Director Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Roxas is an important character in the series, and that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was created to elaborate upon his backstory.

Since his introduction in Kingdom Hearts II, Roxas has received positive critical response from video game publications, with most of them focusing on his development in 358/2 Days.

[1] The developers wrote Roxas' story in Kingdom Hearts II to add mixed feelings to the game in a short time frame.

The meaning of Roxas' name was meant to be revealed in a scene in Kingdom Hearts II that shows the letters in the word "Sora" rearranged with the "X" added to expand the connection between the characters.

[5][6] After the release of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Nomura wanted to expand Roxas' role in the series to explain the events between his birth and his disappearance from Organization XIII.

[8] Roxas was chosen as the game's protagonist since the staff thought that having a main character other than Sora would help to introduce gamers to the series' first Nintendo DS title.

[9] Co-director Tomohiro Hasegawa explained that Roxas was originally shorter, and the staff decided he should grow taller as the game continued to develop.

[5] Nomura later clarified that Roxas' personality was different from the one portrayed in Kingdom Hearts II, as he does not actively attempt to come into contact with other characters.

[10] With Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Nomura wanted to reveal why Roxas left Organization XIII, and although he found it to be sad story, he considered Zack Fair's ending in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII to be more tragic.

Roxas gains the ability to dual-wield Keyblades after leaving the Organization, and exclusively uses the weapon's Oathkeeper (約束のお守り, Yakusoku no Omamori, lit.

[22][23] Sora later learns that Roxas is his Nobody, born during the events of the first game after he briefly became a Heartless, and was inducted into the Organization for his ability to capture hearts with the Keyblade.

[26] In the re-released version, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Roxas' fight against Sora is expanded, making him a boss character.

The battle was meant to be interactive in Kingdom Hearts II, but time constraints imposed by creating fights for the other Organization XIII members prevented its inclusion.

[37][38] The book Kingdom Hearts: Another Report includes a novel called Roxas–Somewhere in Time that retells Roxas' days in the Organization, with the exception of his befriending Xion.

[49] Game Informer emphasizeds his role as a "troubled boy," calling his story arc "an amazing chain of events," particularly noting that the revelation of his nature as a Nobody creates a "devilish yet remarkable plot twist" which may impact the player in a way that he "may not want Sora back".

[50] On the other hand, UGO Networks commented that due to the game's initial focus on Roxas, gamers would have to wait until playing as Sora to experience the most exciting parts of the title.

[51] Alexa Ray Corriea commented that the first hours of the game were the most boring not only due to the common activities in Twilight Town but also because Roxas lacks the appeal that makes Sora an entertaining character.

The writer especially noted his relationship with Xion and Axel, which he found charming despite the fact that they repeatedly meet at the top of a clock tower in many scenes.

[58] GamesRadar also commented that Roxas "starts off like a zombie, but rapidly develops a personality" during the title and joked about the numerous times he eats ice cream.

[61][63] Rachelle Alexis Cates Joplin from College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences regarded Roxas' role, alongside Axel's and Xion's about how the Nobodies can actually develop emotions as they spend time together on a friendly relationship.

Roxas' presence is noted as being so strong that Axel eventually betrays the Organization in Kingdom Hearts II to stop him from merging back with Sora and have him continue with his life.

[64] Due to his resemblance to Ventus, video game publications initially thought that Roxas would be one of the protagonists from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

[67][68] Bob Muir from Destructoid noted that in Birth by Sleep Ventus was the most important character by fans due to his similarities with Roxas.