History WesternAnimation / TheLionGuard

** The night pride as well:

--->"'Til the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!"

--->"With strength and respect, night pride protect!”

* BigBad: Janja, the leader of the rival hyena clan. Though by the end of "The Rise of Scar", [[GreaterScopeVillain Scar reclaims his position as the main villain]], but since he's just a spirit, Janja and Ushari still have to do the heavy lifting. Later, Makucha becomes the main antagonist of Season 3

* MoralDissonance: The original movie made it clear that the Outlands aren't just a place where the hyenas happen to live -- it's ''their'' land and they're technically free to do whatever they like there. While this still holds true, Kion and the guard trespass on a fairly regular basis. The hyenas are always shown to be in the wrong for acting accordingly. Plus, it's not helped by the fact that Kion once got in trouble with Pua for trespassing.

* AdultFear: The hyenas cause a gazelle stampede that Kiara becomes trapped in. Besides being flashback inducing for Simba, it [[FridgeBrilliance could explain why Simba is so protective of her in the second film.]]

** "The Imaginary Okapi" episode's song is Beshte reassuring said Okapi that he will be safe in the Pride Lands, where all animals "graze in peace, unafraid of harm." Beshte is glossing over how two of his pals - plus their families - are predatory carnivores. Not to mention Okapi is now also in danger of the hyena clan that sneaks in every once and a while to hunt -- and as a jungle animal, lacks the ability to hide in the open grasslands.

[[folder: #-D]]

* AdaptedOut: Despite Simba's very heavily implied post traumatic stress disorder playing a major role in his characterization in the second half of the second film, it only remotely gets hinted at, and even then, very sparingly. Many people have noted that although Simba completely freaks out with Kovu whenever he is present in the second half of Film Two, yet when [[spoiler: Scar himself returns, and Kion also receives an identical scar, he takes the former only with a calm disposition of rage, and Kion's injury nonchalantly, even dismissing it as merely a scar until he learns his son could go insane. Of course, a father heavily implied to be suffering from PTSD is not exactly preschool friendly.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: The Lion Guard preventing Makucha, Chullunn and Ora from killing the elderly Janna becomes moot when Janna dies of old age in her next appearance.]]

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler: Jasiri's ascension as Queen of the Outlands is portrayed as this. Later on, Kion is coronated as King of the Tree of Life and becomes Rani's husband.]]

-->"'Til the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!"

-->"With strength and respect, night pride protect!”

* CerebusSyndrome: The first half of the show is pretty lighthearted, and although it has some dark and emotional moments, the Guard is always able to save the day, even after [[spoiler: Scar gets resurrected for a while. The entire series takes a dramatic turn for the darker once Kion meets Scar in person, with the Guard increasingly being subject to the villains either winning or at a deep price. Season 3 completes this by having Scar and Ushari be defeated for good, but it comes at the cost of the Guard having to go to the Tree of Life, a journey that they do not return from, at least not before Kiara's first hunt.]]

-->'''Kion:''' Good eyes, Ono! Keep 'em peeled for Janja and his clan!
-->'''Ono:''' Peeled eyes? Ewww!
* ContentWarnings: The episode "Long Live the Queen" starts with a warning that the episode deals with themes related to the circle of life, [[spoiler: as Rani has to become the new queen of her pride after her grandmother passes away]].

* CooldownHug: [[spoiler: Kion offers one to Rani after Queen Jhanna dies, and she weeps into his neck out of grief, with Kion also weeping during the scene. It is ultimately the moment that kicks off their romance.]]

* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Cobra venom can enter a person's mind and can remove their moral filters. Scar got his scar this way, and Kion receives an identical scar in an attempt to make him identical. However, said corruption is shown throughout Season 3 to be very gradual, and the worst it does is merely bring out the victim's more negative traits and desires more clearly, as they are still in control of their actions. Kion was already shown to have something of a temper, and he gets more emotional as a result of the venom. Scar's desires for the throne were always there, but the venom just made him more willing to do it.]]

* DeusExMachina: Kion's roar is all too often used as this. Hopelessly outnumbered or outmuscled by your enemies in a fight? Use the roar. Trapped in a dead end canyon by flood water that's about to drown you and all your friends? Use the roar. [[spoiler: Lured to the BigBad's lair and about to be pushed off a precipice into lava by his evil minions?]] Use the roar.

[[folder: E-G]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler: Ushari falls into the lava of Scar's volcano and burns to death. He deserved it, but that was a bit too much.]]

