The Miracle Who’s MORE Than A Ship | Who is Riko?

When you’re younger, you tend to become enraptured by so many things as you become more open to the world around you and the possibilities that lie within. Every kid has a dream of what it is they want to be and do when they grow up, and oftentimes those interests become nothing more than a fleeting hobby that’s eventually left behind. But, for many of us, there is typically one thing that we end up becoming attached to more than the others. Maybe it’s an interest in sports, in art or maybe…it’s music. The sound of the piano that fills your heart with a joy that can’t be replicated, and the ability to create those melodies that fills you full of wonder and joy, so much so that it feels as though every time your fingertips touch those keys, you are transported to a world of wonder unlike any other. That feeling was something a girl from Otonokizaka High School knew all too well…a feeling that seemed to have faded from her heart and her wings that allowed her to fly taken away from her.

But it took someone stuck on the ground to give them back.

Sakurauchi Riko is one of the most vital characters to the story of Love Live! Sunshine!!, yet while I feel that people acknowledge this, I don’t think they understand how or why. Considering most of the discussion surrounds her relationship with Chika and You, and to the chagrin of some with the Datenshi herself, it’s safe to assume that Riko is a pretty divisive character for those who focus on the shipping aspect. But what makes Riko so interesting is the fact that she came from the school that once housed a miracle that changed the world yet was unaware that such a thing ever existed. She was, after all, focused only on her piano. But the Riko we see at the beginning of Sunshine is so desperate to find those wings again that she was willing to jump head first into the ocean despite the danger that could befall her. A lost soul desperate for a shine–a shine she found when the normal monster introduced her to the legendary nine. From that point forth, we see her at the center of the events of Sunshine!!, and I feel that to understand not just the series, but the other two members of the core 3 that created Aqours second wave, we have to look at the miracle who flew in from the very heart of Love Live itself. To understand the relationship between her and the fallen angel Yohane, to understand Watanabe You’s desire to follow after the one who was able to see the world for how bright it was, to understand the meaning of Takami Chika’s journey to change 0 to 1, and to understand how this tiny group from a town no one cares about were able to shine brighter than anyone else, I think it’s best that we jump right in.

This is Sakurauchi Riko, the miracle that changed the destiny of Uranohoshi.

Being that she’s the only one who’s from the city, Riko at the start of the show is out of her element when it came to the behaviour of the other members of Aqours. Considering that they’re all basically from the countryside and two of them are omega weirdos, the only one even relatively normal in the sense of city life sensibilities is You. But Riko isn’t without her own little quirks. She starts off the series terrified to death of dogs to the point that she would rather jump out of a building than get close to one. She also is a little into the gays and likes reading yuri doujins and is just extreme in the strangest ways, so it’s funny to see the irony in how she calls the rest of Aqours out on their strange behavior. Otherwise, she is kind and is fairly reserved, but this also causes a bit of a confidence problem for her, especially when it comes to failure. And when we’re introduced to her, that failure is what weighs her down the most.

Riko coming from Otonokizaka, the school that housed the legendary nine who changed the world, yet not knowing anything about school idols says more about how focused she was on the piano. The fact that the student that Aqours would eventually meet at Otonokizaka knew that school idols frequently come to see the remains of what μ’s left behind is more than proof of this. I mean, Riko having such a focus on piano shows how much she loved it, how much it filled every part of her heart. Even more important is that same love fading away by the time Chika meets her on the beach. The piano that she loved and dedicated her life to suddenly became distant from her when she panicked in a piano competition and was unable to play a single note. This was shocking to say the least, especially considering how many awards she had won from competitions like this before, and the shock was so great that Riko couldn’t touch the piano again. So her mother decided to transfer her to a small town by the sea to help her with her goal to compose a piece that reflected the sound of the waves. As she says to Chika when she first meets her, she thought that maybe jumping into the water was her way of being able to see it. But of course, that wouldn’t work out.

When diving into the ocean, the sea appears bottomless and full of darkness. It’s unknown what lies beyond your field of vision and there’s no sound to be heard. This is probably the best metaphor to describe the mindset that Riko has. She’s quick to overthink everything and despite the talent that Chika praises her for, she has no confidence in herself. Because even though she had that talent, it was worthless because she couldn’t play in the end. Maybe it was because of her confidence, but I think it’s also because it just stopped being fun for her. Having those expectations is likely to weigh on the shoulders of anyone, but more importantly…Riko was alone on that stage when she walked up to play…no one to pull her out of the dark.

