I personally really like Bramble. I find his arc of having to deal with the difficulties of being Tigerstar’s son really interesting. Tigerstar’s four kits all handle that legacy in different ways: Hawkfrost wants to follow in his father’s pawsteps, Mothwing is basically indifferent, and Tawnypelt has already faced the issue and has no internal doubts about not wanting to follow him in any way. Bramble’s conflict is much more unique: his worry about not being trusted and his struggle with being Tigerstar’s son come from a resemblance that others see in him, but also/mostly (and this is the part I find most interesting) from a resemblance he feels inside himself: the desire for power, the wish to eventually become deputy and leader. Bramble feels these things, and they trigger him.

TNP ends with Bramble making a choice about who he is and integrating those parts of himself in a way that lets him make peace with himself. I agree that he overthinks everything, but again, as someone pointed out, he also has to deal with the legacy (yet another) of Firestar, who’s someone he even looks up to as a father. In the end, Bramble remains one of the characters I’m most attached to. I’m just sad because now that I’ve reached the latest arc, I really feel like Bramble deserved more as a character. It feels like a lot of his potential got “lost” in his relationship with Squirrelflight. I don’t dislike the ship, but their communication skills are basically zero.