Characters / The Lion King First Film

aka: The Lion King Simba

The Lion King franchise character index
First Film (Scar) | Second Film | Midquel Film | Timon & Pumbaa | The Lion Guard | Extended Media | 2019 Film

Characters of The Lion King franchise introduced in the original 1994 film itself.

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Simba

"This is my kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?"

^{As a cub}

Voiced in English by: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (cub, TLK), Matthew Broderick (adult, films), Matt Weinberg (cub, 1 1/2), Cam Clarke (adult, Timon & Pumbaa, Simba's Mighty Adventure, Kingdom Hearts II, Disney Dreamlight Valley), Rob Lowe (adult, The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:: Héctor Lee Jr. (cub, TLK), Arturo Mercado (adult), Memo Aponte (cub, 1 1/2), Kalimba Marichal (cub/songs), Renato López (adult/songs)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Sergio Zamora (adult)

Voiced in Japanese by: Tatsuya Nakazaki (cub, TLK), Mitsuru Miyamoto (adult, both acting and songs), Souta Murakami (cub, DVD/BR version and 1 1/2), Kensho Ono (cub, theater play)

Voiced in European French by: Emmanuel Curtil (adult), Dimitri Rougeul (cub, TLK), Mathias Mella (cub, 1 1/2)

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Patrick de Oliveira (cub, TLK), Garcia Júnior (adult, films), Guilherme Briggs (adult, others), Gustavo Pereira (cub, 1 1/2), Bruno Miguel (cub/songs in TLK)

Voiced in Greek by: Yiannis Yannopoulos (cub, TLK, both acting and songs), ​Lazaros Hrisomallidis (cub, "The Morning Report), Zaharias Rohas (adult, acting and songs in TLK, acting in 2, Timon & Pumbaa), Alex Panayis (adult, songs in 2), Aryiris Paulidis (adult, 1 1/2), Giorgos Skoufis (adult, The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Hebrew by: Doron Ben-Ami (cub), Alon Ofir (adult)

Voiced in Zulu by: Ayanda Nhlangoti (cub), Fezile Mpetha (adult, speaking), Zamo Mbutho (adult, singing)

Singing by: Jason Weaver (cub, TLK), Evan Saucedo (cub, "The Morning Report"), Joseph Williams (adult, TLK), Cam Clarke (adult, Simba's Pride)

Mufasa's son and later, King of the Pride Lands.

