List of The Lion King (franchise) characters

"Sarabi" redirects here. For other uses, see Sarabi (disambiguation).

The main characters in the first film. From left to right: Shenzi, Scar, Ed, Banzai, Rafiki, Mufasa, Simba, Sarabi, Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa. Bottom right: Nala and Sarafina.

The following are fictional characters from Disney's The Lion King franchise.

Development

A total of thirteen supervising animators from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney-MGM Studios were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the first film's main characters. The animation team studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for the earlier film Bambi. The animation of the characters counted with supervision by wildlife experts such as Jim Fowler, who visited the studio on several occasions with lions and other animals to help the animators reproduce authentic behavior. Screenwriter Irene Mecchi joined the directing team to help in the character development process and define each character's personality. Story head Brenda Chapman spoke of the challenges of character development: "It was our job to make the main character likeable and sympathetic. It was also challenging to make the environment and characters interesting. In real life, lions basically sleep, eat and have no props."

= Pride lands

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The Lion King

Simba

Main article: Simba

Simba, meaning "lion" in Swahili, is a main character of the franchise and the protagonist of The Lion King, the musical, and several video games. Simba is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi. During the events of The Lion King he becomes King of Pride Rock. In Simba's Pride he and Nala have a daughter, Kiara. As the events of 1½ occur during the same time as the original film, his upbringing with Timon & Pumbaa is further explored. Jonathan Taylor Thomas played young Simba, and Matthew Broderick played adult Simba.

Timon and Pumbaa

Main article: Timon and Pumbaa

Timon and Pumbaa are a meerkat and warthog double act. Pumbaa's name means 'simpleton', 'stupid' or 'carefree' in Swahili. They are secondary characters in The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, serving as friends and sidekicks of Simba. They are the protagonists of the third film, The Lion King 1½, and their own spin-off TV series, Timon & Pumbaa. The Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games and The Lion King 1½ video games also center around them. The name Timon is Greek for "respect".

Nala

Nala
Voiced by	Moira Kelly (adult in films) Niketa Calame (cub in film) Heather Headley (adult in original Broadway cast) Kajuana Shuford (cub in original Broadway cast) Vanessa Marshall (adult in video games) Nicole Oliver (adult)
Supervising animator	Aaron Blaise (cub) Anthony de Rosa (adult)
Species	Lioness

Nala is Simba's closest childhood playmate and future wife, who first debuts as a cub in the first film of the franchise who accompanies Simba in his venture into the forbidden Elephant Graveyard, depicted as being as mischievous, adventurous, and playful as her friend. She later appears mourning over Simba's alleged "death" before finally reappearing as a lovely adult who unknowingly entangles herself in a brawl with a matured Simba after having attempted to attack Pumbaa. To the chagrin of Timon and Pumbaa, a romance gradually blossoms between the pair during the sequence "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", though their relationship is interfered after Nala urges her reluctant friend to return to the dilapidated Pride Lands, corrupted by Scar's tyrannical kingship, and claim the throne. After Simba is encouraged by Rafiki to return home and confront his uncle, an overjoyed Nala, accompanied by Timon, Pumba, and the lionesses of the Pride Lands, compete in the malicious battle allied with him after successfully toppling Scar's reign. She was horrified when Simba admitted to her and the other lionesses his mistaken belief that he was responsible for Mufasa's death, and enraged when she later learned that it was in fact Scar who had murdered Mufasa and tricked Simba into thinking he was responsible for his father's death. Defying the vow they had proclaimed as children repulsed at the prospect of being betrothed, she marries Simba and together the two have a daughter named Kiara.

In the following sequel, The Lion King ll: Simba's Pride, the significance of Nala's role is downgraded, though she still makes frequent appearances throughout the course of the film, where she is depicted as being looser, calmer, and less uptight than her overprotective husband, but reappears when necessary. Naturally, she also appears with a similarly-reduced role in "The Lion King 1 1/2," a direct-to-video midquel retelling the events of the first film from Timon and Pumbaa's viewpoints, in which the pair's attempts at thwarting her developing romance with Simba are further detailed.

Mufasa

Mufasa
Voiced by	James Earl Jones (films, Kingdom Hearts II) Samuel E. Wright (original Broadway cast)
Supervising animator	Tony Fucile
Species	African Lion

Mufasa was Simba's father and the former King of the Pride Lands; a righteous, wise, and kindhearted leader, but admirably powerful and courageous as well. Idolized by his son, with whom he shared a strong bond, Mufasa was envied immensely during his lifetime by his wicked younger brother Scar, who furiously conspired against his older brother in an attempt to end his reign and earn the throne. To the devastation of a young Simba, Mufasa was violently trampled to death by a massive stampede of wildebeests arranged by Scar while attempting to save his son's life, spawning Scar's tyrannical kingship over Pride Rock and resulting in Simba's running away from home, after having been convinced that he was responsible for Mufasa's untimely death. Although Simba spends a majority of the film suffering from intense guilt, Mufasa reappears as a ghostly apparition in the clouds commanding Simba to return home, and later empowering him to confront his uncle. His voice is heard again following the death of his evil brother and his death avenged.

Due to his status as a deceased character, Mufasa barely reappears in any of the direct-to-video sequels spawned from The Lion King, albeit his spirit appears in the opening sequence of The Lion King ll: Simba's Pride proudly watching over the presentation of his newborn granddaughter Princess Kiara, and it also is established that the lingering affects of the memory of Mufasa's murder have apparently scarred a traumatized Simba for life, as revealed during a dream sequence in which Simba relives the events of the stampede as an adult and attempts to save his father's life. At the conclusion of the same movie, his voiceover can also be heard congratulating his son for his well-executed reign. During the midquel "The Lion King 1 1/2", Mufasa's role is reduced even further as the plot of first film of the franchise is retold from the viewpoints of Timon and Pumbaa, though his apparition to Simba is relived through the two characters' eyes.

