History Main / KingOfBeasts

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has his own pink [[ADogNamedDog lion named Lion]], who can [[WalkOnWater run on water]], create portals by roaring, and [[BagOfHolding store things inside his mane]] (there's a pocket dimension in there). It apparently belonged to Steven's mother, Rose Quartz. [[spoiler:It's revealed that Lion [[TouchedByVorlons gained his powers]] when Rose brought him BackFromTheDead.]]

* The Mayor of ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' is a lion named Lionheart. While overall he is genuinely concerned about the well-being of the citizens of Zootopia, he does have overtones of being a SleazyPolitician.

* Many Middle Eastern fables also have the lion as the king of animals, though he's often not a ''good'' king; in several stories he's overconfident, unwise, and easily outsmarted by his viziers, the [[ThoseWilyCoyotes jackals]] Kalila and Dimna.

** [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamonAndPearl the 4th generation]] also introduced Luxray, an Electric-type lion Pokémon with X-Ray vision.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1462297502010928600
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

However, not all people agree about the lion deserving the noble tin: RealLife lions have many potential enemies to look for. [[https://youtu.be/sZJLUY3k3co Adult elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, tigers, buffaloes, and Nile crocodiles]] are far too big and powerful to be killed by a solitary lion, and can kill in turn a fully-grown male lion more easily than the opposite. Meanwhile spotted hyenas, with their powerful crushing jaws, despite their reputation as humble scavengers, are actually feared by lions just like the latter are feared by hyenas, to the point that hyenas can actually defeat lions if they are in group. In addition, a popular misconception is that male lions are poor hunters due to the fact that the mane is supposedly a [[AwesomeButImpractical huge, impractical display structure]]; the lioness does most of the hunting. Given that male lions are kicked out of their pride at a young age, and must fend for themselves until they can take over a pride from another male, however, there's not much validity to this claim. Nonetheless, a male lion with a pride does typically leave the hunting to the lionesses, conserving his stamina in case he needs to either fight off rival lions or ward hyenas off either their own kill, or one made by his lionesses (although a male will still help with the lioness's hunt if extra muscle is needed to bring down bigger prey - for example, [[https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/older-elephants-know-the-best-anti-lion-moves a herd of elephants won't consider lions a threat unless a male is present]]), and across much of its ancient range (from North Africa and the Balkans across the Levant, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Persia to India, where elephants reappear), the lion was indisputably on top.

* In ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', the title character's father was ''Emperor'' of the Jungle.
* ''Anime/BeastWarsII'' had ''[[Characters/TransformersGeneration1Autobots Optimus Prime]]'' (Convoy in Japan) expy and white lion ''Lio Convoy'' leading that series' group of Maximals (Cybertrons).

* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'': The eponymous [[HumongousMecha mecha]] is partly made up of an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot alien robot lion]], and the main character's last name roughly translates to "lion king". Lions show up in a few of the other Anime/BraveSeries shows as well.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** The Thousand Sunny. It was even stated by Iceburg that it'll be the "King of the Beasts" in order to carry the "King of the Pirates" or something like that.
** One of Buggy's crew members is a giant lion.

* Liott in ''Manga/TheDarkQueenAndIStrikeBack'' is a lion inhuman and one of the top-ranking members of the inhuman army. But despite his fearsome appearance and strength, he's actually a GentleGiant and a doting father to his daughter.

* In ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'', the Gold Paladin Clan was originally composed of seven corps dedicated to gathering the seven Sacred Beast Armors, each themed after one of the armors: Red Lion, Silver Wolf, Black Horse, White Rabbit, Purple Elephant, Blue Falcon and Green Deer. Unsurprisingly, the Red Lion Corps and their leader, Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel got the [[IncrediblyLamePun lion's share]] of screentime both in the anime and in the card game lore. Ezel himself was critical to the resolution of the War of Liberation in the lore via his SuperMode: Blazing Lion, Platina Ezel.

* In ''Comicbook/{{Grandville}}'', set in a FunnyAnimal AlternateHistory 19th century French Empire, Napoleon is a lion.

* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'', King [[UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionHeart Richard]] and Prince [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland John]] are lions. Richard (who also provides a StealthPun) fits the regal image perfectly. John, on the other hand, is scrawny and pathetic, and he notably lacks the typical majestic lion's mane to reflect this.

* The Mayor of ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' is a lion named Lionheart. While overall he is genuinely concerned about the well-being of the citizens of Zootopia, he does have overtones of being a SleazyPolitician.

* The motif is invoked in ''Film/WarCraft2016'', where the kings of Stormwind use lion as their symbol.
* ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' features a zoo lion at the very end of the movie, just as Rexy the ''T. rex'' (whose name means "[[KingOfTheDinosaurs tyrant lizard king]]") breaks into the zoo. She spots the lion on a rock and roars at him, which causes the lion (an animal much smaller than a T. Rex) to stand his ground and roar right back at her. This is basically the first time that the king of beasts meets the queen of dinosaurs.

