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1!!FridgeBrilliance
2* The death of every lion male by the paw of Scar is an elegant way to explain the absence of any beta male in the previous films, rather than just saying they're off-screen, while getting over all the incest implications of having only two brother males in the Pride. It also explains why Simba could not find a suitor for Kiara even in her teenage years, before Kovu appeared.
3* According to Jasiri, most hyenas are actually good. Taking this into consideration, maybe the only reason the hyenas in the film joined Scar was truly because he promised they would "never go hungry again". They just drank in his every word without thinking further. Note that it would simply turn them more stupid than evil, and admit it, incredibly environmentally irresponsible... just like another [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters notorious species]].
4* The fact Scar was said to have the "Roar of the Elders" may explain why Zira and her lionesses were so fanatically loyal to Scar, even after his death, in the first place: having the "Roar of the Elders" would give him a mark of respect, and Zira may have believed that it meant he deserved to be king more than Mufasa.
5** Note that it would be a big misinterpretation of the Roar of the Elders on her part. Scar was the custodian of this power ''because'' he was the youngest of the royal siblings. It means that per se, he had a mark of respect because he played the supporting role in the protection/stability of the kingdom (like a consolation prize), so it is far-stretched to pretend it would be a valid argument in Zira's view without outing the joker of her madness. It is right that the series does not mention if the youngest keeps their powers if they ''rightfully'' inherit the crown.
6** There's a certain logic to this. A magical roar that instantly knockouts if not kills enemies or summons the dead is considerably more awe-inspiring than "was born first". It's a wonder why the Elders didn't anticipate the temptation of the holder to use this power to frame a coup against his first-born sibling.
7*** His connection to the Roar also shows that Scar's personality is what always was the problem. The roar, when used for good, can do amazing things...but when used for evil, it can cause a lot of problems. Meaning that the Elders ''knew'' of the risks but felt that anyone who gets it is worthy until proven otherwise...such as when Scar murdered his fellow Guards, and the power stripped from him as a result.
8* Makuu's criticism of Pua for fearing hippos demonstrates how unfit he is as a leader.
9* The elephant funeral scene in "I can't wait to be Queen" is actually more true to life than some would think. Elephants do [[TruthInTelevision mourn their dead]], so it is logical that they would hold it. And why is Simba just there? Because it [[AuthorsSavingThrow explains that if the Pridelands got better so quickly]], it was because the leader of the Elephants came back... So likely Pua from "Rise of Makuu" was also one of the leaders to help fix the Pride Lands, and many other elderly animals could have been the ones who helped fix it. It explains the ending of the first film rather well if Simba could inspire many different animals to come back to restore the Circle of Life.
10** It could also explain the teamwork mindset of many of the animals in "Rise of Makuu"; the Hippos, who are usually territorial in real life, are willing to allow crocodiles in their territory to eat overpopulated fish. ''Why'' would the leader Hippo allow this? It's likely that he worked with the Crocodiles in fixing the Pride Lands, so this is his way to repay the crocodiles for their help.
11* Why don't Ushari and Bunga get along? Because snakes and honey badgers [[TruthInTelevision are natural enemies...]]
12* Nne and Tano are quite dark and serious villains for what is a much LighterAndSofter show, compared to the film. However since Season 2 is going to be much darker, it makes sense. The first season is approaching its end, and their appearance could be meant to foreshadow the darker second season ahead.
13* In "The Lions of the Outlands," Zira shows Kion that he can use the roar to affect the weather, among other things, by having him roar at a tiny cloud and turn it into a raging thunderhead. That would explain the [[FisherKing otherwise inexplicable except for dramatic effect]] state of the Pridelands after Scar became king in the original movie. Scar ''really did'' have the power to change the environment!
14* Zira may have actually believed it herself when she told Kion that using the Roar against other lions would result in him losing the power. Since she idolized Scar, [[MoralMyopia she wouldn't have considered his use of the Roar on the former Lion Guard to be an act of evil]], and that evil being the true cause of Scar losing the power, so she came to the only conclusion that made sense to her. The best lie is the one to yourself.