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• Abusive Parent: Very downplayed. In Lion Guard, he makes the questionable decision to let his cub son run the Lion Guard without training him prior, despite the vast amounts of stress and danger such a position involves. Worse yet is he outright gets frustrated with Kion and chastises him for apparently not taking the role more seriously despite Kion being a child and not preparing him prior. Although he gives advice at times and worries for his safety, he still made Kion takes this role at a young age, while he paradoxically is protective of his daughter and trains her to be queen, only letting her do so when she is an adult.
• Accidental Ventriloquism: When he tries to roar to intimidate the hyenas but they just laugh at him and tell him to do it again. The second time, the adult Mufasa roars, and for a moment everybody (including Simba himself) believes that the roar came from Simba.
• Action Dad: In Simba's Pride he becomes a father and still can kick ass.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Somewhat. When Lord Capulet from Romeo and Juliet discovers that Romeo has managed to sneak into the masquerade ball, he completely takes it in stride, praises him as a kind and honest person, and angrily warns Tybalt about making a fight in the middle of a ball despite the fact the Montagues are his rivals, and only really gets angry when Romeo kills Tybalt later in the play. Simba, by very contrast, is overtly dismissive towards Kovu due to the prejudice towards the Outsiders probably to simplify the story. In spite of being an overprotective father he doesn't force his daughter into marriage like Lord Capulet but that could have been about the time period, not to mention the fact that Simba pledged to get rid of that law, so its entirely possible he followed through on that pledge.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: While hostile to Kovu for much of the second film, he is anything but cruel to Kiara. While his overprotectiveness gets on her nerves and he has a serious Kick the Dog where he yells at her after he banishes Kovu, this is nothing compared to the original Capulet who threatens to disown and insults Juliet when she attempts to protest her marriage to Paris.
• A Dog Named "Perro": Is named after the word for "lion" in Swahili.
• Affection-Hating Kid: Used to be one; he is completely grossed out at the notion of marrying and being lovey-dovey with Nala.
• Anti-Hero: Simba has some Classical Anti-Hero traits. Because he believed his father's death was ultimately his fault, Simba felt unworthy of ruling the throne, hinting at signs of insecurity and low self-esteem, in addition to becoming reluctant to ever face his past. It wasn't until he met and obtained guidance from the wise mandrill, Rafiki, that Simba would learn that the past is important, and should be looked to as a means to learn from mistakes, but never as a reason to prevent one's self from moving on in life. It also wasn't until Simba learned the truth of his father's demise, he was more confident and self-assured. He's also this during the sequel, as his actions are certainly not what a Disney protagonist would do. He gets better.
• Arranged Marriage: Was betrothed to Nala when they were cubs. Not that it was a problem for them though.
• Archnemesis Dad: Downplayed in the sequel as he's definitely not an antagonist, but he still has plenty of tension with his daughter.
• The Atoner: He spends most of the first film guilt-ridden for his father's death until he finds out that he's not the one to blame for it at all.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: The moment he becomes king and ascends Pride Rock, with the pouring rain and music is damn awesome.
• Babies Ever After: With Nala — the ending of the first movie shows that they had a cub together, who turns out to be Kiara. Then, they have another child, a son, named Kion.
• Badass Adorable: As a cub, he clawed Shenzi on the face when she was a hair away from killing Nala - that took a lot of guts for the rambunctious prince, and showed how brave he truly was.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He goes berserk on Scar for hitting his mother and for telling him the truth of Mufasa's death.
• Big Damn Heroes: He saves Timon and Pumbaa from Nala when she attacks them. Downplayed somewhat because he didn't actually beat her, but still stopped her from eating his friends.
• Big Good: After becoming king, he is this for the whole Pride Lands.
• Big "NO!": When he witnesses his father fall to his death. Does it again when he remembers this, although it is out of sheer rage because Scar has just told him that he killed Mufasa.
• Brains Evil, Brawn Good: In his conflict with Scar. Though it is shown in the sequel that, while not perfect, he manages to turn the Pridelands around and is a far more competent ruler than Scar, who had no idea what to do with his power.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Begins the movie as this, overlapping with Royal Brat.
• Break the Cutie: Happens to him as a cub at Scar's claws.
• Broken Record: When he gives his lecture to Kiara, the way she recites it from memory indicates that he gives it to her every time she attempts to explore the kingdom.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: He was never able to beat Nala in a fight, losing to her twice as cubs and again as adults to the same flip and pin move she always uses on him. He finally manages to get a win in by complete accident, when he ends up pinning her after they roll down a hill together and he lands on top of her.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Zigzagged with Nala. When they meet again as adults, Simba is still hurting from the trauma of his father's death and blaming himself for it. Nala remains unaware and so doesn't comfort him but gives him a What the Hell, Hero? moment on him refusing to go home.
• Bumbling Dad: Several of the more comedic moments in film two occur because of the fact that he cannot accept his daughter is growing up, causing him to whip from this, to Good Parents, to Helicopter Parents in less than a second.
• By the Hair: He suffers this during his fight with Nala in the jungle. When the two are staring each other down with growls, Nala suddenly lunges forward and claws at his mane, managing to briefly pull it down over his eyes.
• Cats Hate Water: Subverted; due to him growing up in a jungle with an oasis, Simba doesn't show any of the stereotypical fear cats have of water. This is best shown during his Falling-in-Love Montage with Nala, when while the two are at the oasis he swings into the water for fun and then pulls Nala in as a prank when she leans too far over. While Simba is completely relaxed and smiling while in the water, Nala is shown gasping for air as she emerges and gets out immediately, shivering from the cold and looking absolutely terrified. And before that, at the end of Hakuna Matata, he swings on a vine with the intent to splash in the lake despite the vine snapping apart; followed by him climbing out soaking wet and drying his mane while having a serene grin on his face.
• Caught in the Bad Part of Town: When Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands, he informs Simba that the Elephant Graveyard is beyond their borders and they must never go there. Scar coaxes Simba to go there by telling him only the bravest lions are allowed to go there, and Simba tricks Zazu into bringing him and Nala there by telling him they're going to the water hole. When Simba, Nala, and Zazu reach the Elephant Graveyard, they get chased by the hungry hyenas, until Mufasa arrives and saves them.
• Character Development: He goes through a lot of this over the course of the movie, and then gets a bit more by the end of the sequel.
  • In the first film: Cub Simba was playful and always ready for an adventure with his best friend, Nala. He tried to see the best in everyone, even Scar. At times, he could be a show-off and boasted that he will be greatest king ever, which often got himself and Nala into danger. In spite of this, he came to see the fault in his actions and always learned from his mistakes. Now as a young adult, Simba still has his fun-loving demeanor, but has become ashamed of those actions he believed were his fault when he was a cub. After reuniting with Nala, Simba realizes he needs to mature and take responsibility; he becomes even more courageous and, after discovering Scar's true nature, is determined to protect his family and kingdom, regardless of the cost. Simba becomes strict and takes his job of ruling the kingdom seriously.
  • In the sequel: By the end of the story he becomes more forgiving of his enemies and more trusting of his daughter, indicating he is becoming a better ruler, the ruler he was always meant to be.
  • In The Lion Guard, it is indicated he is clearly uncomfortable with keeping Scar's return a secret, but feels he has no choice.
• Chasing a Butterfly: While waiting for Scar and Mufasa in the gorge, he chases a chameleon, practicing his roar on it. Then the stampede arrives.
• Cheaters Never Prosper: A minor example brought about by himself. After Nala pinned him the first time, he was so bitter over his loss that he tried pouncing her while she was distracted, but sent them both tumbling down a cliff and Nala still wound up pinning him anyway, being even more smug about it this time.
• Cheerful Child: One of Disney's most honest examples.
• Chekhov's Gunman: To Timon and Pumbaa, in a way. When he saves Pumbaa from being eaten by Nala, Timon says "See, I told you having a lion around would come in handy!"
• Childhood Friend Romance: With Nala, they even provide the page quote for the trope. They grew up playing around and then, after they finished growing up, they became the Ruling Couple of the Pride Lands.
• Clifftop Caterwauling: Simba does this in the finale of the movie as part of his Awesome Moment of Crowning: he slowly walks up to the top of Pride Rock and lets out a Mighty Roar to announce he's the new Lion King.
• Combat Pragmatist: He's not above cheap shots or using the environment to his advantage.
• Cradle of Loneliness: When Simba discovers Mufasa's body after the stampede, he tries to wake him up, before resting himself under his paw as he did towards the beginning.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: He is on the receiving end of this from his best friend Nala. As cubs he is quickly beaten by her in their play fights twice in a row by her flipping him and pinning him, despite him having the advantage against her by pouncing first and managing to tackle her while she's distracted. He is also clearly embarrassed by his quick defeats, especially when Nala teases him over it. Subverted when he fights her a third time as adults, putting up a much more even fight against her.
• Curb-Stomp Cushion: Although he ends getting beaten by Nala again in their third fight, he does much better than the first two times against her, and manages to hold his own against her despite it being his first real fight. He manages to startle her for a brief moment when he lunges at her at the start of the fight and tackles her hard to the ground, managing to hold her down for a few seconds before she breaks free, and grapples with her evenly for most of the fight. Nala pins him with the same move she used on him before, flipping him and slamming him to the ground, but it is clear she is taking the fight seriously, unlike their fights as cubs where she could beat Simba while laughing and joking. More importantly though, the fight ended because he recognized Nala thanks to this move.
• Curtains Match the Window: He has a matching red mane and eyes.
• Cute Kitten: Well, cub, but baby Simba is adorable.
• Dark and Troubled Past: His childhood was happy until his uncle engineered his father's murder and made Simba think it was his fault. The young cub went into a self-exile and was Happily Adopted by Timon and Pumbaa, but his father's death would continue to haunt him.
• Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally as a cub, more sparsely as an adult — except in The Lion Guard where he excels at subtle snarking.
• Declaration of Protection: After Kion learns about the events of Film Two, Simba states without hesitation, that Kovu will succeed him as King, removing Kion's lingering doubts about the matter.
• Demoted to Extra: Makes only sparse appearances in the Timon and Pumbaa series.
• Didn't See That Coming: When he and Nala argue over which of them deserves credit for successfully ditching Zazu, he suddenly pounces on her in an attempt to win their argument and have the last word. He clearly expects this to be an easy win for him, and is thus shocked when instead of Nala easily being pinned, she manages to flip him over and slam him down instead. Watching closely shows his face go from confident to confused as Nala flips him over, then outright shock once she pins him. He has the same reaction years later when he is pinned by the lioness he is fighting, leading him to realize she is actually Nala.
• A Dog Named "Dog": He's a lion whose name is Swahili for "lion".
• Do with Him as You Will: An accidental example. Simba spared Scar from death, even though he doesn't think Scar deserves it, and tells him to go into exile, but Scar attacks him regardless. In the ensuing fight, Simba tosses Scar off of Pride Rock and into the jaws of the hyenas. Since Scar had, mere moments before, tried to pass the buck for Mufasa's death onto them, one can imagine the outcome.
• The Dreaded: To an extent: In the sequel, Zira has put off attacking the Pridelands for years because of Simba. It is telling when she finally attacks on the basis that Simba is now injured (read: mauled by about seven lionesses at once.) Unfortunately for Zira, he then goes on to survive the subsequent battle in his injured state.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: He near completely loses his will to live after feeling that he caused Mufasa's death until Timon and Pumbaa teach him their philosophy of Hakuna Matata: Sometimes bad things happen and you can't do anything about it, so just put it behind you and move on. Years later he meets up with Nala again and uses this as an excuse to keep running from his problems even though there is something he can - and should - do about it now. Of course, this only highlights how he's been missing the point the whole time, given that he just stopped thinking about Mufasa's death rather than emotionally process it.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • In the sequel, the similarities between him and Kovu quickly become apparent to people sharp enough to notice. Kovu doesn't like Zira's schemes but is manipulated by her until somewhere near the end and is shown to have become accustomed to violence but thinks what he is doing is right. Simba also plays right into Zira's scheming and gets violent...for what he thinks is the best for his daughter and kingdom.
  • Also in the sequel, Simba's persecution of Kovu, and ultimately exiling him, is because he believes Mufasa would have done the same. In reality, Mufasa's spirit wants Kovu and Kiara to be brought together to end the feud between the Outsiders and Pridelanders; after "One of Us," Rafiki is seen performing a depressed Facepalm over the fact that Simba is doing the opposite of what Mufasa wants or would do.
• Dynamic Entry: He begins his fight with Nala when they are adults by suddenly lunging at her with a ferocious growl. This entrance actually startles Nala and gets her to pause long enough for him to pounce on her and briefly hold her down. Though downplayed with him being unable to win the resulting fight, he did still manage to save his friends.
• Endearingly Dorky: He shows a bit of a dorky side while flirting with Nala during their romantic tour of the jungle. While at the oasis together, he suddenly smirks at her before running off and swinging into the oasis, and then pranks Nala by lunging up from right underneath her and pulling her into the water with him. Though Nala is initially terrified by this, getting out immediately and shivering due to the coldness, when Simba comes out next to her with a big goofy smile and his wet mane covering his face, she can't help but smirk at him in amusement over his prank and ridiculous appearance. Though she still takes her revenge by playfully pushing him back in and running off for him to chase her.
• Epic Fail: His attempts to pin Nala as cubs. Despite having the advantage by pouncing first, leaping on her while she's distracted, and having gotten pouncing lessons from his dad, Nala easily flips and pins him on both his attempts. The second attempt is especially noticeable since he tackled her while she wasn't looking and might have been able to pin her, but ended up accidentally sending them both rolling down a hill in the process. All he got for his efforts is Nala teasing him both times.
• Et Tu, Brute?: While he started referring to his uncle as just Scar when he saw the state of the Pridelands, he really develops this attitude after Scar reveals the truth to him. Ever since, he never refers to Scar in a positive tone and flatly refuses to call him family.
• The Exile: He has been on both sides of this
  • In the first film, Simba forces himself into exile after Scar convinces him that he killed Mufasa. Scar, of course, sent the Hyenas to kill Simba immediately after, but they failed as Simba was able to escape through a thorn-infested area too narrow for the Hyenas to pursue him in. When Simba returns years later and is absolved of his guilt, he tells Scar the same words, intending on putting him in exile.
  • In the sequel, Simba exiled all Scar's partisans including his widow Zira and their children. Later in the film, he also exiles Kovu when he realized he was spying on him (even though he had a Heel Realization and helped prevent the assassination plot his clan was setting) during the song "One of Us".
• Expressive Ears: When Mufasa says that he has to teach Simba a lesson, he crouches down and pins his ears back, frowning. When Mufasa calls his name to call him over, he winces and his ears pin back even further.
• Expy: Of Hamlet in the first film, of both Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet in the sequel.
• Eye Scream: Towards the end of The Lion King, his eyes get burned from hot coals thrown by Scar.
• Fantastic Racism: In Return of the Roar, he frankly tells Kion that the team he has assembled (himself, a cheetah cub, a young hippo, a young honey badger and an egret) cannot act as his Lion Guard because "The Lion Guard has always been made of lions." To be fair, he was mostly upset because he thought Kion wasn't taking his new role seriously and was just picking his friends so he could hang out with them; once Simba sees that Kion and his friends are an effective team and can handle their new roles, he no longer has a problem with it.
• Fearless Fool: As a child when he attempted to fight against the hyenas to prove how fearless he was. It goes as well as you'd expect.
• Flashback Nightmare: Seen in the sequel; implied in the midquel.
• Fluffy Dry Cat: Simba gets his mane all fluffed up when he shakes it dry during the "Hakuna Matata" number.
• Former Teen Rebel: In the first film, Simba grows from a well-meaning yet reckless Bratty Half-Pint, to a guilt-ridden young adult running from his past by rejecting all responsibilities, to a king who takes his duties seriously and will defend his kingdom with his life. In the second film he takes this a bit too far, becoming strict and judgmental, but in the end he gets better.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: Zig-zagged with Nala. They were best friends in childhood, but after learning they were betrothed to be married they were both disgusted, finding the idea of being married to their best friend too weird. When they reunite as adults after years apart, they fall in love almost instantly. Simba goes on a romantic walk with Nala around the jungle, serving as their "first date" together, with the two of them playing and flirting together, and heavily implied they conceived a child together. Once when Simba becomes king, he and Nala are married as they were originally betrothed.
• Framed for Heroism: A variant. Simba is trying to roar to scare off the Hyenas from the elephant graveyard, and since he's just a cub, it sounds more like a cat meowing. On his second try, he suddenly lets loose with a loud, deep, echoing roar.... Except it's his father coming to save him.
• Freudian Excuse: In the second movie, it's clear that most of his issues stem from PTSD from the events of the first movie; he's so protective of Kiara because he blames himself for endangering himself and getting his father killed trying to save him, and Kovu's physical resemblance to Scar makes it difficult for Simba to trust him because he keeps inadvertently reminding the poor cat of his very traumatic encounters with his uncle.
• Generation Xerox: Simba greatly resembles and inherits the throne of his father Mufasa. Both of them also end up hanging onto the edge of a cliff while being confronted by Scar.
• Get Out!: Scar tells Simba to "Run away and never return", convincing Simba that he's responsible for Mufasa's death. When a grown-up Simba eventually comes back to Pride Rock and learns that Scar himself is the real murderer, Simba utters these words back at Scar.
  • In the sequel, Simba does this twice to Zira in the same scene.
    Simba: You and your young cub, get out.
    Zira: Haven't you met my son, Kovu? He was hand chosen by Scar to follow in his pawprints and become king.
    (Kovu shivers noisily in fear)
    Timon: That's not a king! That's a fuzzy maraca!
    Zira: Kovu was the last born before you exiled us to the Outlands, where we have little food... less water...
    Simba: You know the penalty for returning to the Pridelands.
    Zira: But the child does not. However, if you need your pound of flesh... here. (pushes Kovu forward)
    Simba: Take him and get out. We're finished here.
• Glad I Thought of It: After he and Nala escape from Zazu he immediately tries to give himself all the credit by calling himself a genius. Nala points out it was her idea and he couldn't have pulled it off without her.
• Go Back to the Source: Simba returns to his home of Pride Rock in order to dethrone Scar and claim his place as king.
• The Good King: Simba grows up to be a wise and respected ruler, much like Mufasa before him. He had banished those who retained loyalty to the dethroned Scar, but was willing to accept them eventually, as he followed the philosophy verbally showcased in "We Are One". He also manages to make the land flourish, unlike Scar. However, despite being King, Simba knows that he has to respect the traditions of other animals, which was why he didn't interfere with Makuu and Pua's mashindano.
• Good Parents: Although very overprotective, he is this to Kiara. This is in contrast to Zira's abusive parenting of Kovu and marks the reason as to why Kiara and Kovu's personalities are so different. Also to Kion, in the Lion Guard.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: In the second half of the sequel, he frequently loses his temper to the point where he exiles Kovu for his involvement in Zira's False Flag Operation. Fortunately, Kiara snaps Simba out of it.
• Hakuna Matata: Timon and Pumbaa teach him this philosophy as a cub, encouraging him to forget about his past and live a carefree lifestyle. Having just fled the Pride Lands under the (mistaken) belief that he caused his father's death, Simba takes to it like a duck to water. This gets deconstructed by the time he grows up - not only has Simba clearly not moved on from his past, Hakuna Matata becomes an excuse for him to not deal with his lingering issues or face up to his responsibility. It takes guidance from Mufasa’s spirit and Rafiki (along with a stick to the head) for Simba to shake this mindset off.
• Happily Adopted: By Timon and Pumbaa during his exile from the Pride Lands. The two raised him quite well, managing to teach him not just to survive, but to grow into what he's supposed to be. In The Lion Guard, Timon outright refers to Simba as his and Pumbaa's baby.
• Hates Baths: "Mom! Mom, you're messing up my mane!" This trope was also the focus of the tie-in comic "Dirty Cub", where Simba makes an effort to stay clean just so he won't have to take a bath again.
• Held Gaze: Simba and Nala gaze deeply into each other's eyes at the end of their Falling in Love Montage of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" before nuzzling each other in a manner that resembles a kiss.
• Helicopter Parents: In the sequel. As a direct result of Mufasa's tragic death, Simba also became fearful and overprotective, specifically with his daughter, Kiara, as he feared the dangers that lurked in the Pride Lands, be they outright such as the hyenas were or hidden within the shadows, such as the true nature of Scar. Fortunately, he loosens up towards the end of the film.
• The Hero: The first film is about his growth and life, as well as what it means to be king.
• Hero Antagonist: By the halfway mark of the sequel, Simba really begins to become an antagonist for his daughter's, and Kovu's romance in spite of being The Good King. Still one of the main good guys, though.
• Heroic BSoD: He falls into one after his father is killed during a stampede, which gets worse when Scar blames him for it and tells him to leave the Pridelands. Horrified with himself, he runs off into the desert. Thankfully, he is saved by Timon and Pumbaa, who help him put his past behind him. However, he doesn’t come out of it completely until talking to the spirit of his father (along with some convincing by Rafiki).
• Heroic Rematch: Played with between him and Nala. Despite both of them being best friends, the two of them also seemed to have a slight rivalry with each other as cubs due to their Bratty Half-Pint nature. When one of their arguments escalates into the two of them playfully fighting over it, Nala flips and pins Simba with little effort twice while laughing at him.
  • The two of them end up fighting again much more seriously years later as adults when Simba attacks Nala to stop her from hunting Timon and Pumbaa. Though Simba does much better against her, holding his own despite her having more experience, it being his first real fight of his life, and managing to briefly startle her with his sudden arrival and hold her down for a moment, it ends up subverted when Simba still ultimately loses to Nala again against the same flip and pin move she used to beat him as cubs.
  • This is later played straight but downplayed between them. During their Falling-in-Love Montage while teasing each other, Simba chases Nala into the jungle and after catching up to her the two begin to playfully wrestle with each other again, resulting in them accidentally tumbling down a hill together while holding on to each other in a grapple. Simba ends up landing on top of Nala, finally pinning her. Despite this being a complete accident, it is still Simba's only ever win against Nala, and Nala herself seems to acknowledge it as a win for him, acting as a Graceful Loser and giving him an affectionate lick on the cheek as a reward for finally "beating" her.
• Heroic Second Wind: Scar nearly backs him off of Pride Rock while he's trying to guilt-trip him. But just as he's about to push him off to his death, he admits to being the one who killed Mufasa. Simba pounces on him in a instant and starts choking him to get him to admit the truth.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Briefly, when Scar accuses him of being responsible for Mufasa's death, until he forces Scar to admit the truth to the rest of the pride.
• He's Back!: The reaction from Sarabi, Scar, and the other Pridelanders.
• He Is All Grown Up: As a cub, Nala had absolutely no respect for him, especially since he could never beat her in a play-fight. One time-skip later, and she's quite surprised to see that he's now a big, magnificent grown-up lion. And now he can pin her down (if not when they're seriously fighting). She quickly becomes a lot more amenable to the idea of a romance with him.
• Horrible Judge of Character: During the first half of the movie, he has no trouble trusting Scar. Justified since he's still a naive cub and Scar is his uncle. When he grows up, he sees what a monster Scar truly is.
• Hunk: A rare animal version (although, not to the extent of his father). A square-shaped muzzle, a moderately muscular build, some strong facial features, and a mane qualifying as both a beard and long hair make for one handsome big cat.
• Hypocrite: In the sequel, his daughter has to remind him of his own teachings of the land being one after being driven to war with another pride.
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Says this when Scar framed him for killing his father.
  Simba: The wildebeests, and... he tried to save me... It was an accident! I-I-I didn't mean for it to happen!
  Scar: Of course, of course you didn't. No-one ever means for these things to happen.
• If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Invoked during his confrontation with Scar.
  Scar: What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle?
  Simba: No, Scar. I'm not like you.
  • When Zira dares him to kill Kovu, the look on Simba's face makes it clear that he knows this is precisely what Scar tried to do to him. Simba flatly refuses to even entertain the notion that he would harm the child, and his final line "Take him and get out", while more calmer, is filled with disgust that she would let him kill her child.
• I Never Told You My Name: How he ends up revealing himself to Nala has adults. The two are reunited in the jungle with Simba lunging at her and the two getting into a brief fight while just growling at each other. After he loses to her, he recognizes the move she used to flip and pin him as the one she previously used on him as cubs. As she is holding him down and glaring at him, with him only able to stare up at her helplessly, he says her name to see if it's really her, surprising her into getting off of him.
• Innocence Lost: Simba crosses the Despair Event Horizon while still a cub when he watches his father Mufasa fall to his death while trying to escape a stampede. It traumatized him to the point where he became an overprotective father towards his own daughter Kiara in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, not wanting history to repeat.
• Interspecies Adoption: After Mufasa's death, Simba was Happily Adopted by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog.
• Interspecies Friendship: He has several friends who are not lions, and some of those friends actually belong to species lions normally prey upon.
• Ironic Echo: When he corners Scar atop Pride Rock during the climax of the film, he repeats the same words Scar said to him before he ran away: to "run away and never return."
• Irony:
  • As a cub, Simba couldn't imagine being married to Nala because they only thought of each other as friends. However, when they reunite as adults, they have a Falling-in-Love Montage.
