I think even if Simba didn’t go through all that trauma he would have turned out a functional king.

Over the years, I’ve heard it be said that Simba probably would have turned out as bad as Scar if he hadn’t grown up. It’s definitely true that Simba has a similar mindset about what being king entails to Scar’s. They both literally have a song about how they’ll be great kings after all. But I don’t know, I feel like Mufassa wouldn’t have allowed that happen if he hadn’t died. He would have continued to guide Simba on the proper path to becoming a good king. Hell, Simba might have turned out to be an even better king if it weren’t for his father’s untimely death. Simba’s Pride showed us how all that trauma kinda got the better of him. But that’s just how I feel.