Disclaimers
>I actually am kind of a 팬 of AkuRoku, so I'm not saying this off of anti-ship hate 또는 anything.
>I'm not saying "STOP SHIPPING tHIS NOW 당신 GUYS ARE TERRIBLE", either. That would be hypocritical because I ship it myself
>I'm not trying to start anything either, I don't like arguing.
>This wasn't intended to be anti-gay either, because I'm pansexual and that would literally be like bashing on myself.
>This is all opinion. If 당신 REALLY don't want to agree, that's okay.

So originally, I had written this in the 코멘트 of a poll, but realised it was getting way too big for just a comment, LOL. For a long time, people always have spread a rumor that Sora, Riku, Roxas and Axel were intended to be gay, but was hidden/toned down 의해 Square Enix because 디즈니 wouldn't approve. But while 디즈니 not approving would be true, their relationship was probably never meant to be "gay". And now, here's my explantion why.

It seems that many 팬 aren't aware that there are cultural ideas different from their own.

In Japanese cultures, it's been 인기 to explore super close relationships between males for centuries. There is evidence of this in paintings and 책 from many centuries back, even. Whiles they sometimes are, these relationships generally aren't actually gay, and occasionally in these stories both men end up getting married to women, etc. anyways (not against their will, I might add). The Japanese like the teasing of a close relationship that isn't explicitly romantic/sexual. 당신 probably might notice this relationship in other animes and Japanese games.

The best example in 인기 아니메 would be Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachin, the twins in "Ouran High School Host Club". They are NOT gay for each other, and one (or both?) has a crush on the main girl character, as well. And yet they still have a really close relationship that appears to be gay; they DO 사랑 each other, because they are brothers and they're always together since they're twins, but it's not a homosexual relationship. And they are both fully aware that people are attracted to the idea. which is why they do it in front of the girls, and the girls 사랑 it. Because that's what the Japanese like. They are actually the 망가 artist's parody on the idea.

But that idea doesn't exist in Western culture/tropes (aka anywhere that's not Asia). Either he's your friend/family, 또는 you're gay for him; there isn't leeway and there isn't an in between, that's the way it exists in the West. Because of that, when western 팬 saw the relationships between Sora and Riku, and Roxas and Axel, it appeared to be gay -- because we never explore the concept of an in between.

There isn't really a word for it in the English language either, which makes it all the 더 많이 difficult. People naturally have to stick labels on things. That's how they know what's what, and how to feel about this 또는 that. When something doesn't have a clear name, they will stick it to the closest thing they know. For some fans, the closest thing they knew was "close friends". For others, it was "gay". And that's how the shipping war starts.

And that's what puts these characters in jeopardy in Disney's eyes. Not because they're gay, but because 디즈니 knows that people in the West will THINK they are gay, for lack of a better word. And they don't want that trouble. Which, yes, is still homophobic, and sucks, obviously.

Now, that isn't to say 당신 can't ship it anyways, because shipping is fun. But arguing that it's canon, I think, is pretty ridiculous. I also encourage people to make their own 기사 about their opinion on these things, too! Whether 당신 agree 또는 disagree with me.

If 당신 want me to elaborate, let me know! And please, don't be immature??