Sarabi

Sarabi
Voiced by	Madge Sinclair (film) Gina Breedlove (original Broadway cast)
Supervising animator	Russ Edmonds
Species	Lioness

Sarabi is Simba's mother, and Mufasa's queen. Not much of her relationship with Simba and Mufasa is shown (as when Simba is a cub, the film revolves mainly around his relationship with Mufasa and Nala) but from what is shown she seems to be very attached to them both. She is devastated when she believes they both have been killed (in reality only Mufasa had been killed while Simba is alive) and is seen being comforted by Zazu while Scar is giving them an eulogy. She was horrified when Scar, having taken over the throne, then let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands and, along with all the other lionesses and animals from Pride Rock, apparently suffered as a result of Scar's selfish ways while he was king. Many years after Mufasa's death, Sarabi, who by now clearly dislikes Scar strongly, argued with him over what should be done for the good of all the animals in Pride Rock, with her insisting that they needed to move to a different place where food and water would be availiable. He refuses, afraid of losing his kingship in any place that isn't Pride Rock, and angrily strikes Sarabi for telling him he isn't "half the king Mufasa was." At which point Simba, who had watched this from afar, revealed himself to them and defended his mother by roaring at Scar. She mistakes Simba for Mufasa at first, but is overjoyed all the same when she realizes her son is alive. She was horrified when Simba admitted he believed he was responsible for Mufasa's death, and enraged when she later learned that it was in fact Scar who had murdered Mufasa and tricked Simba into believing he was the one responsible. She fights Scar's hyena army alongside Simba, Nala and the other lionesses (as well as Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki) and along with all the lionesses roars triumphantly when Simba does after finally defeating Scar. Sarabi does not appear in the sequel.

Zazu

Zazu
Voiced by	Rowan Atkinson (original film) Edward Hibbert (sequels and Timon and Pumbaa TV Series) Jeff Bennett (singing voice in "The Morning Report") Jim Piddock (The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure and Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games)
Supervising animator	Ellen Woodbury
Alias	Banana Beak
Species	Red-billed hornbill

Zazu is a red-billed hornbill who acts as majordomo to Mufasa and, later, Simba. He is proud of his position and acts very dignified, though he is not taken very seriously by the lions. Zazu's name has no apparent meaning in Swahili.

Zazu is first seen in the film flying over the Pride Lands during the opening sequence in which Simba is presented. Later he goes to announce Mufasa's arrival to Scar and treats the lion with contempt, and nearly gets eaten. Although he is clearly Mufasa's friend and jokes with him, he treats the king with great respect, addressing him as Sire. When Simba is a little older, Zazu becomes the target of a pouncing lesson in the middle of delivering a news report to the king, which dismays him. Sarabi later orders the hornbill to chaperone Simba and Nala to the waterhole. In the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", Zazu sings about his doubts for the monarchy under Simba's rule, but the cubs ridicule him and he ends up, amusingly, being squashed by a rhino. Zazu catches up with them in the elephant graveyard and tries to protect them when they are confronted by hyenas, but Banzai pushes him into a geyser which rockets him into the sky. Zazu then apparently flies to get Mufasa to rescue the cubs. Zazu is with Mufasa when Scar brings the news of Simba being trapped in the wildebeest stampede; he panics and intends to go for help, but Scar slaps him into a wall and knocks him out.

After Simba's exile, Zazu becomes a prisoner of Scar and a source of entertainment. He is the only character who is seen to fear Scar and acknowledge his kingship, but Scar nonetheless tells the hyenas that they are welcome to eat him. During the battle for Pride Rock, Pumbaa breaks Zazu out of his ribcage prison. Zazu bows to Simba after he defeats Scar and is seen during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

Zazu has brief appearances in the two sequels. In Simba's Pride he acts as a scout and advises Simba on royal protocol. He is very scornful of Kovu.

In the musical, Zazu is a puppet controlled by an actor dressed in blue striped clothes and a bowler hat, much like a stereotypical butler. Zazu's blue feathers have been replaced with white and the puppet is partially constructed from parachute silk with a slinky contained in the neck for ease in movement. Zazu sings the song The Morning Report, which was fully animated for the Platinum Edition release of the original film. After They Live In You, Mufasa and Zazu talk about Simba's behaviour and Zazu remarks that Mufasa got into trouble too at Simba's age. In some English productions of the show, Zazu breaks the fourth wall and uses anachronisms for comic effect.

Zazu has made occasional appearances in the Timon & Pumbaa and House of Mouse television series, and a Mickey Mouse cartoon called Runaway Brain. Zazu and Aladdin's Iago hosted an attraction called The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) in Adventureland at Walt Disney World before it closed.

Rafiki

Rafiki
Voiced by	Robert Guillaume (films and video games) Tsidii Le Loka (original Broadway cast)
Supervising animator	James Baxter
Species	Mandrill

Rafiki, meaning "friend" in Swahili, is a mandrill who lives in a baobab tree somewhere in the Pride Lands. He is a dear friend to Mufasa and later Simba. He performs shamanistic services for the lions of Pride Rock. He is an enigmatic character, tending to speak about himself in the third person, who drops in unexpectedly to lend advice; although very wise, he also has a very funny, playful side. As a bipedal animal, Rafiki is able to use props more easily than most of the films' animals. He is never seen without his stick, which is topped with gourds that he uses for ritual purposes, painting and food. The character often serves as the narrator of the story of The Lion King, especially in video games and merchandise.