15** It's a big shame that Kion failed to address her about the murder of the previous Guard, and the fact ''that could be linked''. Not that it would change the mind of a dirty liar like Zira, but still... It could make the others doubt. At least, this would entirely avoid the false dilemma between surrendering or risking to lose his powers, without needing the rest of the Guard to remind him the obvious. Eventually, they never try to clear up the situation for the whole Pride of Outlanders, despite that, now we know Zira is blatantly lying (or in the denial), some of them could be misled about Scar's true story.
16** Even if Kion explained to Zira that Scar blatantly murdered his Guard, it's doubtful she would react with shock. In Lion King II, she comments how Kovu, upon completing his training, has a similar "blackness" in his heart to that of Scar. It's not that she's in denial; if anything, it would make Scar seem even powerful to her.
17* The Outsiders are seen to have FantasticRacism against hyenas up to eleven, despite the fact that Scar employed a large army of loyal hyenas during his reign. While it may be seen as strange at first glance considering Scar's alliance with the hyenas, it's possible that Zira knows of the hyenas' part in Scar's death and thus painted the hyenas as having betrayed Scar, brainwashing her pride. This is one reason they're so hell-bent on antagonizing Jasiri's family, since they can't do anything about Shenzi's clan since they fled the Pride Lands after Scar's death.
18** The Outlander Lions look down on all hyenas. So of course, they hate Janja and his bachelor clan too. Just like Jasiri they have difficulty hunting in the Outlands which is why they're always coming in. It's just that Janja happens to be a jerk, so he never got the memo.
19** In the original film, even though Scar worked with the hyenas, he clearly did not think highly of them, considering his constant snarking how he's SurroundedByIdiots. He clearly considered them as "useful idiots" rather than proper allies, so he clearly shares the FantasticRacism that lions bear towards hyenas.
20* It is established that hyenas and leopards don't live in the Pridelands. These animals are known to compete fiercely with lions over food and territory. So InUniverse, the three species could have settled a pact to stay on their own lands in order to preserve peace and resources [[note]]especially with what little was left after Scar's reign[[/note]] - lions in the Pridelands, hyenas in the Outlands, and leopards in the Backlands. It could explain why Janja and Makucha aren't allowed to hunt within the Pridelands' borders. Cheetahs, on the other hand, are nowhere as powerful or intimidating and frequently lose their kills to the larger predators. Let's just say the lions were generous enough to share their land with them. Other predators such as crocodiles, snakes, and eagles fill in their own ecological niche, and thus the lions allow them to live in the Pridelands as well.
21** This may explain why Jasiri and her clan would rather stay in the Outlands even though they respect the Circle of Life. They're aware of the pact and they're respecting it. Plus, Jasiri did initially tell Kion she wants him out of her territory.
22** Gets further established in "Ono and the Egg", which suggests that predators have to stay in their own territories in order to preserve the Circle of Life.
23** Plus the areas seem to fit into the main environment; the Pride Lands are a savannah-like area that lions are mostly living in, the Outlands appear to be more desert-like which fits where vultures and the like reside, and the Backlands are a forest-like environment, perfect for leopards and other more tropical predators.
24*** Vultures aren't restricted to desert-like environments and leopards are absolutely savannah dwellers.
25** According to "Ono and the Egg", hawks are not allowed to hunt in the Pride Lands. The Pride Lands already has eagles (seeing as how Hadithi is allowed there) and owls (an owl's hoot was heard in "Beware of the Zimwi") filling in the role of aerial predators.
26** Furthermore, this adds nuance to the 'lions only' tradition. If there are only a few predatory species in the Pridelands, warlike titles like "Fiercest" will probably fall on a lion. To say nothing of how far it is between herds' grazing grounds to the Guard den (talk about a long work commute!), and how the preyed-upon species might leave if asked to contribute Guards ''as well as'' meat to the pride. Kion is lucky to have such adventurous friends.