  • Simba was never able to beat Nala in a fight. He lost to her both times they wrestled as cubs, even when he tried to cheat, and then again as adults. He only ever managed to "beat" her by complete accident, pinning her after they both rolled down a hill together and he just happened to finally land on top of her without even trying.
• It's All About Me: A more naive variant. As a cub, he thinks this is what being a king means. Unlike his uncle, he grows out of this mindset...through some pretty harsh circumstances. A lesser example is after he and Nala escape Zazu, where he gives himself the credit calling himself a genius, even though Nala points out it was her idea and he only pulled it off with her.
• It's All My Fault: Has this feeling about his father's death. Also believes that the rest of the pride will believe it as well if they learn the whole truth of how Mufasa died. Once he learns the truth, he breaks out of it.
• "I Want" Song: His song, "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", explains his desires to become king.
• I Was Beaten by a Girl:
  • Has never beat Nala in a fight, even in their serious, more even handed battle as adults. He is shown to be embarrassed over how easily she beat him too, glaring at her sourly both times he lost to her as cubs, especially when she rubs her victories in his face by smugly teasing him "Pinned ya" for his losses. Her trademark pin move was a Chekhov's Skill in him recognizing her, when she uses it to defeat him again years later. He finally does pin her back later on, though on far more playful (and far less intentional) terms.
  • Done more dramatically in the sequel, where he is ambushed and injured by Zira's clan and forced to escape. Though that's somewhat fair enough, and he does manage to fight them off, barely. They face off in the final battle but are stopped at the last second by Kiara.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Of the Bratty Half-Pint variety in the first film and the Helicopter Parents variety in the sequel. In the first film, Simba starts off as an innocently entitled Royal Brat who thinks he will be able tell others what to do, but grows out of that mindset during his adulthood. He is also this in Simba's Pride, being a paranoid overprotective parent who is still a good person. In the second half, while he becomes easier to anger, he remains a Noble Bigot who reluctantly accepts Kovu in the Pridelands. He starts considering giving him a chance due to how happy he makes his daughter but is blinded by anger when Kovu seemingly betrays him. He eventually realizes his mistake and accepts Kovu and the rest of his pride making Mufasa proud.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Subverted. While many of his decisions in the sequel are understandable, he slowly becomes more antagonistic, which culminates in his decision to exile Kovu on the spot. He doesn't take the jump thanks to Kiara calling him out.
• Keet: Occasionally was very hyper and playful as a cub. Also possibly as an adult, thanks to living with Timon and Pumbaa.
• King of Beasts: He is a lion. And a king. A lion king, if you will.
• The Lancer: He's the tritagonist of Simba's Pride, since Kiara's the main focus this time around.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Simba had a massive ego as a cub, often thinking of himself as the best and imagining how great of a king he will be and in general coming off as a brat. One of his earliest moments of Humble Pie for him though was with his best friend Nala, who was just as mischievous and bratty as him. When Simba tries to give himself all the credit for escaping Zazu, Nala argues against him and manages to counter all his points, with Simba resorting to pouncing on her to have the last word, only to end up easily getting flipped and pinned by her to his shock, and teased by her for his loss. After shoving her off him in embarrassment, he immediately tries to get revenge on her by cheating, pouncing on her when she has her back turned to him, only for things to go wrong when they tumble down a hill due to this, and Nala once again ends up pinning him, smugly rubbing her victory in his face.
  • Simba was troublesome as a cub, especially to Zazu. Several years later, Simba spent an episode of The Lion Guard stuck with Bunga ("Bunge and the King") and to say Bunga wore him down would be an understatement.
• Left for Dead: After his father's death, Simba is left for dead in the middle of a burning desert, only to be later saved by Timon and Pumbaa. Simba was supposed to have been finished off by the hyenas, but they blundered this (as usual) — and weren't going to tell Scar about their failure and Shenzi assumes he will be killed when he goes off on his own.
• Leitmotif: Featured in This Land. If you want to get technical, his leitmotif is the "Busa" chant that pops up throughout the film.
• A Lesson Learned Too Well: One short story in a Disney story collection had Nala confiding in Simba that she was afraid of mice. Simba accidentally told this to Mufasa, and Nala felt hurt by it, so Simba promised to keep secrets from then on. However, Nala then told Simba she was secretly going to explore a cave and didn't return, but Simba refused to tell the adults where she was because of his promise to keep his secrets. He eventually relented in time to save Nala.
• Literally Falling in Love: With Nala towards the end of their Falling-in-Love Montage. When the two of them start playfully wrestling together in the jungle, they end up accidentally tumbling down a hill together. Simba ends up pinning Nala when they reach the bottom, to their mutual amusement.
• Made of Iron: In the sequel, he survives an ambush and a full battle whilst injured.
• Manchild: His whole arc in the second half of the first movie is growing out of his immaturity though Simba's Pride showed he still had some growing up to do.
• Maniac Tongue: Sports one when teasing Zazu in "I Just Can't Wait to be King".
• Meaningful Name: His name is Swahili for "lion."
• Miles Gloriosus: Was this as a cub. He dreamed of being a mighty king and being able to do whatever he wanted to do, but he could not back up any of his boasts or bragging. He lost to his best friend Nala twice in a row when trying to pounce her, and his roar sounds more like a kitten's meow. Subverted when he actually shows courage by clawing a hyena that could crush him with one bite just to rescue Nala.
• Mouthy Kid: At the beginning of the movie, especially towards Zazu.
• Moving Beyond Bereavement: With a little persuasion from Scar, Simba believes that he was responsible for Mufasa's death and flees the Pride Lands in shame; teaming up with Timon and Pumbaa, he accepts their philosophy of Hakuna Matata as a means of distancing himself from his grief - without actually moving on. Years later, he's reunited with Nala, who tries to convince him to return to the Pride Lands and dethrone Scar, but Simba is reluctant to confront his misplaced guilt. Simba soon meets up with Rafiki, who teaches him that the past can hurt, but it's also important to learn from it so he can prepare for the future; Mufasa's spirit also appears and tells Simba that he needs to remember that he's his son and needs to take his place as the one true king, finally giving him the confidence to stand up to Scar.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Scar successfully manipulates him into thinking he is the one who caused his father's death, and this haunts him profoundly well into his adulthood until some careful prodding from Rafiki and Nala (As well as a chance encounter with his father's spirit) makes him realize he must put this behind him. Even then, when he confronts Scar he still carries great shame for what happened. That is until Scar makes the mistake of taunting him with the truth.
  • The guilt-ridden look on Simba's face after Kiara flat-out tells him that he will never be like his father in Simba's Pride says it all. His later reconciliation with her indicates that he is trying to apologize for that.
  • The third season finale of the Lion Guard indicates that he clearly sees his treatment of Kovu throughout much of Simba's Pride as revolting, and his very firm and unambiguous affirmation that Kovu will be the next king is clearly an attempt to atone for that.
• My Greatest Failure:
  • He can't get over the "fact" that he was responsible for his father's death until Scar decides to gloat in the middle of his execution attempt by whispering to him that he was the one who orchestrated Mufasa's death and manipulated Simba into misbelieving that he was responsible for it.
  • The third season of the Lion Guard shows that he’s completely ashamed of his past mistreatment of Kovu and is trying to atone for it by declaring he would be the next king.
• Noble Bigot: Simba becomes prejudiced against the Outsiders in the sequel, but does keep his word of allowing Kovu into his pride when he "saved" Kiara. And he is partially justified of his prejudice, as the Outsiders did plot to murder him to take over the Pridelands.
• One-Man Army: His showing in the third act of Simba's Pride is a good look at why the hyenas and Scar didn't dare challenging Mufasa directly, and why Zira bided her time for so many years. Now having grown to be as brawny as his father, Simba not only survives the Outsider ambush, but hours later is able to lead his pride into battle against their enemies with gusto. He is seen being overwhelmed for a moment by nearly the entire Outsider pride swarming him together, but once he regains his bearings he knocks them all off of him and resumes fighting without missing a beat. Even in this state, Zira's challenge was far from an assured victory.
• Pale Females, Dark Males: His fur is darker than Nala's.
• Papa Wolf: Especially with how overprotective he can be, Simba will do anything to protect his cubs. Zira and the Outsiders even try to use this trope to have Kovu get close enough to kill Simba through his staged rescue of Kiara.
• Parental Hypocrisy: At one point, Nala points out to Simba that Kiara's just like they were when they were cubs, and Simba explains that this is what worries him. This trait shows up again in "The Lion Guard" regarding his son Kion, leading him to be initially harsh on Kion for not apparently taking his new responsibilities as leader of the Lion Guard seriously. On a separate note, he is shown to be very protective of Kiara, and yet he is perfectly fine with putting his younger son in charge of the Lion Guard as a cub, despite the various dangers involved with that position.
• Parents as People: Even when Kiara becomes an adult, Simba is still overprotective to the point of deceiving her out of fear of losing her, much to her dismay. He eventually loosens up after his reconciliation with Kiara.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: He and Nala both balk at the idea of getting married—at first, while they're still cubs. After they grow up...
• Pet the Dog: He is utterly sickened when Zira suggests that she kill Kovu. Despite having just learned he is the alleged heir of Scar, and therefore a likely threat, his look at Kovu and then at Zira shows it to the audience that Simba is absolutely revolted at her insinuation.
• Poor Communication Kills: He refuses to explain to Nala why he feels he can't go back to Pride Rock and overthrow Scar. This is down to lingering guilt and self-loathing for seemingly causing Mufasa's death, but he chooses to act evasive about it rather than come clean. Aside from the brief falling out this causes between them, it means that when Scar forces Simba to confess, the shocked Nala doesn't step in when Scar nearly sends Simba to his death over the edge of Pride Rock.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: He attempts one of these during one of his play fights with Nala as cubs. When the two of them are arguing over who deserves credit for the idea they used for successfully ditching Zazu and Nala manages to counter every argument Simba makes, Simba just smirks at her deviously and remarks "Oh yeah?" in a sly tone right before letting out a small roar and pouncing on her as a surprise attack, intending to pin her down and force her to give him all the credit. It ends up subverted though, when to his surprise Nala easily flips him over while he's on top of her and he ends up pinned by her instead.
• Predator-Prey Friendship: Some of Simba's friends belong to species usually hunted by lions. Heck, the reason he and Nala reunited as adults is because she tried to attack Pumbaa, causing Simba to jump to his rescue.
• Predator Turned Protector: He fiercely protects his surrogate parents, Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat, from the hungry lioness Nala. In fact Timon, initially reluctant to adopt the orphaned Simba due to him being a predator, changes his mind after he realizes he can exploit this trope.
• Prodigal Hero: He is a prince of the Pride Lands who flees as a cub due to his father's death and his uncle Scar convincing Simba that he himself was responsible. He runs into Timon and Pumbaa, who raise him in the philosophy of living life with no worries and forgetting his past, until he encounters his former childhood best friend Nala and finds out how the Pridelands has suffered under Scar's tyranny in his absence, and has to face his past to challenge Scar and become king.
• Protagonist Title: The "Lion King" apparently refers to Simba, when he officially returns to the Pridelands. His given name is part of the title of the sequel, as he is the co-lead of the film alongside his daughter Kiara.
• Properly Paranoid: His paranoia over Kiara's safety in the first half of the sequel, and his mistrust of Kovu in the second half. Although Kovu realizes just how evil Zira is and doesn't go through with it, the original plan did call for Simba's death. Also Kiara's behaviour ultimately leads Zira using her as an Unwitting Pawn in her plans.
• Raised by Dudes: After his father's death and Scar's manipulations, Simba runs away from the Pridelands in exile. He is found and adopted by Timon and Pumbaa, who are his primary caretakers from a cub to an adult lion.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the deleted alternate ending of the film, Simba gives this to Scar during their final showdown.
  Simba: You think just because you killed my father, you're better than him?! You're pathetic, you're weak...and above all, Scar, you're nothing but a coward!
• Rebel Prince: After Mufasa's death and Scar's manipulation, he goes into exile and shakes all responsibility as rightful successor to his father's kingdom. He eventually returns years later when he is informed by Nala how bad things have gotten under Scar's misrule.
• Red Is Heroic: Is The Hero and has a red mane.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: In the sequel, he is the Red Oni to Nala's Blue Oni when it comes to their way of raising Kiara. Both are Good Parents who want what's best for Kiara, but Simba can sometimes be overprotective while Nala is more willing to let her be on her own. Their treatment of Kovu also has this dynamic. Simba acts aggressive with him (Though not without reason), while Nala is more accepting of him.
• Refusal of the Call: His call to action actually comes further into the film than usual when Nala finds him alive and tries to convince him to return to the Pride Lands in order to oust Scar from power and take his place as the rightful king. Because of his guilt over what he thinks he did to his father as well as him having embraced living a life with, "No worries, for the rest of your days" he initially refuses. However after meeting with Rafiki and the spirit of his father, Simba reconsiders it and finds the courage and will to put his past behind him and return to the Pride Lands to accept his responsibility.
• Relative Button: Scar successfully guilt-trips Simba over Mufasa's death when he returns and nearly backs him off of Pride Rock... but before tossing him off, Scar decides to twist the knife even further by gloating that he was the one who killed Mufasa. In an instant, Simba jumps up, pins Scar down, and chokes him into confessing the truth for the entire pride to hear.
• Restrained Revenge: Downplayed and Played for Laughs between him and Nala, with both of them doing this to each other in quick succession during their Falling-in-Love Montage. While at the oasis together, Simba pulls a prank on Nala by lunging up from beneath her when she gets too close to the edge, grabbing her and pulling her into the water with him. Nala resurfaces gasping for air and immediately gets out, shivering from the cold and having a visibly shocked expression. When Simba comes out next to her, with a goofy smile and his wet mane covering his face, she smirks in amusement at his prank and ridiculous appearance before playfully shoving shoving him back into the water as revenge and runs off. This is followed by Simba chasing after Nala, pursuing her into the jungle where she eventually lets him catch up to her and they begin to playfully wrestle with each other like when they were cubs. This leads to the two tumbling down a hill together and Simba finally managing to beat Nala by landing on top of her and pinning her, putting an end to her winning streak against him. The two of them just chuckle together over these series of events before realizing they have fallen in love.
• Rightful King Returns: When he goes to reclaim the Pridelands.
• Royal Brat: Cub Simba has his moments, but was still shown to be brave and willing to stand up for his friends. Also, it is obvious that with a strict father like Mufasa, he would have shaped up even without Scar's interference.
• Sarcasm-Blind: Formerly when he was a cub. In the scene where Scar talks him into exploring the elephant graveyard, he's unaffected by Scar's remarks.
  Simba: Hey, Uncle Scar! When I'm king, what'll that make you?
  Scar: A monkey's uncle.
  Simba: (laughs) You're so weird.
  Scar: You have no idea.
• Sore Loser: Was a bit of one as a cub. When he and Nala get into an argument over who deserves credit for the two of them successfully ditching Zazu, he resorts to simply pouncing on her after she counters all his arguments to force her to admit he deserves it, but she easily flips him over and pins him instead. After she playfully teases him over this he immediately tells her to let him up and pushes her off him. Then he glares angrily at her, embarrassed over her beating him in a fight he started, before immediately trying to pounce on her again while she's distracted and has her back turned to him as revenge, essentially resorting to cheating against her. She ends up once again easily beating him anyway, and all he can do is glare at her with a pout once she smugly rubs it in his face.
• Spoiled Brat: His initial attitude towards being Mufasa's heir. As the story progresses, however, he becomes more carefree and unconcerned about his past (i.e. being tricked into thinking he caused Mufasa's death), all the while forgetting about taking the throne.
• Starting a New Life: After having been run out of his home by Scar following Mufasa's death, Simba runs away and grows in a jungle with new friends, with no plans to go back to Pride Rock. This changes when Mufasa's spirit visits him, filling him with the resolve to take back Pride Rock from his Evil Uncle.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Pulls one on Kovu, when the latter is debating attacking him. One second he is there, getting a drink of water, but the second Kovu takes his eye off of him for a second, he is gone. Given the angle it is presented at, this is probably justified.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Not as much as a cub; as an adult, however, not only does he resemble Mufasa, but has facial features resembling his mother. When he returns to the Pride Lands as an adult his own mother and Scar briefly mistake him for Mufasa due to his strong resemblance. It continues in the sequel when he has returned to a meat-based diet and has grown considerably bulkier, strongly resembling his father's intimidating brawn.
• Stunned Silence: His reaction to Nala flipping and pinning him for the first time. He goes from confidently roaring at her as he pounces to confused as she flips him and slams him down, and is left so shocked by this all he can do is look up at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, unable to say anything. This only lasts until Nala chuckles at him and playfully teases him "Pinned ya" for his loss, getting him to overcome his shock and rudely telling her to get off him while pushing her off. This happens to him again as adults, when he recognizes the move she used on him to flip and pin him and stares up at her in shock as she holds him down. As she growls at him nose to nose with a menacing Death Glare, Simba says her name in shock, surprising her into getting off of him.
• Suddenly Shouting: Throughout most of the sequel, most of his anger is only shown in his voice tone, but at Kovu's trial, he completely snaps and is practically shouting every single sentence in that scene.
• Supporting Leader: In Simba's Pride, he's the king of the Pride Lands so he's automatically The Leader but the story focuses on his daughter, Kiara, and Kovu.
• Survivor's Guilt: The fact that he survived the stampede while his father didn't weighed heavily on Simba for most of his life. Add to the fact that Scar deliberately manipulated him into believing that the reason Mufasa died in the first place was because of the very fact that Simba happened to be caught in the stampede and needed to be saved probably added a double dose to that weight of guilt.
• That Man Is Dead: In his youth he could not recognize the malice in his Uncle Scar; by the time he sees what Scar has done to the Pridelands in his absence, he no longer views Scar as family, and after learning the truth of his father's death sees him as nothing but a murderer. Even after Scar's death, his actions continue to affect Simba well into his reign, and he has sworn that such evil will never taint the Pridelands again.
• Took a Level in Badass: While he does start out brave enough to scratch a hyena, it's not until the end of the movie that he's as strong as Scar. Arguably takes another in the sequel; he has grown bigger and becomes capable of surviving attacks by several lionesses at once. Although Simba is injured at the time, Zira is a tad bit delusional when she wants to go lioness on lion with him alone.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In Simba's Pride, where his very real trauma from Scar and wanting to be like his father causes him to make some very bad choices, ultimately culminating in him exiling Kovu and declaring it was what Mufasa would have done (while Mufasa actually accepted Kovu and wanted him to get together with Kiara). It takes Kiara angrily saying he'll never be like Mufasa and later helping him discover the Outsiders are the same for him to realize his mistakes.
• Took a Level in Kindness: In regards to his relationship with Zazu, by the end of the film, he's no longer mischievous towards him and respects him now as a grown up.
• Trauma Button: It is very heavily implied that Simba has post traumatic stress disorder, and that anything related to Scar triggers it. Given that Kovu has a very strong physical resemblance to Scar and is outright stated to be Scar's heir, it quickly becomes obvious his initial unwillingness to trust him is because of his psychological trauma.
• Tranquil Fury:
  • During the climax of the first film, after discovering that Scar killed Mufasa. He's clearly furious, but remains calm and collected, his gruff tone of voice being the only indicator.
  • His reaction to seeing the Pridelands for the first time in years is made of this. What was once a lush land full of life and prosperity has been reduced to a barren wasteland choked with the bones of dead prey under Scar's rule; if Simba had any lingering doubts that his uncle needed to be stopped, it was seeing this that put those to rest.
  • When Zira suggests he kill Kovu, who is still a cub, after having been informed that he is allegedly Scar's heir, he is much more relaxed than in the entire encounter where he was angrily hollering at Zira to depart, simply telling her to take him and get out, making it not so subtly clear he is grossed-out with the suggestion he would go that far.
  • In "Let Sleeping Crocs Lie", he is clearly mad that Kiburi tried to rule the Pride Lands by having his followers try to murder him in ambush at the mashindano, but he doesn't really raise his voice and keeps a dignified image. His voice noticeably turns cold after Kiburi tries protest against his and his followers' banishment, firmly ordering him to leave now.
  • When Scar reveals himself in Season 2, his tone of voice makes it clear he is livid to see his uncle back from the dead, but maintains his calmness and swiftly wipes away Scar's mark.
  • Throughout the second half of the second film, Simba's anger is just barely contained with only his voice, but he finally drops the tranquil part at Kovu's trial. He brings it back during the final confrontation with the Outsiders, making it clear in a deadly calm, cold voice that if Zira doesn't leave, he'll tear her apart.
• Underestimating Badassery: He tried to beat Nala as cubs twice during an argument but was easily flipped and pinned himself instead. He even tries getting her while she's not looking but still loses to her.
• Universally Beloved Leader: The Lion Guard shows that Simba enjoys an excellent reputation as a good and fair king that everybody respects. Even the crocodiles, notorious for being territorial isolationists, respected him enough to allow a trespassing Zazu, Kion, and Bunga to leave unharmed due to not wanting to earn Simba's wrath.
• Unstoppable Rage:
  • He flies into a rage when fighting Scar in the final battle of the first movie.
  • In the second movie, he loses it after he exiles Kovu for his perceived (but not entirely wrong) role in Zira's plot to kill him.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Despite spending years lazing around with Timon and Pumbaa, he was more than capable of taking on Scar, several hyenas, and a number of Outlander lionesses in the sequel. He also managed to fight Nala evenly for a short time in his first real fight, even managing to hold her down briefly, before she finally managed to pin him with the same technique she used against him in her youth.
• Unwitting Pawn: His decision to keep Scar's return a secret from the Pride Lands merely allows Scar to keep building his army in secret, and allows Scar to severely damage the trust they have in their king.
• Vegetarian Carnivore: A variation. Simba begins eating insects at the insistence of his two friends.
• Vocal Dissonance: His rather high pitched, nasally voice can look a bit weird on a lion. Subverted in some of the foreign dubs as well as in The Lion Guard where he is given a more fitting, baritone pitch courtesy of Rob Lowe.
• Wake-Up Call: Wrecked with guilt over his father's death, not helped by Scar's manipulations, Simba fled from the Pride Lands and his responsibilities, growing up under Timon and Pumbaa in as carefree an environment as possible. But when not around Timon and Pumbaa, it's clear that Simba is still wrecked by his guilt. It wasn't until Nala, Rafiki and the ghost of his father talking to him in succession did he get over his guilt enough to head back to face his responsibilities. Learning the truth about his father's death also helped.
• Walking in Rhythm: At the end of the movie, as Simba scales Pride Rock, his feet fall in time with the music, leading up to his triumphant roar at the top. Also during that part of "Hakuna Matata" where they walked across the log.
• Warrior Prince: Takes charge of the battle to reclaim Pride Rock and faces Scar in one-on-one combat.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy:
  • Although anything but an emotionally distant father, Mufasa is often preoccupied with the duties of the throne, and little Simba certainly sees him as a hero, worshiping the ground his paws tread upon. But there is no indication Simba ever doubts he has his father's love or respect...until Scar convinces him he is to blame for his father's death. Then, overcome with remorse and believing no one could ever forgive him, he voluntarily goes into exile. It is Mufasa's ghost, reminding him of his place in the Circle and telling him "You are my son and the one true king," that sets him back on the right path again. And with a simple, single word, "Remember..." he lets his son know he is very proud of him indeed.
  • By Simba's Pride, however, he's unable to trust Kovu or see him as anything but a reincarnation of Scar, all in the mistaken belief that this is what his father would do (and therefore, would make Mufasa proud of him). Luckily Nala, as usual, is the voice of reason while Kiara, with typical bluntness, makes it quite clear to her father that he won't be like Mufasa. And just to hammer the point home that Simba does not have to emulate his father's reign (or his perception of it) in order to receive his love and pride, Mufasa's ghost actually says the words, "Well done, my son" after the prides are united and peace is declared.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the sequel. He banishes Kovu and the rest of the Outsiders for their plot to kill him and their loyalty to Scar. His later attempts to keep his daughter away from Kovu results in the two becoming Star-Crossed Lovers, if only temporarily.
• With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Mufasa instills this into Simba early on, helping him avoid becoming the type of king Scar is.
• What Would X Do?: This trope is his biggest failing in the sequel; Simba is so focused on trying to be as good as Mufasa that he makes knee-jerk reactions when something unexpected happens and royally messes everything up. Kiara calls him out on it big time.
• Won the War, Lost the Peace: This has become an overarching problem that he has to deal with in both the sequel and in The Lion Guard after Scar’s defeat. To begin with, a faction of lionesses led by Zira refused to accept Simba’s rule, and gave him one last challenge that led to their banishment, leaving tensions between them high. And then there’s a new generation of hyenas that have been claiming swaths of Scar’s former territory in the Outlands and continue to actively threaten the Pride Lands. Said Hyenas summon Scar’s Spirit who decides to call together other predators who have it out for the Pride Lands to coordinate attacks, leading Simba to prepare for war again.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: When Zira gave young Kovu to be killed by Simba, all the older lion does is look at the cub and tell Zira to take him and leave.
• You Killed My Father: After Scar admits that he is the one who killed Mufasa, Simba forces him to reveal the truth to the other lions.
• You Remind Me of X: It is done very subtly in the second film, but there are signs that Simba does see something of himself in Kovu, seeing him as a young lion who does want to leave a bad influence behind and become a better person, even if he never says it. It is subtly implied that this is the reason he decides to tell Kovu the real story of Scar.
• Your Size May Vary: The Lion Guard bizarrely shows him to be much smaller than he is in previous films.

