I actually really like him, and in fact, the adorable little thing is probably my favorite member of the guard. I suppose that the main reason for this is because, somehow, he reminds me a little of several characters from old Disney classics, like Thumper from Bambi for example. Even though I'm probably the only person who sees any resemblance there, it makes me feel nostalgic and therefore I got attached to this character rather quickly.
I also like his general design and character. Sure, he's not all that complex or anything, but this is a show for toddlers, and I believe that, having that in mind, he was pretty well thought-out. There's also more room for him to develop during the series, and we might find out what happened to his parents, why he's with Timon and Pumba, and so on... All in all, it just fits for me, and I feel that his creators were rather thoughtful when they decided to associate the honey badger with bravery seeing that even in real life, those guys are pretty brave and are known for attacking even stronger animals then themselves.
His catchphrase suits him too in my opinion, because he only uses it when he's about to do something stupid and hug, and it does feel like an only way to put his actions into words - while Kion's feels a bit forced, on the other hand. Other then that, I didn't really find Bunga all that obnoxious during the movie, because while he is reckless and ready to quickly and crazily jump into things, he was never downright rude or hurtful towards anyone, or even boastful. He doesn't even get angry when Kiara calls him stupid. In fact, he feels like a nice contrast to Kion, who seems to be a bit insecure at times and might need someone more dynamic like Bunga at his side to support him, and vica versa. Similarly, I believe that he might teach kids to be less doubtful of themselves and more ready to take up challenges in life but... that could be just me thinking everything over way too deeply. Oh, and one more positive thing is the Zuka Zama song, which I believe is rather catchy.
Still, I have a few complaints. While I absolutely love the way he was animated for the most part, his dancing during Zuka Zama looks just ridiculous to me. Like, why not just keep it simple, without all the pointless hand movements?
Oh well...