* FisherKing: [[spoiler: Jasiri's ascension as the Queen of the Outlands has all of the former members of Scar's army wondering if it will get better, clearly implying this trope.]]

[[folder: H-K]]
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: Kion with Rani in the finale.]]
* HairTriggerTemper: [[spoiler: Thanks to Ushari's venom sending him into a SanitySlippage, Kion becomes incredibly irritable, and if he doesn't have enough medicine, pretty much anything can send him into a furious temper tantrum.]]

* HijackedByGanon: Scar ultimately becomes the BigBad of the show, [[spoiler: until he is defeated in the Season 3 opener.]]

* IGotBigger: By the third season, Kion has aged from a cub to a teenager. The end of the series [[spoiler: has Kiara as an adult, indicating that Kion was away long enough for the events of Film Two to pass.]]

[[folder: L-O]]

* FallingInLoveMontage: It would not be a part of the Lion King franchise without this. [[spoiler: "A Feeling of Belonging" where Kion and Rani confess they love each other.]]

* MightyRoar: [[spoiler: Kion and Rani let a joint one out towards the animals assembled at the Tree of Life during their wedding, symbolizing Kion is a king.]]

** Season 3 has [[spoiler: several scenes where something funny happens that the audience is supposed to find amusing, only for it to trigger Kion's SanitySlippage induced HairTriggerTemper, forcing the rest of the Guard to try to calm him down or give him his medicine. The Accidental Avalanche and The Race To Tuliza are prime examples of this.]]
* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: While it is stated that cobra venom can send people insane, it is heavily implied that the venom merely brings out someone's darker impulses and desires, leaving the bite victim in complete control of their actions and still understanding the difference between right and wrong. Plenty of times, it is shown that Kion is completely capable of fighting back against the venom when it is attempting to push him into a darker action, while Scar was already shown to be power hungry and desired the throne before he was bitten. This heavily implies that the claim that cobra venom sends people insane is a misdiagnosis by the Pridelanders.]]

* MuggingTheMonster: [[spoiler: In The Race to Tuliza, several flamingoes decide to needlessly poke Kion for no other reason than for their own amusement. Given that these flamingoes are insinuated to have never seen a lion before, the flamingoes have no idea they are annoying a cub who has a powerful supernatural roar and is going through a serious SanitySlippage. Kion nearly kills them all when they don't believe his warning.]]

[[folder: P-S]]

--> Kion: We already had the talk! "Can you feel the love tonight," remember?

* PeacefulInDeath: [[spoiler: When Queen Janna dies, she is surrounded by her family and Kion, realizing the Tree of Life is in capable hands. Her death is ultimately a major reason Kion returns to marry Rani.]]

* RightfulKingReturns: More like the rightful queen is returning, but [[spoiler: Jasiri's ascension as Queen of the Outlands is portrayed as this.]]

*** [[spoiler: Season 3 in general seems to be set up as Disney Junior version of Batman: Arkham City, where the hero is poisoned with a serious toxin and is forced to go on a long journey to cure themselves of it that plays a major role in ending his career.]]

** In "Long Live the Queen" the Night Pride is shown to be aware that they know Queen Jhanna is [[spoiler: dying. When she actually does die, even from old age, this doesn't stop them from weeping profusely. Rani nuzzles Kion out of grief, and Kion actually cries during the scene. It doesn't matter if you know a relative will die, even from natural causes, it still causes some emotional trauma, even if temporarily.]]

[[folder: T-Z]]

* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: The fate of Makucha and his army in "Triumph of the Roar". After defeating them and saving the Tree of Life, Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to create a tornado, which sucks them all in and carries them away to never be seen again. Chances are that they ended up dead depending on where they landed, yet it's also possible that they landed safely and simply gave up or are taking time to plan their next attack.]]
* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: Dark undertones had already been creeping in since "The Rise of Scar", but nothing ''too'' serious until "The Scorpion's Sting", where [[spoiler: Scar sends a scorpion to lethally poison Simba, and then sets a trap for the Lion Guard when they come for the cure that includes siccing all of his Outlander forces on them within a volcano, with a climax where it continuously looks like the Lion Guard and/or Simba are doomed. It's only at the last minute that they escape and cure Simba, and even then they now know that a war is brewing.]]

