Riley Akaba

Riley Akaba, known as Reira Akaba or Layra Akaba (  Akaba Reira) in the Japanese version, is a student of Leo Institute of Dueling and winner of the "Youth" class Arc League Championship in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He is the adopted son of the Akaba family and the younger brother of Declan Akaba. He is the only Lancer from Youth Class. According to Declan, Riley is necessary for their fight with Duel Academy.

Appearance
Riley is a short boy with pale skin, purplish light grey hair, and blue eyes, and he usually has a vacant expression on his face. He dresses simply, wearing a yellow and blue striped shirt, grey cargo pants that appeared to have been rolled up, blue shoes over pale pink socks, and a turquoise hooded sweatshirt, with a black club on his left upper side. He keeps the hood up, despite also wearing a cap. Riley also wears a wide metal collar around his neck.

Personality
He is incredibly timid and is seen carrying a patchwork teddy bear with him (named "Barry" in the English dub). During the opening day of the tournament, he hid behind the plush toy as the crowd cheered. Unlike his older brother, Riley doesn't have the confidence to Duel his opponents. However he is considered the treasured student of LID. It also appears his mother strikes fear into him. When he wouldn't Duel Allie, he looked up at the window and saw his mother, who mouthed a word (audibly told him to not disappoint her in the dub), and he got to Dueling.

Riley also doesn't appear to handle the pressure of being considered the "Jewel of LID". When his mother bragged that he would beat Tate, Riley was seen gripping his teddy bear tighter, a fact only Tate noted. However, Riley looks up to Declan as he Duels seriously the moment he steps in to watch his Duel, and when Tate praised him for being able to master the three summoning methods like his older brother, Riley looked happy. Declan, in return, often congratulates him and tells him to keep winning, showing that he cares.

Riley goes into a state of panic when he doesn't know where Declan is. When he, Sylvio, Celina, and Yuya first appeared in the Synchro Dimension, Riley was more concerned about the location of his brother, rather than the upcoming Sector Security agents looking to arrest the four. Despite his best intentions, Yuya also couldn't get Riley to open up at all, since he was afraid of losing Declan.

It is later revealed that Riley lacks a sense of self and he is thus is unable to decide anything, essentially leaving him with no identity whatsoever. Henrietta speculates that this was the result of a survival instinct he developed. However, after spending time with Yuya, Crow, and Shinji, Riley's sense of self starts to bud. Interacting with the kids under Crow's care and telling Declan he does not want to Duel Shinji in the Friendship Cup, even running to Yuya when he thought Declan was mad at him. Advice from Jack Atlas later expands this, to the point that Riley not only overcomes his timid nature in order to apologize to Moon Shadow for desiring his loss, but also shows a keen understanding of the Lancers' current situation and passes on advice to Yuya through Moon Shadow. Riley also gains the desire to assist his brother, Moon Shadow, and Yuya, all of whom he looks up to, in the fight against Duel Academy.

His change in attitude is further shown during his Duel with Security, where he Duels all three of them in a much more confident nature without Declan being nearby, as he was able to Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summon in his turn. This is something he seemed unwilling to do in his Duel with Allie until he saw Declan watching him.

Riley suffers from PTSD, best shown when he Dueled multiple members of the Obelisk Force. After the prolonged Duels as members of the Obelisk Force advanced on him, he saw images of the soldiers that attacked his hometown and he clutched his head in agony.

In the English dub, Riley uses photography terms while Dueling. For example, when he activated "Shutter Layer 1", he referred to Allie's "Aquaactress Guppy" as a "subject".

History
Riley was found in a war-ravaged city by the Akaba family, alone in a house. The Akaba's took him in and ran tests on him. From the tests, Henrietta concluded he would be a perfect Duel soldier for them as he had no "sense of self", meaning he would either be able to become a different person or be a mindless puppet following orders.

Arc League Championship
Riley was Allie's first opponent in the Youth Championship. He at first looked reluctant to Duel, but when he looked at his mother and she said something to him, he eventually Dueled. Allie initially had the upper hand with her "Aquaactress" monsters, but when Riley noticed his older brother watching his Duel, Riley turned the Duel to his favor by Fusion Summoning and defeated Allie with "C/C/C Water Sword of Battle". After the Duel, Tate tried to approach him, but Riley just walked past him to meet his brother, who patted his head as he praised him for his victory and expected him to keep winning.

In the second round, Riley Dueled Frederick and this time won by using a Synchro Summon, shocking Yuya who suspected that he can also use multiple summoning methods like Declan. He watched the Duel between Sora Perse, Yuto, and Yuya Sakaki, with Declan and Shay Obsidian. He looked nervous as he watched them Duel, but Declan told him to watch closely.

