Kronk’s innocence is his saving grace. Nothing really bad happens to him because he is innocent and kind. No one suspects or expects anything serious from him.
Kuzco treats him like a pet. Kronk even dives for snacks thrown off a tall throne.
He can’t even kill Kuzco successfully. He mixes up the cups and doesn’t know which one has the poison in it. Though, he is able to successfully warn Yzma (Eartha Kitt) about her drink being poison.
When he takes the emperor “out of town to finish the job”, he can’t kill him. After throwing the bag into the water, he debates with himself (his shoulder angel and devil) about what decision to make: “the path of righteousness” and “the path that rocks”. Ultimately, being the kind, innocent person he is, he saves Kuzco from death and leaves him on a cart.
Also, when Kronk has Kuzco in the bag, he stops to “blend in” with the wall. However, the passing men definitely see him. But because he acts kind of like he’s playing (singing his own theme music), the men brush by and ignore him. He is not actually a threat so why bother questioning him?
When in the forest, Kronk is the only one who is nice to the squirrel. Kuzco is mean to him and Yzma yells at him. However, Kronk knows how to talk to squirrels so they become friends.
He takes over in the kitchen for the chef in the diner. Because there is no one to take over the cooking, he takes it upon himself to make food.
He does try to hurt Yzma when she says she “never liked [his] spinach puffs! Never!” But she slips through the middle of the chandelier he tries to drop on her head. He can’t even hurt her when she hurts his feelings. And he does hit her in the face with a trap door at the end. But that wasn’t on purpose.
In the end, he becomes a Junior Woodchuck leader (Senior Woodchuck?) along with his buddy, the squirrel.
I guess something similar could be said of Pacha (John Goodman). He saves Kuzco many times and is a genuinely good person. He also is successful in the end in saving his village.
This movie shows that with innocence and kindness, victory can be achieved. Kronk becomes a leader of children and Pacha gains a new friend and neighbor.
Here’s a whole site with different interpretations of the characters in this movie.
Thanks for reading!