Mufasa

Mufasa

"Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king."

^{Click here} to see him in The Lion Guard

Voiced in English by: James Earl Jones (films, Return of the Roar), Keith David (House of Mouse, Simba's Mighty Adventure), Gary Anthony Williams (The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Carlos Magaña (TLK), Héctor Lama Yazbek (DVD/BD version onwards)

Voiced in Japanese by: Shinya Ohwada

Voiced in European French by: Jean Reno (TLK), Laurent Gamelon (Simba's Pride), Gilles Morvan (The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Paulo Flores (TLK)

Voiced in Hebrew by: Amnon Maskin

Voiced in Zulu by: Dominic Tyawa

The Big Good of The Lion King and Simba's father.

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• The Ace: Wise, strong, compassionate.
• Action Dad: He's a dangerous lion and he sometimes has to save his son.
• Anger Born of Worry: Mufasa is disappointed in Simba after the encounter with the hyenas for not understanding the difference between courage and foolhardiness and almost getting killed in the process.
• Anyone Can Die: He's one of the few non-villains in a Disney animation to be killed off.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Becomes one of the Great Kings of the Past.
• Authority Sounds Deep: James Earl Jones being his voice actor, he has a deep bass voice and it's fitting for the largest, strongest lion in the pride. That also goes for Gary Anthony Williams (who also lent his deep bass voice as Mufasa in The Lion Guard).
• Beauty Equals Goodness: The neatest, well-kept mane of all the lions, and the most good.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Not just with the hyenas, but Mufusa makes Simba feel genuinely guilty when he disobeys him. And he still stays levelheaded when scolding Simba. Also, he's pretty stern towards Scar for disrespecting his son at the beginning.
• Big Damn Heroes: Twice to Simba. First he saves Simba from the hyenas, and then from the stampede. Also to Zazu, showing up just in time to stop Scar from eating Zazu, which Zazu even lampshades ("Impeccable timing, Your Majesty.").
• Big Good: What comes with being the king of the Pridelands. Even after his death, Simba still looks towards his father for guidance, as do his grandson Kion and old friend Rafiki, making him the Big Good of the franchise.
• Bloodless Carnage: His death is bloodless, even though he was trampled to death.
• Breakout Character: In a film already deemed a cultural landmark, Mufasa's scenes are widely agreed to be among the most iconic of the film due to his timeless lessons he teaches, and even people who haven't seen the movie know of his tragic demise. So iconic is Mufasa to the film that when the 2019 remake was made, James Earl Jones was the only surviving cast member from the original film to be brought back to reprise their role. That incarnation of Mufasa is also due to receive his own prequel/spin-off film, Mufasa: The Lion King in 2024, proving the enduring popularity of the character.
• Brutal Honesty: He is very frank about using Zazu as a target for Simba's pouncing lesson.
  Zazu: What's going on?
  Mufasa: [candidly] A pouncing lesson.
• Cain and Abel: With Scar. Mufasa is the Abel to Scar's Cain.
• Character Death: One of the most realistic and saddest ones in Disney history. He's one of the few main characters in a Disney movie to permanently die.
• Dead Person Conversation: His spirit appears before Simba to remind him he's the true king.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: He's one of the greatest fathers in animation who happens to pass on in the middle of the film.
• Disney Villain Death: Although he is not a villain, he falls into a vicious stampede at the hands of one.
• Disappeared Dad: Becomes this in the first film, because he's, you know, no longer alive.
• The Dreaded: The hyenas scatter at the sight of him.
• Et Tu, Brute?: He had this reaction on his face moments before he was thrown off the cliff by his brother.
• Expy: Of King Hamlet/The Ghost, albeit more unambiguously heroic.
• Family-Unfriendly Death: Thrown off a cliff and trampled to death in a wildebeest stampede, albeit off-screen.
• Fantastic Racism: Hyenas are not allowed in the Pride Lands during his rule. We never learn whether or not this was justified or simply the natural rivalry of lions and hyenas at play, but the fact that the hyenas are going hungry is the reason Scar is able to strike a bargain with them in the first place.
  • Given that they strip the Pride Lands bare under Scar, it seems to be completely justified.
• The Farmer and the Viper: Mufasa learns the hard way that being nice to an Obviously Evil sibling, who was scheming right behind his back, is not going to change his heart. And not even entirely behind his back. Scar all but announces on the day of Simba's presentation that he hates the new cub, wants the throne, that Mufasa should beware of him, and that he won't attempt to seize it by challenging him directly.
• Fatal Flaw: Naïveté. He was so convinced in the fundamental goodness of everyone that he failed to see the evil in his power-hungry brother. Said brother ends up having him slaughtered.
• Framed for Heroism: Scar made it look this way to Simba when Mufasa's death was because of his attempt to rescue the cub.
• Friend to All Living Things: He respects all the animals in the Pridelands, even the ones he eats, because he acknowledges that they all have an important role in the Circle of Life.
• Genius Bruiser: While his strength is unquestionable, Mufasa is also a very smart and competent leader barring his Fatal Flaw, as evidenced by the Pridelands during his reign and the Pridelands during Scar's reign.
• Gentle Giant: He is one big kitty, and he has an even bigger heart.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: His Fatal Flaw. Despite their disputes, he underestimates his younger brother Scar's jealousy of him and desire for the throne, believing in the importance of family and that Scar couldn't do something heinous as fratricide. Mufasa only learned in the moment before his death that this is NOT the case, as Scar pays his kindness back by tossing him off a gorge. To twist the knife even further, Scar even rubs it in his brother's face, sadistically gloating "long live the king" with a Slasher Smile and making sure that his brother fully realizes what his true nature is.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Despite his claims, Scar actually is no smarter than his brother, yet is resentful that Mufasa gets to be King instead of him. When Scar eventually becomes king, it becomes clear he is not as wise as Mufasa; Scar is a shiftless hedonist who is not even remotely interested in maintaining the Pridelands. Overall, the only foolish thing Mufasa actually did was trusting Scar until it was too late.
• The Good King: It's telling that all of the Pridelands (even the animals that are essentially his food) come to the presentation of his son. The animals are happy, respect him, and he respects them back.
• Good Parents: One of the best fathers in cinematic history. He loves his son Simba very much, and he saved his life not once, but twice, the latter of which resulted in his own death afterwards.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Although they butt heads briefly at the beginning of the movie, he never stops trusting his Obviously Evil brother until it's too late.
• Hot-Blooded: He and his son share this trait as they both can lose their tempers easily and are very passionate. However, Mufasa is shown to keep his temper in constant control, and only hints at his anger when Scar threatens him, whereas Simba in the sequel has a huge temper control problem.
• Innocently Insensitive: The Lion Guard reveals that he was the one who gave Scar his nickname after Scar was injured by a cobra bite. Mufasa obviously meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but Scar took it as an incredibly personal insult, which turned Scar against him for life.
• I Take Offense to That Last One:
  Scar: Oh, I was first in line to be king... until the little hairball was born.
  Mufasa: That 'hairball' is my son... and your future king.
• King of Beasts: He's a lion. A lion king, if you will.
• Lantern Jaw of Justice: He boasts a very strongly pronounced chin to go with his overall imposing stature.
• Large and in Charge: Is the biggest and brawniest lion in the movie.
• Leitmotif: His haunting theme was re-written for the Broadway show as "Shadowland."
• Man Hug: Isn't shy about this with Rafiki.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: One of the most tragic examples. Mufasa dies protecting Simba, his son, after being thrown off the cliff to his death by Scar, his brother.
• Muggle in Mage Custody: He is mentored by the shaman Rafiki.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: According to the Hyenas, this is what Mufasa is. They're right.
• Nice Guy: One of the friendliest and most easygoing characters in the film. He truly cares about maintaining the Pridelands and speaks to Simba about the importance of responsibility.
• Not So Above It All: Mufasa has a very understated sense of humor. For instance, while Zazu delivers the morning report to Mufasa, Simba tries to pounce a bug, but to no avail. Mufasa does not reprimand him but rather decides to indulge him by teaching him how to pounce properly... using Zazu as the pouncing target. And he is so frank about it when Zazu asks.
• Not So Stoic: He is visibly (and understandably) frightened when Scar was about to throw him off the cliff to his death.
• One-Man Army: He took down three hyenas who threatened his son and Nala.
• Pale Females, Dark Males: Inverted, Mufasa's fur color is lighter than Sarabi's.
• Papa Wolf: One of the best examples of this trope, bar none. Don't you dare cause any harm to his kid, or he will find you and he will kick your ass. Just ask Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.
  "IF YOU EVER COME NEAR MY SON AGAIN...!!!"
• Poor Communication Kills: When he appears as a Spirit Advisor to Simba, he helps get him out of his Heroic BSoD by telling him he must retake his place in the Circle of Life as the true king. However, he neglects to tell Simba, who was grieving not just his father's death but the misbelief that he was the one who accidentally killed him, that Scar was the one who actually killed him, instead simply telling Simba he has "forgotten who he is". So, when Simba returns to Pride Rock he is still burdened by this misbelief, which Scar uses to his advantage to get the rest of the pride to temporarily turn on Simba by making him "confess".
• Posthumous Character: For the last half of The Lion King onward, Mufasa is dead but his influence remains strong.
• Prophet Eyes: He has these in his spirit form when he appears in the clouds to speak to Simba.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike his brother (and his son at first), he knows that there's more to being king than just power and glory, and takes the responsibilities that come with the job very seriously.
• Red Is Heroic: Has a red mane and was the Big Good.
• Royal Brat: Averted. Scar claimed that when he told Mufasa about him eliminating the strange lion, Mufasa teased him by calling him Scar. However, it is very obvious that Mufasa's comment was merely a playful nickname and Scar's interpretation of it as disrespect was a result of his own ego. The fact that Scar's memories paint Mufasa as gloating indicates that Scar seems to genuinely see it as disrespect, but that is due to obvious Self-Serving Memory.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's The Good King because he takes care of his responsibilities.
• Sacrificial Lion: Literally. His death is what gets the plot started, even though he's probably the most ferocious fighter in the film.
• Shipper with an Agenda: In the sequel, Mufasa's spirit gives a message to Rafiki that he wants to pair up Kiara and Kovu to resolve the war between the two prides and finally bring the two clans as one.
• Spirit Advisor: To Simba, appearing in the clouds to guide him. By virtue of the apparently true belief that the Lion Kings become stars in the sky upon death, he's this to not only Simba but any of his descendants. However, it appears that he mostly only "speaks" directly to Rafiki, the shaman of the Pride Lands. However, he takes this job full time for his grandson Kion in The Lion Guard.
• The Stoic: He doesn't generally show much emotion, and when he actually gets mad he is still pretty calm about it. He has no trouble being warm and playful with his son, though, and he shows plenty of warmth towards his grandson Kion in The Lion Guard.
• Thicker Than Water:
  • Despite all their animosity and how much of a pain Scar could be, he truly believed in this trope in regards to his brother and only learned in the moment before his death that this wasn’t the case.
  • In the Lion Guard episode "Can't Wait To Be Queen," he told Kion he had to stand by Kiara no matter what, showing that he still believes in the importance of family, even after Scar's betrayal.
• Tragic Hero: His misplaced trust in Scar leads to his downfall.
• Trampled Underfoot: His death by wildebeest stampede.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His decision to harmlessly call his brother Scar, which is obviously a playful comment, causes Scar to completely interpret said comment as an insult, and with a such glaring attack on his ego and pride, causes him to start scheming to get Mufasa off the throne well before the cobra venom begins to induce its Sanity Slippage. This makes him indirectly responsible for his own death and the events of the franchise.

Scar

See his separate page.

Nala

"Don't you understand? You're our only hope!"

^{As a cub}

Voiced in English by: Niketa Calame (cub, TLK), Moira Kelly (adult, films, Disney Dreamlight Valley), Gabrielle Union (adult, The Lion Guard)

Singing by: Laura Williams (cub, TLK), Sally Dworsky (adult, TLK)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Karla Falcón (cub), María Fernanda Morales (adult)

Voiced in Japanese by: Junko Yamamoto (cub,TLK), Risa Uchida (cub, theater play), RICO^note Real name: Riko Hanamura (adult, both acting and songs)

Voiced in European French: Sybille Tureau (adult), Morganne Flahaut (cub, first movie)

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Carla Pompilio (adult), Roberta Madruga (cub), Kika Tristão (singing, adult), Nanná Tribuzy (singing, cub)

Voiced in Hebrew by: Rona Danieli (cub), Sarit Vino-Elad (adult)

Voiced in Zulu by: Khombi Sangweni (cub), Wendy Molefe (adult)

Simba's childhood playmate, best friend, and later, wife.

