[quote="TheRoguePrince"]I believe it has to do with the fact that Kovu has a conflict both external and internal. Not only is he forced to choose sides in a conflict involving his family and his love, but also he is engaged in a struggle to decide who he wants to be. His entire life has been filled with lessons of hatred and vegance, but now he sees this is wrong. It is not as simple as changing sides though, Kovu is attached by blood and by friendship to the outlanders even though he is in love with the Princess. This makes his fight even more difficult than the standard, valiant achetypical hero. Kovu in the end become both strong physically and emotionally as he makes the decisions necessary to succeed in his goals.[/quote]
This is exactly how I always view Kovu from my perspective. He's an astonishing lion to experience from.