* Many Middle Eastern fables also have the lion as the king of animals, though he's often not a ''good'' king; in several stories he's overconfident, unwise, and easily outsmarted by his viziers, the [[ThoseWilyCoyotes jackals]] Kalila and Dimna.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E5WarriorsGate Warriors' Gate]]'', the leonine Tharils had been kings in the past.
* In ''Series/{{Grimm}}'', the Löwen (lion-like Wesen) were once kings, and still tend to be in positions of power over other Wesen, including running GladiatorGames.

* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', lions appear in several contexts.
** The Simba, or werelions, claim authority over all the Bastet (though most Bastet would rather follow the Khan, or tiger tribe).
** Lion was the tribal totem of the White Howlers. When the White Howlers fell to the Wyrm, Griffin accepted Lion into his brood. Lion now extends totemic patronage to Red Talons.

%%* ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy'': Arturia, the white lion(ess?) that accompanied Zhorne Giovanni, First Emperor of Abel, in his adventures.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** A regular quest type involves hunting down the King of Beasts in a particular zone, which is sometimes a lion, though it can just as easily be a tiger, raptor, primitive dragon, or most any sufficiently impressive creature.
** The Cataclysm expansion introduced a rare spawn named Sambas, a lion with a unique model that's tameable by Hunters.
** The lion is the AnimalMotif of the human kingdom of Stormwind and thus the Alliance as a whole, playing into the imagery of pride and protectiveness.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', it's the Lion Clan of Laguz that rule Gallia. The lions are also the strongest of the beast tribe. In the backstory, a member of the Lion Clan ruled about eighty percent of the continent. The setting's [[HybridDiscrimination ostracized]] [[HalfHumanHybrid beorc-laguz hybrids]] eventually fall under the lead of a half-lion.
* In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Squall Leonhart is very well remembered for his omnipresent lion motif.
* Slash Beast from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' is based off a lion (his Japanese name is "Slash Beast'''leo'''"). He's also the captain of Repliforce's army and gets really pissed off when you attack his unit on his [[TraintopBattle military train]].
* The [=KingLeo=] monsters from the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series seemed to be designed with this trope in mind. They have eight limbs.
* The Aura Lion Dream Eaters in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' are referred as the kings of beasts, and fittingly, are one of the most powerful enemies or allies you'll encounter.
* Averted hilariously in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', in which the [[http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:King_of_beasts King of Beasts]] as a title has been awarded to rather unintuitive candidates such as elephants (most famously seen in Boatmurdered), giant sponges, unicorns, and recently, giant dingos.

* Leo Whitefang from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' fashions himself after a lion, with his blond mane, fur coat and sharpened teeth. Fittingly, he's also the Second King of Illyria.

* ''VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft'' has the King of Beasts card, which is naturally a lion. Stat-wise, however, this card's nowhere near as impressive as the hunter legendary King Krush (who is a devilsaur, the fantastic version of a T-Rex). And then in a meta-based DoubleSubversion, neither card is as commonly used or well regarded by the players as the Savannah Highmane -- which is another lion-based card.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Solgaleo, the cover legendary of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Pokémon Sun]]'', is a very large, stark white and powerful (and muscular) leonine being whose mane is evocative of a sun's rays, and hailed in Alola as being an emissary of the sun. The fact that it can rip holes leading to parallel universes as well as to [[EldritchLocation Ultra Space]] only adds to its regal awesomeness.
** To a lesser degree, [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY the 6th generation]] features Pyroar, a [[FieryLion Fire-type lion]] Pokémon that is the signature of the BigBad's team.
** [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamonAndPearl the 4th generation]] also introduced Luxray, an Electric-type lion Pokémon with X-Ray vision.

* Reinhard, the BigBad of ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'', is a man with unparalleled charisma and leadership abilities who is said to be next in line to become the God of the universe and rule all of reality. Fittingly, he rocks a strong lion motif and is known among other titles as The Golden Beast.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** ''[[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Generation 1]]'' has the Predacons, whose leader, Razorclaw, has a mechanical lion for an altmode.
** Steeljaw, Beast Wars Prowl (The central component of the (toy-only) combiner Magnaboss), [[Anime/TransformersCybertron Overhaul]]-into-Leobreaker. Any time an animal theme comes up, expect to see at least one lion.
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheWuzzles'', Bumblelion (he's [[MixAndMatchCritters half lion]], so it counts) is the ''de facto'' leader of the group. At the very least he's the one who takes the initiative.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}''
** Lion-O, Lord of the [=ThunderCats=].
** In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', the {{catfolk}} have a FantasticCasteSystem, and as you might expect the royal family are lions.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}'', Leoric has the ability to shapeshift into a Lion, reflecting his heroic qualities. Also, he is the ruler of New Valarak and is referred to as "Prince Leoric" in one episode.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'', in which each animal species represents a particular nation with its own monarch. Naturally, the lion nation would have its own king, but the king of the lions is shown to be one of the most cowardly of all the monarchs.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'' most of the cast think that the royal family (it's a Canadian cartoon) is visiting the Evergreen Forest. As it's a show with anthropomorphic animals, the King is represented by a Lion (imagined by Bert as [[spoiler:it turns out it was just a play that Ralph and Melissa were rehearsing).]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Snagglepuss}}'' frequently cites himself as being king of the jungle, even though strictly speaking, he's not that kind of lion; he's a mountain lion.

