riku leaves the scene, crying.

The following morning, Riku walks around, confused and still upset. She wanders so far that she is caught by surprise when night arrives and loses herself in the forest while trying to use a shortcut. Scared, hungry and mad at herself for the arguments with her loved ones, she decides to wait for Daisuke to come for her like he promised on the first day. After a long wait, Daisuke arrives and hugs her, relieved.

Daisuke reassures Riku.

Daisuke can't help but laugh when Riku explains she was afraid of bears, and the two teenagers hold each other's hand while explaining the misunderstanding including Risa. Still afraid of Daisuke being angry, the girl apologises, and he kisses her forehead.

Back to the hotel, Riku realizes she left the room without her key. Daisuke (who is Dark using the sleeping boy's body) appears and brings her out on a walk to tell her the truth by transforming into Dark in front of her. Riku questions him in disbelief, but is quickly knocked out by Daiki and Emiko Niwa, who had followed "Daisuke".

When she wakes up again, she's in her bedroom. She immediately remembers Dark and panics, telling the truth to Risa who calms her down: there's no way Daisuke can be Dark. Plus, her sister says, she obviously spent the night in her bed. Riku wonders if everything was just a dream. When she sees Daisuke again, she asks him if he can pick locks, but he denies having this ability.

Niwa's Snow Painting

Class II-B prepares the middle school's cultural festival and the students have decided boys will perform a play adaptation of the Ice and Snow tale while girls are in charge of preparing costumes and set. Everyone except Daisuke Niwa has voted for the boy to play the heroine Freedert's part. Keiji Saga and Funabashi, just transferred to the class, suggest they replace the prince character by Dark, played by Satoshi Hiwatari. Riku ends up in charge of the costume of Freedert despite her lack of skills in sewing.

Just as details are decided and students start preparing the classroom, Riku notices Daisuke is called over by a teacher. When she meets him again, he's carrying a canvas; the snow painting and the beautiful description he makes move Riku, who asks to keep the piece. Daisuke agrees, and tries to ask if he can paint her portrait before being interrupted by Keiji. Riku, who still dislikes him, leaves them alone grumpily.

The following day, Risa is sick and her sister takes care of her. Dark unexpectedly shows up at night in Riku's bedroom to steal the snow painting and kiss an asleep Risa. The older twin catches him and, determined to protect her sister and get her present back, fights until the painting's magic activates and makes them descend into the Second Hand of Time's world.

Riku patches Dark's hurt hand.

Riku, who doesn't understand what is happening, struggles and they fall in snow. She notices Dark's hand is wounded because of her and uses her headband to patch it.

The thief explains they fell into a dream world. Mysterious guards appear to arrest them and Dark surrenders immediately. After they're brought into a cell, Dark mentions his nature is close to this world's and frees himself. Before disappearing, he tells Riku to call either him or Daisuke if she needs help.

She waits in the cell until Daisuke opens the door to untie and rescue her. Much to her surprise, he draws a faithful image of her bedroom on the floor. Dark catches her and uses this temporary door to leave the painting. Before they disappear, Daisuke tries to reassure her: what is happening is just a dream. When she wakes up in her bed the following morning, she notices her headband is missing.

Still unsure that what she saw that night is indeed a dream, Riku still goes to Daisuke's house to accompany him to school for the first time. Ignorant of the fact the real Daisuke is still in the artwork's world and Dark is the one she's talking to, she questions him about her dream... but quickly changes her mind.

Later that day, she sees "Daisuke" in a classroom and almost recognizes him as Dark. The thief, who has decided to erase her memory of the previous night, gives up on his plan and hugs her, expressing his desire to not be forgotten. Riku hears Dark's voice but the boy immediately escapes.

Back home, Riku realizes her snow painting disappeared. The black feathers Risa found on the ground only mean one thing: Dark is behind this. When, at school, Daisuke (who is With taking the boy's place) tenderly hugs her, she rejects him, unable to face him after what happened to the painting.

Determined to find the thief, she and Risa go to the Russell Museum where Dark announced he'd appear to steal the Wedge of Time.

