Kovu

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Cub Kovu

Kovu is a fictional lion character who first appeared in Disney's direct-to-video animated feature The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the sequel to The Lion King. As a cub he was voiced by Ryan O'Donohue and as an adult by Jason Marsden. His singing voice was provided by Gene Miller. Kovu means "scar" in Kiswahili.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Template:Spoiler Kovu is the son of Zira and an unknown lion. He is also half-brother to Vitani and Nuka. He was originally intended to be the son of Scar but this was changed as this would make him related to Kiara, Simba's daughter. Instead, he become Scar's adopted son. Scar chose Kovu as the lion to follow in his paw prints and become king of the Pride Lands.

Kovu is a cub in the part of Simba's pride that has been exiled to the Outlands due to their remaining loyalty to Scar. (Zira (Kovu's mother) and her pride's loyalty to Scar do not actually make sense as in the first film, as when Simba returns from his life in the jungle, all the lionesses fight on his side and only the hyenas side with Scar. Zira is non-existent in the first film as are Kovu, her other two cubs, and the lionesses who will make up her future pride.)

He is out with his brother Nuka when Kiara tumbles down from a log and crashes into him. Kovu reacts aggressively at first but soon begins to mock Kiara for being "daddy's little girl". He wanders off to a body of water, followed by Kiara, where they are attacked by crocodiles. The cubs manage to escape. The experience leaves them as friends. Kiara tries to initiate a play session with Kovu but Kovu doesn't understand. When he does, Simba leaps onto the scene, and Zira leaps from the grass nearby where she was watching the cubs.

Simba, some of Simba's lionesses and Timon and Pumbaa confront Zira. Simba picks Kiara up and carries her away, while Zira does the same with Kovu.

Later, Zira yells at Kovu for being friendly towards a Pridelander. Kovu says that he thought that he and Kiara could become friends. Zira is amused at first, but a plan dawns on her and she begins praising Kovu instead. If Kovu can become friends with Kiara and be accepted into Simba's pride, then Kovu will have the perfect opportunity to kill Simba.

Zira trains and conditions Kovu until he is grown to "be a killer with a lust for being bad." She sends him out to kill Simba, with Nuka and Vitani's help. She sends Vitani and Nuka out into the Pridelands to start a fire while Kiara is out on her first hunt. When the fire has taken hold, Zira sends Kovu out into the fire to rescue Kiara. Kovu manages to lift Kiara onto his back and carry her to safety. Zazu sees this and flies off to tell Simba. Kiara, however, is upset that Kovu brought her back to the Pridelands. When she realizes that it is Kovu who saved her she is happy to see the lion again.

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Adult Kovu being conditioned by Zira

Simba appears and confronts Kovu. Rafiki, instructed by Mufasa's ghost to make Kiara and Kovu fall in love, says that Kovu saved Kiara from the fire and Simba questions this. Kovu states that he wishes to join the pride. Royal protocol places Simba in Kovu's debt, and Kovu eventually convinces Simba to give him a chance.

That night Kiara asks Kovu to teach her how to hunt, and that they begin at dawn. The next day, Kovu prepares to attack Simba while Simba is alone and drinking from the water hole, but Kiara interrupts him to begin the hunting lesson. The pair soon stumble upon Timon and Pumbaa who are trying to chase some birds away from their favourite feeding site. The two lions roar, scattering the birds. They begin to chase the birds away. Kovu questions to the point of this "training" and Kiara informs him that it's just for fun. Kovu, who has lived a life of joyless training under Zira, has no concept of "fun" but soon catches on and enjoys himself.

Timon, Pumbaa, Kovu and Kiara have fun until they nearly collide with a crash of rhinos, angering them. They are then chased by the rhinos but manage to escape into a crack in the cliffs surrounding them. As they exit, Kiara finds herself close to Kovu and almost kisses him.

That night Kovu and Kiara lie under stars and look at star formations. Rafiki appears and takes the two lions to a strange and exciting place called Upendi ("love" in Swahili). As they venture back to Pride Rock Kovu has Simba on his own. Vitani is watching this and waits for Kovu to attack, but he doesn't. Vitani runs back to report this to Zira, who is outraged.

The next morning, Kovu resolves to confess to Kiara his role as a would be assassin, but before he can do so, Simba takes Kovu out for a walk through the fire-ravaged Pridelands. As they walk, they are ambushed by Zira and the Outlanders. Zira congratulates Kovu, but Kovu panics as he realizes he inadvertently completed the plot he abandoned. Kovu attempts to save Simba, but one of the Outsiders knocks him into a rock, rendering him unconscious. Simba doesn't see this. Simba is attacked and falls into a gorge where a log dam is holding back the river. Ironically, this is the same gorge where Scar started the wildebeest stampede that killed Mufasa. Simba climbs the log dam to safety and Kovu has a chance to attack him, but doesn't. Nuka, wanting to impress Zira, climbs the log dam and manages to grab Simba's ankle, but is killed when some logs dislodge and crush him. Zira blames Nuka's death on Kovu and slashes him across the face, giving Kovu a scar resembling Scar's. As Zira demands to her son to admit his responsibility for killing his brother, Kovu's fearful excuses quickly fade when he realizes that he is being falsely accused and stands up to his mother for the first time. In defiance, Kovu runs back to the Pridelands where an injured and enraged Simba ignores his explanation and exiles him over the protests of Kiara. A devastated Kovu is chased from the Pridelands by angry animals.

Kiara, distraught, runs away to find Kovu. The two meet at the base of Mount Kilamanjaro and proclaim their love that transcends their pride's rivalry. Kovu wishes to run away with Kiara to start their own pride. Kiara refuses, saying that they must return to try and unite their divided prides. They both run back to the Pridelands, crossing the log dam that has now been weakened.

They find the Outlanders and the Pridelanders are at war with each other with a fierce battle in progress. Kovu and Kiara leap into the fray and block Simba and Zira from attacking each other. Kiara remembers what her father told her when she was a cub - "We are one." while Kovu refuses to let his mother harm Simba or his daughter. Vitani decides to side with Kovu and when Zira threatens her as well, other Outlander lionesses realize in disgust that the fighting is pointless and cross over to Simba's side as well. Zira, still fiercely loyal to Scar, does not surrender and leaps to attack Simba. Kiara knocks her out of the way and the two tumble down into the gorge where the river is bursting through the log dam. Zira is left dangling from a cliff and Kiara tries to help her, but Zira slips and falls to her death in the river below, crushed by the logs. Kiara is rescued and Simba realizes that Kovu is not like Scar and truly belongs in the Pridelands.

The now united prides return to Pride Rock where Kovu and Kiara are married. Now that order has been restored, Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu roar out across the kingdom while the spirit of Mufusa praises his son for his wisdom.

Note

• Please note that Kovu is NOT Simba's successor. Simba's heir is his daughter as mentioned in the film. She is the future Queen Regnant of Pride Lands. Kovu us merely Kiara's consort.