In The Lion King Rafiki is introduced in the opening scene when he travels to Pride Rock to perform newborn Simba's presentation ceremony. Mufasa greets him like a friend he has not seen in a long time. Rafiki anoints Simba and presents him to the gathered animals, and later draws a stylized lion cub on the walls of his treehouse home to represent Simba's birth. When Simba is believed to be dead, Rafiki draws his hand across the Simba painting, obscuring it in grief. Years later, after picking up his scent on the dust in the air, Rafiki realizes that Simba is still alive and joyously restores the drawing, adding the full mane of an adult lion. He travels to the jungle where Simba lives with Timon and Pumbaa, then observes Simba and recognizes that he is suffering from a ponderous emotional burden. To treat it, he approaches the young lion (who does not recognise him) and teaches him a few playful, and sometimes painful, lessons about learning from the past, not running from it. He shows Simba that his father Mufasa lives in him, resulting in the appearance of Mufasa's ghost which gives Simba the courage to face his past. During the battle for Pride Rock, Rafiki displays highly trained martial arts against the hyenas and saves Simba from a hyena who tried to attack him by bashing the hyena in the head hard with his stick. Simba embraces him before ascending Pride Rock as king telling him "It is time", and at the end of the film, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

During the film, Rafiki sings a nonsense chant: "Asante sana, squash banana, wewe nugu, mimi hapana." This is a Swahili playground rhyme which translates to "Thank you very much (squash banana), you're a baboon and I'm not!" Like "hakuna matata" (no worries), the chant was heard by the filmmakers on their research trip to Kenya.

In the sequel Simba's Pride, Rafiki is more closely involved with the affairs and politics of the prides and is often seen with the lions. Mufasa's spirit persuades him to bring Simba's daughter Kiara and Zira's son Kovu together as a way of uniting the prides. He then asks if Mufasa is crazy and doubts that the plan will work, and is then immediately buffeted by a strong gust of wind from Mufasa's spirit. Rafiki tries to make them fall in love by singing to them about a place called "Upendi", which means "love" in Swahili. When Simba exiles Kovu, blaming him on the attack set up by Zira, Rafiki sighs sadly on seeing Kovu leave, knowing he is not part of the attack. In the end, he blesses the union of Kovu and Kiara and Kovu is welcomed into the pride. Rafiki appears briefly in The Lion King 1½, teaching Timon the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" and later convincing Timon to follow Simba to Pride Rock to confront Scar.

In the musical, the character of Rafiki was significantly modified. Because director Julie Taymor felt that the story lacked a strong female character, Rafiki was changed into a female mandrill and sangoma. She acts as an involved narrator throughout the story, at one point speaking to the audience in a click language for comic effect. She sings the opening song "Circle of Life", a keening song called "Rafiki Mourns" following Mufasa's death, and a brief part in Nala's song "Shadowland", when she blesses Nala for her journey to find help. Instead of detecting Simba's scent on dust, Rafiki hears Simba's song "Endless Night" on the wind. Rafiki finds Simba and shows him that his father lives on in him through the song "He Lives in You". She is present during the battle, fighting a hyena using hand-to-hand combat, and adorns Simba with the king's mantle after his victory. And the play ends with her presentation of Simba and Nala's cub.

Rafiki appears in a few episodes of the Timon and Pumbaa TV series and has his own series of skits called "Rafiki Fables" in the same show. He appears briefly in the Pride Lands world of Kingdom Hearts II.

Scar

Scar
Voiced by	Jeremy Irons (original film, Kingdom Hearts II) Jim Cummings (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) Tom Kane (Sorcerers Of The Magic Kingdom)
Supervising animator	Andreas Deja
Species	African Lion

Scar is the main antagonist of the film; Mufasa's younger brother and Simba's uncle, who plots to seize the throne he believes is rightfully his. He is aided in this scheme by the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who serve him in return for food. After an attempt on his nephew's life fails, he lures Simba into a canyon and has the hyenas trigger a stampede of wildebeests. After Mufasa saves Simba, he loses his footing over a cliffside, and Scar throws him back into the stampede, killing him. Afterward, he tricks Simba into believing he is responsible for his father's death and tells him to run away, sending the hyenas after him. Simba gets away, but the hyenas tell Scar the young prince is dead. Scar takes over as king of Pride Rock and says that Simba was killed in the stampede. The new monarch immediately institutes a "New Order", a permanent alliance between the lions and the hyenas (who actually serve as Scar's strength for his rule).

Within a few years after Mufasa's death, Scar's reign turns the Pride Lands into a wasteland, with no food or water. Scar forbids his subjects to mention his brother's name, and keeps Zazu imprisoned in a cage as a slave to sing for him. Even his hyenas begin to lose faith, complaining to Scar that the lionesses are refusing to hunt. Even when he is warned that they must flee Pride Rock to survive starvation he is too attached to his stolen throne to accept the facts and leave. When Mufasa's widow, Sarabi tells Scar that he is not a real king, Scar furiously strikes her across the face.

Moments later, he is confronted by his fully grown nephew Simba, who has come to reclaim his throne. Scar then demands that Simba admit responsibility for Mufasa's death, which the young lion does. Scar declares Simba guilty and, backed by his hyena enforcers, pushes him towards the fire just struck under Pride Rock. With his nephew at his mercy, Scar tells Simba that he killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba leaps back up to Scar and forces him to tell the truth to the lionesses, who then turn upon the hyenas causing a battle.

Scar begins losing the fight because with help from Timon and Pumbaa, Simba's friends in the desert, as well as Rafiki, the Hyenas flee to hide from the lionesses during the battle. Scar tries to escape by climbing to Pride Rock's summit but when he is checkmated by Simba next to the cliff, he attempts to blame the hyenas, but Simba no longer believes him. The duel ends with Simba sparing Scar's life and repeating to Scar his own advice against him; "Run away and never return." Scar feigns submission before suddenly casting cinders into Simba's face and pouncing. Simba overpowers Scar, however, and throws him off the cliff back onto the throne. Scar tries to reconcile with the hyenas but they reveal to his horror that they overheard him trying to betray them; finally fed up with his broken promises the hyenas then turn on him and eat him alive unseen before a fire engulfs them (caused by lightning that struck under Simba when he was forced to hang from the cliff).