On their way, the twins discuss their respective tastes, the young one teasing her sister on the fact she could be popular as well if she dressed femininely. Riku confronts Risa about her feelings toward a criminal, but her argument about being unable to hate the man she loves despite his activities make her speechless. If Daisuke was Dark, could Riku hate him?

Risa's knowledge of the area allows them to sneak closer to the museum, and the girl even distracts a policeman by pretending she is hurt, much to Riku's shock.

When Riku spots Dark, she tries to jump between roofs to reach him but misses and falls, causing her to faint. She wakes up later, surprised to be safe and sound, and immediately notices Daisuke is nearby. Rushing to his side, she sees the snow painting next to him and apologises for its bad condition. However, the boy only cares about hiding his crying face and embraces her. Appeased, Riku comforts him.

What links Dark and Daisuke?

The long-awaited day of the class' play arrives and pupils get ready to perform in front of visitors. Riku keeps thinking about what happened the previous evening: what links Dark and Daisuke?

During the play, Daisuke, who's performing, gestures in her direction. Riku rushes to turn the lights off... and accidentally turns them back on as the boy falls on the stage with his torn costume revealing his sweatpants. The audience laughs in front of the boy's misfortune.

Riku apologises profusely after the play, but the boy doesn't take account of her mistake. He asks if he can paint her portrait one day and they almost kiss... Except Daisuke escapes at the last second.

Embarrassed, Riku avoids him the following day. After class, she however can't resist peeking in his desk, where she finds a written apology. She runs to the Art club's room to meet him but the boy is gone.

Azumano Joyland

Riku realises that Daisuke and Dark always seem linked in one way or another. Risa's date with Dark is the perfect occasion to make sure the thief and Daisuke are two distinct persons: she invites her boyfriend on a date to Azumano Joyland at 10am, the exact time Risa is supposed to meet her thief.

On the day of the date, Riku is delighted to see Daisuke came as planned. They try a few attractions and spend a good time together, until someone bumps into her and Daisuke catches her. The closeness makes the boy run away.

The handmirror.

While waiting, Riku buys tickets for the haunted house. When Daisuke (in fact With, who took his appearance) comes back, she scolds him, but a salesperson (Emiko Niwa in disguise) gives her a present, saying Daisuke just bought it for his girlfriend. Inside the box is a handmirror that makes her so flustered she can't help but push him.

Her good mood back, Riku brings "Daisuke" to the haunted house. When the attraction suddenly goes dark, she feels something soft, but nothing seems out of the ordinary when the lights come back.

In the haunted house, "Daisuke"'s frightened behaviour amuses her... until he suddenly grasps her. The boy only releases her when a man (Kosuke Niwa) arrives and reassures him. Riku is susprised by their apparent bond, but both men vehemently deny knowing each other and the man leaves them alone. Riku can't help but wonder, disappointed, whether "Daisuke" only hugged her because he was scared.

Daisuke reminds Riku he and Dark are different.

Later, as the boy is unexpectedly out of breath (the real Daisuke came back), Riku finally asks about what bothers her: is Daisuke Dark? The boy playfully insists on how different he and Dark are and leaves again to get them drinks.

The day is brought to an end and Riku and "Daisuke" (With, who had to replace Daisuke) are in a water ride when a power outage occurs. The girl notices her new handmirror shines in the dark, but it suddenly returns to normal. As she's telling Daisuke her eyes are adjusting to the dim light, the boy starts apologising profusely, warning her about something shocking. However, he stops as nothing in particular happens, puzzling Riku.

The boy ends up leaving their ride to seek a manager but returns quickly (as With). Riku suddenly receives an empty text message from her sister and understands something is wrong.

Riku has to stay in bed.

After leaving the attraction with "Daisuke", Riku faints and doesn't open her eyes for days, feverish.

She is brought back home where her mother watches over her. During her sleep, she dreams of the time Risa and her were separated. When she wakes up, her mother tells her her sister disappeared without a trace. Riku is willing to search for Risa but her low stamina keeps her in bed where she can only feel, helpless, her sister's fear. Her only hope is Dark, who sends her a warning card saying he'll rescue Risa.