In the final match of the Youth championship, Riley Dueled against Tate and Xyz Summoned "C/C/C Rock Armor of Battle". By using its effects to gain ATK equal to the DEF of itself and Tate's "Performachine Gadget Giant" and then negating the latter monster's effects, Riley won the Duel and became the champion of the Youth class championship. Tate congratulated Riley and compared him to his brother, and Riley thanked him with a timid smile.

Friendship Cup
Afterwards, Riley and his mother were going to meet Declan, but Declan was outside, challenging Yuya to a Duel. After the Duel, the next day, Riley was chosen as one of the Lancers, much to Shay and Sylvio's objections, but Declan firmly stated that Riley's skill is powerful enough to fight Duel Academy and he won't be a hindrance. Riley, along with his brother and the other Lancers then went to the Synchro Dimension.

Upon arriving, the Lancers were split, and Riley ended up with Yuya, Sylvio, and Celina. As soon as they got there Security arrived and tried to arrest Yuya and Selena, confusing them with Yugo and Zuzu. Scared by their hostility, Riley tried to run away but was stopped by a barrier of "Gate Blockers".

Yuya grabbed Riley's hand and took him along as he Dueled a Security officer. Remembering his mother's words about spreading smiles, Yuya attempted to get the boy to open up to him, but failed because Riley was more concerned about where his brother was. Riley was then grabbed by Crow Hogan and his gang in an escape plan. Riley and the others were invited to stay at Crow's hideout and Riley remained by himself, refusing to socialize with the others despite Amanda's coaxing. When he overheard Sylvio remind the group that they had to look for Declan, Riley's attention was caught and he attempted to leave with Sylvio and Selena, but Yuya held him back. Riley remained at Crow's place, still keeping to himself and worried without his brother, though Yuya reassured Riley that they would find Declan. The next day, Shinji Weber showed up and dropped off some items for the kids. After he left, Crow was able to get Riley to eat with the kids. After Yuya and Crow were arguing over who could make him smile, they got into a Duel. When the Security officers showed up, Riley was rescued by Moon Shadow while everyone else was captured.

Riley later reunited with his brother and was asked to participate in the Friendship Cup. However, Riley did not want to fight his opponent, Shinji, as he had offered him sweets during his time at Crow's hideout. Instead, Moon Shadow took Riley's place in the match. Declan concluded Riley's reluctance to Duel his benefactor stemmed from a budding "sense of self". Thinking about the possibly positive effects this could have, he imagined their mother being displeased about the development.

During the next Duel, Riley was worried that Declan would like Moon Shadow more than him. Fearing that Moon Shadow could replace him if he won, he was displeased when Moon Shadow dealt damage to Shinji repeatedly and desperately wanted him to lose. He was happy when Shinji won the Duel, even if this meant losing his guardian.

After Moon Shadow escaped the Underground Labor Facility to inform Declan about the rumors surrounding Jean-Michel Roger, Riley told the ninja about his desire to fight against Duel Academy and his wish for Yuya to win the Friendship Cup and Duel against Jack one more time, since this was the only way the City residents would acknowledge the Lancers and their mission in the Synchro Dimension.

Friendship Cup Finals
When Riley asked where Yuya was Declan told him that Jean was not going to cancel the tournament and Yuya would have to participate in another match eventually. He also noted that Jean was trying to win Yuya over to his side.

He later watched Yugo Duel against Celina and after she was defeated, Declan told Riley to rescue Celina because Roger wouldn't send her underground and he wanted Riley to stop him. After Celina was weakened by Security gassing her and prepared to take her away, Riley stepped in to protect Celina. Although Security members opposed him with "Goyo Catapults", Riley OTKed all three of them, each with a different type of Extra Deck Summon. Moon Shadow arrived and take Celina and Riley to the Underground Labor Facility. During Yuya's Duel against Crow Hogan while they was on their way to underground Celina's bracelet glowed making them wonder what's happening. The trio eventually began to tire, and Celina urged them to abandon her, but Riley and Moon Shadow refused to do so. As they moved into the sewers Celina's bracelet eventually stopped glowing with Riley noticing.

Riley was weakened with exhaustion and Celina did not fully recover from the nerve gas when the three realized the presence of the Obelisk Force. Riley and Moon Shadow refused to abandon Celina, and Riley successfully persuaded a reluctant Moon Shadow to leave him and Celina and gather the Lancers from Underground for further assistance after defeating three Obelisk Force members first. By the time Moon Shadow sent Sora to him and Celina, Riley defeated another group of Obelisk Force members, but at this point, he was so tired that he was unable to deal with Obelisk Force reinforcements. He started trembling in fear and recalled his traumatic memories of his childhood before joining the Akaba family. Yuya arrived in front of him and protected him and Celina.