Scar appears as a spirit in Simba's nightmare in the direct-to-video sequel of the film, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, in which Simba relives the scene of Mufasa's murder, but as an adult in an attempt to guide his father to safety. Scar's ghost appears to try and prevent him from doing so before transforming into Kovu, a character appearing only in the sequel. Ironically when one of his most loyal lions attack Simba in this movie, one of his chosen followers Nuka dies at the same site where Mufasa dies in the first movie (But covered by logs holding back a river of water). He later appears to Kovu as a reflection in the water when Kovu was exiled by Simba, but the young lion flees from the vision. Scar also has seen roles in Disney park attractions, video games, and has made cameo appearances in House of Mouse. Additionally, he's seen briefly in Hercules (1997 film) during the song "Zero to Hero", in the role of the Nemean Lion who is fought and defeated by the movie's eponymous character. Afterwards, Hercules is seen wearing Scar's skin.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed
Voiced by	Shenzi: Whoopi Goldberg (films) Tress MacNeille (Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure and Kingdom Hearts II) Jenifer Lewis (Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom) Banzai: Cheech Marin (films, Kingdom Hearts II and Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom) Rob Paulsen (Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) Ed: Jim Cummings
Supervising animators	David Burgess Alex Kuperschmidt
Species	Spotted hyenas

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are a spotted hyena trio who are Scar's followers. They serve as the secondary antagonists of The Lion King and the main antagonists of The Lion King 1½, but are comic characters in both films.

• Shenzi (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) is the only female of the trio. Her name means 'savage' or 'uncouth' in Swahili. She is confident, self-controlled, and the smartest of the three. This makes her the de facto leader of the trio and possibly the entire clan (female dominance is consistent with real-life hyena behaviour). She does not hesitate to follow Scar's orders to attack or to confront him later about the lack of food. Shenzi has a long mane and three prominent bangs hanging over her face. She also lacks the dark grey 'stubble' snout of the males. In The Lion King 1½, Timon addresses her as Shenzi Marie Predatorra Veldetta Jackalina Hyena. Shenzi was originally conceived as a male hyena to be voiced by Tommy Chong, reuniting him with his old comedy partner Cheech Marin, who voiced Banzai.

• Banzai (voiced by Cheech Marin) is the most aggressive and excitable of the trio. He speaks in a raised voice and is quick to get into a fight, having little patience, but submits to Shenzi. He also talks about food frequently. Banzai tends to come out badly in conflict situations: he gets the worst injuries when the trio are attacked by Mufasa (Shenzi and Ed receive only minor scratches, but Banzai moans that he "won't be able to sit for a week"), is knocked into thorn bushes when chasing Simba, and nearly gets into trouble with Scar when he complains about Scar's leadership within the lion's earshot. His name has no meaning in Swahili, but is a battle cry in Japanese (see Banzai charge). His appearance generally resembles the unnamed hyena characters.

• Ed (voiced by Jim Cummings) is the only character aside from Uncle Max to have an English human name. Ed communicates mainly through crazed laughter. He wears a permanent idiotic grin with his tongue usually lolling out, and his eyes never seem to focus on anything properly. In the Special Edition of The Lion King, character profiling suggests that Ed is not actually stupid; he 'knows the score', but he cannot speak. While Shenzi and Banzai are joking with each other about eating Simba and Nala, it is Ed who notices that they have escaped. Jim Cummings recorded over four hours of different laughter clips for use with Ed's dialogue.

The three hyenas first appear in the elephant graveyard where they taunt and chase Simba and Nala, intending to eat them, but are attacked by Mufasa. Scar buys their loyalty with food and promises the whole hyena clan that they will never go hungry if they help him become king. This they do, helping Scar carry out his plan to kill Mufasa by triggering the wildebeest stampede. Scar orders the hyenas to kill Simba, but Simba eludes them by crawling through a thorn-patch. Shenzi decides to tell Scar he is dead, reckoning that Scar will never know better. During Scar's reign, the trio complain about lack of food, but Scar is indifferent. The clan fights on Scar's side when Simba returns, but most are defeated by the lionesses, and Shenzi and Banzai are ruthlessly beaten up by Pumbaa for Banzai calling him a pig as Ed waits outside. The trio then overhear Scar trying to blame them for Mufasa's death and the ruin of the Pride Lands, which infuriates them. Fueled with anger at Scar for his betrayal (as well as, presumably, hunger, from his broken promise of them never going hungry again), the hyenas leap upon Scar and begin to maul him alive shortly before they are all surrounded by the blazing flames.

The hyenas are briefly mentioned in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride by Nuka, who says that they 'ran off' from the elephant graveyard. They were planned to be Zira's minions, but this idea was ditched because the hyenas devoured Scar for his treachery and blaming them for killing his own brother and therefore could not be loyal to Scar in the sequel. They reappear in The Lion King 1½ as the main antagonists. In their first appearance, they attack a meerkat colony while Timon is daydreaming on sentry duty. The trio reappear during the film's climax at Pride Rock, cornering Timon and Pumbaa. Timon proposes marriage to Shenzi as a delaying tactic, which she turns down abruptly. The hyenas then fall into a meerkat tunnel, which transports them to Scar in time to confront him.

The three hyenas make occasional appearances in the Timon & Pumbaa TV series with their own segment "The Laughing Hyenas". In Kingdom Hearts II, the hyenas appear in the Pride Lands world as Scar's followers. They also appear as villains in Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World.