The thief keeps his promise and Risa ultimately comes back home, delighted to have been saved by her loved one. Riku scolds her and notices Daisuke is nearby. Pretending he was jogging when he randomly found Risa, he tries to escape from this delicate situation but Riku thanks him and tells him to thank Dark as well.

Insomnia and the Dance Party

As the middle school's Dance Party is getting closer, class II-B visits a museum. Riku doesn't understand Daisuke is struggling to invite her to the ball. She asks him for an artwork's location, which the boy apparently perfectly knows. On her way, she surprises Risa searching for secret passages where she could hide to meet Dark, which causes an argument that is quickly interrupted by the museum's curator.

The man explains to the girls how easily artworks can be scared and shows them Insomnia, an artwork he feels is alive, as an example. The twins' feelings are opposed, as Riku likes the artwork and thinks it is a shame that it will be discarded in a few days.

As she's leaving the room, she notices Daisuke in front of Insomnia and joins him, but a sudden flash of light blinds her. Satoshi Hiwatari rushes to her help and tells her to not open her eyes. Risa sees something is wrong and runs in their direction.

When Riku opens her eyes, she's lying on the floor and Satoshi is calling her. Seeing Risa unconscious makes her immediately seek their teacher for help.

Riku rushes to Daisuke and Risa's help.

Unfortunately, she can't find her and comes back to the room where she sees Daisuke and Risa are both trapped inside the mirror: she immediately grabs a queue barrier and breaks it, freeing them. In what remains of Insomnia, a mysterious boy talks to her and disappears.

Riku vainly questions Risa, then Daisuke. What happened with the mirror? The boy distracts her attention by suddenly asking her to the ball. She answers she can't go and runs away.

The evening of the school trip to the museum, Risa confronts Riku about her decision to not go to the school's Dance Party with Daisuke. Despite Riku's silence, Risa understands she refused so that her sister wouldn't feel the pain of not being able to go with Dark. The younger twin comes up with an idea: they will both share Daisuke for the ball.

Risa joins Riku in her bed that night and questions her. How would Riku react if they loved the same boy? Riku simply answers their opposite tastes make this impossible.

Riku intervenes.

The ball arrives and Riku is surprised by how much Daisuke's clothes, imitating Dark's style, fit him. Everything is going smoothly when the boy suddenly feels bad and escapes to the garden. Riku follows him and surprises her sister dancing with Dark, a sight that saddens her.

Someone calls Risa over, and as she goes back to the building, Riku stays to observe the thief who starts transforming. A mysterious man (Krad) shoots him and Riku witnesses Dark and the other man changing back to Daisuke and Satoshi. However, she forgets her dismay and instantly intervenes when Satoshi puts the gun against his own temple.

Satoshi walks away and Riku finally questions Daisuke. Who is facing her, the thief or Daisuke Niwa? At this exact moment, Takeshi Saehara emerges from a bush. He's on the phone and loudly announces Dark has been spotted in town. Riku is relieved: there was no way Dark could have transformed into Daisuke. Apologizing, she runs back to the ball.

However, her suspicion comes back the following day. She closely follows and questions Daisuke all day long.

Dreams of the Future

Riku's imaginary future self.

In class, the homeroom teacher gives an assignment: writing about their dreams for the future. Riku takes time to reflect on what she wants. She can picture herself travelling around the world for her job and coming back home to her beloved Daisuke... who would look like Dark? That thought puts her out.

After class, the girl is ready to hound Daisuke more, but Risa forcefully drags her to do shopping together.

Dark announcing he will commit another heist is a new occasion to check whether the thief is Daisuke or not. Riku accompanies her sister to Keiji Saga's residence, as the boy owns Dark's new target. However, the girls can't pass the fence. As a disheartened Riku is leaving, she sees a bright light through one of the residence's windows.

In the anime

In the anime, Riku comes from a wealthy family: she lives with her sister and their butler in a mansion and, when she doesn’t ride her bike, commutes in a limousine.

