My Lion King Forum

..guess I got inspired by the similar topic about Kovu.

Anyway, I just wanted to ask this because I have the impression that Vitani is very popular, but I can’t figure out why.

Personally, I like her as a cub, she has a original design, much more tomboy-looking than cub Nala/Kiara, and she seems like a strong, tough person who speaks her mind.

As an adult, I dont have a strong impression of her, I feel like she’s just there to do Zira’s bidding, she just blends in with the other Outlander lionesses. I do like that she was the first Outlander to see the wisdom in Kiara’s words. (We Are One.)
(This is just MY personal view.)

So, do you like Vitani or not? And why?

Well, for me, I like cub Vitani because she look awesome, she has this appareance of be like you say, tomboy-looking,

I was wondering the same thing, Solle! lol Maybe everyone likes her because they find her attractive...? I'm not sure. I should post a topic why people like Vitani, then maybe we can figure it out?

I like her because of her relationship with Kovu ^.^ She's one of the only lionesses to really stand up to him and dish out the sarcasm and jokes as fast as Kovu can.

I just love her all round ^^

I think Vitani is so popular because she is so different in both personality and appearance. Compare her to the other lionesses in TLK and SP: Nala is gentle, elegant, but not afraid to fight; Sarabi is noble, steadfast and nurturing; Zira is insane and consumed by revenge...

But Vitani? A sassy, sarcastic, scruffy, blue-eyed cub with bangs that grows up into a sharp-tongued, raggedy, freckle-faced, slightly androgynous lioness? She is so different than the other main lioness characters that it's hard not to notice her. She is like the "Anti-Nala": she's gruff, scrawny, scruffy and short-tempered -- everything that Nala isn't.

Some may complain that her role is too underplayed, but I'd say that just leaves her more open to interpretation (much like how Sarafina's role has been beefed up in fanart and fan fiction). Was she really devotedly serving her mother all her life, with Nuka's death making her realize how pointless Zira's plan was, or did she always have doubts about it and was only playing along? What exactly did she mean by "Where's your pretty daughter, Nala?" Which way does she...er...swing?

Anyway, I'd say Vitani is popular because she contrasts so sharply with the other main lioness characters and her relatively small role makes her an ideal candidate for dozens of fan theories.

man, that's a very considerate response! You're right about the anti-Nala role she plays! It's so awesome to have a contrast like that. And I agree that it's a good thing once you think about it that Vitani got so relatively little screen time. Also, she's voiced by Kes from Star Trek Voyager XD How cool is that

Yes, Vitani is certainly very different from any other lioness in TLK. I have always wondered about the "where’s your pretty daughter, Nala" (I don’t think Vitani is in love with Kiara, I think she said it to mock Nala) and why Nala seems so enraged to see Vitani. If Zira and her family were exiled right after Simba took over the throne, Vitani would have been a very small cub, possibly just a baby. (if you ingnore TLK6NA) So I don’t get why Vitani and Nala would be so hostile.

I do think her role (as an adult) is too small, she should have gotten more character-development time in my opinion.

She must have been a great support for Kovu when they were growing up, I imagine they have a very close bond.

I'm sure they do, and it's one of the key things that I try to show when I RP her =)

I find her such a loving character thanks to her sarcastic personality as a cub along with her looks as a cub. However, I didn't find her too great as an adult. But that is just my opinion.