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6Characters from '''[[WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}} the Disney film]]''' and [[Characters/TheLegendOfTarzan here]] is the link to the movie's sequel TV series.
7
8'''BEWARE OF UNMARKED SPOILERS'''
9----
10[[foldercontrol]]
11
12!!Main Characters
13
14[[folder:Tarzan]]
15[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tarzan_7.png]]
16[[caption-width-right:350:''"Hnh, Tarzan! Taaaarrrrzaaaaan."'']]
17->'''Voiced By''': Creator/TonyGoldwyn (original movie), Creator/AlexDLinz (younger), Creator/MichaelTWeiss (TV series), Harrison Chad (''Tarzan II'') Creator/BrianBlessed (his signature yell); Reuben Sallmander (Swedish dub); Creator/EmmanuelJacomy (adult), Maxime Nivet (child) (European French dub)
18
19Tarzan is the protagonist and titular character of ''Tarzan''. Commonly known as the "King of the Jungle", Tarzan was rescued and raised by a colony of apes after his parents were killed by the bloodthirsty Sabor. As the years passed, he turned into an ape man, protecting all of the apes and never knowing the world outside the jungle.
20----
21* AccidentalPervert: During his first interaction with Jane, he lifts up her dress. She kicks him away in retaliation, mistaking his curious actions for perverted ones.
22* ActionHero: He's one of the most athletic Disney protagonists out there and a very proficient fighter.
23* AdaptationDyeJob: Black-haired in the books, brown-haired in this adaptation.
24* AdaptationalModesty: Despite his lack of dress this is still in place, as book Tarzan didn't bother with any clothes at all for his childhood and much of his teenage years, only taking to wearing a loincloth after copying the style from some local tribesmen.
25* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Book Tarzan is still a basically decent person but his wild upbringing make him much less hesitant to resort to violence than the Disney version.
26* AdoptionAngst: He was raised by gorillas after his parents were killed; although he has a positive relationship with his adoptive mother Kala, he initially struggles to integrate himself with the troop and is distrusted by their leader, Kerchak, who refuses to acknowledge Tarzan as his son even though Kala is his mate. Tarzan desperately tries to gain Kerchak's approval and is upset when he learns Kala never told him there were other humans out there, feeling increasingly torn between his life in the jungle and the possibility of rejoining human society. He ultimately stays in the jungle, though he's accompanied by his {{love interest}} Jane and her father, getting the best of both worlds. He also finally gains Kerchak's love and respect after saving the gorillas from poachers, though it's a bittersweet moment as Kerchak soon dies from a bullet he took for Tarzan.
27* AffectionateNickname: Called "T" by Terk.
28* AllLovingHero: He cares deeply about his family and friends and is willing to risk his life to save them. He has also been known to be willing to rescue his enemies; an example of this is when [[spoiler:Clayton is about to fall to his death, and Tarzan exclaims "Clayton! Clayton, don't!" and reaches out to save him, even though Clayton had fatally wounded Kerchak and attempted to kidnap his whole gorilla family]]. In the TV Series, Tarzan doesn't try to kill his enemies, more of just defeat them, and only rarely does so when there is absolutely no options, such as the giant python who was hunting the Gorillas.
29* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Aside from Kala and Terk, all of the other gorilla's were disturbed by him for being "ugly" and an unfamiliar species (just like Kerchak but less outwardly hostile) and had no instincts on how to ''cope'' with him. Their disturbance with him for his appearance was only hightened by Tarzan's occasional screwups within the troop due to his physical difficulties to adapt to gorillas ways of life (such as him accidentally knocking over their children during a race). And when an accident leads them to believe he's dead, Tarzan overhears a group of mother apes say that Kala's probably better off without him since he almost got her killed (Kala had tried to save Tarzan from falling off a cliff before getting hit in the face with a log) and even going as far as to say that they're ''all'' better off without him. However, they adapt to Tarzan as he grows up -- and vice versa.
30* AnimalMotifs: Apes. First, he was [[RaisedByWolves raised]] his entire life by them. Second, his famous PrimalChestPound is the same thing apes do (though the [[SignatureRoar ululating yell]] he lets out while doing so is this franchise's creation). Thirdly, he will usually knuckle-walk. Fourthly, Clayton refers to him as an "ape man".
31* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: As an adult, Tarzan's speed, athleticism, strength, and smarts are above his gorilla family. And he ends up as his family's protector.
32* BadassInANiceSuit: After witnessing some of Tarzan's biggest feats such as killing a leopard and grappling a gorilla much bigger than him, viewers are treated to seeing the King of the Jungle wear his father's suit; unfortunately, the most we get of him with the suit on is a brief LeParkour sequence that ends with his capture and the eventual stripping down back to his loincloth.
33* BadassInDistress:
34** Following the ambush at the ship, Clayton's crew manages to lock him up there with no possibility of escaping, and they would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for Terk and Tantor [[BigDamnHeroes coming to his rescue]].
35** In a similar circumstance in the cartoon series, Prof. Porter's rival, Prof. Philander, manages to not only trap Tarzan onboard a ship but he nearly ''kills'' our hero while doing so. Only the intervention of Mangani, the white ape with the power to heal, saves Tarzan's life.
36** He also got captured by Queen La in her debut episode, and tied to a sacrificial slab with a laser threatening to slice him in half and his life was saved by Jane when she used smoke to block the sunlight used for the laser.
37* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's a pretty affable guy until you threaten him, or worse, his family.
38* BraidsOfAction: In a DreadlockRasta style.
39* BrainyBrunette: Tarzan has brown hair and don't let his demeanor fool you. He's shown to be quick-witted, an avid book lover, and a GadgeteerGenius.
40* CallingParentsByTheirName: {{Justified|Trope}}. Tarzan refers to Kerchak by name unlike with Kala. This is due to the fact that unlike the latter, the former was openly suspicious and aloof towards Tarzan since his youth and Kerchak never referred to him as a son.
41* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Thanks to living in the jungle all his life, Tarzan was able to develop skills no other human can have. These skills include the following: Swinging through the trees, sliding across branches, holding things with his feet, and having a good sense of hearing and smell. He's able to fight and win against leopards, hyenas, gorillas, baboons, hippos, rhinoceros, snakes, crocodiles, elephants, jackals, and dinosaurs. At one point, Tarzan manages to physically pin down the much larger Kerchak.
42* ChickMagnet: Jane is instantly smitten with him, even before they start spending time together. The TV series has Tarzan being immediately swooned over by Jane's friends, and to a darker extent, [[{{Yandere}} Queen La]].
43* ChildOfTwoWorlds: He was born in human society, but raised in the jungle through the rest of his life.
44* ChildProdigy: As a child, Tarzan was able to make impressive traps and stone-age inventions.
45* CluelessChickMagnet: The TV series shows that Tarzan doesn't understand the concept of flirting. Justified considering he had no interaction with other humans after his parents were killed until Jane came along.
46* ColorCodedEyes: Green eyes befitting his jungle home.
47* CulturedBadass: He's well read and is the ''King of the Jungle''.
48* DarkAndTroubledPast: Downplayed. Tarzan's parents were killed while he was present, but since he was only an infant, he doesn't remember. He then spent an early part of his childhood ostracized by his gorilla family (sans Kala), and especially by Kerchak. But, as he grew to adapt to the jungle, they grew to adapt to him.
49* {{Determinator}}: As the "Son of Man" montage demonstrates, Tarzan's struggle to be accepted as a member of the ape pack didn't stop him from standing up after every failure and trying time and time again to overcome the jungle's challenges, eventually having paid off by the time he reached adulthood since he became as efficient and self-sufficient as any other gorilla in the pack, and probably even more.
50* DreadlockRasta: His hairstyle... or, in this case, his ''complete'' lack of a hairstyle.
51* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: He's fluent (and even a bit of a DeadpanSnarker) when talking to gorillas and elephants, but uses HulkSpeak when talking to humans. This is clearly a TranslationConvention, as the gorillas and the elephants use AnimalTalk and the humans speak English.
52* ExperiencedProtagonist: By the time he is an adult, Tarzan is fully skillful and experienced when handling the daily chaos of the jungle.
53* EveryoneHasStandards:
54** He refuses to shoot Clayton, despite him mortally wounding Kerchak and trying to imprison the other gorillas. When he non-lethally restrains him with vines, and Clayton recklessly tries to cut himself free, Tarzan actually begs him to stop, knowing exactly [[NeckSnap what fate he's setting himself up for]].
55** Tarzan has nothing but dislike towards Tublat but was conflicted when he was captured by Niels and Merkus, citing the jungle is Tublat's home as well as his and his family. As such, Tarzan goes to rescue the gorilla knowing full well the latter won't be grateful.
56* FailedASpotCheck: Justified. Before Sabor attacks him and the gorillas he's staring directly at the leopard's hiding place, and a viewer will be able to see her if they look closely. Thing is, she's so well camouflaged it's almost impossible to spot her unless you pause the film or know exactly where to look.
57* FantasticRacism: Justified. The TV series explores Tarzan's bigotry and animosity towards leopards, which isn't very surprising given how Sabor killed his parents, the first child of Kerchak and Kala, and attacked his family when he became an adult. However, in the episode where he and Jane take in a leopard separated from his mother, he gradually learns to let go of his prejudice.
58* FishOutOfWater: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but still applies to Tarzan during his escape from the thugs on the ship; he's able to perform [[LeParkour his jungle acrobatics]] [[BuildingSwing on the ship's masts and cages]] for the most part, but [[HeCleansUpNicely wearing shoes]] while doing so promptly makes him lose his stability at moments, to the point where he's rendered [[LiteralCliffhanger unable to climb the ship's funnel]] because of this and winds up getting captured despite managing to outperform his pursuers.
59* FlowersOfRomance: He's inspired by one of the human development slides he witnessed to present Jane with a batch of flowers.
60* GeniusBruiser: He develops stone-age technology by himself ''as a child'' with nothing to go on but his own intuition. And manages to figure out reading and human language conventions in a matter of months.
61* GoodIsNotDumb: Tarzan is a benevolent and peaceful man, and while he may be ignorant about human ways due to being raised by gorillas, he's not stupid in the least. He's learned a variety of skills from his life in the jungle, is able to mimic any sound he hears, and picks up on what Jane and her father teach him about humanity very quickly (including a [[HulkSpeak broken]] but still decent grasp of English).
62* HairstyleInertia: Has the same dreadlock hairstyle from his childhood.
63* HandyFeet: The result of being raised by primates. Restricting them with shoes is a hindrance to him.