Sarafina

Sarafina
Voiced by	Zoe Leader (film)
Supervising animator	Silvia Hoefnagels (uncredited)
Species	Lioness

Sarafina is Nala's mother, a pale-furred lioness with a slender build, much like her daughter as an adult. Her name has no meaning in Swahili and is not mentioned in the film, only appearing in the credits. Her uncredited dedicated animator is Silvia Hoefnagels. Sarafina plays a minor role, appearing a few times throughout the film. She only has one line of dialogue: "Hmmm, what do you think, Sarabi?" Her first appearance is in Nala's introduction, when she is bathing her cub; she is also seen as the lionesses mourn Mufasa and Simba, and later when they fight the hyenas. According to the song "Chow Down" from the musical, Sarafina ate Banzai's father.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Kiara

Kiara
Voiced by	Neve Campbell (adult) Michelle Horn (cub) Liz Callaway (adult, singing) Charity Sanoy (cub, singing)
Supervising animator	Lianne Hughes
Species	Lioness

Kiara is the daughter of Simba and Nala and the protagonist of the sequel Lion King ll: Simba's Pride. Kiara means "princess" in Swahili. She is portrayed as the feisty, playful, and adventurous princess of Pride Rock, but her over-protective father, Simba, easily fears for her safety and employs the assistance of Timon and Pumbaa in watching over her during her explorations in secret. However, Kiara is infuriated upon this discovery, not realizing her father's lack of faith in her, wanders off while her babysitters are distracted and winds up stumbling upon an Outsider cub named Kovu. Kovu initially appears to be untrustworthy and teases Kiara, but when they are faced by a group of crocodiles Kiara manages to help lead Kovu to safety, resulting in a friendship between the pair. However, they are separated by their parents for the rivalry between their two groups, much to the cubs' dismay.

During Kiara's first hunt, Zira sees an opportunity to fulfill her dreams of obtaining revenge on Simba for exiling the Outsiders and spreads a wildfire throughout the Pride Lands. As part of Zira's plan, Kovu runs into the fire and rescues Kiara. Simba rewards Kovu for his actions by permitting him to stay with the Pridelanders, and Kovu gradually begins to fall in love with his childhood friend. However, after Zira and her Outsiders attack and injure Simba severely, Kovu is exiled from the Pride Lands. Kiara pleads with her father to reconsider, but Simba refuses and forbids her to leave Pride Rock. Kiara furiously defies her father, saddening him, and runs off to try and find Kovu. After finding Kovu he suggests that the pair run away together. Kiara explains that if they don't return then their prides will be divided forever, so they set off. As the pair arrive back home they see their prides engaged in a fierce battle. Kiara and Kovu leap in and end the battle by confronting their parents, but Zira, still enraged, leaps at Simba only for Kiara to block her and send them both tumbling into a flooded gorge. Kiara is rescued, but Zira refuses to be helped and plunges to her death.

Simba realises that the pride is better united and, now joined, the two prides head back to Pride Rock. Kovu and Kiara are united in marriage as the rest of the pride looks on.

Kovu

Kovu
Voiced by	Jason Marsden (adult) Ryan O'Donohue (cub) Gene Miller (adult, singing)
Supervising animator	Andrew Collins
Species	African Lion

Kovu is Zira's youngest son, and Scar's chosen heir. Kovu means "scar" in Swahili, a reference to his character conception as Scar's son, which was changed due to the implications of him and Kiara being cousins and falling in love. It is never stated who Kovu's father is, only that Scar 'took him in'. Kovu has very dark fur and a black tuft on top of his head as a cub, which develops into a mane with a similar tuft.

As a cub, Kovu lives a rough life in the barren Outlands in Zira's pride of exiles loyal to Scar. After his older brother Nuka leaves him alone, Kovu meets Kiara and brags about his independence, impressing her. The cubs evade some crocodiles and begin to play, but are interrupted and separated by their parents. Zira confronts Kovu for being friendly towards Kiara. When he says he thought they could be friends, Zira hatches a plan to have Kovu infiltrate Simba's pride. Zira trains and conditions Kovu until he is grown, instilling a single-minded dedication to his mission to assassinate Simba and take his place as King of Pride Rock.

Kovu's siblings Vitani and Nuka stage a situation for Kovu to 'rescue' Kiara. He tells Simba that he is a rogue who has left the Outsiders, and asks to join the pride. Simba then allows him to stay in payment of the debt of Kiara's life, and orders the young lion to sleep outside the den. Kovu is scornful of Kiara's inability to hunt, but helps her learn; in turn, she starts to teach him to have fun, and Kovu begins to doubt his mission. He tries to tell Kiara the truth, fearing that he will become like Scar, but feels unable and starts to leave. Rafiki intervenes and tries to get the two lions to fall in love, and Kovu realizes he cannot hurt Simba. A much changed Kovu resolves to confess his abandoned motives and tell Kiara of his love, but before he can do so, Simba, who has instantly warmed up to Kovu, takes him on a walk to talk to him about Scar, and Zira's Outsiders ambush them. Kovu tries to help Simba, but Vitani prevents him from doing so. Simba escapes but Nuka dies, and Zira blames Kovu. She strikes him, giving him a scar over his eye, similar to that of Scar's. Kovu angrily disowns Scar and leaves the Outlands. He tries to explain to the king, but Simba believes Kovu was involved in the ambush and exiles him from the Pride Lands as a traitor.

Rejected by both prides, Kovu wanders as a rogue, trying to escape Scar's influence in his life. He is then forgiven by Mufasa. Kiara finds him and he wants to start a new pride with her, but she convinces him that they must try to reunite their own divided prides. The lions return to Pride Rock and break up a battle, and Kovu stands up to his mother, swearing to protect Kiara and Simba. After Zira's death, Simba admits that he was wrong about Kovu and allows him to join the pride as Kiara's mate and his son-in-law and future king.