** Ono's also got one, "Hapana", which is in itself a pun because in Swahili it means "Oh no!"
** Beshti’s is “Twende kiboko!” (Let’s go hippo)

** Vitani’s lion guard also have their own. Shahaba’s is “Bila hofu!(without fear!)” Imara’s is “musula! (Muscles). Tazama’s is “ Hiyo Kali! (That’s terrific). Kasi has “ Haraka Haraka! (Hurry hurry!”)

* BattleCry: The Lion Guard has one:

* FiveManBand: Kion is TheHero, Bunga is TheLancer, Beshte is TheBigGuy, Ono is TheSmartGuy, and Fuli is TheChick.
** Although, in serious situations Fuli tends to be Kion's level-headed lancer with Bunga being more of a comic relief chick.
** Later, Anga joins the Guard as Ono's replacement.

* CooldownHug: Kion gives one to Rani after Queen Janna dies.

* MoralDissonance: The original movie made it clear that the Outlands aren't just a p Ilace where the hyenas happen to live -- it's ''their'' land and they're technically free to do whatever they like there. While this still holds true, Kion and the guard trespass on a fairly regular basis. The hyenas are always shown to be in the wrong for acting accordingly. Plus, it's not helped by the fact that Kion once got in trouble with Pua for trespassing.

** ''The Imaginary Okapi'' episode's song is Beshte reassuring said Okapi that he will be safe in the Pride Lands, where all animals "graze in peace, unafraid of harm." Beshte is glossing over how two of his pals - plus their families - are predatory carnivores. Not to mention Okapi is now also in danger of the hyena clan that sneaks in every once and a while to hunt -- and as a jungle animal, lacks the ability to hide in the open grasslands.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: The Guard has to navigate by the stars to cross a desert from north to south, using the Southern Cross to mark their way. A jerboa helps guide them, telling them that the Southern Cross is circumpolar at their latitude, placing them no further north than 34° S--which is further south than Africa extends. [[MisplacedWildlife Jerboas are also native to the northern deserts of Africa and Asia,]] and so far in season 3 [[ArtisticLicenseGeography the Guard seems to be spending most of their time in Asia, a continent contained wholly within the northern hemisphere.]] At no point in Asia is the Southern Cross circumpolar, and is actually not visible from most deserts in Asia.

* OstrichHeadHiding: Deconstructed. In "Bunga The Wise," Bunga tells an ostrich who's scared of hyenas to hide her head in the ground to avoid seeing them. When the rest of the Lion Guard see her doing this, they point out that ostriches don't actually do such a thing. After they help the ostrich to pull her stuck head out, she complains about [[RealityEnsues how hard it is to breathe down there]].