64* HappilyAdopted: By Kala, and he grew as happy and loved as any child.
65* HappilyMarried: As seen in the sequel TV series, he and Jane form a stable and loving marriage.
66* HeCleansUpNicely: When he wears human clothing for the first time, he looks [[BadassInANiceSuit pretty darn dapper]]. [[MrFanService Not that he was hard on the eyes before that.]]
67* HonorBeforeReason: Tublat had been a terror to Tarzan and the other gorillas, trying to kill them every chance he got. When he gets captured by poachers, the gorillas celebrate, happy to be rid of the murderous Tublat and be free of his attacks. Tarzan, however, despite not liking the guy himself, decides to try and save him even if the other gorillas try to tell him that Tublat deserves whatever fate awaits him.
68* HulkSpeak: He spoke this way initially when communicating with humans. He moved past this by the end of the film.
69* HumbleHero: His ego never grows despite how much of a badass he is.
70* {{Hunk}}: [[LanternJawOfJustice Chiseled jaw]], muscular body, and a ChickMagnet.
71* IAmBecomingSong: "Son of Man." Although it's not sung by him, it's played over a montage of him learning to survive like an ape and think like a man, and shows him growing up from a clumsy, out-of-place human child to a true jungle dweller.
72-->''Son of man, look to the sky''\
73''Lift your spirits, set them free''\
74''Someday you'll walk tall with pride''\
75''Son of man, a man in time you'll be!''
76* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: While fighting Clayton, he gets a hold of Clayton's shotgun and threatens him with it, causing Clayton to try to taunt him into pulling the trigger and "[[ARealManIsAKiller being a man]]." After first [[VoiceChangeling mimicking a gunshot]] to scare him, Tarzan refuses to stoop to Clayton's level and proceeds to destroy the gun:
77-->'''Tarzan:''' Not a man like ''you''!
78* IJustWantToBeNormal: Tarzan runs to the edge of the water and puts mud all over himself when Kerchack tells him he'll never be one of them, resenting the fact that he's so different. He is then encouraged by Kala that he's "not that different" at all, but then when three other humans show up in the forest and he starts showing extreme curiosity towards them, Tarzan becomes angry with Kala for not telling him that there were creatures who looked like him.
79* InASingleBound: Tarzan as an adult is perfectly able and prone to jumps like these, owing to his [[{{Determinator}} determination]] to adapt to and survive in the jungle. One notable example is pulled off by him during the escape sequence aboard the ship that was supposed to take him and the rest to England (much to his pursuers' surprise and awe), point A being [[BuildingSwing the top of a mast]] and point B being [[LiteralCliffhanger the top of the ship's funnel]] at a rather impressive distance, [[BadassInANiceSuit and all while wearing a suit]]. Partially [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that the creators wanted him to be able to [[RuleOfAnimationConservation pull off stunts no actor could replicate in real life]].
80* InterspeciesAdoption: Tarzan (human) was raised and loved by Kala (gorilla).
81* KubrickStare: Jane comments on this habit of his: "I'd never ''seen'' such eyes."
82* LeParkour: Takes this to new heights, especially with his "tree-surfing".
83* LightningBruiser: He's tall, muscular and broad and has monkey-like agility, being able to jump across the jungle canopy, and wrestle leopards.
84* LoinCloth: His only clothing throughout most of the franchise.
85* LonghairedPrettyBoy: Downplayed. There's no doubt that Tarzan is handsome, but he's more of a hunk than a pretty boy.
86* LoveAtFirstSight: Tarzan falls for Jane the first moment they meet.
87* MeaningfulRename: Justified. Tarzan was given said name by Kala because he couldn't remember his birth name since he was a baby and his parents were already dead when Kala found him.
88* MommasBoy: {{Justified|Trope}}. Tarzan was closest to Kala when growing up because she was the only (initial) member to treat him with respect and Kerchak (adoptive gorilla father) didn't consider Tarzan as a son.
89* MrFanservice: He is a handsome, muscular young man who walks around in nothing but a LoinCloth.
90* MusclesAreMeaningless: While averted for the most part, given his displays of strength are plausible for a man of his build, this is played straight when he manages to get a throat lock on a silverback gorilla (none other than [[spoiler:his adoptive father Kerchak]]) who's much more muscular than him.
91* NatureHero: He is basically the TropeCodifier.
92* NeverLearnedToTalk: The animals [[TranslationConvention hear Tarzan speak perfect English]], but this is because he SpeaksFluentAnimal. Humans can't hear him speak English and just hear him making ape noises. Tarzan eventually learns how to talk to humans.
93* NiceGuy: Despite being a NubileSavage, Tarzan is one of the sweetest, bravest, thoughtful and humble men you'll ever meet.
94* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: His first meeting with Jane involves him fiddling with her foot, trying to peek up her skirt, and pressing his ear to her chest to hear her heartbeat. That said, he does it out of pure curiosity and excitement at finally finding someone like him, and of course has no idea how other people feel about their personal space. Lampshaded later on by Jane, who mentions how he has "no respect for personal boundaries".
95-->'''Jane''': ''[gets very up close to the Professor to demonstrate]'' He was ''this'' close, Daddy! ''Staring'' at me!
96* NubileSavage: He looks very clean for a man living in the jungle. Unusually for an Englishman, he doesn't seem able to grow facial hair.
97* OfficialCouple: With Jane Porter.
98* OnlyOneName: His original human name as a baby is never revealed, as his human parents go nameless. In the books it's John Clayton (same as his father, [[BlueBlood Lord Greystoke]].)
99* PapaWolf: Tarzan is fiercely protective of his family and will defend them no matter what.
100* PermaShave: He shows no signs of any facial hair, but didn't even have any concept of shaving before meeting other humans.
101* PlatonicLifePartners: With Terk; she is his adoptive cousin and closest friend.
102* PrefersGoingBarefoot: Justified as shoes hinder his ape-like agility. Wearing his father's shoes near the end of the movie puts a real dent in his acrobatic abilities. He's notably taken them off when he's locked up on the ship.
103* PrimalChestPound: At the end of the movie, he pounds his chest while letting out his SignatureRoar.
104* PrimalStance: To show his savage upbringing, he walks on all fours, using his knuckles as front limbs, similarly to the gorillas that raised him.
105* ProtagonistTitle: '''Tarzan''' is the main protagonist of Disney's ''Tarzan'' franchise.
106* RaisedByWolves: He was raised by gorillas.
107* ARealManIsAKiller: {{Defied|Trope}}. When Tarzan has Clayton at gunpoint he tells the hero to pull the trigger and "be a man". Tarzan fakes a gunshot noise and breaks the gun instead.
108-->'''Tarzan:''' Not a man like YOU!
109* RedBaron: "The King of the Jungle".
110* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. In the books, Kerchak isn't his adoptive father.
111* ReplacementGoldfish: {{Defied|Trope}}. Kala and Kerchak are well aware that Tarzan won't replace their dead child. However, Kala truly comes to love Tarzan, while it takes Kerchak a long time to accept him.
112* SaveTheVillain: Attempted during the climax of the film. Despite Clayton shooting Kerchak and trying to sell his entire gorilla family, when he sees that Clayton has tangled a vine around his neck in the midst of his reckless hacking to get free, Tarzan attempts to warn him and even reaches out to save him... but it's too late.
113-->'''Tarzan''': Clayton! Clayton, ''don't''!
114* SignatureRoar: The Disney team decided to keep the most iconic thing Johnny Weissmuller added to the Tarzan franchise: that primeval, challenging yodel. Credits go to Creator/BrianBlessed for doing a near-perfect Johnny Weissmuller impression.
115* SilenceIsGolden: Suddenly becomes this as he grows up, only speaking in broken English as a result. Jane manages to re-teach him.
116* SingleTargetSexuality: Explicitly stated by himself in the TV series -- "Jane is the best."
117* SmarterThanYouLook: Since he was raised by gorillas, many of his adversaries underestimate Tarzan's intelligence.
118* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Tarzan speaks fluent animal (he even teaches it to other human characters). However, for all his skill, there are some animals who just aren't interested in talking. Like Sabor. He also mentions at some points in the TV series that he's not fluent in the languages of certain animals, like dinosaurs.
119* {{Stripperiffic}}: Wears nothing but a loincloth for most of the film.
120* StrongAndSkilled: Tarzan is not only amazingly strong for a human, but thanks to living in the jungle, he is able to adapt to changes and use them to his advantage.
121* StrongFamilyResemblance: Without the mustache, Tarzan's father looks identical to his son.
122* TallDarkAndHandsome: For a man living in the jungle his whole life, he is quite handsome.
123* TeenGenius: As a child he is shown to be able to work out how to make spears, slingshots, and hammocks without any guidance. At 18 years old he is shown to be able to learn to read and speak an entire language in what appears to be a few months or weeks. He's also a natural mimic and can teach himself to recreate any sound he's heard.
124* TokenHuman: Before Jane and Professor Porter came, Tarzan was the only human of his gorilla family.
125* TookALevelInBadass: Tarzan was an awkward, clumsy kid who couldn't swing on a vine if his life depended on it. Fast-forward into his adulthood, he's the strongest and fastest of his family, who can now ''surf'' on the vines. The midquel shows some of the transition when he was still an adolescent.
126* TragicKeepsake: The TV series shows that Tarzan still keeps his deceased father's suit, and that he and Jane live in his parents' home.
127* TranquilFury: When confronting an enemy, he usually speaks to them in a calm and cold tone.
128* TheUnfavorite: Downplayed. He is accepted and loved by most of his gorilla family and shares a close relationship with his adoptive mother Kala, but he's still regarded as an outsider by his adoptive father Kerchak, who is adamant that Tarzan will never truly be one of them. [[spoiler:He finally accepts Tarzan as his son on his deathbed.]]
129* UnkemptBeauty: He doesn't look bad for a man living in the jungle with no opportunity for hygiene.
130* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation:
131** Played straight with Clayton. In the books, they're cousins. In the Disney film, they aren't.
132** Downplayed with Tublat. In the books, the gorilla is his adoptive father. In the Disney sequel TV series, he isn't.
133* VineSwing: He often travels around the jungle like this.
134* VoiceChangeling: He has quite the talent for mimicking the sounds of other animals, such as an elephant trumpet and the firing of a shotgun.
135* WalkingShirtlessScene: For the majority of the movie and the series he wears nothing but a LoinCloth.