As Riley and Yuya defeated the reinforcements, Barrett arrived with more Obelisk Force soldiers. Riley tried to join the Duel between Yuya and Barrett, but the Obelisk Force approached him, causing him to see his traumatic memories again. Riley tried to protect Celina, but the Obelisk Force ignored him and attempted to capture her. However, they were stopped by Sora, now their ally, and were confronted by Yuri and more Obelisk Force soldiers. Yugo arrived to Duel Yuri. After both of them Summoned "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon" and "Starve Venom Fusion Dragon", Riley got scared of "Starve Venom". He started to get worried after watching something happen to Yuya until Zuzu arrived and her bracelet activated. Riley stood helplessly as Barrett took Celina back with him after being defeated by Sergey Volkov, who also defeated Yuya and took Zuzu with him. After losing both Zuzu and Celina, Riley clung to Sora and formed a trust he rarely shared. Gong, Chojiro, and Sylvio arrived only find out what happened to Zuzu and Celina. Sora and Moon Shadow decided to go rescue Zuzu while Yuya and Gong tried to catch up with them, with Chojiro, Riley, and Sylvio remaining behind. After watching the Commons took on Security, Riley's traumatic memories caused him to join the battle before being calm downed by Shay. When they arrived at the Capital Building, the front entrance was blocked by Security. Before they could come up with a plan, Declan arrived and destroyed their Trap Cards with the effect of "D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga". Riley smiled and reunited with Declan in a hug. After defeating Security, they went to get Yuya on Shay's "Raidraptors", where they found Yuya, Gong, Sam, Frank, Amanda and Tanner on the bridge to the Duel Palace about to be attacked by Commons who had mistaken them for retreating Tops. Once he was in the stadium, Yuya challenged Jack to a Duel.

Before the Duel could start, Roger sent Security inside the stadium to stop them, but they were defeated by Declan, Chojiro, Gong, Shay, and Sylvio. Riley Dueled the last officer and remembered what Jack told him. He Synchro Summoned "C/C/C Rock Shooter of Battle" and defeated the final officer, impressing Jack and everyone else. When the Commons riots escalated, Riley joined the Lancers in heading out to stop them, explaining that they had come to the Synchro Dimension to stop fighting across all dimensions. He and Declan went to the Security headquarters. They found Moon there, who along with Sora had been defeated by Roger in a Duel. Riley, Declan and Moon found Roger assaulting Zuzu and Declan picked apart Roger's excuses before ordering him to beg the City for forgiveness. Roger fled instead, and Riley slowed down to help the injured Moon. He tried to follow Declan into the room where Roger had fled, but Declan shoved him out. Moon reassured Riley that Declan was merely trying to keep him safe and he explained that Roger was a fearsome opponent who would face Declan with a Duel that he couldn't predict.

Heartland City
The Lancers wanted to stay and assist with the rebuilding effort in the City, but Shinji and Chojiro urged them to do their duty as Lancers. They traveled to the Fusion Dimension and procured a speedboat, catching up with Captain Solo's ship just as Yuya was thrown from the mast. After Crow saved Yuya from falling into the ocean, Riley called out to him. When Solo used "Grand Naval Battle" to attack the speedboat, Riley noticed the cannon fire falling towards it. After Yuya and Sora defeated Solo, Riley asked Moon Shadow what he had in his hand, Moon Shadow told him that it was something that he had borrowed; a screw that he took out of Solo's ship steering wheel, causing it to steer in circles and prompting a laugh from Riley. When Declan and Crow told Yuya that the City was now equal and that Shinji and Chojiro told them to leave the City to them, Riley also told him that they told the Lancers had to do what they had do. When Declan revealed to everyone how he went to Duel Academy three years ago and asked Yuya's father for help, Riley was surprised. He also learned that Declan found out about Revival Zero, another part of the Professor's plan involving Celina and Yuri, and may include Yuya as well. He and other Lancers were told by Declan to believe in their friends strength and fight to the very end. After arriving on the island, Riley prepared to climb the mountain to charge into the Professor's lab.

After climbing up the mountain, they were surrounded by Duel Academy students before utilizing their plan to split into two groups, with Riley, Declan, and Sora continuing to the lab while the remaining Lancers Dueled the students. Along the way they met up with Yusho and Alexis but were confronted by Yuri. He barely managed to pass lowered the fence Sora to block Yuri off and was pushed out by Sora. He then continued to go see the Professor with Declan and Yusho.