* RealityEnsues:
** During the crocodile mashindano in "The Rise of Makuu", despite Pua having more experience in fighting, his old age caused him to become physically weaker and thus lose to the younger, more fit Makuu.
** "Bunga and the King" shows that the role of leader of the Lion Guard has caused Kion to suffer a serious drop in his social and private life, showing that the role of leader is taking a large toll on the cub.
** In "Janja's New Crew", it's heavily implied Janja's repeated failures are causing the rest of his clan (Cheezi and Chungu aside) to lose their respect and faith in him as leader.
** In "Savannah Summit", Simba invites Makuu to partake in the Savannah Summit to discuss a course of action for the approaching dry season. Kion is understandably wary since Makuu has been an antagonistic force in the Pride Lands since he became leader of the crocodiles; he poised a direct threat against the Queen (Kion's mother) on one occasion and the local hippo leader (Beshte's father) on another. However, Simba points out that Makuu is still the leader of a tribe of Prideland citizens, meaning he is entitled to a seat at the Summit. Simba also clarifies that the meeting is ''not'' a meeting of just friends, implying that he himself isn't pleased to have to deal with Makuu, but knows that he must since Makuu is the sovereign leader of the crocodiles. Likewise, Makuu's prior acts of villainy results in him having a hard time negotiating with the other Pridelanders since they do not trust him, even if he genuinely wants to co-operate.
** In "Let Sleeping Crocodiles Lie" the crocs are utterly livid that they have to go through the dry season. That said, Makuu is willing to drop the ProudWarriorRaceGuy in the interest of survival of his float, and when one of his followers challenge the small amount of water they have, he points out that under the current circumstances, it is the best they have. Similarly, when said follower tries to defeat him in a mashindano, Makuu is still able to win despite the follower's youth because Makuu is still in shape.
** Scar's plan to unite everyone under his banner, while a smart idea as it means the Lion Guard has to fight a unified force, also comes with the equally difficult problem of infighting, and him very frequently having to settle debates between them in order to keep them in line.
** In "The Little Guy", Hodari tries to convince the Pride Lands' crocodiles in allowing him to join their float by singing an upbeat song. Makuu remains unconvinced and dismisses him since it's not their tradition, only reconsidering after the gecko actually proves himself that he can be an asset to the crocodile clan.
** In "Pride Landers Unite", it is revealed that Simba is keeping Scar's return a secret and has ordered Kion to keep quiet about it, in order to prevent a panic. When Scar reveals himself in "The Fall of Mzimu Grove", Simba takes the blame by stating that he ordered Kion to keep Scar's return secret. The herds are horrified and disgusted that the king kept such a dangerous threat away from the citizens, and many of the herds are on the verge of leaving, as they believe that they are no longer safe in the Pridelands.
** In Season 3, as Ushari's venom begins to work its way through Kion's body, several of the episodes focus on merely getting Kion enough medicine for the day, as the symptoms keep getting worse. As it turns out, the venom just keeps adapting to the medicine given, so larger doses are needed to allow Kion to fight off the venom's insanity.
** In "The Accidental Avalanche", the snow monkeys are scared of giant eagles. As a result, when Anga first meets them, they throw snow at her because they think she will attack them, and despite how much she tries to prove it to them, they still are scared of her because she is their natural predator. When Anga attempts to save the snow monkeys using her talons, one of the monkeys predictably panics anyway and nearly gets them all killed as a result. It isn't until she successfully saves them that they finally acknowledge her as a friend.
** In "Long Live the Queen" the Night Pride is shown to be aware that they know Queen Jhanna is [[spoiler: dying. When she actually does die, even from old age, this doesn't stop them from weeping profusely. Rani nuzzles Kion out of grief, and Kion actually cries during the scene. It doesn't matter if you know a relative will die, even from natural causes, it still causes some emotional trauma, even if temporarily.]]
** In "Journey to the Pride Lands", [[spoiler:Janja and Jasiri show up at the Tree of Life, telling the Guard that they must return to the Pride Lands, as they are needed to help fight against Zira's forces. Despite heading out immediately, and taking a couple of major shortcuts along the way, the Guard and their allies don't arrive back at the Pride Lands until some time after the conflict has been resolved. The journey to the Tree of Life took a long time, so the trip back would also take a while, even with the aforementioned shortcuts.]]

* NotSoDifferent: Jasiri's song, "Sisi ni Sawa (We Are The Same)" is about her telling Kion that lions and hyenas are this.

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: [[spoiler:The season 3 opener reveals that Scar got his scar from a cobra bite, and cobra venom can remove someone's morals, and Kion receives an identical scar from Ushari in an attempt to corrupt him. However, while it can remove their morals, the venom is shown throughout Season 3 that the bite victim is still in control of their actions and the worst it does is bring out their negative traits more viciously. This makes it clear that Scar's jealously for his brother and his desire for the throne and his abuse of the Roar was always there, and the venom just made him more willing to do it then he otherwise would have, especially given how much he relishes in his actions.]]

Season 2 shifted the series to a more darker and serialized format, featuring an overarching plotline where the spirit of Scar is risen by Janja and his crew and assembles an army against the Guard. In the third season, the Guard leaves the Pride Lands in search of the mysterious Tree of Life, which could cure Kion of the poison in his soul.

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: [[spoiler: The season 3 opener reveals that Scar got his scar from a cobra bite, and cobra venom can remove someone's morals, and Kion receives an identical scar from Ushari in an attempt to corrupt him. However, while it can removes their morals, the venom is shown throughout Season 3 that the bite victim is still in control of their actions and the worst it does is bring out their negative traits more viciously. This makes it clear that Scar's jealously for his brother and his desire for the throne and his abuse of the Roar was always there, and the venom just made him more willing to do it then he otherwise would have, especially given how much he relishes in his actions.]]

* BeeAfraid: In episode 4, most of the main cast is stung by bees. [[TruthInTelevision Bunga, however, is unaffected]], and even eats a few.

* RememberTheNewGuy: Due to this series being made ten years after the last canonical entry in the franchise (which takes place chronologically after this), this applies to characters introduced in this series who weren't mentioned and didn't appear in other media.

* RememberTheNewGuy: Due to this series being made twenty years after the last canonical entry in the franchise (which takes place chronologically after this), this applies to characters introduced in this series who weren't mentioned and didn't appear in other media.

* MaleGaze: happens especially to fuli, jasiri or any female character.

[[foldercontrol]]