There are a number of things you have to talk about when it comes to Riko and how she eventually changes though the course of the series, and the best way to see this is by looking at the major relationships she forms. In her relationship with Chika, it was the first hand that reached out to that girl who was trapped in the dark. Simply by having someone believe in her and her talent, Riko gained a glimmer of the hope that she could go back to playing. In fact, it’s this relationship that forms the groundwork for how we come to understand all aspects of the lessons Riko learns, but to get there I feel that we first need to look at a different relationship that many don’t seem to understand.

While outwardly appearing to just be a random filler episode dedicated to fulfilling a fan ship, something I’ve always found interesting about Yohane is the concept of the belief in the unknown. Being that her character is defined by her Chuunibyou, you would think that she, like Takanashi Rikka or other characters of this archetype, actually believes in demons, angels and other weird things. But as revealed in episode 5 of Season 2, she’s well aware that not only is what she’s doing embarrassing, but also that the things she clings to, her fantasies and even the fallen angel, are all not real. They’re so very obviously nothing but a delusion. But…as Yohane says in that same episode, she wants to believe something like that exists. The idea that people have this power within them that not only gives them strength but also draws others to one another is something that makes this world not only more interesting, but gives her hope. And, similar to Riko with her piano, Yohane has those things inside her that made her feel special and thus desperately wanted to make them real.

What Riko relates to is having that something special. For her, it was the piano that made her feel like she was flying yet also that same piano that she lost faith in when she couldn’t play it. But it was through that passion that she connected with Chika and You that brought her into Aqours and gave her that hope and love right back. It was in being a school idol that she was able to have faith in not just herself, but in others around her that she changed and in turn was changed by. And thus, faith in the unknown comes to the forefront when considering the journey that Riko goes through, because what started her journey was that fear of failure and loss of faith in her own talents. The reason she couldn’t play was because she put too much of a burden on herself and didn’t believe that she could keep going. The world lost its shine.

But in Chika, this completely average girl with no shine of her own, she saw a person full of sparkle in her eyes that saw the world as blinding, a world that seemed dark to Riko who was looking down, mirrored in the scene when she, Chika and You dive in the water searching for the sound of the waves. Riko was only looking down into the dark abyss, unable to hear anything. But it was Chika and You who tapped her shoulder and told her to look up, and when she did…all she saw was light…and the sound of the waves filled her ears. And in this view we see what Chika does, mirrored in the first scene of Season 2. Chika is surrounded by dark yet she sees the light that she just can’t reach. This direct contrast exists between these two and thus for the other to succeed they need to push the other. And even more interestingly is the song that Chika tells Riko to listen to “Yume no Tobira” a song that has the following lyrics:

The door to our dreams, I’ve always been searching for it

I’ve been searching for a connection between you and me

And thus, a second part of what we need to understand about Riko is found within this song: the need for connection. And for this, we need to look at the third member of the original trio that brought along Aqours second wave.

A big part of You’s conflict is the growing relationship between Riko and Chika that seemed to be pushing that childhood friend out of the picture. You wanted to be by Chika’s side; it’s the whole reason she helped her form Aqours in the first place. But as I said in the You video, you can’t fully understand You without understanding Riko, and thus the reverse is true. Riko was always alone her whole life, especially onstage when she played the piano she was so proud of. In this, a similar case can be seen in You, because even though she shone in the swimming club, she still felt alone because her best friend wasn’t by her side. That’s why, when Riko went into the water to listen to the sound of the waves, it wasn’t just Chika who pointed up, but also You. It was the three of them who heard that sound together, and the three of them who formed the core, and it’s really for one major reason. Both Riko and You were chasing after the normal monster who showed them that the world could be this bright…who showed her the door to a dream that they didn’t think was possible. They both were inspired by Chika and wanted to be the support that she needed because she was able to help them in ways they couldn’t even imagine. Chika believed in both of them when no one else did, but because You helped Chika make the first step in making Aqours, Chika was able to reach out to Riko and save her from the dark. They shared an understanding that’s evident in scenes when Riko sees You and Chika talking together and opts to just watch from afar. Their relationship with Chika is different and Riko realizes this and lets them talk in that way that only the two of them could. It’s also why Riko points out, during the performance of Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare, that You should dance not like her, but only in the way You could: to be by Chika’s side only how she could. And even more prominent is that the song’s backing track is actually the same composition as “Umi ni kaeru mono”, the song that Riko was able to compose because she came to Uchiura and found the sound of the waves that saved her love of piano; the song that means “those who returns to the sea” that she found because of the connection she made with Chika and You. The song whose lyrics read:

Let our feelings become one (In this moment they join as one)

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for

So, we have the themes of faith as well as connection, two ideas that seem seperate, but as we see throughout the story, we realize something. The faith in the power that connects others that lies within every person is inherently tied to the ability to connect with others. It’s belief that the world is connected that allowed Riko to move out of the darkness and into the light. It’s the connection with others that allowed her to reach out for their hands even if they might not fully reach. But above all of this is that first connection that changed her to her core. Because Takami Chika is the most important person in understanding who Riko is, and when combining the themes of belief and of connection, we see that in the essence of a school idol that Riko was able to find the light.

