I don't think personalities are clan traits. After all, Claudis was traditional and stuck in his ways, and we saw different personalities among cats of the same clan.
I think it's more the position they are in. But your breakdown of personalities is interesting.
...Why Am I getting Joe Cracker Vibes out of this?
Mad Scientist Wannabe
Honestly, I'm glad the Cats are gone for the most part. With the caste-based, bigoted society gone for good, hope remains that Lion-O can lead the other tribes into a more beneficial government.
Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
Pontif
You forgot Grune (the one extinct cat species covered) & Pumyra & Lynxo
Perpetually Confused
Why does this need a separate thread? There's like 3 other threads in the forum about this meh show. One of them updated less than a month ago
My head is dizzy from so much text.
edited 12th May '13 12:04:42 PM by KlarkKentThe3rd
If there are any fans of the recent Thundercats reboot still out there, this is for you. I've been on a bit of Thundercats kick as of late (most likely because i'm writing a fanfic about them) and this particular topic came up as a result.
As the series saw fit to remind us time and again, the Cat species is very diverse (so are the Dogs and the Birds, but that's another discussion). So this thread is meant to break down what we've already come to know about each Cat Clan. If I’ve repeated anything that anyone else said before, it's only because I see their point.
Okay, here we go, here’s what I’ve got so far-
Lions- The Lions have always been regarded as the most highest-ranking of the Cat clans, and I think that's because, out of all the other Cats, the Lions have all the qualities of a good leader. Yes, they do possess the (in my opinion) stereotypical leadership qualities: Strength (say what you want about who can surpass them, the Lions in the show are strong) and Intelligence (Leo, Claudus and Lion-O have all proven to be quite clever and resourceful when they need to be). But more importantly, the Lions have shown that they are also the most open-minded of the Cats. They encourage change, they're not afraid to try something new, even if they get guff for wanting to do so. Examples: Leo was willing to actually break away from Mumm-Ra's control and take command himself (something the other Cats might have thought about doing but never took the initiative to actually do), The Queen (Lion-O and Tygra's mother) was willing to ignore any bad reputation that the Tigers had and took in a baby Tiger simply on the grounds that he needed her, and, finally, Lion-O was willing to try and put an end to years of bad blood between the other animals by befriending them and treating them like equals (something not many of the other Cats have ever did).
What's more, the Lions always look at the bigger picture, and are only detail-oriented when they have to be (like when they're trying to make a plan work). Granted, this often causes them to believe that the ends justify the means (Leo thought that whatever Mumm-Ra did, it was all worth it so that he could bring order to the universe), but that's actually when they start to show another valuable leadership quality: Responsibility. Whenever they realize that they've made a mistake, the Lions are very quick to admit that they're the ones at fault, they'll even berate themselves at these points, right before they take it upon themselves to set things right. This is actually quite honorable, considering that most other Cats would likely just come up with a bunch of reasons why it's someone else's fault and never their own.
The Lions are also the most humble of the Cats, they may have their own amount of pride, but for the most part, they all have a very realistic opinion of themselves and know what their limitations are (Leo knew that he couldn't defeat Mumm-Ra with just the Sword of Omens alone, so he had to rally the other animals to make his plan work). Personally, i think that this makes them far more qualified to lead than the Tigers. Finally, the most admirable quality the Lions have is that they are almost completely selfless. To them, all life is precious and nearly everything they do and have ever done was for the benefit of someone else, never themselves (Leo was trying to stop Mumm-Ra because he genuinely didn't want to see Mumm-Ra kill any more innocent people; Claudus might have treated the Lizards badly, but he was only doing it because he wanted keep the Cats safe from any attack; Lion-O has done nothing but help others since day one, we rarely, if ever, see him do something for selfish reasons).
Add all of that up and you've got one of the most noble Cats of the species (in my opinion at least). Though a large Achilles Heel in the Lion clan is that they frequently allow their emotions to get the better of them and that often has disastrous results on them and those around them.
Tigers- The Tiger clan does have its good points; they are strong and clever, but as it was mentioned twice in the series, the Tigers main issue is their pride, so let’s try and break that down. Now being proud of what you do is not a bad thing, but it seems to me that the Tigers take so much pride in what they do and the decisions that they make, that they don’t seem to care if any of it comes at the detriment of others (e.g. Tygus and the other Tigers were willing to make a decision that would cause their descendants to suffer because they were too proud to admit that Leo was right about Mumm-Ra’s evil; Caspin and the other Tigers were willing to make a deal with the devil, one that would cost Javan the (possibly) only family he had left, just because they were too proud to ask the Lions for help when they really needed it; Tygra was so proud of his own accomplishments that he didn’t seem to care if he made Lion-O feel inadequate about his own abilities). This makes the Tigers look a little selfish and self-serving in my opinion. True, if Javan’s noble act and Tygra’s occasional actions are any indication, the Tigers are not above doing selfless things. But right afterwards, they seem to forsake any humility and selflessness they had and/or gained and go back to their old ways lickity-split.