136* WellDoneSonGuy: Tarzan is constantly seeking the approval of Kerchak, who refuses to accept Tarzan as a member of the gorilla pack, much less as his adopted son. Kerchak almost accepts him when he defeats Sabor, until the arrival of the British expedition team reminds him of his distrust in humans. That all changes when Tarzan comes back to save the gorillas. Sadly, it doesn't last that long, as Kerchak receives a fatal bullet wound from Clayton. After Clayton's death, Tarzan kneels over Kerchak, who passes on leadership of the pack to Tarzan and even acknowledges Tarzan as his son with his last words.
137* WildChild: In the first act of the movie, Tarzan is shown as a child and how it was for him growing up different than his gorilla family.
138* WorfHadTheFlu: As mentioned in FishOutOfWater and PrefersGoingBarefoot above, while it's true being in a different environment ''does'' affect his movement, the reason he fails to escape from the mooks at the ship despite handily outperforming them at LeParkour is that he's wearing his father's suit, thus the shoes make it impossible for him to climb up the funnel that he ends up hanging and eventually falling from. It's particularly more jarring when taking into account that ''no one'' asked him to wear the suit in the first place.
139* TheWorldIsJustAwesome: Due to his extremely remote upbringing, Tarzan is entranced by the rest of the world. He is often shown seeking out things to learn and delighting in science, culture or anything else he’s never seen before, treating everything he experiences with the same sense of wonder and adoration.
140* WrestlerOfBeasts: As an adult, he kills Sabor with a crude spear he made. He also fights and defeats Kerchak to protect Jane from him.
141* YouKilledMyFather: He killed Sabor before learning that the leopard killed his biological parents and attempted to kill Clayton for shooting his adoptive father Kerchak before deciding not to.
142* YoungAndInCharge: At the end of the movie, Kerchak gives the role of leader and protector of the gorilla tribe to Tarzan before the former's death.
143* YoungerThanTheyLook: A side effect of being physically based on previous Tarzan actor Creator/ChristopherLambert who played the role at age 27. Tarzan is only 18 years old during the events of the movie and sequel series.
144[[/folder]]
145
146[[folder:Jane Porter]]
147[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jane_clipart.png]]
148[[caption-width-right:350:''"I was saved by a flying wild man in a loincloth!"'']]
149->'''Voiced by''': Creator/MinnieDriver (original movie), Creator/OliviaDabo (subsequent appearances); Creator/ValerieLemercier (original movie), Julette Degenne (series) (European French dub), Manjola Merlika (Albanian dub), Mayumi Suzuki (Japanese dub)
150
151Jane Porter is the love interest and eventual wife of Tarzan. Once a sheltered London girl, she becomes significantly more outgoing and adventurous after meeting Tarzan.
152----
153* ActionSurvivor: Jane wasn't raised in the jungle and isn't a fighter, but survives using her wits and the lessons she learned from Tarzan and their family.
154* AdaptationDyeJob: Jane had blonde hair in the books, but has brown hair here.
155* AdaptationalModesty: At the end of the film, she wears [[FurBikini a female variant of Tarzan's attire]]. In the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan'', she typically wears her blouse and skirt. However, in one episode, she wears the FurBikini again (as a bathing suit).
156* AdaptationalNationality: American from Baltimore in the books, but British here.
157* AdrenalineMakeover: Provides the main image. In the beginning, her hair is a bun and in a large yellow dress. When she brings Tarzan back her hair is loose, and she starts wearing a shirt and skirt and occasionally goes barefoot. When she falls in love she's wearing loose fitting clothing, and by the end of the film she's wearing animal skins like Tarzan.
158* BadassBookworm: Is smart throughout the entire movie, but when she takes a level in badass in the climax, it really comes to shine.
159* BarefootLoon: She is free-spirited and a bit quirky, and the fact that she goes barefoot by choice illustrates that.
160* BewareTheNiceOnes: Jane can only take the high road for so long until she snaps.
161* BrainyBrunette: Runs in the family: her father is a professor, and she must have learned a lot from him.
162* BritishStuffiness: She's a proper English lady when she first shows up. She gradually gets out of it as her relationship with Tarzan develops.
163* CharacterDevelopment: After she marries Tarzan, Jane becomes less ladylike and more like an ape, as is stated by Tarzan.
164* CrushBlush: She's endearingly shy about her attraction to Tarzan and blushes often.
165* DaddysGirl: She's a favourite of a BumblingDad, as was tradition in the 90s with Disney, [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast or so it]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} would seem]].
166* DamselInDistress: Despite being an independent and brave woman, she often needs to be rescued by Tarzan due to the jungle being an alien environment to her.
167* DeadpanSnarker: How she gets by when being a FishOutOfWater.
168* EndearinglyDorky: She's nerdy and bookish, with a tendency to [[MotorMouth talk a lot]], but this doesn't make her any less attractive. Tarzan certainly falls in LoveAtFirstSight with her.
169* FirstGirlWins: She's the first human female Tarzan meets, and he instantly falls in love with her.
170* FishOutOfWater: She's a well-educated, independent, and reasonably brave young woman, but she's out of her depths in the African rain forest, resulting in her becoming a DamselInDistress.
171* FriendToAllLivingThings: She came to the jungle (with her dad) to study gorillas. Jane even playfully converses with a baby baboon.
172* GoingNative: At the end of the film, she decides to stay in the jungle with Tarzan. By the last scene, she has ditched her fancy dress and is wearing a more fitting outfit.
173* HappilyMarried: As seen in the sequel TV series, she and Tarzan form a stable and loving marriage.
174* HartmanHips: While rather slim, Jane has wide hips and a posterior worth mentioning.
175* HeldGaze: Her first meeting with Tarzan.
176* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: In the series when Hugo and Hooft debut, Jane has a low opinion of them since they seem to be con artists, and warns Tarzan to be wary of them. She winds up inadvertently helping Colonel Staquait into capturing them since he's an officer, so he couldn't be bad, right? Until she finds out the colonel is a sadistic bastard who abuses his authority and that he plans to execute Hugo and Hooft simply because they refused to burn down a village full of innocent people. Jane realises that she had made a grave error in judgement.
177* IChooseToStay: She would rather stay with Tarzan in the jungle than go back to England.
178* InkSuitActor: Just look at Minnie Driver. Plus, a lot of Jane's scenes were ad-libbed.
179* LadyOfAdventure: Jane is a gentleman's daughter. She accompanies her father to a completely unexplored region of Africa and certainly doesn't stay in camp while the others explore.
180* LettingHerHairDown: To symbolize that she loses her stuffiness.
181* LosingAShoeInTheStruggle: She loses a boot in the escape from the baboons. It leads to her ditching footwear altogether.
182--> '''Jane''': And Daddy, they took my boot! ''[points at her bare foot]''
183* MamaBear: By the TV series, Jane has grown so close to her ape family that she is willing to take on a ''giant python'' to protect one of them.
184* MotorMouth: Due to Minnie Driver's hilarious ad-libbing, she tends to talk a lot when she's excited and she says it all very quickly.
185* MsFanservice: She's already attractive, beautiful and cute, but becomes a bit more... relaxed with her attire as the film goes on.
186* NiceGirl: Jane is kind, empathetic, proper, charming, and sweet.
187* OfficialCouple: With Tarzan.
188* ParasolOfPain: While she and Tarzan are escaping the baboons, she uses her parasol as a shield to knock them out of the way.
189* PrimAndProperBun: She initially wears her hair like this, in line with her BritishStuffiness. She eventually [[LettingHerHairDown loses it]] as she accommodates to the jungle environment.
190* RescueRomance: Her relationship with Tarzan starts after he saves her from a group of angry baboons.
191* SherlockScan: She's able to remember every single minuscule detail about her first encounter with Tarzan, to the point that she's able to accurately draw him from memory, down to his eye structure.
192* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Her attraction to [[AllLovingHero Tarzan]] starts after he saves her from a family of angry baboons. As they start to spend more time together, she becomes more enraptured by his sweetness. In one of the episodes in the TV series, she mentions how she loves his gentle and kind nature.
193* {{Slapstick}}: The movie makes quite a bit of comedic use out of her inexperience in the jungle, though this eventually dies down as she gets more used to things — still, chances are if there's a scene where she's in that huge, fancy looking dress, it's going to be ruined in some kind of slapstick scene.
194* SpiritedYoungLady: A high-society, 19th century woman who dresses the part and follows the decorum, but is also a scientist and a capable ActionGirl.
195* {{Stripperiffic}}: In her final scene she's in a somewhat revealing [[FurBikini two-piece]], particularly by Victorian standards. Although bared midriffs have become common in kid's movies since TheNineties, they are still considered a bit scandalous.
196* StrongFamilyResemblance: In the TV series it's revealed that Jane looks exactly like her mother.
197* TemptingFate: "It can't get much worse, can it? ''[cue rain]'' Obviously, it can."
198* TickleTorture: She's so ticklish that even just Tarzan wiggling her toes makes her burst out laughing.
199* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: She's the Girly Girl (proper lady who practices decorum) to Terk's Tomboy (admits to knowing little about etiquette and is OneOfTheBoys).
200* TookALevelInBadass: One episode of the TV series has Jane showing her survival skills when her friends come to visit. A huge leap from her helplessness in the movie. Also, in "Tarzan and the Prison Break," she tackles Colonel Staquait and saving Tarzan's life while wearing her yellow dress.
201* UptownGirl: Jane is a London girl. Tarzan literally lives with gorillas. She ends up loving life in the jungle far more than life in the city.
202* YoungerThanTheyLook: Like Tarzan, Jane is only 18 years old during the events of the movie and sequel series.
203[[/folder]]
204
205[[folder:Kala]]
206[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kala.png]]
207[[caption-width-right:350:''"Forget what you see. What do you feel?"'']]
208->'''Voiced By''': Creator/GlennClose (movies), Kat Cressida (vocal effects, first movie), Susanne Blakeslee (TV series); Frédérique Tirmont (European French dub)
209
210Kala is the adoptive gorilla mother of Tarzan and is very loving to him.
211----
212* AdaptationalSpeciesChange: She's a gorilla here, when in the original Burroughs books Tarzan was raised by a fictional ape species called Mangani.
213* BewareTheNiceOnes: Although she is usually a gentle person, Kala is capable of aggression when necessary and is also very brave, fighting against the deadly leopard Sabor in order to protect the baby Tarzan.
214* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: Kala has brown fur and brown eyes.
215* CuteLittleFangs: As a gorilla, she has pointy canines, but they are small and don't make her look ferocious at all (except when she fights Sabor [[MamaBear to defend Tarzan]]).