27* Janja's got a pretty strong resemblance to Banzai through the eyebrows, but if you look at his mane, it's slicked back kind of how Scar did his mane.
28* While Mufasa's spirit appears as a figment in the clouds, Scar's likeness is framed in fire. This is a nice way to highlight the contrast between the heavenly Mufasa and the hellish Scar.
29** This isn't the only form of religious symbolism to appear in the series. The Guard in Season 3 are, in effect, on a journey to a holy site to where pilgrims from all over come for healing and safety, where one of their number can be healed from an evil influence that seeks to corrupt him. Said holy site is a place with a sacred tree at its centre, where all creatures live in harmony. [[GardenOfEden Sound familiar?]]
30* The show itself can be viewed as a metaphor for wildlife conservation. The Pridelands is essentially a refuge where animals can live under protection by the royal family, who respect the Circle of Life by hunting only what they need and when they need it. It is best explained in "Ono and the Egg".
31--->'''Kion:''' The reason there are so many different animals in the Pridelands is because we all respect the Circle of Life. (to Mpishi) I hope you'll do the same and return to your own territory.
32** In contrast to the Guard, many of the antagonists could fit the representation of an EvilPoacher. For example Makucha, while he may be a predator, is known to especially go after rare animals - such as an okapi, a golden zebra and a tortoise - and thus seems to target endangered species. The same would go for Mpishi, who specifically came to the Pridelands for rare prey to eat. And of course, Janja, Reirei and their respective groups are set on overhunting.
33** The Tree of Life can be seen as a representation to a zoo, being a safe haven for animals (particularly endangered, sick, or crippled ones) and having sorts of different habitats.
34* Mwoga is revealed to dislike fresh meat in "Ono and the Egg", despite hunting for live prey with Mzingo in previous episodes. However, he makes an agreement with Mpishi to have the scraps when she finishes off whatever prey she finds, which is probably the same deal he regularly makes with Mzingo who is more intent on killing.
35* Mzingo's flock and Janja's clan work several times together. In real life, vultures and hyenas can get along fine and share the same carcasses (as long as there is enough food for all of course). Hyenas sometimes follow vultures to find carcasses (as vultures have a better vision), while the vultures also use the presence of hyenas to locate prey.
36** The question now is why the vultures are allowed in the Pridelands when the hyenas aren't. Vultures happen to provide a very important role by scavenging carcasses and thus limiting the spread of diseases, fitting squarely within the Circle of Life. They fill the scavenger niche there while the hyenas do so in the Outlands.
37* "Let Sleeping Crocs" has Makuu and the other crocodiles putting their focus on finding a suitable source of water for them as it is the dry season, but they don't seem to consider food much of an issue (although they settle in a watering hole that would provide enough fish for them to eat). This is because crocodiles can go for ''years'' without eating due their ectothermy, but because of their ectothermy they need to rely on water to conserve their energy and maintain their body temperature.
38* "Swept Away" shows Kion being somewhat hesitant to use the Roar of The Elders to make it rain like Zira showed him, and it would certainly explain why he didn't use it to help Makuu in "Let The Sleeping Crocs Lie": 1). It's not a precise power, and can produce too much rain than what's desired. 2). Rain during a dry season can do a lot more serious damage than help. As Ono stated, most of the ground is too dry to absorb water, which would cause sweeping floods that can damage their new watering hole, and Makuu wouldn't like that.
39* "The Ukumbusho Tradition" makes it quite clear that elephants are deathly afraid of bees, which can fly up their trunks and potentially sting them. This is TruthInTelevision, but for another reason: Africanized bees are some of the deadliest animals in Africa. An angry swarm is powerful enough to kill just about any animal on the savanna, including elephants.
