in defence

Hmm...quite many don't seem to like Rikku, and I most likely won't be able to change their minds with this little rant, either. But here is my take on some of the most common reasons to hate Rikku.

01. She's so weak in FFX, she dies all the time and isn't any good to the party!

This is covered in the useful -section.

02. She's so damn happy all the time, bouncing off the walls and irritating other members of the party.

I personally think her cheerfulness is a major part of her charm. She is the one who along with Tidus keeps the party's mood high. If you don't like that, well, tough luck. And she's a teenager, 15 years old. How do you expect someone of that age to stay put? And about the irritating...I think Auron is the only irritated one. Everyone else thinks Rikku is quite fun to be around.

03. I hate her voice, it's too whiny!

I have to admit it IS a little high at times, but not whiny. Her voice isn't even NEARING whiny, believe me. But I really can't help you with that, in my opinion her voice is cheerful and bouncy and young just like she is. It fits her. If you hate her voice, you must hate her cheerfulness too.

04. She whines about everything, and is never happy. She's trying to make Yuna quit her pilgrimage for her!

Not really true. And it's not like everyone hasn't whined at some point in their life. So what if she is afraid of the thunder, or gets tired? It's only human to do so. And she faces her fear and goes through the Thunder Plains, and later even camps out there for a week to help herself. About Yuna, well, she would have died if she performed the final summoning, so it's reasonable that Rikku doesn't want her cousin to die. Would you want yours? She hoped beyond hope that there was another way of defeating Sin, so the summoners in general wouldn't have to die, and by golly, she hoped right!

05. She is so stupid! Doesn't get hints when shoved straight onto her face and she tries to act all 'miss-nice' all the time!

This is mainly of X-2, but what the heck is 'tries to act' all miss-nice? You know, you're on the wrong track here, I can't think of a time when she would have been in mischief with really bad intentions...And she may not notice hints because they don't work with the way she sees the world. Psychology lesson coming up: People usually, when observing, notice only the things they like. Not something that doesn't fit with the way they see the world, those are usually missed, unless they're in plain sight. It's the same with Rikku. Again, to show she is a human. (a pixel-version, but you know what I mean...)