---

• Action Girl: Simba has never won a fight against her, and she beats some hyenas in the climax.
• Action Mom: In the sequel to Kiara and she shows she can still kick ass despite being older.
• Actually Pretty Funny: After Simba pulls her into an oasis, she immediately gets out, shivering and having an absolutely terrified expression, but once Simba gets out next to her she just smirks at him in amusement at his joke and his ridiculous appearance. She still takes revenge on him though by playfully shoving him back in.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Her eyes were originally green, but Simba's Pride colors them blue.
• Affection-Hating Kid: Used to be one; she is completely grossed out at the notion of marrying and being lovey-dovey with Simba, finding it very weird at the time.
• Arranged Marriage: Was betrothed to Simba when they were cubs.
• Babies Ever After: With Simba — the ending of the first movie shows that they had a cub together, who turns out to be Kiara. Then, they have another child, a son, named Kion.
• Best Her to Bed Her: Downplayed with her and Simba. The two of them were childhood friends that occasionally wrestled, with Nala always easily winning. After they reunite as adults (after Nala beat Simba once again), they were already falling in love with each other, with the two of them nuzzling together, going on what is essentially a date together, playfully teasing each other, and flirting together. But, at the climax of their Falling-in-Love Montage, Simba finally manages to "beat" her when they start to playfully wrestle together, resulting in them rolling down a hill together and him (accidentally) pinning her by landing on top of her. She noticeably becomes even more affectionate with Simba after this, immediately "rewarding" him with a surprise lick on the cheek and gazing up at him seductively as he lays on top of her, and it is heavily implied that they mated afterwards, resulting in her getting pregnant.
• Blowing a Raspberry: Young Nala does this to Zazu behind his back during "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
• Bratty Half-Pint: As a cub, she was just as cheeky and mischievous as Simba. She goes along with Simba's plan to ditch Zazu in a big musical number. Later she argues with Simba over whose idea it was, wrestles him and teases him when she beats him, even though Simba was prince of the Pridelands at the time.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: She successfully beat Simba three times times in a row, twice as cubs and once as adults, all by using the same move to flip him over and then slam him down to pin him. This ends up coming to an end during their Falling-in-Love Montage, when the two of them tumble down a hill together and Simba finally ends up pinning her when he lands on top of her. Nala accepts her defeat by rewarding Simba with a lick on the cheek and a seductive stare.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Zigzagged with Simba. When they meet again as adults, Nala remains unaware of Simba's trauma and that he's still hurting from said trauma of his father's death and blaming himself for it. As such, she doesn't comfort him but gives him a What the Hell, Hero? moment on him refusing to go home.
• By the Hair: She does this to Simba during their fight in the jungle, clawing at his mane and managing to briefly pull it over his eyes.
• Cats Hate Water: Shows this as an adult. When Simba surprises her and pulls her into a oasis they were just drinking from, she immediately gets out, shivering with a horrified expression and soaking wet. Then she smirks at Simba and playfully shoves him back in as revenge.
• Character Development: In Simba's Pride, Nala has become slightly more mild-mannered and motherly, but continues to act as the voice of reason to Simba, who is now being very protective of Kiara, and reminds him that their daughter Kiara would be fine. She also seems to be less judgmental than Simba. When Simba refused to trust Kovu simply because of his outsider status, Nala and Rafiki are able to change his decision and Simba reserves his judgment to see if Kovu could be trusted.
• Chekhov's Skill: Her pin move is how Simba comes to recognize her as adults, since he remembers when she used it on him as cubs. Simba later uses it himself to defeat Scar.
• Chickification: She easily defeats several hyenas at once in the first film, but needs Kion to save her with the roar in the TV series when fighting younger, less savage hyenas.
• Childhood Friend Romance: With Simba, they even provide the page quote for the trope. They grew up playing around and then, after they finished growing up, they became the Ruling Couple of the Pride Lands.
• Composite Character: In terms of Hamlet parallels, although she is usually compared to and claimed to be based on Ophelia (love interest and token young female), Nala has more in common with Horatio (closest friend of the hero, acts as his conscience and voice of reason).
• Curb-Stomp Battle: She easily beat Simba twice when they were just cubs, flipping and pinning him with no struggle even when he pounced first and surprised her. Subverted later when they fight more evenly as adults, though she still pins him the exact same way she did when they were cubs, though the fight ended because Simba realized who she was.
• Damsel Errant: Nala is the one who goes out and gets Simba back from his banishment in order to save the pride and the Pridelands.
• Damsel in Distress: When they were cubs Simba saved her from Shenzi when she was almost caught and eaten.
• Dance Battler: In the stage musical during the fight with the hyenas.
• Deadpan Snarker: While she had this trait primarily as a cub, she does show it on occasion as an adult, specifically when she mocks Simba with "I laugh in the face of danger" comment to note on his change in personality.
• Death Glare: After pinning Simba during their fight in the jungle, she glares at him menacingly as she holds him down and growls at him, practically nose to nose with him. It is unknown if this was simply a warning for him not to interfere in her hunt again or if she would have killed him before he recognized her.
• Demoted to Extra: Averted, as her role in the first film was pretty small itself. She is also completely absent in the video games and Timon and Pumbaa TV series.
• Didn't See That Coming: When she attacks Timon and Pumbaa and Simba lunges at her out of nowhere she pauses for a moment with a brief look of shock on her face. She clearly did not expect to see another lion, or get attacked by one. Though she quickly regains focus by the time Simba gets her to the ground and quickly manages to break free from his grasp and fight back.
• Disappeared Dad: Her father is never mentioned in the original movie. The Lion Guard reveals that Nala's father was once saved by the Lion Guard of his day when he fell out of a tree as a cub.
• Easily Forgiven: From Pumbaa's point of view - he immediately cozies up to Nala in spite of the fact that she tried to hunt him down and kill him as prey. Timon even lampshades this afterwards.
• Early-Bird Cameo: She can actually be seen sleeping in the den with the other lions when Simba goes to wake up Mufasa. She can be identified in the sleeping pile because she is noticeably smaller than the other lionesses.
• Expy: Of both Ophelia and Horatio in the first film, and of Lady Capulet, if only by default, in the sequel.
• Fascinating Eyebrow: Her response to Simba playfully pulling her into the oasis, after overcoming her initial shock from it, is to raise an eyebrow and smirk at Simba in amusement at both his prank on her and his ridiculous appearance with his wet mane covering his face and giving her a goofy smile. This is immediately followed by her playfully pushing him back into the water as revenge and running off for him to chase her.
• Formerly Fit: Inverted. In Simba's Pride she is shown to have gained a much bulkier, powerful frame compared to her appearance in the first film, due to eating better without the strain caused by Scar's famine.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: Zig-zagged with Simba. They were best friends in childhood, but after learning they were betrothed to be married they were both disgusted, finding the idea of being married to their best friend too weird. When they reunite as adults after years apart, they fall in love almost instantly. Simba goes on a romantic walk with Nala around the jungle, serving as their "first date" together, with the two of them playing and flirting together, and heavily implied they conceived a child together. Once when Simba becomes king, he and Nala are married as they were originally betrothed.
• Furry Reminder: Though Simba, Mufasa, Sarabi, the background lionesses, and even Scar have moments of acting like real lions at times (such as roaring when fighting), she is the only to be shown not just roaring but also trying to hunt another animal while roaring and growling at the same time.
• Girliness Upgrade: Loses her tomboyish traits as an adult and becomes more mature and regal.
• Good Parents: Unlike Simba, who overprotects and stifles Kiara, Nala actually treats Kiara as a mature adult.
• Graceful Loser: Once Simba finally manages to pin her as adults she just smiles and gives him a lick on the cheek as a reward and gazes seductively at him.
• Grin of Audacity: She says Simba's line of "I laugh at the face of danger" when they return to The Pride Lands together. A lesser example when she was a cub. After Simba pounced her and accidentally sent them both down a hill, she just laughs the whole way like it was some kind of ride and has a smile the whole time while Simba is shown to be scared and struggling to stay on top of Nala. Once they reach the bottom with Simba landing on top, Nala immediately flips and pins him again, and rubs it in his face.
• The Heart: Best shown when she tries to inform Simba of what has happened to their home.
• Held Gaze: Simba and Nala gaze deeply into each other's eyes at the end of their Falling in Love Montage of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" before nuzzling each other in a manner that resembles a kiss.
• Herald: Nala revealing to Simba what happened after Scar took over the Pridelands is the first step to get him to return home.
• The High Queen: Since she is Simba's mate, Nala is technically the Queen of the Pridelands.
• I Never Told You My Name: When she fights the "mysterious lion" in the forest, she eventually beats him by flipping him over and pinning him. As she holds him down, growling at him and glaring menacingly at him nose to nose, all he can do is look up at her helplessly, until he suddenly says her name. This shocks Nala into getting off of him, and after cautiously asking him who he is, he reveals he's her childhood friend Simba.
• Irony:
  • As a cub, she thought it would be "too weird" to be engaged to Simba, something the other cub agreed with it. As adults, they fall in love and become mates.
  • Simba was never able to beat her in a fight. She beat him both times they wrestled as cubs, even when he tried to cheat, and then again as adults. She only ever "lost" to him by complete accident, getting pinned by him after they both rolled down a hill together and he just happened to finally land on top of her without even trying.
• Jerkass Has a Point: As a cub, though she does it in a snarky and sassy way, she does have a right to speak out against Simba when he tries to give himself all the credit for the two of them working together to escape Zazu. Similarly, her teasing Simba for beating him in their little play fights also comes off as justified due to him starting those fights himself when he couldn't beat her arguments, and she only becomes smug towards him once he tries to blatantly cheat after she initially wins fair and square.
  Simba: I am a genius.
  Nala: Hey "genius", it was my idea.
  Simba: Yeah, but I pulled it off.
  Nala: With me!
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As a cub - she was quite sassy and teasing of Simba during their sparring, but was ultimately kindhearted.
• King of Beasts: Nala is the ruler of the beasts as well.
• Let's You and Him Fight: She briefly has a serious battle with Simba when he attacks her to protect Pumbaa. The battle ends with them recognizing each other before any serious harm comes to either of them, though Nala came the closest to winning by pinning Simba again.
• Literally Falling in Love: With Simba towards the end of their Falling-in-Love Montage. When the two of them start playfully wrestling together in the jungle, Nala ends up falling backwards while they are grappling, causing the two of them to accidentally tumble down a hill together. Nala ends up pinned by Simba when he lands on top of her, to their mutual amusement.
• Mama Bear: Nala loves both of her cubs and does not hesitate to rescue them when they are in danger.
• Meaningful Name: "Nala" means "gift" in Swahili. It can be speculated that's because she is a foreign princess given to the Pride during some diplomatic exchange, but there is no canon indications (although her father is now clearly established to not be Scar or Mufasa).
• Nice Girl: Even though she's still a little snarky, she lost the "jerk" bit and became a wholly warm-hearted and genuinely caring adult.
• Noble Bigot: She is part of the feud in Simba's Pride, but is open-minded to Kovu proving his worth when he saves her daughter and clearly disapproving of her husband's aggressive behaviors.
• Oh, Crap!: She has a startled face when Simba appears in the jungle and lunges at her from out of nowhere. Though she almost instantly overcomes this by the time Simba tackles her to the ground, quickly breaking free and fighting back.
• Only Sane Woman: Whenever it comes to bringing Simba to his senses, either as the King or as a parent. Somewhat Justified, since it's the lionesses who hold the pride together in Real Life.
• Open-Minded Parent: She's more accepting of Kovu than Simba, who still held a grudge against the Outsiders, best shown in that she is the only person aside from Kiara to disapprove of Simba's decision to banish him.
• Out of Focus: She doesn't get a lot of screen time in the first two movies, barely any in the third and does not appear in the Timon & Pumbaa TV series.
• Pale Females, Dark Males: Nala's fur is lighter than Simba's.
• Parental Neglect: She hardly appears at all to comfort Kiara throughout the second half of the film, and she makes no attempt to comfort her or confront Simba when he banishes Kovu despite it being an incredibly emotional moment. Also in Lion Guard, though she attends to him at times, she still implicitly (and often) lets Kion into the dangerous situations that comes iwth being leader of Guard without supervising him, even letting him wander outside of the Pridelands to deal with threats.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Simba. Though initially they are both disgusted by the thought of marrying each other, due to them being best friends and thinking it would be "too weird", by the time they reunite as adults they almost instantly fall in love with each other and suddenly find the idea of getting married not weird or disgusting at all.
• Plucky Girl: She never gives up.
• Pregnant Badass: It is heavily implied that Kiara was conceived in the Can You Feel The Love Tonight sequence, so Nala was pregnant with her while she was beating up hyenas in the final battle.
• Restrained Revenge: Downplayed and played for laughs between her and Simba, with both of them doing this to each other in quick succession. During her Falling-in-Love Montage with Simba, after he pranks her by grabbing her and pulling her into the oasis they were just drinking from, she is shown to have a terrified look on her face and gets out immediately. Though she ultimately thinks it is Actually Pretty Funny, she still takes her revenge on Simba by playfully shoving him back in before running off, leading to him chasing her through the jungle. She lets him catch up to her quickly and they begin to playfully wrestle with each other like when they were cubs. While wrestling though, she ends up falling backwards with him on top of her and they tumble down a hill together while holding on to each other, resulting in Simba finally beating her by landing on top of her as they land, pinning her and putting an end to her winning streak against him. The two of them just chuckle together over these series of events before realizing they have fallen in love.
• Satellite Love Interest: Not a perfect example, but she is often kept out of focus.
• Signature Move: Though she doesn't announce it or make a big deal about it, she is easily able to pin her opponents by flipping them with her legs after they tackle her, and then slam them to the ground so she ends up on top of them, pinning them. She uses this move to beat Simba twice in a row when they are just cubs, and Simba is able to recognize Nala when she uses it to beat him again as adults. It ends up being a Chekhov's Gun when Simba uses it himself partly in his battle with Scar, flipping Scar over and throwing him over the edge of Pride Rock.
• Smooch of Victory: Downplayed. After Simba finally "beats" Nala, by pinning her after they tumble down a hill together, she licks his cheek (an animal form of kissing), which surprises him. They then begin to rub heads affectionately, officially becoming a couple by that point. It is also heavily implied that they mated at that point, which conceived Kiara.
• Smug Smiler: Was one as a cub. After beating Simba she playfully teases him and turns away with a smug smile on her face, clearly proud of herself. After she does it again she smirks down at her friend and has a more smug tone instead of her previous playful one.
  Nala: Pinned ya again.
• Strong Family Resemblance: As an adult lioness, Nala is shown to strongly look like her mother.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Like Simba, in regards to her relationship with Zazu, by the end of the film, she's no longer mischievous towards him and respects him now as a grown up.
• Tomboy Princess: 90's-era Disney movies were known for these, and Nala is perhaps the best example. Though not really a "princess" herself, she was engaged to Simba, the prince, and was just as mischievous and bratty as a cub as he was, with her proving to be stronger than him by beating him in several play-fights. By adulthood she is still just as strong, still being capable of beating Simba and several hyenas, and is eventually made Queen officially when she marries Simba. Though this trope is subverted in her later appearances, when she undergoes a Girliness Upgrade and becomes more motherly.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Mainly as a child. She beat Simba in their two fights, and is very adventurous and restless, but still looks distinctly feminine and feels comfortable being bathed.
• Undying Loyalty: Even under the brief point Scar has convinced everyone Simba killed Mufasa, she calls out in horror when he nearly falls to his death.
• Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Downplayed. As a cub after first pinning Simba she chuckles playfully and teases him "Pinned ya" with a happy smile, showing it is in good fun. After Simba shows to be a Sore Loser though, telling her to let him up and pushing her off him, she has a proud victorious smirk on her face and turns away from him holding her head high, proud of herself for her victory. Then, after immediately pinning Simba once again when he pounces on her when she has her back turned, she smirks down at him arrogantly and brags "Pinned ya again" in a more smug tone than her previously playful one. Possibly justified though as Simba had just tried to steal credit for her idea and was the one who started both of their fights, so she may have teased him to get back and him and put him in his place.
• Women Are Wiser: A more justified case, given Simba's inner demons and circumstances, Nala often ends up playing the voice of reason, especially in regards to being a parent. Subverted as a cub where she was just as mischievous as Simba.
• Your Size May Vary: The Lion Guard bizarrely shows her much smaller than she is in previous films.

Zazu

"Well, I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair!"

Voiced in English by: Rowan Atkinson (original film), Edward Hibbert (Simba's Pride, 1 1/2), Michael J. Gough (Timon & Pumbaa), Jeff Bennett (IMAX re-release ("The Morning Report"), The Lion Guard)

Voiced in German by: Eberhard Prüter (films, Timon & Pumbaa), Stefan Krause (The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Eduardo Tejedo

Voiced in Japanese by: Hideyuki Umezu

Voiced in European French by: Michel Prud'homme

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Pádua Moreira, Rodrigo Oliveira (The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Hebrew by: Ohad Shachar

Voiced in Zulu by: Mandla Buthelezi

An uptight but kindly red-billed hornbill serves as majordomo to Mufasa, Scar and Simba.

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• Actor Allusion: A Servile Snarker who finds himself subject to all sorts of hijinks while serving the monarch? Not the first time Rowan Atkinson voiced such a character.
• Adaptational Heroism: His Hamlet counterpart Polonius is, though not exactly a villain, a much more negative character who is killed accidentally by the title character while spying on him for Claudius. Zazu, on the other hand, is genuinely loyal, hates Scar (Claudius), and survives the film.
• Adaptational Jerkass: The Timon and Pumbaa series turns him from a gentlel Nice Guy who serves a good king into a finicky Jerk with a Heart of Gold under pressure from his supervisors.
• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Zazu has blue feathers, but actual red-billed hornbills are black and white.
• Badly Battered Babysitter: He goes through hell and back to keep Simba and Nala safe. Simba actually stages an extravagant musical number so he and Nala can visit the elephant graveyard without Zazu standing in the way.
  • Early script drafts also reveal that he was Mufasa's babysitter too, and that Mufasa was just as rambunctious - if not worse - than Simba.
• Battle Butler: In the final battle, he, Timon and Pumbaa all manage to beat up Shenzi and Banzai offscreen.
• Birdcaged: What Scar does to him when he takes over, apparently just because he doesn't like him. He ends up like this again in the episode "The Morning Report", after getting captured by Janja's clan under the orders by Scar's spirit.
• Blue Is Heroic: He's a blue-feathered hornbill who is also a loyal follower and advisor of the royal family.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: On stage, he does this a couple times:
  • In "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", he comments that something "wasn't in the cartoon," before quipping that the curtain that falls after the song ends looks like a cheap shower curtain from <insert local store here>. During the song, Simba steals the puppet and the actor gets understandably upset with him about it.
  • After that sequence, when Mufasa pretends to fire him, the puppet attacks its operator, with some productions having him growl "This is all your fault!" at him before doing so.
• Butt-Monkey: Starts out as Mufasa's PR guy and constantly finds himself at the butt of Simba's antics, including a pouncing lesson initiated by Mufasa in which Zazu is ordered to be Simba's practice target. Taken up to eleven after Scar takes over, when he is essentially reduced to Scar's court jester. He is almost eaten by the hyenas on several occasions.
• Cool Old Guy: His age isn't mentioned much at all throughout the films and TV shows, but going by the film's early script drafts and by the stage version, he's old enough to have babysat Mufasa. The Lion Guard has Bunga admit that Zazu is getting old, so it is implied he is in at least advanced middle age for a hornbill. Later on in the second film, he is shown trying to relax Simba about Kiara's first hunt and it is indicated that he thinks the king should not need to be overprotective.
• A Day in the Limelight: While Timon & Pumbaa mostly centered around the titular duo, he got two episodes with starring roles. In The Lion Guard, he got his own major role in "The Morning Report".
• Deadpan Snarker: Especially when "babysitting" Nala and Simba.
• Demoted to Extra: During the second half of the first movie and its sequels.
• Designated Monkey: Is treated in-universe as pathetic for no real reason.
• Expy: Of Polonius as well as Sebastian.
• Feather Fingers: He can grasp things as if he had hands.
• The Finicky One: A much more positive example. Zazu likes to keep the Pridelands in order, but is not a jerk about it.
• The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: Like Timon and Pumbaa, he's familiar with real-world songs and sings three of them when acting as Scar's jester.
• Heroic Sacrifice: He once attempted to offer himself to be fed to the crocodiles in exchange for a younger Kion and Bunga, who challenged the crocodiles for no reason, to be let go, even placing himself into Makuu's jaws. This act of bravery and selflessness impressed Pua that he let all of them go.
• Hurricane of Puns: His morning report, both the spoken and sung version.
  Zazu: Well! The buzz from the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot. And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they're above it all. The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't. The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say...cheetahs never prosper...
• Ink-Suit Actor: You can see something of Rowan Atkinson's nose and eyebrows in his appearance.
• Iron Butt Monkey: This little bird can take a beating.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In the TV series, in which he is more of a finicky perfectionist, but has a heart.
• Made of Iron: He survives being in Scar's mouth (with all associated teeth, even if Scar doesn't bite him), being run over twice by a stampede of animals in "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" and being shoved into a volcanic vent by the hyenas. And being struck by lightning in the TV series.
• Medium Awareness: In the stage version, the Zazu puppet seems to be intended to show awareness that it's a puppet, mainly because of Rule of Funny. It even gets mad at its operator at one point!
• Nice Guy: In the movie, he is generally very well mannered and friendly, only losing his patience or getting irritated with anyone who aggravates him.
• Non-Action Guy: In the stage version, he's the only one who doesn't even attempt to fight during the final battle. Instead, we see him running/flying from a hyena in panic (likely because they don't want to risk damaging the puppet while simulating a struggle).
• Noodle Incident: Mentions having two troublesome relatives who "always manage to ruin special occasions".
• No-Respect Guy: Best in "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
• Not So Above It All: Hoots and hollers with Timon and Pumbaa after they kick some hyena butt.
• Number Two: To Mufasa as his number one advisor.
• Old Retainer: It's implied in the Broadway production that he's been with the royal family at least long enough to have known Mufasa when he was a cub. Supplementary (though probably non-canon, especially since there are two contradictory sources for it) works suggest that Zazu started working with Mufasa back when he was still a hatchling—one of them states that he inherited the majordomo position from his mother.
• Older Than They Look: He hasn't aged much from Simba's birth to when Kiara is a young adult.
• Only Sane Man: In "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
• Out of Focus: Especially in the third film.
• Servile Snarker: Even more so in the Broadway stage version, where he throws a lot of verbal jabs at Scar.
  Scar: Here I am at the pinnacle and yet the view is bleak. What is wrong with this picture?
  Zazu: You're in it, sire?
• Shipper on Deck: For Simba and Nala. He appears to be delighted when he sees the two talking together, unaware that they're actually plotting to ditch him in the most humiliating way possible.
• They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!:
  "It’s Mister Banana-Beak to you, Fuzzy!"
• Token Flyer: While he doesn't do much in the films, Zazu is the only bird character among the main cast of animals.
• Toothy Bird: Depending on the facial gesture he makes, sometimes he appears to have a beak full of teeth. This particularly shows in Timon and Pumbaa.
• Undying Loyalty: His loyalty to the royal family is unwavering. This even extends to Scar, until Simba returns; he hates him, but still tries to act as an advisor out of respect for the office and it's succession.
• Vague Age: It's unclear just how old Zazu's supposed to be in relation to the lion characters. Some sources (like the stage version and an early draft of the script) imply that he's older than Mufasa, having acted as his babysitter like he did for Simba, but others (including two likely non-canon storybooks) imply that he and Mufasa are fairly close in age, with Mufasa even being older than Zazu in one of these sources. Not helped at all by the fact that the average lifespan of a lion and a red-billed hornbill in real life are fairly similar (15 years at the oldest for both species).
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Stage version only; presumably due to the difficulty in translating the film version of events to the stage version, we never find out how Zazu escaped his cage in the final battle. The fact that he's being chased by a hyena in that sequence implies that it accidentally crashed into his cage, but it's not clear.

