Riku does love Sora. That's the point. That's why there are so may parallels between the two of them and the Disney trope of "true love". And the parallel shown in Frozen's Arendelle makes it clear that "true love" doesn't always mean romantic love. But for wes🅘tern players, the word "love" is always associated with romance, and disney is a🍷fraid of that.

But what if Riku is gay? Who cares. Romantic or platonic, Riku LOVES Sora so strongly that he would sacrifice himself for him. And that's a s👍trong message.