40* In "The Bite of Kenge", Scar plots for all the melons to be stolen from the Pridelands so that the elephants will die of thirst. Now why would Scar - whose main goal is to reclaim the Pridelands - be focused on something as petty as [[ForTheEvulz killing off random animals]]? Well, it just so happens the previous episode talked about peace being made between the elephants and lions. And several other episodes made it clear these two species have a special alliance. When you put this all together, maybe Scar anticipated that by exterminating members of one of the royal family's greatest allies, he would break them apart, possibly leading to a war, and thus a huge detriment to the Circle of Life and an opportunity for him to take over.
41** There's also the fact elephants are a keystone species. Without them, the Pridelands would be devastated making it easier for him to take over.
42* So, in "The Scorpion's Sting", it's a bit redundant to have Sumu the scorpion when Ushari is a venomous cobra who can accomplish the same result, but there's a reason Ushari wasn't sent to do the task; Ushari isn't very good at stealth, as he's too big that he can easily be spotted, and there aren't very many places for him to hide in Pride Rock, and it's established he's not very fast either, so he can still get caught if he tries to get away.
43* Janja and Jasiri not only act different, but look different as well. Janja and his clan are confirmed descendants of the hyenas from the Elephant Graveyard and as such, they bear the same physical features like YellowEyesOfSneakiness and sickly-grey fur, whereas the animals in Jasiri's clan have more cream-colored eyes and a more purple fur tone to make them distinguishable from the "bad” hyenas.
44* Fuli is the first female to ever join the Lion Guard. This fits perfectly with RealLife lions' behavior; the males protect the territory while the lionesses do most of the hunting. That's why the previous Lion Guards - which only had lion members - never had any females.
45* Janja has even more reason to be shocked and deeply moved by Jasiri saving him in "Rescue in the Outlands" than [[EvilCannotComprehendGood your typical villain does]]. After all, this isn't the first time he found himself on the literal precipice of death with only heroes/his enemies to help him -- the same thing happens to him in "Janja's New Crew," but how does it play out there? When the Lion Guard finds him on the ledge and decides to deal with the threat of Nne and Tano, Janja yells, "You're just gonna leave me here?!", and... they do! They make no effort to SaveTheVillain (that he can see) and show no intention of doing so. Fate intervenes and gets him down before they get back. He must've learned that day that even the noblest heroes he knows, who help everybody, consider him beyond redemption and not worth saving, not to mention that "heroes" don't really care about anything but themselves and their territory, no matter what they preach to the contrary. It's logical that Jasiri shattering that perception of himself and proving people ''can'' care about their rivals just as much as for their own was almost too much for his mind to bear.
46* The show's best moment of ShipTease is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it throwaway line. In "Battle for the Pride Lands," when Jasiri says, "Let's go!", the first thing a flustered Janja can think of to reply is, "Whatever you say, Jasiri!" Why does that sound familiar? Because it's the CatchPhrase of half of the only romantic couple Janja regularly interacts with: "Whatever you say, dear."
47* While several fans have accused Vitani's Lion Guard being made of all lions and ultimately succeeding Kion's Lion Guard as the show breaking its own moral that the best person of the job shouldn't depend on species, this actually makes quite a bit of sense. While Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu are willing to forgive Vitani and the Outsiders, the rest of the kingdom wouldn't. Vitani and her lionesses tried to kill the king in an ambush, and later on attacked the Pride Lands with explicit intent to conquer it that night. Suffice it to say, probably no animal in the Pride Lands would trust Vitani that she wouldn't attack them if they joined the Lion Guard, especially given that unlike Kovu, who was adopted by Zira and really disliked Zira's ideology, Vitani was Zira's biological daughter and believed in the cause completely. Similarly, while people have wondered why there are no Pride Lander lionesses, Vitani and her friends tried to kill them just a few weeks ago, and Vitani probably didn't trust them exactly either, as she doesn't know them personally. Just because the members of the Royal Family are willing to invoke EasilyForgiven doesn't meant everyone else will.
48* A nice bit of irony in Zira's VillainSong, ''Lions Over All''--"If we're ''joined together'', we will ''never fall''". Fast forward to ''Simba's Pride'', and Zira [[DisneyVillainDeath literally falls]] because she ''[[RedemptionRejection refused]]'' to join together with the others.