If Javan is any real example, the Tigers are able to be leaders, but only with others of their own kind. Because when it comes to extreme decisions that require you to put the needs and safety of others above your own selfish ego, a Tiger will likely do what they think will ensure victory, but in truth is just a way for them save face. Though, one thing the Tigers have going for them is that they can adapt to any physical environment: they could live in a blazing hot desert or a freezing cold mountain. Most likely, this is because they are too proud to let Mother Nature send them packing.
Cheetahs- If Cheetara’s any indication, then I’d say that the Cheetahs are a combination of both the Lions and the Tigers’ good and bad qualities. On one hand, like the Lions, they value the lives and needs of others above their own and always at least try to look at the bigger picture. But, also like the Lions, they too tend to let their feelings cloud their better judgment (New Alliances).
Like the Tigers, the Cheetahs are also prone to letting their ambitions and egos get the better of them (in “Sight Beyond Sight” Cheetara was just as eager to race as Lion-O and Tygra were). But at the same time, the Cheetahs also possess the Tigers’ admirable amount of perseverance, they don’t give up easily and they’ll go to great lengths to make sure their goals are achieved.
From what I can tell, unlike the Lions and (to a lesser extent) the Tigers, the Cheetahs appear to be more of a clan of followers than leaders in their own right. Cheetara has always just done what Jaga, Lion-O and Tygra told her to do, true she might have voiced her opinion now and then, but then, mere seconds later, she caves in and just does what she’s told, all while keeping her negative opinions to herself. So, I repeat, the Cheetahs are followers.
Jaguars- Like the Cheetahs, the Jaguars are more followers by nature than they are leaders in their own right. Unlike the Cheetahs, however, the Jaguars actually can be leaders when they need to be, just not to the same extent as the Lions and Tigers. If anything, the Jaguars are more suited to be field leaders than Lords and Kings (meaning that they can be in charge of a certain number of people to accomplish certain tasks, but they still receive orders from someone higher up the ladder than them).
The Jaguars also seem to be very enigmatic with the things they do. At first, their tricks and tactics might seem unorthodox and random, but after putting more thought to them, you realize that they made perfect sense (Jaga only pretended to turn Cheetara away to test her and see if she truly had what it takes to be a Cleric; Jaga only pretended to reprimand Lion-O after he failed the Trials to see if he was going to actually do anything about it). Also, if Jaga is any indication, than the Jaguars possess the most longevity of the Cat Clans and that is likely the source of any wisdom that they have (they’ve quite literally seen it all).
Panthers- Like the Jaguars, the Panthers can be leaders in their own right, but are more of Field leaders than actual monarchs or nobility. Also, the Panthers seem to be the least ambitious of the Big Cats; they might strive for something greater every once in a while, but when they find themselves in a position where their goals seem out of reach, they’ll simply make the best of what they already have. (Example: Panthro never wanted to rule Thundera, he acknowledged that he was just a soldier and decided to settle for simply rising through the ranks and becoming a high-ranking Cat in the Thunderian Army). However, that is not to say that they won’t speak out against their superiors and comrades when they know what they’re doing is wrong.
Another fun fact about the Panthers is that they’re not the easy Cats to please or win over. Granted, they’re not as difficult as the Tigers, but it still does take a lot to get into their good graces. However, once you do manage to impress them, you can count on them for anything (Panthera didn’t seem to like Leo at first, but right after he revealed his plan to overthrow Mumm-Ra, she fell in love with him right then and there). The Panthers also seem to be very physically durable; they can be smacked around, dropped from dizzying heights, blasted at with energy bolts and even lose part of their own limbs and they’ll still be able to dust themselves off and come back for more.
Wildcats- Being one of the lowest Clans in the Cat species, it should come as no surprise that the Wildcats are the most simple of the feline race. Like all the other Cats, they might wish for something grand every once in a while, but when all is said and done, all they really want is something that will help them get through life and make them happy. If they can find all of that within the simple things, they’d still be content. Since they don’t live lives as privileged as, say, the Lions, the Wildcats really don’t have a reason to be racist or bigoted towards other animals (since they’re not really living the high life themselves).
Because they’ve had to work hard for everything they have, it would stand to reason that the Wildcats have had to build up their wit and cunning in order to get through the day.