History Series / ShakaZulu

* PlayingGertrude: Nandi qualifies for this when she ascends to the throne as Queen of Queens (Queen Mother) after Shaka captures the Zulu capital. In fact, her actress Dudu Mkhize is actually younger than Henry Cele.

* RealMenLoveJesus: Zigzagged. Shaka shows fascination with the story of Jesus, although he wonders how someone touted to be the "King of Kings" could die such an ignominous death by being crucified. He sees parallels in Jesus being betrayed by those closest to him, but he eventually concludes that Jesus died so that Shaka could inherit the powers given to him from the heavens.

''Shaka Zulu'' is a 1986 UsefulNotes/{{South Africa}}n historical TV drama, mostly set between 1823 and 1828 but with some focus on UsefulNotes/{{Shaka|Zulu}}'s formative years as well. Henry Cele stars as the titular King of the Zulu. An [[TheEpic epic]] tale with thousands of extras, it was partially funded by the American company Harmony Gold USA, and entered syndication in the US as well as South Africa.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Shaka does not differentiate the morality of warfare and executions the way that the English do, and this is difference in values is brought forth when Shaka tasks one of the Brits with executing the enemy King Zwide on the battlefield and he refuses. Shaka effectively calls him a hypocrite and proceeds to execute Zwide himself.

''Shaka Zulu'' is a 1986 UsefulNotes/{{South Africa}}n historical TV drama, mostly set between 1823 and 1828 but with some focus on Shaka's formative years as well. Henry Cele stars as the titular King of the Zulu. An [[TheEpic epic]] tale with thousands of extras, it was partially funded by the American company Harmony Gold USA, and entered syndication in the US as well as South Africa.

Shaka Zulu is a 1986 South African historical TV drama, mostly set between 1823 and 1828 but with some focus on Shaka's formative years as well. Henry Cele stars as the titular King of the Zulu. An [[TheEpic epic]] tale with thousands of extras, it was partially funded by the American company Harmony Gold USA, and entered syndication in the US as well as South Africa.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Shaka, for the reason that they impair his movement. His callused soles certainly justify his point of view.

* ImmortalRuler: Shaka mistakenly believes that the British have "rejuvinated" him after applying some hair dye on him during his recovery from an assassination. Believing that they hold the secret to immortality, Shaka suggests a confederation ruled by immortal kings of various nations, and no longer believing himself to be in need of an heir, has his only son killed.

* RealMenLoveJesus: Zigzagged. Shaka shows fascination with the Jesus myth, although he wonders how someone touted to be the "King of Kings" could die such an ignominous death by being crucified. He sees parallels in Jesus being betrayed by those closest to him, but he eventually concludes that Jesus died so that Shaka could inherit the powers given to him from the heavens.

* IAintGotTimeToBleed: Perhaps mixed with {{Determinator}} when Shaka is pursued for trial. He suffers a considerable injury to his left leg, yet manages to outrun pursuers over rough terrain that includes a harrowing rock climb. Only once he found seclusion under a minor waterfall did he finally pass out.

** Despite being set in the mid 1820s, Dingiswayo (who was assassinated in 1817) was alive and kicking well into the period where Shaka had Englishmen in his inner circle.

* TrashTheSet: In the last episode, when Shaka's reign is ended through assassanation, his capital city is burned to the ground, leading to a whole bunch of extravagant shots where the setpieces are roundly trashed.

* MightyWhitey: Deconstructed. The Europeans arrive in Zululand to establish diplomatic ties and trading rights, and Dr. Henry Flynn points out that an unscrupulous person with their superior technology could become a god in this country, but it turns out that King Shaka is a dangerous, cunning ruler who has them totally at his mercy throughout their stay, and they're effectively political hostages. This small collection of mostly western civilians does manage to oppose an army of 20,000 enemy soldiers with a few rifles and a cannon, and Shaka becomes convinced that they possess the secret to immortality (actually hair dye that makes him appear younger and more medical knowledge to nurse him back to health after an attempted assassination). When Lieutenant Farewell returns from Capetown, his meeting with Shaka after the King has experienced a mental breakdown because of the death of his mother, in particular, is a very bitter take on this trope, as Shaka compares himself to a simple monkey who allowed himself to be tricked into getting his hand trapped in a bottle containing something shiny.

* MightyWhitey: Deconstructed. The Europeans arrive in Zululand to establish diplomatic ties and trading rights, and Dr. Henry Flynn points out that an unscrupulous person could become a god in this country, but it turns out that King Shaka is a dangerous, cunning ruler who has them totally at his mercy throughout their stay, and they're effectively political hostages. This small collection of mostly western civilians does manage to oppose an army of 20,000 enemy soldiers with a few rifles and a cannon, and Shaka becomes convinced that they possess the secret to immortality (actually hair dye that makes him appear younger and more medical knowledge to nurse him back to health after an attempted assassination). When Lieutenant Farewell returns from Capetown, his meeting with Shaka after the King has experienced a mental breakdown because of the death of his mother, in particular, is a very bitter take on this trope, as Shaka compares himself to a simple monkey who allowed himself to be tricked into getting his hand trapped in a bottle containing something shiny.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: This is the worst form of execution available to the African tribes, and it's only used for particularly heinous crimes, such as political assassination. The pikes are injected from the bottom upwards, not through the torso.

* NobleSavage: Subverted. King Shaka Zulu is a driven, cunning, and at times even sympathetic character, but he's not portrayed to be "closer to nature" or similar nonsense. He's unambiguously a tribal warlord who carved out an empire through massive bloodshed.

* NobleSavage: Subverted. King Shaka Zulu is a driven, cunning, and at times even sympathetic character, but he's not potrayed to be "closer to nature" or similar nonsense. He's unambiguously a tribal warlord who carved out an empire through massive bloodshed.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: After Shaka defeats King Zwide, he has him executed ''with a cannon''.