Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, a 2024 box office hit, features a diverse cast, including Raka, a new character from the Eagle Tribe. The film follows Caesar's death and follows Noa, a chimpanzee enslaved by a sinister dictator, who is murdered. The franchise continues to use diverse characters from different backgrounds, a trend seen in the Caesar trilogy.
Noa embarks on a quest to free the Planet of the Apes, encountering Raka, an orangutan crucial to Noa's development. However, the ongoing war in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes raises questions about Raka's survival.
Who is Raka?
In Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Noa and Raka encounter Proximus Caesar's army, led by gorilla Sylva, who aims to cull weak apes and enslave strong ones. Noa's father, Koro, and friends are killed, and he encounters Raka, who tries to kill him, but they slaughter Raka's mate, leaving him grieving.
Raka, mourning, confesses to being a member of the Order of Caesar, who studied Caesar's teachings and literature. He is the new Maurice, helping log Caesar's heroics, making it a Bible. Raka keeps every script and book he can find, recognizing the value of intelligence and art on paper.
Raka educates Noa about Caesar and his efforts to create a better world for apes and humans. He admires Noa's determination and sees her as a leader. Raka accepts Noa's human, Nova, and is fascinated by her ability to talk. He agrees to help Noa and Nova attack Proximus' lair and free slaves, following Caesar's plan. Raka's innocence and feisty nature make him a valuable character.
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Sylva kills Raka
Raka, a geek, demonstrates his combat skills by defending Noa and Nova in a field. Maurice and Raka remind enemies to never underestimate apes. However, when Sylva and his minions corner Raka's pose on a bridge, they fall in, and Nova clings to a net, clinging for dear life. Both Raka and Maurice remind enemies to never underestimate any ape.
After dropping himself in, Raka manages to save her. However, as he tries to grip the net, Sylva cuts it, and Raka is washed away and drowns in yet another heartbreaking scene. The camera angles and the sight of Raka struggling in the river aren't quite graphic, but they do paint a clear picture of agony. Sylva beat Koro to death, and now he's taken away a second father figure. To add insult to injury, he takes a battered and bruised Mae and Noa in for imprisonment.
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Mae destroys Proximus' camp by blowing up a dam, flooding a military bunker and preventing him from obtaining weapons. Sylva pursues Noa but gets stuck in pipes, believing it's karma for his ape-against-ape mentality. Noa walks away, and Sylva goes under, deserved for his damage, before razing Noa's village.
Noa decides to take revenge for Sylva's sins by leaving him to die. Raka's lessons are based on Noa's reasoning, as he aimed to guide other apes, not recreate them. Noa's decision aligns with his true self as a true leader. Sylva's death demonstrates Noa's maturity and selflessness, as Raka believed in him. Noa aspires to become the Master of Birds and control the tribe's eagles, ensuring his father's legacy lives on.
Can Raka return in a Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel?
Raka is a fan favorite in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. He believes in co-existing with both species and is a direct link between the previous trilogy and the new movies. The post-credits of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes have Raka's chant teasing his existence, but fans should take this with a grain of salt, as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes had similar post-credits with a similar sonic signature.
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The War for the Planet of the Apes confirmed Koba's death, as the Koba narrative had ended. Koba's betrayal and damage to Caesar's inner circle led to the belief that humans should trust their own species. Reviving Koba would have been a recycled story, but Raka has an angle to work with and an opening that would make him feel organic if revived.
Wes Ball is planning more movies in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes series, with Mae (current Nova) set up to work with humanity to take their planet back. If Noa rallies more tribes and goes to war, Raka could be resurrected to help him. It's uncertain if primitive humans rescued Raka from the waters or other aquatic-based apes. Raka could spread Caesar's gospel, find new allies, and potentially rekindle human-ape partnerships.
This would make Raka and Noa the new Maurice and Caesar. Most of all, Mae is distrustful and paranoid. Noa gave her the chain Raka gave him, however. It's a symbol of trust and love. Raka may well be the one to heal them, sit them down and figure out how to stop their species from going to war again. He has the guile and mediation skills and is proof that not all apes are bad. Ultimately, Raka can become a messiah himself, not physically but spiritually and mentally, through words on both sides.
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