216* CutenessProximity: Her initial interaction with Tarzan is governed by this: she has no long-term plans, she just doesn't want the cute (admittedly stinky!) mystery creature to be eaten.
217* TheCutie: Rounded features, placid eyes and gestures, and a loving and sympathetic heart.
218* GentleGorilla: She's kind, sweet, motherly and a loving parent to Tarzan.
219* GoodParents: She loves her son Tarzan so unconditionally, although she said that she knew Tarzan wouldn't replace her firstborn son who was killed by Sabor.
220* InterspeciesAdoption: Kala (gorilla) raised and loved Tarzan (human) since he was an infant.
221* MamaBear: She performs some impressive feats when trying to get the baby Tarzan away from Sabor.
222* MoralityPet: Acts as one to her mate, [[HeroAntagonist Kerchak]]. She's probably the ''sole'' person he listens to, and the reason the latter allows Tarzan to live with them.
223* MyGreatestSecondChance: Averted; Despite Kerchak's belief that Kala was seeking to make up for the recent loss of their child with Tarzan, Kala adopted Tarzan simply because he needed someone to take care of him and there was no one else.
224-->'''Kerchak''': Kala, it won't replace the one we lost.
225-->'''Kala''': I know that, but he needs me.
226* NiceGirl: Kala is calm, gentle, kind, loving, and beautiful.
227* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Her and Kerchak's biological son was murdered by Sabor.
228* PaleFemalesDarkMales: With her mate, Kerchak. She has light brown fur while he has black.
229* ParentalSubstitute: She takes Tarzan in after his parents are killed by Sabor. Her own son was killed by the same leopard.
230* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. In the books, Kerchak wasn't her mate. He is in the Disney film.
231* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the book, she's killed by a native hunter. In the movie, she's still alive at the end.
232* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. Tublat was her mate in the books.
233[[/folder]]
234
235[[folder:Kerchak]]
236[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerchak.png]]
237[[caption-width-right:350:''"I said he could stay. That doesn't make him my son."'']]
238->'''Voiced By''': Creator/LanceHenriksen (also vocal effects, first movie); Jean-Bernard Guillard (European French dub); Jose Lavat (Latin Spanish dub)
239
240Kerchak is the leader of the gorillas, Kala's mate, and Tarzan's adoptive gorilla father. Unlike Kala, he thinks of Tarzan as a threat and doesn't consider him his son.
241----
242* AbusiveDad: May be subverted on the grounds that he never declared himself Tarzan's adoptive father, instead just letting his mate raise him. While Kerchak was never physically abusive to Tarzan, he was emotionally -- he would never hide his suspicions of Tarzan being a threat and, at one point, said that he would never be like their gorilla family.
243* ActionDad: He often gets in fights to protect his family; first with Sabor and then with Clayton. He also has a big fight with Tublat in a flashback scene of the TV series.
244* AdaptationalHeroism: He was a villain in the books, where he was the one who killed Tarzan's father (Tarzan's mother had died in her sleep just the night before) and later tries to kill Tarzan after the latter challenges him for leadership. Here, Kerchak is deeply suspicious of the title character, but only because he considers him a potential threat. Other than that, he's a heroic figure and good leader.
245* AdaptationalSpeciesChange: He's a gorilla here, when in the original Burroughs books Tarzan was raised by a fictional ape species called Mangani.
246* AnimalEyes: He has yellow sclerae, unlike the rest of the gorillas who have [[CartoonyEyes white, humanlike sclerae]], giving him a more ferocious look.
247* AnimalsNotToScale: He's typically drawn much larger than real life gorillas. But at certain points, such as his death, he is [[YourSizeMayVary shrunken slightly to a more accurate size]].
248* ApeShallNeverKillApe: He is determined to protect his gorilla family at any cost and his reasons for distrusting and disliking Tarzan from the minute Kala brought him to the nest as an infant is because "He isn't one of us."
249* BerserkButton: Anything or anyone that threatens his family will send him into attack mode.
250* BigGood: While he's an AntiHero that's opposed to Tarzan being part of the band, he's still the Alpha of the gorilla band that [[spoiler:Clayton]] hunts in the end.
251* ChangedMyMindKid: His first instinct upon seeing Tarzan chased by Sabor or held at gunpoint by Clayton is to attack. Turns out Tarzan is family, after all.
252* CharacterDevelopment: For most of Tarzan's life, Kerchak was cold and emotionally distant to Tarzan, as he perceived the latter as a threat. However, when Tarzan (as an adult) killed Sabor, Kerchak grew to respect him. And by the end of the film, he finally referred to Tarzan as his son.
253* CompositeCharacter: Of the book's Kerchak (his name, leader of the tribe) and Tublat (Kala's mate, unfriendly father figure to Tarzan). He's far more sympathetic than either though, ESPECIALLY the original Kerchak.
254* DarkIsNotEvil: He is an imposing silverback with jet-black fur and is usually wreathed in shadows wherever he appears, but he is without doubt a righteous individual.
255* DeathGlare: Kerchak would often these glares to Tarzan, mostly during his boyhood, whenever they so much as bumped into each other. In [[WesternAnimation/TarzanII the interquel]], he also gives one to Terk for mocking him.
256* EveryoneHasStandards: Though he makes it clear he doesn’t like Tarzan or consider him part of the family, he still pulls Sabor away from him when she attacks. In a flashback in the TV series, he also tackles Tublat when he charges at young Tarzan. This shows that, at the very least, he doesn’t wish physical harm on Tarzan. Though he also dislikes humans in general and was perfectly willing to scare Jane, he didn’t try to attack the humans until they discovered their nest.
257* FaceDeathWithDignity: He gets fatally shot by Clayton, who later ends up being hanged on a vine after a fight with Tarzan. However, he accepts this fate while apologizing for his uncaring behavior towards Tarzan, calmly entrusting him to take over the gorilla troupe as its new leader. He even says so with his last words:
258-->'''Kerchak''': "No, forgive me for not understanding that you have always been one of us. Our family will look to you now. Take care of them..... my son. Take care of them."
259* FantasticRacism: Harbors a hatred of anything outside of/different than his gorilla family, perceiving them as a possible threat, which extends to Tarzan and other humans.
260* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted. Kerchak's memory still has an impact on the sequel TV series, with Tarzan still seeking his approval.
261* FreudianExcuse: It's implied the death of his child had a serious impact on him, which could explain why he refuses to accept Tarzan as his son for most of the movie.
262* GentleGorilla: In the opening scene, he's shown happily playing with his and Kala's child. After [[DeathOfAChild the child is killed by Sabor]], he becomes much more gruff and stern, and will go full KillerGorilla on [[PapaWolf anyone who threatens his family]].
263* GoodParents: Key word being "parent". While he doesn't consider Tarzan his son until the end of the movie, he was an absolute softie when it came to his and Kala's child. It's implied that the death of his child had a [[CynicismCatalyst serious impact on him]].
264* HeroAntagonist: Although he comes off as obstinate and hostile, Kerchak is loving to his family and dedicated to his entire community. He regularly risks his life for their safety. Although he's suspicious of mankind and can't bring himself to accept Tarzan as a gorilla, he doesn't repudiate him for being a human.
265* HeroicSacrifice: Following his change of heart, he discovers Tarzan being held at gunpoint by Clayton and runs toward the hunter to save his adoptive son, unwittingly taking the shot in the process.
266* JerkassHasAPoint:
267** While Kerchak does come around to Tarzan, he made a good point about the possibility of Tarzan putting them in danger. As a child, he caused an elephant stampede which almost killed a young gorilla. Kerchak lampshades this by saying "you almost killed someone" and says to Kala "You can't keep defending him".
268** Later, he forbids everyone from going near the humans again. He was partially right about them being dangerous because when Tarzan brought them to the jungle, Clayton would've shot an unnamed gorilla if Kerchak didn't stop him. Tarzan regrets bringing them to the jungle when Clayton locks everyone up to ensure they don't stop him and his men from selling the gorillas. While Clayton would be stopped, Kerchak was not spared.
269* JerkassToOne: While occasionally getting annoyed with Terk, he cares deeply for much of his family, but treats Tarzan with nothing but contempt throughout the boy's childhood, only gaining somewhat of a respect for him after he kills Sabor.
270* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is never friendly towards Tarzan over the course of the movie... because he sees Tarzan as a threat to the gorilla family. And yet he considered him a member of the family enough to attack Sabor when she threatened Tarzan. He has a change of heart when Tarzan saves the gorillas from Clayton.
271* KillerGorilla: {{Subverted|Trope}}. He often gets in fights, and immediately attacks the humans when they get close to the gorillas, but he only does this to defend his family, and he's otherwise docile, if pretty grumpy.
272* LargeAndInCharge: He's the biggest gorilla, and the leader of the family.
273* {{Leitmotif}}: He is accompanied with a somber and serious tune that plays when Kala first shows him Tarzan, when he gives a speech about the human visitors, right before he attacks Clayton and during his death scene.
274* MightyGlacier: Kerchak is incredibly strong but when it comes to faster, more agile opponents like Sabor, he's at a disadvantage.
275* MightyRoar: Often gives one before and while attacking. He lets out a particularly scary one when he and Kala first argue about whether to keep the infant Tarzan.
276--> '''Kerchak''': "Kala, I cannot allow you to put our family in danger!"
277--> '''Kala''': " Does he look dangerous to you?"
278-->'''Kerchak''': ''(Roars and [[PrimalChestPound pounds his chest]])''
279* MyGreatestFailure: Failing to save his birth son from Sabor was arguably the worst moment of his life.
280* NonStandardCharacterDesign: He is designed more realistically than the other gorillas, to give him an intimidating appearance.
281* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His and Kala's biological son was murdered by Sabor.
282* PaleFemalesDarkMales: With his mate, Kala. He has black fur while she has light brown.
283* PapaWolf: He menaces Jane and her father when they get close to the gorillas -- and he's not bluffing. Before that, he effortlessly sweeps through a herd of rampaging elephants to rescue a baby gorilla and flies out without a scratch.
284** He displays this protective side towards Tarzan a few times as well. In the first half of the film, his immediate action upon seeing Sabor attacking Tarzan is to jump to Tarzan's aid. Later, in the film's climax, he protects him again from Clayton's men and when Clayton shoots Tarzan's arm.
285* ThePatriarch: Fittingly for a silverback gorilla, he's the stern, badass head of his family.