** The Book of Revelation refers to Jesus as the Lion of Judah, although his appearance in that section resembles a rather fearsome [[SacrificialLion lamb]].

* In Gujarat (home of the last surviving handful of Asiatic lions in the wild), the goddess Durga [[CoolMount rides on a lion]]. (Elsewhere in India and the rest of the subcontinent, she rides a ''tiger'' instead.)

** Separate from the franchise preference for lions, ''Series/DoubutsuSentaiZyuohger'' themes itself completely after the concept of Kings of Beasts ("Zyuoh" even literally translates to "Beast King"). In their InTheNameOfTheMoon pronouncements, ''all'' of the Zyuohgers proclaim themselves supreme in their animals' respective environments: Zyuoh Eagle is "king of the skies", Zyuoh Shark is "queen of the seas", Zyuoh Lion is "king of the savannah", Zyuoh Elephant is "king of the forest", Zyuoh Tiger is "queen of the snowfield", and Zyuoh Gorilla is "king of the jungle" (SixthRanger Zyuoh The World is "king of the world", but his powerset is a mashup of multiple animals so no specific beast is actually given that title). The true King of Beasts in this case turns out to be Zyuoh ''Whale'', the Red Ranger's SuperMode and "king of the kings".
*** In a somewhat subversion from usual lion theming, Zyuoh Lion is the Yellow Ranger and therefore not the team leader, which instead goes to the [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority Red Ranger]] Zyuoh Eagle/Gorilla/Whale.

In many Eastern countries, the tiger often takes the role of the king of beasts [[TigerVersusDragon despite having to compete with what Westerners call the "Chinese dragon"]]. The tiger is often associated with the Earth (king of earthly beasts) and the dragon is associated with the Heavens (king of mythical beasts). The "[[AsianLionDogs Chinese lion]]", often outside Buddhist temples or homes as a protector of those inside, looks so unusual because lions were long since extinct in China when the Chinese first carved such statues; they have been theorized to be based on a kind of dog. Another points to the Jade Emperor origin stories of the zodiac of how the tiger became the king of beasts, as it was said that though the lion ruled first, the Jade Emperor disapproved of its tyranny and later bestowed the tiger with its title after showcasing acts of heroism throughout the natural world, with each deed as the black mark upon its head eventually forming the ideogram for king (王).

* Guardd the lion-man is one of the most noble members of ''ComicBook/TheOthers'', such that King Skyglider's will names him as his heir, and is the team's leader.

* In ComicBook/GodHatesAstronauts the leader of an interstellar empire, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin King Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger]] is served by the commander of his star fleet, his son Admiral Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger. Not even close to the strangest thing about the series... it's just that kind of comic.

In many Eastern countries, the tiger often takes the role of the king of beasts [[TigerVersusDragon despite having to compete with what Westerners call the "Chinese dragon"]]. The tiger is often associated with the Earth (king of earthly beasts) and the dragon is associated with the Heavens (king of mythical beasts). The "Chinese lion", often outside Buddhist temples or homes as a protector of those inside, looks so unusual because lions were long since extinct in China when the Chinese first carved such statues; they have been theorized to be based on a kind of dog. Another points to the Jade Emperor origin stories of the zodiac of how the tiger became the king of beasts, as it was said that though the lion ruled first, the Jade Emperor disapproved of its tyranny and later bestowed the tiger with its title after showcasing acts of heroism throughout the natural world, with each deed as the black mark upon its head eventually forming the ideogram for king (王).

In the Bible (Book of Job) two animals are mentioned as "God's most powerful creatures", the Behemoth and the [[KrakenAndLeviathan Leviathan]]. Some think both are real animals: the first one may be the hippopotamus, the latter is presumably some kind of large sea creature (Leviathan in modern Hebrew language means "whale", though it could also be a [[ThreateningShark shark]] or a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]]). In DinosaurMedia, ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' has a similar reputation; its name even means "tyrant lizard king".

