by Akril » November 3rd, 2009, 2:33 am
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.