Zira

Zira
Voiced by	Suzanne Pleshette
Supervising animator	Kevin Peaty
Species	Lioness

Zira, meaning "hate" in Swahili, is the primary antagonist of the direct-to-video sequel of the film, Simba's Pride: a faithful follower of Scar who is devastated over his demise and craves vengeance on Simba for exiling her and her fellow Outsiders. A powerful contributing factor to her rage with Simba is that her son Kovu was selected by Scar as his heir, and Zira therefore believes that Kovu is entitled to the throne more than Simba and plots his demise. However, she takes advantage of Kovu's friendship with Simba's daughter Kiara and devises a plan in which the friendship can prove helpful to her in doing away with the king of Pride Rock. She later appears while carrying out the final stages of this plan, but fails and her neglected eldest son Nuka is crushed to death by falling logs during the Outsiders' attempt at murdering Simba.

Toward the end of the movie, the Pride Landers and the Outsiders confront one another yet again for a bloodthirsty, malicious battle between both sides, but Kiara's actions as a mediator manage to turn the exiled Outsiders against their former brutal ways and join the more peaceful lifestyle of the Pridelanders. Abandoned and enraged, Zira tries to attack Simba, but is intercepted by Kiara. Zira fights Kiara until she is hanging on a cliff; she refuses Kiara's help and falls to her death (in a scene where she was originally intended to commit suicide willingly by falling into the same canyon, but this was edited as it was viewed as too brutal). Zira was voiced by Suzanne Pleshette.

Nuka

Nuka
Voiced by	Andy Dick
Supervising animator	Ian Harrowell
Species	African Lion

Nuka, meaning "stink" in Swahili, is the secondary antagonist of Simba's Pride. He is Zira's oldest son, and the brother of Kovu and Vitani. Nuka has greyish-brown fur, a straggly black mane and a goatee like Scar's. He has uniquely goofy features and bent whiskers, and is infested with termites as an adolescent. Nuka is a dim-witted youth who tries much too hard and is not taken seriously. He is bitter about being passed over for succession to the throne in favour of the younger Kovu, and deeply jealous of Zira's seeming greater affection for his brother. He constantly seeks Zira's approval. He has an apparent tendency for pyromania, taking manic pleasure from lighting a fire in the grassland. During the ambush on Simba, Nuka tries to kill Simba to prove himself to his mother, but is crushed by falling logs. After his death, Zira mourns him and asks Scar to watch over him.

Vitani

Vitani
Voiced by	Jennifer Lien (adult) Lacey Chabert (cub) Crysta Macalush (cub, singing)
Supervising animator	Kevin Peaty
Species	Lioness

Vitani, meaning "battle" in Swahili, is an antagonist of Simba's Pride. She is Zira's daughter, and the sister to Kovu and Nuka. She is easily recognizable due to her wide bangs and freckles. She was originally named Shetani ('devil' in Swahili) in early drafts of the Simba's Pride script, but this was softened to Vitani, which is a portmanteau of "demon of war". Vitani is introduced as an aggressive cub who is seen challenging her brother Kovu to a fight. As a young adult lioness, she appears to be Zira's strongest lieutenant, supporting and acting on her mother's violent plans. During the battle she confronts Nala asking her where her daughter is before fighting her. The younger lioness is outmatched, however during the climactic battle, Vitani is the first of the Outsiders to realize that the fighting is pointless and cross over to Simba's side and finds out it was the hyenas who killed Scar because he blamed them for killing his own brother Mufasa, triggering all of Zira's other supporters to desert her.

The Lion King 1½

Ma

Ma
Voiced by	Julie Kavner
Supervising animator	Lianne Hughes
Species	Meerkat

Ma appears in The Lion King 1½ as Timon's mother. Her personal name is unknown. She is a chubby middle-aged meerkat with a light fur tuft on her head, like Timon's. Generally encouraging and optimistic, she believes in Timon when no-one else does and convinces Uncle Max to give him a job as a sentry, or look-out. After Timon fails in his duty, she remains convinced that he can still find a place in the colony, but when he insists that he has to go, Ma supports him. Later she gets worried about Timon after speaking to Rafiki and searches for him. They finally reunite at Pride Rock and Ma helps in the battle against the hyenas by digging a long tunnel to trap them. After Simba becomes king, Timon takes them and the entire meerkat colony to the jungle paradise he and Pumbaa discovered.

Uncle Max

Uncle Max
Voiced by	Jerry Stiller
Supervising animator	Lianne Hughes
Species	Meerkat

Uncle Max is a prominent member of the meerkat colony and relative of Timon and Ma. He has grey head-fur and a very large nose. Max is a pessimist by nature and very paranoid, believing that a meerkat's fate is to be "food for other animals! Feared by nothing and eaten by all!" Max reluctantly agrees to let Timon be a sentry for the colony and attempts to train him for the job, but is nearly eaten by the hyenas when they attack. He is glad to see Timon go. Max appears again towards the end of the film, where he and Ma encounter Timon and Pumbaa at Pride Rock, and helps Timon get rid of the hyenas by digging a tunnel. Max finally believes in Timon, and after Timon takes the meerkats to his jungle paradise, Max teaches the meerkats tai chi instead of how not to be eaten.

Timon & Pumbaa

Quint

Quint
Voiced by	Corey Burton
Species	Human

Quint is a sneaky, slender muscular guy with black hair, a pink nose, and a shaven face. He is a recurring antagonist of the series. His clothes vary in each episode because of the different jobs he has, but he is often seen wearing a hat. He also has different first names that show what his jobs are (they all seem to start with C). Quint is a con artist who tricks Timon into stealing a gold nugget Pumbaa found in the episode Yukon Con, a criminal who stole a suitcase that has $1,290,000 in the episode How to Beat the High Costa Rica, an evil clock inspector who wants to get revenge on a timekeeper in the episode Swiss Missed, a French chef who wants to make Speedy the Snail an escargot in the episode French Fried, etc.. In the episode The Pain in Spain, two Quints were seen together, which can reveal that there is more than one of him. In some episodes, Quint appears to be a non-villainous man with an honest job, but he still seems to annoy Timon and Pumbaa. Notably in Season 2, Quint's face appears to not be shaven, except in the episode Klondike Con when he becomes a gold thief. Also, in the episode Escape From Newark, his nose is the same color as his body for the first time.