Risa's Chaperone

Dark steals Riku's first kiss on his first heist's night and the girl believes she saw Daisuke's face right after. On the day following Dark's first heist, she's so flustered to collide into Daisuke Niwa she pushes him against the wall, accidentally knocking him out.

After Risa is asked on a date by Dark and returns home excitedly planning everything about it, Riku blames Daisuke for not guarding Risa properly and thus enabling Dark to speak with her. Unsatisfied with his answer, she puts him in a headlock. Then just as suddenly she asks whether Daisuke could be Dark, causing them to both remember the forced kiss between Riku and Dark. Daisuke admits nothing but quickly apologizes anyway and flees. Riku wonders to herself why Daisuke fears her.

That evening, in their mansion, Risa cheerfully considers clothes for her date while Riku sits on the couch, unhappy about the situation and worried for her sister. After being asked if she is jealous, Riku leaves and lays on her bed in the dark until a bright light illuminates the room. A white, winged unicorn stands before her, knocking her unconscious and carrying her on its back into a portal.

When she wakes up again, she’s in the owner of the painting’s castle, with the other kidnapped girls and, unfortunately, Dark, whom she accuses of being a pervert. After Dark tells her she isn’t fun, he flies away with Risa.

One following morning, Risa is thinking with delight about her evening with Dark and tells Riku about the details of their blossoming romance. Unimpressed and unnerved, Riku leaves the room.

Riku and Risa in front of the cold room

After school, she is stretching for lacrosse practice when she sees Daisuke walking with Satoshi, as he had offered to carry trays to the storage room with him. She remembers this when Risa asks her where Daisuke is, and the two girls go to the refrigerator. When they arrive, the door is locked, but they can hear the bangs and Daisuke’s cries from within the freezer. When Riku finally opens the door with the help of Risa and Mr. Kaseda. She finds Daisuke unconscious and his clothes torn. He awakens and asks how Satoshi is, relieving her.

One day, at the Harada Mansion, Risa laments her upcoming cooking class with the strict home economics teacher, Kaseda; whereas Riku is unexplainably happy.

Later that day, the older twin gives one of the bandages she had prepared for her sister to Daisuke, who accidentally cut his finger. However, the boy accidentally spills water on her and Takeshi Saehara when he is surprised by the sight of his pet rabbit With in the classroom.

While the class cleans the dishes, Kaseda announces that Daisuke and Risa will stay after school the next day to chop cabbages. That evening, Risa pleasantly brings tea to Riku, offers to massage her shoulders and Riku immediately realizes something is wrong. Risa does not waver under Riku’s scrutiny but eventually drops her innocent facade to share her true intentions: they will switch places the following day so that Riku can shred cabbage properly and spare Risa further punishment.

The following day, in the girl’s restroom, the twins dress up as the other and train to imitate the other’s voice and mannerism.

Riku lets her frustration out.

When Riku, disguised as Risa, walks out of the room, she interrupts Daisuke scolding With within in school bag.

Alone in the classroom with “Risa” and his teacher, Daisuke is too distracted, which attracts Kaseda’s criticism. “Risa’s” annoyance bleeds through and she begins claiming her slices have been perfect, but catches herself and pretends to be meek. As Kaseda continues to criticize them both for Daisuke’s subpar chopping, Riku’s frustration builds. She mutters to herself, accusing Daisuke’s cooking skills being as bad as Risa’s.

More shredded cabbage later, Kaseda inspects their work and praises them for their success. He says “Risa’s” apron suits her, much to Riku’s shock. Kaseda asks With, who switched place with Daisuke earlier, if he agrees. With responds with “daisuki”, which translates as both “I like it” and “I like you”, confusing Riku.

Risa thinks the pink dress would suit Riku.

That evening, Riku examines a dress in her closet and attempts to hide it from Risa when the latter enters. Riku rejects Risa’s compliments and the discussion brings both twins to a sad conclusion: they are very different but no one noticed they had switched place that day.