Rafiki

"It is time!"

Voiced in English by: Robert Guillaume (films, Timon & Pumbaa, Kingdom Hearts II), Khary Payton (The Lion Guard)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Genaro Vásquez

Voiced in Japanese by: Ryuji Saikachi (until The Lion Guard's first season), Masao Komaya (second season onwards)

Voiced in European French by: Med Hondo

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Pietro Mário

Voiced in Hebrew by: Shlomo Bar-Shavit

Voiced in Zulu by: Jeremia Ndlovu

A mandrill (or baboon as he is referred to as in-universe) who is a wise, if eccentric friend to the lions.

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• Ascended Extra: While Rafiki is a vital character he doesn't get much to do until the last third of the film, while in the stage show Rafiki is the one who sings two of the musical's Show Stoppers, "The Circle of Life" and the reprise of "He Lives In You".
• Beware the Silly Ones: He looks like he's a useless doddery old senile ape, but in truth he gives Simba vital guidance; he's pivotal in persuading him to return home. The hyenas also find out the hard way that being old and silly doesn't mean he can't open a serious can of whoop-ass.
• Big Good: Rafiki takes this role in The Lion Guard, providing the heroes guidance.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Although his weird antics might just be for Simba's benefit.
• Cane Fu: Can kick serious butt with his staff.
• Cartoony Tail: His tail can defy gravity. It's also shaped like a baboon tail rather than a short, stubby mandrill tail.
• Cloudcuckoolander: The goofy rhyme cements it.
• Cool Old Guy: A cool primate who has a way of teaching his methods.
• Court Mage: Animal version. He doesn't do anything outright magical, but he's definitely some kind of Seer or Witch Doctor, able to sense that Simba's alive by reading certain signs, and seemingly communicate with Mufasa's spirit, even guiding Simba into a Vision Quest. His position is also well known and respected, seeing the animals bow as he makes his way during 'The Circle of Life'.
• Cuckoosnarker: Rafiki delivers this one towards Simba when the latter asks if he will cut it out when he makes annoying sounds.
  Rafiki: Can't cut it out. It grows right back.
• Delighting in Riddles: Takes great joy in annoying Simba with his cryptic metaphors.
• Dope Slap: Rafiki isn't afraid to crack someone over the head with his walking stick if they aren't catching on with his lessons well enough. He even uses the smack itself as the cornerstone of teaching Simba about learning from the past rather than running from it.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He appears a few times in the first half of the film, then he appears to Simba in adulthood and eventually inspires him to return to Pride Rock and take his rightful place as king.
• Eccentric Mentor: Looks like a crazy old monkey, but has great wisdom (and kung-fu skills). The way he teaches a lesson to Simba is...creative.
• Expy: In the Romeo and Juliet-esque Simba's Pride, he becomes the equivalent of Friar Laurence.
• The Gadfly: He is very clearly having a lot of fun messing around with Simba; he interrupts his brooding before giving an Armor-Piercing Response and then immediately running away, laughing the whole time.
• Gender Flip: Becomes female in the stage production, as the creators felt there was a serious dearth of female characters.
• Informed Species: Downplayed. Rafiki does look like a mandrill for the most part, but his thin lanky build, long tail, and his habitat being the savannah — rather than a rainforest as is the case with real-life mandrills — are more reminiscient of a baboon, hence why he's referred to as one or the other depending on context. According to the creators, Rafiki is supposed to be a mandrill and he deliberatly moved to the Pride Lands of his own accord rather than being from there, but the rest is likely just Artistic License.
• Intelligent Primate: A mandrill who, while still a humorous character, is shown to also be a Bunny-Ears Lawyer and a wise mentor. In the first film, he helps Simba get over the death of his father Mufasa by teaching him that he can either run from his past or learn from it.
• Large Ham: He is very exuberant and loud, especially when laughing.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Kicks serious hyena butt during the battle.
• Long-Lived: Rafiki was old and doddering when Simba was born and continues to remain the same after Kiara grows up. He's survived at least 3 generations of lions and never seems to age.
• Magical Negro: Only plays into this trope because he is the only character with an African accent and he is wise helpful and Magical.
• Mage Tower: He is the Pride Lands' resident Witch Doctor, and he lives in a tall, isolated tree - a sort of natural tower.
• The Matchmaker: In Simba's Pride he does this to Kiara and Kovu.
• Meaningful Name: Rafiki means "friend" in Swahili.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: Surprisingly averted. Rafiki doesn't die in any of the Lion King movies, though Simba's other mentor Mufasa does.
• Minored in Ass-Kicking: Doesn't actually partake in any fighting until the climax.
• Muggle in Mage Custody: The "mage" who tutors the "muggle" Simba.
• Nice Guy: He can sometimes be mischievous and confusing, but he makes no secret of being an honorable, wise and genuinely helpful figure who wishes the best for anyone.
• Obfuscating Insanity: Just whether Rafiki is actually mad is up for debate; is he mad and gone a little crackers... or does he just do it to unnerve everyone and get the upper hand? He's certainly dangerous when he wants to be, so the last might be the truth. Whatever the case is, Mufasa certainly trusts him enough to baptise his son and it seems that only Mufasa and Rafiki (and probably Sarabi) know the truth.
• Offhand Backhand: Pulls off this stunt on a hyena.
• Old Master: An old teacher to Mufasa and eventually, Simba.
• One-Man Army: He beat several hyenas easily.
• Shipper on Deck: Following urging from Mufasa's spirit, Rafiki helps strengthen the bond between Kiara and Kovu in the sequel.
• Silly Simian: Though he is a wise master, he's also a Large Ham who enjoys messing with the characters he helps.
• Spared by the Adaptation: May have been based on Yorick from Hamlet. Yorick was dead before the start of the play.
• Tenor Boy: Thanks to his voice actor Robert Guillaume.
• There Are No Therapists: Averted. He functions as the Pridelands' therapist.
• Third-Person Person: One of his many quirks.
• Trickster Mentor: Rafiki looks like he's a useless doddery old senile primate but in truth gives vital guidance. And he can really open a can of whoopass on hyenas.
• Undying Loyalty: Like Zazu, he displays this to the royal family.
• Warrior Therapist: He helps Simba to fully move on from his father's death.
• When Elders Attack: He smacks down a group of Hyenas with his stick during the final battle.
• Witch Doctor: He carries a staff decorated with rattling gourds, acknowledges Simba (and later Simba's son) as the rightful heir, talks to Mufasa's spirit, acts as Simba's wise mentor, and otherwise fills this role for the Pride Lands. However, the only actual magic he's seen to perform is a sort of scrying, when he discovers that Simba is still alive.

Sarabi

"Simba! You're alive?! How can that be?"

Voiced in English by: Madge Sinclair

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Ángela Villanueva

Voiced in Japanese by: Haruko Kitahama

Voiced in European French by: Nicole Raucher

Voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Maria Helena Pader

Voiced in Hebrew by: Tami Spivak

Voiced in Zulu by: Lilian Dube

Simba's mother and Mufasa's mate.

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• Action Mom: Not seen as much, but she doesn't back away from a fight, as evidenced in the climax.
• Adaptational Heroism: Unlike her Hamlet counterpart, Gertrude, she doesn't marry her brother-in-law after her husband's death and refuses to kowtow to Scar's tyrannical manners.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She doesn't take any of Scar's crap lying down, even though she is largely powerless to stop him. And once Simba forces the truth out of him, she rallies to the defense of her home and family.
• Expy: Of Gertrude, albeit much less morally gray, just like her husband Mufasa.
• Good Parents: Though Mufasa gets more focus, Sarabi is portrayed as a nurturing mother to Simba during her bit of screentime.
• The High Queen: When Mufasa was alive, Sarabi was the Queen of the Pridelands.
• Idiot Ball: It's very brief and downplayed, but noticeable. When Scar browbeats Simba into "confessing" to causing his father's death, Sarabi walks up to Simba and asks him if it's true in a rather worried, desperate tone of voice (as if she actually thinks both the accusation and "confession" are legitimate). The fact that Scar has been such a tyrannical ruler this whole time and the fact that he had just slapped her makes one wonder why Sarabi would take anything he says seriously. Also, it apparently didn't occur to Sarabi that Simba was only a child at the time.
• Lady of War: Mufasa's queen and thus the leader of the lionesses.
• Mama Bear: In the climax, where she dashes to Simba's aid when he's under attack by hyenas.
• Meaningful Name: Sarabi is Swahili for "mirage".
• Nice Girl: She is generally portrayed as tender, warm and friendly.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Her attempts to convince Scar to leave the Pride Lands in search of a better haven fall on his deaf ears, which also leads to her getting an undeserved Bitch Slap from Scar.
• Not So Stoic: Upon finding out that it was Scar who killed Mufasa, she is absolutely livid.
• Pale Females, Dark Males: Inverted with Sarabi as her fur color is darker than Mufasa's.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: She at least tries to stand up to Scar when it becomes apparent that he is willing to let his pride starve.
• The Stoic: She is usually soft-spoken and collected. She stands up to Scar's verbal abuse (and the chomping maws of the hyena horde on her way to him) with dignity and calm, only raising her voice when telling Scar that his selfishness will bring about the pride's extinction.

Timon and Pumbaa

"Hakuna Matata!"

Timon voiced in English by: Nathan Lane (films, Timon & Pumbaa, season 1), Kevin Schon (Timon & Pumbaa, The Lion Guard), Quinton Flynn (Timon & Pumbaa, season 1), Bruce Lanoil (Aladdin DVD, Kingdom Hearts II)

Timon voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Raúl Aldana (acting), Raúl Carballeda (songs)

Timon voiced in Japanese by: Yūji Mitsuya (acting and songs)

Timon voiced in European French by: Jean-Philippe Puymartin

Pumbaa voiced in English by: Ernie Sabella

Pumbaa voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Francisco Colmenero (acting and songs)

Pumbaa voiced in Japanese by: Atomu Kobayashi (films, Timon & Pumbaa and theater play), Hiroshi Hatanaka (Timon & Pumbaa from episode 5 onwards, The Lion Guard, Kingdom Hearts II)

Pumbaa voiced in European French by: Michel Elias

Timon voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Pedro Lopes, Fernando Mendonça (The Lion Guard)

Pumbaa voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Mauro Ramos

Timon voiced in Hebrew by: Tomer Sharon

Pumbaa voiced in Hebrew by: Ami Mendelman

Timon voiced in Zulu by: Bham Ntabene

Pumbaa voiced in Zulu by: Thapelo Mofokeng

A meerkat and warthog who raised Simba after the latter ran away from the Pride Lands. When Simba returned to the Pride Lands, Timon and Pumbaa went with him.