Speedy the Snail

Speedy
Voiced by	Corey Burton
Species	Snail

Speedy is a kind-hearted talking and singing bluish-grayish snail with a shiny red shell and a yellow fedora. In the episode French Fried, Timon and Pumbaa were about to eat him until they found out he can talk and sing. Timon gave him the name "Speedy" because he thought it would be a brilliant incongruity for a snail. Speedy always finds himself in danger, such as becoming a French gourmet snail and an earring out of his shell, and it's always up for Timon and Pumbaa to save him. In the episode The Man from J.U.N.G.L.E., it is shown that Speedy is a superhero called Super Duper Hero X after Timon and Pumbaa were captured by his arch-nemesis Chromosome Quint. Every episode featuring Speedy end with Timon and Pumbaa saying bye to Speedy, a seagull capturing Speedy, and then Timon and Pumbaa trying to save him once again. Speedy makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode Washington Applesauce.

Fred

Fred
Voiced by	S. Scott Bullock
Species	Meerkat

Fred was Timon's old meerkat friend in the meerkat colony. He has yellow hair, a red nose, and buck teeth. He likes to pull practical jokes on Timon and Pumbaa, such as impersonating Timon's mother or impersonating a Billy Goat guard. Timon and Pumbaa, however, don't find Fred's jokes very funny. At the meerkat colony, Fred's job was to guard the Duke Meerkat's castle, but when Timon got banished, his new job was to guard the colony. He appears in a total of four episodes: Tanzania Zany, Mombasa-In-Law, Once Upon a Timon, and Mind Over Matterhorn. Fred's name means "peace."

Boss Beaver

Boss Beaver
Voiced by	Brad Garrett
Species	Beaver

Boss Beaver is a cranky, ill-tempered beaver with a booming voice and a white hard hat. He owns a lumber mill and has his own philosophy: Makuta Hamaka, which means work real hard. He likes his job of making Timon and Pumbaa work for him and being safe. Boss Beaver's favorite quote is when he introduces himself or what he owns, for example: "I am Boss Beaver and the reason they call me Boss Beaver is that I am your boss and I am a beaver." As seen in the episode Amusement Bark, he has a son named Boy Beaver. Boss Beaver appears in a total of three episodes (or four if it includes Washington Applesauce).

Irwin

Irwin
Voiced by	Charlie Adler
Species	Penguin

Irwin is a clumsy, accident-prone penguin with a green scarf and a brown ski hat. Timon and Pumbaa befriend him at a boat stop when they see that he has two extra tickets to get on the boat. Then Timon begins to dislike him when he finds out about his clumsiness. He gets rid of Irwin by tricking him into thinking they're playing a game of hide-and-seek, but then he and Pumbaa run into him on an island when Timon was about to open their suitcase. Timon and Pumbaa meet Irwin again at the Hakuna Matata Megamall and because of all the painful accidents he caused them, the two try to avoid him by hiding in various stores. Irwin appears in a total of two episodes: Frantic Atlantic and Shopping Mauled.

Toucan Dan

Toucan Dan
Voiced by	Jeff Bennett
Species	Toucan

Toucan Dan is a dangerously clever criminal mastermind toucan with a red fez. Timon and Pumbaa call him "Lying No-Good Toucan Dan" because everything he says is a lie. He is a convincing liar and impersonator who makes anyone believe anything he says. In the episode I Don't Bolivia, Toucan Dan keeps tricking Timon into freeing him from his cage. He also impersonates Timon, which causes Pumbaa to determine which one is the real Timon. In the episode Alcatraz Mataz, Toucan Dan frames Timon and Pumbaa for stealing a train car full of beak polish, so the Vulture Police throw them in jail. He later gets arrested again when the police find out it was really him who stole the train car full of beak polish.

Rabbit

Rabbit
Voiced by	Charlie Adler
Species	Rabbit

Rabbit is a tall, pink hare. In his debut episode Mojave Desserted, Timon and Pumbaa save his life when he was drowning in a quicksand. Rabbit then tries to repay Timon and Pumbaa hand and foot, which annoys Timon and Pumbaa. So the duo put themselves in danger in order to make Rabbit save them and not bother them anymore. Rabbit makes his second and final appearance in the episode Africa-Dabra!, this time appearing as an antagonizing magician. He teams up with Timon by doing a magic trick to win the Serengeti Star Talent Contest. After Pumbaa "ruins" the magic tricks, Rabbit breaks up their friendship.