Days later, Riku notices Daisuke seems down and she comes to him to know what is wrong. The boy asks her about present ideas for his mother’s birthday, but Takeshi Saehara interrupts. He and Riku disagree on whether Daisuke should find an original present for his mother. The girl thinks cherishing one’s mother is important, and she compliments Daisuke for his kindness.

When Dark announces a couple days later that he will steal the heart of the “world's number one lady”, Riku is surprised. Will the thief really target a woman? She reminisces about her first (stolen) kiss and blushes, just as Daisuke Niwa enters the classroom.

Closer and closer to Daisuke

Riku and Daisuke get closer.

One day, Riku learns Daisuke has a lop-eared rabbit named With at home. When she meets him again in town after school, she uses the occasion to bring him to a pet shop and show him a similar animal. Riku explains how the way animals are displayed in the vitrine bothers her.

When Daisuke’s pet rabbit pokes his head out of the boy’s bag, Riku is delighted and wants to pet him, but he won’t let her. The way Daisuke pushes With back angers Riku, but the boy quickly escapes from the discussion.

Riku and Daisuke leave school together the following day, and the boy tells her about his concerns toward With. Riku understands immediately With loves the shop’s rabbit and is determined to help him find happiness. They immediately go to the pet shop, but the white rabbit has been sold. Daisuke notices a strawberry on the ground in front of the shop: With already knows.

Daisuke calls his mother to check if With came home, but she answers negatively. Worried, the two children search for the pet in town. The weather turns to a storm; when they find With, he is stuck on top of a windmill. The rabbit is ultimately blown by the strong wind, but Daisuke catches him and he ends up unharmed. Riku praises Daisuke for his courage, flustering him.

Later, Daisuke calls Riku on the phone to give her news of With and the two teenagers have a good time chatting.

One evening, Dark is expected near the coast after announcing he will steal the Horn of Neptune from an underwater temple. Risa brings her sister along despite the latter’s reluctance.

The girl spends more privileged time alone with Daisuke Niwa under trees in the school’s park.

Mio's pushiness annoys Riku.

A new student transferring to Riku’s class threatens the peace that settled between her and Daisuke. Indeed, Mio Hio attempts to get close to him on her first day, to the point she wants Daisuke to be partners with her instead of Riku, his designated one, in PE class. The two girls argue and the boy, who has to choose, picks Riku. Surely, the latter thinks, that feeling of relief must only be because they followed the teacher’s directions.

Summer break starts, and the twins’ vacation plans to the family’s summer house are postponed when their limousine breaks down in front of the Niwa residence. Kosuke Niwa invites her and Risa over while Tsubouchi fixes the car, and, when Mio Hio invites herself in and decides to cook for a hungry Daisuke, Riku steps in to prepare a luxurious meal for the Niwa men. However, the multiple traps hidden in the kitchen make the task harder than expected.

When Emiko Niwa returns home from food shopping, the twins are invited to a barbecue and Riku helps her prepare the cake. Daisuke eventually thanks Riku for her care that day, but she dismisses it. During dinner, the girl notices Daisuke’s eyes are often on Risa.

Riku's memories of losing her teddy bear.

Riku one days finds her old treasure box hidden in her room, in which she discovers an old teddy bear she doesn’t recognise. Risa reminds her that it’s a present from an acquaintance called Makieda for entering elementary school, and that she herself got a rabbit plush. Despite its age, Riku’s bear is spotless, and the girl assumes it used to be treasured.

Her memories of the toy come back bit by bit as news about another heist by Dark airs on television: the thief will steal an artwork from the Clover Mansion, where Riku lost her bear around 10 years ago.

Riku holds an umbrella above Risa and Daisuke.

That evening, Riku searches for Risa, who ran outside despite the bad weather to meet Dark.

Later, she coincidentally meets Daisuke near the Harada residence, and seeing him running away to search for Risa completes the puzzle in Riku’s head: Daisuke Niwa retrieved the teddy bear from the Clover Mansion to give it back to her. Riku catches up with the boy, who found Risa in tears and is trying to comfort her, and gently thanks him, covering them with her umbrella.

Riku’s class spends a few studious days on a southern island. Despite Risa’s cheerfulness, Riku can see her younger sister is sad. However, Risa won’t tell her what is on her mind.