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Both

• All of the Other Reindeer: Both Timon and Pumbaa have trouble fitting in.
• Ambiguously Bi: While they are Heterosexual Life-Partners, there is so much blatant Homoerotic Subtext that went on between them. However, they do have crushes on several girls throughout Timon & Pumbaa. Pumbaa fits this trope more as he tried to kiss Timon in House of Mouse in the Valentine's day special.
• Anthropomorphic Shift: While they were already partially civilized animals in their debut, their TV series and several other related media like the Lion King films' DVD featurettes, House of Mouse, the Find Out Why shorts, and the Wild About Safety shorts show them doing more human things, such as wearing accessories, driving vehicles, and using tools. Pumbaa is also shown using his front hooves as "hands" more often.
• Anti-Role Model: They aren't negative characters, although their carefree philosophy is wildly at odds with the film's actual moral.
• Badly Battered Babysitter: They are easily distracted into allowing Kiara to slip away from them unnoticed. A line right before the battle between the two prides indicate that the three times this happens on-screen happened repeatedly off-screen. The third movie shows that Timon didn't always have it easy raising Simba either.
• Bash Brothers: They charge fearlessly into the violent battle between the lionesses and the hyenas to help Simba claim Pride Rock.
• Been There, Shaped History: The Lion King 1 ½ is all about this. In it, they are responsible for the animals bowing in "Circle of Life", and cause the animal pyramid in "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" to collapse.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Given that they have survived an encounter with hyenas (two, in Timon's case!), fell down a pit to stop said hyenas, and managed to escape from a pack of hungry, evil lions, they are not to be underestimated, even if they are oddballs.
• Big Eater: They both have an enormous appetite for insects.
• Big Guy, Little Guy: Pumbaa (fat warthog) and Timon (small meerkat), respectively.
• Brains and Brawn: Played with. Timon certainly thinks so but Pumbaa has a lot of Dumbass Has a Point moments and he's by far the more down-to-earth of the two. Pumbaa has good ideas and is usually proven right, he's just more laid back and content to let Timon do the planning.
• Breakout Character: They quickly became among the most popular characters in the movie, and eventually got their own cartoon as well as a P.O.V. Sequel focussing on them. Simba lampshades this in their episode of House of Mouse.
  Simba: Those guys get all the attention.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • Timon suffers a lot of physical comedy in the TV series and the midquel.
  • Pumbaa has his moments too, especially in the TV series.
• Cool Uncle: To Kiara in the sequel, when they become her protectors as well. Also to Bunga in The Lion Guard.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The two act dumb on occasions but, when the situation arises, they can unleash a can of whoop-ass on anyone if it's required.
• Establishing Character Moment: Their introduction. Good lord, their introduction. They sing an entire musical number about how they live without any responsibilities or worries.
• Expy: Of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet in that they're Those Two Guys but whereas Rosencrantz and Guildestern agreed to spy on Hamlet at Claudius’s request, Timon and Pumbaa are Simba's true friends. They even get their own Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead-esque side story in The Lion King 1 ½. In the sequel, they both fill the role of Juliet's Nurse.
• Fat and Skinny: Pumbaa and Timon, respectively.
• Friend to All Children: Both, especially the latter who is very excited to 'keep' Simba. They also have a very close relationship with Bunga in The Lion Guard.
• Friend to Bugs: Averted, since they eat them, but they befriend a snail named Speedy in the series since he can talk (and sing).
• Friend Versus Lover: They weren't happy when Nala found Simba. The Lion King 1 ½ takes this further, suggesting that they actually tried to sabotage the budding romance, but being Timon and Pumbaa, everything they did just backfired.
• Fur Is Clothing: In the series, Timon's fur has pockets and zippers. In "Brazil Nuts", when both of them lose their fur, their underwear is exposed.
• The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: They enjoy singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" while walking through the jungle.
• Hakuna Matata: Trope Namer. Timon and Pumbaa tell Simba, who has just run away from his responsibilities and his life, that he doesn't need to worry about the past, because a carefree existence is much less trouble.
• Hero of Another Story: Their TV series and The Lion King 1 ½ (Or 3: Hakuna Matata in other regions), in which the first movie is told through their eyes.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: To the point that it's been heavily implied they're an actual couple.
• Iron Butt Monkey: Both Timon and Pumbaa have suffered dozens of injuries that would have been lethal in real life. Pumbaa in particular suffered this during his and Timon's music video for "Stand By Me:" whenever Timon sang the titular words, Pumbaa got comedically injured, such as getting trampled on by a stampede and getting shot out of a cannon and into a mountain.
• Leitmotif: They have a Fanfare that plays when they are introduced.
• Like an Old Married Couple: More evident in their own series than in the original film. They had a Feud Episode several times in their own series and in an episode of House Of Mouse.
• Literal-Minded: Pumbaa, which is often the reason why he Does Not Understand Sarcasm. Timon in 1½, at least, as noted by his mother to Rafiki.
• Made of Iron:
  • They survive a lot in the TV series. One of the best examples would be how much poor Pumbaa goes through in the short span of the "Stand By Me" scene. Even in the films, Timon takes a lot of abuse in the midquel.
  • This is sort of lampshaded in the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Amusement Bark", when Boss Beaver witnesses Timon and Pumbaa fall into the ground while on the Log Flume and states that he trusts that they are alright, to which they reply that they actually got injured from that.
• Manchild: Both of them are very childish and carefree and show it in different ways: Pumbaa tends to be more innocently childish, while Timon is more irresponsible.
• Older Than They Look: By the time Kiara is a young adult, Pumbaa and Timon remain the same as they were when Simba was still a cub without even a wrinkle.
• Only One Name: Averted. Their respective last names, Berkowitz and Smith, were actually revealed in Timon & Pumbaa. However, Pumbaa's is most likely a joke due to how common the last name "Smith" is.
• Out of Focus: They are downgraded to having a recurring role in The Lion Guard; they appeared in less than a third of the first seson's episodes.
• Parental Substitute:
  • Essentially raise Simba after his exile. This is conveyed in more detail in the midquel.
  • In The Lion Guard they're the adopted uncles of Bunga the honey badger.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Both can really kick ass when they want to.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Timon is the Red Oni due to his reckless and self-centered behavior while Pumbaa is the Blue Oni due to his easygoing and sensitive personality. Ironically, Pumbaa is colored brownish-red while Timon has tan fur with some red-orange fur on his head.
• Replacement Goldfish: After a feud in the episode "Kenya Be My Friend", Pumbaa befriends a meerkat named Monti, and Timon a warthog named Baampu.
• Right Way/Wrong Way Pair: In the Wild About Safety shorts, Timon repeatedly makes mistakes regarding the safety topic, usually leading to Amusing Injuries, whereupon Pumbaa will teach him the proper way to go about things.
• Royal Favorite: In a lighter take on this trope, Timon and Pumbaa are Simba's close friends who saved his life when he was a cub. They follow him when he returns to the Pride Lands and in the sequel it is shown that they enjoy a privileged position, getting to live on Pride Rock without any danger of being eaten by the other lions and having few duties to speak of (Simba often tells them to watch over Kiara, but their incompetence at it never results in any punishment).
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Timon is the manly man to Pumbaa's sensitive guy. Timon is very reckless, impulsive, and sometimes greedyl while Pumbaa is more cautious, kind, and emotional and in their own series is willing to cross-dress while Timon hates doing it.
• Spanner in the Works: Let's face it, if they hadn't found Simba in the desert when they did, Scar's plan would've went off without a hitch.
• Stock Footage: Their introduction is reused during the battle.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Unintentionally. Their ideology of forgetting one's past made Simba toss aside his heritage and spends the next few years lazing around. In fact, their ideology is a contrast to the show's main moral of learning to move on from the past.
• Those Two Guys: The movie's version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Down to the P.O.V. Sequel.
• Trademark Favorite Food: The duo feed primarily on bugs, a preference they manage to pass on to natural carnivore Simba. It is implied in the movies and outright confirmed in their TV series that their preference for eating bugs is unusual and often squicks out strangers, and episode plots of their TV series often involve efforts to eat particularly desirable bugs. The Timon & Pumbaa episode "Once Upon a Timon" implies that Timon and his colony also eat scorpions, which is what meerkats do eat in real life.
• Undying Loyalty: To Simba, given he's practically their surrogate child. Timon considers abandoning him in a sulk in the midquel, though it's expectedly short-lived.
  Timon: (after seeing the sorry state the Pridelands are in due to Scar's poor leadership) Well, Simba, if it's important to you then we're with ya till the end!

Timon

• Ambiguously Jewish: Timon frequently peppers his lines with Yiddish words, his mom is the stereotypical Jewish Mother (who also uses Yiddishisms), and in The Lion King 1½, he sang the song "Sunrise, Sunset", from the Jewish-themed musical, Fiddler on the Roof.
• Anti-Role Model: Aside from the example above, Timon serves as this in the Wild About Safety shorts by demonstrating the wrong thing to do concering the short's subject.
• Badass Adorable: Timon may be a cute, small meerkat, but he's also good at outsmarting foes and saved Pumbaa and his family from the hyenas.
• The Blind Leading the Blind: In the midquel, Timon does this to Pumbaa when they try to find their home.
• Character Development: In The Lion Guard, time and raising two kids occasionally make themselves known — he's called Bunga "bubbe" while offering him more bugs and referred to both Bunga and Simba as his and Pumbaa's babies. In other words, he's turned into his Ma.
• Deadpan Snarker: Timon is the more sarcastic of the duo.
• Determinator: In the midquel, grows into to this in the climax.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: Depending on how much you take The Lion King 1½ as canon, retroactively the virtues of Hakuna Matata he espouses turn out to be this. Rafiki actually coined the term to Timon when they met each other, but Rafiki thought of the term to mean a place and people where Timon could find acceptance and contentment, while Timon ended up interpretting it differently.
• Glad I Thought of It: When he and Pumbaa first find Simba as a cub, Timon doesn't want to help him initially since lions eat them and Simba will get bigger. Pumbaa suggest that Simba will be on their side when he gets older, which Timon dismisses as stupid, only to immediately suggest the same thing. Later while Simba is fighting Nala to protect them, Timon smugly tells Pumbaa "Ya see, I told ya he'd come in handy." This becomes a Running Gag in the later movies and their Tv series.
• Gratuitous Greek: Timon is one of the few names not derived from Swahili, instead being a Greek name (that coincidentally was used by Shakespeare).
• Guile Hero: Being of small stature, Timon often resorts to outsmarting foes.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Timon can get angry easily.
• The Hero: The main focus of The Lion King 1 ½ as the story centers around him.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Downplayed as he isn't the one actually doing anything awful, but he does encourage this in others if it benefits him. When Simba fights Nala in order to protect him and Pumbaa from her, Timon cheers him on excitedly from the sidelines and encourages him to use lethal force against her with the same enthusiasm as a sports fan watching a game.
  Timon: Get her! Bite her head! Go for the jugular! The jugular!
• Innocently Insensitive: When asking for Simba's interpretation of the stars, Simba repeats the story his father told him of the great kings looking down on them from the sky above. Because Simba has never spoken of his deceased father, Timon laughs his tale off as nothing but a joke. Simba plays along, but then goes off to be alone. Timon quickly wonders if he spoke out of turn.
• It's All About Me: At times, he can be self-serving. An example is in The Lion King 1½, where he, at first, refused to help Simba reclaim Pride Rock as the rightful owner against Scar because he left his and Pumbaa's Hakuna Matata lifestyle, when he really had to save Pride Rock, and hypocritically criticizes Pumbaa for giving up on "friends sticking together in the end", leaving only Pumbaa to follow Nala. He later learns from this and goes with Pumbaa to help Simba reclaim Pride Rock.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Timon can be quite selfish, but will help his friends in the end.
• Jewish Smartass: Timon, a walking New Yorker stereotype with a vocabulary including several Yiddish expressions in the body of a meerkat, is very prone to sarcasm and wisecracks, especially around the Sarcasm-Blind warthog Pumbaa. This turns on him when he sarcastically suggests he and Pumbaa "dress in drag and do the hula" as live bait, setting himself up for embarrassment.
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Timon authoritatively explains that stars are really fireflies stuck on "that big bluish-black thing."
• The Lancer: Timon to Pumbaa. He's skinny, small, and has a Jerk with a Heart of Gold personality.
• Large Ham: Particularly during his fits of Brooklyn Rage.
• Laughing at Your Own Jokes: When Timon and Pumbaa meet Simba, Pumbaa asks "What's eatin' ya?" Before Simba can answer, Timon chimes in with "Nothing, he's at the top of the food chain!" He laughs pretty hard at his own joke until he realizes no one's laughing with him.
• The Load: To his meerkat colony in the midquel, as his slacking off makes him a danger and nearly gets Uncle Max killed.
• Momma's Boy: Timon is very close to his mother.
• The Napoleon: He's the shortest of the duo and is often bombastic and short-tempered at times.
• The Protagonist: While he and Pumbaa are the focus of the midquel, it's Timon whose perspective is more focused on and receiving Character Development.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Except for the eye color, he looks a lot like his mother.
• Team Mom: In the midquel, Timon takes on a more maternal looking role when raising Simba, presumably due to his experiences with his own mother.
• Tenor Boy: Thanks to Nathan Lane, Quinton Flynn, Kevin Schon and Bruce Lanoil.

Pumbaa

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Pumbaa is a red warthog, and while those do occur in real life, they're more commonly a grayish color, with red more commonly being the end result of a dust bath.
• Animal Species Accent: Pumbaa has a raspy voice that resembles porcine grunting and squealing.
• Berserk Button: Is called a pig by Banzai, prompting him to say "Are you talking to me?! They call me MISTER PIG!" before attacking. However he doesn't mind when Timon or Simba call him one; it's just strangers.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Is a nice enough guy, but he's still a boar warthog. Anyone who calls him a pig in a threatening way is in trouble. In the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Guatemala Malarkey", he gets pissed off at Timon for talking him into plundering a cursed ancient temple inhabited by a mummy beetle to find a prized, jewel-encrusted (and very worth a lot of money) Glorious Golden Fruit Fly only to find a worthless fruit fly pin. This gets Timon to admit his fear of angry warthogs.
• The Big Guy: Pumbaa is the muscle of the duo.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Pumbaa when he faces off against the hyenas.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The TV series and midquel imply that Pumbaa has a history of being abandoned and possibly even mistreated due to his foul smell.
• Deuteragonist: Of 1 ½. While he and Timon are the main characters of said film, it's told more from the latter's perspective.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Pumbaa on at least one occasion. "I thought stars were giant balls of gas burning billions of miles away!"
• Fartillery: Pumbaa often weaponizes his emissions (particularly in some games).
• Fat Comic Relief: Pumbaa is the fat one in the duo and shares the comic relief.
• Full-Boar Action: While Pumbaa is generally laid-back, easy-going and a far cry from fearsome, calling him a pig is a very good way to end up on the receiving end of his tusks.
• Gasshole: The very reason Pumbaa is an outcast.
• Gentle Giant: Pumbaa is the biggest and the most big-hearted.
• Hidden Depths: Pumbaa is surprisingly knowledgeable in astronomy, with him correctly pointing out that stars are gaseous giants and that the Earth is spherical.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Pumbaa is this to Timon.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: Pumbaa. Even his name means "simpleton". Despite not being too bright, this little piggy's got a big heart of gold and is really good with lion cubs.
• Large Ham: Pumbaa is a literal example, especially while singing in tenor register during "Hakuna Matata".
• Malaproper: Pumbaa, occasionally, for example saying "I gravel at your feet" instead of "grovel" and messing up Timon's saying "You've gotta put your past behind you" as "You gotta put your behind in your past". Timon corrects him both times.
• Meaningful Name: Pumbaa means "simpleton" in Swahili.
• Nice Guy: Pumbaa is cheerful, kind, genuine, devoted, and helpful.
• Sarcasm-Blind: Pumbaa in regards to Timon's sarcastic quips.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: After seeing Nala preparing to pounce and attack him.
• Simple-Minded Wisdom: Pumbaa displays a bit of this from time to time, particularly in the midquel.
• Team Dad: In the midquel, he takes on a paternal role when raising Simba, contrasting with Timon.
• They Call Me Mr Tibbs: "THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!"
• Toilet Humor: His flatulence is one of his main sources of comedy.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Pumbaa gives one to Timon in The Lion King 1 ½ for refusing to help Simba and stubbornly sticking to Hakuna Matata instead of being there for their friend.
  Timon: Whatever happened to ''friends stick together 'til the end"? Huh, huh, huh?!"
  Pumbaa: (disappointed) I was about to ask you the same thing.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed

From left to right: Banzai, Shenzi, and Ed

Shenzi: You know, if it weren't for those lions, we'd be runnin' the joint!

Banzai: Man, I hate lions!

Banzai voiced in English by: Cheech Marin (films, Kingdom Hearts II), Rob Paulsen (Timon and Pumbaa)

Banzai voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Jesús Barrero

Banzai voiced in Japanese by: Ben Hiura

Banzai voiced in European French by: Michel Mella

Banzai voiced in Hebrew by: Avi Panini

Banzai voiced in Zulu by: Sandile Dlamini

Shenzi voiced in English by: Whoopi Goldberg (films), Tress MacNeille (Timon and Pumbaa, Kingdom Hearts II)

Shenzi voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Rosanelda Aguirre

Shenzi voiced in Japanese by: Tomie Kataoka

Shenzi voiced in European French by: Maïk Darah

Banzai voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Hércules Franco

Shenzi voiced in Brazilian Portuguese by: Carmen Sheila

Shenzi voiced in Hebrew by: Shari Tsuriel

Shenzi voiced in Zulu by: Linda Sebezo

Ed voiced by: Jim Cummings (all languages)

The main three hyenas that serve under Scar. Shenzi is the clan matriarch, and Banzai and Ed are her two lieutenants.