Interesting to note that many human cultures have or had a different hierarchical vision about the animal world. Some African people say the lion is the "king" but the elephant is God. In Indian tales, the elephant and the lion are often portrayed as they are contending their supremacy over all animals. In Europe before, and in some cases after, Christianization, it's the bear that is considered the lord of the beasts. The wolf has also had this reputation among other ancient European peoples (ex in pre-Roman Italy). In Muslim traditions, the lion is respected (and there are a number of Arabic masculine names that mean "lion"), but it is the giraffe who is the "Queen of the Beasts" (for its elegance).

However, not all people agree about the lion deserving the noble tin: RealLife lions have many potential enemies to look for. [[https://youtu.be/sZJLUY3k3co Adult elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, tigers, buffaloes, and Nile crocodiles]] are far too big and powerful to be killed by a solitary lion, and can kill in turn a fully-grown male lion more easily than the opposite. Meanwhile spotted hyenas, with their powerful crushing jaws, despite their reputation as humble scavengers, are actually feared by lions just like the latter are feared by hyenas, to the point that hyenas can actually defeat lions if they are in group. In addition, a popular misconception is that male lions are poor hunters due to the fact that the mane is supposedly a [[AwesomeButImpractical huge, impractical display structure]]; the lioness does most of the hunting. Given that male lions are kicked out of their pride at a young age, and must fend for themselves until they can take over a pride from another male, however, there's not much validity to this claim. Nonetheless, a male lion with a pride does typically leave the hunting to the lionesses, conserving his stamina in case he needs to either fight off rival lions or warding Hyenas off either their own kill, or one made by his lionesses (although a male will still help with the lioness's hunt if extra muscle is needed to bring down bigger prey - for example, [[https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/older-elephants-know-the-best-anti-lion-moves a herd of elephants won't consider lions a threat unless a male is present]]), and across much of its ancient range (from North Africa and the Balkans across the Levant, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Persia to India, where elephants reappear), the lion was indisputably on top.

* ''Franchise/{{Jewelpet}}'' has the white lion Jewelpet Granite. While he doesn't have any hint of leadership, he has the honour of being Ruby's boyfriend in [[spoiler:''Anime/JewelpetSunshine'' and]] ''Anime/JewelpetKiraDeco''.

In the Bible (Book of Job) two animals are mentioned as "God's most powerful creatures", the Behemoth and the [[KrakenAndLeviathan Leviathan]]. Some think both are real animals: the first one may be the hippopotamus, the latter is presumably some kind of large sea creature (Leviathan in modern Hebrew language means "whale", though it could also be a [[ThreateningShark shark]] or a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodile]]). In DinosaurMedia, ''TyrannosaurusRex'' has a similar reputation; its name even means "tyrant lizard king".

* ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' features a zoo lion at the very end of the movie, just as Rexy the ''TyrannosaurusRex'' (whose name means "tyrant lizard king") breaks into the zoo. She spots the lion on a rock and roars at him, which causes the lion (an animal much smaller than a T. Rex) to stand his ground and roar right back at her. This is basically the first time that the king of beasts meets the queen of dinosaurs.

* In ''Literature/ThePrince'', Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli recommends being like this -- ''and'' CunningLikeAFox.
-->''A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about.''

* The ''[[Literature/ReynardTheFox Roman de Renart]]'' (''i.e.'', Reynard the [[CunningLikeAFox Fox]]) and la Fontaine's fables use this trope. The lion is called Noble the Lion in mediaeval beast fable. He was not always a ReasonableAuthorityFigure and indeed some fables are about his striking a LeonineContract.
* Many Middle Eastern fables also have the lion as the king of animals, though he's often not a ''good'' king; in several stories he's overconfident, unwise, and easily outsmarted by his viziers, the [[ThoseWilyCoyotes jackals]] Kalila and Dimna.

* After he gains courage, the Cowardly Lion becomes King of the Beasts in ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''.
* King Leonis in ''The Lion's Cavalcade'' by Alan Aldridge and Ted Walker.

* SixthRanger David from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' chooses a male lion as his combat morph. ''The Threat'' ends with a climatic battle between his lion and Jake's tiger, which ends in a decisive victory for the lion.
* In ''Literature/ThePrince'', Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli recommends being like this -- ''and'' CunningLikeAFox.
-->''A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about.''

* ''Literature/TheWayOfKingsByLouiseSearl'', a novel about lions, features folk tales about how their original ancestor became King of Beasts.

* King Leonidas of Namboombu from ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks''.

See also PantheraAwesome, CatsAreSuperior. NobleBirdOfPrey often serves as an equivalent among birds. When you combine lions ''and'' birds of prey in the same creature, you get OurGryphonsAreDifferent.

See also PantheraAwesome, CatsAreSuperior.

* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'', King [[UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionHeart Richard]] and Prince [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland John]] are lions. Richard (who also provides a StealthPun) fits the regal image perfectly. John, on the other hand, is scrawny and pathetic.