Vulture Police

Vulture Police
Voiced by	Vulture 1: Townsend Coleman Vulture 2: Brian Cummings
Species	Vultures

The Vulture Police are two bluish vulture cops that talk very fast. They appear in a total of six episodes. They first appear in the episode The Law of the Jungle, where they catch Timon scratching his back with the Forbidden Stick that he was not supposed to touch, and take him to a rhino judge. In the episode Yosemite Remedy, Timon and Pumbaa ask the vultures to arrest a raccoon thief who stole their suitcase, but they did not after the thief said that he just found their suitcase. Then near the end of the episode, they arrest the thief after they realize he has been lying. In the episode Alcatraz Mataz, the vultures throw Timon and Pumbaa in jail after Toucan Dan framed them for stealing a train car full of beak polish. Timon tries to tell them the truth, but they don't believe him. They then arrest Toucan Dan when they see that it was really him who stole the train car full of beak polish. However, they throw Timon and Pumbaa back to jail because Timon and Pumbaa escaped when they told them not to. The vultures make a brief appearance in the episode Wide Awake in Wonderland, in the meerkat and warthog version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Cheetata and Cheetato

Cheetata and Cheetato
Voiced by	Cheetata: Rob Paulsen Cheetato: Jim Cummings
Species	Cheetahs

Cheetata and Cheetato are two sophisticated twin cheetahs that hunt for prey and intimidate their victims. In order to tell who's who, not only do they have different voices, but they also have different personalities. Cheetata seems to think things through while Cheetato appears to be more eager and aggressive. In the episode Cooked Goose, the cheetahs try to get rid of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed by sending them in various wild goose chases so that they can catch and eat a wildebeest. In the episode Gabon With the Wind, Cheetata and Cheetato are about to eat Timon. But then, Timon tells them that he is going to go catch Pumbaa when he is really going to go find him so that they can both run away to safety. In the episode Boary Glory Days, Timon and Pumbaa play a game of predator tag with them. After being tricked by Timon and Pumbaa, Cheetata and Cheetato fall into a mud and Timon and Pumbaa throw tomatoes at them.

Smolder the Bear

Smolder
Voiced by	Jim Cummings
Species	Grizzly bear

Smolder is a grumpy, short-tempered, but genuinely a nice grizzly bear. He is not exactly one of Timon and Pumbaa's nemesis but he can get angry at them very easily if they annoy him, such as waking him up from his nap and getting his food order wrong. In the episode Jailhouse Shock, he becomes cell mates with Little Jimmy. Little Jimmy takes advantage of Smolder by making him believe that Timon and Pumbaa hurt him so he can beat the two up. As seen in the episodes Ready, Aim, Fire and Stay Away from my Honey, Smolder starts to show compassion for Timon and Pumbaa towards the end of the series. In the series, Smolder is known as Mr. Bear or just Bear.

Little Jimmy

Little Jimmy
Voiced by	Joe Alaskey
Species	Bluebird

Little Jimmy is a cute, yet dangerous bluebird. Like Toucan Dan, he is a criminal mastermind and is somewhat dishonest. He has two voices: his sweet and innocent cute voice and his criminal voice. In the episode Nest Best Thing, Little Jimmy asks Pumbaa to build him a house, but the house is actually a hideout. Timon tries to tell Pumbaa that Little Jimmy is dangerous, but Pumbaa doesn't believe him until the police come to arrest Little Jimmy. In the episode Jailhouse Shock, Little Jimmy is cell mates with Smolder the Bear and he tricks Smolder into thinking that Timon and Pumbaa did mean things to him and Smolder gets ready to hurt them.

Others

• Ned the Elephant (voiced by Frank Welker): A high and mighty elephant who thinks he's wonderful at everything.
• The Three Natives (voiced by Jeff Bennett): Three natives who are really college students.
• Monti & Baampu (voiced by Quinton Flynn and Ernie Sabella): A meerkat and warthog who Timon and Pumbaa each meet after breaking up on Bestest Best Friend Day. They are Timon and Pumbaa's polar opposites.
• Pumbaa, Jr. (voiced by Nancy Cartwright): An alligator that hatched in an egg Pumbaa believes he laid and who Timon believes is an ugly chicken.
• Boaris (voiced by Jim Cummings): Pumbaa's uncle who is the greatest ballet-dancer in all of Russia.
• Ralph and Eddie (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Richard Karron): Two snakes that build an all-you-can-eat bug buffet to trap Timon and Pumbaa.
• Nefu (voiced by Tahj Mowry): Rafiki's nephew who wants to be just like his uncle.
• Leslie Lambeau (voiced by Grey DeLisle): A beautiful supermodel who Timon, Pumbaa, and Smolder the Bear have a crush for.
• Peter-Lorre Husband (voiced by Rob Paulsen): A jeweler and later a butterfly collector.
• Mr. Happy (voiced by Steve Mackall): A kid genius who likes to help endangered animals. He has a dog named Happy Dog (also voiced by Steve Mackall).
• Duke Meerkat (voiced by Jeff Bennett): The ruler of the meerkat colony.
• Tatiana (voiced by Tress MacNeille): The princess of the meerkat colony. Timon was about to marry her, but he chose to be bestest best friends with Pumbaa instead.
• Shala and the Three Male Warthogs (voiced by Billy West, James Belushi, and Stephen Furst): A group of warthogs who Pumbaa used to live with. They've banished him because they couldn't stand his smell.
• Pimon & Tumbaa (voiced by Billy West and Kevin Michael Richardson): A buff meerkat and warthog who steal Timon & Pumbaa's bag of bugs.

List of African Animals on Pride Lands

• Aardvark
• Anteater
• Army Ant
• African Buffalo
• African Wild Dog
• Baboon
• Bat-Eared Fox
• Bushbuck
• Chameleon
• Cheetah
• Common Eland
• Crocodile
• Eagle
• Elephant
• Fish
• Flamingo
• Frog
• Gazelle
• Giraffe
• Gopher
• Gorilla
• Greater Kudu
• Green monkey
• Hartebeest
• Helmeted Guineafowl
• Hippopotamus
• Hornbill
• Hyena
• Impala
• Leopard
• Lion
• Lizard
• Marabou Stork
• Meerkat
• Mouse
• Okapi
• Oryx
• Ostrich
• Oxpecker
• Porcupine
• Python
• Rhinoceros
• Sable Antelope
• Springbok
• Topi
• Tortoise
• Turtle Dove
• Vulture
• Vulturine Guineafowl
• Warthog
• Waterbuck
• Wildebeest
• Zebra