---

All three

• Adaptational Comic Relief: Much like Timon and Pumbaa, the TV series amps up their cartoony habits, making them far less creepy and more Funny Animal Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists.
• The Alleged Boss: Shenzi is their leader, but Banzai and Ed are more friends than subordinates and have no problem arguing back or teasing her (which she retorts playfully). In the climax, it seems to be Ed that casts the final decision on Scar's fate.
• All Animals Are Dogs: Hyenas are not canines. They are more closely related to meerkats. The franchise portrays them in a dog-like fashion; barking, yelping, lolling their tongue out, etc.
• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: They are grey with black manes while real spotted hyenas are more golden brown.
• Ambiguously Related: While they come from the same clan and are obviously very close to each other, it's not clear if they're related or just good friends.
• Amusing Injuries: They're the butt of many. Especially Banzai.
• Anthropomorphic Shift: In the Timon and Pumbaa TV series, they are sometimes shown standing fluently on their hind legs and communicating with humans. "TV Dinner" takes this up to eleven, where they dress up and perform for TV auditions.
• Anti-Villain: Sure they're jackasses about it, but their ultimate goal is to secure their pack's survival, which is more understandable than Scar's lust for power.
• Ax-Crazy: All three of them, given that they're hyenas, but especially Ed.
• Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: They, along with the other hyenas, are the ones who kill Scar after Simba throws him off Pride Rock.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: They eagerly jumped at the opportunity to kill Mufasa and replace him with Scar, who promised that they would have an endless supply of food once he was in control. Before long however, they all face starvation as everything has been hunted or has left the kingdom, and the land is now dead and barren. They confront Scar on how bad things are only for their appeals to fall on deaf ears. Even Banzai admits that Scar is actually worse than Mufasa.
• Better Living Through Evil: They only followed Scar because he promised they would "never go hungry again"... And when it turned out he couldn't uphold his end of their bargain and give them their meal tickets, it became increasingly clear that they were starting to get fed up with their new king.
• Berserk Button: It is never a good idea to betray them for any reason! Scar certainly learned this the hard way.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Part of Scar's downfall lies in him completely underestimating the hyenas. He considers them undignified and idiotic, but Shenzi demands respect, Banzai has a strong sense of pride, and Ed is surprisingly coherent. It all backfires on him when he betrays them. Ed in particular—he appears to be the stupidest of them all, but his trademark dumb laughter turns bone-chillingly evil as they advance on Scar.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: After chasing Simba through a bramble thicket and into the desert, they refuse to follow Simba through said brambles, figuring that he'd be as good as dead in the desert. To be fair, Simba would have died had Timon and Pumbaa not found him.
• Breakout Character: They get 4 of their own episodes in the TV series.
• The Bully: They like to "play" with their food with taunts, sarcastic jabs, and physical abuse before actually eating it. They have a "birdie boiler" that Zazu implies they've used on him more than once, and their attack on the meerkat clan in the midquel appeared to be more to have fun at their expense than it did to actually catch a meal.
• Child Eater: They were planning to eat Simba and Nala before Mufasa intervened.
• Comic Trio: They offer a lot of humor in the movie.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The hyenas laugh and joke a lot, and Scar doesn't think much of them, but they're the most competent comedic lackeys ever featured in a Disney movie. Shenzi especially, as the leader of a pack of hyenas 200 strong is implied to be just as clever as Scar, and a better leader than him too.
• A Day in the Limelight: They get 4 episodes in the TV series.
• Deadpan Snarker: Both Shenzi and Banzai have a habit of sending out sassy remarks.
• Didn't Think This Through: They sided with Scar to be able to eat to their heart's content. And they succeeded. And they got to eat to their hearts' content just as Scar agreed to let them to. Then they never stopped; and threw off the ecosystem of the Pride Lands. Ironically enough, Scar's promises were simultaneously held up and fell through because they ate so much and then had nothing to eat afterwards, whereas under Mufasa, yeah food was harder to come by in comparison; but there was plenty to eat for them when they got food.
• Dirty Coward: In theory. After all, they only pick on easy targets and run off as soon as a real threat like Mufasa shows up, but is this any different to how an animal would behave in real life?
• Disney Villain Death: Subverted. The hyenas fall down a hole in the midquel, but that explains how they got down to the bottom of Pride Rock so they could give their comeuppance to Scar.
• The Dog Bites Back: Or rather, The Hyena Bites Back. All of them.
  Shenzi: "Friends"??? I thought he said we were the enemy.
• Dogs Are Dumb: They are seen this way despite not even being canines. See All Animals Are Dogs.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: For all the Nazi imagery during "Be Prepared", the hyenas only ever speak ill of lions, and this seems to be more about them feeling like the lions oppress them. Also, their boss is a lion. It goes both ways, too: Scar might look down upon the hyenas, as he does with everyone, but he's the only lion who interacts with them on amicable terms.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: They, along with the rest of their clan, genuinely care for each other which allows them to act as a unit.
• Even Evil Has Standards: When Scar's rule turns out to be incompetent, Shenzi is brave enough to tell him about the problems and they all point out that he's in charge, urging him to take action. As Scar shows himself increasingly lazy and selfish, Banzai comments "And I thought things were bad under Mufasa". And then, there's of course, their reaction to Scar trying to use them as scapegoats to save his own behind.
• Et Tu, Brute?: The Hyenas do not take betrayal lightly. Scar found that out the hard way.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Being The Hyena, the three are constantly cracking wise to each other and making themselves laugh, often in a twisted fashion. This is usually when they feel like they have the upper hand and are content in their victory; When they're betrayed by Scar, or they recognize a lost cause, they sober up well enough. In the show, we also see they're willing to laugh at each other's expense.
• Evil Laugh: All three of them are capable.
• Eviler than Thou: Spend most of the film as Scar's abused lackeys, though after being pushed around one too many times, they remind him it's a massive clan of vicious hyenas versus one skinny lion.
• Fantastic Racism: They don't like lions (except for Scar, whom they serve until he double crosses them), and lions don't like them. This is a reference to how hyenas and lions compete for food in real life.
• For the Evulz: For all their talk about wanting more food, they seem to prioritize bullying over eating, at least when it comes to smaller animals. Shown in the first movie when they launch Zazu out of the "birdy boiler" rather than eat him straight away (and he implies this has happened more than once!) Also in the midquel where they ambush the meerkat clan but don't eat a single one! They laugh as they walk away, not even regetting this.
• The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: When it comes to food. They make puns based on human cuisine, like "make mine a cub sandwich" and describing fleeing meerkats as "scrambled... and a little bit runny".
• The Heavy: Of the midquel. Their attack on the meerkat colony is the direct cause of Timon's departure, they cause the wildebeest stampede that nearly gets Timon and Pumbaa killed (and causes them to wind up in the oasis) and Timon and Pumbaa's part in the climax involves facing them down.
• Heinous Hyena: They are Scar's brutish, constantly hungry enforcers and are depicted as dirty, stupid, and cowardly; however, they do end up killing Scar after he attempts to betray them. They even currently adorn that trope's image.
• The Hyena: Aside from the obvious fact that they, well, are hyenas, they also fit the trope stereotype. Taken up to eleven with Ed.
• Incorrect Animal Noise: Not only are they portrayed in an overly canine fashion, they also constantly utter wolf growls and snarls as well as dog whines and yelps. All hyenas in the franchise almost always utter these sounds. That being said, if you listen closely during the climatic battle of the first film, the trademark whoop of a spotted hyena calling to its companions can be heard as the entire clan decides to flee from the lionesess and their allies.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: The hyenas start out as this somewhat. Once Scar enlists them however they become a much bigger threat.
• Ink-Suit Actor:
  • Shenzi is Whoopi Goldberg as a hyena.
  • Similarly, Banzai is not too distant from Cheech Marin mannerisms-wise.
• Laughably Evil: They're very funny, despite being genuinely threatening.
• Laughing Mad: They're all always laughing or giggling, but Ed especially communicates mostly in insane laughter.
• Leitmotif: A set of "Psycho" Strings, most prominently heard when they chase Simba and Nala in the Elephant Graveyard and Simba later on down a cliff after the stampede.
• Loveable Rogue: Another part of their charm to the audience.
• Made of Iron: They survived the fire at the end, according to Word of God. And a volcano in the episode "Cooked Goose".
• Mean Character, Nice Actor: Abiding by the outtakes and House of Mouse.
• Meaningful Name: Shenzi is "Uncivilized/Heathen" in Swahili; Banzai means "skulk" or "lurk" in Swahili.
• Meaningless Villain Victory: They help Scar pull off his scheme to overthrow Mufasa because they're starving and he promises them food. However, they realize that things were in fact better when Mufasa was in charge.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal:
  • At the very end of the film, when Scar sells them out by placing of the Pridelands and Mufusa's death on them.
  • And to Cheetata and Cheetato who sent them on a wild goose chase.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: While they have plenty of comedic moments, they are nonetheless ravenous, carnivorous beasts with really nasty predatory instincts who come dangerously close to making a meal of Nala and Simba when they were cubs. Plus, the massive size of their clan allows them to put quite a good fight at the climax until the combined strength of the lionesess finally drives them away (Not to mention one random hyena of the clan manages to successfully secure its fangs around Simba's neck and would have killed him had it not been for Rafiki's timely intervention). Plus, they're ultimately the ones who seal Scar's fate after he cowardly tries to throw them under the bus.
• National Animal Stereotypes: With Shenzi & Banzai African American & Mexican American accents and with them displaying some negative stereotypes of those ethnicities they can fall into a downplayed version of this trope.
• Obsessed with Food: They're always on the look-out for their next meal.
• Psychopathic Man Child: While they are not as immature as Timon and Pumbaa, their behavior (although less so with Shenzi) can get childish at times, such as the infamous "No King! No King! La-la-la-LA-la-la!", bit. Typically, they come off as mischievous teens, particularly in the series.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Implied after Scar succeeds at taking over—while they're still genuinely malicious, Scar's failure to manage the kingdom and deliver on his promises offends even them, and they only continue working with him partly due to a lack of any better options and partly out of fear. Him attempting to pin everything on them just to save his own cowardly skin was the last straw for them and they give him exactly what he deserves.
• Put on a Bus: They fail to appear in the second film and apparently The Lion Guard.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: Although they're unusually frightening, effective villains for this trope when they're interacting with Simba.
• Rags to Riches: They go from random nobodies living out in the elephant graveyard to Scar’s second-in-command once he takes over the Pride Lands. Of course, the Pride Lands become interchangeable with the elephant graveyard thanks to Scar’s terrible leadership.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Once Scar is defeated and betrays them, the hyenas quit fighting and completely leave Pride Rock (though not before making a meal of Scar). In the sequel it's said that they even left the Elephant Graveyard, suggesting that they decided to completely flee the area altogether.
• Slasher Smile: Usually sport a sadistic grin, though have an especially nasty one as they prepare to tear Scar apart for his betrayal.
• Small Role, Big Impact: They only appear in two scenes in the midquel, but they cause a good number of the events; they attack the meerkats causing Timon to strike out on his own (which causes everything else), the wildebeest stampede they cause knocks Timon and Pumbaa into the oasis, and face Timon and Pumbaa in the climax.
• Smarter Than You Look: All three of them are goofballs, but they're not idiots. Ed especially may look and sound like a lunatic, but Shenzi and Banzai always seek his opinion. Their final scene implies that Ed is not as stupid as he's made out to be.
• Stupid Evil: For all their talk of being hungry, they often lose opportunities to eat by "playing" with their food and distracting themselves by making awful jokes while it gets away.
• Team Rocket Wins: At the end of the movie they finally make a meal out of Scar. They are implied to do the same to an Asshole Victim TV presenter at the end of the Timon and Pumbaa episode "TV Dinner".
• Terrible Trio: Shenzi is the leader of the trio and implied to be the leader of the whole pack; Banzai appears to think with his muscles; Ed is either insane, mentally handicapped, or faking it (according to Jim Cummings, it's the third).
• Thicker Than Water: Even after Scar proves to be a lousy king who nearly led the clan to starvation, the hyenas continue to follow and fight for them. The trio even follows Scar and Simba up to the top of Pride Rock presumably with the intention of helping him fight Simba. Unfortunately they arrive just in time to hear Scar attempt to sell them out proving that this trope is one-sided on their part.
• Two Guys and a Girl: Ed and Banzai are male, but the last member of the trio is Shenzi, a female hyena.
• Uncertain Doom: The last the audience sees of them is them attacking Scar as the flames start closing in. While they definitely killed Scar, whether they survived the fire is unclear, since they never appear in the sequel; Nuka mentions that the Hyenas left their original territory for unexplained reasons, implying that at least some of them survived, but it's not clear if any of these three lived.
• Undying Loyalty: Subverted. They continue to ally with Scar and fight for him even after he proves to be a lousy king. The main three also are shown to have followed him and Simba to the top of Pride Rock in order to help him. This all changes however once they learn that their loyalty isn't reciprocated, especially when they overheard Scar's attempt to double cross them.
• Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: The three bickering hyena minions have this dynamic with Scar. Downplayed, as the hyenas, despite their stupidity and funny moments, can pose a real threat to the protagonists and in the end they turn against their master and kill him.
• Villainous Friendship: They genuinely seem to enjoy one another's company, and are always loyal to one another.
• Villain Has a Point: According to Zazu, "technically they can [hurt them; they] ARE on their land."
• Villain Song: Two; "Be Prepared", and the musical gives them the song "Chow Down".
• Vitriolic Best Buds: They may sass, snark and scrap with each other, but they still have a strong friendship. It's implied that they thought they had this relationship with Scar, considering his insults to their intelligence just good-natured ribbing, only to find out too late that he really did look down on them
• Vocal Evolution: Jim Cummings' laugh for Ed is more high-pitched and creepy in the first film. In all of Ed's later appearances in Disney media, he sounds deeper and goofier.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In the sequel, they only get a passing mention that they and the rest of the hyenas left the elephant graveyard shortly after the events of the first movie, and after the battle they don't appear in the third at all. They do, however, appear occasionally in Timon and Pumbaa.
• Would Hurt a Child: They're all out for eating Simba and Nala in the Elephant Graveyard, and know what's going down in the gorge.
  • In the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Big Top Breakfast", they attempt to catch and eat a young circus monkey named Simon.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: They formerly adorned that trope's image.
• You All Look Familiar: When it comes to crowds of hyenas, Banzai seems to be something of a standard character model, with his heavy eyebrows and proximity to Shenzi and Ed marking him apart.
• Zerg Rush: One-on-one (or even three-on-one) it's clear that the hyenas are hopelessly outclassed against a single fully grown lion (even Scar, the smallest, weakest male seen in the movie can easily manhandle them). But they prove a formidable force in numbers because their clan is hundreds strong.

Shenzi

• The Alleged Boss: Among the hyenas themselves, she acts more like a friend of Banzai and Ed than the leader, and similarly shrugs off a lot of sass and arguing.
• Beneath the Mask: Shenzi in particular seems pretty reasonable. You could talk with her, have a laugh... but when Scar betrays them, she shows how utterly merciless she really is.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: Against Mufasa. While Banzai and Ed get effortlessly beaten by him, Shenzi attempts to bite him a few times and is able to dodge his swipes for a short time.
• Dark Action Girl: Not only could Shenzi be one of the toughest ladies Disney has on offer, but on top of everything else it's implied that she is the leader of the whole clan; otherwise why would Scar be doing business with her?
• The Dragon: Shenzi to Scar. She is just as ruthless and merciless as he is in fulfilling her ambitions — the main difference is that she has her clan's best interests at heart, and apparently can see the difference between fear and respect.
• Faux Affably Evil: Not as obviously unpleasant as Banzai, but clearly just as bad.
• Mean Boss: Not in the film, but Shenzi shows this in the TV series (the others still snap back, but Shenzi has Hammerspace slapstick on her side).
• No Brows: Shenzi lacks eyebrows, a feature she shares with her voice actress.
• One of the Boys: Whoopi's Tomboyish Voice combined with her sharing an equal level of slapstick as her male compatriots, as well as them never once hinting anything romantic going on between her and any of the males.
• Overly Long Name: Shenzi Marie Predatora Vendetta Jackalina Hyena. At least, according to Timon.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Shenzi — her eye patches are shaped like heavily applied eyeshadow, her mane extends to having bangs and a fringe, and she lacks the Perma-Stubble that both Banzai and Ed sport. Well, you have to be able to tell her from the guys somehow...^note  Animals Lack Attributes in this film, but even an aversion of that trope wouldn't help much — female spotted hyenas have genitalia that look very similar to a penis.
• Uncle Tom Foolery: With her African American accent and with her personality being slightly goofy and somewhat dimwitted compared to Scar at times some critics said her character reminded them of minstrel character from the past.
• Villainous Valour: If one looks closely, Shenzi at least tries to fight Mufasa when he arrives to save Simba.
• Villainous Virtues: Loyalty. Shenzi is loyal to her clan (in fact, she's even implied to be the matriarch of the hyenas) and her motivation for siding with Scar is his promise that Shenzi and her peers will "never go hungry again" under his rule, meaning she has her clan's best interest at heart. Even after it becomes obvious that Scar is an utterly incompetent king who cares for nobody but himself, Shenzi remains loyal towards him and only turns against him when he tries to blame her and her clan for Mufasa's death. Oh, and the reason she was even there to overhear him trying to throw them under the bus in the first place? She, Banzai and Ed climbed Pride Rock to assist Scar in his fight against Simba.
• Women Are Wiser: None of the hyenas are the brightest, but Shenzi's the most intelligent of the trio, especially in the TV series.

Banzai

• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Banzai has thick bushy eyebrows.
• The Brute: Is hot-tempered and mostly thinks with his muscles.
• Butt-Monkey: Banzai tends to suffer the most slapstick injuries out of the three; he literally gets claw-marks and thorns in his butt.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Is quickly offended when Zazu calls the hyenas stupid in Pig Latin and fights Ed when he laughs at the injuries on his butt.
• Large Ham: Is the most hammy one of the three.
• Obsessed with Food: To an even higher degree than the others. Whiningly asks if he can "pick off one of the little sick" wildebeests when he knows good and well doing so too early would ruin the plan.
• Sarcastic Devotee: Is this to Shenzi; he spends his time trying to please her and making her laugh. He does everything she tells him to do. And she clearly likes him enough to let him get away with talking back every so often.

Ed

• Aerith and Bob: Is the odd name out, being non-Swahili. Shenzi's very long name as said by Timon in the midquel could qualify as this, although it is unsure whether that is her actual name.
• Almost Normal Animal: After all, he's the one who doesn't talk and aside from laughing behaves the least human.
• Annoying Laugh: Spends the movie cackling like an idiot. It certainly gets on Scar's nerves at the very least. It's a lot more than a simple nuisance the last time he hears it.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: He's clearly out of his mind most of the time, particularly in how everything makes him laugh (to Banzai's annoyance).
• Comically Cross-Eyed: Is the most dim-witted of the Laughably Evil Terrible Trio of hyenas, and fittingly, he has Fish Eyes (as well as a Maniac Tongue).
• Ear Notch: Has multiple tears on his ears.
• Fish Eyes: Is the most dim-witted of the Terrible Trio, and fittingly, his eyes aren't exactly straight.
• Hidden Depths: Despite his appearance and his role as the idiot of the hyena trio, there are several moments in the first film that show Ed isn't as dumb as he looks. He was the one who noticed Simba, Nala and Zazu escaping while Shenzi and Banzai were busy cracking lion-related puns. He's also seen nodding his head in agreement when Shenzi says that the hyenas would be running the Pride Lands were it not for the lions. And when Scar tries to blame the hyenas for everything he did, Ed is just as angry about it as Shenzi and Banzai are.
• Maniac Tongue: His tongue mostly hangs out of his mouth.
• No Brows: He is the only male hyena to lack eyebrows.
• Odd Name Out: He is the only one of the trio who does not have a Swahili name. In fact, he's one of the few characters in the whole movie without one.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Gives Scar an intense Death Glare when confronting him in the climax, before giving a slow, sinister laugh unlike the maniacal laughter he'd been making throughout the entire movie.
• Perpetual Smiler: Is almost always grinning stupidly.
• Twitchy Eye: His eyes twitch from time to time.
• The Unintelligible: Although this trope uses laughter instead of the usual mumbling.
• The Voiceless: With the exception of a shout of "Boo!" in the Elephant Graveyard scene and the final line of "Be Prepared", his dialogue consists of nothing but laughs. A full-on Evil Laugh once his companions ask what to do with Scar...

Kiara

Kiara is the cub born to Simba and Nala at the end of the first movie and the protagonist of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. See tropes pertaining to Kiara here.

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