286* PerpetualFrowner: An [[TheStoic exceptionally serious character]], as many gorilla alpha males are, Kerchak is never seen smiling in the film (except for a few scenes such as when he bonds with his biological son at the beginning) or in any other Disney media, often presenting an indifferent or angry look on his face.
287* PosthumousCharacter: In the TV series due to his death in the movie. He remains a vital influence in Tarzan's life, as his son is still looking for Kerchak's approval.
288* PrimalChestPound: He does this twice in the movie: first when he's angry at Kala for adopting Tarzan, and then when he encounters and menaces Jane in the camp. He's a silverback gorilla, after all. He does it with open hands [[ShownTheirWork like real gorillas do]], unlike the clenched fists like most cartoon gorillas (although the TV series forgets this and has him do it with clenched fists).
289* ProperlyParanoid:
290** Kerchak turns out not to be entirely wrong about not trusting the humans once Clayton's true plans are revealed.
291** In "The Face from the Past", he suspects correctly that Tarzan had something to do with the fire.
292* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. In the books, Kerchak was neither Kala's mate nor Tarzan's adoptive father. Here, he is both.
293* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Once Tarzan returns to save his gorilla family from Clayton's men, Kerchak finally accepts him and even shields him from one of the crooks. Unfortunately, this would end with the silverback taking a bullet for Tarzan, and in his dying words he apologizes for his past behavior and calls Tarzan his son.
294* SugarAndIcePersonality: Kerchak is cold, aloof, and doesn't hide his dislike over Tarzan. However, he has his family's safety at heart.
295* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: Kerchak coldly rejects the idea of Tarzan being his son.
296-->'''Kerchak''': ''[about Tarzan]'' I said he could stay. That doesn't make him my son.
297* TopHeavyGuy: Being an adult gorilla, his muscled forearms and torso are massive whereas his legs are relatively short.
298* UngratefulBastard: In a flashback in "Tublat's Revenge", it's shown that Tarzan once saved his life via distracting Tublat (the hostile silverback that was going to kill Kerchak) long enough for him to regain his senses and banish him. He continued to treat Tarzan coldly after that and said he shouldn't have gotten involved. ''Tarzan II'' also ends with him saving Kala's life. Neither of which seemed to make Kerchak any nicer to him. It wasn’t until Tarzan killed Sabor (the leopard that killed his and Kala's baby) that he decided to stop hating him.
299* UsedToBeASweetKid: An older example. When his and Kala's biological son was alive, Kerchak was shown to be more cheerful and happier. After his son's death, he became more bitter and cold.
300* WouldNotHurtAChild: Losing his own child to Sabor doesn't stop him from protecting the other young gorillas of his troop. And even though he makes it ''very'' clear that he doesn’t like Tarzan, he never goes out of his way to physically hurt the human child (though he did try to convince Kala to leave him in the jungle before being pushed into letting him stay).
301* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. His eyes are yellow, but he is more of a HeroAntagonist than a true villain (though he plays into sneakiness by appearing behind Jane when they first met).
302[[/folder]]
303
304[[folder:Prof. Archimedes Q. Porter]]
305[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/professor_porter_tarzan.jpg]]
306[[caption-width-right:350:''"Archimedes Q. Porter at your service."'']]
307->'''Voiced By''': Creator/NigelHawthorne (original movie), Creator/JeffBennett (subsequent appearances); Creator/HenriLabussiere (European French dub)
308
309Professor Archimedes Quincy Porter is a major character from ''Tarzan''. He is both Jane's father and Tarzan's father-in-law.
310----
311* AbsentMindedProfessor: An eccentric, bumbling scientist.
312* AdaptationalNationality: In the original novel, he and his daughter were Americans from Baltimore, not British.
313* BerserkButton: Being the FriendToAllLivingThings he is, Professor Porter is infuriated when he hears Clayton's plans to abduct the gorillas and sell them.
314-->'''Porter''': "All those magnificent creatures shivering in cages... what is this world coming to?!"
315* BewareTheNiceOnes: He is overall a nice guy who tends to be a comic relief, but he is unafraid to go tough when things go rough.
316* BigOlEyebrows: He has thick gray eyebrows.
317* BumblingDad: Following a tradition of fathers of Creator/{{Disney}}'s [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast female]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} leads]]. He's a short, physically unimpressive, absent-minded old man who mainly serves as comic relief.
318* CityMouse: Not quite as strongly as in the books, but he's still a man accustomed to civilized life and its comforts. Just look at all the stuff he brought on safari. In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan'', one episode revolves around how much he misses genuine English tea.
319* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's obsessive in a goofy way, easily distracted and scatterbrained. Jane clearly thinks he's not fit to live by himself, which makes her decision much more difficult.
320* ColorCodedEyes: Like his daughter, his green eyes probably reflect an affinity with the natural world.
321* DitzyGenius: He's a brilliant professor, but clumsy, bumbling and spacey.
322* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's fascinated by Gorillas and pretty much all other forms of life in the jungle. When he finally gets to meet them, he approaches the gorillas with bumbling good will, and -- aside from Kerchak -- the gorillas quickly overcome their suspicion of him.
323* GoodParents: He's a loving father to Jane, and also supportive of her relationship with a wild man.
324* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He had no idea that Clayton was a poacher.
325* IChooseToStay: Decides to remain in Africa with his daughter to live out his remaining years studying nature.
326* IgnoredExpert: In the TV series episode "The Outbreak", he warns Bob Markham that his logging in the jungle and tampering with the ecosystem will lead to dire consequences. Bob doesn't listen, and it almost costs him dearly when his men and daughter get infected with a dormant disease unleashed by the bulldozing, just as Porter was concerned about.
327* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: His daughter towers over him.
328* MysteriousMiddleInitial: His middle name starts with a "Q", but it's unknown what exactly it stands for.
329* NiceGuy: Professor Porter is caring, brave, joyful, and fatherly.
330* OpenMindedParent: Porter has zero qualms with the growing attraction between Jane and Tarzan and encourages her to stay with him.
331* PapaWolf: He can be highly protective of his daughter Jane.
332* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes a surrogate, paternal figure to his son-in-law Tarzan, giving him advice reminiscent of a father to his son.
333* ShipperOnDeck: He's the one that makes Jane realize she's in love with Tarzan and convinces her to stay with him.
334* UglyGuyHotWife: He's short and goofy-looking while his deceased wife looked exactly like Jane.
335[[/folder]]
336
337[[folder:Terk]]
338[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terk_tarzan.jpg]]
339[[caption-width-right:350:''"The fun has arrived! Thank you very much."'']]
340->'''Voiced By''': Creator/RosieODonnell (original movie, also vocal effects), Creator/AprilWinchell (TV series), Audrey Wasilewski (Kingdom Hearts), Brenda Grate (''Tarzan II''); Creator/MurielRobin (original movie), Isabelle Leprince (''Tarzan II'' and TV series) (European French dub)
341
342Terk is Tarzan's 'cousin' and best friend from childhood.
343----
344* AdaptationalHeroism: In the books, her original counterpart Terkoz was Tarzan's enemy and even kidnapped Jane. In this adaptation, Terk is one of Tarzan's closest and most trusted friends.
345* AdaptationNameChange: Terkoz in the book, Terkina (Terk for short) in this adaptation.
346* {{Angrish}}: When Tarzan leaves Africa, she angrily starts throwing rocks and sand, telling him to never come back.
347* BigSisterInstinct: While she is Tarzan's cousin, she acts more like his sister. And protects him from danger the best she can.
348* ButtMonkey: A large part of the comedy present in the film is played at her expense.
349* CharacterDevelopment: In the film's beginning, Terk was embarrassed to be seen with Tarzan and often tried to ditch him. However, after he nearly died trying to perform a task Terk made up, she actually becomes a true friend and protective figure towards him.
350* CompositeCharacter: She's a composite character of Terkoz, a villainous male mangani whom Tarzan exiles from his tribe, and Teeka, a female mangani from ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' who was Tarzan's friend (and first crush) when he was younger. Teeka herself appears in the television series as a separate character.
351* CoolBigSis: After becoming nicer to Tarzan, Terk acts as a surrogate sister to him.
352* CowardlyLion: She's often willing to bail at the first sign of trouble. But when the chips are down, Terk will be in the action.
353* DeadpanSnarker: She's always in for a sarcastic remark.
354** One of her best comes from ''Tarzan and Jane'' after being sat on by Tantor.
355-->'''Tantor:''' Sorry, sorry Terk! You should've said something!
356-->'''Terk:''' I did. You must not have heard me through the two tons of BUTT!
357* FalseFriend: Early in the movie, Terk is willing to help Tarzan and shows concern for his safety, but she is unwilling to be seen with him by her other friends. Thankfully, she stops being one.
358* GenderFlip: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. She is loosely based on a male ([[AdaptationalHeroism villainous]]) character from the books called Terkoz, if the name is any indication. She becomes male in [[AdaptationSequence the stage production based on the film]].
359* IncomingHam: ''"THE FUUUUN HAS ARRIIIIIIIVED!"''
360* InterspeciesFriendship: Between her (a gorilla), Tarzan (a human), and Tantor (an elephant).
361* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Underneath her crude and obnoxious personality, she has a soft and caring heart.
362* LadyLooksLikeADude: She sounds, looks and acts tough and masculine. While in the film this only led to ViewerGenderConfusion, in the TV series it becomes an InUniverse RunningGag.
363* TheLancer: She is Tarzan's closest friend in the gorilla troop, and her brash attitude contrasts his gentle personality.
364* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The tough-talking and crude Masculine Girl to Tantor's sensitive and thoughtful Feminine Boy.
365* NeverMyFault: She never takes responsibility for her actions.
366* OneOfTheBoys: She's very loud and masculine, and all her best friends are boys.
367* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: According to a book featuring her as the narrator, she notes that she only lets her mother call her by her full name, Terkina.
368* PlatonicLifePartners: With Tarzan and Tantor, as they are her closest friends who happen to both be males.
369* SillySimian: She's a wisecracking gorilla.
370* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the books, Terkoz is killed by Tarzan. Here, Terk is alive by the end of the film and sequel TV series.
371* StepfordSnarker: It's implied that underneath her tough talking attitude, she's afraid of being isolated or rejected.
372* ThePowerOfFriendship: Always looks out for her friends especially Tarzan, even preventing him from falling when he was struggling to climb a tree and smiling to assure him she's there for him no matter what.
373* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy (admits to knowing little about etiquette and is OneOfTheBoys) to Jane's Girly Girl (proper lady who practices decorum).
374* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: The TV series shows she has a soft spot for cute things, even leopard cubs. In one episode, she only agrees to help cure the loggers' disease ([[WrongGenreSavvy she insists they'll go back to bulldozing the jungle even after they get better]]) when she learns that their boss's cute little girl is also sick with it.
375* TookALevelInKindness: In the first movie, Terk becomes friendlier to Tarzan after initially ignoring him. She takes another level in the TV series, becoming nicer to Jane.
376[[/folder]]
377
378[[folder:Tantor]]
379[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tantor_tarzan.jpg]]
380[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!"'']]
381->'''Voiced By''': Creator/WayneKnight (original movie), Taylor Dempsey (younger), [[Creator/JimCummings1952 Jim Cummings]] (TV series), Harrison Fahn (''Tarzan II''); Camille Donda (child), Jean-Eric Bielle (adult, first movie), Boris Rehlinger (adult, TV series) (European French dub)
382
383Tantor is Terk and Tarzan's highly neurotic elephant friend.
384----
385* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The mentioned bull elephant from ''Tarzan of the Apes'' whom Tantor is based on is stated to be the only thing Kerchak feared. With this character being a CowardlyLion that would be unlikely.
386* AscendedExtra: In ''Tarzan of the Apes'' there is one specific Tantor mentioned, indeed the only one in the entire novel due to "Tantor" being the Mangani word for "Elephant." He never appears in the flesh and is only stated to be the only creature that Kerchak fears. The Disney film gives this bull elephant an onscreen role, made "Tantor" his given name and gives him an AdaptationPersonalityChange.
387* TheBabyOfTheBunch: There are contextual hints that Tantor is younger than Tarzan and Terk, with his high-pitched voice and limited vocabulary as a baby elephant. Furthermore, the males in Tantor's species (the African Forest Elephant) do not grow tusks until around 16 months of age, so Tantor, when first seen as a tusk-less baby elephant, is several years younger than Tarzan and Terk.
388* BewareTheNiceOnes: Apart from being '''''very, very big''''', he is loyal to Tarzan to such an extent that he puts aside his fear to ''jump off a cliff, climb onto a boat and beat the ever loving shit out of everyone and everything until Tarzan is rescued''.
389* TheBigGuy: He is an elephant, and he has the strength that comes with one.
390* BigDamnHeroes: His getting tired of Terk's sulking about Tarzan leaving leads him to pull a massive rescue for Tarzan and the rest of the non-mutinous crew when Clayton locks them in the brig.
391* ButtSticker: Him sitting on Terk is a RunningGag in the television series.
392* ChekhovsSkill: Tarzan shows him how to use his trunk like a snorkel so he can breathe while submerged underwater. He later uses this ability to sneak aboard the ship with Terk to rescue Tarzan.
393* CowardlyLion: He has all sorts of phobias, despite being a gigantic African Elephant. He also displays courage and, surprisingly enough, [[TranquilFury calmness]] during chaos.
394* EarlyPersonalitySigns: He's been a NervousWreck ever since he was an elephant calf, since his EstablishingCharacterMoment involves him being hesitant to enter the water [[TerrifiedOfGerms just in case there are germs in it]].
395* GentleGiant: He's a large elephant, but he wouldn't hurt a fly.
396* HeterosexualLifePartners: No matter what, he has Tarzan's back.
397* HonorableElephant: He may be cowardly, but when he needs to help Tarzan, his heart is at the right place.
398* InkSuitActor: He bears a facial resemblance to his original voice actor, Creator/WayneKnight.
399* InsaneTrollLogic: Downplayed. He claims that Tarzan could be a subspecies of elephant because he enjoys peanuts.
400* InterspeciesFriendship: With everyone he interacts with, but most notably Tarzan and Terk. On the broader sense, he's shown to accompany the gorilla troop wherever they go, as if he himself were a member.
401* LetsGetDangerous: Near the end of the film, when he rescues Tarzan.
402* LightningBruiser: Despite being the largest main character, he displays sufficient speed and agility in battle. This is TruthInTelevision, as elephants can move surprisingly fast despite weighing five tonnes.
403* LiteralMinded: When Terk quips "What kind of animal are you?" after Tarzan accidentally hurts her arm, Tantor goes on about a wacky "theory" about Tarzan being a subspecies of elephant.
404* LovableCoward: He's afraid of pretty much everything, but he's also very kind and friendly.
405* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The sensitive and thoughtful Feminine Boy to Terk's tough-talking and crude Masculine Girl.
406* NervousWreck: Is he ever! See CowardlyLion above.
407* NiceGuy: Tantor is friendly, sensitive, pleasant, caring, and ultimately brave.
408* NotSoAboveItAll: Initially creeped out by the prospect of playing around with man's equipment and worried about Kerchak's reaction, he soon relaxes and joins in on the fun.
409* PlatonicLifePartners: With Terk, she is his closest female friend.
410* RageBreakingPoint: When Terk hears Tarzan cry out in distress and refuses to help him (because she's still upset that he left), Tantor finally shows her what he can do when he gets angry.
411-->'''Tantor:''' That's ''IT! (grabs Terk with his trunk and glares right into her face)'' I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR EMOTIONAL CONSTIPATION! Tarzan needs us, and ''we're'' gonna help him! YA GOT THAT?! ''(throws Terk onto his back)'' Now pipe down, and hang on tight! ''We got a boat to catch.''
412* RedIsHeroic: He's a red elephant who befriends Tarzan and Terk, later coming to the rescue when Tarzan is captured.
413* ShownTheirWork:
414** Tantor's red coloring may seem odd, but yes, [[https://blog.wcs.org/photo/2015/08/19/red-elephant-andrea-turkalo-africa/ elephants can appear red]] as a result of bathing in mud and red clay.
415** In Part 1 of the TV series 2-parter episode, "The Poisoned River", he drinks by sucking up water with his trunk and squirting it into his mouth rather than using his trunk like a straw as common in cartoon elephants.
416* TookALevelInBadass: Tantor shows this in ''spades'' in the third act when Tarzan is imperiled after Clayton's betrayal, throwing all his neurotic worries & fears aside to give Clayton's mooks a ''heck'' of a CurbStompBattle during his impromptu rescue of Tarzan and the Porters.
417* TuftOfHeadFur: More so a bunch of loose hairs on the top of his head, but it still qualifies.
418* UndyingLoyalty: To Tarzan. Even when the former has left the jungle, he immediately goes into action when he hears his friend cry out in distress.
419[[/folder]]
420
421!!Antagonists
422
423[[folder:Clayton]]
424[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayton_profile.jpg]]
425[[caption-width-right:350:''"I was born for Africa, and Africa was created for me!"'']]
426->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BrianBlessed; Creator/GerardRinaldi (European French dub), Creator/BanjoGinga (Japanese dub)
427
428Clayton is one of the two main antagonists of ''Tarzan'' (alongside Sabor). He serves as the main antagonist of the second act.
429----
430* AdaptationalVillainy: In the novels, he is Tarzan's cousin who inherits the title of Lord Greystoke after Tarzan's parents are presumed dead. His worst fault is that he is not as brave as Tarzan, and his worst crime is concealing Tarzan's true identity after he accidentally learns the truth[[note]]in that last case, he is actually following Tarzan's lead and respecting his wishes, so calling it a crime is a bit of a stretch[[/note]]. In the film, he isn't related to Tarzan, and he's more of a sadistic poacher posing as a tour guide.
431* AdvancingBossOfDoom: He's portrayed as such in the Play Station adaptation of the movie. In the final stage, Clayton will pursue Tarzan up a steep cliff, and the player as Tarzan must flee all the way to a plateau at the very top before they can fight back.
432* AgeLift: William Cecil Clayton was a young man around Tarzan's age, this character has to be late-forties to early fifties at least.
433* AlasPoorVillain: Upon seeing Clayton's corpse hanging on the vines due to his refusal to listen to Tarzan's warnings, Tarzan can show nothing but pity for the evil hunter, despite the notorious things he's done.
434* AnimalMetaphor: He is intentionally designed as Sabor in human form, being introduced into the story immediately after Sabor's demise. When Clayton makes his physical appearance, the various jungle shadows on his yellow shirt is supposed to invoke Sabor's fur.
435* BigBadEnsemble: He's the biggest threat towards the gorillas, replacing child-and-parent killer Sabor right after she's killed by Tarzan a few minutes before he first appears onscreen. Even worse, he has a band of pirates that proved to be a more dangerous threat to the gorillas than Sabor would ever be. However, Sabor is more dangerous in a one-on-one context to Tarzan who they try to kill.
436* BloodKnight: It's implied that he hunts less for money and more for the thrill of capturing and killing. Though he is angered by Tarzan's interference in the finale, he also seems to genuinely welcome the fight Tarzan presents.
437* CombatPragmatist: During his final fight with Tarzan, Clayton actually manages to hold ground against the super athletic wild man, albeit through weaponry or attacking his injured points.
438* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Clayton was modelled after Creator/ClarkGable and other film stars of the 1930's and 40's, with the resemblance to Gable being the most prominent.
439* CompositeCharacter: Has the surname of William Cecil Clayton, the explorer aspect of his Weissmuller era expy Harry Holt and the villain role of Nikolas Rokoff of the novels.
440* CreepyShadowedUndereyes: His eyesockets are unusually dark, giving the viewer one of their earliest warning signs of exactly how much trouble he's going to be.
441* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: Sort of, he gets a DisneyVillainDeath in the video game too, but instead of hanging himself by accident he gets tackled off a tall platform by Tarzan.
442* DisneyVillainDeath: {{Subverted|Trope}}. His fall is stopped by a vine. It's just that said vine is wrapped around his throat when it stops, snapping his neck and hanging him.
443* EgomaniacHunter: He used to be the page image for a reason. Clayton believes "I was born for Africa, and Africa was made for me!"
444* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: The TV series reveal that he has a sister, who goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge to avenge him when she learns about his death.
445* EvilAllAlong: He acts as a chivalrous, if a bit trigger-happy guide for the Porters, but he was planning all along to betray them and capture and sell Tarzan's gorilla family.
446%%* EvilBrit: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] He's English, but so are the heroic Porter family. (Partial context example that describes the "Brit" part, but not the "evil" part of the trope.)
447* EvilIsHammy: Being voiced by Creator/BrianBlessed is probably the reason.
448-->'''Clayton:''' I could use a challenge, because after I get rid of you, rounding up your little ape family will be '''ALL TOO EASY!!'''
