Summary: When The Lion Guard rescues a baby baboon, Fuli is charged with returning the baboon to its mother.
This episode contains examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: It's Fuli, though Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri also get a hefty amount of screentime.
- Bullying a Dragon: Mzingo taunts Fuli about how he'll enjoy eating the infant baboon, despite the fact that Fuli is far more dangerous and motivated to protect said infant.
- Character Rerailment: Kiara's personality in this episode is very much like her original film personality, given that she stays focused on what she has to do, and clearly doesn't put up with pathetic excuses, in addition to her Think Nothing of It moment below.
- Circling Vultures: Mzingo and his flock when they first see the baby baboon.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Kiara makes it clear to Tiifu and Zuri that their detour was completely unnecessary and had they just gone to the buffalo, the whole danger could have been avoided.
- Damsel in Distress: Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri get trapped in a flood. In this case though, it is all Tiifu and Zuri's fault. Subverted with Kiara as she tries to get out of it by making a path of stepping stones, with no help from Tiffu and Zuri.
- Darker and Edgier: Not as dark as some of the other episodes, but Mzingo has no Villain Song and makes it quite clear that he wants the baby baboon dead.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Fuli becomes one with the baboons after she returns the infant and beats the stuffing out of Mzingo.
- Friendship Song: "Baboons" is about Fuli singing about her growing affection for the infant baboon.
- Knight of Cerebus: Mzingo is a lot darker here than he was in the past, given how gleeful and happy he is about killing an infant baboon and gloating about it to Fuli.
- Mama Bear: Fuli becomes this to the baby baboon, best shown when she yells "Claws off my Baboon!"
- Meaningful Name: Vuruga Vuruga, the leader of the buffalo herd: Vuruga means "mix" or "disarrange" in Swahili. Fitting since she tells Kiara that, while most royals attempt to look too "stuffy" for the Buffalo Wallow, it's a nice change of pace that Kiara came looking somewhat dirty.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Mzingo gets the daylights beaten out of him by Fuli when he tries to attack the infant. It doesn't help him that the baboons were backing Fuli up by lobbing fruit at him and the other vultures.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Fuli's attachment to the baby baboon is this, given her normal dislike for the animals.
- To a lesser extent, Kiara clearly has a hint of anger when Tiifu and Zuri refuse to help her and gives Zuri a vicious glare when Zuri complains about pushing the boulder. Justified since this situation is a potential life or death one.
- Only Sane Woman: Kiara becomes this in regards to Tiifu and Zuri in this episode, and this is a trend that sticks through the rest of the series.
- Plot Hole: Precisely how Kiara gets covered in mud is never explained. Kiara is never shown to get into the water, and rather inexplicably is covered in it when she saved Tiifu and Zuri.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Subverted. At one point in "Baboons" the baby baboon wakes up a python on a tree and gets scared off by it, but the python just looks surprised and doesn't even attempt to attack him.
- Skewed Priorities: Tiifu and Zuri are adamant that they have to get Kiara ready while the island is breaking apart. To say Kiara is frustrated would be putting it lightly.
- Think Nothing of It: Kiara saves both Tiifu and Zuri from drowning, but brushes it off as just her doing her royal duty.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Tiifu and Zuri with Kiara: while the latter is legitimately concerned about getting away from the raging flood waters, the former two spend most of the time doing nothing productive.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kiara gives this to Tiifu and Zuri over the detour as it was the reason they wind up stuck in a flood.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Zuri says this almost word for word when Kiara informs then they have to get the rock over the edge. Kiara's expressions are clearly this since the island is sinking and all Tiifu and Zuri worry about is Kiara's appearance.