It was through witnessing Chika’s eyes full of light that Riko started to gain hope in herself, and when Chika finally stopped trying to reach out to Riko solely because she needed a composer but with that sincere desire to see her regain her shine, that was when Riko finally was able to just see how serious Chika was. And it was in this moment we see why Riko was so initially against being a school idol. Not because she was embarrassed or because Chika was annoying, but simply because that love for the piano was still in her heart, and abandoning it to be a school idol felt like betrayal. But as Chika put it,

What Chika offered her wasn’t a way to run away from what she loved, but it was a chance to regain that feeling from somewhere else. If being a school idol was enough to ignite the spark in Riko’s heart, that was more than enough for Chika. And when becoming Aqours, practicing as hard as she could and even facing failure after failure, it was through meeting the other members of Aqours, through making music that she and those friends danced along to and through gaining the support of the tenth idol that Riko regained that feeling once again.

To be a school idol is to do something as someone who views themselves as normal that allows you to shine, but more importantly, it gives you a way to regain the feeling of love that you have as well as a hope that you can do anything you set your mind on. Riko’s problem was always that she overthought everything. One failure was enough to make her lose hope in her own abilities. But in seeing the normal monster fail and fail yet get back up and try her best despite how worthless she believed she was, how could Riko feel that way herself? She could believe in her own abilities because there was someone there who acknowledged the light that was trapped within her. The fear of failure that she felt alone on that stage when she lost the ability to play vanished and was replaced with the hearts of every single member of Aqours who was now walking side by side with her. Best represented in this is the performance of the aforementioned “Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare”. After hearing that Riko had an offer to compete at a piano competition, Chika insisted that Riko pursue that which she loves. Because while she had learned to love Uchiura, Uranohoshi, the sea and Aqours, she knew that Riko loved the piano just as much. So Aqours would perform together with Riko, their bond symbolized by the scrunchies she bought for them. With You standing by her side, Riko knew that Chika was in good hands. The three of them together formed a bond with the rest of Aqours that couldn’t be found anywhere else. And that symbol of unity gave Aqours the victory they needed, and finally Riko was able to face the piano with courage and love in her heart.

It’s Riko, along with You, who plays that role of support that Chika needs whenever she’s down. It’s through her fresh perspective that Riko can offer Chika a view that differs from her own. After all, Chika was the one who believed in Riko when she believed in herself. So in return, if Chika was only ever going to believe that she was normal, worthless and a failure, it would be Riko who told her that it was no one but that normal girl who saved her when she was in the dark. It was no one but Chika who showed Riko the door to her dreams and gave her hope that she could find her love again. It’s this role of support that is so important to the events of Love Live! Sunshine that it’s no wonder why Riko came from Otonokizaka yet knew nothing of school idols. Chika was trapped in believing that she could only shine if she followed after μ’s, but Riko, carrying that connection, gave her a different path. Because it wasn’t μ’s that inspired Riko, but rather the words and passion that this girl who doubted herself had that changed her. 

There is one last thing I feel is a bit silly yet still important to mention: her fear of dogs. It’s played off as a gag, but considering how important it is in the Yohane episode, there’s another meaning you can take from it. Riko often says that her fear of dogs is based on the appearance they have, while everyone else is able to calmly approach them. But, as Yohane entrusted Laelaps to her, Riko slowly learned to break that barrier down. And after talking with Yohane and Chika about the hidden powers that connect one another through mysterious means, the implication is clear. To believe in the unknown is scary. To look into the abyss without knowing what lies within is terrifying, and for Riko who never knew what it was like to feel average, it was only through a connection that she was able to see the light. It was through meeting Chika, You and the rest of Aqours that this girl from the school that housed a miracle was able to find their own shine. In essence, Riko being from that school that connected Chika to her inspiration and being the key to starting Aqours’ journey is nothing short of a miracle. Without Riko, the name Uranohoshi would never have been immortalized in time, and had it not been for the girls who turned her head to the light, she would have never regained her shine. After all, it just took a change in perspective…a different view. 

This is Sakurauchi Riko, the miracle from Otonokizaka who, through her will to connect and walk into the unknown, found her shine with others by her side.