449* EvilPoacher: By modern standards perhaps, but while his objective is to capture gorillas, that is how animals were typically brought to civilization at the time the film is set: by capturing them in the wild. As a result, Clayton is closer to a subversion or an outright aversion of the trope in that while evil, he technically isn't a poacher, with his actual crimes including mutiny (as his men were members of the ship's crew) and attempted murder.
450* EvilSoundsDeep: Voiced by Brian Blessed, Clayton has a rather deep and powerful voice.
451* {{Expy}}: He is a lot like Zaroff from Literature/TheMostDangerousGame. Both are egotistical hunters that jump at the opportunity to hunt a real challenge in the form of a skilled human. The video game took it further with his claim that he would have Tarzan stuffed, reminiscent of the fates of some of Zaroff's victims.
452* FaceDeathWithDignity: Clayton never shows any signs of cowardice. When he is faced with his own gun, he is far from begging for his life and composes himself for his end. In contrast to how he frantically tries to take the vines off his neck as he falls screaming to his death.
453* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Falling out of a tree and accidentally hanging himself with a jungle vine. The scene in which he dies includes the sound of his neck snapping (though this is arguably muffled by the sound of the vine going taut), and [[FreezeFrameBonus his body's shadow can be seen against a tree after a lightning strike]].
454* FauxAffablyEvil: Clayton initially appears to be a chivalrous (if somewhat impatient and trigger-happy) gentleman, but eventually, he is proven to be violent, selfish, greedy and ruthless.
455* FearlessFool: Compared to most egomaniacal but cowardly Disney villains, Clayton is this. He fights and pursues Tarzan and his gorilla clan despite knowing their strength and only gets more incensed and vicious as they retaliate. When Tarzan threatens to blow his head off with his own gun, [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred he sneers at him to even try]]. The trope is ultimately his own undoing, inadvertently killing himself in his own reckless frenzy, [[EveryoneHasStandards while even Tarzan is lucid enough to try stop him.]]
456* {{Foil}}: Unlike Tarzan he was born in civilization but is actually far more of a savage barbarian than Tarzan. [[spoiler:Best exemplified by his last moments and death: when Tarzan traps him in vines, Clayton's first instinct is to start ''biting'' the vines off, before he remembers that he has a machete to cut them. He practically devolves into a slobbering, rage-filled monster while Tarzan desperately tries to save him from himself. But in the end, the jungle claims him.]]
457* ForTheEvulz: It’s implied that his motivation for his actions is more for his depravity and love of killing than money.
458* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. He's shown smoking a pipe in several scenes, but considering [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain the time period]] it [[EverybodySmokes doesn't really serve as an indicator of villainy]].
459* GreatWhiteHunter: While acting as the Porters' safari escort... but he has [[EvilAllAlong his own agenda from the beginning]].
460* {{Greed}}: His main personality flaw and villainous motivation, though it’s heavily implied that his true motivation is his lust for murder.
461* HairTriggerTemper: Even before his reveal as the primary antagonist, he was very irascible.
462* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He brings about [[spoiler:his own demise]] when, after being caught and suspended in some vines, he sinks into a VillainousBreakdown and starts mindlessly hacking away at them to get to Tarzan. [[spoiler:He doesn't notice the one wrapped around his neck until it's too late, even as Tarzan points it out to him.]]
463* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: The true monster of the movie. While Sabor could be excused for doing what she does by nature, Clayton is just a sadistic murderer.
464* KarmicDeath: Ends up strangling himself in the jungle's vines in his frenzied attempts to kill Tarzan, lost in his rage and refusing to hear his enemy's warnings until it is too late.
465* LargeHam: He's voiced by Creator/BrianBlessed, and it shows.
466* LastNameBasis: He is always referred to as Clayton in the movie. The character from the books he's loosely based on is called William Cecil Clayton, but nothing in the movie confirms if this is his first name here as well. Bizarrely enough, even his sister refers to him by his last name.
467* LanternJawOfJustice: Inverted; he has one heck of a pronounced chin, but is as far from benevolent as they come.
468* LightIsNotGood: Pale-skinned, always wearing yellow and white, and rotten to the core.
469* MacheteMayhem: One of his weapons is a machete that he tries to kill Tarzan with in their last encounter.
470* ManipulativeBastard: Manipulates Tarzan's feelings for Jane so he'll show him where the gorillas are hiding.
471* ManlyFacialHair: A rather small and thin mustache that emphasizes his toughness and masculinity.
472* NearVillainVictory: He orders the thugs to lock Tarzan, Jane, Archimedes, the captain, and his officers up to prevent them from screwing up his plans to sell the gorillas. If Tarzan hadn't yelled in shock attracting Terk and Tantor prompting them to rescue them, he most likely would've succeeding in capturing and selling all of the gorillas on the black market, considering that even Kerchak was no match for him till Tarzan showed up.
473* NeckSnap: He dies when he falls with a vine wrapped around his neck, snapping it before he can hit the ground.
474* ObviouslyEvil: Clayton's role as the main villain isn't revealed until the movie's third act, but even before that he's portrayed as being quite smug and condescending towards Tarzan, and being the most trigger-happy character in the entire film, so the plot twist that he's evil doesn't come off as much of a surprise. Adding to that, Clayton's appearance is that of a classical type of villain, with a [[GoodHairEvilHair thin mustache]], CreepyShadowedUndereyes, and [[GoodHairEvilHair slicked back hair]].
475* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Although he is the biggest threat to Tarzan's gorilla family in the movie, the main conflict is Tarzan's own personal struggle to fit in with the gorillas, which has little to do with Clayton's plan to capture the apes. Although Tarzan defending the gorillas from Clayton is what makes Kerchak finally accept Tarzan and promote him to the new leader of the tribe, killing Kerchak was irrelevant to that growth.
476* ARealManIsAKiller: During the final fight, Tarzan has Clayton's own gun pointed at him. Rather than begging to for mercy, Clayton implores Tarzan to "go ahead, shoot me. Be a man." However, Tarzan only scares Clayton by faking the gunshot, then smashing it and shouting "Not a man like you!"
477* SelfDisposingVillain: While fighting with Tarzan, Clayton gets tangled up in vines. He starts randomly cutting them, too angry to notice that one is wrapping around his neck. Tarzan even tries to warn him with "Clayton, don't!" Too late; one subverted DisneyVillainDeath later, Clayton's neck snaps, leaving him hanging in the vines.
478* StarterVillain: Besides Sabor, he is the first big villain encountered by Tarzan (he will meet more in the TV series).
479* StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred: When Tarzan points Clayton's rifle at him, Clayton taunts Tarzan to shoot him and be a man. Tarzan refuses and smashes rifle, proclaiming that he'll never be a man like Clayton.
480* SurroundedByIdiots: Keep an eye on Clayton's expressions and you'll see this attitude regularly appear as a FunnyBackgroundEvent. At one point, the only reason he notices gorillas is because he's rolling his eyes at the behavior of Tarzan and the Porters.
481* TacticalSuicideBoss: From the video game. As Tarzan players fight him atop a tall platform, and Clayton is invulnerable while he attacks, either with his hunting rifle or by throwing knives. But after dodging Clayton's projectiles, for some reason Clayton will stop to gloat for a few seconds, allowing Tarzan to pelt him with fruits causing Clayton to stagger backwards, at which point he'll bring out his rifle and knives again... dodge his attacks, wait for him to gloat, rinse and repeat until he gets knocked off the platform.
482* TriggerHappy: It's no coincidence that Tarzan and his tribe are first reintroduced to humanity by the sound of his shotgun. Clayton is incredibly aggressive and paranoid, reacting to just about anything and everything with both barrels blazing.
483* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation: In the books, he and Tarzan are first cousins. In the Disney film, they aren't. Or, more accurately, nothing is stated on the matter, making their (presumed) relation a GeniusBonus-type situation of sorts.
484* VillainousBreakdown: Although his original plan was to double-cross the Professor in order to "harvest" gorillas to sell at a great profit, he was more unethical than he was amoral. There were no laws or moral judgments involved in "harvesting" unowned animals from a wilderness in 1870. When his get-rich-quick scheme is foiled by the "savage" (and his gun is broken by Tarzan), though, he enters a murderous rage.
485* WouldHitAGirl: Hits Jane across the face with the butt of his gun when she tries to stop him from going after Tarzan.
486[[/folder]]
487
488[[folder:Sabor]]
489[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sabor_tarzan.jpg]]
490->'''Voiced By''': Creator/FrankWelker (vocal effects)
491
492Sabor is one of the two main antagonists in ''Tarzan'' alongside Clayton and the overarching antagonist of ''Tarzan II''. She is a leopard who killed both Tarzan's parents and Kala's baby son at the beginning of the film. Sabor is the main antagonist of the film's first act.
493----
494* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Sort of. In the original novel, Sabor was the term used for lionesses in the apes language (male lions were called Numa). Here it's the personal name of a leopard (whose species was called Sheeta in the book). The name Sheeta gets used in the TV series for one of the 2 recurring black panthers who fight Tarzan.
495* AmbiguousGender: Given her feral nature and lack of TertiarySexualCharacteristics, Sabor's sex isn't made clear in the film itself, but the creators state that she's female.
496* ArchEnemy: Before Clayton shows up she acts as the most personal threat to Tarzan, having killed his parents years prior and hunting him ever since. Even after her death Tarzan regards her with extreme scorn whenever he mentions her in the series.
497* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
498** Leopards live for seventeen years on average. Sabor was already an adult when Tarzan was a baby, and Tarzan is eighteen when he battles her. So she is very old for a leopard, yet still put up a very impressive fight against both Tarzan and Kerchak.
499** Sabor has large and scarce rosettes, which is a trait of ''jaguars'' rather than leopards.
500** She also has slitted pupils, which only small cats have in real life; big cats like leopards, lions and tigers have round pupils.
501** In addition, she is portrayed as being much stronger and more durable than a real leopard (and other leopards in the TV series). While they are certainly powerful and deadly predators, leopards cannot afford to sustain any injuries and tend to stick to easier prey as a result. They also prefer to avoid facing stronger animals like adult gorillas in a fight, as the apes are simply too large and strong to be easily killed. Sabor, however, is not only fully willing to engage both Kala and Kerchak in battle, she is even able to defeat the latter without much trouble and not be hurt by his crushing fists.
502* AxCrazy: [[ImpliedTrope Implied to be the case]], especially when compared to Nuru and Sheeta and the other miscellaneous leopards in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan'', who realistically give up and run off when Tarzan puts up too much of a fight, in contrast to Sabor’s [[SuperPersistentPredator mindless persistence]]. Also, after killing Tarzan’s parents, Sabor leaves their corpses uneaten in the treehouse.