Instead, as the twins are getting ready for bed after the first day, Risa tells her she’s considering Daisuke Niwa as a suitable replacement for Dark. The thought of Daisuke finally going out with her sister brings tears to Riku’s eyes.

The following day, Mio approaches Riku, playing a fortuneteller to tell her this day will bring her luck. Despite Riku’s hesitation, the girl gives her charms, one for Riku, the other for the boy she likes. If the two lovers bring them together, their feelings will be eternal.

Riku leaves on nature observation class with classmates, but Takeshi going his own way and Risa’s lack of endurance reduces the group to Riku and Daisuke. The two teenagers enter a cave and find a mesmerising sight of glow-worms reminiscent of the Milky Way.

On their way back, Riku hears her sister’s voice calling her. The cliffside crumbles under her feet and Daisuke leaps to her rescue.

Daisuke carries Riku up the cliff.

The boy accidentally lands under her, and her ankle is twisted. Noticing the girl’s pain, he offers to carry her and, despite her initial reluctance, she climbs on his back. Riku worries he will be able to hear her loudly beating heart, but soon, all she can think about is her feelings towards him.

Daisuke finally reaches the path safely, and they rest side to side until the looming storm emits its first flash of lightning, and Riku hugs the boy in fear. Realising her mistake too late, she lets him go and he runs away. Risa joins her and helps her back to the hotel where she is tended to by a nurse.

Back in their bedroom, the younger twin asks her whether something happened during her absence, but Riku answers that, if something should happen, it would be with Risa.

That evening, Riku relaxes with her friends, who are looking forward to the night’s meteor shower. As she heads back to her room to check on Risa, Mio approaches, cards in hands: if Riku spends the evening with a boy whose initials matches the ones she’ll draw, their happiness is guaranteed. The girl draws D and N, and Mio is certain that Daisuke Niwa is the one.

Risa seems to have left the room. As Riku’s leaving, she remembers her binoculars, and accidentally surprises Daisuke and Risa, who are in a compromising position on the bed.

Riku and Daisuke hug.

The heartbroken girl rushes out of the hotel, followed by Daisuke. Waves make her trip and fall. In tears, she asks him why he ran after her, and the boy confesses his love. Riku’s disbelief is quickly chased away and she embraces him, responding positively to his confession.

The two teenagers spend the evening stargazing together, and Riku ponders giving the magic pendant to the boy but instead saves them for later out of embarrassment.

Riku doesn’t tell Risa about her relationship with Daisuke.

Ice and Snow

Back in town, Riku has long, daily phone calls with Daisuke Niwa.

One day, Riku draws with Daisuke near Fountain Park. The girl wishes she could be as skilled as he is, but her sketch also earns his praise as he envies her free style. Suddenly realising how tall the boy has grown, she ponders giving him the pendant again but hesitates since it’s a gift from Mio Hio.

At school, Daisuke mentions wanting to paint a snowy landscape for the Fall Cultural Festival and Riku encourages him. Risa notices he is now calling her by her first name but her sister eludes the topic.

The class starts preparing the play.

Riku is stargazing at home, reminiscing about the meteor shower, when Risa joins her. The older twin expresses her happiness, and how that feeling arrived when she least expected it. Her sister answers that she has given up on Dark - and on trying to find him in Daisuke.

At school, Mio tries to talk to Riku about the special pendants multiple times, but the latter is too busy to listen.

The girls in class decide to perform the Ice and Snow play for the Cultural Festival and Riku votes for Daisuke to play the heroine, Freedert.

Finally, Daisuke’s painting is ready and Riku can see it. She’s so impressed by the piece she asks him is she can keep it at home until the Festival. Satoshi Hiwatari interrupts to tell them their presence is needed in the classroom; indeed, classmates are waiting to make Daisuke try his costume. Once again, the girl is amazed by the result.

That evening, Riku hangs the painting in her bedroom. She notices with annoyance her twin sister is monopolising the phone and that she could miss a call from Daisuke.

