Did Kovu love his mother?

[ScarsLove]

Whether or not she's his biological mother is up to you, but I would like to know your opinion on whether or not he loved her. He obviously felt some sort of remorse when they showed him moments after she fell into the river below. While I'm not looking very deep into it myself. I think Kovu had some love for her, even if she was a psychotic lioness set out on a ridiculous revenge plot.

[TheLionPrince]

I'm sure from what was given in the movie, Kovu loved and respected her mother. By that point in the movie where Zira met her demise, Kovu still loved her, although by the time Nuka died, he could no longer accept the vision she had for his life, and the blame she placed on him for Nuka's death. Zira also mentioned he "betrayed" Scar, to which Kovu replied that he "wanted no more do with him". Zira was head-over-heels in love with Scar and his ideals, and it wouldn't be like her to not mention Scar every now and then during the years of enduring training. Even in the "Kovu's Bug" deleted scene, Zira tells her son that Scar took him in as his own. With Zira constantly mentioning Scar as if he is a god, Kovu would have felt inadequate (or felt some soft of weakness like Zira mentioned in the deleted scene) that he could not live to her mother's expectations like Scar, whom he never personally knew, did. And by the time, Kovu learned the truth about Scar from Simba, he no longer wanted to be her "Scar".

In conclusion, Kovu loved Zira, but he no longer wanted to fulfill her revenge plot and become her version of Scar. Though the bigger question is "Did Zira love Kovu?"

[Ananda]

Yes. I kinda feel he wanted to help her but couldn't.

[cleargreenwater]

With Zira constantly mentioning Scar as if he is a god, Kovu would have felt inadequate (or felt some soft of weakness like Zira mentioned in the deleted scene) that he could not live to her mother's expectations like Scar, whom he never personally knew, did. And by the time, Kovu learned the truth about Scar from Simba, he no longer wanted to be her "Scar".

In conclusion, Kovu loved Zira, but he no longer wanted to fulfill her revenge plot and become her version of Scar. Though the bigger question is "Did Zira love Kovu?"

That all is pretty solid, (its disenchanting for a child to fall short all the time and it all would've flowed much smoother if they had included some hints at that developing along the way than the abrupt mess we get,) and it just struck me when you said that that it really doesn't seem like too many people turn the question around often.

I wonder IF Zira ever did get attached to Kovu as more than a tool in the same way she ultimately did Nuka.

< / yearly constructive SP post. >

[PrincessKiara]

I don`t think he did. When I watch the movie I just see fear in Kovus eyes.. there is respect, obedience, perhaps a desire to make her proud.. But not love. Sure Zira was his mother, but that doesn`t really matter. I don`t see how Kovu can have felt loved by Zira, and so I don`t think he felt any love for her either.