503* BigBadEnsemble: With Clayton. She doesn't appear as much in the story but she is more deadly to Tarzan than Clayton.
504* CatsAreMean: Terrifying and brutal, but no more than a normal predatory animal.
505* DarkActionGirl: Sabor is still capable of kicking some serious ass and gives Tarzan and Kerchak an impressive fight even in what should be her extreme elderly years.
506* DiscOneFinalBoss: Dies about 30 minutes into the movie, before the appearance of the British research team which includes the BigBad replacement Clayton.
507* TheDreaded: Nobody wants to go up against this ferocious feline. Even ''elephants'' are scared of her.
508* HeroKiller: Sabor is strong enough, fast enough, and cunning enough to kill Tarzan's parents in their own home, while they both outnumbered her and had '''a gun.''' Even when Kerchak is willing to fight back against Sabor, her strength makes it too difficult for him to actually kill her. Heck, she's arguably a more dangerous villain in a one-on-one context than Clayton is, since she's fighting in her own territory.
509* IncorrectAnimalNoise: Her vocal cords are made up of leopard, the ever-so-cliché cougar and, oddly, tiger vocalizations.
510* InformedSpecies: She's supposed to a leopard, but has spots like a jaguar, and a long slender body more typical of a cheetah.
511* KarmicDeath: She gets fatally stabbed by Tarzan in revenge for murdering his parents (though Tarzan was unaware of this at the time) and Kerchak and Kala's baby child.
512* KilledOffscreen: Kind of. She tackles Tarzan into a hole and he takes the opportunity to stab and kill her, but we never see the deed on screen, just the aftermath when Tarzan lifts her corpse and himself out of the hole.
513* PantheraAwesome: A leopard, and stronger than the gorillas.
514* PredatorsAreMean: As the main antagonist in the first act of the movie, she constantly pursues the gorillas. Unlike the gorillas or the elephants, Sabor's not anthropomorphized at all. She also seems more interested in killing her prey than actually eating it, considering that she goes after the baby Tarzan, even though his parents' corpses are still lying around and would be an easier meal.
515* RoarBeforeBeating: This is a sign that Sabor is far more malicious than your typical predator; immediately after sneaking up on the baby gorilla, she roars loudly to scare it, before moving in for the kill. Sabor is stealthy in several other scenes, but the moment she lunges at Kala or adult Tarzan, she yowls.
516* SmallRoleBigImpact: Sabor only appears for a couple scenes in the first act and is never mentioned after her death, but her killing Tarzan's parents and Kerchak and Kala's baby sets the entire plot into motion.
517* StarterVillain: The first foe Tarzan fights as an adult, and is killed by him prior to the 30-minute mark and before the other human characters appear.
518* StealthExpert: Capable of blending in with the jungle so well that you would never know she was there, as seen during the moments before she attacked Tarzan and the gorillas. She's literally in the middle of the screen, but so well camouflaged that a viewer will be unlikely to see her without pausing the film.
519* SuperPersistentPredator: Goes through a lot of effort to catch on baby Tarzan, even when he's already defended by [[MamaBear Kala]], and then puts on an impressive fight with adult Tarzan.
520* TalkingAnimal: The only established animal character to avert this; Sabor is purely feral and dehumanized through and through.
521* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Sabor delivered the fastest onscreen death in any Disney film; in less than 3 minutes, killing Kerchak and Kala's baby gorilla. Not long after, she offs Tarzan's parents with a fairly graphic aftermath. She is far more sinister than your typical predator, and left the corpses mostly intact. Unlike Clayton, she has absolutely no amusing moments; Kala and Tarzan are in very real danger of dying and proves to be capable of nearly killing Kerchak. Even as an adult, Tarzan had to fight for his life, and no other villain, or even ''leopard'' in the films or TV series was as effective.
522* WouldHurtAChild: Kills Kala and Kerchak's baby gorilla and tried to kill Tarzan when he was a baby. Not that this is in any way unusual, a predator will get its food where it can, but since this is from the prey's point of view...
523[[/folder]]
524
525!!Other Characters
526
527[[folder:Tarzan's Parents]]
528[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tarzan_disneyscreencaps_com_70.jpg]]
529->'''Voiced By''': N/A
530
531Tarzan's deceased, biological parents.
532----
533* ActionSurvivor: The only survivors of the shipwreck, and also able to create an awesome treehouse that would be the envy of the Swiss Family Robinson.
534* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the novel, Tarzan's mom dies of an illness and later his dad was killed by Kerchak. Here, they were both killed by Sabor at the same time.
535* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: They get an off-screen one, courtesy of Sabor. At one point, we see Kala happen upon the treehouse they built. She goes in curiously and we find it a bit too quiet. She soon sees why: the place has been trashed and the bodies of Tarzan's parents are seen next to a set of bloodied pawprints on the floor.
536* HappilyMarried: {{Implied|Trope}}. When both of them are on the lifeboat, they immediately embrace one another and look lovingly at their son. And while in the African jungle, they work extremely well together in building a new home.
537* HeroicSacrifice: Tried to defend themselves and their infant son from Sabor. By some miracle, Tarzan lived, but the two of them lost their lives for it.
538* KilledOffscreen: They're already dead by the time Kala discovers the treehouse; all we see of them is their dead bodies amidst Sabor's blood-coated paw prints, hidden partially behind a table back turned.
539* ManlyFacialHair: Tarzan's father has a cool mustache, combined with sideburns, and he's an impressive ActionSurvivor who struggles on until getting killed by Sabor.
540* NoNameGiven: Their names are not revealed. In the books, they were John and Alice Clayton, [[BlueBlood Lord and Lady Greystoke.]]
541* ParentalAbandonment: To Tarzan, as they were killed by Sabor.
542* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Tarzan's mother had auburn hair and bluish-green eyes.
543* StrongFamilyResemblance: Tarzan received his father's hair color and facial structures, while gaining his mother's eye color and hair style.
544* TheVoiceless: Neither character has any lines: in fact, they're already deceased by the time the movie has its first line of dialogue.
545[[/folder]]
546
547[[folder:Flynt and Mungo]]
548[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tarzan_disneyscreencapscom_53071.jpg]]
549[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Flynt and Mungo]]
550->'''Voiced by''': Creator/ErikVonDetten (Flynt) and Creator/JasonMarsden (Mungo); Mark Lesser (Flynt) and Eric Metayer (Mungo) (European French dub)
551
552Two male gorillas around the same age as Terk.
553----
554* CanonForeigner: While Mungo was a minor character in ''Tarzan of the Apes'', Flynt is an invention of the screenwriters.
555* FatAndSkinny: Both of them are bulky due to being gorillas, but Mungo is among the chubbiest ones whereas Flynt is more slender.
556* HeterosexualLifePartners: They hang out all the time. And in "Tublat's Revenge", when Flynt is kidnapped by Tublat, Mungo is beyond worried. And when they're reunited, Tublat threatening them with death doesn't matter, because they're together again.
557* ManChild: Even when they become adults, they keep their childish personality.
558* StopHittingYourself: Flynt does this to Mungo a lot. Surprisingly, Mungo doesn't seem to mind it.
559* TookALevelInDumbass: In the movie, they are rowdy and goofy but otherwise seem to be of average intelligence. In the tv series though, they become a lot more dimwitted. Perhaps their favorite game of StopHittingYourself took a toll on them?
560* TookALevelInKindness: Though not as evident as with Terk, both of them were dismissive of a young Tarzan because of how he looked but came to respect and trust the latter.
561[[/folder]]
562
563[[folder:The Baboons]]
564[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tarzan_monkeys.png]]
565->'''Voiced by''': Creator/FrankWelker, Creator/DebiDerryberry (vocal effects)
566A large tribe of vicious baboons who are prone to attacking any trespassers, especially if they upset their baby, Manu.
567----
568* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
569** The leader has the colorful facial markings of a mandrill. Even stranger, since the tv series introduces a trio of actual mandrill characters with completely different designs.
570** At one point, Professor Porter refers to them as “''Theropithecus babunious''”. ''Theropithecus'' is actually the genus name of the related gelada (found only in the Ethiopian highlands), while all baboon species belong to the genus ''Papio''.
571* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Manu is the only notable youngster within their tribe and naturally, [[{{Understatement}} they are highly protective of him]].
572* EarlyBirdCameo: We see a baboon tribe at the start of the movie when Kala passes them in search of baby Tarzan, [[ReusedCharacterDesign including a mandrill-like leader and a baby that looks like Manu]]. [[IdenticalGrandson They most likely represent an earlier generation]].
573* FangsAreEvil: Downplayed in that they are not villainous, just [[PapaWolf fiercely protective of their baby]], but all adult baboons have massive fangs ([[TruthInTelevision just like in real life]]), which they both show off while snarling angrily and use for combat, such as when one of them chomps down on Jane's boots.
574* HeelFaceTurn: Despite initially being antagonists to Tarzan and Jane, they show up during the final battle to help them fight off Clayton's men.
575* ManiacMonkeys: Suffice to say, you do not want to cross them. They were even the page image for a while.
576* MischiefMakingMonkey: Unlike the adults, Manu is merely a mischievous BrattyHalfPint who enjoys exploring the world and is shown to be on friendly terms with Tarzan and his family in the series, as he loves rummaging through their camp and playing with any human objects he finds.
577* PapaWolf: All of them will attack you in droves if you upset Manu, including the leader. Justified, as he's the alpha male, meaning he's likely Manu’s father.
578* ParasolParachute: The leader baboon manages to steal Jane's umbrella and uses it to slowly descend down to the ground.
579* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appear a few times in the movie, but they are the reason Tarzan and Jane meet each other.
580* StickyFingers: Manu steals Jane's sketchbook after seeing her drawing of him, and after Jane steals the picture back, the entire baboon tribe chases after her until they get it back. Manu is also shown to have kept Jane's left boot and umbrella after she lost both of them in the chase.
581* TalkingAnimal: Downplayed as like all the other animals in the movie they have their own language, but Manu does at one point say "Uh oh" in English.
582* WildCard: While they are often a threat to Tarzan and his family, they aren’t inherently hostile to them and will sometimes help out, such as during the movie’s climax. [[PapaWolf It seems to largely depend on whether or not the protagonists upset Manu]].
583* ZergRush: How they attack. They are a large tribe of close to a hundred baboons and they make good use of their numbers.
584[[/folder]]

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