Please, just look at my username and you will see what I think of Simba.
I LOVE Simba as a cub. I used to prefer him over Nala, and I still do. I like Simba when he's older too, but again, he was way too protective over Kiara.
I think the case of Kopa though, it's just something that the producers thought of at the time, but then the old ideas they had were brought down. I think it was due to laziness because they just wanted the dough, that's what it looked like to me. Not to say that I didn't like the sequel, there were just a lot of plot holes in it. And it's typical anyway for the first film to be better then the sequels, because the whole cast was giving 100% of their effort. THAT'S what makes a good movie. In the sequel, it was done in a half-a** way. I hate to say that bluntly and rudely, but that's what it looked like and I just can't find any other words to express how I felt about what they did.
So anyway, on to Simba. He IS a complex character. He went through the death of his father, RIGHT before him! He was lied to by his uncle and he became not himself anymore. Then he gets some "sense knocked into him", spiritually, mentally, and literally. "I have the bump to prove it." As Simba would say.
So yes, I love this character and I always will.