Much to her surprise, the latter visits her directly at home. The two teenagers chat in the Harada residence’s garden, and Riku finally finds the right occasion to give him the love pendant. She helps him tie it and explains the ritual that will make them stay close forever. But Mio Hio, who was spying on them and knows the pendants are dangerous, uses magic to protect Daisuke, whose necklace disappears. Both Riku and him have no memory of the incident and are left wondering what they were just doing.

Students have to attend rehearsal during the week-end. Risa tells Riku that she now wants to be a support for Dark, and the older twin is moved by her new mindset. As the girls are going back to class to look at the boys’ practice, Risa teases her twin sister about Hiwatari stealing Daisuke from her because of the romantic scenes in the play. They meet the aforementioned Hiwatari, who’s leaving; Daisuke has a cold and rehearsal is cancelled.

Riku visits Daisuke at home and interrupts a serious discussion between him and Hiwatari, who immediately leaves after telling the boy to be careful. Daisuke reassures her: everything is alright.

Back home, Riku’s in her bedroom thinking fondly of him, when she sees a detail resembling the boy’s silhouette appear in the snow painting.

The girl falls asleep, and, when she wakes up, catches Dark stealing the painting. She immediately fights to get the precious artwork back, and Risa, alerted by her cries, joins her. However, it magically starts glowing and absorbs the three of them into its world.

Inside, Riku struggles against Dark who holds her, and falls as the thief’s wings suddenly disappear. He protects her, but, back on steady ground, they start arguing. Risa interrupts them, wondering where they are. Riku realizes they have entered into Daisuke’s painting.

Guards magically appear from the snow.

Risa suddenly notices Dark hurt his wrist when falling. She uses her pyjama’s neck ribbon to patch his wound, insisting that he shouldn’t misunderstand this simple act of kindness.

Another of Riku and Dark’s arguments is interrupted as guards magically appear from the snow. Dark immediately surrenders and the handcuffed group is brought to what seems to be the main castle. In jail, Risa fails to calm Riku, who’s upset by Dark’s weak behaviour, but the thief explains it was the fastest way to arrive, and reveals his freed arms. He tells them he is close to this world’s nature, but still needs to free Daisuke to send them back, and disappears.

While he is away, Risa reaffirms his trust in him, and confesses that she understood she had been inconsiderate of his feelings before. Riku answers that she would hug her if she could.

Dark holds onto the girls as the carving on the floor glows.

Daisuke unlocks the door, frees them, is followed quickly by Dark, and draws an imitation of Riku’s room on the floor to connect this world to theirs. However, he decides to stay behind and promises the worried girl that he will come back. Before disappearing, Riku sees him facing the guards.

In the morning, Riku awakens, and Risa joins her in her bedroom to confirm that she also has memories of the previous night’s events - that were more than a dream. Riku remembers the boy’s words, and trusts he’ll return as promised. As they are about to leave for school, the younger twin has an idea: they should ask Dark’s help to save Daisuke. Risa even suspects they are closely linked, but Riku refuses to consider this idea.

After rehearsal, which didn’t progress as the two lead actors were absent, the girls rush to Daisuke’s house. On their way, Risa spots Dark flying above the town, and the twins instead follow him.

Riku intervenes to help Risa.

They reach a tower outside of time where the twins see Dark face Satoshi… who turns into a mysterious man (Krad). The latter attacks the thief back with a sword, and pushes him outside. Seeing Dark in danger, Risa runs in their direction, but is caught in the man’s painful magic until Riku intervenes. Dark rescues her from being hit by the sword, and she loses consciousness.

When she wakes up again, night has fallen and she notices Daisuke resting nearby. Worried, she approaches and notices he is crying, but he pulls her closer to hide his face and reassures her: he will soon smile again. Relieved, she hugs him back.

The Truth

During Winter break, Christmas is getting closer. Despite her expectations, Riku has received no call from Daisuke, and her eagerness is caught by Risa, who teases her. The younger sister however grows more serious as she sees multiple bad omens. Indeed, despite their suspicion that Dark and Daisuke might be the same person, Risa’s fortune telling only mentions a future bad event.

