Is it really accurate to call Tygra a “bad boy” when one of the things he prided himself on was being the good, responsible son Claudus wanted? He’s like this weird mix of both, and I guess that contributes towards Tygra looking like a Sue. But you have to keep in mind that despite Tygra supposedly being rewarded for his bad behavior, he is by far the most insecure member of the team. Lion-O may act out at times, but he usually gets over it. Tygra is really quite troubled, and deep down has a lot more difficulty finding happiness in his life. He’s hardly satisfied with what he has. If he was, he wouldn’t try so hard to become better or brag.
It’s really quite pitiable. Tygra has likely spent most of his life striving for this vague goal of proving himself that he is the absolute best, that he deserves to be loved and admired because he earned it with hard work. He wanted the people to see he would have made the better king. The problem with this though is that it’s only for selfish reasons. Tygra didn’t want to be king because he wanted to lead Thundera to peace and propsperity; he wanted to be king only to satisfy his own ego, because if he was king it would be proof he was the best. He didn’t have any sort of goal or vision beyond that, becoming king is a goal in of itself, not a means to an end. With that in mind, Tygra is definitely not an ideal person. His life has mostly been driven by bitter jealousy, meaningless ambition, and extreme pride. This may have resulted in him becoming a great athlete and warrior (and possibly tactician), but non of that really means a whole lot when the only reason he’s gained these strengths is to prove that he’s better. He uses what he’s earned for selfish reasons, and rarely puts them to use helping others, unless he’s told to. In the end, if Tygra were to look back on his life, he’d realize just how little he’s accomplished in his life, and just how meaningless his ambition has been. Sure, he has Cheetara, but he has to realize she doesn’t love him for anything his ambition brought him.
I do agree it would be nice if Tygra gets called out on his prejudice, especially by Cheetara. It would give some good character development for the both of them. His racism is eventually going to get in the way of Lion-O’s goals, and Tygra will need to change his attitude or get kicked out. It might be something to include in the fan comic. If there was a season 2, it might have been something they would have addressed. Yeah, it really bugs people that Tygra never really got punished for the bad stuff he did.
As for Lion-O, yes he shoulders the burden and the consequences and seems to run into failure a lot. But in the end, he’s still the better person, regardless of how his skills or successes compare to Tygra. He’s fighting for something other than himself, he is compassionate and selfless. Maybe he doesn’t have romantic love right now, but he’s gained the admiration and respect of so many others already. And honestly, unlike Tygra, Lion-O can handle failure. Lion-O is a well balanced guy, and he’ll pick himself back up and not beat himself up about it for too long. By the end of the series, he has good control over his own pride. Lion-O isn’t afraid of his own weakness like Tygra is. He can accept it, and improve upon it while relying on his other strengths. Tygra is like Iron Man, Lion-O is like Captain America. Sure, Tony looks a lot more slick and stylish, and has the cool armor and weapons and gadgets, money and power, but when you get down to it, Steve is the person you really admire.
Let’s consider a hypothetical situation; what if Tygra had faced the same trials Lion-O had faced in the Spirit Stone? it’s definitely possible he may have passed, but given Tygra’s personality, he may not have passed even the first. If we can agree that Tygra’s main flaw is pride, then I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch that he wouldn’t consider the alternative methods Lion-O had to use to pass. Instead of using his nose, he may have stubbornly tried to chase after Kit and Kat with sight alone. He may have insisted on using his intellect to solve Cheetara’s maze, and prove his physical strength to Panthro. He probably would have beaten Lion-O at the tree race again, but that’s assuming that trial was winnable. If he hadn’t won, Tygra may have just gotten angry and demanded Jaga bring him back to life, rather than considering giving up his own soul.
I have said this before, but Lion-O is better than Tygra in ways outside of strength, intelligence, and skill. Lion-O is at his best when he thinks outside the box, and uses his heart. Tygra is too stubborn to realize when he’s wrong and needs to change. Heck, he’s been tossed around more than once by his own whip and never seems to learn to let go. I think Tygra failing to get the sword back after Lion-O died was meant to show this, but I guess it may not have been obvious enough. In the end, Tygra really doesn’t have much to show for all he’s striven to become, save for a bad relationship with his brother. Maybe Cheetara, but she wasn’t impressed by any of that ambition. She still needs to call him out on his BS though. I think a big problem though is that fans don’t see this. All they see is Tygra winning and Lion-O losing, without considering what’s really important. If Tygra had been the one to lead them, they probably would have failed a long time ago, because Tygra wouldn’t be able to befriend the other races, and be too stubborn to get help when he needs it, and lack the foresight for long term goals.
And the difference between the fandom’s preference between Lion-O and Tygra is hardly new. Just look at Wolverine and Cyclops from X-Men. You have the popular anti-hero Logan, and the responsible not as popular good guy Scott. Most prefer Logan because he’s cool and badass and lives free and doesn’t listen to rules, but if these characters were actual people, you’d probably feel much safer around Scott, because (as far as I can tell) he’s a fairly stable guy who won’t lose his temper and wreck stuff up.
You articulately wrote everything I wanted to say and felt about Tygra and Lion-O.