49* Kion forgiving Scar in the "Battle for the Pride Lands" seems to be contradictory considering that he summons the Great Kings of the Past to extinguish Scar's spirit forever, but it actually makes perfect sense. The Great Kings judge Scar by bringing gentle rain to the volcano. Not thunderstorms or hurricanes but gentle, soothly rain that puts out the fires of hatred and enables the scarred lands to heal and regrow back again. If Scar had good inside of him, that portion of his spirit would survive judgement and ultimately be redeemed as a good lion spirit. But since Scar is so full of hatred and irredeemable to the core, his fiery spirit ends up being extinguished because he cannot thrive in the rain (due to being made out of fire) or a world where animals no longer hate him.
50
51!!FridgeHorror
52* Scar killing the other four lions in the Lion Guard that he was the head of. Not only is this an extremely dark backstory for a show made for young children, but it shows how far Scar has gone to get the throne; not only killing his brother and attempting to kill his nephew, not only having a lioness manipulate a young cub to become his successor... But he also killed the four lions who helped him to protect the Pridelands originally. What had turned Scar into the villain that he is now, as he was once tasked with ''protecting the Pride Lands''.
53** Scar would have had plenty of power and importance as the Lion Guard leader, ''but he still wanted to be king''... [[CrossesTheLineTwice Makes him even worse now, doesn't it?]]
54* Since the cubs of the show are the next generation after Scar's reign, you can tell that many adults must be survivors of the DarkAges of the Pride Lands (save possible newcomers of other Lands). Imagine the heavy background they may have: the terrible ordeals they went through, countless relatives who died, their escape to foreign countries, roving while waiting for better times, until Scar died and they could go back to home and rebuild their lives.
55** Conversely, the former inhabitants may have all died, and the current herds would all be immigrants from other countries. The series does not give indications about the proportion of one and the other, but on the whole, nobody looks shell-shocked.
56* Although Badili is a friendly leopard, keep in mind he is ''still'' a predator. And when you consider that leopards store their kills in trees, it isn't hard to imagine why the galagos wouldn't want to share a tree with him (besides the obvious fear that they themselves could get eaten).
57* Muhimu (and her son Hamu) features prominently in "The Mbali Fields Migration" and "Babysitter Bunga", but in Season 3 [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse disappears from the show]]. Her disappearance is never explained... But when you remember what role zebras play in the [[PredationIsNatural Circle of Life]], it's all too easy to imagine what [[KilledOffscreen may have happened]] to her.
58* Had Kiburi won the mashindano and assumed leadership of the crocodiles, his punishment of being banished would have been deferred to Makuu. Worse still, Scar may very well have had a plan B for this situation. In other words, Kiburi would still be living in the Pridelands while also serving Scar.
59* One of the first things Mufasa taught Simba in the first movie was that no, a king actually ''can't'' go wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and expect to get his way all the time. Kion frequently leads the guard across the border, gets violent with the local predators if they object, and is actively encouraged to do so by Simba, so it's clear this lesson never stuck.
60** To be fair, most of the instances where the Guard trespasses into other borders, they have a good reason for it (eg; leading animals into the Pridelands). And if predators intrude, some laws need to be broken. Mufasa didn't just let Simba be eaten the time he ventured into the Elephant Graveyard. Then again, he also mentioned that a ''king'' can't do this stuff, he never mentioned the guard's limitations.
61* Had Kion never met Jasiri, he would most likely remain [[FantasticRacism thinking that]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil ''all hyenas'' are as bad]] [[HeinousHyena as Janja's clan]].
62* Season 3 already gives an implication of looming tragedy as Kion's family expects him to return for Kiara's first hunt...[[ForegoneConclusion which he doesn't]]. If something did indeed happen to the Guard while they were away, it would explain why Simba was so overly protective of Kiara in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''; he didn't want to lose another of his cubs especially with the Pridelands' defenders missing. And especially if Kion succumbs to corruption like Scar intended, it would explain why Simba was so distrusting and paranoid of Kovu.