The town's evacuation is ordered.

Soon, a strong earthquake happens, and the town’s evacuation is ordered. In the car with her sister and Tsubouchi, Riku wonders if she will see Daisuke again.

She sees him randomly passing by on his bike and rushes to meet him. The two teenagers wander around town and night falls. As Daisuke promises to spend time with her during Christmas, another earthquake makes the ground under their feet crumble. Riku falls, and the boy catches her, before magically growing wings. Dark himself take his place and reveals the truth: he is Daisuke.

The thief brings her to a safe place. Risa catches up with them and slaps, then hugs her sister, who apologises for running away.

Mio fades in front of the twins.

Later, as the girls are at school, managing the evacuees with classmates and their teacher, Riku has the intuition something is happening. She runs to the school’s clocktower with Risa following her, and her pendant starts glowing. Mio’s voice echoes, asking for the twins’ assistance to save both Dark and Daisuke. Riku suddenly remember that night where the girl sealed herself into her pendant.

When Riku and Risa return to their senses, Mio thanks them for their help and fades into the air, taking the necklace with her. The twins are moved by her last words, which are thanks and wishes of happiness for Riku and Daisuke.

As dawn is rising, the twins find Daisuke and Satoshi in a destroyed part of town. Relieved, Riku hugs her loved one, and they exchange a kiss.

Relationships

Risa Harada: Risa is Riku’s younger twin sister. Since childhood, the girls have been sharing a bond so tight that they can feel each other’s pain and intense feelings. They both trust and care about each other; for example, when Risa is upset, she spends more time with her sister and the girls sleep together. However, they have their own distinct tastes, may it about fashion, interests or boys, which can cause arguments. Riku doesn’t understand Risa’s feelings towards Dark, causing her to scold her sibling regularly.

In the anime, Riku is Risa’s guardian, more responsible and serious. When Risa announces she will stop pursuing Dark, her sister responds with joy.

Daisuke Niwa: Daisuke is one of Riku’s classmates. When Dark forcefully kisses her, she briefly sees him wearing Daisuke’s face, an image that doesn’t leave her. She notices the boy’s hardworking and gentle side, and her feelings turn into love, but, conscious of his feelings towards Risa, she doesn’t want to confess. She and Daisuke nonetheless become a couple later. Riku suspects Dark and Daisuke are linked, if not the same person, but the boy always denies. She imagines her future life with him.

In the anime, Riku’s feelings grow slower and she doesn’t suspect Daisuke could be Dark until the end of the year. She however remembers he is the little boy who brought back her teddy bear years ago.

Dark and Riku argue.

Dark Mousy: Riku initially sees Dark as a voyeur and a pervert, and resents him for stealing her first kiss. However, when Risa disappears and the thief promises to bring her back, she begins to soften her stance towards him. Riku suspects Dark and Daisuke are linked, if not the same person, but the boy always denies. She sometimes imagines Daisuke looking like the thief when he will be older, thoughts that fluster her.

In the anime, Riku doesn’t suspect Dark and Daisuke are the same person until the end of the year. Despite her antagonistic feelings towards the thief, she easily welcomes that revelation.

Quotes

• He wouldn't notice if I got a crew cut, shaved my head bald, or grew an afro!
• Wha? Bu? Dar? What language is that?
• They said that looking under the same sky is the one you love.
• Mom, dad, Risa became a delinquent!

Trivia

• The name Riku means "pear" (梨) (ri) and "red, vermilion, crimson" (紅) (ku).
• Riku's surname Harada means "field, plain" (原) (hara) and "field, rice paddy" (田) (da).
• Riku placed 4^th in the first DNAngel character popularity contest.
• Riku is the winner of the 2003 Anime Saimoe Tournament.
• According to Daisuke Niwa, Riku tends to trip often.
• In the 3^rd volume, which was released in 1999, Riku owns a MiniDisc.
• Riku would never miss breakfast.
• Riku owns a treasure box in which she keeps the teddy bear her grandmother gave her and a picture of Daisuke.
• Riku trains every morning.

Gallery

Riku's first appearance.

References