Duel Academy
They were then confronted by Duel Academy students, who took them directly to the Professor.

Henrietta Akaba
Riley's relationship with his adoptive mother is in the simplest terms, nonexistent. She constantly drives fear into the boy, whether she's present or not. In fact, once when Declan said Henrietta would be disappointed in him, Riley went into a state of extreme panic. Henrietta apparently wishes to use Riley as a mindless puppet for the war against her husband, something Declan is against.

Declan Akaba
Declan and Riley's relationship is reminiscent of the Truesdale brothers of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, as they are shown to care about each other, and they use similar Dueling styles to one another, as both Riley and Declan utilize multiple summoning methods.

Although they aren't related biologically, Riley was encouraged by Declan's compliments after his victories during the Arc League Championship and was allowed to join the Lancers despite not being at the Battle Royal. When some of the Lancers complained about Riley joining, Declan quickly defended him and said that he would not be a hindrance, and constantly shows his confidence in Riley's skills.

When the Lancers were split in the Synchro Dimension, Riley cared about nothing but finding Declan as soon as possible, and Declan requested Moon Shadow to find Riley, later to take his place in the Friendship Cup. When Riley showed signs of developing a "sense of self", he was shown to be proud and resents his mother's plan of using Riley as a mindless puppet.

Yuya Sakaki
When the Lancers arrived in the Synchro Dimension and were split Yuya immediately noticed Riley's concern over Declan's whereabouts and his shyness. Yuya quickly became protective of Riley and made it his goal to make the young boy smile. When Yuya was arrested by Security he was more worried about Riley's safety and was shown to be relieved when Riley was confirmed to be fine.

When Riley was scheduled to Duel Shinji in the Friendship Cup and ran off to Yuya, Yuya angrily scolded Declan for forcing Riley to participate in the tournament and demanded to know why he made Riley a Lancer, worried that Riley is too young to face the dangers that being a Lancer comes with.

Yuya's care for Riley has in turn affected Riley, who now looks up to Yuya in addition to Declan and Moon Shadow. With both Riley and Moon Shadow unable to participate in the Friendship Cup, Riley asks Yuya to win the Cup for them. Moon Shadow also gave Yuya the message that Riley is grateful for his help.

After running from Security and dealing with the Obelisk Force, Riley was greatly weakened and recalling his mental trauma; he was no longer in the position to wait for Moon Shadow or protect Celina. He was hugely relieved that Yuya came to his rescue at the last minute (ironically thanks to the flare signal) just as another batch of Obelisk Force approaches during the start of the invasion.

Moon Shadow
Moon Shadow became a protector of sorts for Riley in the Synchro Dimension, rescuing him from Security. However, when Moon Shadow replaced Riley in the Friendship Cup, Riley became jealous, desiring Moon Shadow's loss. He later expressed remorse over this and apologized, expressing the desire to prove his strength to Moon Shadow in addition to Yuya and Declan.

Jack Atlas
Riley seems to respect Jack, despite also being intimidated by him. After having a meal alongside Jack and hearing him tell his story, Riley is inspired to come out of his shell.

Celina
Riley saves Celina during the Friendship Cup on Declan's orders and subsequently refuses to abandon her. In turn, while Celina is grateful for Riley's rescue, she dislikes holding Riley and Moon back and tries to order them to leave her.

Deck
Riley runs a "C/C" Deck, which utilizes the "Shutter" Spell and Trap Cards focused on copying the opponent monsters to use them as Materials. While his "C/C" and "Shutter" cards seem unrelated, they both share a camera motif. He also uses non-"C/C" monsters with a filming theme.

The Deck focuses around using "C/C Critical Eye" to Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Summon the "C/C/C" monsters. The effect of "Critical Eye" doesn't allow Riley to use other monsters he control as Materials, which is compensated by his Spell and Trap Cards that allow him to copy the name, Level and Attribute of the opponent's monsters. The "C/C/C" monsters require "C/C Critical Eye" and a monster with the corresponding Attribute to be Summoned, and their effects take advantage of the opponent controlling monsters with the same Attribute. With "Critical Eye" being just one card, he does not always have it at his disposal immediately. He compensates this with his "Shutter" Spell and Trap Cards and the stalling effect of "Film Magician".

Thematically, Riley's Deck is similar to his brother Declan's, in that he is able to perform multiple types of Extra Deck Summons. The names of his cards, "C/C" and "C/C/C," are based on Declan's "D/D" and "D/D/D" archetypes in naming structure. Furthermore, his "Shutter" Spell and Trap cards could be considered a "C/C" variant of of his brother's "Dark Contract" cards.