63** This would overall bring Simba's TraumaCongaLine even further, as he not only loses his father but one of his offspring to Scar.
64** Not only that, but imagine how Timon and Pumbaa feel having lost Bunga. Taking their final quote from the second film into darker context:
65-->"Not like, LOVE!" *''they then hug each other bawling''*
66** Thankfully averted as of the GrandFinale. Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard were simply [[DeusExitMachina away at the Tree of Life]] during the events of ''Simba's Pride''. They didn't make it back to the Pride Lands until [[TheCavalryArrivesLate it was all already over, resulting in understandable confusion when meeting the Outsiders.]]
67* When Kion is bitten by Ushari, everyone, including Kion, believes the venom will eventually turn him evil, just as an identical situation apparently did to Scar years before. Ushari states that his venom has a tendency to cloud a victim's thinking, and Rafiki says that it could cause Kion to lose his ability to distinguish right from wrong. Throughout season 3, Kion deals with mood swings, clouded judgment and a general loss of confidence and purpose, as well as anxiety over the possibility of turning out just like Scar. Symptoms like these could indicate depression or PTSD, [[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149015/ both of which are possible permanent outcomes of envenomation by neurotoxic snakes such as cobras.]]
68* We see that all the Pride Land animals introduced in this series did survive the battle against Zira, and it was for the best that they didn't participate in that one as their absence in the second film would suggest. Lions are capable of defeating heavy hitters like crocodiles and elephants, and we know Zira is more than willing to ''lacerate'' enemies. Factoring that in, even without Makuu and his crocodiles holding back, these lions come from the worst parts of the Outlands and are far larger more hardened than the last Outlanders they fought, and the elephants though bigger would stand only a tiny chance, but wouldn't be fast enough to land a hit on any the Outlander lions before or without getting seriously injured.
69
70!!FridgeLogic
71* How is it Scar got away with apparently murdering his own guard with the roar and being stripped of said powers? Sure its only stated he "destroyed " them without any further elaboration, but it's highly likely that's just a kid-friendly way of saying "killed". If they were alive, surely they would have told Mufasa about the crimes. You would think the sudden deaths of the entire Lion Guard and the leader losing his powers would be pretty suspicious. It's pretty unlikely that he could have hidden such a thing so well or that, if he was found out by Mufasa, he would still be allowed to remain in the Pridelands after such a grievous crime. Additionally, Rafiki seems to know about it, given how he is explaining this fact in the opening narration, but how and when did he learn of this? Why would he not have told Mufasa about something like this? And for that matter, why would the Great Kings of the Past not have tried to warn Mufasa ( and possibly Rafiki) about Scar's crime, especially if they stripped him of said powers to begin with? Surely that's the kind of red flag that should be reported to the king? Even if they did not report this, how would no one in the pride question Scar being stripped of what is basically divine-given super powers?
72* Why is the Great Kings of The Past seem to see fit to give only a several-month-old cub like Kion something as powerful as the Roar of Elders? He is only a child who has no idea what he is getting himself into, and he did not even know this was a thing before getting it. Why they not wait he was older and more mature, or for his father to train and rear him to be more mature to wield such a power? They are just giving near demi-gods levels of power to cub and a hoping he just figures out how to wield if properly.
73* Why is it Simba letting his son lead the guard as a cub? Kion had practically no lesson in how to be a leader before he got the roar, and Simba seemed to have expected Kion to be able to handle himself right from the get-go, despite being a young kid. Most children Kion's age, lion years or not, would not be able to handle such as roll. Why is it he is fine with putting his younger son in all these dangerous situations that come with being a guard leader and thrusting this massive responsibility on his back at such an early age with little actual training or lessons to prepare him, while he protects his elder daughter fiercely and his giving her lessons as she grows up to prepare her to be queen, while not forcing her to take the over as leader until she is an adult(with the exception of the episode "Can't-Wait to be Queen" but that was only a temporary, roughly one day thing)?

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