Ye Olde Generic Fancharacter

I drew this with a mechanical pencil with .05 lead (I think) and inked it with marker. Touched up and colored with photoshop via pen tablet. Yes, I know it's cheap looking. I overobsessed with this thing for quite a while, and this is still all I have to show for it. Any advice for making future work better would be greatly appreciated.

This is only because of a requirement, I swear!

Normally, I don't really like fan characters. They're not intrinsically bad, mind you, but they do tend to get over exposed/hog center stage/act as overpowered avatars in over-the-top self-insertions. Personally, I see their only use as minor (read, "as little used as possible") vehicles for facilitating the plot. Anything more is borderline annoying to straight out painful.

And while there are people who are good and responsible about bringing their little creations into existence, keeping them in check and even (in my opinion, all too seldomly) enjoyable, there are always...THE OTHERS!

You know these people. They'll either pump out a billion half-baked, instantly forgettable dolls with little to no personality, or they'll lavish all of their attention on one or two absurdly unrealistic Mary Sues. You may not agree with my assessment, but that's honestly how I feel.

(By the way, if you feel that way about this drawing here, tell me. I never claimed infallibility, and I'm willing to learn.)

Well now, with that rant out of the way, I suppose this suspiciously Leo/Kimba-ish fellow needs some kind of backstory. What fan thingy doesn't?

His name is Kurai, which, according to my Japanese/English dictionary, literally means "having no light." Basically, he's an anthropomorphic manifestation of Leo/Kimba's dark side (I wasn't lying when I said he was generic, was I?) The thing is, Kimba of the 60's series fame isn't all that dark. Capable of angry exasperation and impatience, yes, but he's a long way off from being bad. The sequel series and the spin-off movie shows him without such a sheen of innocence, but it's only with the 1989 series that the Darth Vader tendencies show up.
Dark boy here is something of a hybrid between the three or four different depictions of the iconic white lion. He's mean, but not sadistic; harsh at times, but not habitually brutal. Sarcasm is an old friend of his, and he'll put someone down without a moment's hesitation. However, he's not as dark as even he would prefer: he tends to flinch away from killing, even while he brings the world down around his victims. For reasons even he doesn't quite fathom, he can't stand a certain curly-haired lioness. Too bad, since she's pretty much convinced that she can still reach the old Kimba inside of him. He pushes away every one of her advances with venom. Yet, secretly, and only in moments of the deepest contemplation, he can still feel his heart stir at the memory of her name.

...It still fits the fancharacter profile, right?

Jungle Emperor and all characters and names associated with it were created by Osamu Tezuka and not me. All references to the franchise were used without permission for purposes of non-profit obsessive doodling. Zero profit was attempted or made with this drawing. And whoever had ownership rights the franchise, it's definitely not me.